[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
[NOTE: As usual on Sundays, please try to catch this week's broadcast of "Truth That Transforms" (In Central Florida, 9-9:30 am, 10-10:30 am, 5-5:30 pm; check your TV listings)or watch it at www.truthinaction.org. This week's very timely message is entitled "Christian Citizenship" and deals with God's calling on the life of every believer, as does the article below. - Stan]
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- Eric Metaxas, Breakpoint.org, August 06, 2012
According to press reports, the shooter at the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater, dyed his hair orange, told the police that he was the Joker, had Batman posters all over his booby-trapped apartment, and, of course, chose as targets men, women, and children who were attending the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises.
Yet that same press is quick to assure us that the massacre has absolutely nothing in common with the dark Batman mythos, that the film didn't cause the slaughter, and that the deaths of 12 people and a woman’s miscarriage — excuse me, 13 people — were the inexplicable work of a deranged gunman, and we cannot know anything beyond this.
Before I go on, let me say this: I’m absolutely not blaming this Batman movie for the massacre in Aurora. But what about violent movies in general? Because we do know a lot more about the connection between violence and media consumption than our guardians of culture are letting on.
Carl Cannon in RealClearPolitics.com, writes that, “A hundred studies have demonstrated conclusively that viewing violence on the screen increases aggression in those who watch it, particularly children.” He adds, “Simply ignoring the massive quantities of violent Hollywood-produced fare has not made the problem go away.”
My friend Peggy Noonan, writing in The Wall Street Journal, points out that the unstable among us are particularly vulnerable to such fare. “...they are less defended against dark cultural messages...The borders of the minds of the unstable are more porous. They let the darkness in.”
So while we can never know with absolute certainty why a particular person committed a certain violent act, we shouldn’t be surprised when unstable people such as the Aurora shooter act out the dark fantasies they see on the silver screen, on TV, or in video games.
Nor should we be taken aback by the response of Hollywood and the so-called mainstream media — to deflect, defend, and deny. As Noonan says, “Some of the sadness and frustration following Aurora has to do with the fact that no one thinks anyone can, or will, do anything to make our culture better. The film industry isn't going to change, the genie is long out of the bottle.”
So we know what’s wrong — at least partly — with our entertainment culture, but we’re apparently unwilling or unable to change it.
Folks, this is why Chuck Colson was committed to teaching Christian worldview. He knew that God’s moral law and His plans for how human beings should live together in community were given not to restrict our freedom but to empower us to live the good life for His glory.
Chuck begged us Christians to carry our beliefs from the pews and into the public square — into the arts, education, and the media. Part of our calling is to impact the culture for the good of all. Christians, who are called to be salt and light wherever we go, can help our friends and neighbors to focus on whatever is “good, noble, pure, and honorable,” as the Word says.
But this means we actually have to be different from the surrounding culture. Chuck Colson told the sad story of how once he sat down with a media executive to say that the man’s company was missing out on a lucrative market because it was not providing the wholesome, uplifting entertainment that Christians would watch. The executive shocked Chuck by demonstrating that the viewing habits of Christians were basically no different than those of the larger culture.
So instead of cursing the undeniable and deepening dark night of our culture, let’s light a candle that others can see.
[bold and italics emhasis mine]
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
#288(8/9) - "CBO Report Confirms Rich Already Pay Their 'Fair Share'"
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
- by Guinevere Nell; July 12, 2012; http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/12/cbo-report-confirms-rich-already-pay-their-fair-share/
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its latest estimates on the share of taxes paid by income level, giving voters a way to check the argument that the rich do not pay “their fair share.”
Using 2009 tax year data, CBO’s report shows the amount of income people earned and taxes they paid across different income groups. [Go to the website noted above for an excellent chart that shows this.]You will see a lot of news on this report. What you are unlikely to see, though, are these facts from the CBO report:
•On just federal-level taxes, the top 1 percent of income earners already have an effective tax rate of 29 percent. (This should please Warren Buffett!)
•President Obama has achieved his goal of increasing redistribution: The top 20 percent has seen its after-tax share of total income fall, especially the top 1 percent, while the lower income groups have seen their share rise.
•The top 1 percent pays well over its “fair share”—it pays a much larger share of taxes (22.3 percent) than the share of income it earns (13.3 percent)—as does the full top 20 percent.
Meanwhile, the bottom income groups pay a much smaller share of taxes than their share of income: The bottom 40 percent earned 14.9 percent of income but paid just 4.1 percent of federal taxes. (See chart)
So when the President and the his supporters complain that the rich are not paying their fair share of taxes, and Warren Buffett suggests another tax to ensure that they start paying more, someone should show them this government report. If the argument is that America must ensure that the rich pay, it must just be rhetoric—because they are already paying.
[bold and italics emhasis mine]
- by Guinevere Nell; July 12, 2012; http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/12/cbo-report-confirms-rich-already-pay-their-fair-share/
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its latest estimates on the share of taxes paid by income level, giving voters a way to check the argument that the rich do not pay “their fair share.”
