Threats We Can Believe In?

Well, it seems the drama keeps unfolding. Does anyone know if any other presidential candidate has had so many comments about assassination made toward them?

Plot to Kill Obama: Shoot From High Vantage Point

One of those suspects spoke exclusively to CBS4 investigative reporter Brian Maass from inside the Denver City Jail late Monday night and said his friends had discussed killing Obama.
“So your friends were saying threatening things about Obama?” Maass asked.
“Yeah,” Nathan Johnson replied.
“It sounded like they didn’t want him to be president?”
“Yeah,” Johnson said.
Maass reported earlier Monday that one of the suspects told authorities they were “going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a … rifle … sighted at 750 yards.”
Law enforcement sources told Maass that one of the suspects “was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative.”

http://snipr.com/3jxp2 [cbs4denver_com]

Tharin Gartrell, left, Nathan Johnson, right

As for the suspects of the “attempt”, I wouldn’t worry about Johnson, Gartrell or Gromek. They’re only referred to by their first and last names. We should definitely be worried about Shawn Robert Adolph, though; everyone knows assassins have three names.

An iPod In Every Palm, And iTunes On Every Computer

iPod 자판기, originally uploaded by GaonNuri.

It may not be a chicken or a car like Herbert Hoover promised in the 1928, but Apple has had tremendous success delivering music to the masses with the iPod and iTunes.

The following blog post got me to thinking of how the iPod has changed the way people buy and listen to music since its introduction in 2001.

If one were to judge me by the music I’ve put on [my mp3 player], I could be thought of as cool, sappy, tough, stuck in the 80s, a metal head, a nerd, a wussy or an intellectual lover of the classics (you know, like Mozart or Def Leppard). It’s a bit daunting to realize we are all a slave to the shuffle play (unless you don’t use your shuffle) when it comes to that first musical impression.

http://snipr.com/3j2th [licensedtoblog_wordpress_com]

At no other time in our history have people had access to such a wide range of music genres. I remember when CD’s came out, and what an innovation they were. It just wasn’t that convenient. You had to actually go to the store to buy one, you were limited to the selection the store had in stock, and it wasn’t always easy to carry around a CD player and additional CD’s. Today, you can literally have a music library of thousands of artists in the palm of your hand.

It’s All About The Music

Dave McGowan has recently done a series on the birth of the hippie generation, and how it was influenced by people who were directly connected with the military intellegence complex.

One of the earliest on the Laurel Canyon/Sunset Strip scene is Jim Morrison, the enigmatic lead singer of The Doors. Jim will quickly become one of the most iconic, controversial, critically acclaimed, and influential figures to take up residence in Laurel Canyon. Curiously enough though, the self-proclaimed “Lizard King” has another claim to fame as well, albeit one that none of his numerous chroniclers will feel is of much relevance to his career and possible untimely death: he is the son, as it turns out, of the aforementioned Admiral George Stephen Morrison.
And so it is that, even while the father is actively conspiring to fabricate an incident that will be used to massively accelerate an illegal war, the son is positioning himself to become an icon of the ‘hippie’/anti-war crowd. Nothing unusual about that, I suppose. It is, you know, a small world and all that. And it is not as if Jim Morrison’s story is in any way unique.

http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr93.html

After reading some of this facinating series, it occurred to me that the music of this generation played a major part in the social chaos of the 1960s and ’70s.

Another revolution, with music at it’s core, was the Young Christian Revolution (maybe not the official term, but it sounds as good as any other) which began somewhere around the ’70s, and introduced us to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM); Christianity’s answer to rock music. However, if you take a look at the CCM groups of today, it’s hard to tell the difference between “Christian” and secular bands. After witnessing the evolution of CCM from the late 80’s, 90’s and through today, it appears it was always on a steady course to blur the lines between Christian and secular music.

Perfect Timing

It’s ironic how these two countercultures “came of age” around the same time in history (I’m sure it’s all a coincidence). These music “revolutions” had a significant impact in the development of our society. One causing social unrest with their psychedelic tunes of esoterically inspired lyrics. The other morphing Christian music into a more secular look and sound, no longer reminiscent of the religious denominations or churches of previous generations. Incidentally this all occurred around the same time that the New Age movement was starting to gain ground here in the United States. What a fluke!

“There’s something happening here…”

So the music of “the generation of love” was used to bring about social anarchy (while being completely controlled by military intelligence). CCM was used to “bridge the gap” between the Christian faith and the secular world, by blurring (erasing?) the lines between Christian music and secular music. And the iPod has certainly played its part in creating a generation where music interest is “anything goes” and it doesn’t matter what you have on you mp3 player, you can always change it to fit your mood (or whoever’s riding in your car).

