Living a life that's totally dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ
in anticipation of His soon return! <><<><<><
- Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in
it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
Isaiah 30:21
Jesus' words:
(...look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh! Luke 21:28)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tornadoes the most terrifying of natural disasters
(CNN) -- I had to live all over the country before I realized that Americans everywhere live with some kind of fear hanging over their daily lives.
Those who live in river towns grow up with stories of floods. West Coasters joke about earthquakes to anesthetize themselves from the omnipresent reality of the real thing. Those who live in California and the Southwest can expect drought and horrific wildfires once or twice a decade, and anyone who lives a lifetime in the Gulf area must feel like they've lived through the plagues of the Old Testament. In the South and Midwest, of course, it's tornadoes.
Having experienced a flood in Pennsylvania and the 1989 Bay Area earthquake, I would argue that tornadoes are the most unsettling of all natural disasters and the most terrifying. When you have a torrential rain, you can anticipate a flood. In many cases, at least, the direction of wildfires can be predicted. Traumatic as earthquakes are, you don't have the agony of sitting and waiting for them.
But with tornadoes, there's a horrifying time span--ranging from several hours to mere minutes--when you know it may be coming, followed by the soul- wrenching knowledge that since you don't know which way it's going to turn, you can't flee from it.
Tornadoes teach us humility. For all of our scientific technology, there really isn't a thing we can do to protect those who are caught in their path. They are conscienceless killers, coldly democratic in where and how they strike.
The age of real time media has added a new and even more terrifying aspect: You can see the disaster forming then watch as it destroys. Wednesday afternoon on CNN, I watched helplessly from the safety of my living room in New Jersey more than 900 miles away as an F5 tornado almost a mile wide bore down on neighborhoods I had grown up in and where my family and friends still live.
As I saw it rip through Tuscaloosa near the University of Alabama campus, I thought, "My God, if that veers a half a mile or so, it's going to slam into the dorms." Then, about 15 minutes later, it showed up--as predicted -- in Birmingham's west end. I tried to phone several family members, including my sister-in-law, Cheryl, to tell her that I was watching on television what she could see if she had dared open her front door. I couldn't get through, of course; all phone service, land and cell, was down.
And what would I have said to her anyway? Get out? To go where? The last place you want to be during a tornado is on the open road -- unless you're in an Abrams tank.
When I was growing up, common wisdom was that you would be safe in the basement. At least you knew where your family would be. But most new houses don't have basements. It's cheaper to build on concrete slabs; as photos of the devastation reveal, in many Alabama neighborhoods, all that's left are the slabs.
As it turned out, we were very lucky. Our families and friends were all unhurt. Or were they? The more you talk to people who got through it, the more messages you send out to people you realize you haven't heard from.
Has anyone seen or heard from George MacAdams in Sheffield? How about Ken and Tyler at the Paul "Bear" Bryant Museum? Or Patricia Simon in Mountain Brook, or Brian and Mary Shaw in Homewood? Even though there were no reports of twisters hitting their area, how do we know where they were when it hit? I still haven't had all my messages returned and flinch with every e-mail and phone call. (As I write this, Tricia checked in and they are fine.)
My sister Lorrie and her husband Richard had just returned from a trip to North Carolina -- great timing --and dashed across town to pick up Richard's mother. It wasn't clear that she would be any safer at their house than in her own, but at least she was with family.
Growing up in tornado country taught me that there isn't much one can really do when caught in a twister's path. But this recent disaster taught me another thing: There's nothing to be gained by watching it as it happens. Next time I'll turn off the TV and, after I know everyone is safe, watch the reruns. •
A truck loaded with honeybees crashed on Highway 220 in Wyoming Monday, bouncing 150-200 bee hives down the road. The bees made a nuisance of themselves until protectively-suited workers eliminated the problem. Aside from the rare bee-hauling semitrailer accident, the problem with honey bees are not their numbers, but in their lack thereof. Healthy honey bee colonies are tremendously important to farmers everywhere, but Colony Collapse Disorder has been threatening these valuable pollinators since 2006. Bees are not alone. Bats face the spread of a devastating disease in 16 states, to the concern of farmers. And while bees and bats, the farmer's friends, struggle to stay healthy, the despised stinkbug returns from its winter hibernation and is expected to destroy crops throughout the East.
Bees:
Colony Collapse Disorder has troubled bee keepers and farmers for a solid five years, worrying the agricultural industry that depends on the bees to pollinate crops. Honey bees have been dying in record numbers, and it has been difficult to nail down a specific culprit. In 2007, mites and insect diseases were blamed. Pesticides, environmental change, genetically modified crops with pest control modifications, and cell phone radiation have all been accused of causing the bee deaths. Regardless, farmers know that crops won't grow unless they get pollinated. Without bees, we all starve to death.
"Farmers say they have scores of bees fly out, land on their plants and drop to the ground, dead - or they can't even fly," said Mark Schlueter, associate professor of biology at Georgia Gwinnett College. "This could jeopardize the food supply of the whole planet."
According to the USDA, colonies lost 29 percent of their bees in 2009 and 34 percent in 2010. One major problem causing a weakness in some bee populations is the lack of food diversity. When single species crops grow as far as the eye can see with no break, bees have a hard time getting the food they need.
