The lost city - Evangelical teens rally in S.F.

Evangelical teens rally in S.F.:

Mary Stamps of Truckee rallies with other Christians at City Hall

"More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against 'the virtue terrorism' of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a 'fascist mega-pep rally.'

'Battle Cry for a Generation' is led by a 44-year-old Concord native, Ron Luce, who wants 'God's instruction book' to guide young people away from the corrupting influence of popular culture.

Luce, whose Teen Mania organization is based in Texas, kicked off a three-city 'reverse rebellion' tour Friday night intended to counter a popular culture that he says glamorizes violence and sex. "

That's bad news to Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who told counterprotesters at City Hall on Friday that while such fundamentalists may be small in number, "they're loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco."

The villains, Luce said, range from the promiscuity and "sexualization" of young people on MTV and the popular online meeting hub MySpace.com to a corporate culture that spends millions trying to woo the under-21 crowd.

Battle Cry will try to bring them back to God through two days of religious rockers, speakers and the debut of what Luce called a Christian alternative to My Space.com.

Those alliances weren't lost on the 50 protesters representing a rainbow of San Francisco's left -- from abortion-rights advocates to anti-war activists to atheists -- who staged Friday's counterprotest.

"There is a real intolerancy to homosexuality in a lot of these organizations," said Peter Cobb, an organizer with Not In Our Name.

Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution condemning the "act of provocation" by what it termed an "anti-gay," "anti-choice" organization that aimed to "negatively influence the politics of America's most tolerant and progressive city."

Luce said it was the first time one of his events has been officially condemned.


Sister Mary Timothy of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence shouts at evangelical Christian youths rallying outside City Hall.

The lost city is not Atlantis it is San Francisco. It is lost in tolerance to anything that people want to do. People can partake in any kind of perversion but it is not considered deviant. What is perverse to them are teens who want to be abstinent. These kids get an official government condemnation from the tolerant city.

Of course we know they mean you should be tolerant to everyone except those who disagree with you. It is a self refuting stand. They mean that no one’s ideas are better than anyone else’s ideas. Yet when their ideas are challenged they believe that their idea is better. Their intolerance and freedom therefore only applies to what they believe. They want to judge everyone else without being judged themselves.

Brain Cells Fused with Computer Chip

LiveScience.com - Brain Cells Fused with Computer Chip

This is Eerie and Unnatural.

"The line between living organisms and machines has just become a whole lot blurrier. European researchers have developed 'neuro-chips' in which living brain cells and silicon circuits are coupled together.

The achievement could one day enable the creation of sophisticated neural prostheses to treat neurological disorders or the development of organic computers that crunch numbers using living neurons.

To create the neuro-chip, researchers squeezed more than 16,000 electronic transistors and hundreds of capacitors onto a silicon chip just 1 millimeter square in size.

They used special proteins found in the brain to glue brain cells, called neurons, onto the chip. However, the proteins acted as more than just a simple adhesive.

'They also provided the link between ionic channels of the neurons and semiconductor material in a way that neural electrical signals could be passed to the silicon chip,' said study team member Stefano Vassanelli from the University of Padua in Italy.

The proteins allowed the neuro-chip's electronic components and its living cells to communicate with each other. Electrical signals from neurons were recorded using the chip's transistors, while the chip's capacitors were used to stimulate the neurons."

Man Returns Purse Stuffed With $1M In Jewelry

wcbstv.com - Man Returns Purse Stuffed With $1M In Jewelry:

Modern day good Samaritan.

"(AP) SAN FRANCISCO John Suhrhoff found a Louis Vuitton bag on a Sausalito park bench.

Inside, police say, were a 12-carat diamond ring, pearl and emerald jewelry, a Cartier watch, and roughly $500 in cash. The contents were worth $1 million.

But the respiratory therapist didn't think of heading to a pawn shop -- he took the bag to police Monday afternoon.

The bag is now en route to a Toronto family who had been in northern California for a wedding.

