People may think, "God isn't fixing this (Daily News, December 3, 2015)."  If you don't want Him to, He won't.  Some may wonder, how is this part of His plan?  Or how it part of any plan?  Nevertheless, things can turn out right, in the end (when everything is taken into consideration).  "In Santa Fe (Texas), a close-knit (a group of people bound together by strong relationships and common interests) town of 13,000, everyone was touched (emotionally stirred), in some way, by the [school] shooting - and everyone seemed moved to help (influenced to do something).  In the days immediately after, there were public vigils (a period of time when a group stays in a place and quietly waits) and prayer services, human barricades to shield (a line of people placed) the families and students from the media onslaught (barrage of communication), barbeque dinners and bake sales to raise money for victims.  Then, just as with a family in mourning, schisms began to emerge (a split of a group into different sections as a result of a difference in beliefs).  School board meetings grew heated (lively discussion and debate).  Facebook groups were created, then dissolved (degenerated) into arguments.  A few voices called for gun control, but many more maintained that guns were not to blame.  It was as Christine Hunschofsky, the mayor of Parkland, Florida, had warned Santa Fe Mayor Jason Tabor.  At first, the entire community will come together, she said, repeating what the mother of a boy killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, had told her.  'Then a tsunami (an occurrence in an overwhelming quantity) will hit your city, and people will become divided over everything (separated by different opinions - in a state of disagreement).' (U.S.A. Today, October 26, 2018)"  "We're having a master class (given by an expert to highly talented students) on hate because we've no choice - it has moved from the part of our character we work hardest to suppress (conceal, restrain, stifle or smother) to the part we can least afford to ignore (Nancy Gibbs, former editor-in-chief of Time, November 12, 2018)."  So then maybe build a monolithic (it's big, and made of one thing) cross - so that love (action, confidence and decision making) might replace hate (despair and self-pity). 

People can have a restoration (a bringing back to a former position or condition) of the heart (a center of human emotion).  This means to feel encouraged (heartened, cheered up, uplifted, inspired or motivated) and optimistic (disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome), again.  The Book says: "If you can believe (being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see) - all things are possible to him, or her, who believes."  The attitude (viewpoint, outlook or perspective) can be: "We're not going to look back (think of the past), we're going to look forward (think of the future).  We're not going to live in the shadow (ominous [giving the impression that something bad is going to happen] sadness or gloom [lowness of spirits]) of misery (heartbreak, despair or despondency) any longer (a thing that was once true or possible, is not now true or possible)."  Then persons can "keep being the rebels the world doesn't know it needs" - Samuel L. Jackson, XXX.  On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria tore through (ripped apart) Puerto Rico.  Two months later, half of the island had no electricity and about 10% were without clean running water.  "People are extremely vulnerable (capable of being emotionally wounded) right now (Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University)."  "If you don't get a grip (make an effort to control your emotions and behave more calmly) on acute stress (it comes from demands and pressures from the recent past, and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future), that could spiral (show a continuous and dramatic increase) into other things that could become potentially incapacitating (depriving of strength or power).  We need to have a way to help these people regain (recoup, retrieve and reclaim) some hope (Kenira Thompson, vice-president of research at Ponce [Puerto Rico] Health Sciences University)."  Then these persons, when they recover (return to a normal state of health, mind or strength), may say to those who do not care (feel concern or interest) about making this world into a better place: "I have a dream.  And you, have you never had a dream?  I don't think so."

"It has become a waking national nightmare (a feeling of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow, etc.), a recurring horror (a series of nightmares, with a recurring [the same thing, over and over again] theme) that we can't explain or defend but that we are condemned to repeat.  We know it will happen again.  We seem helpless to stop it.  The latest nightmare began on May 18 with the news - there had been another school shooting...As head of seventeen intelligence agencies, including the CIA, NSA, FBI and multiple military intelligence arms (a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches), [Dan] Coats oversees (supervises and manages) everything from domestic counterterrorism (activities designed to prevent or thwart terrorist acts) to foiling foreign espionage (the practice of spying) plots (Time, June 4, 2018)."  This is where Americans in general (as a whole) need to put a foot down (use your authority to stop something from happening).  These agencies have an annual budget, altogether, of $70 billion, and collect, through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, over 250,000,000 phone, email and other electronic communications each year.  The United States is not helpless, people just play too many games.  If these intelligence services would ever get their heads out of the sand (you have to start paying more attention to what's going on around you), they could cut these shootings down to a minimum (as low as possible).  If they would, maybe something like this would not happen again.  "Stephen Paddock, 64 (years-old), who smashed the windows of his 32nd-floor Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino suite and trained an assault-style semi-automatic weapon on the helpless souls four football fields away, broke another dismal record (bleak, dreary and gloomy documentation) for American murder.  At least fifty-eight dead at least 527 wounded, by a man who, for no immediately discernible (able to be seen, recognized or understood) reason, lugged (carry or drag with great effort) twenty-three weapons into his high-roller suite (a set of rooms in a hotel for a gambler who consistently wagers large amounts of money) and then rained (to fall in a large amount) hundreds upon hundreds of bullets into a tightly packed (pressed or arranged closely together) crowd (Time, October 16, 2017)." 

"It started Oct. 24 (2018).  Gregory Bush, 51, having failed to get into a black church outside Louisville, Kentucky, went to a Kroger (a very large U.S. group of grocery stores).  Telling a bystander (a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part) that 'whites don't shoot whites', he killed two black shoppers in cold blood (to kill in such a way that seems especially cruel because it seems to show no emotion), according to police.  Two days later, Cesar Sayoc, 56, was accused of mailing pipe bombs (an explosive made by filling 3/4 inch by 6 inch pipes with gun powder) to a number of President Donald Trump's political critics.  The next day, Robert Bowers, 46, invaded a Pittsburgh synagogue, shouted, 'All Jews must die!' and shot eleven people to death, authorities said.  Finally, on Nov. 2, Scott Beierle, 40, shot two women to death in a Tallahassee, Florida, yoga studio, then killed himself.  This type of hate criminal (a prejudice-motivated [wholly or partly created by hatred towards a person] crime which occurs when a perpetrator [a person who carries a harmful, illegal or immoral act] targets a victim) differs from one on which criminologists (the scientific study of crime as a social phenomenon, of criminals, and of penal treatment) focused (center of interest or activity) in the late 20th century - weekend haters - groups of young men who got their kicks (doing something for fun) and cemented their bond (a close connection joining two or more people, unlikely to change) by beating up a member of a minority group or defacing (mar [ruin or diminish] the appearance of) a synagogue or other symbol of perceived 'otherness' (the quality or fact of being different).  Since 9/11 and the rise of the internet, they've been supplanted (superseded and replaced) by a hateful new man.  He is more ideological, more committed and ultimately (finally, in the end) more violent (U.S.A. Today, December 28, 2018)."  According to the Secret Service: "Because these acts are usually planned over a period of time, and the attackers often elicit concern (call forth or draw out that which engages a person's attention) from the people around them, there exists an opportunity to stop these incidents before they occur." 

More people are willing to commit mass murder to express their anger at the world, because 1} you're always cranky [ill-tempered and irritable], 2} you question everything, 3} you think that society is messed up, 4} you feel like you deserve better than the crappy hand [to receive disadvantages and negative circumstances that are beyond one's control in life] that was given to you, 5} you're against almost everything and everyone, 6} you feel like the world should revolve around you, and 7} you feel so alone.  This adds insult to injury (when you feel that someone has made a bad situation worse) - society's perceived slights (when a person feels they are being neglected by another person, treated with indifference, ignored and/or snubbed [to insult someone by not giving them any attention or treating them as if they are not important]).   Connecting (bring together or into contact so that a real or notional [the nature of an idea] link is established) to the Unseen, in this case (when that is considered), is mandatory (required by a law or rule).  Recovering courage (strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger) and confidence (a feeling or belief that you can do well) after tragedy (human suffering) is important.  At the Borderline, a country-music bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., twelve were killed on November 7, 2018.  Adam Housley, a former Fox News correspondent (one who contributes news or commentary), lost a niece in the shooting.   He requested of his nearly 100,000 Twitter followers: "Please pray if you believe...pray." And then came the wildfire within 24 hours. "Thousand Oaks is grappling (wrestling, struggling and tussling [do something quickly and with vigor]) with dual tragedies that struck within hours of each other, taking on more trauma and grief than a place could or should bear.  After the shooting at Borderline, many residents said they stayed up late, waiting to hear news. They went to bed physically and emotionally exhausted Thursday, only to be waked in the middle of the night by the blare (a loud, harsh sound) of emergency alerts from their phones and frantic knocks (almost out of control because of extreme emotion) at the door from neighbors. They needed to get out, they were told (Chicago Tribune, November 10, 2018)." 

Rob Lowe posted (a piece of writing, image or other item published) a picture on Twitter with this caption (a title or brief explanation), as the fire drew close (became closer in time or space) to a market.  "The market in my old neighborhood of Port Dume in Malibu (Calif.).  God help them."  Alyssa Milano, a Hollywood actress lately known for her #MeToo activism (vigorous campaigning to bring about social change), posted this.  "I just had to evacuate (remove from a place of danger to a safe place) my home from the fires.  I took my kids, dogs, computer and my Doc Marten boots."  And Kim Kardashian put this on Instagram.  "Pray for Calabasas (a community near Malibu).  Just landed back home and I had one hour to pack up (gather belongings and be done with it) and evacuate our home.  I pray everyone is safe."  Silas Lyons grew up (had his childhood) in northern California.  "Climate change, which doesn't care (feel concern or interest) whether you believe in it or not, provided the final spark (to ignite - worse than the electrifying seventh installment of the New York Times bestselling series).  Combine historic droughts and heat waves (excessively hot weather) with the dense fuels (worse than liquid hydrocarbons) and an inopportune (occurring at an inconvenient or inappropriate time) wind, and you don't get fires.  You get explosions (an expansion in which energy is transmitted outward).  You get phenomena (extraordinary occurrences) that are behaviorally identical (the manner in which something functions or operates, which is very similar) to tornadoes.  These days in America, it seems like everyone's on Team Red (Republicans) or Team Blue (Democrats).  But last week, fire burned the homes of rich liberals in Malibu and poor white folks (unsophisticated or disadvantaged Caucasians) in Paradise (Calif.)."  Maybe the spirit of the God of the universe might just drop in (to visit informally, without having it being arranged) and comfort (ease the grief or distress of - console [alleviate or lessen sorrow]) people.

This not only affects (makes a difference to) the United States, but is global in nature (the inherent character).  The Middle East: "December 2017.  An ISIS gunman kills nine people in an attack on a church in a south Cairo suburb.  The [Egyptian] interior ministry says he was armed with an assault rifle, one hundred and fifty rounds of ammunition and a bomb he intended to set off at the church (news24, November 3, 2018)."  South America: "Brazil firefighters and Israeli rescue workers poked (jab or prod) sticks into treacherous (hazardous because of hidden or unpredictable dangers) mud Monday (January 28) looking for bodies as pressure mounted (things that cause problems or trouble) on the mining company responsible for the dam that burst (break suddenly and violently apart) and spilled a flood of iron ore waste (waterborne refuse material pumped into a tailing pond).  Officials said the death toll (people who die in an accident, disaster, war, etc.) was expected to grow exponentially (becoming more and more rapid), since no one had been rescued alive since Saturday.  Teams focused (center of interest or activity) their searches Monday morning in areas where a bus was immersed (dipped or submerged in a liquid) and where many workers were eating lunch at the mine cafeteria when the dam ruptured (broke apart).  A Catholic priest for a church now being used as a command center (centralized command for some purpose) for rescuers (persons who save from a dangerous or difficult situation) said many of his parishioners are believed buried (completely covered) in mud.  'It's going to be difficult to rebuild our hearts,' said the priest, Rene Lopez.  'This won't take a month or a year.  It's an open wound (an injury) for all the people of Brumadinho.' (ABC News, January 28, 2019)." 

People may lose a sense of optimism due to bad economic circumstances.  "The first time I couldn't buy food at the grocery store, I was 15-years-old.  It was 2014 in Caracas, Venezuela, and I had spent more than an hour in line (in a row waiting to proceed).  When I got to the register (a business machine that usually has a cash drawer), I noticed I had forgotten my ID that day.  Without it, the rationing system (controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods or services) would not let the supermarket sell my family the full quota (a limited number or quantity) of food.  It was four days until the government allowed me to buy more.  This was fairly normal.  All my life, I lived under socialism in Venezuela until I came to the United States as a student in 2016.  Because of price controls (government regulation establishing the maximum price to be charged) and the nationalization (transfer from private to state [government] ownership or control) of important industries, production fell (become less in number).  And the shortages (lack, scarceness and undersupply) went far beyond the supermarket.  My family and I suffered from blackouts (failure of electrical power supply).  The regime nationalized electricity in 2007, resulting in underinvestment (a situation in which a company refuses to make low-risk [likely to be successful] investments) in the electrical grid (a network of electrical transmission lines connecting a multiplicity [a large number] of generating stations to loads [amount of electrical power that is supplied] over a wide area).  By 2016, my home lost power roughly once a week (Daniel Di Martino, a student at Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana)."  And in Maracaibo: "Thieves have broken into some of the vaults and coffins in El Cuadrado cemetery since late last year, stealing ornaments and sometimes items from corpses.  Some of the most acute misery plays out every day on the streets of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second-largest city and a hub of the once-booming oil industry.  It was here in March that residents, seemingly driven to desperation by nationwide power blackouts, looted and destroyed hundreds of buildings and businesses.  The destruction in Maracaibo, where blackouts were the norm long before March, defied easy understanding.  The fittings of a hotel were torn out or just torn to shreds, leaving the structure littered with debris in an image reminiscent of wartime (Associated Press, June 18, 2019)."

Oceania: On March 15, 2019 there was a mass shooting by a white supremacist (the racist belief that white people are superior to people of other races) at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand with fifty dead.  "Immediately after Friday's attacks in Christchurch, the Te Atatu Baptist Church in Auckland, New Zealand announced on Facebook it was opening its doors (allow entrance, access, and admission) to Muslims because mosques had been closed (for security reasons).  'Tonight we will open up The Meeting Place from 7pm to 8pm for prayer for Christchurch.  Come and light a candle, say a silent prayer and stand with our fellow kiwis (New Zealanders).  All welcome,' the post said.  'We especially (very much) invite the Muslim community whose mosques have been closed, to come and join us tonight.'  Other landmark churches (a conspicuous object on land that marks a locality) such as St. Paul's Cathedral in London, said it was offering prayers during daily services for those affected by the shootings in New Zealand.  'We pray too for our Muslim friends and neighbors here and around the world,' the church said on Twitter.  People started writing supportive messages (perhaps such words and quotes, as: "it's not the things we cannot control that will define our success") using the hastag #TheyAreUs to signal (transmit information) that Muslims are welcome in New Zealand.  The phrase gained traction (support or interest needed to make progress) after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern used the words when discussing the attack on Friday (CNN, March 15, 2019)."  Why are churches in the United States silent (won't speak a word against it)?  Unlike former FBI special agent Erroll G. Southers: "We must treat white supremacy extremism (beliefs that most people think are unreasonable and unacceptable) with the same aggressiveness (determination and forcefulness) and seriousness (persistence and ernestness) that we have applied to Muslim identity extremism (certain national and ethnic rituals) since 2001."  Getting heart (enthusiasm, keenness, eagerness, spirit, determination, resolution, resolve, purpose, courage, backbone, spine, nerve and will) back in these situations (a combination of surrounding conditions) is priority #1.  

 And not only that, we all could use some death insurance, because we never know when our time will come.  "Behold, I ('the Unseen', as each individual fathoms the concept) stand at the door [of your life] and knock.  If any person opens the door, I will come in (connect to you) and stay with you (from Revelation)."  Connecting (to put or bring together so as to form a new and better whole) is not that hard.  No connection, no paradise.   A deception of some in the church is that the Unseen has done everything for them - that they have a get into heaven free card.  It is not the case.  They can go to a church, they can honor the Sacrifice (of the Christ), but it does not matter.  Going into a garage does not make a person a car, and going into a church does not make a person heaven bound (on their way to paradise).  Honoring the Sacrifice is optional, connecting is mandatory (required by a law or rule).  This is why someone who attends a church three times a week can drop into eternal prison, while a Buddhist monk living out in the middle of nowhere in Tibet can go up to paradise, in the end.  In the first instance, the individual didn't "get it" (understand) when it came to connecting.  In the next the individual connected to his/her version of the Unseen, even though the person was ignorant of the Sacrifice.  To those who wish another quote from the Book: "You will find me (the Unseen), when you search for me with all your heart (from Jeremiah)."  So how do you connect - start by asking God to show mercy (lenient or compassionate treatment), because at death's door it is a different game (God loves a cheerful beggar).  And maybe every so often, re-connect with a version of the Unseen, since He will let you into paradise at death.  back to top

 Spiritual Red Cross.  A question may be asked as to why a cross would be called American.  There are some reasons on the webpage.  A second reason for the name American is that it is a spiritual Red Cross.  The American Red Cross comes into disaster areas providing food, clothing, shelter.  Their mission statement: "The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates (makes less severe) human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing (prepare and organize for active service) the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors"...to help with flesh (physical) needs.  But what about those whose spirit (the inner quality or nature of a person) has been crushed by a tragedy?  This cause is to help traumatized persons from natural and Man-made disasters who lose "heart" (courage and confidence) to get a sense of optimism back, come out of their pit of despair, and lead a decent life.  A biker (a person who rides a motorbike) whose wife is killed on a motorcycle by a drunk driver, a parent whose young child died in a cancer ward, a homeless veteran, a mother whose child was killed in a school bus accident.  Then there are American police shootings, an Egyptian church bombing, an Iranian train wreck, a New Year's Eve Turkish nightclub shooting, Italian earthquakes, a Christmastime German truck-terror attack, Chinese miner accidents, children wounded in Aleppo, Syria, North African migrants (a person who goes from one place to another to find work) drowning in the Mediterranean Sea.  Persons left alive, and the families of these people, who have been demoralized (to cause someone to lose hope), could get heart back, or it may be harder to pick up the pieces and move on.  Senator Charles Schumer, D-NY concerning Hurricane Sandy: "You see how people's lives have been ripped apart by this force of nature."  President Obama, three days after the Boston bombing: "We come together to pray and mourn and measure our loss."  After the Moore, Okla. tornado, he said: "There are empty spaces where there used to be living rooms and bedrooms and classrooms."  And after the Umpqua Community College shootings in Oregon wherein nine died, Obama said the U.S.A. is "the only advanced country on earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months."  A gunman on the rampage (a course of violent, riotous or reckless action or behavior) could be reminded that if he does what he does, God is going to lock him up, forever. 

After James Alex Fields, Jr. slammed (a heavy blow or impact) his car into a crowd of counter-protesters (protesters who oppose an existing protest), killing one of them, during a white nationalist rally (white supremacists and the alt-right gathering for a common purpose) in Charlottesville, Virginia - President Trump said this on August 14, 2017.  "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious (actions or behaviors that are staggeringly bad - cases involving flagrant violation of human rights) display of hatred, bigotry (intolerance toward those who hold different opinions) and violence.  It has no place in America.  And as I have said many times before, no matter the color of our skin, we all live under the same laws, we all salute the same great flag, and we are all made by the same Almighty God."  On March 22, 2017, Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians (persons walking) on the pavement (areas covered with concrete asphalt, bricks, etc.) along the south side of Westminster Bridge, London, killing four people.  This was regarded as Islamic terrorism, as Masood sent a final text message saying he was waging jihad in revenge for Western (European and American) military action in Muslim countries.  It may have been useful for Trump to have added that the neo-Nazi (Fields) who rammed (force something) his vehicle in Virginia committed an act of domestic (relating to your own country) terrorism.  Fields had written a research paper in high school glorifying (bestowing honor, praise or adoration) Adolph Hitler, as some kind of a savior (a person who saves from danger).  When these disgusting (so bad, unfair or inappropriate that you feel annoyed and angry) things happen, connecting (bringing together or into contact so that a real or notional [based on a suggestion] link is established) to the Ancient of Days may be helpful.  There are other tragedies (very bad events that cause great sadness) closer to home.  Sheryl Sandberg, who is chief operating officer at Facebook, had her fifty-year-old husband die recently due to a heart attack.  She writes, in Option B: "In the early weeks after Dave died, I was shocked - I ran into friends at local parks who talked about the weather.  Yes!  The weather has been weird with all this rain and death.  I thought about carrying around a stuffed elephant, but I wasn't sure that anyone would get the hint (a slight or indirect suggestion).  Until we acknowledge it, the elephant is always there.  By ignoring it, those in pain isolate (to remain alone or apart from others) themselves and those who could offer comfort create distance (to make far off) instead."  She refers to the elephant in the room - meaning, an obvious problem or risk nobody wants to discuss.  Getting heart back, in these situations, is priority #1. 

A definition of heart is that place within a person where feelings or emotions are.  Getting heart back means to have more courage or confidence in a positive outcome of events - to cheer up (cause to feel happier).  People who have lost everything in a natural catastrophe (an event causing great and usually sudden damage or suffering) may have the same dilemma (a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice).  When a lawnmower (a machine used for cutting the grass) from the sky struck the tiny island of Barbuda in the Caribbean on September 6, 2017 - Hurricane Irma - people had an experience of loss (physical, emotional, or especially economic harm or damage sustained).  "Barbuda's once charming surrounds (a pleasing and delightful environment) are today ghostly quiet (eerie - strange and frightening silence), the devastated ruins (bring to desolation by violent action) of its colorful homes and the absence of its 1800 residents a galling testimony (a markedly irritating and exasperating statement) to the wrath of Hurricane Irma.  The monster category 5 hurricane which swept through here last Wednesday has transformed the idyllic isle (an island that is picturesque in its natural simplicity) a former haunt (to visit often) of the late Princes Diana - into a ghastly (terrifying horrible), apocalyptic (an event that causes a tremendous amount of damage) scene.  Maurice George, a visual arts (art forms such as ceramics, drawing, painting or sculpture) teacher at Barbuda's secondary school, spoke of his 'horrific' ordeal (a difficult or painful experience causing shock) as Irma unleashed its fury (turn loose unrestrained energy) in the early hours of 6 September.  The 30-year old said he was forced to flee his father's house during the eye of the storm (a calm region at the center of a hurricane) as the winds and rain began to rip off the roof.  'But the hurricane came back while we were on the road.  We had to dodge (elude or evade) wires and lamp posts to get to my cousin's house,' he said (www.independent.co.uk)." 

"The Caribbean is no stranger to hurricanes, and so when Hurricane Irma struck on Tuesday night plenty on the island of Barbuda hunkered down (take shelter) to see it though (do the best that you can do).  Elessa Harris, twenty-two, said she knew this storm was different when she saw her 'roof being lifted up by the winds'.  In panic (a sudden strong feeling of fear) she fled to a neighbors' home as winds of up to 185 miles per hour buffeted (knock or push something roughly from side to side) the eastern Caribbean island.  She emerged (rose or appeared from a safe place) on Wednesday to a changed world - her entire village had been destroyed.  'I have witnessed hurricanes before,' she says.  'But nothing like this.' (Time, September 11, 2017)"  "In an earlier interview Thursday, [Roderick] Faustin (first secretary for the Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda in Washington, D.C.) told the Times that Irma had caused heavy damage on the tiny island.  'Barbuda is totally destroyed,' he said.  'At least 95% of the properties in Barbuda are either totally destroyed or damaged.'  The school, single hospital and airport, and two hotels on the island of sixty-eight square miles were either damaged or lay in ruins (in a state of destruction), Faustin said.  There is no running water, and telephone service is out after the communications tower was literally snapped (broken under intense pressure) in half (L.A. Times, September 7, 2015)."  There is nothing that building a monolithic (it's big and made of one thing) cross can do as far as physically bringing badly needed supplies to the island, or anywhere else for that matter.  But material items are not the only things people need.  During the Vietnam War, two soldiers were wounded and sent to a base hospital (a military hospital situated at some distance from the area of active operations during a war).  One, who did not have life threatening injuries (injuries involving a substantial risk of death), died.  The other, who was at the point of death (a limit beyond which a specified life form cannot survive), lived.  In that situation, as with anything else, not losing heart can make all the difference in the world (the greatest degree of difference that is possible or conceivable).  "Nothing more beautiful than everyone putting their differences (disagreements or controversies) aside to help humanity in the face of catastrophe (Lady Gaga, October 21, 2017)."  Hopefully, a spiritual Red Cross can help inspire (make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it) people.  Puerto Rico also got hit hard, with almost all electricity knocked out, as well as running water to half the population.  Ramon Rivera, a heavy equipment operator who works for the municipality of Alibonito, and who owns land there, said that he "blamed the island's economic problems on corrupt officials who had enriched themselves on public-works projects, and compared them to Catholic priests who abused their parishioners (The New Yorker, October 18, 2017)."

October 1, 2017, a gunman (a professional killer) on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel sprayed (firing an automatic firearm towards individuals in long bursts [a firing mode enabling a shooter to fire a predetermined number of rounds, with a single pull of the trigger], without making an effort to line up the shots) the Route 91 Harvest festival with rounds (pieces of ammunition) from various automatic weapons for approximately eight to ten minutes.  More than 22,000 persons were in attendance at the time.  President Trump spoke from the White House on October 2.  "My fellow Americans, we are joined together today in sadness, shock and grief.  Last night a gunman opened fire on a large crowd at a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He brutally (cruelly, violently and completely without feelings) murdered more than fifty people and wounded hundreds more.  It was an act of pure evil.  We ask God to help see you through this very dark period.  Scripture (a passage from the Bible) teaches us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  We seek comfort in those words, for we know that God lives in the hearts of those who grieve.  In times such as these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos (a total lack of organization), some kind of light in the darkness.  The answers do not come easy.  But we can take solace (help and comfort when you are feeling sad or worried) knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated (to help clarify or explain) by a single ray of hope.  We pray (an earnest request or wish) for the day when evil is banished (condemned to exile - sent completely away) and the innocent are safe from hatred and from fear."  Daniel Gardner, who teaches communication at Mississippi State said that while most people in the rural South (U.S.) move on (find something new and forget the past) after the 2017 hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, a nuclear faceoff (take up an attitude of confrontation - opposing or challenging) and a mass shooting - the millennials (18-35 years of age) he teaches are different. 

