“Multitudes,
multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.”
(Joel 3:14)
Valley Of Decision
Dear Friends,
Greetings! Well, 2013 has turned out to be quite a year with EndTime events unfolding at a faster and swifter pace than any of us have seen in our life times. It would seem that finally millions upon millions of people have been awakened to the fact that the world is in very deep and serious trouble.
To quote from Professor Fumikazu Yoshida of Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Economics, Economic Journal of Hokkaido University, in one of the articles below, “The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is a “multiple disaster” never before experienced in human history [...]”
Other sources say it will not only affect the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific rim countries but because of ocean currents it will also affect the Atlantic Ocean and indeed the entire world.
It is interesting that in Revelation, chapter eight, the second trumpet of tribulation involves the seas, all of which are interconnected.
Remember, Jesus said it would get so bad that “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.” Matthew 24:22
So, what are we to do? Those of you who follow this site know the answer to that question, but many do not.
Satan in addressing God in Job, chapter two, said, “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.”
It is really coming down to choices.
The Lord is allowing Satan to bring the world to such a point of crisis that it will bring the world to a point of decision.
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:14
God told the Israelites in Deuteronomy, chapter eleven : “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.”
Jesus told us in Matthew, chapter seven: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Our first article below is from the Huffington Post. Concerning the Huffington Post, Wikipedia tells us; “In 2012, The Huffington Post became the first commercially run United States digital media enterprise to win a Pulitzer Prize.”
In July 2012, The Huffington Post was ranked #1 on the 15 Most Popular Political Sites list by eBizMBA Rank. Find The Best states; 43,200,000 read the Huffington Post a month.
You and I may think what we will about the Huffington Post, but it is nevertheless a huge source of information for many millions of people.
The article, written by Zoltan Istvan, who is described as a visionary and a philosopher, and author of the bestselling novel 'The Transhumanist Wager', is titled “AI Day Will Replace Christmas as the Most Important Holiday in Less Than 25 Years”
The following is the final paragraph from the above mentioned article.
“One thing is for sure, to the human species, the birth of an advanced artificial intelligence will become far more important than the birth of Christ. Christmas, if it survives at all, will be relegated to just another commercial and cultural holiday that superstores and big business thrive on. Meanwhile, reasonable people will celebrate AI Day, the real moment in history the savior of civilization was born.”
Are we looking at 'Revelation 13' coming over the horizon? If AI, artificial intelligence, is the “savior of civilization” what does that make Christians who believe Jesus Christ is the Savior of civilization? Heretics?
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.”
Concerning Zoltan Istvan and the conclusion he postulates, the Bible says: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man.” Romans 1:21-23
The brazen arrogance of Zoltan Istvan's pronouncement is reminiscent of the declaration made in the book of Jasher, chapter ten, a book mentioned twice in the Old Testament.
The story concerns the building of the Tower of Babel and the subsequent overthrow and dethronement of God: “All these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building.”
Have a great year ahead. In what is an obvious understatement, it should prove to be very interesting.
“In God have I put my trust.” Psalm 56:11
***
HUFF POST
AI Day Will Replace Christmas as the Most Important Holiday in Less Than 25 Years
Zoltan Istvan - Visionary; Philosopher; Author of bestselling novel 'The Transhumanist Wager'
Posted: 12/24/2013 12:08 pm
For a few billion people around the world, Christmas is the most important and relished holiday of the year. It's the day with the most gift-giving, the most family get-togethers, the most religious activities, and the most colorful fairy tales that children and adults almost universally embrace with sacred fervor. For many nations, no other day comes close to being as special. For this reason, it seems almost unimaginable that another day -- especially an unknown one looming on the horizon -- will soon unseat Christmas as the most important day in the world. Nonetheless, for humanity, the course is set. The birth of an artificial intelligence equal or greater than that of human intelligence is coming. It's called AI Day. And once it arrives, it will rapidly usher in a new age.
For decades, the concept of a man-made intelligence matching or surpassing our own -- technically called AGI (artificial general intelligence) or Strong AI -- has been steeped in science fiction. Upon hearing the term AI, many people immediately think of the sentient computer HAL in Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece film 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, what most people fail to grasp is that once AI becomes self-aware and joins with the internet, it could grow its intelligence thousands of times in just mere days, perhaps hours. Frankly, it could quickly surpass all measurements of intelligence that humans are even capable of monitoring and recognizing.
"I think that Ray Kurzweil's (CEO Google Ed.)estimate that we will achieve human-level Artificial General Intelligence by around 2029 is a reasonable guesstimate," says Dr. Ben Goertzel.
Originally a math PhD, Goertzel is now a multidisciplinary scientist, author, and entrepreneur. He currently serves as chief scientist of Hong Kong financial firm Aidyia Holdings, chairman of the Artificial General Intelligence Society, and leader of the OpenCog AGI project.
"It could take longer than 2029," Goertzel continues, "if economic troubles prevail or technical problems prove thornier than anticipated. On the other hand, I also think a concerted and well-funded effort by the right people could make it happen before 2020."
Some religious people, anti-transhumanists, and neo-Luddites complain that an advanced AI will rapidly destroy human civilization. In my novel The Transhumanist Wager, the evangelical antagonist philosophizes that the first AI will naturally evolve into the Antichrist and bring Armageddon. Most scientists, technologists, and artificial intelligence experts find those worries laughable. Most of them think that AI will usher in a new age of scientific discovery, medical advancement, and technological sophistication only imagined before in science fiction. Some philosophers and futurists think that within the first few years of advanced AI appearing, it will expand learning so far that all important science, technology, and engineering texts will need to be completely rewritten.
The challenge of the human species is to not let this kind of AI get beyond our controls; to have adequate safety measures and kill-switches built in. Such measures would not be dissimilar from how civilization delicately handles nuclear weaponry, which some political experts believe have staved off world wars in the last half-century.
The human race's other challenge is how to merge directly with AI, to discover the technology and build apparatuses to connect our brain's neural networks directly into such an intelligent machine.
Regardless what happens in the future, it's safe to say AI will not be an entity speaking to us in hackneyed parables, or telling us to pluck out our eyes and cut off our hands if we sin. It probably also won't threaten us with a hopeless fiery hell of eternal punishment for our lack of faith. It's far more likely the greatest tool our species has ever created will tell us how to end world poverty with inventive technologies, how to best fix the Earth of the environmental degradation we've caused, and how to heal ourselves of all disease and live indefinitely via radical science. Sure, there will be risks in keeping AI our friend and ally, but there will be even greater rewards in harnessing it and using it to advance civilization.
One thing is for sure, to the human species, the birth of an advanced artificial intelligence will become far more important than the birth of Christ. Christmas, if it survives at all, will be relegated to just another commercial and cultural holiday that superstores and big business thrive on. Meanwhile, reasonable people will celebrate AI Day, the real moment in history the savior of civilization was born.
***
AIC
Advocacy for a third temple
Published on 19 December 2013
Written by Lene Roiser for the Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Model of the Temple distributed in the Old City of Jerusalem as a poster / Photo: Lena Roiser
The Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City is the third holiest site for Muslims after the Kaaba in Mecca and the tomb of the prophet Mohammed in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Many Jews believe that on the Mount, buried beneath the Al Aqsa mosque, there existed two ancient temples, providing its namesake, the Temple Mount (Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת) or Haram al-Sharif (Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف, “The Noble Sanctuary“). For many Jews the Temple Mount is considered their holiest site.
This Mount is probably one of the most contested places in the world, and represents the epicentre of the religious dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The number of headlines concerning Jewish extremists trying to pray or gather in the Haram al-Sharif compound and the advocacy work of the so-called “Temple organizations” are on the rise. The phenomenon however is not entirely new, with discussions of the building of a third temple on Al Aqsa’s grounds proving a popular topic amongst religious zealots and right-wing Jews. The topic is still considered somewhat outside mainstream Israeli religious discourse, however a number of incidences suggest the idea is not on the fringes anymore.
In July of last year, according to mainstream national newspaper the Times of Israel, Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (member of right-wing party “Jewish Home”) broke “a long-standing taboo on high-ranking government officials speaking about changing the fragile status quo on the holy and contested esplanade.” Joining this controversial call, another Knesset member of Jewish Home, Zevulun Orlev, spoke in favour of the construction of a third temple last year.
Alongside the more unrealistic dreams of some religious groups and politicians to remove or destroy Al Aqsa, the ability to hold Jewish prayer in the compound is becoming an increasingly popular and widespread request among the Jewish population, and certainly no peripheral matter.
