Former New York State Senator and Putnam County Executive-Elect Pleads Guilty in White Plains Federal Court

Amplify’d from newyork.fbi.gov

Former New York State Senator and Putnam County Executive-Elect Pleads Guilty in White Plains Federal Court to Obstruction of Justice and Tax Charges

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JANICE K. FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), and CHARLES R. PINE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), Criminal Investigation Division, announced that VINCENT L. LEIBELL, III, pled guilty today in White Plains federal court to obstructing a federal grand jury that was investigating whether he had extorted cash payments from lawyers working in Putnam County and to failing to report on his income tax returns tens of thousands of dollars in cash payments he had received from those lawyers. Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: "This is a sad day for the citizens of Putnam County and a scene that has become all too familiar in New York state. Vincent Leibell betrayed the trust of his constituents and now stands convicted of two federal felonies. Leibell has only himself to blame for the fact that, after 28 years in public office, this conviction will be the capstone to that career. He is the latest in a long line of public officials who have placed themselves above the law and have been brought before the bar of justice in the Southern District of New York. Along with our law enforcement partners, we will fight corruption wherever we find it and prosecute those who abuse the public trust wherever we find them." FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge JANICE K. FEDARCYK said: "It is inexcusable when public officials abuse the trust that the public has placed in them to make our communities better. Mr. Leibell made it very clear that he did not have the public’s best interest in mind when he repeatedly took part in the activities that led to today’s charges. The FBI remains committed to investigating and bringing to justice all corrupt public officials, whose actions tarnish their offices and undermine public confidence." IRS Special Agent-in-Charge CHARLES R. PINE stated: "Receiving corrupt payments in the form of cash and then getting others to lie about and cover up the true reasons they were obtaining large sums of cash is a classic technique that tax evaders use to cover up criminal activity. What is truly astonishing is that an elected official who has been in politics for many years, and has known about other elected officials arrested and convicted for financial related crimes, has not learned the lesson that crime does not pay." According the Information filed in White Plains federal court and statements made during the plea proceeding: Since April 2010, a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of New York, the FBI, and the IRS had been investigating allegations that, as a New York state senator, LEIBELL had unlawfully extorted cash payments from attorneys doing business in Putnam County under color of official right. The investigation focused on whether LEIBELL had demanded and received cash payments from an attorney, described in the Information as Attorney #1, who provided legal services to a Putnam County based not-for-profit organization (the "NFP") that received millions of dollars in New York state senate member item grants that LEIBELL sponsored as a state senator. According to the Information, the investigation focused on whether LEIBELL had threatened to cause the NFP to refuse to pay the invoices ATTORNEY #1 submitted to the NFP for legal services that ATTORNEY #1 had rendered to the NFP unless ATTORNEY #1 agreed to give half of the invoiced amount of money to LEIBELL in cash. LEIBELL became aware of the investigation in late April 2010 when FBI and IRS agents began approaching, subpoenaing, and interviewing witnesses about the allegations. After LEIBELL learned about the investigation, he began meeting with ATTORNEY #1 to discuss what ATTORNEY #1 should say when approached by federal agents. On June 6, 2010, at LEIBELL’s request, ATTORNEY #1 met with LEIBELL on a street in Carmel, New York, to discuss the pending federal investigation. During the June 6, 2010 meeting, LEIBELL repeatedly directed ATTORNEY #1 to lie to federal investigators about the cash payments ATTORNEY #1 had previously made to LEIBELL. LEIBELL instructed ATTORNEY #1 to falsely say: (1) that he had never made cash payments to LEIBELL; (2) that when investigators question him about cash withdrawals ATTORNEY #1 made from his bank account to pay LEIBELL, ATTORNEY #1 should falsely say that he withdrew the money to have around in case of a national or family emergency and that he used the money for living expenses, including caring for his elderly mother. During the meeting, LEIBELL repeatedly urged ATTORNEY #1 to maintain their false denials: "You and I say there was never any cash relationship. Period... Since you and I are in agreement, it didn’t happen... All I know is, as long as you and I are consistent, I’m fine, you’re fine. There was never any cash between you and I, Okay?" During the plea allocution, LEIBELL also admitted to filing false federal income tax returns with the IRS for the tax years 2003 through 2006. LEIBELL acknowledged that he failed to report at least $43,000 in cash he received during these years from ATTORNEY #1 and ATTORNEY #2, also mentioned in the Information, both of whom did business in or for Putnam County. LEIBELL also acknowledged that he failed to advise the accountant preparing his income tax returns that he had received the cash payments. LEIBELL, who resigned his New York state senate seat effective on December 3, 2010, is scheduled to be sworn in as Putnam County Executive on January 1, 2011. LEIBELL pled guilty today before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge GEORGE A. YANTHIS to a two-count Information charging him with actively obstructing a pending Southern District of New York grand jury investigation involving special agents of the FBI and the IRS. The grand jury was investigating allegations of extortion by public officials in Putnam County and LEIBELL’s failure to report all his income. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge WARREN W. EGINTON and sentencing has been set for March 7, 2011. The maximum sentence of imprisonment for the crimes to which LEIBELL pled guilty today is 13 years. Mr. BHARARA praised the work of the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. He added that the investigation is ongoing. This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys PERRY A. CARBONE and JASON P.W. HALPERIN are in charge of the prosecution. FBI New York Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for the Criminal Division Diego Rodriguez addresses attendees of this afternoon's press conference. To the immediate right of SAC Rodriguez are U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Peter Grupe. Photo Credit: FBI New York Read more at newyork.fbi.gov

