Obama Packing the Courts with Homosexual Activists: See how your Senator voted!

Whacked again.  The blows just keep coming.



You and I just got whacked by President Obama and our U.S. Senate -- again.



On July 18th, for the first time in U.S. history the Senate confirmed an open homosexual, J. Paul Oetken, to a federal judge position.



Just after Oetken’s confirmation, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) commented, “As the first openly gay man to be confirmed as a federal judge and to serve on the federal bench, Oetken will be a symbol of how much we have achieved as a country in just the last few decades.”



It made me realize just how far the Homosexual Lobby has spread their twisted agenda.



And while Oetken may be the first homosexual to be appointed to a federal judge position; the Senate will soon vote on another -- lesbian Alison Nathan who was recently approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.



Obama has also nominated Edward Dumont, also an open homosexual, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  Dumont is currently in line for approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee.



There’s an old saying, “You gotta dance with the one who brung ya.”



With the election season just around the corner, Obama is making sure he dances with those who brought him to the White House –- the radical Homosexual Lobby.



That’s why Obama is moving fast and furious to appoint as many Homosexuals to as many positions as he possibly can get away with.



According to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Obama has already appointed more than 200 confessed and practicing homosexuals, including only 25 that required Senate approval.



Pathetically, so many so-called pro-family Republicans are falling into line to support the Homosexual Agenda as well.



In fact, the Senate voted 80-13 to confirm Oetken with several “yea” votes from so-called pro-family Republicans.



To see if your “pro-family” Senator voted to confirm Obama’s Homosexual appointee, click here.



You know, I wonder what this world would come to if you and I were too cowardly to stand up for the family.



But the one thing that gives me the courage to keep going on is that I know there are people like you who will never give up on fighting for the family – no matter how tough the going gets.



And the only reason Public Advocate is still in the fight is because of your faithfulness -- whether it be your prayers, your phone calls, your petitions, or your generous donations.



For the Family,





Eugene Delgaudio

President, Public Advocate of the United States



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U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112^th Congress - 1^st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation J. Paul Oetken, of New York, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York )
Vote Number:	112	Vote Date:	July 18, 2011, 05:32 PM
Required For Majority:	1/2	Vote Result:	Nomination Confirmed
Nomination Number:	PN93
Nomination Description:	J. Paul Oetken, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York

Vote Counts:	YEAs	80
	NAYs	13
	Not Voting	7

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Akaka (D-HI), Yea Alexander (R-TN), Yea Ayotte (R-NH), Yea Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Baucus (D-MT), Yea Begich (D-AK), Yea Bennet (D-CO), Yea Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea Blunt (R-MO), Nay Boozman (R-AR), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Brown (R-MA), Yea Burr (R-NC), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Coats (R-IN), Yea Coburn (R-OK), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Nay Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Coons (D-DE), Yea Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Nay DeMint (R-SC), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Franken (D-MN), Yea

Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Hagan (D-NC), Not Voting Harkin (D-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Nay Heller (R-NV), Yea Hoeven (R-ND), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Not Voting Inouye (D-HI), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johanns (R-NE), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Yea Johnson (R-WI), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea Kirk (R-IL), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Yea Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea Lee (R-UT), Nay Levin (D-MI), Yea Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Yea Manchin (D-WV), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Merkley (D-OR), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea

Moran (R-KS), Nay Murkowski (R-AK), Not Voting Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea Paul (R-KY), Not Voting Portman (R-OH), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Risch (R-ID), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Rubio (R-FL), Not Voting Sanders (I-VT), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Yea Toomey (R-PA), Not Voting Udall (D-CO), Yea Udall (D-NM), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Not Voting Warner (D-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Yea

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---80
Akaka (D-HI) Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Blumenthal (D-CT) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Brown (R-MA) Burr (R-NC) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Chambliss (R-GA) Coats (R-IN) Coburn (R-OK) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Coons (D-DE) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Durbin (D-IL) Enzi (R-WY)	Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Harkin (D-IA) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inouye (D-HI) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Johnson (D-SD) Johnson (R-WI) Kerry (D-MA) Kirk (R-IL) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Kyl (R-AZ) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lugar (R-IN) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ) McCaskill (D-MO)	Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Portman (R-OH) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Sessions (R-AL) Shaheen (D-NH) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---13
Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Cochran (R-MS) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC)	Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Lee (R-UT) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS)	Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting - 7
Hagan (D-NC) Inhofe (R-OK) Murkowski (R-AK)	Paul (R-KY) Rubio (R-FL) Toomey (R-PA)	Vitter (R-LA)

