Archive for the ‘America’s Future’ Category

Video shows Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) claiming that coal power and corn syrup are more deadly than terrorism.

The remarks will likely prove a headache for an administration that is trying to distance itself from its anti-coal image.

As Scribe reported on Friday, the Obama campaign adjusted its website to promote its work with “clean coal” in the wake of an embarrassing showing in the Democratic primary in coal-intensive West Virginia. Obama lost 41% of the vote there to federal prison inmate – a fact the state’s Democratic Party chairman attributed directly to the administration’s stance on coal power.

1. Only in America could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $40,000-a-plate campaign fund raising event.

2. Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when we have a black President, a black Attorney General, and a federal workforce that is roughly 18% black when the black population is only 12%.

3. Only in America could we have had the two people most responsible for our tax code — Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee — turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

4. Only in America can we have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.

5. Only in America would we make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just become American citizens.

6. Only in America could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country’s Constitution be thought of as “extremists.”

7. Only in America could you need to present a driver’s license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.

8. Only in America could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of what a company that manufactures sports shoes and apparel (Nike) makes.

9. Only in America could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a trillion dollars more than it has per year for total spending ($7 million PER MINUTE), and complain that it doesn’t have nearly enough money.

10. Only in America could the rich people who pay 86% of all income taxes be accused of not paying their “fair share” by people who don’t pay any income taxes at all.

By Ronald Rodriguez

Constitution of the United States of America (Photo credit: The U.S. National Archives)
It does not take a casual observer much effort to realize that many people who have an anti religion agenda deliberately misinterpret American history. Thus, factual historical facts are simply “erased” to fit an ideology. This is an unfortunate practice of revisionist history as it is not an accurate approach to updating our known history with new facts.

There is a debate between two separate ideologies. The first ideology is the most accepted belief of American history, which believes that Christianity played no role in shaping the U.S. government. The second ideology, commonly accepted among-st Christians, insist on teaching ”traditional” history to their children.

The linchpin causing such debate around “traditional” history is that Christianity played a significant role in shaping the U.S. government and morals of the colonies and eventual young nation.

This is not an attempt to say that all the founders were devout followers of the Christian God or if they even believed in Him. It is not our right to judge the “walks” of our founders with God, but it is out right to defend what they did through their lives.

There are anti-religion quotes that revisionist’s find and use to argue that the founders were not christian. Thus, as a result, the U.S. is not a christian nation. The founders surely made statements that were critical of organized religion, but there is overwhelming evidence that almost all the founders believed in the Christian God and were members of established churches. Thus, it is not hard to believe that the founders used the principles of the Bible played help establish the U.S. government and a moral society

There is always a danger in history being interpreted with a broad brush of political activism today to fit an intellectual idea. Thus, it becomes important to dig deep into topics yourself and believe that history is best told by those that lived it and wrote about it. Considering this is the U.S. a nation under God or a nation not under God?

The Supreme Court was faced with the issue in 1892 with the case ”Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S.“

The Court affirmed the religious nature of the U.S. This can be seen in opinion delivered by Justice David Josiah Brewer on the behalf of the Court that unanimously agreed. He stated the following:

[t]here is no dissonance in these declarations. There is a universal language pervading them all, having one meaning; they affirm and reaffirm that this is a religious nation. These are not individual sayings, declarations of private persons: they are organic [legal, governmental] utterances; they speak the voice of the entire people. … These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.

The decision by the Supreme Court did not merely say that a majority of the American people were Christian, or that there were no Muslims, Hindus or other religious sects in America. Rather, Justice Brewer claimed it was the courts unanimous opinion that America is a Christian nation in “the domain of official action and recognition, [but not in regards to] individual acceptance.”

The Court’s decision demonstrates that our entire system of government was created with a responsibility to recognize the authority of the Christian God. Also, those who acknowledged the Christian God’s authority and committed to obey His commandments intended the government they created to acknowledge and obey God.

This decision is astonishing considering the nations rejection of Christianity’s role in its founding and government. As a result, it certainly is intriguing to consider how do we got from Supreme Court opinion to the doctrine of “separation of church and state.”

The “Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S.” case was effectively overruled in 1931. As a result, the idea that government was “under God” was replaced with “separate” from God.

The doctrine of “separation of church and state” encompasses more than churches as it infers the separation of God and Government.

In 1989, the Supreme Court declared in its decision for “Allegheny County v. Greater Pittsburgh ACLU” that “the Constitution mandates that the government remain secular.”

This is certainly a far stretch from any truth.

There is no piece of the Constitution that does or does not establish the U.S. government to ignore God’s authority.

The Case involving the Church of the Holy Trinity shows four points:

Each american colony was considered a Christian Theocracy from its earliest founding in the 1600′s.
The colonies had a universal agreement that the formation of civil government was a Biblical obligation – all the governments were Theocratic. The colonists formed governments with the belief that God commanded them to form them. Thus, the founding of a government was considered a religious act.
The federal government established under the U.S. Constitution were Christian Theocracies.
The ratification of the U.S. Constitution would never of occurred if the federal government had been given authority to prevent the U.S. from being “under God” and officially and legally acknowledging that they – the founders and colonies (states) – to be under His jurisdiction.
There are many statements by the founders in support of christian principles inclusion in the U.S. founding.
John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson (June 28, 1813) which stated:
[t]he general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” He also stated in a letter to the officers of the First Brigade, the Third Division of the Militia of Massachusetts that “[o]ur Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
In the Notes on the State of Virginia (Query XVIII), Thomas Jefferson wrote:
God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event.
In “The Trumpet Voice of Freedom: Patrick Henry of Virginia,” Henry is quoted stating

It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.

I considered leaving concluding remarks to encompass my interpretation of these remarks, but I believe the best approach is to allow you to interpret what has been presented for yourself.

