Haaretz - Israel News - Article: "`Road map is a life saver for us,' PM Abbas tells Hamas | By Arnon Regular
Selected minutes acquired by Haaretz from one of last week's cease-fire negotiations between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and faction leaders from the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular and Democratic Fronts, reveal some of the factors at play behind the scenes in the effort to achieve a hudna.
...
He explained to the faction leaders that with regard to the first phase of the road map, there was an agreement with the Americans that "the Palestinians would speak publicly about their commitments according to the map and then the Israelis would do the same thing." From there, he moved on to describe what happened at the summits. He said that Bush told the Arab leaders that he is fully committed to a solution based on his vision speech from June 24, 2002 and is ready to move forward "if there is help on your part."
"The Arabs supported him and I said we are ready to fulfill our commitments as they appear in the map," said Abbas. He said the discussion of the start of the implementation of the map dealt with Gaza, where he said that Palestinian Authority institutions "are 75 percent destroyed, while in the West Bank they are 100 percent destroyed."
...
He emphasized that at that stage he made clear to the participants at the Sharm summit that "we need time and capabilities to stand on our feet. And I explained that I had already spoken with Ariel Sharon about reaching a hudna between all the Palestinian factions." According to Abbas, "Bush exploded with anger and said `there can be no deals with terror groups.' We told him that they are part of our people and we cannot deal with them in any other way. We cannot begin with repression, under no circumstances, and I made clear to Bush that Sharon already agreed with that.
...
Abbas said: "We were asked what we need if Israel withdraws and we said `that there not be raids, chases, assassinations or house demolitions, because that kind of activity will destroy everything.'"
...
Abbas said that at Aqaba, Bush promised to speak with Sharon about the siege on Arafat. He said nobody can speak to or pressure Sharon except the Americans.
According to Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush said: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
Air Force Bans Leaders' Promotion of Religion - after complaints that evangelical Christians leaders were using their positions to promote their faith
Air Force Bans Leaders' Promotion of Religion - New York Times: "By LAURIE GOODSTEIN | Published: August 30, 2005
The Air Force issued new religion guidelines to its commanders yesterday that caution against promoting any particular faith - or even 'the idea of religion over nonreligion' - in official communications or functions like meetings, sports events and ceremonies.
The guidelines discourage public prayers at official Air Force events or meetings other than worship services, one of the most contentious issues for many commanders. But they allow for 'a brief nonsectarian prayer' at special ceremonies like those honoring promotions, or in 'extraordinary circumstances' like 'mass casualties, preparation for imminent combat and natural disasters.'
The Air Force developed the guidelines after complaints from cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that evangelical Christians leaders were using their positions to promote their faith."
The Air Force issued new religion guidelines to its commanders yesterday that caution against promoting any particular faith - or even 'the idea of religion over nonreligion' - in official communications or functions like meetings, sports events and ceremonies.
The guidelines discourage public prayers at official Air Force events or meetings other than worship services, one of the most contentious issues for many commanders. But they allow for 'a brief nonsectarian prayer' at special ceremonies like those honoring promotions, or in 'extraordinary circumstances' like 'mass casualties, preparation for imminent combat and natural disasters.'
The Air Force developed the guidelines after complaints from cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that evangelical Christians leaders were using their positions to promote their faith."
No man who publicly advocates cold-blooded murder for political reasons can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ
Not a Christian by Charley Reese: "
Pat Robertson, host of 'The 700 Club,' is not a Christian. No man who publicly advocates cold-blooded murder for political reasons can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Robertson did that on his television show, saying it would be cheaper to murder the president of Venezuela than to overthrow him with a war.
The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is a frequent critic of President George Bush and the United States. He is also democratically elected. It's funny how many people in the American elite who profess to advocate democracy tend to change their minds when the results of democracy don't suit them. Nowhere is it written that a free and democratic election will produce a leader whom we like. That should be obvious from the outcomes of our elections. Sometimes we like the winner, and sometimes we don't. The essence of a democratic society, however, is that when we don't like the winner, we put up with him until the next election.
For a long time, I've not believed that Robertson is a Christian. I have this old-fashioned idea that rich preachers are incompatible with Christianity. If you don't already know this, most of the televangelists spend an inordinate amount of their time and efforts fundraising and living in the lap of luxury. I assume darn few of them will squeeze through that eye of the needle that Christ spoke of in regard to a rich man getting into heaven.
Robertson is a politician who uses Christianity as a source of income and as a cover for his political goals. ...
Pat Robertson, host of 'The 700 Club,' is not a Christian. No man who publicly advocates cold-blooded murder for political reasons can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Robertson did that on his television show, saying it would be cheaper to murder the president of Venezuela than to overthrow him with a war.
The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is a frequent critic of President George Bush and the United States. He is also democratically elected. It's funny how many people in the American elite who profess to advocate democracy tend to change their minds when the results of democracy don't suit them. Nowhere is it written that a free and democratic election will produce a leader whom we like. That should be obvious from the outcomes of our elections. Sometimes we like the winner, and sometimes we don't. The essence of a democratic society, however, is that when we don't like the winner, we put up with him until the next election.
For a long time, I've not believed that Robertson is a Christian. I have this old-fashioned idea that rich preachers are incompatible with Christianity. If you don't already know this, most of the televangelists spend an inordinate amount of their time and efforts fundraising and living in the lap of luxury. I assume darn few of them will squeeze through that eye of the needle that Christ spoke of in regard to a rich man getting into heaven.