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Grouped by Home State

Alabama:	Sessions (R-AL), Yea	Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Alaska:	Begich (D-AK), Yea	Murkowski (R-AK), Not Voting
Arizona:	Kyl (R-AZ), Yea	McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Arkansas:	Boozman (R-AR), Nay	Pryor (D-AR), Yea
California:	Boxer (D-CA), Yea	Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado:	Bennet (D-CO), Yea	Udall (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut:	Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea	Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Delaware:	Carper (D-DE), Yea	Coons (D-DE), Yea
Florida:	Nelson (D-FL), Yea	Rubio (R-FL), Not Voting
Georgia:	Chambliss (R-GA), Yea	Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Hawaii:	Akaka (D-HI), Yea	Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Idaho:	Crapo (R-ID), Nay	Risch (R-ID), Nay
Illinois:	Durbin (D-IL), Yea	Kirk (R-IL), Yea
Indiana:	Coats (R-IN), Yea	Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Iowa:	Grassley (R-IA), Yea	Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas:	Moran (R-KS), Nay	Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky:	McConnell (R-KY), Nay	Paul (R-KY), Not Voting
Louisiana:	Landrieu (D-LA), Yea	Vitter (R-LA), Not Voting
Maine:	Collins (R-ME), Yea	Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Maryland:	Cardin (D-MD), Yea	Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts:	Brown (R-MA), Yea	Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Michigan:	Levin (D-MI), Yea	Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota:	Franken (D-MN), Yea	Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi:	Cochran (R-MS), Nay	Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Missouri:	Blunt (R-MO), Nay	McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Montana:	Baucus (D-MT), Yea	Tester (D-MT), Yea
Nebraska:	Johanns (R-NE), Yea	Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada:	Heller (R-NV), Yea	Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire:	Ayotte (R-NH), Yea	Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
New Jersey:	Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea	Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico:	Bingaman (D-NM), Yea	Udall (D-NM), Yea
New York:	Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea	Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina:	Burr (R-NC), Yea	Hagan (D-NC), Not Voting
North Dakota:	Conrad (D-ND), Yea	Hoeven (R-ND), Yea
Ohio:	Brown (D-OH), Yea	Portman (R-OH), Yea
Oklahoma:	Coburn (R-OK), Yea	Inhofe (R-OK), Not Voting
Oregon:	Merkley (D-OR), Yea	Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania:	Casey (D-PA), Yea	Toomey (R-PA), Not Voting
Rhode Island:	Reed (D-RI), Yea	Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina:	DeMint (R-SC), Nay	Graham (R-SC), Yea
South Dakota:	Johnson (D-SD), Yea	Thune (R-SD), Yea
Tennessee:	Alexander (R-TN), Yea	Corker (R-TN), Yea
Texas:	Cornyn (R-TX), Yea	Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Utah:	Hatch (R-UT), Nay	Lee (R-UT), Nay
Vermont:	Leahy (D-VT), Yea	Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Virginia:	Warner (D-VA), Yea	Webb (D-VA), Yea
Washington:	Cantwell (D-WA), Yea	Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia:	Manchin (D-WV), Yea	Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin:	Johnson (R-WI), Yea	Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Wyoming:	Barrasso (R-WY), Yea	Enzi (R-WY), Yea

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1abz3

Ancient Technology In Peru and Bolivia

Amplify’d from www.alternet.org

6 Creepy New Weapons the Police and Military Use To Subdue Unarmed People

From microwave energy blasters and blinding laser beams to chemical agents and deafening sonic blasters, these weapons are at the cutting edge of crowd control.

