Devotional: Nothing before, nothing behind...

Nothing before, nothing behind;

The steps of faith

Fall on the seeming void, and find
The rock beneath.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

image by David Sifry

Fr, Nigel Update Saturday, 10:18 AM

Albany Intercessor
11/7/09

Fr. Nigel continues to be in critical condition but he is stable. He is still on the ventilator but he is still improving on his “numbers” on the ventilator, which measure his oxygen intake and the ability of his lungs to take over for him. The doctors are working towards a day when he will be weaned from the machine. He continues to fight something that is causing a fever.

Fr. Nigel’s doctor advised Lynn late Friday afternoon that Fr. Nigel did have the H1V1 virus during his early time at the hospital. The Department of Health notified Fr. Nigel’s doctor that he had tested positive for the virus, even though initial testing had been negative for the virus. Although he tested negative at that time, he was medicated against the virus when he first came into the hospital 29 days ago and was recovering from that when he contracted the pneumonia.

Please continue to pray for Fr. Nigel’s recovery – for healing of his lungs, for protection of his organs, for a reduction of his temperature, and that his body can clear out the remainder of the medications. “In thy good time, restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear and to thy glory;” (BCP 458)

Please also pray for Lynn that she may have the strength and stamina and protection for this long vigil.

Thank you all for your continued prayers. From your lips to our God’s ears.

Elizabeth Strickland

PELOSI: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail

JCT Confirms Failure to Comply with Democrats’ Mandate Can Lead to 5 Years in Jail
Friday, November 06, 2009

Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.” the rest

Fresh on the heels of repeal in Maine, N.H. may reconsider gay marriage

By Adam D. Krauss
Thursday, November 5, 2009

DOVER — Now that gay marriage has been defeated in Maine, attention again shifts to New Hampshire, where lawmakers say momentum from Tuesday's vote may fuel legislation to repeal the state's law and give voters a say.

Two proposals are being drafted in the N.H. House: One would repeal the law Gov. John Lynch signed in June and re-establish civil unions; the other is a constitutional amendment that would charge voters with deciding if "the state shall only recognize the union of one man and one woman as marriage."

Supporters of same-sex marriage are strategizing and gearing up for a fight, said Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, who sponsored the gay marriage law. He said momentum doesn't rest with gay-marriage foes. the rest

Saudi Arabia bans crosses, but crucifixion is OK. In fact, there's one happening soon

By Damian Thompson
November 6th, 2009

You can’t display an image of the crucified Christ in Saudi Arabia, but if you are ghoulish enough to want to see a genuine crucifixion, then the Kingdom is planning to stage one soon.

Saudi’s Court of Cassation has confirmed that it will crucify 22-year-old kidnapper and rapist Muhammad Basheer al-Ramaly, though it won’t be following biblical precedent to the letter: he will be beheaded first, and his head will be stuck on a pole separately from his crucified torso. The following is from an Amnesty International press release:

Amnesty International UK Director Tim Hancock said: “Crucifixion plumbs the depths when it comes to grisly punishment and we’re calling on King ‘Abdullah to halt this execution, which he has the power to do. the rest

Fr. Nigel Update Friday, 10:47 AM

Albany Intercessor
Friday, November 06, 2009

Praise be to God! Fr. Nigel is slowly improving. He had a steady day yesterday and a good night last night. The doctors have taken him off his sedation so he is slowly, very slowly, “waking up”. The sedation that has been in his system for so many weeks now has to work its way out of his muscles and his system. He continues on the ventilator while his lungs are healing. Fr. Nigel continues to battle a fever, so as the doctors and nurses analyze that situation we will continue to pray for them.

Let us pray:
-For a reduction in the fever and whatever is causing it, and for knowledge, wisdom and skill to be bestowed upon the doctors and nurses as they tend to Fr. Nigel;
-For protection for all of Fr. Nigel’s organs as his body recovers from all of the medications;
-For complete healing of his lungs so that he can be removed from the ventilator and begin breathing on his own again;
-For restoration of Fr. Nigel to full health.
-For continued strength and rest for Lynn and the Mumford family.

Our God is an awesome God! He has heard your prayers. Although Fr. Nigel remains in critical condition, he is slowly improving. May God bless you in many ways for your constant prayers.

Beth Strickland
Deployment Officer
Diocese of Albany
518-692-3350 x504

Hubble’s New Camera Delivers Another Stunner

By Betsy Mason
November 5, 2009

The Hubble Space Telescope’s new camera is returning incredibly detailed, stunning images of space. This close-up view of an area near the core of the iconic Southern Pinwheel galaxy, or M83, shows very rapid star birth. Story/Image

A.S. Haley: Can a Diocese Leave ECUSA? Squaring Off in San Joaquin

Thursday, November 5, 2009

In the first post in this series dealing with the writ proceedings in the Fifth District Court of Appeal involving Bishop Lamb's and ECUSA's lawsuit against Bishop Schofield, I quoted the sections of Bishop Schofield's opening brief which introduced the matter and laid out the petitioners' (Bishop Schofield and the entities he heads) theory of the case. In this post I shall quote from the sworn allegations made in the petition itself, together with the sworn responses made by Bishop Lamb et al. That way, you can best see how the issues have been joined. In what follows, the purple text is from the Petition filed by Bishop Schofield and his attorneys; the red text is from the Return filed by Bishop Lamb and his attorneys. These are indeed critical to the case, so let those who wish to understand the issues involved "read, mark and inwardly digest': the rest

Jesus, no, but yes to Allah

Another immoderate judge nominated by Obama
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
By THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Senate Democrats are proving once again that no judicial nominee is too extreme for them to stomach. A move seems to be afoot to open debate on the Senate floor this week on the nomination of David Hamilton of Indiana to the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. This judge is a radical's radical...

...Third, Judge Hamilton in many cases has shown an extreme hostility against innocuous expressions of religion in the public square. Mr. Sessions noted, though, that Judge Hamilton's odd ruling in Hinrichs v. Bosma "prohibited prayers in the Indiana House of Representatives that expressly mentioned Jesus Christ ... yet he allowed prayers which mentioned Allah." the rest

Practicing Christians in Egypt may now face prison

Friday, 6th November 2009
By Kimberly Ladouceur

Maurice Salama Sharkawy, 37, has been taken prisoner by Egyptian State Security in his Deir Samalout village home for being a practicing Christian.

His arrest took place on October 24 when he had asked Pastor Elia Shafik to visit his home for the ‘Anointing of the Sick’ sacrament for his father. His home was broken into by State Security and Sharkawy was interrogated, along with other family members who were present during the ‘crime’.

While being interrogated by Security, Sharkawy was told that he was being accused of performing "religious rites without a licence”, and that his invitation of the Pastor into his home was seen "causing sectarian sedition".

The closest church available to Christian members of the Dier Samalout village is about five miles away, in the village of el Tayeba, however, the village’s mayor, Mohammed Khalaf Allah, has deemed it necessary to ask Sharkawy “more than once to go to church and pray there.”
the rest

A Healthcare Problem Washington May Have Missed

First Things
Nov 6, 2009
James D. Conley

With more than 620 Catholic hospitals serving the public around the United States, hundreds of Catholic medical clinics and shelters, and even a few Catholic-affiliated medical schools, Catholics have a keen interest in healthcare reform. That interest isn’t new. It’s rooted in experience, including the experience of trying to help people with little or no health insurance at all. For decades, the U.S. bishops have pushed for an overhaul of our nation’s healthcare industry and the way it delivers its services. Why? Because the Church sees access to basic health care as a right and a social responsibility, not a privilege.

