:
"Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest."
--Mark Twain
The British papers are quite different from ours, they know whatis going on and are not afraid to say it......................
Why we love children.
1) NUDITY
I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!'
2) OPINIONS
On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents.'
3) KETCHUP
A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. 'Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle.'
4) MORE NUDITY
A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, 'What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?'
5) POLICE # 1
While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, 'Are you a cop? Yes,' I answered and continued writing the report.. My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?' 'Yes, that's right,' I told her. 'Well, then,' she said as she extended her foot toward me, 'would you please tie my shoe?'
6) POLICE # 2
It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station.. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back there?' he asked.
'It sure is,' I replied.
Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'
7) ELDERLY
While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, 'The tooth fairy will never believe this!'
8) DRESS-UP
A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, 'Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit.'
'And why not, darling?'
'You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning.'
9) DEATH
While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased.
The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: 'Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he goooes.' (I want this line used at my funeral!)
10) SCHOOL
A little girl had just finished her first week of school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'
11) BIBLE
A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages..
'Mama, look what I found,' the boy called out.
'What have you got there, dear?'
With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, 'I think it's Adam 's underwear!'
NOW IF THIS DIDN'T BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY, GO BACK TO BED AND FORGET EVERYTHING.
very funny. great idea.
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E-update From the Desk of Governor Scott Walker
One of the most important duties I have serving as your Governor is to provide you directly with updates related to the operation of our state government. I also frequently provide updates on Facebook (Governor Scott Walker) and Twitter (@govwalker). Please feel free to share this update with your family, friends, and others who may be interested in state government operations.
Moving Wisconsin Forward
With the election now behind us, I am more committed than ever to focus on helping the people of our state create 250,000 jobs by 2015.
This week I met with my Cabinet, held an office staff meeting, visited with factory workers, and talked directly to Wisconsin citizens about our positive plan to move Wisconsin forward.
Major Job Expansions in Wisconsin
We have recently had a number of major job announcements in Wisconsin. Instead of looking to other states for expansion, I am pleased these Wisconsin based businesses made the decision to grow their companies in our great state. These announcements underscore the need to continue to create an environment that encourages private sector job growth.
Recently:
Cell Phones for Soldiers
In honor of the Year of the Veteran, all Wisconsin state government agencies teamed up to help our troops call home. We were able to collect nearly 1,500 gently-used cellular phones for donation to the non-profit "Cell Phones for Soldiers, Inc."
Department of Administration employee, Betsy Paque, came up with the idea of organizing a drive for "Cell Phones for Soldiers." While working in the Division of Enterprise Technology, Betsy saw many old state cell phones pile up and wanted to find a way to recycle the phones, while giving back. Betsy's support and promotion of the drive was instrumental in the success of the program.
For every donated phone valued at just $5, "Cell Phones for Soldiers" is able to provide two-and-one-half hours of free talk time to deployed troops. By donating nearly 1,500 gently-used cellular phones to "Cell Phones for Soldiers," state employees provided troops with over 3,600 hours of free communication with loved ones back home.
A picture of all of the cell phones donated by state employees can be viewed by clicking here.
Just Ask the Governor: Part XII
Each e-update I will answer a question submitted by a recipient of the previous e-update or from someone who contacts my office directly.
Question: Where are these 30,000 jobs?
Answer: My administration was asked this exact question last year by a reporter. On March 18, 2011 we responded:
We are tabulating our job creation number based on the Department of Workforce Development's Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). DWD basically puts out the Current Employment Survey (CES) every month, which are initial estimates of jobs. Then about 6-9 months later once hard data has been tabulated (no longer an estimate) they release the QCEW data. Typically quarterly and annual QCEW data is released approximately nine months after the end of the year.
QCEW actual job count data is drawn from more than 96% of all Wisconsin businesses counting each and every employee. The CES monthly jobs estimates that are often reported by the media represent a survey of approximately 3.5% of Wisconsin employers. CES data is subject to considerable revision and is much less accurate and more volatile than actual job counts.
