January 26-27, 2016::End of the day round-up (pg 2)

David Barton and Wallbuilders Double Down on The Jefferson Lies Accusations

I don’t know if Barton, Wallbuilders or WND will ever admit it, but it is undeniable that numerous conservative Christians have come forward with major academic critiques of the claims presented by Wallbuilders.

This is just so wrong on so many levels, but think this comment sums it up well:  A single mother of 10? Has she read the Bible? "A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.  (Deut. 23:2)

 Mom accused of child abuse hauls seven kids to Oregon for surreal performance before armed militants

“We’re here to sing for the Lord,” Sharp told the appreciative Oregon militants. “This is a very worthwhile cause, and we just hope to make a difference and we hope to just be able to bless the hearts of the people through the songs.”

Republican rift widens over whether to bother with an Obamacare replacement plan

That's as good an excuse as any. The reality is that they have no plan and can create no plan that does what Obamacare has done in terms of getting people covered and not completely blowing up the deficit in doing it. They want to keep the stuff that's popular—no more pre-existing conditions, people remaining on their family plans until age 26, etc.—but do it without the actual stuff that makes it work, like the individual mandate that puts enough healthy people into the pool to make it affordable for the sick people.

Instead, they're still messing around with the same old ideas: selling insurance across state lines (so that all insurers could flock to the states that have the worst regulation and consumer protections); giving people tax credits for health insurance that will cost more and cover less once insurers can get away with it; and setting up high risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions, the system for trying to get coverage to these folks we had before Obamacare and which failed. None of these ideas, even combined, create a comprehensive structure that can begin to replace Obamacare and retain private health insurance. There really isn't another way to do that.

Which McConnell very well knows, and he knows once all of that bullshit stuff is put into a "plan," Democrats will have something very concrete to attack. It's his members that will be most vulnerable to those attacks. It's his leadership that's on the line. Ultimately, even if the House comes up with something, he likely won't actually bring it to a vote. Which provides the perfect excuse for House Republicans to do what they've been doing for the past six years on replacement—nothing.

One of two pre-viability cases before  SCOTUS,,,

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Arkansas Case Challenging ‘Roe’

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away a request by anti-choice lawmakers to review an Arkansas law that bans abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy with narrow exceptions, letting stand an appellate court ruling striking the measure as unconstitutional.

Arkansas’ SB 134, known as the “Arkansas Heartbeat Protection Act,” outlaws abortion when a fetal heartbeat has been detected—which can be as early as six weeks’ gestation—and at 12 weeks, with narrow exceptions for the life of the pregnant person, cases of rape or incest, and those that involve a “lethal fetal disorder.”

The law, considered to be among the most radically restrictive in the nation, has been blocked by a federal judge since March 2014. Attorneys for the state urged the Roberts Court to take the case anyway, arguing the time was right for the Court to review the “rigid” viability framework put in place by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey that prevents states from banning abortions prior to fetal viability.

Court rules German man 'fit' to face trial for 3,681 Nazi deaths—Anne Frank may have been victim

After a previous court ruling which stated 95-year-old Nazi war criminal “Herbert Z” was unfit to face trial for the his alleged part in the mass murders of thousands, a German appeals court has turned the tables. The former SS member will face trial in late February for helping to facilitate the “cruel and insidious killings of at least 3,681” people.

Rafael Cruz: Public Education Is A Communist Plot

While he did correctly identify Dewey as a secular humanist, Cruz alleged that “John Dewey was a member of the American Communist Party,” when, in fact, Dewey was “an avowed anti-Communist” who even believed that “known Communists should not be permitted to teach children.” He co-founded the anti-Communist Committee for Cultural Freedom and was widely denounced by supporters of the Communist Party.

Cruz said that Dewey’s influence in the school system instilled anti-American values in children and, as a result, created “chaos in society.” This prompted Cruz to discuss Common Core, which he claimed “is about redefining education, redefining history and attempting to brainwash kids with a secularist view of history which denies the fundamental principles that have made America great.”

Gives the low-down on the repeal of COOL (country of origin labeling) and the politics behind it. From the perspective of a farmer most affected by this legislative action.

How Do I Know Where My Meat Comes From?

No, there are no conspiracy theories. No, the provision was not secretly put into the bill. No, congress isn’t try to pull the wool over consumer’s eyes. No, this is not about Monsanto. It comes down to retaliation. Retaliation from two of our most important trading partners.
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Personally, I am not the least bit concerned about the COOL repeal as far as quality and safety because it was never about food safety. The U.S. has some of the highest food safety requirements in the world.

