LONDON  — A leader of African Anglicans who have been outraged by the appointment of a gay bishop in the United States blasted a church report on the dispute, saying Tuesday that it should have pushed for U.S. Episcopalians to repent.

Archbishop Peter Akinola (search) of Nigeria, in a statement released in London, said it was the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Canadian diocese of New Westminster that pushed the worldwide Anglican Communion (search) "to the breaking point."

"Why, throughout the document, is there such a marked contrast between the language used against those who are subverting the faith and that used against those of us, from the global south, who are trying to bring the church back to the Bible?" he said.

"Where is the language of rebuke for those who are promoting sexual sins as holy and acceptable behavior? The imbalance is bewildering," he said. He added that it was suprising that "the primary recommendation of the report is 'greater sensitivity' instead of heartfelt repentance."

The commission, headed by Irish Archbishop Robin Eames, was created last year following the consecration of V. Gene Robinson (search) — who is living openly with a male partner — as bishop of New Hampshire.

In its report released Monday, the commission called for apologies from both sides, and for a long-term process of reconciliation and defining the relationship among the world's Anglican churches.

It urged the Episcopal Church (search) not to elect any more gay bishops and for conservative African bishops to stop meddling in the affairs of other dioceses.

That point outraged Akinola, who earlier this month visited the United States to explore the possibility of serving as an alternative bishop to disaffected Episcopalians.

"We have been asked to express regret for our actions and 'affirm our desire to remain in the communion.' How patronizing!" Akinola said in the statement.

"We will not be intimidated."

The Episcopal Church's presiding bishop, Frank T. Griswold, has been equally unyielding. On Monday he expressed regret for the turmoil in the Anglican Communion but reaffirmed his belief that the church was right to promote Robinson.

Akinola praised the report's call for the Episcopal church to halt to further promotions of gay clergy to bishoprics. It also called for Episcopal congregations and churches in the New Westminster diocese of Canada to stop sanctioning blessings of gay partnerships.

"If they do not repent and return to the fold, they will find that they are all alone," Akinola said. "They will have broken the Anglican Communion."

Akinola's sharp reaction contrasted to that of another conservative leader, Archbishop Drexel Gomez (search) of the West Indies, who was one of the 16 people who served with Eames in writing the unanimous report.

"The tone of our report represents an intentional offering from the members of the communion to facilitate healing and reconciliation," Gomez said Monday, appearing with Eames at a news conference launching the report.

Eames' commission was not asked to explore the rights and wrongs of homosexuality, and it refrained from any comment.

However, it sharply criticized the Episcopal Church and the Canadian dioceses for going moving ahead on the issue without full consultations among the 38 national churches which constitute the global communion.

According to the report, "neither the diocese of New Westminster nor the Episcopal Church has made a serious attempt to offer an explanation to, or consult meaningfully with, the communion as a whole about the significant development of theology which alone could justify the recent moves"

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African Anglicans Rebuff Episcopalians on Gays

Friday, April 16, 2004

Kenya — Anglican archbishops from Africa said Thursday they would reject donations from any diocese that recognizes gay clergy and recommended giving the Episcopal Church (search) in the United States three months to repent for ordaining an openly gay bishop.

The archbishops also said they will refuse cooperation with any missionary who supports ordaining gay priests. They said the Episcopalians — the American branch of Anglicanism (search) — should be disciplined for the election last year of V. Gene Robinson (search) as bishop of New Hampshire. Robinson has lived openly with his male partner for years.

"If we suffer for a while to gain our independence and our freedom and to build ourselves up, I think it will be a good thing for the church in Africa," Archbishop Peter Akinola (search) of Nigeria told journalists. "And we will not, on the altar of money, mortgage our conscience, mortgage our faith, mortgage our salvation."

He spoke at a meeting of African Anglican archbishops and their counterparts from Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. The other regions planned to issue a statement Friday.

Akinola is also chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (search), which represents 12 national and regional churches plus the diocese of Egypt. Africans comprise about half of the 77 million members of the global Anglican Communion (search), and African churches are the fastest-growing in the world.

Robinson's election has created deep divisions within the worldwide Anglican Communion, a confederation of provinces that each govern themselves. All Anglican provinces in Africa — except for Southern Africa — have opposed ordaining homosexuals, and several have severed ties with the U.S. Diocese of New Hampshire.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, has appointed a commission to explore ways of holding the communion together, or perhaps managing a split.

The financial impact of the African bishops' stance is unclear.

U.S. dioceses and parishes have partnerships with churches in Africa and give money directly to them.

However, dioceses also provide funds for the donations that the U.S. national church sends to Africa, said Canon Patrick Mauney, director of Anglican and Global Relations for the U.S. Episcopal Church.

Mauney didn't know whether the African leaders were aware of this.

"It's hard to parse this statement and to figure out are there any loopholes here or what," said Jim Naughton, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington.

Several church leaders expressed doubt that the very poor African provinces would reject all U.S. church funding.

Mauney said that eight of the 10 African provinces that receive an annual donation from the Episcopal Church have taken the money so far. Mauney added that no missionaries had been rejected in the year that the dispute has raged over Robinson.

"I suspect they're looking for a symbolic way to say we're unhappy," Mauney said of the African leaders.

But Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi indicated that the Africans were committed to giving up significant sources of funding.

