Obamacare and Catholic Church, Religious liberty and health care, Dr. Grattan Brown, Natural Law as the Foundation of Religious Liberty, Belmont Abbey College
“Führer, my Führer, give me by God. Protect and preserve my life for long. You saved Germany in time of need. I thank you for my daily bread. Be with me for a long time, do not leave me, Führer, my Führer, my faith, my light, Hail to my Führer!”…Recited by Hitler youth
“If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.”…Barack Obama
“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me –
and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.”…Pastor Martin Niemoller
From Saint Pius X Church in NC.
“Saint Pius X to Host Lecture on Religious Liberty & the HHS Mandate
Dr. Grattan Brown, STD, a professor at Belmont Abbey College, will deliver a lecture,
“Natural Law Foundations of Religious Liberty & the HHS Mandate,”
in the church on Saturday, October 6, at 7 p.m. Dr. Brown is a former researcher in religion and public policy at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC and former professor at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.
A reception will precede the event at 6 p.m.
This is an important topic not just to Catholics, but to all Americans who cherish religious liberty. Much is heard about the issue in the news, but Dr. Brown will be able to help us understand the issue from the viewpoint of Catholic tradition and Church teaching.
This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.”
“Belmont Abbey College has filed a broad legal challenge to the part of President Barack Obama’s health care reforms that requires employer insurance plans to cover contraception and other birth control.
The Catholic college in Gaston County says the federal mandate forces religious institutions opposed to birth control to violate their beliefs or face penalties. The rule goes into effect next August.
The school has sued a number of federal agencies. The defendants include Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Keith Maley, an HHS spokesman, said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit, public-interest law firm.”
On March 21, 2010, the United States House of Representatives voted on, and narrowly passed, a new national healthcare reform bill. Two days later, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into federal law. On January 20, 2012, over repeated objections by the United States Catholic Bishops and other religious leaders, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reaffirmed a rule mandating that virtually all private healthcare plans must cover sterilization, abortifacients and contraception by plan years beginning on or after August 1, 2012.
This action has been called by many religious leaders an egregious violation of the first amendment which states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”
On Saturday, February 11, 2012, over one hundred attendees gathered for a forum on religious liberties hosted on the campus of Belmont Abbey College. The event was moderated by Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College. Three nationally-recognized speakers took the podium.
Dr. Grattan Brown, Associate Professor of Theology at Belmont Abbey College, opened the forum with his presentation on Natural Law as the foundation for religious liberty, addressing various contraceptive methods mandated under the new administrative guidelines, and their potential to function as abortifacients in violation of Natural Law.
Mr. Kyle Duncan, Senior Legal Counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm located in Washington, DC, spoke on the accelerating legal challenges to religious liberty in the United States.
Mrs. Nancy Matthews, recently retired Chancellor and General Counsel for the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, closed the forum with a presentation on the goals and objectives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ ad hoc committee on religious liberty. Mrs. Matthews is currently a consultant to this committee.
It is our hope that this forum will help you to better understand these issues facing the Catholic Church and nearly all employers in America today and encourage you to take action to ensure the continued protection of religious freedom.”
Obamacare fines begin Monday October 1, 2012, Medicare will fine hospitals, Penalties will average $125,000 per facility this coming year, Taxpayers hit again
“If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.”…Barack Obama
“If you’ve got health insurance we’re going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year. We will not wait 20 years from now to do it, or 10 years from now to do it. We will do it by the end of my first term as president.”…Barack Obama
“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″
Obama, aka Big Brother knows more than we do that is why college students are paying dramatically higher health care premiums this year and why now hospitals will be fined and taxpayers will pay for this.
From NE News Now.
“Obamacare fines kick in”
“If you or an elderly relative have been hospitalized recently and noticed extra attention when the time came to be discharged, there’s more to it than good customer service.
Starting Monday, Medicare will fine hospitals that have too many patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge due to complications. The penalties are part of a broader push under President Barack Obama’s health care law to improve quality while also trying to cut costs.
About two-thirds of the hospitals serving Medicare patients, or some 2,200 facilities, will be hit with penalties averaging around $125,000 per facility this coming year, according to government estimates.
Data to assess the penalties have been collected and crunched, and Medicare has shared the results with individual hospitals. Medicare plans to post details online later and people can look up how their community hospitals performed.
It adds up to a new way of doing business for hospitals, and they have scrambled to prepare for well over a year. They are working on ways to improve communication with rehabilitation centers and doctors who follow patients after they’re released, as well as connecting individually with patients.
“There is a lot of activity at the hospital level to straighten out our internal processes,” said Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and safety at the American Hospital Association. “We are also spreading our wings a little and reaching outside the hospital, to the extent that we can, to make sure patients are getting the ongoing treatment they need.”
Still, industry officials say they have misgivings about being held liable for circumstances beyond their control. They also complain that facilities serving low-income people, including many major teaching hospitals, are much more likely to be fined, raising questions of fairness.
Consumer advocates say Medicare’s nudge to hospitals is long overdue and not nearly stiff enough.
