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Recently a friend insisted that I read a book by Steven M.Collins, titled The “Lost” Ten Tribes of Israel…Found! This book tries to convince people that the “Lost” tribes of Israel after being uprooted by the Assyrians, started colonies all over the world and then ultimately migrated to Britain and then to America. The book attempts to prove in 439 pages what has been known as British- or Anglo-Israelism. The book was originally written in 1992 and was revised in 1995 and is gaining influence in some “patriot” circles. Some people who hold this theory are racists, following from their fleshly or carnal understanding of the outworking of God’s covenant in history exclusively along racial lines. A major thesis of the book is that the Jews (Judah) and Israelites are two separate and distinct peoples and kingdoms who must never be confused. Mr. Collins says, “…the Jews ceased to be part of the kingdom named Israel” (23). The author goes on to say
that “the term ‘Israel’ does not apply to Jews from the time of the divided kingdom forward” (23). Is this true? This is not a comprehensive review of Collins’ book. There are numerous problems in this book, some of which are dealt with below.

What are Collins’ qualifications? The author has a B.S. in Public and Personnel Management. In my opinion, Collins has a serious lack of training in the area of Biblical languages and the various theological disciplines such as systematic theology. These faults may account for many of the errors in his book.

On page vii under acknowledgments Collins refers to Dr. Barry Fell, founder and president of the Epigraphic Society, and a Dr. Charles Dorothy, an assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Faith Lutheran Seminary in Tacoma, WA. Collins cites Dr. Fell 103 times in his book. The author makes it clear in his acknowledgments that Dr. Fell does not agree with the conclusions set forth in his book. This is a significant admission. I believe that Collins is overly dependent upon Dr. Fell. Dr. Fell sees a number of examples of Old World peoples having traveled to the New World and then engaging in various forms of commerce. The evidence cited from Dr. Fell by Collins does not speak directly to the issue at hand, namely, that America is the alleged descendant of the ten lost tribes. Even if Dr. Fell’s examples are historically accurate it does not establish what Collins argues for. It simply does not follow that if Dr. Fell is correct then Collins’ arguments are proven. This type of fallacy is known as a non-sequitur. There can be any number of explanations of these facts other than what Collins has argued for. The evidence Dr. Fell sees has not driven him to accept Collins’ arguments as true. The problem with such extensive citations from Dr. Fell’s work is that laymen are susceptible to the fallacy of thinking because A might be true then B necessarily follows.

Dr. Dorothy studied ancient languages at Fuller Theological Seminary. The author also informs the reader that the linguistic information and conclusions of the book are his own and not Dr. Dorothy’s. Dr. Dorothy simply checked to see if the transliterations were correct.

The most serious problem with the author’s approach is that he starts with a preconceived notion and then begins accepting and rejecting material as it suits his case. This is clearly seen when he refers to Scripture. The Scriptures do not appear to be at all primary in his research. He cites them as proof texts to confirm what he is trying to prove. Collins says, “This book will also examine the life of Jesus Christ in light of new perspectives on world politics during his lifetime” (introduction xi). Clearly, the author is using a flawed hermeneutic in his approach to Scripture. Today, many so-called prophecy experts use the newspaper to interpret the Bible. Collins’ approach is fundamentally the same. He alerts his readers to watch for his new book on prophecy. He announces that he will interpret “a cryptic prophecy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:37)…” (434). He will do this utilizing material found in books by Eric Von Daniken in Chariots of the Gods, and In Search of Ancient Gods.

Collins is not competent to handle the ancient languages that he refers to in the book. His attempted connection between the English word “British” and the two Hebrew words for covenant (BRT) and man (ISH) are completely unconvincing (392). Trying to get “Saxon” from Isaac is another incredible stretch (385). Dr. Leonard Coppes, who was involved with the Old Testament translation committee for the New King James Bible, had this to say during a Bible study, “there are very few Hebrew words that have come into English. Coincidence of sounds does not mean there is any type of substantive connection between the two languages. English and Hebrew are two completely different language families.”1 It is well known that English has been influenced extensively by Greek and Latin. If Collins’ theory is correct there should be literally thousands of examples of Hebrew words in our language. The idea that the alleged “Lost” tribes somehow completely forgot Hebrew and virtually all traces of Hebrew vanished from their language is linguistically nonsense. In addition, a huge Israelite empire in the New World would have left unmistakable evidence.

There are many top rated scholars who would not agree with the author’s belief that there have been discoveries of Semitic writing in America. One example cited by Collins is the Bat Creek stone from Tennessee in 1889 (291). The late Dr. William Fox Albright, from Johns Hopkins University, and Frank Cross, a professor of Semitic languages at Harvard University, are two scholars in particular who have disputed this alleged example of Semitic writing in America (Tanner 134). It is also interesting to note that the Mormons have invested heavily in the same type of theories. One of the theories of the Book Of Mormon is that the early inhabitants of America, the Indians, were in reality Jews from Jerusalem who spoke Hebrew. Mormons have made such fantastic claims over the years concerning the Book Of Mormon that the Smithsonian Institute has issued a press release in effect saying, “Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.”2 The scholarly world as a whole remains unconvinced at this point concerning theories such as those held by Collins and the Mormons. Someone may say that “the scholarly world is intentionally supressing the truth concerning Collins’ theories.” If so, this should be proven rather than asserted.

Collins says, “It has been clearly shown that the ‘Phoenician empire’ was, in fact, the Israelite empire” (96). In my opinion, this statement was not proven, and this theory is nothing more than wild speculation. It is ironic that the author who insists that the Jews and Israelites are two different peoples and kingdoms and should never be confused, promotes a theory that the Phoenicians and Israelite empires are one and the same. Collins’ theory that the Jews and Israelites are always to be viewed as separate peoples is nothing more than “special pleading” on his part.