Robertson is a politician who uses Christianity as a source of income and as a cover for his political goals. ...
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Pat Robertson is Not a Christian
Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler: Pat Robertson is Not a Christian: "August 23, 2005 | The Preacher's Fatwah on Chavez | By Rev. GRAYLAN SCOTT HAGLER
Pat Robertson suggested this past Monday that the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, be assassinated by operatives of the United States government. Though his comments are newsworthy because of his following in the 700 Club and his political stature and role in the political religious right, his comments however are out of synch with everything that has been handed down to us from the teachings of Jesus Christ. What I am suggesting here is that Pat Robertson and individuals of his ilk are not practicing or preaching Christ but have become adherents of a political movement in this nation that attempts to use Christianity towards their own narrow political ends. I believe that there is a role for Christianity in the events of the world, but the teachings of Christ leads us to love one another, strain and stretch to understand each other, and dare to know each other enough that we come to an understanding of one another and from that create a world that is not built on might and winning but on understanding and unity. Clearly the comments of Robertson defy the framework we find in the gospels of Jesus Christ." ...
Pat Robertson suggested this past Monday that the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, be assassinated by operatives of the United States government. Though his comments are newsworthy because of his following in the 700 Club and his political stature and role in the political religious right, his comments however are out of synch with everything that has been handed down to us from the teachings of Jesus Christ. What I am suggesting here is that Pat Robertson and individuals of his ilk are not practicing or preaching Christ but have become adherents of a political movement in this nation that attempts to use Christianity towards their own narrow political ends. I believe that there is a role for Christianity in the events of the world, but the teachings of Christ leads us to love one another, strain and stretch to understand each other, and dare to know each other enough that we come to an understanding of one another and from that create a world that is not built on might and winning but on understanding and unity. Clearly the comments of Robertson defy the framework we find in the gospels of Jesus Christ." ...
In the oil-rich Arab countries of the Gulf, September 11 is increasingly being seen as the event that kicked off a galloping economic boom
CNN.com - 9/11 factors boost Gulf economies - Aug 21, 2005: "Sunday, August 21, 2005; Posted: 12:01 p.m. EDT (16:01 GMT)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- In the United States, the September 11 attacks are seen as the catalyst for a period of fear, war and economic worry.
But in the oil-rich Arab countries of the Gulf, September 11 is increasingly being seen as the event that kicked off a galloping economic boom -- and prodded investors to pull their money out of a United States perceived as hostile to Arabs, and instead invest it at home.
Since late 2001, economies in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries have soared, with stock markets up a collective 400 percent. During the same period, investments from those countries into the U.S. slowed to a trickle.
In Saudi Arabia, birthplace of 15 of the 19 terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks, gross domestic product rose 37 percent between 2001 and last year. In the Emirates, home to two of the terrorists, GDP jumped almost 50 percent. ...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- In the United States, the September 11 attacks are seen as the catalyst for a period of fear, war and economic worry.
But in the oil-rich Arab countries of the Gulf, September 11 is increasingly being seen as the event that kicked off a galloping economic boom -- and prodded investors to pull their money out of a United States perceived as hostile to Arabs, and instead invest it at home.
Since late 2001, economies in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries have soared, with stock markets up a collective 400 percent. During the same period, investments from those countries into the U.S. slowed to a trickle.
In Saudi Arabia, birthplace of 15 of the 19 terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks, gross domestic product rose 37 percent between 2001 and last year. In the Emirates, home to two of the terrorists, GDP jumped almost 50 percent. ...
Federal Funds For Abstinence Group Withheld
Federal Funds For Abstinence Group Withheld: "By Ceci Connolly | Washington Post Staff Writer | Tuesday, August 23, 2005; Page A05
The Bush administration yesterday suspended a federal grant to the Silver Ring Thing abstinence program, saying it appears to use tax money for religious activities.
Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services ordered the group to submit a 'corrective action plan' if it hopes to receive an expected $75,000 grant this year. ...
...
The action comes three months after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against HHS, accusing the administration of using tax dollars to promote Christianity. In documents filed in federal court in Boston, the ACLU alleged that the activities, brochures and Web site of Silver Ring Thing were "permeated with religion" and use "taxpayer dollars to promote religious content, instruction and indoctrination."
Teenage graduates of the program sign a covenant "before God Almighty" to remain virgins and earn a silver ring inscribed with a Bible passage reminding them to "keep clear of sexual sin." Many of its events are held at churches.
In filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the organization describes its mission as "evangelistic ministry" with an emphasis on "evangelistic crusade planning." ...
The Bush administration yesterday suspended a federal grant to the Silver Ring Thing abstinence program, saying it appears to use tax money for religious activities.
Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services ordered the group to submit a 'corrective action plan' if it hopes to receive an expected $75,000 grant this year. ...
...
The action comes three months after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against HHS, accusing the administration of using tax dollars to promote Christianity. In documents filed in federal court in Boston, the ACLU alleged that the activities, brochures and Web site of Silver Ring Thing were "permeated with religion" and use "taxpayer dollars to promote religious content, instruction and indoctrination."
Teenage graduates of the program sign a covenant "before God Almighty" to remain virgins and earn a silver ring inscribed with a Bible passage reminding them to "keep clear of sexual sin." Many of its events are held at churches.
In filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the organization describes its mission as "evangelistic ministry" with an emphasis on "evangelistic crusade planning." ...
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Frist Urges theory of intelligent design: "scientific theories must be falsifiable" -- Princeton.EDU
Frist Urges 2 Teachings on Life Origin - New York Times: "By DAVID STOUT | Published: August 20, 2005
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 - Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Republican leader, aligned himself with President Bush on Friday when he said that the theory of intelligent design as well as evolution should be taught in public schools.
Such an approach 'doesn't force any particular theory on anyone,' Mr. Frist said in Nashville, according to The Associated Press. 'I think in a pluralistic society that is the fairest way to go about education and training people for the future.' A Washington spokesman for the senator, Nick Smith, said later that the report was accurate.
The theory [?! "a theory that explains scientific observations; "scientific theories must be falsifiable" .. "An explanation supported by many tests and accepted by a general consensus of scientists." ed.] of intelligent design holds that life is too complicated to have developed through evolution and that a higher power must be involved. Critics say intelligent design theorists are trying to supplant science with religious beliefs."
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 - Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Republican leader, aligned himself with President Bush on Friday when he said that the theory of intelligent design as well as evolution should be taught in public schools.
Such an approach 'doesn't force any particular theory on anyone,' Mr. Frist said in Nashville, according to The Associated Press. 'I think in a pluralistic society that is the fairest way to go about education and training people for the future.' A Washington spokesman for the senator, Nick Smith, said later that the report was accurate.
The theory [?! "a theory that explains scientific observations; "scientific theories must be falsifiable" .. "An explanation supported by many tests and accepted by a general consensus of scientists." ed.] of intelligent design holds that life is too complicated to have developed through evolution and that a higher power must be involved. Critics say intelligent design theorists are trying to supplant science with religious beliefs."
Friday, August 19, 2005
Fundamentalist Christianity, a dangerous force when it denies rational, scientific thinking
AxisofLogic/ Featured: "Fundamentalist Christianity, a dangerous force when it denies rational, scientific thinking | By Lee Salisbury | Aug 11, 2005, 19:58
Religious leaders hate rival sources of authority. 18th Century European Enlightenment thinking with its concepts of rationalism and science provided religious authoritarianism with that rival. America’s founding fathers, products of the Enlightenment, had the audacity to effectively say to Christianity, 'worship all you want, but our Constitution does not need your influence!' Roman Catholic traditionalists and Protestant Christian bible-based fundamentalists still seethe over this rejection.
Then as now, zealous Catholics and Protestants claim to speak for God versus Enlightenment thinkers who boldly experiment with new ideas independent of Christian dogma. Today's clergy shudder if their members hear the Thomas Edison's of this world, whose invention catapulted America to prosperity, exclaim as he did that, 'religion is all bunk!'
The International Herald Tribune's June 22 edition carried an article by Peter Watson entitled 'The Price of Fundamentalism.' It made highly pessimistic observations about nations under the influence of religious fundamentalism and America's present trends.
Religious fundamentalism in Israel, the Roman Empire, China, and the Islamic world had very destructive results. Israel BCE was consumed with religious zealotry and alienated itself from its surrounding Greek and Roman civilizations. Israel's zeal for God got its reward in 70 CE. The Romans annihilated Israel.
The Roman Empire's unlikely demise came three centuries later. Edward Gibbon, author of 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire', blames Rome's fall in part on the ascendancy of Christianity.
Buddhist fundamentalism in China resulted in centuries of chaos until the 9th Century when the Song renaissance restored the Chinese civilization.
Islam's early success was spectacular. It produced many intellectuals and scientists until fundamentalism gained the upper hand in the late 11th Century leading to a millennium of backwardness, which still afflicts the Islamic world.
Christian fundamentalism has gained political ascendancy in America. Under President George Bush, science takes a back seat to his right wing religious ideologues. In August 2003, the Government Reform Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives assessed the treatment of science and scientists by the Bush Administration. The report, "Politics and Science in the Bush Administration" found many instances where the Administration manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings.
Former President George H.W. Bush a decade earlier stated, "Now more than ever, on issues ranging from climate change to AIDS research . . . government relies on the impartial perspective of science for guidance." The current Bush Administration has skewed this impartial perspective, generating unprecedented criticism from the scientific community and prominent Republicans who once led federal agencies. ..
Religious leaders hate rival sources of authority. 18th Century European Enlightenment thinking with its concepts of rationalism and science provided religious authoritarianism with that rival. America’s founding fathers, products of the Enlightenment, had the audacity to effectively say to Christianity, 'worship all you want, but our Constitution does not need your influence!' Roman Catholic traditionalists and Protestant Christian bible-based fundamentalists still seethe over this rejection.
Then as now, zealous Catholics and Protestants claim to speak for God versus Enlightenment thinkers who boldly experiment with new ideas independent of Christian dogma. Today's clergy shudder if their members hear the Thomas Edison's of this world, whose invention catapulted America to prosperity, exclaim as he did that, 'religion is all bunk!'
The International Herald Tribune's June 22 edition carried an article by Peter Watson entitled 'The Price of Fundamentalism.' It made highly pessimistic observations about nations under the influence of religious fundamentalism and America's present trends.