But Catholic support for the general principle of reform does not bind anyone to endorse a specific piece of legislation. God gave us brains for a reason, to think; and we need to use them, because the practical and moral problems we face on the way to good healthcare reform are as formidable as the goal is admirable. This is why the U.S. bishops’ conference has tried so diligently for the past three months to work with Congress and the White House in seeking sound compromise legislation. As of November 5, all those efforts have failed. the rest

Christians protest at portrayal of Jesus as transsexual woman

Martin Williams
4 Nov 2009

More than 300 Christian protesters demonstrated in the centre of Glasgow last night against a publicly funded play that portrays Jesus as a transsexual woman.

The demonstrators, who waved placards and sang hymns and gospel songs, blocked Chisholm Street for about two hours from 6.30pm as they held a candlelit vigil outside the Tron Theatre where Jesus, Queen of Heaven will run until Saturday.

A ecumenical congregation including Catholics and evangelical Christians voiced their disapproval of the show, which presents Christ as a man who wants to become a woman. the rest

Device like ‘Star Trek’ replicator is in the works

Technology uses electron beam to melt metals, build objects layer by layer
By Jeremy Hsu
Wed., Nov . 4, 2009

Space explorers have yet to get their hands on the replicator of "Star Trek" to create anything they might require. But NASA has developed a technology that could enable lunar colonists to carry out on-site manufacturing on the moon, or allow future astronauts to create critical spare parts during the long trip to Mars.

The method, called electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3), uses an electron beam to melt metals and build objects layer by layer. Such an approach already promises to cut manufacturing costs for the aerospace industry, and could pioneer development of new materials. It has also thrilled astronauts on the International Space Station by dangling the possibility of designing new tools or objects, researchers said. the rest image

Suspected Fort Hood Shooter Took 'Calm and Measured Approach' to Massacre

Friday, November 06, 2009

The Army psychiatrist suspected of being the lone gunman in a horrific massacre at Fort Hood in Texas took a "very calm and measured approach" to carrying out the mass shooting, the commanding general said Friday, citing survivors.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said Friday that survivors spoke of the methodical way the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, conducted the rampage that killed 13 and left 30 wounded. the rest

Fort Hood jihad shooter handed out Korans the morning of his attack

The massacre at Fort Hood and Muslim soldiers with attitude

Fort Hood shooting: Nidal Malik Hasan 'said Muslims should rise up' "He was making outlandish comments condemning our foreign policy and claimed Muslims had the right to rise up and attack Americans," Col Lee told Fox News.

NBC Chicago: “Obama’s Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting.”

Abortion Practitioner Admits "Yes I Am" Killing Unborn Children During Abortions

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 5, 2009

Dallas, TX (LifeNews.com) -- The late-term abortion practitioner at the new abortion center in Dallas has admitted in a shocking interview that he kills unborn children during abortions. Curtis Boyd is one of the few abortion practitioners to admit what he is doing, but he has no qualms with his job.

Boyd opened the first abortion center in Dallas in 1973 after the Supreme Court handed down the roe v. Wade decision allowing virtually unlimited abortions.

In an interview with WFAA yesterday after news surfaced that he re-opened his late-term abortion center, Southwestern Women's Surgery Center, in the huge metro area last week after more than a year following the closure of the Aaron's abortion facility, he makes a startling admission.

"Am I killing?" Boyd said. "Yes, I am. I know that." the rest

Pelosi Health "Reform" Bill

In order to assist Members, staff, and interested parties seeking to read and review the health “reform” legislation (H.R. 3962) introduced by House Democrats, the Republican Conference has compiled a list of important page numbers and provisions in the 1,990-page “Affordable Health Care for America Act:”

Page 94 - Section 202(c) prohibits the sale of private individual health insurance policies, beginning in 2013, forcing individuals to purchase coverage through the federal government

Page 110 - Section 222(e) requires the use of federal dollars to fund abortions through the government-run health plan—and, if the Hyde Amendment were ever not renewed, would require the plan to fund elective abortions

Page 111 - Section 223 establishes a new board of federal bureaucrats (the “Health Benefits Advisory Committee”) to dictate the health plans that all individuals must purchase.

Page 211 - Section 321 establishes a new government-run health plan that, according to non-partisan actuaries at the Lewin Group, would cause as many as 114 million Americans to lose their existing coverage

Page 225 - Section 330 permits—but does not require—Members of Congress to enroll in government-run health care More

Pelosi Breaks Pledge to Put Final Health Care Bill Online for 72 Hours Before Vote

Denver Archbishop Chaput says promises were broken on abortion
In his column in the Denver Catholic Register on Wednesday, Chaput said President Barack Obama has failed to keep his promise to not provide public money for abortion in his health care plan.

Democrats Bury ‘Community Transformation’ Plans in Health Care Bill
In the bill, the Affordable Health Choices Act, community transformation plans would be carried out using federal money and be overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC would distribute the money as well as coordinate the various state, local, and “community” entities responsible for carrying out the plans.

Devotional: There is no such thing as a private life...

"Know ye not that . . ye are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19

There is no such thing as a private life - "a world within the world" - for a man or woman who is brought into fellowship with Jesus Christ's sufferings. God breaks up the private life of His saints, and makes it a thoroughfare for the world on the one hand and for Himself on the other. No human being can stand that unless he is identified with Jesus Christ. We are not sanctified for ourselves, we are called into the fellowship of the Gospel, and things happen which have nothing to do with us, God is getting us into fellowship with Himself. Let Him have His way, if you do not, instead of being of the slightest use to God in His Redemptive work in the world, you will be a hindrance and a clog.

The first thing God does with us is to get us based on rugged Reality until we do not care what becomes of us individually as long as He gets His way for the purpose of His Redemption. Why shouldn't we go through heartbreaks? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us fall and collapse at the first grip of pain; we sit down on the threshold of God's purpose and die away of self-pity, and all so called Christian sympathy will aid us to our death bed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, and says - "Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine." If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart. ...Oswald Chambers

image by kla4067

Former TEC Dioceses Welcome Congregations

November 5, 2009

As two former Episcopal dioceses hold conventions this weekend, they are beginning to incorporate congregations from across the nation.

The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh will vote on welcoming Harvest Anglican Church, Homer City, Pa.; Church of the Transfiguration, Cleveland, Ohio; HolyTrinityChurch, Raleigh, N.C.; and St. James Church, San Jose, Calif.

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth (Southern Cone) plans to receive St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church, Springdale, Ark., as a new mission station. It also will welcome two existing parishes: St. Matthias’ Anglican Church, Dallas; and Church of the Holy Spirit, Tulsa, Okla.

On Oct. 30, the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee went to court against St. Andrew’s Church, Nashville, which left the Episcopal Church in 2006 and has since announced its affiliation with the Diocese of Quincy (Ill.).

The Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin (Southern Cone) has welcomed three neighboring California parishes — St. Andrew’s in the Desert, Lancaster; St. David’s, San Rafael; and Santa Maria de Juquila, Seaside — and Jesus the Good Shepherd, Henderson, Nevada. the rest

For prayer: 7 dead, 20 injured in Fort Hood shooting

NBC News and msnbc.com
November 5, 2009

At least seven people were killed dead and 20 others were wounded in a mass shooting incident Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas, where at least one suspect were believed to be in custody, NBC News and NBC affiliate KCEN-TV reported.

the rest

Planned Parenthood's abortion quotas exposed

Ex-director: We'd have client goal every month
November 04, 2009
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

A former director of a Texas Planned Parenthood branch who resigned after she watched an ultrasound-guided abortion told WND the clinic was pushing employees to strive for abortion quotas to boost profits.

"There are definitely client goals," former clinic director Abby Johnson said. "We'd have a goal every month for abortion clients and for family planning clients." the rest

Gay Leaders Blame TV Ads, Obama for Loss in Maine

Gay activists were frustrated that Obama, who insists he staunchly supports their overall civil rights agenda, didn't speak out forcefully in defense of Maine's marriage law before Tuesday's referendum.
November 05, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - Stunned and angry, national gay rights leaders Wednesday blamed scare-mongering ads — and President Barack Obama's lack of engagement — for a bitter election setback in Maine that could alter the dynamics for both sides in the gay-marriage debate.

Conservatives, in contrast, celebrated Maine voters' rejection of a law that would have allowed gay couples to wed, depicting it as a warning shot that should deter politicians in other states from pushing for same-sex marriage.

"Every time the citizens have voted on marriage, they have always sided with natural marriage," said Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based Christian legal group. "Maine dramatically illustrates the will of the people, and politicians should wake up and listen." the rest

Speaker Pelosi's Government-Run Health Plan Will Require a Monthly Abortion Premium

Posted by GOP Leader Press Office
November 5th, 2009

Health care reform should not be used as an opportunity to use federal funds to pay for elective abortions. Health reform should be an opportunity to protect human life - not end it.

Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi’s 2,032-page government takeover of health care does just that. On line 17, p. 110, section 222 under “Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed” the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan. The Speaker’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions.

What is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run plan. It’s right there on line 16, page 96, section 213, under “Insurance Rating Rules.” The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account - and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services. the rest image

Thousands rally to protest health care bill
Thousands of conservatives are rallying at the Capitol against the Democrats' health care overhaul plan.

Taxpayers swarm Capitol to protest Obamacare
WASHINGTON – A crowd of at least 10,000 has descended on the Capitol to protest the trillion-dollar health-care bill and demand meetings with members of Congress.

Gateway Pundit-more pics

The Madness of Queen Nancy
More than a few Democrats in Congress are perplexed and worried that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is insisting on ramming through a 1,900-page health care bill on Saturday, just days after her party took heavy losses in Tuesday's elections. "It reminds me of Major Nicholson, the obsessed British major in the film 'Bridge on the River Kwai,'" one Democrat told me. "She is fixated on finishing her health care bridge even as she's lost sight of where it's going and what damage it could cause to her own troops."

Global South Primates Steering Committee

Update November, 2009

With the retirement of Archbishop Bernard Malango and Archbishop Drexel Gomez, the Global South Primates Steering Committee (GSPSC) thank them for their services. Two new members were added at the GS Primates Meeting in Alexandria: Bishop Albert Chama from Central Africa and Archboshop Stephen Thanh from Myanmar.

Global South Primates Steering Committee (GSPSC)

Chairman: Most Rev’d Peter J. Akinola, Nigeria

Vice-Chairman: Most Rev’d Emmanuel Kolini, Rwanda

General Secretary: Most Rev’d John Chew, Southeast Asia

Treasurer: Most Rev’d Mouneer Anis, Jerusalem and the Middle East

Most Rev’d Gregory Venables, Southern Cone

Most Rev’d Stephen Thanh, Myanmar

Bishop Albert Chama, Central Africa

link

More backing for Anglican Covenant

Thursday, 5th November 2009
By George Conger

The Dioceses of Western Louisiana and South Carolina have endorsed the Ridley-Cambridge draft of the Anglican Covenant, joining Central Florida as the third American diocese to formally back the Archbishop of Canterbury’s plan for creating a structure to manage the divisions over doctrine and discipline dividing the Anglican Communion.

On Oct 24, a special convention of the Diocese of South Carolina approved a resolution by a margin of 88 to 12 per cent that “endorses” the Anglican Covenant “as it presently stands, in all four sections, as an expression of our full commitment to mutual submission and accountability in communion, grounded in a common faith.”

Delegates to the Oct 9-10 annual convention of the Diocese of Western Louisiana also affirmed their support for the Covenant and backed Bishop Bruce MacPherson’s endorsement of the Anaheim Statement, which reaffirmed his commitment to remain part of the Anglican Communion and the Anglican Covenant process. the rest

Italian politicians furious over anti-crucifix decision

11/05/2009

The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against crucifixes in Italian schools has garnered outrage from many corners in Italy, including senior officials of the Vatican and the Italian Parliament as well as local political and social groups. The news made the front page of most national Italian papers, reports Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com.

The ruling comes in response to a complaint by an Italian citizen of Finish origin, Soile Lautsi, who now lives near Padua, who had asked her local public school to remove crucifixes that she deemed offensive. Lautsi had campaigned through the courts for eight years against the presence of crucifixes in Italy's classrooms. The ECHR ruling granted her compensation of five thousand Euros for moral damages.

The ruling said, "The compulsory display of a symbol of a given confession in premises used by the public authorities ... restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions."

Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi SJ, said that the decision had been greeted with "astonishment" in the Vatican. "The Crucified, remember, was always a sign of God's offer of love and union and reception for all humanity," Lombardi said. For this reason he said he is "sorry that it would be regarded as a sign of division, exclusion or restriction of freedom. This is not in the common sentiment of our people." the rest

House Prepares to Vote on Health Care, Undaunted by Elections

By James Rowley
Nov. 5, 2009

(Bloomberg) -- House Democratic leaders, undeterred by delays in the Senate or this week’s Republican electoral triumphs, plan to call a vote Saturday on the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. health-care policy in four decades.

The House will move on the $1.05 trillion legislation that would cover 36 million uninsured people and create a government plan to compete with private insurers even after the election of Republican governors in New Jersey and Virginia. President Barack Obama will go to Capitol Hill tomorrow to meet with House Democrats, as they seek the 218 votes they need to pass the bill, a Democratic leadership aide said.

Party leaders signaled they’re ready for a debate on the legislation and a vote on its final passage by filing a 42-page amendment that made last-minute changes to the bill. The Nov. 3 filing triggered a 72-hour waiting period that Democrats pledged to give Republicans before a vote. the rest

Pro-Life Lawmakers Condemn 'Sham' Health Bill Abortion Compromise

Obamacare could regulate snack machines in schools at a cost to the tax payor of $56 million in the first year

Pope's Anglican offer accepted by Traditional Anglican Communion in Britain

By Damian Thompson
November 5th, 2009

The UK wing of the Traditional Anglican Communion – a group of rebel traditionalists who have left official Anglicanism – has voted to accept Pope Benedict XVI’s offer of a Personal Ordinariate. The TAC has only a few small communities in Britain, but the Pope will be pleased by this development.

