Islam taught in Texas School

Pastor Dave Welch, executive director of the Houston Area Pastor Council, is just one of those angry over a presentation by two female representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations that students at the Friendswood Junior High School were forced to attend two weeks ago.

"The specific details, as we were given by the students, included teachings that Adam, Noah, and Jesus were all prophets like Mohammed; the basic tenets of Islam; the process of how to pray five times a day; again, the pillars of Islam. These were specific, religious instructions," Welch explains.

Welch says Principal Robin Lowe explained to parents, who initially complained, that the assembly was held to deal with comments some students had made that were insensitive to Arab students. "This was not just cultural issues of the manners and ways of Arab culture. This was Islamic teaching," says the Houston pastor. "That was the issue that, obviously, raised great concern. This was forced religious instruction and [what we call] Islamic ... 'indoctrination.'"

Even more egregious, Welch says, is the fact that the principal was allegedly ordered by the superintendent of the school district not to allow the pro-Islam assembly, but did so anyway.

I wonder what the ACLU would have to say if the assembly was saying that "Jesus is God", "Jesus is the only way to Eternal Life", "God is Trinitarian", ect...

Something tells me there would be shouts of bloody murder.

Marriage protection initiative qualifies for CA ballot

An initiative that would again protect traditional marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State announced Monday.

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough names for it to be put to voters.

The measure would amend the state constitution to "provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

100,000 Bible to U.S. Troops in 100 days

Several large Christian organizations kicked off a campaign Sunday that aims to give 100,000 Bibles to U.S. troops worldwide over the course of 100 days.

US soldiers observe a moment of silence during a citizenship ceremony at the U.S. base in Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday May 26, 2008. Afghanistan has seen a sharp rise in violence in the last year, even as the U.S. and NATO have poured thousands of new troops into the country. The U.S. now has some 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, the most ever.The Operation Worship Bible, a special edition of the New Living Translation, was made available exclusively at Christian Booksellers Association retailers on June 1 for customers to buy and write a personal message of encouragement to an active-duty member of the military.

Stealing Michigan Delegates

At one point, Mr. Ickes implied that Mr. Obama had his name removed from the Michigan ballot to "curry favor" with participants in Iowa's first-in-the nation caucuses on Jan. 3, which he won.

Allan Katz, a committee member from Florida who was wearing an Obama pin during the hearings, said no one should compare the current dispute with Florida's 2000 recount mess.

"That election was stolen," he said, citing a common refrain among state Democrats who believe former Vice President Al Gore defeated then Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

Yet they don't see the same thing occuring when someone that wasn't voted for gets nearly half the delegates. He wasn't on the ballot because he took his name off the ballot on his free will and now gets the delegates anyway. Must be nice having special rules just for you when you run for office.

What is a Speical?

Superdelegate IQ must be very small

Polls showed voters drifting toward Hillary Rodham Clinton before crucial
Democratic primary votes next week

so naturally the Superdelegates...

were falling increasingly in line behind Barack Obama.

Am I missing something? If people are rejecting Obama because of his associations, wouldn't it seem logical to NOT go buddy buddy with him at this time?

Nice Logic: Jane Spahr and Performing Marriages

So if the constitution says you cannot do something but you do it, there's nothing that can be done to you because you cannot do it so there's no penalty. I wonder how well our society would do with the same logic.

Hamas leader offers truce if Israel withdraws from 1967 lands

DAMASCUS, Syria - The leader of Hamas says his Palestinian militant group is offering Israel a 10-year truce if it withdraws from all lands it seized in the 1967 war.
Khaled Mashaal says he made the offer to former President Carter in talks on Saturday.

Mashaal says Hamas would accept a Palestinian state limited to the lands Israel seized in 1967 — an implicit acceptance that Israel would exist alongside that state.

But Mashaal says the group would never outright formally recognize Israel.

Wow! Ten whole years to give them everything they lost for attacking Israel! What a deal! Give us the land and we'll leave you alone for TEN WHOLE years.

Lawsuit Against Teacher's Anti-Christian Remarks Goes to Trial

"I believe there's a plausible case," U.S. District Court Judge James Selna said in a Santa Ana, Calif., courtroom, according to The Orange County Register. "What we face at trial and summary judgment is a different matter."

Dan Spradlin, attorney for Advanced Placement European history teacher James Corbett, had asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the teacher's former student. After Monday's ruling, however, the lawsuit will go to trial.