'Every person I know or associate with would have done the same thing,' Suhrhoff, 56, said Tuesday. 'I'm glad to be able to help.'
"

Urban Legends in your email

Urban Legends Reference Pages

Before you forward that email about an attempt to take Christianity off TV or that NASA has discovered Joshua’s lost day please check out this website. I don’t know how many times I get these forwarded emails with an urban legend buried multiple layers deep.

Understand that some malicious person used a half truth to cause harm to a company, person or group like Christians. Well meaning people get used to forward thousands of emails to friends or others in order to damage the character of someone else.

For example did you get an email that claimed Starbucks refused to send free coffee to G.I.s serving in Iraq? That was a false report but I must have received two dozen of the same email. Let’s be wise as serpents and gentile as doves.

Update - Afghan Christian Convert Drops Out of Sight After Release

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World News - Afghan Christian Convert Drops Out of Sight After Release:

"KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan man who had faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity quickly vanished Tuesday after he was released from prison, apparently out of fear for his life with Muslim clerics still demanding his death.

The United Nations said it is working to find a country willing to grant asylum to Abdul Rahman, who has appealed to leave Afghanistan. Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini will ask his government to accept Rahman, the Italian government said in a statement."

"We released him last night because the prosecutors told us to," he said. "His family was there when he was freed, but I don't know where he was taken."

Deputy Attorney-General Mohammed Eshak Aloko said prosecutors had issued a letter calling for Rahman's release because "he was mentally unfit to stand trial." He also said he did not know where Rahman had gone after being released.

Convert Says He's Ready to Die

Report: Convert Says He's Ready to Die - Yahoo! News:

"ROME - An Afghan man who risks execution for converting from Islam to Christianity said he is fully aware of his choice and is ready to die for it, according to an interview published Sunday in an Italian newspaper."

Abdul Rahman, an Afghan man who converted from Islam to Christianity.

"I am serene. I have full awareness of what I have chosen. If I must die, I will die," Abdul Rahman told the Rome daily La Repubblica, which sent him questions through a human rights worker who visited him at a Kabul detention facility.

Authorities have barred journalists from seeing the 41-year-old defendant.

"Somebody, a long time ago, did it for all of us," he added in a clear reference to Jesus Christ.

Archaeological evidence of Mt. Sinai, Noah's Ark,the Ark of the Covenant, Paul's Shipwreck!

Here is an interesting site for Biblical Archaeology. Parts of the site are under construction but it still shows promise.

BASE Institute - Archaeological evidence of Mt. Sinai, Noah's Ark,the Ark of the Covenant, Paul's Shipwreck!

District sued after snubbing Bible club

WorldNetDaily: District sued after snubbing Bible club:

"A Christian student group in Texas filed a lawsuit against a public school district, claiming it was denied privileges due to its religious nature.

Students Witnessing Absolute Truth, or S.W.A.T., which focuses on Bible study, was barred from posting an organizational description on the 'Campus Programs' section of the website of the Plano Independent School District in suburban Dallas, according to Liberty Legal Institute, a public-interest group in the state defending the group."

"Federal law and the U.S. Constitution require Plano ISD to treat all non-curricular clubs the same and provide equal access to web pages, meeting spaces, bulletin boards and PA announcement," said Hiram Sasser, Liberty Legal's director of litigation.

In the lawsuit – filed in federal court in Sherman, Texas – S.W.A.T. asks that its free speech rights be honored by allowing it to post a short, organizational description alongside the other listings of student groups on campus.

As WorldNetDaily reported, Liberty Legal is involved in another suit against the district in which a student was prohibited from distributing religious-themed gifts, including candy canes.

In the S.W.A.T. case, Sasser pointed out, the website specifically is designated as a listing of all student groups offered within the school.

"By banning only the religious group, Plano ISD is in direct violation of the First Amendment and The Equal Access Act," he said.

Sasser charged the case "further emphasizes that Plano ISD has no respect for the law, the First Amendment or even the students."

It is amazing how things have turned over the years. In America, the land of freedom, we cannot pray or carry a bible in school but in the former Soviet blocks they are asking Intelligent Design promoters to come over and teach their students. It has become a thing of offense to even have a Bible club on your campus.