 

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A Defense of God’s Goodness In the face of the existence of evil

Amplify’d from endrtimes.blogspot.com

A Defense of God’s Goodness

In the face of the existence of evil

By Greg Szymanski Nov 29, 2010

One cannot love God, his fellow man or himself without freedom. Freedom of choice is vital for love to exist. But with freedom comes risk, the great risk we will choose not to love, following a path of sin, self-righteousness and selfishness. Of course, there are many forms of love. According to Gary Amirault of Tentmaker.org, “The words “I love you” for example can have many different meanings depending upon who said them, at what time and to whom, and for what purpose. True meaning goes far beyond the actual spoken or written word. This is about learning to go beyond the “It is written” Church mentality which has brought legalism, fundamentalism and many other isms which have prevented us, His people, from moving into the Spirit of His Holy Word. “There are many forces in this world arrayed against God’s people to prevent us from entering into our inheritance. Bible translating and interpreting has been an area in which the devil has had a field day. In the coming years, this is going to change. Get ready for a mighty outpouring of revelation that will truly set His people free that we may go into the world and into creation itself to set it free from its bondage of corruption. We need to get free to love with His love first.” The love we are addressing here and what Amirault is talking about is unconditional love or the type of love God asks of every human being. We are not talking about just mouthing “I Love You” or “I Love God” at a Sunday service or weekly Bible study in order to feel good. But we are talking about something much deeper, something beyond legalism and literal Bible translations. “Be careful also in your quest for facts in your study of the Bible,” said John Gavazzoni in an article entitled The Bible. “Facts can be used of God to enlighten us, but facts can become an end in themselves and addict us to being right and knowing more, or more accurately, than the next guy. “Wow, you have no idea how seductive biblical knowledge can be. Don’t equate facts with truth. Christ is the truth, and there are a lot of dear brethren whose factual knowledge is minimal, but who know Christ intimately.” It is important to remember that God understood for his people to be able to experience true unconditional love and to know Him intimately, they first needed to have complete freedom of choice. However, with complete freedom comes great risk — the risk his people and even his Angels would turn away, choosing evil instead of His gracious love. God, of course, knew this full-well but he took the risk anyway, knowing love cannot exist when it is demanded through fear and force. For example, a man holding a knife to your throat may force you to do many things. But one thing for sure if he asks you to love him, that could never happen! These important concepts brings us to the study of what is called Theodicy, the branch of theology that defends God’s goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil. This study begins in the beginning with the Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-3. P.G. Nelson in his article Theodicy and Genesis 1-3 points out: “One way of understanding Genesis 1−3 is as an explanation of how there can be evil in a world created by God. Genesis 1 affirms that there was no evil in the world when God created it − it was ‘very good’ (1:31). Genesis 2 and 3 express how evil came into it − through creatures(both heavenly and earthly) abusing the freedom God had given them.” It can’t be emphasized enough how many times and how important the word “good” is in Genesis 1. Simply put, God created both a perfect world on earth and in the heaven without a speck of evil. He created the Angels and His heavenly government with the same freedom of choice as he gave Adam and Eve. What happened? It is a huge misconception to think God created evil, hardship, suffering and death as introduced in Genesis 2-3. As recorded in scripture, the first spark of evil took place in God’s heavenly kingdom, not on earth. Lucifer, one of God’s special Angels, used freedom of choice to rebel, trying to usurp God’s authority. Banished to earth with his band of followers, he first corrupted Adam and Eve but still remains