Chad Farnan, sophomore at Capistrano Valley High School and a Christian, and his parents sued the history teacher in December, alleging that the educator had fostered hostility toward Christians and promoted "irreligion over religion," violating the Establishment Clause.

Court documents cite statements tape recorded by Farnan during Corbett's lectures, such as “When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth."

"Aristotle argued there has to be a God. Of course that's nonsense" and "We do not invoke the supernatural every time we get stymied. It's okay for religious people to do that, or magicians. There might not be a distinction. What was it that Mark Twain said? He said that religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool."

Qualifications or Fairness

Is it fair that a blind person cannot conduct a medical operation? Is it fair when a high school dropout is not hired for a position that requires a higher degree? Is it fair when a deaf person is not hired to take dictation?

Its not a question of fairness. Its a question of qualifications.

Someone must be able to see to conduct a medical operation
Someone must have the degree for certain jobs
Someone must be able to hear to take down someone's words accurately

So why when the qualifications for Biblical ministry are clearly spelled out in Timothy does it suddenly become a question of fairness?

I Timothy 3:1-13

Qualifications for Overseers

1The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Therefore an overseer£ must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,£ sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Qualifications for Deacons

8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,£ not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11Their wives£ likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Titus 1:6-9

Qualifications for Elders

5This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—6if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,£ and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7For an overseer,£ as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound£ doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Navy succeeds in first attempt to hit the satelite

The first opportunity for the Navy to shoot down the satellite came about 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday. The plan included firing a missile from the USS Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii to destroy the satellite.

"A network of land-, air-, sea- and space-based sensors confirms that the U.S. military intercepted a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite which was in its final orbits before entering the Earth's atmosphere," a Department of Defense statement said.

"At approximately 10:26 p.m. EST today, a U.S. Navy AEGIS warship, the USS Lake Erie, fired a single modified tactical Standard Missile-3, hitting the satellite approximately 247 kilometers (133 nautical miles) over the Pacific Ocean as it traveled in space at more than 17,000 mph."

It was unknown whether the missile hit its precise target -- the satellite's full fuel tank. The Department of Defense said it won't know for 24 hours whether the fuel tank had been hit.

"Debris will begin to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere immediately," the department said. "Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days."

However, even if the missile didn't score a direct hit, "any kind of hit provides a much better outcome than doing nothing at all," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

I must admit to being very surprised they were successful at hitting the satelite. I imagined it vering off and getting us into some real trouble.

McCain calls out Obama on Funding

Obama is raising as much as $1 million day, generating a big money advantage over both McCain and Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton in what is expected to be the costliest U.S. presidential election ever.

Obama, an Illinois senator, pledged in February last year to accept public financing and its accompanying spending limit of an estimated $85 million in the general election race if he wins the nomination and his Republican opponent agreed to limits too.

"I committed to public financing," McCain told a news conference. "He committed to public financing. It is not more complicated than that ... I'll keep my word. I want him to keep his."

As he has scored back-to-back wins in nominating contests, Obama has refused to recommit while moving steadily ahead of Clinton in the race to become the Democratic presidential nominee in the election.

Considering he also vowed to not run for president when he ran for the Senate, you really can't believe anything that comes out of his mouth. Good talker and he really doesn't care what he says as long as it sounds good at the moment.

Obama does it again

Comes and drives off Clinton again from the networks this time. Last time it was McCain. That is just a classless move and its a shame the sheep of this country are falling into line for his eloquent voice that says nothing. Except Change change change change. No explanation to what we're going to change to. Just change. Don't define it. Don't add any substance. Just call for change. And the mindless sheep fall into place.

US Recognizes independent Kosovo

The United States officially recognized Kosovo -- the Balkan state which split from Serbia on Sunday -- as an independent nation on Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a written statement.

"We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion," Rice said. "President Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries."

I wonder what the response would be from the US if Vermont declares its independence next week. They are a bit of a secedist bunch up there after all. And what would Britain do if Wales or Scotland says we're independent tomorrow?

Local PCUSA church looks to be checking out the EPC

While driving home from the seminary tonight I noticed on their marque outside that they have a meeting to discuss the EPC. I know that they were members of the Confessing Church movement inside the PCUSA.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Called to quit

Last week the Archbishop made the ludicrous suggestion that Sharia law should be allowed in parts of Britain. If they did that, they might as well split up the British Isles right now. It would be a return to the Feudal system of old which were in control when the Dark Ages occurred. And it would be a new dark age with the always civilized hand cutting, heading cutting, and other wonderful Muslim punishments.