Nzimbi said links with Trinity Wall Street in New York had to be severed, for example. The prominent parish distributes grants in the millions of dollars worldwide and supports many projects in Africa. A spokesman for Trinity's grant program was traveling and could not be reached for comment Thursday.

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Black Clergymen Come Out Against Gay Marriage

 

ATLANTA: More than two dozen black pastors added their voice to the critics of same-sex marriage (search), attempting to distance the civil rights (search) struggle from the gay rights movement and defending marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

"When the homosexual compares himself to the black community, he doesn't know what suffering is," said the Rev. Clarence James, an African-American studies professor at Temple University (search).

Jones and 29 pastors rallied late Monday with their supporters at an Atlanta-area church where they signed a declaration outlining their beliefs on marriage and religion.

The declaration is meant to pressure state representatives to approve a constitutional ban on gay marriages, which will be considered again by the Georgia House as soon as this week.

The declaration, to be presented to state leaders Wednesday or Thursday, says same-sex marriage is not a civil right, and marriage between a man and a woman is important because it's necessary for the upbringing of children.

"To equate a lifestyle choice to racism demeans the work of the entire civil rights movement," the statement said. "People are free in our nation to pursue relationships as they choose. To redefine marriage, however, to suit the preference of those choosing alternative lifestyles is wrong."

Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Georgia, but supporters of the ban say the constitution needs to be changed to make sure a judge does not direct Georgia to recognize gay marriages performed in other states.

"It is a threat to who we are and what we stand for," said Bishop William Shields of Hopewell Baptist Church. "If nothing else gets us out of the pews, this ought to."

But the Rev. Paul Turner, a gay pastor from Atlanta who helped organize a pro-gay marriage rally last month outside the Georgia Capitol, disagreed: "How do they figure that it's not a civil rights issue?"

"This is just a way for those conservative leadership in the black community to say, 'Look, this isn't a matter of civil rights because we're black and we didn't have a choice in being black.' And they think gays do, and that's not true," Turner said.

Elsewhere Monday:

— In Oregon, the county that was poised to become the state's second to allow gay marriage backed off until courts intervene. Commissioners in Benton County, home to Oregon State University and the liberal city of Corvallis, decided to stop issuing all marriage licenses until there is a court ruling on whether gay marriage is legal in Oregon.

— In St. Paul, Minn., supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage gathered by the thousands in one of the largest Capitol rallies in memory, waving hundreds of signs on the Capitol steps and spilling over onto the lawn and parking lot. The House is expected to pass the bill Wednesday, with a Senate committee planning to take up the measure later in the week.

— In New York, two Unitarian Universalist ministers facing criminal counts for officiating at same-sex weddings pleaded innocent. Kay Greenleaf and Dawn Sangrey were charged after marrying 13 gay couples during a public ceremony in New Paltz, but the district attorney has said he does not expect to seek jail time.

— In North Carolina's Durham County, a gay couple filed a lawsuit after being denied a marriage license. State law invalidates any claim of marriage between people of the same sex. Register of Deeds Willie Covington said the law gave him no choice.

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Brought to you by: VOICE OF THE MARTYRS

Jiang Zongziu

When 34-year old Jiang Zongxiu went to her neighboring market last June in Guizhou Province , China . Along with her mother-in-law, Jiang went through the marketplace, taking opportunities to hand out Bibles and Christian literature and telling people about Jesus. Only this day they had an encounter with the Chinese police.

The two Christian women were handcuffed together and brought to the police station. They were interrogated throughout the evening of the 17^th. The next morning they were sentenced by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) to 15 days incarceration for "suspected spreading of rumor and disturbing the social order."

Jiang and her mother-in-law knew the risk of spreading Christian literature in communist China . Both had been active in their church for more than 10 years and dared to go forth. Even when they were arrested, interrogated and sentenced to serve 15 days, they were willing to accept the consequences of their actions-all from a government that claims to have "freedom of religion."

But it was not enough for the PSB to arrest and beat these two Christian women for the crime of passing our Christian literature. In the afternoon of June 18^th, Mrs. Jiang Zongziu was pronounced dead by the PSB office of Tongzi County . They claimed she died of "natural causes." The fact is she was beaten to death.

The Voice of the Martyrs has received video testimony from the surviving family, photos of Jiang body showing her bruised body, and a copy of the actual arrest document. All of this had to be smuggled out of China as the authorities continue to attempt to hide their systematic persecution of Christians. An international campaign is now under way on behalf of the surviving family.

Much of the world would like you to believe Christians are no longer persecuted. Sister Jiang's family would disagree. Now you can stay informed of what is really happening to your Christian brothers and sisters in countries like China and even discover practical ways to help, with a FREE subscription to The Voice of the Martyrs monthly newsletter. Don't turn your back on today's persecuted church. Subscribe today.  

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PAT ROBERTSON SAYS 

RADICAL MUSLIMS ARE SATANIC

Television evangelist Pat Robertson said Monday on his live news-and-talk program "The 700 Club" that Islam is not a religion of peace, and that radical Muslims are "satanic."

Robertson's comments came after he watched a news story on his Christian Broadcasting Network about Muslim protests in Europe over the cartoon drawings of the Prophet Muhammad.

He remarked that the outpouring of rage elicited by cartoons "just shows the kind of people we're dealing with. These people are crazed fanatics, and I want to say it now: I believe it's motivated by demonic power. It is satanic and it's time we recognize what we're dealing with."

Robertson also said that "the goal of Islam, ladies and gentlemen, whether you like it or not, is world domination."

