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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Conservative Republicans on Tuesday balked at House leaders' pleas to stop whining and back their plan to slash spending and increase the nation's borrowing ability, throwing into doubt the GOP's proposal to rescue the nation from an unprecedented government default. ... Flanked by conservative colleagues, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told reporters he could not back the Boehner proposal and said it doesn't have the votes to pass. In a two-step plan, Boehner is pressing for a vote on Wednesday and a second vote Thursday on a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. "We think there are real problems...

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama often discussed his mother's struggle with cancer. Ann Dunham spent the months before her death in 1995, Obama said, fighting with insurance companies that sought to deny her the coverage she needed to pay for treatment. "I remember in the last month of her life, she wasn't thinking about how to get well, she wasn't thinking about coming to terms with her own mortality, she was thinking about whether or not insurance was going to cover the medical bills and whether our family would be bankrupt as a consequence," Obama said in September...

Potential presidential candidate Donald Trump says he has "just a little" doubt that President Obama is U.S.-born but his feeling doesn't make him an "idiot." The mogul and TV reality star suggested in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" that aired Thursday that he's reluctant to discuss the topic because "everybody that even gives any hint of being a 'birther,' a word you didn't use, even a little bit of a hint like, 'gee, maybe you know, just maybe there is this much of a chance,' they label them as an idiot."

Charles Darwin observed “ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.” That was certainly true in 1995 when a man named McArthur Wheeler boldly robbed two banks in Pittsburgh without using a disguise. Security camera footage of him was broadcast on the evening news the same day as the robberies, and he was arrested an hour later. Mr. Wheeler was surprised when the police explained how they had used the surveillance tapes to catch him. “But I wore the juice,” he mumbled incredulously. He seemed to believe that rubbing his face with lemon juice would blur his image and make...

How would you rate the power of prayer? Would say that…. Prayer is Real, Genuine, and Powerful Prayer is Ineffective Prayer is a phony mechanism used by superstitious people Believe it or not there are many people whose personal opinions best match at least one of those stated views. And what we’re going to do today is examine each and every one of them with some background, clarity, and hopefully provide you with some new insight. 1. Prayer is Real, Genuine, and Powerful—I don’t think that for one second, it would be inaccurate to say that every believer in this...

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) – Congressional Republicans on Wednesday rejected the idea that the $900-billion economic stimulus plan being pushed by the Obama White House and Senate Democrats will preserve or create more than 3 million American jobs. “The important thing to appreciate about that number is that instead of being ‘creating’ 3 to 4 million jobs, it is ‘saving or creating’ 3 to 4 million jobs,” Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) told CNSNews.com during a press briefing. “The problem with that line is that you can’t ever prove a negative. You can’t ever prove that there was a job that would...

It started out as the dream job for a passionate Christian -- reporting about religion for a major newspaper. But writing about other people's religions ended up costing William Lobdell his own. The former Los Angeles Times reporter chronicled his soul-wrenching, emotion-laden journey in the recently released book "Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America -- and Found Unexpected Peace," published by Harper Collins. Lobdell's spiritual journey led him from an uninspired Protestant childhood to agnosticism before he attended a weekend Christian men's retreat where he was "born again." Concerned with what he considered...

HAVANA – The ouster of Cuba's two most prominent younger leaders leaves more doubt than ever about who will guide the country once the Castro brothers and their gray-haired revolutionary contemporaries are gone. President Raul Castro is 77. His hand-picked No. 2, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, is a year his senior. And there are no obvious next-generation successors in the ranks of mostly obscure communist party officials, military officers and bureaucrats who were suddenly promoted this week in Cuba's largest leadership shake-up in decades. "This is the old guard, most of them are very traditional hard-liners," said Uva de Aragon,...

As others have noted, the Catholic-school movie Doubt (like the play) is kind of a Rorschach test that leaves audiences forming conclusions based on their preconceptions. The film, set in 1964, pits a disciplinarian nun (Meryl Streep) against a “the-Church-needs-to-change” priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) over his abuse of a child. But having seen it, I think the movie version is open to several interpretations: 1. It might be a “Gay message movie.” (Spoiler alert!) We meet a boy who is misunderstood and abused because of his homosexuality (“God made him that way,” explains his mother. “We’re talking about actions, not...

New York (AP) -- Bernard Madoff's contention that he pulled off one of the biggest financial frauds in history without any help is being met with disbelief by his investors and experts in the securities industry. It normally takes a team of accountants, stock brokers, lawyers and more to operate the kind of multibillion-dollar investment fund that Madoff ran from the 17th floor of his Manhattan headquarters. The firm had clients around the globe. Simply generating the detailed financial statements investors got in the mail every month would have been a monumental effort for just one person, observers said, even...

