The Illogical Transgender Argument

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What would you think if famed Hall of Fame NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who stands 7’2, claimed to be five foot tall? What would you think if South African president, Jacob Zuma claimed to be president of the U.S.? What would you think if I told you the Washington Wizards of the NBA was currently playing in the playoffs even though they are not?

Let’s take this a step further. What would you think if Abdul-Jabbar wanted to have all of his legal documents (driver’s license, passport, medical records) made to reflect his contention that he was five foot tall despite all evidence that he is seven two? What would you think if Zuma wanted the United Nations (U.N.) to recognize him as the duly elected president of the U.S.? What would you think if the Wizards went to the commissioner of the NBA and demanded an opponent to play even though they are not eligible to participate in the playoffs?

This type of behavior is the clinical definition of psychosis. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), psychosis is “a severe mental disorder in which a person loses the ability to recognize reality…having false ideas about what is taking place or who one is, and seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not there.”

So, the point is, no matter what Abdul-Jabbar says he is; there is nothing that can change the fact that he is seven two. Even if the U.N. wanted to recognize Zuma as the U.S. president, there is nothing they can do to make that a reality. The Wizards claiming they “deserve” to be in the playoff won’t change the reality that they are not in the playoffs.

Abdul-Jabbar can insist he is five foot tall until he is blue in the face; but the U.S. government will never “officially” recognize him as such. The American people will never recognize Zuma as our elected president regardless of how vigorously he claims to be. The Wizards can organize protests all across the country, but there is nothing they can do to be included in the NBA playoffs. I am sure most of us would consider it very strange to try to change each of these three situations in the face of established facts to the contrary.

Most of us would consider a person who refused to accept the absolute facts of these situations as having some type of mental issue or psychosis as defined above.

Unfortunately, too many people today are refusing to accept reality; thus an alarming rate of psychosis being revealed not only in the U.S.; but throughout the world.

I recently had a discussion with my doctor about Bruce Jenner, who was born with a penis, and yet “claims” to be a girl. My doctor indicated that even if Jenner were to have a surgical vagina created; biologically and genetically, he would still be a male.

If Jenner’s body was discovered a thousand years from now, my doctor continued, and a DNA test was run; Jenner would be labeled as a male.

So, this whole foolishness about men born with a penis or women born with a vagina being able to “self-identify” as a woman or a man, respectively is the very definition of psychosis.

As in my opening three examples, there is absolutely nothing that can be done or said to change the reality of if you were born with a penis, you are a male; and if you are born with a vagina, you are a female.

You can have all the relevant body parts changed, but biologically and genetically, you still are who you were at birth—male or female.

So if Abdul-Jabbar can’t legally place on his documents that he is five foot tall; Zuma can’t legally be recognized as the U.S. president; and the Wizards can’t be in the NBA playoff simply by saying they are; then simply saying something is true does not make it true. A male who has a penis cannot and should not be allowed to go to the girl’s bathroom simply because they “claim” they are a girl. A female who has a vagina cannot and should not be allowed to go to the boy’s bathroom simply because they “claim” they are a boy.

What would be the legal basis for codifying such an act?

In order to accept the transgender argument; then you must allow Abdul-Jabbar to be listed as five foot tall, Zuma to be recognized as president of the U.S.; and the Wizards to play in the playoffs. Both sets of examples are based strictly on each person’s distorted view of reality in opposition to all the available facts. Both are simply based on a person’s verbally claiming something is reality; even though the verbal statements are without fact or merit.

In the immortal words of Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, “what a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away; because what seems to be is always better than nothing at all.”

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Hillary meets Al Gore in Target ladies restroom line, taps him for her VP Pick

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In what many political pundits are calling a “brilliant” and “inspired” move by the Hillary campaign, the former first lady has chosen Al Gore to be the third female vice presidential candidate in electoral history. Back in the spotlight, Al Gore explained how it all happened.

“It was just one of those meetings destined by fate,” said Gore. “I was standing in line at the ladies’ restroom at Target when all of a sudden I see Hillary in front of me. So I said, ‘Hey, are you Hillary Clinton?’ and she told me she was. And I was like, ‘You won’t believe this, but I used to work for your husband.’ When she asked me what I did, I told her I was the vice president for eight years, and she just lit up like a Christmas tree. She almost fell over when she found out I got a medal for savin’ the planet.”

“The timing couldn’t have been better,” said Hillary. “I mean, here I am standing in line at the restroom saving the children, fighting for the American working family, and wondering about my choices for a VP, and along comes a woman with eight years of experience. It was one of those ‘Praise Gaia!’ moments for me.”

A reporter asked Al Gore if he was, in fact, actually a man. “Well, I was the other day,” replied Gore, “but this whole bathroom issue got me to thinkin’ whether I wasn’t really a woman. When I decided to stand in line for the ladies’ room, everything felt so right. I knew I had made the right decision about my gender, and I’ve never felt so liberated. Tipper supports me all the way.”

When asked if the presence of four Tennessee Titan cheerleaders and a masseuse in the same line affected his decision to bypass the men’s room, Gore assured everyone that it was “purely coincidental”. “Truth be told, I just found the men’s room too inconvenient,” quipped the former VP. Margo, one of the cheerleaders, had mixed feelings, “Like, I dunno, it was kinda like, I dunno, creepy? or something? You know? I dunno. Oh, selfie!”

But not all Democrats are sharing the joy. “It’s totally unfair,” fumed Bernie Sanders. “How come he gets two genders when the average fast food worker at McDonald’s only gets one? As president, I will make sure everybody gets two genders and I’m going to make Big Deodorant pay for it.”

“This is truly a historical moment,” said Hillary. “For the first time in the history of this country, we are ready for two women to occupy the White House, and that gives the average American something to vote for.”

EDITORS NOTE: This political satire originally appeared on The Peoples Cube.

Former U.S. Marine Mark Varner: The Case Where Justice Was Not Blind

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Where are all of those so-called concerned activists when cruel injustice is on full display?

The dragon media has ignored this example of a black robe gone wild with a level of defiance that would make all the democrats who defiantly want open borders proud. One such case was brought to my In Macomb County MI, On the night of July 14, 2014, two people in a large pickup truck were feeling their oats and viciously harassed Mark Anthony Varner.

Mr. Varner was simply taking his customary drive home after work. The bullying truck drivers kept motoring very close behind with their bright lights glaring. Their tail gaiting then turned into trying to run Varner off the road. Mark Varner was driving a much smaller two door Fiat. He made numerous tries to evade the treacherous truck drivers who just would not leave Varner alone. According to Mark Varner’s sister, he even pulled off the road to avoid the haranguing truck drivers.

After a few moments Mark proceeded on his journey home, when suddenly the big truck appeared from behind again. Eventually, the truck pulled alongside Mark and the driver fired off several gunshot blasts toward his vehicle. In all the details I never learned if Mr. Varner’s car was ever hit by the volley of bullets.

By now, Mark a licensed gun owner and a former Marine who possessed a concealed carry permit license (CPL) began to fear for his life and figured it was time to defend himself. He fired back at the truck and quickly pulled over again to call 911. Mark was instructed by the 911 operator to remain where he was located and await a squad car, which he did.