In a statement later Monday, Robertson said he was referring specifically to terrorists who want to bomb innocent people as being motivated by Satan. In the news story, he noted, radical Muslims were shown screaming: "May Allah bomb you! May Osama bin Laden bomb you!

Angell Watts, a Robertson spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview that the news segment also included comments from a moderate Muslim in the United Kingdom saying radicals don't represent most Muslims in that country.

Robertson's Virginia Beach-based network did not include his remarks when it posted the program on its Web site, however. That decision was made out of concern Robertson's remarks could be misinterpreted if viewed out of context, Watts said.

Monday's comments were similar to remarks he made on his program in 2002, when he said Islam "is not a peaceful religion that wants to coexist. They want to coexist until they can control, dominate and then, if need be, destroy."

Robertson has come under intense criticism in recent months for comments suggesting that American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for Israel 's pullout from the Gaza Strip.

Robertson recently told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he comments off the cuff after watching news segments. He later told the Christian magazine World that he's being more careful and reviewing news stories before going on the air.

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called Robertson's new comments "grossly irresponsible."

"At a time when inter-religious tensions around the world are at an all-time high, Robertson seems determined to throw gasoline on the fire," Lynn said in a statement.

© 2006 Associated Press.

VICENTE FOX REPORTS HUGE OIL FIND

Mexico has discovered a huge new oil reserve that will increase its production capacity by nearly 50 percent, President Vicente Fox said Monday night - explaining that he intends to discuss how he'll use his new oil bonanza when he meets with President Bush in two weeks.

"We have excellent news that we will be announcing in a couple of weeks from now," Fox told MSNBC's "Rita Cosby Live and Direct."

He described the find as "a huge new reserve of oil and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico that belongs to Mexicans" and noted that in his upcoming meeting with Bush, "energy is a key for our discussions."

Fox said his country's largest oil reserve is Cantarell, which is rapidly depleting. "This new reserve that we just have found will totally replace Cantarell with even more quantity then what originally Cantarell had," he told Cosby.

The White House announced over the weekend that Bush, Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will hold an economic and security summit in Cancun on March 30 and 31. Among the items on the agenda: "our common prosperity."

Fox said the oil find would help both the U.S. and Mexico deal with their respective "migration" problems.

"We see that migration is not only moving from Mexico to United States ," he explained. "Last year we had to hold over 200,000 Central Americans that cross the border with Mexico , and of course they had plans to work in Mexico for a time and then try to move to United States ."

Fox said Mexico's expanding oil industry would help build job opportunities in both his country and Central America, which will ultimately benefit the U.S. "It will help all three of us, that is part of what we're discussing, how can we remain competitive, how we can have plenty of energy and how we use energy to the benefit of people," he told Cosby.

Fox is an unapologetic advocate of illegal immigration, saying it helps both the U.S. and Mexico . Earlier this year he objected to U.S. plans to build a security fence along the Mexican border.

Mexico has discovered a huge new oil reserve that will increase its production capacity by nearly 50 percent, President Vicente Fox said Monday night - explaining that he intends to discuss how he'll use his new oil bonanza when he meets with President Bush in two weeks.

"We have excellent news that we will be announcing in a couple of weeks from now," Fox told MSNBC's "Rita Cosby Live and Direct."

He described the find as "a huge new reserve of oil and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico that belongs to Mexicans" and noted that in his upcoming meeting with Bush, "energy is a key for our discussions."

Fox said his country's largest oil reserve is Cantarell, which is rapidly depleting. "This new reserve that we just have found will totally replace Cantarell with even more quantity then what originally Cantarell had," he told Cosby.

The White House announced over the weekend that Bush, Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will hold an economic and security summit in Cancun on March 30 and 31. Among the items on the agenda: "our common prosperity."

Fox said the oil find would help both the U.S. and Mexico deal with their respective "migration" problems.

"We see that migration is not only moving from Mexico to United States ," he explained. "Last year we had to hold over 200,000 Central Americans that cross the border with Mexico , and of course they had plans to work in Mexico for a time and then try to move to United States ."

Fox said Mexico's expanding oil industry would help build job opportunities in both his country and Central America, which will ultimately benefit the U.S. "It will help all three of us, that is part of what we're discussing, how can we remain competitive, how we can have plenty of energy and how we use energy to the benefit of people," he told Cosby.

Fox is an unapologetic advocate of illegal immigration, saying it helps both the U.S. and Mexico . Earlier this year he objected to U.S. plans to build a security fence along the Mexican border.

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War With Iran 'Inevitable,'

Former Israeli Defense Chief Says

TEL AVIV, Israel -- Kenneth R. Timmerman, NewsMax.com
Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006

War between Iran and Israel is "inevitable," a former deputy defense minister retired Maj. Gen. Efraim Sneh told NewsMax in an exclusive interview from his home near Tel Aviv.

Sneh, who ran Israel's defense ministry under Labor Party Prime Minister Ehud Barak when Israel pulled out of Lebanon in May 2000, was spending time with his family before rejoining his paratroop unit on the Lebanese border.

"At 62, I am a retired general, but I felt so strongly about this war that I volunteered to rejoin my paratrooper unit," he said. A medical doctor by profession, Sneh commanded his unit's medical corps during the toughest battle of the 1973 war.

Sneh has been warning about the Hezbollah buildup in south Lebanon for many years, and opposed his government's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, even though he was then in charge of the Defense Ministry.

