By the Right Rev. Council Nedd, II
The rising price of gas, food, and other goods and services has left Pennsylvanians feeling the pinch of a much tighter budget—especially the elderly and lower-income families. So it’s very puzzling why Governor Ed Rendell decided to leave over a half million households facing shutoff of their electricity or natural gas service, with no available aid from the state until November.
Pennsylvania’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) stopped giving assistance earlier this year, despite the fact that there is more than $9 million in the fund.
Although the program has seen the highest number of families seeking assistance in 16 years, Gov. Rendell decided to remain steadfast in his closure date of March 21. This was done despite the fact that 48 states across the nation keep their programs open much longer, and many continue to run the program until all funds have been completely exhausted.
By law, utility companies are prevented from terminating utility service to most customers between December and April. When the end of April arrives, companies are then within their rights to discontinue service to customers that are behind on their bills—regardless of circumstances.
According to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), households in arrears to utility companies have reached record levels. In Pennsylvania alone, the number of households owing past due balances to utility companies has reached 650,477—an increase of over 30 percent from last year. With an estimated 7.2 percent increase over last year in winter gas heating costs, and a whopping 35.6 percent increase in oil costs to $1,990, it’s no wonder that consumers are scrambling to pay utility bills. It also points to why the number of Pennsylvanians now faced with utility shut-offs is greater than ever before.
Families that could have benefitted from the $9 million Gov. Rendell has placed off-limits (although it was clearly allotted by the federal government for their use) are now facing utility turn-offs after they were forced in winter to “heat or eat.” In the coming summer months, they now must choose between “cooking” themselves and cooking food for their families.
Who will be most affected by Rendell’s refusal to release the LIHEAP money this summer? Undoubtedly children (an estimated 125,000 statewide, with 75,000 in the Philadelphia area alone), senior citizens, chronic invalids, overweight people and people on certain medications. These people are at dangerous risk for heat-related reactions, including severe heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. The danger for these conditions increases during heat waves in areas with a moderate climate, SUCH AS PENNSYLVANIA.
Community and clergy leaders in Philadelphia have criticized Gov. Rendell’s decision to withhold the money. While Gov. Rendell claims placing the money into a fund for next year is in order to assure funds are available for the coming winter, advocates for the poor disagree.
Alan Butkovitz, Philadelphia City Controller and Gas Commission member, asserts Gov. Rendell’s explanation is insufficient for the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania households that continue to struggle to pay their utility bills, as government help is so close, yet out of reach.
“By having a surplus, you actually make an argument at the federal level that we don’t need all the money that we’re appropriated,” Butkovitz explained.
All Pennsylvanians must call and write their state Senators and Representatives, asking them to call upon Gov. Rendell to release this money which the people of Pennsylvania desperately need. The federal government has already allocated these LIHEAP funds to us, it is rightfully ours. Don’t set us up for federal cutbacks by sitting on a $9 million dollar goose-egg. Don’t send the message that the money we received last winter was sufficient, when far too many Pennsylvanians continue to struggle with their energy bills.
###
Monday, 30 June 2008
Friday, 13 June 2008
Marry Your Baby Daddy Day
Yesterday was Marry Your Baby Daddy Day here in Harrisburg, PA – Res Ipsa Loquitur.
Council Nedd II
Council Nedd II
Saturday, 7 June 2008
One Sentence
I guess it is easy for some to abandon ship, and it is difficult for others to stay on board and similarly it is completely disingenuous and Sly for someone in the most Randy way, like, for example, a former charismatic (small “c” and big “C”) archbishop, to continually pontificate in on-line catholic publications about all the poor wayward Anglicans lost, searching in vain, for the via media, when he was until less than a year ago first mate and heir-presumptive of a very similar vessel, and might I note, by far the biggest ship in the fleet, and, by the way, hoping to pull off a mutiny of his own, when he looked over his shoulder and found out that all the senior officers, those whom he once called his “band of brothers”, and who actually had made the ship operate and inspired the crewmen, and he was hoping to lead one day (most assuredly sooner rather than later), had abandoned the faltering and rudderless ship to Capt. Queeg (played by someone who also happens to be called Randy), and was ostensibly left alone on the bridge arm-in-arm with Queeg and then (ig)nobly decided that he too must leave on principal, long after all who had admired him, and had been crying for him to relieve the Captain, decided better to take their chances in the epic watery deep (the scary one from the Old Testament), than go where this Sly individual and Queeg were headed in this ship they, and so many others, all travailed and labored together to build, but unbeknownst to everyone his Teflon life vest floats, albeit just long enough to hop into a boat of a man called Peter.
The sentence you just read was fiction and any similarity to actual people (past or present) or events (past or present) is purely coincidental.
By the way I stumbled across these two interesting articles.
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=28139
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=28162
The sentence you just read was fiction and any similarity to actual people (past or present) or events (past or present) is purely coincidental.
By the way I stumbled across these two interesting articles.
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=28139
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=28162
Friday, 6 June 2008
Global strategy and plan of action on public health...