For the first year, the penalty is capped at 1 percent of a hospital’s Medicare payments. The overwhelming majority of penalized facilities will pay less. Also, for now, hospitals are only being measured on three medical conditions: heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia.
Under the health care law, the penalties gradually will rise until 3 percent of Medicare payments to hospitals are at risk.”
“And who pays for all this extra service to Medicaid and Medicare Patients? Those of us with Insurance and Insurance Company’s are not willing to contest all the new charges, they just pass it on to the Middle Class and say your fortunate to be covered at all! Communism alway’s Kills the Middle Class, as we cannot afford to sue, or go without coverage, so we are Enslaved by both the Rich and the Poor, until we ourselves are Poor! By then the Government is Bankrupt and there is only Depression, Starvation, Homlesness, Depravity and Oppression. Ask any former Citizen of China or the Soviet Union! Please Wake-up America, Obama wants our Republic of Freedom and Prosperity, under GOD Destroyed and Replaced by a Worldwide Dictatorship under an Islamic Oligarchy! Write your Representatives and tell them to Purge our Government of all Muslim Brotherhood Insurgents in our Bureaucracy, before it is too late! Shalom!”
NC unemployment rates under George Bush Democrat Congress and Barack Obama, 4.5 percent when Bush took office, 4.7 percent when Democrats took both houses
“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011
“The weak job growth recorded during 2011 did little to replace the jobs lost earlier in the business cycle. Since the onset of the “Great Recession,” North Carolina has lost, on net, 295,300 positions, or 7.1 percent of its payroll employment base.”
“Absent significant changes in economic conditions and public policies, weak job growth, high levels of joblessness, and pervasive economic hardships appear to be in store for North Carolina, with 2012 apt to mark the fifth consecutive year of negative or minimal job growth.”…South by North Strategies, LTD February 10, 2012
“People leaving the labor force were a big reason that North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percent in April, a month when only 1,400 more people got jobs.”…WRAL May 18, 2012
Despite the lies from politicians like Barack Obama who blamed George Bush for all of his ills, numbers do not lie.
When George Bush became president in January 2001, the unemployment rate in NC was 4.5 percent.
When the Democrats took control of both houses of congress in January 2007, the unemployment rate in NC was 4.7 percent.
When Obama took control of the White House in January 2009, the unemployment rate in NC was 9.0 percent. In November 2008 it was 7.8 percent.
Before the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January 2011, the unemployment rate hit a high of 11.4 percent in NC.
The stated unemployment rate is currently 9.7 percent in NC.
The National Labor Force Participation Rate is 63.5 percent, a record low.
The North Carolina Labor Force Participation Rate is 62.0 percent.
More on the jobs situation in NC from Citizen Wells February 14, 2012.
Durable goods orders plunge, Economic growth sluggish, 1.3 percent annual growth, Longest 8 plus percent unemployment rate on record, Record labor force participation rate
“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011
“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012
“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″
A recent survey indicated that 15 % of Democrats believe that the economy is bad. Perhaps they selected a sample of mostly young and uneducated folks.
I just asked a classicly liberal older gentleman about his impression of the economy and he gave me an honest answer. He described it with emphasis as extremely bad.
Economic growth figures are frightening, the stated unemployment rate is the worst on record for months above 8 percent and the Labor Force Participation Rate has hit record lows. That is, the only reason that the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent instead of 11.1 percent or higher is because so many people have left the labor force.
From Bloomberg September 27, 2012.
“Plunge in Goods Orders May Restrain U.S. Expansion: Economy”
“Demand for U.S. durable goods other than transportation equipment unexpectedly dropped in August for a third consecutive month, signaling that slowdowns in business investment and exports will restrain the economic expansion.
Orders for goods meant to last at least three years, excluding volatile demand for airplanes and automobiles, fell 1.6 percent last month after decreasing 1.3 percent in July, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. Total bookingsplunged 13.2 percent, the most since January 2009, as demand for civilian aircraft collapsed.
“The corporate sector is getting very nervous from a combination of worries about Europe, worries about the fiscal cliff and a general lack of confidence in the recovery,” saidEthan Harris, co-head of global economics research at Bank of America Corp. in New York, whose estimate for the drop in ex- transportation orders was the closest of economists surveyed.”
“The median forecast of 53 economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected a 0.2 percent gain in ex-transportation goods orders. The Commerce Department revised July data down from a previously reported 0.6 percent decrease.
The decline in total orders was more than twice as large as the 5 percent drop projected by the median estimate in the Bloomberg survey.
The world’s largest economy expanded at a 1.3 percent annual pace in the second quarter after growing at a 2 percent rate from January through March, other figures from the Commerce Department showed today. The revision, the third estimate for the quarter, compared with a previously reported 1.7 percent gain.”
I spoke to a young man a few days ago. He is employed in IT. He is supporting Obama and the Democrats and is obviously brainwashed. I do not exaggerate. Just as the folks in Nazi Germany and “1984” were constantly bombarded with the big lies, the young and ignorant are in this country.
