By Jan Markell
www.olivetreeviews.org
Could we say that the church has failed to wake up very many people so, by default, a Mormon -- Glenn Beck -- has made quite a stir and has become an official spiritual leader? He rallied hundreds of thousands last weekend with themes of faith and love of our country. Americans are desperate and fearful of what is coming upon this land so they look to a Mormon for leadership. I am glad his Saturday event was successful for just some of these reasons:
* Americans came to celebrate America after the highest leaders in our land have trashed her around the world.
* They focused on what was right in America and they also honored our military.
* Faith and patriotism were lifted up -- two items that the Left despises.
* Attendees were passionate -- traveling thousands of miles and, once arriving in D.C., walking for miles, even if handicapped.
* Conservative Americans must gather together to fortify one another. Such events strengthen one another and offer hope. Finding kindred spirits in a depressing age is essential.
* Whether the Left heard or not, the attendees sent a message that they are fed up. November is around the corner and they had better look out.
In light of the positive aspects of the honoring America weekend, could there possibly be a down side? I tried to do a fair and balanced radio program last Saturday, August 28, with Brannon Howse, former Mormon Ed Decker, and apologetics' expert Eric Barger. We raised a few issues, and you can hear them here. I have received some thanks for the honesty and integrity of the two hours, and a few hate e-mails and calls for the position the panel took, which will be explained in the paragraphs below.
The theme of the Friday gathering of spiritual leaders and the Saturday rally was an encouragement to turn back to God. The not-so-subtle theme was "many faiths, but one God."
I believe many conservative Christians would have been relieved if Glenn had not brought out Mormon doctrine that very few are familiar with. He stated at the Saturday event that the American Indians are the "chosen people" -- blatant Mormon doctrine. The crowd applauded in approval. You can view that here at the 4:30 mark.
He stated -- and has affirmed this on his radio and television programs -- that God is the only answer. While much was troublesome last weekend, who else is sticking their neck out saying we have to turn back to God and gathering hundreds of thousands in the process? It would be wonderful if Franklin Graham or even Joel Rosenberg could attract a half-million people and deliver the true gospel. We aren't quite there yet. Again, by default, we defer to Glenn Beck.
The weekend opened on Friday night, Augsust 27, with Glenn's "Divine Destiny" program which again, is straight out of Mormonism. Many participants have implied, or blatantly stated, that Glenn is a "saved Mormon" or on the way to becoming one.
Friend and frequent radio guest John McTernan, was present both days just to observe. He writes on his blog, "There were several prayers offered at the Friday event and none were made in the name of Jesus. I was deeply grieved after I left.
"On Saturday, I attended the rally. If it had been just political, I could accept Beck as a leader; however, it went way beyond that. I am not questioning anything about Beck's character or motives. What I am deeply grieved about is that this was not led by the real church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is America in such desperate spiritual condition that masses of Christians will follow a Mormon for spiritual revival?"
McTernan continues, "The sheep in America are desperate and fearful of what is coming, so they look to a Mormon for leadership. A Mormon leading a meeting like this for America turning back to God should have God-fearing pastors in America on their knees crying out to God for mercy. I am grieved, not so much with Glenn Beck, but that the church is so pitifully weak that a Mormon can now lead God's people, and they do not see the spiritual danger."
What are major Mormon beliefs and how do they play into this scenario? When God is the professed focus of the August 27-28 weekend, what is the deeper meaning? And Glenn is outspoken about his Mormon faith. He so-stated that fact many times over the weekend and in the weeks and months leading up to it. It was not subtle or hidden. But Glenn does not bring out the bullet points below because it reads like science fiction.
Mormon theology teaches:
* God was born and raised on another planet.
* He has a harem of wives.
* They produce spirit-babies that are sent to earth; there they gain bodies and earn sainthood.
* Jesus is the brother of Lucifer.
* Jesus is the chosen/elected savior by a council of gods from other worlds.
* America is the promised land, not Israel. The holy city is Independence, Missouri, not Jerusalem. Jesus' latter-day agenda is to return to Missouri.
* The U.S. Constitution is as sacred as the Book of Mormon. In the latter days, it will be under siege and will be saved by Mormons. Thus, we must "reclaim America" to save the Constitution and usher in a genuine age of Mormon leadership. They want to build a Mormon kingdom on earth, similar to modern day Dominionists/Kingdom Now proponents within Christianity. Founder Joseph Smith had a socialistic philosophy and wished to have a society that shared things in common.
* America's founding fathers were "spirit babies" who created a "sacred Constitution."
* Salvation is works-based and not through grace and faith.
This is what Glenn Beck believes. Is the god of this system, this faith, the one he referred to when he stated, "Today, America turns back to God?" Is his god concept one we can turn back to?
For greater insights, visit the Web site of former Mormon and radio guest, Ed Decker. Also visit the apologetics' site of Eric Barger.
Brannon Howse has done extensive radio programs and written cutting-edge articles on this issue for over a week.
Jim Garlow, a popular and influential pastor who partnered with the Mormon faithful in California to defend traditional marriage, was quoted recently in CNN's Belief Blog, saying, "I have interviewed persons who have talked specifically with Glenn about his personal salvation -- persons extremely well known in Christianity -- and they have affirmed (using language evangelicals understand), 'Glenn is saved. He understands receiving Christ as Savior.' "
In short, Mormonism has a different holy book, father, Jesus, concept of grace, salvation, end-times, etc. You cannot be a "saved Mormon." Evangelicals who should know better already call him a "brother in Christ." Some of those share the Mormon "dominion" of the earth and this is their connection. Promoting this false end-time theology of making the earth perfect seems to trump everything else. We can't save the earth and make it perfect. Jesus Christ has to return to do that.