I still need to finish my final report on what happened in Genvea at the meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA) specifically as it relates to the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG).
However, the WHA's final report is available on-line. Following is the web address:
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/A61/A61_R21-en.pdf
I hope to have my report completed by Monday.
However, the WHA's final report is available on-line. Following is the web address:
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/A61/A61_R21-en.pdf
I hope to have my report completed by Monday.
The Mengistu Mariam Verdict
EDITORIAL by AllAfrica.com
5 June 2008
Posted to the web 6 June 2008
Lagos
In a morbid irony of fate, Mengistu Haile Mariam, former Ethiopian dictator, has, at last, been sentenced to death by the country's Supreme Court for genocide and other crimes.
That landmark judgment should serve as warning to despots worldwide, particularly those in Africa where many people who assume the leadership of their countries often display a poor grasp of the transience and essence of power.
Mengistu Mariam indeed went down as one of Africa's worst rulers, first as a prominent member of the Dergue, the military junta that ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, then after shooting his way to power in 1977 and finally between 1987 and 1991 as the President of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The famine and economic collapse of Ethiopia which had become sources of concern globally under the late Emperor Haile Selassie were worsened by the coercive, Marxist policies of Mariam and his gang. The failure of those strategies was demonstrated by the country's total reliance on foreign relief materials and foodstuff between 1984 and 1989.
In the northern part of the country, the armed conflict between the government and rebel movements mixed with drought to produce unprecedented starvation while drought alone galvanized the misery and widespread mortality of the other regions. By 1985, 7.7 million people were victims of food shortages. Of that figure, 2.5 million were at the immediate risk of dying. But instead of pursuing programmes that would alleviate the deadly impact of the natural disasters, Mengistu's government committed gross human rights violations which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
The deadliest manifestations of Mengistu's depravity occurred between 1977 and 1978 during the "Red Terror", a campaign that eliminated thousands of those dubbed by his regime as "imperialists" and "counter-revolutionaries." The large documentary evidence of the murders carried out in that era eventually helped to convict Mengistu and some of his aides of crimes against humanity. It is sad that the social and economic changes he initiated, substituting an ancient feudal system with a socialist one-party state and forcefully resettling large populations , were all geared towards actualizing his megalomania rather than the general good of Ethiopians.
It is also instructive that on his overthrow in 1991 by the joint Eritrean and Tigrayan forces, he ran into the embrace of his friend, Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, whose grip is currently threatening the survival of his own country. Despite the capital pronouncement on Mengistu, Mugabe has refused to extradite the ex-Ethiopian strongman to pay for his iniquities, insisting that "Comrade Mengistu still remains a special guest."
But Mugabe and his fellow travelers on the path of life presidency and official brutality should recognize the place of nemesis in the affairs of mankind. Yesterday, Mengistu was the hunter of his people. Today, he is at the receiving end. By attempting to evade the course of justice, he has become a vagabond. But the former Ethiopian leader should know that truth will ultimately prevail. It's only a matter of time.
The major lesson from Mengistu's dilemma is the need for leaders to be conscious of the verdict of history. Power, after all, is ephemeral. The most rational way to handle it, therefore, is to pursue the betterment of life for the governed. And not to use it as a tool for despondency, destruction and death.
5 June 2008
Posted to the web 6 June 2008
Lagos
In a morbid irony of fate, Mengistu Haile Mariam, former Ethiopian dictator, has, at last, been sentenced to death by the country's Supreme Court for genocide and other crimes.
That landmark judgment should serve as warning to despots worldwide, particularly those in Africa where many people who assume the leadership of their countries often display a poor grasp of the transience and essence of power.
Mengistu Mariam indeed went down as one of Africa's worst rulers, first as a prominent member of the Dergue, the military junta that ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, then after shooting his way to power in 1977 and finally between 1987 and 1991 as the President of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The famine and economic collapse of Ethiopia which had become sources of concern globally under the late Emperor Haile Selassie were worsened by the coercive, Marxist policies of Mariam and his gang. The failure of those strategies was demonstrated by the country's total reliance on foreign relief materials and foodstuff between 1984 and 1989.
In the northern part of the country, the armed conflict between the government and rebel movements mixed with drought to produce unprecedented starvation while drought alone galvanized the misery and widespread mortality of the other regions. By 1985, 7.7 million people were victims of food shortages. Of that figure, 2.5 million were at the immediate risk of dying. But instead of pursuing programmes that would alleviate the deadly impact of the natural disasters, Mengistu's government committed gross human rights violations which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
The deadliest manifestations of Mengistu's depravity occurred between 1977 and 1978 during the "Red Terror", a campaign that eliminated thousands of those dubbed by his regime as "imperialists" and "counter-revolutionaries." The large documentary evidence of the murders carried out in that era eventually helped to convict Mengistu and some of his aides of crimes against humanity. It is sad that the social and economic changes he initiated, substituting an ancient feudal system with a socialist one-party state and forcefully resettling large populations , were all geared towards actualizing his megalomania rather than the general good of Ethiopians.