Due to social media (social networking and microblogging through which users create online communities), et.al., they are "easily shaken (psychologically upset) emotionally and prone (more likely to have a particular negative reaction) to be more naive (a lack of experience or knowledge) and gullible (easily deceived)."  They may recover (return to a normal state after a period of difficulty) some heart (have more confidence or courage in a difficult situation, and cheer up), if they would connect (link to a power supply) to the Unseen.  With the carnage (the killing of a large number of people) at a theater in Aurora, Colo., an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., a community center in San Bernardino, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., concert grounds in Las Vegas, Nev., a Texas church sanctuary, a Florida high school on Valentine's Day, a Waffle House near Nashville, Tenn. and a Pennsylvania Jewish synagogue, the one thing they all had in common (sharing the same interests) was the perpetrator's (a person who carries out a harmful, illegal or immoral act) fetish (an unusually strong liking or need for a particular thing) with a military-style rifle - chiefly an AR-15 assault rifle.  The hero who stopped the slaughter (a killing in a cruel or violent way) at the Waffle House was a 29-year-old African American, James Shaw, Jr.  "'I kind of made up my mind, because there was no way to lock that door, that if it was going to come down to it, he was going to have to work to kill me,' said Shaw, an AT&T employee who has a 4-year-old daughter.  Current laws allow just about any deeply disturbed (a very upset emotionally, and often needs special care or treatment) young man to obtain an AR-15 or similar military-style assault rifle (David Waters in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, April 25, 2018)."  Surgeons who treat the wounds call them perfect killing machines.  "It's just a wide path of destruction," said Dr. Ernest Moore, a Denver trauma surgeon and editor of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.  "If you survive an assault rifle injury, the complications (conditions aggravating an existing one) are tremendous, things like the intestines will often leak (an unintended hole through which fluids escape), and you can have all sorts of problems with abdominal (stomach, intestinal, liver and other organ) walls, [or] hernia.  Everything you can fix, can fall apart," said Dr. Peter Rhee, who took care of injured Marines in Iraq and is chief trauma surgeon at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital. 

 These deranged (unable to think and behave normally) people will watch Hollywood's wonderful (inspiring delight) action movies, wherein the hero (a person admired for brave acts) will track down (find someone after looking for a long time) those he feels he needs to render justice to, and annihilate (complete destruction) in absolute cold-blood (deliberately cruel or callous), with no remorse (deep regret for a wrong committed) whatsoever - and then deceive themselves, after observing Hollywood's finest, into thinking they can do it too.  The question is - does the civilian public (persons not belonging to the armed forces or police) really need to run around town with military-style weapons?  Most of us can watch these movies, enjoying them, and know well not to do these things because we will go to prison for life, at best.  Which brings out Part II.  These individuals who committed these horrendous (extremely bad or unpleasant) crimes had severe mental problems, to the point of being deranged.  Half the problem is getting rid of "Hollywood-style" weapons, and Part II is dealing with sociopaths and psychopaths who manage to get ahold of guns and go on the rampage (a course of violent, riotous or reckless action or behavior).  The general public may have to become more aware (having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact) of strange behavior and report it, before it spirals out of control (changes very quickly, and in an uncontrolled way).  The United States has become very good at disrupting (interrupt the progress of) terrorist plots from Muslim extremists, but what about our own homegrown (belonging to one's own particular country) extremists?  When are Americans going to start exercising the same diligence (earnest and persistent application of effort) on our own people that we wish to apply to Muslims.  "This web of wounded souls (people who lose heart) spans America.  They come from rural outposts (a small community situated in a remote part of a country) and from big cities, from Democratic strongholds (a place where a particular belief is strongly upheld) to the reddest regions (Republican administrative areas) of Trump Country.  They have different religions, income levels and ethnicities.  What they share is the agony that comes with losing a child to gun violence in a place where that child was supposed to be safe.  The reality in America is that there are always more dead kids.  There are always more devastated (to cause severe and overwhelming shock or grief) families. 

"'There are constantly (occurring continuously over a period of time) more people becoming part of this fraternity (a group of people sharing a common interest) nobody wants to join,' says Mary Kay Mace, whose daughter, Ryanne, 19, was shot and killed in 2008 along with four other students at Northern Illinois University.  Mass shootings (firearms-related violence involving four or more people) make headlines (a text indicating the nature of the article below it).  They draw (attract attention or interest) TV trucks and reporters and FBI investigations.  But that attention cuts both ways (something that has two effects - a good and a bad), says Sandy Phillips, whose 24-year-old daughter Jessi was shot with eleven others at a cinema in Aurora, Colo., in 2012.  'When you lose a child violently and publicly, there's an outpouring of support at first,' she says.  But that attention fades.  'Once the vigils (prayer services usually held in an evening before a funeral) are over and the media is gone, that's when things get really bad.  The world moves on, and you don't.  You can't.  It's a pain you can't outrun (you can't focus on what you were - what you've went through has shaped you, but it doesn't define you).'  In another part of the country, Mitch and Annika Dworet, whose younger son Alexander was wounded in the Parkland shootings, just endured their first Thanksgiving without Nicholas.  'It's not really like we're thankful,' says Mitch.  'How could you be?'  But in the midst of his mourning, he does what he can to support other struggling initiates of this burdensome, (difficult to carry out or fulfill), blighted (a badly damaged or deteriorated condition) club (Time, December 10, 2018)".  According to the Secret Service: "Because these acts are usually planned over a period of time, and the attackers often elicit concern (to cause worry) of the people around them, there exists an opportunity to stop these incidents (something that happens) before they occur."  The Secret Service is referring to social responsibility (an ethical framework that suggests persons have an obligation to act for the benefit of society).  In California, a hotel cook working the Long Beach Marriott was arrested, after a fellow employee told authorities (law enforcement and/or management) that Rodolfo Montoya told him he was going to shoot fellow employees and guests.  This over a work-related human resources issue.  In Florida, a 16-year-old girl was arrested after several parents told authorities she threatened to attack a school.  In Wisconsin, a man was charged with making terrorist threats (threat to cause bodily injury to another person) after telling a fellow employee he wanted to shoot up the workplace (building or room where people perform their jobs).  back to top

The opioid crisis.  It is the increase of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in the United States and Canada in the 2010s.  Opioids are a diverse (very different) class of fairly strong painkillers, including oxycodone (commonly sold under the trade names OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is synthesized (the production of a substance by the union of chemical elements) to be similar to other drugs such as opium-derived morphine and heroin.  What the U.S. Surgeon General has called The Opioid Crisis likely began with over-prescription of opioid pain relievers in the 1990s, which caused them to become the most prescribed (advise and authorize the use of) class of medications in America.  "The opioid epidemic has since emerged (become known or apparent) as one of the worst drug crises (times of difficulty, trouble or danger) in American history.  It has also left thousands of children suddenly in need of foster care (a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home) after their parents have died from an overdose.  Fentanyl, a newer synthetic opioid painkiller, is fifty to a hundred times more potent than morphine and thirty to fifty times more potent than heroin, with only 2mg (two milligrams or .00007 ounces) becoming a lethal dose.  It is pure, white, odorless and flavorless, with a potency strong enough that police and first responders (some designated or trained to respond to an emergency) helping overdose victims have themselves overdosed by simply touching or inhaling a small amount.  As a result, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) has recommended that officers not field test (to test in actual situations) drugs if fentanyl is suspected, but instead collect and send samples to a laboratory for analysis.  'Exposure via inhalation or skin absorption can be deadly,' they state.  The U.S. Attorney for Ohio stated: 'One of the truly terrifying things is the [fentanyl] pills are pressed (apply pressure to flatten, shape or smooth) and dyed to look like oxycodone.  If you are using oxycodone and take fentanyl not knowing it is fentanyl, that is an overdose waiting to happen.  Each of those pills is a potential overdose death.' (Wikipedia)" 

In the past four years, overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, have increased more than sevenfold - from 2628 to 20,145 in the year 2016.  This means fifty-five dead per day.  "During 2016, there were more than 63,600 overdose deaths in the United States, including 42,249 that involved an opioid (66.4%).  That's an average of one hundred and fifteen opioid overdose deaths each day (CNN, May 27, 2018)."  The Center for Disease Control estimates overdoses killed more than 72,000 people in 2017.  Time dedicated an entire edition, March 5, 2018 to the crisis.  "The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who fatally (causing death) overdosed (too great a quantity of a drug taken) after years of battling addiction, left behind a family.  'When Phil died four years ago, I was so overwhelmed (to be too much to deal with), vulnerable (capable of being emotionally wounded) and cracked open (cut, penetrated), that anger became my protective shield (an essential function of the psychic apparatus, and the mechanism responsible for it) - the only thing between me and collapse (to fall into a jumbled or flattened mass),' wrote Hoffman's wife, Mimi O'Donnell.  'If there was a terrorist that showed up in Montgomery County today and shot fifty people, or twenty-five or ten for that matter (show that a statement is true in another situation), this community would be in an uproar (outcry, commotion or tumult).  There would be an army here trying to stop it.  That's exactly (precisely) where we are with opioids.  But who's showing up (arriving for an appointment) to stop it?' - Bruce Langos, executive director of the Criminal Intelligence Center at the Montgomery County sheriff's office in Dayton, Ohio.

"'Dayton is rough.  I've been here for eleven and a half years, and it declined (downhill, slump or plunge).  The poverty level's pretty bad.  But opioids reach (extend to) every part of society - blue-collar (a working class person who performs manual labor), white-collar (work in an office environment, and may involve sitting at a computer or desk), everybody,  It's nonstop (continuous without pausing).  It's every day.  And it doesn't seem like it's getting any better.  You get a thick skin (tough, hardened or hard-boiled) over time - either you get it, or it's going to eat you alive (being completely destroyed) eventually.  You kind of become cold (unemotional or glacial [a person who is icy]) to seeing somebody overdose.  As an officer, you bury it away (hide something, so others cannot find it).  A lot of us do that.  That's how we cope (deal effectively with something difficult).  Your emotional attachment (concern, care and liking) to that person that you don't know is, you don't have one (there isn't any).  It becomes easy to talk about the drug, and not talk about the person, to say, Yeah, just another one.   But seeing the families that are affected (influenced or touched by an external factor), actually seeing them on the scene (someone has become an important part of a situation), trying to care for their loved ones or friends.  And the things that they do to try to revive (restore to life or consciousness) them, and they can't, and they're waiting on us or the medics to get there.  To see that, to see the children involved, the heartache (emotional anguish [severe mental pain]), it's overwhelming (you do not know how to deal with it)' - Walter Bender, Montgomery County deputy sheriff." 

And middle-class kids (privileged children with opportunities).  "The day that news anchor (a person who presents news during a news program) Angela Kennecke found out her daughter died from a fentanyl overdose, she was working on a story (that which informs the public about current events, concerns or ideas) about the opioid epidemic (the misuse and addiction which is now a serious national crisis).  'I got a frantic (almost out of control because of extreme emotion - wild or distraught with fear or anxiety) call from her dad, saying, I think Emily's OD'd (overdosed).  You need to get over here right now.  I can't even describe to you what it's like to hear those words,' Kennecke said.  Kennecke, an investigative reporter with South Dakota CBS affiliate KELO, has covered (the act of reporting about an event or subject) the opioid crisis for about ten years.  She lost her daughter to the epidemic about four months ago and when she returned to work earlier this week, she shared her personal story (to let what has occurred in your life be the foundation [the underlying basis or principle] not the focus [a center of interest or activity] - the focus needs to be on lessons [a useful piece of information learned through experience] gained, the gifts that you now have to share).  'I thought I can let this loss (the state of feeling of grief when deprived of someone), this devastation, (severe and overwhelming shock) destroy me or I can do something about it.  And over the course of my career I have asked so many parents to talk to me and just people in general who are grieving (deep mental suffering often endured alone and in silence) who have had horrible, tragic things happen to them...and I thought, I have to talk about it.  I have an obligation (duty, commitment or responsibility) to talk about it.  My number one reason for talking about it is to erase the stigma (a mark of disgrace) that is surrounding (circumstances, conditions or things around an individual) addiction, especially the use of heroin, opioids,' Kennecke told CBS This Morning on Friday (CBS News, September 7, 2018)." 

"Buying illicit (forbidden by law) fentanyl - a drug that is killing people in the United States at the rate of eighty a day - is as easy as ordering a book online.  Websites openly advertise the synthetic opioid, offering customer service by email, bulk purchase discounts (to encourage individuals to purchase goods in large quantities) and shipping guarantees, according to a report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations (USA Today, September 27, 2018)."  "The Zheng drug trafficking (deal or trade in something illegal) organization was hardly clandestine (done secretively).  The Shanghai-based network (people with the same interests) sold synthetic narcotics (created using Man-made chemicals), including deadly fentanyl, on websites posted in thirty-five languages, from Arabic and English to Icelandic and Uzbek.  The Chinese syndicate bragged that its laboratory could synthesize nearly any drug and that it churned out (produce at a rapid rate) sixteen tons of illicit (forbidden by law) chemicals a month.  The group was so adept (very skilled or proficient) at smuggling (move goods illegally into a country), and so brazen (bold and without shame) in its marketing (action or business of promoting or selling products), that if offered a money-back guarantee to buyers if its goods (items for sale) were seized by U.S. or other customs agents (a federal law enforcement officer who inspects goods).  Fentanyl, fifty times more potent than heroin, and related laboratory-crafted drugs, have become the #1 cause of opioid-related overdose deaths (a dangerous dose causing a decease).  Nearly 29,000 people died last year in the United States from overdoses linked (a relationship between two situations) to synthetic opioids, a category that experts say is dominated by fentanyl and its chemical cousins - a staggering surge (an astonishing, astounding or stupefying amount) from the 3100 such deaths reported in 2013. 

"One reason for the spike (sharp increase) - the drug is so powerful that a sugar-packet-sized bag (containing two to four grams) of fentanyl can contain 500 lethal doses (quantity of a drug taken).  That also means it can be smuggled through the mail in which officials call 'micro-shipments' (small amounts of freight) that are far harder to identify and interdict (prohibit or forbid) than bulkier loads (of large size for its weight) of heroin, cocaine or marijuana.  Fentanyl was developed decades ago as an ultra-powerful painkiller - a hundred times more potent (having great effect) than morphine - for use in surgery.  It is still used to help hospice-level (providing care for the terminally ill) cancer patients.  Drug dealers began dabbling (dip your toe into a specific subject) in the drug in the mid-2000s, but it surged (a sudden and great increase) in popularity in 2014 and 2015 because it was easy to obtain and hugely profitable.  A $1500 kilogram (2.2 lbs) can bring $1.5 million in profits after the drug is cut (mixed with other drugs) and sold on the street (to the public), according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (Los Angeles Times, October 19, 2018)."  This drug has a history (referring to events of the past).  "If you've ever had surgery, you may have been given an analgesic (acting to relieve pain) named fentanyl.  Fentanyl is a favored painkiller (a drug for relieving pain) because it acts fast.  But it's also eighty to a hundred times more potent than morphine.  The powerful drug has made its way to the street (where people jump on any opportunity to "level up" [progress to the next level]) and increasingly is being used to cut (mixed with) heroin - resulting in a deadly combination.  Fentanyl abuse first became a problem some twenty-five to thirty years ago, way before it started being mixed with heroin, says Dr. Neil Capretto, an addiction physician at the Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Aliquippa, Penn.  Fentanyl, Capretto explains, was originally invented to relieve pain is often injected (to force a liquid into a person's body with a syringe) in patients prior to surgical procedures.  The synthetic opioid can also be prescribed in a lozenge (a small usually sweetened and flavored medicated material) or patch (a disk-shaped piece of material that is worn on the skin and contains a drug that is absorbed at a constant rate through the skin and into the bloodsteam) to treat the severe pain associated with metastatic (the spread of cancer from a primary site to other places in the body), colon (the large intestine) and pancreatic (malignant cells found in the tissues of the pancreas [produces digestive juices which regulate blood sugar]) cancer. 

"'Patterns of abuse actually began with hospital workers, anesthesiologists (a medical specialty concerned with the care of patients before, during and after surgery) and nurses,' Capretto says.  'There were a rash (people acting without thinking carefully first) of health specialists dying from overdose.  You'd hear of them getting it in the operating rooms by drawing out fentanyl from vials (a small container, made of glass, used for holding liquid medicines) and putting saline (a liquid mixture of salt and pure water) in its place.'  Later, when take-home (to carry something to one's home) fentanyl patches were invented, patients began abusing the painkiller, too.  'There were occasional cases of people eating the patches or steeping (to soak in water so as to extract the medical benefit) them like tea,' he says.  'And because fentanyl is so powerful, we started seeing more drug overdoes and death.'  In the 1980s, synthetic fentanyl became infamous as a street drug sold as China White, says Capretto - the name was originally used as a brand for heroin.  That was pretty bad, he says, but even more dangerous is mixing heroin and fentanyl.  Today, drug dealers are adding fentanyl to heroin because it creates an intense high.  Between 2005 and 2007, more than 1000 U.S. deaths were caused by fentanyl-heroin overdoes, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Seizures (capturing a thing using force) of drugs containing the painkiller jumped from 942 to 3334 between 2013 and 2014.  In March, the DEA issued a warning on fentanyl as a 'threat to public health and safety'.  The combination of two drugs makes users feel drowsy, nauseated (a feeling of sickness with an inclination to vomit) and confused, but also euphoric (characterized by or feeling intense excitement and happiness).  The euphoria probably hits a lot faster when fentanyl is mixed with heroin, says Dr. J.P. Abenstein, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.  It's that super-quick potency of fentanyl that makes it dangerous.  The rehab physician recently treated a heroin addict who tried fentanyl for the first time and overdosed.  'Before he even took the needle out of his arm, he was unconscious.' (NPR, August 26, 2015)"  In 2018, over 50,000 persons died due to opioids, as many, if not more, than died during the entire Vietnam War.    back to top

Debasing Islam.  Debase means to "reduce the quality or value of something".  On June 12, 2016, one of the worst mass shooting since 9/11 occurred in Orlando, Fl. - done by a Muslim born in Queens, N.Y. to Afghan immigrant parents, inspired by online Islamic State videos preaching "death to infidels (someone who does not believe in that which someone regards as a true religion)".  Haroon Moghul, CNN, commented: "The hundreds of millions of Muslims who reject extremism must start building out real institutional alternatives to extremism."  Meaning, Islam cannot just sit on its hands in the wake (as a consequence) of these things and not be accused themselves.  "We create false enemies when we cannot reach the real ones.  We blame all immigrants and all Muslims when the real enemy is the Islamic State and radical extremists (Bob Gabordi, Florida Today)."  That is, we have Islamophobics (people who are anti-Islam) who scapegoat the entire Muslim community, much like the Great Red Scare of the 1950s.  "According to Tuskegee University, between 1882 and 1968 an estimated 3446 African Americans were lynched - many at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan.  As an African American I ask, what should our response have been?  Should we have painted all white Christians with the same broad brush of racism and bigotry due to the actions of a radical segment who also called themselves Christians? (Michael E. Waters, June 15, 2016)"  He wrote this commenting on the "broad brush" used to paint Muslims.  Or what about this.  Should we paint with a "broad brush" the whole Christian Church because 500 years ago a radical element, certain Christians sanctioned (to officially allow or accept) by the church, went on Crusades slaughtering tens of thousands of innocent people.  They would burn entire European towns to the ground.  The justification (the act of showing something to be right) for the Crusades comes, perhaps, from Deuteronomy 2:34 - "The Lord delivered him before us; and we smote (to kill or severely injure) him, and his sons, and all his people.  And we took all his cities and utterly destroyed the men and women, and the little ones (children), of every city, we left none to remain [alive]." 

CNN did a study on December 30, 2015 concerning American deaths in terrorism vs. gun violence.  They found this.  "Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention we found that from 2001 to 2013, 406,496 people died by firearms on U.S. soil.  This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.  According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2001 to 2013 was 350.  In addition we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S. and found that between 2001 and 2013, there were 3030 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism.  This brings the total to 3380."  From 2001 to 2013 there were between 30,000 and 40,000 motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. per year, or over 400,000 total.  In 2014 - in one year, 9967 people were killed in alcohol-impaired (drunk) driving crashes, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or over twice the amount killed over fifteen years of terrorism in the United States.  In 2016, 40,200 people died on the nation's roads.  In one battle, in one day during World War I, 10,000 British soldiers died.  As asinine (preposterous) as Islamic terror is, it is actually as far as deaths are concerned, relatively small.  Stephen Yale-Loehr is professor of immigration law at Cornell Law School.  Nicholas Logothetis is co-founder and chairman at a non-partisan organization named Concordia.  They wrote this January 27, 2017.  "The Cato Institute calculates that the chance of being killed a terrorist attack committed by a refugee is about one in 3.6 billion a year.  By comparison, CATO found, you chance of being murdered by anyone [in the United States] is one in 14,000.  The head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told Congress in September (2016) that not a single act of actual terrorist violence has been committed by a refugee 'who has undergone our screening procedures' since 9/11." 

Is death by terrorist a "bad" death, and death by drunk driver a "good" death?  Why do news services such as Fox News continually harp (to dwell on or recur to a subject tiresomely) and rant (express at length a negative opinion - tirade) on terrorism deaths, while carefully ignoring the rest, which are far more in number?  Is it "straining out a gnat (a small fly that bites people)" while "swallowing a camel" - the gnat being Islamic terror in the U.S., the camel being domestic gun death plus vehicle death.  They may be using Muslim extremists to avoid other issues, such as the 13,445 firearm deaths in 2015 in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.  Chicago, in 2016, had recorded 81 murders in August alone, 764 murders and more than 4000 non-fatal shooting incidents (happenings) for the year.  This is one American city in one year.  And people worry about the Islamic State?  They should worry about America.  "Authorities who investigated fatal (causing death) shootings over the weekend (March 25-26) at a Cincinnati (Ohio) nightclub and on the Las Vegas Strip were quick to report they saw no indication of terrorism.  The incidents were, in fact, the latest reminders, that when it comes to terrorizing Americans, Americans don't need help from terrorists.  They're perfectly capable of killing, maiming and scarring themselves  - even at times and in places where people are supposed to be enjoying themselves (U.S.A. Today, March 27, 2017)."  However, it is the ideology (a set of ideas and beliefs of a group) behind the Islamic State that is to be dismantled (to destroy the integrity or functioning of).  "The reckoning (the time when actions are judged as good or bad) of the infidel is at hand.  His fortresses (places protected against attack) of sin (i.e. Las Vegas) will shield him no longer.  As we have bled, so shall he bleed."  This is a bad philosophy (a set of ideas).  According to Rob Stelzer: "When terrorist savages (people regarded as primitive and uncivilized) strike innocent victims, prayer is fine (of very high quality) and little shrines (sacred places) are nice, but the only rational response (using reason and logic in thinking out a problem) is to root out (to find and remove) these people and end their practices (the actual application or use of an idea)." 

On March 8, 2014 a Boeing 777 crashed into the ocean on its way to Beijing, China.  "Many Malaysians are invoking the power of prayer to aid the massive, multinational search for the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared without a trace early Saturday.  Many Malaysians are taking to Islamic mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, online at the Twitter hashtag #Pray For MH370, and even shopping malls, where shoppers Tuesday wrote and hung prayers and well-wishes on special 'message of hope' displays (U.S.A. Today, March 12, 2014)."  The American Cross has had a "message of hope" concept online for almost twenty years.  This is not just a "Christian" concept, but is universal for anyone, anywhere.  Sixty-five percent of the Malaysian people are Muslim.  The late Jerry Falwell, head of the Liberty Baptist University said this on CBS' 60 Minutes, October 3, 2002: "I think Muhammad was a terrorist."  The Malaysian people don't sound much like terrorists tying prayers on message-of-hope walls.  Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Ass., was quoted by NBC Nightly News in October 2001 as taunting (to sarcastically challenge or insult) Islam as "a very evil and wicked religion."  Yet his brother, Ned, also a Southern Baptist minister, told Christianity Today that he abused alcohol and spent an "inappropriate amount of time" with two women on his staff, as a married man with two children.  "He that is without sin (immoral conduct), let him cast (throw) the first stone."  That was said by someone the Grahams may have heard of - Jesus.  On the September 19, 2002 episode of Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes, Pat Robertson claimed that Muhammad was "an absolute wild-eyed fanatic - a robber and a brigand".  Robertson hosted the popular 700 Club.  But, according to a June 2, 1999 article in The Virginian-Pilot, Robertson had extensive business dealings with Liberian (in Africa) president Charles Taylor.  At that time Taylor was harboring al-Qaeda operatives who were funding their operations through an illegal diamond trade.  On February 4, 2010, at his war crimes trial in the Hague, Taylor testified that Robertson was his main political ally in the United States.  If Robertson was without sin, he could then cast a stone at Muhummad.  And further, if Muslims are so bad, why does the United States choose to use the Incirlik air base in Turkey in the fight against the Islamic State.  Turkey is a Muslim country.