Hat-tip to Fr Tim Finigan, who says on his blog: “I hear a lot of sceptical comments about the Holy Father’s offer of Personal Ordinariates, with the conventional wisdom being that it will not really attract many people. So it is good to hear news of twenty or so parish communities that will be interested. The TAC asked for the provision in the first place so it is to be expected that they would be first off the mark; but I think that there may well be plenty more to follow in due course.” the rest

Score One for Nature

November 04, 2009
Anthony Esolen

Voters in Maine last night narrowly repealed a law granting to same-sex couples the recognition of being married. I am choosing my words advisedly here. A man can no more marry a man than he can marry a post. A woman cannot marry a woman, any more than she can marry a hair dryer or a rainbow. Yes, it is true, they can form eroticized friendships that mimic marriage, just as they can do things with their bodies (as can a man and woman together) that mimic sexual intercourse. But they cannot form the one-flesh union of man and woman that is biologically designed, when the conditions are right, to bring about a new human being. This is a plain fact. Indeed, there are biological changes that occur in both man and woman in the marital embrace that suggest that their union functions as a single organism, literally the "one flesh" that Jesus says was the Father's will for them "in the beginning," meaning not only before the Fall, but at the foundation of all sexual reality here and now, and forevermore.

One young lady interviewed yesterday said, with breathless naivete, that the issue was all about love, and love can hardly be a bad thing, can it? But no, the issue is not all about love. Christians and Orthodox Jews and others who care about preserving some freedoms apart from the state, and some vestiges of a natural life, should take heed. It is not all about love. It is about many things. First, it is about whether we shall all become, as the Canadian political philosopher Douglas Farrow puts it, "chattels of the state." That is because as long as the natural family is recognized as prior to the creation of the state, then we may still argue that it possesses its own legitimate sphere of authority, and indeed that the state is in some sense beholden to, and subordinate to, and the artificial construct of families, and not the other way around. Simply put, once the state assumes the authority to rule that relationships outside the boundaries of the natural constitute married relationships, then the family becomes a mere ward of the state; for the power to define implies, a fortiori, the power to control. That this is true in the tyrananny of Canada is evident from legislation and court decisions that intrude ever more intimately into the everyday workings of the family. the rest

11 new videos of children singing praises to Obama

November 5, 2009
Hillsborough County Political Buzz Examiner
Michelle Groat

Eleven new videos of school children singing praises to Presidnet Obama have recently emerged. The videos can be found here.

Transcripts of the videos can be found here.

There has been no official word from the White House as to whether or not President Obama supports this type of worship and indoctrination of children in schools. link

Fr. Nigel Update: Thursday, 7:45 AM

Albany Intercessor
11/5/09

Fr. Nigel Mumford continues in critical but stable condition in ICU at Saratoga Hospital. Praise God for each one of you - your prayers are having a positive impact on Fr. Nigel’s healing. Although he is in critical condition, Lynn constantly sees “mustard seeds” of encouragement. The fact that his oxygen numbers are remaining the same or improving slightly is a true sign that your prayers are hitting their mark. The battle against this pneumonia is a difficult one and will only be won by long term vigilance and prayer.

Please continue to pray for:
-complete healing of his lungs; protection of all of his organs;
-elimination of his moderate fever and whatever pesky source is creating this fever;
-Lynn to have rest and peace so that she may endure the long road of recovery ahead, and peace for all the Mumford family.

Thank you for your determined prayers. God hears your prayers and is answering them. Praise be to God

Elizabeth Strickland

Devotional: The Lord is a sun...

The Lord is a sun: He is the Source of all light and life. To live apart from Him is death, but His fellowship is life for us. And the Lord is a shield: He protects and preserves His people from all the powers of evil that seek their destruction. He does not in this life, remove all evil and affliction from them, but He gives them grace which is sufficient unto every need. He makes us taste His goodness even in the way of adversity and makes that way subservient to our glory. Never does He withhold any good thing from those that walk in His way. ...Herman Hoeksema
image by ariel design

Fr. Nigel Update 7:37 AM

Albany Intercessor
Wednesday 11/4/09

Fr. Nigel Mumford continues in critical condition but he is stable. He continues to tolerate more changes to his oxygen levels, which is a positive sign. He had a good night last night with all of his vital signs remaining constant. Alleluia – your prayers are working! Please keep praying Fr. Nigel up!

Please continue to pray for his lungs that they may be healed so that he may be weaned from the ventilator.
Please continue to pray for all of his organs that they may be protected from any damage, especially his kidneys.
Please continue to pray for his fever, that it may be eliminated and that whatever is causing it may be healed.
Please pray for protection from blood clots since he has been immobile for so long.

Lynn wants you to know that your prayers are having an effect on his condition. She recalled that Fr. Nigel has said “If you’re too sick to pray, you have healing ministers (prayer warriors) to take on your healing.” Thank you for taking on Fr. Nigel’s healing.

Please continue to pray for Lynn’s strength and calm in this storm, and for all of the Mumford family. It is particularly hard for Fr. Nigel’s family in England at this critical time, so extra prayers for them today. And please pray for the doctors and nurses as they care for Fr. Nigel.

Elizabeth Strickland

Anglicans snub Swedish lesbian bishop

4 Nov 09

Anglican bishops from England and Northern Ireland have rebuffed invitations to attend the ordination of the openly gay Eva Brunne to be the next Bishop of Stockholm.

Five bishops from various levels within the Anglican Church, including Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, have decided not to attend the November 8th ceremony, the Dagen newspaper reports.

“The Anglican Church has a moratorium right now concerning the ordination of bishops who live together with someone of the same sex,” Alan Harper, a bishop from Armagh in Northern Ireland, told the newspaper.

Coming just three weeks after Sweden granted same-sex marriages the same legal status as those between heterosexual couples, Brunne’s appointment in May 2009 to be the next bishop of the Church of Sweden’ Stockholm Diocese raised eyebrows in Sweden and abroad. the rest

Planned Parenthood Attempting to Silence Ex-Director Who Quit Abortion Business

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 4, 2009

Bryan, TX (LifeNews.com) -- Planned Parenthood is attempting to silence a former abortion center director who quit working for the abortion business after seeing an ultrasound of an abortion procedure. Officials with the group are pushing a request for a restraining order on Abby Johnson and a pro-life group that helped her conversion.

Johnson had been the director of the Planned Parenthood center in this southeast Texas city that is home to Texas A&M University.

She turned in her resignation on October 6 after years of a local pro-life group helping her see the problem with abortion. After the ultrasound, she decided to leave.

"I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," she said.

Now, Planned Parenthood officials have hit both Johnson and the Coalition for Life with restraining orders requiring them not to disclose information about the abortions done at its facility. the rest

Emmerich 'feared fatwa for 2012 scene'

Monday, November 2 2009
By Tim Parks
Entertainment Reporter

Roland Emmerich has admitted that he feared a fatwa would be placed on him if he filmed a scrapped scene for 2012.

The filmmaker is well known for decimating famed landmarks on movies including The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day. He stated that while he decided to destroy the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro because he is "against organised religion", he was fearful of the Islamic religious decree for a sequence that was planned but not shot.

The 53-year-old wanted to demolish the Kaaba, which is a cube-shaped building at the heart of Mecca and is the centre of prayers and the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage.

He told Sci-Fi Wire: "Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit. But my co-writer Harald said I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie. And he was right. We have to all in the Western world think about this.

"You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have a fatwa, and that sounds a little bit like what the state of this world is. the rest

Maine voters overturn state’s new same-sex marriage law

By Maria Sacchetti
Globe Staff / November 4, 2009

PORTLAND, Maine - Maine voters overturned the state’s same-sex marriage law yesterday, delivering a potentially crushing blow to gay-rights advocates after a year when their cause seemed to be gaining momentum with legislative and legal victories in four states.