"I warned six years ago that unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon would bring Hezbollah to our border, with all their military capability," he said. "I was a lonely voice when the choir of Israeli politics said 'let's get out of the Lebanon mud.' I said, 'The mud will run after you.'"

Warning about Hezbollah while serving in the government put him in an awkward position. "Because Barak was prime minister as well as defense minister, as his deputy I was actually running the defense ministry," Sneh told NewsMax.

He said he felt vindicated – not only by what is happening in Lebanon , but because he has been warning about the threat from Iran .

"Since 1993 I have been warning that Iran is the only enemy that poses an existential threat to Israel ," he said.

The current war in Lebanon was actually a war by Iran against Israel , he believes.

"I don't have any doubt that after this round is over, there will be another round, because the war with Iran is not over. When you have the president of the world's fourth largest oil supplier preaching repeatedly that Israel should be wiped off the map, a collision is unavoidable."

In speeches and writings over the past six years, Sneh predicted in detail the scenario that has played itself out between Hezbollah and Israel over the past four weeks.

"But I don't know the scenario for round 2 or round 3," he said. "I just know that they will come."

Asked how the current round of fighting in Lebanon would end, he replied: "slow and tough."

Sneh has traveled repeatedly to Washington over the past 13 years with other Knesset members from different parties, to warn about Iran 's threat to Israel and America .

He believes Iran would use nuclear weapons if it acquired them.

"That is the assumption we have to make," he said. "When they say they want to wipe Israel off the map, why shouldn't I take their word seriously? I don't have the privilege not to do so."

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N.Y. Times Retaliates Against Cheney, Rumsfeld

Beware of travel feature stories posing as invitations to terror.

"The New York Times points cranks, radicals, al-Qaida operatives and would-be assassins to the summer homes of [V.P. Dick] Cheney and [Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld" writes FrontPage Magazine's David Horowitz, who sees the June 30 Times feature article as an apparent retaliation for administration "criticism of the Times' disclosure of classified intelligence to America's enemies."

In the "Escapes" section of the June 30 edition, the N.Y. Times printed huge color photos of the vacation residences of Cheney and Rumsfeld, "identifying the small Maryland town where they live, showing their front driveways and, in Rumsfeld's case, actually pointing out the hidden security camera in case any hostile intruders should get careless," Horowitz writes.

Times Travel section writer Peter Kilborn even makes sure enemies of the two men will know such details as where Mrs. Rumsfeld shops in the eastern shore town of St. Michaels, Md. where the two administration officials have weekend retreats.

He even lets the curious know what street the Cheneys and Rumsfelds have to use to get to their own road.

It's all part of the war against President Bush, Horowitz charges.

"Make no mistake about it, there is a war going on in this country," Horowitz advises, noting that the aggressors in this war "are Democrats, liberals and leftists who began a scorched earth campaign against President Bush before the initiation of hostilities in Iraq."

One of the most prevalent weapons in this war, according to Horowitz, is the New York Times.

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DEATH PENALTY FOR PERVERTS 

WHO RAPE CHILDREN!

Oklahoma on Friday became the fifth state to allow the death penalty for certain sex crimes, although legal scholars questioned the constitutionality of the new state law.

Under the measure signed by Gov. Brad Henry, anyone convicted twice for rape, sodomy or lewd molestation involving children under 14 can face the death penalty.

South Carolina's governor signed a similar law on Thursday allowing the death penalty for offenders convicted twice of raping children younger than 11. Louisiana , Florida and Montana also have laws allowing the death penalty for certain sex crimes.

Defense attorneys and death penalty experts said the laws defy recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have scaled back the death penalty's application.

Barbara Bergman, president of the Washington-based National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said Supreme Court decisions have made it clear that the death penalty is reserved for someone who has taken another life.

"I'm not saying that raping a child is not a horrible crime, but no one has died," said Bergman, who was part of the defense team that avoided the death penalty for Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols following his 2004 conviction on 161 murder counts.

David Brook, a law professor at Washington and Lee University in Lexington , Va. , said the measure might actually put a child rape victim's life at risk.

"The last message you want to give an offender who has the life of a child in his hands is you might as well kill the child because he's already got the death penalty," said Brook, who runs the Virginia Capital Case Clearing House, which assists lawyers in death penalty cases. "This is a very stupid message."

No one convicted of a sex offense has been executed since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment 30 years ago, though one inmate is on death row in Louisiana following his 2003 conviction for raping an 8-year-old girl.

South Carolina 's new law is named for 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, a Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and suffocated last year by a registered sex offender.

"Jessie's Law is about sending a very clear message that there are some lines you do not cross, and that if those lines are crossed the penalties will be severe," said South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.

John Stossel: Not Afraid to Tell the Truth

By Ed Sigall

Veteran ABC newsman John Stossel won 19 Emmys exposing scammers and con artists and came to a chilling conclusion -- the biggest threat to our well-being is often our own government.

The "20/20" co-anchor made a dramatic about-face when he realized that "less government is good government." He abandoned his liberal perspective, became a libertarian -- and paid a heavy price, he recently told NewsMax in an exclusive interview.

When Stossel changed his political stripes, suddenly the awards stopped coming, once-friendly producers shunned him and the liberal establishment struck back with a vengeance. But now he's coming out swinging harder than ever at "monster government." His eye-opening new book, "Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity," has recently been released has become a New York Times bestseller.