It is also instructive that on his overthrow in 1991 by the joint Eritrean and Tigrayan forces, he ran into the embrace of his friend, Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, whose grip is currently threatening the survival of his own country. Despite the capital pronouncement on Mengistu, Mugabe has refused to extradite the ex-Ethiopian strongman to pay for his iniquities, insisting that "Comrade Mengistu still remains a special guest."
But Mugabe and his fellow travelers on the path of life presidency and official brutality should recognize the place of nemesis in the affairs of mankind. Yesterday, Mengistu was the hunter of his people. Today, he is at the receiving end. By attempting to evade the course of justice, he has become a vagabond. But the former Ethiopian leader should know that truth will ultimately prevail. It's only a matter of time.
The major lesson from Mengistu's dilemma is the need for leaders to be conscious of the verdict of history. Power, after all, is ephemeral. The most rational way to handle it, therefore, is to pursue the betterment of life for the governed. And not to use it as a tool for despondency, destruction and death.
Church-State Group Threatens S.C. Christian License Plate
By Michael Gryboski
CNSNews.com Correspondent
June 02, 2008
(CNSNews.com) - Americans United for the Separation of Church and State is threatening a possible legal challenge if South Carolina's governor signs into law a measure that will add a Christian license plate to the state's lengthy list of specialty tags.
The plate includes the words "I Believe" and shows a cross superimposed over a picture of a stained-glass window. It won overwhelming approval from the South Carolina Legislature last week.
In an interview with Cybercast News Service, the strict-separationist group said the plate gives Christians special treatment over other religious sects.
"The Legislature is clearly favoring Christianity over other faiths, and that violates the separation of church and state and basic fairness," said Americans United spokesman Joe Conn. "Under our Constitution, government must never favor one religion over others."
South Carolina already offers over 100 specialty tags for automobiles, including one that says "In God We Trust" and the pro-life license plate, "Choose Life S.C." Four years ago, a different pro-life specialty tag was struck down as unconstitutional by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Conn predicts the same fate for the new Christian plate, should South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford sign the bill into law.
"I hope the governor vetoes the bill," Conn said. "If he doesn't, I think there is a reasonable chance that a lawsuit will be filed challenging the new plate."
Though sponsored by a Republican senator in a GOP-dominated legislature, the bill enjoyed widespread support among Democrats, especially in the House, where it passed unanimously.
"In my opinion, it's not the state promoting religion. It's allowing the expression of your religion," said state Rep. Lester Branham (D-Lake City).
Supporters like Branham say nothing in the bill prohibits other religions from seeking their own plates, though Americans United remains skeptical.
"South Carolinians can already put a fish sticker on our vehicle bumpers if they want to; they don't need the Legislature issuing a special license plate," said Conn.
The measure awaits the governor's signature -- or veto.
"The bill has reached Gov. Sanford's desk and we are reviewing it," Joel Sawyer, Sanford's press secretary, told Cybercast News Service .
"We have no problem with the content of the tag, but [we] are studying the bill to see if it conforms with the current state process of making tags available to those nonprofit groups who request them."
CNSNews.com Correspondent
June 02, 2008
(CNSNews.com) - Americans United for the Separation of Church and State is threatening a possible legal challenge if South Carolina's governor signs into law a measure that will add a Christian license plate to the state's lengthy list of specialty tags.
The plate includes the words "I Believe" and shows a cross superimposed over a picture of a stained-glass window. It won overwhelming approval from the South Carolina Legislature last week.
In an interview with Cybercast News Service, the strict-separationist group said the plate gives Christians special treatment over other religious sects.
"The Legislature is clearly favoring Christianity over other faiths, and that violates the separation of church and state and basic fairness," said Americans United spokesman Joe Conn. "Under our Constitution, government must never favor one religion over others."
South Carolina already offers over 100 specialty tags for automobiles, including one that says "In God We Trust" and the pro-life license plate, "Choose Life S.C." Four years ago, a different pro-life specialty tag was struck down as unconstitutional by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Conn predicts the same fate for the new Christian plate, should South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford sign the bill into law.
"I hope the governor vetoes the bill," Conn said. "If he doesn't, I think there is a reasonable chance that a lawsuit will be filed challenging the new plate."
Though sponsored by a Republican senator in a GOP-dominated legislature, the bill enjoyed widespread support among Democrats, especially in the House, where it passed unanimously.
"In my opinion, it's not the state promoting religion. It's allowing the expression of your religion," said state Rep. Lester Branham (D-Lake City).
Supporters like Branham say nothing in the bill prohibits other religions from seeking their own plates, though Americans United remains skeptical.
"South Carolinians can already put a fish sticker on our vehicle bumpers if they want to; they don't need the Legislature issuing a special license plate," said Conn.
The measure awaits the governor's signature -- or veto.
"The bill has reached Gov. Sanford's desk and we are reviewing it," Joel Sawyer, Sanford's press secretary, told Cybercast News Service .