Music has the ability to create strong emotional, even mystical, experiences, and this ability has been taken advantage of in the past. The iPod and iTunes creates a dynamic where we can be exposed to a VAST amount of music genres that was impossible to past generations. Thus making one all the more eclectic in their tastes, their sympathies, allegiances, and even their beliefs; certainly more than with the Jesus freaks and hippies of the past.

Something Smells Fishy in Gloucester

Late last week we had this story from Time magazine come out about an unusual number of teen pregnancies in Gloucester, Mass.

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High

As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers.

By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, “some girls seemed more upset when they weren’t pregnant than when they were,” Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. “We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy,” the principal says, shaking his head.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html

Now I’m not excited about teenagers getting pregnant out of wedlock, and I’m certainly not thrilled to think that a group of teenage girls made some sort of pact to all get pregnant, but somebody certainly got more upset about this than I did because over the weekend this story exploded all over the internet and airwaves.

See for youself: http://snipurl.com/pregnantpact

The reaction was so strong that it lead the mayor of Gloucester (a city I didn’t know how to spell until this week), and the school superintendent to hold a press conference Monday morning.

Principal has ‘foggy’ memory of pregnancy pact

GLOUCESTER - In the strongest rebuff yet of the national “pregnancy pact” story that has scandalized Gloucester, top city and school officials say there’s no evidence that nearly half of the 17 pregnant teens at Gloucester High conspired to have babies together.
“We have not been able to confirm the existence of a pact,” said Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk, trying to defuse the national story on the school’s teen baby mama drama. “The information from the principal has not been verified by any other source.”

http://snipurl.com/foggymemory [www_bostonherald_com]

Man, Time magazine sure screwed this story up! I can’t believe they relied on one, unverifiable, source to justify publishing this news. What’s this world coming to? Before you know it, we won’t be able to trust mainstream media for anything!

And then, who failed to see ABC’s Good Morning America break this story wide open with one of Gloucester High’s very own pregnant teen, Lindsey Oliver, tell the world, “there was no pact.”?

17 Pregnancies a ‘Coincidence,’ Says Teen

One of the pregnant teenage girls at a Massachusetts high school denied that 17 students had entered a pact in an effort to get pregnant and called the high rate of pregnancies “unlucky” and a “coincidence.”

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5232920&page=1

There you have it, an open and shut case, my friends. I can’t believe this principal was so stupid as to believe the “coincidence” of 17 pregnancies, four-times higher than the average number of pregnancies at Gloucester High, was the result of some sort of crazy pact.

I bet he was just pulling a practical joke on everyone — one of the girls was impregnated by a “24-year-old homeless guy”, yeah right! What does this guy take us for, a bunch of morans? Well, it looks like the joke’s on him!

But wait a minute. Why is Lindsey Oliver such a reliable source for debunking the pregnancy pact. You’d think a principal of a high school would be more trustworthy than a girl who…well, let’s just leave it at that.

And what does Miss Oliver know? She’s too old to be a part of the pregnancy pact. None of the girls who made the pact (if we can trust the news source) where over 16. She’s probably jealous because she couldn’t be a part of the pact, since she was too old.

“I’ll show those girls to exclude me from their pact. I’ll go on national television and say there was no pact. That’ll teach’um!”

Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks something smells in Gloucester.

Mayor’s denial does little to KO pregnancy pact story

GLOUCESTER - The reporter is backing off the story and the mayor is denying it, but residents and students say they still believe the so-called Gloucester High School pregnancy pact really happened.
High school students in downtown Gloucester were equally skeptical of the mayor’s denial, with several naming those involved and telling the Herald the alleged pact was common knowledge around school.

http://snipurl.com/nokoyet [www_bostonherald_com]

I’m so confused. I don’t know who to believe anymore.

Actually, I’m thinking the story of the pact is true, and the fair city of Gloucester is just a little embarrassed by all the attention this story’s been giving them. They don’t want the country to think they’re loose on moral valves. I mean this is Massachusetts after all! Can’t have a silly story about a teen-pregnancy pact tarnish their lustrous image.

Well, one thing is for sure. They’re going to need more staff in the school nursery next semester.

Thanks A Lot Amazon

Checking out Amazon’s site today, I noticed they’re promoting gift ideas for Father’s day. I wasn’t too pleased with what I saw.

Yeah, check this out. Right next to the link for Father’s Day gifts is a picture of a lawn mower. “Thanks, just what I’ve always wanted!”