He believed that the economy was better and that Obama had created jobs. I reminded him that the Democrats took control of both houses in January 2007 and that the unemployment rate where we stood is 10.2 percent. He did not know that. I explained that we were still in the worst economy since the great depression.
Obama corrupts US Justice Department Chicago style, Tony West promotion classic Obama pay to play, West and USDOJ complicit with Obama hiding records and eligibility
“Now, I don’t get upset when foreign and national journalists fail to mention Tony Rezko, or the Daley boys, or how the Chicago machine plans to staff the Department of Justice, and the new Department of Homeland Casinos.”…John Kass, Chicago Tribune July 30, 2008
“Why were attorneys and law firms the largest contributing industry to the Obama campaign in 2008?”…Citizen Wells
“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, including Tony West, at taxpayer expense, to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells
You were warned.
Beginning in 2008, and especially with the revelations from the Tony Rezko trial, you were warned that Obama would bring his Chicago Pay to Play Politics to Washington, DC.
It has happened. In one of the worst possible places.
The US Justice Department.
One of the latest and best examples is the promotion of Tony West in the USDOJ.
First, a little background on Tony West.
From CNN November 12, 2008.
“Tony West – Friend of Barack Obama – Part One”
“But West is also known as a friend of President-Elect Barack Obama. West met Obama in 2004 and offered to help him should he elect to run for President. When Obama did, he called West and thus began West’s role as Chair of the fundraising committee for Northern California. It also started a round of basketball between the two that’s gone well enough for Obama to give West a pair of his shoes to wear for games.”
“Pundits speculated that Derek Anthony “Tony” West’s political career ended when he took on “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh as a client. He was a successful lawyer, working as a partner at the San Francisco firm of Morrison & Foerster, and he had lost two difficult campaigns in the previous four years.
But West didn’t have to be elected to become President Barack Obama’s assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Division – just confirmed by the Senate. He now heads the DOJ office charged with defending the federal government in litigation. West has made a career out of handling complex legal issues in criminal and civil trials as well as during negotiations.
West, who is a part of a power family in California, has known Obama since 2004, and he was a top fundraiser for Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. He was finance co-chair of Obama’s California campaign, where the then-senator raised a record total of $65 million.
Now, West is the lead attorney on the federal lawsuit against Arizona’s immigration law, which allows law enforcement officials to question anyone they reasonably suspect of being illegal immigrants.”
“A former Justice Department attorney who blew the whistle on his
department’s policies is now questioning the promotion of a former defense
attorney for an American terrorist to the No. 3 spot at the Justice
Department — specifically charged with crafting U.S. policy on Guantanamo
detainees.
J. Christian Adams, once an elections lawyer who accused the Justice
Department of racial bias in its decision to not prosecute a voter
intimidation case involving the New Black Panther Party, said Tony West’s
promotion from assistant attorney general for the Civil Division to acting
associate attorney general is one more step toward letting radicals run the
Justice Department.”
“”Tony West took on, and his firm, took some of the most radical causes for
America’s enemies before coming to the Justice Department,” he said.
“When he took on the representation of John Walker Lindh, even after the
sentencing, he was out shilling for him. He said things like … ‘I think
he’ll have a lot to offer after he gets out of jail.’ I mean, what is he
going to have to offer after when he gets out of jail? How to endear
yourself to prominent Democrat lawyers? I mean there’s no reason to be
talking like that.””
Beginning in January 2009, when Obama took control of the White House and Justice Department, he began using USDOJ attorneys, at taxpayer expense, to prevent his birth, college and other records from being released. Prior to then Obama used Robert Bauer of Perkins Coie to keep his records hidden. Tony West is one of those USDOJ attorneys. See list below.
On January 21, 2009 retired Naval Commander Charles Kerchner, represented by attorney Mario Appuzo, filed a lawsuit against Barack Obama challenging his eligibility for the presidency. “Obama has sealed most of his important documents that would shed light on his true identity and the main stream media has not challenged him as to why he did so.”
The case was subsequently appealed. A response was given by USDOJ attorneys on March 8, 2010. Tony West was listed at the top of the list. “Plaintiffs’
alleged grievances regarding President Obama’s constitutional
qualifications reflect a generalized interest in the proper
administration of the law “shared by all the American people,”
App. 10, not a concrete injury particular to plaintiffs. The
Supreme Court has repeatedly held that Article III standing may
not be predicated on such injury. Plaintiffs’ attempts to
aggrandize their harms, based on oaths they have taken to support
to the Constitution, their heightened interest in constitutional
principles, or the possibility of future military service, fail.”
Tony West appeared before the House Judiciary committee on June 24, 2010. “One of this Subcommittee’s duties and obligations is to oversee the activities of the various components of the Department of Justice over which the Subcommittee has jurisdiction.” “I thank Assistant Attorney General Tony West of California and points west, the head of the Civil Division, for appearing before us today and to report on the division’s recent activities.” As you can already see, this is like questioning the fox on recent activity in the hen house.