I hope you will take the time to dive into the history of this matter and voice what you find here for discussion.

A city in Maine has decided to enforce thousands of dollars in property taxes on a congregation because, its assessment board ruled, the church doesn’t qualify as a charity.

Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Rockland, Maine, filed suit in the Knox County Superior Court last month over a legal loophole that allows the city to charge taxes on the church’s driveway and parking lot, while exempting other non-profit organizations from the same costs.

“But the statute treats ‘houses of religious worship’ differently,” the ADF continues. “They are limited to the exemption of their church building, furniture, burial plots and a portion of the parsonage. No other not-for-profit is similarly limited.”

The inequitable treatment could be overlooked, the ADF claims, if the city would recognize the church as a form of charity and applied the broader exemption law. After all, the church serves many charitable functions, including the provision of religious and moral training, counseling, child-development services, volunteers for soup kitchens and homeless shelters and serves as the facility for a local orchestra, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and weddings, funerals, baptisms and so forth. The church even allows community groups to use the disputed parking lot for free.

But by a vote of 3-2, the Bangor Daily News reports, Rockland’s Board of Assessment Review rejected the church’s tax abatement request for the previous tax year.

The net result, according to calculations by the newspaper, is that Aldersgate United Methodist’s five acres of parking lot and driveway is being taxed $2,229 per year.

“Charities operate for the public benefit, train the hearts and minds of their hearers, relieve suffering, and, in sum, lessen the burden on the government. [Yet] the City insists that Aldersgate does not meet these qualifications,” ADF asserts. “But if this church does not qualify, the City would be hard-pressed to find an organization that does.”

The church’s lawsuit asks the court to declare that the way Rockland is implementing the tax law be found unconstitutional to the extent that it treats churches less favorably than secular organizations, an alleged violation of the First and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

ADF attorney Joel Oster makes the argument that a church shouldn’t be made to pay because its “charity work” isn’t secular.

“We think that because the city denied this church a charitable tax exemption, they are discriminating unfairly against this church,” Oster told OneNewsNow, “and they’re targeting this church because of its religion.”

“The law should be no respecter of persons, or charities,” ADF concludes. “Aldersgate should enjoy at least the same tax treatment and benefits granted to similar not-for-profit charitable organizations.”

Though Maine’s tax-law loophole may be unique, examples of churches facing cities with creative schemes to tax them are not.

As WND reported, the city of Mission, Kan., attempted to impose a “driveway tax” on the town’s churches based on an estimate of the number of people who would attend each church and use its parking lot in a given week.

Erik Stanley, a senior legal counsel for ADF, said when the case over the $1,000 city fees being charged to churches based on the number of seats in their sanctuaries was brought, that it was no less than punishment for the churches.

He said the “driveway tax” was outrageous and openly speculated whether a city successful in imposing such a cost also would be interested in a “sidewalk tax” based on the number of people who walk to church.

ADF sued on behalf of First Baptist Church of Mission and the Archdiocese of Kansas City. The Baptist church had been billed nearly $1,000 and the Catholic diocese billed some $1,700.

After the City of Mission elected to settle the case, rather than pursue the “driveway tax,” Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued a statement, albeit in a non-binding opinion, concluding that the fee actually is an “excise tax” and said state law bars Mission from imposing such a tax.

A Chinese group known as “Sino-Michigan Properties LLC” has bought up 200 acres of land near the town of Milan, Michigan. Their plan is to construct a “China City” with artificial lakes, a Chinese cultural center and hundreds of housing units for Chinese citizens. Essentially, it would be a little slice of communist China dropped right into the heartland of America.

This “China City” would be located about 40 minutes from both Detroit and Toledo, and it would be marketed to Chinese business people that want to start businesses in the United States. Unfortunately, this is not just an isolated incident. In fact, Chinese companies have been buying up land and businesses all over the country in recent years. There has even been talk of establishing “special economic zones” inside the United States modeled after the Chinese city of Shenzhen. It was inevitable that the Chinese were going to do something with the trillions of dollars that they have made flooding our shores with cheap products. Now they are rapidly buying up pieces of America, and many of our politicians are welcoming them with open arms.

The town of Milan, Michigan is a small farming community of only about 6,000 people, but big changes are coming their way. The following is from a recent Dayton Daily News article about this new project….

A group of mainland Chinese known as Sino-Michigan Properties LLC paid $1.9 million for 200 acres of farmland on Milan city limits in purchases this year and in 2011, according to local officials and property records.

Unfortunately, the goal does not appear to be to integrate this new “city” into the existing community in and around Milan.

Rather, it appears that all of the new housing will be sold to people coming over from China. According to the Milan News Leader newspaper, the new housing units “would be marketed to Chinese business people who want to start companies in the United States”.

In essence, we would be looking at a new Chinese city right in the middle of Michigan.Doug Smith, senior vice president for business and community development for the Michigan Economic Development Corp., recently said the followingabout what the Chinese group plans to do….

“It’s a group that wants to build a China city, starting with housing over there in Milan”

Milan is not far from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which is a very popular destination for Chinese students. Apparently that is one reason why Milan was chosen.

This new project would be a Chinese community built by Chinese and specifically designed for Chinese.

But isn’t this supposed to be America?

Fortunately, the project does not have final approval yet. It still must be approved by the two townships outside of Milan where the land is located.

For some reason, the Chinese seem to be particularly interested in this area of the country.

For example, a different Chinese investment group has been busy buying up chunks of real estate over in nearby Toledo, Ohio. The following is from an article in the Toledo Blade on May 26th, 2011….