You know, I’m the kind of guy that if I need a lawn mower I’ll go get one myself, thank you.

When you click on the link, they have a nifty little search engine to help you navigate all the choices. Let’s say your Dad is interested in camping. Oh, here are a couple of ideas.

Yeah, these will surprise him alright.

Firefly and the Quest of the Black Squirrel:

Synopsis
When a goblin curse threatens to destroy a new species each month, to eventually include humans, Firefly and her fairy friends are given the task of helping a squirrel seek the blue moon clover that is the only hope of stopping the terrible disease that results.

SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea

Well, this one may be a little more appropriate for the category of camping, but I’m thinking more of a quaint little campsite with a trailer and not deep woods forest.

Sorry Amazon, but I think I’ll steer my family clear of your suggestions for any gift ideas.

UPDATE:

Well maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. At the time of this writing Amazon’s site has been down for awhile. I’m sure it’s because so many people were checking out those great gift ideas!

Unsavory Yet Predictable Politics

Way back when there were merely rumors of Hillary running for president, I assumed (and even told a few people) that she would definitely be the next president. The way I saw it for almost the last thirty years there has been a Bush or Clinton in the White House, so why should anything change now? I like the way Dave McGowan put it in his February 15, 2008 newsletter.

Allow me to briefly explain:

I acquired the right to vote exactly thirty years ago. Since then, there have been seven presidential elections. Every one of them, without exception, has been ‘won’ by a ticket containing either the name “Bush” or the name “Clinton” (for the memory-impaired, there was Reagan/Bush in 1980 and 1984, Bush/Quayle in 1988, Clinton/Gore in 1992 and 1996, and Bush/Cheney in 2000 and 2004). Therefore, logic dictates that since there is currently no Bush in the running, the victory will go to Clinton this year. Assuming, that is, that George Bush abdicates the throne, and further assuming that the Republican nominee doesn’t add, say, Jeb Bush as his running-mate.

http://davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr92.html

Well it would seem that prediction was erroneous. But I’m not so sure I, or Dave, was wrong.

You have to admit that Obama’s campaign has rejuvenated politics with an enthusiasm that hasn’t been seen since possibly the 1968 Democratic Convention. Obama’s campaign has promised change and hope for tomorrow, and the response to those promises has been overwhelming. People have clamored to his campaign stops while jumping and shouting at the tops of their lungs like lovestruck teenagers witnessing the introduction of a new rock band on the Ed Sullivan Show. Obama has been heralded as the next John F. Kennedy, or even the Messiah.

I think it’s pretty obvious that Obama isn’t the Messiah, so it’s that former comparison I’m mostly concerned with.

Obama’s Kennedy bond deepens:

MIDDLETOWN, Conn.–Barack Obama’s connection to the Kennedy mystique deepens today as he steps into the shoes of Sen. Edward Kennedy to deliver a commencement address at Wesleyan University.
The address, which will sound a call to public service in the spirit of Camelot, comes at a dramatic moment for the Kennedy family and for Obama’s presidential campaign.
Senator Kennedy, who anointed Obama a worthy heir to his brothers John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy early in the presidential campaign, now is diagnosed with possibly fatal brain tumor that inevitably raises the question of political succession.
With Kennedy unable to appear himself, he has chosen Obama to speak for him, just as Obama is on the verge of likely clinching Democratic presidential nomination. So at a turning point for Obama’s presidential campaign, he will again be enveloped in the Kennedy legacy.

http://snipurl.com/kennedybond [weblogs_chicagotribune_com]

Is Obama the Next Kennedy?

In all seriousness, the only way that I can see Obama taking this thing all the way is if the powers-that-be have decided, in their infinite wisdom, that they need someone who is, uhmm, shall we say, ‘expendable.’ Surely it hasn’t escaped anyone’s attention that the media and the Washington political establishment have been working overtime to create a Kennedyesque aura around Senator Obama – and not always in the most subtle of ways: Obama can rarely be seen these days, for example, without some random member of the Kennedy clan either at his side or singing his praises.
The Obama-as-second-coming-of-JFK campaign, not surprisingly, seems to be working. The youth of America, in particular, seem to have caught Obama fever. They see in him a new hope, a new future, a fresh start for America. For many in this country, Barack Obama has made it okay to hope and to dream once again. And that is all very Kennedyesque. As is, of course, Mr. Obama’s youth and charisma and physical attractiveness and oratorical skills. All very New Camelotish. But the problem with that, of course, is that I think we all remember what happened the last time a Kennedy occupied the Oval Office and the American people dared to dream (which was also, by the way, the last time that anyone moved directly from the U.S. Senate into the White House).
In my lifetime, there have been two political events that have had a profound impact on the American psyche: the assassination of John Kennedy and the events of September 11, 2001. Both events resulted in a fundamental shift in American society. And a repeat of either could do so again.

http://davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr92.html

To me there has been an inordinate amount of comparison with Obama and the assassination of Kennedy.