Mr. West made a number of statements that you will find interesting:”Since assuming this position in April 2009, I have focused on three main priorities for the Civil Division: Protecting the American people, protecting taxpayer dollars, and protecting the Nation’s consumers.””The Civil Division is vigorously defending the Affordable Care Act health care reform statute against multiple lawsuits brought on constitutional and other grounds.””The President has pledged to make this Administration the most open and transparent in history, and the department is doing its part to make that pledge a reality.” Read more below.
On September 20, 2012 Obama nominated Tony West to be the full time number 3 position in the USDOJ.
Anybody see a problem here? A conflict of interest!
Chicago Pay to Play Politics.
Obama’s use of Tony West, a friend and fundraiser, to assist him, in cooperation with other USDOJ attorneys, in eligibility lawsuits and in keeping his records hidden, is a clear conflict of interest. This was further exacerbated by West representing the USDOJ before the House Judiciary Committee on June 24, 2010. Obama’s nomination of Tony West to a full time position as the number 3 position in the USDOJ is a clear case of Obama’s continued Chicago pay to play politics of reward your crony, put them in a power position and use them to protect and further your agenda.
Our checks and balances have been destroyed by the Obama camp. We no longer have a viable US Justice Department. Congress and the Judiciary Committee have failed to do their job and we have the most corrupt person ever to occupy the White House.
We cannot immediately remove members of congress or the Judiciary Committee, but we can contact them, voice our disgust and let them know that history will not view them kindly. The members of the Judiciary Committee can be found in the document below.
References
USDOJ attorneys complicit with Obama.
“Here is a list of some of the US Justice Department attorneys who have assisted Obama in keeping his records hidden. Their representation of Obama is a matter of public record. This list does not include the support staffs.
Obama media lies fool followers, Only 15 Percent Of Democrats Believe Economic News Is Bad, Worst economy since Great Depression, Orwellian spin works on liberals
“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011
“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012
“the Times of the nineteenth of December had published the official forecasts of the output of various classes of consumption goods in the fourth quarter of 1983, which was also the sixth quarter of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. Today’s issue contained a statement of the actual output, from which it appeared that the forecasts were in every instance grossly wrong. Winston’s job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with the later ones.”…George Orwell, “1984”
George Orwell warned us in “1984.”
Rush Limbaugh warned us again.
The 2012 election is nearing and the combination of Obama’s lies about creating jobs combined with the best efforts of the mainstream media to prop him up are working on Democrats.
From CBS Washington DC September 20, 2012.
“Study: Only 15 Percent Of Democrats Believe Economic News Is Bad”
“With just 47 days before the general election and Mitt Romney attempting to pivot the focus of the election back on the state of the economy, citizens with Democratic leanings are actually doing an about-face on the economy compared to their Republican counterparts, according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center.
New data found that just 15 percent of Democrats believe that recent economic news is mostly poor, a percentage that took a significant drop from the 31 percent of Democrats polled last month who did think that economic news was mostly bad. According to the study, the 15-percent clip is among the lowest percentages during President Barack Obama’s nearly four years in office.
But with those citizens with Republican leanings and no political leanings at all, the outlook remains the same. Sixty percent of Republicans find that most of the economic news is bad. Among independents, the percentage is 36 percent. Both of these data sets remain virtually unchanged from a month ago, according to the study.
The study, released on Sept. 11, could show Obama making gains on the economy, which has been what Romney ultimately has wanted to make the election about to this point, crystallized even further in his acceptance of the nomination at the Republican National Convention. Despite Romney’s efforts to turn the attention back to the economy following the backlash from the “47 percent” video, the data found that some Americans were actually beginning to feel better about the outlook of the economy. The percentage of people who feel that most of what they hear about the economy is bad dropped six percentage points in a month, from 41 percent to 35 percent, according to the study.”
The Greensboro News and Record has done a pretty good job lately of reporting the news about the local and state job situation. However, on Friday September 21, 2012, they printed an article that caused a double take and review.
The headline in the Business Section reads:
“Greensboro’s job picture brightens”
To the left the headline reads:
“Bank of America planning to cut 16,000 positions”
Below the article reads:
“American Airlines says it plans to lay off up to 72 people at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and more than 1,400 in Florida”
From the Greensboro News and Record September 21, 2012.
“More than 10 percent of people who want jobs in Greensboro still can’t find them.
But Greensboro’s defying the odds in another job statistic: The total number of people working in the city is now higher than it was before the recession began in 2008.
That puts the city in a category of one when compared with other cities in the region, the state and the nation, according to a new report from the Greensboro Partnership, Greensboro’s leading economic development agency.
Growth in total employment suggests that the city will ultimately have more jobs available for all the people looking for work.
Between January, 2008 and July, 2012, Greensboro’s workforce grew by 2.6 percent, meaning that 3,270 more people were working.”
“More than 10 percent of people who want jobs in Greensboro still can’t find them.”