The US is at the forefront of an international arms development effort that includes a remarkable assortment of technologies, which look and sound like they belong in a Hollywood science fiction thriller. From microwave energy blasters and blinding laser beams, to chemical agents and deafening sonic blasters, these weapons are at the cutting edge of crowd control. The Pentagon's approved term for these weapons is "non-lethal" or "less-lethal" and they are intended for use against the unarmed. Designed to control crowds, clear streets, subdue and restrain individuals and secure borders, they are the 21st century's version of the police baton, pepper spray and tear gas. As journalist Ando Arike puts it, "The result is what appears to be the first arms race in which the opponent is the general population." The demand for non-lethal weapons (NLW) is rooted in the rise of television. In the 1960s and '70s the medium let everyday Americans witness the violent tactics used to suppress the civil rights and anti-war movements.  Today’s rapid advancements in media and telecommunications technologies allow people to record and publicize images and video of undue force more than ever before. Authorities are well aware of how images of violence play out publicly. In 1997, a joint report from the Pentagon and the Justice Department warned:

"A further consideration that affects how the military and law enforcement apply force is the greater presence of members of the media or other civilians who are observing, if not recording, the situation. Even the lawful application of force can be misrepresented to or misunderstood by the public. More than ever, the police and the military must be highly discreet when applying force."

The global economic collapse coupled with the unpredictable and increasingly catastrophic consequences of climate change and resource scarcity, along with a new era of austerity defined by rising unemployment and glaring inequality have already led to massive protests in Spain, Greece, Egypt, and even Madison, Wisconsin. From the progressive era to the Great Depression to the civil rights movement, Americans have a rich history of taking to the streets to demand greater equality.

Meanwhile, tens of millions of dollars have been invested in the research and development of more media-friendly weapons for everyday policing and crowd control. This has lead to a

