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In a special interview with Die Tagespost last week, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, named by Pope Benedict to represent the Vatican in the Jewish State, declared that “Israel’s existence as such has nothing to do with the Bible.” He then compared Christians’ condition in today’s Jerusalem with Jesus’ Passion: “We Christians never forget that even our Lord himself suffered and was mocked in Jerusalem.” Twal's position on Israel and the Bible has been embraced at the highest levels in the Catholic Church. The Vatican synod in 2010 declared that Israel cannot use the Biblical concept of a promised...

On Monday, the Vatican called for creation of a “global public authority” and a “central world bank” to regulate the world’s financial institutions. As Reuters reported, “The document from the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department should please the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ demonstrators and similar movements around the world who have protested against the economic downturn.” The Vatican got very specific in its recommendations. It condemned the “idolatry of the market” and called for global wealth redistribution, asking nations of the world to participate in an “ethic of solidarity.” In a passage that could have been ripped from Marx, the Vatican...

Adding a spiritual dimension to the incoherent war on capitalism rapidly spreading across Europe and America, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, an official Vatican body, last week published a sweeping scholarly tome calling for the end of capitalism, individualism, free markets, and national sovereignty. Sound far-fetched? Consider what the proposal would entail. Under the Council's proposal, the fiscal and monetary authorities of all nations of the world, as well as that of all financial institutions both public and private, are to be gradually subjugated under a supranational public authority with universal jurisdiction. This is to be financed by...

It’s no surprise that the use of DVRs is increasing as more and more people become used to time-shifting instead of watching television on the networks’ schedule. DVRs are compared to competitors so that customers can find the best fit for their lives. Now the New York Times is reporting something that may surprise many people: Your set-top boxes consume more energy in a year than your refrigerator. Initially you might assume that the main culprit is the hard drive spinning in the device, but according to the article, it only accounts for an additional 104 kilowatt-hours a year;...

Could Rand Paul and Ron Paul be Zionists?http://viewfrommasada.com/2011/02/17/ron-paul-rand-paul-zionists-of-the-year/Posted on February 17, 2011 by Matityahu Ben-YosefWhile the Middle East has always been a volatile region, the last month has seen events unfold in the region whose global impact we still may not appreciate. From the fall of governments in Lebanon, Tunisia, and Egypt, and with other Middle East regimes to soon share their fate, the balance of power in the Middle East is changing before our eyes.However, the most significant revolution taking place in the Middle East right now may not have anything to do with what’s unfolded in those countries...

USGS is reporting a 10.0+ earthquake, the largest ever reported in the islands of and around American Samoa. It seems to be splitting the fault and creating rift, moving Eastward. It is predicted it will go around the world. Just kidding- can we officially call Camping a fraud now?

The White House backed away Monday evening from key details in its narrative about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, including claims by senior U.S. officials that the Al Qaeda leader had a weapon and may have fired it during a gun battle with U.S. forces. Officials also retreated from claims that one of bin Laden’s wives was killed in the raid and that bin Laden was using her as a human shield before she was shot by U.S. forces. .... In another discrepancy, Brennan said during his on-the-record briefing that bin Laden’s son Khalid was killed in the...

Are you a sinner? Don't worry, there's an app for that. The Roman Catholic Church has approved a recent iTunes addition called Confession, a $1.99 app that bills itself as "the perfect aid for every penitent." As you can see above, it lets you pick a commandment and tick off all your sins, keeping a running tally to bring into the confessional with you -- a sort of anti-tasklist, if you will. Can't find your particular misstep? No problem! You're able to add your own, custom dastardly deeds, filling in those gaps the app's authors didn't think anyone would fill....

"Like all of us, my faith journey has had its twists and turns. It hasn't always been a straight line. I have thanked God for the joys of parenthood and Michelle's willingness to put up with me," he said, speaking about his wife. Obama's speech was personal in nature, as he spoke of how he "came to know Jesus Christ for myself and embrace him as my lord and savior" more than 20 years ago working as a community organizer in Chicago.

This year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union address occur on the same day, February 2nd, 2011. As Air America Radio pointed out, "It is an ironic juxtaposition of events: "One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication while the other involves a groundhog."