Moments later, the officers arrived and Mark immediately informed them that he is a licensed CPL gun owner and that the weapon is in the car. That is standard practice when you own a CPL. Despite no investigation whatsoever, Mark was automatically deemed by the police the be the trouble starter in the scenario. Thus he was immediately placed in the back of the police squad car. The driver of the truck also called the police and were met by the police at a nearby location, but he and his passenger were never put into a squad car.

Mark was handcuffed and taken to the police station and arraigned the following morning.

To add insult to injury, the police never investigated to even see if the truck driver had a gun. Because they assumed Mark Varner was the one who initiated the hostilities.

President bans word ‘bathroom’, federal agencies to use gender neutral ‘outhouse’

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President Obama has signed an Executive Order (EO) banning the use of the word “bathroom.” Starting May 1st, 2016 all federal agencies and federal employees will now use the word “outhouse.”

outhouse signIn a press release the White House Office of the Press Secretary states:

President Obama is concerned that the transgender (i.e. gender confused) community will not be able to use bathrooms in states such as North Carolina. He has therefore in the name of inclusiveness required all federal agencies to use the word outhouse when referring to places where people relieve themselves.

Outhouse is gender neutral and best describes how the LGBT community has struggled to ‘come out.’

The president believes that this is an important issue for all Americans, more so than fighting the Islamic State, the economy, jobs and the growing national debt.

Speaking of the national debt, the President has put $75 million into his FY 2017 budget to replace men’s and women’s restroom signs with the new gender neutral outhouse signs in all federal facilities. It is expected that the Republican congress will pass the president’s budget, raising the debt ceiling to cover this expense.

When asked by this reporter what impact this EO will have on the White House, Press Secretary Josh Earnest replied:

“We will now be calling the White House the Out House, for obvious reasons.”

george takei

George Takei

LGBT Spokesman, and former star of Star Trek, George Takei noted, “Those of us who have ‘come out’ fully embrace President Obama’s decision. As the first gay president, we find the work he has done to embrace the LGBT community stimulating, no pun intended. For those of us who are gender confused we will visit the Out House and thank President Obama personally.”

Hillary Clinton at a campaign stop said, “I look forward to occupying the Out House on January 20th, 2017. Bill, the first black president, and I know how to put America back on track using our gender neutral policies. We are LGBT proud of what the president has done!”

Secretary of the Navy Raymond Edward “Ray” Mabus states in a letter to all Navy personnel:

The U.S. Navy has a long tradition and its own unique terminology.

The ‘head’ aboard a Navy ship is the bathroom. The term comes from the days of sailing ships when the place for the crew to relieve themselves was all the way forward on either side of the bowsprit, the integral part of the hull to which the figurehead was fastened.

With President Obama’s new Executive Order all Navy personnel will stop using ‘head’ and begin using outhouse.

All Navy outhouses will be at the tail, not the head, of our ships, no pun intended.

outhouse with Muslim symbolThe Islamic State has created an outhouse for Muslims only (pictured right). Homosexuals, transgenders and the gender confused are forbidden from entering a Muslim outhouse.

An Islamic State spokesman notes:

 The Quran specifically forbids sodomy, unless a Muslim is sodomizing a non-Muslim. We reject the infidel President Obama’s effort to create outhouses that are for the gender confused. This is against Islamic law. Mohammed, may peace be upon him, would condemn this as blasphemy against Allah.

If a homosexual, transgender or gender confused person is caught in a Muslim outhouse the punishment is death by throwing them off the roof of the highest building and then stoning them once they hit the ground. Allah Akbar!

The Donald Trump campaign responded to this executive overreach in a short statement:

Americans are not gender confused, if anything Americans are gender realists who embrace science, biology and genetics.

It’s time to cleanup the Out House and Make America Great Again, where men are men and women are women.

God, guns and gender rule!

RELATED ARTICLE: Orlando woman plans to take her gun into Target bathrooms to protect herself from transgender people | Blogs | Orlando Weekly

EDITORS NOTE: This political satire originally appeared in the Bed, Bath and Beyond Gender magazine.

Wake Up Church, You Are At War

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God neither slumbers nor sleeps, but the established Christian church seems all but comatose when faced with the increasing Islamic movement throughout our country.

I was brought up in a Christian home, and am old enough to have been in a school system that still taught the actual history of our country. The truth of faith and freedom being essential elements of America was infused into my brain as far back as my memory will take me, and I am incredibly thankful for my heritage.

However, the Christian church of today, with the exception of a small minority, seems to be heavily sedated when it comes to understanding the threats to our country. Threats that aren’t only aimed at political affairs, but at the very God-given freedoms that provide the church with the platform to speak and worship.

Over the previous six to seven years of learning about the Islamic movement within our country and globally I noticed more and more of a disconnect from the reality of what was occurring, in comparison to what was being addressed from the pulpit.

Following Islamic attacks on our soil, be it in: Boston, Massachusetts, San Bernardino, California, Chattanooga, Tennessee, or Garland, Texas,(just to name a few), there seemed to be no mention of the reasons for the terrorism. In other words, the pastors would call for prayer for the victims occasionally, but no mention of the evil involved in who perpetrated it. This was also the case after the recent Paris and Belgian Islamic jihadi attacks.

The church, in my view, is politically correct in dealing with Islamic terrorism. Either they are afraid to mention the growing threat from another protected religion, or they don’t understand enough about Islam to condemn it from the pulpit.

I once asked a pastor of a large church in Georgia what he knew about the Islamic movement. His answer,

“I know enough, that I don’t want to know about it.”

I can possibly understand the ignorance of Islam by many pastors 15 years ago, but none of them should get a free pass now. It is evident, by the very words of Imams the world over, that we are at war, a Holy War. The list is long of Islamic leaders calling for all-out war on the non-Muslim or Kafir.

The Daily Caller reported about Egyptian-American Shaker Elsayed, Imam of the dar al-hijrah mosque, who spoke at a high school in Alexandria, Virginia several years ago. He stated,

“The enemies of Allah are lining up. The question for us is, are we lining [up] or are we afraid because they may call us terrorists?”

He continued,

“Let me give you the good news: they are already calling us terrorists anyway. Whether you sitting at home, watching TV, drinking coffee, sleeping or playing with your kids, you are a terrorist because you are a Muslim. Well, give them a run for their money. Make it worth it. Make this title worth it, and be a good Muslim,”

If Islamic leaders are publicly calling for war, why do most of our pastors continually avoid the fact, and not address it? They fail to equip their congregations to deal with an enemy that is now within the gates. And this time, the battle it is not just in defending their faith through debate against their atheist high school science teacher or co-worker, instead it will be a jihadist coming through a school, mall, or movie theater shooting anyone who doesn’t submit to Allah, or doesn’t claim to be Muslim.

This is not alarmist, but simply stating what has already happened in recent months and years. Al Shabab, for example, slaughtered any who didn’t claim to be Muslim or who couldn’t repeat the Shahada (Muslim conversion prayer) in the Kenyan Garissa University attack just a year ago.