"We have no problem with the content of the tag, but [we] are studying the bill to see if it conforms with the current state process of making tags available to those nonprofit groups who request them."
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Opinion: Anglicans and the Via Media
By Randy Sly
6/5/2008
Catholic Online
Anglicans have traditionally been called the “Via Media” or “the middle road” between Catholicism and Protestantism. What does that even mean any longer?
WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) – “Why did the Anglican cross the road?” He never did, he stopped in the middle.
Anglicans have traditionally been called the “Via Media” or “the middle road” between Catholicism and Protestantism.
Depending on which way a certain Anglican group may lean, they could be described as Catholic Lite or Protestants with Prayer Books. Until the mid-20th Century, however, most of them stayed in the middle of the road together.
I remember some of my early lessons as a teenager in the Episcopal Church where we were talk that we were taking the best from both worlds and expressing a faith that stands between the Catholic Church and the Reformers, embracing both and borrowing from each.
In recent years, this Via Media declaration has taken on a new luster, where the middle of the road could now be considered the point between theological liberalism vs conservatism or even orthodox Christianity vs heresy.
One recent blog published an entry called “Alphabet Soup, Anglican Edition.” The list included the initials for individuals, groups, ministries, and denominations connected in some way (though not necessarily official) with the Anglican Communion. The number is astounding, especially when you count up the separate denominations that are included.
In the early days of the Anglican movement one was Anglican when they were in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and there could be no more than one entity in any given nation or territory that bore that relationship. The only exception was in the Philippines, where Canterbury recognized both the Episcopal Church of the Philippines and the Philippine Independent Church.
Anglicanism was a cohesive, albeit diverse group. They were help together significant by their Book of Common Prayer, whose various editions traced their roots back to Thomas Cranmer of the Sixteenth Century. Their prayer book also contained “The 39 Articles,” which listed the areas where Anglicanism different from their Protestant and Catholic brothers and sisters.
An amazing thing happened, however, during the late 1970’s in America. With the advent of the new 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the ordination of women, a number of “Anglican” groups split off from the Episcopal Church USA (TEC). In fact, one count I did back in the early 90’s indicated that during that period of time there were 27 different Anglican jurisdictions in America all claiming the right.
This was not the first Anglican schism in America. The Reformed Episcopal Church exited TEC during the earlier century.
This new reporting of Alphabet Soup among Anglicans reinforces that, once the via media, this classification of churches is now all over the map. No longer are Anglican aligned on any middle ground, they stand at different places with respect to traditional faith and classical Anglicanism.
The question then comes, what is it that now constitutes an Anglican identity? This will be the work of these churches for decades to come. It would seem that this work would come by making some dramatic shifts in ethos and core identity.
Anglicanism, in terms of a movement, can no longer defined by communion with Canterbury, since all who lay claim to a jurisdiction are not. Further, it cannot be defined by its name alone, since Anglicanism can sweep the breadth of theological conviction, authority of Scripture, and Ecclesiology, along with many other issues.
From the eyes of this commentator, it would seem that the work of Anglicanism is to re-discover its own patrimony. One must gaze far beyond the upheavals of the 20th century, earlier Victorian cultures, or even the Reformation-enhanced antics of Henry VIII and look upon the heritage that is theirs. The English church existed much earlier than any of those epochs in church history and much was established prior to those times.
The Church must also re-engage with the things held in common through Holy Scripture, the Historic Creeds, and Apostolic roots. As a Catholic, my hope is that Anglicans would see their way back into full communion. Whether or not this would happen, the work of establishing a new embrace of their theological and ecclesiological tenets is vitally necessary for their survival.
The Anglican Church has given much to the Christian world. Beautiful English liturgies, priceless hymns, and great thinkers such as C.S. Lewis, are only a few of the great gifts we have all received.
May they regain a sense of their place in the broader Christian community, rediscover their historical foundations in Christian orthodoxy and make a true contribution to the work of the Holy Spirit in the work of recovery,renewal and communion.
6/5/2008
Catholic Online
Anglicans have traditionally been called the “Via Media” or “the middle road” between Catholicism and Protestantism. What does that even mean any longer?
WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) – “Why did the Anglican cross the road?” He never did, he stopped in the middle.
Anglicans have traditionally been called the “Via Media” or “the middle road” between Catholicism and Protestantism.
Depending on which way a certain Anglican group may lean, they could be described as Catholic Lite or Protestants with Prayer Books. Until the mid-20th Century, however, most of them stayed in the middle of the road together.
I remember some of my early lessons as a teenager in the Episcopal Church where we were talk that we were taking the best from both worlds and expressing a faith that stands between the Catholic Church and the Reformers, embracing both and borrowing from each.
In recent years, this Via Media declaration has taken on a new luster, where the middle of the road could now be considered the point between theological liberalism vs conservatism or even orthodox Christianity vs heresy.
One recent blog published an entry called “Alphabet Soup, Anglican Edition.” The list included the initials for individuals, groups, ministries, and denominations connected in some way (though not necessarily official) with the Anglican Communion. The number is astounding, especially when you count up the separate denominations that are included.