He should be called to resign. And if he doesn't he should be forced out. He is an ignorant bafoon who embarrasses his church every time he opens his mouth.

Intelligent Design Professor Loses Appeal for Tenure

The Iowa Board of Regents rejected on Thursday an appeal by a professor who said he was wrongfully denied tenure by Iowa State University because of his views supporting intelligent design.

While ISU officials have maintained that their decision last spring on Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez 's bid for tenure had nothing to do with intelligent design, e-mails exchanged by ISU faculty – who voted against his tenure and statements in Gonzalez’s tenure file – suggest otherwise.

Gonzalez, assistant professor of astronomy and physics, has written papers on intelligent design and has asserted his views in a book which was published in 2004. He is also a senior fellow at Discovery Institute, the nation's leading think tank on intelligent design.

Isn't it grand the freedom of academia to question all truths? Everything is up for study and debate. Wait a minute...

Can the Media's pro Obama bias be any plainer

The title of the article: Obama leads Clinton by only 2 delegates

Obama won 796 delegates in Tuesday's contests, to 794 for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to an analysis of voting results by The Associated Press.

Note that they are talking about the voting on Tuesday.

But the overall totals are:

Clinton has 1,055 delegates, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Obama has 998.

Think the title is a bit misleading? I do. Media lovefests always turn me off and this is making me hope Clinton beats Obama for the nomination. This is a complete 180 for me since I originally hoped Clinton wouldn't win a state. And I especially want him to disappear since he never says anything when he speaks with that eloquent voice.

Women being beheaded in Iraq

The images in the Basra police file are nauseating: Page after page of women killed in brutal fashion -- some strangled to death, their faces disfigured; others beheaded. All bear signs of torture.

The women are killed, police say, because they failed to wear a headscarf or because they ignored other "rules" that secretive fundamentalist groups want to enforce.

"Fear, fear is always there," says 30-year-old Safana, an artist and university professor.

"We don't know who to be afraid of. Maybe it's a friend or a student you teach. There is no break, no security. I don't know who to be afraid of."

Her fear is justified. Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, is a stronghold of conservative Shia groups. As many as 133 women were killed in Basra last year -- 79 for violation of "Islamic teachings" and 47 for so-called honor killings, according to IRIN, the news branch of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

One glance through the police file is enough to understand the consequences. Basra's police chief, Gen. Abdul Jalil Khalaf, flips through the file, pointing to one unsolved case after another. Watch Khalaf show evidence of the brutality »

"I think so far, we have been unable to tackle this problem properly," he says. "There are many motives for these crimes and parties involved in killing women, by strangling, beheading, chopping off their hands, legs, heads."

"When I came to Basra a year ago," he says, "two women were killed in front of their kids. Their blood was flowing in front of their kids, they were crying. Another woman was killed in front of her 6-year-old son, another in front of her 11-year-old child, and yet another who was pregnant."

The killers enforcing their own version of Islamic justice are rarely caught, while women live in fear.

Boldly splattered in red paint just outside the main downtown market, a chilling sign reads: "We warn against not wearing a headscarf and wearing makeup. Those who do not abide by this will be punished. God is our witness, we have notified you."

The attacks on the women of Basra have intensified since British forces withdrew to their base at the airport back in September, police say. Iraqi security forces took over after British troops pulled back, but are heavily infiltrated by militias.

And tracking the perpetrators of these crimes is nearly impossible, Khalaf says, adding that he doesn't have control of the thousands of policemen and officers.
"We're trying to trace crimes carried out by an anonymous enemy," he says.

Amnesty International has raised concern about the increasing violence toward women in Iraq, saying abductions, rapes and "honor killings" are on the rise.

"Politically active women, those who did not follow a strict dress code, and women [who are] human rights defenders were increasingly at risk of abuses, including by armed groups and religious extremists," Amnesty said in a 2007 report.

How much worse will it be when the US withdraws like many want? And each death is on the US's head since Saddam Hussein controlled these militants by his brutal rule.

Obama shows his class tonight

When he decides to come out while another candidate is speaking so the cameras split on the news channels. I guess it would have killed him to allow McCain to finish his speech for the networks before he came out.

Party of tomorrow eh? I guess its the party of rudeness.

The Greed of the NFL knows no bounds

For years, as many as 200 members of Immanuel Bible Church and their friends have gathered in the church's fellowship hall to watch the Super Bowl on its six-foot screen. The party featured hard hitting on the TV, plenty of food -- and prayer.