As a young reporter crusading on behalf of consumers, Stossel says he embraced the liberal mantra that "people should be pretty free to live their own lives but that wise government should tax people to make their lives better -- and it should especially tax rich people to make poor people's lives better. That would end poverty and do all kinds of wonderful things." 

The deeper Stossel dug into these complex issues, however, the more he saw that the regulators and bureaucrats who were supposed to solve problems were often at their very root.

 "I had an unusual ringside seat on the regulatory state as a television consumer reporter," he explained. "I'm a little embarrassed about how long it took me to see the folly of most government intervention. It was probably 15 years before I really woke up to the fact that almost everything government attempts to do, it makes worse," Stossel confesses.

 "Top-down central planning is never as effective as free individuals making their own choices, because free individuals will adapt to reality every second, but the central planners can adapt only when they get together to vote."

Stossel, a Princeton graduate, credits his own reporting and reading for his enlightenment, but says no single incident turned on the light.

"It was really a slow epiphany," he admits. One factor "was watching The New York Times endlessly prescribe solutions and then watching them fail."

The mainstream media did not take kindly to Stossel's political conversion, which occurred about 20 years ago.

"They like me less," he says with his familiar deadpan humor, adding, "Once I started applying the same skepticism to government, I stopped winning awards."

He remembers how one news show ambushed him.

 "The CNN program ?Reliable Sources' had me on after I did my first special [in 1994], 'Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?' When I got there, I found that they had titled the program, ?Objectivity in Journalism -- Does John Stossel Practice Either?'"

Stossel's political awakening triggered mixed reactions from his ABC colleagues -- including "bewilderment and lack of interest. I had to fight hard to get certain stories on the air."

But others approached his transformation with an open mind. "Hugh Downs was supportive," he reveals.

Barbara Walters was better than most of my colleagues. When a correspondent said in a meeting, ?We've got to have a law to stop that,' Barbara said, 'Well, we can't have laws for everything.' So instinctively she gets some of these ideas. She is very smart."

Stossel encountered most of his opposition behind the scenes.

 "The on-air people are not really in a position to stop me or encourage me. It's producers who do that." And almost all of the producers have a liberal bent, he reveals. "Some were hostile. A few were curious."

And most, he says, were skeptical of his ideas.

"After the airing of my first special, two freelance producers quit, saying, 'This isn't journalism -- it's dogma!'" That led to a meeting with Paul Friedman, the executive in charge at the time. Stossel recalls Friedman saying, "Well, I don't agree with you, but it is an interesting intellectual argument that deserves to be made." Stossel says, "I give ABC News credit for that."

Like a political Robinson Crusoe, Stossel inhabits his own island of intellectual thought. Rather than trying to please any one political camp, he assails the weak points on all sides of the spectrum. And he has a lot to say about the initiatives of President Bush.

 "What the Republicans in the administration have done is to increase spending more than ever. And I don't pretend to be a foreign policy expert, but I am very skeptical of nation building. I also think the drug war is a huge mistake."

Stossel cherishes personal freedom -- but some feel he goes to extremes. "I don't think religion should be a part of government, and I think you ought to be able to burn a flag," he says. "I think homosexuality is not unnatural and not something that should be legislated against."

The outspoken journalist says conservatives impress him with their willingness to still invite him to conferences. "But the liberals just say, ?He's icky,' and don't want to have anything to do with me," he says.

"Liberals have been so dominant in the mainstream media that they have grown fat, lazy and intolerant. Conservatives are happy to have someone in the mainstream media who will at least consider their ideas," the newsman adds.

Stossel reduces many sacred cows to hamburger meat. His new book is a powerful broadside fired across the bow of liberal thought and is bound to draw as much return fire as his previous book, "Give Me a Break."

Confronting the notion that drug companies are evil price gougers, he explains that the higher the price of medicines, the more good medicines we get.

While unions rail against the outsourcing of jobs, Stossel insists, "Outsourcing creates American jobs."

The take-no-prisoners journalist has enraged teachers by declaring that part of the problem with our schools is that they are run by "a union-dominated monopoly." Five hundred teachers recently demonstrated outside of ABC in New York City and challenged him to teach for a week.

Stossel revealed to NewsMax he will take them up on the challenge. (For more, see his accompanying column.)

In his new book, the 59-year-old reporter cleverly marshals experts, statistics and fascinating anecdotes to make his points in a lively and entertaining manner.

To drive home how well-intended government regulation can boomerang, Stossel focuses on the pesticide DDT. Once widely used, it gained the reputation of being a "killer chemical," partly because of what he sees as media hysteria.

The real problem, he says, was that DDT was used indiscriminately and far too much was sprayed. But because of its demonization, DDT is rarely used anymore to fight malaria -- despite its effectiveness and safety when used in tiny amounts.

And that's outrageous, he writes, because "malaria will kill more than 1,000 children before you finish reading this book."

With so many misconceptions and poor policies afflicting America , what are the first actions that a President Stossel would take?

"I would pass the Stossel Rule -- for every new law they pass, they have to repeal two old ones. I would get rid of farm subsidies and the Education Department. That's a start," he says.

While the controversial newsman clearly recognizes the need for government, he defines its proper role as "limited."

"It should keep the peace and protect the environment within reason, run the courts, ensure a common defense and create a safety net, which competes with private charity, but doesn't exclude it. Otherwise," he says, "it should butt out of our lives."     