Police concerned over stand-down orders:

DALLAS — Security details at Barack Obama’s rally Wednesday stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage at Reunion Arena.
The order to put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security.

http://www.star-telegram.com/667/story/486413.html

In case anyone has forgotten, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX.

Here’s another comparison, from a supporter of Obama, with allusions of assassination.

Why Obama is Like a Desert Lover

Barack Obama is inspiring us like a desert lover, a Washington Valentino. We who have felt apathetic, angry at two (likely) stolen elections, K-Street hegemony, the “pornography of the trivial”* in journalism and culture; we who are heartbroken over a war we knew was wrong, we who thought (especially after Baby Bush got in a 2nd time) that America got what it asked for; we who stopped wanting to participate ’cause it doesn’t matter whether we do or don’t; we have a crush. We’re talking about it; we’re getting involved, we’re tuning in and turning out in numbers we haven’t seen in ages. My musician friends and I are writing songs to inspire people and couples all over America are making love again and shouting “yes we can” as they climax!

http://snipurl.com/desertlover [www_huffingtonpost_com]

Allusions of assassination? Well, when you consider that Valentino was a pop icon who had a strong following from the younger generation of his day, much like we’ve seen with Obama lately. Oh, and that he met with an untimely death at a young age.

Obama aka: Valentino, the Desert Lover:

Rudolph Valentino (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor, sex symbol, and early pop icon. Known as the “Latin Lover“,^[1] he was one of the most popular stars of the 1920s, and one of the most recognized stars from the silent movie era. Some of his best known roles include the silent films The Sheik and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. His untimely death at age 31 caused mass hysteria among his female fans, propelling him into icon status.^[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Valentino

And who can forget this…

Hillary’s faux pas?

Hillary Clinton today brought up the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy while defending her decision to stay in the race against Barack Obama.
“My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it,” she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

http://snipurl.com/hillaryfauxpas [www_nypost_com]

Oh, and this…

FOX Pundit Wishes for Obama Assassination, Laughs

During a live interview, FOX Contributor Liz Trotta jokingly wished for the assassination of Sen. Barack Obama.
This latest incident from FOX News continues the trend in violent rhetoric about Sen. Obama from pundits, politicians, and entertainers.
Grinning While Joking About Killing A Candidate
The incident happen in an exchange with the FOX News anchor. When asked her opinion of the recent scandal surrounding some comments made by Sen. Hillary Clinton, which Trotta described by saying that, “some are reading [it] as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama.” Hemmer quickly corrected Trotta, having noticed that she had said “Osama” when she meant “Obama.” At this point, Trotta said, “Obama. Well…both if we could!” Trotta then laughed gleefully.

http://snipurl.com/foxwishes [www_huffingtonpost_com]

Lest we forget:

We haven’t experienced a presidential assassination in this country in 45 years, which means that the majority of Americans alive today have no memory of such an event. Perhaps the powers-that-be have decided that we are due for one now. Perhaps Barack Obama is being lionized now so that he may be cut down in the near future, taking with him the misplaced hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. Perhaps while the Internet community busies itself with guessing which American city will fall victim to the next staged terrorist attack, the script actually calls for an entirely different type of ‘terrorist’ attack: a political assassination.

http://davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr92.html

But what about Hillary?

Such a scenario would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak: it would not only crush the nation’s spirit, particularly that of the country’s politically awakened youth, but it would also justify increased police-state measures here at home and an even more militaristic stance abroad.
Perhaps that is indeed the scenario that has been scripted, but I still believe that, one way or another, this will be Hillary’s year, due to the undeniable fact that the ruse has worked so damn well now for so long that there doesn’t appear to be any compelling reason to change course. By maintaining the illusion of a political rivalry between the Bush and Clinton clans – two families supposedly from opposite ends of the political spectrum, with wildly divergent political ideologies – the vast majority of Americans have been left in the dark as the Bush/Clinton cabal has maintained a continuous hold on the White House for some 28 years now. So why rock the boat?

http://davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr92.html

It’s a possibility…

A third possibility, and the one that I am now leaning towards, is an Obama presidency that is preempted to become a Clinton presidency. This would also not be a good thing. In fact, this is probably the worst option of all, which is yet another reason to suspect that it will indeed be the ultimate outcome. I have found that the best strategy is to expect the worst; that way, you will never be disappointed, and rarely will you be pleasantly surprised. If what comes out of the Democratic Convention in August is an Obama/Clinton ticket, my advice would be to not get too attached to that Obama fellow.

http://davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr92.html

So where does this leave Hillary?