An AP Star article states this about Collins Wetangula, vice chairman of the student union.

“He heard the attackers arrive at his dormitory, open the doors and ask if the people who had hidden inside were Muslims or Christians. ‘If you were a Christian, you were shot on the spot…With each blast of the gun, I thought I was going to die.’”

America is now operating in a virtual open-borders atmosphere, while the present administration is seeing to it that our country is inundated with as many Muslims we can acquire from warring Islamic countries in the Middle East and Africa. Have the pastors considered how much longer they will be able to enjoy their “interfaith” dialogues with the peaceful Muslims once their numbers take a dramatic uptick?

The church needs to start teaching Christians to be prepared to physically defend their families as well as other innocent citizens who will undoubtedly be affected by the changes that will occur due to an increasing number of Sharia compliant Muslims hell-bent on jihad.

As a matter of fact, Islam has never left the call to jihad. For 1400 years they have been battling for world-wide Muslim domination. Some here in the West may think that sounds far-fetched, but it is the common ideology taught throughout the religion of peace.

Christians ceased fighting the Crusades in 1250 AD, but Muslims have never stopped. Dr. Bill Warner, a physicist who founded The Center for the Study of Political Islam, constructed an incredible Dynamic Battle Map of the Crusades which is eye-opening.

He states,

“…it was Islam that came out of Arabia and conquered the Middle East, a Christian Middle East. And so the crusaders were trying to free their Christian brothers and sisters from jihad. The motivation of the crusaders was to free Christians; the purpose of jihad is to enslave the Kafir.”

There are over 2,000 mosques in America today, the majority of whom teach jihad and war against the non-Muslim. Former Iraqi parliamentary member and Shiite cleric, Ayad Jamal al-Din, says this in a Memri video,

“there are thousands of Mosques in America preparing people to join Islamic State.”

The jihad never stopped for Muslims, but the majority of Christian churches won’t acknowledge it or lead their congregations to stand up against an obvious evil. Pastor Greg Locke, from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee understands this and is doing a tremendous job as he addresses openly, the reality of what we face as a nation founded on Judeo/Christian principles, whose safety and security are being threatened. Hopefully many will see his fearless example and become leaders as well.

The question remains, will the Christian church wake up and fight Islam or bow in submission. We wouldn’t be here today had the crusaders failed to stand for their faith over a thousand years ago.

VIDEO: A Comparison of Violence in the Bible and the Koran

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A recent study (see below) makes the claim that the Bible is as violent as the Koran. Hence there is no need to worry about with Islam. It is just like Christianity and Judaism.

My only interest is in political violence, not when Cain killed Able. Political violence is when a group attacks those outside of it. It is political when Muslims kill Kafirs in jihad, for instance. This eliminates counting personal violence and internal wars.

We want to measure ideas, so we count more than individual sentences. We need to count all the content that applies to the political violence.

There is no political violence in the New Testament, There are 34,000 words about political violence in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and 328,000 in the Koran, Sira (life of Mohammed) and the Hadith (his traditions). In short, there is nearly 10 times as much political violence in Islamic doctrine than there is in the Bible.

Statistical Islam Reference Library

The violence in the Old Testament is historical in nature, not prescriptive. The violence in Islam is prescriptive applicable to all people and times. Jihad is forever.

This data all makes sense. It will be Muslims committing murder in the morning news, not Methodists or Mennonites.

Here’s What Happens When You Compare Violence in the Quran to Violence in the Bible

Read more.

Columbia University honors Hitler’s economic policies

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NY – During a student-organized seminar held at the ivy league university today, participants were offered a slide presentation highlighting Nazi Germany’s economic policies, which many found inspirational.

According to the project’s lead creator, “This presentation excludes the racial policies and focuses on the economic and social aspects of the German socialist society at that time. This approach allows students to have an unfiltered and unbiased look at how successful a truly socialist nation can be – or could be again, here in the United States. Economically speaking, Adolf Hitler remains an underappreciated genius and social experimentator who deserves a little more recognition for his achievements in organizing communities. Today is also Hitler’s birthday, which adds a special artistic touch to this educational experience.”

For students interested in learning more about Hitler, the organizers promised birthday cake with ice cream after the event.

As the news spread, local Jewish community and pro-Israel activists called the event “shocking and offensive.” This only added to an already substantial number of accusations in anti-Semitism directed at the school, which has been repeatedly ranked as the most anti-Israel university in the United States.

Still, school officials remained firm in their determination to provide their students with this unique educational experience.

Professor Sean Alexander, who teaches Economics at Columbia University, responded to these accusations by saying, “This purely educational event breaks a number of barriers and taboos in our students’ minds, challenging a popular preconception that socialism has never worked in practice. Well, now the students know that it has worked – and, most importantly, that it can work again.”

“If it weren’t for the Jewish obstructionism in Germany at the time, we may well be living in a socialist world today,” Professor Alexander continued. “The National Socialist German Workers’ Party had rapidly achieved unparalleled progress in improving the lives of all working people and limiting the power of banks, corporations, and other transnational financial interests. The economy worked like clockwork, trains ran on schedule, the state cared about its people, and income was shared fairly among all classes.”

“Unfortunately, this nearly model society was destroyed in 1945 by the international imperialist kabal called Allied Powers, with the capitalist United States at the head of it – all because of the same accusations in anti-Semitism that are being thrown at me right now,” Mr. Alexander said. “Granted, Hitler had some controversial racist policies, but they were a minor part of his otherwise superior social and economic platform – and this is the point of our seminar.”

“Look at it this way,” he argued. “Adolf Hitler pulled Germany out of the darkest and most disastrous financial crisis of the 20th century. He initiated the world’s first anti-smoking campaign and promoted vegetarianism to improve public health, and did a lot of medical research without having to experiment on animals. He created the most successful social programs in history that put the majority of German citizens back to work. He created the first affordable and fuel-efficient People’s Car – Volkswagen. He even changed the way the world travels today, by building the Autobahn that is the forerunner to our modern highway system. None of that would exist today if it were not for socialism and Hitler’s economic ideas. Once you get over the whole Holocaust thing, Hitler doesn’t seem to be the villain that our Jewish ruling classes want us to think he is.”

As the controversy quickly spread through Manhattan via social media, local supporters of socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders flocked to Columbia campus to stand with its students and support their socialist ideals. They were warmly met by students and faculty, who invited a catering company to serve complimentary vegetarian and gluten-free snacks to anyone wearing Sanders campaign insignia.

An improvised torchlight parade was held later that night, where over 300 people marched around the campus holding Bic lighters and iPhones. When they noticed police helicopters hovering above, the marchers quickly organized themselves to form a rotating swastika pattern, thus spitefully communicating to the police that all cops were fascists.

Many testified later that they felt unusually united and uplifted by the experience. “It made me feel really strong and powerful, to be part of such a collective force,” said one participant named Zach. “Together, we’ll fulfill the will of the people, we’ll make America a socialist country, just like Germany once was.”