Israeli leader's party will divide Jerusalem

WorldNetDaily: Israeli leader's party will divide Jerusalem:

"JERUSALEM – Just five days before national elections here, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party revealed yesterday it would divide Jerusalem and allow a Palestinian state to be established in parts of Israel's 'eternal capital.'

The revelation follows months of denials by top Kadima officials that the party would advocate withdrawing from Jerusalem."

Several Kadima officials and leaders associated with the party's now comatose founder, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, previously made statements about dividing Jerusalem that immediately were denied by the party.

In December, Sharon's senior campaign pollster Kalman Gayer said in an interview with Newsweek the Israeli prime minister would give up parts of Jerusalem in a peace agreement. Immediately following the publication of Gayer's remarks, Sharon appeared on state-run Israeli television and denied his vision for a Palestinian state includes Jerusalem.

Olmert, who served as mayor of Jerusalem from 1993-2003, said in a June 2004 interview with the Jerusalem Post that Israel is contemplating turning parts of Jerusalem over to Palestinian control.

This is really something. Many think that Israel will offer land especially part of Jerusalem and the temple area to bring peace.

Rev. 11:1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.

2 "But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.

Many think the Anti-Christ will broker this peace deal.

Dan. 9:;;27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

Afghan man faces death after leaving Islam for Christianity

Chicago Tribune | Afghan man faces death after leaving Islam for Christianity:

"Abdul Rahman told his family he was a Christian. He told the neighbors, bringing shame upon his home. But then he told the police, and he could no longer be ignored.

Now, in a major test of Afghanistan's fledgling court system, Rahman, 42, faces the death penalty for abandoning Islam for Christianity. Prosecutors say he should die. So do his family, his jailers, even the judge. Rahman has no lawyer. Jail officials refused to let anyone see Rahman on Monday, despite permission granted by the country's justice minister.

'We will cut him into little pieces,' said Hosnia Wafayosofi, who works at the jail, as she made a cutting motion with her hands. 'There's no need to see him.'

Rahman's trial, which started Thursday, is thought to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan. It goes to the heart of the struggle between Islamic reformists and fundamentalists in the country, which is still recovering from 23 years of war and the harsh rule of the Taliban, a radical religious regime that fell in late 2001."

On Thursday, the first day of the trial, Rahman appeared in court with no lawyer. Prosecutor Abdul Wasi said Rahman had been told repeatedly to repent and come back to Islam, but Rahman refused. Wasi called Rahman a traitor.

"He is known as a microbe in society, and he should be cut off and removed from the rest of Muslim society and should be killed," Wasi told the court.

Rahman said he had surrendered himself to God. "I believe in the holy spirit," he said. "I believe in Christ. And I am a Christian."

"If he doesn't regret his conversion, the punishment will be enforced on him," the judge said. "And the punishment is death."

Once again I am perplexed. I keep hearing that Islam is a peaceful religion from Muslims and non Muslims alike but when peace can be demonstrated by them I see only violence. Papers print controversial cartoons about how Islam is a brutal religion and Muslims react by rioting and brutally causing deaths.

Now this man is in court contesting for his life and what is the charge? Surely if he is facing the death sentence his crime must be heinous and violent. His crime must be severely detrimental to society and unthinkable. What is his crime? He believes in Jesus as his Lord and savior. He believes the words of Jesus who said to love your enemies. I guess this crime of peace cannot go unpunished.

God's Love Toward a Radical Muslim

God's Love Toward a Radical Muslim:

This is one Muslims journey to Christ. I have heard many stories like this one from missionaries. God is working in great ways for those who seek Him. Read more here.

"I had been taught that Islam is the only way to Heaven. I was told, 'If you do this, you'll get so and so blessings in Heaven,' and 'if you do that, you'll get so and so blessings in Heaven.' I became an extremist for the religion Islam.

Well, I believed what I was doing was right, and if it is right, then there is no risk in digging. I had read about the prophets in the Quran and Hadiths, but Jesus Christ was the only personality that really touched me more than any others. I found out that Christians believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I very much wondered why they believe that. I started searching for Jesus Christ more and more. I had a Christian friend who used to study with me. I asked him one day if I could have his Bible."