After a Taliban attack on a Pakistani school that killed over a hundred persons on December 16, 2014, Dilawar Khan, a Muslim teacher from Peshawar, commented: "I don't know what kind of people actually plan and execute mass murder of children.  I'm sure they'll burn in hell for killing innocent teachers and students."  "Anything that bolsters ISIL's narrative and pits the United States against the Muslim faith is certainly not only contrary to our values, but contrary to our national security (Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, December 8, 2015)."  However, 450 out of a thousand senior American Protestant pastors surveyed by LifeWay Research, between September 26 and October 5, 2014, stated the Islamic State represents Islamic society in general.  It is a ploy (a clever trick) to make Muslim extremists look like the mainstream to justify bigotry (being obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices).  "It's certainly true that it is unfair to indict (to formally decide that a thing should be put on trial) a global faith followed by more than 1.6 billion people, the overwhelming majority of whom consider ISIS an insane distortion of the Prophet's teachings (Time, March 2, 2015)."  A suicide bomber caused a blast near the Prophet Mohammad's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia on July 4, 2016, killing four police officials.  Gulf News did much commentary on this.  "Oman (a country in the Middle East) strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia, stressing that their timing and location highlighted that terrorism had no religion or sense of humanity and that its only purpose was to kill and harm innocent people.  The new Arab League Secretary, General Ahmad Abul Ghait, said: 'Such acts of terrorism show the significance of deploying (to organize and send out - people or things - to be used for a particular purpose) greater efforts at the Arab, Islamic and international levels to confront the threats menacing the world.'  'The heinous crime that targeted innocent people from all over the world gathered in a sacred place at a time when the Muslim community is getting ready to celebrate Eid Al Fitr is a clear indication of how the forces of darkness are plotting against the Arab and Muslim nations,' [Jordan Minister of State for Media Affairs] Mohammad Al Moumani said. 

"In Saudi Arabia, the Council of Senior Scholars stressed that the terrorist attacks confirmed that those who have deviated (to do something that is different) from religion have abused all sanctities (the quality or state of being holy).  'They have no respect for any sanctity and they have no religion or conscience,' a statement from the Council said.  Abdul Rahman Al Dudais, the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, referred to a verse in the Quran to describe the terrorists from Daesh (Arabic language acronym - a set of initials representing a name - for the Islamic State).  'And when it is said to them, Do not cause corruption on the earth, they say, We are but reformers.  Unquestionably, they are corrupters, but they do not perceive it.'  The Muslim Council of Elders also condemned the terrorist attacks in the strongest terms.  In a statement, the Council, headed by Grand Imam of Azhar, Shaikh Ahmad Al Tayeb, stressed that 'the perpetrators of these villainous (very bad or evil) attacks which shed the blood of innocent people and violated the sanctity of places where God is worshipped, have neither ethics nor conscience and are not deterred by religion from killing innocent people and bomb the most sacred places on Earth.'  The statement added: 'God Almighty threatens to afflict those who seek to wreak havoc on the Prophet's Mosque and other mosques with disgrace in this life and the worst torment in the afterlife.'  The Council's statement stressed 'the need for concerted (done in a planned and deliberate way) international efforts to counter, with full firmness and determination, these deviant (different from what is considered to be normal) groups that seek to spread mischief on earth and threaten, with atrocious (very evil or cruel) acts, the security and stability of our holy places, Arab and Muslim countries and international peace that all humanity pursues.'  Iran on Tuesday (July 5) joined the international chorus of condemnation in the wake of the suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia.  'There are no more red lines left for terrorists to cross.  Sunnis, Shiites will both remain victims unless we stand united as one,' Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.  'Terrorism knows no border or nationality and there is no solution except creating an international and regional unity against this phenomenon (an observable fact or event),' [Iranian] foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state broadcaster Irib." 

Doesn't sound like the Islamic State represents Islamic society in general.  Some American Protestant ministers will twist facts (make a misrepresentation) to suit a theory (a working hypothesis).  Their religion has its own brand of violence.  From their Bible: "But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance (a valuable possession that is a common heritage), you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them - the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite...So Joshua conquered all the land - the mountain country and the South and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings, he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed (from Deuteronomy and Joshua)."  And that's not all.  "After breaching the walls of Jerusalem in 1099, for example, the Crusaders reportedly slaughtered almost every inhabitant of the Holy City.  According to the medieval chronicle (a description of events in the order they happened) the Gesta Danorum, 'the slaughter was so great that our men waded in blood up to their ankles.' (The Middle East Quarterly, Raymond Ibrahim, Summer 2009)"  As can be seen from the Saudi attack, mainstream (a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence) Islam does not sanction (official permission or approval) violence from extremists, unlike the Christian Church, which did so in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.  On July 14, 2016 a Muslim driver of a semi truck slammed into people on a promenade (a public place for walking), on Bastille Day in Nice France.  The first person to die was Fatima Charrihi, a Muslim woman, a mother of seven children.  Oumaimi Kraimi, a college student in Nice, commented on the fear that Muslims will be targeted again.  "There will be people who will stigmatize (to describe or regard something in a way that show strong disapproval) us.  We shouldn't let these people debase (to lower the value or reputation of) our image (the idea that people have about something).  The attack wasn't a Muslim act, only the act of an ignorant person who was hiding behind our religion, but who was not a real Muslim.  The Quran tells us that if a man kills another, it's as if he had killed all mankind." 

Franklin Graham is a leader in the church who may be afflicted with a case (an instance of a particular situation) of Islamophobia (an exaggerated, and usually inexplicable, illogical fear of the Islamic faith).  According to Reverend Katharine R. Henderson: "On Franklin Graham's column, 'Too many Muslims among us believe in violence', he incites fear and suspicion of Muslim Americans.  Graham omits mention of the number of Muslim leaders who have banded together to condemn violence, or that a third of the victims of the Nice attacks were Muslim.  He must know that the majority of deaths at the hands of the terrorist group of the Islamic State are Muslims.  As a Christian leader who works with people of all faiths, I know we can do better.  If we are to defeat the threat of terror, it will take all Americans.  We must build this world together as a part of a multi-faith movement for justice and love.  As a Christian, Graham should know that 'God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control'.  Instead of sowing distrust and fear, why don't we try to 'love our neighbor as ourselves', as Jesus taught?"  Perhaps he could rely (depend on with full trust) on a scripture from I Samuel 15:3 - "And the Lord said: 'Go and smite (strike with a firm blow) Amalek (a nomadic tribe whose descendants are Arabs), and utterly (completely and totally) destroy all that they have, and spare (choose not to punish or harm) them not, but slay (kill) both man and woman, infant and suckling (an infant that is still being breastfed by its mother).'"   

Near the Finsbury Park mosque, in north London, a van (vehicle) slammed (a heavy blow or impact) into a crowd outside the mosque, injuring nine people, killing one.  Two Muslim girls commented.  Ijeoma Mbnye: "We shouldn't have to look over our shoulder (to worry or think about the possibility that something bad might happen - that someone will try to cause harm) all the time.  Not all Muslims are terrorists, and I blame the government for creating the impression that they are."  Aisha Amir: "If the guy that did this was a Muslim he would have called a 'terrorist' straightaway (immediately, instantly, directly or forthwith), but because is a white man (Caucasian), it's assumed has a mental illness.  Where is the justice?"  Not only do Muslims invoke the power of prayer.  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the United States in April 2015, and said at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.: "I stood there in silent prayers for some time."  Japan is mostly Buddhist and Shinto for religion.  David Wolnerman, now 88 and lives in Des Moines, Iowa, was in a Nazi concentration camp - a Jew - in 1940.  He was thirteen when he stood before the Angel of Death, the Nazi who decided who lived and who died.  When asked about his age he said, then: "I am eighteen."  He said, in 2015: "I didn't have the brains to say this.  I believe God told me.  If not, I wouldn't be here."  Nepal, home of Mt. Everest, had a magnitude-7.8 earthquake, April 2015.  Thousands died.  One man said: "I pray to God they find my daughters," ages 12 and 16.  Nepal is about 80% Hindu.  How can a Muslim, Buddhist (or Shinto) and Hindu pray?  Don't you have to accept Jesus as your personal savior (someone who saves from danger) before you can do any of this?  And how could God speak to a Jew if he wasn't saved.  Yet Revelation says that all nations, ethnic groups and languages are in paradise.  Daniel clarifies that, to mean some of all the nations: "Multitudes (a great number of people) who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake - some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt."  It seems like anyone, who wants, can connect to the Unseen. 

To conclude on a subject of the mocking (being such in appearance only) of Islam, Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's foreign minister, made a comment concerning immigration on January 29, 2017.  "The United States is a country where Christian traditions have an important meaning.  Loving your neighbor is a major Christian value, and that includes helping people.  I think that is what unites us in the West."  President Trump said this at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 2, 2017.  "America must forever remain a tolerant (capacity to endure what is difficult) society where all faiths are respected, and where all of our citizens can feel safe and secure."  Steve Bannon, a former member of Trump's staff, had his own "spin" (biased interpretation of an event) in January 2016, referring to Europe in the 1930s.  "This is when Europe's looking down the barrel of fascism (exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control) - the rise of Mussolini in Italy, Stalin and the Russians and the communist Bolsheviks (a member of the extremist wing of the Russian Social Democratic party) in the Soviet Union.  And obviously Hitler and the Nazis.  I mean you're looking at fascism, you're looking at communism.  And to say that - what so blows me away is the timing of it.  You could look in 1938 and say, 'Look, it's pretty dark here in Europe right now, but there's [now] something actually much darker.  And that is Islam.'"  In Germany, in the '30s, a documentary film was made derogatorily (showing a critical or disrespectful attitude) comparing Jews to a pack of rats (a rodent considerably larger than a mouse), showing it on camera, and suggesting they be eliminated (to prevent the participation or inclusion of).  With his mind-set (a mental attitude or inclination), he may wish to make use of it against innocent Muslim people.  The Pew Research Center estimates the U.S. Muslim population is now 3.3 million.  So where is the paranoia (mental illness characterized by delusions, suspiciousness or distrustfulness of others) as they are less than one percent of the population of United States? 

Bana Alabed is a 7-year-old Syrian girl who, during the siege (a persistent or serious attack) of Aleppo, tweeted (a post made on Twitter) photos and videos depicting a war-torn wasteland (an area that is devastated by war).  Her Twitter profile - I am 7 years old peace preacher - had 366,000 followers worldwide.  She had the audacity (willingness to take bold risks) to tweet President Trump with a question: "Am I a terrorist?"  A few days earlier she tweeted from Turkey, after riding an evacuation bus, to Trump: "You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you.  If you promise me you will do something for the children of Syria, I am already your new friend."  Attacking all of Islam is suicide (the self-inflicted ruin of one's own prospects or interests).  "The West (western civilization) is not at war with the world's 1.7 billion Muslims, the vast majority of whom want nothing to do with ISIL's savagery (disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others).  The West is at war with a warped (having or showing lowered moral character or standards), barbaric (having a bizarre or primitive quality), nihilistic (a belief that the real world does not exist) fringe (a space that marks the outer limit of something) within Islam.  In Middle Eastern and South Asian terror hotspots (an area where there is dangerous unrest or hostile action), Muslims bear the brunt (principal force, shock or stress) of the suffering.  The war on terrorism cannot be won without their help (U.S.A. Today, February 6, 2017)."  On February 5, 2017, one hundred twenty-seven tech companies filed a joint court brief on immigration.  "The beneficiaries (a person who receives a benefit) are not just the new immigrants who chose to come to our shores, but American businesses, workers and consumers, who gain immense advantages from immigrants' infusion of talents, energy and opportunity."  One man who faced exclusion (not allowing someone to take part in an activity) from the U.S. was Asghar Farhadi, an Iranian filmmaker who won an Oscar for best foreign language film.  "Dividing the world into categories of 'us' and 'our enemies' creates fear," Farhardi said. 

Research from the Department of Homeland Security concluded that "country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator (measurable variable used as a representation) of potential terrorist activity".  John Allen, a retired Marine general who commanded NATO's International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan from 2011 though early 2013 plus coordinated (organized) a coalition (a group of people acting together) to counter the Islamic State from 2014 to 2015, along with Michael O'Hanlon who is a senior fellow at the Bookings Institution, wrote this.  "Trump needs to rapidly re-evaluate and revise his executive order on travel and refugees.  It could do enormous harm to the broader struggle against terrorism - and thus to America's security even here in the homeland.  In particular, it will damage America's image (a visible representation of something abstract - a popular conception of a nation projected through the mass media) in the world, betray (be disloyal to) friends and allies (someone associated with another to give assistance) who have fought with us, complicate co-operation with governments we need to help us defeat the Islamic State terrorist group, and leave many vulnerable individuals unable to return to jobs and families - or to reach asylum (something that offers protection from danger) in the first place.  Though the order responds to a legitimate (justifiable, warrantable or proper) fear, its logic and specific elements are misguided (to cause to believe what is untrue).  None of the major attacks on American soil since 2001 has involved individuals embedded (to make an integral part of) within refugee or immigration groups from the seven countries involved in the order.  Yes, the 9/11 attackers did abuse the immigration system and evade watch lists.  But U.S. agencies are now much better at connecting the dots (proceeding in a series of simple and predictable steps) and sharing information.  Our vetting (make a careful and critical examination of something) has also improved and is very good today.  Even if one had doubts, why ban (to prohibit especially by legal means) women with their innocent children?  There have been only a modest number of female terrorists; hardly any of these are moms (mothers).  Why ban former interpreters (to make understandable - translators) who worked with U.S. forces?  They have already proved their trustworthiness (worthy of another's trust or confidence), and we owe them a great debt.  Above all, we should recognize that it is not about being Muslim or about the Islamic faith." 

According to Erin Miller, a researcher at the University of Maryland's Global Terrorism Database: "Terrorism in Western Europe remains less frequent compared to the number of attacks that took place in the region in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s."  Terrorists in past decades were political fanatics (marked by intense uncritical devotion) or agents of state-sponsored (government support of violent non-state actors) attacks, including Northern Ireland's Irish Republican Army, Spain's Basque separatists or Italian radicals.  In 1979-80, there were 1615 attacks resulting in 719 deaths.  In 2015-16 there was a drop (reduction), to 604 attacks resulting in 383 deaths.  According to the Igarape Institute, a Brazilian think tank (a group of experts brought together to develop ideas), in 2016, Western Europeans were 433 times more likely to die of suicide (the act of taking one's own life) than from terrorism, 50 times more likely to die in a biking or watersports accident, 39 times more likely to die in consuming a toxic (poisonous) product and 32 times more likely to die by homicide (murder).  So, chances of dying by terrorism were one quarter of one percent compared to dying by suicide.  The media (main means of mass communication - broadcasting, publishing, the internet) could focus on suicide prevention (collective efforts by citizen organizations and health professionals to reduce the risk of suicide) but, then, it's not as sensational (editorial bias [prejudice in favor of, or against, something] in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are overhyped [exaggerated claims] to present biased impressions on events) as a terror attack.  Robert Muggah, a security specialist (someone who specializes in the security of people, assets, networks or telecommunications systems) with the Brazilian think tank said this.  "We know earthquakes and floods kill far more people than terrorism, but we give a huge amount of attention to terrorism even when it involves small numbers of casualties (persons who are hurt or killed).  It whips (moves quickly or forcefully) our society, which is a low-risk society (able to push risks as far away as possible), into a kind of frenzy (intense, usually wild, and often disorderly compulsive or agitated activity) and augments (increases, adds to) the perceived risk."

"In addition to the rising incidents of harassment and violence against Muslims, there are signs that the federal government intends to ratchet up (increase over a period of time) spying against the Muslim community.  Two weeks ago (February 5), Foreign Policy magazine obtained a draft report (a preliminary form of a possible future document), produced by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the request of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in which the CBP recommends subjecting Sunni Muslim immigrants, including permanent residents, to long-term surveillance (close observation).  While the latest news from the DHS is ominous (threatening, menacing or forbidding) indeed, it should be pointed out that the assault (concerted attempt to do something demanding) on the democratic rights (mobility, legal and equality privileges) of Muslims began long before Trump came to power (was elected).  This was underscored (called attention to) earlier this month when the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed (make publicly known) that, in 2016, the Boston Police Department (BPD) used social media monitoring software (used to track, gather and mine the information of certain individuals or groups) to spy on the private conversations of Muslims.  However, the BPD's spying program is nothing new.  In fact, it pales in comparison (looks weak, small, meager or inferior to something else) to the massive spying operation carried out by the New York Police Department (NYPD) in collaboration (working jointly with others) with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in the years following 9/11.  In 2010, the Associated Press uncovered the existence of the NYPD-CIA spying program, which including the monitoring (the observing and watching) of Muslim student's groups across sixteen college campuses across the Northeast in 2006-07. 

"The Associated Press had also discovered that, for several years, the NYPD had been spying on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses, even sending informants (persons who give information to another) to monitor sermons.  Ordinary Muslims going about their daily lives had their license plate numbers recorded and faces photographed.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is believed to have more than 15,000 informants on its payroll (list of people who work for an organization).  The informants are trained to seek out young, impressionable (easily influenced because of a lack of critical ability), often unemployed and isolated Muslims known to have expressed 'radical views'.  After gaining their trust, including through favors such as providing money, the informants then bent over backwards (try extremely hard to help or please) to convince their targets (persons selected for abuse or punishment) to carry out an attack.  In his 2013 book, The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism, investigative (inquiring intensively into and seeking to expose) journalist Trevor Aaronson showed that only one percent of the more than five hundred defendants charged with federal terrorism offenses in the decade following 9/11 were actually involved in terrorist activities (calculated use of violence against civilians).  In the overwhelming (very great in amount) majority of cases, the 'terror plots' were entirely cooked up (concoct [create or devise] or contrive [plan with ingenuity]) by the informants (CounterPunch, February 21, 2018)."  And while games are being played, innocent Muslim people suffer misery (anguish, distress, despair).  "Sroor Al-Hosayni, 23, a nurse in Mosul (Iraq), isn't waiting for the government to remove the bodies left on the ground and inside demolished (destroyed, flattened or razed) homes in her neighborhood.  Al-Hosayni led her team of thirty volunteers to pull out the dead from the dirt and debris (broken or torn pieces left from the destruction of something larger) and place the bodies in white plastic sacks.  Al-Hosayni's mission began after her 14-year-old sister, Nibras, was killed in last year's fighting.  Her father died of a heart attack shortly after an airstrike. 

"'I promised the security forces to work for them as a nurse if they would help me bury my sister,' said Al-Hosayni, who trains others in the safe removal of bodies.  'The areas smell of death.  It's awful, but we have gotten used to it,' Al-Hosayni said.  She said city officials suggested letting stray dogs (domestic animals wandering about) eat the bodies.  'There are lots of rats and cats, but no dogs.  I told them there were not enough dogs to eat the corpses (dead bodies, especially of human beings).  There are thousands of bodies.'  Al-Hosayni and her volunteers have removed 860 bodies.  'In many ways, I'm doing this work in memory of my sister and my father,' she said.  'Dad taught me that actively (in a deliberate, positive, energetic or vigorous way of) caring for others is the best answer to the atrocities (extremely wicked or cruel acts) of the Islamic State.' (U.S.A. Today, May 2, 2018)."  And in Gaza: "Thousands of Palestinians attended the funeral Saturday of a young female volunteer medic (nurse) who Palestinians say was shot (to be hit) and killed by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) while tending the injured (wounded) during violent protests on the Gaza border.  Razan al-Najjar, 21, a volunteer with the Gaza health ministry, was fatally shot in the chest near Khan Younis on Friday, Palestinian officials said.  Ambulances and medical crews attended the funeral, with her father holding the white blood-stained medic's jacket she wore when she was shot (The Times of Israel, June 2, 2018)."  And in Sri Lanka: "The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka said it condemned the attacks 'on our Christian brothers and sisters on their Holy Day of Easter, as well as on the hotels in Colombo.'  It said that it mourned the loss (bereavement and grief) of 'innocent lives due to extremist and violent elements (persons who have radical ideas or opinions) who wish to create divides (causing disagreement) between religious and ethnic groups to realize their agenda (list, plan or outline of things to be done).' (Time, April 21, 2019)"  This concerning the multiple hotel and church bombings with hundreds dead in that country on Easter Sunday.  An extremist is someone who supports an idea, cause or set of values so adamantly and without compromise that said person will use their ideas to justify anything they do.  back to top

Deriding Jews, and others.  Deride means to "express contempt for".  A Christian commentator on Fox News was asked that, in light of such things as the Holocaust, famine in Africa or the Black Plague, where is God in all of it?  The commentator responded with, "Gotta go to a break."  After the TV ads were over, he adroitly (showing skill, cleverness or resourcefulness) moved on to another subject.  So, how can God be a good God, and let these things occur.  And, how can God be a good God and allow a nuclear holocaust (all the fish in the oceans dying, one third of the planet being destroyed, the moon turning blood red due to changes in the atmosphere, and etc.), to happen in the future?  From various sacred writings (venerated texts that inspire respect) it can be deduced (determined by reasoning) that the Unseen is a benevolent dictator.  Pure kindness, yet as cold as ice.  "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (from Matthew)."  Science has given us a look as to what may be after death.  Tens of thousands of people have had these experiences - "dying" on an operating table, and being brought back through a medical procedure.  Modern medicine has given us a "crash cart" - which is used to bring someone back to a conscious state.  In their near-death experiences, some go up, and some go down.  On the up: "It felt like a tunnel with a light at the end of it."  "Incredible light...brighter than the sun."  "It wasn't God but it wasn't not God either."  "A feeling of freedom and joy."  It was a kind of peace and calm."  On the down: "Red snakes crawling."  "Darkness that wasn't just blackness, it was an endless void."  "I heard the most horrifying, tormenting screams imaginable."  Not a pleasant place.  Apparently (used to describe something that appears to be true) there is no heavenly tribunal (the seat of a judge), where you argue your case (a question to be settled in a court of law).  Everything happens instantaneously (done without delay) after a point of death (a limit, beyond which an organism [individual form of life] cannot survive). 

Yet, where is God when a nail bomb at a concert in Manchester, England kills twenty-two innocent people, including an 8-year-old girl, on May 22, 2017?  "We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted (distorted and without meaning) mind that sees a room packed (filled to capacity - full) with young children not as a scene to cherish (hold dear), but as an opportunity for carnage (the killing of many people - Prime Minister Theresa May)."  And - "But to see what binds us together, just look to what these attacks have revealed about the kind of country we are and the type of people who live in the cities we have built for ourselves.  We are unshakably (not possible to weaken) resolute (firmly resolved or determined), unwilling to give in to fear or panic and reliably able to find humor and kinship (the relationship between members of the same family) even in the darkest moments (Dan Stwart - London)."  Or this.  "On the morning of May 31 (2017), a giant plume (something that rises into the air in a tall, thin shape) of smoke spread across the sky above The Arg, the 19th century Kabul (Afghanistan) fortress that houses the Afghan president's office and residence.  On the ground, just down the road from its gates and around the corner from the German Embassy, a busy thoroughfare was transformed into a gaping (wide open) debris-filled crater (a hole in the ground made by an explosion) some 13 feet (4 meters) deep.  The remains of the morning rush hour were everywhere - shattered windshields, twisted metal, flattened tires.  The smoke came from a powerful bomb that killed at least 90 people and wounded more than 400 (Time, June 12, 2017)."  How can God, if He is all good, allow these things to happen?  Sadly, He has turned over (to cause to move around in order to achieve a result) the planet to us, and chosen (come to a resolution, as a result of consideration) to not interfere (to enter into the concerns of others) into many of our affairs (work or activities done for a purpose).  He allows people to decide (to select freely and after consideration), for better, and for worse.  He can interfere, as a force for good, if you wish Him to.  And He will execute justice (moral rightness) against bad people, if not in this life, when they are dead (a Buddhist concept of karma - getting what you give).

People are skeptical (relating to a theory that certain knowledge is impossible) as to what could be after death, in a scientific community.  Bible Probe comments: "Numerous people have had near-death experiences after their hearts stopped, or they have stopped breathing - and ten seconds later the EEG (measure of brain electrical activity) goes absolutely 'flat'.  If so, how can any scientist say that this NDE is not a conscious experience?  Also, there have been numerous blind people (blind from birth) who have reported near-death experiences.  And for most of these their NDEs are 'visual' experiences.  How can these be?  It is thought that over ten million Americans have had near-death experiences.  Why do 'scientists' not study these more?  These are not drug induced hallucinations.  How can so many people report nearly the same details in their experience if they were due to drugs chemically acting on brain cells?  Most people who undergo NDEs say that they are not 'dream-like' events, but instead, very real and structured 'visits'.  Also, for most people, an NDE is a 'life changing' experience."  While there is no proof (something which shows that something else is true) that these experiences are real, there is no proof that you will be alive tomorrow, either.  Jewish people have had some positive NDEs.  Natan was a 15-year-old Israeli Jew who comes from a secular background.  "Natan felt extremely ill with chills and a cold feeling in his hands and legs.  His body shook, hurt and he suddenly found himself hovering over his body six feet in the air.  He kept rising and rising, saw the whole earth and eventually was led to a tunnel.  He saw a light that was full of love and security.  He can't properly explain how amazing this was (matzav.com)."  "Before his near-death experience, Alon Anava, a Jewish man who grew up in Ra'anana, Israel, describes himself as rough, rude, mean and not a nice person.  After his near-death experience, Alon says he was transformed into someone who was nice, calm, courteous, and soft spoken.  Whereas before he was a highly trained martial artist, now he attends Yeshiva, studying every day, exploring the depths of Torah.  Alon also claims to have returned with the ability to connect to God (ndestories.org)."  Although this story is a bit corny (tiresomely [causing you to feel bored] simple and sentimental), it does make a point that the experience can change how people behave (to conduct oneself in a specified way). 

