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Thomas Paine

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

24 Nov - Martial Laws & Practices

Non executive powers jurisdictional coverage o...Image via Wikipedia



Mammoth Budget: $75 Billion, 200,000 Operatives




Fusion Centers Will Have Access to Classified Military Intelligence

Speaking at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club September 15, Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis C. Blair, disclosed that the current annual budget for the 16 agency U.S. "Intelligence Community" (IC) clocks-in at $75 billion and employs some 200,000 operatives world-wide, including private contractors.



In unveiling an unclassified version of the National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), Blair asserts he is seeking to break down "this old distinction between military and nonmilitary intelligence," stating that the "traditional fault line" separating secretive military programs from overall intelligence activities "is no longer relevant."


As if to emphasize the sweeping nature of Blair's remarks, Federal Computer Week reported September 17 that "some non-federal officials with the necessary clearances who work at intelligence fusion centers around the country will soon have limited access to classified terrorism-related information that resides in the Defense Department's classified network." According to the publication:


Under the program, authorized state, local or tribal officials will be able to access pre-approved data on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network. However, they won't have the ability to upload data or edit existing content, officials said. They also will not have access to all classified information, only the information that federal officials make available to them.


The non-federal officials will get access via the Homeland Security department's secret-level Homeland Security Data Network. That network is currently deployed at 27 of the more than 70 fusion centers located around the country, according to DHS. Officials from different levels of government share homeland security-related information through the fusion centers. (Ben Bain, "DOD opens some classified information to non-federal officials," Federal Computer Week, September 17, 2009)


Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the federal government has encouraged the explosive growth of fusion centers. As envisaged by securocrats, these hybrid institutions have expanded information collection and sharing practices from a wide variety of sources, including commercial databases, among state and local law enforcement agencies, the private sector and federal security agencies, including military intelligence.


But early on, fusion centers like the notorious "red squads" of the 1960s and '70s, morphed into national security shopping malls where officials monitor not only alleged terrorists but also left-wing and environmental activists deemed threats to the existing corporate order.


It is currently unknown how many military intelligence analysts are stationed at fusion centers, what their roles are and whether or not they are engaged in domestic surveillance.


If past practices are an indication of where current moves by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will lead, in breaking down the "traditional fault line" that prohibits the military from engaging in civilian policing, then another troubling step along the dark road of militarizing American society will have been taken.





‘Counterinsurgency’ to Fight U.S. Crime? No, Thanks



ISP owners could face jail under child porn bill


The federal government introduced legislation on Tuesday requiring internet service providers to notify authorities of any reports of child pornography or face fines and possible imprisonment.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson told a news conference that most ISPs already act when they are notified of child pornography, but the legislation will make these notifications mandatory.
"A mandatory reporting regime across Canada will improve law enforcement's ability to detect offences and help reduce the availability of online pornography, facilitate the rescue of victims and help identify and apprehend offenders," he said.
If enacted, the bill would require ISPs to notify police of tips they receive regarding websites where child pornography may be available, and to safeguard evidence if they suspect a child pornography offence has been committed using an internet service that they provide.

Fines up to $100,000

ISPs wouldn't have to engage in active monitoring, but when they received notification they would have to act on it, said Nicholson. Notification would amount to providing the URL, or web address, of the site where the material was found to an agency designated to handle the reports.
Punishments for sole proprietorship ISPs would range from fines of $1,000 to up to $10,000, or six months imprisonment. For corporations, fines would range from $10,000 to $100,000.
Similar legislation is already in place in the United States, but in Canada ISPs are not required to retain customer data and do not take an active role in policing apparent child pornography.