In fact, nearly all economists agree that the QCEW actual job count is much more accurate than CES monthly estimates. According to an article written by the Associated Press: University of Wisconsin-Madison economist Andrew Reschovsky says the data [QCEW, the actual job count] is more accurate [than CES, monthly estimates]. Wells Fargo Fund Management economist Brian Jacobsen agrees.
My administration has been 100% consistent in using data that most accurately portrays the state of Wisconsin's economy.
The most recent actual job count data, which has been signed off on by the Federal Government's Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows Wisconsin is headed in the right direction.
It has been a pleasure communicating with you. It is an honor to serve as your Governor and represent the residents of Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
Governor Scott Walker
You received this e-mail because you contacted Governor Walker's office directly. If you wish to receive or to be removed from the e-update list:
If you are having trouble with Subscribing or UnSubscribing to my E-Updates, please click to open a new window.
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Sean Hannity's turn toward Islam follows the influx Saudi Dollars into Fox
"Tell the truth; use their words."
General George Marshall to Frank Capra
in commissioning the "Why We Fight" series.
Walid Shoebat . . . Former Muslim Brotherhood Member Now Peace Activist
By Walid Shoebat
Yesterday, I received this question and comment from sociologist-historian and scholar Mr. Alvin Schmidt, whom I greatly respect:
I have for some time said that Sean Hannity seems to be an ignorant supporter of the politically correct ideology when he keeps talking about "Radical Islam." He either has never read the Koran or he is blinded by political correctness. Or is it because he knows he would lose his job if he were to say 'the problem lies with Islam and its Koran?' But by saying 'Radical Islam,' he can keep his job. As I have pointed out in my book The Great Divide: The Failure of Islam and the Triumph of the West (2004), anyone who follows the Koran is by definition a radical, because the Koran is a radical book. The so-called 'Radical Muslims' are individuals who follow the Koran right down to the line. When will people like Hannity wake up?
To answer the questions laid by our scholar Mr. Schmidt, Hannity's reasons for not calling a spade a spade is both his "fear of losing his job" and his "ignorance."
Ignorance on Islam is a result of forgetting history. How often do you ever see Hannity discuss issues on Islamic history? I have met with Hannity and interviewed with him on a few occasions and I still love the guy, even though Hannity on few other occasions crucified friends of mine for using the term "Islam" instead of "radical Islam".
The naiveté of Hannity and many on the left, as well as on the right, is this: they say that since there are so many Muslims who are 'peace-loving' then we should distinguish between 'Radical Islam' and 'Islam'.
Alright then, let's conduct a survey of the 'peace-loving' Muslims Hannity refers to. And to these peace-loving Muslims I ask:
Will you denounce terrorism?
After we tally the number of all the Muslims that would condemn terrorism, we should ask them this:
Will you denounce Islam's historic invasions against Christendom?
Once we tally the numbers of Muslims who come forth, we should ask:
Under inheritance law, if a will is not written by the deceased, would you accept that a daughter should inherit an equal portion to her brother?
Once you see how few Muslims are left, ask this:
Are you willing to denounce Shariah as it stands today in the Muslim World?
The ones who remain after the survey, I can assure you will be very few. These are cultural Muslims who identify with Islam to remain alive and could care less about religion altogether. These are not the individuals we are surveying. What we are surveying are religious Muslims. After all, we are questioning Islam, the religion and not a culture. I am not asking Muslims to denounce pork but primitive laws.
The question I ask Hannity is this:
Does "radical Islam" exist or is Islam inherently "radical"?
There is no third choice.
If Hannity is correct and the first is true, and if indeed it was a few radicals that hijacked Islam, then we should be able to find the un-radical Islam.
To date, no one can find a single Islamic reference manual, from main Islamic sources, that is not in its essence radical.
Muslims like to use this phrase from the Quran:
"bring your proof if indeed ye are truthful" (Quran 2:111)
In turn, I ask every Muslim on earth:
Where is the peaceful reference manual on the Quran, in the Islamic world that shows Islam is indeed peaceful, so we can all examine its contents?