trade-in of old school weapons for more exotic and controversial technologies. The following are six of the most outrageous "non-lethal" weapons that will define the future of crowd control. 1. The Invisible Pain Ray: The 'Holy Grail of Crowd Control'   Source: Pasadena Star News It sounds like a weapon out of Star Wars. The Active Denial System, or ADS, works like an open-air microwave oven, projecting a focused beam of electromagnetic radiation to heat the skin of its targets to 130 degrees. This creates an intolerable burning sensation forcing those in its path to instinctively flee (a response the Air Force dubs the "goodbye effect"). The Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) says, "This capability will add to the ability to stop, deter and turn back an advancing adversary, providing an alternative to lethal force." Although ADS is described as non-lethal, a 2008 report by physicist and less-lethal weapons expert Dr. Jürgen Altmann suggests otherwise:  " ... the ADS provides the technical possibility to produce burns of second and third degree. Because the beam of diameter 2 m and above is wider than human size, such burns would occur over considerable parts of the body, up to 50% of its surface. Second- and third-degree burns covering more than 20% of the body surface are potentially life-threatening – due to toxic tissue-decay products and increased sensitivity to infection – and require intensive care in a specialized unit. Without a technical device that reliably prevents re-triggering on the same target subject, the ADS has a potential to produce permanent injury or death. " The weapon was initially tested in Afghanistan, but later recalled due to a combination of technical difficulties and political concerns, including the fear that ADS would be used as a torture tool making it "not politically tenable," according to a Defense Science Board report. The tens of millions of dollars spent to develop the ADS did not necessarily go to waste, however. While the weapon may be too controversial for use on the battlefield, it appears that nothing is too sadistic for use on US prisoners, so the ADS has since been modified into a smaller version by Raytheon, for use in law enforcement. Last year, the renamed Assault Intervention System (AIS) was installed at the Pitchess Detention Center's North County Correction Facility at the behest of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). Former LASD Commander, Charles “Sid” Heal had been lobbying for the pain ray for years, calling it the "Holy Grail of Crowd Control," due to its ability to make people scatter almost instantly.   The device is operated by a jail officer with a joystick, and is intended to break up prison riots, inmate brawls and prevent assaults on officers. Sheriff Lee Baca added that it would allow officers to quickly intervene without having to physically enter the area to incapacitate prisoners. The ACLU claims that use of such a device on American prisoners is "tantamount to torture." The organization even sent a letter to the sheriff in charge, demanding he never use the energy weapon against inmates. “The idea that a military weapon designed to cause intolerable pain should be used against county jail inmates is staggeringly wrongheaded,” said Margaret Winter, associate director of the ACLU National Prison Project. “Unnecessarily inflicting severe pain and taking such unnecessary risks with people’s lives is a clear violation of the Eighth Amendment and due process clause of the U.S. Constitution.” The pain ray’s use in the Pitchess Detention Center is a pilot program. If successful, the weapon could find its way into other prisons around the country. The National Institute of Justice has also expressed interest in a hand-held, rifle-sized, short-range weapon that could be effective at tens of feet for law enforcement officials.  2. The Laser Blinding 'Dazzler' Source: Air Force Fact Sheet The Personal Halting and Stimulation Response rifle, or PHaSR, is a massive laser shooter. PHaSR technology is being co-funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and is being developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory. While JNLWP is interested in the technology for military applications, NIJ is focusing on its law enforcement use. So what is the purpose of this light-shooting toy? Well, it won't kill you, but it will temporarily blind you — or as the NIJ prefers to say, it will "dazzle" you into disorientation — by shooting you with two low­-power diode­-pumped lasers. Protocol IV, the Blinding Laser Protocol of the United Nations Convention on Conventional Weapons, states that, "The use of laser weapons that are specifically designed, as their sole combat function or as one of their combat functions, to cause permanent blindness to unenhanced vision is prohibited." After the US agreed to the Blinding Laser Protocol in 1995 under President Clinton, the Pentagon was forced to cancel several blinding laser weapon programs that were in the works. But the PHaSR rifle can skirt this regulation because the blinding effect is apparently temporary due to its low-intensity laser.   According to a U.S. Air Force fact sheet, "The laser light from PHaSR temporarily impairs aggressors by dazzling them with one wavelength. The second wavelength causes a repel effect that discourages advancing aggressors.” The JNLWP website says that a significant amount of research and experimentation is still required to gain a full understanding of the safety, military effectiveness, and limitations of these future capabilities.   3. The Taser on Steroids  Source: Taser website The Albuquerque Police Department now has Taser shotguns in its arsenal. Most of us are familiar with hand-held Tasers and understand that they only work if the police are standing pretty close to you (about 20 feet).   But Taser has developed the Taser X12, a 12-gauge shotgun that instead of firing lethal bullet rounds, is designed to fire Taser projectile rounds. Known as Extended Range Electronic Projectiles (XREP), the XREP cartridge is a self-contained, wireless projectile that delivers the same neuro-muscular incapacitation bio-effect (a fancy way of saying electric shock) as the handheld Taser, but up to 100 feet. According to a July 21 press release, Taser International has taken the XREP to the next level, teaming up with the Australian electronic gun company Metal Storm to enhance the 12-gauge Multi-Shot Accessory Under-Barrel Launcher (MAUL). The two companies will combine Metal Storm's MAUL stacked projectile technology to "provide semi-automatic fire as fast as the operator can squeeze the trigger," which boasts a full weapon reload of up to five rounds in less than two seconds. Picture five rounds of Taser XREP cartridges flying out in less than two seconds up to 30 yards away -- that is the plan. In September 2010 Raw Story reported that the rate of Taser-related deaths were on the rise. The story cited an Amnesty International report from 2008 that found 351 Taser-related deaths in the US between June 2001 and August 2008, a rate of just slightly above four deaths per month. About 90 percent of the victims were unarmed and did not appear to pose any serious threat, according to an article in the Boston Review. The Amnesty report points out that Tasers are “inherently open to abuse as they are easy to carry and easy to use and they can inflict severe pain at the push of a button without leaving substantial marks.