Chaplain’s log

What a night. I went on duty at 8 pm Tuesday night and I have had five call outs. Usually we get 1 maybe 2 calls each shift. The chaplains handled around 500 calls last year. I did not get to bed until almost 5 am but it is worth it when I can help families who are in distress. I get to go to the hurting, the lame, the sick and minister to them.

I was around officers when the call came in that a San Bernardino County Sheriff was shot. They asked me questions about how we handle things like this in the God business. It is interesting the theological questions you get while making death notifications. It is a pleasure to support our law enforcement officers and the community. However, I am exhausted. I hope to get back to my regular Blogging soon.

London Majority of births will soon be out of wedlock

Telegraph | News | Majority of births will soon be out of wedlock:

"Half of all babies will be born to unmarried mothers by 2012 if present trends continue, says new research that suggests the rapid erosion of moral and religious taboos."

Moreover, fewer than half of families will consist of married couples and up to a third could be lone parents, said Dr Peter Brierley, a former Government statistician now specialising in religious trends.

Dr Brierley's projections followed the publication of official figures yesterday showing that the number of births outside marriage has almost quadrupled in recent decades.

The Office for National Statistics' Social Trends report, an annual snapshot of Britain, said that the figure rose to 42.3 per cent last year.

In 1994, the figure was 32 per cent and in the early 1970s it was less than 10 per cent.

The number of births outside wedlock exceeds 50 per cent in some parts, including Wales. In the North East, it was 54.1 per cent last year.

In London, where a higher proportion of young mothers are Muslims who adhere to more conservative family values, a third of children were born outside marriage.

The report said Britain now had the fourth highest level of births outside marriage in Europe, after Sweden, Denmark and France.

This is a snap shot of post Christian Europe. It is estimated that only 6% of Europe is Christian now where a century ago it was 60%. Child birth out of wedlock is only one sign of this decline.

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES

(Sympathy On)
I am going to make the post light today because I am sick.
(Sympathy Off) ;-)

If you like old movies then this site is for you. You can see numerous trailers of these classics at Turner Classic Movies. Remember the Quite Man with John Wayne? They have it. It’s a blast from the past.

Two more deaths reported after abortion pill

US News Article | Reuters.com: "By Lisa Richwine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two new deaths have been reported after women took the abortion pill known as RU-486 but officials do not know if the fatalities are connected to the drug, U.S. regulators said on Friday.

'At this time we are investigating all circumstances associated with these cases and are not able to confirm the causes of death,' the Food and Drug Administration said in an advisory to the public.

Four previously reported deaths were linked to complications from a bacterial infection that developed after the women took the abortion pill, which is sold by privately held Danco Laboratories.

In the two new cases, it is unknown if the women had bacterial infections, and if so, whether they were infected with the same rare bacterium identified in the earlier deaths. The bacterium is called Clostridium sordelli.

RU-486, also known as Mifeprex or mifepristone, is approved for terminating a pregnancy of 49 days or less. Another drug, misoprostol, is given two days later to complete the abortion.

The RU-486 label warns about the possibility of serious or even fatal infections, which also can happen after surgical abortions. In its alert issued Friday, the FDA urged physicians to be aware of the possibility of infection following RU-486 and to consider giving antibiotics if symptoms appear."

This is very sad and disturbing to see women lose their life over a lie. From the moment of conception that egg is a human being. One life is taken and another is put in great danger. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies put women at serious risk for the almighty dollar.

World box office dipped 7.9 pct to 23 billion dollars last year

BREITBART.COM - World box office dipped 7.9 pct to 23 billion dollars last year : study:

"Hollywood movie ticket sales around the world dropped by 7.9 percent last year to 23 billion dollars, with the US box office accounting for nearly 40 percent of the haul, a study showed.

Movie ticket receipts in North America dipped by six percent in 2005 to nine billion dollars, according to a study by the ratings statistics firm Nielsen Entertainment/NRG that comes as movie-goers increasingly stay out of cinemas."

The MPAA noted that eight movies had raked in more than 200 million dollars at the box office last year, compared with just five in 2004.

The total number of films released in the United States increased by 5.6 percent from 2004, while new releases by the major motion picture studios grossed an average of 37 million dollars in 2005, an increase of seven percent over the past five years," the industry group said.