Clinton’s Vice Presidential Campaign

Hillary Clinton is “absolutely ready” to discuss the vice presidency with Barack Obama and has authorized supporters to encourage Obama to pick her if he feels that will help unify the party and help Democrats win the White House, according to Robert Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television and a prominent Clinton supporter.
Johnson said he began discussing the vice presidency with Clinton last month and that they talked about it at a dinner in Puerto Rico last Saturday and again by phone and e-mail on Tuesday. “Let me be clear,” Johnson said in a telephone interview Wednesday morning. “She said if asked to do this, she must accept because she believes that it is in the best interest of the party that the party come together and win in November.”

http://snipurl.com/demdreamteam [blog_washingtonpost_com]

Second petition drive launched to make Clinton VP

Avid Hillary Clinton supporter Lanny Davis isn’t ready to see Hillary Clinton exit the presidential stage.
The longtime and often fierce loyalist of the New York senator launched a petition Wednesday night in hopes of landing Clinton on Barack Obama’s presidential ticket. The petition, located at womenforfairpolitics.com, directly tells Obama that “Your selection of a vice presidential candidate may make the difference between victory and defeat.”
“We write to urge you to select Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be your choice for vice president because we believe that she would be, by far, the most qualified and strongest candidate to be your running mate.

http://snipurl.com/vpclinton [politicalticker_blogs_cnn_com]

I think America’s psyche has been massaged the last few years for the inevitable occupation of a black man and/or female in the White House. From David Palmer of 24, and Mackenzie Allen of Commander in Chief, we have been slowly digesting a diet of change in American politics.

In the 232 year history of this country, we have only had white males in the Oval Office. Considering Hillary’s struggle with securing the presidential nomination from Obama, I don’t think we’re as ready to elect a female as we are a half-black male.

Now I don’t say that to be sexist or racist, I say that because I still believe Hillary will be the next president, but she won’t be elected into office. If she is picked as Obama’s running-mate, then I won’t be surprised if Obama meets with an untimely demise, and she assumes the office of President of the United States.

So now that I’ve gone on record, we’ll see what happens. I can only hope I’m wrong.

Gotta Love Ron Paul’s Revolution

No one can deny that the universe of DC Comics is deep and complex — with famous characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and who can forget the all powerful Zatara? What, never heard of Zatara? Well he was famous for his magical powers.

A descendant of the Homo Magi, as well as being an illusionist, Zatara also had genuine magical powers, which he focused through speaking backwards: he could do anything so long as he could describe it in sdrawkcab hceeps (”backwards speech”, spelled backwards).

But speaking or spelling backwards didn’t originate with Zatara and the DC Universe. Leonardo da Vinci used backwards writing, or mirror writing as a type of cipher in writing his notes.

Reverse Spelling in the Arts

A well-known reverse spelling is the word murder spelled backwards as redrum in book and film The Shining.
The character Tobor, the inverse of robot, appears in several films and TV-series, e.g. Tobor the Great (1954), the character Tobor in 8 Man (1965).
In the Harry Potter series the magical object called The Mirror of the Erised is used to solve a puzzle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_spelling

Writing, talking and even walking backwards is also know as the backwards phenomena, and it has it’s roots in the occult.

In fact Aleister Crowley was a big proponent of the backwards phenomena:

…perhaps most curious of all, Crowley like many sorcerers, expressed an interest in backwards phenomena. For example, in his most famous work, Magic in Theory and Practice, he encourages his disciple to “train himself to think backwards by external means, as set forth here following. (a) Let him learn to write backwards. (b) Let him learn to walk backwards. (c) Let him constantly watch, if convenient, films and listen to records reversed.” (Magic in Theory and Practice, (Dover Publications, 1976), Aleister Crowley, p. 417)

http://www.inplainsite.org/html/rock_and_the_occult.html

Which leads me to the Ron Paul Revolution.

Revolution

Now to be fair, this “grassroots” effort claims to “have no official connection to the campaign, and [is] not getting paid for their efforts.” But I haven’t seen any news of Paul distancing himself from this group. In fact, his latest book is titled, The Revolution: A Manifesto.