Religious fundamentalism in Israel, the Roman Empire, China, and the Islamic world had very destructive results. Israel BCE was consumed with religious zealotry and alienated itself from its surrounding Greek and Roman civilizations. Israel's zeal for God got its reward in 70 CE. The Romans annihilated Israel.
The Roman Empire's unlikely demise came three centuries later. Edward Gibbon, author of 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire', blames Rome's fall in part on the ascendancy of Christianity.
Buddhist fundamentalism in China resulted in centuries of chaos until the 9th Century when the Song renaissance restored the Chinese civilization.
Islam's early success was spectacular. It produced many intellectuals and scientists until fundamentalism gained the upper hand in the late 11th Century leading to a millennium of backwardness, which still afflicts the Islamic world.
Christian fundamentalism has gained political ascendancy in America. Under President George Bush, science takes a back seat to his right wing religious ideologues. In August 2003, the Government Reform Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives assessed the treatment of science and scientists by the Bush Administration. The report, "Politics and Science in the Bush Administration" found many instances where the Administration manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings.
Former President George H.W. Bush a decade earlier stated, "Now more than ever, on issues ranging from climate change to AIDS research . . . government relies on the impartial perspective of science for guidance." The current Bush Administration has skewed this impartial perspective, generating unprecedented criticism from the scientific community and prominent Republicans who once led federal agencies. ..
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Under George Bush, it looks like history is repeating itself. They will gladly lead our nation down fundamentalism's proven path of destruction
AxisofLogic/ Featured: "Fundamentalist Christianity, a dangerous force when it denies rational, scientific thinking | By Lee Salisbury | Aug 11, 2005, 19:58
Religious leaders hate rival sources of authority. 18th Century European Enlightenment thinking with its concepts of rationalism and science provided religious authoritarianism with that rival. America’s founding fathers, products of the Enlightenment, had the audacity to effectively say to Christianity, "worship all you want, but our Constitution does not need your influence!" Roman Catholic traditionalists and Protestant Christian bible-based fundamentalists still seethe over this rejection.
Then as now, zealous Catholics and Protestants claim to speak for God versus Enlightenment thinkers who boldly experiment with new ideas independent of Christian dogma. Today's clergy shudder if their members hear the Thomas Edison's of this world, whose invention catapulted America to prosperity, exclaim as he did that, "religion is all bunk!"
...
Religious fundamentalism in Israel, the Roman Empire, China, and the Islamic world had very destructive results. Israel BCE was consumed with religious zealotry and alienated itself from its surrounding Greek and Roman civilizations. Israel's zeal for God got its reward in 70 CE. The Romans annihilated Israel.
The Roman Empire's unlikely demise came three centuries later. Edward Gibbon, author of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", blames Rome's fall in part on the ascendancy of Christianity.
Buddhist fundamentalism in China resulted in centuries of chaos until the 9th Century when the Song renaissance restored the Chinese civilization.
Islam's early success was spectacular. It produced many intellectuals and scientists until fundamentalism gained the upper hand in the late 11th Century leading to a millennium of backwardness, which still afflicts the Islamic world.
Christian fundamentalism has gained political ascendancy in America. Under President George Bush, science takes a back seat to his right wing religious ideologues. In August 2003, the Government Reform Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives assessed the treatment of science and scientists by the Bush Administration. The report, "Politics and Science in the Bush Administration" found many instances where the Administration manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings.
...
Fundamentalism's anti-science attitude pervades society. The science journal Physical Review reported in May 2004, that scientific papers published by west European authors exceeded those by U.S. authors in 2003. In 1983, there were three American authors for every one west European.
The percentage of patents granted to American scientists has been falling since 1980, from 60.2 percent of the world's total to 51.8 percent.
In 1989, America trained the same number of science and engineering PhDs as Britain, Germany and France combined. In 2004, the United States is 5 percent behind. European scientists now outnumber American scientists in citations awarded.
America is behind in cloning and stem cell research, now led by South Korean, Italian and British scientists. American fundamentalists seek to outlaw stem cell research on the arbitrary and totally unproven premise that "life begins at conception," a recent concept contrary to the teaching of St. Augustine and the allegedly infallible Roman papacy for some 1,500 years.
..
President Bush's recent endorsement of teaching "Intelligent Design" perpetuates this same denial of science. ID proponents have never had an article on ID published in any peer-reviewed scientific journal. They do not conduct experiments that would prove or falsify their hypothesis.
...
... Religious fundamentalist's objectives have never changed; they seek vindication for their rejection and want America's obeisance. Under George Bush, it looks like history is repeating itself. They will gladly lead our nation down fundamentalism's proven path of destruction, all in the name of their God
Religious leaders hate rival sources of authority. 18th Century European Enlightenment thinking with its concepts of rationalism and science provided religious authoritarianism with that rival. America’s founding fathers, products of the Enlightenment, had the audacity to effectively say to Christianity, "worship all you want, but our Constitution does not need your influence!" Roman Catholic traditionalists and Protestant Christian bible-based fundamentalists still seethe over this rejection.
Then as now, zealous Catholics and Protestants claim to speak for God versus Enlightenment thinkers who boldly experiment with new ideas independent of Christian dogma. Today's clergy shudder if their members hear the Thomas Edison's of this world, whose invention catapulted America to prosperity, exclaim as he did that, "religion is all bunk!"
...