Non-Muslims are only allowed to enter the compound during 4 hours of the day and are prohibited from entering the mosque itself. Furthermore, it is prohibited for members of religions other than Islam to pray on the premises. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, currently consisting of David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, recently reiterated their opinion in favour of the ban on Jews from praying in the Haram al-Sharif compound. And signs, attributed to the Rabbinate, are positioned outside the site warning visitors that according to the Torah, it is forbidden for any person to enter the Temple Mount because of its sacredness.
Sign by the Chief Rabinate prohibiting the entrance to Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) / photo: Lena Roiser
This decision may have been a relief for many, but attempts to “legalize” Jewish prayer in the site persist; including a request by Israel's Religious Services Deputy Minister Ben Dahan during an Interior Committee meeting of the Knesset in November of this year. Indeed, a number of people have been moved to ignore the ruling of the Chief Rabbinate. According to the New York Times, Israeli Police statistics show that 8,247 people visiting the site identified as Jews in 2011, compared to 5,792 in 2010. After a dip in numbers in 2012, the site saw 5,609 Jewish visitors through July of this year.
Dahan's request caused a heated debate in the Knesset, particularly between Miri Regev, chairwoman of the Knesset Interior Committee (Likud), and some Arab Israeli members of Knesset. In the past, Regev repeatedly advised the police to allow Jews to enter the compound: “Just because some Muslims throw stones when Jews go up to the Temple Mount is not a reason to prevent them from going [...]”. Despite her objections, the Knesset concluded that changing the status quo would cause too great a security threat - recalling the effect of Ariel Sharon’s visit in 2000, which is commonly attributed as one of the primary triggers of the outbreak of the Second Intifada.
Although the draft law has been rejected for now, a number of Temple organisations in Israel have petitioned the Israeli Ministerial Council to employ a Rabbi in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. And The Temple Institute wishes to place a large Menorah, which could be seen from the Western Wall, atop the Dome of the Rock on Jewish holidays.
The Temple Institute is a messianic organization that is dedicated to rebuilding the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, the presumed ancient location of Solomon’s temple. The institute is registered as a non-profit, but pays taxes in the USA. The vast majority of donations come from private individuals, whose “generosity can make the difference between dream and reality”.
Members of the Temple Institute have recently been in the media spotlight as frequent visitors to the Al Aqsa compound. Itzchak Reuven, one of the leaders of The Temple Institute, located in the Jewish quarter in the Old City, is well known among local police. For him, scaling the Temple Mount, despite the tension it provokes, is a “cultural obligation”. The police meanwhile, play a very special role in his ritual: They cannot stop him or others from visiting the Mount without proof of an immediate security threat, but they must prevent him from praying - which is considered the ultimate provocation against Muslims at the site. Visitor rules also prohibit individuals from bringing Bibles and other religious publications or paraphernalia into the compound, although men are allowed to wear kippot.
In its “brief guide” to ascending the Temple Mount, The Temple Institute writes “In spite of these draconian restrictions, the aliyah can still be an intensely spiritual and religious experience, and we will learn how to deal with these restrictions.”
“Dealing with the restrictions”, is in fact a euphemism for tricking the police - with suggestions that include pretending be on the phone while performing prayers, and tying ones shoelaces in order to bow in prayer – which is becoming increasingly frequent at the Mount. Members of the Temple Institute assert that the police are “acting in collusion with the Muslim authorities…out of disproportionate fear of Muslim sensitivities”, and discriminate against Jewish religious freedom. For Muslims worshippers at the compound, the exact opposite is true, with police seen protecting and escorting Jewish worshippers around the holy site.
The Temple Institute, with Rabbi Chaim Richman as director, hosts a large exhibition of vestments and sacred vessels, as well as a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. All these artefacts are collected and created for the purpose of being used in the proposed third temple. The Temple Institute shop sells books and various objects and souvenirs that relate to the Temple Mount, including posters in soft colours depicting Jewish worshipers praying at the Mount. On closer inspection, one can see that the site has been visually altered to exclude the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of Rock.
The Temple Institute is far from the only organisation striving for a third temple. Others include “The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement”, and the “Temple Mount Faithful” – lead by IDF officer Gershon Salomon, who gained notoriety when, in October 1990, he and others announced their intention to bring the foundation stones for the third temple to the Al Aqsa compound. This announcement lead to riots on the Temple Mount which resulted in the deaths of 20 Palestinians at the hands of Israeli Border Police.
Independent temple activists include Yehuda Glick, who is probably best known for publicly declaring his intention to sacrifice a lamb on the Temple Mount; Jeremy Gimpel, member of Habayit Hayehudi who “joked” about blowing up the Dome of the Rock; and United Jerusalem leader, Arieh King, who stated that “no Jew should fear visiting the temple mount” while simultaneously encouraging more Jews to relocate to occupied East Jerusalem.
The controversial topic is gaining traction in mainstream Israeli society and legitimacy in political discussions, which begs the question: Why? Is there a common and sincere desire for Jewish prayers to be held at the Temple Mount, despite being expressly forbidden by the Chief Rabbinate (the foremost authority on religious matters) and the Torah?
The nuances and resolution of these contradictions have yet to be clarified, but what is clear, is that claiming the site in this manner represents a power play against those who might question the absolute sovereignty of Israel and its ultimate goal of an undivided, and predominantly Jewish, Jerusalem.
Indeed, a letter from the Prime Minister's office in 2004 – written by the former Minister of Internal Security under Sharon, Zachi HaNegbi - and published on the homepage of The Temple Institute, summarizes this sentiment and what it means for the political parties of the Knesset fairly well:
“There is no question about the fact that the presence of Jews on the Temple Mount strengthens Jewish sovereignty in this holy site in a significant way. Since the Mount was reopened on July 20, 2003, it has been visited by more than 70,000 Jews. These visits necessitate a permanent police presence on the Mount, and they serve to help the Palestinians get used to the fact that the Jewish people have a deep bond with the dwelling place of the Holy Temple. Obviously, this adds to the strength of our claim to sovereignty on the Mount.
With Blessings, Zachi HaNegbi”
The draft law mandating Jewish prayer times in the compound is clearly then a claim of sovereignty over the Mount, and while there remain moderate voices that do not wish to provoke a third Intifada, an increasing number would hazard these consequences to take over the Haram al-Sharif.
***
ISRAEL HAYOM
'Framework peace deal could be reached by end of month'
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reports that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are on verge of breakthrough Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby: Not a single Israeli soldier can remain in the territory of a future Palestinian state.
Daniel Siryoti, Israel Hayom Staff and News Agencies
Newsletter Sunday December 22, 2013
The Arab League meeting in Cairo on Saturday | Photo credit: AP
The Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are on the verge of a breakthrough and an American-drafted framework agreement could be signed by the end of the month, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Sunday.
The report cited Arab League officials who said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas presented them with the details of the U.S. plan at an emergency meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers that was held in Cairo this weekend at the request of the Palestinians.
Arab diplomats quoted in the report said that Abbas expressed disappointment in the American plan, which he claimed favored Israeli security interests over other core issues that must be resolved in a final status agreement.
"The Americans are determined to present an agreement by the end of December and have already chosen a location for the signing ceremony for the framework agreement," Abbas reportedly told Arab diplomats.
Palestinian officials in Ramallah confirmed the report and said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to present the final outline for the framework agreement during his upcoming visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories at the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the Arab League rejected on Saturday a reported U.S. proposal that would allow for a continued Israeli military presence on the eastern border of a future Palestinian state.
Palestinian officials have said Kerry's proposal that was made earlier this month included letting Israel maintain control of a Palestinian state's border with Jordan for at least 10 years to address Israel's concerns about a potential influx of terrorists and weapons.
At the Arab League meeting in Cairo on Saturday, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said that not a single Israeli soldier could remain in the territory of a Palestinian state.
An Arab League report on the issue called Kerry's proposal "dangerous to the Palestinians," saying it "achieved Israeli security expansionist demands, and guaranteed [Israel's] continued control of [the Jordan Valley] on the security pretext." The report also characterized the proposal as "an American retreat."
Aides to Abbas have criticized the proposal. One aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations, told Reuters on Saturday that the Palestinians are trying to shorten the time span of any Israeli withdrawal.
***
WND
BISHOP CALLS ON CHRISTIANS TO FIGHT ISLAMISTS
Faithful already have unlikely Muslim defender in Syria
Published: 12/19/13
F. MICHAEL MALOOF
BEIRUT, Lebanon – An auxiliary Greek Orthodox bishop of Antioch based in Damascus, Syria, has issued a call to arms to Christians worldwide to fight the Islamicmilitants who have killed and kidnapped Christians and destroyed their holy places in Syria.
