The Notre Dame Debacle: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
March 26, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
House Adopts Plan for Mandatory "Volunteer" Corps
March 26, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a plan to set up a new “volunteer corps” and consider whether “a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people” should be developed.
The legislation also refers to “uniforms” that would be worn by the “volunteers” and the “need” for a “public service academy, a 4-year institution” to “focus on training” future “public sector leaders.” The training, apparently, would occur at “campuses.”
The vote yesterday came on H.R. 1388, which reauthorizes through 2014 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, acts that originally, among other programs, funded the AmeriCorps and the National Senior Service Corps.
It not only reauthorizes the programs, but also includes “new programs and studies” and is expected to be funded with an allocation of $6 billion over the next five years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Many, however, are raising concerns that the program, which is intended to include 250,000 “volunteers,” is the beginning of what President Obama called his “National Civilian Security Force” in a a speech last year in which he urged creating an organization as big and well-funded as the U.S. military. He has declined since then to elaborate.
WND reported when a copy of the speech provided online apparently was edited to exclude Obama’s specific references to the new force.
The video of his statements is posted [below]:
The new bill specifically references the possibilities “if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service.”
Such new requirements perhaps, the legislation notes, “would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.”
No one, apparently with the exception of infants, would be excluded . . . (continue reading)
I've Got to Hand it to the Mormons
March 26, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
They really do have a nack for producing creative, technically excellent media spots, such as this TV commercial. Only recently have Catholics (e.g., www.virtuemedia.org, www.catholicscomehome.org) started producing commercials at this high level. We can learn a lot from them in this particular area.
I’ve Got to Hand it to the Mormons
March 26, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
They really do have a nack for producing creative, technically excellent media spots, such as this TV commercial. Only recently have Catholics (e.g., www.virtuemedia.org, www.catholicscomehome.org) started producing commercials at this high level. We can learn a lot from them in this particular area.
The Flood Waters Are Rising, And This Guy May Be the Helicopter
March 24, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
You know the old story about the guy who’s caught in a flood. As all his neighbors are evacuating, he is determined to stay put in his house, and no amount of their entreaties can persuade him to join them in escaping the rising waters. He tells them that God will save him and, as they scram, he prays earnestly for divine deliverance.
The flood waters rise and flood his house. And he keeps on praying. Soon, rescue workers in a pontoon boat float by and urge him to jump in. He declines, saying that he is certain that God will answer his prayers and save him. Soon, he’s forced to climb up onto the roof, and another boat sails over to rescue him, but he declines. He is waiting for God to act and save him. A short time later, another boat passes by, its occupants pleading with him to climb on board and head with them to safety. He refuses, determined to wait for God’s response.
He is now standing on his tiptoes on the highest gable of his roof, and the flood waters are swirling around his neck. It looks like the end is near, when a rescue helicopter, seeing him in his last extremity, swoops down with a rope ladder lowered to him. The pilot calls out to him over the loudspeaker to grab the ladder and be carried to safety. But he won’t budge.
“I believe that God will help me out of this danger!” He shouts back, his words lost in the din of the rotors. The helicopter pilot shakes his head in saddened disbelief and flies off.
A few minutes later, the flood waters rise over the man’s head and he drowns.
Now, he’s standing at the pearly gates and asks St. Peter in hurt astonishment, “How come God didn’t save me? I prayed and prayed and nothing happened!”
St. Peter leans down toward the fellow and says, “The Good Lord sent you three rescue boats and a helicopter. What more did you want?”
That venerable adage contains a lot of truth. And while it doesn’t make for an exact parallel with this video you’re about to watch, I think there is enough of a connection that we should keep it in mind as we think about what things we should do to prepare for turbulent times ahead, trusting in the Lord’s gracious providence while at the same time using our common sense and being prudent. Think about that when you watch this video clip of Gerald Celente’s latest warning about the coming economic collapse.
I’ve brought you commentary by Gerald Celente on this blog before. Some of you have sent me notes to say that, as grim and frightening as his economic forecasts have been (and he has shown an amazing track record of bang-on-the-bullseye accuracy with his predictions), listening to his message has helped clarify your own thinking about what moves yo
u need to be making now to be less vulnerable when the guacamole hits the fan.
u need to be making now to be less vulnerable when the guacamole hits the fan.