Using 2009 tax year data, CBO’s report shows the amount of income people earned and taxes they paid across different income groups. [Go to the website noted above for an excellent chart that shows this.]You will see a lot of news on this report. What you are unlikely to see, though, are these facts from the CBO report:
•On just federal-level taxes, the top 1 percent of income earners already have an effective tax rate of 29 percent. (This should please Warren Buffett!)
•President Obama has achieved his goal of increasing redistribution: The top 20 percent has seen its after-tax share of total income fall, especially the top 1 percent, while the lower income groups have seen their share rise.
•The top 1 percent pays well over its “fair share”—it pays a much larger share of taxes (22.3 percent) than the share of income it earns (13.3 percent)—as does the full top 20 percent.
Meanwhile, the bottom income groups pay a much smaller share of taxes than their share of income: The bottom 40 percent earned 14.9 percent of income but paid just 4.1 percent of federal taxes. (See chart)
So when the President and the his supporters complain that the rich are not paying their fair share of taxes, and Warren Buffett suggests another tax to ensure that they start paying more, someone should show them this government report. If the argument is that America must ensure that the rich pay, it must just be rhetoric—because they are already paying.
[bold and italics emhasis mine]
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
#287(8/8) - Has Any Administration Policy NOT Killed Jobs Lately
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
- Amy Payne, August 3, 2012 http://blog.heritage.org/2012/08/03/morning-bell-has-any-administration-policy-not-killed-jobs-lately/
Congress has headed off for its long vacation-and-campaign season, fleeing Washington as the unemployment rate rises. According to the Labor Department’s July jobs report, the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3 percent, 12.8 million Americans are out of work, and 5.2 million have been out of work for at least a half a year.
According to one survey, the country added a surprising 163,000 jobs in July, while according to a second Labor Department survey, employment fell by 195,000 — raising questions about whether the more positive figure is all that reliable, given that the economy slowed significantly to a 1.5 percent annualized growth rate in the second quarter and appears to be slowing further.
The question isn’t what has slowed the economy — it’s really what Obama Administration policy hasn’t slowed the economy? The policies of the last few years have been unequivocal job killers.
The Administration’s foot-dragging on free trade agreements has killed job creation. The extended moratorium on oil drilling, followed by new regulations, killed job creation. President Obama’s refusal to build the Keystone XL pipeline killed jobs. Ever-expanding Environmental Protection Agency regulations kill jobs. Extending unemployment insurance — part of the failed “stimulus” — was a humanitarian gesture, but it killed jobs. Even increasing deficit spending has a job-killing effect, the opposite of what Obama espouses.
And then there’s Obamacare, which if it goes into full effect will be one of the biggest job killers of modern times.
To all of this, President Obama said, “We tried our plan—and it worked.”[!]
And they’re not done yet. The Democrat-led Senate just tried again last week to raise taxes on small businesses. The Republican-led House stopped that plan and passed a bill to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax policies for next year and thus defer part of Taxmageddon, the biggest job killer we now face. But will Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) even allow a vote on it?
Reid is a major driver of these tax increases and job-killing policies. He has abused his authority as majority leader to block the minority party from the opportunity to offer amendments more than 60 times, more than all of his predecessors combined.
And Reid denies the connection between the Administration’s policies and a lack of jobs. He has claimed that “only a tiny fraction of layoffs have anything at all to do with tighter regulation.” But he again misses the point by assuming that job losses are the problem, rather than a lack of job creation.
Having fiddled since January, Congressional liberals have now left town without doing anything to help Americans looking for work. Meanwhile, the largest tax increase in American history is looming for January 1, set to further devastate the economy by hitting families with an average tax hike of more than $4,100 each.
Heritage’s J.D. Foster warns:"While these tax hikes will not take effect until January of next year, they are already sapping the economy because businesses are forward-looking. Not knowing what their own tax burdens will be, businesses are highly reluctant to hire workers or invest for the future. And with waning faith Congress will prevent Taxmageddon, warnings and fears of a sharp recession are rising rapidly—fears that further discourage any thoughts of hiring or investing.
The regulatory and legal mess created by years of policies cannot be undone overnight. The growing threats from Europe’s travails cannot be ignored, nor can the developing recessions throughout Asia. There is nothing the United States can do to defuse these threats, but we can prepare for them. Preventing Taxmageddon is something Congress should do immediately. It is not enough to pass bills and vamoose to campaign while the economy slides even further. The President must lead, and Congress must act now, to prevent Taxmageddon now."
The unemployment rate has now been at or above 8 percent for 42 months. It threatens to rise higher as the economy slows further. President Obama and his congressional allies should set aside their ideological fencing for the good of the economy: Extend the 2001 and 2003 tax policies for at least a year to strengthen the nation’s economic security. Prevent the jump in the payroll tax rate. Prevent the implementation of the new Obamacare tax hikes. Prevent the mandated budget cuts known as “sequestration” that threaten national security.
The “plan” has not worked. It’s time for a new plan based on the basics, not gimmicks.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
- Amy Payne, August 3, 2012 http://blog.heritage.org/2012/08/03/morning-bell-has-any-administration-policy-not-killed-jobs-lately/
Congress has headed off for its long vacation-and-campaign season, fleeing Washington as the unemployment rate rises. According to the Labor Department’s July jobs report, the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3 percent, 12.8 million Americans are out of work, and 5.2 million have been out of work for at least a half a year.