"So many of the problems come down to one thing, and that is monoculture. The bees can't even live there, they'll starve to death. From the point of view of nature, it's insane," says Maureen Maxwell of the New Zealand Beekeepers' Association. The problem isn't just in America; bee populations are dying around the world.
There has been some hope. Colony Collapse Disorder has been a well-known problem for the past five years, and plenty of bee businesses have started up during that time. Despite the losses, honey production rose 20 percent from 2009 to 2010 for a total of 176 million pounds last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The number of honey producing colonies rose seven percent to 2.68 million colonies in 2010. While Colony Collapse Disorder continues to be a scourge to bee-keepers and farmers alike, some progress is being made in raising more colonies. Good thing.
Bats:
While most people recognize the value of a honey bee, many fewer appreciate the significance of bat populations. Forget vampires. A bat can eat well over half its body weight in insects every night and studies have shown that a colony of 150 big brown bats can eat 1.3 million insects in a year.
Unfortunately, white-nose syndrome has been wiping out bat populations from Texas to New York since its discovery in 2006. In white-nose syndrome, a fungus grows on the bats' noses and ears and wing membranes while they hibernate during the winter. The fungus itself apparently does not kill the bats, but scientists believe it wakes them from hibernation early so that they waste their fat reserves and starve to death before the explosion of insects in the spring.
Many east coast caves that are tourist attractions have been closed to the public as wildlife experts work to stop the spread of the fungus. While humans are not susceptible to white-nose-syndrome, the spores could be transported on their clothes and shoes.
Bats eat a wide variety of insects, and farmers are dependent on their voracious appetites. Among the pests they eat are cucumber beetles, leafhoopers, and stink bugs. They eat the moths of crop-damaging worms, interrupting the pests' reproductive cycles.
Researchers in the April edition of Science estimate that wiping out the US bat populations would cost farmers more than $3.7 billion - potentially up to $50 billion. People who hate pesticides should love their local bats.
Stinkbugs:
Speaking of annoying insects, the stinkbugs are rubbing their eyes and yawning and hopping out of their winter hibernation. The brown marmorated stink bug beetle appeared in America first in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the late 1990s and has multiplied into swarms that coat houses and windows every summer. The bugs have spread to 33 states, where they promise to destroy crops like sweet corn, apples, pears, grapes, berries, peaches, tomatoes, peppers and beans. Trissolcus wasps keep the stinkbugs under control in their native Japan by eating the stinkbug eggs. However, importing these tiny wasps to fight the stinkbugs may not be the best idea if the wasps also eat the eggs of other, beneficial varieties of stinkbugs.
While the price of gold and silver rise and investors scrutinize the stock markets, the very basic food needs of the United States - and the rest of the world - are under attack. Farmers face losing large numbers of their friends the bees and bats, while pests like stinkbugs reproduce in plague-like numbers. We have a constant reminder that sin - like a disease, like a pestilence - has infected the world, and all our striving will not make it go away. We also have a constant reminder that we were created in the image of God, and in our creative power we are able to find answers to many of our physical problems. Yet, with as many advances as we make, the sin remains. The blights and bugs keep coming. Thank God, we have a Savior in the heavens who has died to heal all our diseases – even the diseases faced by entire nations. •
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This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report' – Hal Lindsey – www.hallindsey.com
Today, Syria is on the brink of collapse; Egypt is beginning its descent into Islamic fundamentalism; Nigeria teeters on the cusp of a Christian/Islamic civil war; and Saudi Arabia, furious over President Obama's foreign policy ineptitude, is reaching out in frustration to Russia and China. The only way I can put these dramatic developments into the proper perspective is to say that we are seeing end-times prophecy literally exploding before our eyes. National alignments and strategic threats thought almost impossible only a few weeks ago are now reality.
That virtually screams one thing to me: the Rapture of the Church is even closer than we believed!
But, America is filled with churches and pastors who haven't preached, taught, or thought about the Rapture in years. In fact, we'd probably be surprised at how many ministers don't even believe that Christ will return to snatch away His true believers in a blinding flash.
This week, I'll answer some of the questions that many of you have about the timing and order of events leading up to the Rapture of the Church, then to that time of terrible tribulation on the earth. We'll discuss which prophecies, if any, remain to be fulfilled before these events can occur. We'll also look at the Age of Grace. What is it and when will it end? We'll discuss exactly what will trigger the end of this current Age. That moment is known only to the Father. Even Jesus in his human nature said He didn't know the hour or the day of that event. This Age began with a mystery and a miracle and will end with a mystery and a miracle.
I believe we live in the most exciting time in history. And maybe one of the scariest! That's why it's urgent that you make certain your family, your friends, your neighbors, and your co-workers have received the gift of pardon that Jesus makes available to them. The events I discuss this week could happen at any moment, even today. You do not want them to be on this earth after the Body of Christ departs! Get ready!•
On April 24th, Ben Yosef Livnat, a 24 year old nephew of Likud party cabinet minister Limor Livnat, was shot and killed near Joseph’s Tomb on the southern outskirts of Nablus, north of Jerusalem. Several other Orthodox Jews accompanying the slain man were wounded. The incident was especially grave in that it was apparently Palestinian Authority security agents who carried out the shootings (some speculated at first that it might have been terrorists dressed up as PA policemen). A PA spokesman claimed that three cars carrying the victims approached a PA checkpoint near the sacred site where Jacob’s son Joseph was buried after his remains were returned from ancient Egypt. Israeli officials said 15 observant men from the large Breslov Hassidic sect had driven to the revered tomb in three cars without prior arrangement with either PA or IDF officials. A PA spokesman claimed the victims did not stop as requested at a checkpoint, but another report said they were fired upon by a passing PA security jeep without provocation.