This morning, the Labor Department released its employment data for December, showing that the U.S. economy ended the year by adding 113,000 private sector jobs, knocking the unemployment rate down sharply from 9.8 percent to 9.4 percent — its lowest rate since July 2009…. October and November’s jobs numbers were also revised upward by almost 80,000 each. Still, 14.5 million Americans remain unemployed, and jobs will have to be created much faster in coming months for the country to pull itself out of the economic doldrums.

When President Barack Obama said Wednesday night that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time since being shot on Saturday, an overflow crowd of nearly 30,000 people at a memorial event erupted into cheers that the congresswoman may have heard in her hospital room. Obama said he learned of the eye-opening from Giffords' husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. "She knows we're here, and she knows we love her,and she knows that we will be rooting for her throughout what will be a difficult journey," the president said at a memorial in Tucson to honor the victims of...

Regardless how you feel about the potential repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," an open and honest debate on the matter is essential, considering the possible effects on our military members' ability to perform their duty. As the Commandant of the Marine Corps has been outspoken in his opposition to the law's repeal, efforts are underway to call for Gen. James Amos to resign, simply for conveying the concerns of his Marines (2 out of 3 combat arms Marines felt the repeal would have a negative effect).Gen. Amos is a 38-year veteran who has served with honor, and his dedication...

Troops are ready for the end of 'don't ask, don't tell' By Roland S. Martin, CNN Senior Political Contributor (CNN) -- One of the reasons Defense Secretary Robert Gates commissioned a study on how the military feels about gays serving openly was because it was ridiculous to listen to politicians rambling on and on, and not to those who have to do the heavy lifting. When the results were released, they showed more than two-thirds believe their work wouldn't be harmed by changing the 17-year-old law. That was clear evidence to many that the law needed to be overturned. But...

Americans aren't crazy about the new airport pat-downs. But according to a new poll, nearly half still back them, with even more supporting full body scanning. Forty-eight percent of Americans said the pat-downs are justified, while 50% said they are against the new measures, a new Washington Post/ABC News poll revealed. Meanwhile, the majority – 64% – said they supported the use of full-body scanners while 32% said they were against it. The 385 full-body scanners being used at 68 airports across the country have sparked an outcry from flyers, who argue they're virtual strip searches because they produce invasive,...

These diagrams from the March 2, 1942 issue of Life detailed the Nazi invasion of America shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Check out such alternate reality battles like the bombing of Detroit and invasion of Norfolk, Virginia. These maps were created as a follow-up to an article about an American defeat in WWII by pioneering science fiction author Philip Wylie, who wrote the proto-superhero novel Gladiator. These maps were made in the early days of US involvement in World War II, so there was a sense that this invasion was a real possibility. You can read more about...

It seems the panic time for both green enthusiasts and peak oil pundits. According to a new paper by two researchers at the University of California – Davis, it would take 131 years for replacement of gasoline and diesel given the current pace of research and development; however, world's oil could run dry almost a century before that. The research was published on Nov. 8 at Environmental Science & Technology, which is based on the theory that market expectations are good predictors reflected in prices of publicly traded securities. By incorporating market expectations into the model, the authors, Nataliya Malyshkina...

<p>With the mid-term election in November, Americans have a chance to return power to the Republican Party after two years of Democratic Party rule. However, a new survey by The Barna Group (Ventura, CA) suggests that if the election were held today, only a slim majority of voters would return the Democrats to a majority position in both the House and Senate.</p>

Facing a pallid economy and continuing war, President Obama's support in Minnesota appears to be eroding significantly, particularly among independents who helped him ascend to the White House 18 months ago, a Star Tribune Minnesota Poll has found. Only 44 percent of Minnesotans in the poll expressed approval for the way Obama is handling his job as president, with an equal number saying they disapprove. That's a seven-point drop in the president's statewide approval rating since September, when 51 percent of Minnesotans said they approved of the job he was doing. That figure was down from 62 percent in an...

A Japanese serial graphic novel genre popular with young teens has raised the ire of a Crestview mother whose teenage son got hold of an adult version of the genre from the Crestview Public Library. “Manga” depicts highly stylized adventure and, occasionally, violence in fantasy settings. Margaret Barbaree, founder of a citizens’ group called Protect Our Children, presented examples from a manga book to the Crestview City Council last week that she described as “graphic” and “shocking,” taken from material she said is “available to children” at the Crestview Public Library. “My son lost his mind when he found this,”...