In the early days of the Anglican movement one was Anglican when they were in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and there could be no more than one entity in any given nation or territory that bore that relationship. The only exception was in the Philippines, where Canterbury recognized both the Episcopal Church of the Philippines and the Philippine Independent Church.
Anglicanism was a cohesive, albeit diverse group. They were help together significant by their Book of Common Prayer, whose various editions traced their roots back to Thomas Cranmer of the Sixteenth Century. Their prayer book also contained “The 39 Articles,” which listed the areas where Anglicanism different from their Protestant and Catholic brothers and sisters.
An amazing thing happened, however, during the late 1970’s in America. With the advent of the new 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the ordination of women, a number of “Anglican” groups split off from the Episcopal Church USA (TEC). In fact, one count I did back in the early 90’s indicated that during that period of time there were 27 different Anglican jurisdictions in America all claiming the right.
This was not the first Anglican schism in America. The Reformed Episcopal Church exited TEC during the earlier century.
This new reporting of Alphabet Soup among Anglicans reinforces that, once the via media, this classification of churches is now all over the map. No longer are Anglican aligned on any middle ground, they stand at different places with respect to traditional faith and classical Anglicanism.
The question then comes, what is it that now constitutes an Anglican identity? This will be the work of these churches for decades to come. It would seem that this work would come by making some dramatic shifts in ethos and core identity.
Anglicanism, in terms of a movement, can no longer defined by communion with Canterbury, since all who lay claim to a jurisdiction are not. Further, it cannot be defined by its name alone, since Anglicanism can sweep the breadth of theological conviction, authority of Scripture, and Ecclesiology, along with many other issues.
From the eyes of this commentator, it would seem that the work of Anglicanism is to re-discover its own patrimony. One must gaze far beyond the upheavals of the 20th century, earlier Victorian cultures, or even the Reformation-enhanced antics of Henry VIII and look upon the heritage that is theirs. The English church existed much earlier than any of those epochs in church history and much was established prior to those times.
The Church must also re-engage with the things held in common through Holy Scripture, the Historic Creeds, and Apostolic roots. As a Catholic, my hope is that Anglicans would see their way back into full communion. Whether or not this would happen, the work of establishing a new embrace of their theological and ecclesiological tenets is vitally necessary for their survival.
The Anglican Church has given much to the Christian world. Beautiful English liturgies, priceless hymns, and great thinkers such as C.S. Lewis, are only a few of the great gifts we have all received.
May they regain a sense of their place in the broader Christian community, rediscover their historical foundations in Christian orthodoxy and make a true contribution to the work of the Holy Spirit in the work of recovery,renewal and communion.
National Religious Freedom Group Joins Representative Gresham Barrett in Support of Public Prayer Act
(WASHINGTON, DC) – In God We Trust National Chairman the Rt. Reverend Council Nedd, II delivered over 4,000 petitions to U.S. Representative J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC), as part on an ongoing campaign to support the congressman’s proposed Public Prayer Protection Act.
“These petitions represent the growing national consensus in America that our religious freedoms are being undermined by activist judges and lawyers,” said Nedd upon presenting the petitions to the Congressman at his Washington, DC office on June 4, 2008. “Congressman Barrett’s Public Prayer Act is an excellent example of a member of Congress confronting a national issue head-on and defending the rights of Americans to exercise their rights to worship as they chose, free from interference from judges, lawyers and interest groups that are pursing a radical anti-religious agenda.”
As proposed the Public Prayer Protection Act (H.B. 2104) reaffirms that the U.S. Government is prohibited from establishing an official national religion and that public or elected government officials are allowed to express their faith in public through prayer. It also limits the power of the courts to regulate the free expression of religion by public and elected officials.
“The courts are becoming more and more activist in trying to regulate religious speech, especially the rights of public officials to express their faith,” explains Nedd. “Congressman Barrett’s legislation will protect the rights of every public servant to pray and celebrate their faith freely.”
In God We Trust is a national political advocacy organization that represents no particular faith or religion and boasts over 70,000 supporters of varying faiths from across the country. It is organized as a special project of The Alliance for Health, Education And Development, Inc. (AHEAD), a non-profit organization that has been determined by the IRS to be tax-exempt under the provisions of Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. In God We Trust is committed to providing an active voice in opposition to the special interest groups that seek to ban God, religion, and America’s religious history from public display and public discourse.
Council Nedd is a traditional Episcopal priest and serves as the Bishop of the Chesapeake and Northeast for the Episcopal Missionary Church.
In God We Trust can be found on the Internet at www.InGodWeTrustUSA.org.
# # #
“These petitions represent the growing national consensus in America that our religious freedoms are being undermined by activist judges and lawyers,” said Nedd upon presenting the petitions to the Congressman at his Washington, DC office on June 4, 2008. “Congressman Barrett’s Public Prayer Act is an excellent example of a member of Congress confronting a national issue head-on and defending the rights of Americans to exercise their rights to worship as they chose, free from interference from judges, lawyers and interest groups that are pursing a radical anti-religious agenda.”