The repeal of COOL will help pig farmers significantly by not reducing and/or eliminating our markets. Markets are extremely important to farmers. Other non-ag markets would have been affected also by the tariffs. Tariffs would have been placed on furniture, mattress makers, jewelry, baked goods and maple syrup processors.

January 23, 2016::End of the day round-up

STRONG BARF ALERT REQUIRED,,,

Rafael Cruz Asks God To Raise Up A Spiritual And Political Revival That Will Elect His Son President

"So we commit this campaign to You, Father," he continued, "we commit this next three or four months to You, Father, that righteousness will prevail, Father. That You'll wake up that sleeping giant, Father. Lord God, we did it in 1980 when we mobilized millions of Christians, millions of Christians across America to help elect whom I consider the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln, president Ronald Reagan. Father, we needed it big in 1980, we can do it again, Father. I pray, Lord God, that You create an awakening, Father, a movement, a spiritual revival and political revival, Father, to restore America again to that shining city on a hill to Your glory, Father."

I have been unformed that 5 provinces in Canada are also under advisement as well - Deadly Listeria Outbreak Linked To Pennsylvania « CBS Pittsburgh

My Dad Worked at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and He Knows What Happens When Ranchers Get Their Way

In statements to the media, Ammon Bundy, who heads the occupation, has made it clear that he considers the expansion of the wildlife refuge, and its shift away from allowing private citizens to use it for commercial activity, to be counter to the interests of the “people.”

This refuge—it has been destructive to the people of the county and to the people of the area. They are continuing to expand the refuge at the expense of the ranchers and miners.
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This is about taking the correct stand without harming anybody to restore the land and resources to the people so people across the country can begin thriving again.

Bundy seems to assume that if the federal government let the ranchers manage their own affairs, we’d all be riding the gravy train to prosperity station. But my dad worked on the refuge as a field archaeologist for five years in the 1970s, and he has a very different story to tell:

My first experience with cattle grazing on the refuge lands was in the south part of the refuge near Frenchglen. Several fields between the west side canal and the Donner und Blitzen River were being used for grazing. There were lots of cattle there. I think these cattle were from one of the larger ranches in the area, can’t say which one, but Roaring Springs Ranch comes to mind. The cattle had pretty much eaten just about all available vegetation there. These fields were merely mud and cow shit. It was ugly. We were not able to survey these fields for prehistoric sites until a few years later when the fields were not used for grazing.

Darwin Day approaches

It's time to dust off your Darwin costume again: less than a month remains before Darwin Day 2016! Colleges and universities, schools, libraries, museums, churches, civic groups, and just plain folks across the country — and the world — are preparing to celebrate Darwin Day, on or around February 12, in honor of the life and work of Charles Darwin. These events provide a marvelous opportunity not only to celebrate Darwin's birthday but also to engage in public outreach about science, evolution, and the importance of evolution education — which is especially needed with assaults on evolution education already under way in state legislatures. NCSE encourages its members and friends to attend, participate in, and even organize Darwin Day events in their own communities. To find a local event, check the websites of local universities and museums and the registry of Darwin Day events maintained by the Darwin Day Celebration website. (And don't forget to register your own event with the Darwin Day Celebration website!)

• International Darwin Day organization

• Progress Toward a National Resolution:

• 2016:  Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s Darwin Day Resolution (S. Res 337)
• 2016:  Rep. Jim Himes’ Darwin Day Resolution (H. Res. 548)

January 19-20, 2016::End of the day round-up

As I read this, I am reminded of this meme:

Asking you to give me equal rights implies that they are yours to give. Instead I must demand that you stop trying to deny me the rights all people deserve. (Attributed to Greg Bulmash)

Ben Carson: 'Abnormal' LGBT People Shouldn't Get 'Extra Rights'

“It’s beyond ridiculous that you take the most abnormal situation and then you make everyone else conform to it. That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. That’s one of the very reasons that I have been an outspoken opponent of things like gay marriage. I don’t have any problem with gay people doing anything they want to do. You know, it’s a free country, there’s freedom of association. However, when you now impose your value system on everybody else and change fundamental definitions and principles of society, I have a big problem with that. Everybody is equal, everybody has equal rights, but nobody gets extra rights. And when we start trying to impose the extra rights based on a few people who perhaps are abnormal, where does that lead?”

"Revenant" gun made by local gunsmith WJAC https://t.co/RZNdu6fKT2 Bill's work is beautiful,,, love to see locals getting recognition!!

This is just nuts!!  If I read this correctly, these bills are just from this year (2016) - HB 1794, HB 1953, SB 644, HB1714, HB1815, SB802, HB 1370, HB 1433, SB 801, HB 1755.

