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Skip to comments.Rise of the Modern Moloch State Global Spiritual Communism
Posted on 02/17/2011 4:53:55 AM PST by spirited irish
From the time of this nation's founding on through to the current era, the majority of Americans saw God as the Ultimate Authority, the Bible as their ultimate guidebook, and the Old and New Testament moral law as their highest principles.
In a commentary entitled, Conservatives Begin to See the Light, Joseph Farah describes the ultimate principle---the ground of being-- on which our nation was founded:
That we are created in the image of God and are accountable to Him. Without that recognition, we are virtually incapable of self-government, which requires us to be able to distinguish right from wrong, as defined by God. God has created certain institutions for His purposes and for our benefit. Among these is marriage, the family and government. But any government that exceeds its limited authority or attempts to usurp the authority of God is unworthy of its power. Real conservatives believe in the tenets of the Declaration of Independence which explains that our rights descend from Godand that they come with responsibility as well. (source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=263177)
In other words, God the Father created all things Ex Nihilo (special creation). He is God, fallen man is not God. He is the Ultimate Authority, fallible power-hungry man is not. God is the Author of unchanging Universal Moral Law, corruptible man is not. He created two sexes, male and female. He did not create "gays," lesbians, and transsexuals anymore than He created narcissists, braggarts, adulterers, liars, thieves, murderers and usurpers of His throne. Ultimately, all of these compulsions and vices are the out-workings of fallen man's perennial abuse of free will.
Because the transcendent, personal Creator is the ground of being of all men, in other words of man's mind (i.e., conscience and ability to reason) and soul, He is therefore the ground of being of our unalienable rights. Unalienable means, "from God, not from man." For instance, we are guaranteed freedom of conscience because all men do in fact have a conscience.
In short, the ground of being and/or the ultimate overarching principle on which America's Constitutional Republic is founded is, "In the beginning God created..." It is not imaginary spontaneous generation of something from nothing in tandem with godless evolutionary conceptions as scientistic materialist-monists, atheists in general, occult New Age pantheist-monists and even some misguided Christians maintain.
Together, belief in the Biblical Creator and Christianity is the glue that has held America together---authoritatively, morally, nationally, culturally, and economically-- since this nation's founding.
Throughout history, no society--especially the most advanced---has existed without belief in the true God or gods. And where the people have lost faith in or otherwise willfully rejected their deity, the fate of that society has been death, generally at the hands of invading conquerors.
We cannot understand what has gone so terribly wrong in America until we see its social dissolution in this light, for by and large, contemporary Americans have turned their backs on God the Father. In the hearts of such people, God is dead. As a result, without the Divine "glue to hold us together as a people, a culture, and a nation, America is coming undone.
America's downward-spiraling social disintegration is clearly seen by the fact that increasing numbers of Americans are doing whatever they want to do so long as they can get away with it. Pathological lying has swept "honesty-is-the-best-policy" under the rug, lawlessness has all but overcome the Rule of Law, while amorality and sexual anarchy enforced by tolerance are today's "new" commandments. In this climate of mindless license, cosmically-inflated egoism, covetousness, and hedonism, the Constitution has been transformed into a magic lantern. When rubbed just so the evil genie grants the rights and privileges desired by covetous, power-hungry, hedonistic narcissists. Hence this latest outrage:
Lawmakers in the state of California are proposing a law that would require schools to portray lesbians, homosexuals, transsexuals and those who have chosen other alternative sexual lifestyles as positive role models to children in all public schools there. http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=262485#ixzz1DoqwYh00
Social Disintegration
Sociologist Robert Nisbet defines social disintegration:
"...social disintegration is really nothing more than the spectacle of a rising number of individuals playing fast and loose with other individuals in relationships of trust and responsibility." (Whistleblower, America's Gay Obsession, pp. 18, 38, 39)
In other words, in an amoral hedonistic society such as America has become, we can no longer trust the people we need to trust. And now, as the "gay" newspaper, the Washington Blade triumphantly reports, high-profile conservatives:
"have taken the leadership role in achieving marriage equality." (ibid)
From Elizabeth Hasselbeck to solicitor general Ted Olsen, high profile conservatives are jumping onto the "gay" war-wagon. S.E. Cupp, a young conservative Daily Caller columnist and frequent Fox News pundit goes so far as to say,
"Conservatism and gay rights are actually natural allies..." (ibid)
However, support for sexual anarchy is Libertarianism, observed Kevin McCullough. In his article, "Disrespectful Libertarians Hijack CPAC Poll---and Its Mission," he says true Conservatives are not the same thing as Libertarians:
"The truth is libertarians are the worst form of political affiliation in the nation. Combining the desire of economic greed, with the amoral desire to promote any behavior regardless of its cost to our culture is a stark departure from the intent of the Founding Fathers." " It is the libertarian in attendance that produced the free pornographic calendar passed out to attendees in 2010. It is the libertarians in attendance who openly promote the inclusion of groups like GOProud, largely as an attempt to silence groups who would speak in strong support of traditional moral values. It is the libertarian in attendance who slandered President George Bush, by claiming his appreciation for the Constitution was best summed up as a "damn piece of paper." It is the libertarian in attendance that proclaimed the war to prevent terrorists from regathering strength and coming after our homeland as "illegal." And it is the libertarian in attendance that eschewed, booed, cajoled and screamed "war criminal" to Vice President Dick Cheney, a man who served his country with commitment and still attempts to help the world understand the threat of the radical Islamic element devising plans to eliminate us and our allies." (http://www.patriotactionnetwork.com/forum/topic/show?id=2600775:Topic:3207785&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic)
Satanic Black Wing Over America
Speaking through his character the Madman, the dark prophet Nietzsche announced the "death of God." Dubbing himself the Antichrist, Nietzsche proclaimed:
"The greatest recent event---that 'God is dead,' that the belief in the Christian God has ceased to be believable---is even now beginning to cast its first shadows over Europe; however, few really understood " what has really happened here, "and what must collapse now that this belief has been undermined---all that was built upon it, leaned on it, grew into it; for example, our whole European morality." (False Dawn, Lee Penn, p. 433)
Like a vast ebon wing, the "death of God" overshadows America with an impenetrable shroud of practical atheism, irrational hostility and outright hatred toward Christians, Christian symbols, traditions, and holidays, as well as the America of the Founders, for in the words of Nietzsche, all of this "must collapse now that this belief has been undermined." Wittingly or unwittingly, high profile conservatives are aiding and abetting the collapse of America.
By rejecting God, increasing numbers of Americans have themselves become in essence, little gods. In practical terms, this means that America is no longer a monotheistic society but a polytheistic one in much the same way that India is with its' millions of gods and goddesses. And each little god and his cult followers (special rights groups) demand their "rights" according to what they most covet. Will-to-power, or might-makes-right has become the way of life here.
In this light, Obama is but a little god-man who has managed to crawl atop the writhing anthill comprised of untold numbers of other god-men, goddesses and their respective cults. From atop the anthill, the victorious Obama and other like-minded god-men force their will and way upon the rest. Likewise, gods and goddesses whose wicked fantasy is a sexually-perverted "anything goes" utopia are forcing their abominable lusts upon the rest of us simply because they too can get away with doing so.
America will eventually collapse, and out of its ashes will arise a global Moloch state.
Revival of the Moloch State
"While relatively little is known of Moloch, much more is known of the concept of divine kingship, the king as god, and the god as king, as the divine-human link between heaven and earth. The god-king represented man on a higher (evolved, naturally selected) scale, man ascended, and the worship of such a god, i.e., of such a Baal, was the assertion of the continuity of heaven and earth. It was the belief that all being was one being (materialist-pantheist monism), and the god therefore was an ascended man on that scale of being. The power manifested in the political order was thus a manifestation or apprehension and seizure of divine power (through the conceptual murder of God). It represented the triumph of a man (i.e., Hegel, Marx, Darwin, Freud, Lenin and Hitler) and of his people (i.e., Bolsheviks, Marxists and National Socialists). Moloch worship was thus a political religion (i.e., Marxism, Progressivism, Fascism, occult New Age)....Moloch worship was thus state worship. The state was the true and ultimate order, and religion was a department of the state. The state claimed total jurisdiction over man (necessitating mind-control, re-education, concentration camps, brainwashing); it was therefore entitled to total sacrifice." (Rousas Rushdoony cited in "The Antichrist," by Vincent P. Miceli, S.J., pp. 246, 247; emphasis added)
When the true God is banished from man's society, into the resulting vacuum rush new gods, peculiar ideas, the dehumanization of mankind, strange practices and staggering cruelty.
Having accepted their own godhood, countless numbers of contemporary Americans are now rushing headlong into the occult, that is, Wicca, Satanism, goddess worship, transcendental meditation, channeling, and ghost-hunting for example. These spiritist activities bring about a revival of the politics of ancient paganism. This means the development of a divine totalitarian state based on a Hermetic-theology of "as above, so below," that is, on the denial of the Creator-creature distinction.
"Ye can be as God..."
"The Moloch state simply represents the supreme effort of man to command the future, to predestine the world, and to be as God. Lesser efforts, divination, spirit-questing, magic and witchcraft are equally anathema to God. All represent efforts to have the future on other than God's terms, to have a future apart from and in defiance of God. They are assertions that the world is not of God but of brute factuality, and that man can somehow master the world and the future by going directly to the raw materials thereof." (ibid)
Human Sacrifice
The pagan theocratic state freely took the lives of its children--and adults for that matter--as sacrifices to the god of the state, Moloch for instance: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/moloch.html
The Soviet Union was a totalitarian secularized-pagan state. Its so-called "scientific socialism" was grounded in evolutionary materialist-monism. In pursuit of its' "heaven on earth," the Soviet State murdered over 60,000,000 men, women, and children.
Fyodor Dostoevsky foresaw the eventual failure of the Soviet Union and predicted that the devilish rebels against God would be forced to turn to the Devil and his minions if they were to finally realize their dream of a global Tower of Babel.