As proposed the Public Prayer Protection Act (H.B. 2104) reaffirms that the U.S. Government is prohibited from establishing an official national religion and that public or elected government officials are allowed to express their faith in public through prayer. It also limits the power of the courts to regulate the free expression of religion by public and elected officials.
“The courts are becoming more and more activist in trying to regulate religious speech, especially the rights of public officials to express their faith,” explains Nedd. “Congressman Barrett’s legislation will protect the rights of every public servant to pray and celebrate their faith freely.”
In God We Trust is a national political advocacy organization that represents no particular faith or religion and boasts over 70,000 supporters of varying faiths from across the country. It is organized as a special project of The Alliance for Health, Education And Development, Inc. (AHEAD), a non-profit organization that has been determined by the IRS to be tax-exempt under the provisions of Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. In God We Trust is committed to providing an active voice in opposition to the special interest groups that seek to ban God, religion, and America’s religious history from public display and public discourse.
Council Nedd is a traditional Episcopal priest and serves as the Bishop of the Chesapeake and Northeast for the Episcopal Missionary Church.
In God We Trust can be found on the Internet at www.InGodWeTrustUSA.org.
# # #
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Why was I yelling at the Woman from International Right to Life?
By Council Nedd II
First, we weren't yelling, it was a heated discussion.
A couple of dozen people asked me in Geneva about what they saw, and I got another couple dozen e-mails…so here it is.
On my last full day in Geneva, I was seen in a heated discussion with the Geneva representative of International Right to Life. This discussion occurred in the lounge area just off the Salons.
Let me begin by saying, we were both in Geneva with specific tasks. Hers was to advocate on abortion issues and mine was to advocate for safe and innovative medicines for the developing world. I was not in Geneva to meet with her, and neither was she in Geneva to meet with me.
This was crunch time for me, and I literally had about 60 minutes to find the one ambassador that I needed to speak with – the same one I had been search for since 8:00 that morning.
She wanted to pin me down into a long discussion about abortion at the most inopportune time, and to what end, I still have no idea to this day, because I was not a delegate to the World Health Assembly, and my position on the topic is well known.
Since she was not going to let me politely part, I thought I would let her know what I think about some of the pro-life tactics. In particular I asked her about the graphic posters that are often displayed at rallies and in the front yard of a particular activist here in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
There is a gentleman here in Harrisburg, who happens to live on State Street, the main Road leading to the State Capitol, and he posses the largest assortment of fetus posters, I have ever seen. How do I know this? Because he displays the in his front yard.
He displays them in his front yard for everyone to see. When I say everyone, that includes innocent children. I am tired of seeing the loss on innocence in today’s youth.
The woman immediately got hackled and defensive and said, “those aren’t our signs we can’t control them”. At that point we were off to the races. Just because you can’t control something doesn’t mean you have to condone it. Right to Life, rightfully so, speaks a out against the killing of abortion doctors. Why not speak out on the preserving of innocence that happens to live outside the womb?
As I write this, I am sitting in Arlington, Virginia. I spent the day in Washington, DC and I saw this child who could not have been 10 years old, wearing a t-shirt that said, “thanks for the neurotoxins”.
There was a large autism campaign on Capitol Hill today, and it was clear to me that on this humid, 91 degree, typical summer day in Washington, that this kid who was soaked in sweat, had no idea what he was wearing or why he was walking around on a day where no one really wanted to be outside. I have not doubt his mum loves him, but today he was used as a prop.
I didn’t have the best childhood, but I was allowed to be a child. People went out of their way to spare me from having to see certain things and experience certain things. When did all that change? To put my comments in perspective, I believed in Santa Clause until I was in seventh grade – but I was not unique, so did all of my friends.
Kids don't have to know everything about everything.
First, we weren't yelling, it was a heated discussion.
A couple of dozen people asked me in Geneva about what they saw, and I got another couple dozen e-mails…so here it is.
On my last full day in Geneva, I was seen in a heated discussion with the Geneva representative of International Right to Life. This discussion occurred in the lounge area just off the Salons.
Let me begin by saying, we were both in Geneva with specific tasks. Hers was to advocate on abortion issues and mine was to advocate for safe and innovative medicines for the developing world. I was not in Geneva to meet with her, and neither was she in Geneva to meet with me.
This was crunch time for me, and I literally had about 60 minutes to find the one ambassador that I needed to speak with – the same one I had been search for since 8:00 that morning.
She wanted to pin me down into a long discussion about abortion at the most inopportune time, and to what end, I still have no idea to this day, because I was not a delegate to the World Health Assembly, and my position on the topic is well known.
Since she was not going to let me politely part, I thought I would let her know what I think about some of the pro-life tactics. In particular I asked her about the graphic posters that are often displayed at rallies and in the front yard of a particular activist here in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
There is a gentleman here in Harrisburg, who happens to live on State Street, the main Road leading to the State Capitol, and he posses the largest assortment of fetus posters, I have ever seen. How do I know this? Because he displays the in his front yard.
