Category: International

International, Politics, Religion, Society

Pope Francis: Atheists Can Go To Heaven And Priests May Be Able To Marry

230px-Pope_Francis_in_March_2013Since his elevation to the head of the Catholic faith, I have become a fan of Pope Francis — a pontiff who has become truly revolutionary in his faith and his lifestyle. As someone raised in the Catholic Church, I have never seen his equal. He has washed the feet of a Muslim female prisoner, declined the pomp and formality of past popes, and remained a humble priest in his lifestyle. Now, Pope Francis has written a long letter to a non-Catholic saying that he believes that even atheists can go to heaven and that God cares more about your heart than your profession of religion. At one time, such views would have gotten you burned at the stake. Even today, conservatives in the Catholic Church, like those associated with Opus Dei, are grumbling about this new Pope. Mark recently discussed the same view of the Pope on non-believers and now there is a report of a possible consideration of dropping celibacy for priests.

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Congress, International, Military, Politics, Society

Study: Almost 75 Percent of All Afghanistan Deaths Occurred Under Obama

President_Barack_Obama220px-MortDebarquementFor many years, this and other blogs have criticized President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders for their failure to pull out of Afghanistan after his election. There was clearly an unwillingness to risk the political costs of being blamed for a withdrawal or a perceived defeat. As a result, our personnel were left in harm’s way, even as the country’s president called us “demons”, our allies denied basic rights to woman and religious minorities, and polls showed intense anti-American sentiments. Hundreds of billions were spent to provide political cover for leaders who needed to show that they were tough on terror. Of course, many were made millionaires off the war while others paid the price on the ground. Roughly 75 percent of the fallen were from working class families. Now, a study by a conservative organization has shown that 73 percent of all U.S. Afghan War casualties have occurred since Jan. 20, 2009 when Obama was inaugurated. While another site shows slightly different numbers, the result is the same: most of the deaths have occurred under Obama (a fact that is seldom reported) Continue reading “Study: Almost 75 Percent of All Afghanistan Deaths Occurred Under Obama” →

International, Politics, Religion, Society

Muslim Brotherhood Forces Christians To Either Convert Or Pay Jizya

Muslim_Brotherhood_LogoThe Muslim Brotherhood has continued its crackdown on Christians and has now implemented a tax or Jizya for Christian Copts who do not agree to convert to Islam. Based on Koran 9:29, Christians are being told in Dalga that they must pay jizya or tribute to their Muslim overlords as described in the Koran.

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Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion

Eight-Year-Old Girl Reportedly Dies After Forced Sex With 40-Year-Old Husband

150px-muslim_woman_in_yemenThe plight of women and children in traditional Muslim areas has long been a focus of our blog. While most shock our conscience, this story reaches a new low for the sanctioned pedophilia that occurs in arranged marriages. An eight-year-old girl named Rawan died in Hardh, Kuwait after an arranged marriage with a 40-year-old man and forced sex with a husband who was five times her age. She died of internal bleeding resulting from what would be considered rape in most nations on Earth.

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Bizarre, International

Team Masseur Blocks Game Winning Goal In Brazil To Allow His Team To Advance To Finals

split-1-522x293I have previously discussed how I continue to be mystified by how international soccer is managed as with the long resistance to using basic technology to confirm goals. The recent controversy out of Brazil however leaves me stunned by how these rules often ignore the obvious. In this case, the team’s masseur with Aparecidence snuck on to the field and saved a certain score in a semi-final play-off — resulting in Aparacidence winning the game and moving on toward the finals.

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Bizarre, Congress, Constitutional Law, International, Military, Politics

Kerry Suggests Assad Has One Week To Avoid Attack While Promising Obama Only Wants An “Unbelievably Small” Military Campaign

220px-John_Kerry_official_Secretary_of_State_portraitWe previously discussed the curious step of President Obama seeking approval for a new war while insisting that he does not need such authorization to attack Syria. Now, Secretary of State John Kerry has referred to a one week period for Syria to comply with U.S. demands or presumably face an attack. It so happens that the Senate is set to vote this week, but opposition in this country is extremely high to yet another military intervention by the Administration. Moreover, unsuccessful in his earlier pitch for a free war, Kerry is now trying to sell the world on an “unbelievably small” military campaign. The U.S. seems to be saying that President Obama just needs the world to let him attack briefly to show that he cannot be dismissed or mocked in his earlier red line announcement.  However, Kerry suggested a new red line in turning over control of the weapons and Russia has now announced that it will ask Syria to put chemical weapons under international control. That would undermine further the U.S. rationale for war if Russia says that it is moving to comply with Kerry’s demand. However, State Department handlers are trying to again walk back from the Secretary’s public statements.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Society

Playing Chicken With Consumers: U.S. To Allow Chinese Chicken Sold Without Origin Labels In U.S. While Handing Over Inspections To Industry

220px-MIN_Rungis_volailleWith the continuing stories of contaminated or mislabeled food coming from China, many people have actively sought to avoid Chinese products. The United States Department of Agriculture (long the enemy of the consumer and friend of agribusiness) has come up with a solution: Chinese chicken imports will be sold without telling people that they are from China. In an apparent effort to bring our standards to Chinese levels, the Administration is also planning to hand over key inspection posts to industry.

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Environment, International, Science, Society, Uncategorized

Remarkable People: Sabrina Jackintell, a Woman for all Seasons

Submitted by Charlton Stanley, Guest Blogger

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways…Chardonnay in one hand…chocolate in the other…body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming “WOO HOO, What a Ride!”