But this year, Immanuel's Super Bowl party is no more. After a crackdown by the National Football League on big-screen Super Bowl gatherings by churches, the Springfield church has sacked its event. Instead, church members will host parties in their homes.

Immanuel is among a number of churches in the Washington area and elsewhere that have been forced to use a new playbook to satisfy the NFL, which said that airing games at churches on large-screen TV sets violates the NFL copyright.

Ministers are not happy.

"There is a part of me that says, 'Gee, doesn't the NFL have enough money already?'" said Steve Holley, Immanuel's executive pastor. He pointed out that bars are still allowed to air the game on big-screens TV sets. "It just doesn't make sense."

So the league is cracking down on churches that show the game with their big screens. Isnt that a great idea?

The NFL points to the disclaimer at the end of the game which they say is well known.

Plus the NFL is thinking of getting out of the collective bargaining agreement with the players for some reason. Its given the NFL the most prosperity of any league. But apparently they want more prosperity.

I hope it backfires and their popularity falls to the level of the NHL.

12 Pittsburgh Episcopal Clergy tell Bishop they will stay in Episcopal Church

In a letter mailed to the diocese's 66 churches on Tuesday, the 12 conservative clergy said they have "determined to remain within" The Episcopal Church rather than realign out of it, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Some of the clergy met Monday with Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan, who is discontent with the national church's liberal direction on Scripture and homosexuality, to inform him they will be going public.

The announcement comes after the Pittsburgh diocese overwhelmingly voted last November to leave The Episcopal Church. A second and final vote of approval for secession is expected later this year at the annual Pittsburgh convention.

Apparently they prefer being in a denomination that doesn't care what they think.

Episcopol Church Counciled to table action against Pittsburgh Bishop

"In brief, I would urge TEC (The Episcopal Church) and other Anglican bishops to pray for and take action so that this process pauses indefinitely," the Rev. Ephraim Radner said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Episcopal Church's three senior bishops stopped short of banning Duncan from his religious duties last week when the presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, sought to inhibit him. Duncan was, however, certified as having "abandoned the Communion of this Church" and Episcopal bishops are expected to vote on a final decision later this year.

The charge essentially means that the bishop has effectively left the church.

Duncan has been leading his Pittsburgh diocese toward a split with The Episcopal Church over its liberal direction on Scripture and homosexuality. The Pittsburgh bishop has expressed little hope that the national church would get back in line with Anglican tradition and is currently planning to form a separate orthodox Anglican body in the United States with other conservative bishops.

The Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of Anglicanism, widened rifts in the Anglican Communion when it consecrated openly gay bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire in 2003.

Radner urged the Episcopal bishops to vote to table the matter of Duncan's status and discipline "indefinitely." He believes the national church is not in a position to judge anything especially during a time of confusion and discernment.

I doubt this advice will be followed.

Thinking of buying a domain name?

Don't do a search with Network Solutions to see if the name is taken because then the name will be taken if you don't immediately register it.

After weeks of testing, Network Solutions LLC began this week to grab names that people search for on its Web site but don't immediately register.

The name is locked up for about four days, during which the person who made the search can buy it directly from the company for $35 a year - a few times more than what many of its rivals charge. After that, the name returns to the pool and can be registered by anyone through any registration company.

So want to pay $35 or $10 for the same name?

My suggestion is to buy the domain from a Godaddy affiliate: Here That affiliate is a friend of mine who hosts my site. If you don't want to buy from him then go directly to GoDaddy.com

Israeli fuel cuts cause hardship in Gaza

Human rights groups condemned the fuel cutoff.

The British group Oxfam called it "ineffective as well as unlawful." Gisha, an Israeli group that has fought the fuel cutbacks in Israel's Supreme Court, said "punishing Gaza's 1.5 million civilians does not stop the rocket fire; it only creates an impossible 'balance' of human suffering on both sides of the border."

Call me odd but when this

The army said five rockets were fired on Sunday, down from 53 in the two previous days.

is in there. It sounds like its being effective. And where exactly is there a law that one state must suppoly fuel to another state? Particularly a state that seeks the destruction of the supplying state. Which is the real unlawful act.

UpdateAppears that Yahoo has decided to change the article since Israel has decided to open the border.

SF Presbytery may as well burn the BIbles

Yet while Holy Scripture is necessary to faith and authoritative in our
lives, “to lead a life in obedience to Scripture sets the authority of Scripture above the authority of Christ and returns us to life under the law.