The Green Tower of Babel
Still under construction worldwide but complete in New York City there exists an occult temple complex consisting of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Temple of Understanding, the UN and in particular its' pyramid-shaped meditation room, and Lucis Trust, originally named Lucifer Publishing, repository of the "Ageless Wisdom Teachings," or revelations from spirits.
Note: Edith Kermit Roosevelt attended the 1962 grand opening of the first Temple of Understanding. Read her eye-opening report here: http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NewAge/Washington_Cult.htm
Green is the symbolic color of the temple complex. Green is the color of the "new" occult pagan spirituality which describes itself in secular terms as the green-eco movement. Its worldwide utopian project is green spiritual communism. It hails Lucifer as the first free-thinker and liberator of mankind. Its' deity is Isis, the Goddess of a Thousand Names. As Goddess Earth Mother, she is Gaia. Accompanied by her feminized "gay" priest-shamans, she is Cybele, the androgynous male/female with both beard and breasts. As the Egyptian goddess of witchcraft and magic, Isis has many "feminist" lesbian-witches in her contemporary retinue.
As the modern world increasingly succumbs to the seductive power of occult spirituality, a global totalitarian pagan state is arising. As it is the ultimate counter-tradition, it will demand nothing less than the counter-conversion of every soul, thereby claiming total possession of and jurisdiction over every man---mind, body, and soul--- in a state directed by demons, or Transcended Masters as powerful New Age insiders describe them.
Researchers say that somewhere between 100,000,000-200,000,000 men, women, and children were murdered by Communists and Fascists during the 20th century. The Goddess Earth Mother will demand human sacrifice as well.
Fast-Forward to the Past
Long ago, Paul observed that there are only two sources for all religions. He said either man will worship and serve the transcendent, living, all-knowing Creator of creation or he will worship and serve nonliving, irrational creation and its forces.
Demonstrating that there is "nothing new under the sun, what once was will be again," the "death of God" movement put moderns on a fast-track to the past. In the name of enlightenment, naturalism, free-thought, the "death of God," progress, scientism, evolution, and autonomous reason, modern men have not moved forward to something new and better, rather they have regressed to revamped versions of the nature-based religions of the pre-Christian past. As a result, the situation of contemporary Christianity will increasingly resemble that of the early Christians of the first century. In his novel, "The Final Conclave" Malachi Martin captures a moment in the cruel history of the Roman persecution of Christians:
"Simon Peter at last sees it all as Jesus saw it all from the beginning. Even then, Simon sees it from a topsy-turvy angle. He and some two thousand other Christians have been tied to crosses stuck upside down on the grassy embankment around the Imperial Gardens on Vatican Hill. They have been daubed with pitch. Tonight they are to be living, screaming, dying torches. Emperor Nero, his lovely concubine Poppaea, and their guests will have light to eat by and sights to joke about. Each Christian will die in the classic sign of Satan---the upside-down cross." (cited in "Capturing the Pagan Mind, Peter Jones, p. ix)
copyright 2011 Linda Kimball
Related Reading:
Occult Pagan Revival Signals Death of America and the West
The Original Lie: Basis For America's Ruling Class Barbarians
Darwinism: Devilish Gnostic Myth Dressed Up As Science
Evolutionism: The Dying West's Science of Magic and Madness
Cultural Marxism
You came on this thread with an attitude. If you don't like what that snotty attitude brought you, I suggest that you lose it.
There is an unchanging standard of truth, and it is documented...
Public or private schools cannot adhere to any standards of morality, because the students all come from differing families.
It's up to the parents to educate their children, if they desire them to have character. Character cannot be learned in an environment of the lowest common denominator.
snip: These schools are a travesty; their chief purpose is the socialization of the young in an institutional setting, thus replacing normal human relationships with civic religion shaped ones.
There is your Moloch - there is the brazen maw demanding sacrifice - just down the street from where you live.
You already live under a socialist system, but dare not admit it.
Spirited: Agreed, the schools aka re-education camps are a travesty. Minds are conditioned to accept as true many lies, evolution being first of them, moral relativism a close second, followed by sexual anarchy and abortion as necessary social 'goods' and so on.
That Christians troop their children off to these "madrassas" is a consequence with many causes, for instance: deliberate 'dumbing down,' mainstream news and entertainment that are shills for amorality, statism, green occult spirituality, self-hatred, etc. Some have fallen off of the strait and narrow, some are simply caught in unpallatable circumstances (ie., job loss, sickness, onerous cost of living, etc) while many others call themselves Christians but are not.
That said, your own bitterness and anger are clearly obvious. By your belittlement of Christians (skypilot fans) it is reasonable to conclude that you are an unbeliever, an evolutionist perhaps. Being godless, evolution is amoral as well.
In the absence of God, man becomes the measure of all things, and as Dostoevsky perceptively noted, all things (no matter how evil) are possible. This being the case, the "Molochian" schools are merely the concrete outworkings of unbelievers-—men liberated from God, which makes your bitter accusations leveled against Christians irrational and utterly hypocritical.
Ideas have consequences. If you dislike the ugly, evil consequences of unbelief in action, do not blame Christians, but yourself and other unbelievers.
And more important, to me at least, the tenets of their parents' Christian faith are reinforced by the purchased course of study that their mother uses to teach instead of being ridiculed and "debunked" as they are today in so many government schools. However, I will say that based on personal experience there are still many teachers working in government schools who try to swim against the tide as best they can without being reigned in by their superiors, and they should be appreciated and commended by parents whose kids are fortunate enough to have them as their teachers.
But even so, as a senior citizen, aka cranky old fogey, who is still sufficiently cognizant of his surroundings to remember the time when public schools were in the business of educating kids in preparation for adult life in the God-honoring America that once was instead of indoctrinating them with collectivist, multiculturalist, atheistic, pro-homosexual propaganda, I urgently advise all parents to get your kids out of the dens of iniquity that now epitomise public schools, and either home school or enroll them in a Christian school that has earned a reputation for academic excellence and advocating Christian moral principles.
(Sorry about that over-long last sentence, I hope no one is out of breath after reading it.)
I thank God for the faithful remnant such as you and your family. If America should survive for a while longer, it will be due to the efforts of faithful remnant.
I thank God for the faithful remnant such as you and your family. If America should survive for a while longer, it will be due to the efforts of faithful remnant.
"That said, your own bitterness and anger are clearly obvious. By your belittlement of Christians (skypilot fans) it is reasonable to conclude that you are an unbeliever.."
By "skypilot fans", I refer to those who believe that one or another of these apocalyptic Elmer Gantry figures(skypilot) actually has direct access to the Truth of God, and understands the unfolding of History.
I am a firm unbeliever in any instance of that feckless faith, whilst having no doubts about the existence of God, whatsoever.
John Adams-
The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles?
— John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 20, 1815 (emphasis mine)
The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.
— John Adams, "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America" (1787-88), (emphasis mine)
Ben Franklin-
"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not care to support it, so that its professors are obliged to call for the help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one."
Ben Franklin, _Poor Richard's Almanac_, 1754 (Works, Volume XIII)]
"My parents had early given me religious impressions, and brought me through my childhood piously in the dissenting [puritan]way. But I was scarce fifteen, when, after doubting by turns of several points, as I found them disputed in the different books I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself. Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle's lectures. [Robert Boyle (1627-1691) was a British physicist who endowed the Boyle Lectures for defense of Christianity.]It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough deist"
[Benjamin Franklin, "Autobiography,"p.66]
James Madison-
Among the features peculiar to the political system of the United States, is the perfect equality of rights which it secures to every religious sect ... Equal laws, protecting equal rights, are found, as they ought to be presumed, the best guarantee of loyalty and love of country; as well as best calculated to cherish that mutual respect and good will among citizens of every religious denomination which are necessary to social harmony, and most favorable to the advancement of truth.
— James Madison, letter to Dr. De La Motta, August 1820 (Madison, 1865, III, pages 178-179),
[T]he bill exceeds the rightful authority to which governments are limited by the essential distinction between civil and religious functions, and violates in particular the article of the Constitution of the United States which declares that "Congress shall make no law respecting a religious establishment...." This particular church, therefore, would so far be a religious establishment by law, a legal force and sanction being given to certain articles in its constitution and administration.
— James Madison, veto message, February 21, 1811. Madison vetoed a bill to incorporate the Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Is the appointment of Chaplains to the two Houses of Congress consistent with the Constitution, and with the pure principle of religious freedom? In strictness the answer on both points must be in the negative. The Constitution of the U S forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion. The law appointing Chaplains establishes a religious worship for the national representatives, to be performed by Ministers of religion, elected by a majority of them, and these are to be paid out of the national taxes. Does this not involve the principle of a national establishment...?
— James Madison, "Essay on Monopolies" unpublished until 1946
Thomas Jefferson
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
— Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-82
Among the most inestimable of our blessings is that ... of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will; a liberty deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be its best support.
— Thomas Jefferson, Reply to Baptist Address, 1807
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
— Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-82
I am really mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, a fact like this [that a bookseller is prosecuted for selling books advocatig what was then presumed by the statusuo to be pseudoscience] can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too, as an offence against religion; that a question about the sale of a book can be carried before the civil magistrate. Is this then our freedom of religion? and are we to have a censor whose imprimatur shall say what books may be sold, and what we may buy? And who is thus to dogmatize religious opinions for our citizens? Whose foot is to be the measure to which ours are all to be cut or stretched? Is a priest to be our inquisitor, or shall a layman, simple as ourselves, set up his reason as the rule for what we are to read, and what we must believe? It is an insult to our citizens to question whether they are rational beings or not, and blasphemy against religion to suppose it cannot stand the test of truth and reason.