In referring to the most recent kidnapping of 13 nuns and orphanage workers and the taking over of the ancient Christian Syrian village of Malloula by al-Qaida fighters, Bishop Luca al-Khoury said many young men “are asking us to take action.”
“I call on every young man who can take up arms to come forward,” al-Khoury said, adding that Christians need to engage in self-defense and protect Christian holy places.
“Our young people are ready (and) their fingers are on the trigger and they’re ready to fight for the sake of Syria and for the sake of self-defense,” al-Khoury said.
Al-Khoury pointed out that some 40 churches have been damaged or destroyed during the war in Syria.
He blamed the international community for accepting the Syrian opposition’s claim that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is killing Syrians.
Lebanese Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said that recent events in Malloula, where the Syrian government and the Islamist fighters have been waging a fierce campaign, are having an impact on Christians in Lebanon and the rest of the world.
He said that it was time to act in an effort to halt the series of attacks on Christians.
“Reactions in Lebanon, the Levant and the world haven’t been sufficient,” Bassil said.
He pointed out that the muted international outcry was similar to the one following the kidnapping of two Orthodox bishops last April. There has been no word about them.
A Shiite source close to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah has told WND that Hezbollah has been doing the fighting on behalf of the Christians in an effort to protect them and their churches.
Hezbollah, said to have a military wing more powerful than the Lebanese army, similarly has been protecting Christians in Lebanon. Christian militias pale in comparison to that of Hezbollah’s military capability.
The Shiite source said that Hezbollah, along with the Syrian military, took Malloula once and probably will have to do it again.
The Assad government has been known to protect minorities, including Christians.
Experts warn that if the Sunni Wahhabist militant fighters gain the upper hand against Assad, the flight of minorities, especially Christians, would amount to a humanitarian disaster, with ramifications for Christians living in Lebanon.
Al-Khoury said that young Christians need to take up arms to defend “the homeland” and the Christian presence in Syria against al-Qaida-linked terrorist groups who have been targeting all religious faiths, except for Wahhabites, over the past two years.
“Every Christian youth capable of taking up arms should do so and defend Syria,” he said. “Christians are prayerful and peaceful, but it seems that today, faced with these people, prayer and peace aren’t enough anymore.”
“Syrian Christians won’t leave Syria by their own will, because they are attached to their land,” al-Khoury said. “Christians and Muslims have been living in Syria for over 1,600 years and Syrian Christians aren’t afraid, even though the main goal of those who target the churches is to attack Christians’ historical identity.”
***
WND
'MIRACLES HAPPEN': 'ANGEL' SEEN AT PROMISE KEEPERS EVENT
Stunning image captured as band played, 'Jesus, take all of me'
Published: December 22,2013
BOB UNRUH
The Bible teaches, and Christians believe, that angels are present on earth, to protect people and join in worship of God, and the faithful know it although they may not be able to document it using some scientific test, mathematical formula or photograph.
Until now.
A digital image captured during a time of praise and worship at his year’s Promise Keepers men’s conference in Cedar Falls, Iowa, shows what looks like an angel:
A radiant, glowing white figure standing on the stage while the worship and praise band, “One Body” leads the men in singing “Jesus, take all of me. I run to you, I run to you. I lay everything at your feet. Let my life be yours.”
On its Facebook page, the men’s group famed for its hundreds of conferences calling on men to return to God and be the faithful husbands, fathers, brothers and sons that the nation needs, described that “something supernatural took place in Cedar Falls.”
A man at the conference, using his iPad, took two pictures of the band, and both had “an angel on them.”
David Jesse is a spokesman for the international organization that plans a tour and broadcast event from Jerusalem on Sept. 17, 2014, featuring Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, author of the New York Times bestseller “The Harbinger,” now on DVD in the “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment” documentary.
He said while the image is stunning, the back story makes it even more compelling.
uring the 2013 season, the Saturday morning message at PK conferences was on purity, he said.
“We candidly addressed the issue of pornography and adultery, as we are convinced that this issue has become the enemy’s ‘spiritual weapon of mass destruction,’” he said.
That day in Cedar Falls, there was a powerful message on that issue, and an alter call, where men “stood in front of the stage weeping and asking for forgiveness and healing from God.”
The band was leading with, “Jesus, take all of me. I run to you, I run to you. I lay everything at your feet. Let my life be yours.”
Up in the seats was “a Southern Baptist, self-described ‘conservative, non-prophetic’ pastor” who lifted his iPad over his head to take a photo.
“He looked down at the screen to see a strange glow on the stage that sent chills down his spine. He then showed the picture to the man standing next to him, and proceeded to take another picture of the stage. When he looked at the second picture and saw the same image, he was overwhelmed with emotion, as he was convinced that what he saw in these photos was an angel. He immediately came to stage right and showed the pictures to our program director,” he said.
And no, it’s not photoshopped.
The pastor’s wife released a statement, “My husband took these photos. No photo shop. Enjoy debating angels and stage lights but don’t miss the miracle of a few thousand men gathering to praise God and to be challenged to be men of honor who keep their promises! At least 17 of them were our guys. That’s a miracle. They were in our church Sunday gathering at the front praying with their families and friends. Miracles happen.”
Promise Keepers points out the responsibility, and influence of men leading their families in worship. The group reports, “When a child is the first to attend church, 3½ percent of the families follow. When a wife/mom is the first to attend church, 17 percent of the families follow. When a dad/husband is the first to attend church, 93 percent of the families follow. ”
“There will always be those who are skeptical. Even God’s own voice was given a ‘natural explanation,’ but I was at this event (and all PK events this year), and what I experienced was a move of the Spirit unlike anything before. And we need this move – this awakening – to continue,” Jesse said.
Millions of men have come before the ministry of Promise Keepers since its founding by then-University of Colorado football coach Bill McCartney in 1990, whose team took a national championship title. He led a gathering, the “Stand in the Gap” event on the National Mall in Washington on Oct. 4, 1997, that drew an estimated 1.4 million, one of the largest events ever to be held there.
He’s in the College Football Hall of Fame class from 2014.
A central message of Promise Keepers is that men need to be warriors for their faith, family, marriages, churches, communities and nation.
“There is an all-out assault taking place on anyone who stands for biblical truth,” the organization explains. “Rarely a day goes by where we don’t hear of someone being criticized – or even outright attacked – for affirming the morals and values that only a few decades ago were the norm in society. The bombardment of sin is destroying families and communities – but men of God are rising up to fight!”
The 2014 conference theme is “Unleashing the Warrior,” and events tentatively are scheduled for May 16-17 in Jacksonville, Fla.; June 6-7 in Peoria, Ill.; June 20-21 in Baton Rouge, Fla.; July 25-26 in Loveland, Colo.; and Aug. 9 in Wallingford, Conn.
Those are in addition to the Israel tour offerings and Sept. 17 worldwide simulcast event that will originate in Jerusalem.
***
Religion News Service
Conservatives Say Utah Polygamy Ruling Confirms Their Worst Fears
Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Publication date: December 17, 2013
Fueling debates over marriage and religious freedom, a federal judge declared on Dec. 13 Utah laws criminalizing polygamy are unconstitutional, ruling on a case involving the Brown family from TLC’s reality series “Sister Wives.”
Social conservatives who have argued for marriage solely between one man and one woman have long warned that allowing gay marriage would ultimately lead to allowing polygamy — an argument that’s both feared and rejected by gay marriage proponents.
Perhaps not surprisingly, groups advocating for legalizing gay marriage were quiet in response, saying that legalizing polygamy is not part of their mandate.
At the same time, proponents of traditional marriage did a victory lap of sorts, saying their worst fears are starting to come true.
“Same-sex marriage advocates have told us that people ought to be able to ‘marry who they love’ but have also always downplayed the idea that this would lead to legalized polygamy, a practice that very often victimizes women and children,” said Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, in a statement on Monday (Dec. 16).
“But if love and mutual consent become the definition of what the boundaries of marriage are, can we as a society any longer even define marriage coherently?”
The case involves the cast of “Sister Wives,” which entered its fourth season earlier this year, featuring Kody Brown and his four wives. The Browns are members of a fundamentalist Mormon group, not part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which does not condone the practice of polygamy.
“While we know that many people do not approve of plural families, it is our family and based on our beliefs,” Kody Brown said in a statement. ”Just as we respect the personal and religious choices of other families, we hope that in time all of our neighbors and fellow citizens will come to respect our own choices.”
A 2012 Pew Research survey found little acceptance of polygamy among Mormons with 86 percent of them saying it is morally wrong. Wider American opinion on gay marriage, meanwhile, has evolved over the past decade. In Pew Research polling in 2001, Americans opposed gay marriage 57 percent to 35 percent. Two 2013 polls suggest 50 percent of Americans are in favor of gay marriage with 43 percent opposed.