No it doesn't. The Word is from Christ. It is not above his authority. It is his authority.

And we never were out from under the law. We are to live according to the Law as best we can. We fail. But through the merciful gift of God, believers are forgiven for their sins. Not one letter from the law has been removed by Christ and it is the Law which believers are to follow as their conscience. And they are to be repentant when they fail to follow the law.

What does it mean to be repentant? It means you recognize that you were in the wrong. You do not try to justify your actions. You do not try to make it ok. You condemn your action and you attempt to stop your sinful nature. You do not relish it. You do not center your life around it. You do not continue to live in sin on purpose. You try to change your behavior to follow the Law of God which is the Law of Christ.

Romney double speak

"People are saying they want to see Washington change, and John McCain is not a candidate of change," Romney argued Friday. He also cast the Arizona senator as disloyal for breaking with President Bush on tax cuts and from GOP hard-liners on immigration.

So Romney wants change in Washington but he wants to attack McCain for not going along with Washington...

Makes sense.

Clinton in the lead in NH

I really don't get it. Why does anyone want the same families running this country? Eight Years of the Clintons is enough. Twelve years of Bushes is too much. While I have always despised term limits, I'm beginning to think there should be term limits on families. Otherwise in eight years we'll have the Bush from Flordia and then eight years later it will be Chelsea's turn.

McCain being in the lead has suddenly not annoyed me nearly as it once did. He has redeemed himself from his blind Bush backing. Somehow. I really don't know when it happened. Maybe because the rest of the field of candidates is just so subpar. The only one I like is Huckabee because he believes what he says but his tax plan scares me.

Hypocrisy

I'm sure you've heard of the Huckabee negative ad that Huckabee decided against using. Well it turns out that he didn't cancel the ad soon enough and so it was shown three times in Iowa. Now I would say its proof that Huckabee is telling the truth that he was going to use the ad but decided at the last minute to recall it. So what's the Romney response:

The Romney camp pounced on the revelation. "Governor Huckabee pulled a stunt that didn't fool the media or the Iowa people," Romney spokesman Matt Rhoades said. "The more Governor Huckabee's record has been exposed, the more nasty and negative his campaign has gotten. It's the height of hypocrisy that in the end his ad would still run on the air."

I'd say the true hypocrisy is that a campaign that only runs negative ads would complain about its competition running a negative ad.

California pro-Gay bill taking effect

California legislation that will ban grade school textbooks and teachers from including any instruction that "reflects or promotes bias against" homosexuality, transgenders, bisexuals or those with perceived gender issues will take effect next month and opponents are circulating referendum petitions to place the measure before voters.

SB-777 was introduced to the House on May 24 was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Oct. 14. The bill will affect textbooks and instructional materials for students in kindergarten and grades 1-12 and will change the typical concept of family, conservative groups argue.

“This reverse discrimination is an outright attack on the religious and moral beliefs of California citizens,” says Karen England, executive director of the pro-family group Capitol Resource Institute (CRI).

This is what happens when you depend on the government for anything. Everyone should take their children out of public school and enroll them in private schools that are safe from agenda driven legislation.

The Heartless Presbytery

After they decided to send the pastor to the unemployment line right before Christmas because his church decided to vote to leave the PCUSA, and they decided that the minority needed to keep the buildings, they have taken over the old building and sent out this lovely messenger

The goal: to raise $500,000 by January 31, 2008. Three members of the congregation have already committed $250,000 – IF their $250,000 contribution can be matched by the January 31, 2008 deadline. A heartfelt “thank you” is extended to Don and Eunice Wilbur and Diana Lee – who have committed $100,000 each, and to Lee and Mari Tetwiler, who have committed $50,000.

So what happens to the money collected when it doesn't quite match 250,000? Say the 12 families only manage to raise $1,000? Does the presbytery go: oh well. and pocket the $1,000 while the church is foreclosed on?

And demands for matching gifts always impresses me. Could there be a more selfish way to give? And I wonder what the New Testament says of proclaiming your "good" deeds for the rest to see. Somewhere there seems like there's a passage about things done in secret are looked upon with far more respect by God then the one that walks around with a sign proclaiming their good deeds. But I am an Old Testament student so I could be completely off track. I've only had like two classes on the NT.

Most idiotic Dissertation ever conceived

First posted over at the Reformed Pastor

A doctoral researcher at Hebrew University discovered that the Israeli army rape less Palestinian women then other armies in similar situations. So instead of concluding the Israelis must be more moral then the other armies, the researcher argues:

that the lack of IDF rapes of Palestinian women is designed to serve a political purpose.