If M de Becourt's book be false in its facts, disprove them; if false in its reasoning, refute it. But, for God's sake, let us freely hear both sides, if we choose....
— Thomas Jefferson, letter to N G Dufief, Philadelphia bookseller (1814), after being prosecuted for selling de Becourt's book, Sur la Création du Monde, un Systême d'Organisation Primitive, which Jefferson himself had purchased
Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.
We have solved, by fair experiment, the great and interesting question whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in government and obedience to the laws. And we have experienced the quiet as well as the comfort which results from leaving every one to profess freely and openly those principles of religion which are the inductions of his own reason and the serious convictions of his own inquiries.
— Thomas Jefferson, to the Virginia Baptists (1808) ME 16:320
If the founding fathers truly wanted a Christian nation they could have easily put that into the constitution, but they did not. For example during the ratification for the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom Thomas Jefferson reported that a motion was made to include Jesus in it. This was motion was only supported by three people so it was not carried. This happened two years prior to the writing of the constitution. This statute was well known to the representatives at the constitutional convention.
Proposed Seal for the United States On July 4, 1776, Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams "to bring in a device for a seal for the United States of America." Franklin's proposal adapted the biblical story of the parting of the Red Sea (left). Jefferson first recommended the "Children of Israel in the Wilderness, led by a Cloud by Day, and a Pillar of Fire by night. . . ." He then embraced Franklin's proposal and rewrote it (right). Jefferson's revision of Franklin's proposal was presented by the committee to Congress on August 20. Although not accepted these drafts reveal the religious temper of the Revolutionary period. Franklin and Jefferson were among the most theologically liberal of the Founders, yet they used biblical imagery for this important task.
Aitken's Bible Endorsed by Congress
The war with Britain cut off the supply of Bibles to the United States with the result that on Sept. 11, 1777, Congress instructed its Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from "Scotland, Holland or elsewhere." On January 21, 1781, Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken (1734-1802) petitioned Congress to officially sanction a publication of the Old and New Testament which he was preparing at his own expense. Congress "highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion . . . in this country, and . . . they recommend this edition of the bible to the inhabitants of the United States." This resolution was a result of Aitken's successful accomplishment of his project.
Aitken's Bible
Aitken published Congress's recommendation of September 1782 and related documents (Item 115) as an imprimatur on the two pages following his title page. Aitken's Bible, published under Congressional patronage, was the first English language Bible published on the North American continent.
Christianizing the Delawares
In this resolution, Congress makes public lands available to a group for religious purposes. Responding to a plea from Bishop John Ettwein (1721-1802), Congress voted that 10,000 acres on the Muskingum River in the present state of Ohio "be set apart and the property thereof be vested in the Moravian Brethren . . . or a society of the said Brethren for civilizing the Indians and promoting Christianity." The Delaware Indians were the intended beneficiaries of this Congressional resolution.
They base our country on greco-roman, english common law, judeo-christian, and enlightenment principles. Here are some quotes from the founders themselves
Spirited: All of that is well and good, however, the quotes in and of themselves provide only a rather shallow level of meaning.
We need to dig deeper.
Every society throughout the world and over the course of history has been founded on the answers to the Ultimate Questions:
1. origins....where did everything come from?
2. what is man?
3. why does evil exist and who or what is responsible?
As CS Lewis observed, paganism (naturalism) was the greatest thing (origins account) known to man until Christianity (origins account) came along and turned the world right-side up and liberated man from nature.
As Kimball makes clear, naturalism paganism) is monism (materialism-pantheism) Monism teaches that all that exists is one self-generated, self-sufficient, nonliving substance and that all things are merely diverse emergent aspects of the one substance.
Materialist monism (ie., the Atomists, Karl Marx, Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan) teaches that the one substance is matter and the energy running through it. There is no metaphysical and/or spiritual dimension. Because man is embedded within the one substance, and the substance is merely matter, man's spiritual mind and soul cannot be allowed to exist and are therefore explained away. Subsumed into matter, man has no free will and his thoughts are defined as epiphenomenon (illusions) produced by the firing of synapses and the chance interaction of chemicals. In this view, man is nothing but an animal or a fleshy robot at the mercy of unseen natural forces.
Pantheist-monism teaches that all that exists is one substance, and it is nonliving, impersonal spirit, for example, Brahman, Christ Consciousness, or The Force of Starwars fame. In this view, man is subsumed into the one-spirit. Man has no free will and no mind or soul of his own because he is a diverse part of the one-spirit. The material world is an epiphenomenon (illusion) produced by spirit.
Rather than one substance, the Bible posits two realms: the cosmos (natural world) and the transcendent Heaven. This teaching is called Biblical Dualism.
The Biblical view of man liberates him from the one-substance. Man is an individual (and not a part of nature) who is both material (of this world) and spiritual (mind/soul). His mind, the citadel of his soul, transcends the material world, thus allowing his mind to stand outside of nature and objectively observe it. He has free will.
The point of all of this is that there are only two views of man: Materialist/Pantheist Monism and Biblical dualism.
Our unalienable rights, the Declaration and Constitution are written expressions of and expansions on the Biblical view of man.
To reject Biblical dualism is to fall back into materialist/pantheist monism.
"If God did not exist, then it would be neccessary to invent him"
And we should care what a self-idolator says because?
This is an awesome thread and article.
I've had power surges all day due to snow. Had to turn off comp until now, risking it 'cause I have to work.
Thanks for helping, DJ!!
And we should care what a self-idolator says because?
Voltaire was annoying and a jerk to the point where even Mozart was glad he kicked the bucket. Point of the comment is: If people don't believe in god, they will believe in some other sort of dogma. Voltaire wrote this in response to an atheist, who argued that once society got over religion, they would be free. Voltaire, with his attitude as we all know, stated, there would always be some sort of dogma to manipulate the masses, if not nature's God, as he or Jefferson talked about, or the God of Christianity, then some other sort of diety or dogma, such as the "gaia" theory we hear about nowadays, even Druidism or the Old Norse beliefs have people campaigning for recognition nowadays, hence as Voltaire indicated, if people don't go for God, they will go for global warming, the old polytheist Gods, or pseudoscientific dogma.
I quoted Voltaire because I felt his quote fit the context, and summarized a great deal of what was said; agree or disagree if you may.
We've been holding down the fort, and fending off the arrows. Hope you'll pitch in!
There are so many things going on, that I am afraid the desire to oppose the further homosexualization of America just isn't getting the attention it needs. Of course, it is going to take God divinely acting (by His method of chosing) to deal with the problem.
My wife and I have a 15 year old son, who is a well behaved and morale young man. However, we are getting involved in "True Love Waits" through our church. After hearing their presentation, I realized the homosexual problem is a subset of a much bigger one...the loss of sexual morality in our culture and sadly even churches. We need God's intervention.
Blessings on you.
I'll have to be back tomorrow. Been a bit crazy around here (I mean in my little corner of the world) lately. I really wanted to chime in on the last article by Linda K but unfortunately could not.
Tomorrow I'll read and have my say.
Thank you so much for this wonderful essay, dear sister in Christ!
"I quoted Voltaire because I felt his quote fit the context..."
Spirited: You're right, his quote does indeed fit the context. However, his quote was in fact a confession.
Though he defines belief as dogma, Voltaire nevertheless confessed to the truth: "Men have always and everywhere believed in God or gods." Having confessed the truth he willfully rejected it (abused his free will) and thereby "chose" his own fate.
Those who attended Voltaire attested to his spiritual agony. He screamed in terror upon his death-bed...too late he realized his eternal end. His attendants said that they never wanted to be present at the death of an atheist ever again.
"...we are getting involved in True Love Waits through our church"
Spirited: I haven't heard about "True Love Waits." Are you saying that this program advocates homosexuality?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
Two men have died in separate road crashes in counties Waterford and Galway.
One man died following a crash on the Tramore Ring Road in Waterford earlier today.
The man was one of two seriously injured in the head-on collision at around 5pm between a van and a car.
The man, a retired member of An Garda Síochána, had been living in Tramore.
The other man remains in a critical condition at Waterford Regional Hospital.
The cause of the crash is being investigated.
In a separate incident, a cyclist was killed after a crash in Co Galway.
The 61-year-old man died as a result of injuries sustained when his bike collided with a car at 5.45pm in Ballygar, on the Roscommon to Galway road. No one else was injured in the incident.
Witnesses are asked to contact Ballinasloe Garda Station on 090-9631890 or any Garda Station.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Jurors can consider a lesser charge of manslaughter as they decide the fate of Jodi Arias.
In reading instructions to the jury Thursday morning, Judge Sherry Stephens gave the panel four options to consider: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter or acquittal.
[WATCH ON CBS5AZ.COM: Live feed of Jodi Arias trial]
For the past four months, the jury has listened to testimony, including 18 days from Arias, leading up to today's closing arguments.
Prosecutors maintain Arias killed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in a jealous rage at his Mesa home in June 2008, while the defense maintains Arias killed him in self-defense.
Arias would be eligible for a death sentence if convicted of first-degree murder.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez later addressed the jury with his closing arguments before a courtroom packed with family, media and curious onlookers. People began lining up outside Maricopa County Superior Court about 2 a.m. to vie for 11 available seats through a lottery system. Holders of cards with an "X" were allowed in the courtroom.
The lottery involving 67 people delayed the start of Thursday's proceedings until nearly 10:30 a.m.
[Text BREAKING to 23765 to get news alerts on your mobile phone]
Stay with cbs5az.com and CBS 5 News as this story develops.
Copyright 2013 CBS 5 (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.