"Beverly Brodsky was raised in a conservative Jewish family in a mostly Jewish neighborhood in Philadelphia.  She went through her teens as an atheist.  Since learning of the Holocaust at age eight, she had turned angrily against any early belief in God (Kevin Williams)."  In July 1970, she had a motorcycle accident which resulted in a NDE.  Since then, she served twenty-eight years with the U.S. government as a business and computer analyst.  This is the testimony of her 1970 experience, recorded in Lessons from the Light, written by Kenneth Ring and Evelyn Valarino.  "Somehow an unexpected peace descended upon me.  I found myself floating on the ceiling over the bed looking down at my unconscious body...But my attention was now directed upward, where there was a large opening leading to a circular path.  Although it seemed to be deep and far to the end, a white light shone through and poured out into the gloom on the other side where the opening beckoned (to appear inviting).  It was the most brilliant light I had ever seen.  I then remember traveling a long distance upward toward the light.  Within it I sensed an all-pervading (to spread through all parts) intelligence, wisdom, compassion, love and truth.  There was neither form nor sex to this perfect being.  It, which I shall in the future call He, in keeping with our commonly accepted syntax (the way in which words are put together), contained everything...Suddenly, not knowing how or why, I returned to my broken body.  Although it's been twenty years since my heavenly voyage, I have never forgotten it.  Nor have I, in the face of ridicule (making fun of someone in a cruel or harsh way) and disbelief, ever doubted its reality.  Nothing that intense and life-changing could possibly have been a dream or hallucination (something that seems real, but does not actually exist - delirium, a profound distortion in a person's perception of reality).  To the contrary, I consider the rest of my life to be a passing fantasy, a brief dream, that will end when I again awaken in the permanent presence of that Giver of life and bliss."  Near-death experiences are a window (an interval or opportunity for action) into a post-death experience.  So, how could this woman visit (the act of going to see a place for a particular purpose) "paradise", when she had not accepted Jesus Christ as her personal lord and savior, according to the requirements (some quality or performance demanded of a person in accordance with certain fixed regulations - something you must do) meted out (doled out, apportioned) by the American evangelicals (Christians)?  "This might just return us to a context (circumstances that form a setting for an event) within which to contemplate (think deeply or carefully about) heaven as more than a mere fairy tale (a simple story children's story about magical creatures), cooked up (invent something, such as an idea, excuse, etc.) to deal with the fear of dying (Heaven, Peter Stanford)." 

So if Jewish people are visiting "paradise" through these experiences, why were they consigned (to put someone in a usually unpleasant place or situation) to suffer the misery (a very unhappy or painful time) of the Holocaust?  Doesn't God ever care (feel concern or show interest) as to what happens to people in this life.  There is a malignant force (demonically powerful - showing hate and spiritual evil to the annihilation of opportunities and joys) that, at times, seems to threaten (be something that is likely to cause harm to) the world.  It's difficult to believe that the horrendous (extremely bad or unpleasant) events which have occurred throughout recorded history are simply a product of deranged minds (unable to think or act in a normal or logical way).  There is a line that is crossed (to overstep a boundary, rule or limit; to go too far or do something unacceptable), with things such as the Holocaust, and other things, that this force, which in religion is called Satan, is either blamed (think or say that person or thing is responsible for something bad that has happened) for or is responsible (able to be trusted to do what is right - answerable or accountable) for.  To accept (believe or come to recognize) that tens of thousands of innocent people were literally (representing the exact words or sense) worked to death (until they died), or showered (a bath in which water is sprayed on the body) in poison gas and then conveniently cremated (to reduce to ashes by fire), was the product (someone influenced by a particular environment) of a person having a bad day is ridiculous (extremely unreasonable or absurd).  That given, why does the Divine Name permit (allow to be done or occur) it.  What is the issue (an important topic for debate), in that He seems to allow torment (extreme physical or mental pain) to come upon His creatures (animals or persons) on earth?  First, and foremost (before anything else in importance), it should be noted (a brief comment) that to attack (criticize or oppose fiercely) the Ancient of Days about how He operates (to exert power or influence), simply gets you a one-way ticket (allowing a passenger to travel only to his destination, without returning) to eternal prison.  But, while 6,000,000 Jewish people, plus hundreds of thousands of Poles, Russians and others, were being gassed, cremated or worked to death - what was the Unseen doing, taking a nap (a short sleep especially during the day)? 

An American Presbyterian elder (a person having authority because of experience) commented: "I think it is only when a person truly sees God working in his own life that this faith (strong religious feelings) can be transformed into a complete trust that God's promises are true."  Holodomor literally translated from the Ukrainian means "death by hunger".  In 1932-33 Stalin, a Russian leader, instituted (set in motion or establish) policies designed to mutilate (injure so severely as to cause lasting damage) the independence and culture of rural Ukraine.  Bitter Harvest, a 2017 film, states on screen at the end: "In 2003, Russia signed a U.N. declaration confirming (establish the truth or correctness) that the Holodomor had taken the lives of between seven and ten million innocent people."  On November 7, 2015, the Holodomor Genocide Memorial was opened in Washington D.C.  Most probably, about l.5 million people died from Stalin's policies directly (without anything else being involved).  What is the church thinking - "God working in a person's own life", "complete trust that God's promises are true."  God working to starve tens of thousands of people to death, while they trust His promises to be true?  This is a most absurd (having no rational or orderly relationship to human life) comment when it meets reality (a true situation that exists).  Back in the 1930s, Ukrainians may have thought (an idea, plan or opinion formed in the mind) that "dragons were real, and evil roamed the world".  So, then again, why does the Unseen allow a "malignant force" to roam the planet?  A small reason is to perhaps let people know that there is an eternal prison, an unpleasant place where you do not want to go - once dead.  An American Protestant church saying (a short, pithy [concise and forceful] expression [act of making your thoughts known] that generally contains advise or wisdom) is this: "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform."  Nothing mysterious (exciting wonder, curiosity or surprise while baffling efforts to comprehend or identify) about the Warsaw (Poland) Ghetto during World War II, wherein 400,000 Jewish people were herded (a group of people moving in a particular direction) like cattle.  From October 1940 to May 1943, these people experienced imprisonment, mass shootings, forced labor, starvation, mass deportations to Treblinka and labor camps in the Lublin Reservation.   

And, Vietnam.  "Phan Kim Phuc, referenced informally as the Napalm girl, is a Vietnamese best known as the nine-year-old child depicted (to show in a picture) in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1972.  The well known photo, taken in Trang Bang by AP photographer Nick Ut, shows her at nine years of age running naked on a road after being severely burned on her back by a napalm attack.  In an interview many years later, she recalled she was yelling, Nong qua nong qua ("too hot, too hot") in the picture.  The Girl in the Picture: The Kim Phuc Story by Denise Chong is a 1999 biographical and historical work tracing the life story of Kim Phuc (Wikipedia)."  Napalm is a gel (a jellylike substance), composed of two acids plus gasoline.  "When napalm falls on people, the gel sticks to their skin hair and clothing, causing unimaginable (inconceivable, indescribable, unbelievable) pain, severe burns, unconsciousness, asphyxiation (suffocation) and often death.  Even those who do not get hit directly with napalm can die from its effects since it burns at such high temperatures that it can create firestorms (very intense and destructive fires) that use up much of the oxygen in the air.  Bystanders (persons present but not taking part in a situation) also can suffer heat stroke, smoke exposure and carbon monoxide poisoning.  The U.S. dropped almost 400,000 tons of napalm bombs in the decade between 1963 and 1973.  Of the Vietnamese people who were on the receiving end, 60% suffered fifth-degree burns, meaning that the burn went down to the bone.  Horrifying as napalm is, its effects at least are time-limited (a limited period of time).  That is not the case with the other major chemical weapon the U.S. used against Vietnam - Agent Orange.  Agent Orange is a liquid mixture containing the 2,4-D and 2,4,5,-T herbicides (chemicals used to destroy plants).  The compound is toxic (poisonous) for only about a week before it breaks down, but unfortunately, one of its daughter products is the persistent (continuing to exist or endure over a long period) toxin dioxin.  Dioxin lingers in soil, water and human bodies.  During the Vietnam War, the U.S. sprayed Agent Orange on the jungles and fields of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.  The Americans sought to defoliate (deprive of leaves, especially prematurely) the trees and bushes, so that enemy soldiers would be exposed.  They also wanted to kill off the agricultural crops that fed the Viet Cong - as well as local civilians. 

"The U.S. spread 43 million liters (11.4 million gallons) of Agent Orange on Vietnam, covering 24% of South Vietnam with the poison.  Over 3000 villages were in the spray zone (a jet of vapor or liquid that is blown through the air).  In those areas, dioxin leached (drained, filtered or seeped) into people's bodies, their food, and worst of all, the groundwater (water held underground).  In an underground aquifer (a water-bearing permeable rock, sand or gravel), the toxin can remain stable (firmly fixed, not likely to change) for at least a hundred years.  As a result, even decades later, the dioxin continues to cause health problems and birth defects for Vietnamese people in the sprayed area.  The Vietnamese government estimates that about 400,000 people have died from Agent Orange poisoning, and about half a million children have been born with birth defects (www.thoughtco.com)."  Approximately 1.5 million innocent people have died from napalm and Agent Orange put together - about the same number as those who died in the Holodomor of the 1930s in Ukraine.  "The wound caused by napalm is too deep to heal.  When contacting humans, napalm immediately clings (sticks on someone) to the skin and melts off the flesh.  The only way to put it out is to smother (keep from growing by covering) it, as trying to wipe it off (dry or clean by rubbing) only spreads it around and expands the burnt area.  Napalm gradually became a symbol of the brutality (cruel, harsh and usually violent treatment of another person) of the Vietnam War (thevietnamwar.info)."  The Ancient of Days cannot approve (express a favorable opinion of) of all of this.  This goes back to a fanciful (possibly not based on fact) story of Adam and Eve.  The Divine Name put an apple tree in a garden and instructed (give someone an order) them to not eat an apple.  There comes Satan and scams (deceives, tricks, dupes or hoodwinks) Eve into eating just one.  So, the Divine Name banishes (a legal punishment imposed that requires persons to stay out of a specified area) Eve and Adam.  Who put Satan in the garden in the first place?  What can be known is that Unseen is, in truth (in point of fact), a benevolent (kindhearted, good-natured and philanthropic) dictator (an entity who rules with total authority). 

Answering a question as to why bad things happen to nice people is essential, so that individuals can understand.  Perhaps it is a warning (a statement or event that indicates a possible or impending danger, problem or other unpleasant situation), that not only does evil roam (travel without a fixed purpose or direction) the world at times, but there is evil beyond the grave (after a person has died) that is to be avoided (stayed away from) - i.e. hell in the underworld (a place for departed souls).  That still does not answer a question as to why horrible (very unpleasant or bad) things happen in this world.  American evangelicals will tell you that if a Jew doesn't accept Jesus Christ as his or her personal "lord and savior", that person will burn in hell forever.  So, then, when Hitler got done putting 6,000,000 Jewish people into the ovens (crematorium ovens, that were used to burn the bodies of up to 6000 people every 24 hours), God put them into an eternal oven.  This makes God into more of a tyrant (cruel and oppressive ruler) than Hitler.  What do the misguided (having or showing faulty judgment or reasoning) American Baptists think, that Hitler would have allowed Baptist preachers into the concentration camps to preach Jesus to the Jews?  On October 27, 2018, eleven worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Penn. were killed by a man with an AR-15 assault rifle.  This was the deadliest attack (domestic terrorism) on the Jewish community in America's 242-year history.  "Because this was our neighborhood, caught in the crossfire (involved in an unpleasant situation) of the strains of the global village (a world that has been shrunk [to become smaller] by modern advances in communications), and for once the hurt was ours (the emotional and physical pain), and the victims were ours, and the need to heal (make better, make well - to restore to health) is ours (David M. Shribman Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)."  Concern stretched (a continuous expanse) across the sea.  "We are thinking of 'our brothers and sisters, the whole house of Israel, in this time of trouble,' as we say in the morning prayers.  We are thinking of the families of those who were murdered and praying for the quick recovery of those who were injured (Israeli President Reuven Rivlin)."  Perhaps Robert Bowers, the suspect (the accused, a defendant), had a Pentecostal philosophy: "Nothing wrong with pronouncing a curse (a prayer or imprecation [invoke evil, bring down bad spirits upon] that harm may befall [happen, especially as if by fate to] someone) upon a Jew, let them be accursed (under a curse - hateful, detestable, loathsome and foul)."

That's not too good, when looking at things like this.  "Yotam Ovadia was planning a romantic dinner for Tu B'Av (a minor Jewish holiday, celebrated as a holiday of love, similar to Valentine's Day).  The decorated IDF combat vet (Israel Defense Force veteran who received medals, awards or honors) and his wife, Tal, had so much to celebrate.  Their second son was born just months earlier, Yotam had a good job that allowed Tal to work part time as a teacher, and they had everything to look forward to.  But as he headed to buy groceries for the holiday meal, a Palestinian terrorist entered their neighborhood and attacked Yotam with a knife, stabbing him from behind (in the back).  Although he fought back bravely - slowing the terrorist down so that others would be spared (left uninjured) - he lost his life in the process (as an unintended part of a course of action).  The media (a main means of mass communication) and the dignitaries (persons considered to be important because of high rank or office) called Yotam a hero.  Thousands attended his funeral.  But after the dignitaries and reporters were gone, all that Tal was left with was the cries of 3-year-old Itay and 9-month-old Harel, and her part-time teacher's salary.  Today, they survive on weekly community donations of food and diapers.  Their lives are shattered (damaged or destroyed - exhausted) and their future is uncertain (Times of Israel, December 11, 2018)."  It's not just in the United States where people lose heart, it can be anyplace (in at or to any unspecified place) in the world.  The idea is to take the concepts (abstract ideas representing fundamental characteristics) contained in this webpage and apply them to the context (situation or background) of anyone's culture and religion.  These concepts are universal (comprehensive, all-inclusive and global), which can be applied to anyone, anywhere.

Robert F. Worth wrote this for The New York Times on October 31, 2018.  He flew into Aden, a southern port city (a place along a coast) in Yemen, and made his way up to the northwest of the country.  "Dahyan, a town in the far northwest of Yemen, is a farming settlement about two hours' drive from the Saudi border.  On its dusty, unpaved main street, a large crater (a hole in the ground made by the explosion of a bomb) is still visible near a fruit-and-vegetable stand, marked out by flimsy wooden stakes (fragile pointed pieces of wood) and red traffic tape.  It was here that a laser-guided bomb (a smart bomb that seeks the laser light reflected off of the target and uses it to correct its descent) dropped by a Saudi jet struck a school bus taking students on a field trip on the morning of August 9, killing forty-four children and ten adults.  Even for a population that had grown accustomed to tragedy after more than three years of war, the bus bombing was shocking (appalling and horrific).  Shrapnel (fragments of a bomb thrown out by an explosion) and tiny limbs (arms or legs of a person) were scattered for hundreds of years (hundreds of meters) around.  The bomb that hit the bus, several local people told me, bore markings showing (symbols, signs, imprints or stamps) it was made in the United States.  The site has now become something of a shrine (a place regarded as sacred [entitled to reverence and respect]).  On a brick wall a few yards from the crater, large painted letters in both English and Arabic proclaim, "America Kills Yemeni Children".  Not far away was a fresh graveyard where the victims were buried.  At each grave, a color portrait (drawing, sketch or picture) of a victim stood over (above) a coffin-shaped mound of dry, rocky earth.  Beyond a low stone wall was the carcass (what was left) of the bus, a mass (a large amount) of twisted and burned metal.  A boy was standing silently by a grave as I arrived, string down at the headstone. 

"'We were all in school together,' he told me.  He was 14.  He might easily have been on that bus, he said, but he's already gone on the school trip.  He was on the way to the market to help his father, when the bomb struck.  His father wasn't hurt, but he soon found out that most of his friends and teachers were dead.  He now goes to the graveyard almost every day to visit them, he told me quietly (softly, in a low voice)."  Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones (one who is vulnerable [susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm] to criticism should not criticize others - if you can't take it, don't dish it out [inflict punishment]).  America, and the world may vilify (speak or write about in an abusively disparaging [regard or represent as being of little worth] manner) the Saudi nation for Yemen.  But the people of Saudi Arabia are no more guilty of atrocities (extremely wicked or cruel acts) in Yemen than the American people were guilty of atrocities in Vietnam.  It is their government's missteps (mistakes or blunders [a gross error]) which are to blame (responsibility for a wrong).  The initial (existing or occurring at the beginning) purpose of Vietnam was to prevent a Communist takeover (the act of gaining control) of all of Southeast Asia.  The initial purpose of Yemen was to prevent an Iranian threat at the backdoor (an indirect way of achieving something) of Saudi Arabia.  Even in Yemen, persons can take the concepts of a message of hope and apply them within a context (the circumstances that form a setting [surroundings, situation or environment]) of their own culture.  But why does the Unseen allow these things to happen?  These children who died, died as martyrs, and possibly got a free ticket to paradise.  Evil persons, who slaughter the innocent (as when Herod ordered all male infants two-years-old and under in Bethlehem to be killed), get what they deserve (earn, be entitled to, have a right to, or be qualified for) - eternal prison. 

Back to glass houses.  There was an assassination attempt on a leader of a nation by the United States.  "The first discussions of assassinating [Cuban leader Fidel] Castro occurred in the Eisenhower 'Special Group', a small group within the Eisenhower administration that advised Ike on covert operations (operations [activities designed to achieve a goal] that are so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor [person or organization involved]).  Castro's longevity (long life) as a major bogeyman (a monstrous imaginary figure used in threatening children) can be traced to his successful repulse (drive back by force) of the Cuban/U.S. invasion at the Bay of Pigs and the fierce hatred this humiliation (to make ashamed or embarrassed) created in the minds of John and Robert Kennedy, as well as in the CIA as an organization.  It was this disgrace (loss of reputation or respect) that led to OPERATION MONGOOSE and the plots to kill Castro.  The U.S. government admits to eight CIA operations to assassinate Castro between 1960 and 1965.  [In one such plot] three CIA operatives managed to slip into Havana, where they obtained an apartment overlooking the presidential palace.  On a day in which Castro was to make a speech honoring three visiting Soviet cosmonauts (astronauts), the assassins planned to obliterate (destroy utterly - wipe out) the speaker platform by firing a bazooka (a short-range tubular [long, round and hollow like a tube] rocket launcher used against tanks) from their apartment window.  Unfortunately for them, the bazooka had gotten wet during their infiltration (aboard a rubber raft) and would not fire (The CIA's Black Ops, John Nutter, Ph.D.)."  Everything America does isn't right, but this doesn't mean that everything America does is wrong.  Debra, a mother of six, after the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting: " Throughout history (), Jews have always been brutalized (), and a lot f times, Jews just took it ().  We didn't fight back.  And I wanted to teach me children to be fighters and fight back ()."  back to top

Abused and neglected children.  A restoration can apply to the approximately 695,000 children who were abused or neglected in the United States, last year alone.  This is what can happen when abuse or neglect is let go - a teen gunman opened fire in the Chardon (Ohio) High School cafeteria, in 2012.  He was being raised by his grandparents, but abused by an uncle.  A motive can be hard to understand.  The 16-year-old accused of a stabbing rampage at a Pennsylvania high school, in the spring of 2014, remains a mystery.  A classmate, Kaitlyn Pepper, said that Alex Hribal seemed "like a little boy", "a shadow (a state of ignominy or obscurity) in the hallways" and was teased.  "I'd witness people saying things to him.  I couldn't tell you who said it.  I didn't realize it was all that bad."  Other kids "just said things - they ride him and ride him, and...he snapped," she said.  A spiritual, but not religious, project might possibly help a child get some heart back.  A Miramonte, Calif. elementary school is a kind of place where an adult with bad intentions could take advantage of a child, knowing a family could virtually do nothing.  And if they did, little chance they would be believed.  Lots of the very poor don't know what their rights are.  Like the case of Jerry Sandusky, who used a charity he founded to target vulnerable boys, the situation is a perfect recipe for a predator (one who destroys or devours).  "The former Penn State University assistant football coach was regarded in this gritty, central Pennsylvania town as a savior for fatherless kids.  Even if he (victim #1) could overcome the shame of acknowledging that he was regularly forced to submit to a middle-age man's sexual advances or shed the fear of naming someone as prominent as Sandusky, who would believe him? (U.S.A. Today, July 18, 2012)"  While in this life many escape punishment, yet when they are dead God will lock them up forever.  So why do these awful things happen?  We may not know all the reasons, but to hate the Creator of the universe only makes it worse.  It leads to a forfeiture of paradise, then.  As Rihanna says (paraphrase): "Are you just going to stand there and watch me burn?"  Thousands upon thousands of people wonder if anyone cares about their spiritual destiny.  Who really does?  The second part of the message of hope is paradise at death.

Operation Caireen, an investigation into the anonymous trading of child porn over the internet in America, tells of what happens when people leave spirituality.  "Investigators went on per-to-peer networking sites and pretended to be users looking for images and videos.  They came across search terms like 'real child rape', 'mom-daughter family sex' and '3-year-old gets it every way imaginable'.  In January [2014] investigators arrested Brian Fanelli, the police chief of suburban Mount Pleasant, N.Y.  Court papers allege that Fanelli, 54, told investigators that he taught sexual awareness classes to elementary and middle school students.  He said he began looking at child porn as research and that it grew into a 'personal interest'.  Court documents say two of his computers had 126 graphic video and photo files of children as young as seven engaged in sex acts with other children and adults.  Two months later, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Samuel Waldman, 52, a Brooklyn rabbi and Judaic studies instructor at a girls' seminary who home-schooled his children and others.  Court documents showed investigators found at least three graphic videos on Waldman's computer.  'These are real children involved in despicable acts,' Brown (Queens District Attorney Richard Brown) said.  'Each time an image is viewed, traded, printed, or downloaded, the child in that image is victimized again.' (U.S.A. Today, May 22, 2014)"  In Goleta, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a 22-year-old lost it.  "The son of a Hollywood director stabbed three men to death in his apartment, gunned down two women outside a sorority and randomly killed a sixth person in a rampage (to move in a wild and destructive way) that was foreshadowed by an internet video in which he vowed to slaughter (killing of a number of people) all the people who wronged him.  Attorney Alan Shifman said the Rodger family had called police after seeing YouTube videos 'regarding suicide and the killing of people' that Elliot Rodger had been posting.  In the YouTube video, Rodger sits in a car and looks at the camera, laughing often, and says he is going to take his revenge against humanity.  He described loneliness and frustration because 'girls have never been attracted to me' (MSN News)." 

When kids are ignored and regarded as undesirables (bad, harmful or unpleasant), watch movies at home on DVD, cable or satellite wherein the hero gets his just revenge, and the law looks the other way (in a movie), they can get some bad ideas into their heads.  They think they are heroes fulfilling some kind of destiny.  In Rodger's case, he was withdrawn in World of Warcraft, an interactive video game.  If these kids could be steered away from their self-pity, crying and whining, before they lose it (go crazy), and into something more positive to vent (find emotional release) their frustrations on, like a punching bag or pumping iron (lifting weights), at home or at the gym, things might not be so bad, for them or others, in the end.  The result (a consequence, effect or outcome of something) may be an aggravated assault, but this is sure better than cold-blooded murder.  In another part of California one Christmas Eve, a disgruntled ex-husband, Bruce Pardo, arrived at a home and, dressed in a Santa suit, gunned down grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Amanda Orza lost her mother in the attack.  Counseling did not help much.  "It helped part of the time.  [The counselor] did help me in some ways.  But other ways, she just couldn't help me,   I don't think she could stop my grieving.  I'll still miss them, and that's final," Amanda said.  A cross is for these.  Nonetheless, a church reacts with: "We'll pray for you."  People want answers, not platitudes (a banal, trite or stale remark).  They may continue: "God is not responsible for your loss."  Really.  They say that God created the heaven and the earth - so what did He do, just walk away?  Then they tell you to forgive.  Revelation says that murderers are destined for eternal prison.  If God is not going to forgive them, why should we?  People want a just resolution (an answer or solution to something).  While organized religion in America lectures you in their narrow-minded piety (the state of falsely appearing to be good), they look straight ahead - they will not look you in the eye.  The answer is, if all seven and a half billion people on the planet would connect to their version of the Unseen, there would not be this mess.  We would have peace on earth and good will toward everyone.  Which throws the dilemma (a difficult situation or problem) back on us.  Not all of us choose to connect.  Then, bad things happen. 