Don’t get me wrong. I think a lot of what Ron Paul says about our government management, spending and foreign affairs is really good, but I can’t help but get a funny feeling about this guy and his time in office. Paul has been a member of Congress for nearly 20 years, and in all that time what has he accomplished?

Sure, his “disciples” will give you these stats:

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about/

But I can assure you, if Ron Paul was really rocking the boat he would have been out of Congress a long time ago.

Ron Paul Revolution banner

Now one could say that this is just a clever way of pointing out “love” within the word “revolution”, but it bothers me to no end that they had to spell it backwards.

The letters in red not only spell out “love” backwards, but they also spell “evol”.

Does EVOL equal LOVE?

EVOL is the third studio album by American noise rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1986 on SST Records. The album cover features a picture of Lung Leg, a still taken from Submit to Me Now, a film by Richard Kern.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evol

I’m sure it’s all a “coincidence” (wink), but when you consider the demonic influences of the occult upon our society it seems there’s much more being told here than what’s on the surface.

The Lies of Benny Hinn

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7:15-23

During the 1990’s Benny Hinn became one of the most flamboyant televangelist since Oral Roberts. Numerous controversies slowed his rising star, but only for a moment. The new millennium brought new opportunities, and Hinn’s star seems to be rising again. This series is a unique blend of searing exposes by some of the world’s leading news organizations, the biting satire of DoorTV’s Godstuff (as seen on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show) and Hinn’s own outrageous statements.

Follow-up on Dateline’s report, and Hinn’s lawsuit: http://snipurl.com/bennyhinn/

The Many Faces of Benny Hinn

Part 1

Confucius-ing

Confucius

Confucius (Chinese: 孔夫子; pinyin: Kǒng Fūzǐ; Wade-Giles: K’ung-fu-tzu), lit. “Master Kung,”[1] September 28, 551 BCE - 479 BCE) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese thought and life.
His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Legalism (法家) or Taoism (道家) during the Han Dynasty[2][3][4] (206 BC–220 AD). Confucius’ thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism (儒家). It was introduced to Europe by the Jesuit Matteo Ricci, who was the first to Latinise the name as “Confucius.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius

Matteo Ricci

Matteo Ricci (October 6, 1552 – May 11, 1610; traditional Chinese: 利瑪竇; simplified Chinese: 利玛窦; pinyin: Lì Mǎdòu; courtesy name:西泰 Xītài) was an Italian Jesuit priest.
Matteo Ricci was born in 1552 in Macerata, then part of the Papal States. Ricci started learning theology and law in a Roman Jesuits’ school. In 1577, he filed an application to be a member of a Missionary to India, and his journey began in March 1578 from Lisbon, Portugal. He arrived in Goa, a Portuguese Colony, in September 1578, and four years later he was dispatched to China.
In 1601 he returned to Beijing where he was not initially granted an audience with the Emperor of China but, after he presented the Emperor with a chiming clock, Ricci was finally allowed to present himself at the Imperial court of Wanli thus becoming the first Westerner to be invited into the Forbidden City. Although Ricci was given free access to the Forbidden City he never met the Wanli Emperor; however, Wanli did grant him patronage by allotting to Ricci a generous stipend and the title of Superior-General of the Jesuits in China.[1] Ricci was able to meet important officials and leading members of the Beijing cultural scene.
He learned much about Chinese culture and history, and was the first Westerner to learn about the Kaifeng Jews.[2] He was personally contacted by a member of the Jewish community living in Beijing in 1605. Ricci never officially visited the community in Henan, but he did send a junior missionary there three years later in 1608, which was the first of many such missions commissioned by the church. In fact, the elderly Chief Rabbi of the Jews was ready to cede his power to Ricci, as long as he gave up eating pork, but he never accepted the position.[2] Ricci lived on in China until the end of his life. He died in Beijing on May 11th 1610.
Ricci could speak Chinese as well as read and write classical Chinese (wenyan), the literary language of scholars and officials. Added to this he was known for his appreciation of the indigenous culture of the Chinese. During his research he discovered that, in contrast to the cultures of South Asia, Chinese culture was strongly intertwined with Confucian values and therefore decided that Christianity had to be changed to fit Chinese culture in order to be attractive to the Chinese.[citation needed]
Later discovering that Confucian thought was dominant in Ming Dynasty, Ricci became the first to translate the Confucian classics into a western language, Latin, with assistance from the scholar Xu Guangqi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_Ricci