( Ah, yes. If there's a way to do something wrong...we'll imitate it. )




UK role in torture of British citizens in Pakistan condemned

Pakistani intelligence agents involved in torture say their British counterparts were 'grateful' they were 'using all means possible' to extract information from terror suspects

Britain's role in the torture of its own citizens in Pakistan is condemned today by one of the world's leading human rightsorganisations as being cruel, counter-productive and in clear breach of international law.
In a damning report, published after an investigation spanning more than a year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the government finds itself in a "legally, morally and politically invidious position" through complicity in torture, and warns its moral legitimacy could be undermined.
The report by the New York-based NGO – entitled Cruel Britannia: British Complicity in the Torture and Ill-treatment of Terror Suspects in Pakistan – corroborates many of the findings of the Guardian's own investigation into the mistreatment of people held during British-led counter-terrorism operations.
Furthermore, researchers from HRW have spoken to Pakistani intelligence agents involved in torture who say their British counterparts knew how they were mistreating young British terrorism suspects. These agents said British officials were "breathing down their necks for information" while they were torturing one young medical student from London; and that British intelligence officers were "grateful" they were "using all means possible" to extract information from a man from Luton who was being beaten, whipped, deprived of sleep and threatened with an electric drill.

( As usual, the generation of false confessions is referred to as 'interrogation'. )




CIA’s Lost Magic Manual Resurfaces


At the height of the Cold War, the Central Intelligence Agency paid $3,000 to renowned magician John Mulholland to write a manual on misdirection, concealment, and stagecraft. All known copies of the document — and a related paper, on conveying hidden signals — were believed to be destroyed in 1973. But recently, the manuals resurfaced, and have now been published as “The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception.” Topics include working a clandestine partner, slipping a pill into the drink of the unsuspecting, and “surreptitious removal of objects by women.”
This wasn’t the first time a magician worked for a western government. Harry Houdinisnooped on the German and the Russian militiaries for Scotland Yard. English illusionist Jasper Maskelyne is reported to createddummy submarines and fake tanks to distract Rommel’s army during World War II. Some reports even credit him with employing flashing lights to “hide” the Suez Canal.
But Mulholland’s contributions were far different, because they were part of a larger CIA effort, called MK-ULTRA, to control people’s minds. Which lead to the Agency’s infatuation with LSD, as David Hambling recounted here a few weeks ago:
In the infamous Operation Midnight Climax, unwitting clients at CIA brothels in New York and San Francisco were slipped LSD and then monitored through one-way mirrors to see how they reacted. They even killed an elephant with LSD. Colleagues were also considered fair game for secret testing, to the point where a memo was issued instructing that the punch bowls at office Christmas parties were not to be spiked.
The Boston Globe has put together a great visual summary of some of Mulholland’s best tricks for the CIA: the shoelace pattern that means “follow me”; the hidden compartment to smuggle in an agent; the best ways to appear dumb and non-threatening. Because there’s no better misdirection than appearing to be a fool.
( The 'Chimperator' could tell you about that. )


US-UK strategy of training Afghan local militia is fraught with risk

"New police recruits get just a few weeks of paramilitary style training," Rachel Reid wrote in an article published in Britain's Guardian newspaper last week. "If there's no time to teach them the law, the potential for serious human rights abuses is large. Unrealistic goals for building up the security forces are likely to fuel the lawlessness that everyone now accepts underlies much of the government's unpopularity and the growing insurgency."



The battle against AIDS is showing signs of success



Around two million people died of AIDS in 2008, bringing the total since the virus was first detected three decades ago to around 25 million. Officials released details of the United Nations study at the 2009 AIDS epidemic update in Shanghai, China, on Tuesday.
Although the number of new infections is slowing, journalists were told, governments must guard against complacency.
Some 2.7 million people became infected with the disease in 2008, bringing the world total to 33.4 million. New infections have fallen by 17 percent over the last eight years, according to the Joint UN program on HIV/AIDS (UNAID).
Prevention is working
"The good news is that we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are due, at least in part, to HIV prevention," UNAID executive director Michel Sidibe said.
He added that some of the greatest progress had been in East Africa, where HIV incidence has fallen by 25 percent since 2001. In South and South East Asia, the incidence of HIV has fallen by 10 percent in the same period.