Republican strategist Karl Rove said Sunday the fact that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama does not have a large lead in the race shows that there are “grave doubts” about the Illinois senator. “With a restive electorate, with an economy that's sort of chugging around, with a war in the background, at the end of eight years of Republican rule in the White House, Obama should be way ahead,” Rove, who engineered President Bush’s two election victories and whose name is synonymous with tough campaigning, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Meantime, Sen. McCain’s (Ariz.) campaign manager Rick Davis stated...

Britain must leave Iran in no doubt of its anger Last Updated: 12:01am BST 26/03/2007 The last time Iranian forces kidnapped British naval personnel from Iraqi territorial waters, in 2004, the hostages were released after three days. So it must remain our earnest hope that the current outrage in the Gulf will also turn out to be no more than another act of bellicose posturing by Teheran, and that HMS Cornwall will shortly welcome its crew members back on board, all safe and well. More doubtful is how the behaviour of our Government, especially that of a Prime Minister who...

Note; Had to remove words to get under 300. See article. People are taught that the fossil record furnishes proof of evolution. But, where are there fossils of half-evolved dinosaurs or other creatures? The fossil record contains fossils of only complete and fully-formed species. There are no fossils of partially-evolved species. Evolutionists claim that the genetic and biological similarities between species is evidence of common ancestry. However, that is only one interpretation of the evidence. Neither position can be scientifically proved. Although Darwin was partially correct by showing that natural selection occurs in nature, the problem is that natural selection...

Schwarzenegger Squashes Religious Freedom Thomasson: “Arnold Schwarzenegger has two faces. He speaks at churches and says he believes in religious freedom and family values, yet he’s stabbing pro-family Californians in the back.” Sacramento, California – Campaign for Children and Families is shocked and dismayed that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed SB 1441 (Kuehl). Today’s disastrous action by Schwarzenegger means Christian and other faith-based colleges in California will be forced to promote transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality if they accept students with Cal Grants. “People of conscience are appalled that Arnold Schwarzenegger has trampled religious freedom to satisfy hyperactive sexual activists,”...

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers of both parties told the nation's homeland security chief Thursday they doubt that plans for more agents, improved sensors and other measures to tighten U.S. borders against illegal immigrants and terrorists will work. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff agreed that his department is unlikely to completely curb the immigration flow, particularly at the Mexican border. But he said a crackdown this year appears to have deterred immigrants from trying to sneak into the country. "If we're ever going to someday get to a comprehensive immigration policy, you have to succeed first at a border security plan," Rep....

JACKSON, Miss. (March 24) - Randy Walker swears he would have died from his diabetes after Hurricane Katrina had a sheriff not seized two FEMA trucks filled with ice and distributed it to residents, many of whom had to keep their insulin cold. Now, that sheriff could be prosecuted on charges of interfering with a federal operation. Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee commandeered two 18-wheelers full of ice from Camp Shelby, a Federal Emergency Management Agency staging area, after five days passed with little relief for residents living without electricity in the wake of the deadly storm. "Man, I was...

Louisiana governor's political future in doubt Associated Press Sept. 11, 2005, 5:33PM Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco acknowledges applause from worshipers after she was introduced during a mass at Saint Joseph's Cathedral in Baton Rouge, La., Sept. 4.SLIDELL, La. — "I've probably been to hell and back," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said as she traipsed back to a military helicopter that would lift her from this hurricane-ravaged city back to Baton Rouge. Her eyes were bleary but she looked fitter than she had in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina's Aug. 29 strike. Waylaid by one reporter after another, she granted interviews...

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, having posted a few times, but been a Freeper for close to two years. I have had lots of doubts with President Bush for some time, even before the 2004 elections, but I didn't like Kerry so I voted for Bush again. But this tragedy has hit too close to home. I lived in Idaho for several years before moving back to Alabama, and I live in Washington County, and I left before Katrina hit, and my home is powerless and won't have power or oil for a while. Although I continue to support...

Although the state's $3 billion stem-cell research institute could help companies such as VistaGen Therapeutics of Burlingame find new cures for a range of health problems, it won't bolster California's coffers the way its backers had promised, a new study has concluded. Many claims supporting last year's passage of Proposition 71, which launched the research effort, ``are based on unrealistic assumptions about the potential economic impact,'' according to the study unveiled Tuesday by the California Council on Science and Technology. ``Some statements about these returns verge on hyperbole.'' The report by the non-profit advisory group, which was created by the...

WASHINGTON - Efforts since the Clinton administration to clean up the nation's biggest industrial source of air pollution reached what may be a legal dead end Wednesday. A federal appeals court ruled that power plants can throw more pollutants into the air annually when they modernize to operate for longer hours. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Duke Energy Corp. didn't need the Environmental Protection Agency's permission when it made improvements between 1988 and 2000 at eight power plants in North Carolina and South Carolina. While the modifications would allow the plants to operate more hours and,...