Most movie-goers in 2005 went out to catch family films, with movies rated PG-13, meaning that children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult, accounting for 85 percent of the most watched films in 2005.

PG-13 movies accounted for 85% of the box office revenues. My understanding is that this is the way it has been for years. G and PG films gross the most and set box office records. I wish a Christian operated company would produce quality films for main stream release.

We are back

Going to the leadership conference in Arizona was fun and fast. Five couples planned to attend but three and a half actually made it. Difficult situations kept others from attending. We had a great time of study and fellowship. The pastors spoke on the Kings of Israel. Their circumstances were all very applicable to church leadership. Those of us who went all had experienced In-n-Out burgers in California. When we found out that there was one in Phoenix we had to go get one.

I think it was a successful trip. We build up the leadership, made new friends and gained resources for the future.

BTW, if you go to Mesa, Arizona be careful to pick up after your dog. I saw this sign and had to snap a picture of it.

Conference update

Greetings from Phoenix. We arrived late Sunday night and checked into our hotel. Three other couples are making the trip with us to this conference. This is a regional Calvary Chapel conference for pastors and leaders. The teaching, worship and fellowship were great.

I met a number of pastors and leaders that took classes from me in California. It was really good to see them. One is a senior pastor in Kansas City now. Another has started a mission to Native Americans here in Arizona. Another is on staff at a new church plant in California. Still another is planting a church in Texas. It is really a blessing to see fruit from these men. It is late so I will try to blog tomorrow night if I get a chance. I miss you all.

WorldNetDaily: Darwin smacked in new U.S. poll

WorldNetDaily: Darwin smacked in new U.S. poll:

"A new poll shows 69 percent of Americans believe public school teachers should present both the evidence for and against Darwinian evolution.

The Zogby International survey indicated only 21 percent think biology teachers should teach only Darwin's theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it.

A majority of Americans from every sub-group were at least twice as likely to prefer this approach to science education, the Zogby study showed."

About 88 percent of Americans 18-29 years old were in support, along with 73 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of independent voters.

Others who strongly support teaching the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory include African-Americans (69 percent), 35-54 year-olds (70 percent) and Democrats (60 percent).

Fifty years of promoting evolution and people are not buying it. It is time to pull that item off the shelf.

Traveling notes

I will be at a leadership conference this week so Blogging may be nonexistent or erratic. I will try to post if and when I get internet access.

Hamas Praises Russia for Being 'Completely Unlike the West'

Hamas Praises Russia for Being 'Completely Unlike the West':

"Hamas' leader hailed his Moscow talks as an end to the militant Palestinian group's international isolation and said Russia's position in negotiations differed from that of the United States and other Western nations, according to an interview published Monday.

Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal, whose three-day visit ended Sunday, told the daily Vremya Novostei that 'Moscow became the place where we opened the door to the entire global community.'"

Here is a quick update that goes along with commentary from Saturday's No Other Doctrine show.

Bird Flu Could Appear in U.S. in Months

Bird Flu Could Appear in U.S. in Months - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON - A deadly strain of bird flu could appear in the United States in the next few months as wild birds migrate from infected nations,
Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said Thursday.

Chertoff said 'there will be a reasonable possibility of a domestic fowl outbreak' as migrating birds mix with ducks, chickens and other birds in the U.S. But he cautioned against panic, noting that the Agriculture Department has dealt with other strains of bird flu for years.

'If we get a wild bird or even a domestic chicken that gets infected with avian flu, we're going to be able to deal with it, because we've got a lot of experience with that,' Chertoff said, speaking to newspaper editors and publishers.

'I can't predict, but I certainly have to say that we should be prepared for the possibility that at some point in the next few months, a wild fowl will come over the migratory pathway and will be infected with H5N1,' he said.

The H5N1 strain has killed at least 95 people since 2003, mostly in Asia, according to the
World Health Organization, and has devastated poultry stocks. Scientists are concerned that the virus could mutate into a form easily spread among people, sparking a pandemic."