The mostly peaceful event resulted in only one violent incident, when Bernie supporters encountered two passersby wearing Trump shirts. However, the matter was quickly resolved and the torchlight parade continued, leaving the two lifeless Trump supporters lying behind the shrubs, covered with dead leaves.

“Those racists screamed at us, saying that Bernie was a Jew,” Zach said. “That’s slander. Bernie has spent his entire life opposing Israel, which we all know is a fascist Zionist state. His whole presidential campaign has been about fighting Jewish bankers who stand in the way of true socialism, just like they did in Germany. They’ll get their comeuppance.”

Columbia_Rally_Night.jpg

EDITORS NOTE: This political satire originally appeared on The Peoples Cube.

The Tragedy of Prince Is Like The Teen Who Goes ‘All The Way’ On A Date, But There’s More To Life

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Millions of people worldwide are dying tragically like Prince who are missing a major component of life. Prince may have “had it together” for some aspects, and his ability to sing about life was appreciated by millions. Nevertheless, basic questions must be addressed or there’s an emptiness that leaves us feeling mocked by songs that fade into the night as life ebbs away or ends tragically as Prince did, probably from an overdose.

A Liberty magazine’s cover story illustrates the point: “God’s Greatest Embarrassment: Is It the Church?” Yes, and organized religion is at the core of many rotten apples or ruined lives when it doesn’t deliver.

God seems to recognize this. The last of seven churches in Revelation is a commentary on western Christianity. It was lukewarm, content with its materialism until it ended in an earthquake that destroyed the city. Many Bible students see that book as prophecy and a look at society suggests it could be soon.

Whatever happened to the basics that God loves us, and that living the life He intended can be satisfying and abundant. The Bible says He made us in His image. We feel an affinity for our children when they resemble us. We want what’s best for them, even if we have to wisely let them make their own choices.

There would only be conflict and trouble if we try to control them after a certain point. This tells us about God who also gets no pleasure in trying to control us, but He will reward those who live life well with an understanding of His principles.

Conversely, middle-aged women, between 45 and 64, had the highest suicide rate in both 1999 and 2014. This age group also had the largest increase in suicide rate: 63%. In native American women, it was 89%, very sad.

OpiodDeaths

People everywhere need an appreciation of the physical, mental and moral laws of life that overlap as three circles do, giving us a central area—the social dimension. For maximum enjoyment of life, we need physical health. We don’t want to be sick, weak, or waited on. We also see the need for mental acuity—to be alert to life and to cope with challenges.

Our ability to cope with life’s issues is related in part to the spiritual or moral dimension. Are we willing to give more than we get in our relationships? If it’s all about “me,” we may be swimming in a small pond, even if we are on stage in front of millions, and this goes for government leaders as well.

The moral law that they eliminated from schoolrooms is the basis for the Golden Rule that teaches us to do for others what we would want if we were in their circumstances. Our willingness to serve God by treating others kindly is the basis of the final judgment when He will say, “Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me.” Matthew 25

As planet Earth approaches a time that may be like final exams, it’s crucial that we see God as someone who loves us and has a better plan—someone to run towards, not away from Him. The Bible calls this process repentance—a willingness to do life on His terms rather than doing it “MY way.”

If we don’t see a crisis developing in our world, we may not be discerning the “signs of the times” that some Bible readers appreciate. Here’s a classic commentary on Matthew 24 from a non-denominational perspective.

Another classic that covers the basics of knowing God’s plan in life, also non-denominational and translated into 127 languages may be read here.

EDITORS NOTE: Dr. Richard Ruhling is author of eBooks on Amazon, mostly with 5-star reviews on topics of health, Bible and current events.  He offers more on life’s perspectives.

VIDEO: How To Move To Canada — If Trump Becomes President

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Gavin McInnes of TheRebel.media has a message for Americans threatening to move to Canada if Donald Trump is elected president.

This political satire is by Canadian Gavin McInnes. Learn more about TheRebel.media and  like them on Twitter and Facebook.

Commentary on the Saudi Situation

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Since 9/11, the terms of our relationship with Saudi Arabia have been defined by the Saudis, not by the U.S.

To gain their support in the ‘War on Terror,’ one of the first post-9/11 compromises America made with the Saudis was to redact the 28 pages in the 9/11 Commission Report, thus shielding and/or exonerating them from any involvement or responsibility.

A second compromise we made with our Wahabbi partners in peace was to ignore their decades-long role in the funding and support of thousands of pro-Jihad Madrassas throughout the Eastern Hemisphere.

Nor should we overlook Saudi Arabia’s ongoing support of Hamas, a Muslim Brotherhood family member and Globally Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997. On July 16, 2015, King Salman of Saudi Arabia met with top Hamas leaders, including Qatar resident and political leader Khaled Meshal, thus publicly revealing his willingness to work with known Islamist terrorist organizations.

According to the Saudi royal family, the meeting reflected King Salman’s determination to rally the Arab world against Iran, as Iran becomes empowered by its “deal with Western powers to lift economic sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.”

So, as a consequence of the Iran Deal, we are now seeing a revived Saudi-Sunni-Hamas alliance

The one-sided quid pro quo arrangement between America and Saudi Arabia is remarkably similar to the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ between Turkey and Europe (and the West), to overlook the Armenian Genocide, for the sake of peace, and political and economic stability.

In fact, President Obama reinforced this point on April 19, 2016, when he stated: “A country with a modern and large economy like Saudi Arabia would not benefit from a destabilized global financial market, and neither would the United States.”

To reiterate this response, Josh Earnest, Assistant to the President and Press Secretary in the White House Office of Communications, stressed that the administration’s concerns about the pending Congressional legislation (allowing U.S. citizens to sue the Saudi government for their possible part in 9/11), were not just about Saudi Arabia.

On April 15, 2016 (‘Tax Day’), he said “The concern that we have is simply this: It could put the United States and our taxpayers and our service members and our diplomats at significant risk if other countries were to adopt a similar law,” he said.

More ominously, Mr. Earnest asserted that “The whole notion of sovereign immunity is at stake.” If we pause and explore what this revealing statement actually means, we might easily come to the conclusion that no country on earth will ever be held accountable for supporting terrorist attacks and/or regional wars, simply because one country’s terrorist is another country’s freedom fighter.

Ironically, the first reaction by the Saudis to the pending legislation and simultaneous possible release of the redacted 28 pages was to threaten the U.S. with an economic assault.

Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, personally informed Washington in March 2016 that “Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they could be in danger of being frozen by American courts.”

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the administration has been aggressively lobbying against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) bill, which is sponsored by a bipartisan group of 16 US senators who are attempting to curtail the ability of countries to invoke sovereign immunity in lawsuits accusing them of supporting terrorism.

Specifically, this effort is move designed to clear the way for U.S. citizens seek legal remedy for  Saudi Arabia’s alleged complicity in the 9/11 terror attacks.

As cited here, on Thursday, April 14, 2016, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced JASTA, which is the third time the bill has been submitted since 2011. The Senate passed it last December, but it stalled in the House.

There is hope that the time has finally come for Congress to approve it. The latest version is co-sponsored by 14 other senators, including Al Franken (D-MN), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ).