Dashing Pacific Group Ltd., which has already purchased the nearby Docks restaurant complex for $2.15 million, put its $3.8 million offer to buy the southern 69 acres at the Marina District in East Toledo back on the table for approval by Toledo City Council. Additionally, Dashing Pacific Chairman Yuan Xiaohong, in a letter signed in Hangzhou, said the firm wants a two-year option to buy the decommissioned Toledo Edison power plant property on the site.

So should we be alarmed that the Chinese are buying up pieces of America?

Well, if they simply wanted to enjoy living in America and wanted to integrate into the wider community that would be one thing.

But it is another thing altogether to start dropping slices of communist China inside of U.S. territory.

In a previous article entitled “China Wants To Construct A 50 Square Mile Self-Sustaining City South Of Boise, Idaho”, I discussed a potential deal that Sinomach (a company controlled by the Chinese government) was exploring with the government of Idaho. The following is a description of that potential project from an article in the Idaho Statesman….

A Chinese national company is interested in developing a 10,000- to 30,000-acre technology zone for industry, retail centers and homes south of the Boise Airport.

There was talk that this “technology zone” would be modeled after the “special economic zones” that have been developed in China. The city of Shenzhen is perhaps the most famous example of this.

Fortunately that deal appears to have stalled, but other mammoth deals have been moving forward in other parts of the country.

For example, the Chinese have been very busy gobbling up oil and gas fields. The following is a quote from a local Texas news source about a deal that a company owned by the Chinese government did with Chesapeake Energy down in Texas….

State-owned Chinese energy giant CNOOC is buying a multibillion-dollar stake in 600,000 acres of South Texas oil and gas fields, potentially testing the political waters for further expansion into U.S. energy reserves.

With the announcement Monday that it would pay up to $2.2 billion for a one-third stake in Chesapeake Energy assets, CNOOC lays claim to a share of properties that eventually could produce up to half a million barrels a day of oil equivalent.

You can read more about that particular deal right here.

So is it really a good idea to be allowing the Chinese to buy up our precious energy resources?

The answer to that question is obvious.

Sadly, the examples noted above are not isolated incidents. The truth is that the Chinese have been snapping up real estate and business assets all over America as a recent Forbes article explained….

According to a recent report in the New York Times, investors from China are “snapping up luxury apartments” and are planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on commercial and residential projects like Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn. Chinese companies also have signed major leases at the Empire State Building and at 1 World Trade Center, the report said.

So get ready – the Chinese are buying up U.S. land and they are moving in whether you like it or not.

So what will the long-term consequences be of allowing a communist superpower to buy up large sections of America?

That is a very good question.

I do not comment much on politics, society and the rest of the world. Generally I think much of this is beyond my control and try not to stress over it. BUT, lately there seems to be quite a bit that I have read or heard and has gotten me thinking.

Let’s begin:

8.1% Unemployment – 8.1% is not anything to get excited over but it is better than a year ago. Isn’t it? Well the problem is how the government records this numbers. The overall work force – those seeking jobs or working – has shrunk. If the unemployment rate was calculated using the SAME overall work force as was in existence in 2008 the current unemployment rate would be over 11%. Yes – 11%!!! The current administration knows this but still boasts of the “moderately” improving economy.

Food Prices – Although not included in the US Governments official inflation numbers – food continues to go up in price. I am really surprised there is not more of an uproar about it especially from those on government assistance. Just yesterday my local grocery store has Bush’s Baked Beans for $2.29 per can. That is crazy. Just a few years ago these could be found for $1.00 a can. Fresh fruit of all kinds is more expensive. Soups are still trending up. Beef is very expensive and out of reach for many folks. Currently lean hamburg runs in excess of $3.50 per pound in my area. I used to by ribeye steak on sale for $3.99 per pound and now a good sale price is $6.99.

Fuel Prices – As I write this fuel prices are dropping rapidly. The volatile prices at the gas pump are not good for the economy as families try to budget their expenses and business sign contracts for transportation costs of goods and services. The thing is – prices come down but they seem to just climb back up HIGHER than previous – then drop back down just not quite so low.Seems like someone is easing citizens into paying more….and more….and more. Ridiculous that the solutions to reduces fuel prices are out there and this government cannot get their act together for the benefit of the people. So frustrating…….and costly.

Society – In my area a 6 year old kid got suspended form elementary school for 3 days for sexual harassment. This is insanity. There are far too many rules, policies, procedures, and laws governing over what is common sense. Holy crap!!!! I have had my own dealings with the public school system with my 13 year old boy and it makes me so angry the lack of common sense displayed. Don’t even get me going that my tax dollars support this establishment.

Federal Debt – as the US National Debt approaches 16 trillion dollars – politicians will be vocalizing their plans on how to slow its growth and eventually make the increasing number go backwards. Regardless of which party wins the White House what will likely be put forth is a plan to reduce the debt using magical numbers, smoke and mirrors – and the ACTUAL debt reduction will occur at some later date on someone else’s watch. The sad reality: It’s just not going to happen. In order to reduce the debt the government MUST stop spending more than they are taking in. Pretty scientific, huh? They must also cut costs to do this. Those costs that are cut will effect people – like you and me. Social security, unemployment, federally funded medical care, defense – the federal programs related to these and other will have to be effected. Those people effected by those cuts will not be happy and guess what – WILL NOT VOTE FOR SOMEONE WILLING TO MAKE THE HARD CHOICES. It is just not realistic that the government will do the right thing. Look to take care of yourself.

Weather – I am not going to get in the debate over global warming/climate change. What I will say is it seems like the weather has been getting crazier and crazier the past few years. Seems like the weather is getting more dangerous with larger swings in temperature and volatility.