text:
Please accept my apologies if this is a bit too OT for this thread. I have a marketing company telling me that they can guarantee increased traffic to my website through their unique SEO process. I get that part. They also tell me that I must have my web hosting and domain registrar moved to a company that they work with. If I don't do this, they will not work with me. I cannot think of a single technical reason to do this and it makes me more than just a little suspicious of their intent. Can anyone tell me why moving both the web host and domain registrar would be a requirement? We currently host with BlueDomino and have our domain registered through them as well.
Thank you for your time.


text:
Paul Worstell Presents the Gordon Heffern Business Lecture at Mount Union College
November 03, 2009
Paul Worstell, president of PRO-TEC Coating Company, presented the Gordon Heffern Business Ethics Lecture on Thursday, October 29 at Mount Union College.
"The four years at Mount Union, though they were turbulent years in history, changed me," said Worstell. "It was about formation."
As the first person in his family to graduate college, Worstell earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Mount Union in 1970. After graduation he spent 26 years with U.S. Steel's operations in the Pittsburgh region. In 1996 he was named general manager of PRO-TEC Coating Company located in Leipsic, Ohio, a joint venture partnership of U.S. Steel and Kobe Steel, Ltd. of Japan to meet corrosion resistant steel demand.
Worstell became the company's president in 1998 and earned a master of business administration degree from the University of Findlay in 1999. PRO-TEC currently produces 1.1 million tons annually and produces sheet steel for products such as fenders, car door and floor pans. The company also became a supplier of high-strength steel which ensures crash protection.
PRO-TEC was recognized by former President Bush in 2007 as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award which focuses on performance, excellence and leads to sustainability. Worstell firmly believes in linking organizational culture to personal ethics. He discussed the company's unique organizational environment created by wrapping disciplined processes in a culture of ownership, responsibility and accountability (ORA).
"Leadership is safety in which people can practice ORA," said Worstell. "Leadership is service to the internal and external community. Leadership is trust."
He emphasized the importance of having a belief system formed by mission, vision and core values. He stated that the company holds initiatives in order to meet the three objectives – be, do, have – and these will help shape what the company will look like in five to 10 years. He also explained that core values are words that describe behaviors.
"Everyone is to trust that an environment will be created behind these behaviors, providing an attractive place to work," explained Worstell.
Seventy percent of PRO-TEC employees have education beyond high school degrees, which were earned while working at the company. Further, PRO-TEC has a 0.6 percent absenteeism rate, 1 percent turnover rate, 99 percent internal promotion rate and no layoffs.
"If we can support the notion that organizational culture and personal ethics support belief systems, then the lessons learned become trust, steal great ideas shamelessly and share passionately," said Worstell. "This will improve the quality of life."
Worstell serves on the board of trustees of The Ohio Manufactures Association, The Ohio Partnership for Excellence, The Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center and the Black Swamp Area Council Boy Scouts of America. He is also a lecturer at the University of Findlay and Ohio Northern University on topics of leadership.
The Gordon Heffern Business Ethics Lecture was established by Mount Union College Trustee Gordon E. Heffern to encourage dialogue about the practical ways in which spirituality can transform the workplace. Heffern, a graduate of the University of Virginia, served as chairman of the board of Society Corporation before retiring in 1987.