This may be nothing compared to the millions of orphans (children whose parents are dead) created during World War II, but it is still a human tragedy.  One year after the Sandy Hook school shooting on December 14, 2013, families explained steps that have been taken.  Alissa Parker lost a daughter, Emilie, and said this: "Things that were once important are not meaningless, and other more pertinent (relating to a thing that is being discussed) priorities take their place.  It changes you as a person from the inside out, and you strive to become the best possible parent, spouse and person you can possibly be."  Unfortunately, the majority of the Americans have little concern (to be of importance - a matter of interest) for abused and neglected children.  A woman in the state of Texas had trouble keeping her outdoor Christmas lights on for the holiday season.  When a worker brought up the subject of these children, trying to put things into a perspective (a way of looking at or thinking about something) - she sneered (ridicule, mock, jeer), her rancor (a bitter deep-seated ill will) exploded, and she avoided any more discussion (an exchange of views for the purpose of exploring a subject) on the subject.  "Over the past ten years, more than 20,000 American children are believed to have been killed in their own homes by family members.  That is nearly four times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The child maltreatment (to treat cruelly or roughly) death rate in the U.S. is triple Canada's and eleven times that of Italy (Michael Petit, president of Every Child Matters Education Fund)."  So, while MSNBC and CNN have spent their time, in 2017, doing their best to bring President Trump down (sabotage - deliberate subversion or undermining of - his career) - these news services completely ignore the issue of the children.  Their lack of concern (indifference) is, at best, criminal (forbidden by moral law), and at worst, treason (violating a trust [confidence and faith] given by society).  back to top 

Immigrant children.  Warren Farrell, a former board member of the National Organization for Women is concerned that divorced dads believe "the courts and moms were depriving them of equal time with their children...I discovered that some boys feared dad had just abandoned them (give up or discontinue any further interest because of discouragement, weariness, distaste or the like).  As other boys discovered their dad was fighting unsuccessfully for equally shared parenting (both parents have the right and responsibility of being involved in raising the child), they began to fear having children themselves.  Dad-deprived boys lack role models (a person whose behavior, example or success is, or can be, emulated [copy something achieved by someone else] by others), miss the bonding of roughhousing (horseplay or rambunctious [turbulently active] play; Dr. Stuart Brown - 'Lack of experience with rough-and-tumble play hampers [the effects of any impeding or restraining influence] the normal give-and-take necessary for social mastery [the foundation upon which expectations for future interaction with others is built, and upon which individuals develop perceptions of their own behavior] and has been linked with poor control of violent impulses [an obsessive compulsive disorder] later on in life.'), and often suffer from a lack of boundary enforcement (boundaries [guidelines, rules or limits a person creates] are how you keep toxic [a jealous-judgmental person who is rude] people out of your life), leading to problems in school, sports and life.  To escape the shame of their failures (a neurotic, irrational feeling of worthlessness, humiliation and self-loathing), millions, become addicted to drugs, drinking and video games - or just commit suicide."   It is only only in the United States where children are abused and neglected.  "Gaining citizenship is far less of a concern for many of the boys and girls than simply finding safety.  For years, those three countries (El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala) have been consumed by increasing violence by organized gangs, which have grown in power on the back of the drug trade as economic conditions worsen.  Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, whose country has the world's highest murder rate, recently described the fleeing youth as 'displaced by war'.  Tales of kidnapping, murder and extortion fill the local newspapers daily.  Interviews with those captured in the U.S. confirm these horror stories - in one survey, 66% of Salvadoran children, 44% of Honduran children and 20% of Guatemalan children cited criminal violence as their reason for leaving (Time, June 30, 2014)." 

And NBC News: "Sonia Nazario, who won the Pulitzer for a 2002 L.A. Times piece, retraced the trek (a long arduous journey) from Honduras through Mexico of a young boy.  Having personally held onto the sides and tops of seven different freight trains, Nazario knows the danger firsthand.  [On] the train itself - dubbed 'La Bestia' or 'The Beast' - that children jump on to and off of, kids [have] 'lost arms and legs', Nazario said.  But the danger faced on the journey is nothing compared to the violence these young immigrants face in their home countries.  A good portion of the drug trade has shifted to Central America and is to blame for the high level of violence.  Children are used as 'foot soldiers' for the cartels who give them an ultimatum (a final threat) to either start using and selling drugs or get killed.  'We would be their executioner by sending them back.  I think many of the children that I've talked to in Honduras are no different than child soldiers in Bosnia,' she said.  Countries surrounding Syria have welcomed 2.5 million refugees, but 'we get 90,000 immigrant children and we start talking about expedited (to cause to happen faster) removal.  I find that unconscionable (extremely bad, unfair or wrong),' she said."  Thomas G. Snow is an immigration judge.  He was acting director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which is responsible for the entire U.S. Immigration Court system, from 2009-2011.  His thoughts: "People come before an immigration judge because the U.S. government, via the Department of Homeland Security, is trying to deport (to force to leave a country) them.  And there is usually little dispute that they are deportable.  They've come across the border illegally, or they've overstayed their visas, or they have legal status in the U.S. but have committed crimes that make them deportable.  So we don't have to spend much time deciding whether someone is here legally or not.  What we do spend time on is whether the person before us has a legal basis to remain in our country.  For example, someone facing physical abuse - or worse - back home, depending on the reasons for such persecution (punishment or harassment usually of a severe nature), may be eligible for asylum (protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees by a nation) and can stay. 

"A person with U.S. citizen children - who has been here at least ten years and has good moral character, and whose kids would suffer 'exceptional and extremely unusual hardship' if the parent is deported - can stay.  Even someone who has committed a violent or other serious crime in the U.S., if he can show he would be tortured (a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness) by public officials in his home country, can stay."  But, things can change.  The Immigration Act of 1917 banned immigrants from the Asiatic Barred Zone which included Saudi Arabia, most of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.  The 1917 law banned "idiots" and "imbeciles" (persons affected with moderate mental retardation) and created a literacy test (test one's ability to read and write) for immigrants from eastern Europe.  However, President Eisenhower wrote, when he signed the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 that refugees (individuals seeking refuge or asylum - a place of security) "are men and women of the same character and integrity (conduct that conforms to an accepted standard of right and wrong) as our ancestors who, generation upon generation, have come to America to find peace and work, to build for themselves new homes in freedom."  Sending immigrant Central American children back to their misery (a situation that causes suffering or unhappiness) is appalling (causing shock or dismay).  Steven Seagal's movie Contract to Kill deals with a problem of a Middle Eastern terrorist kingpin (one of high position or importance) who was in the process of forming an alliance (a formal agreement between two or more people or organizations) with a Mexican drug cartel (a criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations) to gain entrance into the U.S.A. through the porous (capable of being passed through) U.S.-Mexico border.  The liberals (favoring political and social reform) who want open borders are an "accident waiting to happen".  So, ICE's (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) challenge (something that requires thought and skill for resolution) is to balance (a condition in which opposing forces are equal to one another) humanity with security.  It's a tremendous opportunity to show people what America is really all about. 

"On April 29 (2018), a group of fifty people - most of them families from Honduras and El Salvador - attempted to enter the United States at the port of entry in San Ysidro, across the US-Mexico border from Tijuana.  They're the first delegation from a caravan (a group of people traveling together) of about three hundred Central Americans that has traveled through Mexico over the past few weeks on the way to the United States, organized by the humanitarian nonprofit Pueblos sin Fronteras.  The caravan members were initially prevented from entering the U.S. because Customs and Border Protection agents told them they didn't have the capacity to process them.  As of May 1st, about a dozen have been allowed through - the rest are still waiting in Tijuana.  None of this is all that unusual.  People, most of them Central Americans, present themselves for asylum (the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country as a political refugee) to border agents every day.  It's perfectly legal for someone without papers to go to a U.S. port of entry and seek asylum by showing they meet the legal definition - that they would be victims of persecution (the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group) based on their race, nationality, religion, political views, or membership in a targeted social group (two or more people who interact with each other, share similar characteristics and collectively have a sense of unity) if returned to their home country.  For several years now, Central Americans have made up the biggest share of people crossing the U.S. southern border, often to seek asylum from gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.  To draw attention to the plight (a dangerous or difficult situation) of Central American asylum seekers, and using the logic that there's more safety in a large group of migrants (persons who move regularly in order to find work) traveling out in the open (in or into public view or knowledge) than smaller groups traveling through the shadows (you quietly moved to a position, where you would not likely to be seen), the nonprofit Pueblos sin Fronteras has organized annual migrant caravans through Mexico to the United States (Vox, May 1, 2018)."   

"'I don't want them to stop my father,' a child whispers in Spanish.  'I don't want them to deport (expel from a country) him.'  So begins an excruciating (intensely painful) audio clip (a file that contains a short sound item) of children howling (a long, loud doleful cry) for their parents after being separated from them at the U.S.-Mexico border.  The audio was published Monday by the investigative (intended to examine something carefully) nonprofit ProPublica.  Cries of 'Mami' and 'Papa' build over a cacophony (harsh, discordant mixture of sounds) of walls and sobs.  An adult on the recording compares the wrenching cries (experiences making you feel extremely shocked or upset) to an 'orchestra'.  'What's missing is a conductor (a person who directs the performance of an orchestra or choir),' says the man in Spanish, whom ProPublica identifies as a border agent (a person whose mission is to prevent illegal aliens, terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States).  According to ProPublica, the audio was recorded last week inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility (a place where people who have entered a country illegally are kept).  The person who made the recording gave the audio to civil rights attorney Jennifer Harbury, who provided it to ProPublica.  The person who made the recording estimated that the children are between 4 and 10-years-old.  'It appeared that they had been at the detention center for less than 24 hours, so their distress (extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain) at having been separated from their parents was still raw (in a natural, unrefined or crude state),' the ProPublica report said.  'Consulate officials (official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another) tried to comfort them with snacks and toys.  But the children were inconsolable (not able to be comforted or alleviated).'  The person who made the recording asked to not be identified for fear of retaliation (changes that have an adverse [unfavorable] effect on you), according to ProPublica. 

"Harbury told ProPublica the person who recorded it was a client (someone who receives services) who 'heard the children's weeping and crying, and was devastated (severe and overwhelming grief) by it.'  The children heave (vomit) and choke (severe difficulty in breathing) on their words.  An adult admonishes (warn or reprimand someone firmly) a child to stop crying - 'no liores.'  One child begs for someone to call her aunt.  She says she knows her phone number and that her mother has said her will come for her.  ProPublica said it was able to reach the girl's aunt using her phone number.  According to ProPublica, the aunt said she could not help her niece because she and her own 9-year-old daughter are seeking asylum (protection given by a government to someone who has left another country to escape being harmed).  The aunt told ProPublica that the little girl is in a shelter (a building designed to give protection from bad weather, danger or attack), and she has been warned by authorities that her mother may be deported without her.  'It was the hardest moment in my life,' the woman said , according to ProPublica.  'She crying and begging me to go get her.  She says, I promise I'll behave, but please get me out of here.  I'm all alone.' (CNN, June 18, 2018)."  Representative Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill, reacted to the American government's practice of family separations ().  "I really think that what we're talking about is state-sponsored () child abuse."  Commander Jonathan White oversees the care of minors () for Health and Human Services.  "Separating children from their parents poses significant risks () of traumatic psychological injury () to the child.  The consequences () of separation for many children will be lifelong ()." 

Wendy Young is president of KIND, Kids in Need of Defense.  "Most of these children - toddlers (young children beginning to walk) to teenagers - are deeply affected (to have an effect on, make a difference to) by the experiences that drove them (behave in such a way that makes someone leaver) to take the life-threatening journey (capable of causing death) thousands of miles to the United States, the journey itself and detention (the state of being detained [to force someone to stay in official custody]) by Customs and Border Protection.  Held in large, cold, windowless rooms without beds, these children are terrified of the CBP officials holding them and what will happen to them."  Raul Reyes, an attorney, said this: "Sessions (Attorney General Jeff Sessions) has even cited the Bible as a rationale (a set of reasons or a logical basis) for the immigration policy (course or principal of action) he helped craft (create).  'I would cite (quote as evidence for) you to the Apostle Paul and his clear (easy to perceive, understand or interpret) and wise command (an authoritative order) in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained (order or decree officially) the government for His purposes,' Sessions said last week.  We can do so (enforce immigration policy) without trampling (tread on and crush) on the human rights of migrant (a worker who moves from place to place) women and children."  And the Book also says, "love your neighbor", which means, in this case (when that is considered), the neighbors to the south of the United States.  La Prensa, a Honduras newspaper, published a political cartoon dated June 21, 2018 with a title of "Nation of Immigrants" - and purportedly (appear or claim to be) shows the State of Liberty using its flame to burn an immigrant. 

Sarah Saldana served as the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from 2014 to 2017.  "The zero tolerance policy further burdens (overloads, encumbers or strains) our over-burdened justice system when there are drug cartels (any criminal organization with the intent of supplying drug trafficking operations), international organized criminal enterprises and cyber malefactors (one who commits an offense against the law) to investigate.  While Congress has incomprehensibly (difficult or impossible to understand) evaded the responsibility (a sensible or trustworthy manner) of legislating total immigration reform, there are effective alternatives to manage our critical border-security issues, other than simplistic (treating complex issues and problems as if they were much simpler than they really are) responses like a physical border wall or the criminal pursuit of immigrant mothers, fathers and infants.  I worked directly with the Presidents, national security and immigration officials of our neighbors to the south to collaborate (work jointly) on such solutions, which I found to be meaningful and effective.  We should continue our public information programs in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico, among other countries, to emphatically (without a doubt) lay out the dangers of illegal immigration.  We should work with these governments to shore up (support and keep from falling apart) their economies and strengthen their nation- building capacities (the ability or power to do so).  And we should collaborate with - not denigrate (to attempt to blacken their reputation) - them, for the sake of our mutually beneficial law-enforcement relationships." 

Robert C. Brack is a U.S. District Court judge for New Mexico.  "I'm a judge on the criminal prosecution (bringing a case against a person) side of immigration.  I don't do asylum cases.  I don't do deportations.  Those are the civil side.  I only know what I see.  In 2003, I was told by officials that only 3% of those who were caught coming into the country without permission were actually prosecuted.  Since then, the penalty (punishment imposed) had gone from no consequence (importance or relevance) to a civil violation to a criminal violation.  For the most part, the defendants in my court are not really criminals.  Many of them have worked hard.  But they are not well-educated, and certainly they don't know how quickly the rules can change.  So they make bad decisions.  And they suffer consequences I just can't get my head around (you cannot understand it).  Last week, I had a couple of fathers from Guatemala who had come with their sons who were 7 and 12-year-old - about the ages of my grandchildren - whom they hadn't heard from in a couple of months.  They didn't know where their children were.  We can't keep enough Kleenex (disposable paper tissue) in the courtroom.  Those who attack the immigrant population as being lawbreakers (embezzlers, felons and hoodlums) don't recognize that for years we left these laws unprosecuted, in part because of our insatiable demand (they want as much of it as they can possibly get) for cheap labor.  For a long time, we have benefited from their presence.  I can't help but wonder, as we punish these people - do we really have the moral and legal high ground? (a better, more moral, or more powerful position)"

Jessika L. fled (run away from danger or pursuers [someone who is chasing you]) from El Salvador with her two sons, and used only part of her name to protect other family members.  She wrote an op-ed (a piece of writing which expresses a personal opinion), with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union.  The story is consistent (compatible or in agreement) with official documents, including a sworn affidavit (a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation [declaration]).  "I crossed the border into the United States on March 13 [2018] in search of safety (the condition of being protected, freedom from harm or danger) for myself and my sons, ages 4 and 10.  We had fled for our lives from El Salvador, where MS-13 gang members had threatened to kill us.  We turned ourselves in to the first Border Patrol officers we saw after crossing into Texas.  They took us to a Border Patrol station, where I tried to explain that my sons and I needed protection (being kept safe from injury, damage or loss).  I could never have imagined (supposed or assumed) immigration authorities (concerned with those who come to live permanently in a foreign country) would take my children away from me for seeking asylum (a protected and safe place for someone who has left their country for political reasons).  The immigration officers told me that I was going to be taken to an immigration detention (to be deprived of liberty for migration-related [movement by people from one place to another] reasons) center.  They said my sons could not come with me.  I was given only five minutes to say goodbye.  My babies (young children) started crying.  It breaks my heart to member my youngest wail (a prolonged high-pitched cry of pain, grief or anger), 'Why do I have to leave?  Mami, I want to stay with you.'  My oldest did not understand what was happening.  Through my tears, I asked them to be brave and promised that we would be together again soon.  I begged the woman who took my sons to keep them together.  She promised that she would, and then left with my boys.  In El Salvador, gang members threatened me and my children, too, saying they would take my 10-year-old son from me.  I went to the authorities in El Salvador and requested protection, but they didn't do anything. 

"Once, the gang members (a group involved in an elevated level of criminal activity) beat me in front of my children.  After that, my oldest son was terrified that they would kill or kidnap me, and he never wanted to leave my side (get away from - stop being supported), even to go to the bathroom.  He didn't want to go to school, because he was afraid he would not find me when he came home.  My 4-year-old slept in bed with me, and my 10-year-old slept in his own bed in the same room.  I feared not just for my safety but also for my children, so I did what I believe any responsible parent would do - tried to get them to safety.  I have family in the United States, and they said they were willing to take us in.  Then, U.S. immigration authorities made my sons' worst fears come true.  They left them without their mother.  After my sons were taken, I was transferred to the Laredo Detention Center.  I called the Office of Refugee Resettlement to find out what happened to my children, but they just told me my boys were in custody (protective care of guardianship) in San Antonio.  I couldn't talk to them to see how they were doing or to tell them I love them.  At one point, I learned they were separated and placed in two different foster homes (a minor [person under the age of legal responsibility] has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified care giver) for a time.  I can't begin to say how desperate (very sad or upset because of having little or no hope) I felt knowing that they were alone, among strangers.  Finally, on May, after nearly two months in government custody, my children were released to my relatives.  I am grateful my boys were with family, and I could finally talk to them on the telephone.  But my sons had no prior relationship (connection, association or involvement) with these relatives, and I knew they needed their mother.  Before we were separated, I had never spent a night away from my sons.  I asked to be released from immigration detention so I could be with them, but at my hearing, the government alleged (asserted that someone has done something illegal) that I had an affiliation (closely associated with a particular group, a connection) with a gang. 

"I tried to explain that I was in fact a victim of the gang.  As I said in my sworn affidavit, 'I have never been a part of or aided the gangs in El Salvador.'  But the judge set a bond (a written promise by a defendant to pay a fixed amount) of $12,500.  Thankfully, people from all over the country donated money for my bond through the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services in Texas.  I was reunited with my sons June 7, after we had been separated for almost three months.  I was so relieved and happy to hold my sons again.  But I still think about other mothers who are sick with worry (extremely anxious [afraid or nervous]) about their own children who were taken from them.  I pray that people put themselves in my shoes and theirs, and think about how difficult it must be for mothers to be taken away from their children."  Persecuting (subjecting to hostility and ill-treatment [not taking care of]) women and children - Jeff Sessions and his twisted interpretation (a mentally or emotionally unsound or disturbed explanation) of the Bible.  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder (create difficulties for) them (from Luke)."  When it comes to asylum law, provisions (clauses in a legal document) are being ignored (disregarded intentionally).  "Moms and dads fleeing violence in Central America are also frantically (done in a very great hurry and often in a state of excitement or confusion) worried about the danger their children face (confront and deal with) in their home countries.  They want to provide love and safety to their babies, toddlers (young children just beginning to walk) and teens in the United States.  Instead, they face forcible (vigorous and strong) family separations and imprisonment at the hands of the U.S. government.  The administration has sought to erase our commonality (the state of shared features or attributes) with asylum-seeking families, calling them invaders and frauds.  Immigrations and Nationality Act provisions require processing of all asylum requests, regardless of how the applicant arrived in the U.S. (Denise Gilman, professor at the University of Texas-Austin School of Law, July 14, 2018)" 

A migrant caravan (persons fleeing persecution, poverty and violence in their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador) left Honduras in October 2018.  "It began in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula on October 12 and reached the Mexican capital nearly four weeks later, populated by migrants traveling through rain and heat.  The caravan's 5000 people - many of them parents, children and unaccompanied minors (foreign nationals or stateless persons below the age of eighteen) - say they are fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.  They travel together because there's safety in numbers (being part of a large physical group or mass, an individual is less likely to be the victim of a mishap, accident, attack or other bad event - Time, November 26, 2018)."  President Trump ordered over 7000 active duty troops (persons in the military full time) to the border...to protect America from women and children.  Perhaps a better solution would have been to send the troops to Honduras to clean out (an instance of removing and disposing of unwanted items) the drug lords (a high ranking crime boss who controls a sizeable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade) and re-establish order (operations intended to halt violence and support, reinstate, or establish civil authority - designed to return an unstable and lawless environment to the point where indigenous [having always lived in a place] police forces can effectively enforce the law) in that country.  However, the military has been faithfully (in a loyal manner) installing razor wire (a metal wire or ribbon with sharp edges or studded with small sharp blades, used as a barrier) on the top of border fences (a separation barrier that runs along an international border). 

Santa Cruz County supervisor Bruce Bracker, who lives in Nogales on the Arizona-Mexican border, commented: "The connotation (something suggested by a word or thing) of razor wire in our city is depressing (causing or resulting in a feeling of miserable dejection [low spirits]).  It looks like a prison.  I get (understand) that illegal immigration is a problem.  It needs to be addressed (dealt with).  But America is supposed to set an example (an entity regarded in terms of their fitness to be imitated) for the world on these sorts of issues (important topics or problems for debate or discussion).  Shutting down asylum claims (a refugee or displaced person making a formal application for the right to remain in another country) and deploying (moving weapons or forces to where they can be used when needed) the military to the border isn't the solution.  It's the beginning of another problem."  A question can be asked as to who serves the Prince of Peace.  "A group of about 150 migrants carrying white flags that read, 'La paz y Dios' or 'Peace and God are With Us', separated from the larger caravan near Southern California and inched (moved slowly and carefully in a specified direction) within 500 feet (152.5 meters) of the U.S., a report Thursday said (Fox News, November 23, 2018)."  Peace from the Central Americans, and military options (responses that can be projected to accomplish assigned tasks) from the North Americans.  President Trump tweeted on November 21: "There are a lot of CRIMINALS  in the Caravan."  Vicious (deliberately cruel or violent) Central American women who will, if left alone (refrained from being bothered or interfered with), probably attack the White House in Washington, D.C.

 "Vice President Mike Pence's column in USA Today, 'Democrats refuse to compromise on border wall funding,' uses cherry-picked data (the act of pointing to individual cases that seem to confirm a particular position) from a Doctors Without Borders report to make a case (state reasons why something should be done) for a border wall.  Pence wrote that 'according to Doctors Without Borders, 70% of illegal immigrants report being victims of violence along the journey at the hands of human traffickers, drug smugglers and vicious gangs'.  Pence cited (quoted as evidence) a 2017 report that featured a patient survey (a measure of the extent to which a patient is content) and medical data (facts, statistics and such collected for analysis or reference) from 2015 and 2016, drawn from our medical projects in southern Mexico.  While it provides some of the only data available on migrants and refugees from Central America, the report is not a representative survey (a small quantity of something that accurately reflects the larger entity) of all undocumented immigrants (foreign nationals who may reside in a country illegally).  Pence also failed to acknowledge that almost 40% of our patients said they fled their countries due to violence, and that close to 44% had lost a family member over the prior two years.  Many of our patients on migrant routes in Mexico are refugees with a reasonable fear of death or violence if sent back to their countries. 

"The administration (national government) cites our data on violence in Mexico as it continues to enact policies (a course of action adopted by a government) that block (choke, plug or obstruct) legal avenues (a channel for pursuing desired goals) for asylum and increase people's vulnerability (the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed) to the very violence they claim to be concerned about.  A wall on the U.S.-Mexican border will not stop people fleeing for their lives (to escape by running away because of fear or danger), and will have no impact on the violence they suffer (Sophie Delaunay, interim executive director, Doctors Without Borders)."  Asylum means "protection given by a government to someone who has left another country in order to escape being harmed" (Merriam-Webster).  Once upon a time in America, people who a reasonable fear of death or violence back in their home countries, were welcomed (to greet in a glad, polite or friendly way [method, style or manner]).  "Give me your tired, your poor.  Your huddled masses () yearning () to breathe free ().  Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed () to me (the inscription on the Statue of Liberty)."  In other words: "Compassionate treatment () at the border () is not the same as open () borders (Stacey Abrams, former minority leader for the Georgia House of Representatives, in the Democratic Party rebuttal [] to President Trump's February 5, 2019 State of the Union Address)."  A definition of neo-Nazism is "to employ an ideology to promote hatred and attack minorities".  "That program (of taking Central American children away from their parents) was kept a secret, but in April 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that zero tolerance () would be the new Justice Department policy.  That led to more than 2800 family separations ().  Republicans and Democrats alike called the policy inhumane () and declared that the U.S. should not tear apart () families and detain () children in cages (U.S.A. Today, May 3, 2019)."  Shades (undertones, undercurrents [a hidden opinion], hints or suggestions) of neo-Nazism.  back to top

Indifference to a church.  Millions of people work and live in metropolitan parts of the world.  A skyscraper cross might be something to relate to if interested in any form of spirituality at all.  In corporate America, as an example, what's happening in a church doesn't hold much of an interest for them - these business executives aren't exactly sitting in a pew (a bench placed in a row in a church) on Sunday.  There are more people, as of late all over the world, who have not been in a church except for weddings, funerals, catastrophes (a terrible disaster, or tragic event) or religious holidays.  Barry Kosmin, co-author of three American Religious Identification Surveys, theorizes about the none category: "Young people are resistant to the authority of institutional religion, older people are turned off by the politicization of religion, and people are simply less into theology than ever before."  The term nones come from when a survey is taken people can check a box called "none", when given a list of possible denominations and faiths.  The concept of "none" is even more obvious in different parts of the globe.  Kosmin's surveys were the first to brand the nones in 1990 when they were 6% of U.S. adults.  By the 2008 survey, nones were up to 15%.  By 2010, the bi-annual General Social Survey pushed the number to 18%.  The Pew Research Center put out a report on May 12, 2015 named America's Changing Religious Landscape.  Cathy Lynn Grossman commented on it: "Christianity still dominates American religious identity (70%), but the [Pew] survey shows dramatic shifts as more people move out the doors of denominations (religious groups - Religious News Service)."