Missouri Republicans to Push Anti-Choice ‘All Lives Matter’ Bill

HB 1794, sponsored by Rep. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove), would establish the All Lives Matter Act, an example of what activists view as anti-choice legislators using the Black Lives Matter movement for their own restrictive agenda. It would amend state law to define a fertilized egg as “a person” and life as beginning at conception. So-called personhood laws have been an unmitigated failure. Voters in state after state have rejected by wide margins personhood ballot initiatives, and personhood bills have failed to gain any traction in legislatures.
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The push for personhood legislation is far from the only anti-choice measure to be considered in the upcoming session. The past five years have seen the Republican-dominated Missouri state legislature propose more anti-choice bills than any other state.

Lawmakers introduced dozens of anti-choice bills during the 2014 legislative session, and introduced dozens more during the 2015 legislative session. Few anti-choice bills have been passed with a Democratic governor in Missouri, proving an obstacle for GOP-led attempts to end legal abortion. However, the vast number of anti-choice bills introduced for 2016 has caused concern for many advocates.

The state legislature convened Wednesday, and lawmakers have already filed an assortment of anti-choice bills that restrict reproductive health care, including prohibiting physicians from using specific abortion procedures, restricting minors’ access to abortion care, and appropriating the rhetoric of racial justice activists in the so-called All Lives Matter bill.
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Lawmakers introduced dozens of anti-choice bills during the 2014 legislative session, and introduced dozens more during the 2015 legislative session. Few anti-choice bills have been passed with a Democratic governor in Missouri, proving an obstacle for GOP-led attempts to end legal abortion. However, the vast number of anti-choice bills introduced for 2016 has caused concern for many advocates. 

The state legislature convened Wednesday, and lawmakers have already filed an assortment of anti-choice bills that restrict reproductive health care, including prohibiting physicians from using specific abortion procedures, restricting minors’ access to abortion care, and appropriating the rhetoric of racial justice activists in the so-called All Lives Matter bill. 
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Despite a state investigation that cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing, lawmakers have introduced a pair of bills that would change state law governing the donation of fetal tissue. These bills include several other targeted regulations of abortion providers (TRAP) laws, including the creation of reporting requirements and admitting privilege requirements for abortion providers, along with ambulatory surgical center (ASC) licensing and inspections.

CBS host challenges Paul Ryan on Obamacare repeal attempt ‘How is that an alternative'

Paul Ryan called out for his act of appeasing Right Wing ideologues in yet another irresponsible bill to repeal Obamacare.

Moderator John Dickerson noted that Paul Ryan said he wanted the Republicans to offer an alternative to the president. Yet one of the first things he did this year, was to offer a repeal of Obamacare. "How is that an alternative?" Dickerson asked.

"It's not," Paul Ryan admitted. "That's why we have to come up with an alternative. So, you're right about that."
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The President has been asking all of those who are opposed to Obamacare to come up with ideas to make it better for over 5 years. Republicans have never committed to providing a practical alternative or any modifications of consequence. The reason why of course is that Obamacare actually follows conservative principles articulated by the conservative think tank the Heritage foundation. Otherwise America would have had the more sensible solution, Medicare for all / Single Payer health care.

As I have mentioned before, I am following the Oregon Bundy debacle from afar.  One of my comrades, regarding the SovCit Movement in regards to Kent Hovind, has been following it much closer; offering some interesting commentary.  For those interested, he can be found here:  Kent Hovind and Jo Hovind v USA - IRS https://t.co/lUIAo0M6Cz

Explainer: The Bundy Militia’s Particular Brand Of Mormonism

“I’m Captain Moroni, from Utah.”

That’s how one militiaman at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge responded to OPB’s Amanda Peacher when she asked for his name.

That name is not a silly response to deflect responsibility: In many ways, it encapsulates a deeply intertwined anti-federal sentiment mixed with Mormon symbolism. Captain Moroni is a crucial figure in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He’s also a heroic figure for anti-federalist extremists.

In the modern day west, Captain Moroni has become one of several powerful symbols for the Bundy militia’s anti-governmental extremism.

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Ultimately, the small town Abraham Bundy founded would be abandoned, after the Bundy family could not secure water and grazing rights from the federal government.

Bundy has previously said in interviews that relocation played a significant role in shaping his family’s outlook toward the federal government.

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“The main reason we’re here is because we need a place to stand,” Bundy said. “We stand in defense, and when the time is right we will begin to defend the people of Harney County in using the land and the resources.”

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.