Sidibe said that better strategies were needed to prevent new infections, which stood at 7,400 a day.
"Any time we are putting two people on treatment, five people are being infected," he said.
"If we do a better job of getting resources and programs to where they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives saved."
Sidibe also called for an end to laws criminalizing homosexuality and prostitution, which he said drove high-risk groups underground, away from treatment or services.
There was concern in the the report that HIV could play a significant factor in maternal mortality, with around 50,000 deaths of women during or shortly after pregnancy being linked to the virus in southern Africa.

The explosive growth in communication technology over the last several decades has resulted in military units that, as often as not, can’t talk to each other. Add civilians, attached to the military, and you’ve got an even more confused comms situation. If you’re a State Department reconstruction team carrying just cell phones and satellite phones, and you get ambushed in southern Afghanistan, you normally won’t be able to talk to the Air Force A-10s flying overhead.
Enter BACN, which “extends communications ranges, bridges between radio frequencies and ‘translates’ among incompatible communications systems,” using Internet Protocols, according to Defense Industry Daily. “That may sound trivial, but on a tactical level, it definitely isn’t,” DID notes.
BACN is also a clue to possible, secret developments in air power. The prototype BACN Bombardier plane was spotted at Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, around the same time pictures surfaced, from the same base, of an apparent, top-secret, flying-wing drone that Bill Sweetman dubbed “The Beast of Kandahar.” Could BACN be helping Beast spot Taliban fighters for NATO ground troops?



Iran Expanding Effort to Stifle the Opposition

This month a high-ranking official at IRIB, the state broadcaster, seemed to unwittingly concede the point when he announced that 40 percent of Iranians — twice as many as last year — had access to satellite television in their homes.
“The enemy no longer invests in the military to advance their goals,” said the official, Ali Daraei. “Their primary investment is in the media war through satellite channels.”

( This article might well have been written as excellent confirmation.)


Bubble Translate v0.4.5

I've posted notes about Google Translate for years : and of deliberate mistranslation of Ahmadinejad's speeches as a Faux News style ruse. Here's an impartial toolkit.



Dear Mr. Schaeffer,...The religious right is playing out a 'death wish'. As a group, they are engaging in a type of 'self-initiation' into a dangerous and eschatological cult-like movement.
Some classic warning signs are evident:
They are cutting off ties with 'family', which can be seen as moderate Republicans. They vilify 'former members' who have left the fold. They advocate extremely harsh treatment of non-members.
Their cult leader is not one person, but rather a 'collective trope' comprising a rigid, dominant complex of ideology, behavior, culture, and language.
They are dependent on the 'collective trope' for direction, instruction, and reasoning. Independent thought or criticism of the 'collective' is punished. Criticism of the 'collective' is deemed persecution.
I realize you are intimately aware and knowledgeable about this perspective. And no doubt you are also aware of the issues involved with 'deprogramming'. Typically, deprogramming occurs only through 'exit counseling' or intervention. For 23% of the nation's population, intervention is unrealistic, and voluntary deprogramming is exceedingly rare and only an option for intelligent, honest, introspective, and educated individuals (such as yourself).
When I hear you speak I typically hear you issue warnings. I hear you inform. I hear you educate. I hear you raise awareness. Thank you.
But, respectfully, we need a plan. We need a realistic viable 'grown up' plan for de-escalation, deprogramming, and re-integration of the religious right. Alternatively, we need a serious assessment of the possibility that such a plan is not viable, and that there may be an insurmountable cultural rift between two different peoples that were formerly of one nation.
To most Americans, the idea of a partitioning of ourselves into two nations is utterly unthinkable. But if 70 million citizens are dedicated to creating a society and government which is in fair measure is mutually repugnant to another 230 million people, such ideas must at least be considered.
When you use language such as "trawling for assassins", you are at your best because you are vividly describing a forward looking, speculative assessment of the state of things. I urge you to do more of that. I urge you use your experience, intelligence, and intuition to look even further into the future and describe what you see.
I counted myself as an evangelical Christian for 3 years. Not a long time by common standards I suspect. But I understand the power of lifestyle, culture, and peer groups in creating a zone of comfort for believers. I understand the ways in which a sense of empowerment is derived from evangelical participation. I understand the tenacity of belief, the sense of righteous correctness, and the divine mandate to not sway or veer from the one truth. I understand the danger this assuredness poses to both individuals and to the greater society at large...
Again, sincerest thanks,
Dave Richards
And…