Orthodox Jews throughout the disputed territories and all of Israel were incensed by the PA shootings. Thousands marched to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem for the young man’s highly emotional internment. Noting at the funeral that eyewitness reports said PA security personnel kept firing on the Israeli cars even after her nephew was clearly hit by bullets and severely wounded, Minister of Culture and Sport Limor Livnat declared that the young man’s death was “nothing but cold-blooded murder.” The cabinet minister’s father, Azriel Livnat, compared the shooting death of his grandson Ben Josef to that of the first Jew executed by British forces during the Mandate period, Shlomo Ben Yosef.
However PA security forces spokesman Adnan Damiri maintained that “armed settlers” come to pray at the tomb without official permission on many occasions, especially during Jewish holidays. He complained that IDF soldiers stationed at a nearby outpost should have halted the three Israeli vehicles before they approached the PA checkpoint, which he said would have prevented PA intervention. Still, Israeli officials pointed out that American-funded and trained PA security forces know full well that most Orthodox Jews sincerely come to the sacred synagogue to pray, not to stir up trouble. Therefore the armed intervention was excessive, to say the least. Some security sources warned that it might be an early indication that heavily armed PA police forces might support any new Palestinian uprising, as most did during the horrific Al Aksa attrition war that was launched with Yasser Arafat’s approval in September, 2000. Calls for such a new violent terrorist offensive have been increasing in recent months, endorsed by a controversial page on the popular Facebook website.
A brother of one of the four wounded observant Jews told reporters that all realized they were taking a risk by not getting official permission to pray at the site. However he also pointed out that due to the Passover holidays, their rabbi who usually coordinates such visits was not free to do so. Therefore he said the young men took the risk of just showing up at the tomb. Meanwhile the Israeli police asked a court near Tel Aviv to remand in custody three members of the Hassidic sect on charges of violating a posted restricted military zone.
Israeli media reports noted that it is a known fact that not all religious Jews clear their visits to Joseph’s Tomb in advance with PA officials. Still, they note that according to the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo peace accord, the holy site was meant to remain under overall Israeli control, and certainly open for Jewish prayers on special occasions such as during the Passover holidays (the shooting took place just before the end of the week-long festival). On top of this, they point out that the tomb was taken over by Muslims in the Middle Ages who forbade all Jewish prayer at the site for several centuries (as they did at Abraham’s Tomb in Hebron), even though it is not an Islamic holy site per se. After Israel captured the area during the 1967 Six Day War, it was renovated and reopened to Jewish prayer. However Palestinian rioters took it back again at the end of the first week of the violent Al Aksa revolt in 2000, with Israeli Jews only gaining very limited access to the ancient holy site since then.
On another, very sad terrorist note connected to the same area, Israeli security forces arrested two Palestinians during April who were charged with the brutal early March slaughter of five members of a family living in the Jewish Orthodox community of Itamar, not far from Nablus. The three murdered children—ranging in age from an 11 year old boy to a baby girl just three months old—were knifed to death in their home just hours after completing their weekly Friday night Sabbath meal with their parents, who were also slain. Police named the two terrorists as Hakim Maazan Niad Awad, an 18-year-old high school student, and Amjad Mahmud Fauzi Awad, 19, both from the Arab village of Awarta located just over one mile south of Itamar. Police said the suspects confessed to the vicious crime and reenacted their stabbing spree. Israel Army Radio reported that the two young Muslim men did not express even the slightest remorse for their abominable slaughter, with one actually boasting that he went back into the home to stab the baby girl to death after initially leaving her alone. Media reports said the terrorists are members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) group. •
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Blessings to you and yours in these unparalleled and frightening times.-Missygirl*
Search for the truth, Ask wisdom from the Lord for truth, but don't be content with lack of knowledge.
********************************************************* This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have ever seen...
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: 'I don't believe that God exists.'
'Why do you say that?' asked the customer. 'Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.'
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
'You know what? Barbers do not exist.' 'How can you say that?' asked the surprised barber 'I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!' 'No!' the customer exclaimed. 'Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.'
'Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me.'
'Exactly!' affirmed the customer. 'That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.'
(WE MUST GO TO THE LORD TO KNOW HE DOES EXIST, IT IS THAT SIMPLE) BUT JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE DOES NOT GO TO HIM DOES NOT MEAN HE DOES NOT EXIST. THIS PERSON JUST REFUSES GOD'S HELP.
PROVERBS 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. ♥
If you're not sure what HAARP is, this next video shows and explains it. Remember that this next video was originally posted in the fall/winter of 1210. This was just a few months ago, yet before the tragedy in Japan. Did you also know that the day before the Japan earthquake, there was another smaller, yet strong earthquake in China? Just an FYI.
Texas governor calls for prayers for rain amid fires
Texas Governor Rick Perry makes remarks at the Conservative Political Action conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 11, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
By Elliott Blackburn
AUSTIN, Texas | Thu Apr 21, 2011 5:34pm EDT
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry called on Texans to pray for rain as cooler temperatures on Thursday helped firefighters contain wildfires that have charred more than 1.5 million acres across the state.