“ In Amnesty's US 2010 report, the Taser-related death toll had increased to 390.  If the MAUL-Taser combined shooter find its way into police departments around the country, it may not bode well for the rate of Taser-related deaths.  Another project of Taser International, which was unveiled in 2009, is the Shockwave Area-Denial System, which blankets a large area with electrified darts, and a wireless Taser projectile with a 100-meter range, helpful for picking off “ringleaders” in unruly crowds. In 2007, Taser's French distributor announced plans for a stun-gun-equipped flying saucer that fires stun darts at criminal suspects or rioters; however, it has yet to be unveiled. Clearly there is no limit to Taser International’s capacity for creativity. 4. Calmative Agents for Riot Control Calmatives are chemical or biological agents with sedative, sleep-inducing or similar psychoactive effects. Although the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of riot control agents in warfare, JNWLP and NIJ have long considered calmatives for both military and law enforcement applications, such as dispersing a crowd, controlling a riot or calming a noncompliant offender. The most well-known and widely used riot-control agents are tear gas (CS) and chloroacetophenone (CN), also known as mace. A few ways that more advanced non-lethal calmatives might be administered, depending on the law enforcement environment, would include a topical or transdermal skin application, an aerosol spray, an intramuscular dart, or a rubber bullet filled with an inhalable agent.  In the March 2010 issue of Harper's magazine, Ando Arike gives an extensive overview of riot control technology in his article "The Soft Kill: New Frontiers in Pain Compliance." He wrote: Pentagon interest in “advanced riot-control agents” has long been an open secret, but just how close we are to seeing these agents in action was revealed in 2002, when the Sunshine Project, an arms-control group based in Austin, Texas, posted on the Internet a trove of Pentagon documents uncovered through the Freedom of Information Act. Among these was a fifty-page study titled “The Advantages and Limitations of Calmatives for Use as a Non-Lethal Technique,” conducted by Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory, home of the JNLWD-sponsored Institute for Non-Lethal Defense Technologies. Penn State’s College of Medicine researchers agreed, contrary to accepted principles of medical ethics, that “the development and use of non-lethal calmative techniques is both achievable and desirable,” and identified a large number of promising drug candidates, including benzodiazepines like Valium, serotonin-reuptake inhibitors like Prozac, and opiate derivatives like morphine, fentanyl, and carfentanyl, the last commonly used by veterinarians to sedate large animals. The only problems they saw were in developing effective delivery vehicles and regulating dosages, but these problems could be solved readily, they recommended, through strategic partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry. Little more was heard about the Pentagon’s “advanced riot-control agent” program until July 2008, when the Army announced that production was scheduled for its XM1063 “non-lethal personal suppression projectile,” an artillery shell that bursts in midair over its target, scattering 152 canisters over a 100,000-square-foot area, each dispersing a chemical agent as it parachutes down. There are many indications that a calmative, such as fentanyl, is the intended payload—a literal opiate of the masses. 5. Screaming Microwaves That Pierce the Skull Source: Wired Researchers are in the process of developing the Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio or MEDUSA (that's right, from Greek mythology), which uses a beam of microwaves to induce uncomfortable auditory sensations in the skull. The device exploits the microwave audio effect, in which short microwave pulses rapidly heat tissue, causing a shockwave inside the skull that can be detected by the ears. MEDUSA’s audio effect is loud enough to cause discomfort or even incapacitation. It may also cause a little brain damage from the high-intensity shockwave created by the microwave pulse. MEDUSA's intended purpose is deterring crowds from entering a protected perimeter, like a nuclear site, and temporarily incapacitating unruly individuals. So far the weapon remains in development and is funded by the Navy.   6. Ear-Splitting Siren Source: Associated Press The Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, built by American Technology Corporation, focuses and broadcasts sound over ranges of up to hundreds of yards. LRAD has been around for years, but Americans first took notice when police used it in Pittsburgh to ward off protesters at the 2009 G-20 summit. It is generally used in two ways: as a megaphone to order protesters to disperse; or, if they disobey, as an “ear-splitting siren” to drive them away. While LRAD may not be deadly, it can permanently damage hearing, depending on how it’s used. Similar sonic blasters have proven deadly. One is the Thunder Generator, an Israeli-developed shock wave cannon used by farmers to scare away crop-threatening bird. According to a Defense News report last year, the Israeli Ministry of Defense has licensed a firm called ArmyTec to market the Thunder Generator for military and security applications. It works using gas from a cylinder of domestic liquid petroleum, which is mixed with air and then detonated, producing a series of high-intensity blasts. Patented “pulse detonation” technology ensures high-decibel blasts. With an effective range of up to 50 meters, the makers say it is extremely loud but will not do any lasting damage. They warn, however, that within 10 meters the Thunder Generator could cause permanent damage or even death. The Impact The application of pain to control or coerce people into submission helps achieve the desired aims of perception management, while sheltering the public from the brutality of such devices.  Perhaps these less-lethal tactics for crowd control do result in fewer injuries. But they also severely weaken our capacity to enact political change. Authorities have ever more creative ways to manage dissent, at a time when the need for change by popular demand is vital to the future of our society and the planet.