I promised you that I would give you the projections from the Center for Disease Control for the worst case scenario in the United States. This is only if the virus mutates into an airborne infection in humans otherwise we will all be pretty safe.

CDC estimates that in the U.S. alone;

Up to 200 million persons may be infected

Between 40 – 100 million may be clinically ill

Between 18 – 45 million may require outpatient care

Between 300,000 – 800,000 may be hospitalized

Between 88,000 – 300,000 could potentially die

Alabama Fires No Laughing Matter

Alabama Fires No Laughing Matter - CBS News:

(CBS/AP) The three college students arrested Wednesday in a string of nine Alabama church fires say they set them initially as 'a joke' and later as a diversion. But what started out as a prank will have an ending that's no laughing matter. If convicted, these young men face up to 45 years in prison, CBS News correspondent Jim Acosta reports. "

The three were jailed on federal charges of conspiracy and setting fire to a single church — Ashby Baptist. If convicted, each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. Additional charges are possible, authorities said.

CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen expects the men to receive serious sentences if they're ultimately convicted.

"I think prosecutors and the judge are going to see the case as a perfect vehicle to send a message that this sort of conduct, whatever the motives, just won’t be tolerated," says Cohen. "And I think that push is going to be more powerful than any argument that they get a lot of leniency because of their age or anything else."

A joke is setting off a stink bomb or fire cracker not setting fire to a building or nine. Apparently they confessed to this crime. If this is true how could three college students be so insensible and uncaring?

Bird flu a bigger challenge than AIDS

Examiner: "By Alexander Higgins, Geneva


THE lethal strain of bird flu poses a greater challenge to the world than any infectious disease, including AIDS, and has cost 300 million farmers over $10 billion in its spread through poultry around the world, the World Health Organisation said yesterday.

Scientists also are increasingly worried that the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily passed between humans, triggering a global pandemic. It already is unprecedented as an animal illness in its rapid expansion.

Since February, the virus has spread to birds in 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, said the WHO's Dr Margaret Chan, citing UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates of the toll on farmers.

'Concern has mounted progressively, and events in recent weeks justify that concern,' Dr Chan, who is leading WHO's efforts against bird flu, told a meeting in Geneva on global efforts to prepare for the possibility of the flu mutating into a form easily transmitted among humans."

WHO says 175 people are confirmed to have caught bird flu, and 95 of them have died.

Global influenza pandemics - as opposed to annual recurrences of seasonal flu - tend to strike periodically. In the 20th century, there were pandemics in 1918, 1957 and 1968.

Bird flu could potentially cause more deaths than those from the global flu pandemics. Because the H5N1 virus is airborne, it is easier to transmit and more contagious than HIV/AIDS, WHO officials said.

Dr Mike Ryan, director of epidemic and pandemic alert and response at WHO, said: "We truly feel that this present threat is likely to stretch our global systems to the point of collapse."

This is the first time world health authorities have tried to stop a global influenza pandemic before it begins. Dr Chan referred to the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, as evidence of "how much the world has changed."

SARS infected 8,000 people, killing 800 of them.

This is the real deal folks. If this virus mutates so that humans can be infected like we can with the common cold then thousands or millions will die. I will record the Center for Disease Control’s projections in a future post.

English Speaking' Sign Flap

cbs4denver.com: CBS4 Investigates 'English Speaking' Sign Flap:

I could say so much here but I won't.

"(CBS4) DENVER Arapahoe County is threatening to fire a veteran Public Works employee for promoting the fact that he is an English speaking American.

'They claim it's offensive and I've been accused of discrimination and harassment, believe it or not, because of this,' said Mike Gray, a heavy equipment operator with the Arapahoe County Road and Bridge Department for 16 years.

The problems began last spring. Gray, 50, owns a lawn service business on the side. He was routinely driving to work in his pickup truck towing a trailer that he uses to carry lawn mowing equipment for his business. On the side of his trailer, the married father of two affixed a sign that reads 'Lawn Services Done With Pride!! By An English Speaking American.'

The sign also gives Gray's phone number and the lettering is over a background of an American flag.