Finally, the families of 9/11 victims remain infuriated by the Obama administration, which has consistently sided with the kingdom and thwarted efforts to discover the truth about the role Saudi officials may have played in the attacks 15 years ago.

“It’s stunning to think that our government would back the Saudis over its own citizens,” said Mindy Kleinberg, whose husband died in the World Trade Center, and who is part of a group of victims’ family members pushing for the legislation.

At least 14 members of the House also agree with Ms. Kleinberg. On January 13, 2016, they introduced House Resolution 588, entitled Condemning and Censuring President Barack Obama, which “Censures and condemns President Barack Obama for having willfully disregarded the President’s constitutional responsibilities as Commander in Chief of the United States through his continued failed lack of foreign affairs strategy, failure to follow the advice of military and intelligence advisors, and failed national security policy.”

To conclude, President Obama landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, April 20, in the midst of a swirling storm of controversy and confusing, contradictory policies and allegiances. The world will be watching, and many questions will need to be answered.

First, the Saudis will want to know: Is Obama a friend of the Sunni world, or of the Shia world? “It is a concerning factor for us if America pulls back,” said Prince Turki al-Faisal, an outspoken member of the Saudi royal family, a former head of intelligence and a former ambassador to the United States. “America has changed, we have changed and definitely we need to realign and readjust our understandings of each other.”

Second, Americans will want to know: Will he put the interests of American citizens first, who deserve to know the truth about any possible Saudi involvement (enablement) in 9/11, or will he compromise for the sake of ‘peace and stability’?

And, third, analysts and members of Congress will want to know: What price will President Obama agree to pay Saudi Arabia for their help in the war against ISIS, and/or to continue harboring former Guantanamo Bay detainees?

We should all carefully note the statements Obama makes in Saudi Arabia, and the outcome(s) of the decisions he will have to make.

Will he call Saudi Arabia’s bluff (about economic consequences), or will he continue appeasing the Guardian Of The Holy Places; Islam and Muslims?

The next three days will have a major effect on the course our two countries will take (along with the rest of the world) in the weeks, months and years ahead.

The ‘Age Wave’ is here, now what?

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EMERYVILLE, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — An age wave is coming that could either make or break America. Yet the issue has received little attention in the current presidential campaign.

When our Constitution was crafted, the average life expectancy in the U.S. was barely 36 years, and the median age was a mere 16. In this regard, we are living in truly uncharted territory and longevity is humanity’s new frontier. As the baby boomers turn 70 at the rate of 10,000 a day, America is becoming a “gerontocracy.” Already, 42% of the entire federal budget is spent on Medicare and Social Security. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, this will exceed 50% by 2030. In the 2012 election, older adults out-powered all other age groups with 72% of men and women 65+ voting, while only 45% of those 18-29 did.

This demographic transformation will create new social contribution and marketplace opportunities, as well as potentially devastating medical, fiscal, and inter-generational crises. Are we prepared? No. Are the candidates addressing this age wave and offering innovative solutions? No. WHY NOT?

These are the questions being asked by Ken Dychtwald, PhD, author of 16 books on aging related issues and CEO of Age Wave. Based on his 40 years of research, dialogue, and analysis, Dr. Dychtwald believes there are five essential transpartisan issues that must be addressed if our new found longevity is to be a triumph rather than a tragedy.

fstoppers-andrew-griswold-kids-portraits-old-photoshop_1

Photo by Zachary Scott

Issue #1: What is the new age of “old?”

Our economy is hinged to 19th century notions of longevity and old age. When Otto Von Bismarck picked 65 to be the marker of old age in the 1880s, the average life expectancy in his country was only 45. Similarly, when Social Security began, the average American could expect to live only 62 years, and there were 42 workers paying for each “aged” recipient. Today life expectancy is approaching 79, and due to decades of declining fertility, there are fewer than three workers to pay for each recipient. And we have to ask, is 65—or even 67—the right marker of old age in the 21st century? As our demography continues to tilt older, the economic impact of these numbers on working Americans will be massive. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is not an issue that only impacts “seniors.” The designated age of “old” in the 21st century is a demographic/social/economic issue that will affect us all. Left unchanged, it will have a particularly brutal impact on the millennial generation.

fstoppers-andrew-griswold-kids-portraits-old-photoshop_2

Photo by Zachary Scott

Issue #2: The diseases of aging could be the financial and emotional sinkhole into which the 21st century falls.

As a result of modern medical advances and public health infrastructure, we’ve managed to prolong the lifespan, but we have done far too little to extend the health-span—with pandemics of heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. In addition to being quite costly, our healthcare system is incompetent at preventing and treating the complex conditions of later life. For example, Alzheimer’s (and related dementias) now afflicts one in two people over 85, and it has become the nation’s scariest disease. Unless there is a breakthrough, its sufferers are anticipated to grow from 5+ million today to 15+ million, with its cumulative costs soaring to $20 trillion by 2050. But our scientific priorities are out of sync: for every dollar currently spent on Alzheimer’s care, less than half a cent is being spent on innovative scientific research. Our doctors are also not aging-ready. We have more than 50,000 pediatricians, but fewer than 5,000 geriatricians. Only eight of the country’s 145 academic medical centers have full geriatrics departments, and 97% of U.S. medical students don’t take a single course in geriatrics.

fstoppers-andrew-griswold-kids-portraits-old-photoshop_3

Photo by Zachary Scott

Issue #3: Averting a new era of mass elder poverty

According to the Government Accounting Office, roughly half (52%) of all households near retirement (headed by someone age 55+) have NO retirement savings and about half (51%) of our population have no pensions beyond Social Security. We could be heading to a future in which tens of millions of impoverished aging boomers will place crushing burdens on the U.S. economy and on the generations forced to support them. On top of this, we are not fostering financial literacy or responsibility among the young. For example, 37 states require providing sex education to high school students by law, while only 17 states require financial education.

fstoppers-andrew-griswold-kids-portraits-old-photoshop_5

Photo by Zachary Scott

Issue #4: Ending ageism

In Colonial times, elders were respected and honored for their wisdom and experience. During the industrial era, all of that turned upside down. Now, in our youth-focused society, many people of all ages are gerontophobic—uncomfortable both with older adults and their own aging process. And many institutions—from urban planning, to technology, to employment hiring practices, to housing, to popular media (where advertisers will pay networks far more for a 30-year-old viewer than one who is 60) are both youth-centric and ageist. For example, our homes were not built for aging bodies: less than 2% of our housing stock is built to be safe and accessible for elders (and 1/3 of the elderly fall each year).

fstoppers-andrew-griswold-kids-portraits-old-photoshop_6

Photo by Zachary Scott

Issue #5: The new purpose of maturity

Today’s retirees feel they are in the best time in their lives to give back. And they do: contributing both more dollars and volunteer time than any other age group—doing everything from teaching schoolchildren to read, to helping their peers recover from loss, to building homes for Habitat for Humanity. Going forward, medical science will increasingly prolong life. But political, religious, and community leaders have yet to create a compelling vision for the purpose of those additional years. For example, our 68 million retirees currently spend an average of 49 hours a week watching television. Ultimately, the problem may not be our growing legions of older adults, it may be our absence of imagination, creativity, and leadership regarding what to do with all of this maturity, experience, and longevity.