Scoff if you like, but I seriously doubt you’ll be scoffing in a year or so.
The Flood Waters Are Rising, And This Guy May Be the Helicopter
March 24, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
You know the old story about the guy who’s caught in a flood. As all his neighbors are evacuating, he is determined to stay put in his house, and no amount of their entreaties can persuade him to join them in escaping the rising waters. He tells them that God will save him and, as they scram, he prays earnestly for divine deliverance.
The flood waters rise and flood his house. And he keeps on praying. Soon, rescue workers in a pontoon boat float by and urge him to jump in. He declines, saying that he is certain that God will answer his prayers and save him. Soon, he’s forced to climb up onto the roof, and another boat sails over to rescue him, but he declines. He is waiting for God to act and save him. A short time later, another boat passes by, its occupants pleading with him to climb on board and head with them to safety. He refuses, determined to wait for God’s response.
He is now standing on his tiptoes on the highest gable of his roof, and the flood waters are swirling around his neck. It looks like the end is near, when a rescue helicopter, seeing him in his last extremity, swoops down with a rope ladder lowered to him. The pilot calls out to him over the loudspeaker to grab the ladder and be carried to safety. But he won’t budge.
“I believe that God will help me out of this danger!” He shouts back, his words lost in the din of the rotors. The helicopter pilot shakes his head in saddened disbelief and flies off.
A few minutes later, the flood waters rise over the man’s head and he drowns.
Now, he’s standing at the pearly gates and asks St. Peter in hurt astonishment, “How come God didn’t save me? I prayed and prayed and nothing happened!”
St. Peter leans down toward the fellow and says, “The Good Lord sent you three rescue boats and a helicopter. What more did you want?”
That venerable adage contains a lot of truth. And while it doesn’t make for an exact parallel with this video you’re about to watch, I think there is enough of a connection that we should keep it in mind as we think about what things we should do to prepare for turbulent times ahead, trusting in the Lord’s gracious providence while at the same time using our common sense and being prudent. Think about that when you watch this video clip of Gerald Celente’s latest warning about the coming economic collapse.
I’ve brought you commentary by Gerald Celente on this blog before. Some of you have sent me notes to say that, as grim and frightening as his economic forecasts have been (and he has shown an amazing track record of bang-on-the-bullseye accuracy with his predictions), listening to his message has helped clarify your own thinking about what moves you need to be making now to be less vulnerable when the guacamole hits the fan.
Scoff if you like, but I seriously doubt you’ll be scoffing in a year or so.
Are You Pro-Life? The Government May Assume You're a Militia Member
March 24, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
And I’m not talking about St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Militia Immaculatae either. The rapid spread of what are known as “fusion centers,” government-operated data processing sites (58 of which are currently known to exist across the U.S.) that use highly sophisticated data-mining programs to correlate vast amounts of personal data about U.S. citizens, are raising questions about how that data will be used. This news story is reporting that there may be evidence to suggest that completely non-violent groups, such as pro-life organizations and, for that matter, individual pro-life citizens, are being classified as potentially dangerous. See what you think:
If you’re an anti-abortion activist, or if you display political paraphernalia supporting a third-party candidate or a certain Republican member of Congress, if you possess subversive literature, you very well might be a member of a domestic paramilitary group.
That’s according to “The Modern Militia Movement,” a report by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), a government collective that identifies the warning signs of potential domestic terrorists for law enforcement communities.
“Due to the current economical and political situation, a lush environment for militia activity has been created,” the Feb. 20 report reads. “Unemployment rates are high, as well as costs of living expenses. Additionally, President Elect Barrack [sic] Obama is seen as tight on gun control and many extremists fear that he will enact firearms confiscations.”
MIAC is one of 58 so-called “fusion centers” nationwide that were created by the Department of Homeland Security, in part, to collect local intelligence that authorities can use to combat terrorism and related criminal activities. More than $254 million from fiscal years 2004-2007 went to state and local governments to support the fusion centers, according to the DHS Web site.
During a press conference last week in Kansas City, Mo., DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano called fusion centers the “centerpiece of state, local, federal intelligence-sharing” in the future.