Rania Khalek is a progressive activist. Check out her blog Missing Pieces or follow her on Twitter @Rania_ak. Contact her at raniakhalek@gmail.com. Read more at www.alternet.org

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1aba9

Amplify’d from www.wired.com

Senate Panel Keeps ‘Secret Patriot Act’ Under Wraps

By Noah Shachtman

The secret Patriot Act is staying secret.

Two Senators have been warning for months that the government has a secret legal interpretation of the Patriot Act so broad that it amounts to an entirely different law — one that gives the feds massive domestic surveillance powers, and keeps the rest of us in the dark about the snooping.

“There is a significant discrepancy between what most Americans – including many members of Congress – think the Patriot Act allows the government to do and how government officials interpret that same law,” wrote the Senators, Ron Wyden and Mark Udall. “We believe that most members of the American public would be very surprised to learn how federal surveillance law is being interpreted in secret. ”

The Senators tried to get the government to reveal some of the law’s contents, by forcing the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to produce a report outlining when this secret surveillance has gone overboard. Yesterday, the effort failed. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said no to the report by rejecting Wyden and Udall’s amendment to the FY2012 Intelligence Authorization Act.

In other words: we are all still in the dark about how the government is spying on us.

The Senators won’t say, exactly, what elements of this secret Patriot Act have them so spooked. But Wyden told Danger Room in May that the so-called “business-records provision” is a major source of concern. It empowers the FBI to get businesses, medical offices, banks and other organizations to turn over any “tangible things” it deems relevant to a security investigation.

So instead, the Senators are left to make vague — if vociferous — protests. “In our view, the executive branch’s decision to conceal the U.S. government’s official understanding of what this law means is unacceptable, and untenable in the long run,” Wyden and Udall wrote in the committee’s report on the Authorization Act. “Intelligence agencies need to have the ability to conduct secret operations, but they should not be allowed to rely on secret laws.”

As Secrecy News notes, the committee also rejected an amendment by Wyden and Udall that would have required the Justice Department to estimate how many Americans have been eavesdropped on, in violation of another surveillance law, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. That amendment was voted down, 7-8.

Instead, the committee seemed more focused on potential threats to the intelligence community, rather than the spies’ overreach. The Senators worried about the intelligence agencies’ impulse to move classified information to the cloud, and demanded an “independent review of the efficiency and security implications” of the shift in six months. The committee also expressed concern about how many gadgets and gadget components are now made overseas — and could therefore have backdoors from foreign intelligence agencies built in.  The Senators want a second report in six months on “counterintelligence threats to the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, including any risks associated with purchasing equipment and services from foreign manufacturers and suppliers.”

Photo: Flickr / Rose Robinson

See Also: There’s a Secret Patriot Act, Senator Says Senate Extends Patriot Act Spy Bill Lawmakers Punt Again on Patriot Act Reform Patriot Act Signing Just the Latest in Autopen Infamy Bill Would Force Intel Chief to Renounce ‘Secret Patriot Act’ Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Amplify’d from www.cbsnews.com

Facebook's facial recognition system, why it's scary

By Chenda Ngak

(CBS) - Remember last weekend, when you were at that party and friends were snapping photographs to post on Facebook? What if that seemingly innocent act could lead to identity theft or real-life stalking? Fear! In a recent study done at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) called "Faces of Facebook: Privacy in the Age of Augmented Reality," Alessandro Acquisti, Ralph Gross and Fred Stutzman reported on the "consequences and implications of the convergence of three technologies: face recognition, cloud computing, and online social networks." Presented on Thursday at the Black Hat Technical Security Conference, the study argued that with current technology, we could be "re-identified" and have our social security numbers stolen. The three experiments discussed are eye-opening. Facial recognition and re-identification The first experiment took pictures from a popular dating site and cross referenced them with Facebook profile pictures. Dating site members typically maintain their anonymity by using pseudonyms. With the results of the experiment being "statistically significant," these people could easily be identified with the software.Thus their identities outed across both channels. The second experiment was similar to the first, except this time, the researchers took real-life photos and used facial recognition software to re-identify students at a select college campus. They were able to identify one-third of the subjects in their experiment.  Augmented reality In their final experiment, the researchers used the phrase "augmented reality" to describe "the merging of online and offline data that new technologies make possible." The study's goal was to show "that it is possible to start from an anonymous face in the street, and end up with very sensitive information about that person." The results were "made possible by the convergence of face recognition, social networks, data mining and cloud computing - that [is referred] to as augmented reality." (Credit: AP Photo/Gerry Broome) For example, once a photo is snapped on the street, facial recognition software can be run to identify a person online. Some data mining could possibly uncover the city and year the subject was born. A little knowledge of how social security numbers get assigned will enable identity thieves to narrow down the range of numbers to work with. "The seamless merging of online and offline data that face recognition and social media make possible raises the issue of what privacy will mean in an augmented reality world," Acquisti said. "Ultimately, all this access is going to force us to reconsider our notions of privacy," he continued. "It may also affect how we interact with each other. Through natural evolution, human beings have evolved mechanisms to assign and manage trust in face-to-face interactions. Will we rely on our instincts or on our devices, when mobile phones can predict personal and sensitive information about a person?" What makes Facebook's facial recognition system so scary? Apple has enabled the software on iPhoto for years, but the data is located on private hard drives (for the most part). Google has a version that identifies objects and locations called Goggles, but it doesn't include facial recognition (for now). Facebook by far comes the closest to enabling the future that researchers Acquisti, Gross and Stutzman depict. Consider that Facebook is already in the cloud, their privacy terms are ever-changing and, while you can opt out of automatic facial recognition, the fact is there are probably hundreds of photos already tagged to your name. 7 surprising ways facial recognition is used Read more at www.cbsnews.com