A letter is being sent to each major candidate asking them to articulate their views on these five critical issues.

ken dychtwald

Dr. Ken Dychtwald

A written copy of Dr. Dychtwald’s views and a recording of his April 21 press briefing, including the specific questions on these issues that he believes the candidates must address – with fact sheets and related data and sources, can be accessed at www.agewave.com/candidates.

ABOUT AGE WAVE

Founded in 1986, Age Wave is a pioneer in the exploration of the impact of the longevity revolution. Under the leadership of Founder/CEO Ken Dychtwald, PhD, Age Wave advises businesses and non-profits worldwide on the opportunities and challenges of an aging population.

EDITORS NOTE: The images used in this column are by California-based photographer Zachary Scott.

The Ted Cruz Canadian Citizenship — A New Look

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The eligibility of Ted Cruz has been and is still being called into question.   The question will never be answered until it gets answered either by supposition, or by the courts.  Plus, these questions were brought to bear in the 1800s and decided by the Supreme Court during that 100 year period.

In this paper, I am going to try something different in presenting this case of the eligibility of Ted Cruz, by introducing this paper with some paragraphs from The Presidency Manifesto of Ted Cruz:

“If I were to be elected as your President, it would not be according to how it should be but would be according to how it became with the unconstitutional election of Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro.  You see, I, like him, am not a ‘a natural born citizen’ as the Constitution requires of a President.”

“I was not born as a natural citizen of the United States of America because my father was a Cuban national (living in exile due to his opposition to the policies of Fidel Castro and his communist government) just as Barack Obama was not a natural citizen because his father was a subject of the British government, – being governed, along with his children, by the British Nationality Act of 1948.”

“But not being ‘a natural born citizen’ did not keep his party from illegitimately nominating him to be their presidential candidate…”  “Well as they say… two can play that game…” – Written by Adrien Nash as Ted Cruz (November 2014)

These paragraphs are essentially true as it pertains to birth place and the term “natural born citizen”.  The writer laid out Ted Cruz’s ineligibility by equating it to President Obama with the exception of stating that Ted Cruz openly stated he was born in Calgary, Canada.

According to Rafael Cruz, in 1970, when Ted Cruz was born in Canada, Cruz Senior stated that they lived in Canada for at least four years and had applied for and received Canadian citizenship under the Canadian Immigration and Naturalization Laws.  Rafael Cruz did not renounce his Canadian citizenship until 2005.  His wife and son were still Canadian citizens (Politicalconundrum, 2015).

Prior to the Cruz family moving to the United States in 1974, Eleanor and Raphael Cruz appeared on the “Urban Preliminary List Of Electors” (Atkinson, 1974).  To vote, one must be a citizen and during an interview with NPR, Cruz stated, he and Eleanor are Canadian citizens.

The Canadian Citizenship Act of 1946, or commonly called, “Act of 1947”.  This Act fully defines him as a Canadian citizen.  Parliament, later replaced the Act of 1947 with The Citizenship Act, February 1977.  The Citizenship Act also recognized, “dual citizenship”.  If the situation was more of an ideal situation, the best Ted Cruz could get is dual citizenship.  According to Cruz Senior, both Eleanor and he were Canadian citizens the year Ted Cruz was born.  The end result, this “The Citizenship Act” does not apply to Ted because he is a natural born Canadian.

People have been searching the Delaware, Department of Health database for Ted Cruz’s mother and they are finding a “no record exists”.  The reason why Eleanor Elizabeth Darragh Wilson Cruz birth certificate in Delaware does not exist is because there is no birth certificate for this name.  On Line 2, full name of child: Eleanor Darragh.  On Line 31, the father verified baby Eleanor, by writing Eleanor Darragh.  Using any other search string will not yield any results for Eleanor Darragh.

According to the Chart, Citizenship at Birth for Children Born Outside the U.S. and its Territories, as indicated in the USCIS Policy Manual does not apply.  If Eleanor Cruz had maintained her US citizenship, then the chart would apply.  Also, based on The Three Legged Stool Test… the first leg, to be a natural born citizen, the person must be born of US Parents.  The second leg, is the father must be natural born, or naturalized and the third leg, the mother, is the same as the second leg (Kerchner, 2013).  This test fails at every question asked.

While courts are deciding in Ted Cruz’s favor, the lower courts are not paying attention to the Supreme Court’s decisions on citizenship.  There have been four decisions in the 1800s that has settled the natural born citizenship challenges.  Although, the SCOTUS did not specifically say “natural born citizen”, they have supplied a definition what a natural born citizen is.  These four cases were:

  • The Venus, 12 U.S. Cranch 253 253 (1814)
  • Shanks v. Dupont, 28 U.S. 3 Pet. 242 242 (1830)
  • Minor v. Happersett, 88 U.S. 162 (1875)
  • United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898)

Covering each one briefly, one will notice how closely these decisions are made.

The Venus (1814)

Justice Livingston quoted from the book, Law of Nations, specifically, Book 1, Chapter 19, Section 212.  “The citizens are members of the civil society; bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages”.  “The natives or indigenes are those born in the country of parents who are citizens…”

Shanks v. Dupont (1830)

“If she was not of age, then she might well be deemed under the circumstances of this case to hold citizenship of her father, for children born in a country, continuing while under age in the family of the father, partake of his national character as a citizen of that country”.

Minor v. Happersett (1875)

“At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also.  These were natives or natural-born citizens, …”

United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)

“At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also.  These were natives or natural-born citizens, …”

With the basis of these Supreme Court decisions, the written conclusion as stated by the unknown author at Four Winds 10 – Truth Winds:  “In this sense, the Supreme Court of the United States has never applied the term ‘natural born citizen’ to any other category than those born in the country of parents who are citizens thereof”.  (June 2011)

The Calvin Case, 7 Coke Report states, “… for he cannot be a subject born of one kingdom that was born under the ligeance of a King of another kingdom, …”  (Roland, 2016).  George Bancroft in 1884, characterized the debate on qualifications for the Presidency, … “that no person except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, should be eligible to the office of president, …”  The numerous colonies in the 1600s and 1700s were using the language of “natural-born”.  (Roland, 2016)

While eligibility challenges are ongoing, Jerome R. Corsi (2016), penned an article, Eligibility challenges heat up for Cruz, Rubio.  The argument in question is that Mary Brigid McManamon argued that Ted Cruz is not eligible to be president, whereas, John C. Eastman argued that Ted Cruz is eligible.  Eastman was referencing the bill that was passed in 1790.  This bill was later replaced in 1795.

During the research for this paper, there are a few things that need to be pointed out.  Most of this paper entailed reiterating what others have said.  This commentary should highlight the things necessary that proves Ted Cruz is not eligible for the Office of the Presidency.