He displays them in his front yard for everyone to see. When I say everyone, that includes innocent children. I am tired of seeing the loss on innocence in today’s youth.
The woman immediately got hackled and defensive and said, “those aren’t our signs we can’t control them”. At that point we were off to the races. Just because you can’t control something doesn’t mean you have to condone it. Right to Life, rightfully so, speaks a out against the killing of abortion doctors. Why not speak out on the preserving of innocence that happens to live outside the womb?
As I write this, I am sitting in Arlington, Virginia. I spent the day in Washington, DC and I saw this child who could not have been 10 years old, wearing a t-shirt that said, “thanks for the neurotoxins”.
There was a large autism campaign on Capitol Hill today, and it was clear to me that on this humid, 91 degree, typical summer day in Washington, that this kid who was soaked in sweat, had no idea what he was wearing or why he was walking around on a day where no one really wanted to be outside. I have not doubt his mum loves him, but today he was used as a prop.
I didn’t have the best childhood, but I was allowed to be a child. People went out of their way to spare me from having to see certain things and experience certain things. When did all that change? To put my comments in perspective, I believed in Santa Clause until I was in seventh grade – but I was not unique, so did all of my friends.
Kids don't have to know everything about everything.
What Happened in Geneva???
I know everyone has been waiting for some sort of a final report from me on what occurred, and what was the final outcome of the meetings in Geneva. The answer is, I am slowly working on it. I am still exhausted from, not just the trip, but from everything associated with Geneva. I promise you, it’s coming though.
Chinese Poisons in Your Medicine Cabinet
by Phyllis Schlafly,
June 4, 2008
"Chinese Counterfeits and American Failures," the title of a congressional hearing on April 29, laid bare a shocking problem. At least 81 U.S. deaths appear to be the result of the Communist Chinese counterfeiting an ingredient in a blood-thinner widely used in surgery, plus the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) failure to inspect the Chinese imports.
The blood-thinner or anticoagulant called heparin, which is made from pig intestines, had been safely used for about 70 years. What's different today is that most heparin is now imported from China, a country that has no compunction about putting poisons in its products to make them cheaper for the world market. The CEO of Baxter International, which supplies half the heparin used in the U.S., accused the Chinese of having engaged in a "deliberate scheme to adulterate" the medication by using a poisonous product (an altered form of chondroitin sulfate) that mimics the effects of heparin. U.S. patients suffered severe side effects such as abdominal pain, decreased blood pressure, burning sensations, chest pain, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, vomiting, and death.
The FDA didn't discover this deception because the FDA inspects China's drugmakers only every 13 years. Government auditors admit that the FDA conducted only 30 inspections of the more than 3,200 foreign drug companies during the last fiscal year, and plans to conduct only 50 this year.
The FDA did only 21 inspections annually of Chinese drugmaking facilities in fiscal 2002 through 2007. The FDA is now trying to establish offices in three Chinese locations as a base for just eight U.S. inspectors, but China has yet to give its okay.
At the congressional hearing, the FDA officials refused to name the Chinese companies that sold us the poisoned heparin. They argued that such information is somehow "commercial confidential."
Some congressmen at the hearing urged the FDA to inspect foreign companies every two or three years, but FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said, "I don't believe that's the solution to the problem. It's much more complex." Indeed it is. The FDA would need 500 more inspectors to inspect foreign companies with the same regularity as domestic companies. That would cost seven times the current budget.
Heparin is made in thousands of small unregulated, unlicensed, unsupervised family home workshops where three to five people stir pig intestines in a concrete vat to transform them into a dry substance. It's impossible to trace the ingredients back to the slaughterhouses.
There is no paper trail to document the supply chain, there are no records, and documents if any are easy to fake. There is no tagging of the pigs, monitoring of the feed, or files on each animal's vaccinations.
Since mid-2006, China's pig herds have suffered serious outbreaks of a viral illness commonly known as blue-ear disease. Sick animals are supposed to be rejected by slaughterhouses, but enforcement is lax.
These home heparin workshops are not regulated by the Chinese because they are designated as chemical makers, not drug producers or pharmaceuticals. Neither China nor the United States has any current procedure or future plan to make the ingredients consistent, clean, or traceable. The FDA calls the contamination "a world-wide problem" that has appeared in 11 countries. Recalls of heparin have also taken place in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy and Japan.
Why are we surprised? We already know that the Chinese intentionally poisoned other products they exported to the United States. U.S. cats and dogs were sickened and killed by Chinese pet food that had been adulterated by a chemical used in plastic, melamine, which was added to wheat gluten to fake higher protein levels. The Chinese poisoned toothpaste and children's anti-fever medicines by using diethylene glycol instead of glycerin. These poisons are not only dangerous in themselves, but they can compromise the overall usefulness of certain critical drugs by giving rise to drug-resistant mutant bacteria.