U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups’ ruling attacked sections of Utah’s laws against cohabitation, saying in his decision that the phrase “or cohabits with another person” is a violation of both the First and 14th amendments.
In his decision, Waddoups, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, writes that while there is no “fundamental right” to practice polygamy, the issue really comes down to “religious cohabitation.”
The judge’s ruling does not say that Utah has to recognize multiple marriages, said Brad Greenberg, a research scholar at Columbia Law School. The Supreme Court has repeatedly indicated that determining who can marry is almost exclusively the province of the states, he said.
“A ban on polygamous marriage does little to deter those who want to enter into multiple marriages, some illegally, and then live together,” Greenberg said. “So Utah’s criminal ban on cohabitation sought to address these practices with a broader ban. That is what Judge Waddoups ruled was unconstitutional, because it criminalizes conduct outside Utah’s ability to define marriage, and in doing so encroaches on First Amendment protections.”
The Brown family filed a lawsuit in July 2011, saying that Utah’s law violated their right to privacy, relying on the 2003 Supreme Court decision that struck down a Texas law banning sodomy.
In hearings for the case, according to The Salt Lake Tribune report, Waddoups focused on the definition of a polygamous relationship, asking for the difference between a polygamous relationship between one man and several wives and an unmarried man who chooses to have intimate relationships with three women.
Assistant Utah Attorney General Jerrold Jensen argued that a polygamous relationship is different because it was defined by people representing themselves as married.
The Browns have only entered into one legally recognized marriage, so they could have faced prosecution for calling their relationship a marriage, a decision they made based on their religion.
In response to the judge’s decision, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, said he is ”always a little concerned” when public policy changes are made by the courts.
Attorney Jonathan Turley, who argued the case for the Browns, said in a blog post that the decision “was a victory not for polygamy but privacy in America.”
“Utah has achieved something equally important today: true equality of its citizens regardless of their personal faiths or practices,” Turley wrote.
In his ruling, the judge took a narrow interpretation of the words “marry” and “purports to marry,” meaning that bigamy remains illegal, such as when someone fraudulently acquires multiple marriage licenses.
***
WND
DON'T QUESTION THE PASTOR, HE'S FAMOUS
Exclusive: Jim Fletcher warns of the cult of celebrity in churches
Published: December 23, 2013
JIM FLETCHER
My grandparents’ pastor was a simple guy: Simple home, simple old van, simple garden, simple church building, complete with wooden pews. Well actually, the church building for the first 25 years of ministry was a wooden structure, built in Iowa and hauled – in sections – to the South. It had a pot-bellied stove and cement floor. The new building wasn’t much fancier.
Bro. Ronald Shoesmith didn’t have a book contract or a television ministry. The only jet he’d ever seen flew high overhead. He was a simple gospel preacher, and when he died in 1995, after 53 years of ministry in a rural area, grown men stood and cried, recounting how the Shoesmiths had picked them up for Sunday school, rain or shine.
So it is that I lament the current state of the celebrity preacher in 2013 America.
The hallmark of the modern celebrity preacher is something awfully close to narcissism. They don’t haul their own water. No utilitarian facilities for them. That’s old school, man.
And the flat-out abuses of power that have cropped up only recently are like something out of a crime novel. Seattle Pastor Mark Driscoll was recently outed as a plagiarist by radio show host Janet Mefferd and, incredibly, after several days of a relentless PR machine in action, Driscoll – who never said one word publicly after the infamous radio interview – pulled an apology from Mefferd, who also deleted the clear evidence of his plagiarism, from her website.
This is the same Mark Driscoll, humble shepherd, who infamously advocates running over “bodies” with the “bus” of the vision-casting celebrity preacher when dissenters question the vision and implementation of said vision.
He also referred to discernment ministry folks as “extremist.”
Not a peep from national evangelical leadership.
When Rick Warren tweets that a person’s character is measured by how he or she treats others, then hours later urges followers to un-follow “negative twits,” one is left wondering: Where is the outrage? Where is the accountability?
The modern celebrity preacher’s ministry is marked by privilege, perks, protection from scrutiny and hubris. No one in a position of authority says a word.
And the fawning!
The adulation, backslapping and cross promotion is breathtaking. Steven Furtick provides canned endorsements for his friends’ books, and they in turn invite him to speak at top conferences, et cetera. The marketing of the modern American pastor, something aggressively endorsed by men like Andy Stanley, is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Many of them spend so much time advancing their own personal brands – on church time – it’s amazing members put up with it.
And each celebrity pastor has another’s back.
Driscoll, who is mentored by Warren, tweeted the following fawning message after Warren and his wife, Kay, appeared on “Piers Morgan Live,” discussing the aftermath of their son’s suicide: “With tears in our eyes Grace I watched @RickWarren & Kay on CNN while our 5 babies slept. Great job representing the hope of Jesus.”
No such tears for the people on the receiving end of Driscoll’s Mafia-style PR hits.
Interestingly, in an eerie-though-unintentional nod to Galatians 1:10 – “For I am now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” – Piers Morgan told Warren that their meeting was “the most inspiring interview I’ve ever done.” This from the guy who loves to shove his leftist views down the throats of Americans.
Ed Stetzer, who is somewhat of a key guy in the advancement of celebrity pastors in America, through his position as president of LifeWay Research, also tweeted a fawning ode to the Warrens: “Groups of people watched @RickWarren and @KayWarren1 at the two airports I flew through. Thankful for the #WarrensOnCNN.”
After the Warrens’ son took his own life last spring, several evangelical superstars, including Driscoll and Beth Moore, took to the blogosphere with semi-vicious warnings to discernment folks not to touch Warren. In other words, the tragedy of his son’s death provided cover for Warren and his purpose-driven methods.
No one in leadership seemed to think there was anything wrong with Driscoll’s and Moore’s warnings to “critics.”
Look, friends certainly have the right to support friends. But the culture of celebrity pastor is proving to be a danger to the church in one important area: the agenda.
Most will tell you that the “agenda” is about the gospel. In reality, it is about advancing the personal agendas/vision-casting of the celebrity pastor.
Plainly said, the monolithic big ministry culture is controlling the narrative in America. Mefferd’s fate, along with that of other whistleblowers, proves that the Christian media are in large part identical to that of the secular media: intent on crushing dissent and smearing opponents.
If you are on the celebrity bus to play ball, you advance to some degree through the system. You can play in that world. But if you question the vision-casting, the bus rolls over you.
One has only to listen to the hundreds or thousands of stories of long-time church members who have raised questions about purpose-driven methodologies – only to be shown the door – to know that something is very wrong with the top American evangelical leadership.
The leadership can push Muslim interfaith dialogue, a softening of views of critical social issues, tithing on steroids … and nobody challenges them.
When I say nobody challenges them, I mean that nobody publicly rebukes Warren or Driscoll or their friends when they marginalize and disparage people they don’t appear to like. The cult of celebrity preacher won’t allow it.
One can watch this train wreck proceeding apace every day: Evangelical leaders racing to the White House for a photo op with Obama; writers like Jonathan Merritt pushing center-left views; conferences hosting leftist speakers … all in the name of vision-casting and “leadership.”
Remember when Obama said that in five days, he’d fundamentally transform America? Rick Warren could have said the same thing in the early ’80s, when he began to be mentored by the likes of Peter Drucker – except the transformation would be the American church.
No, the role of the American pastor is changing. It is being fundamentally transformed into an entity that pushes leftist thought and values.
Think I’m crazy? Then remember this in the near future when you see what’s happening with your own eyes. Very soon, America’s top evangelical leadership will support and endorse views that would have been alien to men like Ronald Shoesmith.
But if you then want to sound the alarm, be sure and count the cost. You just might end up with tire marks on your back.
***
DISTRACTIFY
I Knew Pope Francis Was Good, But When I Found Out Everything He Did in 2013, I Was Blown Away
Pope Francis has been declared Time’s Person Of The Year. Looking back on 2013, he has done some incredibly progressive things to lead the Church.
1. He spoke out against frivolous spending by the Church
Source: catholic-ew.org.uk
The average set of cardinal’s clothes costs as much as $20,000. In October, Pope Francis urged officials to dress more modestly and to not squander such money. In the same month, he ordered a German bishop to explain how he had spent $3 million on a marble courtyard.
Source: globalpost.com
2. He invited a boy with Downs Syndrome for a ride in the Popemobile
Source: thehindu.com
During a general audience, Pope Francis invited Alberto di Tullio, a 17-year-old boy with Downs Syndrome, to ride in his Popemobile while thousands watched.