Kaifeng Jews

It is surmised that the ancestors of the Kaifeng Jews came from Central Asia. The uninterrupted existence of this religious and ethnic group, lasting for more than 700 years in totally different socio-cultural surroundings strongly dominated by Confucian moral and ethical principles, is a unique phenomenon, not only in Chinese history, but also in the thousands of years of Jewish civilisation.
The current situation of Kaifeng Jewish descendants is complex. Within the framework of contemporary rabbinical Judaism, only matrilineal transmission of Jewishness is recognized (a Jew is a convert or someone whose mother is a Jew), while Chinese Jews recognized only patrilineal descent. They are not, therefore, recognized as Jews by other Jewish communities and are also ineligible for automatic Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. Most descendants of Kaifeng’s Jewish community are vaguely aware of their ancestry, but few have direct sources indicating their descent; the vast majority are unfamiliar with a Jewish identity in common with Jews elsewhere. This situation may be changing as Jewish groups from outside China continue their efforts to educate the descendants of the Kaifeng community about their religious and ethnic heritage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaifeng_Jews

So a Jesuit Priest who was the first Westerner to visit the Forbidden City, and discover an ancient Chinese/Jewish community, was also the man responsible for introducing Confucianism to Europe. Interesting.

Further Reading: The Jesuit Oath Exposed (here or here)

Roswell: Land of the Blurry

Have you ever noticed that if you go to Google Maps, and type in “Roswell, NM“, you’ll see a greenish, blurry image from the satellite imagery. As far as I can tell, the entire City of Roswell is blurred out.

What makes this interesting is that if you go right up to the edge of the blurred out area you can see the rest of the satellite imagery quite clearly. If you look up Roswell in Google Earth, you will notice the same anomaly.

Is this the way Roswell really looks from space? Is the satellite, for some strange mystical reason, unable to clearly make out the features of the City of Roswell? Is it intentional, unintentional, is there something nefarious going on, or is this a big practical joke?

Give it a try, and see what you think. Or you can take a look at the images I copied at various elevations as you zoom in on the city.

I’m leaning on the practical joke side for now, because if you go to Yahoo! Maps you’ll see that their satellite imagery of the city is very detailed. Go figure.

SHACKed up

Perhaps you’ve heard of the “hawt” new book, The Shack, by William P. Young. This book has enjoyed phenomenal sales since it’s release, with over one million books sold.

You can read two, less than complimentary, book reviews about it here, and here.

But wait, there’s more!

Hachette in Co-Pub Deal for ‘The Shack’

The FaithWords division of Hachette Book Group has entered into a co-publishing partnership with Windblown Media for the runaway bestseller The Shack by William P. Young. The long-term deal also will include future titles to be published by Windblown. Hachette will handle sales, marketing, distribution, licensing, and manufacturing, with Windblown retaining rights to The Shack and future books, while having its own imprint under FaithWords.
A word-of-mouth phenomenon, The Shack has sold more than one million copies since its release one year ago, with 1.1 million copies now in print. It is the bestselling Christian novel in the nation and currently is #8 on the USA Today bestseller list and #4 on PW’s May 19 list. Windblown also is in talks with film studios.
The novel was written by Oregon salesman Young as a story for his children, then reworked in collaboration with two friends, Brad Cummings and Wayne Jacobsen, who are former pastors. When Young was unable to find a publisher, Cummings and Jacobsen formed Windblown Media and began distributing the book out of Cummings’ garage. The two were represented in negotiations with Hachette by Wes Yoder of the Ambassador Agency.
In a statement, Rolf Zettersten, senior v-p and publisher of FaithWords, said, “The same team that developed The Shack has compelling plans for future books, including He Loves Me by Wayne Jacobsen and So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore by Jacobsen and Dave Coleman under the pen name Jake Colsen.”

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6561197.html?nid=2286&source=title&rid=458526038

Rolf Zettersten, you might remember, was the vice-president of Focus on the Family back in the good ol’ days, before his divorce due to his adultery.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/data2/tennesseestatecases/appeals/2000_3/zetterstenlinda.pdf

or: http://bloggynight.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/zetterstenlinda.pdf

Rolf helps TimeWarner promote Joyce Meyer

No wonder TimeWarner decided it needed a piece of the Christian book market. But rather than buy an existing publisher, in 2001 it launched Warner Faith from scratch by hiring Rolf Zettersten, a senior executive from Thomas Nelson. The game plan: Use TimeWarner’s clout to muscle into the market. Zettersten’s first move was to snap up Joyce Meyer, a top author and speaker on Christian living. He then used TimeWarner’s distribution clout to double her sales to 2 million last year.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934018_mz001.htm