Perry, a Republican, sought increased federal help in combating the blazes last weekend and urged Texans to ask the same from a higher power over the Easter holiday weekend.
"Throughout our history, both as a state and as individuals, Texans have been strengthened, assured and lifted up through prayer," Perry said in a statement.
"It is fitting that Texans should join together in prayer to humbly seek an end to this ongoing drought and these devastating wildfires."
A wave of moisture and cooler weather had already helped the roughly 1,800 firefighters and support crews contain nine fires and make headway against many more by Thursday morning.
But conditions fueling the fast-moving wildfires that killed two volunteer firefighters and destroyed 200 homes this month would not ease for good, officials warned. •
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is still pushing for repeal of driver's license & birth certificate standards. Forty-one states, plus Washington DC, have embraced REAL ID implementation. Secretary Napolitano once again extended the deadline for states to comply with the minimum standards of REAL ID. States have not paid much attention to Napolitano or to the fact that federal monies for REAL ID have all but dried up. Eleven states have fulfilled the first 18 material compliance benchmarks and another five have submitted full compliance packages to the DHS. (click title to read more)
Texas Insider Report: HOUSTON, Texas – A small row of connected town houses concealed a well-organized and very profitable “maternity tourism” operation in San Gabriel, California. Building inspectors and police officers arrived on location after receiving multiple noise complaints and reports of a lot of pregnant women coming and going. In the kitchen of one of these homes was a row of clear bassinets holding several infants, with a woman attending to them.
Women from around the world travel to the U.S. in the final days of their pregnancy to give birth to “American” babies, some traveling from as far as China, Turkey, South Korea, and other countries to take advantage of automatic American citizenship. There were so many women in these anchor baby motels that an exact number of people living there could not be determined.
Upon interviewing these women, city social workers discovered that they had paid grand sums for the chance to deliver their babies within the borders of the United States after hearing about the opportunity to do so by companies in their home countries.
Often these “baby stay” packages arrange for doctors, insurance, and postpartum care. Some even offer a free stroller.
Recently members of Congress have questioned the constitutionality of the grant of automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. whose parents are illegal aliens and who can then sponsor their parents for permanent residency as citizens of the United States.
The problem with the San Gabriel makeshift maternity ward is that most of the women were here LEGALLY possessing valid tourist visas.
Any reading of the plain language of the statute coupled with the pertinent legislative commentary reveals that a child born to persons present in the United States but with legal fealty to a foreign power cannot logically or legally benefit from the boon of citizenship when their parents are by very definition aliens to the “extent and quality” of that most desirable status.
Can the fountain of liberty send forth the sweet water of citizenship at the same place as the bitter water of unlawful or fraudulent entry?
Speaking to the New York Times, Angela Maria Kelley, the vice president for immigration policy and advocacy at the Center for American Progress, a “liberal-leaning” research organization, said:
If this is something that was really widespread and happening all over, you would have expected it to really have revealed itself. I think it deserves a lot more study and a lot more attention. But to say that you want to change the Constitution because of this feels like killing a fly with an Uzi.
Perhaps unwittingly, Ms. Kelley is correct in her evaluation of the constitutional implications of the “anchor baby” issue:
We do not need to change the Constitution, we simply need to correctly interpret and consistently enforce the citizenship provisions that are already part of that document. • *****************************************************
Bees sting elderly couple to death in south Texas
MCALLEN, Texas (Reuters) – An elderly South Texas couple died and their son was injured after a swarm of bees attacked them on their remote ranch, authorities said on Wednesday.
William Steele, 95, and his wife, Myrtle, 92, died and their son, Richard, 67, was injured after bees attacked them as they tried to clean a hunting cabin on their ranch near Hebbronville on Monday, an investigator with the Jim Hogg County Sheriff's Office said.
"It was a terrible thing," Investigator Reyes Espinoza told Reuters. "You don't prepare for something like that."
Richard Steele told investigators he and his parents were attacked after they moved a wood stove in the cabin and exposed a hive of bees, Espinoza said.
The son immediately drove about 15 miles to the nearest road, where he managed to call for help on a cell phone.
William Steele tried to escape the bees by running from the cabin, but he fell and succumbed to hundreds of bee stings, Espinoza said.
Myrtle Steele was airlifted to a Corpus Christi hospital, where she died on Tuesday. Her son was transported to a Laredo hospital and released, Espinoza said.
Espinoza said the bees swarmed deputies when they arrived at the scene on Monday.
"By the grace of God, we didn't get stung," he said. "You could literally scoop them off of us."
Espinoza said they were likely Africanized honey bees -- often called "killer bees" for their aggression -- which are common in south Texas.
The bees are hybrids from swarms originally introduced to Brazil from Africa, which absconded in the 1950s. They spread north through South and Central America, crossing into south Texas in 1990, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The bees swarm more frequently than native bees, and are extremely defensive. The USDA advises untrained individuals against trying to remove swarms. If attacked, individuals should run away quickly and not stop to help others.
Fatal attacks are rare, although the USDA gave no figures. •
FBI: Pipe bomb was 'domestic terrorism'
JEFFERSON COUNTY - The FBI identified a person of interest in what they are calling a case of domestic terrorism in Jefferson County.
A pipe bomb and two propane tanks were found at Southwest Plaza Mall after a fire started just before noon on Wednesday. Police released surveillance photos of the man FBI agents are looking for.