“Let us not forget the reason we are here, the reason we have the Department of Homeland Security and the reason we now have fusion centers, which is a relatively new concept, is because we did not have the capacity as a country to connect the dots on isolated bits of intelligence prior to 9/11,” Napolitano said, according to a DHS transcript.
“That’s why we started this . . . Now we know that it’s not just the 9/11-type incidents but many, many other types of incidents that we can benefit from having fusion centers that share information and product and analysis upwards and horizontally.” (continue reading)
Are You Pro-Life? The Government May Assume You’re a Militia Member
March 24, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
And I’m not talking about St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Militia Immaculatae either. The rapid spread of what are known as “fusion centers,” government-operated data processing sites (58 of which are currently known to exist across the U.S.) that use highly sophisticated data-mining programs to correlate vast amounts of personal data about U.S. citizens, are raising questions about how that data will be used. This news story is reporting that there may be evidence to suggest that completely non-violent groups, such as pro-life organizations and, for that matter, individual pro-life citizens, are being classified as potentially dangerous. See what you think:
If you’re an anti-abortion activist, or if you display political paraphernalia supporting a third-party candidate or a certain Republican member of Congress, if you possess subversive literature, you very well might be a member of a domestic paramilitary group.
That’s according to “The Modern Militia Movement,” a report by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), a government collective that identifies the warning signs of potential domestic terrorists for law enforcement communities.
“Due to the current economical and political situation, a lush environment for militia activity has been created,” the Feb. 20 report reads. “Unemployment rates are high, as well as costs of living expenses. Additionally, President Elect Barrack [sic] Obama is seen as tight on gun control and many extremists fear that he will enact firearms confiscations.”
MIAC is one of 58 so-called “fusion centers” nationwide that were created by the Department of Homeland Security, in part, to collect local intelligence that authorities can use to combat terrorism and related criminal activities. More than $254 million from fiscal years 2004-2007 went to state and local governments to support the fusion centers, according to the DHS Web site.
During a press conference last week in Kansas City, Mo., DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano called fusion centers the “centerpiece of state, local, federal intelligence-sharing” in the future.
“Let us not forget the reason we are here, the reason we have the Department of Homeland Security and the reason we now have fusion centers, which is a relatively new concept, is because we did not have the capacity as a country to connect the dots on isolated bits of intelligence prior to 9/11,” Napolitano said, according to a DHS transcript.
“That’s why we started this . . . Now we know that it’s not just the 9/11-type incidents but many, many other types of incidents that we can benefit from having fusion centers that share information and product and analysis upwards and horizontally.” (continue reading)
Twitter: Through the Eyes of a Skeptic
March 23, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Even though I do like Twitter (been on it for four whole months now), not everyone does. And this look at Twitter through the eyes of those who don’t like it is actually rather accurate, at least with regard to those users who really do love to answer the question, “What are doing?” over, and over, and over again throughout the day.
Needless to say, that’s not how I use Twitter, and the folks who are joining my network typically do not use it that way either. But some folks surely do. And to all of them, I dedicate this little video.
And now, if you’d like the positive side of Twitter, check out this serious, approving article from PC Magazine — “Nine Ways to Use Twitter” — (and then click to join my network!).
Pornography's Growing Technological Reach
March 21, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
One week from today, the star of [some pornographic movies] will walk onto the campus of Truman State University in Kirksville to debate a pastor on the subject most dear to his heart: porn. It will fall to the Rev. Craig Gross to rebut actor Ron Jeremy’s arguments that pornography is a harmless activity that most people pursue in the privacy of their own homes. . .
The Truman State debate is just one upcoming anti-porn event organized by local Christians. Such events reflect mounting distress among Christians over pornography’s growing technological reach.
From individual congregations to large organizations like the St. Louis Archdiocese, the Missouri Baptist Convention and the local stakes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, anxious religious leaders are confronting what some call an increasingly dangerous moral threat to children and marriages.
Rick Schatz is on the executive board of the Cincinnati-based Religious Alliance Against Pornography, representing about 50 faith groups and Christian denominations.
“We’ve been around for 23 years, and I have never seen the level of concern among faith leaders that I have in the last year,” Schatz said. “Because of the explosion in new, mobile technologies, there’s a new threat level.”
The AVN Media Network, which tracks the pornography industry, reported total retail sales of $13 billion in 2006, the latest year for which numbers are available. . . (continue reading)