According to one survey, the country added a surprising 163,000 jobs in July, while according to a second Labor Department survey, employment fell by 195,000 — raising questions about whether the more positive figure is all that reliable, given that the economy slowed significantly to a 1.5 percent annualized growth rate in the second quarter and appears to be slowing further.
The question isn’t what has slowed the economy — it’s really what Obama Administration policy hasn’t slowed the economy? The policies of the last few years have been unequivocal job killers.
The Administration’s foot-dragging on free trade agreements has killed job creation. The extended moratorium on oil drilling, followed by new regulations, killed job creation. President Obama’s refusal to build the Keystone XL pipeline killed jobs. Ever-expanding Environmental Protection Agency regulations kill jobs. Extending unemployment insurance — part of the failed “stimulus” — was a humanitarian gesture, but it killed jobs. Even increasing deficit spending has a job-killing effect, the opposite of what Obama espouses.
And then there’s Obamacare, which if it goes into full effect will be one of the biggest job killers of modern times.
To all of this, President Obama said, “We tried our plan—and it worked.”[!]
And they’re not done yet. The Democrat-led Senate just tried again last week to raise taxes on small businesses. The Republican-led House stopped that plan and passed a bill to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax policies for next year and thus defer part of Taxmageddon, the biggest job killer we now face. But will Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) even allow a vote on it?
Reid is a major driver of these tax increases and job-killing policies. He has abused his authority as majority leader to block the minority party from the opportunity to offer amendments more than 60 times, more than all of his predecessors combined.
And Reid denies the connection between the Administration’s policies and a lack of jobs. He has claimed that “only a tiny fraction of layoffs have anything at all to do with tighter regulation.” But he again misses the point by assuming that job losses are the problem, rather than a lack of job creation.
Having fiddled since January, Congressional liberals have now left town without doing anything to help Americans looking for work. Meanwhile, the largest tax increase in American history is looming for January 1, set to further devastate the economy by hitting families with an average tax hike of more than $4,100 each.
Heritage’s J.D. Foster warns:"While these tax hikes will not take effect until January of next year, they are already sapping the economy because businesses are forward-looking. Not knowing what their own tax burdens will be, businesses are highly reluctant to hire workers or invest for the future. And with waning faith Congress will prevent Taxmageddon, warnings and fears of a sharp recession are rising rapidly—fears that further discourage any thoughts of hiring or investing.
The regulatory and legal mess created by years of policies cannot be undone overnight. The growing threats from Europe’s travails cannot be ignored, nor can the developing recessions throughout Asia. There is nothing the United States can do to defuse these threats, but we can prepare for them. Preventing Taxmageddon is something Congress should do immediately. It is not enough to pass bills and vamoose to campaign while the economy slides even further. The President must lead, and Congress must act now, to prevent Taxmageddon now."
The unemployment rate has now been at or above 8 percent for 42 months. It threatens to rise higher as the economy slows further. President Obama and his congressional allies should set aside their ideological fencing for the good of the economy: Extend the 2001 and 2003 tax policies for at least a year to strengthen the nation’s economic security. Prevent the jump in the payroll tax rate. Prevent the implementation of the new Obamacare tax hikes. Prevent the mandated budget cuts known as “sequestration” that threaten national security.
The “plan” has not worked. It’s time for a new plan based on the basics, not gimmicks.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
#286 (8/7) - "The Green Graveyard of Taxpayer-Funded Failures"
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
NOTE:In case you didnt hear,"Chick-fil-A Gay 'Kiss-In' Protest Flops," CBNNews.com Monday, August 06, 2012, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/August/Gay-Chick-fil-A-Kiss-In-Protest-Flops/
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- By Amy Payne On July 24, 2012
Solar-cell manufacturer Solyndra became a household name when it collapsed, taking $627 million in American taxpayer dollars with it. It’s the poster company for the government picking winners and losers—or really, just losers—in the energy market. But there are 12 more “green energy” losers that have declared bankruptcy despite attempts to prop them up with taxpayer money—and the list is growing.
There’s a reason why these companies could not rely solely on private financing and needed help from the government. They couldn’t make it on their own; they couldn’t even make it with extra taxpayer help.
These green government “investments” take from one (by taxing or borrowing) and give to another, but they merely move money around. They do not create jobs. They send labor and resources to areas of the economy where they are wasted. Proponents of special financing and tax credits for solar companies claim that these benefits will pay for themselves [1] down the line — but when the companies receiving them are going bankrupt, that is highly unlikely.
Kate Adams, a member of Heritage’s Young Leaders Program, and Heritage’s Rachael Slobodien compiled a list of the 12 members of the Green Graveyard—companies that received taxpayer money for green initiatives yet have filed for bankruptcy.
1.Abound Solar (Loveland, Colorado), manufacturer of thin film photovoltaic modules.
2.Beacon Power (Tyngsborough, Massachusetts), designed and developed advanced products and services to support stable, reliable and efficient electricity grid operation.
3.Ener1 (Indianapolis, Indiana), built compact lithium-ion-powered battery solutions for hybrid and electric cars.