They are not calling him a suspect, but, instead, a person of interest. He is described as a white man with graying hair and a gray mustache. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored cap, a striped shirt, a dark jacket with silver buttons, and blue jeans. If you have any information that can help track down the person responsible, call 303-271-5615.
Since the FBI is involved, any suspect arrested in connection with the case will face federal charges.
Southwest Plaza is expected to reopen Thursday morning after being closed for several hours. Hundreds of employees had to be evacuated from the mall at the height of this investigation.
Investigators say there are, on average, anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 people in the mall around noon everyday.
Investigators first noticed a fire near the food court just before lunchtime. The fire was out in just a few minutes and did not spread. But then, after a closer look, firefighters found two propane tanks nearby. About five hours later, a pipe bomb was found.
The bomb squad wanted to detonate it, but when they picked it up, the pipe bomb fell apart in their hands. Police say this could have been a very serious incident and, luckily, no one was hurt.
The fact that the pipe bomb and propane tanks were found on the 12th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School is not lost on investigators. The mall is just two miles away from the school. At the Columbine shootings, a pipe bomb and two propane tanks were brought to the school. They did not go off.
On Wednesday, 9NEWS talked with Troy Eid, a member of the Columbine Commission - a group that investigated the tragedy. He is also the former U.S. Attorney for Colorado. Eid says because of the similarities between Wednesday's situation and Columbine, investigators are looking to see if this was a copycat crime.
Investigators are also trying to find out where the suspect bought the propane tanks and supplies to build the pipe bomb. 9WANTS TO KNOW has learned investigators focused that part of their investigation on a nearby Target store.
9WANTS TO KNOW is continuing to investigate this story. If you have any information, contact our 9WANTS TO KNOW investigators and "blow the whistle" or call the tipline at 303-271-5615.
Bomb, Propane Tanks Found at Colorado Mall on Columbine Anniversary
LITTLETON, Colo. -- Investigators want to question a person of interest about a pipe bomb and propane tanks found after a fire at a Littleton mall, a discovery that raised the possibility of a connection to the Columbine massacre anniversary.
Firefighters found two propane tanks and the bomb near the Southwest Plaza Mall's food court after a small fire broke out Wednesday that was quickly squelched. The mall was evacuated around noon. No one was injured and the bombs didn't explode.
Wednesday was the 12th anniversary of the shooting rampage at nearby Columbine High School and officials expressed concern that the mall incident could be somehow linked.
"The fact that has happened on April 20, 12 years later, near the school and with similar devices is very disturbing," Jefferson County sheriff's spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said.
A possible connection to Columbine will be explored.
"It's something that can't be ignored and won't be ignored," Kelley said.
The mall is about two miles from the school, where two student gunmen killed 13 people and themselves on April 20, 1999 in a rampage that stunned the nation.
Unexploded pipe bombs and a propane tank with explosives attached were found in the school after the shootings.
"If it's kids, they're crazy not to know what this means in this town," Margie Hecht, who lives near the mall, told The Denver Post. "I remember that day and they wouldn't think this is funny if they did."
Through the years, students across the country have been accused of threats and incidents modeled after Columbine.
FBI spokesman Dave Joly said authorities have identified a person of interest seen on surveillance video entering a stairwell he said isn't typically used by the public.
The man could be a witness or a suspect, Kelley said.
He is described as a white male with graying hair and a silver mustache. Photos taken from surveillance show him in a dark cap, gray and white striped shirt, dark jacket, blue jeans and dark shoes. He is seen entering a stairwell and carrying a white plastic bag.
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Joly said it was too early to speculate whether the incident was an act of terrorism.
Sheriff's officials said there are usually about 6,000 to 10,000 people in the mall around noon each day. Shoppers and about 300 mall employees left after the fire.
A daylong search didn't turn up any other explosive devices in the mall, which was expected to be open for business Thursday.
About 25 schools were on lockout as a precaution, meaning access is restricted to one point, according to the Post. Classes had been canceled at Columbine High School in remembrance of those killed in the shootings.
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold wounded several students and killed 12 and one teacher before shooting themselves. •
LONDON (Reuters Life!) – London police said on Tuesday they had banned a radical Muslim group from holding a protest outside the church where Britain's Prince William will marry Kate Middleton next week.
However, talks are ongoing about allowing Muslims Against Crusades (MAC), whose members include some of Britain's best-known Muslim extremists, to stage some form of demonstration in the capital.
Meanwhile the English Defense League (EDL), a right-wing anti-Islamist group, whose past protests have been marred by violence, has also applied to stage a demonstration should MAC get the go-ahead.
"So far we've had two request from groups wishing to protest and we're currently engaging with them to decide whether we think that's appropriate," London Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens told Sky News.
"It's a celebration and we want the day to be focused on that celebration."
MAC said on its website its aim was to disrupt the April 29 wedding.
"We find that one of the biggest advocates of British imperialism, Flight Lieutenant Prince William, wishes to enjoy an extravagant wedding ceremony, ironically at the expense of the tax-payer," the website says.
"We promise that should they refuse, then the day which the nation has been dreaming of for so long will become a nightmare."
Last month, Emdadur Choudhury, 26, a member of MAC, was fined 50 pounds for burning a poppy on Armistice Day and shouting "British soldiers burn in hell" during rival protests by MAC and the EDL outside London's Royal Albert Hall.