So, was the following the purpose? Brannon Howse has posted a story at his Worldview Weekend site that the LDS Examiner states through Mormon writer Greg West, "As a Mormon, I have to consider an unintended message throughout Beck's work, which has culminated in this event. That message is: 'Mormons are Christian believers. Despite nearly two centuries of misrepresentation and religious envy by sectarian Christianity, Beck has achieved the visibility, prominence, and has had the time day after day, week after week, to speak openly and truly about his core beliefs. Those statements of faith have disoriented and confused those who had previously believed the lies about Mormons."
West has proved our point. "Evangelicals and Mormons Together" will be next. Why not? A Mormon successfully called a nation back to God.
Most who stand with Glenn, however, do not embrace this theology. Some Christian leaders are just deceived and others think it is hip and cool to align themselves with a man who is so prominent and so pro-America.
John McTernan states, "I know Mormonism real well. There is a Mormon prophecy that America is going to be nearly destroyed with the Constitution hanging by a thread. A Mormon savior would arrive and lead the Mormon church to save America. I can see this coming into play real soon. Maybe the revival Beck is talking about is a massive conversion to Mormonism."
We sincerely hope Glenn Beck will become a true brother in Christ. We can pray to that end and also that Christian leaders will sharpen their discernment and understand the disservice they are doing to the body of Christ by exalting an unsaved man, and allowing him to be a virtual shepherd over millions of Americans who just want to take back America.
View Original Article With Links
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Living In Fear
The American Dream
Can you feel the rising fear in America today? It has gotten to the point where it is almost palpable. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and fear what is going to happen when their unemployment benefits run out. Millions of others fear what would happen if they lose the job that they still have. A rapidly growing number of Americans are getting behind on their mortgage payments and fear that they might lose their homes to foreclosure. Still others are looking retirement directly in the eye and are realizing that they aren't going to have enough money to make it. So why all the fear? Well, over the past several decades an increasing number of Americans have come to define their lives by the amount of stuff that they have accumulated and the amount of money in their bank accounts. For these Americans, living the American Dream is dependent on these material possessions. So what happens when these material possessions are threatened? What you get is millions upon millions of Americans living in fear.
What is your greatest fear?
Death?
Losing a loved one?
Speaking in public?
Well, if one new survey is to be believed, running out of money is the greatest fear of all. According to a recent poll of Americans between the ages of 44 and 75, 61% said that running out money was their greatest fear. The other 39% said that death was scarier.
That is where we are at as a society.
Literally billions of people around the world have next to nothing, so if they were to lose the little that they have it would not be that big of a deal.
But for Americans, we are so used to such an insane level of prosperity that the thought of losing it all creates a great deal of fear.
These days Americans spend a great deal of time worried about the economy. Terms like "double-dip recession" and "economic downturn" are brought up even on mainstream news programs constantly now.
Economists such as Nouriel "Dr. Doom" Roubini make worldwide headlines with their pronouncements that more hard times could be on the way. In fact, Roubini recently said that he thinks that the odds of a double-dip recession have risen to more than 40 percent.
So are there legitimate reasons to be concerned about the economy?
Absolutely.
I have written about them over and over.
But the appropriate response is not fear.
Nor is it an appropriate response to bury one's head in the sand and pretend that nothing bad is going to happen.
Rather, the appropriate response is to see things the way they really are and make the best preparations that we can.
Even in the incredibly difficult economic times that are ahead, some people are going to have the greatest adventures of their entire lives.
For some people, times don't have to be "good" in order to experience great love and joy and peace.
But for millions of other Americans, a full blown economic collapse will mean that they will totally lose it.
Sadly, when things really and truly do melt down, there will be rioting in the streets and hordes of Americans begging the federal government for assistance.
The truth is that we can already see signs of this. Thousands of desperate people from all over America lined up one recent Friday morning outside the Palm Beach County Convention Center hoping that a non-profit organization called the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America could help them save their homes. NACA had received $41.5 million in federal money from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program, and it was expected that 50,000 people would ultimately show up from all across the nation to try to take advantage of the program.
You see, in 2010 Americans have been taught that when they feel fear they should turn to the government for a handout. Recently, in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia 30,000 people turned out to pick up only 13,000 applications for government-subsidized housing. A near-riot ensued and the sad thing is that there weren't even any openings in the program. The whole thing was just to get on a waiting list.
But America has now become so socialized that tens of millions of Americans are clamoring for government assistance. Government anti-poverty programs have absolutely exploded in size in response to the recent economic downturn. Now, a record one in six Americans are enrolled in at least one government anti-poverty program.
Take a moment to think about that.
That is absolutely staggering.
People are even putting off having kids because of the bad economy. The U.S. birth rate has dropped for the second year in a row. It is now about the lowest it has been in a hundred years. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but many experts believe that one of the big factors is that people simply do not believe that they can afford children right now.
But not only are people putting off bringing new life into the world, an increasing number of Americans are actually ending their lives because of soul crushing economic problems.
The following is an excerpt from an actual letter to U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner....
"My dad, S, killed himself March 16, 2009 because he ran out of money and could not find work. My whole family had been devastated by the economy. He was 61 years old and could not take it anymore. He could not figure out how to keep the electric on, buy food, or keep a roof over his head. A day before his electric was to be shut off, and 2 weeks away from eviction, my dad took the hardest walk of his life. He left a note on the dining room table for my sister and I. His suicide letter said ‘I love you. I had to do this. I ran out of money. I wish you both luck in your lives’. He left the door unlocked with the door key left in the lock. He carefully laid out two suits for us to pick from to bury him in."
This is really happening in America in 2010.
People are giving in to fear.
But they do not need to.
As we read in I John chapter 4, "perfect love casts out fear". If the American people had something more to live for than materialism and entertainment then they could overcome the fear of hard economic times.