...I am quite passionate in my support for Barrack Obama and his very real desire to help bring a much-needed change to this country and to the world. I have no problem in believing him completely when he said in a recent interview that doing the right thing now is infinitely more important to him than any concerns as to whether he may be re-elected to the presidency in 2012 - this is a man who is clearly exceptional in very many ways.Unfortunately, the tremendous amount of resistance that is being generated against Obama and his agenda has been truly troubling to me as well - if it were merely the usual partisan divisions that were being argued, that would be one thing. But the intense personal animosity for this man quickly reached rather absurd proportions soon after he won the Democratic nomination last year, and you are right in pointing out that the right-wing extremist media seem to be literally "trolling for assassins" in order to put an end to this administration. It's amazing to me that so many in our country's short history whose only desire was to serve their fellow man were not only strongly opposed for their efforts, but were cruelly cut down in the prime of their lives.
Along with you, and I hope many others, I pray that President Obama will be surrounded by the most holy of all the angels as he pursues God's work here on this earth.
What these email writers were reacting to was that I said that the T-shirt vendors selling the Psalm 109:8 logo as in prayer that the President dies, had crossed a line into a place that is nothing more than the organizing of a death squad, or “trolling for assassins” as I put it on Maddow's show, and as Iwrote here at The BRAD BLOG some weeks ago.
Here’s what is in the Psalm they quote:

May his days be few; may another take his office!
Here are what the other verses in that Pslam call for (in case you didn't "get" verse 8) :

9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!
10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!
13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
Where is the response from the evangelical leadership to what --- from a “Bible believing” point of view is a blasphemous misuse of the Bible in a hate crusade?
The Christian leadership that fails to denounce this fiasco is morally bankrupt. If the president is killed ask the editors of Christianity Today magazine where they were and what they did to stop the hate. Where’s the Catholic League on this one? Where are the editors of far right Obama-hating Worldmagazine? Where’s Franklin Graham, and Chuck Colson and James Dobson and Rick Warren?
The far right "Christian" leadership managed to crank out a new deceleration against abortion and stem cell research just last week called the "Manhattan Declaration." Here's the list that signed it. Where are these people's deceleration of conscience against their own followers and fellow "Christians" when it comes to not murdering the President and/or seeming to encourage violence with Bible verse bumper stickers?