Religious fundamentalism in Israel, the Roman Empire, China, and the Islamic world had very destructive results. Israel BCE was consumed with religious zealotry and alienated itself from its surrounding Greek and Roman civilizations. Israel's zeal for God got its reward in 70 CE. The Romans annihilated Israel.
The Roman Empire's unlikely demise came three centuries later. Edward Gibbon, author of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", blames Rome's fall in part on the ascendancy of Christianity.
Buddhist fundamentalism in China resulted in centuries of chaos until the 9th Century when the Song renaissance restored the Chinese civilization.
Islam's early success was spectacular. It produced many intellectuals and scientists until fundamentalism gained the upper hand in the late 11th Century leading to a millennium of backwardness, which still afflicts the Islamic world.
Christian fundamentalism has gained political ascendancy in America. Under President George Bush, science takes a back seat to his right wing religious ideologues. In August 2003, the Government Reform Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives assessed the treatment of science and scientists by the Bush Administration. The report, "Politics and Science in the Bush Administration" found many instances where the Administration manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings.
...
Fundamentalism's anti-science attitude pervades society. The science journal Physical Review reported in May 2004, that scientific papers published by west European authors exceeded those by U.S. authors in 2003. In 1983, there were three American authors for every one west European.
The percentage of patents granted to American scientists has been falling since 1980, from 60.2 percent of the world's total to 51.8 percent.
In 1989, America trained the same number of science and engineering PhDs as Britain, Germany and France combined. In 2004, the United States is 5 percent behind. European scientists now outnumber American scientists in citations awarded.
America is behind in cloning and stem cell research, now led by South Korean, Italian and British scientists. American fundamentalists seek to outlaw stem cell research on the arbitrary and totally unproven premise that "life begins at conception," a recent concept contrary to the teaching of St. Augustine and the allegedly infallible Roman papacy for some 1,500 years.
..
President Bush's recent endorsement of teaching "Intelligent Design" perpetuates this same denial of science. ID proponents have never had an article on ID published in any peer-reviewed scientific journal. They do not conduct experiments that would prove or falsify their hypothesis.
...
... Religious fundamentalist's objectives have never changed; they seek vindication for their rejection and want America's obeisance. Under George Bush, it looks like history is repeating itself. They will gladly lead our nation down fundamentalism's proven path of destruction, all in the name of their God
"My own feeling is they are giving American Christians a bad name around the world." ... "They see God as mean and having to be appeased"
Not all Christians back 'Justice Sunday' - Saturday, 08/13/05: "Saturday, 08/13/05 | By JEANNINE F. HUNTER | Staff Writer
Organizers of Justice Sunday II, a program designed to draw attention to the Supreme Court and how Christians may influence its jurists, say the live 6 p.m. simulcast at Two Rivers Baptist Church remains on course. The program, titled Justice Sunday II — God Save the United States and this Honorable Court, features House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, among other speakers.
...
"My concern is the way the religious right and this administration are turning the courts into a political battlefield," said Rita Brock, director of Faith Voices for the Common Good, an interfaith organization based in Oakland, Calif. "They are now declaring that they are taking over the third branch of government."
...
"My own feeling is they are giving American Christians a bad name around the world. People now think this is Christianity, what they say it is."
...
Knox said events such as Justice Sunday "offer a very narrow view of my faith and other faiths."
"I see God as unconditional. They see God in a different way. They see God as mean and having to be appeased, which may cause people to think God might not love them if they have a certain status. … I felt, as a person of faith, that it was important to act out of my concern," said Knox.
Organizers of Justice Sunday II, a program designed to draw attention to the Supreme Court and how Christians may influence its jurists, say the live 6 p.m. simulcast at Two Rivers Baptist Church remains on course. The program, titled Justice Sunday II — God Save the United States and this Honorable Court, features House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, among other speakers.
...
"My concern is the way the religious right and this administration are turning the courts into a political battlefield," said Rita Brock, director of Faith Voices for the Common Good, an interfaith organization based in Oakland, Calif. "They are now declaring that they are taking over the third branch of government."
...
"My own feeling is they are giving American Christians a bad name around the world. People now think this is Christianity, what they say it is."
...
Knox said events such as Justice Sunday "offer a very narrow view of my faith and other faiths."
"I see God as unconditional. They see God in a different way. They see God as mean and having to be appeased, which may cause people to think God might not love them if they have a certain status. … I felt, as a person of faith, that it was important to act out of my concern," said Knox.
Millions dead since 1945 ... yet Americans are convinced they are the emissaries of peace and good will.
The flag won't protect you; it's in the wrong hands: "By Luciana Bohne | 08/13/05 'ICH' -- --
Across my lawn, I can see an American flag waving in my neighbor's backyard. Mr. Smith (not his name, of course) is a nice man but he's 95 years old, and I can't take issue with him. I can't tell him that the sporting of the flag, at this time, is tantamount to saying, 'I am a fool. Traitors run the country in our name. They are taking our money from the treasury and spending it on a shortcut to world domination through war.
...
Since 1945, a conservative death count for US adventures abroad can easily tally up to 6 million. Easily! Circa 3 million in Vietnam alone; then there's Indonesia, Haiti, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, just off the top of my head. Plenty of torture, too: Argentina, Brazil, Egypt. Oh, you know the sad litany.
...