The EDL on its Facebook website page has warned protesters it would "be there in our 1,000s waiting for you to slip up."
ATTACK "HIGHLY LIKELY"
The protest is one of a number of security issues facing police in the run-up to the royal wedding with Britain currently at its second highest threat level of "severe," meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected in London, and with many dignitaries and royals from Britain and abroad attending, the event is considered to be an obvious target.
About 5,000 officers will be on duty and there will be covert operations taking place.
Search teams and sniffer dogs have already been scouring drains, bins, peering inside lamp posts and even hunting inside traffic lights for any hidden bombs or weapons on the short route the couple will take between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.
The couple will travel in separate cars to the abbey, but return along the procession route together in an open-topped horse-drawn carriage, waving to the crowds, and then appear on the balcony of the palace with the rest of the royals.
"Officers are trained to be vigilant and check areas where items may have been hidden," said Inspector Ian Fairman who is in charge of the search teams.
"Officers will be checking vulnerable areas all along the route of the procession."
There is also concern that anarchists will target the event after riots last month. In December, a car carrying William's father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla was attacked during student protests in the British capital.
Police confirmed that 60 people, who have been charged with committing public order offences, were banned from central London on the day as part of their bail conditions. •
Wildfires Rage Across Texas, Scorch Over 1 Million Acres
MINERAL WELLS, Texas - A growing wildfire racing through parched fields and woods west of Fort Worth isn't likely to make it far enough to threaten the heavily populated metropolitan area, a state forestry official said Tuesday.
The fire started Friday near Possum Kingdom Lake, 70 miles west of Fort Worth, and linked up with several smaller blazes. By Tuesday, it had burned nearly 150,000 acres, destroyed about 150 homes and a church in several communities and forced hundreds of residents to flee the area, Texas Forest Service spokesman Marq Webb said. White ash was falling from the sky Tuesday in several towns.
Webb said crews would be able to use firefighting tactics to keep the blaze from Fort Worth, one of Texas' largest cities with nearly 750,000 residents.
"It's still a long way out there. God help us if it goes that far," Webb told The Associated Press. "Stranger things have happened, but we're not even thinking that at this point." •
WAR-WEARY: The escalation of violence has led to protests like this one in Mexico City this month that drew thousands of participants. (Associated Press)
The signature crimes of the most violent drug cartel in Mexico are its beheading and dismemberment of rival gang members, military personnel, law enforcement officers and public officials, and the random kidnappings and killings of civilians who get caught in its butchery and bloodletting.
But this disparate band of criminals known as Los Zetas is no longer just a concern in Mexico. It has expanded its deadly operations across the southwestern border, establishing footholds and alliances in states from New York to California. Just last year, federal agents tied a cocaine operation in Baltimore to the Zetas.
“Those of us who live and work along the border know they’re already here,” said Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr., whose Texas county lies on the Rio Grande 50 miles southeast of the Zetas’ stronghold of Nuevo Laredo. “There’s already been killings and many residents here are living in fear.”
Sheriff Gonzalez, whose Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition sought help from the federal government to control growing violence along the border, said the rising brutality of Mexican drug gangs, particularly the Zetas, “never stops shocking me.”
Trained as an elite band of Mexican anti-drug commandos, the Zetas evolved into mercenaries for the infamous Gulf Cartel, bringing a new wave of brutality to Mexico’s escalating drug wars. Bolstered by an influx of assassins, bandits, thieves, thugs and corrupt federal, state and local police officers, the Zetas have since evolved into a well-financed and heavily armed drug smuggling force of their own.
Known for mounting the severed heads of their rivals on poles or hanging their dismembered bodies from bridges in cities throughout Mexico, the Zetas have easily become the most feared criminal gang in Mexico — where 35,000 people have been killed in a continuing drug war. Everyone is a potential victim: men, women and children.
“The Zetas are determined to gain the reputation of being the most sadistic, cruel and beastly organization that ever existed,” said George W. Grayson, professor of government at the College of William & Mary and an expert on Mexican drug gangs. “Many of Mexico’s existing drug cartels will kill their enemies, but not go out of their way to do it. The Zetas look forward to inflicting fear on their targets.
“They won’t just cut off your ear, they’ll cut off your head and think nothing of it.” •
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Blessings to you and yours in these difficult and frightening times. Trust in the Lord Jesus. -Missygirl *
Newsmax.com and others report Muslim extremists keen to impose Shariah in Britain are threatening to kill women who refuse to wear the veil.. Even non-Muslim women are being targeted in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.
Taliban members told one pharmacy worker in the area that the store would face a boycott if she did not wear a veil, according to the newspaper. When the 31-year-old went to the press with her story, a man went back to the pharmacy and told her: “If you keep doing these things, we are going to kill you.”
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POLITICIANS BANKING IN AMERICA
TAKE HOWEVER MUCH YOU WANT, USE IT ON WHATEVER YOU WANT, TELL THE PUBLIC ABOUT IT AFTER THE FACT, & TELL THEM THEY NEED TO PAY MORE BECAUSE IT'S NOT ENOUGH! •
Historic Tornado Outbreak: 3 Days, 267 Tornado Reports, 15 States
This image, courtesy of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in San Diego, Calif., shows tornado reports April 14-16, 2011 as of 12:00 p.m. EDT Sunday April 17, 2011.