here today, intermingling with man to spread evil in the form of untold suffering, destruction and death. With unlimited power, why didn’t God kill Lucifer in the beginning? Why didn’t God create machines or robotic people without freewill to obey Him and live in a world free from suffering and sin? Why did He allow suffering, destruction and death to reign on earth for thousands of years? First, if God killed Lucifer, it would have sent a terrible message to others in His heavenly kingdom? It would have sent a message of fear and forceful power. It would have said “If you dare challenge God, the result is death! In fact, in the minds of those having free choice, it may have laid doubt and perhaps strengthened Lucifer’s case that God was not the all loving, all merciful and all forgiving God He professed to be. Remember, in the beginning, everything was “good”, according to God. In the beginning, God understood true goodness and unconditional love, His plan for all of us, could not be obtained by force, but only by freedom. So, when evil through Lucifer reared its ugly head, instead of wiping it out by force, He allowed it continue, grow and prosper, giving all of us, however, the freedom to choose otherwise and accept God’s unconditional love. In fact, in the beginning chapters of Genesis God created a perfect world. Furthermore, in the last chapter of the Book of Revelations, God promises His perfect world will return and evil will reign no more. And what is outlined in the Bible pages in between is nothing more than the long struggle between good and evil existing here on earth ever since God laid out his plan which included unconditional love, freedom of choice and the risk of evil. In fact, it is obvious God chose to allow evil to mature and grow so large in the end that all would one day see how His love, a love not attained through obedience or force like the enemy, is really the only answer. Wouldn’t you like to be there someday in God’s perfect world, a world that shares and spreads unconditional love? Here are some words of advice again from Gary Amirault, which may help you get to one day share in God’s never ending love: “Having been in hundreds of churches in dozens of different denominations, I am convinced that millions of Christians today are in exactly the same condition Martin Luther was in before he got his revelation. Through Sunday School and Bible study material written at denominational headquarters, through training church leaders at seminaries, Bible colleges and text books, every denominational headquarters injects “traditions of men” and “doctrines of demons,” and definitions, creeds, articles of faith, catechisms, etc. which render the word of God of no effect. I have had many scales placed over my eyes through various Christian institutions – but far less than the average Christian who was raised in church because I was an atheist for much of my life. These Christian “traditions of the elders” do the same thing to modern Christians that they did to the Jews 2,000 years ago. The common people couldn’t recognize the Messiah because the leaders taught the Messiah would be a political/military man. When the Messiah showed up, they wanted to kill Him. The “Christ” many Christians have been taught to expect at any moment will be to many modern Christians as different as Jesus was to the image of the Messiah the Jews were expecting. “The very best Bible translation, which may be a perfect transference of the original languages to our own language, may become an instrument of death unless the Holy Spirit opens its truth through the Spirit of Truth which Jesus promised to send to his disciples. Dear friend, please spend some considerable time in prayer and contemplation over what I am stating. It is possible to have an accurate translation of the original and still have a false understanding of the text. Not only is it possible, I submit that this is the norm of the typical Christian in a typical mainline church. The state of Martin Luther’s mind prior to his seeing the light is the state of the average Christian in this part of the twenty-first century. Of course few of us actually believe this because we are quite comfy in our dark little corner. Our pastor is nice, went to Bible college or seminary, the church is well-established in the community – surely we are on safe ground. And as long as we refuse to step outside the boundaries of our church or denomination, we