4.Energy Conversion Devices (Rochester Hills, Michigan/Auburn Hills, Michigan), manufacturer of flexible thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology and a producer of batteries and other renewable energy-related products.
5.Evergreen Solar, Inc. (Marlborough, Massachusetts), manufactured and installed solar panels.
6.Mountain Plaza, Inc. (Dandridge, Tennessee), designed and implemented “truck-stop electrification” technology.
7.Olsen’s Crop Service and Olsens Mills Acquisition Co. (Berlin, Wisconsin), a private company producing ethanol.
8.Range Fuels (Soperton, Georgia), tried to develop a technology that converted biomass into ethanol without the use of enzymes.
9.Raser Technologies (Provo, Utah), geothermal power plants and technology licensing.
10.Solyndra (Fremont, California), manufacturer of cylindrical panels of thin-film solar cells.
11.Spectrawatt (Hopewell, New York), solar cell manufacturer.
12.Thompson River Power LLC (Wayzata, Minnesota), designed and developed advanced products and services to support stable, reliable and efficient electricity grid operation.
Some lawmakers are looking for a solution. The aptly named No More Solyndras Act [2] would prohibit any new loan guarantees from Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.[ "For applications that are already under consideration or have received conditional commitment, the bill would require the Secretary of the Treasury to make a recommendation based on the merits of the program. Although not perfect, the legislation moves us in the right direction toward finally ending this program.
As Heritage’s Nicolas Loris wrote[2],"Republicans and Democrats alike need to end their addiction to energy subsidies, or we’re going to continue down the same failed path of wasteful spending…We don’t need to fix the energy subsidy programs. We need to abolish them."
President Obama said in 2010 that “the true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra. [3]”He couldn’t be more wrong. Companies that are innovating and creating real value for consumers are the engine of economic growth, and they’re doing it without millions in taxpayer funding.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/24/morning-bell-the-green-graveyard-of-taxpayer-funded-failures/
URLs in this post:
[1] pay for themselves: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/23/study-shows-roi-on-solar-investment-but-ignores-bankruptcies/
[2] No More Solyndras Act: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/23/no-more-solyndras-act-shows-addiction-to-energy-subsidies-is-a-bipartisan-problem/
[3] the true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy2xEAZhAuo
[4] a trillion dollars: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/federal-governments-debt-jumps-more-1t-5th-straight-fiscal-year
Copyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
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Solyndra Revelations Show It’s Time to Close the “Bank of Washington”- By Amy Payne, August 6, 2012,URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/08/06/morning-bell-solyndra-revelations-show-its-time-to-close-the-bank-of-washington/
...There are plenty of job-killing regulations holding back American companies. A lack of taxpayer dollars is not the problem. It’s time to close the “Bank of Washington” and allow truly successful, viable technologies to rise to the top."
NOTE:In case you didnt hear,"Chick-fil-A Gay 'Kiss-In' Protest Flops," CBNNews.com Monday, August 06, 2012, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/August/Gay-Chick-fil-A-Kiss-In-Protest-Flops/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- By Amy Payne On July 24, 2012
Solar-cell manufacturer Solyndra became a household name when it collapsed, taking $627 million in American taxpayer dollars with it. It’s the poster company for the government picking winners and losers—or really, just losers—in the energy market. But there are 12 more “green energy” losers that have declared bankruptcy despite attempts to prop them up with taxpayer money—and the list is growing.
There’s a reason why these companies could not rely solely on private financing and needed help from the government. They couldn’t make it on their own; they couldn’t even make it with extra taxpayer help.
These green government “investments” take from one (by taxing or borrowing) and give to another, but they merely move money around. They do not create jobs. They send labor and resources to areas of the economy where they are wasted. Proponents of special financing and tax credits for solar companies claim that these benefits will pay for themselves [1] down the line — but when the companies receiving them are going bankrupt, that is highly unlikely.
Kate Adams, a member of Heritage’s Young Leaders Program, and Heritage’s Rachael Slobodien compiled a list of the 12 members of the Green Graveyard—companies that received taxpayer money for green initiatives yet have filed for bankruptcy.
1.Abound Solar (Loveland, Colorado), manufacturer of thin film photovoltaic modules.
2.Beacon Power (Tyngsborough, Massachusetts), designed and developed advanced products and services to support stable, reliable and efficient electricity grid operation.
3.Ener1 (Indianapolis, Indiana), built compact lithium-ion-powered battery solutions for hybrid and electric cars.
4.Energy Conversion Devices (Rochester Hills, Michigan/Auburn Hills, Michigan), manufacturer of flexible thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology and a producer of batteries and other renewable energy-related products.
5.Evergreen Solar, Inc. (Marlborough, Massachusetts), manufactured and installed solar panels.
6.Mountain Plaza, Inc. (Dandridge, Tennessee), designed and implemented “truck-stop electrification” technology.
7.Olsen’s Crop Service and Olsens Mills Acquisition Co. (Berlin, Wisconsin), a private company producing ethanol.
8.Range Fuels (Soperton, Georgia), tried to develop a technology that converted biomass into ethanol without the use of enzymes.
9.Raser Technologies (Provo, Utah), geothermal power plants and technology licensing.
10.Solyndra (Fremont, California), manufacturer of cylindrical panels of thin-film solar cells.