Government Again – I am sure you have heard about the Department of Homeland Security placing an order for 450 million rounds of .40 S&W hollow point ammunition. Why would the DHS do this? 450 million rounds? I am not sure how many agents the DHS has but 450 million round is an awful lot. I wonder how many rounds are fired annually in action. Two things of note – First is the fact that these are all hollow point bullets. These are expensive and not for training purposes. Second – this ammunition apparently are to be used only within the borders of the United States as hollow points are banned from use by the Geneva Convention. Makes me wonder. How about you?

Israel/Iran/Middle East – The volatility continues as it has for years however many believe the situation with Iran and Israel is coming to a head. As Iran makes their way in possession of a nuclear weapon the threat to Israel and the rest of the world becomes more imminent – especially for Israel. It is just a matter of time before Israel strikes. The significance of military action against Iran cannot be overstated as to how it will effect the worlds economies.

North Korea – North Korea continues to play a dangerous game increasing its military might (as unreliable as it is). Many propose that if an EMP attack were to take place here in the US it would come from North Korea. North Korea has a submarine fleet and of course nuclear weapons.

Nuclear/Chemical Weapons smuggled into the US? – As many tens of thousands of 20′ and 40′ foot shipping containers arrive in the United States from various foreign ports all over the world one must wonder if undesired cargo may be entering the United States. We all know that vast quantities of illegal drugs (let alone people) are smuggled into this country – why not nuclear, biological or chemical weapons? The video below is a bit old but take it for what it is worth:

Solar Activity – Solar activity has been on the increase with some tremendous flares. Much like the threat of an EMP attack – a major solar EMP event would wreak havoc on life today.

Morale Decay – Society is falling and falling quick. I remember sitting in US History class in school and learning about events covering 200 years. I look back now just 20 years and see how this country has changed. Sure – there have been tremendous technological ”advances” however the “way of life” and how people live today is disappointing. I believe that society is decaying in its morale’s and that the decaying is increasing in speed with each passing year. It’s really a shame.

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith has shaped his life, but he barely mentioned it as he spoke to graduates at an evangelical Christian university Saturday.

And he barely touched on hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage, instead offering a broad-based defense of values like family and hard work.

“Culture — what you believe, what you value, how you live — matters,” Romney told graduates gathered in the football stadium on Liberty University’s campus in the Virginia mountains. “The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and at the foundation, the preeminence of the family.”

Instead of a red-meat conservative policy speech, Romney discussed his own family and offered a defense of Christianity, saying that “there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.” Still, he was inclusive: “Men and women of every faith, and good people with none at all, sincerely strive to do right and lead a purpose-driven life,” Romney said.

He had one sustained applause line in a 20-minute speech delivered days after President Barack Obama historically embraced gay marriage. “Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman,” Romney said to a cheering crowd of students who have to follow a strict code of conduct that considers sex out of wedlock and homosexuality to be sins.

The late Rev. Jerry Falwell founded Liberty University in 1971 to be for evangelical Christians “what Notre Dame is to young Catholics and Brigham Young is to young Mormons,” as his son, University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., said on commencement day. It’s become a destination for Republican politicians looking to speak to the religious right, and Romney’s campaign team — planning the speech long before gay marriage became a central issue — viewed it as an opportunity to address the kind of socially conservative audience that had been wary of him during the prolonged GOP primary fight.

For Romney, the challenge is twofold. His past policy positions, including support for abortion rights, don’t sit well. But his personal faith is also an issue because many evangelicals don’t consider Mormons to be fellow Christians. Evangelicals are a critical segment of the GOP base; many of those voters backed his GOP rivals in the prolonged primary.

When he locks in the Republican presidential nomination, Romney will make history as the first Mormon nominee from a major party. His faith is central to him and to his family — he spent two years in France as a missionary, a time when he lived in occasionally primitive conditions. When he returned home, he attended Brigham Young University, a Mormon school, and married his wife, Ann, who had converted to Mormonism. As they built a life in Boston, Romney took on a significant leadership role in the church, serving as a lay pastor, fighting to build a temple in town, and counseling families in need.

But he’s mostly avoided talking about it on the campaign trail, largely avoiding religious forums and events throughout the primary season.

And at arguably the most religious venue he’s addressed during the campaign — since announcing his bid, Romney hasn’t made a public appearance in a church of any kind — he continued to keep his own faith in the background.

“This isn’t a speech about Mormonism,” senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters Friday on a conference call. Fehrnstrom pointed to the speech Romney gave in Texas in 2007 outlining his faith and defending religious freedom — the last time the former Massachusetts governor has addressed his faith in any detail.

Still, it was clear the campaign was keenly aware of the overtones. Romney was introduced by Mark DeMoss, an evangelical who has repeatedly defended Romney’s faith on the campaign trail. “I suspect I won’t agree with Mitt Romney on everything, but I will tell you this: I trust him. I trust him to do the right thing,” said DeMoss, who went on with a lengthy testament to Romney’s values.

Despite the concern, surveys have shown for months now that whatever reservations Republican evangelicals have about Romney’s faith, they are likely to back him in a general election.

A spokesman for Liberty said that Romney is not the first Mormon to speak at a university commencement. “This is our 29th commencement speaker, and 21 of those 39 speakers would not necessarily meet Liberty’s doctrinal theological statement,” said the spokesman, Johnnie Moore, explaining that anyone who teaches at the university is held to that doctrinal standard.

Romney’s selection as commencement speaker was an issue for some students who graduated from Liberty this weekend. When the school announced Romney as commencement speaker, hundreds of angry comments were posted on Liberty’s Facebook page by people who said they were students or alumni, objecting to giving a Mormon a platform. The school responded by affirming its welcome to Romney.

“There was some concern in my family, yes,” because of Romney’s Mormonism, said Robert Maginnis, a retired Army colonel whose nephew is a member of the 2012 class.