The author also believes the Scythians were part of the lost tribes of Israel (200). Are the Scythians really some of the lost tribes of Israel? In the book Foes from the Northern Frontier Invading Hordes from the Russian Steppes by noted scholar Edwin M. Yamauchi, we learn that the Scythians drank the blood of the first enemy killed in battle. This is a violation of the Levitical law (Lev. 17:10-12). The Scythians drank from the skulls of their victims. They also pacticed human sacrifice (Yamauchi 111). If these were really Israelites, they had certainly degenerated far from the true Biblical religion.

Arguments from silence significantly discredit Collins’ book. Collins argues that there are eighteen years of the life of Christ not recorded in the Bible (280-316). In essence, the author is saying the Bible is incomplete in dealing with the life of Christ. Where the Bible is silent, Collins boldly presses on hoping to convince the reader of his theories which if accepted serve to create doubt in the Biblical record. He then proceeds to give the reader page after page, thirty-six in all, of his own speculation. The missing years theory is a glaring example of an argument from silence. According to the author, Jesus had to travel to the countries where the ten “lost” tribes had migrated (285). There is no Biblical evidence that Jesus did anything other than live with Joseph and Mary and remain in subjection to them (Luke 2:51). Did Jesus travel around the world visiting the various Israelite colonies? Did Jesus get his Roman citizenship as the author thinks (306)? Did he go to the moon, or Mars? Arguments based upon silence can lead anywhere.

The author believes that in order for Jesus to gain knowledge of a geographical location and the inhabitants, he needed to go there (299). This is bizarre, and makes me wonder if Collins is an Arian in his Christology. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God and possesses all the attributes of deity. One of these attributes is omniscience.

The author tries to latch upon anything to prove his theories. He leads the reader into thinking that the Quetzalcoatl legend is proof of Jesus in America (286). Quetzalcoatl was not Jesus in America. Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec god of the air. To try and connect Jesus with a pagan deity is blasphemous.

Collins’ understanding of Mark 6:1-6 is an example of a false interpretation of Scripture in an attempt to support the bizarre missing years theory (282). Remember Luke 2:51 regarding Jesus being subject to Joseph and Mary. Collins is forced to reject the plain meaning of the text, namely, that Jesus was a carpenter. This was supposedly a mistake on the part of the people of Nazareth. The author does not believe that the people of Nazareth recognized Jesus since he had supposedly been away for so long. Mark 6:4 makes it clear that the people did not believe that Jesus was sent from God. The basis of their sinful rejection was that they knew him. They said, “He is out of his mind” (Mark 3:21). Obviously, they knew him well enough to make this false judgement. How could he be a prophet? There was no doubt in their minds that he was a carpenter, the son of Joseph and Mary and nothing more. They even knew his brothers and sisters. This was Jesus’ hometown. There is no textual reason to disbelieve the Biblical facts concerning his brothers and sisters and his trade.

The author cites Matt. 3:13-16 as proof that Jesus was baptized by immersion (294). This illustrates how Collins reads into the text his preconceived notions of what the Bible is saying. The verse says that, “Then Jesus, when He had been baptized came up immediately from [apo] the water.” This allegedly proves Jesus was immersed. When Phillip baptized the Ethiopian they both “came up out of [ek] the water”(Acts 8:39). Were they both baptized? When Jesus came up from the water he could have been standing in knee deep water and then came up from the Jordan onto the riverbank. Coming up from or out of the water does not prove the mode of baptism.

The author makes use of more novel interpretations of the Bible. One passage is John 10:16 about the “other sheep” (292). This verse should be connected with passages such as Isaiah 42:6; 56:6-8; 60:3-11; 66:18-21. This passage in John has always been understood as the fulfillment of the passages in Isaiah. This is the salvation of the Gentiles. The author uses this verse as a proof text to promote his theory that Jesus came to early America during the alleged missing years. Mormons also appeal to this verse for proof of Jesus coming to America. This is clearly an aberrational interpretation of Scripture.

The passage, Matt. 10:5,6, dealing with the lost sheep of the house of Israel, is another example where Collins mis-interprets Scripture. The author believes that the ten tribes of Israel were in different foreign lands at this time. In Matt. 10:5,6, Jesus instructs his twelve disciples to go only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Collins believes that the disciples were to obey these instructions after Jesus died, and actually go to these different locations (314). Note that in verse five Jesus sent the twelve disciples out at this time, not after his crucifixion. It should also be noted that the parallel passage in Mark 6:7,12 says, “And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two… So they went out and preached….” Where did Jesus send the twelve disciples? To Britian? To America? They were to go to the cities of Israel (Matt. 10:23).

Does the author’s insistence that the Jews and Israel be considered different nations hold up? Consider Zacharias’ prophecy. “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people” (Luke 1:68). Speaking of John, Luke goes on to say, “So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel” (Luke 1:80). What did the “devout” man Simeon say concerning Jesus? “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people
Israel… this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel…” (Luke 2:32,34). Simeon said this in Jerusalem. In addition, Matt. 2:21 says Joseph and Mary traveled with Jesus somewhere. Where did Joseph and Mary bring Jesus? What land? The answer is the land of Israel. In contrast, John 18:35 makes clear that Jesus was delivered to Pilate by his “own nation,” the Jewish nation. The reader can see by now that Collins’ distinction between Israel and the Jewish nation is artificial and erroneous.