Source: cbsnews.com
3. He embraced and kissed Vinicio Riva
Source: huffpost.com
November saw Pope Francis embrace Vinicio Riva, a man scarred by a genetic disease. Fighting agonising pain on a daily basis, such an act restored the faith of a man who says that he is often mocked in public.
Source: cnn.com
4. He denounced the judgment of homosexuals
Source: cnn.com
Pope Francis has stated several times that the Church has no right to interfere spiritually in the lives of gays and lesbians. Though Francis maintained the right of the Church to express opinions on homosexuality, he believes that Christians should not judge or ridicule.
Source: cnn.com
5. He held a major ceremony at the chapel of a youth prison
Source: incarnationparish.org
In March, the Pope held a major Holy Week service at Casal del Marmo jail for minors, rather than the Vatican. During the service, the pope washed and kissed the feet of 12 young offenders to commemorate Jesus' gesture of humility towards his apostles on the night before he died.
Source: reuters.com
6. He urged the protection of the Amazon Rainforest
Source: nationalpost.com
During his visit to Brazil, Pope Francis met with natives who have been fighting ranchers and farmers attempting to invade their land. He encouraged that the Amazon be treated as a garden and protected.
Source: nationalpost.com
7. He personally called and consoled a victim of rape
Source: catholicvirtue.org
A 44-year old Argentinian woman, raped by a local policeman, was one of thousands to write a letter to Pope Francis in 2013. The woman was surprised when she later received a phone call from Francis himself--who consoled the woman and told her, “You are not alone.”
Source: catholicvirtue.org
8. He snuck out of the Vatican to feed the homeless
Source: newsfirst.lk
More recently, it has been discovered that Pope Francis regularly leaves the Vatican at night to feed the homeless. Dressed as an ordinary priest, he joins Archbishop Konrad Krajewski to feed the poor of Rome.
Source: huffingtonpost.com
9. He auctioned his motorcycle to benefit the homeless
Source: dailymail.co.uk
In October, Francis donated his own Harley Davidson motorcycle to fund a hostel and soup kitchen in Rome.
Source: ncregister.com
10. He acknowledged that atheists can be good people
Source: mercopress.com
Earlier in 2013, Pope Francis spoke out against the common interpretation within the Church that atheists, by nature, are bad people. He stated that, “Atheists should be seen as good people if they do good.” After meeting the Pope, the openly atheist president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, compared Francis to a friendly neighbor.
ENENEWS
Japan Professor: Damage from Fukushima is unprecedented, a disaster never before experienced in human history; Some say it could affect whole northern hemisphere — Experts: “Very likely the largest nuclear accident which mankind experienced”
The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster : One of the World’s Worst-Ever Cases of Pollution, Professor Fumikazu Yoshida of Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Economics, Economic Journal of Hokkaido University, March 2013: The Fukushima nuclear disaster, however, has been responsible for the largest and worst case of pollution to have occurred during the postwar era […] its complexities and scale are greater than anything that has gone before. […] So severe are [the myriad of problems] that we can characterize this disaster as a “second war defeat” since its impact on the nation questions the whole basis of Japan’s postwar society […] [There are] immense dangers that the ‘accident’ still poses […] Rather than simply being a local problem, it has been from the beginning a nationwide and potentially international issue (some say that it has the potential to affect the whole of the northern hemisphere). If we consider the nature of the devastation and the number of victims […] as well as the extent of affected area [...] then we understand that the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident has been the cause of injury to human society and the natural environment on a scale that is unprecedentedly wide-spread and lifethreatening in its effects. […] The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is a “multiple disaster” never before experienced in human history [...]
Estimate of Consequences from the Fukushima Disaster, Nordic PSA Conference (nuclear utilities in Finland and Sweden), September 2011: Comparison of results for the Fukushima best estimate and Chernobyl source terms used for the Fukushima site shows that the Fukushima accident, as a whole, is very likely the largest nuclear accident which mankind experienced because estimates of long term fatalities, risks of death and other societal impact based on Chernobyl source terms in Fukushima show lower potential of consequences than Fukushima source terms.
ENENEWS
Russian Experts: Fukushima pollution spreads all over Earth, clearly a large amount of fish, seaweeds, and everything in ocean has been polluted — These products are the main danger for mankind as they can end up being eaten by people on a massive scale
Published: December 25th, 2013 at 11:17
Maxim Shingarkin, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s State Duma Committee for Natural Resources, Dec. 26, 2013: “Currents in the World Ocean are so structured that the areas of seafood capture near the US north-west coast are more likely to contain radioactive nuclides than even the Sea of Okhotsk which is much closer to Japan. These products are the main danger for mankind because they can find their way to people’s tables on a massive scale. [...] Air emissions were not projected either on the Sea of Okhotsk, or Sakhalin, or the Far East, or the Kuril Islands. So airlifting cargoes does not seem dangerous so far. I mean so far because not all the nuclear fuel has been taken out of the power generation units. This means that radioactive emissions into the atmosphere are possible as a result of heating.”
Vladimir Slivyak, Co-chairman of the Ecodefence international ecology group, Dec. 26, 2013: “The Russian government planned to restrict fishing in the Far East. As far as I know, no such restrictions have been introduced so far. Still it is possible that some steps will be taken. [...] It took years after Chernobyl to make detailed conclusions about the scale of nuclear pollution. We are having a similar situation with Fukushima [...] We’ll probably know the consequences of this accident in 10-15 years. It is clear that a large amount of fish, sea weeds and everything the ocean contains has been polluted. It is clear that pollution spreads all over Earth. It is clear that vast territories have been polluted in Japan itself. All this is generally clear. But we need research to provide more details and this will take a long time.”
***
The TPP for Dummies
Kimberly Paxton www.TheDailySheeple.com December 12th, 2013
If you keep hearing about the TPP and really only have a general idea of what this is, there is a good reason for that. The negotiations have been kept a closely guarded secret, and those participating don’t want you to know what it is until it’s too late to change it.
Read on for a TPP primer.
What is the TPP?
TPP stands for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The countries involved in this proposed partnership are the US, Japan, Australia, Peru, Malaysia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Canada, Mexico, and Brunei Darussalam. It boils down to being a massive free trade agreement, which would eliminate tariffs on goods and services and harmonize various regulations between the partner countries. If the agreement goes through, it will affect more than 40% of the imports and exports of the United States.
Why are so many people against the TPP?
One of the major issues with the TPP is its effect on Freedom of Speech. Remember how everyone was concerned about the potential ramifications of SOPA and PIPA back when the US government was trying to crack down on “internet piracy”? Well, multiply that times a billion and then don’t run it through Congress, and you have, in a nutshell, the future effects of the TPP on the internet.
Under the guise of protecting intellectual copyrights, if the TPP goes through, the internet will change dramatically. It could turn internet service providers into watchdogs, and threaten our ability to communicate unfettered on blogs, forums, websites and social media platforms.
ISPs will be forced to monitor the content of their customers (without warrants) because it is they who will face huge liability if copyrights are “infringed” upon.
“Fair Use” policies will be restricted, existing copyrights will be greatly lengthened, and adopt criminal sanctions against those who infringe on copyrights, even without monetary motivations.
Our own Constitutional checks and balances will no longer apply. There will be no right to privacy and no due process. Webpages can be taken down based on only a complaint – proof will not be required. Innocent until proven guilty will not apply.
So, this will aid Big Businesses like the pharmaceutical industry or the entertainment industry, while it restricts the ability of citizen journalists and every day people to share information.
How does the TPP have the potential to cause tension with China?
Did you notice the major missing participant in the TPP?
All those Asian countries are in like Flynn, but China is notably not playing ball.
When everyone signs this agreement, and no tariffs apply, then Chinese goods will go from the cheapest to the most expensive. Their entire economy is based on exports. Their entire economy is at risk.
The provisions deliberately exclude China. For example, yarn for clothing must come from member countries, and not from China.
This could potentially invite retaliation from China, an economic superpower in their own right.
Why is it all so secret?
And now we come to the scariest part of the TPP. No one really knows what is in it.
All of the information we have comes from documents that were leaked. We know that it has 29 chapters with regulations regarding food safety, who you can buy what product from, financial services, copyrights, and much more.
We must always be suspect of the negotiation of potentially life-altering things that are done in secret. Generally this occurs because those making the plans know that the public will adamantly oppose what they are planning. According to a spokesman from the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the general public just isn’t bright enough to grasp the finer points of the TPP, and thus should be kept in the dark until it is fait accompli.
Will you be affected?