Ahead of Romney’s remarks, University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said the school’s invitation to him should not be considered an endorsement. He noted that his father, the school’s founder, said that Christians should vote for the candidate who shares their political positions “not the candidate that shares his or her faith or theology.”

Read more on Newsmax.com: Romney Tells Liberty Students to Honor Family Commitments

The Green River Formation, a largely vacant area of mostly federal land that covers the territory where Colorado, Utah and Wyoming come together, contains about as much recoverable oil as all the rest the world’s proven reserves combined, an auditor from the Government Accountability Office told Congress on Thursday.

The GAO testimony stressed that the federal government was in “a unique position to influence the development of oil shale” because the Green River deposits were mostly beneath federal land.

The Green River Formation–an assemblage of over 1,000 feet of sedimentary rocks that lie beneath parts of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming–contains the world’s largest deposits of oil shale,”Anu K. Mittal, the GAO’s director of natural resources and environment said in written testimony submitted to the House Science Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.

“USGS estimates that the Green River Formation contains about 3 trillion barrels of oil, and about half of this may be recoverable, depending on available technology and economic conditions,” Mittal testified.

“USGS estimates that the Green River Formation contains about 3 trillion barrels of oil, and about half of this may be recoverable, depending on available technology and economic conditions,” Mittal testified.

“The Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, estimates that 30 to 60 percent of the oil shale in the Green River Formation can be recovered,” Mittal told the subcommittee. “At the midpoint of this estimate, almost half of the 3 trillion barrels of oil would be recoverable. This is an amount about equal to the entire world’s proven oil reserves.”

In her oral statement before the subcommittee, Mittal said that developing the shale oil would create wealth and jobs for the country, but also challenges for government.

“Being able to tap this vast amount of oil locked within this formation will go a long way to help to meet our future demands for oil. The U.S. Geological Survey, as you noted, estimates that the formation contains about 3 trillion barrels of oil of which half may be recoverable,” she said.

“As you can imagine having the technology to develop this vast energy resource will lead to a number of important socioeconomic benefits including the creation of jobs, increases in wealth and increases in tax and royalty payments for federal and state governments,” she said.

“While large-scale oil-shale development offers socioeconomic opportunities it also poses certain socioeconomic challenges that also should not be overlooked,” she testified. “Oil shale development like other extractive industries can bring a sizable influx of workers who along with their families put additional stressed on local infrastructure. Development from expansion of extractive industries has historically followed a boom-and-bust cycle making planning for growth difficult for local governments.”

In her written testimony, Mittal noted that three-fourths of the Green River shale oil is under federal land.

“The federal government is in a unique position to influence the development of oil shale because nearly three-quarters of the oil shale within the Green River Formation lies beneath federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior’s (Interior) Bureau of Land Management (BLM),” she testified.

The GAO also cited potential environmental impacts from producing oil from the Green River shale that included the need to draw large amounts of water, possible harm to water quality, and temporary degradation of air quality and the clearing of large amounts of vegetation.

“Developing oil shale and providing power for oil shale operations and other activities will require large amounts of water and could have significant impacts on the quality and quantity of surface and groundwater resources,” Mittal said in her written testimony. “In addition, construction and mining activities during development can temporarily degrade air quality in local areas. There can also be long-term regional increases in air pollutants from oil shale processing and the generation of additional electricity to power oil shale development operations. Oil shale operations will also require the clearing of large surface areas of topsoil and vegetation which can affect wildlife habitat, and the withdrawal of large quantities of surface water which could also negatively impact aquatic life.”

Bill Clinton thought so little of President Obama — mocking him as an “amateur” — that he pressed his wife last summer to quit her job as secretary of state and challenge him in the primaries, a new book claims,

“The country needs you!” the former president told Hillary Clinton, urging her to run this year, according to accounts of the conversation included in Edward Klein’s new biography of Obama.

The title of Klein’s explosive, unauthorized bio of Obama, “The Amateur” (Regnery Publishing), was taken directly from Bill Clinton’s bombshell criticism of the president, the author said.

“Barack Obama,” Bill Clinton said, according to book excerpts, “is an amateur.”The withering criticism is incredible, given the fact that Bill Clinton is actively campaigning for Obama’s re-election.
But according to the book, Bill Clinton unloaded on Obama and pressed Hillary to run against her boss during a gathering in the ex-president’s home office in Chappaqua last August that included longtime friends, Klein said.
“The economy’s a mess, it’s dead flat. America has lost its Triple-A rating . . . You know better than Obama does,” Bill said.
Bill Clinton insisted he had “no relationship” with Obama and had been consulted more frequently by his presidential successor, George W. Bush.
Obama, Bill Clinton said, “doesn’t know how to be president” and is “incompetent.”
But Hillary resisted the entreaties, according to two of the guests interviewed for the book.
“Why risk everything now?” a skeptical Hillary told her husband, emphasizing that she wanted to leave a legacy as secretary of state.
“Because,” Bill replied, his voice rising, “the country needs you!”
“The country needs us!” added Bill.
He later even joked about the prospect of having two Clinton presidential libraries — about the only time that Hillary cracked a smile.
“I want my term [at the State Department] to be an important one, and running away from it now would leave it as a footnote,” Hillary argued.
She said she had the option of running again in 2016.
But Bill wouldn’t let go.
“I know you’re young enough!” Bill said, his voice booming. “That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried that I’m not young enough.”
“I’m the highest-ranking member in Obama’s Cabinet. I eat breakfast with the guy every Thursday morning. What about loyalty, Bill? What about loyalty?” she responded.
“Loyalty is a joke,’’ Bill shot back. “Loyalty doesn’t exist in politics.”
Bill’s verbal battle with Hillary over the presidency, if anything, intensified when daughter Chelsea showed up with her husband, Marc Mezvinsky.
“You deserve to be president,” Chelsea said.
Bill was clearly pleased that Chelsea was on his side and vowed to have allies commission polls on a Hillary-Obama matchup.
“What are you trying to do — force my hand?” Hillary said.
“I want everyone to know how strong you poll,” Bill said.
Hillary said, “Go ahead and knock yourself out.”
The book’s explosive claims were shot down last night by spokesmen for the White House and the Clintons, who closed ranks last night.
Bill Clinton’s spokesman Matt McKenna said the excerpts were “totally and completely false” and called Klein “a known liar.”
Phillipe Reines, a spokesman for the secretary of state, noted that Hillary Clinton challenged the veracity of an earlier book Klein wrote about her, “Truth About Hillary.”
White House spokesman Eric Schultz accused Klein of making up facts to sell books.
“Nobody in their right mind would believe the nonsense in this one, especially since both Secretary Clinton and President Clinton have been loyal and supportive of the president at every turn.”
Klein, a former editor of The New York Times Magazine and Newsweek, defended the book and his earlier one as factually sound.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/bill_blockbuster_an_amateur_XJHYdaV5LT1vpr5I39IKrN#ixzz1uZpHnHLE