will feel quite secure in our beliefs. In America, there is security in numbers. But remember in the Bible, the “majority” was usually against the Spirit of God. “I have spent a great deal of time in prayer and study learning about the “traditions of men” which have been injected into the minds of the modern Christian which render the “word of God of no effect.” There are countless thousands of them. (The books Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and The Way Church Ought To Be by Robert A. Lund are excellent sources for information about how far the church has strayed from the teachings of Christ and His apostles.) I have been forced to step out of my comfort zones many times. While in the short run it has been very discomforting, in the long run having to be forced to compare teachings and traditions among many different denominations has been extremely beneficial to my spiritual growth. I only gave one example in Martin Luther’s life to illustrate the power “traditions of men” have over our minds and hearts. This one revelation on the “righteousness of God” made Martin Luther one of the most influential men on the face of the planet. This single revelation was a major source of light that began to dispel the Dark Ages. A single person being freed from religious darkness can literally revolutionize the world. Who knows, perhaps you are the next one. “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” (Luke 11:34-36) “After over two decades as a Christian, I have found that a person can and will find whatever they want to in the Bible to justify themselves or condemn or judge others. If a person is a racist, he/she can find a verse or two to justify their racism. Ku Klux Klan literature is full of King James Bible quotes. If a person is a sexist, he can find scores of verses to support his bias. If greedy people want to justify selling or buying slaves, they can find support in the Bible. Jews, Christians and Muslims have throughout the last 2,000 years used the Bible to support countless abominations which they have done in the name of the Lord. But those verses were read with “dark light,” not with the light of the Holy Spirit. An evil person will project their own evil upon those they hate. They will also project their hate onto the pages of the Bible. If we are filled with things like nationalism, racism, prejudice, jealousies, greed, unrighteous anger, blame-shifting, self-righteousness, biases, denominationalism, cultural biases, resentment, unforgiveness, etc. — these things are “dark light” which will cause us to project onto the pages of the Bible and on other people our own darkness of soul. We will end up forming God into our own image through what psychologists call “projection.” We also project our own short-comings onto perceived enemies through this same technique. “I have also come across Christians who believe that white Christians are the only true representatives of God, that darker skinned human beings are “beasts of the field,” not really human beings. And they use certain verses and certain interpretations of those verses to prove to themselves they are correct. Neither Jews nor Christians who teach these abominations are correct! “A perfect translation of the Bible will not bring the truth into our soul if we are filled with traditions of men which make the word of God of no effect or if we have corruption in our hearts. Some of the most evil men I have encountered in my Christian walk have practically memorized the Bible. “When Jesus was tested of the Devil after the forty day fast in the wilderness, Satan used Scriptures to try to tempt Jesus. I have heard in more than one sermon how Jesus defeated Satan by quoting Scriptures. In two of the three temptations, Satan quoted Scriptures. Jesus replied all three times quoting Scripture. But what was the last Scripture Jesus quoted which ended that spiritual battle?: “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:4, NIV) Editor’s Note: Hopefully this article will help people come closer to God and accept His love. The false doctrines of Hell, eternal punishment and the idea that God created evil have kept millions of people in fear, unable to get close to a really all loving and all forgiving God. Source: http://www.arcticbeacon.com/greg/?p=1990&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InvestigativeJournal+%28Investigative+Journal%29 Read more at endrtimes.blogspot.com