As the ballot counting continued well past midnight, the margin continued to grow - with 52.7 percent of voters in favor of the repeal - and the Associated Press called the contest in favor of gay-marriage foes shortly before 1 a.m.

The “people’s veto’’ came six months after Maine’s law was approved, and one year after California voters rejected gay marriage by a similar margin. the rest

Pro-Life Advocates Win Big on Election Night With Virginia, New Jersey Victories

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 3, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The 2009 off-year elections yielded big victories for the pro-life movement with significant wins in both Virginia and New Jersey. The Virginia election saw pro-life advocates carry each of the three major offices and New jersey will have a pro-life governor for the first time in recent memory.

In Virginia, pro-life former Attorney general Bob McDonnell defeated pro-abortion candidate Creigh Deeds by a landslide 59-41 percent margin.

Poll consistently showed McDonnell leading Deeds even though Deeds attacked the pro-life advocate on abortion consistently throughout the campaign. The Virginia Society for Human Life PAC endorsed McDonnell, who would be a welcome change from recent pro-abortion governors, the group says. the rest

Bestiality Denigrates Human Exceptionalism

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wesley J. Smith

A man has been given three years in jail for having sex with a horse. I feel somewhat sorry for the defendant in this case, who is clearly disturbed. But I do think it is a sufficiently important issue of human exceptionalism that sex with animals should be punished as a crime. First, it is abuse. But beyond that obvious point, by definition, bestiality denigrates human dignity

On this final note, Peter Singer and I disagree–as we do about nearly everything. In “Heavy Petting,” a review of a book promoting bestiality...the rest

Unleashing the Counter-Reformation

The pope makes it easier for Anglicans to convert to Catholicism en masse—but creates a rod for his own back
Oct 22nd 2009 ROME
From The Economist print edition

SINCE the Church of England voted 17 years ago to admit women to the priesthood, disenchanted individual members of the 80m-strong worldwide Anglican Communion have been quietly converting to Roman Catholicism. Since 2003, when the Episcopalian church, the American branch of the Communion, first ordained an openly gay bishop, the number of alienated conservatives has been swollen by those dismayed by their Church’s growing tolerance of homosexuality.

Many traditionalist Anglicans, nevertheless, have held back, reluctant to sacrifice their liturgy and heritage. On October 20th Pope Benedict offered them a way out of their unease and into the Catholic church. In so doing, he created a new headache for the beleaguered Anglican leadership—and resuscitated an old conundrum for the Vatican.

For years, the pope’s officials have been mulling over what to do about Anglican splinter groups which sought to join the Catholic church as a body. Foremost among these is the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), led by an Australian archbishop, John Hepworth. It had been thought the pope might offer the TAC a status within the Roman Catholic Church like that given to the conservative fellowship, Opus Dei—one that gives its members their own pastors rather than putting them under the local diocesan bishop. the rest

Fathers Gain Respect From Experts (and Mothers)

By LAURIE TARKAN
November 2, 2009

Excerpt:
In the study, low-income couples were randomly placed into a father-mother group, a father-only group and a control group of couples. The controls were given one information session; the other two groups met for 16 weeks at family resource centers in California, discussing various parental issues.

In both of those groups, the researchers found, the fathers not only spent more time with their children than the controls did but were also more active in the daily tasks of child-rearing. They became more emotionally involved with their children, and the children were much less aggressive, hyperactive, depressed or socially withdrawn than children of fathers in the control group.

But notably, the families in the couples group did best. They had less parental stress and more marital happiness than the other parents studied, suggesting that the critical difference was not greater involvement by the fathers in child-rearing but greater emotional support between couples.

“The study emphasizes the importance of couples’ figuring parenting out together and accepting the different ways of parenting,” Dr. Kline Pruett said. the rest image by ariane hunter

Robert Gagnon: Back to the Oppressive Future-Homosexualist Attempts at Suppressing Rational Debate

At Bowdoin College and the Maine “Gay Marriage” Referendum
by Robert A. J. Gagnon, Ph.D.
Nov. 3, 2009

My speaking engagement at Bowdoin College near Portland, Maine, on Friday Oct. 30 presented me with a glimpse into the oppressive future of homosexualist ascendancy. The talk was attended by about 150 persons, including a large contingent of “GLBT”[1] students and staff who, I heard from other students, had been planning how they might derail my presentation. During the Q&A time after my presentation the Director of Student Life, a homosexualist activist named Allen DeLong, called me “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and made an implicit threat to the Intervarsity staff responsible for bringing me there.

Before I go into the details, first a little background information. I was invited by the Intervarsity chapter at Bowdoin to give a presentation on the Bible and homosexual practice primarily intended for Bowdoin’s Christian fellowship group but also open to the whole campus. There were pleasant features about Bowdoin College. I found the Bowdoin campus to be aesthetically pleasing. Another nice thing about Bowdoin is the presence of two outstanding Intervarsity staff persons, Robert and Sim-Kuen Chan Gregory, who have committed their lives to helping the Bowdoin Christian Fellowship (BCF) over the last five years. They have done so at considerable financial cost and sacrifice to themselves. the rest

Church of England considers cutting pension benefits for clergy after equities bet

The Church of England is considering cutting the rate at which members of its current pension scheme for clergy accrues benefits, it was reported today.
03 Nov 2009

The Church is contemplating the move because much of its investment pot was put into equities soon after its creation in 1998, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Shaun Farrell, the chief executive of the Church of England Pensions Board, told the FT that the investment had driven a "huge great hole" in the finances of the scheme. the rest

Fr. Nigel update 8:30 AM

Albany Intercessor
Tuesday 11/3/09

Good morning to all and praise to God for all the prayers yesterday. Fr. Nigel had a slightly upward day yesterday. His oxygen pressure was mildly reduced with no side effects which makes that a baby step forward once more. He continues to be in critical condition in the ICU and continues to be sedated so please - No Visitors. With concerns of transmission of the flu, you can certainly understand that all precautions must be taken to keep Fr. Nigel isolated.

Lynn prays for the day when she will be able to spread the news that Fr. Nigel has improved and has been taken off of the critical list, but Fr. Nigel is not there yet. So please continue your wonderful prayers for:

+Complete healing of his lungs so that he may be taken off of the oxygen;
+Protection of his organs, especially his kidneys;
+Elimination of his fever and whatever is causing the fever

You know that Fr. Nigel can feel your prayers from afar, so Stand Firm and cry out to our Lord. Also, please continue to pray for Lynn for protection from sickness as she handles day 25 of Fr. Nigel’s stay in the hospital.

Blessings to all of you for your steadfastness in prayer and thanksgiving.

From Elizabeth Strickland

Albert Mohler: NewsNote: Paganism “Just Another Religion?”

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Samuel G. Freedman of The New York Times took a look at the resurgence of pagan religions and practices in postmodern America. He found Michael York, a serious-minded pagan who observes Samhain "the autumnal new year for Pagans," and the historic precursor to the modern holiday of Halloween. Reading the names of his ancestors while facing a pagan altar, Mr. York remarks that, on Samhain, "the veil between the worlds is understood to be thinnest."