by Daniel J. Mitchell

You may have heard on the news about a southern California man put under 72-hour psychiatric observation when it was found he owned 100 guns and allegedly had (by rough estimate) 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored in his home. The house also featured a secret escape tunnel.

My favorite quote from the dimwit television reporter: “Wow! He has about a quarter million machine gun bullets.” The headline referred to it as a “massive weapons cache”.

By southern California standards someone owning 100,000 rounds would be called “mentally unstable”. Just imagine if he lived elsewhere:

In Arizona , he’d be called “an avid gun collector”.

In Texas , he’d be called “a novice gun collector”.

In Utah , he’d be called “moderately well prepared”, but they’d probably reserve judgment until they made sure that he had a corresponding quantity of stored food.

In Montana , he’d be called “The neighborhood ‘Go-To’ guy”.

In Idaho , he’d be called “a likely gubernatorial candidate”.

In Wyoming , he’d be called “an eligible bachelor”.

In Wisconsin , he’d be called “a deer hunting buddy”.

And, in Alabama , we just call him “Bubba”.

by Andra Varin

Evangelist Franklin Graham said President Barack Obama has “shaken his fist at God” by voicing support for gay marriage.

In an interview Wednesday with ABC News, Obama said his opinions had evolved and he now believes same-sex couples should have the right to wed.

“At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama said.

Graham, son of the Rev. Billy Graham, said the president was defying God’s will by changing his opinion on the issue.

“President Obama has, in my view, shaken his fist at the same God who created and defined marriage. It grieves me that our president would now affirm same-sex marriage, though I believe it grieves God even more,” Graham said in a statement.

“This is a sad day for America. May God help us,” he said.

Graham supported a measure to amend North Carolina’s constitution to bar gay marriage. Voters on Tuesday passed the amendment with a 61 percent approval rate.

Graham has criticized Obama on spiritual matters in the past. In February, he publicly questioned whether Obama is really a Christian and said “Islam has gotten a free pass” under Obama’s administration.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Franklin Graham: Obama Has ‘Shaken His Fist’ at God

Sorry Occupy, the majority of Americans believe capitalism and a free market made this country great, not the government, despite President Obama recently crediting the government with American success. Obama cited a series of government “investments.”

Obama said that Republicans have “one message and that is, we’re going to make sure that we cut people’s taxes even more — so that by every objective measure our deficit is worse and we will slash government investments that have made this country great,” he argued, “not because it’s going to balance the budget, but because it’s driven by our ideological vision about how government should be. That’s their agenda, pure and simple.”

But it turns out, he isn’t on the same page with most people living in the United States

Just in case you are one of those who believes President Barack Obama is not easily beatable in the November election if the GOP just runs a competent campaign, Democrat voters in West Virginians are proving you wrong.

In the Democratic primary, West Virginian voters registered their displeasure with President Barack Obama’s administration by flocking to the alternative candidate, Inmate No. 11593-051 at the Texarkana, Texas, Correctional Facility, Keith Judd.

While Obama won his last election on the strength of his resume as a Nobel-Prize-winning community organizer (near as I can figure, that’s a guy who sells cookies and candy outside the grocery store), Judd comes to the table with a 17.5-year sentence for extortion.

While Obama does have all those rumors going for him about threatening the Clintons and other Democrats to keep silent on his phony birth certificate, Judd’s long-term legal experience clearly lends him a credibility — dare we say gravitas — that West Virginians can respect.

With 83 percent of precincts reporting late last night, Judd seemed to be pulling in a whopping 40 percent of the vote. Under primary rules, he only needs 15 percent to be entitled to delegate representation at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

This is not the first time primary voters have chosen a convict over President Obama in a Democratic primary this year. Back in March, Democrat Randall Terry, founder of the pro-life group Operation Rescue and veteran of more than 50 arrests, won 18 percent of the vote in the Oklahoma primary.

According to the Associated Press, it’s unclear what effect Judd’s incarceration might have on his right to have delegates.