– author unknown, but often attributed to Hunter S. Thompson

Sabrina J Hi Res
Sabrina Jackintell
Photo by Jim Foreman
Used with permission

Lately the news seems to be nothing but a non-stop stream of woe, outrage, tragedy and lawlessness. Instead of focusing on the latest outrage of the day, I decided to do a series of stories about people who inspire. This is the first installment of a series of stories about people who inspired me (and many others) in one way or another. I hope the reader will find them fascinating and inspiring as well. Not necessarily stories about celebrities, although some may be familiar names, but real people who led extraordinary lives.

Women do not get the recognition they deserve, and to compete in a male dominated world, have to be twice as good at everything. Barbara Jordan once said, “Life is too large to hang out a sign: For Men Only.” I am an admirer of women who are smart, strong, competent and accomplished. I was married to a woman like that for 55 years, but lost her two years ago.

This story is about one of those women. Sabrina “Sib” Jackintell died last year at the age of 71, just two weeks before her 72nd birthday.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Justice, Media, Science, Society, Uncategorized

Encryption and the Spymasters: Is Privacy Dead?

Submitted by Charlton Stanley (aka Otteray Scribe) Guest Blogger

ImageImageFirst there was WikiLeaks, then there was Edward Snowden. The drip, drip, drip of information about secretive spy agencies continues. There have been bombshell revelations about the extent to which government agencies like the FBI, CIA, NSA and others are invading our most private communications. Of course, spies do what spies do, and that is to spy on whoever or whatever they can get away with. Few people understood the implications of PRISM when news of the program was leaked. Additionally, I suspect that despite revelations of its existence, the full extent of its capability and reach will never be known by the public.

The NSA reportedly paid tech companies millions of dollars to cover the cost of compliance with their “requests” for back-door access to the software package.

Another program to keep in mind is the FBI Stingray operation that sucks up wireless telephone communications. Last May, in the first litigation where the government admitted having Stingray, Arizona Federal District Judge David Campbell dismissed a motion to suppress.  Judge Campbell is a George W. Bush appointee. PDF of his ruling is here.  Last July, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in the Northern District of California, in an effort to learn more about Stingray, and if it is scooping up domestic phone calls.
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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Military, Politics, Religion

Diplomacy By Rape: Prominent Iranian Warns That Daughters Of American Officials Will Be Kidnapped And Raped In Retaliation For Syrian Attack

250px-flag_of_iransvgVarious news sites are reporting that Alireza Forghani, prominent Khamenei strategist and former governor of southern Iran’s Kish Province, has warned that the daughters of American officials will be kidnapped and raped by Muslims in response to any Syrian attack. He would presumably include President Obama’s daughters in a latest insight into the twisted religious fanaticism of Iranian officials. The quote is all-too-believable for Forghani who previously called for the eradication of Jews in Israel. He also previously proclaimed “In the name of Allah, Iran must attack Israel by 2014.”

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Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Religion

Taliban Murders Sushmita Banerjee, Author and Women’s Rights Advocate

article-2412697-1BA46672000005DC-81_306x423In a culture of the oppression and abuse of women, Sushmita Banerjee stood out. An Indian married to an Afghan businessman, Banerjee wrote of the rule of the Taliban and her effort to flee the medieval Islamic rules placed on women. Her book “A Kabuliwala’s Bengali Wife” was an inspiration for women facing religious oppression and was later made into the movie “Escape From The Taliban.” The title proved tragically optimistic. This week, after she returned to her husband in Afghanistan, Banerjee was executed at her home by the Taliban.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Society

Oman Newspaper Shut Down After Publishing A Sympathetic Article On Homosexuals In Country

TheWeekOmanAnother one of our close Arab allies are back in the news to remind us that basic freedoms are not part of our common alliance. Oman has shut down The Week newspaper after it published an article viewed as too sympathetic to homosexuality in the Gulf state. The country has a gay population but it insists that these citizens live like criminals under Islamic prohibitions of homosexuality. The Week is the largest circulation English-langauge weekly in the country.

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Environment, International, Politics, Society

Stripping Rosia Montana: Canadian Company Set To Wipe Out Four Mountain Tops And Ancient Villages In Cyanide Mining Agreement With Romania

220px-Rosia_Montana220px-Alburnus_MaiorThere are large protests in Romania against a plan to turn over a historic area to a Canadian company which will destroy four mountains tops, ancient Romanian sites, and use cyanide to extract gold and silver. It is a plan to devastate the environment, but the Canadians have promised local and national politicians a cut of the open-cast mine in the Rosia Montana.

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International, Military, Politics, Society

Obama Seeks Congressional Approval For Strikes While Insisting That He May Attack Regardless Of Lack Of Approval

President_Barack_Obama220px-B-2_spirit_bombingThere is a wonderful scene unfolding on Capitol Hill. In the past, President Barack Obama has insisted that he alone decides what constitutes a war and when he needs a congressional declaration. It was a claim that was challenged in federal court when I represented members of Congress. Now, however, England has refused to go along with the latest American-led military venture and there is heavy opposition in the public. Obama therefore is now saying that he wants to consult with Congress while his aides insist that he really does not need such consultation and, unless they agree with him, may just ignore them. Welcome to the new Imperil Presidency and what now constitutes checks and balances.

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