text:
President Bush and his aides are annoyed that people keep misinterpreting his Iraq policy as "stay the course." A complete distortion, they say. "That is not a stay-the-course policy," White House press secretary Tony Snow declared yesterday.
Where would anyone have gotten that idea? Well, maybe from Bush.
"We will stay the course. We will help this young Iraqi democracy succeed," he said in Salt Lake City in August.
"We will win in Iraq so long as we stay the course," he said in Milwaukee in July.
"I saw people wondering whether the United States would have the nerve to stay the course and help them succeed," he said after returning from Baghdad in June....
"What you have is not 'stay the course' but in fact a study in constant motion by the administration," Snow said yesterday....
Bush used "stay the course" until recent weeks when it became clear that it was becoming a political problem. "The characterization of, you know, 'it's stay the course' is about a quarter right," Bush complained at an Oct. 11 news conference. " 'Stay the course' means keep doing what you're doing. My attitude is: Don't do what you're doing if it's not working -- change. 'Stay the course' also means don't leave before the job is done."
By last week, it was no longer a quarter right. "Listen, we've never been stay the course, George," he told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. "We have been -- we will complete the mission, we will do our job and help achieve the goal, but we're constantly adjusting the tactics. Constantly."
Snow said Bush dropped the phrase "because it left the wrong impression about what was going on. And it allowed critics to say, 'Well, here's an administration that's just embarked upon a policy and not looking at what the situation is,' when, in fact, it's just the opposite."
October 24, 2006
Stay the course!
38 comments:
- Daryl Herbert said...
Bush said "stay the course," but that's never been his policy...
Let me be the first: BUSH LIED!!!
Is Bush trying to sabotage the Republican Congressional candidates, or is he trying to help them?
TW: mgayr
- AllenS said...
Is staying the course, staying the course? Well, it guess it all depends on the meaning of the word is, is.
- Goesh said...
It would be best to immediately withdraw from Iraq and let Iran assert its considerable influence in all of Southern Iraq with its considerable oil reserves. Once the Iranian mullahs don't feel threatened by Americans in Iraq and can augment their coffers with Iraqi oil revenue and attain nuclear weapons, they will not have a need to expand their influence and control. They will give up the notion of an Islamic caliphate in that region of the world. Once the Shias feel safe under the wing of their Iranian big brother, they will not feel a need for revenge against the Sunnis either for the many years of oppression under saddam hussein. All will be well. The Democrats can easily negotiate this because as we all know, islam is truly a religion of peace. There would be little violence over there if it wasn't for Bush and the Republicans. Our national focus needs to be on stem cell research, abortion and gay marriage. Give peace a chance, vote the Democratic ticket from top to bottom.
- George said...
I read yesterday that there are not one, not two, but three U.S. Navy carrier battle groups in the Persian Gulf—the Enterprise, the Eisenhower, and something called a Marine 'expeditionary' flotilla.
I think they stay the course by zig-zagging.
Helps avoid enemy fire, particularly near election time.
- Freder Frederson said...
It would be best to immediately withdraw from Iraq and let Iran assert its considerable influence in all of Southern Iraq with its considerable oil reserves.
While your sarcasm is noted and appreciated (so many people who post on this site just don't seem to get it), it misses the point. "Stay the course" (sorry, that phrase has never been uttered by this administration and the choco ration is being raised to 35 grams) has been a disasterous policy. By constantly insisting that every event (the death of Saddam's sons, the capture of Saddam, each round of elections, the death of Zarqawi) is the turning point only to see the corner not turned yet still contend everything is fine and dandy and no adjustments need be made the administration is ignoring the reality on the ground and lying to itself and the American people.
Even now, as the Administration shows signs of abadoning "stay the course" (or rather insisting that was never the policy) you continue to cling to the false dichotomy that the president has touted--that there are only two options in Iraq: "stay the course" or "cut and run".
As for your very real and very scary scenario about Iran taking over Southern Iraq if we leave. Don't you think the Administration should have considered that before they decided to invade?
- MadisonMan said...
I notice the Establish Democracy in Iraq mantra is getting less and less lip time as well.
I've often wondered if Press Secretarys are embarrassed by the things their bosses make them say. But I guess they're paid enough for any embarrassment.
- Michael Farris said...
Must we stay the course or have we never been 'stay the course'?
Being a Bush supporter is hard work.
- Michael Farris said...
"Don't you think the Administration should have considered that before they decided to invade?"
It would have been nice (along with assuming there would be an insurgency and planning for it rather than being caught by surprise that those aren't flowers they're throwing after all).
- Derve said...
It would be funny,
fighting a war with words, if so many soldiers and civilians weren't being slaughtered over there. With more to come
Once you connect the two -- the leadership and the workers -- it's kinda sickening.
Glad you put it up here though; I wonder if INstaPundit will link...
- peter hoh said...
He can run but he can't hide. Mission Accomplished. Bring 'em on. Stay the Course.
Four more years!!
- Derve said...
*waving my index purple finger for moral support. As if that contributes a damn. Where are you now, they must be wondering of us*
- Derve said...
Someday we'll realize the tearing down is the easy part. The rebuilding and the holding it precariously together takes a wide array of contributions from everyone you can muster.
And knowing this is why you hold off on changing things too rapidly, destroying too much at once before you have the capability of replacing and rebuilding with equal or better.
- Ricardo said...
With apologies to Will M. Hough, and Frank R. Adams ....
"I wonder who's flip-flopping now?
Wonder who's teaching him how?
Wonder who's looking into our eyes
Breathing sighs, telling lies?
I wonder who's flip-flopping now?"
- Goesh said...
Of course in gazing at the crystal ball and knowing the Democrat/Liberal inability to fight as we do, the trade-off for Iran essentially getting the South is for the Kurds to have autonomy and statehood in the north. Surely you don't think the Kurds would sit by passively and allow Iran to control the South without some gurantees, do you? Kurdish assertion will totally alienate the NATO ally Turkey and will seriously bump the price of crude going north much to the disgust and dismay of the EU and their weak economies, and this still leaves a nuclear Iran. What to do!? Oh dear! Think of the contamination if Iran's nuclear sites were taken out - all those grotesque children with oozing skin! If we can't ourselves bleed and die in Iraq, we certainly can't expect civilians to do so in Iran, even for the price depriving islamofacists from having nukes, now can we my lovely pacifists and peace mongers? No, no and you must convince yourselves that a quick withdrawal from Iraq will also convince all the newly arisen terrorists in Iraq to remain there. They must be content, by your logic and utter lack of tactical insight, to quit going after Americans, anywhere, once the evil ones are out of Iraq - right? You have wanted to kill fish in the barrel, and Bush has been an easy target, but have had to climb into the barrel yourselves and haven't yet realized it. Good luck with your domestic agendas given such dire, external unfinished business. Talks with NK anyone? Maybe the madman can be bought off for a year or two,eh? Sabre rattling with Iran once they begin to assist the Egyptian Brotherhood to destablize the Mubarak regime? Hmm? Oh oh! there goes the Suez canal rates of passage, we wouldn't want angry muslim fundamentalists with artillery sitting on the banks of the canal, now would we? Iran could be reaonsable if we just had something to really offer them besides our deaths, right fellas? You've truly fucked with a Texas oil man and you actually think he is going to leave you a clean slate when he leaves? Go ahead and pout and keep pointing the finger of blame, it's all you've got.
- quietnorth said...
I am sure the phrase "Stay the Course" has been tested by a focus group. At first it went over well, so it was set out as a simple talking point. Focus group testing probably changed as people became aware of how badly things were going. So, now, no more "staying the course". A new focus group
- dreamingmonkey said...
How about "you can't unscramble an egg?"
Or else Bush should resort to the widsom of Jack Handy: "In the right circumstances, any man can become a murderer. But not any man can be a good camper. That's what makes murdering and camping different, despite what you might think."
- Fenrisulven said...
'Stay the course' means keep doing what you're doing. My attitude is: Don't do what you're doing if it's not working -- change. 'Stay the course' also means don't leave before the job is done."
He's trying [sigh] to say that "stay the course" means remaining true to our objectives in Iraq, not the methods used to acheive those objectives. We're using different strategies for different instances, some have worked well while others have not. A strong prosperous democratic Iraq is the key to reforming the Middle East. If we fail there, we better prepare for a Holy War between Islam and the West. A Holy War that includes suicide bombers and nukes.
- Derve said...
Goesh: Can you diagram a little of that for us? Thx.
- Derve said...
If we fail there, we better prepare for a Holy War between Islam and the West. A Holy War that includes suicide bombers and nukes.
Be prepared always.
Never get too cocky.
Know your enemies.
Anticipate not only your moves, but theirs, and give them a way out, if necessary.
See the words are easy, Fenrisulven. Like shouting a cheer. Getting it done with what you've scraped together at the time... more a true victory.
- MadisonMan said...
A strong prosperous democratic Iraq is the key to reforming the Middle East.
That, I agree, is the goal. I see little that the administration has done in the past 4 years to achieve that goal. Result: Disarray. One might hope that there is something going on that is not publicized that will steer things away from the abyss. I'm not hopeful for that possibility, however. Given the upcoming election, I think anything positive would have been publicized by some of the Republican politicians running scared for their very (political) lives. Absence of progress is not proof of no progress, however.
- Fenrisulven said...
I see little that the administration has done in the past 4 years to achieve that goal.
Thats an incredible statement. Is the Tyrant not deposed and on trial? Is there a consitution? Is there a coalition government? How many elections has Iraq had? How many have turned out to vote?
And you say "nothing" ??
Sure, there is still violence and unresolved problems. But I think the Left has been too negative, I think they want us to fail, so they can blame Bush for political points. I think if POTUS was Dem the MSM would be highlighting all the good news about Iraq [which you have to go to mil blogs to get] instead of the reverse.
- Derve said...
And you say "nothing" ?? Sure, there is still violence and unresolved problems.
It's the end score that matters, don't you think? Give us faith that we're all looking at that, and not just throwing flames in the blog comments here.
If our country and the coalition were achieving, strongly united, and confident with the current course, we probably wouldn't be honestly discussing where things are at and constructively criticizing. Whether here it's the word context, or over there, it's the words in action.
- Fenrisulven said...
Derve: Give us faith that we're all looking at that, and not just throwing flames in the blog comments here.
Fair enough. After four years of being harped, nit-picked, and Monday-morning quaterbacked from the Left, I'll chill a bit and assume those on the Left here will debate Iraq in good faith:
What would you do differently in Iraq, other than leave? Seriously, what are your ideas? More troops? Partitioning in three regions? Installing a Saudi-like strongman?
- MadisonMan said...
And you say "nothing" ??
Actually, I said little. It's not clear to me how your list of things makes Iraq strong and properous. Democratic, perhaps.
- peter hoh said...
Fen, you're prepping to lay the blame on second-guessing from the Left? How about the abysmal post-invasion planning from the administration?
- aaron said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- aaron said...
Stay the course is rhetoric the president used to give assurance to people in the middle-east. It doesn't mean that our tactics don't change, just that we will not abandon them.
Common fucking sense.
I think this could bite the democrats in the ass. A simple add stating this would sink any democrat "Stay the course" add.
- Michael Farris said...
"Stay the course is rhetoric the president used"
Except now he's trying to say it's not rhetoric he used: "We've Never Been Stay The Course"
Diagram _that_, English fans
- Ghost said...
The problem with the phrase "stay the course" is that most people don't understand what the phrase means. It means to persist or see a job though to the end, not to keep doing the exact same thing. Random House gives the definition as "to persevere; endure to completion."
The Word Detective (www.word-detective.com) gives a bit of data on where the phrase comes from:
"To stay the course," in current usage, means "to stand firm in pursuing a goal or course of action, to persevere in the face of whatever challenges or obstacles one may encounter." The use of "stay" in the phrase can be, as you note, a bit confusing, since "to stay" can mean "to stop, arrest or check" (as in "stay of execution," in which a court issues a legal "stay" to stop an action), as well as "to continue or persist in a place or condition" (as in "stay calm"). But we're definitely seeing "stay" in the "persist" sense here.
"To stay the course" is often thought to be a nautical metaphor, and one can easily imagine a stalwart captain instructing a wavering helmsman to "Stay the course!" in the face of a stormy sea.
But the first use of the phrase in print, in 1885, comes from another sort of "course," the racetrack. "To stay the course" in this sense referred to the ability of a horse to endure the race and reach the finish line, preferably in a winning position. By 1916, however, the phrase had been adopted by politicians, and we've been urged to "stay the course" ever since.
- peter hoh said...
Ghost, I thought only pointy-headed liberals blamed the people for being stupid.
Personally, I think most people are capable of understanding what "Stay the course" actually means. Yes, it is not a description of tactics. Never was and never will be.
- George said...
"The analysts write about war as if it's a ballet. Yes, it's choreographed, and what happens is the orchestra starts playing and some son of a bitch climbs out of the orchestra pit with a bayonet and starts chasing you around the stage. And the choreography goes right out the window."
-Gen. Schwarzkopf
- Freder Frederson said...
Fair enough. After four years of being harped, nit-picked, and Monday-morning quaterbacked from the Left, I'll chill a bit and assume those on the Left here will debate Iraq in good faith:
I'm not second guessing anyone. I have been against the war in Iraq from before day one. I couldn't believe that Bush would invade Iraq (and that Congress would allow him to do it) when we hadn't even begun to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan or captured Bin Laden. Everything that has happened in Iraq is exactly as I predicted it would be--the insurgency, the level of American casualties, the slow motion breaking of the American military.
So don't expect me to figure out how to fix Bush's extreme fuck up now. Two years ago there may have been a way out. Now I don't know if there is a workable answer that won't be really, really horrible.
It's just that bad.
- Daryl Herbert said...
As for your very real and very scary scenario about Iran taking over Southern Iraq if we leave. Don't you think the Administration should have considered that before they decided to invade?
That's crazy talk. That's like saying we didn't have a post-invasion plan, even though we spent months on a political campaign to get the invasion. Of course the administration considered that, and of course Rumsfeld had a plan--because the alternative is too scary.
sorry, that phrase has never been uttered by this administration and the choco ration is being raised to 35 grams
That was my exact first thought, as well.
I wasn't joking when I asked if Bush was intentionally sabotaging Republican congressional candidates. It's weeks before the election and he's suddenly deciding to re-evaluate everything in Iraq.
There are two (closely related) motives for Bush wanting Dems to take over:
1 - if Republicans hold both houses, there will be intense pressure for Dems to take both branches of gov't in 2008
2 - if Democrats take both houses, Bush can let them pull us out of Iraq, and then try to blame them for the ensuing chaos.
I really hope I'm wrong about this.
- Derve said...
I suspect eventual partitioning, Frenrisuliven. That is what I personally predict the people there will eventually "choose" and be able to maintain through their actions.
If our politicians, after this election, would only try to stop winning support through talk and be realistic with what areas can truly secured. If the British are leaving, that is a good time to regroup and I suspect we will see that with American troops maintaining order in smaller but more select areas. It won't be called "cut and run", just strategically supporting certain parts of the country(ies) to protect industry and resources as determined necessary by our experts. Other than that, no American presence, at all, in other areas with no intervention in local violence. (much like we see today, only more concentrated American presence with more limited objectives.) We'll eventually declare the locals trained, and get out of certain areas altogether. I see this effort as being presented as a bipartisan plan, and an admission by all of lesser ambitions. Coming within a year/ year and a half of the elections regardless of how these upcoming elections turn out. (if GOP maintains full contol, or if they are forced to share power)*
*(My own opinions/expectations of what's to come, fwiw, to answer a question. Just an expectation of what's to come; I'm sure your own thoughts and ideas about the future vary)
WV: myvuust
- Derve said...
Summed up, I see:
strategic withdrawal
from certain provinces/cities
with troop reinforcement in greater concentrations in others,
but not sold under the "cut and run" banner.
More independence for ethnicities to self rule in those other areas with no illusion of American support, other than private economic investment or humanitarian aid. (US government financial support coming via payments only -- not American military presence in those regions) Does the violence in these places then subside, or flare up and burn with intervention from other regional powers (as mentioned upthread)? Whether it should be or not, I suspect we'll take a hands-off approach to certain regions very soon, though hopefully maintaining intelligence connections there and keeping a close eye on what's going on, but with no direct American efforts to intervene. No matter what.
*Here and I hoped this would help simplify what is coming over there, imo, when people automatically ask these days what your plan is when you indirectly challenge their words. This is not so much my plan, but my honest prediction on how things will shake out based on what I see now and have seen over the past years.* I pray we don't see a large scale attack, a la Beirut, before what I suspect we will eventually do gets underway but we really should be aware that anything may happen and not to get too lulled into complacency with what is occuring right now over there.
Sorry it got long.
- Fenrisulven said...
peter: Fen, you're prepping to lay the blame on second-guessing from the Left? How about the abysmal post-invasion planning from the administration?
Could you be more specific? What "abysmal" planning, and what would you have done differently?
- peter hoh said...
What would I have done differently? I would have listened to military planners.
Shortly after the invasion of Afghanistan, [Brigadier General Mark Scheid] says, Donald Rumsfeld told his team to start planning for war in Iraq, but not to bother planning for a long stay:
"The secretary of defense continued to push on us ... that everything we write in our plan has to be the idea that we are going to go in, we're going to take out the regime, and then we're going to leave," Scheid said. "We won't stay."
Scheid said the planners continued to try "to write what was called Phase 4," or the piece of the plan that included post-invasion operations like occupation.
Even if the troops didn't stay, "at least we have to plan for it," Scheid said.
"I remember the secretary of defense saying that he would fire the next person that said that," Scheid said. "We would not do planning for Phase 4 operations, which would require all those additional troops that people talk about today.
"He said we will not do that because the American public will not back us if they think we are going over there for a long war."
...."In his own mind he thought we could go in and fight and take out the regime and come out. But a lot of us planners were having a real hard time with it because we were also thinking we can't do this. Once you tear up a country you have to stay and rebuild it. It was very challenging."
- Freder Frederson said...
Could you be more specific? What "abysmal" planning, and what would you have done differently?
True, "abysmal planning" presumes that there was at least some plan, albeit abysmal. What is increasingly obvious was there was no planning at all, abysmal or otherwise, for a long term occupation and rebuilding.
And now the problem is that there is no strategy to win and no strategic goal. Go back and listen to any answer Bush gives when he is queried about strategy in Iraq. He answers the question by discussing tactics. He either has no idea what the word "strategy" means or simply doesn't have a strategy for winning in Iraq. Either one is damn scary.