The article then tries to spin some job growth, which does not keep up with population growth, as good news. That is like falling down a well while grasping a rope and breaking both legs instead of dying.
The print edition contains the following statement:
“The unemployment rate remains high because the population has outgrown the number of available jobs, but as the number of people with jobs rises, that brings hope that unemployment will drop.”
Huh???
Here are the facts from Citizen Wells.
The latest stated unemployment rate in NC: 9.7 %.
The latest stated unemployment rate for Greensboro, High Point: 10.2 %.
The NC Labor Force Participation Rate is 62 % and is lower than the record setting national rate of 63.5.
And once again:
“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011
NC unemployment rate 9.7 percent for August 2012, Increase over July, Biggest increase in government jobs, Labor force participation rate?
“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011
“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012
“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama
From the NC Department of Commerce September 21, 2012.
“North Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point in August to 9.7 percent. The national rate declined 0.2 of a percentage point to 8.1 percent. North Carolina’s August 2012 unemployment rate is 1.0 percentage point lower than a year ago.
“Looking at the data long-term, North Carolina has added nearly 98,000 nonfarm jobs since January 2010,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll. “Our workforce partners and our employment
service offices across our state are committed to helping employers put citizens back to work in North Carolina.”
Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm industry employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased by 1,100 to 3,953,400 in August. The major industry with the largest over-the-month increase was Government, which gained 8,400.”
Catholic church don’t vote for Obama, St. Raphael Catholic Church El Paso, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State IRS complaint, Bulletin recension
“Führer, my Führer, give me by God. Protect and preserve my life for long. You saved Germany in time of need. I thank you for my daily bread. Be with me for a long time, do not leave me, Führer, my Führer, my faith, my light, Hail to my Führer!”…Recited by Hitler youth
“Red and Yellow Black and White, all are equal in his sight, MMM MMM MMM, Barack Hussein Obama.”…Recited by school children in 2009
“However, when the CHD funds Alinsky-style, church-based community organizations as in the best interest of the poor and supports organizations which advance other agendas, it divests the poor of their right to an authentic voice. This process tends to treat the poor as exploited units of human capital, rather than as human beings created in the dignity of God’s image.”
“To accomplish its goals, as outlined in the People’s Platform, ACORN has developed a political alliance with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Together with others, ACORN and the DSA have formed a political party, the New Party.”…1997 report to the Catholic Bishops
From the El Paso Times September 11, 2012.
“National group complains to IRS over St. Raphael Catholic Church bulletin”
“A national group has complained to the IRS over improper electioneering by an El Paso Catholic church.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State on Monday sent its complaint to the IRS about the Aug. 5 bulletin published by St. Raphael Parish on the city’s East Side.
The pastor of the parish has issued a written statement recanting the Aug. 5 bulletin, but the leader of the organization that complained to the IRS said damage might already have been done.
Churches are tax-exempt, as are donations to them. But IRS rules say they cannot tell people whom to vote for or against.
Apparently in reaction to President Barack Obama’s mandate that Catholic hospitals and universities cover birth-control
for women employees who want it, a passage in the St. Raphael bulletin told parishioners to vote against the president. Obama later attempted to modify the mandate, but the gesture did little to mollify some Catholics who believe artificial means of birth control are immoral.
“I am asking all of you to go to the polls and be united in replacing our present president with a president that will respect the Catholic Church in this country,” the last two sentences in the Aug. 5 St. Raphael bulletin say. “Please pass this on to all of your Catholic friends.”
After officials at the Diocese of El Paso were alerted last week to the message, the pastor of St. Raphael, Msgr. Francis J. Smith, wrote a message which was inserted into its bulletin.
“I am recanting the last two sentences from this statement as it was published on Aug. 5, 2012,” the message says. “I apologize and ask for your forgiveness if I have offended anyone. The last thing I wish to do is be offensive to my faith and the faithful.”
The language was a blatant violation of the law, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said in his letter to the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS.
“The language that appeared in the bulletin — an official publication of the church — clearly encourages parishioners to vote against incumbent presidential candidate Barack Obama,” the letter says. “Since federal law prohibits tax-exempt, non-profit organizations (including houses of worship) from intervening in elections like this, I believe St. Raphael Church is in violation of the law.”
The Diocese of El Paso last week acknowledged that the passage violates IRS rules and the policy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A spokesman said the diocese would instruct Smith to “re-address” the article in the church’s bulletin.
Smith and diocesan officials didn’t respond to calls and emails Monday.
In a telephone interview, Lynn said his organization files 15 to 20 complaints such as the one against St. Raphael in a presidential-election year.
Last year, the organization complained to the IRS that El Pas’s Word of Life Church was improperly involving itself in electoral politics by using its Tom Brown Ministries website to encourage voters to recall Mayor John Cook and city Reps. Steve Ortega and Susie Byrd. Brown was angered that the officials voted to restore health benefits for gay and unmarried partners of city employees after he led a successful ballot initiative to end the practice in 2010.