And yet, these Americans are convinced they are the emissaries of peace and good will. Pretty staggering delusion all things considered—pathological, one might say. What is the cause of this megalomania? Perhaps it's that radical branch of Protestantism called Puritanism? A kind of Anglo equivalent of Wahabbism? I mean, that weird theology that grants Americans the status of Elect, All-Good, Ever-Just. Certainly the New England writers of the 19th century thought so.
...
"What have you got against Puritans?" says I to my newly-wed, American professor-of-literature husband some 30 years ago. "Hypocrites," says he, laconically. And cryptically, I thought until now. But he's gone. And I can't share his wisdom with a conspiratorial smile. This God of theirs is indeed a God of Hypocrisy, for He bestows on their remarkable aggression and love of war a unique affection. You could call Him Mars—but then we know we make our gods in our own image. ...
Across my lawn, I can see an American flag waving in my neighbor's backyard. Mr. Smith (not his name, of course) is a nice man but he's 95 years old, and I can't take issue with him. I can't tell him that the sporting of the flag, at this time, is tantamount to saying, 'I am a fool. Traitors run the country in our name. They are taking our money from the treasury and spending it on a shortcut to world domination through war.
...
Since 1945, a conservative death count for US adventures abroad can easily tally up to 6 million. Easily! Circa 3 million in Vietnam alone; then there's Indonesia, Haiti, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, just off the top of my head. Plenty of torture, too: Argentina, Brazil, Egypt. Oh, you know the sad litany.
...
And yet, these Americans are convinced they are the emissaries of peace and good will. Pretty staggering delusion all things considered—pathological, one might say. What is the cause of this megalomania? Perhaps it's that radical branch of Protestantism called Puritanism? A kind of Anglo equivalent of Wahabbism? I mean, that weird theology that grants Americans the status of Elect, All-Good, Ever-Just. Certainly the New England writers of the 19th century thought so.
...
"What have you got against Puritans?" says I to my newly-wed, American professor-of-literature husband some 30 years ago. "Hypocrites," says he, laconically. And cryptically, I thought until now. But he's gone. And I can't share his wisdom with a conspiratorial smile. This God of theirs is indeed a God of Hypocrisy, for He bestows on their remarkable aggression and love of war a unique affection. You could call Him Mars—but then we know we make our gods in our own image. ...
Christians Unite to Burn Harry Potter Books - [Book Burning ... now how's my history?!]
Christians Unite to Burn Harry Potter Books - Opinion & Commentary News from Send2Press Newswire Wed, 3 Aug 2005: "Published: Wed, 3 Aug 2005, 05:21 EDT | Edited by Carly Zander | Staff Writer, Send2Press.com
Burning Books - Extreme Reaction or Proof of Uncompromising Devotion to God, asks Bob Miller
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - August 3 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Author and Gospel singer Bob Miller (bobmillerwrites.com/articless.htm), a registered Republican, said today that it was not carved in stone that President Bush will meet with Rev. T.D. Turner Sr. of the Jesus Non-denominational Church, Greenville, Michigan and others who have burned or advocate the burning of Harry Potter books. Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., a church bishop, said the congregation 'will burn Harry Potter books and other witchcraft items to let the world know that there are true followers of Jesus Christ who will not call evil good.' ...
Burning Books - Extreme Reaction or Proof of Uncompromising Devotion to God, asks Bob Miller
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - August 3 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Author and Gospel singer Bob Miller (bobmillerwrites.com/articless.htm), a registered Republican, said today that it was not carved in stone that President Bush will meet with Rev. T.D. Turner Sr. of the Jesus Non-denominational Church, Greenville, Michigan and others who have burned or advocate the burning of Harry Potter books. Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., a church bishop, said the congregation 'will burn Harry Potter books and other witchcraft items to let the world know that there are true followers of Jesus Christ who will not call evil good.' ...
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Bush’s neocon friends shocked as he backs the Darwin-doubters - “To impose it on the teaching of evolution is ridiculous.”
Bush’s neocon friends shocked as he backs the Darwin-doubters - Sunday Times - Times Online: "August 07, 2005
THE theory of intelligent design, which emphasises the role of a creator in the development of the universe, has received a boost from President George W Bush. He has called for it to be taught alongside evolution in schools, writes Sarah Baxter.
While Bush’s conservative Christian fundamentalist base is delighted by his pronouncement, it has opened a split with neoconservatives and other secular allies on the right.
In Texas, where the president likes to spend August reconnecting with his heartland, Bush said last week: “Both sides ought to be taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about.”
...
Some of the president’s greatest supporters in the war on terror are shaking their heads in disbelief at his remarks. Charles Krauthammer, a neoconservative commentator, said the idea of teaching intelligent design — creationism’s “modern step-child” — was “insane”.
“To teach it as science is to encourage the supercilious caricature of America as a nation in the thrall of a religious authority,” he wrote. “To impose it on the teaching of evolution is ridiculous.”
...
... “It is very clear to me that he is sincere about this,” Krauthammer said. “He is not positioning.”
THE theory of intelligent design, which emphasises the role of a creator in the development of the universe, has received a boost from President George W Bush. He has called for it to be taught alongside evolution in schools, writes Sarah Baxter.
While Bush’s conservative Christian fundamentalist base is delighted by his pronouncement, it has opened a split with neoconservatives and other secular allies on the right.