'There are a lot of people in the lawn service that are non-English speaking,' Gray said. 'Customers and different people were telling me that they have a hard time trying to communicate with them about the work they want done on their yards. I just want to let people know they at least can communicate with me when I do work on their property.'

Gray also wore a hat to work that says 'U.S. Border Patrol,' which he says was a gift from his son.

Arapahoe County officials told Gray the sign and hat must go or else. In a Nov. 10, 2005, letter, his supervisor Monty Sedlak wrote the following:

'Some of your conduct ... is reprehensible and discriminatory to our non-English speaking and/or Hispanic workforce. You are in violation of ... guidelines which ensure a workplace free from harassment and sensitive to the diversity of employees.'

'You are required to permanently remove your cap from the workplace. It is offensive and harassing. Your business sign, if on work premises, must be completely covered at all times. This behavior is inappropriate and any further incidents of this nature may result in further disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.'

Andrea Rasizer, spokesperson for Arapahoe County, declined to answer questions, saying the matter was a 'personnel issue.'

Gray said he believes his First Amendment rights are at stake, and he said he is 'not about to surrender.'"

South Dakota governor signs key anti-abortion law

South Dakota governor signs key anti-abortion law�|�Reuters.com: "CHICAGO (Reuters) -

Republican Gov. Mike Rounds inked the measure

The governor of South Dakota on Monday signed into law severe restrictions on abortion, in a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court's legalization of the practice 33 years ago.

Abortion foes have said they hope to use the South Dakota law to eventually bring the issue back before the high court, where they believe conservatives added to the bench by President George W. Bush in the last year could weaken or dismantle the court's landmark Roe vs Wade decision of 1973.

Supporters of Roe v. Wade have promised a legal challenge to the new South Dakota law.

Republican Gov. Mike Rounds inked the measure, which had been passed by the state legislature on February 24, after a review to make sure there were no technical problems."

Legion campaign backs anti-ACLU bill

WorldNetDaily: Legion campaign backs anti-ACLU bill:

This fits under "That's just not right" and I hope the American Legion follows up with this campaign.

"The American Legion, with 2.7-million members the largest veterans organization in the world, has launched a nationwide grass-roots campaign to support a bill in Congress that would stop the ACLU from receiving taxpayer-paid attorney fees in the many religious-establishment cases against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments and other symbols of America's religious history and heritage.

The Public Expression of Religion Act, or PERA, would amend the Civil Rights Attorney Fees Act to withdraw the authority of courts to award attorney fees, or damages, to the American Civil Liberties Union, or anyone else, in lawsuits brought under the Establishment of Religion clause in the First Amendment."

Generally unknown to the public, the ACLU has received enormous attorney fee awards from judges in Establishment Clause cases.

The American Legion argues that not a single judge, as far as is known, has exercised the court's discretion to deny the ACLU's motions for attorney fees – usually at $350 an hour – to be paid by taxpayers.

This has been done in spite of the fact that the ACLU has incurred no actual attorney expenses, because its lawsuits are handled by staff or volunteer lawyers.

The Legion says the ACLU has used the threat of attorney fees to intimidate cities, counties, school boards and other locally elected bodies into surrendering to its demands to remove religion from the public square.

"The Head of the Snake”

Michael J. Totten: “The Head of the Snake”:

This is a look into one of Saddam Hussein's prisons. These truly were centers of torture. The images and story on this link are graphic. It is hard to believe that sinful man is capable of such evil but we are.

"SULEIMANIYA, IRAQ – Suleimaniya is the most liberal city in Iraqi Kurdistan, partly because of its long-standing and deep ties to nearby Iran, one of the most culturally liberal countries in the Middle East. The Iraqi Kurds I met who have been to Iran wanted me to know – and they want you to know, as well – that the distance between the Iranian people and their hideous regime is galactic. I heard the same refrain over and over again: “Persians are just like us.” In other words, they are liberal, secular, pro-Western, and fed up with tyrants. “Iranians love America,” the Kurds told me. “They have nothing to do with Ahmadinejad.”