IRS spokesman Clay Sanford on Monday would not comment on the complaint against St. Raphael.
“I can’t comment about specific, tax-exempt entities,” he said.
But an IRS publication, “Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations,” says, “Churches and religious organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”
Lynn said it was good that church officials acknowledged IRS rules, but they should have been known in the first place to anybody overseeing the St. Raphael bulletin.
“It may be a partial corrective, but the damage might already be done,” he said.
U.S. Catholic rules also prohibit the use of church resources to tell people how to vote.
“The Church’s leaders are to avoid endorsing or opposing candidates or telling people how to vote,” says a document issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”
The IRS can revoke churches’ tax exemptions and fine them for violating its rules, or it can levy milder sanctions that often are not public.
Lynn said religious leaders have broad latitude to discuss issues — such as abortion, birth control and execution — from the pulpit; they just can’t tell people how to vote. Churches also can invite candidates and their surrogates to speak to the congregation so long as they make a good-faith effort to invite both sides.
“There’s freedom of speech in the pulpit with modest restrictions,” Lynn said, adding that St. Raphael violated those restrictions.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State last week filed a similar complaint against a Catholic Church in New York City — the Church of Saint Catherine. In its Sept. 2 bulletin, the complaint says, a priest urged parishioners to vote for Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Lynn is a minister in the United Church of Christ, although he now only officiates at ceremonies on a part-time basis. He said there are hazards beyond breaking the law when pastors and other religious leaders tell people how to vote.
“When you start getting into partisan politics, you start dividing the congregation very deeply,” he said.”
“The ban on political campaign activity by charities and churches was created by Congress more than a half century ago. The Internal Revenue Service administers the tax laws written by Congress and has enforcement authority over tax-exempt organizations. Here is some background information on the political campaign activity ban and the latest IRS enforcement statistics regarding its administration of this congressional ban.
“In 1954, Congress approved an amendment by Sen. Lyndon Johnson to prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations, which includes charities and churches, from engaging in any political campaign activity. To the extent Congress has revisited the ban over the years, it has in fact strengthened the ban. The most recent change came in 1987 when Congress amended the language to clarify that the prohibition also applies to statements opposing candidates.”
This so-called ban is a direct violation of the First Amendment. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law. . . .” In 1954, Congress made a law prohibiting churches from speaking out on political issues and endorsing candidates. The logic is simple. Since Congress passed such a law, then Congress violated the Constitution. This makes the law null and void.
If you are a pastor who believes in the freedoms outlined in the First Amendment and want to challenge these leftist organizations and the IRS, then I have a deal for you. The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal advocacy group, will defend you.
“In response to more than 50 years of threats and intimidation by activist groups wielding the Johnson Amendment as a sword against the Church, ADF began the Pulpit Initiative in 2008. The goal of the Pulpit Initiative is simple: have the Johnson Amendment declared unconstitutional — and once and for all remove the ability of the IRS to censor what a pastor says from the pulpit.
“ADF is actively seeking to represent churches or pastors who are under investigation by the IRS for violating the Johnson Amendment by preaching biblical Truth in a way that expresses support for — or opposition to — political candidates. ADF represents all of its clients free of charge.”
Don’t be bullied. It’s time to take a stand for Jesus Christ. Your future and the future of your children are at stake. If you want more information, go to the Alliance Defending Freedom site at http://speakupmovement.org/church/LearnMore/details/4702″
NC Obama Democrat party God country and common sense, Charlotte sells soul to devil?, Democrats destroy jobs and economy boo God and Jerusalem
“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011
“Most college students are in the peak of health. Hence, covering their health care is usually a pretty easy thing to do. A number of colleges—particularly small, private liberal-arts institutions—offer their students what are called “limited-benefit” plans, which cover health expenses up to a defined cap, such as $10,000. Because expenses are capped, these plans are extremely inexpensive, with premiums ranging from $150-500 per year.
However, Obamacare prohibits capping insurance payouts, causing premiums to skyrocket. For 2013-2014, the law prohibits caps below $500,000 per year; after 2014, caps are banned entirely.”…Forbes June 5, 2012
“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama
My ancestral roots go back to the early 1700’s in NC and though my recent ones do not include participation in the NC Democrat Party, the old conservative Democrat Party of NC, which did not shun God, country and common sense, would have been easier to embrace.
This is not your father’s Democrat Party!
For example.
You have heard Barack and Michelle Obama and other democrats lie about job creation, inheriting a mess and blame George Bush.
The Democrats took control of both houses of congress in January 2007 and Obama took control of the White House in January 2009. A perfect storm of incompetence.
From the 2012 Democrat Platform.
“When President Obama took office, the economy was in the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression. His Recovery Act represented the largest education investment since President Johnson, the largest infrastructure investment since President Eisenhower, the single largest clean energy investment ever, and the broadest tax cut in American history. It helped keep teachers, police officers, nurses, and firefighters on the job. It ensured that as we re-built our country, we bought American-made iron, steel, and manufactured goods wherever feasible, consistent with our international obligations. It helped the President stop the bleeding and reverse the free fall.”