 

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Child Rape as the Vatican's Worst Crime?

Amplify’d from continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com

Child Rape as the Vatican's Worst Crime?

Are sex crimes worse then the blatently Vatican continuing counter reformation war against Serbian people by Roman Catholic Clerical Fascist Ustase- of tearing out their tongues and eyes BEFORE killing them- and the August 1995 US-Vatican-NATO war crime of 'Operation Storm"?

Thomas Richards Vatican Exposer Farewell Address http://www.spirituallysmart.com/ 11/23/10 I am very tired of covering this Vatican issue. I think I've made my point with what I've done so far. The Vatican is just so obviously filthy and corrupt that I really think it's no longer necessary for me to continue. The Vatican connections and intrigue never end. Truly, "All Roads Lead to Rome." (If you wonder what I'm talking about simply go through my web site and also google search.) I've become increasingly sickened by reading everything the Papacy and it's "priests"are doing and so I will only update here every once in a while. There is nothing more wicked than raping children who are created in the very image and likeness of God! (Genesis 1:27) It shows how much they hate God and family and God's creation. Roman Catholicism with their horrible crimes have soiled the very term "Christianity". They have said they are Christians. Even claiming they are the first Christians and Peter was the first Pope. Therefore many people are thinking that "Christianity" is wickedness. And people are so backwards that even many non catholic christians will say I'm wrong for having this web site up. Well, John the Baptist was at the gate of the King calling him out for his wickedness every day until it cost him his head. And what did Jesus say about John the Baptist? That he was the greatest prophet that ever lived (Luke 7:28, Matt 11:11) So on top of that you have all these mega church pastors saying they're homosexuals or committing lewd acts in general and I've seen many Catholic apologists pointing their fingers at them, attempting to justify the crimes catholic clergy are perpetrating on children. I have found over the last ten years that most church folks in general are lukewarm and refuse to speak out. I wish they were at least like John the baptist. Who was never born again of the Spirit like the Apostles were. I feel like I'm done with this chapter of my life. It's been 10 long years since I put spirituallsmart.com together. And now I just want to focus on Jesus (Yeshua the Messiah) and my life. I've been through a lot over the past ten years being chewed up and spit out by so called Christian churches. I pray God has mercy on me. And I pray He has mercy on you too. Thank you for reading. Alas, my efforts at exposing what I consider to be the Vatican's greatest achilless heal, 26th Jesuit Order Superior General -- see this blog Continuing Counter Reformation, starting June, 2007 -- only inspired Richards to add to his pretty good start at Vatican expose, "Spiritually Smart", a miror of the first month's archive of Continuing Counter Reformation via a link labled "Ledochowski", plus a single example of my crop of the young Wlodimir Ledochowski to his Jesuit Nazis page. As of today, that mirror link appears on his page, yet when clicked is found inoperatable. http://www.spirituallysmart.com/ledochowski.html A subsequent opportunity to suggest he address my expose of the Vatican's control over the planning of Washington, D.C. regarding the USNCPC Extending the Legacy South Capitol Mall, and hence the far greater political control it has over the U.S. led to his backing down from exposing the Vatican, as it subsequently appears to be the case with his November 23, 2010 farewell address. After all, if one is to be an exposer of the Vatican, would one choose to study new things presented to them and inorporate such to build upon one's existing work? Or would they simply choose to give up? Endr Times: Thomas Richards, What Happened to "SPIRITUALLY SMART.COM"? http://endrtimes.blogspot.com/2010/11/thomas-richards-what-happened-to.html Topics to push the envelope of exposing the Vatican and the true extent of its political and social power: Washington, D.C.'s Supreme Bridge Builder http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2010/09/washington-dcs-supreme-bridge-builder.html Washington, D.C.'s Monumental Indicator http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2010/04/dcs-monumential-indicator.html Freemasonry Lets America Down http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2010/11/freemasonry-lets-america-down.html Wlodimir Ledochowski Mission Motivation, Geopolitcal Chessboard http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2007/06/wlodimir-vladimir-ledochowski-mission.html Wlodimir Ledochowski Kulturkampf Revenge http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2009/07/wlodimir-ledochowski-kulturkampf_17.html NYTimes- Historians- Europe's Wars of Religion ended in 1648! http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2007/07/holocaust-denial-via-new-york-times-in.html Wlodimir Ledochowski The UnMentionable Even By The Jesuits! http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2008/05/wlodimir-vladimir-ledochowski-usually.html Wlodimir Ledochowski Great Roman General http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2009/11/along-amber-path-7_7355.html Read more at continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com

 

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US Holocaust Museum- 2011 Call for Proposals

Amplify’d from continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com

US Holocaust Museum- 2011 Call for Proposals

Wlodimir Ledochowski

- b Oct 7, 1866, elected 26th Jesuit Order Superior General Feb 11, 1915, d. Dec 13, 1942

definitely a figure of interest...