The best way to prove the point is to quote Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi who is probably the most respected Muslim scholar in the Sunni Muslim world today. In an article written by Qaradawi, which I translated from the Arabic, he states:
One of the reviled expressions used by secularists and modernists is the expression "political Islam", which is alien to our Islamic society without a doubt. What they mean by this is the Islam that manages the affairs of the Muslim Nation and their relationships at home and abroad…The reason for this application is a master plan by the enemies of Islam to fragment it into different divisions. It is not a one Islam as revealed by God but they manufactured "Islams", plural, several different Islams, which they desire to accomplish. Sometimes they even divide Islam by regions: there is the Asian variety of Islam, and then we have the African Islam. And sometimes, according to the ages: there is the Prophet's era of Islam, and Rashidi Islam, Umayyad Islam, Abbasid Islam, Ottoman Islam and modern Islam. And sometimes, according to race: there is Arab Islam, Indian Islam, Turkish Islam, and the Islam of the Malaysian … And so on and so forth. And sometimes, according to the doctrine: There is Sunni Islam and Shiite Islam. They even divide the Sunni into divisions and the Shia into divisions.
They even added new divisions; there is revolutionary Islam, reactionary Islam, radical Islam, classical Islam, right-wing Islam, leftist Islam, orthodox Islam, modern Islam and, finally, political Islam, and spiritual Islam and theological Islam. We do not understand, why they invent such divisions that are rejected in Islam? The truth is that these divisions are all unacceptable in the eyes of a Muslim, there is only one Islam, which has no partners which recognizes no other; it is the first Islam, the Islam of the Quran and Sunnah.
Well put, Mr. Qaradawi.
Why can't Westerners like Hannity believe him, especially if it is coming right from the donkey's (horse's) mouth? Would Sean Hannity ever ask the Muslims he interviews, the questions we ask here? The answer is never.
In other words, if we please the Muslims and point the finger at "radical Islam," they will not be happy because there is only one Islam. If we identify the cause of all this chaos as "Islam" itself, they still won't be happy. Why?
It is because Islam is inherently radical. Period.
The question I always ask is this: Why can't we simply just tell the truth and call a spade a spade?
Some actually consider that phrase racist because spades are black (I'm not kidding).
The answer is simple—It's political correctness as Mr. Schmidt so correctly pointed out.
The media, regardless of left or right, is a political entity and nothing more. Truth is not found amongst politicians, but comes from honest scholars and historians.
Scholars like Mr. Schmidt.
Must not offend murdering muslims.
By Pete Winn
June 7, 2012
Subscribe to Pete Winn's posts
(AP photo)
(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. State Department removed the sections covering religious freedom from the Country Reports on Human Rights that it released on May 24, three months past the statutory deadline Congress set for the release of these reports.
The new human rights reports--purged of the sections that discuss the status of religious freedom in each of the countries covered--are also the human rights reports that include the period that covered the Arab Spring and its aftermath.
Thus, the reports do not provide in-depth coverage of what has happened to Christians and other religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East that saw the rise of revolutionary movements in 2011 in which Islamist forces played an instrumental role.
For the first time ever, the State Department simply eliminated the section of religious freedom in its reports covering 2011 and instead referred the public to the 2010 International Religious Freedom Report – a full two years behind the times – or to the annual report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which was released last September and covers events in 2010 but not 2011.
Leonard Leo, who recently completed a term as chairman of the USCIRF, says that removing the sections on religious freedom from the State Department's Country Reports on Human Roghts is a bad idea.
Since 1998, when Congress created USCIRF, the State Department has been required to issue a separate yearly report specifically on International Religious Freedom.
But a section reporting on religious freedom has also always been included in the State Department's legally required annual country-by-country reports on human rights--that is, until now.
And this is the first year the State Department would have needed to report on the effect the Arab Spring has had on religious freedom in the Middle East--had its reports, as always before, included a section on religious freedom.