In Texas, where the president likes to spend August reconnecting with his heartland, Bush said last week: “Both sides ought to be taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about.”
...
Some of the president’s greatest supporters in the war on terror are shaking their heads in disbelief at his remarks. Charles Krauthammer, a neoconservative commentator, said the idea of teaching intelligent design — creationism’s “modern step-child” — was “insane”.
“To teach it as science is to encourage the supercilious caricature of America as a nation in the thrall of a religious authority,” he wrote. “To impose it on the teaching of evolution is ridiculous.”
...
... “It is very clear to me that he is sincere about this,” Krauthammer said. “He is not positioning.”
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
6 months after his science adviser said that 'intelligent design is not a scientific theory,' Bush says it 'ought to be properly taught' in school
Wash. Post overlooked apparent Bush administrat ... [Media Matters for America]: "Wash. Post overlooked apparent Bush administration contradiction on intelligent design | 8-3-2005
Six months after his own science adviser said that 'intelligent design is not a scientific theory,' President Bush stated on August 1 that the concept -- whose proponents claim that life is so complex that only an intelligent guiding force could have created it -- 'ought to be properly taught' alongside evolution in public schools. Yet, unlike reports by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, an August 3 Washington Post report on Bush's remark failed to address the statement of the adviser, John H. Marburger III, even while citing conservative claims that intelligent design is, in fact, scientific.
An August 3 Los Angeles Times report noted that Marburger's statement 'seemed to differ with the president.' Similarly, a New York Times report the same day pressed Marburger to explain the apparent discrepancy.
But the Post article, by staff writers Peter Baker and Peter Slevin, noted that '[m]uch of the scientific establishment says that intelligent design is not a tested scientific theory' without mentioning that Bush's own science adviser is among that contingent. Similarly, the report neglected to include Marburger's assessment that intelligent design is not 'scientific' even while reporting claims by Bush and several other advocates of the theory suggesting that it is:"
Six months after his own science adviser said that 'intelligent design is not a scientific theory,' President Bush stated on August 1 that the concept -- whose proponents claim that life is so complex that only an intelligent guiding force could have created it -- 'ought to be properly taught' alongside evolution in public schools. Yet, unlike reports by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, an August 3 Washington Post report on Bush's remark failed to address the statement of the adviser, John H. Marburger III, even while citing conservative claims that intelligent design is, in fact, scientific.
An August 3 Los Angeles Times report noted that Marburger's statement 'seemed to differ with the president.' Similarly, a New York Times report the same day pressed Marburger to explain the apparent discrepancy.
But the Post article, by staff writers Peter Baker and Peter Slevin, noted that '[m]uch of the scientific establishment says that intelligent design is not a tested scientific theory' without mentioning that Bush's own science adviser is among that contingent. Similarly, the report neglected to include Marburger's assessment that intelligent design is not 'scientific' even while reporting claims by Bush and several other advocates of the theory suggesting that it is:"
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Bill prohibits University of Wisconsin campuses from prescribing, dispensing and advertising all forms of birth control and emergency contraceptives.
Minnesota Daily : Protecting women’s reproductive rights on college campuses: "July 27, 2005 | By Kristina Shaw
Minnesotans should be wary of Wisconsin’s ban on birth contol on its university campuses.
College campuses have emerged as the latest battlefield in the nation’s war on women’s reproductive rights. Wisconsin has passed a bill entitled UW Birth Control Ban-AB 343. This bill prohibits University of Wisconsin campuses from prescribing, dispensing and advertising all forms of birth control and emergency contraceptives. Wisconsin State Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, introduced this bill based on the belief that “dispensing birth control and emergency contraceptives leads to promiscuity.” In reality, full access to all birth control options — including emergency contraceptives — has no effect on the level of women’s promiscuity. Instead, birth control and emergency contraceptives help prevent more than 35,000 unintended births and 800,000 abortions each year.
The bill denies thousands of women essential health-care services and reproductive choices and affects their lives and futures in many ways. With this bill, rape victims will no longer be able to turn to campus health services to obtain emergency contraceptives to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, or receive postrape counseling and education — adding even more stress to a traumatic event. Students who want birth-control prescriptions, emergency contraceptives or even information about preventive birth control are forced to seek out these services at off-campus clinics. This poses a problem not only for students who attend rural Wisconsin university campuses and might not have a clinic nearby but also for many students who attend urban campuses but do not have access to transportation, money, insurance or time to travel to an off-campus clinic. "
Minnesotans should be wary of Wisconsin’s ban on birth contol on its university campuses.
College campuses have emerged as the latest battlefield in the nation’s war on women’s reproductive rights. Wisconsin has passed a bill entitled UW Birth Control Ban-AB 343. This bill prohibits University of Wisconsin campuses from prescribing, dispensing and advertising all forms of birth control and emergency contraceptives. Wisconsin State Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, introduced this bill based on the belief that “dispensing birth control and emergency contraceptives leads to promiscuity.” In reality, full access to all birth control options — including emergency contraceptives — has no effect on the level of women’s promiscuity. Instead, birth control and emergency contraceptives help prevent more than 35,000 unintended births and 800,000 abortions each year.