After 14 weeks of trial, and seven days of deliberation, the Jackson case came down to a battle of two videos. Both videos played at the end of closing arguments showed the statement of the young accuser to the police, and the Bashir documentary outtakes that showed a side of Michael Jackson that is innocent and wistfully childlike. In the end, the jury decided that Michael Jackson was not guilty of molestation. Everyone knows that Michael Jackson is more than weird, he is a universe unto himself. But the jury may have leaned on a universe of innocent love and...

I imagine more than a few people will never forgive God for the recent Tsunami. Today I went on Google and typed in, "Why did God allow the tsunami to happen?" The search engine found 108,000 web entries on the subject. Yeah, people are wondering. Just like they wondered why God did nothing to stop the Holocast. Before that, the First World War. Many turned away from God after each of these tragedies. And it's not surprising. When criminals in our society commit gross crimes of willful murder, we execute them. Many people, putting two and two together, figure an...

Experts: International domain names may pose threat The new trick is a variation of the 'homograph attack' The new trick is a variation of a known technique called the "homograph attack" and takes advantage of loopholes in the way some popular Web browsers display domain names that use non-English characters. It could allow malicious hackers and online identity-theft groups to trick unsuspecting users into divulging sensitive personal information, according to an advisory from The Shmoo Group, a hacker collective, and from Secunia. snip For example, attackers could register a Web domain "bloomberg.com," which looks identical to the popular business news...

I am a lifelong skeptic. I am also a Christian believer. Skeptics Club is aimed at those who are by inclination the former but who would like, if possible, to be the latter as well. Some otherwise sophisticated believers seem unable to understand skepticism. If they can't, that's okay. Yet I believe many people can only come to faith by exploring their doubts. As for me, most faith claims strike me as dubious, at least at first, before I've had a chance to investigate them. Fair warning: This site is designed for true skeptics who are nonetheless exploring faith. None...

Practically everyone has prayed. Some have tried it a few times, an experiment. Others, even apparently irreligious personalities, pray constantly. Something inside urges us to ask for help. We ask. It may be, "Please help me with this exam." Or, "Save my marriage!" Or, "Heal my Dad." Two possible problems. We "hear" no answer. And Dad still dies. Why would anyone pray to, as historian Paul Johnson terms him, "the God who is silent?" As a believing Christian and a skeptic, this is frustrating. It's hard to pray for divine intervention, only to see the natural order continue unmolested. Nevertheless,...

agree with you that grace is received in schismatical portions of the Church (I am not allowing here that the English Establishment is a portion of the Church, i.e. has the Sacraments,) by those who are in involuntary ignorance; but directly a person begins to doubt, he is bound to pursue his doubt. An Anglican has no excuse for not pursuing his doubt. His Church bids him inquire. I wish you to bring passages from the formularies of the divines of your Church bidding you exercise that absolute submission of reason which the Catholic Church injoins. On the contrary the...

What Happens When I Doubt? by Juan de Valdes (1498-1541) Juan de Valdes fled the Spanish Inquisition in 1531 and led a reform movement in Italy. The following is a short extract from his larger work titled, The Benefit of Christ.The above title is not found in the original text but was created for this online edtion which was made available by Shane Rosenthal for Reformation Ink. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amongst those who bear the name Christian, I know that there are two classes of men. One finds it extremely easy to believe all that is said to them in matters of...

Where Faith Flourishes While one should walk by faith in all of life, they are obvious times when it is activated more than others. Each person has his inner issues and outer issues in life. His inner issues involve such things as doubts, secret sins, feelings of rejection, worry, etc. Whereas, his outer issues tend to be much more visible and definitive, i.e., finances, health, family issues. I have long observed in my experience that the more tangible a circumstance is, the more taxing it is on my faith. It is much easier for me to dismiss the intangible issues...

New ban on doubting Danish priest Thorkild Grosboel has refused to resign A Danish Lutheran priest who caused controversy last year by saying he did not believe in God has been suspended for a second time and may be dismissed. Bishop Lise-Lotte Rebel said Thorkild Grosboel had sown "deep confusion" in the Church with his comments, first made in a press interview in May 2003. Mr Grosboel retracted his comments and was reinstated, but has been observed to repeat his controversial remarks. He is quoted as saying he did not understand the bishop's decision. God abdicated in favour of his...

Washington-AP -- New research casts doubt on the theory that a single asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. Scientists have often pointed to a crater in Mexico as the asteroid's impact point. But Princeton University researchers say the impact that caused the crater occurred 300-thousand years before the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 (m) million years ago. A report appears in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. At least one scientist doubts the group's findings. Richard Norris of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography says the Princeton researchers were working with incorrect site data.