 

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Bizarre footage taken of a cloud formation that appears to be a Roman god-like figure head drifting across the sky

Amplify’d from www.metro.co.uk

'Roman god cloud' cruises past Canadian cameraman - video

Bizarre footage taken of a cloud formation in Canada has emerged showing what appears to be a Roman god-like figure head drifting across the sky.

Freaky formation: The 'Roman god cloud' drifts across the Canadian landscape (Pic: YouTube)

Posted on YouTube, the footage was filmed as a storm rolled across the picturesque region of Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

As the cameraman pans across his backyard the huge face (1min 45sec) can be seen forming a human-like side-profile with a nose, mouth, eyes and a beard all clearly discernible.

The distinctive features have sent the internet into a buzz and some users have even spotted other weird goings-on in the clip, including what appears to be a pig flying (3 secs in).

Questions will surely be asked as to whether this was just a spooky occurrence or an elaborate message beamed down from the gods.

For now though, lets just agree that it's nothing more than a natural wonder.

Watch: 'Roman god cloud' forms before storm in Canada

Related items Woman captures entire alphabet in cloud pictures YouTube vids: UFO clouds spark hopes of extra-terrestrial life 'Independence Day' UFO cloud hangs over Moscow Cloud-making machine is sudding marvellous Read more at www.metro.co.uk

 

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ONE Flag, ONE Language, ONE Nation Under God!

ELECTION

2012 IS COMING

A Nation

of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!

I'M 100% for PASSING THIS ON!!!

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Obama: Gone!

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Language: English only!

Culture: Constitution, and the

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GOD HAS 2 MOMMIES: Jesus, Mary and ... Josephine? It's lesbian Nativity at church

'A slap in the face to the Holy Family and Christians around the world'

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GOD HAS 2 MOMMIES

Jesus, Mary and ... Josephine? It's lesbian Nativity at church

'A slap in the face to the Holy Family and Christians around the world'

By Joe Kovacs © 2011 WND

The Bible's account of the night Jesus was born is noted for some well-known characters at the Bethlehem manger, including the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and some shepherds following the instructions of an angel.

A traditional living Nativity scene at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Stuart, Fla., in December 2010, features a man and woman portraying Joseph and Mary. (WND photo / Joe Kovacs)

The famous wise men were not present, as they showed up later when Jesus was a young child in a house.

And as far as the New Testament indicates, there weren't any lesbians there either.

Now a Christian church in America's heartland is helping redefine the story, as its most-recent living Nativity scene in December featured two women instead of a man and a women starring as Joseph and Mary.

"It's not very groundbreaking at all to use the youngest baby in the congregation to play the role of Jesus. The parents just happened to be two women," said Rev. Linda Butler, pastor of St. Timothy's United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. "They were playing the role of the Holy Family, not necessarily Mary and Joseph. We never referred to the moms as Mary and Joseph. We referred to them as the Holy Family."

Make no mistake about what the Bible really says about the birth of Jesus, as well as sexual matters and your incredible, underpublicized destiny in the No. 1 best-seller, "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" -- autographed!

Butler told WND the living Nativity was part of her church's intergenerational Christmas program featuring readings from the gospels mixed with music and live players to recount the event.

Rev. Linda Butler of St. Timothy's United Methodist Church

"And when the Holy Family arrived, it was two women with their baby," she said. "What we emphasized was that this was two parents, and this is our baby and this our story. They're two moms, but it doesn't stand out."

Butler added, "It does fit so well biblically," noting that Jesus had a human mother, but Joseph was not the Savior's actual father.

"If He was born of a virgin, then Joseph is not the father," Butler said. "He's not part of the conception."