Ezekiel 37:15-28 prophesies the reunification of Israel and Judah. This passage completely refutes Collins’ Anglo-Israelite theory. The children of Israel and Judah will be brought back from among the heathen, where God had driven them. The culmination of the prophecy would be that, “David my servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgements, and observe My statutes, and do them… and My servant David shall be their prince for ever” (Ezekiel 37:24,25). The fulfillment of this prophecy is in Christ. David was a type of Christ. The prophecy says that God will bring back the scattered tribes from among the heathen. They shall be one nation, with one king. In 458 B.C., King Artaxerxes said, “I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel, and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you” (Ezra 7:13). In response to this decree the Scripture says, “Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes” (Ezra 7:7).
It is also recorded that, “the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners…” (Nehemiah 9:1,2). God’s faithful remnant returned with Ezra and Nehemiah to Jerusalem in a number of mass migrations back to Israel. The center of religious worship for the Old Testament people of God was the temple in Jerusalem. God’s people were obligated to bring offerings and sacrifice before the LORD in Jerusalem. Those who refused to return with Ezra and Nehemiah were unfaithful to the covenant

Did Israel return with Ezra and Nehemiah like the Scripture says or not? Was Ezekiel’s prophecy fulfilled? The two nations had become one according to the testimony of Scripture. Collins in essence argues that this prophecy was not fulfilled. Ezekiel 37:21,22 deals unequivocally with the reunification of the two nations. This prophecy was clearly fulfilled. Consequently, Collins’ “lost” tribe theory collapses. After the return of the captives under Ezra and Nehemiah we never hear again about the separate Northern and Southern kingdoms. If members of the alleged “Lost” tribes never returned to Palestine, what type of questions could be raised about their covenantal faithfulness? Collins does not say.

Consider the following examples of the usage of Jew and Israel in the New Testament. Here, Paul describes the Israelites as his brothers. And yet, Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus” (Acts 21:39). Paul also said, “…for I am also an Israelite…” (Rom. 11:3). Was Paul a Jew or Israelite? He was both. Paul was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin (Phil. 3:5). The tribe of Benjamin was part of the Southern kingdom with Judah (1 Kings 12:21). Furthermore, Jesus came through the tribe of Judah, which would make Him a Jew. And yet, the Scriptures say, “Who are Israelites… and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came…” (Rom. 9:4,5).

Collins believes people “who rediscover their Israelite ‘roots’ have every right to a sense of wholesome pride…” (376). Is this pride always wholesome? Can this pride ever result in racism, or racial superiority of one group over another? What about Black, Indian, Hispanic, or Asian Christians? It seems that they are left out of this “wholesome pride” theory. Collins himself believes that the alleged “Lost” tribes of Israel in the modern world must be located among the “White” or “Caucasian” nations (378). Some individuals who hold to Anglo-Israelism are racists. By his refusal to accept the fulfilled prophecy of Ezekiel, Collins has created an irreconcilable tension in his theology. This tension is exhibited by his repeated disclaimers, distancing himself from those who may jump to racist conclusions. He acknowledges that, “Jesus presented himself as an equal-opportunity Savior for all nations and ethnic groups” (376). He expressly repudiates racism and distances himself from those who promote racial superiority of the modern descendants of the alleged “Lost” tribes of Israel (375). However, he seems to be keenly aware that some individuals may jump to racist conclusions after accepting the thesis of his book.

The Christian Identity movement which is a subset of Anglo-Israelism clearly holds to racist views. This is because in the hands of carnal men a fleshly understanding of the covenant exclusively along racial lines can become a pretext for racial superiority, and is used as a justification for racism. Pride in race has gotten out of hand at times in history. Hitler’s Aryan race experiment is one example. When a society embraces theories that foster racial superiority, what happens to minorities during economic hard times? Some forms of Anglo-Israelism, most notably the adherents of Christian Identity, understand the outworking of the covenant to be along racial lines, and this accounts for their racism.

In closing, we should remember that the gospel properly understood breaks down
racial walls or barriers. In Eph. 2:12,13 we learn that the Gentiles are grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel. The Gentiles are now part of the church. They are also part of Israel. “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16). The Commonwealth of Israel in the New Covenant is the church made up of Jews and Gentiles. In Rom. 2:28,29 we learn that the regenerate person who has been circumcised in his heart is a Jew. The author’s refusal to accept the fact that God reunited the Northern and Southern kingdoms in fulfillment of prophecy is an attack upon redemptive historical progress, and is therefore, non-Biblical and false. Collins’ theory of Christ’s purported world-wide travels undermines the authority of Scripture by calling into question its completeness. In this reviewer’s opinion, the author’s view of history, argued for in this book, is nothing more than imaginary. There is an inherent tendency within Anglo-Israelism to glory in the flesh. The Scriptures teach that we should glory only in the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear, “There is no Jew nor Greek…. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:28,29).

Notes:

Steven M. Collins, The “Lost” Ten Tribes of Israel…Found!, (Boring, Oregon, CPA Books, Copyright 1992, First Revised Edition 1995).

1. Dr. Leonard Coppes, Bible Study, (Denver, CO November 22, 1997).

Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Answering Mormon Scholars Volume Two, (Salt Lake City, Utah Light House Ministry, 1996).

2. National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, (Washington, D.C., Press Statement, 1982). p. 1.

Edwin M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier Invading Hordes from the Russian Steppes, (Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1982).

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 25 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Mr. Kettler can be reached through his business site at: http://www.internationalhomebusinessonline.com. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information.

When the poor were the majority.

The poor in developed countries like the USA and UK are now a minority, though up to maybe the 1950’s or 1960’s they had been a majority.

While the poor were a majority their main problems were simply economic poverty and economic exploitation. Government bodies manned by the upper and middle classes understood this sufficiently to be able to handle the poor with some appropriateness, if not always entirely to the poor’s liking. The votes of the poor majority were basically sought with a policy mix of small economic titbits and nationalistic policies.