From Thursday, April 14, 2011 to Saturday, April, 16, 2011, devastating tornadoes rampaged across communities of the southern United States. Cities and towns from Oklahoma to North Carolina were assaulted by the deadly twisters.
The tornado outbreak led to a total of 267 tornado reports in 15 states over the three-day period. This will likely rank this tornado outbreak among the largest in history. •
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WATCH AND BE READY – ARE YOU READY?
OR DO YOU WANT TO BE HERE FOR THIS WAY OF LIFE:
"And he [False Prophet] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." [Rev 13:16-17]
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." [Rev 14:9-12]
Court to atheists: Gee, sorry about your 'hurt feelings'
Tosses challenge to 'National Day of Prayer' based on 'offense'
A federal appeals court today tossed a challenge to the legality of the National Day of Prayer, saying that the plaintiffs apparently were complaining because they were observing "conduct with which they disagree," and that does not make a federal case.
"We're extremely pleased that the appeals court rejected a flawed decision and determined that while some may disagree with a presidential proclamation, they do not have the right to silence the speech they don't agree with," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice.
"The appeals court correctly concluded that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the National Day of Prayer. This decision represents a victory for our nation's heritage and history – protecting a long-standing tradition that's been a part of our country for centuries," he said.
"Public officials should be able to participate in public prayer activities just as America's founders did," said Kevin Theriot, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.
"The 7th Circuit has clearly understood that the Freedom From Religion Foundation simply had no legal standing to attack the federal statute setting a day for the National Day of Prayer simply because the group is offended by religion."
The ADF represented the private, nonprofit National Day of Prayer Task Force in the case and the ACLJ represented a long list of members of Congress.
The court found "the 'psychological consequences presumable produced by observation of conduct with which one disagrees' is not an 'injury' for the purpose of standing … Plaintiffs have not altered their conduct one whit or incurred any cost in time or money. All they have is disagreement with the president's action. But unless all limits on standing are to be abandoned, a feeling of alienation cannot suffice as injury in fact."
In her opinion, Crabb wrote that in her view of case law, "government involvement in prayer may be consistent with the establishment clause when the government's conduct serves a significant secular purpose and is not a 'call for religious action on the part of citizens.'"
But she wrote that the National Day of Prayer law "cannot meet that test."
"It goes beyond mere 'acknowledgment' of religion," Crabb wrote, "because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context. In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience."
Nonsense, said the appeals court.
"Plaintiffs contend that they are injured because they feel excluded, or made unwelcome, when the president asks them to engage in a religious observance that is contrary to their own principles. It is difficult to see how any reader of the 2010 proclamation would feel excluded or unwelcome. Here again is the proclamation's only sentence that explicitly requests citizens to pray: 'I call upon the citizens of our nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us.'"
Last month, the ADF authored a letter delivered to governors across the nation encouraging them to observe and participate in the 60th annual National Day of Prayer this year.
The founders recognized a day of prayer, as has nearly every president since. It was in 1952 when President Harry Truman signed into law a joint resolution by Congress to set aside an annual National Day of Prayer. Congress amended the law in 1988, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan, specifying that the annual event would be observed on "the first Thursday in May each year."
The ADF said the tradition of designating an official day of prayer began with the Continental Congress in 1775, after which George Washington issued a National Day of Thanksgiving Proclamation.
ADF attorneys note that proclamations and appeals of state and local officials are no different. Historically, including 2010, all 50 governors, along with U.S. presidents, have issued proclamations in honor of the National Day of Prayer.
The Freedom From Religion organization contends the statute violates the First Amendment because it endorses prayer and encourages citizens to engage in the practice. The White House has argued the statute is simply an "acknowledgment of the role of religion in American life" and is indistinguishable from government practices courts have upheld.
The ACLJ had warned the use of "feelings" to determine a court-case outcome would produce results that would be alarming.
"Allowing 'hurt feelings' to suffice would render irrelevant the entire body of taxpayer standing. In that area of case law, the Supreme Court has recognized a narrow exception to the usual rule ... that federal and state taxpayers cannot sue to challenge the use of tax money," the brief said.
"Here, plaintiffs have sued over something they merely heard about."
"'Hurt feelings' standing, while a boon for 'cause mongers,' … is a bad idea whose time has not come. This court should vacate the district court's judgment and remand for dismissal for lack of standing," the brief argued. •
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FAITH UNDER FIRE
Woman accused of contempt for dinner blessing
Judge finds event was 'voluntary gathering outside of school'
A Florida school district worker whose husband read a prayer at a private banquet has been cleared of contempt accusations brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The case arose after the Santa Rosa County School District in January agreed to eliminate all religious activity, including prayer, at school-sanctioned events.
However, district worker Michelle Winkler was at a private banquet held at a Naval base to honor non-instructional school district employees and her husband read a brief blessing prior to the meal, according to reports of the case.
The ACLU alleged that subjected her to contempt charges.
Winkler, a clerical assistant for the district who was represented by Liberty Counsel's Senior Litigation Counsel Horatio Mihet and David Corry, was examined during a recent seven-hour hearing in federal court.
Eventually, District Judge Casey Rodgers found that Winkler's husband's prayer at a voluntary gathering outside of school did not violate any court order.
Liberty Counsel founder Mathew D. Staver expressed relief over the victory but frustration over the ACLU's actions.