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My name is Tracey Bunn and my husband is former Atlanta Police Officer Raymond Bunn. I gave birth to our fifth child -- a baby boy -- just a few months ago.

But Ray wasn’t allowed to go to the hospital with me. Because the Fulton County District Attorney was holding him in jail that night -- and is trying to put Ray in prison for the rest of his life!

More than three years ago, on July 14, 2002 , Ray and his partner were patrolling the Buckhead bar district area of Atlanta . It was about 3:00am when they heard the sound of breaking glass and a car alarm go off -- and saw a man jump out of the shattered passenger window of nearby car.

Ray and his partner began shouting over and over: “Police! Stop! Police! Stop!” But the man ignored them and jumped into the back seat of a nearby Chevy Tahoe SUV. Both Ray and his partner drew their weapons and slowly advanced towards the SUV. Suddenly the driver of the SUV, a man named Corey Ward, punched the gas pedal and started driving straight at my husband.

Ray was trapped between the right front of his cruiser and the oncoming car. With the SUV just a few feet away from him, Ray had no choice. He fired off two shots from his service revolver and tried to jump out of the way. But he didn’t make it. The SUV struck his knee.

And the worst was still yet to come.

Corey Ward, the driver of the SUV, died at the scene from the gunshot wound to his head. Ray was devastated -- it was the first time in his police career that my husband had ever been forced to kill a man. But he knows that he did the right thing.

Police are trained to use force if they feel their lives are in danger. Which Ray’s life clearly was. But anti-police activists in Atlanta didn’t agree.You see, Corey Ward was a young black man. Radicals in the black community accused my husband of being a rogue, racist cop.

They held demonstrations in front of the police station calling for a murder indictment against Ray.

Even Johnny Cochran -- the notorious attorney who defended O.J. Simpson -- showed up in Atlanta to stage a protest!

Ray and his fellow police officers -- both black and white -- couldn’t believe it, as my husband was being labeled a “racist” for defending himself in the line of duty!

Then, after everything we’d just been through, Ray’s National Guard unit, he is a sergeant, was called up for deployment to Iraq .

It about broke my heart to say good-bye to him. But God brought Ray home safely after a year-long tour of duty. Our family was finally all back together. And we were all so excited when I found out I was expecting our fifth child!

Then without warning, the Fulton County District Attorney announced that he was indicting Ray for the murder of Corey Ward.

That’s right -- three and a half years after my husband was nearly killed by Corey Ward’s SUV, and after a year long tour in Iraq , the DA finally bowed to pressure from local activists and indicted Ray.

If convicted, Ray could be imprisoned for the rest of life -- just for doing his job!

My oldest daughter is scared to death that she’s going to lose her dad. My sons try to be strong -- but I can see how frightened they are, too.

And every time I see Ray rock the baby to sleep, or just walk the kids to the bus stop, I can’t help but think that these are sweetest moments of our lives -- the moments we’ll lose forever if Ray is sent to prison!

I’m trying to have hope.But the deck is stacked against us.

Remember, it took three years for the Fulton County D.A. to decide to indict Ray. It shows you just how powerful the local radicals really are that the D.A. caved in to their political pressure.

The local news stories never mention that police found cocaine, marijuana, a large knife, and two stolen cell phones in Ward’s SUV.

Or the fact that Corey Ward drove his three-ton vehicle right at my husband!

Or the fact that in the police report, one of the passengers in Corey Ward’s SUV said “he saw a man get out of the vehicle and yell police, police, stop, stop!” The passenger went on to say “I knew the guy telling him to stop was a police officer because of the chain he wore around his neck displayed an Atlanta Police Department badge”!!

I feel like we are barely treading water. And even if Ray wins in court, the trial will destroy us financially.

The International Brotherhood of Police Organizations and the Police Benevolent Association in Georgia are both standing behind Ray. And the rank-and-file of the Atlanta Police Department support him, too.

I can’t stop my mind from racing. Will my husband have to rot in prison for the rest of his life for a crime he did not commit? Will our little baby boy ever see his daddy outside of a jail cell?

And if Ray survives the trial, how on earth will we ever pay our legal bills?

Right now we are clinging to one hope:

The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF). LELDF is an answered prayer to innocent officers like Ray. Former Attorney General Ed Meese is on their board. When the Chairman of LELDF heard about Ray’s case, he called and said he would do whatever he could to help us.

Now they are trying to raise money on Ray’s behalf -- to pay for attorneys, expert witnesses, and legal research.

Ray and I aren’t wealthy people. With five children, including a newborn baby, it’s all we can do to make ends meet.

That’s why I’m about to ask you the hardest question I’ve ever asked anyone in my life:

Will you please consider sending a gift to LELDF today to help Ray’s case?

LELDF is a non-profit organization, so your contribution is tax-deductible.

The prosecutors have unlimited funds, thanks to your tax dollars, to stack the deck against Ray in court. But Ray and I must rely only on the generous hearts of people like you.

When I look at Ray, I see the man who risked his life to protect the streets of Atlanta for 7 years. I see the man who risked his life for a year in Iraq to defend our nation.

And I see a husband so precious and a father so loving I can’t believe God blessed me with him!

I vowed on my wedding day to stand by Ray in the good times and bad. But the only way I know how to honor that vow today is by asking for your help.

Thank you so much for reading my letter. And thank you on behalf of every wife and every child of an American police officer.

I pray that no one in your family ever has to go through a nightmare like ours.