Thomas Nelson didn’t like the “healthy competition” and filed suit

Nelson alleges that Zettersten offered to pay Tenney, Nelson’s author of The God Catchers (April), an advance against royalties of $500,000 to write a book for TWTP.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA73112.html

A Few Words About Dr. James Dobson

Because of our commitment to the cause of Christ, we endeavor to maintain the highest possible standards in every operation. This dedication to excellence keeps every employee on his or her toes! Perhaps it would be best to let Dr. Dobson explain why this organization has become such a “high touch” ministry. Rolf Zettersten, a former executive vice president here at the ministry, included this quote from Dr. Dobson in the book Turning Hearts Toward Home:
The problem is that people draw conclusions about the validity of [Focus on the Family’s] testimony from the way we respond to their needs. If the person who answers the phone is rude, or if the accounting department fails to pay an invoice on time, or if we mishandle a letter, those who have been rebuffed will conclude, ‘Dobson sounded OK on the radio, like he really cares, but he is just another phony who is in it for himself.’ In other words, our failures become a slur — not on our own names, but on the Gospel itself. We represent Jesus Christ in every transaction, in every corner of this ministry. Therefore, our standard must be nothing short of excellence.1
To cite a practical example, this means that when people call Focus on the Family with a question or a need, we will do our utmost to make sure that they are able to talk to a real person on the other end of the line, rather than fumble their way through an automated telephone system. It has been suggested numerous times that Focus install a voice mail system, but Dr. Dobson has never permitted it. He said, “In a world that is becoming more and more impersonal and distant, there should be an organization where a friendly voice, a prayer or a helping hand is available. I want Focus to be that place of friendship and support for those who contact us.” He has often described an imaginary sign at the front of the headquarters that says, “We care about you here.”
In addition to quoting Dr. Dobson directly, Rolf Zettersten offers some insights of his own concerning what it is like to work at Focus on the Family. He noted that Dr. Dobson’s attention to detail and his desire to go the extra mile for our constituents has rubbed off on the rest of the staff:
If you understand the principles by which James Dobson lives, you can predict his behavior. He holds certain convictions so deeply that you know he will never violate them. Some members of the [Focus] staff who seem frequently to spark his irritation see him as difficult to please. In truth, they have never really understood the principles by which he operates: attention to detail, respect for every person who reaches out to us, avoiding waste and the desire for superior quality in everything bearing the Focus name. If you know these cherished ideas and implement them, James Dobson is an easy man to work for.

http://www2.focusonthefamily.com/docstudy/newsletters/A000000241.cfm

Does this “dedication to excellence” extend to being racist?

Well, to add horrors to horrors, when Dobson finished his speech about blacks, Rolf Zettersten, our VP of publishing, who’s gone on to be VP with Thomas Nelson, took that occasion to tell a racist joke. He told this incredibly crass joke about a public school classroom of blacks. The whole room fell out. And, I’m sorry to say, I laughed.
I went across the street and I told Carolyn my wife the story and she cried - because she was raised in Africa by missionary parents.
The fact that I laughed makes me sick. It has to do with the power of group think. I can’t imagine being part of a group ever again, ever in my life, because I know the degree to which I was suckered. I sat there and I laughed rather than standing in outrage at what I had just heard. I was dumbfounded. But that’s not adequate, that’s not a good enough excuse. No, no, I laughed, I didn’t say a thing. When I walked across the street, it was my dear wife who had the good sense to say, “Do you realize the horror of what you have just heard?” Then I sort of woke up at that instant and said, “By God, you’re right. That is horrible.”

http://www.peacemakers.net/peace/doorgam97.htm

Lastly, books edited or written by Zetterson

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookSearch/results.asp?SZE=100&ATH=Rolf%20Zettersten

And some other details

http://bloggynight.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/zoominfo_zettersten.pdf

It’s good to know that Christians are making such headway in the business world.

UPDATE: Let me explain that last comment. I wrote it late last night, and when I did I knew exactly what I meant, but later I decided I wasn’t really communicating what I meant.

I wrote that comment about “Christians” sarcastically. I don’t believe these men, (Zettersten, Dobson, et al) are Christains. They simply wear that moniker in order to do the things they have accomplished in their professional lives.

I don’t believe Real Christians behave the way they have. In fact I believe much of what James Dobson has done (with Zettersten as an accomplice) through Focus on the Family has been damaging to the Christian Church. Unfortunately there are a lot of people parading around, doing evil things “in the name of Jesus Christ.”