11.Spectrawatt (Hopewell, New York), solar cell manufacturer.
12.Thompson River Power LLC (Wayzata, Minnesota), designed and developed advanced products and services to support stable, reliable and efficient electricity grid operation.
Some lawmakers are looking for a solution. The aptly named No More Solyndras Act [2] would prohibit any new loan guarantees from Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.[ "For applications that are already under consideration or have received conditional commitment, the bill would require the Secretary of the Treasury to make a recommendation based on the merits of the program. Although not perfect, the legislation moves us in the right direction toward finally ending this program.
As Heritage’s Nicolas Loris wrote[2],"Republicans and Democrats alike need to end their addiction to energy subsidies, or we’re going to continue down the same failed path of wasteful spending…We don’t need to fix the energy subsidy programs. We need to abolish them."
President Obama said in 2010 that “the true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra. [3]”He couldn’t be more wrong. Companies that are innovating and creating real value for consumers are the engine of economic growth, and they’re doing it without millions in taxpayer funding.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/24/morning-bell-the-green-graveyard-of-taxpayer-funded-failures/
URLs in this post:
[1] pay for themselves: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/23/study-shows-roi-on-solar-investment-but-ignores-bankruptcies/
[2] No More Solyndras Act: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/23/no-more-solyndras-act-shows-addiction-to-energy-subsidies-is-a-bipartisan-problem/
[3] the true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy2xEAZhAuo
[4] a trillion dollars: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/federal-governments-debt-jumps-more-1t-5th-straight-fiscal-year
Copyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Solyndra Revelations Show It’s Time to Close the “Bank of Washington”- By Amy Payne, August 6, 2012,URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/08/06/morning-bell-solyndra-revelations-show-its-time-to-close-the-bank-of-washington/
...There are plenty of job-killing regulations holding back American companies. A lack of taxpayer dollars is not the problem. It’s time to close the “Bank of Washington” and allow truly successful, viable technologies to rise to the top."
Monday, August 6, 2012
#285(8/6) - "Political Heat: What Climate Change is Really About"
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
[NOTE: There's nothing like the current season of hot weather(wait a minute, it's summer - duh!) to bring out the usual "climate change" doomsayers. The following article reminds us that such rhetoric is not without disagreement among climate scientists. In fact, those who propose such dire scenarios often have more of a political agenda than they are likely to be up front about. - Stan]
- by Dale Hurd, CBN News Senior Reporter; http://blogs.cbn.com/hurdontheweb/archive/2012/07/19/political-heat-what-climate-change-is-really-about.aspx
Summer heat waves: a normal occurrence or a sign of climate doom? That the media even debates this question shows how far into Hollywood-style fantasy the climate change bunch has taken us.
Summers are hot? Records are broken? That must mean all the climate change warnings are true! We must do something! Please.
ABC News did a ridiculous piece of advocacy journalism a few weeks ago on how the record-setting heat wave was a sign of the impending apocalypse. They borrowed “statistics” from ClimateCentral.com, a climate advocacy group that thinks our coastal cities will be under water by 2050.
Well, guess what? If the media would ask the real sea level experts, they’d discover that there’s been no acceleration of sea level rise in 30 years. A few years ago I interviewed one of the world’s leading experts on sea levels, Dr. Nils-Axel Moerner of Sweden, and he told me how no one in the U.N. climate establishment wants to talk to him. His message, based on empirical evidence, is a "buzzkill" for all those scary climate stories. Sea level rise is not a threat.Moerner told me, "I was the president at that time of the International Commission on Sea Level Changes and Coastal Evolution. I had a group of 400 scientists all over the world. None of them were consulted."
Moerner also tried to take his good news to the beleaguered Maldives Islanders, who live in fear that someday their island chain will be under water because of climate change. Nine years ago he appeared on a Maldives radio show to tell the islanders the good news. But the government stopped the broadcast.
Then Moerner wrote an open letter to the Maldives president, telling him again that the Islands are not in danger."When I wrote an open letter to the president that he should at least consider those things and consider them with happiness if he was a good president, he didn't even answer."
Hard science (as opposed cooked, manipulated, agenda-driven science) is often the enemy of the apocalyptic climate change crowd, and may be ignored by the media altogether, like this study released a week and half ago by an international team of scientists showing that the Earth has been mostly cooling for the past 2,000 years.
E. Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance, in a piece entitled “Climate Change: The Anti-industrial Agenda,” reminds us of what the climate crusade is really about. “Climate change”—what proponents called “global warming” before the globe stopped warming 17 years ago—has become the mother of all excuses for spending trillions of dollars, killing millions of jobs, trapping billions of people in poor countries in poverty, expanding government’s control over our lives, and creating distant, unaccountable, global government.