Yours truly,
 
Mrs. Tracey Bunn  

DICK MORRIS: ‘PRESIDENT’S SPEECH GREAT!

Arguably America’s most prominent American political consultant, Dick Morris tells NewsMax that President Bush’s key national address on immigration reform Monday night was "a great speech.”

"It included all the elements it had to,” said Morris, who noted the president is living through record low approval ratings.

But Morris conjectures Bush’s border plan may help lay the ground work for a comeback.

Morris is almost universally credited with piloting Bill Clinton’s stunning comeback re-election victory in 1996 after the Democrats lost Congress to the Republicans two years before.

The presidential plan to beef up the southern border fence in both real and virtual terms is both the "key to securing the border and securing the president's base,” Morris opined.

As to Bush’s vital guest worker proposal, Morris sees it as "the key to keeping the GOP competitive with Hispanic voters.”

And leaving open paths to citizenship for those already in the country, albeit illegally, will serve to make "Latinos a GOP stronghold,” Morris advised.

Morris has warned that the Republicans risk losing its dominance in the near future if it doesn’t grab a larger share of Hispanic voters. Hispanics are rapidly growing in the U.S., especially in states like Florida, Texas, and other states once considered strongly GOP.

As Morris has written in the past:

"By moving away from English-only policies and reaching out to Hispanics, Bush has closed the gap among Latino voters. Gore carried them by 30 points, but Kerry only won among them by 10. But the border backlash may be undoing all this good work.

"The obvious answer is to couple a fence with a good guest-worker program, with a citizenship track predicated on good behavior.”

Morris further advised at the time that if the Republican Party allows the enforcement-heavy House bill to become law - a fence with no guest-worker program - it will antagonize the vital Latino vote and the GOP would consign itself to permanent minority status. 

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Unrestricted Warfare:
China's Master Plan to Destroy America

By Colonels Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui
Introduction by Al Santoli

As incredible as it may be to believe, three years before the Sept. 11 bombing of the World Trade Center a Chinese military manual titled Unrestricted Warfare touted such an attack – suggesting it would be difficult for the U.S. military to cope with.

Here is an excerpt from Unrestricted Warfare:

“Whether it be the intrusions of hackers, a major explosion at the World Trade Center, or a bombing attack by bin Laden, all of these greatly exceed the frequency bandwidths understood by the American military...”

Surprisingly, Osama bin Laden is mentioned frequently in this book.

Now NewsMax.com is making the CIA translation of this shocking book available to all Americans.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Americans and the world witnessed one of the most horrific acts ever to take place on American soil.

Our media and government were quick to declare the acts of that day as simply terrorism by a nationless group known as al-Qaeda.

In reading China’s military manual Unrestricted Warfare, you will learn that the events of Sept. 11 were not a random act perpetrated by independent agents.

Instead, Chinese military planners believe that terrorism is just one of the many tools at the hands of nations and their terrorist allies to wage total war against the United States.

You will be surprised to learn:

* The two PLA colonels who authored Unrestricted Warfare have been hailed as heroes in China since Sept. 11
* The Chinese state-run propaganda machine is cashing in on the terror attacks ... producing books, films and video games glorifying the strikes as a humbling blow against an arrogant nation.
* Chinese Communist Party officials are saying that President Jiang Zemin has obsessively and gleefully watched and re-watched pictures of the aircraft crashing into the World Trade Center.
* The CIA’s own translation agency reported that this book identifies the U.S. as China’s main enemy, and details how a weak nation can destroy America using unorthodox attacks – like the 9-11 attacks.
* China is preparing itself and encouraging others to engage the U.S. in total war. The book is chock full of plans and strategies, from using computers, to smuggling illegal immigrants, to manipulating the stock markets, to influencing the U.S. media, to using weapons of mass destruction – all to destroy America. 

Recent press reports indicate that China has assisted and continues to assist militarily and economically the Taliban and al-Qaeda – even after Sept. 11.

The doctrine of total war outlined in Unrestricted Warfare clearly demonstrates that the People’s Republic of China is preparing to confront the United States and our allies by conducting “asymmetrical” or multidimensional attacks on almost every aspect of our social, economic and political life.

The media and Congress are keeping a lid on this book because of the implications of U.S.-China economic and trade relations.

But now you can bypass them by getting a copy yourself!

Here’s what others say about Unrestricted Warfare:

“You need to read Unrestricted Warfare because it reveals China’s game plan in its coming war with America.. ... China thinks it can destroy America by using these tactics.”

Adm. Thomas Moorer
Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

“The 9-11 attacks may just be the beginning. Many terrorist nations and groups will try to imitate this operation … and China’s war book Unrestricted Warfare will be their text.”

Maj. Gen. John K. Singlaub
Former Chief of Staff,
US Forces Korea

“Unrestricted Warfare is evidence linking China to 9-11. It is also their plan for global operations against America.”

Wilson C. Lucom
Endwar.com 

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Mel Gibson's Apology Not Enough for ADL

James Hirsen, NewsMax.com
Monday, July 31, 2006 

It is a maxim: Bigotry is wrong.

It is an evil whether it is expressed by world leaders or inebriated actors.

Unlike some who have made untoward statements without regret, the day after his arrest in Malibu on suspicion of DUI Mel Gibson issued what amounted to a comprehensive and humble apology.

Predictably the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) deemed insufficient Gibson's sorrowful and blanket apology.