This agreement could negatively affect everyone in the United States who works in manufacturing. It will affect those who share information on the internet. One analysis has said that a small percentage of the wealthy will prosper, while the rest of the population will see their finances dwindle even more. It would ban “Buy American” or “Buy Local” purchasing and marketing practices. It will allow Big Pharma to increase the price of medicine and will disallow the sale of many generic medications. It will override environmental protection laws and policies that have been put in place by member countries.
The list goes on and on.
So yes, you will be affected, and unless you happen to be the owner of a major pharmaceutical company or financial institution, this will not be positive for you.
***
SWANN
FEDERAL COURT: ENTIRE NSA PROGRAM UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Posted by Michael Lotfi
December 16, 2013
By Michael Lotfi,
Judge Leon of the DC District Court has held that the NSA’s bulk data collection of telephony metadata violates the Fourth Amendment and has enjoined the entire program- stayed pending appeal. The ruling came hours ago.
Leon said, “I cannot imagine a more ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘arbitrary invasion’ than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every citizen for purposes of querying and analyzing it without prior judicial approval. Surely, such a program infringes on ‘that degree of privacy’ that the Founders enshrined in the Fourth Amendment.”
According to Leon, the plaintiffs have a very strong case pursuant to NSA Fourth Amendment violations. However, the ruling has been stayed pending appeal to the DC Circuit Court. This means no immediate action will be taken. The federal government will appeal this case to the Circuit Court. One may also expect the case to eventually reach the Supreme Court before a final disposition is handed down.
The government argued that special circumstances warranted the NSA’s spying. In the Court opinion Leon wrote, “No Court has ever recognized a special need sufficient to justify continuous, daily searches of virtually every American citizen without any particularized suspicion.”
This Court ruling equates to winning a battle. The war goes on.
***
Washington’s Blog
Former Top NSA Official: “We Are Now In A Police State”
December 18, 2013
Bill Binney is the high-level NSA executive who created the agency’s mass surveillance program for digital information. A 32-year NSA veteran widely regarded as a “legend” within the agency, Binney was the senior technical director within the agency and managed thousands of NSA employees.
Binney has been interviewed by virtually all of the mainstream media, including CBS, ABC, CNN, New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, PBS and many others.
Last year, Binney held his thumb and forefinger close together, and said:
We are, like, that far from a turnkey totalitarian state.
But today, Binney told Washington’s Blog that the U.S. has already become a police state.
By way of background, the government is spying on virtually everything we do.
All of the information gained by the NSA through spying is then shared with federal, state and local agencies, and they are using that information to prosecute petty crimes such as drugs and taxes. The agencies are instructed to intentionally “launder” the information gained through spying, i.e. to pretend that they got the information in a more legitimate way … and to hide that from defense attorneys and judges.
This is a bigger deal than you may realize, as legal experts say that there are so many federal and state laws in the United States, that no one can keep track of them all … and everyone violates laws every day without even knowing it.
The NSA also ships Americans’ most confidential, sensitive information to foreign countries like Israel(and here), the UK and other countries … so they can “unmask” the information and give it back to the NSA … or use it for their own purposes.
Binney told us today:
The main use of the collection from these [NSA spying] programs [is] for law enforcement. [See the 2 slides below].
These slides give the policy of the DOJ/FBI/DEA etc. on how to use the NSA data. In fact, they instruct that none of the NSA data is referred to in courts – cause it has been acquired without a warrant.
So, they have to do a “Parallel Construction” and not tell the courts or prosecution or defense the original data used to arrest people. This I call: a “planned programed perjury policy” directed by US law enforcement.
And, as the last line on one slide says, this also applies to “Foreign Counterparts.”
This is a total corruption of the justice system not only in our country but around the world. The source of the info is at the bottom of each slide. This is a totalitarian process – means we are now in a police state.
Here are the two slides which Binney pointed us to:
(Source: Reuters via RT)
We asked Binney a follow-up question:
You say “this also applies to ‘Foreign Counterparts." Does that mean that foreign agencies can also “launder” the info gained from NSA spying? Or that data gained through foreign agencies’ spying can be “laundered” and used by U.S. agencies?
Binney responded:
For countries like the five eyes (US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand) and probably some others it probably works both ways. But for others that have relationships with FBI or DEA etc., they probably are given the data to used to arrest people but are not told the source or given copies of the data.
***
Dave Hodges – The Common Sense Show
A Devastating False Flag Attack Event Is Coming Our Way
December 21, 2013
Peter Sutherland, at the heart of what happens in the Gulf. He knows!
I have been very busy this week and have learned that the same Globalists Who Brought Us the Gulf Oil Explosion, Are Planning the Next False Flag Event. At present, I do not have all the facts, but a clear picture of what is coming is beginning to emerge.
From two conversations I recently have had, along with almost three dozen emails from the Gatlinburg, TN. area, I believe we are on the precipice of a major false flag event which will be used as a beta test in order to test DHS’ ability to conduct citizen roundups, detentions and extermination procedures in response to a coming false flag event.The event will also greatly impact the ability for many to remain living in the Gulf of Mexico region.
The Boston Marathon Bombing As a Precedent
The Boston Marathon Bombings were used as a beta test to see how people and the DHS would respond to the order to forcibly evacuate an area based on a perceived threat. We are soon going to be witnessing the same thing in some undisclosed location in the US. However, before this article is completed, I believe I have been given enough information to give a general indication as to where this event will take place. However, I do not have a timetable and I think that is because we have caught this coming plot in the planning phase. Therefore, we have a chance to stop it by exposing it.
The Background
I have had a source for the nearly eight years that I have been broadcasting. He is a former high ranking Air Force General who was forced to retire because it was determined by his superiors that he would not carry out false flag controlled weather/earthquake attacks upon the American people. I serendipitously met this person because we had a previous political issue in common which was outside his role as a General.
When he discovered that I had a radio show, first local and then national, he began to feed me information because he is very much opposed to what is coming. This is my source and he has proven impeccable time and time again. For example, he led me to the discovery that two of the top four commanders in the Middle East defied Obama and attempted to launch a rescue mission in order to save Ambassador Stevens. The attempt failed but was my first indicator that much, if not all, most of the military is not on board with Obama and a coup could someday be in the offing. I had this information within 96 hours of the Stevens death. I hesitated to publish this event for a couple of weeks, for fear I would be proven wrong. I changed my mind and was still the first in the country that reported this event and I vowed to never hesitate on reporting his information again.
Revelations
Have you wondered why over 200+ military command officers have been fired and not one has officer has spoken about what lies behind this unprecedented purge? Yet, many are secretly speaking to the alternative media that I know, including to yours truly. They are not publicly speaking out because my source tells me that their family members have all been threatened.
My former Air Force General source introduced to me in the very early hours, of December 21, 2013, a General who was fired last Monday. His job, among other duties, was to coordinate the various national guard units into a cohesive fighting force and to uniformly respond to a national threat. His performance reviews have been stellar. However, he has seen an increasing DHS usurping of his authority over the past couple of years. As he related to me, the major problem started when he was ORDERED BY DHS TO STAND DOWN AND TURN OVER CONTROL OF THE NATIONAL GUARD EMERGENCY RESPONSE OPERATIONS PLANNING TO DHS. When he refused to sign off on the transfer of operational protocols, without the President’s or a Joint Chief’s signature ordering him to do so, he was fired. If he had been given these orders from the chain of command he said he would have uniformly transferred National Guard authority to DHS. HE WAS FIRED BY DHS! SINCE WHEN DOES DHS RUN THE MILITARY?
As he was fired he stated that he and his family were threatened if he went public.
After sharing this information, both Generals feel that a false flag weather/earthquake attack will come to America. A massive earthquake along the New Madrid Fault is their top guess as to the general location for a number of reasons that I am going to lay out in the following paragraphs.
Frightening Consequences
Following the false flag event, selected local populations are going to be taken to public venues in the same manner as we saw in the Boston Martial Law drill and we witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Although this coming false flag nay only a beta test, this General said he was able to obtain information that DHS expects to test the resolve of the occupation forces in the upcoming drill. What does that mean?
Do you remember at Denver’s Operation Mountain Guardian, DHS hired mock parents who were told to beg for get their kids from the guards at Sports Authority Field in Denver after they had been illegally taken by FEMA from the Denver Elementary Schools? The guards at the Denver event were desensitized through this drill. Now it appears that, perhaps, the executioners will be desensitized through the upcoming false flag event. Yes, you read the previous sentence correctly.
Subsequently, this General speculates that real executions may be carried out in selected facilities and the public will be told that these people died as a result of the catastrophe. What this General has pieced together seems to follow the this scenario; A false flag event is carried out in the aftermath of the upcoming event in which localized martial law is declared. Roundups will subsequently begin and people are ordered to report or are forcibly taken to a public venue such as an NFL stadium or a shopping mall.