Through articles and other documents, this research concludes that Ted Cruz, in fact, was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as a “natural born citizen” without the inclines of dual citizenship.  Eleanor Elizabeth Darragh Wilson Cruz was in fact born in Wilmington, DE, but not under that name.  She was born with the name of Eleanor Darragh and her father verified the name by writing it on the birth certificate.

Most of the iterations in this paper primarily support each other, to include the Law of Nations stating that a child born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also.

Further investigation indicated Senator Ted Cruz has some very distinct problems he must resolve, yet, he can never be eligible for the Office of the President.  While many have heard and read this claim, they brushed it aside, due to information that has been missed, or purposely left out.

Too much weight has been placed on Eleanor’s birth certificate that would qualify him as a US Citizen.  The reality is Ted Cruz was never a citizen of the United States, or at the least a dual citizen; in fact it is neither.  His citizenship has always been Canadian.

There has been no Consulate Report of Birth Abroad, because neither parent could legally file one.  The argument tends to repeat itself because of the mother’s birth certificate.  It is true, she was born in Delaware, but that is far as it goes.

To qualify my statement that Ted Cruz is a “Natural born Canadian citizen”, an interview was conducted by National Public Radio (NPR) with Rafael B. Cruz, Ted’s father.  Referencing timeline, 1970, Rafael Cruz stated that he and Eleanor applied for and received Canadian citizenship under the Immigration and Naturalization laws.  Timeline, February, 2015, there is no evidence of US citizenship to confirm his true citizenship status.  Ted Cruz, by way of his father had been confirmed that he is a Canadian citizen.

What does this mean for Ted Cruz?  Let me place this as bullet points.

  • In 2014, he renounced his Canadian citizenship.
  • He is a resident alien.
  • He is illegally holding a political office as a Senator.
  • Since 2014, he has been a person without a country.
  • Ted Cruz’s family, specifically his children are not natural born citizens.

If we follow the decision that was handed down in the Shanks v Dupont (1830), if under age children follows the national character of their father, the children do not and cannot carry any part of their Canadian citizenship – even though Ted Cruz is half-Cuban – since their father renounced his Canadian citizenship.  It will be up to the mother to get these children naturalized to the United States.

Ted Cruz, when he discovered that he was still a Canadian, he needed to apply for citizenship to the United States.  The members of the US Senate will be well within their means to expel Ted Cruz from the senate due to his citizenship status.

In the final analysis, Ted Cruz is not a natural born citizen.  He is not even a citizen of the United States.  The best category he can fit into is, resident alien.  Ted Cruz had sealed his records; birth records, family records.  The last question is where did Ted Cruz get his passport in 1986?  This may be an interest for someone who wants to dig a little deeper.

Moral Matrix: Islam, Religious Freedom and Europe Today

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Clarion investigates where the line should be drawn in three recent cases involving Islam in Europe. Let us know where you stand.

Three separate cases in different parts of the world illustrate the moral complexities that arise with differing attitudes to the separation of religion and state in public school systems. Different ideas as to what constitutes acceptable expressions of religion in the public sphere can lead to increased community tensions. Accusations fly.  Those who wish to introduce religious elements into schools are frequently accused of imposing their religion onto others, while those who oppose religion in school have been accused of religious discrimination.

These problems look set to multiply as Western societies become increasingly heterodox and diverse. The principles of toleration developed during the Enlightenment, perhaps most clearly sat out by the English Philosopher John Locke in his Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), primarily dealt with the complexities of different denominations of Christianity tolerating each other. Only later were other faiths considered, beginning with Jews.

Growing Muslim populations in Western countries mean that issues of where and how to demarcate religion and state will become more pressing until they are resolved. If they are not resolved, either Muslim communities will become alienated and disenfranchised due to the discrimination they perceive or Islamist extremists will abuse Western notions of religious freedom to impose their hardline agenda on others.

Neither scenario is a welcome one.

Clarion investigates where the line should be drawn in the following three recent cases in Europe. Let us know where you stand:

Syrian Christian in Ireland Forced to Learn Quran for Exam

A Syrian Christian father in Ireland is objecting to his daughter having to learn the Koran and answer questions on it for a high school matriculation exam.

All students who take the Arabic language exam must answer question about the Koran, Arabic verse and modern prose. Students are able to choose from a variety of examples of prose and verse, however, eight separate sections of the Koran are mandatory in the exam which tests the proficiency of a student’s command of the language.

“I am very distressed that having arrived in Ireland and having been granted refugee status on the basis of the threat to us as Christians we should now be discriminated against in this way,” said the girl’s father, Marwan, who asked that his surname not be used.

Irish authorities who design the tests stated that the Koran was chosen on the basis of its linguistic and literary value and not due to its religious significance. However, since the complaint was lodged, the exam will be reviewed by educational authorities.

Case for exclusion of Quran in Exam

There is no need to include the Quran in the millions of texts available to learn the Arabic language, and indeed, this can be looked upon as a form of religious coercion. Certainly those who are interested in learning world history and culture cannot understand these topics without understanding world religions. However, this exam covers a student’s proficiency in the Arabic language and is not an exam on history or religion.

Moreover, teaching religious texts with no context or learning them from questionably-qualified teachers are both educational conditions fraught with danger — especially on a high school level when a student’s critical reasoning abilities are not fully developed.

To force minors to learn the Koran to ascertain their proficiency in Arabic, while offering no option to opt out, is a form of religious coercion and explicitly against the law in Ireland.

Case for Inclusion of Quran in Exam

It is impossible to divorce language from its cultural context. Though teaching the Arabic without reading the Quran would be possible linguistically, to do so would limit students understanding, since the Quran is easily the most important book ever written in Arabic.

In the context of a language course, the study of the Quran is not a study of the Islamic religion, but rather the study of a historical and cultural work in its original language. Mandating its inclusion in an Arabic language course is as commendable from an academic standpoint, just as the inclusion of Shakespeare in an English language course would be. It is no more coercing children to become Muslims than reading the Iliad coerces children to believe in the Greek god Apollo.

UK Teachers Directed to Tell Students Not to Fast During Ramadan

UK teachers are being issued guidelines instructing them to tell their Muslim students not to fast during Ramadan if they think keeping the holiday, which includes fasting during the daytime and staying up “all night praying,” will interfere with their exam results. UK teachers say that good exam results are a large factor in entrance to a good university which can further contribute to landing a good job.

“Young people should be made aware that Islam does not require them to put their futures in jeopardy,” the guidelines read. “Students who have important exams should be advised not to spend all night praying to avoid tiredness. “Children and their parents or carers should be informed that extra devotions in Ramadan are voluntary; whereas for a child or young person to perform well in exams, given their consequences, is obligatory.”

Case Against the Guidelines

The fast of Ramadan is an important part of Muslim religious practice. It is widely accepted that parents have the right to give their children religious instruction in the religion of their choice and this right should be afforded to Muslims the same as any other group. Pupils taking exams at 16 and 18 are young adults with religious rights of their own and for a school to ask a student to give up fasting in order to improve grades is presumptuous at best.