But for most Americans, "building a life" means buying a home, building up a bank account and accumulating as big a pile of possessions as possible.
When the good times are gone, a very large percentage of Americans is going to totally lose it and will think that life is not worth living anymore.
What about you?
Are you going to give in to fear or are you going to have something to live for when that day arrives?
View Original Article
Can you feel the rising fear in America today? It has gotten to the point where it is almost palpable. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and fear what is going to happen when their unemployment benefits run out. Millions of others fear what would happen if they lose the job that they still have. A rapidly growing number of Americans are getting behind on their mortgage payments and fear that they might lose their homes to foreclosure. Still others are looking retirement directly in the eye and are realizing that they aren't going to have enough money to make it. So why all the fear? Well, over the past several decades an increasing number of Americans have come to define their lives by the amount of stuff that they have accumulated and the amount of money in their bank accounts. For these Americans, living the American Dream is dependent on these material possessions. So what happens when these material possessions are threatened? What you get is millions upon millions of Americans living in fear.
What is your greatest fear?
Death?
Losing a loved one?
Speaking in public?
Well, if one new survey is to be believed, running out of money is the greatest fear of all. According to a recent poll of Americans between the ages of 44 and 75, 61% said that running out money was their greatest fear. The other 39% said that death was scarier.
That is where we are at as a society.
Literally billions of people around the world have next to nothing, so if they were to lose the little that they have it would not be that big of a deal.
But for Americans, we are so used to such an insane level of prosperity that the thought of losing it all creates a great deal of fear.
These days Americans spend a great deal of time worried about the economy. Terms like "double-dip recession" and "economic downturn" are brought up even on mainstream news programs constantly now.
Economists such as Nouriel "Dr. Doom" Roubini make worldwide headlines with their pronouncements that more hard times could be on the way. In fact, Roubini recently said that he thinks that the odds of a double-dip recession have risen to more than 40 percent.
So are there legitimate reasons to be concerned about the economy?
Absolutely.
I have written about them over and over.
But the appropriate response is not fear.
Nor is it an appropriate response to bury one's head in the sand and pretend that nothing bad is going to happen.
Rather, the appropriate response is to see things the way they really are and make the best preparations that we can.
Even in the incredibly difficult economic times that are ahead, some people are going to have the greatest adventures of their entire lives.
For some people, times don't have to be "good" in order to experience great love and joy and peace.
But for millions of other Americans, a full blown economic collapse will mean that they will totally lose it.
Sadly, when things really and truly do melt down, there will be rioting in the streets and hordes of Americans begging the federal government for assistance.
The truth is that we can already see signs of this. Thousands of desperate people from all over America lined up one recent Friday morning outside the Palm Beach County Convention Center hoping that a non-profit organization called the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America could help them save their homes. NACA had received $41.5 million in federal money from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program, and it was expected that 50,000 people would ultimately show up from all across the nation to try to take advantage of the program.
You see, in 2010 Americans have been taught that when they feel fear they should turn to the government for a handout. Recently, in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia 30,000 people turned out to pick up only 13,000 applications for government-subsidized housing. A near-riot ensued and the sad thing is that there weren't even any openings in the program. The whole thing was just to get on a waiting list.
But America has now become so socialized that tens of millions of Americans are clamoring for government assistance. Government anti-poverty programs have absolutely exploded in size in response to the recent economic downturn. Now, a record one in six Americans are enrolled in at least one government anti-poverty program.
Take a moment to think about that.
That is absolutely staggering.
People are even putting off having kids because of the bad economy. The U.S. birth rate has dropped for the second year in a row. It is now about the lowest it has been in a hundred years. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but many experts believe that one of the big factors is that people simply do not believe that they can afford children right now.
But not only are people putting off bringing new life into the world, an increasing number of Americans are actually ending their lives because of soul crushing economic problems.
The following is an excerpt from an actual letter to U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner....
"My dad, S, killed himself March 16, 2009 because he ran out of money and could not find work. My whole family had been devastated by the economy. He was 61 years old and could not take it anymore. He could not figure out how to keep the electric on, buy food, or keep a roof over his head. A day before his electric was to be shut off, and 2 weeks away from eviction, my dad took the hardest walk of his life. He left a note on the dining room table for my sister and I. His suicide letter said ‘I love you. I had to do this. I ran out of money. I wish you both luck in your lives’. He left the door unlocked with the door key left in the lock. He carefully laid out two suits for us to pick from to bury him in."
This is really happening in America in 2010.
People are giving in to fear.
But they do not need to.
As we read in I John chapter 4, "perfect love casts out fear". If the American people had something more to live for than materialism and entertainment then they could overcome the fear of hard economic times.
But for most Americans, "building a life" means buying a home, building up a bank account and accumulating as big a pile of possessions as possible.
When the good times are gone, a very large percentage of Americans is going to totally lose it and will think that life is not worth living anymore.
What about you?
Are you going to give in to fear or are you going to have something to live for when that day arrives?
View Original Article
Control Of Food Supply To Be Handed Over To Department Of Homeland Security
S.510 deceptively titled "Food Safety and Modernization Act" written by and for Monsanto lobbyists.
by Alan Villegas
(OfficialWire)
The words "homeland security" are found 41 times in the text of the bill S. 510, also known as the Food Safety Modernization Act. Unprecedented powers over food are set to be handed over to Homeland Security if the bill is not stopped.
The bill opens opens the door to even more federal control over the everyday lives of American citizens. Since they are already engaging in organic raw milk raids without the increased powers of S. 510, the question is going to be how many more guns-drawn raids are we to expect after the bill becomes law? It gets worse. Not only does the bill grant the FDA more power, Michael R. Taylor was named deputy commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2010. Michael R. Taylor also worked for Monsanto, was a lobbyist for them, according to Wikipedia. And all of this activity is happening at a time when a flourishing self-sufficiency movement is taking hold in this country, at a time when demand for fresh, local, and organic food is at an all time high.