Mon, December 6, 2010 1:11:12 PMCall for Applications: 2011 International Summer Research Workshops From: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum To: Douglas Willinger -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- View as Web page 2011 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER RESEARCH WORKSHOPS FOR SCHOLARS APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 28, 2011 The Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies invites proposals from Workshop Coordinator(s) to conduct two-week research workshops at the Museum during the months of July and August 2011. Established in 1999, the Center’s Summer Research Workshops provide an environment in which groups of scholars working in closely related areas of study—but with limited previous face-to-face interaction—can gather to discuss a central research question or issue; their research methodologies and findings; the major challenges facing their work; and potential future collaborative scholarly ventures. The Center welcomes proposals from scholars in all relevant disciplines, including history, political science, literature, Jewish studies, philosophy, religion, anthropology, comparative genocide studies, and law. Workshops consist of two weeks of intensive discussion, culminating in a public presentation of the group’s results. Morning sessions typically consist of presentations by participants on their particular research projects. Afternoon sessions are predominantly dedicated to in-depth discussions of the overarching research issues, priorities, findings, and conclusions, as well as some workshop-based research using the Museum’s collections. The final public panel consists of presentations on (1) the importance of the work and the scholarly rationale for convening the workshop; (2) the issues discussed, approaches taken, and resources used by the group during the two weeks; (3) the issues and source materials identified by the group as the most significant for future work; and (4) the group’s collective results, findings, and conclusions. Participants will have access to more than 60 million pages of Holocaust-related archival documentation; the Museum’s extensive library; oral history, film, photo, art, artifacts, and memoir collections; and Holocaust survivor database. In addition, participants have access to the digitized holdings of the International Tracing Service (ITS) relating to the fates of more than 17 million people who were subject to incarceration, forced labor, and displacement as a result of World War II. Over the next several years, the Museum expects to receive more than 100 million digital images of archival material from the ITS. Many of these sources have not been examined by scholars, offering unprecedented opportunities to advance the field of Holocaust studies. A staff scholar from the Center with expertise relevant to the proposed topic will be assigned to each workshop. The Center will also provide meeting space and access to a computer, telephone, and photocopier. For non-local participants, awards include (1) a stipend to offset the cost of direct travel to and from each participant’s home institution and Washington, D.C.; (2) lodging for the duration of the workshop; and (3) $500 toward the cost of incidental expenses, which will be distributed within two to four weeks of the workshop’s conclusion. Local participants will receive a stipend of $200 for the two weeks. APPLICATION GUIDELINES The Workshop Coordinator(s) assume(s) responsibility for assembling the application package, which must include: An eight- to ten-page, double-spaced proposal describing your research project’s focus, significance, scope, methods, and objectives; its potential to contribute to and advance the field of Holocaust studies; the justification for assembling your proposed participants; any work you have already conducted on this project; and the rationale for convening the workshop at the Museum. A list of six to ten potential workshop participants (including Coordinators), roughly half of whom should be affiliated with North American institutions. Museum staff are not eligible. Geographic, disciplinary, and gender diversity is highly desirable. Only in exceptional circumstances may any one institution be represented by more than one scholar. Each group should contain a mix of doctoral candidates, junior scholars (within five years of obtaining their degrees), and tenured and senior scholars who have not had the opportunity to work closely with one another in the past. A ranked list in order of preference of the following three two-week periods in which to hold the workshop: July 18–29, August 1–12, or August 15–26. The proposals will be evaluated according to their (1) potential contribution to scholarship in Holocaust studies; (2) potential to stimulate work in a new direction or productive area of research; (3) relationship to larger themes or issues in Holocaust studies; (4) diversity and appropriateness of the proposed participants (e.g., institutions, countries of residence, areas of expertise, scholarly advancement, gender); and (5) potential for new publications, collaborative research, or research endeavors directly resulting from the workshop. Applications for under six or over ten participants will not be considered. The selection committee may amend the roster of participants if the composition of the workshop is deemed insufficiently diverse. Upon acceptance of your application, a Center scholar will work with the Workshop Coordinator(s) to finalize the dates and participants for the workshop. All participants must attend the entire workshop. Non-U.S. citizens will be responsible for obtaining any visas necessary to attend. Applications must be postmarked or submitted electronically by January 28, 2011. Selections will be announced in writing by March 4, 2011. Applications and questions regarding this program should be addressed to Krista Hegburg, Program Officer, University Programs, Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126; tel: 202.488.0459; fax: 202.479.9726; e-mail: khegburg@ushmm.org. To learn more about past workshops, go to ushmm.org/research/center/workshops/workshop. A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanent place on the National Mall, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. e-Newsletter Sign-Up Donate Change E-mail Address Modify Your Profile Unsubscribe Find the Museum on: Facebook Twitter YouTube iTunes U UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126 202.488.0400 ushmm.org To prevent mailbox filters from deleting mailings from U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, add information@ushmm.org to your address book. Read more at continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com

 

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God hates Christmas!