Based solely on some of the stuff Obama’s gotten away with, being a federal prisoner should be no barrier at all to Judd winning the White House.

by Bob Livingston

Television pundits, political hacks, progressives in higher education, brainwashed educators and the elite rulers in the halls of the Washington, D.C., cesspool love to call America a democracy. Most of the people believe it. After all, it is what is they were taught in school. But it is not so. America is a totalitarian society.
When envisioning a totalitarian regime, most American people imagine concentration camps, soldiers roaming the streets demanding “papers” and people disappearing in the dead of night. Totalitarianism American-style is more subtle. It has had to be, because the ancestors of today’s Americans believed in freedom and were willing to fight and die to preserve it.
Totalitarianism American-style has grown slowly and imperceptibly over many years. This is gradualism.
Much like watching your child grow if you see him every day, there is no perceptible difference until one day you realize the boy you saw yesterday is now a man. American totalitarianism has suddenly become a man.
The signs are all around for those who choose to see. You no longer have to search for them. Thanks to the Internet, which somehow remains out of government’s control, the signs are now appearing in plain sight, even if still only a minority realizes what the signs mean.
The ruling elites — politicians, judges and bureaucrats in government agencies — claim to have our best interests at heart. (I speak here of the ruling elites at the Federal, State and local levels.) The people believe this despite the contrary evidence. In truth, the ruling elites — with few exceptions — are looking out for their own interests, and their own interests are gaining more wealth and more power. That they do so at the expense of those they rule over bothers them not a whit.
That’s because they view the masses as worker bees and themselves as wise and omnipotent rulers. The worker bees are always expendable and replaceable. The ruling elites think nothing of confiscating the fruits of the labor of the worker bees — even to the point of making it unprofitable for the worker bees to continue their efforts — or sending them into battle to die in phony wars under the pretense of patriotism.
Many people, as they read this, will be quick to blame Barack Obama or George W. Bush. They would be both right and wrong. Obama and Bush are but two in a long line of human parasites who live or lived off the masses through deception and manipulation. The line includes Presidents current and past, Congresses current and past, Governors and State legislatures current and past, and local governments current and past. They are the true 1 percent.
The mindset that drives the ruling elites has been around for thousands of years. The actions of the ruling elites are evident throughout history and their methods and results can be studied. Unfortunately, there are few people today who study and understand history (that is to say history that has not been varnished by the elites). That’s why the elites are able to continue their ways.
The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were drafted by men who understood history and how the political and social order is the creation of evil men who wish to rule humanity. So they created a document meant to put shackles on those who would impose authoritarianism and tyranny. But the Founders didn’t count on Americans becoming ignorant and complacent. They presumed that Americans would be ever vigilant against the evil forces of the ruling elites and would value their freedom and liberties more even than their creature comforts.
How wrong they were. Americans have grown more ignorant, given into fear and sloth, and chosen to cede their freedoms and liberties for the false hope of protection and leisure. As long as the elites, aided by their propaganda ministers in the mainstream media, proclaim they are not stealing any liberties but are simply doing what must be done to keep everyone “safe,” Americans readily accept it as gospel.
America has played right into the hands of the ruling elites who demonstrated the patience of Job while waiting for this to occur.
We now live in a state of perpetual war. The so-called War on Terror has been going on for decades; it began long before it was ever given that name. There is no end in sight. Our government tells us that there are enemies to the left of us and enemies to the right. And when those enemies run out, there are enemies in our own neighborhoods and in our own families.
Over the past few years, we have learned that enemies of America are people who:
Believe in smaller government.
Believe the 10th Amendment is still valid.
Buy items using cash.
Store food and water for their own use.
Buy weapons.
Served in the military.
Display Gadsden flags (once a symbol of America’s struggle for freedom).
Photograph landmarks.
Videotape police officers.
Oppose gun laws.
Petition government (which was once a right guaranteed under the 1st Amendment).
Even people who support Ron Paul’s Presidential candidacy are considered domestic terrorists and feared by the elites, who work overtime in back rooms in order to ensure Paul’s message of liberty is contained.
We now have a President who has determined he can be the sole judge and jury and decide who should be executed. Congress says little and does nothing and is, therefore, complicit. This effectively annulled the 5th, 6th and 8th Amendments.
We have a President who has decided he alone — with approval of the United Nations or NATO and in direct violation of the Constitution — can decide whether to send American forces into battle. A meaningless Obama impeachment bill has been introduced, but it is a minor triviality and of no consequence.
Congress passed and the President signed a bill in 2001 — and then reauthorized it on multiple occasions (the USA Patriot Act) — that gives government the authority to conduct warrantless searches of our finances and our communications, regardless of whether we are suspected of being an enemy of America (see above).
Congress passed and the President signed a bill that authorizes government to arrest Americans — even if on U.S. soil — and hold them without charge or trial in a secret location (National Defense Authorization Act).
Congress passed and the President signed a bill (Obamacare) that will require you to enter into a contract to pay for a service (health insurance) you may not want or need. Lower courts’ rulings on the issue have been mixed. The issue was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court last week. Who knows whether the justices will rule correctly, finding that the law should be struck down as unConstitutional?
It is telling — and indicative that the left/right paradigm is a false one — that, going into the Supreme Court hearing, news reports indicated that even Justice Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts may vote to uphold the law. Kennedy was appointed by Ronald Reagan, and Roberts was appointed by Bush. We were told they were conservative justices who would uphold the Constitution.
The FBI is creating “terrorists” and then patting itself on the back when it uncovers and thwarts the terror plots it helped create.
We are now unable to fly by commercial plane — and travel by some trains — without first being subjected to either an intimate patdown/sexual assault or a dose of harmful radiation — and sometimes we get both. This further establishes that the government believes we are all terrorists who must demonstrate our innocence.
Congress recently passed and the President signed a bill that nullified a portion of the 1st Amendment by making it unlawful to protest if a government “official” is in the area. This is subject to the whim of law enforcement.
Local police departments are becoming increasingly militarized and increasingly militant and strident. They now routinely arrest people for taking video of police actions or public meetings, and they confiscate cameras and cellphones. They abuse peaceful protesters. In Chicago, police officers recently told a journalist his “1st Amendment rights can be terminated and have limits.” Unfortunately, the idea that a citizen must obey any order simply because a police officer says so is typical of today’s cop. Ignore a police “order” and you are subject to being tasered and arrested. Children are even being tasered in school.
The medical mafia enlists local police officers to do their dirty work and remove children from parents if the parents try and decide what is best for their children’s health. There are many stories like that of Scott and Jodi Ferris and Maryanne Godboldo.
Your child, who is forced by law to attend public indoctrination centers commonly referred to as schools, must receive a series of harmful vaccinations before being allowed to enter.
The food mafia, under the cover of the Food and Drug Administration, is now arresting people for drinking raw milk, and has made it illegal to own hogs of a certain color. It has determined that walnuts are drugs that should be regulated and that kids should not be allowed to grow and sell rabbits or open lemonade stands.
Local governments have made it illegal to grow “unapproved” flowers and vegetables in yards, smoke in public, eat salty foods, purchase meals that include children’s toys, throw trash into garbage bins or hold Bible studies in homes.
Do you still think you’re free?
Just remember, it’s all for your own good.