Pupils who are fasting will already be keenly aware of the importance of their exams as well as the importance of their faith and have not made a decision lightly. Schools should support the rights of young adults to choose to fast and not try to influence their decision.

If a person becomes dehydrated to the point of medical risk then that is a different matter.  https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif

Case for the Guidelines

There is no issue of religious discrimination in this case because in Islam, fasting is not mandatory in a case where the person is not healthy (as in dehydration or other health issues where fasting would cause health problems). In addition, many Islamic scholars have also concurred that extra nighttime prayers are voluntary.

According to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, to which the UK is a signatory, the state is obligated to act in the best interests of the child. Issuing these guidelines, which do not violate the student’s religion, is perfectly reasonable.

Swiss Government Halts Naturalization of Syrian Family After Sons Refused to Shake Hands With Female Teacher

The Swiss government has suspended the naturalization process for a family of Syrian refugees after their sons refused to shake hands with a female professor at their high school due to their religion.

The boys are aged 14 and 15. They informed education officials that physical contact with women other than family members is forbidden according to their interpretation of Islam.

Their father is a Syrian refugee who was granted asylum in 2001. The local government in Therwil, Basel-Country, suspended the naturalization process of the family, but stressed that such suspensions are common in citizenship cases.

The president of the commission which oversees local citizenship applications told Swiss news outlet Le News, “I don’t think we can talk of integration in relation to handshake objectors. Personally, I would reject their request.”

He did add “as president of the commission, I assure you that the request will be examined properly, like any other.”

Prior to the suspension, a compromise had been reached, in which the boys would refrain from shaking the hands of male teachers as well, to avoid gender discrimination. It is the custom in Switzerland for schoolchildren to shake the hands of their teachers.

The Case for Switzerland’s Position

The demand that Muslims be exempt from the normative rules of the Swiss classroom is divisive and alienating. It creates a situation in which Muslim pupils are segregated according to their faith and afforded special treatment. In addition, many Muslims are perfectly comfortable shaking hands with members of the opposite sex. A secular school should follow be allowed to require its students to follow its rules while on the school’s premises or during school activities.

The Case Against Switzerland’s Position

Although culture and integration are important, there is no need to force students to violate their religious principles by making physical contact with the opposite gender. Differences of opinion within Islam (and other religions) about the theological permissibility of such contact should not be interpreted by the state as license to impose their understanding of gender relations onto pupils. Consent, as always, is key.

There is a longstanding tradition within Islamic jurisprudence that supports physical separation between unmarried men and women, as there is in other faiths (such as Judaism). As long as Muslim men are not using these traditions to discriminate against women, allowing them to follow their principles is a matter of religious freedom.

A handshake is a symbol of respect and cordiality. A short bow could easily serve the same purpose.

Elliot Friedland is a research fellow at ClarionProject.org

ABOUT MEIRA SVIRSKY

Meira Svirsky is the editor of ClarionProject.org

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So much for the Pope’s power of persuasion

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I wasn’t planning to write about the Pope’s propaganda stunt in Greece late last week where he visited the island of Lesbos and picked 12 lucky Syrian Muslims to take back to Rome with him, but there is one little bit I want you to see in this report from The Guardian.

One of the major themes throughout the last nearly nine years that I’ve written this blog has been the criticism toward phony Christian/Jewish charity that depends on stealing from taxpayers in order to help the downtrodden all the while claiming credit for being charitable.

I don’t consider that charity—taking Caesar’s money and transferring it from one group of people to another isn’t charity!  But, it has become such an established practice no one seems to think about it anymore.

So, see this toward the end of The Guardian story (which by the way does not tell us if the Pope’s 12 Syrian Muslims will live completely on the Vatican’s dime and not the Italian government—something I doubt we will ever learn because the answer is probably that the Italian taxpayer will be footing their bill for years to come).

Get this! the Pope has been unable to persuade European Catholic Dioceses to take in refugee families!

Is it because they are primarily Muslim ‘refugees,’ or because the churches have become so conditioned to the concept that ‘Christian’ charitable money comes from the taxpayer that they no longer want to pony-up out of their own private funds?  A little of both? Who knows?

The three families, who had initially set their sights on reaching Germany or another European country, were expected to seek asylum in Italy.

Their arrival brings to about 20 the number of refugees living in the Vatican, which has fewer than 1,000 inhabitants. A similar intake across Europe would see 6 million people given asylum on the continent of 300 million. [Does the Vatican give them special Muslim prayer rooms, etc.—ed]

Last year, the pope appealed to every Catholic diocese in Europe to take in a refugee family, an appeal that fell on deaf ears across most parts of the continent.

The number of migrants arriving in Greece has fallen drastically since Turkey agreed to take back all those landing on the Greek islands in return for billions in EU cash and other concessions.

And, by the way, never forget that it is Turkey that originally allowed the launch of hundreds of thousands of Middle Easterners and Africans from their shores to invade Europe. Most of the Syrian Muslims were safe in Turkey.

For all of our posts on the ‘Invasion of Europe’ click here.   And, don’t forget, it was this Pope who first welcomed the invaders to Europe when he blessed the migrants on Lampedusa in 2013.

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Saudi Arabia threatens the United States — America’s Response Should Be: “Go to Hell”

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The Thomas More Law Center’s Richard Thompson posted the following on The President’s Blog:

Saudi Arabia has threatened the United States that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American assets if Congress passes a bill that would allow families of the 9/11 victims to hold Saudi Arabia legally  responsible for their role in the 9/11 attacks.

The Saudi threat is economic extortion.

Our response should be swift and clear — “Go to Hell.”

Instead, the Obama administration is lobbying Congress to block passage of the bill.

It’s time that the American people know the full story of Saudi Arabia’s complicity in the 9/ 11 attacks – the most horrendous surprise attack in American history.

It’s time that the American people know exactly what our government did to protect Saudi officials residing in America from FBI investigations.  The families of the 9/11 victims have a right to know.  See New York Times article here.

It’s time the American people know how our own government intentionally covered up Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attack.  See New York Post article.

Joint Terrorism Task forces say virtually every road leads back to the Saudi Embassy in Washington as well as the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles.

Yet, time and again terrorism investigators were called off.

As a first step the American government should declassify the 28 pages of the 838-page congressional report on the 9/11 attacks.

According to recent news articles, some leaked information reveals:

  • A flurry of pre-9/11 phone calls between one of the hijacker’s Saudi handlers in San Diego and the Saudi Embassy.
  • The transfer of $130,000 from Prince Bandar, the then Saudi ambassador’s, family checking account to another hijacker’s Saudi handlers in San Diego.
  • Days after 9/11, the FBI evacuated dozens of Saudi officials from multiple cities, including at least one of Osama bin Laden’s family members who was on the terror watch list.
  • According to FBI agent Mark Rossini, “The FBI was thwarted from interviewing the Saudis we wanted to interview by the White House.”

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Copyright © 2024 DrRichSwier.com LLC. A Florida Cooperation. All rights reserved. The DrRichSwier.com is a not-for-profit news forum for intelligent Conservative commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own. Republishing of columns on this website requires the permission of both the author and editor. For more information contact: drswier@gmail.com.