The bill denies thousands of women essential health-care services and reproductive choices and affects their lives and futures in many ways. With this bill, rape victims will no longer be able to turn to campus health services to obtain emergency contraceptives to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, or receive postrape counseling and education — adding even more stress to a traumatic event. Students who want birth-control prescriptions, emergency contraceptives or even information about preventive birth control are forced to seek out these services at off-campus clinics. This poses a problem not only for students who attend rural Wisconsin university campuses and might not have a clinic nearby but also for many students who attend urban campuses but do not have access to transportation, money, insurance or time to travel to an off-campus clinic. "
Monday, August 01, 2005
"an error-riddled Bible curriculum that attempts to persuade students and teachers to adopt views [of] conservative Protestants"
Bible Course Becomes a Test for Public Schools in Texas - New York Times: "By RALPH BLUMENTHAL and BARBARA NOVOVITCH | Published: August 1, 2005
HOUSTON, July 31 - When the school board in Odessa, the West Texas oil town, voted unanimously in April to add an elective Bible study course to the 2006 high school curriculum, some parents dropped to their knees in prayerful thanks that God would be returned to the classroom, while others assailed it as an effort to instill religious training in the public schools.
Hundreds of miles away, leaders of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools notched another victory. A religious advocacy group based in Greensboro, N.C., the council has been pressing a 12-year campaign to get school boards across the country to accept its Bible curriculum.
The council calls its course a nonsectarian historical and literary survey class within constitutional guidelines requiring the separation of church and state.
But a growing chorus of critics says the course, taught by local teachers trained by the council, conceals a religious agenda. The critics say it ignores evolution in favor of creationism and gives credence to dubious assertions that the Constitution is based on the Scriptures, and that "documented research through NASA" backs the biblical account of the sun standing still.
In the latest salvo, the Texas Freedom Network, an advocacy group for religious freedom, has called a news conference for Monday to release a study that finds the national council's course to be "an error-riddled Bible curriculum that attempts to persuade students and teachers to adopt views that are held primarily within conservative Protestant circles." ...
HOUSTON, July 31 - When the school board in Odessa, the West Texas oil town, voted unanimously in April to add an elective Bible study course to the 2006 high school curriculum, some parents dropped to their knees in prayerful thanks that God would be returned to the classroom, while others assailed it as an effort to instill religious training in the public schools.
Hundreds of miles away, leaders of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools notched another victory. A religious advocacy group based in Greensboro, N.C., the council has been pressing a 12-year campaign to get school boards across the country to accept its Bible curriculum.
The council calls its course a nonsectarian historical and literary survey class within constitutional guidelines requiring the separation of church and state.
But a growing chorus of critics says the course, taught by local teachers trained by the council, conceals a religious agenda. The critics say it ignores evolution in favor of creationism and gives credence to dubious assertions that the Constitution is based on the Scriptures, and that "documented research through NASA" backs the biblical account of the sun standing still.
In the latest salvo, the Texas Freedom Network, an advocacy group for religious freedom, has called a news conference for Monday to release a study that finds the national council's course to be "an error-riddled Bible curriculum that attempts to persuade students and teachers to adopt views that are held primarily within conservative Protestant circles." ...
Bush endorses teaching `intelligent design' theory in schools - Yahoo! News
Bush endorses teaching `intelligent design' theory in schools - Yahoo! News: "By Ron Hutcheson, Knight Ridder Newspapers Mon Aug 1, 3:01 AM ET
President Bush waded into the debate over evolution and 'intelligent design' Monday, saying schools should teach both theories on the creation and complexity of life."
In a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with a small group of reporters, Bush essentially endorsed efforts by Christian conservatives to give intelligent design equal standing with the theory of evolution in the nation's schools.
...
Scientists concede that evolution doesn't answer every question about the creation of life, but most consider intelligent design an attempt to inject religion into science courses.
Bush compared the current debate to earlier disputes over "creationism," a related view that adheres more closely to biblical explanations. As governor of Texas, Bush said students should be exposed to both creationism and evolution.
...
The
National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have both concluded that there's no scientific basis for intelligent design and oppose its inclusion in school science classes.
"The claim that equity demands balanced treatment of evolutionary theory and special creation in science classrooms reflects a misunderstanding of what science is and how it is conducted," the academy said in a 1999 assessment. "Creationism, intelligent design, and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life or of species are not science because they are not testable by the methods of science."
Some scientists have declined to join the debate, fearing that amplifying the discussion only gives intelligent design more legitimacy. ...
President Bush waded into the debate over evolution and 'intelligent design' Monday, saying schools should teach both theories on the creation and complexity of life."
In a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with a small group of reporters, Bush essentially endorsed efforts by Christian conservatives to give intelligent design equal standing with the theory of evolution in the nation's schools.
...
Scientists concede that evolution doesn't answer every question about the creation of life, but most consider intelligent design an attempt to inject religion into science courses.
Bush compared the current debate to earlier disputes over "creationism," a related view that adheres more closely to biblical explanations. As governor of Texas, Bush said students should be exposed to both creationism and evolution.
...
The
National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have both concluded that there's no scientific basis for intelligent design and oppose its inclusion in school science classes.
"The claim that equity demands balanced treatment of evolutionary theory and special creation in science classrooms reflects a misunderstanding of what science is and how it is conducted," the academy said in a 1999 assessment. "Creationism, intelligent design, and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life or of species are not science because they are not testable by the methods of science."
Some scientists have declined to join the debate, fearing that amplifying the discussion only gives intelligent design more legitimacy. ...
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