I have been shouting about our government’s actions from the rooftops for more than three years, while so many US voters just hide from the limelight and say “But Fox News says….” Fox News is owned by Murdoch, who is more concerned with ratings than the truth and has so much power over Fox commentors that they all had to parrot the liberal media or leave, like Beck. Besides, I would still like to know his connections with Soros, the Illuminati, and the Bilderbergs). (For those of you who are uninformed about the Illuminati and Bilderbergs–just Google them.)
I have been an investigative reporter for many years and found newspaper articles and photos of Obama while he was still a young man posing with his cabal of Communist organizers–joining clubs and advertising meetings. Plus, Obama is ineligible for President for three reasons: his British-citizenship father; his Indonesian stepfather who bestowed Indonesian citizenship on “Barry,” which allowed him to use his foreign passport to go to countries that did not allow Americans in; and his foreign birthplace, about which there is more than sufficient evidence to prove he is NOT an American.
As “Barry Soetoro,” he applied for student foreign aid at one of his colleges; at Columbia University, not one of his supposed classmates recognize him. He lied about being a Constitutional Professor–he was just a guest lecturer. He is using an illegal Social Security number. I could go on and on. Finally, enough judges are being convinced to order him to unseal all of his records–which he has spent $2 million of taxpaper money on legal fees to seal and keep hidden. Pray to God that his Traitorous actions, plus all those of the people who helped him get elected, will cause them all to be imprisoned and tried for Treason this summer before the election. I know that might throw the country into chaos, but that might just be the way that we can clean house and get rid of all corrupt local, state, and national politicians, judges, and even civilians.
Then we can start over with a restored Constitution and Bill of Rights. At least we will then be able to undo all the damage inflicted by Obama during the past four years, and we can start making new rules to protect us from this happening again…No ObamaCare! Give us back access to our own energy sources and provide the jobs we need. Throw out the UN and denounce our membership. Strengthen our Military personnel and bring them home from countries that we are not fighting.
Give term limits and civilian perks to all politicians. No public employee unions. No FED, Fannie May, or Freddie Mac. No corporate handouts–they sink or swim on their own. No government departments that do nothing but harm, like the Depts. of Energy and Education as well as alphabet soup agencies such the EPA, IRS (only flat tax). Go back to the Gold Standard and LOCK the lockbox for good… a secured border and all illegals deported, TORT reform with a cap of 10% for lawyers, workfare at minimum wage instead of welfare, no unemployment without training/classes attendance to learn a needed skill. No aid to foreign countries except directly to starving people who are victims of their own hierarchy or a natural catastrophe. No financial aid to any countries.
If we do all this and get rid of the corruption, we can catch up on our debt and keep a balanced budget for all of us. The problems for us is that we have become a country of “give-aways” to deadbeats or those we want to buy for friends. We need to go back to our original work ethics, God as our Savior, Golden Rule standards, and stop letting the corrupt rule us with “Political Correctness,” Elitist mentalities.

“We have a role to because we passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act some years ago… We are busy in Washington with a corrupt government, with a government that I said perhaps because of the money, the amount of TARP and stimulus funds, was going to be the most corrupt government history and it is proving to be just exactly that. This money going though the hands of political leaders is corrupting the process, whether it is Solyndra, GSA, or a number of other scandals. Our mandate is to go after the wrongful acts of government or to review for reorganization laws already passed. In the case of Wal-Mart, they will be punished under existing laws. As we review Wal-Mart, it has to be to look at government’s role not simply hauling people in because it makes good headlines,” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Bloomberg Television today.

Veteran Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar lost a bitter challenge from the right flank of his own Republican Party Tuesday night, his nearly four-decade career in the Senate ended by a tea party-backed GOP foe.

Also Tuesday, North Carolina voters weighed a gay-marriage ban and Democrats were picking a nominee to challenge Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in a June recall election, contests that overshadowed Mitt Romney’s unstoppable progress toward the GOP presidential nomination.

Romney won the GOP presidential primaries in Indiana and North Carolina and was all but certain of victory in West Virginia, drawing close to the 1,144 delegates he needs to clinch the nomination.

Even Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, was essentially ignoring primaries that were likely to hand him 100 or so delegates of the 288 he still needed heading into Tuesday’s contests. He spent the day campaigning in Michigan, where he castigated President Barack Obama as an “old-school liberal” whose policies would take the country backward.

The outcomes of Tuesday’s far-flung voting were certain to give clues about the state of the electorate — and highlight the political minefields facing both Republican and Democratic candidates — six months before the general election.

In the biggest race of the night, Lugar lost to tea-party backed state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who will face Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly in the November general election. Before the polls had closed, Democrats were promising to compete hard against Mourdock. Republicans need to gain four seats to take control of the U.S. Senate, and a Lugar loss “gives Democrats a pickup opportunity,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.