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Rebels have threated to storm two predominantly Christian towns in central Syria if residents do not “evict” government troops they say are using the towns as a base to attack nearby areas. A video released by rebels showed Rashid Abul-Fidaa, who identified himself as the commander of the Ansar Brigade for Hama province, calling on locals in Mahrada and Sqailbiyeh to rise up against President Bashar Assad’s forces or prepare for an assault. “Assad’s gangs in the cities are shelling our villages with mortars and rockets destroying our homes, killing our children and displacing our people,” said Abdul-Fidaa, who wore...

Pope Benedict XVI has pardoned his former butler, Paolo Gabriele, who is serving an 18-month jail sentence for stealing confidential papers. The Pope visited Gabriele in prison to personally inform him of the decision, the Vatican said in a statement. In October the former butler was found guilty of stealing and copying the Pope's documents and leaking them to an Italian journalist. Gabriele said he acted out of love for the Church. "This morning the Holy Father Benedict XVI visited Paolo Gabriele in prison in order to confirm his forgiveness and to inform him personally of his acceptance of Mr...

Over 500 students at The Catholic University of America have signed a petition to have Starbucks removed from the campus, citing the coffee giant’s financial support of Planned Parenthood and its efforts to overturn traditional marriage. Students currently pay $3 to $5 for a 20 oz cup of coffee at Starbucks Coffee in the Pryzbyla Center. Compare this to $2 to $4 for a comparable 20 oz Dunkin Donuts Coffee at other universities. These high prices help maintain Starbucks’ above average profit margin of 10.66% and fund their numerous political activities.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is poised to take over as chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, shifting the leadership of the partisan panel in charge of judicial nominations to the center.She will have primary jurisdiction over two of the biggest issues Congress will tackle next year: immigration reform and gun control. … Feinstein has sided with Republicans on big votes, which could pave the way for landmark bipartisan compromises on divisive issues such as immigration reform. … But Feinstein has sided with liberals in other battles over the judiciary. She was one of a small group of Democrats to vote...

Latino immigrant mothers, especially those who live in rural areas and subsist on low incomes, face "serious challenges" to preparing nutritious meals, according to a new study. The study, published this week in the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, says that Hispanic mothers have problems when they want to serve healthy, nourishing food to their youngsters as they confront "new food environments." The research was carried out by Kimberly Greder, PhD, of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University, together with Flor Romero de Slowing and Kimberly Doudna, also of ISU.

New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie makes it clear that he’s considering running for president in the future, after deciding against it for the 2012 election. … GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney suffered in November for appearing out-of-touch with the concerns of average Americans, Christie said. …

Most commentary on the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School seems to focus on either the “gun issue” or the “mental health issue”. The gun issue debates more government control, while the mental health issue debates more demands on our already over-taxed health care system (no pun intended). I read Liza Long’s article, “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother,” in which she calls for “a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health”. I presume the purpose for such a “conversation” would be to find answers to why these things happen and to find out what we can do to prevent this kind...

As members prepare for the 113th Congress, several have been dissatisfied with Speaker Boehner's conduct: he's been accused of booting more conservative members off of major committees, and the abject failure that is "Plan B" seems to have been the final straw for some. Breitbart News reports that there's a plan circulating some offices intended to facilitate the election of a new Speaker of the House come January. Several conservative House Republican members are contemplating a plan to unseat Speaker John Boehner from his position on January 3, Breitbart News has exclusively learned. Staffers have compiled a detailed action plan...

Newt Gingrich is working with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to develop a 6 to 9 month planning group to reinvigorate the GOP for 2014 and 2016 and beyond. Tough, major changes are required to match the Dems entrenched political machines and coalitions.

SANTA ANA, Calif., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Lee Dorman, the bassist for "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" rockers Iron Butterfly, has died of apparent natural causes in California, a coroner said. He was 70. Dorman, who had a history of heart problems, was found dead in his car Friday in Orange County, E! Online reported.