As University of East Anglia Professor of Climate Change and Marxist/socialist Mike Hulme, a vigorous proponent of “post-normal science,” put it in his book, Why We Disagree about Climate Change:“The function of climate change I suggest is not as a lower-case environmental phenomenon to be solved… It really is not about stopping climate chaos. Instead, we need to see how we can use the idea of climate change—the matrix of ecological functions, power relationships, cultural discourses and materials flows that climate change reveals—to rethink how we take forward our political, social, economic and personal projects over the decades to come.…Climate change has become an idea that now travels well beyond its origins in the natural sciences …. climate change takes on new meanings and serves new purposes … climate change has become “the mother of all issues,” the key narrative within which all environmental politics—from global to local—is now framed …. Rather than asking “how do we solve climate change?” we need to turn the question around and ask: “how does the idea of climate change alter the way we arrive at and achieve our personal aspirations.…?”
The climate change movement is simply a power grab by a coalition of bureaucrats needing justification for their high salaries, anti-capitalists, and unscrupulous scentists. It's supported by the guilty, who hunger for drama and a non-theistic religion. And heat waves are climate theater.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
[NOTE: There's nothing like the current season of hot weather(wait a minute, it's summer - duh!) to bring out the usual "climate change" doomsayers. The following article reminds us that such rhetoric is not without disagreement among climate scientists. In fact, those who propose such dire scenarios often have more of a political agenda than they are likely to be up front about. - Stan]
- by Dale Hurd, CBN News Senior Reporter; http://blogs.cbn.com/hurdontheweb/archive/2012/07/19/political-heat-what-climate-change-is-really-about.aspx
Summer heat waves: a normal occurrence or a sign of climate doom? That the media even debates this question shows how far into Hollywood-style fantasy the climate change bunch has taken us.
Summers are hot? Records are broken? That must mean all the climate change warnings are true! We must do something! Please.
ABC News did a ridiculous piece of advocacy journalism a few weeks ago on how the record-setting heat wave was a sign of the impending apocalypse. They borrowed “statistics” from ClimateCentral.com, a climate advocacy group that thinks our coastal cities will be under water by 2050.
Well, guess what? If the media would ask the real sea level experts, they’d discover that there’s been no acceleration of sea level rise in 30 years. A few years ago I interviewed one of the world’s leading experts on sea levels, Dr. Nils-Axel Moerner of Sweden, and he told me how no one in the U.N. climate establishment wants to talk to him. His message, based on empirical evidence, is a "buzzkill" for all those scary climate stories. Sea level rise is not a threat.Moerner told me, "I was the president at that time of the International Commission on Sea Level Changes and Coastal Evolution. I had a group of 400 scientists all over the world. None of them were consulted."
Moerner also tried to take his good news to the beleaguered Maldives Islanders, who live in fear that someday their island chain will be under water because of climate change. Nine years ago he appeared on a Maldives radio show to tell the islanders the good news. But the government stopped the broadcast.
Then Moerner wrote an open letter to the Maldives president, telling him again that the Islands are not in danger."When I wrote an open letter to the president that he should at least consider those things and consider them with happiness if he was a good president, he didn't even answer."
Hard science (as opposed cooked, manipulated, agenda-driven science) is often the enemy of the apocalyptic climate change crowd, and may be ignored by the media altogether, like this study released a week and half ago by an international team of scientists showing that the Earth has been mostly cooling for the past 2,000 years.
E. Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance, in a piece entitled “Climate Change: The Anti-industrial Agenda,” reminds us of what the climate crusade is really about. “Climate change”—what proponents called “global warming” before the globe stopped warming 17 years ago—has become the mother of all excuses for spending trillions of dollars, killing millions of jobs, trapping billions of people in poor countries in poverty, expanding government’s control over our lives, and creating distant, unaccountable, global government.
As University of East Anglia Professor of Climate Change and Marxist/socialist Mike Hulme, a vigorous proponent of “post-normal science,” put it in his book, Why We Disagree about Climate Change:“The function of climate change I suggest is not as a lower-case environmental phenomenon to be solved… It really is not about stopping climate chaos. Instead, we need to see how we can use the idea of climate change—the matrix of ecological functions, power relationships, cultural discourses and materials flows that climate change reveals—to rethink how we take forward our political, social, economic and personal projects over the decades to come.…Climate change has become an idea that now travels well beyond its origins in the natural sciences …. climate change takes on new meanings and serves new purposes … climate change has become “the mother of all issues,” the key narrative within which all environmental politics—from global to local—is now framed …. Rather than asking “how do we solve climate change?” we need to turn the question around and ask: “how does the idea of climate change alter the way we arrive at and achieve our personal aspirations.…?”
The climate change movement is simply a power grab by a coalition of bureaucrats needing justification for their high salaries, anti-capitalists, and unscrupulous scentists. It's supported by the guilty, who hunger for drama and a non-theistic religion. And heat waves are climate theater.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Sunday, August 5, 2012
#284 (8/5) - Sunday Special>"The God Particle and the Bread of Life"
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
[NOTE: As usual on Sundays, please try to catch this week's broadcast of "Truth That Transforms" (In Central Florida, 9-9:30 am, 10-10:30 am, 5-5:30 pm; check your TV listings)or watch it at www.truthinaction.org The message is entitled "If My People" and is followed by a discussion of why this upcoming election is so crucial to America. - Stan]
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-"Holding All Things Together", by Eric Metaxas, Breakpoint.org - July 20, 2012
Earlier this month [July], physicists at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that they’ve almost certainly discovered evidence for the long-sought Higgs boson, a subatomic entity that has been dubbed “the God particle.” Theoretically, the Higgs boson provides the “glue,” as it were, that allows matter to clump together so that we can have stars, galaxies—and people.