"The wheels came off the ACLU's steamroller. While we are pleased with the ruling, we are saddened that a wonderful woman had to spend a day in court, with the ACLU's crosshairs aimed at her back. Prayer is neither contemptuous nor criminal. It is outrageous that the ACLU sought civil contempt charges against an outstanding woman whose husband prayed a beautiful prayer at a privately sponsored event held off campus. The ACLU needs to take a good dose of the First Amendment and call us in the morning," he said.
The fight, however, remains far from over. •
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May God bless each and every one of His own, and God help America. -Missygirl*
KUHNER: Trump poll triumph built on doubting Obama’s birth
President should just release full birth documentation ending legitimacy questions
Associated Press Sen. Barack Obama (right) was given local garb by retired chief Sheik Mohamed Hassan during a visit to northeastern Kenya in August 2006.
Donald Trump’s potential candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination has forced the issue of whether Barack Obama was born in America into the mainstream, a question the establishment media has been frantically avoiding. Mr. Trump is demanding the president reveal his long-form birth certificate. The real estate mogul believes Mr. Obama is deliberately withholding embarrassing or damaging information.
He has ridden the birth controversy to the top of the GOP field. Many polls have Mr. Trump in second place, just behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Clearly, his message is resonating with large segments of the Republican base.
Even some liberals, such as MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, are calling for Mr. Obama to release his birth records. Hawaii’s Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie recently vowed to settle the issue once and for all. He sought to pressure state officials to prove conclusively that Mr. Obama was born in Honolulu. He failed. The records remain sealed.
Since Mr. Obama’s 2008 election, the liberal press corps has treated the issue as a fringe movement - composed of extreme right-wing conspiracy kooks. The establishment media have even negatively labeled them as “birthers,” suggesting they are equivalent to Holocaust deniers or those who believe the Earth is flat.
Yet, the issue has profound ramifications. Mr. Obama has been the most secretive president since Richard Nixon. In fact, much is still not known about Mr. Obama’s past. His medical records, academic records and thesis as an undergraduate student all remain hidden from the public. This is not trivial. Rather, it is crucial to understanding the man occupying the Oval Office - his background, worldview, intellectual influences as a student, academic performance and overall physical ability to do the toughest job in the world. The American people have a right to full disclosure about their commander in chief.
The reality is that until Mr. Obama shows his proper, documented long-form birth certificate, the issue will not go away - nor should it. Many in Kenya’s political and media class say he was born there before being brought to the United States. His Kenyan family members make the same claim, while others in Hawaii insist he was born in Honolulu. There is only one way to end the controversy: Show us the birth certificate.
Instead, what Mr. Obama has revealed is a certificate of live birth, which is not the same thing. It simply states that Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii; it does not prove it. Documents can be fraudulently manufactured after the fact.
The liberal media has a vested interest in not pursuing the story. Throughout the 2008 election, the Washington press corps effectively acted as surrogates for the Obama campaign. They propped him up; they gave him a free pass. He was the progressive messiah who would repeal the hated Bush years. Hence, they failed to vet the presidential candidate thoroughly. Instead, they turned a blind eye to all of Mr. Obama’s conspicuous flaws - his long years spent at the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s neo-Marxist black liberation church, his communist mentors such as Frank Marshall Davis, his ties to radical socialists like Bill Ayers, his repeated calls to create a post-American, anti-capitalist world, his vast political inexperience, his cultural Muslim background and intense hostility toward Israel.
If Mr. Obama was not born in America, then it would serve as the final damning indictment of the establishment media’s complicity with the Democratic Party. Not only would it bring the Obama presidency down, but the entire liberal power structure as well.
Moreover, it would spark a constitutional crisis. The Constitution is absolutely clear that to be president one has to be a “natural born citizen.” Therefore, every major initiative implemented during the Obama administration - the health care overhaul, the massive stimulus package, the government takeovers of the auto companies, big banks and insurance firms, the sweeping anti-carbon regulations, allowing homosexuals to openly serve in the military, the nearly unprecedented expansion of state power, the new START Treaty - would be invalid and possibly illegal. It would drive a stake through the heart of Mr. Obama’s regime, triggering impeachment and his removal from office. This is why liberals ferociously insist that the birth issue must be buried at almost any cost.
The president’s supporters, however, cannot answer one simple question. If the controversy is so preposterous, then why has Mr. Obama’s legal team spent campaign money to prevent the birth certificate from being unsealed?
The answer: He is hiding something. It may be the stated religious affiliation, the possible identity of his true father, the location of his birth - no one will know until the records are revealed. But protecting Mr. Obama’s privacy is not a plausible reason and certainly not a justification for spending millions.
The birth issue is slowly casting a shadow over Mr. Obama’s presidency; it threatens to undermine public confidence in his legal and moral authority to govern. Several states are pushing to pass laws compelling future presidential candidates - including Mr. Obama - to fully disclose all documents proving their natural born citizenship status. This desire for greater political transparency and accountability is healthy.
It is time Mr. Obama came clean. At a minimum, if he does not reveal his birth certificate, he cannot - and should not - be allowed to run for a second term. •
Location: *Rocky Mountains* U.S.A., Colorado, United States
I'm in my late 40's, I have 4 children. I'm married, & living in beautiful Colorado! I have 10 Grandchildren! (I'm so blessed!) I've been sick with MS for 18 years already. (That's difficult!) But the biggest and best thing I can tell you about me is that I love my Lord Jesus with all my heart. He's my life!