The abstract of the paper, authored by doctoral candidate Tal Nitzan, notes that the paper shows that “the lack of organized military rape is an alternate way of realizing [particular] political goals.”

Could this be any more ridiculous? That someone earns a degree with this utter garbage? Could it be any more plain that the researcher just hates Jews? And if she herself is a Jew that that this is an example of self hatred?

This is like these fools that wont procreate because it harms the planet.

One thing about that at least it means they won't be raising a kid with their wacko beliefs. To bad there can't be something done about stupid dissertations that have no merit.

Bhutto assassinated at rally

Pakistan's former prime minister was assassinated at a rally by a sucide bomber today.

Bhutto's supporters erupted in anger and grief after her death, attacking police and burning tires and election campaign posters in several cities. At the hospital where she died, some smashed glass and wailed, chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf has responded by convening a meeting to discuss postponing elections again. Of course, this benefits Musharraf since his popularity is terrible. Instead of blaming Musharraf, some are trying to place the blame on militants aligned with the Taliban and Al Queda.

I think the blame can be squarely placed on Musharraf but then I've always thought Bin Laden was in the room next door to Musharraf.

Real Tree vs. Fake Tree

You've heard the argument: Fake trees are more environmental friendly and you aren't killing a tree.

But how many trees would not have been planted if they weren't destined to be Christmas trees? How many fewer trees will be planted as the Christmas tree business goes south? I know just down the road, a Christmas tree farm closed up shop five years ago. They aren't planting new trees anymore. How many more will go bankrupt thanks to this "green" philosophy?

American Indians rediscover the Buffalo

Despite their considerable heft -- some weigh a ton or more -- buffalo are agile creatures capable of bounding over 6-foot-high tension steel fences that otherwise keep them from roaming away from the ranch. They also can quickly build up a 35-mph head of steam to destroy a truck in their path if they want to.

The roundup started with a bribe of "candy corn" -- a mixture of molasses, corn and oats to lure the buffalo from one large pasture to a pasture closer to where they were to be vaccinated. (Buffalo also have a keen sense of smell.) The annual roundup occurs in December to avoid additional stress on the animals from hot weather. The Ho-Chunk use tractors and trucks because their horses aren't trained to herd buffalo. Otherwise, they have little contact with the buffalo, to keep them wild.

Dozens of people watched the animals being moved from the holding pen into the chute, including tribal members young and old who had never seen a buffalo up close.

This herd started in 1997 with four animals and grew to 385 a few years ago, Mr. Snake said. It provides naturally raised meat free of charge to tribal elderly meal sites and to Ho-Chunk community and ceremonial programs. "In our traditional way of life, we hold the buffalo in high esteem," said Tribal Chief Clayton Winneshiek. "It is recognized as a spirit blessed by our creator and given to us to use."

The Ho-Chunk are restoring native prairie grasses in pastures where the buffalo roam. The Muscoda ranch is on 642 acres that the 6,600-member tribe, formerly known as the Winnebago, purchased in 1994 with profits from tribal casinos.

The Ho-Chunk's aboriginal territory once covered several million acres in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

Tribal leaders are anxiously awaiting the return of 1,550 aboriginal acres from the former Badger Army Ammunition plant near Baraboo, declared surplus by the Army after almost 25 years of inactivity. Indian mounds also are believed to have been built there by ancestors of the Ho-Chunk.

The Ho-Chunk hope to establish a herd of about 1,000 buffalo on the Baraboo land within the next several years to produce more meat for the people, and to possibly sell it commercially outside the tribe.

Queen Elizabeth II becomes Britain's oldest monarch

"This is just another normal working day for the queen," a royal spokeswoman told AFP

I'm sure she has LOTS of work to do every day. I'm so sure. [note sarcasm]

She surpasses her great grandmother Queen Vicoria who had an entire era named after her. I wonder if this era will be known as Elizabethan. Somehow I doubt it.

Germany puts Zimbabwe in spotlight over abuse

Addressing the meeting in Lisbon attended by Mugabe, Merkel said the world could not stand by while human rights were "trampled underfoot."

And what exactly are they going to do to stop it? After all they didn't want to do anything with Iraq. They don't want to do anything with Iran. Or North Korea. Are they going to sit down and beg them to stop? And they will say we have done no such thing and nothing will be achieved. If you're going to make bold statements like that you should be willing to back them up. I don't see Germany doing that. Do you?