Arizona's immoral, un-American law Most Americans (61%) support Arizona's controversial anti-immigrant law (Arizona SB 1070), even though they think it is likely to discriminate against Latinos and Latinas who are not undocumented immigrants. Favoring injustice against anyone is immoral: when directed against U.S. citizens, that attitude is also un-American. So what does Catholic America think about an immoral, un-American law? Sadly, most people supporting the Arizona measure have not read the legislation. I know that the legal issues will be scrutinized and argued in courts. The two key matters concern A) jurisdiction and B) biased enforcement. Arizona's lawmakers think they...

Washington, DC—Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement this evening after the Senate passed the Supplemental Appropriations Act: “Hundreds of Nevada families know all too well the sacrifice of sending a loved one into battle to defend America.  And when we ask those troops and those families to give so much to our country, we have a solemn obligation to do everything possible to support them.  That’s why it was so important for us to pass this supplemental bill that ensures that the additional 30,000 troops we’re sending into Afghanistan have everything they need to be successful in their mission....

>>While you were watching the oil spill, and other critical crises, Hillary Clinton signed the small arms treaty with the UN. OBAMA FINDS LEGAL WAY AROUND THE 2ND AMENDMENT AND USES IT. IF THIS PASSES, THERE COULD BE WAR On Wednesday Obama Took the First Major Step in a Plan to Ban All Firearms in the United States The Obama administration intends to force gun control and a complete ban on all weapons for US citizens through the signing of international treaties with foreign nations. Once the US Government signs these international treaties, all US citizens will be subject to...

A popular sentiment shared among members of the sports community is that politics and sports should not mix. After all, with the vast investment of Corporate America, astronomical ticket pricing and multi-billion dollar television contracts, it is simply safer and financially more lucrative to accept the status quo than to challenge it. The Phoenix Suns recently rejected this logic during their 2nd round playoff series versus the San Antonio Spurs. Before Game 2 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals versus their post-season nemesis, the Suns took advantage of their media spotlight to show support for the Latino community. Owner Robert Sarver...

To the surprise of immigrant advocates, Ohioans back sweeping immigration reform and are ready to engage in a debate they know could get ugly. A poll released this week found that nearly 70 percent of likely Ohio voters would support a plan that brings illegal immigrants out of the shadows and makes them tax-paying citizens. Ohioans rated a "path to citizenship" as a higher priority than border security and other get-tough measures that are widely perceived as politically safe. "The Ohio results are stunning," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-reform group America's Voice, which commissioned the poll. Sharry...

The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (NPP) is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state. Following the 2008 general elections, it currently holds supermajorities in the Commonwealth's House of Representatives and Senate. The NPP also won the Puerto Rico's sole delegate to Congress seat and the Governor's office at La Fortaleza. Forty-eight of Puerto Rico's 78 mayoral seats are now also occupied by NPP. The majority of the PNP leaders are also members of the US Republican Party, with only two PNP governors, Carlos Romero Barceló, and...

CNN anchor Don Lemon claims there is a tape that shows Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) being called the "n-word." However, he is unable to produce it on-air.

PARIS (AFP) – Big volcanic eruptions have had a cooling effect on Earth's climate, but the Icelandic event is too small to provide any such respite from manmade global warming, scientists said on Friday. The benchmark cooling event of the past 20 years was in 1991, when Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines. It cooled Earth's surface by 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next year, enough to offset the impact of greenhouse gases from 1991 to 1993. A smaller cooling episode occurred in 1980, when Mount St. Helens in the US state of Washington blew its top,...

If that last sentence surprises you, then you're not aware of the fact that the Obama administration is planning to force us to register our homes, just like our cars, and get them inspected by an authorized agent of the DOE in order to get an "Inspection Label" for the home.

Social justice is best pursued through fidelity to the Constitution of the United States, which was written by brilliant men who designed it as a restraint on government and a guarantee of individual liberty and responsibility. The Catholic Church doesn't have a monopoly on virtue, and before it again pursues 'social justice' and 'change' at the expense of our institutions and traditions, it would be wise for it to remember that the road to perdition is paved with good intentions.