Freedman also found the Rev. Selena Fox, senior minister and high priestess of Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church in Barneveld, Wisconsin. Rev. Fox won a major legal battle when the Department of Veterans Affairs agreed to allow the Wiccan pentacle on the gravestones of dead Wiccan soldiers. “Our symbol was literally being carved in stone and taking its place alongside the symbols of other religions," she said. "Our religion was at last getting equal treatment. It was one of those crossroads moments.” the rest

The Ship of State is Being Steered Toward a Maelstrom of Anti-Christianity

November 2nd, 2009
by Charles S. LiMandri

President Obama’s highly controversial Safe Schools Czar, Kevin Jennings, is concerned about the heterosexual indoctrination of children in our public schools. In his bizarre view: “we all know what’s promoted in our schools: Heterosexuality is promoted in our schools. Every time kids read Romeo and Juliet or they’re encouraged to go to the prom or whatever it is, kids are aggressively recruited to be heterosexual in this country. And you know what, it doesn’t work. The reality is that if schools could affect your sexual orientation there would have been no gay people in the first place. But they’re still people out there who believe that myth, because you know what? It’s easy to panic people if you make them think that they’re after your kids.”

Jennings is the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) that claims a national network of 10,000 “students and allies working to create safer schools.” The truth is that GLSEN is after our kids, as its following 1999 statement demonstrates: “The fear of the religious right is that the schools of today will be the governments of tomorrow. And you know, they are right. If we do our jobs right, we’re going to raise a generation of kids who don’t believe the claims of the religious right.” Here in California, the recent passage of the law instituting “Harvey Milk Day” in the public schools should make it that much easier for GLSEN to achieve this goal.

Groups like GLSEN and the ACLU are now closer than ever to eradicating from the public schools all traces of the Judeo-Christian beliefs which have greatly influenced our American culture for over two centuries. the rest

Obama Makes Polygamy a 21st-Century Issue

Tuesday, November 03, 2009
by Phyllis Schlafly

No sooner had we celebrated the exit of Barack Obama's green jobs czar, Van Jones, because of his Communist connections, another off-the-wall administration embarrassment surfaced. President Obama nominated for commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) a woman who signed a radical manifesto endorsing polygamy.

We thought our nation had settled the polygamy issue a century and a half ago, but this nomination makes it a 21st century controversy. Obama's nominee for the EEOC, a lesbian law-school professor named Chai R. Feldblum, signed a 2006 manifesto endorsing polygamous households (i.e., "in which there is more than one conjugal partner").

This document, titled "Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision for All Our Families & Relationships," argues that traditional marriage "should not be legally and economically privileged above all others." The American people obviously think otherwise, and current laws reflect our wishes. the rest

House Health Care Bill Neither ‘Durable’ Nor ‘Desirable’ Says Former CBO Director

Tuesday, November 03, 2009
By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) – Former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin said the House Democrats' health care overhaul is neither durable nor desirable because it would raise insurance premiums, ration care, and fail to bring down the cost of health care in America.

Speaking Monday on a conference call with reporters, Holtz-Eakin said that House Democrats had failed to draft a bill that would deliver meaningful health care reform without breaking the budget. House Democrats unveiled their 1,990-page health care bill last Thursday. President Obama called it a “critical milestone.”

Holtz-Eakin, however, said: “We are going to generally raise the cost of existing insurance to those who already have it – and that’s a majority of Americans – and then put in place a fiscally rickety way to get insurance to those who do not have insurance." the rest

Planned Parenthood Director leaves, has change of heart

Cardinal joins Protestants in planting trees to mark Reformation

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

A top Vatican official has joined other global Christian leaders in the eastern German town where Martin Luther broke with the papacy, at a tree-planting ceremony that looks to closer ties on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.

The ceremony took place in Wittenberg, the German town known as "Lutherstadt", 492 years after Luther nailed his epoch-changing 95 theses to a church door there, leading to the breach with the 16th-century papacy

"It is possible for us today to together learn from Martin Luther," said Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity as he planted the first of 500 trees on 1 November in a landscaped Luther Garden, forming part of the celebrations for 2017.
the rest

Christians Start Their Own Twitter

James Paris
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.,
Nov. 2, 2009

Christian Newswire After posting an article in support of Rush Limbaugh, James L. Paris was suspended from Twitter two weeks ago. Although his account was reinstated after eight days, Paris decided to start his own Christian version of Twitter called Christian Chirp Christian Chirp. The site was launched this past Thursday.

"It was not just the suspension for sharing my conservative views, but I was also receiving a number of very inappropriate messages to a computer that I share with my children", said Paris. "I decided that enough was enough and that I needed to be a part of the solution, so I started a Christian alternative." According to Paris, his version of Twitter will not allow any profanity, vulgar language, or adult content. "We are very serious about keeping this a safe Christian space", said Paris on Monday. link

A Generation of Sociopaths

Monday, November 02, 2009
by Mike Adams

Glenn Beck gets it. He understands something I’ve been seeing and writing about as a columnist for the last seven years. He understands that the downfall of America will not come from the outside. It will come from the inside. It will happen because we failed to pass on to our children the values that made our nation great – and to remind them to pass those values on to their children.

A couple of Glenn Beck’s observations - from a recent Fox News broadcast – are worth repeating before I supply a bit of supporting evidence:

I've said this before — and I know I'll get heat for this — but I'm convinced we are raising a generation of would-be killers: the "me generation." … A generation that was brought up by parents who wouldn't spank them because it was too barbaric and were graded in purple pen because red is too frightening. A generation who got trophies no matter what place they finished.

We promised them a land of sunshine rainbows and lollipops. So it should come as no surprise that the "me generation" enters the workforce demanding high salaries, corner offices and promotions in the first few months — all while wanting to dress down and work less than 40 hours a week. the rest

Survey Analysis Finds Converts More Religiously Active than Non-Converts

Fri, Oct. 30 2009
By Jennifer Riley
Christian Post Reporter

Religious converts are more active in keeping basic commitments of their new faith than non-converts, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.

The analysis, released Thursday, found that those who switched faiths or joined a faith after being raised unaffiliated with a religion are more likely to say religion is very important to them; say that they are absolutely certain of their belief in God; attend religious services weekly; pray daily; share their faith and views on God weekly; and say there is one true faith.

More specifically, sixty-nine percent of converts say religion is very important to them, compared to 62 percent of non-converts. And 82 percent of converts say they are absolutely certain of their belief in God, compared to the 77 percent of non-converts. the rest

Bad driving may have genetic basis

People with gene variant perform more than 20 percent worse on driving test
Irvine, Calif.,
October 28, 2009

Bad drivers may in part have their genes to blame, suggests a new study by UC Irvine neuroscientists.

People with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a driving test than people without it - and a follow-up test a few days later yielded similar results. About 30 percent of Americans have the variant.

"These people make more errors from the get-go, and they forget more of what they learned after time away," said Dr. Steven Cramer, neurology associate professor and senior author of the study published recently in the journal Cerebral Cortex. the rest image by David Farrell

Fr. Nigel Update 11:45 AM

Albany Intercessor
Monday 11/2/09


Fr. Nigel Mumford had a good night. He is stable but continues in critical condition. The doctors are trying to reduce the oxygen pressure in the hope of removing the ventilator but that is a slow process. So please continue to pray for a healing of his lungs so that the ventilator can be removed. He continues to have a fever, so also please continue to pray for a reduction of his fever along with the elimination of whatever is causing the fever. Please also continue to pray for protection for all of his organs during this lengthy process, especially his kidneys which have to process all the medicine.