“We’ve come a long way since 2008. The President took office in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression; that month 800,000 Americans lost their jobs – more than in any single month in the previous 60 years. On Day One, he took immediate action to stop the free fall and put Americans back to work. In the midst of the crisis, President Obama knew what Democrats have always known: that American workers are tougher than tough times. Since early 2010, the private sector has created 4.5 million jobs, and American manufacturing is growing for the first time since the 1990s.”
Let’s examine for a moment a microcosm economy, Greensboro, NC, the third largest city in NC, the home of UNCG, where Michelle Obama recently bragged about jobs and what they had done for college students.
In January 2007, when the Democrats took control of congress, the unemployment rate was 4.6 to 5.2 percent (looks like somebody has been “tweaking” the numbers).
In December 2008, after 2 years of Democrat control, the rate was 8.2 percent. In January 2009, when Obama entered the White House, the rate was 9.6 percent. Did the rate jump actually jump 1.4 percent in one month (to maybe help Obama)? Since the Democrats were in control anyway, who cares.
The rate for July is listed at 10.2 percent.
So, with the efforts of the Democrats beginning in January 2007 and Obama working with them beginning in January 2009, the unemployment rate went from 4.8 – 5.2 percent to 10.2 percent.
That is certainly change!
From the 2012 Democrat Platform.
“These values are why we enacted historic health care reform that provides economic security for families and enacted sweeping financial reform legislation that will prevent the recklessness that cost so many their jobs, homes, and savings.”
“They’re why we helped American families who are working multiple jobs and struggling to pay the bills save a little extra money through tax cuts, lower health care costs, and affordable student loans.”
“We’ve already made historic progress. States have more flexibility to raise standards and reform schools, more students are receiving grants and scholarships, and young adults can stay on their parents’ health insurance plans as they finish their education and enter the workforce.”
From Citizen Wells September 4, 2012.
“I just spoke with a young man a few minutes ago who attends Greensboro College, a private college in NC. He mentioned that his health care costs had just almost doubled. Recently, reported here, was a report that the UNC system, NC public colleges, had almost doubled the health care costs for students and the reason was provisions in Obamacare.”
“Health Insurance Costs Skyrocket For College Students Due To ObamaCare”
“Can we stop calling ObamaCare the Affordable Care Act now?
A Young America’s Foundation activist forwarded an email from the Vice President for Finance at his school, Guilford College (Greensboro, NC), informing him that, “For the 2012-13 academic year, the annual cost of the student health insurance is increasing from $668 to $1,179. This insurance premium has been charged to your student account.”
Why the increase? “Our student health insurance policy premium has been substantially increased due to changes required by federal regulations issued on March 16, 2012 under the Affordable Care Act.”
“Student healthcare choice has been replaced with expensive ObamaCare mandates.”
“Registration cancellations rising at UNCG, A&T”
“UNCG about two weeks ago canceled the registrations of about 1,300 students because they had yet to pay their tuition bills — the highest number of cancellations since fall 2009, university officials said.””
“Amid chants of protest from about 100 students, the UNC Board of Governors this morning approved President Tom Ross’ proposal for tuition and
fee hikes over the next two years.”
“The cost of health insurance will climb from a range of $61 to $77 monthly to a range of $118 to $133 monthly, according to a memo sent from UNC President Tom Ross to the UNC Board of Governors. On an annual basis, most students will pay about $500 to $700 more in 2012-13, depending on the campus.”
“Obamacare Increases Costs of College Health Plans by as Much as 1,112%”
“Last March, I wrote a detailed pieceon why Obamacare will dramatically increase the cost of insurance for young people. Yesterday, Louise Radnofsky of theWall Street Journal reported that some colleges are dropping their student health plans for the new academic year, because the new law increases the cost of those plans by as much as 1,112 percent. And no, that’s not a typo.
Most college students are in the peak of health. Hence, covering their health care is usually a pretty easy thing to do. A number of colleges—particularly small, private liberal-arts institutions—offer their students what are called “limited-benefit” plans, which cover health expenses up to a defined cap, such as $10,000. Because expenses are capped, these plans are extremely inexpensive, with premiums ranging from $150-500 per year.
However, Obamacare prohibits capping insurance payouts, causing premiums to skyrocket. For 2013-2014, the law prohibits caps below $500,000 per year; after 2014, caps are banned entirely.”
“Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. paid $245 per student per year for 2011-2012. Next year, they’ll have to pay $2,507 to meet the law’s requirements.”
The folks in Charlotte have been celebrating the success of the convention.
There are a lot of good people there. I hope that they have retained enough religious convictions and common sense to not be blinded by the light. The false light. And not to sell their souls to the devil….again.
Gallup attacked by David Axelrod aka Joseph Goebbels and Justice Dept., Gallup presented unfavorable polling and jobs data for Obama, 1984 Nazi Germany
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”…Joseph Goebbels
“Propaganda must not serve the truth, especially not insofar
as it might bring out something favorable for the opponent.”