Amplify’d from beyondbabylon.blogspot.com

God hates Christmas!

Jeremiah 10 condemns Christmas trees!

Jeremiah 10 1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the LORD: “ Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple. 5 They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.” 6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), 7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. 8 But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine. 9 Silver is beaten into plates; It is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of the craftsman And of the hands of the metalsmith; Blue and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skillful men. 10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. Jeremiah 10 condemns idolatry, both in the letter and in the spirit, whether a physical idol or an idolatrous tradition based upon HEATHEN CUSTOMS like the "Christmas tree" that history clearly exposes as pagan in origin. Those who adorn their Christmas trees and remain in denial about its pagan origin, who play deaf, dumb and blind to the facts, who attempt to dismiss or downplay how it's a heathen custom, are living a lie and shamefully reject the clear commandments of God that speak against such spiritual adultery, mixing and matching pagan error with biblical truth, and will suffer the consequences for being so dishonest and deceitful. Pagan holidays like Christmas and pagan customs like Christmas trees are both abominations to God. True Christians shun both, we avoid them like the plague, because we love God more than idolatrous traditions of apostate men! Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas Christmas is About Giving -- Says Who? C.H. Spurgeon on Christmas and Roman Catholicism Will God Curse Our Countries for Christmas? The Plain Truth about Christmas Read more at beyondbabylon.blogspot.com

 

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WHAT FLAME ARE YOU KEEPING?

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WHAT FLAME ARE YOU KEEPING?

No one, meaning the Father pours life in the Spirit into something that He has dispensed with. Obedience is defined as being in alignment with what the Father is doing now. God will not pour new wine into and old wineskin.

I met an old friend last year in the super market. He spoke with cynicism and despair about the woodenness of his church, confiding in me, ‘You know they have an answer for everything.’ Indeed they do. The people of his church live in a closed system that they call ‘the truth,’ It is a version of ‘truth’ to which even the Bible must take second place.

Believing that they are a kind of chosen people they have convinced themselves that they have a treasure in jars of clay, calling themselves in some contexts ‘Keepers of the Flame.’ This a version of history designed to perpetuate the old covenant as the new and provide justification for their identity driven theology. Unfortunately this ‘treasure’ is not the glory of Christ in us. It is the imagined glory of distinctive teachings. The result is that for the typical church member, it is not Christ incarnate in us of which the words jar of clay are a metaphor. It is the church captured and hugging itself to itself in its fleshly jar of clay.

The sons of God, on the other hand are not captured in jars of flesh since they live for God in the Spirit of Christ’s Son.

There was this pastor I knew. He got to manage quite a large church because he thought he deserved it. Always an apologist for his denomination, any issue would be adeptly rationalized by him to show that either he or the denomination was always right. To anyone with a mind or who is remotely spiritual, this church has a problem with credibility. Captive to the old covenant, contemptuous of its claims and a child of the law it is forced to live in a spirit of self-justification or admit that there is something fundamentally unsound about its theology.

Grace is accepted by many in my friend’s church. But not in its new covenant meaning. Grace for most in this setting is a balm to cover the inability to keep the law. Immersed in “service,” code  for “I’m paddling hard for a place in heaven” grace is tied to law. Grace aids and abets the law, even though Paul assures us that if righteousness comes via the law Christ died for nothing (Gal 2.21). Christ does stand for something in this mentality however. He has become subservient to law; a toady of the law since He lives to help people keep it.