  • Dr. Daniel Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, N.C.)
  • Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola, Primate, Anglican Church of Nigeria (Abika, Nigeria)
  • Randy Alcorn, Founder and Director, Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM) (Sandy, Ore.)
  • Rt. Rev. David Anderson, President and CEO, American Anglican Council (Atlanta)
  • Leith Anderson, President of National Association of Evangelicals (Washington, D.C.)
  • Charlotte K. Ardizzone, TV Show Host and Speaker, INSP Television (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • Kay Arthur, CEO and Co-founder, Precept Ministries International (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
  • Dr. Mark L. Bailey, President, Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas)
  • Most Rev. Craig W. Bates, Archbishop, International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (Malverne, N.Y.)
  • Gary Bauer, President, American Values; Chairman, Campaign for Working Families
  • His Grace, The Right Reverend Bishop Basil Essey, The Right Reverend Bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America (Wichita, Kan.)
  • Joel Belz, Founder, World Magazine (Asheville, N.C.)
  • Rev. Michael L. Beresford, Managing Director of Church Relations, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • Ken Boa, President, Reflections Ministries (Atlanta)
  • Joseph Bottum, Editor of First Things (New York)
  • Pastor Randy & Sarah Brannon, Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church (Madera, Calif.)
  • Steve Brown, National Radio Broadcaster, Key Life (Maitland, Fla.)
  • Dr. Robert C. Cannada, Jr., Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando, Fla.)
  • Galen Carey, Director of Government Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals (Washington, D.C.)
  • Dr. Bryan Chapell, President, Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis)
  • Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver
  • Timothy Clinton, President, American Association of Christian Counselors (Forest, Va.)
  • Chuck Colson, Founder, The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, Va.)
  • Most Rev. Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, Calif.
  • Dr. Gary Culpepper, Associate Professor, Providence College (Providence, R.I.)
  • Jim Daly, President and CEO, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
  • Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List (Arlington, Va.)
  • Rev. Daniel Delgado, Board of Directors, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Pastor, Third Day Missions Church (Staten Island, N.Y.)
  • Patrick J. Deneen, Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Associate Professor and Director, The Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)
  • Dr. James Dobson, Founder, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
  • Dr. David Dockery, President, Union University (Jackson, Tenn.)
  • Most Rev. Timothy Dolan, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of New York, N.Y.
  • Dr. William Donohue, President, Catholic League (New York)
  • Dr. James T. Draper, Jr., President Emeritus, LifeWay (Nashville, Tenn.)
  • Dinesh D'Souza, Writer and Speaker (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)
  • Most Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan, Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church in North America (Ambridge, Pa. )
  • Dr. Michael Easley, President Emeritus, Moody Bible Institute (Chicago)
  • Dr. William Edgar, Professor, Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia)
  • Brett Elder, Executive Director, Stewardship Council (Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • Rev. Joel Elowsky, Drew University (Madison, N.J.)
  • Stuart Epperson, Co-Founder and Chariman of the Board, Salem Communications Corporation (Camarillo, Calif.)
  • Rev. Jonathan Falwell, Senior Pastor, Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, Va.)
  • William J. Federer, President, Amerisearch, Inc. (St. Louis)
  • Fr. Joseph D. Fessio, Founder and Editor, Ignatius Press (Ft. Collins, Colo.)
  • Carmen Fowler, President and Executive Editor, Presbyterian Lay Committee (Lenoir, N.C.)
  • Maggie Gallagher, President, National Organization for Marriage (Manassas, Va.)
  • Dr. Jim Garlow, Senior Pastor, Skyline Church (La Mesa, Calif.)
  • Steven Garofalo, Senior Consultant, Search and Assessment Services (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • Dr. Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.)
  • Dr. Timothy George, Dean and Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School at Samford University (Birmingham, Ala.)
  • Thomas Gilson, Director of Strategic Processes, Campus Crusade for Christ International (Norfolk, Va.)
  • Dr. Jack Graham, Pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church (Plano, Texas)
  • Dr. Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theological and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary (Phoenix)