The question is: Do America's small farmers want a pro-Monsanto lobbyist in charge of the nation's food supply?
The answer is clear and this may turn out to be a draw-the-line-in-the-sand moment for many people. May God bless America!
Read Article With Links
Related Article: Food War On The People Escalates
by Alan Villegas
(OfficialWire)
The words "homeland security" are found 41 times in the text of the bill S. 510, also known as the Food Safety Modernization Act. Unprecedented powers over food are set to be handed over to Homeland Security if the bill is not stopped.
The bill opens opens the door to even more federal control over the everyday lives of American citizens. Since they are already engaging in organic raw milk raids without the increased powers of S. 510, the question is going to be how many more guns-drawn raids are we to expect after the bill becomes law? It gets worse. Not only does the bill grant the FDA more power, Michael R. Taylor was named deputy commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2010. Michael R. Taylor also worked for Monsanto, was a lobbyist for them, according to Wikipedia. And all of this activity is happening at a time when a flourishing self-sufficiency movement is taking hold in this country, at a time when demand for fresh, local, and organic food is at an all time high.
The question is: Do America's small farmers want a pro-Monsanto lobbyist in charge of the nation's food supply?
The answer is clear and this may turn out to be a draw-the-line-in-the-sand moment for many people. May God bless America!
Read Article With Links
Related Article: Food War On The People Escalates
30 Statistics That Prove The Elite Are Getting Richer, The Poor Are Getting Poorer And The Middle Class Is Being Destroyed
The Economic Collapse
Not everyone has been doing badly during the economic turmoil of the last few years. In fact, there are some Americans that are doing really, really well. While the vast majority of us struggle, there is one small segment of society that is seemingly doing better than ever. This was reflected in a recent article on CNBC in which it was noted that companies that cater to average Americans are doing rather poorly right now while companies that market luxury goods and services are generally performing exceptionally well. So why aren't all American consumers jumping on the spending bandwagon? Well, it seems that there are a large number of Americans who either can't spend a lot of money right now or who are very hesitant to. A stunningly high number of Americans are still unemployed, and for many other Americans, there is a very real fear that hard economic times will return soon. On the other hand, there is a significant percentage of Americans who are blowing money on luxury goods and services as if the economy has fully turned around and it is time to let the good times roll. So exactly what in the world is going on here?
Well, in 2010 life is very, very different depending on whether you are a "have" or a "have not". The recent article on CNBC referenced above described it this way....
Consumer spending in the U.S. has turned into a tale of two cities in 2010, with an entire segment of consumers splurging confidently on the finer things in life, while another segment, concerned about unemployment and with little or no discretionary income, spends only on bare necessities.
So why is this happening?
It is happening because the rich are getting richer and they have plenty of money to buy stuff and the poor are getting poorer and have less money to spend than ever.
In case you haven't been paying attention over the past couple of decades, what we have in America today is a system that is designed to funnel as much wealth into the hands of the elite as possible.
This isn't capitalism that we have in America in 2010. Instead, what we have created is a system where the laws are set up so that the power elite and their big, dominant corporations always win.
Why do you think so many of America's largest corporations pay so little in taxes?
Why do you think so many of them are showered with government subsidies, tax breaks and bailouts?
It's not about competition anymore.
It's about rigging the game in your favor.
The power elite and the giant corporations they control spend millions and millions on lobbying and campaign contributions and they expect a big return on that investment.
Let's take a look at one example. Many people think that Barack Obama and the Democrats are supposed to be anti-business, right?
Well then why are some of Barack Obama's biggest donors the very same corporations that are receiving giant bailouts, making record profits and paying their employees billions in bonuses?
Goldman Sachs was Barack Obama's second biggest donor. Microsoft was number four. Citigroup was number six. JPMorgan Chase was number seven. Time Warner was number eight.
Are you starting to get the picture?
Every single year, the U.S. Congress passes law after law after law that makes it easier for big corporations to dominate and makes it easier for the rich to get even richer.
America's economy is not about competition anymore.
It is about eliminating competition.
And unfortunately for middle class Americans, the giant predator corporations that now dominate our economy are realizing that they don't really need nearly as many American workers anymore.
Instead, they are slowly but surely shipping our jobs off to the other side of the world where workers are willing to work for about a tenth as much.
And yet we still run out to the "big box" stores and fill up our carts with a bunch of plastic crap made on the other side of the world by these giant corporations.
Meanwhile, those giant corporations are taking the profits they make out of our communities and they are taking our jobs and are shipping them overseas.
So in the final analysis, is it any wonder why the income inequality gap is growing?
Without small businesses having a legitimate chance to compete and without good jobs for American workers, the middle class in America is going to continue to get chewed up and spit out.
The following are 30 statistics that prove that the elite are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is being destroyed in 2010....
The Rich Are Getting Richer
1 - As of 2007, the top 1 percent of all Americans was taking home 24 percent of the national income. This was a level that had not been seen since the days of the Great Depression.
2 - Incomes have been growing in the United States, but those at the very top of the pyramid have been gobbling up almost all of the income growth. According to Harvard Magazine, 66% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
3 - Even official government figures bear out the fact that the rich are getting richer. An analysis of income-tax data by the Congressional Budget Office a few years ago found that the top 1% of all American households own nearly twice as much of the corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
4- Most Americans have suffered during the last few years, but not the boys and girls down on Wall Street. New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says that Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.
5 - Even as the number of Americans living in poverty skyrockets, the number of millionaires just keeps growing. In fact, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million during 2009.