text:
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text:
DOWNERS GROVE – Community members enjoyed a night of eating, gaming and dancing to support Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital's cardiovascular and diagnostic rehabilitation services on Saturday at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.
"Festival 2013: Hollywood Nights" is the hospital's big fundraiser for the year. Hollywood-inspired costumes were encouraged, and items available during the live auction included an ultimate kitchen makeover, a seven-night European river cruise, a seven-night Hawaiian vacation and golf packages at Medinah Golf Club, Edgewood Valley Country Club, La Grange Country Club, Bolingbrook Golf Club and Willow Crest Golf Club.
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More than 340 people attended Saturday's event.


text:
The secret is liking Hancock as a character
Last edited by freedom; April 15th, 2010 at 12:37 PM. Reason: uh-oh, I've said too much :P
WARNING (Explicit Dialog)!!
Also, I know Brennen and e1n are busy, but AP should probably also do a vB upgrade. Things feel a little 'left-in-the-dust' here and there're some great features in newer incarnations of this program.
I ain't trying to suck some dick to become a brownie.
I'm just asking some questions.
Last edited by MagneticMonkey; April 15th, 2010 at 12:45 PM. Reason: Even if Oceanizer just appeared a few months ago to announce that there will be a software upgrade soon....
Sigh... fine. :<
Last edited by KingofSarus; April 15th, 2010 at 12:46 PM. Reason: How about "once a day"? D:
Generally, racial slurs and acting creepy about the women around here push you in the wrong direction.
I don't act creepy on the women here... I think.
Last edited by KingofSarus; April 15th, 2010 at 12:48 PM. Reason: Fine! I'll "control" myself more often.
These are some fine lessons about life.
A well placed joke is fine. It helps everyone get a good laugh.
However, if most of your M.O. is slurs and sexual references, it seems as if there's no depth to anything you're saying. Also, this is a forum about One Piece, so it's always a good point to say how much you don't like it. wait....!
WARNING (Explicit Dialog)!!
I don't think most of my posts are "racial slurs" and "sexual references"... I think...
Last edited by KingofSarus; April 15th, 2010 at 12:55 PM. Reason: Fuck it. *grabs notepad to take notes*
He actually looks like his avatar in real life.
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byRobert Westervelt on
Weak Passwords, Poor Patching Led To Breaches
Basic security measures are still not in place, Trustwave said. Employees often pick weak passwords, share too much company information on social networks and other public platforms and have a penchant for clicking on links in email messages, the study found. "Password1" is the most common password, according to Trustwave. Of three million user passwords analyzed, 50 percent are using the bare minimum.
Email this CRN article


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A Different Life
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Career timeline for psychiatry
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Professor Eve Johnston talks about her article on schizotypal cognitions as a predictor of psychopathology in adolescents with mild intellectual impairments.
Professor Eve Johnstone from
the University of Edinburgh discusses the above paper published in
the December 2007 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. This
research tests the hypothesis that among young people with mild
intellectual disability, there are those whose cognitive
difficulties may predict the subsequent manifestion of a
schizophrenic phenotype and whether these are detectable by simple
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Nonetheless, there is a powerful sense that the fun of a game and the fun of a story are different in some way. What is that distinction?
I love this post because it goes into depth about the nature of play, gaming and story sharing. It's a great romp through the imagination and another facet about why storytelling is so powerful -- whether you are sharing a business story or just sharing a story with friends.
I've long said that storytelling is deep play. This article explains the how and why of that. The author talks here about the emotions of play he has identified and how that connects to our imagination -- and the imagination of our listeners when we tell a story.
This post is Part 2. Part 1 is about Stories and Games: Art. Can't wait to read that one next!


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The Champions League final is on its way to London this weekend and tennis legend Boris Beck cannot wait.
Becker's boyhood heroes Bayern Munich are taking on Borussia Dortmund in the first all-German final in the competition and the two-time Wimbledon champion will be there.
Becker now lives in London and he took news network CNN on a tour of his favourite haunts, while also getting his feelings on the match taking place at Wembley on Saturday.
Bayern are heavy favourites to lift the trophy just a year after suffering unexpected heartbreak at the hands of Chelsea – the 45-year-old's other favourite team.
In amongst telling us about having lunch at his favourite deli with the likes of Sol Campbell and Jen Lehmann, Becker says he is confident his team will triumph, though acknowledges it will be tough.
Watch Boris Becker take CNN on a tour of London below…
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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1-0 USA. Clit Dempsey.
wheres ronaldinho in this tourney?
2-0. ****ing beatdown.
Has anyone got a crow? I need to eat one.
You are looking quite solid and compact at the back but like Spain, Brazil aren't set up to attack crosses all day. Gotta hand it to you guys, tactically you are set up very well. As I say this that was an excellent counter for 2-0.
half time.
This is crazy. Thought Brazil had one in the closing seconds.
45 more minutes is too friggen long!
Let's hope we stay aggressive enough to keep Brazil confused. I hate prevent D.
Well thats a bad way to start the half.
im telling you right now this has all the makings of a heartbreaking loss
That was a good match, the US just couldn't sustain the energy they had into the 2nd half. You saw them slow right down and it completely changed the whole scope of the game.
I would have won a thousand bucks if the US pulled it out. Ah well.
great game by the US, but in the end, talent won out.
the US players should hold their heads high.
Heartbreaking loss, but looking at the stats I was stunned.
USA shots on goal: 9
Brazil shots on goal: 31
That was insane pressure put on the USA goaltender. I was thinking during the match, "man, that's a lot of shots by Brazil," but I didn't think it was that much.
Plus, the first goal by Brazil was a thing of beauty. That was one sick shot. I don't think there was anyway the USA goaltender could have stopped it considering his line of vision was blocked by not only a USA defender, but also the Brazil player making the shot when he had his back turned to the goal.
Sadly, I went to the bar and only caught the second half...
Maybe I jinxed them
Great showing by US. Hopefully you guys can build on these games and put in a good run in gthe WC. Second goal was superb. Downside is now, noone will take you guys for granted in coming matchups.
I really liked Onyemwu (or something like that). He slacked a bit at the end of the game leaving guys onsides and stuff, but otherwise was pretty impressive. Needs polishing. What's his story? Where does he play?
Youtube has a 10 minute maximum, this guy has the whole game broken up into pieces.