The poor becoming a minority.

In the USA by 1950, and the UK by 1960, growing economic prosperity saw the numbers of the poor begin to fall until soon they became a minority. This was helped by more enlightened government policy, and was good for the many that then escaped poverty. Unfortunately the remaining poor as a minority were to face seriously increased problems.

There were two main reasons why the modern minority poor in advanced countries faced increasing problems. The first was that the poor soon had more complex, though supposedly helpful, welfare systems applying to them and giving them new problems – and also as a minority they now also hit new minority social exclusion problems. The second main reason the modern poor in advanced countries faced increasing problems was that they became less seen and less understood by the governing upper and middle classes, so their governing became wildly inappropriate and plain wrong.

How affluent governments lost their poor.

When the poor in developed countries became a minority, democratic political parties began to see their votes as unnecessary, though the poor are a socially significant minority whose misgovernment can seriously undermine society.

Majority middle-class issues became prioritised, for example huge anti-tobacco-smoking resources being applied by government and employer bodies but much less on drunkenness, drug-taking or weapon-carrying – pushing many from cigarettes to these. Socially tobacco is a small undesirable but the available alternatives for the poor are really much worse. And some of the health problems of smoking may be due to inhaling cigarette lighter flints rather than inhaling tobacco.

All government, charity, employer and other bodies being now run by a middle-class having no real understanding of modern poor minority problems has led to many policies affecting the poor becoming totally inappropriate. And developed countries prioritising middle-class issues and worsening the position of their poor minority are in effect doing a Nero and ‘fiddling while Rome burns’, but their governments basically lost the poor.

Re-finding the poor.

In developed countries now, those producing policies are educated professionals with little or no experience of the poor today, and they may commonly have correct general theories but often be missing the correct practical detail needed for correct modern policy making for today’s minority poor. They urgently need to find and involve the tiny handful of street-wise professionals who somehow do happen to have substantial real experience of today’s poor themselves – but as yet they are totally unaware that this is needed.

Or if modern affluent middle-class government cannot find a way to better govern their poor and other minorities, then perhaps modern democratic government will demand less middle-class officials. Maybe a percentage of politicians should not be elected, but instead be randomly selected from elector lists ?

Vincent Wilmot currently lives in Grimsby UK and has several interesting websites including http://www.social-exclusion-housing.com

The preparation for this short Project revealed the growing concern on how a statistical survey may be or is being misused to support the vested interest of the funding agencies.

To find a political article a search was conducted online and the choice was made to select the article Poll suggest Saskatchewan NDP continues to lead that was published in the Canadian Internet Network on Monday, September 06, 1999. This is a pre-election article that discusses the leading position of the NDP party of the other parties sitting the support of the statistical survey.

Abuses of statistics can be done in many ways. It can be a bad sample, a small sample or the way the pictographs are drawn. It also can have misleading graphs or loaded questions that are worded in a way to elicit a desired response. There is an old saying that if you do not get a positive answer to your question, change the way you pose the question… Statistics can also be misused by the inclusion in a statement of a precise number. Indeed, our truth is composed of our understanding, but we must see events in their relationships. Yet there exist more ways of abusing the science of Statistics by deliberately distorting the results and by providing the partial picture not presenting the complete story.

The case in our chosen article is very similar to the last way of misuse of Statistics. Namely the article does not reveal any meaningful insights and the fact is that later the commending lead of the NDP party did not materialize at all at the election time. The article suggests that the survey is one-sided and therefore cannot reveal the truth of the reality. No matter the NDP later did not win the elections.

The conclusion is that the search for the truth, as stated in eMaxHealth.com is not a number or a fixed reality. People think that the statistical studies are a search to find the truth. The reality is that the agencies that fund these studies participate in manipulating the supposed resulting truth. What can be done to fix this? Perhaps the society has to reset its understanding of what the truth may be, or more specifically maybe there must be an independent verifying agency that would confirm the validity of the statistical findings…

Armen Hareyan is the Publisher of http://www.eMaxHealth.com providing daily news on topics of personal health, finance and health insurance.

Growing Cooperation in the World between Counties

I am increasingly unhappy with the bombing of any Country. The Governments of the world have to realise that all the Countries of the World are important and have their function in the whole development of the Planet.

Just as our body is made up of groups of individual cells, which form the organs of the body, so the planet is made up of a group of Countries that form the parts of the whole World.

No good can come to the whole, if the cells of the brain decide to bomb the cells of the heart. Each part of the body is needed to perform its own function. Likewise each country has to wake up to this realisation that it can evolve quicker if each of the other countries in the World cooperate and share.

It is only when the world starts to function as a whole and is working towards a common good that we will start to see real progress in the world.

Over the last few years the energy of Oneness has been growing in human consciousness. We are starting to realise that we are more than our physical bodies. Our consciousness extends out and affects all the things around us. It joins with our neighbour’s consciousness and forms the society in which we live.

We are all responsible for what happens in the world as we are all intimately connected on many levels. If you want to change your environment then you need to change your own thoughts and feelings.

Message channelled by George Lockett (C) Copyright 2005, All Rights Reserved. Read HealerGeorge’s Blog: Journey into the Self
Yes, I can send you absent/distant healing: this will really help. Just follow the instructions on the home page of my web site at: HealerGeorge Web Site and Distant Healing

As you make your donation you will get the opportunity to put in your personal details, so I can focus the healing directly to you.
Or ask at question at: Ask HealerGeorge

After the dance the piper must be paid. To help us calculate the cost of paying the piper we will borrow from the math of physics. In the laws of physics there resides an immutable principle whose exact formulations I do not know, but even a novice like me can know how it works. If you throw logs on a flame (cause), a roaring fire is what you get. (Effect) I know it probably seems too dumb, bothering to explain something so simple. But I for one believe it is the ability to see this that most people have as an ordinary function of the brain that liberals may have been born without. To most of us it is what we call common sense. It is what teenagers seem to lose for a while and what liberals seem to have lost forever, if they ever had it.