Massachusetts voters weary from one of the nation’s costliest and most divisive U.S. Senate races are all but certain to find themselves thrown back into another tumultuous election now that President Barack Obama has nominated Sen. John Kerry for secretary of state. If confirmed by the Senate, as expected, Democrat Kerry would have to resign the seat he’s held for nearly three decades, meaning a special election that will be the state’s third Senate contest since 2010. Jockeying already is well under way. The big question is whether Republican Sen. Scott Brown will go for the seat after losing his...

Obama Uses Funeral Service to Talk About Himself Daniel Halper December 22, 2012 10:34 AM President Barack Obama used the funeral for Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye to talk about himself. In the short 1,600 word speech, Obama used the word "my" 21 times, "me" 12 times, and "I" 30 times. Obama's speech discussed how Inouye had gotten him interested in politics. "Danny was elected to the U.S. Senate when I was two years old," he said. Speaking to the audience at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Obama talked about his family and their vacations. "Now, even though my mother...

Accommodating is the preferred style of conflict resolution often used by the Obama Administration to resolve crisis on the diplomatic stage. Today’s Democrats are too willing to put the needs of terrorists before this country, allies or any other democracies. In fact the only people they see as enemies are American conservatives. Obama will surrender victory in order to maintain peace with people whose only goal is to wipe America off the face of the earth. This White House refuses to do or say anything that might upset America’s enemies; they only want to placate them. In simple terms for...

Georg (L) and Joseph Ratzinger during their first Mass processional in Traunstein, Germany in 1951. Photo courtesy of Ignatius Press. Marktl am Inn, Germany, Dec 21, 2012 / 04:16 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Christmas letter that Pope Benedict XVI wrote to Baby Jesus when he was seven years-old demonstrates his devotion to the Sacred Heart and his desire to be a priest. The letter is on display this Advent in the village of Marktl am Inn in Bavaria, where he was born. "Dear Baby Jesus, quickly come down to earth. You will bring joy to children. Also bring me...

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath–a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Each December I gaze into my crystal ball and predict what I believe will be the top 10 stories of the coming year. I almost never get these right but they’re fun to speculate about nevertheless. A year from now we’ll take a look back and see how well I did, unless I didn’t do well at all. In that case we will pretend this never happened for the sake of preserving my fragile self-esteem. 10. The highest grossing movie of 2013 will be Iron Man 3. The year is shaping up to be one of the biggest in cinema...

Face it, there are some very prominent Jews running (way, way) out front for gun control.

The Newtown killings ought to occasion a little modesty and circumspection. ‘Lullay, Thou little tiny Child, by by, lully, lullay . . . ” The 16th-century Coventry Carol, a mother’s lament for her lost son, is the only song of the season about the other children of Christmas — the first-born of Bethlehem, slaughtered on Herod’s orders after the Magi brought him the not-so-glad tidings that an infant of that city would grow up to be King of the Jews. As Matthew tells it, even in a story of miraculous birth, in the midst of life is death. The Massacre...

What an ignorant, dishonest and pathetic response to Sandy Hook today from the National Rifle Association. As a media critic, I will limit myself to the disingenuous attack on the media from Wayne LaPierre, chief executive of the organization. Of course, it's a shameless attempt to avoid accepting any responsibility by his organization. But in the interest of a sane discussion about media violence -- rather than the demagogued, crazy-right-wing-paranoid speechifying of LaPierre -- some social science research, facts and context need to be presented.

The Vatican is actively taking part in the Middle East conflict - on the judenrein side. They've been there before. During the past several weeks, the Vatican has worked hard to achieve the dwarfing of Israel into the indefensible 1947 ceasefire lines. Pope Benedict just met in Rome with the Palestinian Authority head, Mahmoud Abbas, hailing the recent United Nations’ resolution on Palestinian non-member statehood. “It is hoped that (the resolution) will encourage the commitment of the international community to finding a fair and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, a Vatican statement said. Abbas also met with the Cardinal...