Lynn is very touched by all of the prayers that are being said for Fr. Nigel and for herself. She is encouraged by Fr. Nigel’s progress even though it is, as she puts it, “one mustard seed at a time”. He will be astonished by the enormity of the prayer circles which are crying out to our Lord for his recovery. Keep them coming!!


Today has been declared a day of fasting and prayer for Fr. Nigel. It is happening in England and Sweden as well. The fasting is from 8-5, if you are able.


Thank you and God bless.

Beth Strickland Deployment Officer Diocese of Albany 518-692-3350 x504

Dear Beth,

A note to say its Monday morning and there are many here who are moved to join out American brothers and sisters in praying and fasting for dear Nigel. I'd love it if you could pass this on to Torre Bissell to encourage him and the intercessors. We even have people in Sweden joining in today as well. Nigel is MUCH LOVED.

We look forward to a real breakthrough today. Yesterday in church we were looking at Ephesians 6 and in particular, having put on the whole armour of God, to STAND FIRM. We all felt this was particularly apt as we pray for Nigel...not to get sidetracked or wobbly, but to Stand Firm!

So we will be doing just that today with you all.

Bless you for your perseverance. A huge hug to dearest Lynnie - there isn't a moment that we don't think about her too.

With love
Julie x (Nigel's sister)

Cardinal: New Vatican move not a reflection on Anglican Communion

Nov-2-2009
By Simon Caldwell
Catholic News Service

LONDON (CNS) -- An English cardinal said Pope Benedict XVI's decision to receive entire groups of Anglicans into the Catholic Church did not represent a comment on the state of the Anglican Communion.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, retired archbishop of Westminster, said a forthcoming apostolic constitution to establish "personal ordinariates" should not be seen as an attempt by the Vatican to poach Anglicans disaffected by such issues as the ordination of women and sexually active homosexuals as priests and bishops.

The former Catholic co-chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission made his remarks in the Richard Stewart Memorial Lecture at Worth Abbey, near London, Oct. 29. He said the canonical structures announced in Rome and London Oct. 20 were simply a generous response to requests over a number of years by Anglican communities that wanted to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of distinctive spiritual patrimony. the rest

The Worst Bill Ever

Epic new spending and taxes, pricier insurance, rationed care, dishonest accounting: The Pelosi health bill has it all.
NOVEMBER 1, 2009
WSJ

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly told fellow Democrats that she's prepared to lose seats in 2010 if that's what it takes to pass ObamaCare, and little wonder. The health bill she unwrapped last Thursday, which President Obama hailed as a "critical milestone," may well be the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced.

In a rational political world, this 1,990-page runaway train would have been derailed months ago. With spending and debt already at record peacetime levels, the bill creates a new and probably unrepealable middle-class entitlement that is designed to expand over time. Taxes will need to rise precipitously, even as ObamaCare so dramatically expands government control of health care that eventually all medicine will be rationed via politics.

Yet at this point, Democrats have dumped any pretense of genuine bipartisan "reform" and moved into the realm of pure power politics as they race against the unpopularity of their own agenda. The goal is to ram through whatever income-redistribution scheme they can claim to be "universal coverage." The result will be destructive on every level—for the health-care system, for the country's fiscal condition, and ultimately for American freedom and prosperity. the rest image

A.S. Haley: A Documentary History of ECUSA's Constitution

Saturday, October 31, 2009

There is much litigation going on currently in State courts over the polity of the Episcopal Church. At the same time, there do not appear to be any online versions readily available of ECUSA's early Constitution, either as originally adopted or as subsequently from time to time amended. The commentary on the history of the Constitution and Canons published in 1981 by Messrs. White & Dykman, and reprinted in 1997, is available for download from this site (along with two supplements written by others, carrying the account through General Convention 1991). However, even it does not have in one place a complete version of ECUSA's original Constitution, which is so important for understanding the nature of ECUSA's mixed form of ecclesiastical polity.

Since the nature of ECUSA's polity is so much in dispute these days, I have decided that as a public service, I will publish in this post the earliest version of the Church's Constitution, as well as some further historical materials leading up to its formulation. The purpose will be so that everyone may access and understand the Church's organic evolution (see this earlier post for even more detail and background), out of a meeting of delegates from the various successors, in each new State, of the previously established Church of England in the respective colonies. the rest

Planned Parenthood Director Leaves, Has Change of Heart

Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned.
Nov 1, 2009
Reporter: Ashlea Sigman

Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure.

"I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," said Jonhson.

She handed in her resignation October 6. Johnson worked as the Bryan Planned Parenthood Director for two years.

According to Johnson, the non-profit was struggling under the weight of a tough economy, and changing it's business model from one that pushed prevention, to one that focused on abortion.

"It seemed like maybe that's not what a lot of people were believing any more because that's not where the money was. The money wasn't in family planning, the money wasn't in prevention, the money was in abortion and so I had a problem with that," said Johnson.

Johnson said she was told to bring in more women who wanted abortions, something the Episcopalian church goer recently became convicted about. the rest

The Age of Nostradamus

Mon, Nov. 02 2009
By Chuck Colson
Christian Post Guest Columnist

If you are the credulous type, there has never been a better time to treat yourself to some luxuries, at least if the terms of the deal are right. If the merchant or manufacturer says “no payments or interest through 2012,” go for it.

At least that what you conclude watching the History Channel.

For many years, the network was nicknamed the “Hitler Channel” because of all the shows it ran on World War II and the Nazis. Today, a better nickname would be the “Nostradamus Channel.” Hardly a day goes by without at least one show touting some doomsday scenario and how it was foretold.

At the center of this programming strategy lies Nostradamus, the 16th-century French apothecary whose devotees claim foresaw everything from the rise of Napoleon to 9/11. Everyone who has ever written book on Nostradamus gets extended face time on the History Channel, where their claims are treated with the utmost seriousness. the rest image

British Healthcare System Wants To Kill Infant With Breathing Problems

JammieWearingFool
Monday, November 02, 2009

Still want an omnipotent government run healthcare system? Maybe you will change your mind after reading this story.

In England a hospital is seeking permission to kill a couple's infant because he was born with congenital birth defect with makes breathing on his own difficult. The baby has to be assisted with a ventilator. This does not stop the child from functioning. He plays with his toys and responds to his surroundings. The reason they want to kill him is because they say his quality of life is too low.

Who are they to decide this? The parents are split on this also, but for the life of me I can not fathom what kind of macbre world we live in where a living human being can be sacrificed on the altar of medicine just for some sort standard of life that doesn't meet their ideals. the rest

Offshoots of churches are sprouting on Web

Internet full of believers
Monday, November 2, 2009
By Rachel Zoll ASSOCIATED PRESS

Church volunteers greet visitors entering the lobby. The worship band begins its set, and a pastor offers to pray privately with anyone during the service.

When the sermon is done, it's time for Communion, and the pastor guides attendees through the ritual. Later, worshippers exchange Facebook and e-mail addresses so that they can stay in touch.

There is nothing remarkable about this encounter, which is replicated countless times each weekend at churches around the world. It's all happening online.

The World Wide Web has become the hottest place to build a church. A growing number of congregations are creating Internet offshoots that go far beyond streaming weekly services. the rest

More than 3 Million Registered Voters are Dead, 12 Million More Ineligible, Analysis Finds

Monday, November 02, 2009
By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) – Regardless of how lively an election season might be, a new study shows that more 3.3 million voters on current registration rolls across the country are dead.