The things mentioned in the following list may not be occurring as a direct result of some liberal bill passed in the legislature. But in every case it is a concomitant to some liberal bill, attitude, concession or notion. Let’s do some cause and effect viewing.

Cause: Roe V. Wade the landmark ruling that brought in the abortion practices that exist today.

Effect: The slaughter of upwards of 450 million babies. Notice I didn’t use the word “fetus.” I won’t dignify abortions by hiding them behind a scientific word that is supposed to make it less than murder. My brother asked me a few years ago what I thought the most dangerous place in this country would be. I pondered his question for a while. I thought of cities like Detroit or New Orleans where the murder rate is high. I cannot remember exactly what answer I finally gave him, but I will never forget the answer he finally gave me. He said…the most dangerous place to be in this country right now is a mother’s womb.

Cause: Removal of prayers in the public school system.

Effect: It is now easier for a child to get guns, knives and drugs into a school; than a prayer. The metal detectors, police, sniffing dogs, arrests, expulsions and stiffer punishments may be suppressing this malady to some degree but the real question is, why for the first time in history do children want to bring these things to school. Let’s not let them look to a higher power on the school grounds but watch as they suffer the consequences of being left to lower powers and compunctions. Maybe we should send school kids to give testimony before congress to explain their feelings about these things. The 9/11 commission would not have any more to say about terror than any of our school children who after events like the Columbine Massacre could write the definition for terror. They undoubtedly would start their address to congress with a familiar expression of youth, heard everywhere in our country today. Although I have several degrees from institutions of higher learning I don’t think I could find a more eloquent expression than the one our kids would use…Duh!

Cause: The preoccupation with and the exploitation of sex in Hollywood, TV and the media in general.

Effect: A rise in sexually transmitted diseases now down to the primary school level.
Millions of un-planned pregnancies resulting in abortion or life shattering consequences that children should never have to face, are prevalent countrywide. The hypocrisy of the stars and celebrities is a mockery that no one ever seems to call them out for. Celebrities regularly spew out the language and behavior of free and open sex in movies, sitcoms, and magazines, then appear as great benefactors of youth or those diseased with STDs. They host specials, provide free concerts and write big checks to hospitals and research organizations for the treatment of such diseases. They give new definition to the term …double standard.

Cause: The liberalizing of the media under the guise of the first amendment.

Effect: This is only an article…it would take a book to speak of the effects this farcical notion has produced. In the past few weeks alone, announcements were made about a new channel already up and running in the cable TV industry that is completely devoted to the Gay or Lesbian lifestyle. A new program now in its first run produced by Showtime is called, “Weeds.” It depicts a mother played by actress Mary-Louise Parker, who recently is widowed and sells pot (marijuana, not stove utensils) to supplement her income. In one of the first offerings, Mom not only sells pot to a city councilman but also to a fifteen year old child. She is not arrested or called out by anyone for this, and the show goes on. Americans can now sit with a remote control and wade through from seventy five to two hundred choices provided by satellite or broadband cable companies. I have combed through these channels myself often enough to know that what isn’t geared to the mind of an eight year is pretty much headed toward the toilette. Is this the result of first amendment freedoms? If you really believe that then let me make you the offer I heard in an old country song. Come on out to see the fine ocean front property I’ve got for sale in Arizona.

Cause: A grieving mom who has decided that the sacrifice of her son in Iraq is greater than any other mom’s loss.

Effect: Now a new Jane Fonda type movement is rearing its head complete with seven mouths all speaking, slander, discontent, cowardice, and other morale busting sentiments. I thank God my mother knew when to take her hands off my life enough to let me make my own decisions, and to face the consequences of the same. Haven’t these mistaken moms and their sympathizers been informed that our servicemen are all volunteers? That means no one made them sign up and no one could keep them from doing so…not even mom!

Cause: The ordination of gays in one major protestant denomination, and the call for it in other churches.

Effect: The effect has been no less than devastating. Thousands of Christians are now roaming around to various churches looking for a new spiritual home. With broken hearts for the betrayal in some cases of a lifetime of loyalty, these believers are proof of the ability of liberal policy to touch virtually everyone regardless of race, color or creed. I can remember asking a few gays if they wanted to open their hearts to Christ, repent of their sins and receive him as their savior. But not once did I insist they make me a leader of one of their organizations, groups or clubs. How I wish they might extend the same courtesy to my fellow Christians in any denomination. I promise I would not even think about charging them with discrimination.

The mark for civil discourse, child safety, moral resolve and common decency has been lowered to the point that we may have to come in under the floor to make it through. Extreme, I think not and most Americans don’t either. Yet, whether we like it or not we are all paying the price for this new lower standard, a price like gasoline which is rising faster than we can afford.

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote “Hook Line and Sinker or what has Your Church Been Teaching You,” publisher, PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book published by Xulon Press entitled “An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ.” His book is now being heralded as the clearest book on the subject of the second coming of Christ since Hal Lindsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth” Rev Bresciani’s website is,

http://americanprophet.org

Live Aid was one of the most important events in my life. Millions of people came together from all over the planet to put an end to poverty in Africa. It was one of the most positive, life affirming actions ever created by people of my generation. It created hope. It opened my heart.