This understanding of the “God particle” reminds me of the New Testament’s description of Christ, which says, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Yet few of these particle physicists seem willing to give God the credit for the apparent discovery of the “God particle.” As one of the researchers joked at the meeting announcing the discovery, “Thanks, nature!”
Thanks, nature? Apparently too many have conveniently forgotten that modern science was born in the fertile soil of the Judeo-Christian worldview. As Rodney Stark said in his book “The Victory of Reason,” “The success of the West, including the rise of science, rested entirely on religious foundations, and the people who brought it about were devout Christians.” So belief in God and belief in science go together.
As a matter of fact, on this very day, July 20, back in 1969, America sent the first men to the moon, one of the West’s greatest feats of science. And God was right in the middle of it. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was actually an elder at the time at his Presbyterian church in Texas, and he wanted to mark this human milestone appropriately. So Aldrin, the Lunar Module pilot, brought a communion wafer and a small vial of consecrated communion wine with him to the lunar surface.To the public, Aldrin said, “I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.”
But when the radio communication ended, he read a verse from the Gospel of John and took communion.[Hmm, the media somehow didn't report that.] Here’s what Aldrin said about it. “In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.’ ”Then Aldrin added, “I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.”
Friends, I am as excited as anyone to hear about the advances in scientific discovery and the amazing beauty and complexity of our incredible universe. Let’s keep learning all we can. But remember that though science can often tell us how, it can very rarely tell us why. The universe ultimately is held together not by a particle, but by a Person.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
[NOTE: As usual on Sundays, please try to catch this week's broadcast of "Truth That Transforms" (In Central Florida, 9-9:30 am, 10-10:30 am, 5-5:30 pm; check your TV listings)or watch it at www.truthinaction.org The message is entitled "If My People" and is followed by a discussion of why this upcoming election is so crucial to America. - Stan]
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-"Holding All Things Together", by Eric Metaxas, Breakpoint.org - July 20, 2012
Earlier this month [July], physicists at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that they’ve almost certainly discovered evidence for the long-sought Higgs boson, a subatomic entity that has been dubbed “the God particle.” Theoretically, the Higgs boson provides the “glue,” as it were, that allows matter to clump together so that we can have stars, galaxies—and people.
This understanding of the “God particle” reminds me of the New Testament’s description of Christ, which says, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Yet few of these particle physicists seem willing to give God the credit for the apparent discovery of the “God particle.” As one of the researchers joked at the meeting announcing the discovery, “Thanks, nature!”
Thanks, nature? Apparently too many have conveniently forgotten that modern science was born in the fertile soil of the Judeo-Christian worldview. As Rodney Stark said in his book “The Victory of Reason,” “The success of the West, including the rise of science, rested entirely on religious foundations, and the people who brought it about were devout Christians.” So belief in God and belief in science go together.
As a matter of fact, on this very day, July 20, back in 1969, America sent the first men to the moon, one of the West’s greatest feats of science. And God was right in the middle of it. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was actually an elder at the time at his Presbyterian church in Texas, and he wanted to mark this human milestone appropriately. So Aldrin, the Lunar Module pilot, brought a communion wafer and a small vial of consecrated communion wine with him to the lunar surface.To the public, Aldrin said, “I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.”
But when the radio communication ended, he read a verse from the Gospel of John and took communion.[Hmm, the media somehow didn't report that.] Here’s what Aldrin said about it. “In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.’ ”Then Aldrin added, “I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.”
Friends, I am as excited as anyone to hear about the advances in scientific discovery and the amazing beauty and complexity of our incredible universe. Let’s keep learning all we can. But remember that though science can often tell us how, it can very rarely tell us why. The universe ultimately is held together not by a particle, but by a Person.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Saturday, August 4, 2012
#283 (8/4) - News Items/Prayer Requests for Past Week
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
Syrian army moves on rebels in Aleppo,Damascus - Friday, August 03
Syrian forces stormed the last rebel stronghold in the capital Damascus in tanks and armored vehicles on Friday, and blasted with artillery and helicopters at Aleppo, where the United Nations said they were preparing a massive assault.Reuters,Ha’aretz)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
•About the escalation of civil war in Syria.
•About the extent of any involvement of the United States in the Syrian matter.
•For diplomatic efforts at defusing the war.
•About Russian warships en route to Syria.
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"Israel Jittery Over Syrian Chemical Weapons" July 28
With Bashar al-Assad’s regime teetering on the brink of collapse, Israeli soldiers and civilians are gearing up for possible military action to prevent Syria’s chemical weapons from falling into the wrong hands. According to sources close to the Israel Defense Force, soldiers have already been put on standby and are ready to move as fears mount that the Islamic militant group Hezbollah could acquire the weapons. Meanwhile, demand for gas masks among civilians has jumped 66 percent over the past few weeks to more than 3,500 per day.
Addressing the threat of Hezbollah possibly acquiring the lethal weapons, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, “Israel...will not hold back and will respond decisively if this happens.” Hezbollah, which is based in south Lebanon and is supported by both Syria and Iran, has long called for the destruction of Israel. The group is considered the prime candidate to take possession of the weapons.