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BIGGS CHILD HAS A BIG HEART - Cole Cummings is pictured with his dogs Ollie and Olive. This generous little guy has contributed $88 hard earned money to the Butte Humane Society besides towels and blankets he washed and delivered. (Photo by Lisa Van De Hey)
Cole Cummings is an eight-year-old Biggs Elementary second grader in Mrs. Holt's class and has a very caring attitude when it comes to helping animals. While visiting his grandmother, Judy Donally of Chico, he heard the dogs at Butte Humane Society barking and asked his grandmother what the non-profit organization was all about. When his grandmother explained that dogs are available for adoption there, Cummings declared he wanted to help them.
Saving his $20 from the tooth fairy and money he coerced out of family members for push-ups and pull ups accomplished, he even cleaned house for his Mom. He donated $88 to help the Society with costs for shots for the animals. He and his grandmother also delivered towels and blankets besides bags of dog food and a dog carrier. His great-grandmother sent him a dog collar and $5 to send in for her.
Cummings is the son of Dane and Michelle Cummings of Biggs. Dane works for Waste Management and Michelle is expecting the couple's third child. Cole has an older brother Hayden who attends UTI in Sacramento studying to be a diesel mechanic.
In his spare time, Cummings enjoys wrestling and Muttin' Bustin' where he won a custom silver belt buckle. He also enjoys playing basketball and baseball.
Cummings and his grandmother asked that people remember to donate to Butte Humane Society all year, not just at Christmas time because the animals are there all year and help is needed for their care.
He and his family participate in the Society's Bidwell Bark 5 Mile Walk and are planning to collect more money in time for that.
It was indeed heart-warming to speak with Cole and his mother and grandmother to get a feel for this little guy's drive to make a difference and help the animals at Butte Humane Society. It is easy to see him continuing with his generosity over the years to come, not only with this group but hopefully with others. Others can learn a lot from this eight-year-old and realize that it is possible to help, even if it is just to deliver clean blankets and towels, no longer being used.
Once Cummings had started his collection for money he called his grandmother with a running total each day with the first day at $6.81, keeping the day's collections in Baggies.
Michelle stated not only does the Butte Humane Society need money, they also need towels and blankets and big sacks of cat and dog food.
Wouldn't it be nice to keep the giving going in Cole's name by sending a check to Butte Humane Society, 2580 Fair St., Chico, CA 95928 and note Cole's name on the memo line to help his cause for a very worthy group of future pets.


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Working in conjunction with distribution partners in the region, Axion is supplying its 100-percent recycled plastic composite railroad ties for use in mainline mass rapid transit.
Cory Burdick, manager of the division, said that ECOTRAX ties "are perfect in the region, given the extreme humidity... Our ECOTRAX ties provide a minimum life of 40 years."
The company says that over the past 12 years, the ECOTRAX composite railroad tie has undergone rigorous third-party laboratory and in-track testing in the United States, exceeding all standards set forth by the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.


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Submission + - Careful What You Post, the FBI has More of These (schneier.com)
jamie writes: "A comment posted to a website got its author's *friend's* car an unwanted aftermarket addon. The Orion Guardian ST820, a GPS tracking device, was attached to the underside of the car by the FBI. No warrant required. The bugged friend, a college student studying marketing, was apparently under suspicion because he's half-Egyptian. As Bruce Schneier says, 'If they're doing this to someone so tangentially connected to a vaguely bothersome post on an obscure blog, just how many of us have tracking devices on our cars right now...' The ACLU is investigating."


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Media reactions
You can filter the media reactions by subject and/or by date.
European banks named in Moldova-Russia money laundering and tax evasion scandal
It is shameful to see European banks again involved in a major global money laundering scandal.
Forbes Rich List underlines warped economic system as more billionaires created
A world where more new billionaires have been created in a year than ever before shows signs of economic sickness rather than health.
LuxLeaks whistleblowers verdict
Responding to the verdict in the retrial of the LuxLeaks whistleblowers, Max Lawson, Oxfam's Inequality Policy Lead said: "Whistleblowers who expose tax dodging should be praised, not punished."
Yemen food crisis: an additional 3 million people now dangerously hungry
UN announces that hunger levels in Yemen have jumped by 20 percent since June 2016.
EU governments' continued focus on deterrence fails refugees and migrants
At the EU summit in Brussels today, EU leaders have decided to stick to their migration policies which aim at increasing restrictions on movement.
Focus on reducing migrant arrivals to Europe ignores impact of migration policies on people
The EU and its member states measure the success of migration policies by simply looking at the number of people arriving to Europe. They completely ignore the impact their policies have on people's rights, safety and dignity, Oxfam says.
Oslo pledges must be followed by improved access and coordination in Lake Chad Basin
Oslo Conference on the Lake Chad Basin crisis closes with donors pledging $672m of the $1.5bn needed to avert famine.
Oxfam award-winning film on women not authorized for screening in India
An Oxfam award-winning film challenging the deep-rooted patriarchy in India cannot be screened in the country. The Central Board of Film Certification has refused to certify 'Lipstick Under My Burkha', saying the movie is "lady orientated" and contains "contentious sexual scenes, abusive words [and] audio pornography."
Blacklist criteria a small victory, but tax havens can still escape
EU finance ministers today discussed the future "EU blacklist" for tax havens.
Man-made famine in South Sudan reflects international failure
The man-made tragedy of years of conflcit has resulted in a famine being declared in parts of South Sudan - the first to be announced in any part of the world in six years.


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The Delaware County Daily Times (http://www.delcotimes.com)
Monday, February 17, 2014
RADNOR — Depending on who you talk to, an $18 million shortfall projected for the Radnor Township School District in fiscal year 2019 is either a looming crisis or something that will be ironed out in due time.
At a recent school board finance committee meeting, district Business Administrator Timothy Vail downplayed the concerns of some board members and members of the public.
"I view the five-year projection as just that," said Vial. "It was a projection."
Originally, it was meant for in-house use, he added. He defined a projection as an estimate or forecast.
"The five-year study is very, very conservative on the revenue side," Vail said. "On the expense side, I feel very comfortable with the numbers."
Vail also clarified comments by Superintendent Michael Kelly at an earlier meeting. Kelly had said there was "a perception that a mistake was made," rather than a mistake had been made in tallying the projected $18 million budget hole.
Vail noted that previous "historical" budget projections had also predicted deficits, while the district actually ran surpluses.
"I don't share the sense of urgency that an accumulative fund balance of $18 million would manifest itself over the next five years," Vail said. "It's our job to make sure we're proactive with each budget as it comes to fruition."
Vail also pointed to the proposed 2014-15 budget that calls for no tax increase.
"That speaks volumes of the planning that goes on," said Vail.
"So that's not a mistake," said board member Susan Michaelson. "That's encouraging. It's a projection."
Michaelson said she understands that the future is "uncertain." However, the projection was based on "reasonable assumptions."
"We, as a district, need to be engaged in longer-term planning," said Michaelson. "We know for instance, we've got a (population) bubble in the high school. We have to deal with it in advance of their showing up for ninth grade"
She asked Vail if there was an alternative for making budget projections, pointing out that an $18 million deficit "is a significant number."
Vail said the district has earmarked its fund balance for various items, such as the employee retirement fund and capital improvements. As for an $18 million deficit, he said, "Our job is to make sure we're proactive with each budget to make sure that (deficit) doesn't happen. The budget is only as good as the revenue you have to back it up. Let's say we have a very bad year for tax collection. We have to reanalyze. Nobody has a true crystal ball on this."
Michaelson replied, "I understand there is no crystal ball. The point is we do have some foreseeable issues that have to be discussed ... What we do today has implications over the next two years."
She asked whether it was wise to have a zero percent tax increase when, in two or three years down the road, the district will need more money.
"We've heard you loud and clear that we've overtaxed the public," Vail told her. "The board did do a slight tax decrease (last year). We debated as an administration whether we should restore that to what it was over a previous year. We as an administration have given you a budget, a sound budget, keeping all programs in place plus we've given you an all-day kindergarten with no tax increase."
He also said making the projection public could influence the district's AA bond rating. Officials plan to refinance bonds this year to get a lower interest rate.
Board member Susan Stern said the board should be mindful of the projections when negotiating with its labor bargaining units and that officials need to be conservative when projecting five years out.
"I come to the table trusting A., that you know what you're doing and, B., that you have our best interests at, heart." Stern said, adding that she was counting on Vail and Kelly to make sure the board stays on course.
Resident Daniel Webster, a CPA who has studied the district's finances extensively, said he was "very concerned" about what he was hearing and that they should all be on the same page about whether it was an actual impending deficit.
"We can't look at just year-by-year and hope that things work out," Webster said. "This is an unusual year. And maybe we'll save another million in interest expense, that'd be great. It cuts the $2 million (deficit projected for next year) to $1 million. To stick our heads in the sand and Susan you're a financial person. I can't believe you said he'll keep us on course here because if we don't have charts that are accurate, we can't stay on course. If we don't have a compass that's balanced, we can't stay on course."
"This isn't political," said Webster. "This is just reasonable management of the organization. I hope you'll all see that and not just cross your fingers and hope everything works out."
Board member Patricia Booker, who formerly served on the finance committee, was also concerned, saying the district should be proactive instead of reactive.
"Mr. Vail brought up, wait until there is a concern and then deal with it," said Booker. "We need at least a three-year plan that we feel holds some merit. I know you're doing a great job finding revenue. We do need a tool that we can plan for multiple years. In my mind, it needs to be two to three years what we can expect."
Regarding the bond rating, Booker said the most important issue to rating companies was the district's ability to tax for revenue.
"To me, this is more about being transparent to this community," added Booker.