Millions of Chinese-made toys had to be recalled because of lead paint used at unacceptable levels. Some 6,000 baby T-shirts were just recalled in Japan following detection of high levels of formaldehyde. The World Health Organization estimates that ten to fifteen percent of the world's drug supply is counterfeit. Some products are completely fake; others have been tampered with, contaminated, diluted, repackaged or mislabeled in a way that misrepresents the contents, dosage, origin, or expiration date. At least 80 percent of active and non-active ingredients in U.S. drugs now come from overseas, the majority from Communist China. Your next medicine might contain cement, gypsum, antifreeze, talcum powder, sawdust, industrial solvents, or paint.
As a devotee of free trade at all costs, the Bush Administration apparently has no plan to ensure that imports of Chinese ingredients for our prescription drugs, food, medical devices, and animal feed meet U.S. safety standards. When will Americans wake up to the high cost of "free" trade?
June 4, 2008
"Chinese Counterfeits and American Failures," the title of a congressional hearing on April 29, laid bare a shocking problem. At least 81 U.S. deaths appear to be the result of the Communist Chinese counterfeiting an ingredient in a blood-thinner widely used in surgery, plus the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) failure to inspect the Chinese imports.
The blood-thinner or anticoagulant called heparin, which is made from pig intestines, had been safely used for about 70 years. What's different today is that most heparin is now imported from China, a country that has no compunction about putting poisons in its products to make them cheaper for the world market. The CEO of Baxter International, which supplies half the heparin used in the U.S., accused the Chinese of having engaged in a "deliberate scheme to adulterate" the medication by using a poisonous product (an altered form of chondroitin sulfate) that mimics the effects of heparin. U.S. patients suffered severe side effects such as abdominal pain, decreased blood pressure, burning sensations, chest pain, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, vomiting, and death.
The FDA didn't discover this deception because the FDA inspects China's drugmakers only every 13 years. Government auditors admit that the FDA conducted only 30 inspections of the more than 3,200 foreign drug companies during the last fiscal year, and plans to conduct only 50 this year.
The FDA did only 21 inspections annually of Chinese drugmaking facilities in fiscal 2002 through 2007. The FDA is now trying to establish offices in three Chinese locations as a base for just eight U.S. inspectors, but China has yet to give its okay.
At the congressional hearing, the FDA officials refused to name the Chinese companies that sold us the poisoned heparin. They argued that such information is somehow "commercial confidential."
Some congressmen at the hearing urged the FDA to inspect foreign companies every two or three years, but FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said, "I don't believe that's the solution to the problem. It's much more complex." Indeed it is. The FDA would need 500 more inspectors to inspect foreign companies with the same regularity as domestic companies. That would cost seven times the current budget.
Heparin is made in thousands of small unregulated, unlicensed, unsupervised family home workshops where three to five people stir pig intestines in a concrete vat to transform them into a dry substance. It's impossible to trace the ingredients back to the slaughterhouses.
There is no paper trail to document the supply chain, there are no records, and documents if any are easy to fake. There is no tagging of the pigs, monitoring of the feed, or files on each animal's vaccinations.
Since mid-2006, China's pig herds have suffered serious outbreaks of a viral illness commonly known as blue-ear disease. Sick animals are supposed to be rejected by slaughterhouses, but enforcement is lax.
These home heparin workshops are not regulated by the Chinese because they are designated as chemical makers, not drug producers or pharmaceuticals. Neither China nor the United States has any current procedure or future plan to make the ingredients consistent, clean, or traceable. The FDA calls the contamination "a world-wide problem" that has appeared in 11 countries. Recalls of heparin have also taken place in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy and Japan.
Why are we surprised? We already know that the Chinese intentionally poisoned other products they exported to the United States. U.S. cats and dogs were sickened and killed by Chinese pet food that had been adulterated by a chemical used in plastic, melamine, which was added to wheat gluten to fake higher protein levels. The Chinese poisoned toothpaste and children's anti-fever medicines by using diethylene glycol instead of glycerin. These poisons are not only dangerous in themselves, but they can compromise the overall usefulness of certain critical drugs by giving rise to drug-resistant mutant bacteria.
Millions of Chinese-made toys had to be recalled because of lead paint used at unacceptable levels. Some 6,000 baby T-shirts were just recalled in Japan following detection of high levels of formaldehyde. The World Health Organization estimates that ten to fifteen percent of the world's drug supply is counterfeit. Some products are completely fake; others have been tampered with, contaminated, diluted, repackaged or mislabeled in a way that misrepresents the contents, dosage, origin, or expiration date. At least 80 percent of active and non-active ingredients in U.S. drugs now come from overseas, the majority from Communist China. Your next medicine might contain cement, gypsum, antifreeze, talcum powder, sawdust, industrial solvents, or paint.
As a devotee of free trade at all costs, the Bush Administration apparently has no plan to ensure that imports of Chinese ingredients for our prescription drugs, food, medical devices, and animal feed meet U.S. safety standards. When will Americans wake up to the high cost of "free" trade?
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