St. Timothy's says its 400-member congregation welcomes all sexual orientations and gender identities, but the switch from opposite-sex to same-sex parents for Jesus is not thrilling some other Christians in the area.

"Having a lesbian couple represent Mary and Joseph is a slap in the face to the Holy Family and Christians around the world," said Dan Skogan, a Lutheran from Marion, Iowa, who has a website looking to expose problems in his own church.

"It is a very sad day when Christian denominations encourage GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) individuals, people whom God dearly loves, to live in and embrace a lifestyle that God calls them to leave," he added. "Personally, I am not surprised by this because many mainline denominations in the United States are continually undermining the truth and authority of the Bible with their own agenda."

St. Timothy's United Methodist has been a church unafraid of championing homosexual causes. Butler even made them a focus during her day-after-Christmas sermon last December.

"In the midst of this Christmas joy," she said from the pulpit, "when God appears to us in human form, the gospel reading reminds us ... we have to shout at church actions ... that do not affirm God's holy work among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We have to shout [that] the government shifts money away from the prevention of AIDS and HIV to abstinence-only policies.

"We have to increase our efforts to strengthen LGBT youth who come out, and are thrown out of their families so depression and suicide do not become their modus operandi. We have to advocate against local schools around the world, around our country that have attempts to eliminate books on multi-dimensional families from curricula and libraries."

St. Timothy's proudly displays a statement of inclusiveness, which says: "Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ face public and private rejection by their families and communities of Christians. Fellow Christians are judged by their peers and not always accepted and welcomed into faith communities because of their individuality."

The theme of homosexual support is pervasive on the church's website, noting the congregation will:

Incorporate into our programs and policies – to the degree allowed by United Methodist discipline – inclusive language and practices that affirm our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

Make clear to the community at large that we welcome all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, as loved and loving members of our congregation.

Educate ourselves about the lives and issues of gay and lesbian persons.

Support the same guaranteed civil protections for homosexuals as for heterosexuals.

Educate ourselves about our own gifts of loving sexuality.

Ironically, the national headquarters of the United Methodist Church says, ""The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."

While the church doesn't preclude homosexuals from joining, it says they cannot hold leadership positions, explaining, "self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church."

The idea of living homosexual Nativity scenes is fairly new, having been featured in Amsterdam in 2008 with a male transvestite who literally donned his "gay" apparel to play the role of Jesus' mother.

A homosexual living Nativity scene in 2008 in Amsterdam.

That event inspired Kittredge Cherry, who calls herself a lesbian Christian author and minister from Los Angeles, to pick up the mantle and create in December 2009 her own non-living "gay" Nativities she continues to promote on YouTube.

Kittredge Cherry

"What if the child of God was born to a lesbian couple or a gay couple? Because, after all, love makes a family," Cherry said. "I put Mary with Mary, and Joseph with Joseph – like putting two brides or two grooms on top of a wedding cake!"

She continued: "Obviously this is not about historical accuracy, but I believe that they are true to the spirit of the Christmas story in the Bible: God's child conceived in an extraordinary way and born into disreputable circumstances. Love makes a family – including the Holy Family. Everyone should be able to see themselves in the Christmas story, including the growing number of GLBT parents and their children."

In December 2008, Newsweek Magazine ran a cover story claiming the Bible supports same-sex marriage.

Newsweek's Dec. 15, 2008, issue

Newsweek author Lisa Miller wrote, "We cannot look at the Bible as a marriage manual, but we can read it for universal truths as we struggle toward a more just future."

The Bible, though, never mentions any case of same-sex marriage, but rather soundly condemns homosexuality in numerous places:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." (Leviticus 18:22, King James Version)

"Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin." (Leviticus 18:22, New Living Translation)

In fact, God in Scripture actually called for the death penalty for it.

"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13, KJV)

The Apostle Paul addressed the subject, calling homosexuality "shameful" desires:

"Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved." (Romans 1:26-27, NLT)

Miller belittled such verses as "throwaway lines in a peculiar text given over to codes for living in the ancient Jewish world."

As far as this coming Christmas is concerned, Rev. Butler in Cedar Falls is hopeful a boy who was recently born 12 weeks early will play the babe in the manger.

"He will be baptized at Thanksgiving," Butler said. "His parents just happen to be a man and a woman."

If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate in today's WND Poll. Read more at www.wnd.com

 

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