Alan Cooperman, Pew's director of religion research: "Overall, there are more than four former Christians for every convert to Christianity."  The church is going backwards.  The Pew report said that nones were at 22.8% as of 2015.  Nones means no interest in organized religion.  "In the '80s the church and organized religion were the #1" in Gallup's annual look at confidence in institutions, according to Lydia Saad, author of the June 17, 2015 Gallup report.  In 2015, the church ranked fourth place, behind the military, small business and the police.  In the mid-'70s, 7 in 10 Americans had a "great deal or quite a lot" of confidence in organized religion.  Now 42% do.  "The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2011, delivered an unfathomable (impossible to understand) religious jolt.  Thousands were killed in a cruel, distorted vision of Islam.  A decade later, the response seems fleeting.  Statistically, the rush to the pews was a mere blip in a long-standing trend away from traditional religious practice, according to tracing studies by The Barna Group, a Christian research company.  What's lingering is the spiritual impact revealed when 9/11 stories are recounted through individual recollection of faith reborn, revitalized or reshaped (U.S.A. Today, August 22, 2011)."  Lauren Markoe wrote this for Religion News Service: "Americans as a whole are becoming less religious, but those who still practice a faith are just as committed as they were in the past - in certain respects even more so.  'We should remember that the United States remains a nation of believers with nearly 9 in 10 adults saying they believe in God,' said Gregory Smith, Pew's associate director of research.  The researchers also found that as religiosity in America wanes (to become smaller or less), a more general spirituality is on the rise, with 6 in 10 adults saying they regularly feel a 'deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being', up 7 percentage points since 2007.  Also increasing, the number of people who experienced a 'deep sense of wonder' about the universe, which also jumped 7 percentage points."  Spirituality on the rise might be said to be a worldwide phenomena (something that can be observed and studied).  back to top

Restoring a heart.  USNS Comfort was sent to Haiti on January 13, 2010.  Six days later, more than 450 patients were on on board - people who were crushed under the rubble (broken pieces of stone, brick, etc.), who were sick with infections and nursing diseases made worse by neglect.  What about the long term?  How can these people pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and recover.  To do so, they could be inspired to better their condition.  Will giving money to them, alone, work?  While it helps, they should have more faith in themselves that good things can again happen.  When people lose heart they may live off the government, friends, neighbors, family members.  They can prey on caring people with whom they sponge (someone who gets something from someone else without doing or paying anything in return).  If a cross can remind them that "life is still worth living" and "paradise is still the when you're dead", maybe the can get some heart back.  Van Jones, an African American commentator (a person who analyzes the news) for CNN, commented on the need for "healing [racial] wounds" in America.  Getting your heart back (regaining one's courage - mental or moral strength to withstand danger, fear or difficulty), can be a start.  Other people have been broken, not suffering an aforementioned traumatic event, but something bad has happened.  A beautiful woman is a newspaper reporter, traveling Europe.  She lives a party life in New York City and Chicago.  The roof caves in - she has a nervous breakdown, sits in a mental hospital for a year, becomes an alcoholic, having trouble getting up in the morning.  Circumstances broke her.  She was not suicidal, but lost hope that good thing could happen.  She dies from smoking in bed, in middle age.  This scenario (a description of what could possibly happen) plays itself out in different situations all over the world.  Once broken, she, and others, cannot put the pieces back together.  They are as the walking dead.  These tragedies are a tip of the iceberg.  What about the 60,000,000 dead in World War II, the Holocaust of the Jews, millions of Africans who have starved to death over the past six thousand years, AIDS, the Black Plague in the Middle Ages, various forms of genocide and slavery down through the years such as Rwanda in the 1990s, when almost one million perished, ancient epic battles where thousands died, potential thermonuclear holocaust and on and on.  Is God to blame, or something else?  To believe in a good God, the question should be answered.  The answer...Satan is the culprit (the source or cause of a problem) who wreaks havoc (a situation in which there is much destruction or confusion) all over the known world.  That given, why does God allow Satan to run amok (a murderous frenzy) on the planet.  Being Almighty God, does He sleep?  Or is He unaware of what is happening.  He is aware, but He is also a benevolent dictator who operates for reasons we are unaware of.  Satan is on a leash (the state of being restrained).  Certain people react with "FORGET GOD".  This only makes matters worse, because it lays them open to being locked up forever in eternal prison.  back to top

Yankee imperialism.  America has no fears of doom until. a day when it chooses to establish some form of empire.  The Economist (November 23, 2013) comments: "Their (America's) gridlocked government has created a sense that the United States, like Rome before it, has succumbed to decadence (behavior that shows low morals) and petty-mindedness."  But, President Obama said in his address to the 193-member U.N. General Assembly in 2013: "The notion of American empire may be used propaganda (ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated), but it isn't borne out by America's current policy or public opinion."  The notion (a personal inclination - whim) of empire comes from the months after 9/11 with such headlines as "The Case for American Empire" (William Kristol's Weekly Standard, October 2001) and magazine covers: "American Empire - Get Used to It" (New York Times Sunday magazine, January 5, 2003).  It was only a half-serious thought, then.  In August 2014, Islamic State militants killed more than 700 Yazidis in Kocho, Iraq.  American airstrikes pushed back, allowing the Yazidi to return.  Doesn't really sound imperialistic (as, for example, Global Research News constantly accuses America of doing), protecting the Yazidi.  Yet according to MSN News: "Human Rights Watch on Thursday (January 12, 2016), released its annual report on threats to human rights around the world, and for the first time in the twenty-seven years it has done these surveys, the United States is one of the biggest."  Someday in the near or far future, America might possibly become somewhat imperialistic (the establishment of economic and political dominance over other nations).  The monument is an internet cross in that its focus is online.  It is not really that important people come see it in person - the key is that they can log on anywhere in the world and get a spiritual benefit from it.  There is enough to get anyone, who is interested, into paradise when they are dead.  What about those who want a taste (to have perception, experience or enjoyment) of paradise now, in America, through the drug world - pot (marijuana), crack (cocaine) or meth (methamphetamine).  And Alpha-PVP - a substance that looks like rock salt, reeks (to give off a strong or offensive odor) of ammonia and sells for $100 to $500 per gram.  These are "mind altering" drugs (producing mood changes or distorted perception) that may lay an individual open to Satan.  Theoretically, someone at a pot party could be high as a kite (a toy made of a light frame covered with paper that is flown in the air at the end of a long string), communing (communicating intimately) with Satan, have at that particular moment a cardiac arrest (heart attack), die and wake up in hell.  Not worth the risk - your ecstasy (extreme delight) may become your nightmare (extremely disturbing, appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly or gruesome).  back to top

So is God dead.  In the 1960s, in the United States, there was a thought that God is dead.  It was a time of rock music stars like Janice Joplin and Jimmie Hendrix - by some a Higher Power was looked upon as a relic (a trace of some outmoded practice).  The gospel era (in the Christian Bible) of "a sower (farmer) went forth to sow (spreading seed by hand)" seemed to be over.  People did not understand that the world was in a transitional (a change from one state or condition to another) period from the gospels to Revelation, and still is.  As it says concerning the future: "The angel poured out his vial (a small closed vessel for liquids) upon the sea - and it became as the blood of a dead man (i.e. the color of the ocean became blood red), and every living thing in the sea died."  God is not dead, just marking time (doing things that are not particularly useful, while waiting for something more important to happen).  Revelation is, in part, a story of WMD, if an individual wishes to study it.  It is possible that entirely new weapons of mass destruction will be developed in the 21st century that will make the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, over seventy years ago, look like a glorified firecracker (a small paper cylinder filled with an explosive that produces a loud noise).  Back in 1961, for example, the Soviet Union had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world two times over.  "On 30 October 1961, the largest nuclear weapon ever constructed was set off over Novaya Zemlya Island in the Russian Arctic Sea.  The Soviet 'Tsar Bomba' had a yield of 50 megatons, or the power of around 3800 Hiroshima bombs detonated (exploded) simultaneously (at the same time).  While its official designation (title or name) was RDS-220 hydrogen bomb, the Tsar Bomba was given its nickname by the West in an analogy (comparison between other things) with two other huge Russian objects, the Tsar Bell (a 6.14 meter [20 feet] tall, 6.6 meter [22 feet] in diameter, bell in Moscow) and the Tsar Cannon (a 5.94 meter [19.5 feet] long artillery piece, cast in bronze in 1586 in Moscow), the largest of their kind in the world.  Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev had ordered the development of a 100 megaton weapon in July 1961, leaving the engineers only fourteen weeks before the first test.  Unlike normal thermonuclear weapons, the Tsar Bomba comprised (was made up of) a third stage, whereas thermonuclear warheads (explosive or toxic material that is delivered by a missile, rocket or torpedo) usually comprise only two.  By adding more stages, the explosive power of a thermonuclear bomb can theoretically (based on assumption or opinion) be increased indefinitely.  Soviet engineers had reduced the actual yield of 100 megatons by around half to limit fallout (radioactive particles that are carried into the atmosphere after a nuclear explosion, and gradually fall back as dust).  'The ground surface of the island has been leveled, swept and licked (annihilate so completely, as to be nothing left) so that it looks like a skating rink (a smooth extent of ice marked off); the same goes for rocks' - a member of the team [who] surveyed the site after the explosion [said] (CTBTO Preparatory Commission)."  The United States, then, had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world ten times over. 

 Fast-forward (progressing quickly) to 2018.  "Kanyon, according to the Heritage Foundation, is a mammoth 100-megaton nuclear device carried by an unmanned submarine.  This monster [Russian] weapon is designed to detonate on the U.S. West Coast, destroying the ports of San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.  The device is reportedly covered with cobalt (a chemical element that is a hard silver-white metal), for maximum radioactive effect.  A similar device launched (sent through the water) from the Atlantic Ocean would devastate the U.S. East Coast.  But in fact any serious nuclear exchange between the great powers (Russia and America) would be a death sentence (a disastrous result or outcome, an affliction or situation that is considered to be fatal) for the entire planet, wrapping (covering or surrounding) us in a lethal (fatal) shroud (a thing that envelops [completely encloses]) of nuclear winter (a period of abnormal cold and darkness predicted to follow a nuclear war, caused by a layer of smoke and dust in the atmosphere blocking the sun's rays).  Anyone who thinks a nuclear war can be waged without permanently polluting our planet should be put under psychiatric care (RussiaFeed, January 30, 2018)."  This may be disinformation (information intended to mislead), but, according to Aerospace Daily & Defense Report: "The Russian doomsday (the last day of the world's existence) torpedo (cigar-shaped self-propelled underwater missile) recently acknowledged by the Pentagon appears to be a multi-megaton 'third strike' (the ability of a nuclear power to launch a third debilitating [impairing the strength of] nuclear strike) weapon designed for maximum radioactive fallout.  Described by the [U.S.] Defense Department as a 'new intercontinental, nuclear-armed, undersea autonomous torpedo', its development was first revealed in 2015 when a diagram of an ocean-going vessel leaked to the press.  [It's a] 'multi-purpose Status-6 system' (an oceanic design), codenamed Kanyon by NATO (January 24, 2018)."  And, third: "The Pentagon quietly acknowledged that Russia is developing a 'Status-6' system for the first time ever on Friday (February 2) with a 74-page report.  The Nuclear Posture Review described a 'new intercontinental, nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered, undersea autonomous (carried on without outside control) torpedo,' which could be deployed from beneath a submarine.  The torpedo could feasibly (possibly do so easily) travel undetected (not observed or noticed) for thousands of miles underwater, before unleashing radioactive fallout on coastal (land near a shore) cities in the U.S. (New York Daily News, February 3, 2018)."

And, fourth: "Status 6, also known as Kanyon, is a purported (claimed to be) nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle developed or being developed by the Russian Federation.  It would supposedly (held as an opinion) be able to deliver a thermonuclear cobalt bomb of up to 100 megatons against an enemy's naval ports and coastal cities.  Status 6 appears to be a deterrent weapon (a weapon designed to stop other weapons) of last resort (final course of action).  It appears to be a torpedo-shaped robotic (a mechanical device that operates automatically) mini-submarine which can travel at a top speed of 100 km/h (54 kn), with a range of 10,000 km (6200 miles) and a depth maximum of 1000 meters (3300 feet).  This underwater drone (unmanned ship guided by remote control) is cloaked (something that conceals) by stealth technology (use of advanced design and specialized materials to make a submarine difficult or impossible to detect) to elude (evade or escape from) acoustic tracking (relating to sound to allow the detection) devices.  Its size appears to be l.6 meters (5.25 feet) in diameter, and 24 meters (79 feet) long (Wikipedia)."  Why cobalt?  According to what Leo Szilard, a Hungarian physicist at the University of Chicago and one of the principal architects of the atomic bomb, said almost seventy years ago, in 1950: "Such bombs could be salted with cobalt.  This would lead to the production of gamma-ray emitting (sending out of a beam) contamination (make something less pure, or make it poisonous) which - because of the long half-life of cobalt-60 (decay, to half potency, of radioactive atoms - five years for cobalt) - would leave vast areas uninhabitable for years (www.telegraph.co.uk, December 15, 2004)."  Salting with cobalt means, according to the Nuclear Weapon Archive (1998): "A 'salted' nuclear weapon is reminiscent (reminding one) of fission-fusion-fission weapons, but instead of a fissionable jacket (outer sleeve) around the secondary stage fusion fuel, a non-fissionable blanket (completely covered with a thick layer) of a specially chosen salting isotope (such as cobalt) is used.  This blanket captures the escaping fusion neutrons to breed a radioactive isotope that maximizes the fallout hazard (short lived radioactive particles) from the weapon rather than generating additional force." 

 Then this was written by William L. Laurence, almost sixty-five years ago.  "The new chemical compound that has revolutionized the production of the hydrogen bomb now makes it certain that the most dreaded weapon of all - the cobalt bomb - also can be successfully built.  The cobalt bomb is a hydrogen bomb of the type tested successfully at the Eniwetok Proving Grounds in the Pacific, March 1 and 26 (1954).  The principal difference is the material of the shell (a hard, protective outer case) surrounding the active ingredients.  Instead of a shell of steel, which becomes only mildly radioactive as it runs into a cloud of vapor (a flammable destructive explosion), a shell of cobalt encases (encloses or covers) the fission and fusion substances.  On being vaporized in the explosion, it is transformed in a deadly radioactive cloud 320 times more powerful than radium (a strongly radioactive element - New York Times, April 7, 1954)."  And from Slate: "Cobalt hits a sweet spot (an optimum [most favorable] combination of qualities) - it fires off (sends immediately) just enough radioactivity upfront (in advance) to kill you, or at least cause serious cancers, but holds onto enough reserves (materials set aside for future use) to make wherever the cobalt rain settles (lands and subsides) inhospitable (providing no shelter or sustenance) for future generations, too.  Calculations (mathematical determinations) made in 1950 hinted that sprinkling one-tenth of an ounce of cobalt-60 on every square mile of - admittedly, a lot of cobalt overall (taken as a whole) - would wipe out the human race (humanity), a nuclear version of the cloud that killed the dinosaurs (July 27, 2010)."  The name changed, six months later.  "Russia’s dreaded nuclear torpedo, designed to nuke entire coastal cities into oblivion and trigger tsunamis (a long, high sea wave cause by an earthquake or other disturbance), has been sighted in tests at sea.  Once thought a hoax, internet researchers have tracked development of the system all the way back to 2008.  The weapon was recently named “Poseidon” after the Russian military polled the public (an inquiry into public opinion) for a new name.  The weapon, formerly known as “Status-6” and KANYON, was recently renamed Poseidon.  Poseidon beat out two other names, Aurora and Skif, in a naming contest held by the Russian Ministry of Defense.  Unfortunately The Worst Weapon Ever was not part of the contest, but it should have won handily (Popular Mechanics, July 24, 2018)."  Poseidon means, in Greek mythology (sacred tales of a culture), god of the seas and earthquakes.

"Russia will deploy what's been described as the deadliest nuclear weapon ever aboard mysterious submarines by 2020, Russian state media said, citing a Russian defense-industry source.  The Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo - reputed to carry a 100 megaton nuclear warhead and meant to erupt underwater for maximum effect - will reportedly deploy aboard the Project 09852 sub Belgorod, which is a converted nuclear-powered cruise-missile sub expected to go on combat duty in 2020.  The Russian state news agency TASS said the new Belgorod subs could carry six of the Poseidon nuclear torpedoes, which are sometimes described as drones (unmanned ships guided by remote control or onboard computers).  But Russia will reportedly not operate the mysterious submarine alongside its regular armed forces or other nuclear-powered subs.  The Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research will run the ship, according to H.I. Sutton, who said the Belgorod would conduct covert missions with a smaller submarine in tow.  'Russia operates a small number of very small, nuclear-powered submarines that are capable of diving in excess of several thousand meters,' Andrew Metrick, a research associate in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in 2016.  'It's probably the most shadowy part of the Russian undersea apparatus (equipment designed for a particular use),' he added. The new Belgorod submarine is 'not operated by their navy.  It's operated by a separate branch of their ministry of defense,' Metrick said.  Russian President Vladimir Putin initially announced the Poseidon in a March 1, 2018, speech, in which he said US defenses could not stop it.  In that speech, Putin confirmed the existence of the Poseidon.  The US and other countries field nuclear-powered submarines capable of firing nuclear missiles, but the Poseidon represents a unique danger to life on earth.  Most nuclear weapons seek to minimize radioactive fallout and simply destroy military targets. Russia took the opposite approach with the Poseidon.  The weapon is said to use a warhead, perhaps the strongest ever, designed to come into direct contact with water, marine animals, and the ocean floor, kicking up a radioactive tsunami that could spread deadly radiation over thousands of miles of land and sea, and render them uninhabitable (impossible to live in) for decades.  Russia has also repeatedly threatened the US and Europe with the weapon, which it said it could park off a coast (bring to a halt and leave temporarily) and detonate (cause to explode) at a time of its choosing (Business Insider, March 12, 2019)."

The Book of Revelation is neither fairy tale (a simple children's story) nor fantasy (something that is produced by the imagination), but an accurate depiction (to describe something using words) of the possible results of thermonuclear (relating to the changes in the nucleus of atoms that happen at extremely high temperatures) war, whether it be from cobalt bombs, or various other forms of weapons of mass destruction.  In Revelation, it describes one third of the planet being annihilated (to destroy completely), the fish in the oceans dead, men gnawing (to bite or chew on something repeatedly) their tongues for pain, the moon turning blood red (in color), etc.  What is to come has changed attitudes.  Young adults less devoted faith - study shows steady drift from church life is the title of a front-page article on April 27, 2010, U.S.A. Today.  "Most young adults today don't pray, don't worship and don't read the Bible, a major survey by a Christian research firm shows.  If the trends continue, 'the millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships,' says Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources.  It surveyed 1200 members of the 18- to 29-year-old millennial generation and found 72% say they're 'really more spiritual than religious' (persons of faith outside the church).  "The survey has a margin of error of +/-2.8 percentage points.  Among the 65% who call themselves Christian, 'many are either mushy Christians or Christians in name only,' Rainer says.  'Most are just indifferent.  The more precisely you try to measure their Christianity, the fewer you find committed to the faith.'  Key overall findings in the survey, released today - 65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either; 65% rarely or never attend worship services; 67% don't read the Bible or sacred texts."  "As a generation, millennials are unimpressed by organized anything, let alone organized religion (The Economist, November 23, 2013)."  A recent Pew study found that nearly 40% of these people report no religious affiliation.  Spiritually, a generation has been thrown to the dogs, especially those living in our big cities. 

R.G. Wilson, from Vancouver, Washington makes a point: "Henry Brinton, pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Virginia, wants millennials to read the Bible.  If millennials do start reading the Bible, chances are they will do so with their minds engaged, not closed, and if so, they will certainly see at least some of the many contradictory, incredulous and inhumane passages contained therein.  Throughout, one is urged to accept what the Bible says without question.  It is unsettling that so many people accept this wholesale, not giving it any amount of serious thought.  Science says something?  Give me 100% proof!  Religion says something?  Don't question, just believe.  My advice for the pastor - be careful what you wish for.  Millennials may well prove to be smarter than that."  First of all, you don't a Bible to get into paradise - you can get there through a tree if you wish.  The challenge is to deal with your post-death problem.  This is hard for the young because they may believe they can live for a very long time on this earth.  Contradictory - the Book says when you are dead, you will live (which one is it).  Incredulous - later the Book speaks of a second death (isn't one enough).  Inhumane - then the Book talks about tossing people into a blackness of darkness forever (isn't that sweet).  And, shock upon shock, the Book is full of all kind (types or manner) of more contradictory, incredulous and inhumane passages (a section of a written work).  From Dr. Eben Alexander's book, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife, after he contacted a case of severe E coli bacterial meningitis: "In the final moments before leaving the emergency room and after two straight hours of guttural (formed or pronounced in the throat) animal wails and groans, I became quiet.  Then, out of nowhere, I shouted there words.  They were crystal clear, and heard by all the doctors and nurses present, as well by Holly [the wife], who stood a few paces away, just on the other side of the curtain.  'God help me.'"  He had attended an Episcopal church with the family on Christmas and Easter.  At death's door it was game over (when a situation is regarded as hopeless or irreversible).

Here's another "spin" on things hard to understand.  Jack Thurman, in Sunday Humor: "1) God just exists - forever.  2) God decides to create stuff.  3) God touches off the Big Bang.  4) God creates the earth.  5)  God creates dinosaurs.  6) God kills dinosaurs.  7) God creates mankind.  8) God meddles (to become involved in the activities and concerns of other people) wildly in the affairs of humans in a small part of the entire earth for about 1500 years, including giving one tribal society rules to live by and helping them defeat their enemies.  9) God later comes back to earth in human form to preach for 33 years before dying a bloody death meant to serve as atonement (reparation for an offense or injury) for the flaws inherent in all humans.  10) God ceases direct contact with humanity for the next 2000 years, leaving us with only an arbitrarily cobbled-together collection of metaphorical and contradictory revelations as our instructions for achieving eternal bliss."  Sounds like Thurman describes a benevolent (kind and generous) dictator (an entity that rules with total authority), and forgot to mention Revelation - which speaks of mutually assured destruction (MAD).  Will his "ten points" help him deal with the Grim Reaper, when he comes?  In the Book of Enoch, written by different Jewish authors between 250 BC and 50 BC, it says: "In the vision (a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation) the winds were causing me to fly and rushing me high up into heaven, and I kept coming until I approached a wall.  I entered into the house, which was hot like fire and cold like ice, so I observed and saw inside it a lofty (elevated in status) throne.  The Great Glory was sitting upon it - as for His gown (a loose piece of clothing that is worn over other clothes during an official event by a judge, a priest, etc.), which was shining more brightly than the sun, it was whiter than any snow."  This has similarities (many qualities in common) to the entity (one that has real and independent existence) described in the Book of Revelation, and to the Being of Light encountered (to come upon or experience, especially unexpectedly) by people in their near-death experiences.  back to top

 Second death.  The chapter "The Second Death" from Horse Creek may aid in an understanding of what Thurman said.  "There are many near-death accounts that verify that there is 'something' beyond the grave.  From At Death's Window, by A.S. Genova: 'I looked up and saw an incredible light - crystal-clear and brighter than the sun, but you could look right into it without hurting your eyes.  Inside the light was the figure of a man with his hand held out to me, radiating so much love.  It was the most beautiful feeling I've ever experienced.  I never wanted to leave.'  From Heading Toward Omega, by Kenneth Ring: 'As I reached the source of the light I could see in.  I cannot begin to describe in human terms the feeling I had at what I saw.  It was a giant infinite world of calm and love and energy and beauty.'  From Return from Death, by Margot Grey: "I went forward towards the light and as I did so I had such a feeling of freedom and joy, it's beyond words to explain.  I had a boundless sense of expansion.'  From Do Suicide Survivors Report Death Experiences, by Kenneth Ring and S. Franklin: 'Vision was clear, everything that was there stood out...The colors had brilliance, while this person had a brilliance or an aura about him...It was probably the happiest I've ever been.  And as for the skeptics - going through an experience like that, afterwards it puts a belief into you that no matter what anybody says or whoever tries to disqualify these, it will never hold up with me because I believe I have seen something of where I'm eventually going.'  Are these people lying?  Some, maybe, but not all.  The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a 12th century Buddhist work, comments, 'Be not fond of the dull, smoke-colored light from hell.'  A lot of people say, 'I don't want to be heaven with those church hypocrites.'  Unfortunately, those church hypocrites will be in hell, where they will torment (making you miserable) and vex (irritate, annoy and provoke) you forever. 