But now, twenty years on we realise it was slightly nave, with much of the money donated by genuine and well-meaning people ‘disappearing’ before it reached the people in need. Live 8 takes a very different track to raise awareness of poverty – but can we rely on governments behind the G8 to actually make that much difference?

How can we Make Poverty History when the forces causing economic devastation in our world are the same forces that provide our governments with their funding? As long as GDP (GNP in US) is deemed as the most valuable measure of our national ‘worth’ we are tied to money and its unfair systems – these will always cause poverty in places that don’t have resources to exploit and even some that do.

There is enough to go round on this earth – enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed as the saying goes. Does the political will exist to make changes where the system is fair for all? It doesn’t seem so. The global financial system and our method of deriving wealth by exploiting capital assets (the earth’s resources) will never be equitable. Consumer capitalism relies on poverty as a major motivator. In order to ‘have’ we need ‘have-nots’.

But already the pressure of Live 8 has caused a shift in the agenda of major governments – with both Blair and Bush keen to be doing something more than just wearing the band. But how much can they realistically give away to third world debt? It certainly won’t be enough to actually solve the root causes of economic disadvantage experienced in many corners of the world. It certainly won’t change the system that results in these economic disadvantages.

But this exciting event will be a paradigm shifter for many people who will look at the deeper causes of poverty, maybe for the first time. People will realise that there are important alternatives to economic globalisation, GDP slavery and ‘celebrity’ consumer capitalism. Even that many peoples we describe as economically poor may have happy and fulfilled lives.

People will see for themselves how to shift their energy away from earth exploiting activities into more wholesome and fairer ones. This is where the real power to change the situation lies, not just in donating our ill-gotten gains to the poor, or even in heckling governments to ‘do something about it’, but also in the choices we make every day as individuals.

Choices about how we earn and spend our money, our time, our energy, our resources. Choices about where we go, how we get there, what we look at, how we cope with change. Choices about how we invest in a sustainable future for our finite planet. At present we are using up the resources of this world at an alarming rate, leaving our ancestors-to-come with serious problems. At the moment our investment policies are based on stealing the future from our children.

By divesting ‘the GDP economy’ of our energy and putting it into non-exploitative practises we tackle the root causes of poverty. By increasing local self-reliance and enhancing ‘community’ there is much we can do to secure a future where we work for, rather than in competition with each other. Investing our energy in making self-reliant communities for the future may yet turn out to be a better bet than any amount of pension planning.

There are many alternatives to our present economic system. Different systems of shopping – where the people who do the actual work get rewarded, such as Fair Trade, local farmers’ markets, vegetable box schemes and local trade systems.

There are different ways of working, earning and saving that do not invest in earth exploitation – such as LETS (Local Economic Trading System), co-operatives, ethical banking, credit unions and other group activity.

There are different value systems that value the hand-made craft item over the industrial, the mended over the built-in obsolescence, the home-made or found over the purchased, the grown over the bought.

There are ways of thinking that generate creative new solutions to old problems, helping us all to do more with less. There are improvements in communications that help us all with making these changes.

We can reclaim our power from the forces that create poverty with the choices we make every day.
Respect to Sir Geldof and all who are focusing on the problems of poverty. Bringing pressure to bear on the G8 for a fairer world is a grand move – but there is only so much that governments can and will do.

Read other articles on poverty and new economics at http://Simon-Mitchell.com

Thirty positive actions for a sustainable Earth:
There are many ways we can use our human energy to lighten the load on natural resources and tread lightly on our home planet. Check how many of these you do already:
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=49

Eyes down for the prize fight:
Present philosophy verses eco-philosophy. Henryk Skolimoski provides a startling model of two opposed value systems. This spider diagram reveals a mind map by a genius who was Philosopher in Residence at Dartington Hall.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=42

Economics verses Earth:
The laws of human economics are in conflict with the laws of the Earth. Where do you draw the line ? Guest article by Donella Meadows, author of Pulitzer Prize-nominated weekly column, ‘The Global Citizen’.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=41

The Cruel Lords of Nature:
Around 10,000 years ago, after Earth had emerged from 90,000 years of the last ice age, when mammoths roamed and northern humans shivered in caves, the people who lived in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, in modern day Iraq, invented agriculture. Guest article from author and broadcaster GuyDauncey.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=40

The End of Education?
Prince Charles is right on the ball concerning his comments on education. The development of human potential is a crucial issue on 21st century Earth.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=30

Get creativity?
Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Globally at the moment there are many problems facing mankind. Diminishing natural resources and increasing populations mean that we are in a spiral of entropy.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16

Paradigms of modern disease:
A paradigm is a sort of cultural, consensual pattern of thought or model of something. Paradigms change, like the impact of Galileo’s work on disproving the flat-earth theory or Copernicus’ heresy that the Earth moves round the Sun. These new ideas met a great deal of resistance from orthodox philosophy but eventually gave rise to a changed perception of the world we live in – a paradigm shift.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10

About the Author

Find Simon Mitchell is a member of the StarFields Network. Find us at:
http://simon-mitchell.com

This week has once again proved that you can’t trust a liberal. A few Senate Democrats from Massachusetts are threatening to take the ball and go home. The only problem is that they don’t have a ball or a majority. Senators Kennedy and Kerry have obviously been on the phone with their true constituents, George Soros and his band of wackos. After Judge Samuel Alito faced them down and made fools of them in the hearings, these obstructionists are trying to filibuster his vote on the Senate floor. Granted no one expected these clowns to vote for the Judge, but just a few days ago liberals were opposed to a filibuster. Then comes the flopping, enter Dianne Feinstein of California, whom said a week ago that she was not for a filibuster. Now enter Hillary, who will now vote against cloture allowing for a filibuster.