All the way back in 1973 Moula Mustafa Barzani, the famous and beloved leader of the anti-Baathist Kurdish resistance, said he wanted Iraqi Kurdistan to become the 51st American state. Nowhere did Barzani’s fierce campaign resonate more deeply than it did in Suleimaniya. Suli isn’t only the cultural capital of the region – its New York, if you will. It also is the capital of Kurdish nationalism. Saddam Hussein called it “The Head of the Snake.”

He answered with genocide. No one in Iraq experienced the full wrath of Saddam’s Black Arabism more than the Kurds. If the Kurds refused to morph themselves into loyal little Baathists, he would erase them from the face of the earth."

Creationist Henry Morris dies at 87

WorldNetDaily: Creationist Henry Morris dies at 87:

Henry Morris was a good proponent for creationism and will be sorely missed.

"Henry Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, died at age 87 in California.

The institute – where Morris remained president emeritus after his retirement – announced he died Saturday afternoon after suffering two strokes.

Beginning with his book 'The Genesis Flood' in 1961, Morris was a key figure in the modern creationist movement, which believes God created the world in six days less than 10,000 years ago and that the biblical flood covered the entire Earth."

Biography here

England, Wales see 3,648 'gay marriages' in first six weeks of new law

England, Wales see 3,648 'gay marriages' in first six weeks of new law

"LONDON (AFP) - A total of 3,648 gay and lesbian couples in England and Wales entered legal unions in the first six weeks under a new law granting them marriage-like rights, government figures showed.
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Some 2,510 male couples and 1,138 female couples forged ties under the Civil Partnership Act from December 21, the first day ceremonies occurred, until January 31, the date of the most recent figures, the Office for National Statistics said.

The law came into effect on December 5, allowing gay and lesbian couples in Britain to begin registering their plans to tie the knot.

On December 21, when ceremonies were allowed to take place in England and Wales, the office said some 700 partnerships were sealed, including that of pop singer Elton John and his Canadian partner David Furnish.

Tens of thousands of same-sex couples are expected to sign civil partnerships over the next five years alone, giving them basically the same rights and responsibilities as their married, heterosexual counterparts."

This seems like a large number of marriages but it is not. Even if tens of thousands have these civil unions that number would be a fraction of the population of 50 million. That number will be less than two tenths of one percent. The homosexual population of most countries is less than 1 percent.

Miss. House committee votes to ban most abortions

Miss. House committee votes to ban most abortions:

Here is the second of five states anticipated to ban abortions. Three others may pass a ban later this year or early next year.

"JACKSON, Miss. - A Mississippi House committee voted Tuesday to ban most abortions in the state - an unexpected move that left abortion opponents grappling to stake out a position on a proposal that could prompt a lengthy court battle.

The only abortions allowed under the bill would be if the life of the pregnant woman were in danger. There would be no abortions allowed in cases of pregnancy caused by rape or incest.

It's similar to a bill that South Dakota lawmakers passed last week.

House Public Health Chairman Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, persuaded his committee to put the abortion restrictions into a Senate bill that was originally written to require that sonograms be performed early in pregnancy so the woman could hear a fetal heartbeat."

Flamingo Deaths Spark Bird Flu Probe in Bahamas

Planet Ark : Flamingo Deaths Spark Bird Flu Probe in Bahamas:

"NASSAU - Health experts were dispatched on Tuesday to the southern Bahamas island of Inagua to find out if an unexplained spate of bird deaths was linked to a deadly bird flu virus that is spreading around the globe.

Over the past two days, 15 of the island's famed flamingos, five roseate spoonbills and one cormorant have been found dead with no external injuries on the island just north of Haiti, officials said.

Scientists from the Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Health will gather samples from the birds and then submit them for laboratory analysis.

'Anything is possible in nature. You have birds that fly around the world,' said Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Leslie Miller, declining to rule out the H5N1 bird flu strain that has killed at least 93 people and spread to 20 new countries in the past month alone.

'But let's hope to God that that is not the case here in the Bahamas,' Miller said.

The H5N1 virus is endemic in birds across parts of Asia but has since spread to Europe and Africa. Experts fear it could mutate into a form more easily passed between humans and trigger a pandemic in which millions could die."

This is very unsettling. If it mutates and stays in birds it could be spread around the world in less than six months. Bird do migrate long distances.