With the apparent ability to peer into the human soul, National Director of the (ADL) Abraham Foxman proclaimed the following: "His [Gibson's] tirade finally reveals his true self and shows that his protestations during the debate over his film "The Passion of the Christ," that he is such a tolerant, loving person, were a sham."

The ADL is apparently trying to use the incident to alter the results of its past failed effort to characterize Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" as bigoted.


It appears as though some apologies are more equal than others. Demands for another, and another, and another more remorseful apology invariably keep on coming when it comes to those whom the Left disdains.

Remember when on the occasion of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday Republican Sen. Trent Lott made some regrettable remarks? Lott's words were construed as meaning that the nation would have been better off if a segregationist's presidential campaign had been successful.

Eight days after making the remarks Lott apologized, saying, "A poor choice of words conveyed to some the impression that I embraced the discarded policies of the past. ... Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my statement."

Lott's critics on the Left claimed the apology was inadequate. Lott proceeded to issue apology after apology, each time expressing more and more contrition. But no matter how sorrowful Lott's expressions were, they were never good enough for his critics. Ultimately, he stepped down from his position as Senate majority Leader.

At the time one of Lott's most outspoken critics was Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd. Dodd said, "If a Democratic leader had made [Lott's] statements, we would have to call for his stepping aside, without any question whatsoever."


Fast forward to April 2004. Dodd took to the senate floor to praise the work of Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, saying, "I do not think it is an exaggeration at all to say to my friend from West Virginia that he would have been a great senator at any moment. Some were right for the time. Robert C. Byrd, in my view, would have been right at any time.... I cannot think of a single moment in this nation's 220-plus year history where [Robert Byrd] would not have been a valuable asset to this country."

This is the same Byrd who once donned the white sheets and hood of the KKK, voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act and as recently as March 2001 used the "N" word on national television. Absent were myriad calls for a more contrite version after Dodd issued a generic apology.

When he ran for president as a Democrat in 1984, the Rev. Jesse Jackson referred to Jews as "Hymies" and to New York City as "Hymietown." One apology for the foul verbiage sufficed.

In June 2005 Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin intentionally placed the following into the Congressional Record: "If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."

After initially refusing to do so, Durbin offered an apology of sorts for his Nazi, Soviet and Pol Pot comparisons. However, his office did not classify his expression as an apology but rather referred to it as a "Statement of Regret." The senator was not required to show further regret.

Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden recently said, "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." Biden did not apologize for his remarks but instead claimed that he was misconstrued. Calls for clarification were scant as were cries for an apology. A statement issued by the ADL's Foxman labeled Gibson's recent apology as "unremorseful and insufficient."

What did Gibson say in his public apology that was lacking in contrition or fullness?

Gibson described his actions as "very wrong and for which I am ashamed."

Saying that one is ashamed is a clear expression of remorse but Gibson did not stop there. He stated that when arrested he "acted like a person completely out of control."

Regarding his statements, Gibson acknowledged, "I said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable."

Referring to one's statements as despicable is strong, unequivocal language. Still, Gibson went even further.

Adding to his expression of sorrow over his outbursts, he said that he was "deeply ashamed of everything" he had said and categorically apologized to anyone who was offended.

He summed things up by saying, "I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry."

According to the Left's parameters, Gibson has exceeded that which is expected. According to human standards, he has exceeded that which is sufferable.

No further apologies needed.

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Lutherans Rebuff Same-Sex Marriage Proposal

 Fla. - A  national meeting of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (search) voted Friday to rebuff what many saw as an attempt to push the denomination toward approval of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples.

On a day when the weeklong meeting focused on gays' role in the church, delegates stripped language from a same-sex blessings measure that many Lutherans thought would give local pastors leeway in deciding whether to conduct the ceremonies.

Once the language was removed, the proposal then became an affirmation of current church practice, which bans such blessings and expresses "trust" in pastors ministering to gays and lesbians. It was approved overwhelmingly.

Earlier in the day, delegates voted 851-127 to keep the church unified despite serious differences over homosexuality.

The issue that was expected to be the most contentious still hadn't been decided — whether to allow ordination for partnered gays.

A proposal before the assembly would affirm the church ban on ordaining sexually active gays and lesbians, but allow bishops and church districts called synods to seek an exception for a particular candidate if that person is in a committed relationship and meets other conditions.

Discussion on that measure began late Friday afternoon.

All the proposals — the product of three years' work by a special church task force — were meant as a compromise that will satisfy both those who support gay clergy and those who regard gay sex as sinful.

Disagreement over what the Bible says about homosexuality has torn at Protestant denominations for years. The Episcopal Church (search) consecrated its first openly gay bishop two years ago, and Anglicans worldwide are now struggling to remain unified — something conservative Lutherans noted in handouts to voters Friday.

Conservatives say the ordination proposal would effectively overturn prohibitions against non-celibate gays in the Lutheran ministry and advocates for gays aren't satisfied, either. They say the measure would create a second-class roster for homosexual clergy in the church.

Opponents worry that easing the rules also would strain relations with other Christian denominations and with the many conservative Lutherans overseas. And they said any change would unravel church teaching on sexual ethics and marriage.

Gay-rights advocates, meanwhile, contend that nothing in Christian teaching supports the current stand of the 4.9 million-member denomination. The Rev. Patrick Gahagen (search) of Detroit spoke on the assembly floor about one of his gay congregants who was "ostracized by family, criticized by friends and demonized by the president," yet could find safe haven in church.