Another 12.9 million remain on voter registration lists in an area where they no longer live.

The analysis was conducted by the Aristotle International Inc., a technology company specializing in political campaigns, developing software and databases for politicians.

In total that means about 8.9 percent of all registered voters fall under the category of “deadwood” voters on the rolls, the term for voters who should no longer be eligible to vote in a precinct. the rest

Devotional: Great grief prays with great earnestness...

Great grief prays with great earnestness. Prayer is not a collection of balanced phrases; it is the pouring out of the soul. What is love if it be not fiery? What are prayers if the heart be not ablaze? They are the battles of the soul. In them men wrestle with principalities and powers...The prayer that prevails is not the work of lips and fingertips. It is the cry of a broken heart and the travail of a stricken soul. ...Samuel Chadwick image by kevindooley

Intercessors for Nigel Mumford+

Lent and Beyond
November 1, 2009

Dear Lord,

All who live in the earth are Yours. All the intercessors are Yours. We thank You for the intercessors for Nigel. We thank You for their clean hands and their pure hearts. We thank You for their desire to seek You, to see Your face. We thank You for the blessings You have bestowed upon them.

Lord, if any of the intercessors for Nigel have sins of idolatry or false oaths that You wish them to confess, then stir their memories and bring these sins to the surface. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

We lift up their prayers and the fasting. May they use Your Holy Scripture as a sharp sword to cut gates and ancient doors into the heavens over Nigel, portals for the King of glory to come in. O Lord Almighty, You are the King of glory. Amen. Psalm 24

From Albany Intercessor:
We and others are convinced that God is doing a larger work among us through the illness of Fr. Nigel Mumford. Therefore, I ask you to make Monday, November 2nd a day of prayer and fasting. Please fast from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. Let us see what our God will do.

Our greatest victories are won on our knees and with empty stomachs. ...Julio C. Ruibal

10 Stimulus Projects To Remember

1. $300,000 FOR MAPPING RADIOACTIVE RABBIT FECES:
10/14/09

2. $4,200-$5,500 TAX CREDIT FOR PURCHASING GOLF CARTS:
10/17/09

3. $219,000 TO STUDY THE SEX LIVES OF FEMALE COLLEGE FRESHMEN:
“Five Hundred Syracuse University Freshmen Will Divulge The Details Of Their Sex Lives … , 9/8/09

4. $1 MILLION TO RENOVATE “THE SUNSET STRIP”:
9/28/09

5. $2.3 MILLION FOR BUG RESEARCH IN CONNECTICUT:
9/1/09

6. $6 MILLION FOR A SNOWMAKING FACILITY IN THE 15th SNOWIEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY: Duluth, Minn.” 10/27/09

7. $500,000 TO STUDY “SOCIAL NETWORKS LIKE FACEBOOK”:
10/15/09

8. $380,000 TO SPAY AND NEUTER PETS IN WICHITA, KANSAS:
10/27/09

9. $3.4 MILLION FOR A TURTLE TUNNEL IN FLORIDA:
10/27/09

10. $30 MILLION FOR A SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL COMPLEX FOR THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS AND COLORADO ROCKIES:
9/17/09

Details here

If you didn't check the comment, I just had to add it to the post-it is really funny!

Tregonsee has left a new comment on your post "10 Stimulus Projects To Remember":
1. $300,000 FOR MAPPING RADIOACTIVE RABBIT FECES: 10/14/09

You clearly do not understand how important this study is. The are on the Endangered Feces List! ;)

Obamacare: Forcing Doctors to Violate the Hippocratic Oath

Sunday, November 1, 2009
Wesley J. Smith

Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David Janda has a blistering commentary on the newest House version of Obamacare that succinctly and powerfully illuminates the danger to all of us–well, not the elite who never are bound by the same rules–if this monstrosity passes. From his column (all emphasis within the text) Obamacare versus the Hippocratic Oath :

The sad fact is that the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Administration’s 1990 page health care reform bill (HR3962) and supplement(HR3961) violate The Oath by stripping freedom from every person, family and business in Our country . This 19 ½ pound pair of documents, entitled ”Affordable Health Care For Americans Act,” will cost taxpayers over $1.2 Trillion, will institute 13 tax increases totaling $740 Billion, will increase Medicare Premiums to Seniors by $70 Billion, will cost shift $34 Billion to State budgets, and will cut Medicare benefits to Seniors by $426 Billion over ten years.

the rest

Vatican issues 'clarification' of Anglican plan which does not rule out ordaining married laymen

By Damian Thompson
October 31st, 2009

The Vatican today issued a statement about its plans to create a personal Ordinariate for ex-Anglicans which discusses the possibility of ordaining married laymen on a case-by-case basis.

Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was seeking to quash speculation that the publication of the Apostolic Constitution had been held up by squabbles over the ordination of married men. Not true, he insists.

His statement makes clear that celibacy will be the norm for priests in the Ordinariate – but does not rule out the possibility of married seminarians becoming priests, so long as the local Ordinary, the bishops’ conference and the Holy See agree that an exception should be made. My reading of this document is that it does not completely close the door on the possibility of future married seminarians being ordained. the rest

'What gives them the right to put a price on my life?'

JESSICA LEEDER
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Bonnie Cameron and Cindy Waters-Goodman do not know each other, but they have much in common. Both are feisty, small-town Ontarians who were young, busy mothers when hit with diagnoses of pulmonary arterial hypertension, an incurable heart and lung disease.

Ms. Cameron's verdict came after the day she felt constantly winded and her legs grew so swollen that she had to scissor off her jeans. A family photographer, Ms. Waters-Goodman found out after a flight of stairs at work rendered her faint, dizzy and slurring her words.

Both were started on a regimen of drugs that are costly but slowed the pace of the disease, which is uncommon and often goes undetected. The province paid much of the tab, which the women estimate was about $100,000 a year each. Their lives improved drastically: They could play with their kids, cook meals and shower without fainting.

Then, last spring, out of the blue, both received letters informing them the province would no longer allow more than one medication. To continue receiving support, they'd have to stop taking combos.

After much lobbying, Ms. Waters-Goodman won a reprieve and can stay on her combination of drugs for one more year.

Ms. Cameron wasn't so lucky. Forced to give up her secondary medication, she has suffered greatly, and this week slipped into critical condition after being moved to hospital in Toronto. With an intravenous line in her neck and several failing organs, she seesaws between life and death. the rest

Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee sues to reclaim church

St. Andrew's Parish group won't surrender Woodmont building
By Bob Smietana
THE TENNESSEAN
November 1, 2009

Bishop John Bauerschmidt of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee has been hoping that God would resolve a conflict between the diocese and St. Andrew's Parish in Nashville.

But the dispute is now headed to court.

At issue is the future of St. Andrew's Parish and the church's property at 3700 Woodmont Blvd. in West Nashville.

The Rev. James Guill, rector of St. Andrew's, says his congregation left the Episcopal Church and joined a breakaway Anglican diocese based in Quincy, Ill. They claim to have taken the deed to their property with them.

The bishop disagrees. He says that St. Andrew's is still an Episcopal church. Guill and church members can vacate the building and join any group they want, said Bauerschmidt, as long as they leave the church keys by the door when they go.

"Parishes don't have the option to leave the diocese," Bauerschmidt said. "People can do whatever they want. But a parish doesn't have that option." the rest