January 13, 2016::End of the day round-up

I am watching from afar pondering the questions of "how can these individuals afford this" and "what of their families."  Robert Baty, in his dogged pursuit of the Sovereign Citizen angle concerning Kent Hovind, noted this:

Well, some of them might actually be better off by going and camping out with the demonstrators in such situations, but I was impressed by the number of $50,000 pick-up trucks and other vehicles many of them seemed to be driving in from out of state.

It might be interesting to learn more of the financial details behind some of those individuals.

Yes, it would indeed "be interesting to learn more of the financial details behind some of those individuals."  Especially those rumored to be collecting Social Security Disability.

Militants in Oregon standoff persist with small donations, spaghetti dinners and financial sacrifice

Hunkering down for days, weeks or months in a building in rural Oregon is unlikely to be a lucrative occupation.

So how can the people that make up the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, a newly-formed group of about 20 self-styled militia that have occupied the federal headquarters at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, afford to do it?

The answer, most likely, is that not many can.

"These guys are broke," said Mark Pitcavage, who has been researching far-right movements for 22 years and has studied the Harney County occupiers. "Right-wing extremists, generally speaking, have very little money."
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That kind of devotion to a cause is what fuels most militia and anti-government groups, said Daryl Johnson, a former domestic terrorism analyst for the Department of Homeland Security.

"They'll think nothing about taking half their paycheck and using half of it to buy ammunition and guns," Johnson said.
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Although it's impossible to know for certain whether major financial sources are funneling cash to the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, Pitcavage said it is very unlikely.

"There's no large organization to give them money," Pitcavage said. "The right-wing extremist movement is broke."

Pitcavage, who has been researching the occupiers for the Anti-Defamation League, determined that two-thirds of the occupiers are part of the Patriot movement, and a third are part of the Wise Use Movement. The Patriot movement is an umbrella term for groups with antigovernment beliefs. People part of the Wise Use Movement take issue specifically with federal land ownership.

The two Patriot-movement groups that are relatively well-organized, the Oath Keepers and the III%, don't have money to donate to such causes, Pitcavage said. And even if they did, both have released statements opposing the occupation of Malheur Wildlife Refuge.

Neither is it likely the group is getting money from any religious organization, Johnson said.

I am by no means a fan of FAUX News nor Megyn Kelly. But every now and again, she actually does her job. I foresee a rabbit-hole.

Fox News host utterly demolishes antigay marriage guest

Brown’s appearance started off on the wrong foot when he claimed that the Supreme Court’s decision wasn’t binding on state courts, Host Megyn Kelly tried to explain the legal concepts already decided in Marbury vs Madison, but Brown refused to listen to reason.

Watch as Brown attempts to tell Kelly, a former attorney turned talking head, that she doesn’t understand one of America’s most basic legal concepts.

Two comments that stuck out in regards to Secular Coalition for America's FB posting concerning this situation.

1] There is no doubt that putting religious phrases or symbols on publicly funded property, including police cars, is absolutely a violation of the Constitution. Not only that, but it is a slap in the face of every Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Deist, Muslim, and non-Christian that pays taxes. It is is a belligerent gesture that tells 30% of America that they don't matter. The government was meant to be neutral to religion, not promote one above all the others.

Of course, what else would I expect from the Governor who bought the Jade Helm conspiracy hook, line, and sinker?

2] Of course Abbott backs them. It's another Dover trap. He can support his religion (rejecting others) and not face any consequences when they get sued. The Sherrif's office will be sued and they will lose. The precedents are clear.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backs crosses on police cars

Gov. Greg Abbott, continuing his plunge into a range of religious debates, is backing the display of crosses on sheriff’s department vehicles in a West Texas county.

In this instance, Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson has allowed his deputies to put the outline of a small cross on their patrol vehicles’ rear windows, according to the district attorney for the area including the county.

The sheriff’s move was criticized by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Its attorney, Sam Grover, called it “inappropriate and unconstitutional for a government entity to display a Latin cross on its property because it conveys a preference by the Sheriff's Office—and by extension, Brewster County—for religion over nonreligion and Christianity over all minority faiths.”

The foundation called on Dodson to “abandon his plan for the religious decals.”
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The governor, who had supported the “In God We Trust” motto, also backs the crosses in Brewster County, said Abbott spokesman John Wittman.

“The Constitution demands respect for religious expression rather than hostility towards it and Governor Abbott fully supports Sheriff Dodson’s decision to allow his deputies to display the Cross on their patrol vehicles,” Wittman said by email Tuesday.

Abbott has successfully pushed to remove from the Texas Capitol underground extension a takeoff on a Nativity that came from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. It featured the Bill of Rights in a manger, surrounded by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and the Statue of Liberty. The display promoted the separation of church and state while praising “reason and the Bill of Rights.”

The significance of Sarah Baartman

Reports of Beyonce planning to write and star in a film about Baartman have been denied by the singer's representatives. But the rumours were enough to generate concern.

Jean Burgess, a chief from the Khoikhoi group that Baartman was from, argued that Beyonce lacked "the basic human dignity to be worthy of writing Sarah's story, let alone playing the part". But Jack Devnarain, chairman of the South African Guild of Actors, said filmmakers had the ""right to tell the stories of people you find fascinating and that's what we must be careful not to object to".

Even in denying any link to a film, Beyonce's representative said: "This is an important story that should be told."
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In October 1810, although illiterate, Baartman allegedly signed a contract with English ship surgeon William Dunlop and mixed-race entrepreneur Hendrik Cesars, in whose household she worked, saying she would travel to England to take part in shows.

The reason was that Baartman, also known as Sara or Saartjie, had steatopygia, a genetic condition resulting in extremely protuberant buttocks due to a build-up of fat.

These made her a cause of fascination when she was exhibited at a venue in London's Piccadilly Circus after her arrival. "You have to remember that, at the time, it was highly fashionable and desirable for women to have large bottoms, so lots of people envied what she had naturally, without having to accentuate her figure," says Rachel Holmes, author of The Hottentot Venus: The Life and Death of Saartjie Baartman.

The Carter Center announces only 22 cases of flesh-eating Guinea worm disease left—from 3.5 million

On Thursday, The Carter Center announced that only 22 cases of Guinea worm disease were reported in 2015— a reduction of 83% from 2014. This quite remarkable, as when The Carter Center began leading the international campaign to eradicate the parasitic disease in 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million Guinea worm cases occurring annually in Africa and Asia.

"As we get closer to zero, each case takes on increasing importance. Full surveillance must continue in the few remaining endemic nations and neighboring countries until no cases remain to ensure the disease does not return," said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. "The Carter Center and our partners are committed to seeing that this horrible parasitic disease never afflicts future generations."

H/T to Warren Throckmorton,,,

So it seems the King of lying for Jeebus has a "new" venture "[w]ith the help of special guests like conservative television host Glenn Beck, former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, law professor Dr. Carol Swain, and others,,,"

Great, "The three B's of knowledge: Bachmann: Politics; Barton: History; Beck: Theology."

American Historian David Barton's "Foundations of Freedom" Premieres January 8th -- Only on TBN

What are the foundations that made America one of the greatest nations on the face of the earth? Are those foundations still relevant to our society? Do the Judeo-Christian principles that guided our Founding Fathers as they prayerfully launched the American Republic matter today? Is America still "One Nation Under God"?

Noted historian and best-selling author David Barton addresses these crucial questions and many more as he returns to Christian television leader Trinity Broadcasting Network with a new weekly series, Foundations of Freedom, premiering on TBN Friday, January 8th.