Video by Ohio Progressive claims that tea partiers mocked a man with parkinsons disease. The left has been freaking out all over the web about this. Personally I am calling BS until I have more info. For all I know he could be some socialist doing an act to make the tea party look bad.

The source for this record is a 1952 tract, published by the Calvary Radio Ministry, New York City, New York. It was part of the library of the late Elder Jarrel E. Huffman, pastor of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Duncan, Oklahoma from 1978 until 1997. Every attempt has been made to preserve the style and structure of the original tract, although some formatting concessions were made to facilitate this medium. ~ August, 1997 A word about the message: The sermon, "St. Patrick was a Baptist," was delivered to a thronged congregation at the Calvary Baptist Church of New York...

David Gibson Posted: 03/13/10 The head of the national association of Catholic hospitals, which holds great sway in the health care debate, threw her support Saturday behind the contested Senate reform bill in a move that could give a major boost to the legislation's prospects. But the endorsement of Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, could also put the nun and her organization at odds with the Catholic hierarchy, which continues to oppose the bill due to its provision on abortion coverage. As Politics Daily has reported, the Senate bill does not appear to allow for abortion...

Just out: A group representing Catholic hospitals Saturday rallied behind President Barack Obama's health care bill ahead of a House vote in which anti-abortion lawmakers could play a decisive role.

A cardinal seen as a future candidate for the papacy has broken a Vatican taboo by raising the possibility that priestly celibacy is among the causes of the sex abuse scandal sweeping the Roman Catholic Church.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A straw poll of US conservative activists saw Texas congressman Ron Paul emerge as the preferred Republican presidential candidate to run against President Barack Obama in 2012. Some 31 percent of the more than 2,000 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) attendees who participated in the poll voted for the outspoken libertarian. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate in 2008, came in third with 7.0 percent, some way behind former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (22 percent), who had won the CPAC poll for the last three years. There were boos among the crowd as the...

LOS ANGELES, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. government's majority stake in General Motors Co GM.UL has no bearing on the response of regulators to safety problems at Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T)(TM.N), Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Friday. "That argument is baloney," LaHood said when asked about the issue during an appearance in Los Angeles. Questions about whether the government stands to benefit as a GM shareholder from its regulatory crackdown on Toyota gained some steam this week with a number of critics suggesting at least the appearance of a conflict of interest.

President Barack Obama and his Attorney General Eric Holder issued conflicting statements on how captured Islamic terrorists should be treated. Holder insisted that those like the Christmas day bomber will be handled under existing criminal statutes. This includes advising them of their right to remain silent. “We cannot sacrifice the rights of the accused to the notion that the safety of innocent victims takes precedence,” Holder said. “Saving lives may seem important to some, but preserving our system of jurisprudence has got to be a higher priority.” On the other hand, President Obama asserted that “the idea that we can...

At National Review Online, conservative curmudgeon John Derbyshire has weighed in on the Climategate scandal by encouraging conservatives not to jump on the anti-science bandwagon. I share his worry and find his advice is good so far as it goes; but I think Derbyshire’s defense of science might actually encourage the skepticism he wants to prevent. Most of the trouble comes from his invocation of the word “science,� and his claim that science has a magisterium.His article is called “Trust Science.� I’m not sure what that means. What is “science,� and how do we “trust� it? Imagine if someone said:...

Last February I mentioned the events that would commemorate the life and work of Charles Darwin in 2009. I had no idea at the time that I would be invited to participate in one of these events. But there I was, precisely 150 years after On the Origin of Species first appeared, seated with other scientists in front of a packed room that featured, among other interesting things, a life-sized model of a baleen whale. The venue was the National Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany, and the occasion was a panel discussion titled Design without a Designer? [1]...

COPENHAGEN (AP) -- This decade is on track to become the warmest since records began in 1850, and 2009 could rank among the top-five warmest years, the U.N. weather agency reported Tuesday on the second day of a pivotal 192-nation climate conference. Only the United States and Canada experienced cooler conditions than average, the World Meteorological Organization said, although Alaska had the second-warmest July on record. In central Africa and southern Asia, this will probably be the warmest year, but overall, 2009 will "be about the fifth-warmest year on record," said Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the WMO. The agency also...