6 - The amount of money some of these Wall Street hotshots are making is incredible. Back in 2005, the top 25 hedge fund managers earned a total of 9 billion dollars. That would be bad enough, but even in these hard economic times the rich just keep getting richer. One year after the recent financial collapse the top 25 hedge fund managers earned a total of approximately $25 billion. That breaks down to an average of $1 billion each. The truth is that the United States has been experiencing uneven prosperity for quite some time and things just seem to get worse with each passing year.
The Poor Are Getting Poorer
7 - Government anti-poverty programs are exploding in size in response to the recent economic difficulties. USA Today is reporting that a record one in six Americans are now being served by at least one government anti-poverty program.
8 - Over 50 million Americans are on now Medicaid. That figure is up more than 17 percent since the beginning of the recession.
9 - The number of Americans in the food stamp program rose to a new all-time record of 40.8 million in May. That number is up almost 50 percent since the beginning of the recession.
10 - The number of Americans who cannot afford even the basic necessities is absolutely staggering. A whopping 50 million Americans could not afford to buy enough food in order to stay healthy at some point over the last year.
Read More
Not everyone has been doing badly during the economic turmoil of the last few years. In fact, there are some Americans that are doing really, really well. While the vast majority of us struggle, there is one small segment of society that is seemingly doing better than ever. This was reflected in a recent article on CNBC in which it was noted that companies that cater to average Americans are doing rather poorly right now while companies that market luxury goods and services are generally performing exceptionally well. So why aren't all American consumers jumping on the spending bandwagon? Well, it seems that there are a large number of Americans who either can't spend a lot of money right now or who are very hesitant to. A stunningly high number of Americans are still unemployed, and for many other Americans, there is a very real fear that hard economic times will return soon. On the other hand, there is a significant percentage of Americans who are blowing money on luxury goods and services as if the economy has fully turned around and it is time to let the good times roll. So exactly what in the world is going on here?
Well, in 2010 life is very, very different depending on whether you are a "have" or a "have not". The recent article on CNBC referenced above described it this way....
Consumer spending in the U.S. has turned into a tale of two cities in 2010, with an entire segment of consumers splurging confidently on the finer things in life, while another segment, concerned about unemployment and with little or no discretionary income, spends only on bare necessities.
So why is this happening?
It is happening because the rich are getting richer and they have plenty of money to buy stuff and the poor are getting poorer and have less money to spend than ever.
In case you haven't been paying attention over the past couple of decades, what we have in America today is a system that is designed to funnel as much wealth into the hands of the elite as possible.
This isn't capitalism that we have in America in 2010. Instead, what we have created is a system where the laws are set up so that the power elite and their big, dominant corporations always win.
Why do you think so many of America's largest corporations pay so little in taxes?
Why do you think so many of them are showered with government subsidies, tax breaks and bailouts?
It's not about competition anymore.
It's about rigging the game in your favor.
The power elite and the giant corporations they control spend millions and millions on lobbying and campaign contributions and they expect a big return on that investment.
Let's take a look at one example. Many people think that Barack Obama and the Democrats are supposed to be anti-business, right?
Well then why are some of Barack Obama's biggest donors the very same corporations that are receiving giant bailouts, making record profits and paying their employees billions in bonuses?
Goldman Sachs was Barack Obama's second biggest donor. Microsoft was number four. Citigroup was number six. JPMorgan Chase was number seven. Time Warner was number eight.
Are you starting to get the picture?
Every single year, the U.S. Congress passes law after law after law that makes it easier for big corporations to dominate and makes it easier for the rich to get even richer.
America's economy is not about competition anymore.
It is about eliminating competition.
And unfortunately for middle class Americans, the giant predator corporations that now dominate our economy are realizing that they don't really need nearly as many American workers anymore.
Instead, they are slowly but surely shipping our jobs off to the other side of the world where workers are willing to work for about a tenth as much.
And yet we still run out to the "big box" stores and fill up our carts with a bunch of plastic crap made on the other side of the world by these giant corporations.
Meanwhile, those giant corporations are taking the profits they make out of our communities and they are taking our jobs and are shipping them overseas.
So in the final analysis, is it any wonder why the income inequality gap is growing?
Without small businesses having a legitimate chance to compete and without good jobs for American workers, the middle class in America is going to continue to get chewed up and spit out.
The following are 30 statistics that prove that the elite are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is being destroyed in 2010....
The Rich Are Getting Richer
1 - As of 2007, the top 1 percent of all Americans was taking home 24 percent of the national income. This was a level that had not been seen since the days of the Great Depression.
2 - Incomes have been growing in the United States, but those at the very top of the pyramid have been gobbling up almost all of the income growth. According to Harvard Magazine, 66% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
3 - Even official government figures bear out the fact that the rich are getting richer. An analysis of income-tax data by the Congressional Budget Office a few years ago found that the top 1% of all American households own nearly twice as much of the corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
4- Most Americans have suffered during the last few years, but not the boys and girls down on Wall Street. New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says that Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.
5 - Even as the number of Americans living in poverty skyrockets, the number of millionaires just keeps growing. In fact, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million during 2009.
6 - The amount of money some of these Wall Street hotshots are making is incredible. Back in 2005, the top 25 hedge fund managers earned a total of 9 billion dollars. That would be bad enough, but even in these hard economic times the rich just keep getting richer. One year after the recent financial collapse the top 25 hedge fund managers earned a total of approximately $25 billion. That breaks down to an average of $1 billion each. The truth is that the United States has been experiencing uneven prosperity for quite some time and things just seem to get worse with each passing year.
The Poor Are Getting Poorer
7 - Government anti-poverty programs are exploding in size in response to the recent economic difficulties. USA Today is reporting that a record one in six Americans are now being served by at least one government anti-poverty program.