What may be the most shocking thought of the day is that West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd will vote yes on the nomination. Two fellow Democrats have also vowed their support. In a perfect world that would get it done, and get the confirmation over with. But this isn’t a perfect world and I don’t trust liberals, especially the ones dressed as Republicans. At the end of the day this man will be the 110th Justice of the Supreme Court and these liberals will claim a non-existent victory.

But what is really happening here? A few different dynamics are at play. A recent poll showed that a majority of persons would not vote for Hillary Clinton for President. This gives Kerry the opportunity to get his foot back in the door for 2008. Undoubtedly, a reason for the sudden liberal shift. He now has to swing from far left to farther left to court the fascist vote. Now that we know what Kerry’s real motivation, what is Ted’s. The answer is quite simple. Who knows what this old fool is thinking. If it defies reasonable and logical thought it usually resides in Kennedy’s head. As he is a non player we will not waste anymore time on him. Then we have Feinstein, who is a slave to the ACLU and Moveon.org, and is likely getting pressure from the bankrollers of the Democratic party. And where does Hillary fit in to all of this? Her poor showing in polls has rattled her. As common sense would tell us maybe she would be better off coming up with real issues to confront. Instead she has ratcheted up the shrill rhetoric against anything Bush or conservative. People are not impressed or listening. She is losing her shot, but instead of trying to appeal to more normal people. She runs back to the people who love her. That is whom she works for, follow the money and you’ll see the real reasons for these acts of sedition.

© copyright 2006 glwhite op/eds

Gavin White is the Editor and Chief writer of Gavin White Op/Eds. He uses his vast political knowledge to bring a “Common Sense” approach to conservative thought. White also enjoys studying history and creating panic in the hearts of Liberals.

I’m sickened by the protests around this country of people who want criminals to be given legal status in America.
Make no mistake about it, anyone in this country who did not go through legal immigration channels is a criminal and should face the consequences of their actions.

Why are illegal immigrants better than law abiding people. Why should
illegal immigrants be given preferential treatment?
They shouldn’t. Millions of people around the world are pursuing their immigration status in America through legal means.

Some people have been waiting many years (In some cases over 5 years) to find out if they can immigrate to this great land.
Many people who are legally trying to immigrate to America face similar economic hardships than illegal immigrants.

What do we tell those people? How do we explain that we’re thinking of exonerating the crimes of illegal immigrants and allowing them to stay in America?
You can’t explain it to them because it’s unfair.

The protests around America are sending the wrong message to law abiding people around the world.

Doesn’t America have the right to set it’s own immigration policy? Of course it does and it should. No one else is going to protect America.

Why are the Democrats supporting legislation that would forgive illegal immigrants? The easy answer is votes. The more complex answer has to do with the policies of Democrats. Democrats hide behind diversity and minority rights. What they’re really supporting is criminal activity.

This is similar for the Democrats support of the ACLU who defends groups like NAMBLA (North American Boy Love Association) which advocates for men to have love relationships with young boys.

I don’t think we should take Democrats seriously. They are an immoral party that is now supporting the criminal activity of illegal immigration into this country.

I do have a solution to the problem. It was a solution that a good friend proposed to me and one that I agree with. My friend is actually a Democrat. His proposal is to make North America a truly free zone like Europe.
In Europe, citizens of member countries are free to work in any member country.

We should make America, Canada and Mexico a free zone where citizens of these countries can freely work in any one of these three countries.

In the meantime law enforcement should use all means possible to prevent illegal immigration into this free land. We must not tolerate this illegal activity any longer.

Anthony B. is the founder and owner of ItsTheRightWay.com a news, political and sports commentary website.

Anthony has over 7 years of experience as a business professional

You can’t judge a book by its cover. Can’t you — in the same way — judge an experience you have not lived through ?

In Holland, a country I resided until two years ago, there are many satellite dishes. Most of them are owned by foreigners (wrongly labeling this group, but I’ll repeat doing this consistently later on in this article). The dishes are visible in many suburbs and scandalize people, expressing the non-integration issue.

By means of a satellite dish you are able to receive television from your own country. In your own language. Everybody is free to use them.

But, is the main problem language, or (mis-) understanding itself? Do people who do speak the same language always understand themselves?

In Holland, “we” have helped foreign immigrants by translating administration (admission) papers into several (foreign) languages. So they were easy to read.

That is not done in Spain. No help, no translation; if you can’t read Spanish you’ve got a problem to solve by yourself (although free language programs are open for immigrants).

And the new experience?
That is – now that I live in Spain, I’m observing again the foreigners who own the majority of the satellite dishes. But this time, I’m part of this group of foreigners.

This experience sheds some new light on integration and immigration issues. Language is indeed the main topic. But while speaking different languages, that doesn’t mean that living together is not possible. We are here for some reasons. In the little town nearby there are residents from 118 different nationalities.

Like in Holland, immigration happens for some reason.
The satellite dish represents the symbol of misunderstanding. But that has little to do with language itself. I think.

© 2006 Hans Bool

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days.
You can apply for a free demo account

Michael Moore asserts the following in his political film Fahrenheit 9/11:

Con #1. Bush favors the Bin Laden family over American interests. Regarding the Bin Laden family leaving the country, we as Americans don’t punish people for crimes they didn’t commit. Releasing them was the civil answer. Imagine if your cousin blew up a building, would you want to go to jail for it? And what do you think the terrorists would have done to our families? Getting them out of the country stemmed a potential lynching, which would have made America look as bad as our enemies. It was the right thing to do.

Con #2. Halliburton and other war corporations are self-serving enemies of America, conspiring with the President for profit and privileges. These are public companies he is attacking. They are owned by millions of stockholders. America owns them.