"The commission that I served on has some real concerns about that bifurcation, because the human rights reports receive a lot of attention, and to have pulled religious freedom out of it means that fewer people will obtain information about what's going on with that particular freedom or right. So you don't have the whole picture because they split it up now," Leo told CNSNews.com.
Former U.S. diplomat Thomas Farr says it's possible that the move to totally separate religious freedom from the human rights reports could simply be a bureaucratic maneuver.
But another possibility is much more likely.
"The other possibility is the Obama administration is downplaying international religious freedom," Farr said.
Farr, who served in the State Department under both Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, was the first director of the Office of International Religious Freedom.
"I mean, it is important to note here that I do not know--I have no personal knowledge of the logic that went into removing religious freedom from the broader human rights report; but I also have observed during the three-and-a-half years of the Obama administration that the issue of religious freedom has been distinctly downplayed," Farr said
Currently a visiting associate professor of religion and world affairs in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Farr directs the program on Religion and U.S. Foreign Policy and the Project on Religious Freedom at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown.
He told CNSNews.com that far more resources have been allocated by the Obama administration to other human rights issues than have been directed toward religious freedom.
"(T)he ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, for example, who is the official charged by the law to lead U.S. religious freedom policy, did not even step foot into her office until two-and-a-half years were gone of a four-year administration," he said.
"Whereas other human rights priorities of the administration, such as the ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, were in place within months. So that tells you something.
"It tells me that this has never been a priority for the Obama administration, and it's not now," he said.
"So it seems to me plausible to at least question the removal of religious freedom from the human rights report, although, as I say, there could be other explanations, less insidious, if you will."
Missing: Murdered Christians and the Aftermath of the Arab Spring
The 2010 International Religious Freedom Report is notably missing some important information--the two-year old report contains no mention of the violence, murder and mayhem directed at Christians and other minorities in Muslim nations in Africa and the Middle East since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.
However, the less well-known 2012 report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom does take note of the Arab Spring.
-- In 2011, in Egypt, Coptic Christians were among 25 people massacred during a demonstration over an Islamist attack on a church.
-- In the month of January 2012 alone, the Islamist group Boko Haram was responsible for 54 deaths in Nigeria – 42 of them Catholics killed at church on Christmas Day. In 2011, it killed more than 500 people and burned down or destroyed more than 350 churches in 10 northern states of Nigeria.
Former USCIRF Chairman Leo says the fact is the administration no longer makes the proper distinction between freedom of religion and freedom of worship.
"Going all the way back to the president's speech in Cairo, they seem to be satisfied with Arab Spring countries and Middle Eastern countries providing freedom of worship, but not pressuring them on the broader freedom of religion.
"In Saudi Arabia, and in some of these countries, you may be able to draw curtains in your home and pray--but don't take it outside your house. And certainly don't imbue other aspects of your life with your religious sentiments," Leo said.
He added: "We see in a lot of countries around the world, but particularly in the Middle East and in Pakistan and Afghanistan, that it's not just those small non-Muslim minorities that are affected adversely by repressive policies, it's majority Muslims as well. Muslims who don't necessarily want to subscribe to every jot and tittle of what the state feels is the appropriate form of Islam."
Former diplomat Farr agreed the administration hasn't been focused on the freedom of religion in terms of foreign relations.
"As far as I know, the administration has paid very little attention to the religion-state issues, in terms of policy effort, in terms of programs on the ground," Farr said.
"I'm not speaking of speeches, or 'raising the issue'--which are typical State Department platitudes for trying to change the subject--but in terms of actual programs on the ground, whether we're talking about Libya, or Tunisia, or the most important of all, Egypt, the programs on the ground designed to advance religious freedom, as far as I know, are nonexistent."
The State Department, meanwhile, has given no indication of when -- or if -- the next International Religious Freedom Report will be released.
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Edward Lozano 1 comment collapsed CollapseExpand
"State Department Purges Religious Freedom Section from Its Human Rights Reports".......was that decision made because you wanted to save paper or because you wanted to suck up to the countries that are doing the most limiting of religious freedom?
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