8 - Over 50 million Americans are on now Medicaid. That figure is up more than 17 percent since the beginning of the recession.
9 - The number of Americans in the food stamp program rose to a new all-time record of 40.8 million in May. That number is up almost 50 percent since the beginning of the recession.
10 - The number of Americans who cannot afford even the basic necessities is absolutely staggering. A whopping 50 million Americans could not afford to buy enough food in order to stay healthy at some point over the last year.
Read More
An Open Letter to US EPA, Region 6
Riki Ott
Marine toxicologist and Exxon Valdez survivor RikiOtt.com
Huffington Post.com
Sam Coleman
U.S. EPA, Region 6
1445 Ross Ave.
Dallas, TX 75202-2733 Via email: coleman.sam@epa.gov
August 27, 2010
Re: Documentation of continued dispersant spraying in near shore and inland waters from Florida to Louisiana (despite contrary claims by USCG and BP) and documentation that dispersants made oil sink
Dear Mr. Coleman,
During the August 25 Dockside Chat in Jean Lafitte, LA, it came to our attention that the federal agencies were unaware -- or lacking proof -- of the continued spraying of dispersants from Louisiana to Florida. Further, the federal agencies were woefully ignorant of the presence of subsurface oil-dispersant plumes and sunken oil on ocean and estuary water bottoms. We offer evidence to support our statements, including a recently declassified subsurface assessment plan from the Incident Command Post.
But first, you mentioned that such activities (continued spraying of dispersants and sinking oil) -- if proven -- would be "illegal." As you stated, sinking agents are not allowed in oil spill response under the National Contingency Plan Subpart J §300.910 (e): "Sinking agents shall not be authorized for application to oil discharges."
We would like to know under what laws (not regulations) such activities are illegal and what federal agency or entity has the authority to hold BP accountable, if indeed, such activity is illegal. It is not clear that the EPA has this authority.
For example, on May 19, the EPA told BP that it had 24 hours to choose a less toxic form of chemical dispersants and must apply the new form of dispersants within 72 hours of submitting the list of alternatives. Spraying of the Corexit dispersants continued unabated. On May 26, the EPA and Coast Guard told BP to eliminate the use of surface dispersants except in rare cases where there may have to be an exemption and to reduce use of dispersants by 75 percent. Yet in a letter dated July 30, the congressional Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment reported the USCG on-scene commander (OSC) had approved 74 exemption requests to spray dispersants between May 28 and July 14.
Under the National Contingency Plan Subpart J, the authorization of use §300.910 (d) gives the OSC the final authority on dispersant use: "The OSC may authorize the use of any dispersant... without obtaining the concurrence of he EPA representative... when, in the judgment of the OSC, the use of the product is necessary to prevent or substantially reduce a hazard to human life."
Given this history of events and the NCP regulation, we would like to know what federal entity actually has the final authority to: order BP to stop spraying of dispersant; declare that spraying of dispersant after issuance of a cease and desist order is illegal; and prosecute BP for using product to sink oil.
The documentation of dispersant spraying in nearshore and inland waters includes:
√ claims by USCG and BP
√ eyewitness accounts
√ fish kills in areas of eyewitness accounts
√ photos of white foam bubbles and dispersant on boat docks in areas of eyewitness accounts
√ sick people in areas of eyewitness accounts
Read More
Marine toxicologist and Exxon Valdez survivor RikiOtt.com
Huffington Post.com
Sam Coleman
U.S. EPA, Region 6
1445 Ross Ave.
Dallas, TX 75202-2733 Via email: coleman.sam@epa.gov
August 27, 2010
Re: Documentation of continued dispersant spraying in near shore and inland waters from Florida to Louisiana (despite contrary claims by USCG and BP) and documentation that dispersants made oil sink
Dear Mr. Coleman,
During the August 25 Dockside Chat in Jean Lafitte, LA, it came to our attention that the federal agencies were unaware -- or lacking proof -- of the continued spraying of dispersants from Louisiana to Florida. Further, the federal agencies were woefully ignorant of the presence of subsurface oil-dispersant plumes and sunken oil on ocean and estuary water bottoms. We offer evidence to support our statements, including a recently declassified subsurface assessment plan from the Incident Command Post.
But first, you mentioned that such activities (continued spraying of dispersants and sinking oil) -- if proven -- would be "illegal." As you stated, sinking agents are not allowed in oil spill response under the National Contingency Plan Subpart J §300.910 (e): "Sinking agents shall not be authorized for application to oil discharges."
We would like to know under what laws (not regulations) such activities are illegal and what federal agency or entity has the authority to hold BP accountable, if indeed, such activity is illegal. It is not clear that the EPA has this authority.
For example, on May 19, the EPA told BP that it had 24 hours to choose a less toxic form of chemical dispersants and must apply the new form of dispersants within 72 hours of submitting the list of alternatives. Spraying of the Corexit dispersants continued unabated. On May 26, the EPA and Coast Guard told BP to eliminate the use of surface dispersants except in rare cases where there may have to be an exemption and to reduce use of dispersants by 75 percent. Yet in a letter dated July 30, the congressional Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment reported the USCG on-scene commander (OSC) had approved 74 exemption requests to spray dispersants between May 28 and July 14.
Under the National Contingency Plan Subpart J, the authorization of use §300.910 (d) gives the OSC the final authority on dispersant use: "The OSC may authorize the use of any dispersant... without obtaining the concurrence of he EPA representative... when, in the judgment of the OSC, the use of the product is necessary to prevent or substantially reduce a hazard to human life."
Given this history of events and the NCP regulation, we would like to know what federal entity actually has the final authority to: order BP to stop spraying of dispersant; declare that spraying of dispersant after issuance of a cease and desist order is illegal; and prosecute BP for using product to sink oil.