People from many denominations are legalistic in some way and many have only dipped their toes into the new and living way of life in the new covenant, which is the total immersion of one’s being in Jesus. But those of my friend’s church are immersed in law to a much greater depth than any of these. They are driven by the need to vindicate their ‘package.’ This is a package of beliefs, behaviors and assumptions that supposedly affords security and certainty. In an effort to maintain this package their theologians have developed convoluted arguments to prove to themselves that the new covenant is really the old covenant and that Moses is maintained through the good graces of Jesus.  Sadly, the main heresy of this church is that Moses and Jesus are equal.

The fact is, however that Jesus does not exist to help us keep the commandments. The Holy Spirit does not live to minister success in commandment keeping. He ministers Jesus who is the righteousness of God in us. Jesus lives and ministers His life to us so that we can be like Him – a son of God.  Sons of God live in the Son of God by the Spirit. We have a much higher calling than being a worker or a slave hostage to law and performance. Livng in Galatians 2.20by the One Spirit, we are the sons of God. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and righteousness.  But if we live from the law we are severed from Christ (Gal 5.4). Read more at daringadventist.wordpress.com

 

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Adventist acappella group competes on NBC's The Sing-Off

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Adventist a cappella group competes on NBC's The Sing-Off

Image source: Committed Facebook page

Click here to jump to the latest update. An Adventist a cappella group will be competing on NBC's "The Sing-Off," starting Dec. 6. Committed is one of 10 a cappella groups competing for a Sony Music recording contract and $100,000. About Committed Committed was formed in 2003 at Forest Lake Academy in Orlando, Fla. Since then, the group's membership has changed lots of times. The current group is made up of five graduates and one undergraduate student from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala. Sabbath issues According to Andrews University, Committed is the only Christian group in the competition. At first, this caused problems for the group. Image source: Committed Facebook page Before taping the show, Committed knew they would face some scheduling conflicts because they believe in keeping Saturday as the Sabbath. The group told the producers they would not be able to practice or perform on Saturdays. According to Andrews University, Committed waited a week to find out if they would still be able to compete. The group's taping dates were moved to Mondays and Wednesdays. "Our goal has always been to minister to people, to touch people's hearts, to spread the love of Jesus with our music," said Geston Pierre, bass singer for Committed. "We're glad to be on the show, but wether we win or lose, we're going to continue doing what we've been doing." Other Adventist a cappella groups Committed is the second Seventh-day Adventist a cappella group to compete on "The Sing-Off." In December 2009, Nota won the first season of "The Sing-Off." Their debut album was released in November. Take 6 also traces its history back to Oakwood. Thirty years ago, the group began at what was then Oakwood College. Since then the group has won 10 Grammy awards and 10 Dove awards. They've released their most recent album in October. When to watch "The Sing-Off" is a five-night musical event in its second season. It was taped in August and September and will air Mondays and Wednesdays 8-10 p.m. ET. The finale, however, will air live on Dec. 20.

UPDATE (12/06/10 10:30 p.m.): Committed advances to the second round. They sang "This Love," by Maroon 5. At the end of the program, they gave a short preview of their next performance (Dec. 8), singing "Apologize." Read more at www.asabbathblog.com

 

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Comment of the Day: How to Fix a Swastika Tattoo for Cheap

Today we looked at the story of a guy who finagled the government into paying for the removal of his racist tattoos. In these times? With our money? An outrage. Especially considering they could have employed this commenter's easy solution.

From Yankton:

Just give me two minutes with a $1.50 pack of highlighters and I'll just turn him into a Microsoft fan.

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Gay Pride Sneaks Into Spike TV Logo

Spike TV's annual Video Game Awards uses a strangely familiar inverted rainbow triangle for the "V" in VGA, notes TMZ. Coincidentally, noted inverted triangle Neil Patrick Harris is this year's host.

The manliest TV station's graphic designers were probably going for some sort of Atari-meets-Sega vintage look, and ended up with vaguely gay-connoting triangles. Because gay pride can't own all rainbows, can it? Unless God is out and proud, I guess. [Spike TV, TMZ]

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Baltimore's Strip Clubs Are on Fire

"The Block," the Baltimore neighborhood known for its "strip clubs with gaudy lights," was hit by a five-alarm fire around 4 p.m. It's under control now (just two alarms), and luckily no injuries were reported. But it looked gnarly!

Send an email to Max Read, the author of this post, at max@gawker.com. Read more at gawker.com

 

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