Meanwhile several international security agencies, including the CIA, are reportedly racing to find the weapons to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands and spark an all-out war in the region.(Source: Fox News, AP)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
•For peace and the safety of Israel.
•That the chemical weapons will be secured before terrorist acquire them.
•For world leaders to act decisively and with wisdom as they face this latest threat in the Middle East.
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"Napolitano: Terrorists Enter U.S. From Mexico 'From Time To Time'" - July 31
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Congress that she gave the green light to a known Egyptian terrorist permission to enter the country so that he could visit the White House. She also testified that terrorists intending to harm the American people enter the U.S. from Mexico "from time to time" and there is nothing we can do about it. She also added that we should see an increase in terrorists entering the country in the coming months.
As the Lord leads, please pray:
* Despite the Secretary's blase attitude regarding terrorists entering our country -invited(unbeliveable!) as well as uninvited - pray that God will give our border security agents supernatural discernment in detecting such individuals and stopping as many as possible from entering our country.
* Pray that any terrorist plan will be discovered and thwarted in a timely way by our courageous anti-terrorist agents.
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Summer Olympics in London
* Praise God!that there have thus far been no incidents (reported at least) of any terrorist attempt at the many vulnerable targets at the Olympic venues. Pray that any planned terrorist attacks will be thwarted by those charged with security.
* Pray that every athlete and visitor at the Games will at some time be exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ by someone they meet or some piece of literature they receive. Believe with me that each one who is there was sovereignly brought by God to have an opportunity to hear the gospel or to be a witness for the gospel in some way, and that those making decisions for Christ as a result will return to their home countries to be used by Him to impact others for Christ.
"Track and Field Olympians Hold First Bible Study" - By Caitlin Burke, CBN News Producer, Friday, August 03, 2012
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/August/Track-and-Field-Olympians-Hold-First-Bible-Study/ - Read about several Christian athletes at the Summer Olympics
Syrian army moves on rebels in Aleppo,Damascus - Friday, August 03
Syrian forces stormed the last rebel stronghold in the capital Damascus in tanks and armored vehicles on Friday, and blasted with artillery and helicopters at Aleppo, where the United Nations said they were preparing a massive assault.Reuters,Ha’aretz)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
•About the escalation of civil war in Syria.
•About the extent of any involvement of the United States in the Syrian matter.
•For diplomatic efforts at defusing the war.
•About Russian warships en route to Syria.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Israel Jittery Over Syrian Chemical Weapons" July 28
With Bashar al-Assad’s regime teetering on the brink of collapse, Israeli soldiers and civilians are gearing up for possible military action to prevent Syria’s chemical weapons from falling into the wrong hands. According to sources close to the Israel Defense Force, soldiers have already been put on standby and are ready to move as fears mount that the Islamic militant group Hezbollah could acquire the weapons. Meanwhile, demand for gas masks among civilians has jumped 66 percent over the past few weeks to more than 3,500 per day.
Addressing the threat of Hezbollah possibly acquiring the lethal weapons, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, “Israel...will not hold back and will respond decisively if this happens.” Hezbollah, which is based in south Lebanon and is supported by both Syria and Iran, has long called for the destruction of Israel. The group is considered the prime candidate to take possession of the weapons.
Meanwhile several international security agencies, including the CIA, are reportedly racing to find the weapons to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands and spark an all-out war in the region.(Source: Fox News, AP)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
•For peace and the safety of Israel.
•That the chemical weapons will be secured before terrorist acquire them.
•For world leaders to act decisively and with wisdom as they face this latest threat in the Middle East.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Napolitano: Terrorists Enter U.S. From Mexico 'From Time To Time'" - July 31
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Congress that she gave the green light to a known Egyptian terrorist permission to enter the country so that he could visit the White House. She also testified that terrorists intending to harm the American people enter the U.S. from Mexico "from time to time" and there is nothing we can do about it. She also added that we should see an increase in terrorists entering the country in the coming months.
As the Lord leads, please pray:
* Despite the Secretary's blase attitude regarding terrorists entering our country -invited(unbeliveable!) as well as uninvited - pray that God will give our border security agents supernatural discernment in detecting such individuals and stopping as many as possible from entering our country.
* Pray that any terrorist plan will be discovered and thwarted in a timely way by our courageous anti-terrorist agents.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer Olympics in London
* Praise God!that there have thus far been no incidents (reported at least) of any terrorist attempt at the many vulnerable targets at the Olympic venues. Pray that any planned terrorist attacks will be thwarted by those charged with security.
* Pray that every athlete and visitor at the Games will at some time be exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ by someone they meet or some piece of literature they receive. Believe with me that each one who is there was sovereignly brought by God to have an opportunity to hear the gospel or to be a witness for the gospel in some way, and that those making decisions for Christ as a result will return to their home countries to be used by Him to impact others for Christ.
"Track and Field Olympians Hold First Bible Study" - By Caitlin Burke, CBN News Producer, Friday, August 03, 2012
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/August/Track-and-Field-Olympians-Hold-First-Bible-Study/ - Read about several Christian athletes at the Summer Olympics
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