**KERRY NOT SURE GOD ON AMERICA'S SIDE... DAN RATHER IN SHOWDOWN WITH SHARPTON!... MILLIONAIRE EDWARDS PRESSED ON 'AVERAGE GUY' IMAGE**...

Doubt cast on North Korea's nuclear weapons 12:33 22 January 04 NewScientist.com news service North Korea has created and extracted plutonium but may not actually be able to make it into a nuclear weapon. That is the conclusion of the first Western scientist to see the country's nuclear facilities since it evicted UN inspectors in December 2002. Siegfried Hecker, the former head of the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory in New Mexico, held a jar which he believed contained 200 grams of warm North Korean plutonium alloy. But he found no evidence that any had been fashioned into the complex implosion...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap16jun16,1,3130656.story George Skelton: Capitol Journal A Davis Recall Election Would Shake Up Political Landscape SACRAMENTO--U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein probably won't run. If she doesn't, Arnold Schwarzenegger very well might. And if he does, Richard Riordan definitely won't. But Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) will — unless the recall election is in Democratic-friendly March, rather than this fall. Assume the voting on whether to recall Gov. Gray Davis is in November and Schwarzenegger and Issa are running on the Republican side. Does Bill Simon jump in too? Probably not, but who could have imagined him running last year? State Sen. Tom McClintock...

At Emmaus, about seven miles west of Jerusalem, there lived two brothers, shepherds, who had spent the Passover week in Jerusalem attending upon the sacrifices, ceremonials, and feasts. Cleopas, the elder, was a partial believer in Jesus; at least he had been cast out of the synagogue. His brother, Jacob, was not a believer, although he was much intrigued by what he had heard about the Master's teachings and works. On this Sunday afternoon, about three miles out of Jerusalem and a few minutes before five o'clock, as these two brothers trudged along the road to Emmaus, they talked in...

WASHINGTON The Bush administration has embarked on a campaign — using radio broadcasts and other communications with Iraqi military leaders — to sow doubts about whether Saddam Hussein is still alive and in control of the country, senior administration and military officials said. American officials say they have still reached no conclusions about whether Saddam survived an attack two weeks ago. But they are trying to turn that uncertainty to battlefield advantage, attempting to raise questions in the minds of Iraqi military commanders defending Baghdad about whether they should stand and fight for a leader who may have been killed...

There is a story that a teacher once asked a class for a definition of faith. One of the children answered: "Faith is when you believe something which you know ain't true." This account is traceable to Mark Twain, though I don't think it was original with him. I will assume it is a product of someone's genius and sense of humor rather than a true story. The point is, it could be a true story. In our modern society, faith is viewed as a wispy, tenuous thing, vague and shadowy. Many people, believers and unbelievers alike, could sympathize with...

'Pause' in doubt as US troops hit elite force By John Lichfield and Anne Penketh 30 March 2003 American airborne troops launched a preliminary offensive against the Republican Guard defending Baghdad yesterday, despite reports from other US commanders that the advance had been placed "on pause". The 101st Airborne Division attacked units of the Medina Division of the Republican Guard defending the Karbala Gap, south-west of the Iraqi capital, claiming later to have killed 50 soldiers and destroyed 25 tanks. The battle for the Karbala Gap – a 20-mile-wide strip of land between a lake and the river Euphrates –...

Northern Thrust of Iraq Invasion Plan in Doubt By Adam Entous and Ralph Boulton WASHINGTON/ANKARA, Turkey (Reuters) - The northern thrust of a planned two-pronged U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was thrown in doubt on Wednesday after Turkey put off any decision on whether to allow American forces onto its soil. With Western forces building up in the Gulf region, the United States and Britain were working to draw up a U.N. resolution authorizing force that they hope will placate global opposition to a war assumed to be only weeks away. But the government of Turkey, Iraq's northern neighbor, deferred a...

I would like some help. I have been reading through Matthew, and came across a confusing difference between 2 chapters. Can someone help me to understand how these 2 passages relate to one another? Matthew Chapter 3 14: John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15: But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. Matthew Chapter 11 2: Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word...

Loyalty of Iraq's elite in doubt Republican guard units kept out of Baghdad : Loyalty of Saddam's elite troops in doubt Brian Whitaker Friday September 20, 2002 The Guardian Elite forces from Iraq's Republican Guard may not be called upon to protect Saddam Hussein in the event of an American attack - for fear that they might turn against him. The Iraqi leader is determined to keep his crack troops out of Baghdad where their tanks and heavy weaponry could be used to overthrow the regime rather than defend it, the Guardian has learned. This is because President Saddam cannot...