Operation Mountain Guardian has already been carried out, therefore, desensitizing guards is not needed. All three of us agree that the next group to test and desensitize would not be the guards, but the executioners at these camps. Armed with NSA target lists obtained from the massive spying, selected people could be selected and terminated. The General said their deaths could be tied to the false flag event and the country would be none the wiser. The General said that since his departure, one of his subordinates discovered that some of the public venues have prepositioned military assets. Hence, the reasons for his speculation. I concur, the next event will be the extension, and bring this scenario to a whole new level, than what we saw at Operation Mountain Guardian.
One other significant detail emerged from the conversation in which it was revealed that some Tennessee National Guard personnel secretly moved equipment in conjunction with DHS. These National Guard personnel are barred from speaking of this event, even to their field commanders. Were they prepositioning military assets? What kind of assets? I am not kidding when I state that speculation about the use of guillotines is being spoken of, although it remains a rumor at this point. The rumors about guillotines in official circles are, however, out there! Why guillotines? Why are Muslims in Gatlinburg? And what do Sharia Law beholding Muslims do to Christians? Just ask the Christians in Syria who are being beheaded by the thousands at the hands of al-Qaeda. Could they be practicing for what is coming here?
This General also thinks the Russians will be involved, based upon several operations documents he has seen. I believe that Gatlinburg, TN. will be one of the sites from which this event will coordinated. The adjacent Smoky Mountains and the national forests in which massive helicopter sightings have taken place, are pointing to the fact that Gatlinburg is a staging area. It has all of the elements in that DHS has a presence as do Russians and Muslims. Let me put my speculation hat on. Are the DHS the masterminds? Are the Russians the transport agents and guards at the venues? Are the Muslims the presumed executioners? Please look at look at the 3 emails at the bottom of this article about Gatlinburg and please realize that I have almost 3 dozen emails just like these.
Because this is a breaking story, the pieces have not fully fallen into place. However, there is more as I try and Air Force Owning the Weather As a Force Multiplier
The Air Force 2025 Owning the Weather As a Force Multiplier
I was provided a list of documents loosely entitled “… 2025 Owning the Weather…The Weather As a Force Multiplier.. The Manufacturing of Earthquake Causing Weapons” which details how the Air Force has long planned to enact earthquakes, hurricanes and other weather phenomena to bring part of any country to its knees. I am still processing these articles, however, at the conclusion of the article, I will post a copy and paste an Air Force document which details how earthquakes can be used as a weapons.
Martial law will be declared and the real agenda of using a false flag weather event would be acted out. The Air Force General had his recently deposed general friend call me early this morning. I was told that a false flag weather event is being planned and the national guard coordinated response is needed. However, it is now clear to the General that the National Guard will not just be involved in just delivering food, they will be involved in roundups, gun confiscations and the Russians will be accompanying them. Do you remember the FEMA bilateral agreement which placed 15,000 Russian soldiers on the ground to train with FEMA for disaster preparedness? This connects a very big dot being proposed by the General.
Russians Prepare to Deal With the American Public
The Russians have been training for these kinds of events at Ft. Carson as they have been seen practicing policing activities at public events. In other words, they are being trained in martial law and the interaction necessary to deal with the American public. This is a very confirming piece of information as this is another large dot that can be connected.
Although there is no timetable, however, my source felt it could not be over 90 days out. There is speculation that this is why Obama is in Hawaii for an extended time so he can be out of harm’s way.
More Confirming Evidence Coming Forward
I just completed a conference call and was told that there is sighting of Peter Sutherland and he had a meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers in Alabama. When I heard this, I almost swallowed my tongue. If this is true, the UN is going to be involved in what is coming.
Peter Sutherland is the scoundrel that I identified as my chief suspect as to who was the mastermind behind the Gulf Oil Explosion. He is also the head of the UN Migration Council which means he would be involved in population transfers involving the US citizens under the auspices of the United Nations.
Read these articles and you will see the dots begin to connect on the information that I have been provided. You must read this article. The relevant part begins with Peter Sutherland which is about 3/4ths the way down the page. As you are reading this, and if you are not a sheep in your level of awareness, your face will turn white as a ghost! If you don’t read the article, you will miss the underlying events and players.
http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/06/21/depopulating-an-entire-region-of-the-country/
After reading this article, I think the readers will see quite clearly on why this event is likely to be the New Madrid Fault on the Southern end because it will greatly impact the Gulf. I think that this is the second punch of a one-two punch which started on April 20, 2010 which was designed to depopulate the Gulf. Did you note from the article that Sutherland is a Bilderberg Council Member and the former head of the European Division of the Trilateral Commission? He worked for BP and Goldman Sachs before the Gulf explosion. Goldman Sachs facilitated the money movement between the four major players prior to the event which demonstrates that this was a conspiracy of the highest order.
In a conference call I was on, I thought I recognized the voice of one of the participants. Do you remember when Jesse Ventura interviewed SI Rees and her assistant from the Army Corps of Engineers on the show Conspiracy Theory? I am really good with voices and I swear that voice was that of the assistant.
In Jesse’s interview, it was revealed that Jesse had a document from the Army Corps which showed that the Army Corps had been given $40 billion dollars to evacuate the Gulf. I found the document on the website of the Army Corps in Mobile, AL. However, the document is now classified. As I stated, one of the voices on the conference phone call sounded like SI Rees assistant. He refused to identify himself. This former Army Corps official stated that when he objected to the manner that the coming evacuation was going to be conducted, with none of the citizens being allowed to take personal possessions as they are ushered out of their homes just like they were in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing, he was fired. Doesn’t this match what many of us have been told about the fact that the Russians have been promised the booty from the homes that are evacuated? Another dot connected.
I have long said that the Gulf was going to be depopulated to make room for the energy companies such as the Algae farms being invested in by Soros, Gore and company, that are being developed in the Gulf. I think that this coming event is a preemptive event designed to test evacuation and detention procedures as well as to test the entire scope of the operational plan including the plan to execute identified dissidents and allow the Russians to loot their homes. I would encourage everyone to read my seven part series on the Gulf as you will see how close I was too much of this three years ago. Simply google “Dave Hodges and Great Gulf Coast Holocaust”. You will also learn how the use of the oil dispersant, corexit, was used as opposed to other agents. It ties into the depopulation plans of the Gulf.
Before you write to me and tell me that the New Madrid Fault Line is far removed from the Gulf of Mexico, you need to consider that it is not as far removed as you might be aware of. Jack Reed is a retired Texaco geologist-geophysicist who has studied the geology of the Gulf of Mexico for over four decades.Reed states that the Gulf of Mexico is tectonically active, and that the Gulf of Mexico is the source for most seismic activity along the New Madrid fault despite the fact that the New Madrid Fault is over 200 miles away at its most Southern point. Reed further stated that there is definitive evidence that the New Madrid fault zone is directly connected to “deeply buried tectonics” in the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, an earthquake in the New Madrid Fault Line would have catastrophic consequences all the way out to the buried tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico.Clearly BP upset these deeply buried techtonics with the explosion and unleashed all that oil into the water table and sediment levels inland.This is a train wreck waiting to happen.
After I discovered that the Gulf Oil Explosion was a false flag event, I said there would be a follow up event. This is that follow up event. And I think it is logical to believe that there will not just be one earthquake event, I would bet on several earthquakes with each being more severe than the previous. We already know that the salt domes in Louisiana are collapsing under the stress. See some of the evidence below.
The Salt Domes are collapsing. There are parts of Louisiana that are already falling apart. The earthquake that is coming could be the knockout punch.
Mix in a HAARP produced hurricane and you have quite a mess.
The globalists don’t usually make one dimensional plans. What we see here is the beta test for evacuations, roundup and possibly worse. We also see a geographic area the globalists would like to depopulate, namely, the Gulf, so they can it make it their cap and trade energy hub in a brilliant plan. However, the evacuation plan is not yet implemented which means we can stop it by exposing this planned event.
If this is not the knockout punch for the Gulf, it is the precursor event.
Make Plans to Bug Out
My advice to everyone is to prepare a “bug out bag” because we cannot be absolutely sure that this event will not take place as I have identified. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU AGREE TO GET ON AN EVACUATION BUS AND REPORT TO A PUBLIC VENUE.
In an article I wrote this morning, after I received this information and was attempting to gather more facts, I would ask you to read this article to see why you should never report to a public venue for help, or to get onto a bus which will take you to a public venue for help. If you go, you may not come out alive.
Finally, the Air Force is clearly complicit in this. I was afraid of this development, in that the military would bifurcate and fight each other. This is bad, very bad. The Navy, Army and Marines are clearly opposed to Obama, but apparently not the Air Force. They have to know how these weapons are going to be used.