… Adolf Hitler
“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″
From Breitbart September 6, 2012.
“GALLUP SUED BY DOJ AFTER UNFAVORABLE OBAMA POLLS, EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS”
“Senior Obama Campaign adviser David Axelrod reportedly contacted The Gallup Organization to discuss the company’s research methodology after their poll’s findings were unfavorable to the President. After declining to adjust their methodology, Gallup was named in an unrelated lawsuit by the DOJ.
Axelrod took to Twitter to direct people to an article by the National Journal’s Ron Brownstein suggesting a flaw in Gallup’s methodology. Brownstein compared Gallup’s demographic sampling predictions to previous election exit polls as well as contemporaneous research released by Pew, CNN/ORC and ABC/WaPo.
The heart of the Obama camp complaint lies with varying predictive models for 2012 turnout. Gallup had predicted a lower minority turnout, effecting Obama’s margin against Romney.
An email chain from Gallup employees reveals the deliberations about how to handle Axelrod:
In response to that suggestion, another senior Gallup official wrote — in an email chain titled “Axelrod vs. Gallup” — that the White House “has asked” a senior Gallup staffer “to come over and explain our methodology too.”
That Gallup official, the email continued, “has a plan that includes blogging and telling WH [the White House] he would love to have them come over here etc. This could be a very good moment for us to [show] our super rigorous methods compared to weak samples etc. …”
The writer named several news organizations with their own polling methodologies, all of which resulted in numbers more favorable to President Obama at the time.
In response to that email, a third senior Gallup official said he thought Axelrod’s pressure “sounds a little like a Godfather situation.”
“Imagine Axel[rod] with Brando’s voice: ‘[Name redacted], I’d like you to come over and explain your methodology…You got a nice poll there….would be a shame if anything happened to it…’”
Since Axelrod first contacted Gallup, the DOJ has become interested in an old allegation made by a former Gallup employee, claiming that the firm violated the False Claims Act by overcharging on their contracts with other federal agencies. Michael Lindley, a former Gallup employee, filed suit against Gallup in 2009 and Gallup was served and responsed to Lindley’s suit in 2010. The DOJ signed on to Lindley’s suit in August of 2012.
Lindley, was a former field organizer in Iowa for the Obama campaign in 2008.
In addition to Gallup’s unfavorable polling numbers on the Obama re-election effort, they have also published employment numbers that are not “politically helpful” for Obama.
“Gallup publishes its research without seasonal adjustments,” William Tate wrote for the American Thinker. ”The BLS’s version applies adjustments in an alchemic formula that’s more mysterious than the Shroud of Turin.”
“I have been comparing the Obama campaign to pre World War II Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler for many weeks. Of course my claims have been dismissed by Obama supporters and many times I have been personally attacked for asking simple questions about Obama. I am a student of history and have read a great deal about the era leading up to the second world war and also during and after. The more I observe and think about it, the closer the parallels are.
The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
The economic conditions in Germany after World War I were horrible.
Adolf Hitler honed his oratory skills and became a superb speaker.
Adolf Hitler surrounded himself with thugs and Jew haters.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazis blamed the Jews for their problems.
Adolf Hitler spoke of change and a new Germany.
The people of Germany got caught up in the euphoria of the changes that Hitler promised.
The Nazis burned books to eradicate records and contrary thoughts.
The Nazis bullied Jews and other segments of society.
The Nazis were elitists with talk of the Arayan Race.
Adolf Hitler had many people fooled including many jews that never thought all of that evil could happen in their country. moinansari reminded me of this important point. Thank You!
The Barack Obama Campaign
The perceived economic conditions are bad. The economic conditions are perfect here compared to post War War I Germany.
Obama worked on his oratory skills. He is a superb speaker with the ability to mesmerize his followers.
Obama has been surrounded by racists, anti semites, criminals and drug users.
Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, and others have blamed white people and Jews for their problems.
Obama constantly speaks of change.
Obama supporters are caught up in the euphoria of the moment and Obama’s promise of change.
Obama has denied having records, not provided records and been extremely evasive when asked to supply records.
Obama supporters have bullied bloggers when questions about Obama or his past are asked. Some of these attacks are clearly orchestrated by the Obama Campaign. Some of these bullies have attacked family members of bloggers.
Obama has recently shown his elitist attitude during his speech in San Francisco. His arrogance parallels Hitler’s Aryan race comments in regard to Obama’s God Like omnipotence in regard to having the answers to problems.
Obama has many people fooled including many Jews that are ignoring all the evil and anti semitism surrounding Obama. Thanks moinansari and God bless you.
The parallels are clear and they are scary!
What is the lesson to be learned?
The German people blindly followed Hitler with his promises of change. Hitler and his cohorts were not scrutinized by enough people. Barack Obama is promising change and many are blindly following in a similar euphoric state. All candidates for the presidency must be questioned and carefully scrutinized.”
Citizen WElls 