  • Dr. Cornell "Corkie" Haan, National Facilitator of Spiritual Unity, The Mission America Coalition (Palm Desert, Calif.)
  • Fr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor, CEO and Archpriest, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Yonkers, N.Y.)
  • Dr. Dennis Hollinger, President and Professor of Christian Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, Mass.)
  • Dr. Jeanette Hsieh, Executive Vice President and Provost, Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.)
  • Dr. John A. Huffman, Jr., Senior Pastor, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (Newport Beach, Calif.); Chairman of the Board, Christianity Today International (Carol Stream, Ill.)
  • Rev. Ken Hutcherson, Pastor, Antioch Bible Church (Kirkland, Wash.)
  • Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr., Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church (Beltsville, Md.)
  • Fr. Johannes L. Jacobse, President, American Orthodox Institute; Editor, OrthodoxyToday.org (Naples, Fla.)
  • Jerry Jenkins, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Moody Bible Institute (Black Forest, Colo.)
  • Camille Kampouris, Editorial Board, Kairos Journal
  • Emmanuel A. Kampouris, Publisher, Kairos Journal
  • Rev. Tim Keller, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York)
  • Dr. Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College (Mass.) and at the Kings College (N.Y.)
  • Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky.
  • Jim Kushiner, Editor, Touchstone (Chicago)
  • Dr. Richard Land, President, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC (Washington, D.C.)
  • Jim Law, Senior Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church (Woodstock, Ga.)
  • Dr. Matthew Levering, Associate Professor of Theology, Ave Maria University (Naples, Fla.)
  • Dr. Peter Lillback, President, The Providence Forum (West Conshohocken, Pa.)
  • Dr. Duane Litfin, President, Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.)
  • Rev. Herb Lusk, Pastor, Greater Exodus Baptist Church (Philadelphia)
  • His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop Emeritus, Roman Catholic Diocese of Detroit
  • Most Rev. Richard J. Malone, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine
  • Rev. Francis Martin, Professor of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Heart Major Seminary (Detroit)
  • Dr. Joseph Mattera, Bishop and Senior Pastor, Resurrection Church (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • Phil Maxwell, Pastor, Gateway Church (Bridgewater, N.J.)
  • Josh McDowell, Founder, Josh McDowell Ministries (Plano, Texas)
  • Alex McFarland, President, Southern Evangelical Seminary (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • Most Rev. George Dallas McKinney, Bishop, Founder and Pastor, St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ (San Diego)
  • Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, Missionary Bishop, Convocation of Anglicans of North America (Herndon, Va.)
  • Dr. C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy, Union University (Jackson, Tenn.)
  • Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Ky.)
  • Dr. Russell D. Moore, Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and Dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Ky.)
  • Most Rev. John J. Myers, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, N.J.
  • Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, Kan.
  • David Neff, Editor-in-Chief, Christianity Today (Carol Stream, Ill.)
  • Tom Nelson, Senior Pastor, Christ Community Evangelical Free Church (Leawood, Kan.)
  • Niel Nielson, President, Covenant College (Lookout Mt., Ga.)
  • Most Rev. John Nienstedt, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
  • Dr. Tom Oden, Theologian, United Methodist Minister; Professor, Drew University (Madison, N.J.)
  • Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-Chief, World Magazine; Provost, The Kings College (New York)
  • Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
  • Rev. William Owens, Chairman, Coalition of African-American Pastors (Memphis, Tenn.)
  • Dr. J.I. Packer, Board of Governors' Professor of Theology, Regent College (Canada)
  • Metr. Jonah Paffhausen, Primate, Orthodox Church in America (Syosset, N.Y.)
  • Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council (Washington, D.C.)
  • Eric M. Pillmore, CEO, Pillmore Consulting LLC (Doylestown, Pa.)
  • Dr. Everett Piper, President, Oklahoma Wesleyan University (Bartlesville, Okla.)
  • Todd Pitner, President, Rev Increase
  • Dr. Cornelius Plantinga, President, Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
  • Dr. David Platt, Pastor, Church at Brook Hills (Birmingham, Ala.)
  • Rev. Jim Pocock, Pastor, Trinitarian Congregational Church (Wayland, Mass.)
  • Fred Potter, Executive Director and CEO, Christian Legal Society (Springfield, Va.)
  • Dennis Rainey, President, CEO, and Co-Founder, FamilyLife (Little Rock, Ark.)