 "From Reflections on Life After Life, R.A. Moody: 'These bewildered people?  I don't know exactly where I saw them...But as I was going by, there was this area that was dull - this is in contrast to all the brilliant light...they had sad, depressed looks; they seemed to shuffle, as someone would on a chain gang...As I went by they didn't even raise their heads to see what was happening.  They seemed to be thinking: Well, it's all over with.  What am I doing?  What's it all about?  Just this absolute crushed, hopeless demeanor - not knowing what to do or where to go or who they were or anything.'  From Beyond Death's Door, by Maurice Rawlings: 'The only thing I remember was passing out into blackness and then I saw these red snakes crawling all over me.  I couldn't get away from them.  I would throw one of them off and then another one would get on me.  It was horrible.  Finally, I was dragged down to the ground by something and then other crawling things started getting on me.  Some looked like red jelly.  I screamed and cried out, but no one paid any attention to me.  I had the impression there were many other people in the same fix all around me.  It sounded like human voices and some of them were screaming.  It was reddish black in there and hazy and hard to see.  Although my chest hurt real bad, I remember how glad I was to wake up and get out of that place.  I was sure glad to see my family.'"  Does anybody really want to want to shuffle (sliding of feet along the ground without lifting them completely) on a chain gang, or deal with slimy red snakes forever?  back to top

 A church mess.  The present church system is wanting (not up to standards).  A Pew poll taken in August 2007 has stated that while 40% of Americans attend church, 94% believe in a Higher Power.  The belief hasn't changed in 2014: "More than 90% of Americans believe in God (U.S.A. Today, January 2, 2014)."  "Even in the wake of the Enlightenment and the scientific revolution, many of us believe in heaven - 85% of all Americans, according to Gallup.  Most of us are apparently confident - or at least say we are - that life does not end at the grave.  Seeing heaven as the world beyond this one can offer powerful comfort (Time, April 16, 2012)."  There is a higher percentage of persons of faith who don't do church.  Too many money, sex and satanic scandals in the United States have had a corrosive (bitingly sarcastic) effect on the reputation of the clergy, compounded by their judgmental (judging people too quickly) manner.  Too many church people are neurotic (always fearful or worried about something) flakes (markedly odd) who reject those whom they deem undesirables (unwanted).  They go on petty moral crusades against those who have done virtually nothing to them.  It is a good moment to remember that an authentic (real or genuine) belief in God is a personal matter, and almost half of all Americans cannot find God in church.  "All of which is to say something so obvious it is almost taboo (not acceptable to talk about) - Christianity itself is in crisis.  It seems no accident that so many Christians now embrace materialist self-help rather than ascetic (a strict and simple way of living) self-denial - or that most Catholics, even regular church-goers, have tuned out the hierarchy (a group that controls an organization) in embarrassment or disgust.  Given this crisis, it is no surprise that the fastest-growing segment of belief among the young is atheism, which has leapt in popularity in the new millennium (a period of 1000 years).  Nor is it a shock that so many have turned away from organized Christianity and toward spirituality, or adapting the practices of meditation or yoga, or wandering as lapsed Catholics in an an inquisitive spiritual desert (Newsweek, April 9, 2012)."  A Catholic educator, Sue Farrell: "I am a cradle (a place where something begins) Catholic and have taught in a Catholic school for 30 years.  I am also what people call a cafeteria (providing a selection from which a choice may be made) Catholic, believing in the things that make sense to me.  The church is out of touch with the times, and that is why young people and young families are leaving in droves (a large group of people)."  The church needs a new system, in the 21st century.  back to top

July 4.  It is named American Cross, as a third reason, because it symbolizes America's peculiar form (something unlike others) of spirituality.  If it was called International Cross it would mean Russian Orthodoxy, Italian Catholicism, American Protestantism and etc.  If it was called Millennium Cross it would mean 2000 years of Christianity, to include the Crusades of the Middle Ages where hundreds of thousands of innocent people were slaughtered.  If it was called Holy Cross, it is redundant (repeating something else).  Other countries can do their own cross, i.e. - the Russian Cross, the French Cross, the Australian Cross and etc.  "During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the American colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence.  After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author.  Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4.  A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail: 'The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch (period of time important in history) in the history of America.  I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.  It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.'  Adams' prediction was off by two days.  From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed in a closed session of Congress (Wikipedia)."  back to top

Founding Fathers.  A root of that spirituality is the belief system of the Founding Fathers.  Their system may be regarded as a relic (a surviving trace of something) of another era (a period identified by a characteristic feature - as an age, period, time).  The horror (a strong feeling of fear and shock) of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) as characterized in the book of Revelation, and is played out (develop, unfold) in Hollywood movies, may hold more of an interest to the present generation.  Nonetheless, history may still teach things.  George Washington: "Although guided by our excellent Constitution in the discharge of official duties, and actuated through the whole course of my public life solely by a wish to promote the best interests of our country; yet, without the beneficial interposition (actions whereby sovereignty is placed between itself and people) of the Supreme Ruler of the universe, we could not have reached the distinguished situation which we have attained with such unprecedented rapidity.  To Him, therefore, should we bow with gratitude and reverence, and endeavor to merit a continuance of His special favors (letter to John Adams, 1797)."  Thomas Jefferson: "God who gave us life gave us liberty.  And can the liberties of a nation be though secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God?  That they are not to be violated but with His wrath.  Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and His justice cannot sleep forever (Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia)."  James Madison: "A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest, while we are building ideal monuments of renown (great fame and respect) and bliss (complete happiness) here, we neglect to have our names enrolled (entered as a member of something) in the Annals (a record of events) of Heaven (letter to William Bradford, November 9, 1772)."  Benjamin Franklin: "I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs in the affairs of men (address at the Constitutional Convention, July 28, 1787)."  Thomas Paine: "The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.  Where say some, is the king of America?  I'll tell you, friend, He reigns above (Common Sense, 1776)."  But, times have changed.  According to Samuel Alito, U.S. Supreme Court Justice: "A government that roams the land (travel without a fixed purpose or direction)...scrubbing away (to remove by rubbing hard) any reference to the Divine (the Unseen) will strike many (one understands or is aware of) as [being] aggressively hostile (inimical, antagonistic, unfavorable and unfriendly) to religion."  Not only that, but according to the New York Times Opinion: "The myth (a widely held but false belief or idea) of America as the greatest nation on earth is at best outdated (no longer current - outmoded) and at worst, wildly inaccurate (erroneous, faulty or imperfect).  If you look at data (facts and statistics collected together), the U.S. is really just O.K. (July 2, 2019)."  The Urban Dictionary gives us the root of O.K.  "OK is a quintessentially American term that has spread from English to many other languages.  Its origin was the subject of scholarly debate for many years until Allen Walker Read showed that OK is based on a joke of sorts.  OK is first recorded in 1839 but was probably in circulation before that date.  During the 1830s there was a humoristic fashion in Boston newspapers to reduce a phrase to initials and supply an explanation in parentheses.  Sometimes the abbreviations were misspelled to add to the humor.  OK was used in March 1839 as an abbreviation for all correct, the joke being that neither the O nor the K was correct."  back to top

In God We Trust.  Not everything is scrubbed.  From Wikipedia: "In God We Trust was adopted as the official motto of the United States in 1956.  The phrase has appeared on U.S. coins since 1864 and on paper currency since 1957...The final stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner, written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, contains an early reference to a variation of the phrase: 'And this be our motto: In God is our trust'...The United States Code - 36 U.S.C. 302 now states: 'In God we Trust is the national motto'...The motto was first challenged in Aronow v. United States in 1970, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled: 'It is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency - In God We Trust - has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion'...In Zorach v. Clauson, the Supreme Court has also held that the nation's institutions presuppose a Supreme Being' and that government recognition of God does not constitute a state church."  What does In God We Trust mean in this day and time.  New York Governor George Pataki's remarks to the Joint Session of the State Legislature on September 13, 2001: "Today we join together as a state, as as a nation, to pray for the victims, on one of the darkest days in American history.  We pray for the children who will go to bed this evening without their mothers and fathers.  We pray for the mothers and fathers who've lost the children they loved.  We pray for the husbands and wives who will return to empty homes.  And we know as Americans that God's light will again shine across this land."  President George W. Bush at a memorial service on September 14, 2001, at the the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.: "On this national day of prayer and remembrance, we ask Almighty God to watch over our nation, and grant us patience and resolve in all that is to come.  We pray that He will comfort and console those who now walk in sorrow.  We thank Him for each life we now must mourn and the promise of a life to come."  That was in 2001.  Nowadays, situations have arisen.  At the Burning Man festival, almost anything goes, when 70,000 persons gather in the Nevada desert.  According to one observer: "Organizers create and encourage a freewheeling (free and loose - not held back by rules) experience in which many people take illegal drugs, and casual sex is not only common but widely condoned (to approve something to continue)."  The site's temple is set ablaze (on fire) as the last major act of a week-long festival.  back to top

National Day of Prayer.  Other nations may look at the Day as a joke (to cause amusement or laughter), however in the United States it has been observed on the first Thursday of May, since 1952.  In that year, President Truman approved Public Law 324, which read: "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the President shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a national Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God."  In 1997, President Clinton proclaimed, shortly before the Day: "America was born out of intense conflict as our forefathers fought the forces of oppression and tyranny.  From our earliest history, Americans have always looked to God for strength and encouragement in those moments when darkness seemed to encroach (gradually move in) from every side.  Our people have always believed in the power of prayer and have called upon the name of the Lord through times of peace and war, hope and despair, prosperity and decline.  In his first inaugural address, during the rush of optimism that followed the Colonies' uplifting victory in the American Revolution, George Washington observed that 'it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe.'  Amid the bleak turmoil of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln conveyed similar sentiments by calling Americans to 'a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land.'  Almost a century later, Harry Truman emphasized the need for God's help in making decisions: 'When we are striving to strengthen the foundations of peace and security we stand in special need of Divine support.'  Indeed, the familiar phrase 'In God we trust', which has been our national motto for more than 40 years and which first appeared on our coinage during the Civil War, is a fitting testimony to the prayers offered up by American women and men through the centuries.  Today within our nation's Capitol Building, a stained glass window depicts General Washington humbly kneeling and repeating the words of the 16th Psalm, 'Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust.'"  back to top

American Civil Religion.  John F. Kennedy's inaugural address (first speech made by a president) of January 20, 1961, serves as an example.  "The world is very different now.,  For man holds in his mortal hands (the world in our hands) the power to abolish (formally put an end to) all forms of human poverty and to abolish all forms of human life (showing the tangibility of a nuclear war).  And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears (ancestors) fought are still at issue around the globe - the belief that the rights of Man come not from the generosity of the state (government) but from the hand of God."  Benjamin Franklin writes in his autobiography: "I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the Deity - that He made the world and governed (ruled) it by His Providence (the Divine hand), that the most acceptable service (many things which are absolutely needful) of God was the doing of good to men, that our souls are immortal (living forever), that all crime will be punished, and virtue rewarded (thinking and doing what is right) either here (on earth) or [in the] Hereafter (Judgment Day)."  We find American Civil Religion in George Washington's first inaugural address of April 30, 1789.  "It would be peculiarly (unusual) improper to omit (leave out or exclude) in this first official act my fervent supplications (to make humble entreaty [attempt to persuade]) to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides (to be in a position of authority) in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids (the Unseen's intervention) can supply every defect (deficiency, weakness or inadequacy), that His benediction may consecrate (make or declare sacred) to the liberties (self-determination) and happiness of the people of the United States." 

The phrase civil religion comes from Jean-Jacques Rousseau.  In chapter 8, book 4 of The Social Contract (1762), he outlines the points of civil (relating to people who live in a country) religion - 1) the existence of God, 2) the life to come, 3) the reward of virtue (conformity to a standard of "right") and the punishment of vice (moral depravity or corruption), and 4) the exclusion of religious intolerance.  Legislative prayers have a long history, from 1774 through the 21st century.  Jacob Duche, 1774: "Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the council of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation...that order, harmony (internal calm) and peace may be effectually restored."  And Senate chaplain Barry Black, during the government shutdown, October 13, 2013: "God of all creative possibilities, help our lawmakers turn this impasse (a situation in which no progress seems possible) into a bypass (a procedure done to allow blood to flow) so that the heart of our nation may beat vibrantly and strong."  Even the U.S. Supreme Court opens its sessions with the invocation "God save the United States and this honorable court".  Robert N. Bellah wrote an essay, Civil Religion in America in 1966.  "The words and acts of the Founding Fathers, especially the first few presidents, shaped the form (structure, format) and tone (choice of words) of the civil religion as it has been maintained ever since.  Though much is selectively derived (characterized by choice and obtained from a specified source) from Christianity, this religion is clearly not itself Christianity.  For one thing, neither Washington nor Adams nor Jefferson mentions Christ in his inaugural address; nor do any of the subsequent presidents, although not one of them fails to mention God."  The philosophy (the study of ideas) of American Cross Global is rooted (the basic cause, source or origin) in this.  back to top

The hate of the world.  Abraham Lincoln stated in his Gettysburg Address given November 19, 1863 after the battle of Gettysburg, Penn. in the Civil War: "...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom..."  Dealing with the hate of the world toward the United States is a rough assignment (difficult task).  It contributes to family breakups, student shootings, illegal drug usage.  The United States lashed out at that hate by invading other countries, but that does not stop currents of malevolent (a desire to cause harm to another person) spite.  Hate, like love, is something you can't see, can't physically touch, but it has its effect.  Americans can be good people.  Some foreigners will not understand it.  In Iran there may be hate because the poor died in a frigid (very cold in temperature) winter, while in America the Salvation Army gives a hot meal and a cot (a small collapsible bed) to anyone in need.  In Russia there may be hate because the press can be restricted (kept under control), while in the U.S. it is wide open (having virtually no limits or restrictions).  In North Korea there may be hate because some lack basic necessities (food, clothing and shelter), while in America there basically (in most essential respects) is plenty.  There was a day when two oceans isolated the United States from those who hate.  But in the 21st century internet, jet travel, telecommunications have removed a natural boundary.  Winning hearts and minds (strategy and programs used by governments to win popular support) doesn't work with hard-core (the most active or committed members of a group or movement) haters, and you can't bomb everybody.  A monument tells another side to America, that the country still has some core values (fundamental beliefs of a person or organization).  back to top

An American spirit.  A fourth reason for the name American Cross is that of inspiring people to rebuild an American spirit.  Gregg Rochman, a construction developer in Louisville, Kentucky, said this.  "An American is inclusive (designed or inclined to include) and accepting (regard as true, give credence to) of others, fortunate and honored to have the privilege (a right granted as a peculiar benefit) of living in our truly great and abundant country.  We have a land with vast resources and a people capable of anything.  Our advantages are used for the good of the planet and all its creatures - all people, all living things.  Currently (at the present time), however, Americans are divided (disagree or cause to disagree) from one another.  We do not do everything in our power to house (provide with shelter or living quarters) the homeless, feed the hungry, clothe [those in] the cold, [and] educate the poor (Louisville Courier Journal)."  In the Aurora, Illinois workplace () shooting on February 15, 2019, four police officers wounded.  "Every police officer dreads days like this one, yet these four courageous Aurora officers and their colleagues () did not hesitate () to literally put their lives on the line () today to stop further bloodshed ().  These four heroes () willingly ran into harm's way () to protect their fellow citizens and very nearly paid the ultimate price ().  We Illinoisans should be humbly gratefully for their sacrifice (), and we ask that you join us in praying that the injured civilians and police officers make a full and speedy recovery ( - Illinois Fraternal Order () of Police State lodge () President Chris Southwood)."  That spirit comes out from time to time.  "For those outside its path, the most enduring memories of Hurricane Harvey could be the images of America as most Americans like to think of it - a black deputy sheriff wading (walk through something that makes it hard to move) through floodwaters with a white child in each arm; a white SWAT officer, also wading through floodwaters, carrying a Vietnamese American cradling (holding delicately and gently) her sleeping baby; three Asian and Hispanic constables (peace officers with limited policing authority), knee-deep in water, carrying an elderly woman in a wheelchair (U.S.A. Today, August 31, 2017)." 

Immigrants (persons who come to live permanently in a foreign country) coming in from all over the world contribute (give to achieve something together).  Noah Trevor is the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central.  "I grew up in South Africa during apartheid (a policy or system of segregation or discrimination based on grounds of race).  Black people lived in separate areas from white people.  They had different rules.  They were segregated (separate or set apart from others).  This was particularly tough for me, because I grew up in a mixed family, with me being the mixed one.  My mother is a black woman, Xhosa woman (Bantu ethnic group), from South Africa.  My father is Swiss from Switzerland and a white man.  They got together during apartheid, which was against the law, and they had me.  Despite that - or maybe because of that - I grew up surrounded by optimism (an inclination to put the most favorable opinion upon actions or events - to anticipate the best possible outcome): the ability to see the potential no one else could see, at a time when no one had the right to see it.  My mother was full of optimism."  Immigrants in the 1880s and 1920s brought a lot of positive things into America, and they may help again.  "Each American generation passes the torch (giving light or guidance) of truth, liberty and justice in an unbroken chain (make your own meaning of what is around you) all the way down to the present [time].  And we will use it to light up the world.  We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William 'Ryan' Owens.  Ryan died as he lived - a warrior and a hero.  And Ryan is looking down, right now - you know that - and he is very happy.  But we know that America is better off when there is less conflict, not more.  We must learn from the mistakes of the past.  We have seen the war and the destruction that has ravaged (the severe damaging) and raged (boiling over with furious intensity) throughout the world - all across the world.  The only long term (occurring over a long period of time) solution for these humanitarian disasters, in many cases, is to create the conditions where displaced (forced to leave their home country because of war) persons can safely return home and begin the long, long process of rebuilding (build again after what's been destroyed).  America is willing to find new friends, and to forge (make by concentrated effort) new partnerships (association of two or more nations), where shared interests align (you support them because you have the same political aim).  We want harmony (agreement or concord [of one mind]) and stability (being sane and sensible through strength, security and safety), not war and conflict.  We want peace, wherever peace can be found. 

"The time for trivial (lacking importance - foolish and frivolous) fights is behind us.  We just need the courage to share the dreams (things that one hopes or intends to accomplish) that fill our hearts (heart shaped cravings to fill our shadow selves).  The bravery to express (make known) the hopes that stir our souls.  And the confidence to turn those hopes and dreams to action - inspired (filled with courage or strength of purpose) by the future, not bound (chained) by the failures of the past - and guided (direct influence on the course of action) by our vision (concern or preparation for the future), not blinded (deprive someone of understanding, judgment or perception) by our doubts (a feeling that one doesn't know the truth).  I am asking all to embrace this renewal (the act of bringing something something back to life) of an American spirit (President Trump, 2017 address to a joint session of Congress)."  In the words of Ophelia M. Chambliss, artist and teacher, commenting on an American spirit: "It means being a part of something that is big, something that has an unending potential for growth.  It means having the hope that you are a part of a global initiative - that no matter where you start, there is a potential for greatness."  On July 14, 2015 in St. Louis, Mo., a policeman was ambushed doing a side job providing security at night for a business.  He had taken off his bulletproof vest due to the heat.  He later noticed some individuals loitering (to remain in an area for no good reason).  He said, "A voice told me to grab my vest.  I know it was God."  He did, and these persons started firing weapons.  His car was hit at least fourteen times.  The vest stopped a bullet near his ribs.  Native Americans labeled a root of that "something" - THE GREAT SPIRIT.  That something saved a man's life.  Stephen Prothero, chairman of the Department of Religion at Boston University, said, "A survey released in 2006 by Baylor University found that almost two-thirds (63%) of Americans who claim no religious affiliation believe in God...The data tells us that Christians are increasingly likely to describe themselves as spiritual rather than religious, that they are increasingly wary (not having trust in someone or something) of labels and institutions, and that they identify their faith less and less with 'organized religion'."  There is talk of a separation of State (National) and church (Cathedral).  "In 1792, Pierre L'Enfant's 'Plan of the Federal City' set aside land for a 'great church for national purposes'...Construction began on September 29, 1907, when the foundation stone was laid in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and a crowd of more than 20,000, and ended 83 years later when the last finial (a crowning ornament) was placed in the presence of President George H.W. Bush in 1990...Congress has designated the Washington National Cathedral as the 'National House of Prayer'.  During World War II, monthly services were held there 'on behalf of a united people in a time of emergency' (Wikipedia)."  National shrines are a part of a culture (the beliefs, customs, arts, etc. of a particular society).

The soul of America has been quaking (to shake from shock or instability) ever since Vietnam.  Indirectly, the Chinese affected it.  Directly, China did nothing, but America trespassed (committed an offense against a set of rules) into its backyard.  In that war, America feared doing a 100% offense (occupying North Vietnam) so as to not antagonize (incur or provoke the hostility of) the Chinese.  So, the young people's spirit was sapped (to weaken or exhaust the energy of) fighting a defensive war that could not be won.  They went from being "gung ho (extremely excited and enthusiastic about doing something)" to "hell no, we won't go" and "hey, hey LBJ (President Johnson) how many kids have you killed today".  A favorite song of the day was: "Well, it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for?  Well you know, I don't give a damn, next stop is Vietnam."  Although China is America's trading partner today, damage was done then.  As tragic as Vietnam was, it is all relative (significant only in relation to something else).  In the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia) from August 23, 1942 to February 2, 1943 - approximately six months, 478,741 Russian soldiers died.  The troops were told by their commander: "Not one step back."  It became a major turning point in World War II.  After the war, Russia under communism did attack America with Marxism.  During the Cold War, which went on for forty years, Russia attempted to sabotage (the act of destroying or damaging something deliberately) the system.  Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State continue the sabotage with, among other things, chants of "death to America" and "the great Satan".  The idea is to cause people to become indifferent (unconcerned, uncaring or uninterested).  So a purpose of the American Cross is to bring the country into more of a balance (having a right amount which leads to harmony) between spirituality and materialism.  A century ago, Americans were excited about being Americans.  As Theodore Roosevelt stated in his speech The Right of the People to Rule, given on March 20, 1912 at Carnegie Hall in New York City: "We, here in America, hold in our hands the hope of the world, the fate (destined to happen) of the coming years; and shame and disgrace will be ours if in our eyes the light of high resolve (finding answers or solutions) is dimmed (a lack of light, hope or knowledge)."

Lincoln also said in the Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."  Adam Smith, in 1776, described the natural force (invisible pressure) that guides free market capitalism through competition as the invisible hand.  So, the American spirit is the combination of the political (liberty), the social (all men created equal) and the economic (free markets).  In other words, a system that the world, off and on, tries to wreck.  The Cross breaks the power of evil - it's a weapon capable to destroying evil.  To say that evil is more powerful than the Cross is an insult to the Cross - Hell has no power.  The power of good that triumphed on the Cross is the power we can possess in these days when evil spawns fear and terror.  After the vehicle attack near Westminster Abbey, London on March 22, 2017, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said this in the Sunday Telegraph.  "Each attack confirms again the role that the Internet is playing in serving as a conduit (a channel) inciting (encouraging unlawful behavior) and inspiring (causing something to happen) violence, and spreading extremist ideology of all kinds."  If the material on the American Cross web page ever becomes common knowledge (something known by many people), then it may go part of the way of sabotaging (destroying, damaging or obstructing) that ideology.  It's not just an American spirit, as we live in an interconnected world (interdependent and interlocked as nations) in the 21st century.  Over There was a victory song a century ago.  "Over there, over there (France, WWI), send the word, send the word over there - that the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming.  So prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to beware.  We'll be over, we're coming over, and we won't come back 'til it's over, over there."  Adapting (change something to suit different conditions) the message to a situation in the 21st century is a start.  "A handful of Ahiska Turks, a stateless ethnic minority that was granted refugee status to escape persecution in Russia, resettled in Dayton [Ohio] in 2006, lured by cheap housing and solid jobs.  They told friends that neighbors were tolerant of their Muslim faith.  In old North Dayton, it's easy to spot the newcomers.  Over the past few years, about 3000 Turkish refugees have settled here and set about rebuilding this blighted neighborhood.  Decaying houses with weed-choked lawns are giving way to tidy dwellings with colorful paint jobs.  As his minivan winds through the streets, businessman Islom Shakhbandarov points out the white picket fences the Turks favor - a sign that they have achieved the American Dream.  'This,' he says from the front seat, 'is the Ellis Island of our region' (Time, June 16, 2014)." 

A restoration may have have already begun.  Concerning 9/11, Brad Todd said: "United Flight 93 did not hit a building.  It did not kill anyone on the ground.  Why?  Because it had informed Americans on board who'd had 109 minutes to come up with a counteraction (to make ineffective or neutralize).  Dead, yes.  Murderous, yes.  But successful?  No."  Business Insider did a story on Kyle Carpenter, in 2014 awarded a Medal of Honor for heroism.  "'I wasn't gonna make it.  I had come to terms that I was gonna die, and I was very sure of that.'  Those thoughts raced through Marine Corporal Kyle Carpenter's head in the moments after he dove on top of a Taliban grenade, taking the brunt of the blast and saving the life of his best friend.  Covered in blood, Carpenter's vision was fading.  Shrapnel had torn into his face and taken his right eye.  With his eardrums ruptured, he couldn't hear anything except loud ringing.  'I thought about my family and how devastated they would be that I was killed in Afghanistan and never made it home,' Carpenter, 24, told me (Paul Szoldra) of the 2010 incident in Marjah, in southwestern Afghanistan.  'My last thought [was to] make peace with God, because I knew from how I felt and how much blood that I could feel I was losing...'  But he did wake up six weeks later, in a hospital bed at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center."  CBS Evening News: "When Omar Mateen opened fire with his military style AR-15 assault rifle on a gay nightclub in Orlando, there was one man who recognized the sound - a war veteran.  Imran Yousuf, a bouncer at the Pulse nightclub, never saw the gunman in the early Sunday morning hours.  Yousuf, a 24-year-old Hindu, served as a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan.  'The initial one was three or four [shots].  That was a shock.  Three or four shots go off and you could tell it was a high caliber,' he said.  'Everyone froze.  I'm here in the back and I saw people start pouring into the back hallway, and they just sardine pack (without enough room to move around) everyone.'  Yousuf knew just beyond that pack of panicked people - was a door - and safety.  'And I'm screaming Open the door, open the door.  And no one is moving because they are scared,' he explained.  'There was only one choice.  Either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch [on the door] and we got everyone that we can out of there.'  How many people went through the door?  'Probably over 60,70.'"

Abdul'Haq Muhammed grew up (had his childhood) in Harlem, New York.  A Vietnam veteran, he moved to Fort Myers, Fl. and founded Quality Life Center in 1990.  A purpose is to help children of low-income Florida neighborhoods live life better.  He said: "What gives me hope is faith in the Creator.  What gives me hope is the sense of opportunity (a favorable combination of circumstances, time and place) that exists despite how bad it may seem.  There is always opportunity.  I believe in the philosophy (basic beliefs) - I think we can be motivated (to give a reason for doing something) in different directions and I choose to be motivated by opportunity.  I think if we can understand our neighbor, regardless of what social economic level we are on, to be able to have genuine empathy (the ability to relate to another person's emotional or physical pain) that results in tangible (capable of being grasped mentally) and real results.  Not throwing crumbs at the rich man's gate (meaning giving out a few dollars to the very poor, while really not caring about them at all), but genuinely recognize that I am my brother's keeper (being responsible for the well-being of others), and let me do what I can to balance out society and give opportunity to people who didn't have hope before."  On January 12, 2016, Leonard Penuelas-Escobar, a 37-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant, rolled (a rapid turning about on an axis or central point) his vehicle at high speed on a highway near Phoenix, Ar., about 4:00 a.m.  An Arizona state trooper stopped to help.  The Mexican shot him in the shoulder and began to beat him.  A man who had been driving behind the trooper stopped, grabbed his own gun from his car, stood about l.5 meters (five feet) from Penuelas-Escobar and dropped him (to cause to fall by hitting or shooting).  Kaila White, for The Arizona Republic, wrote this.  "The motorist who killed a man attacking a state trooper was described Monday by the trooper's boss as a humble, spiritual man who believes God had put him on a desolate stretch (without signs of life) of Interstate 10 to save the trooper's life." 