Moore criticized executive appointments in Iraq and Afghanistan by “exposing” their prior relationships to the President, implying conspiracy. There is no immorality due to those appointed being associates of the President, any more than showing preference in choosing his cabinet. Experienced leaders choose people they like–they don’t have to field resumes.

Con #3. Our poor are preyed upon by U. S. military recruiters. That the poor and the middle classes do the majority of the fighting is not a conspiracy of the Bush presidency, but a historical fact of all armies in all nations. Upper class parents hand down a disciplined living structure to their children, while the middle and lower class parents provide limited to no living structure, which is reflected in their economic status. Their children need and should seek the kind of discipline that the military provides, and if they’re smart, they carry that rational order into their private lives. Upper class youth already have a plan at that stage, lead self-directed lives much earlier, and therefore avoid the risk of being called into action. Moore’s footage defeated his own argument in that the kids at the upscale malls were approached directly and weren’t interested; their “influential” parents obviously weren’t intervening. (It’s a voluntary army, Michael).

Con #4. A negative soldier’s viewpoint reveals the immorality of the war. A wounded soldier has good cause to question why he was there in the first place and to believe that war is devastatingly senseless, which is true for the aggressor. But American civilization cannot tolerate the random acts of violence, which are commonplace in Islamic Fundamentalist regions, to happen here. If necessary, we have to rout them out at the source. Twenty year-olds won’t have the experience to judge the policy of a nation, but should be able to comprehend right and wrong at a more basic level. We must honor those who fight for us; we must shelter our fallen, but given the blatant horrors of the enemy versus American life, he should know he’s on the right side.

Con #5. The Iraq Dictatorship had nothing to do with the war on terrorism. If they’re not terrorists, boy do they act like them. Car bombs, abductions, beheadings, anarchy and dictatorship preferred to democracy, suicide missions which murder their own people and offer no peaceful alternative; no, there’s no likeness there(!). (If you question our military strategy and the countries we’ve chosen, look at a map).

Look at the nature of our enemy. Most Americans are civil and constructive–including our troops, while the average insurgent is aggressive and foolish as an individual. If you pulled any insurgent aside for an interview you’d see he is a poorly educated, fear-driven control-freak charged with incoherent dogmatic conclusions he never would have come to on his own. They’re all psychologically trapped in the “submission/domination axis” (as Moral Armor calls it), which amounts to little more than roving criminality, veiled as an endless fight for Allah–which is only a substitution for their tantrum against ever being questioned. Their delusional dedication to an all-powerful force against the outsiders who threaten Him ignores a crucial contradiction: If God is all-powerful then He is in no danger, and doesn’t need their help.

Con #6. American forces are running amok, targeting innocent civilians. In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says to attack the heart of your enemy. Who has Moore attacked? Whose heart is he after? Did he show you the crippled and burned Americans still struggling to survive after September 11th? No, he showed you Iraqi casualties. All sides have casualties in war, and a movie maker will favor those of like ideology. Whose side are you on Michael? How many heads have we cut off? Such barbarism only strengthens our resolve to win.

Near the end, Moore meekly agrees that “America is a great country.” Still, you can’t help but get a strong anti-American feeling from the film. It’s him telling the rest of us that our world is a sham, our freedom is a lie, and that this dilemma is our own fault. Of course, he fails to mention that we wiped out two dictatorships with a wartime loss amounting to only one-third the casualties they caused us in New York, and we are now paving the way for their most productive citizens to thrive in a civil world community. The aggregate result will be a release of the pent up energy of the people–an Iraqi industrial revolution and a world benefit–new pipelines, skyscrapers and personal freedoms.

It’s irresponsible to watch such a movie and draw conclusions based solely on its contents. It is not honest to isolate three aspects of an issue when there are six to consider. Shame on you, Mr. Moore!
Summation and Solution. The Koran states that anyone who is not Muslim is the enemy, to be chopped, hacked and slaughtered, plain and simple. There is no room for misinterpretation, and no constructive reasoning with such insanity. Allegiance to life must come before religious or political ideas, and such ideas must be based on the furtherance of the biological life of a man; otherwise, they are wrong.

To the oppressed citizens of the world I say, as a free country, America offers a simple institutional structure–no dogmatic requirements; we’re all free to believe what we want–but if you limit or harm others, you’re freedom will be taken in turn. The old days are gone–the monarchies, the dictatorships, the communal nightmares–with room only for civility between men into the future. All must respect the human institutions whose fundamental guideline is the preservation of individual life, by outlawing the initiation of force against others. So conform, and live.

It is the obligation of philosophy to provide a constructive course of action in the individual, social, artistic and institutional realms–the full range of human action. Moral Armor does just that, providing the first fully-integrated non-sectarian moral code, and it is based on the nature of Man. No other style of moral code has even a chance to win over there.

The campaign in Iraq was not a new development. Iraq has been a thorn in the world’s side ever since the Gulf War when Hussein should have been deposed, and it’s too late to turn back now. Terrorist dogma thrives on fresh martyrs; we need a strong leader who will see this through, and our President will. Unfortunately, when one side won’t listen to reason, you have to fight, so let’s get it over with.

(In the time it took to read this, President Bush had reacted to 9/11).

Ronald E. Springer is the Author/Philosopher of Moral Armor, the world’s first fully-integrated moral philosophy based on the nature of Man. Featured on The Mitch Albom Show, NBC and FOX News radio affiliates, Mr. Springer is available for interviews, speaking engagements, philosophy workshops and seminars. Please contact RonaldESpringer@MoralArmor.com or visit http://www.MoralArmor.com for details. For a free three-part mini-course on morality-based happiness, send a blank email to: moralarmor@getresponse.com.