  • Fr. Patrick Reardon, Pastor, All Saints' Antiochian Orthodox Church (Chicago)
  • Bob Reccord, Founder, Total Life Impact, Inc. (Suwanee, Ga.)
  • His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
  • Frank Schubert, President, Schubert Flint Public Affairs (Sacramento, Calif.)
  • David Schuringa, President, Crossroads Bible Institute (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
  • Tricia Scribner, Author (Harrisburg, N.C.)
  • Dr. Dave Seaford, Senior Pastor, Community Fellowship Church (Matthews, N.C.)
  • Alan Sears, President, CEO, and General Counsel, Alliance Defense Fund (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
  • Randy Setzer, Senior Pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church (Lincolnton, N.C.)
  • Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • Dr. Ron Sider, Director, Evangelicals for Social Action (Wynnewood, Pa.)
  • Fr. Robert Sirico, Founder, Acton Institute (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
  • Dr. Robert Sloan, President, Houston Baptist University (Houston)
  • Charles Stetson, Chairman of the Board, Bible Literacy Project (New York)
  • Dr. David Stevens, CEO, Christian Medical and Dental Association (Bristol, Tenn.)
  • John Stonestreet, Executive Director, Summit Ministries (Manitou Springs, Colo.)
  • Dr. Joseph Stowell, President, Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
  • Dr. Sarah Sumner, Professor of Theology and Ministry, Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, Calif.)
  • Dr. Glenn Sunshine, Chairman of the History Department, Central Connecticut State University (New Britain, Conn.)
  • Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center (Agoura Hills, Calif.)
  • Luiz Tellez, President, The Witherspoon Institute (Princeton, N.J.)
  • Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, President, Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, Ky.)
  • Michael Timmis, Chairman, Prison Fellowship and Prison Fellowship International (Naples, Fla.)
  • Mark Tooley, President, Institute for Religion and Democracy (Washington, D.C.)
  • H. James Towey, President, St. Vincent College (Latrobe, Pa.)
  • Juan Valdes, Middle and High School Chaplain, Florida Christian School (Miami, Fla.)
  • Todd Wagner, Pastor, WaterMark Community Church (Dallas)
  • Dr. Graham Walker, President, Patrick Henry College (Purcellville, Va.)
  • Fr. Alexander F. C. Webster, Ph.D., Archpriest, Orthodox Church in America; Professorial Lecturer, The George Washington University (Ashburn, Va.)
  • George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (Washington, D.C.)
  • David Welch, Houston Area Pastor Council Executive Director, US Pastors Council (Houston)
  • Dr. James Emery White, Founding and Senior Pastor, Mecklenburg Community Church (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • Dr. Hayes Wicker, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church (Naples, Fla.)
  • Mark Williamson, Founder and President, Foundation Restoration Ministries/Federal Intercessors (Katy, Texas)
  • Parker T. Williamson, Editor Emeritus and Senior Correspondent, Presbyterian Lay Committee
  • Dr. Craig Williford, President, Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.)
  • Dr. John Woodbridge, Research Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, Ill.)
  • Don M. Woodside, Performance Matters Associates (Matthews, N.C.)
  • Dr. Frank Wright, President, National Religious Broadcasters (Manassas, Va.)
  • Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
  • Paul Young, COO and Executive Vice President, Christian Research Institute (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • Dr. Michael Youssef, President, Leading the Way (Atlanta)
  • Ravi Zacharias, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (Norcross, Ga.)
  • Most Rev. David A. Zubik, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
  • James R. Thobaben, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor, Bioethics and Social Ethics, Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, Ky.)
By their silence they are in bed with people who write things like this: “those of us who don’t like Obummer really want him dead…”
If it happens, you know who to blame. The moral cowards listed above are expert at judging the "secular culture" and denouncing it but never at coming together to denounce their own blasphemous rabid followers.
They are like the Muslim leaders that right wing people complain about for never denouncing their extremists. Well, now that we have an American Taliban threatening domestic violence by misquoting our version of the Koran where are the people on the list above speaking out?
Where?!



* * *

Frank Schaeffer is the author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back and his new book, Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don't Like Religion (or Atheism).










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