The documentation of dispersant spraying in nearshore and inland waters includes:
√ claims by USCG and BP
√ eyewitness accounts
√ fish kills in areas of eyewitness accounts
√ photos of white foam bubbles and dispersant on boat docks in areas of eyewitness accounts
√ sick people in areas of eyewitness accounts
Read More
Obama’s Department of Justice Puts Out Master Patriot Hit-list
Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
The Department of Justice has fired a salvo in the war against patriotic Americans supporting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The DOJ has issued Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism –Terms and Concepts, a 120-page propaganda addendum described as “a glossary designed primarily as a tool for criminal justice professionals to enhance their understanding of words relating to extremist terminology, phrases, activities, symbols, organizations, and selected names that they may encounter while conducting criminal investigations or prosecutions of members of extremist organizations.”
The DOJ glossary will be used by the federal government and increasingly federalized law enforcement to criminalize language used by the patriot movement.
The glossary describes the word “constitutionalist” as a “generic term for members of the ‘patriot’ movement. It is now often used to refer to members of the sovereign citizen or common law court movement. Sometimes the word ‘constitutionalist’ is also used.”
According to Merriam-Webster, a constitutionalist is a person who adheres to a form of government according to constitutional principles.
The DOJ is now apparently in the business of newspeak. In his dystopian novel on totalitarian government, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduced the term doublethink, from which the terms newspeak and doublethink were later derived. Newspeak has come to mean any attempt by the government to restrict or modify language. The DOJ, in an effort to further demonize a growing patriot movement, has attempted to redefine the word consitutionalist in true newspeak fashion.
The word constitutionalist is now shorthand for the sovereign citizen movement, in other words people who support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are violent cop killers. Earlier this year, two West Memphis, Arkansas, police officers were killed in a shootout allegedly involving a man and his son who were supposedly linked to the sovereign citizen movement in Ohio and Florida.
Prior to this incident, the FBI, an agency of under the DOJ, profiled the “domestic terror threat” posed by the sovereign citizen movement. “Sovereign citizens are anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or ‘sovereign’ from the United States. As a result, they believe they don’t have to answer to any government authority, including courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, or law enforcement,” the FBI wrote on April 13, 2010. The FBI provides contact information for turning in people who espouse “the bogus claims and scams of sovereign citizens.”
The DOJ prefaces its glossary by stating that “the fact that an entry appears in this publication does not imply a connection to illegal activity,” and then precedes to connect constitutionalists to alleged cop killers.
In addition, the DOJ’s glossary attempts to criminalize people who use the terms New World Order, Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, and One World Government. The latter term, according to the DOJ — obviously under the ideological sway of the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center — is used by “some right-wing extremists” to claim “white people will be in the minority, with Jewish people ultimately controlling the world.” In short, if you believe there is an effort to establish world government, you are an anti-semitic Jew hater.
The DOJ glossary arrives after the appearance of the Department of Homeland Security’s report on “right-wing extermism” and a similar report produced by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) and leaked to Alex Jones by a police officer last year. The MIAC report specifically singles out supporters of Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin — the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party in 2008 — as domestic terrorists posing a threat to law enforcement.
Fresh food that lasts from eFoods Direct (Ad)
The DOJ glossary will be used by the federal government and increasingly federalized law enforcement to criminalize language used by the patriot movement. It will be used in an effort to compile a hit-list of patriots and target them as threats to national security. The glossary is part of an ongoing campaign to demonize those of us who insist the United States is a constitutional republic and portray people who insist the government respect and follow the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as violent cop killers and white supremacist extremists.
For more on the DOJ glossary, see Department of Justice Lists Constitutionalists in Extremism Guide. A PDF of the glossary is available here.
View Online With Links
Infowars.com
The Department of Justice has fired a salvo in the war against patriotic Americans supporting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The DOJ has issued Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism –Terms and Concepts, a 120-page propaganda addendum described as “a glossary designed primarily as a tool for criminal justice professionals to enhance their understanding of words relating to extremist terminology, phrases, activities, symbols, organizations, and selected names that they may encounter while conducting criminal investigations or prosecutions of members of extremist organizations.”
The DOJ glossary will be used by the federal government and increasingly federalized law enforcement to criminalize language used by the patriot movement.
The glossary describes the word “constitutionalist” as a “generic term for members of the ‘patriot’ movement. It is now often used to refer to members of the sovereign citizen or common law court movement. Sometimes the word ‘constitutionalist’ is also used.”
According to Merriam-Webster, a constitutionalist is a person who adheres to a form of government according to constitutional principles.
The DOJ is now apparently in the business of newspeak. In his dystopian novel on totalitarian government, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduced the term doublethink, from which the terms newspeak and doublethink were later derived. Newspeak has come to mean any attempt by the government to restrict or modify language. The DOJ, in an effort to further demonize a growing patriot movement, has attempted to redefine the word consitutionalist in true newspeak fashion.
The word constitutionalist is now shorthand for the sovereign citizen movement, in other words people who support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are violent cop killers. Earlier this year, two West Memphis, Arkansas, police officers were killed in a shootout allegedly involving a man and his son who were supposedly linked to the sovereign citizen movement in Ohio and Florida.
Prior to this incident, the FBI, an agency of under the DOJ, profiled the “domestic terror threat” posed by the sovereign citizen movement. “Sovereign citizens are anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or ‘sovereign’ from the United States. As a result, they believe they don’t have to answer to any government authority, including courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, or law enforcement,” the FBI wrote on April 13, 2010. The FBI provides contact information for turning in people who espouse “the bogus claims and scams of sovereign citizens.”
The DOJ prefaces its glossary by stating that “the fact that an entry appears in this publication does not imply a connection to illegal activity,” and then precedes to connect constitutionalists to alleged cop killers.