With 20,000 delegates, advocates and journalists jetting to Copenhagen for planet Earth's last chance, the carbon footprint of the global warming summit will be the only impressive consequence of the climate change meeting. Its organizers had hoped it would produce binding caps on emissions, global taxation to redistribute trillions of dollars and micromanagement of everyone's choices. China, nimble at the politics of pretending that is characteristic of climate change theater, promises only to reduce its "carbon intensity" — carbon emissions per unit of production. So China's emissions will rise. Barack Obama, understanding the histrionics required in climate change debates, promises...

I would rather people die or be poor than be forced to help them. Being forced to help others is not the American way! It's downright anti-Christian of the government to tell me I have to pay for other people's health care! Besides, everyone knows that a public option can't work. Why can't DUMBocrats get it through their thick skulls that it won't work? NO OTHER FIRST-WORLD NATION HAS EVER HAD A SUCCESSFUL GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH PROGRAM. Don't get me wrong, here. I'm not a Republican. They're both two sides of the same coin. I mean, I've voted Republican in every...

The perfect companion clip to Ace’s post yesterday on The One’s illusions about what his global charm offensive might actually accomplish. The key bit comes early, at about a minute in. Why hasn’t his glorious restoration of America’s “standing” translated into any foreign-policy achievements thus far? Simple, he says: We’re in the laying-the-groundwork stage right now. Softening up the people. Giving them a jolt of Hopenchange fee-vah that’s going to force their leaders to play ball with America whether they want to or not. Meanwhile, here’s what’s in the Times today: A week ago, when Mr. Obama kicked off his...

Some pro-life Catholics reacted with shock to the news that the Vatican warmly greeted the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama, who is pro-abortion. They don't seem to understand that the Vatican and Obama agree on most major international issues. This is the untold story-how Obama and the Vatican accept major ingredients of what has been called a New World Order. Another untold story is how, despite a disagreement over abortion, the U.S. Catholic Bishops and the Obama Administration agree on major aspects of so-called health care reform. These topics are mostly taboo in the liberal and...

Researchers at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, reporting initial findings in their look into causes of the Catholic church's 2002 sexual-abuse scandal, yesterday said they can't attribute it to gay priests or seminaries for teenagers. "We do not have data to support ... those assertions," said Karen Terry, lead researcher for the $1.8 million study commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is meeting this week in Baltimore. Dr. Terry presented her interim report on the same day that the bishops conference also adopted a pastoral letter on marriage and a statement on reproductive technologies...

In a story about why the U.S. Catholic Bishops have embraced Democratic-style universal health care, the Los Angeles Times noted that the Roman Catholic Church considers healthcare a basic human right, "a position the church has articulated since 1963, when it was included in a papal encyclical by Pope John XXIII." Indeed, healthcare is declared a right in the "Peace on Earth" encyclical. That is also the basis of Obamacare.

Amid the worst recession in generations, Karl Marx, who famously described religion as “the opium of the people�, got a thumbs up from the Vatican overturning a century of Catholic hostility to his creed. Marx, who predicted that capitalism would be destroyed by its internal contradictions, has joined Galileo, Charles Darwin and Oscar Wilde on a growing list of historical figures to have undergone an unlikely reappraisal by the Roman Catholic Church, The Times newspaper said on Thursday. The British daily, quoting the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, said Marx’s early critiques of capitalism had highlighted the “social alienation� felt by...

Liberal and conservative Catholics alike would prefer not to discuss how the Catholic Church, here and abroad, functions like a liberal/left-wing political lobby. Some pro-life Catholics are acting shocked that the Vatican warmly greeted the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama, who is pro-abortion. They don't seem to understand that the Vatican and Obama agree on most major international issues. This is the untold story-how Obama and the Vatican accept major ingredients of what has been called a New World Order. Another untold story is how, despite a disagreement over abortion, the U.S. Catholic Bishops and the...

Some pro-life Catholics are acting shocked that the Vatican warmly greeted the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama, who is pro-abortion. They don't seem to understand that the Vatican and Obama agree on most major international issues. This is the untold story-how Obama and the Vatican accept major ingredients of what has been called a New World Order.