Because this is a breaking story, it is not as coherent as I would like. However, I felt the importance and possible urgency of the message outweighed the need to professionally prepare the information. I think this event is in the planning stages, but one cannot be sure. You, however, have been warned.
***
Reuters
Exclusive - West signals to Syrian opposition Assad may stay
BY KHALED YACOUB OWEIS
AMMAN Tue Dec 17, 2013
A Syrian national flag hangs off a building as residents mill around in Nabek town, north of Damascus in the Qalamoun mountains, after forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad took control of it from rebel fighters, in this handout photograph distributed by Syria's national news agency SANA on December 9, 2013.
CREDIT: REUTERS/SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS
(Reuters) - Western nations have indicated to the Syrian opposition that peace next month talks may not lead to the removal of President Bashar al-Assad and that his Alawite minority will remain key in any transitional administration, opposition sources said.
The message, delivered to senior members of the Syrian National Coalition at a meeting of the anti-Assad Friends of Syria alliance in London last week, was prompted by rise of al Qaeda and other militant groups, and their takeover of a border crossing and arms depots near Turkey belonging to the moderate Free Syrian Army, the sources told Reuters.
"Our Western friends made it clear in London that Assad cannot be allowed to go now because they think chaos and an Islamist militant takeover would ensue," said one senior member of the Coalition who is close to officials from Saudi Arabia.
Noting the possibility of Assad holding a presidential election when his term formally ends next year, the Coalition member added: "Some do not even seem to mind if he runs again next year, forgetting he gassed his own people."
The shift in Western priorities, particularly the United States and Britain, from removing Assad towards combating Islamist militants is causing divisions within international powers backing the nearly three-year-old revolt, according to diplomats and senior members of the coalition.
Like U.S. President Barack Obama's rejection of air strikes against Syria in September after he accused Assad's forces of using poison gas, such a diplomatic compromise on a transition could narrow Western differences with Russia, which has blocked United Nations action against Assad, but also widen a gap in approach with the rebels' allies in the Middle East.
The civil war pits Assad and many Alawites, backed by Iran and its Shi'ite Muslim allies, against Sunni Muslim rebels supported by Turkey, Libya and Sunni Gulf Arab states.
Unlike in Libya in 2011, the West has ruled out military intervention, leaving militant Islamists including al Qaeda affiliates to emerge as the most formidable rebel force, raising alarm among Washington and its allies that Syria, which borders Israel and Iraq, has become a centre for global jihad.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey, however, believe that tackling militants is less of a priority, with Sunni power Riyadh in particular furious at what it considers U.S. appeasement of Assad and his Iranian Shi'ite backers. Riyadh sent only a junior diplomat to the Friends of Syria meeting in London.
Also signalling differences with Washington, opposition activists in Syria have said that Turkey has let a weapons consignment cross into Syria to the Islamic Front, the rebel group that overran the Bab al-Hawa border crossing last week, seizing arms and Western equipment supplied to non-Islamists.
FoxNews.com
Chinese hackers reportedly crashed Federal Election Commission website
By Molly Henneber
Published December 19, 2013
Chinese hackers crashed the Federal Election Commission’s website Oct. 1, the first day of the partial government shutdown, in “what may be the worst act of sabotage in [the FEC’s] 38-year history,” a non-partisan investigative journalism group reported.
David Levinthal, senior reporter at the Center for Public Integrity, told Fox News the hackers’ motivation was not yet clear, but taking down a website of the U.S. federal government is a “big deal to them.
"These are not people who like the United States,” he added. “These are people who want to do damage to the country. They want to do damage to freedom and democracy as we have it in this country.”
Because of the shutdown, none of the FEC’s 339 employees was on the job the day of the reported hacking attack.
The FEC declined comment on the subject, referring all inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security.
A DHS official told Fox News that it was investigating what happened at the FEC, adding, “While the investigation is ongoing and no final determination has been made, at this point, there are no indications that any sensitive information or other personal data was compromised.”
According to CPI, an independent audit of the FEC earlier this year found its IT systems were vulnerable to a hacking attack, but the FEC insisted its computer systems were "secure.”
***
I WANT TO BE 100% ORGANIC
Super Market Selling Food From It's Huge Organic Rooftop Garden Opening This Month
Images courtesy of Whole Foods
Whole Foods has announced that it will be opening its long-awaited Gowanus store on December 17th this year. In addition to putting the usual organic and artisan products on it shelves, the new location at 214 3rd Street will bring the local food trend to new heights with a 20,000 square foot rooftop farm right on top of the building. It doesn’t get more local than that!
The rooftop farm was made possible thanks to a partnership with Gotham Greens, a Greenpoint-based rooftop farm. The two organizations are calling the endeavor the first commercial-scale greenhouse farm and say that it will help reduce the carbon emissions spent on transporting food from far away sources. The elevated greenhouse will grow high-quality, pesticide-free produce all year round to be sold at the bustling supermarket below.
Other attractions at the grocery store will include a bar with 16 different types of beer on tap. The store will also have its own ramen shop headed up by ramen master Yuji Hariguchi for eat-in and take-out options. It opens a little too late for Thanksgiving, but people in the Gowanus area will have a tasty and green treat to look forward to just a month later.
***
***
CLN
Life and Death in the Tongue
Written by Josh Tilghman
Proverbs truly is a book of wisdom. Many of its verses can seem a little archaic at times, but the reality is that they contain individual gems of truth that often go deeper than even what today’s science reveals. Consider the popular verse below:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21).
At first glance, this seems to be saying that the words that we speak have the ability to kill someone or give them life. But what exactly does this mean? Can the words we speak actually cause illnesses in people, which may even lead to death? Do our words have the ability to stimulate someone’s immune system to heal? If so, how?
We’ve all heard the old adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Doctors who only study the physical body might agree with the above statement, but those who have crossed over into the world of energy medicine know better. We all have invisible energy bodies that affect our physical bodies because these energy systems, which extend beyond the physical body, are responsible for our vitality and health.
I was recently given a book by a blog reader called Anatomy of Spirit by Caroline Myss, Ph.D. Although Myss doesn’t address the scripture I have quoted from Proverbs, her work gives us the answer to how words might scientifically kill someone or give them life. I quote a portion of her work below:
“Your physical body is surrounded by an energy field that extends as far out as your outstretched arms and the full length of your body. It is both an information center and a highly sensitive perceptual system. We are constantly “in communication” with everything around us through this system, which is a king of conscious electricity that transmits and receives messages to and from other people’s bodies.”
I find it interesting that Myss calls these energy systems “conscious electricity” that communicates with the environment. Myss goes on to state that “It surrounds us and carries with us the emotional energy created by our internal and external experiences… This emotional force influences the physical tissue within our bodies.”
So how do the actual words and experiences of physical life affect these conscious electricity centers?
Myss continues, “Positive and negative energy experiences register a memory in the cell tissue as well as in the energy field. As neurobiologist Dr. Candace Pert has proven, neuropeptides—the chemicals triggered by emotions—are thoughts converted to matter. Our emotions reside physically in our bodies and interact with our cells and tissues. In fact, Dr. Pert can no longer separate the mind from the body, she says, because the same kinds of cells that manufacture and receive emotional chemistry in the brains are present throughout the body.”
Thus, it isn’t so hard to see how the power of life and death really are in the tongue. What we think and say to others (and even ourselves!) can have a profound effect upon people’s health. And if what Myss says is true, the things that are said to others years before can register a conscious energy imprints in people that permeates the energetic body for decades. We are all familiar with the parent, teacher, or even religious leader who has said something that may deposit fear and anger deep within our psyche that has disastrous impacts later on. The moment we relive that same sort of experience, the more damage it does to our physical and other bodies. Of course the same goes for the positive things that our parents, teachers, and religious leaders have told us, which literally give life!
The information provided by Myss adds new depth to the scripture by Solomon which states,
“…for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Proverbs 139:14).
The energy systems which Myss speaks of are actually the etheric, emotional, and mental bodies which allows consciousness to act within the physical body. Without them, the physical shell would be unable to think and feel. Our words don’t seem to affect these energy systems on the outside, but they do carry tremendous power because they eventually have physical manifestations.
Thus, the real power of the tongue is that it has the ability to bring potential good or bad into being, even in the form of physical manifestations within the body of man. In a sense, we all have the ability to be walking and talking energy healers by the very things we choose to say to others. That is a tremendous amount of power!
***
Until next week...keep on believing.
Almondtree Productions
God bless you with a Happy New Year
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”
(Proverbs 25:11)