In addition, the DOJ’s glossary attempts to criminalize people who use the terms New World Order, Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, and One World Government. The latter term, according to the DOJ — obviously under the ideological sway of the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center — is used by “some right-wing extremists” to claim “white people will be in the minority, with Jewish people ultimately controlling the world.” In short, if you believe there is an effort to establish world government, you are an anti-semitic Jew hater.
The DOJ glossary arrives after the appearance of the Department of Homeland Security’s report on “right-wing extermism” and a similar report produced by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) and leaked to Alex Jones by a police officer last year. The MIAC report specifically singles out supporters of Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin — the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party in 2008 — as domestic terrorists posing a threat to law enforcement.
Fresh food that lasts from eFoods Direct (Ad)
The DOJ glossary will be used by the federal government and increasingly federalized law enforcement to criminalize language used by the patriot movement. It will be used in an effort to compile a hit-list of patriots and target them as threats to national security. The glossary is part of an ongoing campaign to demonize those of us who insist the United States is a constitutional republic and portray people who insist the government respect and follow the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as violent cop killers and white supremacist extremists.
For more on the DOJ glossary, see Department of Justice Lists Constitutionalists in Extremism Guide. A PDF of the glossary is available here.
View Online With Links
Spy Satellites Used to Control American Citizens (Video)
Kurt Nimmo and Alex Jones
Infowars.com
According to the CNN report below, the government will use satellites “sparingly” to spy on the American people. However, as Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com have reported at least since 2007, the government has used this technology consistently to prey into the affairs of the citizenry. Spy satellite technology — lasers, infrared, electromagnetic data and other technologies — is a primary component in the police state control and surveillance grid. The technology was not designed to protect us from foreign terrorists.
In 2007, then director of National Intelligence, Michael McConnell, authorized Michael Chertoff’s Department of Homeland Security to use data collected from satellites and pass this information on to civilian agencies and law enforcement. Prior to this, we are told, access to only the most basic spy-satellite data was limited to a handful of federal civilian agencies, such as NASA and the US Geological Survey, which used the images for scientific and environmental study.
So egregious was the plan to spy on the American people, the Department of Homeland Security’s top intelligence, privacy and civil rights officials were called before Congress in August of 2007 to answer questions about violating the privacy rights of Americans. DHS never got around to creating a legal framework or standard operating procedures for the National Applications Office, the agency responsible for oversight of satellite technology. It has no intention of ever doing so.
In May of 2008, Chertoff said during a speech at the Heritage Foundation that the U.S. needs to engage in a “nonpoliticized, serious discussion while writing new laws to define the best way to combat terrorism,” in other words the American people need to stop complaining about the government violating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and adjust their thinking to accept Stasi-like 24-7 snooping.
From RFID tagging school children and surreptitiously taking the blood of newborn babies to be included in a government DNA database to airport naked body scanners and warrantless checkpoints cropping up around the country, the government has stepped up its efforts to impose a high-tech surveillance and control grid on the American people.
Former CIA director Michael Hayden characterizes the internet as “lawless.”
Prior to the anointment of Barry Obama to the presidency, we were told government would suddenly become transparent. Instead, the policies escalated under Bush have continued. The Obama administration has taken the snoop grid to the next level with his plan to allow the NSA snoop computer traffic on private-sector networks. Congress is ready to hand him the authority to shut down the internet.
It should be obvious to all who pay attention that the encroaching surveillance grid is not about saving us from al-Qaeda or medieval Muslims in remote caves, but is designed to be used to track and ultimately control the movement and thus liberty of the American people.
View Original Article With Links
Infowars.com
According to the CNN report below, the government will use satellites “sparingly” to spy on the American people. However, as Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com have reported at least since 2007, the government has used this technology consistently to prey into the affairs of the citizenry. Spy satellite technology — lasers, infrared, electromagnetic data and other technologies — is a primary component in the police state control and surveillance grid. The technology was not designed to protect us from foreign terrorists.
In 2007, then director of National Intelligence, Michael McConnell, authorized Michael Chertoff’s Department of Homeland Security to use data collected from satellites and pass this information on to civilian agencies and law enforcement. Prior to this, we are told, access to only the most basic spy-satellite data was limited to a handful of federal civilian agencies, such as NASA and the US Geological Survey, which used the images for scientific and environmental study.
So egregious was the plan to spy on the American people, the Department of Homeland Security’s top intelligence, privacy and civil rights officials were called before Congress in August of 2007 to answer questions about violating the privacy rights of Americans. DHS never got around to creating a legal framework or standard operating procedures for the National Applications Office, the agency responsible for oversight of satellite technology. It has no intention of ever doing so.
In May of 2008, Chertoff said during a speech at the Heritage Foundation that the U.S. needs to engage in a “nonpoliticized, serious discussion while writing new laws to define the best way to combat terrorism,” in other words the American people need to stop complaining about the government violating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and adjust their thinking to accept Stasi-like 24-7 snooping.
From RFID tagging school children and surreptitiously taking the blood of newborn babies to be included in a government DNA database to airport naked body scanners and warrantless checkpoints cropping up around the country, the government has stepped up its efforts to impose a high-tech surveillance and control grid on the American people.
Former CIA director Michael Hayden characterizes the internet as “lawless.”
Prior to the anointment of Barry Obama to the presidency, we were told government would suddenly become transparent. Instead, the policies escalated under Bush have continued. The Obama administration has taken the snoop grid to the next level with his plan to allow the NSA snoop computer traffic on private-sector networks. Congress is ready to hand him the authority to shut down the internet.
It should be obvious to all who pay attention that the encroaching surveillance grid is not about saving us from al-Qaeda or medieval Muslims in remote caves, but is designed to be used to track and ultimately control the movement and thus liberty of the American people.
View Original Article With Links
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)