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In-House Utility Autopay
Signing up for our FREE autopay service takes 3 easy steps:
- Fill out Autopay application form below
- Write "VOID" across a blank check from the checking or savings account you would like autopay setup with.
- Mail (or bring in) your application with your voided check to:
City of Pendleton
Attn: Finance Department
500 SW Dorion Ave
Pendleton, OR 97801
It will take 30 days to process your autopay request. You may receive a bill before your application is processed depending on when you turn your application in. Once you're signed up, you will receive a monthly statement from the City of Pendleton that will tell you the amount of your utility bill. The statement will look the same as your monthly bill but will say "Do Not Pay Auto Pay" (see Autopay Statement example below). The bill will be paid automatically from the account you designated on your autopay application form.
Note: If funds are not available at the time of the withdrawal, it will be treated as an NSF and a $25 fee will be added to your account.


text: SO SO CECE!The legendary CeCe Peniston's vocal career spans two decades andsome of dance music's all-time greatest tracks including "Finally," "KeepOn Walkin'," and "We Got A Love Thang." Her dance hits have rockedclubs and topped charts globally, and she has been ranked a No. 1Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Artist. She has captured the LGBTaudience as a committed and loyal ally and additionally, she has workedaggressively in fundraising for her own charity, the LOTS Foundation(Lifting Others To Succeed) which raises funds for HIV/AIDS and womenand children in need. Sonsoles(pronounced sone-so-les) - derived from the Spanish words fora type of song (son) and the brilliance of the sun (sol) - is stamping its markon the increasingly popular Latin music scene. With a truly global ensem-ble of top-shelf musicians from Spain, Mexico, Los Angeles, DominicanRepublic and El Salvador, Sonsoles fuses a myriad of musical elements,ranging from Rock, Pop, Reggaeton, Salsa, and Folk, into a tasty sonicsauce.Sonsoles was founded in the fall of 2006 in Los Angeles by foundingmembers Steve Baltazar (keyboards) and Cesar Abrego (bass). Shortlythereafter, Spaniard Jóse Hernandez (guitar/vocals), a friend of the duo,also joined. Later, after answering an Internet ad and an obviously suc-cessful audition, Lonnie Moreno (drums) became the 4th member, andwith the recent addition of Delwin G. (rapper), the Sonsoles lineup is nowcemented. www.sonsolesmusic.comAnybody can have their rock, punk or folk phase, but real artists tran-scend boundaries and genres so gracefully that their fans hardly blink aneye. Aimee Allenis that type of songwriter. The explosive and outspokenvoice behind rock monsters "Revolution" and "If It Feels Right," not tomention contributions to the Grammy-nominated Hairspraysoundtrack and multiple critically-acclaimed artists, Allen'svocals and sweet nature define soul. Her poprock sound remains deeply connected to herpowerful lyrics and vocal positioning, frompolitics to being a strong supporter ofLGBT rights. Her newest endeavor, to bepreviewed on the PRIDE Mainstage, isan upbeat, dance-driven sound to bereleased later thisyear.www.aimeeallen.com"I loudly champion equal rightsfor the LGBT community, usingmy music, my voice and my voteto rally against anti-gay establish-ments who foolishly stand in theway of love. I'm performing at LAPRIDE to celebrate my gay broth-er, my beautiful LGBT friends, andmy fellow crusaders who arecommitted to fighting this battleuntil it's won."Aimee Allen"We believe there is power in thelanguage and beauty of sound. In writing and performing ourmusic we create an environmentof acceptance and joy. Our pur-pose is to warmly invite peoplefrom all walks of life and all agesto feel and embrace the rhythmsof Sonsoles and become a part ofour family."60 LAPRIDE.org


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Bookshop Event - Book Launch - Sanctuary in the City
Sanctuary in the City – St John's Church Canberra
by Randall Wilson and Rodney Garnett
St John's Church and its historic precinct is one of Canberra's treasures. Consecrated in 1845, the church, its churchyard and the schoolhouse predate the nation's capital by almost 70 years. Written to coincide with Canberra's centenary in 2013, Sanctuary in the City tells the story of the church and its place in the Canberra community from the pioneering years of the mid-nineteenth to today.
Celebrate the release of this important contribution to Canberra's heritage with authors Randall Wilson and Rodney Garnett, and Alex Sloan of ABC 666 Canberra, who will officially launch the book.
Wednesday 5 December, 6.30pm
Bookshop, free
National Library of Australia
Includes book signing and refreshments
Bookings: 02 6262 1424 or nla.gov.au/bookings


text: There is information on the disorder available for downloading on the Geneva Centre web site. We also have provided numerous links to other web sites of interest, as well as extensive lists of articles you can access through your college or university library. For this information and more please refer to our Resource Section.


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From WMAQ's Maryann Ahern
Democratic Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who replaced the impeached Rod Blagojevich, has called on Sen. Roland Burris "to do what's right, put people's interest first and resign."
Quinn also laid out his plan for special elections to fill future Senate vacancies.
He said he still favors "temporary appointments" by the sitting governor, however.
*** UPDATE *** Potential 2010 Illinois Democratic challengers have asked for Burris to resign, including Dan Hynes and Alexi Giannoulias.
Per NBC's John Yang, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs suggests Burris take time this weekend and correct what he has said about his contacts with Blagojevich and Blagojevich's circle and "think about the future."


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MARIETTA, Ga. – Georgia College freshman Conner Albright (Macon, Ga.) was recently announced as the 2013-14 recipient of the H.P. "Pink" Persons Jr. Scholarship according to Mark Esoda, president of the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) Foundation.
The H.P. "Pink" Persons Jr. Scholarship is funded by the Macon Civic Club and is one of 73 Yates Scholarships. Albright, a business management major, is one of seven to receive a new endowed Yates Scholarship.
"Conner was a multi-sport star in high school and arrived at Georgia College with a history of very high academics as well as his golfing ability," said head golf coach Jimmy Wilson. "He is a perfect fit for Georgia College and our golf program."
The Yates Scholarship Program provides college grants to employees and children of employees at GSGA Member Clubs. Named for Charles, Dan and Danny Yates of Atlanta, all of whom have contributed greatly to the game of golf, the scholarships are based on financial need, character, academic achievement and work experience at a GSGA Member Club. During the 2013-14 school year, the GSGAF will support 73 scholars (27 new, 46 renewing) with grants totaling $188,000.
The Yates Scholarships are renewable upon demonstration of continued academic achievement. The GSGA Member Club through which each scholar was eligible for the Yates Scholarship Program must remain a Member Club of the GSGA in order for a scholarship to be renewed. Now in its 26th year, the Yates program has supported more than 330 scholars. All GSGA Member Club employees and their dependents are eligible to apply.
Albright has twice finished in the top-50 at the Bobcats' first and most recent tournaments this year. The freshman finished fourth on the team in the Spring Hill Suites Intercollegiate going eight-over par (tied-48th overall) helping the team to finish ninth, and also finished third on the team in the Aflac/Cougar Invitational going 11-over par (tied 47th-overall) helping the team to third overall.
The Bobcats next hit the links in the Matlock Invitational Feb. 10 hosted by Florida Southern College at Lakeland, Fla.


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June 17, 2009 > Music from America's past
The Milpitas Community Concert Band is a friendly group of people who enjoy sharing their love of music with each other.Stop by for the summer concert on Wednesday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m., at the Milpitas Community Center. The free concert is entitled 'Americana: Music from Americas past.'Music will include: Hail, Columbia (Our first national anthem), American Patrol, Shenandoah, Home on the Range, Belle of the Ball, Selections from the Gay 90's (1890's), The Evolution of Dixie, Georgia on my Mind, and more.This is my 10th year in the band, and my first as director. I started playing tuba with the band in 7th grade. I graduated from Milpitas High School, where I was a member of every instrumental music class. In my senior year, I was in the Jazz Band, Marching Band, Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble. I attend Ohlone College and got my A.A. in music. I attended CSU East Bay and received my B.A. in music. I am currently working on my California teaching credential in music! My main instruments are Tuba and Trombone, but I have played all the brass instruments in concerts in the past. I teach 11 band classes at 8 elementary schools in Fremont and Mountain View.Summer is spent sorting and filing music and preparing for the next year.The band will meet again on the first Wednesday of September, and new members are always welcome. No audition necessary. The player needs to have played for at least two years. We invite local high school students who are looking for an additional group to play in, as well as people who used to play, and want to get back into it. Dust off that old clarinet in the garage, and come make music!AmericanaWednesday, June 17 7:30 p.m.Milpitas Community Center457 E Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas(408) 586-3210