President Trump said this at the Values Voter Summit on October 13, 2017.  "When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, a local furniture storeowner, who's known in Texas as 'Mattress Mack', decided he had to help.  When the rain began to flood the streets of the city, he sent out his furniture trucks to rescue the stranded (left without means to move from somewhere).  He brought them back to his stores, and gave them food and a clean, dry place to stay, even if it meant ruining countless (too numerous to be counted) dollars' worth of furniture.  As 'Mattress Mack ' put it: 'My faith defines me, it's who I am.  We can afford [the cost].  What we can't afford is to cause people to lose hope'."  It's a rough world (when there is a low expectation that persons will be helped) in the United States, but an abandoned Florida baby found a new home.  "His newborn (recently born) legs were bare and cold to the touch.  The chilly morning of May 6 (49 degrees F), his short-sleeve onesie (an infant's one-piece, close-fitting lightweight garment) was wet, his diaper was soiled, his white bib (piece of cloth worn by small children to protect clothes while eating) was stained.  Curled up (lying comfortably in a curved position) in the bed (back) of a Nissan pickup, he was without a hat, a blanket or a name.  He was less than a week old.  And he was all alone.  As events unfolded, strangers found themselves at the right place, at the right time, to help an abandoned baby.  A week later, as if by Divine design (purpose, planning or intention of the Unseen), that baby had a name, a home and a grateful mother who longed to nurture (care for and encourage the growth of) the newborn as her own.  Baby Charlie arrived one week before they (Charles and Lorraine Nichols) were about to call a private adoption (to take voluntarily as one's own child) attorney.  'I truly believe that what God has for you is for you,' Lorraine said.  'It's on His time (when the Unseen sees fit to do it).' (Tallahassee Democrat, February 19, 2018)"

To recapture (to gain control after losing it) an American spirit, we need look no further (something offered which someone has been trying to find) than a woman invited to the White House.  Sniper (a person who shoots from a hiding place) Lyudmila Pavlichenko killed over three hundred men.  "Russia is legendary (remarkable enough to be famous) for her snipers, brave men, and women who brought the Nazi war machine (military resources of a country, organized for waging war) to its knees during the Great Patriotic War (World War II).  The famous Lyudmila Pavlichenko - from Bilaya Tserkva (White Church), Ukraine - was considered by far the deadliest (fatal and lethal [extremely dangerous]) female sniper in human history, slaying (killing in a violent way) hundreds of Nazis, and immortalized (confer [grant or bestow] enduing fame upon) even by the Americans in a Woody Guthrie song (RussiaFeed, June 29, 2018)."  The song Guthrie released was named Miss Pavlichenko.  Over the course of one year, Lyudmila killed at least 309 enemy soldiers - more deaths than in all the Rambo films combined.  Lyudmila one time reportedly (according to what some say) stalked (pursued quarry [a person being hunted] stealthily [a movement that is quiet and careful in order not to be seen or heard] ) an opposing German sniper for three days before taking her shot (firing a gun).  "Finally, he made one move too many (a risk of injury that increases further yet)," she observed (noticed or perceived).  In 1942, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt invited her to the White House.  She made speeches in Chicago advocating (a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy) for deepened U.S. involvement in the European Theater, but was mocked (try to make someone seem foolish or ridiculous) by the American press - The New York Times, Washington Post - for not being "feminine" enough.  Maybe they were jealous because they hadn't been invited to the White House.  The 2015 film, Battle for Sevastopol, is based on the true story. 

American women have been exploited (used selfishly for one's own ends) and abused (used for a bad purpose)...look at Weinstein and co.  "The concept of the casting couch (a practice whereby actresses are awarded parts in films in return for granting sexual favors to the casting director [a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actress, by a person arranging and conducting interviews]) is as old as Hollywood itself, and the tacit code (unspoken rules) of silence about it is just as old.  Actresses who have been propositioned (made an indecent proposal to) - or worse - by moguls (an important or powerful person) have long opted (made a choice) to remain silent for fear of losing parts (roles for actresses in a film).  When you're a rabbit caught in the jaws of a lion, going limp (pretending you do not have internal strength) at least gives you a chance of survival.  But until shockingly (upsettingly) recently, the outcome (the way things turn out) of doing so was entirely predictable (acting or happening in a way that is expected) - a woman who spoke up risked losing standing (abasement, contempt or degradation) in her profession, or at the very least being labeled a whiner (to complain in a feeble [without energy, strength or power] way) who didn't know how to play the game (do things the way you are expected to do them).  And the man in power (the ability or potential of an individual to influence others and control their actions) would lose nothing.  If anything, he'd just grow more powerful (Time, October 23, 2017)."  Lyudmila Pavlichenko teaches women to fight for their rights (try in a determined way to stop exploitation and abuse, to obtain that which is due to anyone by just claim) - howbeit (be it as it may, notwithstanding) in the second decade of the 21st century - in a non-murderous fashion (by a refusal to obey certain bad rules), as the United States is not involved in an actual (real, true, genuine or authentic) physical war situation.  

Or as Ronda Rousey would say, former UFC women's bantamweight (a weight in boxing between flyweight and featherweight, between 51 and 54 kg [112 and 118 pounds]) champion: "We have changed what it means to 'fight like a girl'."  She was the first female to be inducted (admit formally to a position) into the UFC Hall of Fame (a structure housing memorials to famous individuals), and starred in Sylvester Stallone's Expendables 3.  And this.  "A U.S. waitress who put a customer in a chokehold (a tight grip around a person's neck, used to restrain him) after he grabbed her backside (the part of the body you sit on) says she's glad she showed other women how they can stand up for themselves (to defend or support a particular idea or person who is being criticized or attacked).  Emelia Holden was waiting tables at a VinnieVanGoGo's restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, when she was touched on the bottom (rump, derriere) by a handsy patron (a customer tending to touch other people in a way that is inappropriate or unwanted).  The incident was caught on CCTV and shows a man dressed in a red T-shirt move his hand onto the buttocks of Holden as she was looking at a notepad (a pad of blank or ruled paper for writing notes on).  Holden can then be seen to burst into action (a sudden and energetic undertaking, exploit or maneuver), grabbing the man by the throat before slamming him into a table.  According to the 21-year-old pizza restaurant worker, she had just taken a customer's order (request for food items) when she felt a hand touch her.  'I took someone's order and I was getting ready to set them up and then I just felt it,' she told WAFB News.  'I was like - nope that's not going to happen - and turned around and took the guy down.' (RT, July 20, 2018)"  back to top

Disembowelments.  TV dramas have become soaked in blood (marked by bloodshed), which may jeopardize (place in danger) a restoration.  James Poniewozik wrote in Time (March 11, 2013): "On HBO's Boardwalk Empire, hair-trigger sadist Gyp Rosetti registered his displeasure with a small-town sheriff by dousing him in gasoline and tossing a lighter.  You don't need to smell the barbecued flesh to know which way the wind is blowing.  You can follow the trail of limbs to AMC's The Walking Dead.  Whether on network TV, which is desperate to recoup (get back) a mass audience, or on cable, where TV's most ambitious dramas now live, producers have decided that the best way to touch a viewer's heart is to rip it out and show it to him.  Even the most dark-hearted serial probably would not have asked its viewers to imagine what TV news brought us last December from Sandy Hook Elementary School.  But you don't have to be drawing a facile, causal (indicating cause) conclusion from Newtown to ask why we sit down for these grim bedtime stories night after night.  Many shows just toss the audience stabbings and disembowelings (to take the stomach, intestines and etc. out of a person) like drippy dog treats for sticking through the talking parts.  One of the most moving deaths in The Walking Dead comes not at a zombie's claws but when a character dies from complications of childbirth.  Before she slips away, she says to her young son, 'Promise me you'll always do what's right.'  After she dies, he picks up a gun and - so she won't rise as undead - shoots her through the head.  Because he loves her.  It's deeply affecting and human, as mother-son mercy rekillings go.  But you know what else is affecting and human?  Falling in love, and out of it.  Growing up.  Chasing a dream that doesn't involve running guns or drugs.  Coping with illnesses that do not terminate in zombieism (persons who move very slowly and are not aware of what is happening).  TV's new golden age has given us shows that couldn't have existed 20 years ago."  Things like this could put America on the downhill (toward a worsened or inferior state of level).  President Trump commented.  "We're not here to help ourselves.  We're here to devote ourselves to the national good (January 22, 2017)."  The national good could be benefited (a good or helpful result or effect) by doing something about the gory (grisly, gruesome, savage, brutal, unspeakable or monstrous) violence depicted (described by using words) on American movies, television and video games.  back to top

Video games.  This contributed (provided support) to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, February 2018.  "A neighbor of accused shooter Nikolas Cruz told the Miami Herald that Cruz 'escaped his misery' (avoided anger or indignation by a public outburst - caused by despair, dejection or gloom due to adverse circumstances in life) by playing video games for as much as fifteen hours a day.  'It was kill, kill, kill, blow up something, and kill some more, all day,' he said.  Gary Abernathy, a Washington Post contributing columnist and publisher of the Hillsboro (Ohio) Times-Gazette, noted this week that modern action films, TV shows and video games 'outdo themselves (do something better than one ever did before, or thought one could do) in depicting gun violence committed so casually (relaxed and unconcerned) and with such frequency (how often something occurs) that viewers become dangerously numb (deprived of feeling or responsiveness) to it.' (U.S.A. Today, February 22, 2018)"  Common Sense Media did a study on the most violent of games for 2019.  "Blue Estate.  This downloadable action shooter is loaded with sexual references, nudity, drug use, and racial commentary designed solely for shock value.  Blood and gore frequently splatter across the screen - you get bonus points if you shoot limbs or genitals.  Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.  Players take on the role of Dracula and fight against the Devil's minions.  You use everything from swords and chain whips to your fangs to destroy humans and their demonic allies.  The violence is gratuitous and sensational; limbs are sliced off, enemies are impaled (to cause a pointed object to go into something).  Dark Souls II.  Players cut a bloody and violent path through thousands of monsters, and the undead hero must devour the souls of his fallen opponents.  Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.  Players face off against not only the demonic hordes the franchise is known for but eventually the Angel of Death.  Enemies explode into pieces when defeated, blood spatters the ground, and screams or groans of pain are often heard.  Grand Theft Auto V.  Players take on the role of three criminals, each with his own personal weaponry, players kill hundreds of characters, including civilians, police officers, and gang members.  Wasteland 2.  Wasteland 2's stark, unflinching look into a post apocalyptic world where virtually anything goes.  Characters die by explosion, decapitation, dismemberment, and other brutal methods, with blood spraying everywhere.  Watch Dogs.  Watch Dogs puts players into the vigilante (a self-appointed doer of justice) shoes of Aiden Pearce, a hacker seeking revenge against people who killed members of his family.  In this open-world adventure, Aiden uses knives, firearms and other weapons to kill hundreds of people, some of whom are police officers.  He can even use his hacking skills to injure others with exploding steam pipes or destroy cars with strategically placed traffic barriers."  According to Abraham Lincoln: "America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter (hesitate, waver or vacillate) and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."  If America loses its soul, the nations of the world will have to deal with a cold, hard and dead country.  back to top

Flight 93.  "People have been coming to Shanksville (Pa.) - a hamlet in the middle of mining and farming country about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh - to pay tribute to Flight 93 since the day it crashed.  The permanent memorial, as planned by the Park Service, is expected eventually to encompass 2200 acres, including the crash site, land for an access road and buffer areas areas to protect the view.  The cost to build the entire design is estimated at $58 million, of which $30 million is to come from private donations...'It used to be you visited memorials, you paid your respects, and you left,' says Flight 93 Memorial Superintendent Joanne Hanley.  That changed with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a spare, dramatic roster of names that was designed and built in less than three years and opened in Washington within a decade of the war's end (U.S.A. Today, September 11, 2009)."  In 1945, in Europe, thirty million orphans (children whose parents are dead) roamed the ruined streets.  Although 9/11 involved far less people, it became a serious event in American history, as it was the first time America had been attacked on its own shores, since the War of 1812.  In Shanksville, out in the middle of nowhere, over 130,000 people come yearly.  Joanne Hanley stated that "visitors expect to be transformed, to have a life-changing experience [when visiting a memorial]."  Ninety-eight percent of the people a 313 meter Cross will benefit will never see it.  They may be in China, Russia, Europe, South America, India, Africa or Australia.  They may not have the time, the money, or the energy to come into the middle of nowhere, in southwestern Kansas where range cattle roam.  But they could use a symbol, so they know when life ends on the planet, it is paradise for good.  Given the marvels of modern technology, the concept can come right into a living room.  back to top

We need new dreams.  A fifth reason for the name American Cross is that some people think of America as God's Country.  This comes from songs such as This Land is Your Land, by Woody Guthrie: "This land is your land, this land is my land.  From California to the New York island, from the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters.  As I was walking that ribbon of highway, I saw above me that endless skyway, I saw below me that golden valley.  I've roamed and rambled, and I followed my footsteps, to the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts.  When the sun came shining and I was strolling, and the wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling...this land was made for you and me."  Star Spangled Banner: "Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven rescued land praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.  Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'"  America: "Our father's God to Thee, author of liberty, to Thee we sing.  Long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light; protect us by Thy might, great God, our King."  God Bless America: "Stand beside her and guide her, through the night with a light from above."  America the Beautiful: "America, America, God shed His grace on thee."  But, in the 21st century, is America God's Country, or, with Disney's Beauty and the Beast film featuring the company's first gay character plus concerns such as the transgender (a person who identifies with a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to a person's sex at birth) bathroom issue, is America moving in a direction of perhaps becoming God's Sodom in the not-too-distant (not long from now) future.  Sodom was an ancient Middle Eastern city with a vibrant (full of energy and enthusiasm) LGBT community.  Whatever the case, it does raise a question - did this country's forefathers (members of past generations) have a screw loose (in their brains) professing "God" in all those songs?  Or was it that they connected better to a Higher Power, then.  The band "U2" sings, In God's Country: "She is liberty...Hope, faith, her vanity...We need new dreams...in God's country."  back to top  

Despair.  The size of the monument may be misinterpreted.  Some may think is to be built in a spirit of megalomania (a delusion of grandeur), when the only thing mega is an attempt to put a mite (a small contribution to the whole) into the treasury of the spirit of the God of the universe.  A big cross for a big world.  There are millions of people, in this country and around the world, who consider themselves persons of faith outside the church.  If there were only a few hundred thousand, a smaller - say 100 meter (328 foot) - cross could work.  It is simply inconceivable to imagine inspiring so many with anything less than a monolithic (a massive and often rigid structure) cross.  In this country, and overseas, there is a "mountain of despair".  The word despair means, in an extreme, an abandonment of hope, a sinking of the heart, an overwhelming dread.  Milder forms of despair can be a loss of hope, heart or confidence.  Europe has a humanitarian crisis (a series of events that are threatening to the safety, health or well being - mental health - of a large group of people) not seen since World War II, with a flood of refugees (people who have been forced to leave their country) coming from Syria, North Africa and the Middle East.  A few of them come into the United States.  Mark Curnutte, from The Cincinnati Enquirer, wrote an article on a man, and his family, from Syria living in Pleasant Ridge, Ohio, July 2017.  "The storefront (front side of a store facing the street) smells of fresh leather, glue and rubber, circulated (caused to move continuously) into a mixture by the small industrial fan (a machine whose function is to provide a large flow of air) above the door.  An older man (Clarence Howell, 78), a lifelong (lasting through life) Christian who worked with his parents in the cotton fields of the Jim Crow South, takes an unblemished (not damaged or marked in any way) pair of men's soles (bottom parts of shoe that touches the ground) and heels from a shelf (long flat board fixed horizontally).  He hands them to a younger man (Bassam Osman, 36), smaller and bearded, who speaks no English beyond basic greetings.  He is a Muslim from Syria, a refugee displaced by his country's civil war.  Osman, the married father of five children - the latest a U.S.-citizen son born this month - came from the city of Aleppo, where war has claimed 31,000 lives and destroyed 33,000 buildings. He worked in a shoe factory before it was bombed.  Osman fled first in December 2011 to Turkey with a seriously ill daughter, before united his family in a United Nations camp there.  After two years of intense vetting (background checks on people) involving five interviews and document searches, the family arrived in July in Cincinnati. 

"Oslam and his family members are among the eighty-six Syrian refugees resettled here since July 1, 2016, by Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio.  Despite some strong opposition (actions or opinions that show you disagree) to Syrian refugees entering the country, Osman said he has experienced a positive reception (the process of being received).  'It is a very kind nation.  In Turkey, my kids were called scavengers (persons who picks over junk or garbage for useful items) and dirty (dishonest or indecent),' he said.  Howell can relate to name-calling (abusive language or insults) and second-class citizenship.  He grew up with it.  'If you met a white lady, you had to turn your head and look away, or they would hang you,' he said of his years in Georgia.  'We had to sit upstairs in theaters.  I remember being eleven or twelve when my mother was working in the fields.  She said we couldn't be playing when Mr. Charlie - he was the white man (Caucasian) in the truck - drove past.'...'He's (Osman) a hard worker.  He's very grateful.  He gets the job done.  He's not lazy,' Howell said.  'At six o'clock, the American workers stop, sometimes at ten minutes of six.  [But] Bassam is working at 6:20 (P.M.) to finish a job.  He works fast.  I have to tell him he doesn't have to work so fast.'  For all of his good fortune (prosperity, successfulness), Osman faces challenges (something new and different that requires great effort and determination).  Two of his children, a son and his oldest child, a daughter, Zulekha, have Wilson's disease.  It is a rare inherited disorder that causes copper to accumulate (acquire an increasing quantity of) to dangerous levels in the liver.  They are treated with medication by doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.  Zulekha was twice misdiagnosed (an incorrect identifying of a disease) in Turkish hospitals with liver cancer and given chemotherapy.  Another Turkish doctor said she needed a transplant."  He is far better off than his countrymen (a person from the same country) back in Syria.  It is a shame (a feeling of humiliation or distress) that more legitimate (allowed according to rules or laws) refugees cannot come into America.  In Aleppo, December 2016, Syrian troops butchered (executed, slaughtered) civilians on the streets, including women and children.  Radhwan Salem, a 60-year-old resident, stated: "I don't understand - how can the entire world watch this, and do nothing.  Oh, God, help us."  President Obama talked of Syrian "red lines" (a phrase used worldwide to mean a figurative point of no return, or line in the sand), such as Assad using chemical weapons on his own people, but when they were crossed, Obama did nothing.  A "red line" could have been used as an opportunity (a favorable juncture of circumstances) to have possibly armed some of the "rebels" (people in disagreement with Assad's barrel-bombing tactics), and to have created "safe zones" (an area that has been planned by Turkish authorities to create a buffer zone within Syria in order to protect civilians). 

Had these things been done, the depth (a profound or intense state) of the humanitarian crisis might have been averted (kept from happening by taking action in advance).  This from Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, and chairman of the United Nations panel on humanitarian access in Syria.  "Syria's war has taught me many bitter lessons.  One of the hardest to stomach (handle or accept) is that the parties controlling this conflict commit, spin (evolve, express, or fabricate by processes of mind or imagination) and justify massacres (bloodbath, butchery, carnage, slaughter) as they unfold on our television screens.  Aleppo lies at the bloodied (murderous) heart of Syria's six-year savage conflict.  This is how Syria's game of war is played.  Aid is used as a political bargaining chip (something used to gain an advantage when making a deal or an agreement).  The consequences for innocent families have been disastrous.  Medical operations have taken place in bombed out basement without anesthesia (loss of feeling in a part of the body through the use of drugs).  Children have bled to death, while we (the U.N.) begged for evacuations (to remove from a military zone or dangerous area) to hospitals that would have saved their lives."  Not only Syria.  In Gaza a pregnant woman was cut to pieces.  "Fatalities (occurrences of death by accident, in war or from disease) were confirmed by the Palestinian Health Ministry on Thursday (August 9).  It said that a total of three people were killed overnight in the airstrikes (an attack made by aircraft).  Among the victims was a pregnant woman, identified as Enas Khammash, 23, and her 18-month-old daughter Bayan.  They were killed in the Jafarawi area of central Gaza, AFP (Agence France-Press) said, adding that the woman's husband was injured.  Ruply's (an international video news agency based in Berlin) crew traveled to the Gaza Strip and visited the shelled house where Khammash and her family lived.  Their footage captured (caught, nabbed or picked up) a grim scene (something so unpleasant that it pushes you away) inside the damaged house, depicting debris (the remains of anything broken down or destroyed) and multiple bloodstains (marks made by blood) on doors and walls.  Ibrahean Abu-Amra, the house owner who rented the property to the family, told Ruptly that he was surprised that an attack had been carried out on a residential place and on unarmed people (not equipped or carrying weapons).  Pointing at the debris, holes and blood on the walls, he stressed that nothing could justify (show or prove to be right or reasonable) the destruction.  The family's neighbor told RT that he heard 'a huge explosion' and then rushed onto the street.  He saw 'big huge smoke' coming from the Khammash's house.  When he entered the house, he said he saw the bodies.  'We found the woman's body shattered into pieces (to be broken - to impair or destroy), her little daughter too,' he said, adding that the woman's husband was injured in the leg, stomach and head (RT, August 9, 2018)." 

Iran does not escape (break free) from the violence in the Middle East.  There was an attack on a military parade in Ahvaz on September 22, 2018.  "Poor living standards (material quality of life) have been compounded by electricity shortages (lack or deficit) and a severe drought (a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall), which locals blame on mismanagement (manage wrongly) by the central government.  Residents of Ahvaz have been forced to stay inside their homes on some days because of severe sandstorms linked (a connection between two situations) to drought in the past year (Reuters, September 23, 2018)."  Their drought and recession causes its own problems.  Yemen is worse.  "UNICEF reported last year that a child dies from preventable causes (capable of being prevented) on the average of once every ten minutes in Yemen.  As the Associated Press (AP) reported last May, roughly three million Yemeni woman and children are 'acutely malnourished, another 400,000 children are fighting for their lives.'  Further: 'Nearly a third of Yemen's population - 8.4 million of its 29 million people - rely (depend on with full trust or confidence) completely on food aid or else they would starve.  That number grew by a quarter over the past year.  Aid agencies warn that parts of Yemen could soon start to see widespread death from famine.  More and more people are reliant (needs help and often cannot live or work) on aid that is already failing to reach (falling short of a standard that was expected) people.  It is unknown how many have died, since authorities are not able to track cases (ongoing public health collection of information).  Save the Children late last year estimated that 50,000 children may have died in 2017 of extreme hunger or disease, given that up to 30% of children with untreated cases (not improved or controlled medically) of severe acute malnutrition (deficiencies or imbalances in a person's intake of nutrients) die.' 

"The AP told the heartbreaking story (causing overwhelming distress) of Umm Mizrah and her children, tragic drops in the bucket (a very small amount) of what could become one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes (a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being [the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy]) of the last half-century.  'The young mother stepped onto the scale (a machine for weighing a person) for the doctor.  Even with all her black robes on, she weighed only 84 lbs. (38 kg)  The doctor's office is covered (extended over an area) with dozens of pictures of emaciated babies (excessive leanness [without much flesh or fat] caused by disease or lack of nutrition) who have come through Al-Sadaqa Hospital in Aden.  Mothers like Umm Mizrah skip meals, sleep to escape the gnawing (a dull, constant pain) in their stomachs.  They hide bony faces (very little flesh covering their bones) and emaciated bodies in voluminous (loose and ample) black robes and veils (pieces of fine material worn by women to protect or conceal the face).  The doctor asked the mother to get back on the scale holding her son.  At seventeen months he was 5.8 kg (12.8 lbs) - around half the normal weight for his age.  He showed all the signs of severe acute malnutrition (not having enough to eat), the most dire stage (an extremely serious development) of hunger.  His legs and feet were swollen (larger than usual), he wasn't getting enough protein (a substance found in food and drink such as meat, eggs and milk).  When the doctor pressed a finger (a method that creates a crease [a groove produced]) into the skin of his feet, the indentation lingered (a push into something remained longer than is usual).' (CounterPunch, July 20, 2018)."  Innocent children become victims of this. 

"The United Nations said Friday that a Saudi-led airstrike had killed at least twenty-two children and four women in Yemen as they fled a fighting zone (an area where people are fighting a war) - the second mass killing (murdering four or more persons) of Yemeni civilians by Saudi Arabia and its military partners in two weeks.  Mark Lowcock, the top United Nations relief official, asserted (state a fact or belief confidently or forcefully) without qualification (denotes fitness for purpose) that the Saudi-led coalition (an alliance for combined action) warring with Yemen's Houthi rebels was responsible for the attack, which happened on Thursday in a pro-Houthi district near the Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah.  He said an additional airstrike in the area had killed four more children.  The Saudis and their partners have said they aim for military targets and go out of their way to avoid civilians.  But an August 9 Saudi-led aerial assault (a type of military operation) that struck a school bus in northern Yemen and killed dozens, including many children, raised new doubts about the targeting.  In a country where three in four Yemenis need emergency assistance (to help children and their families who cannot afford to solve the problem), Mr. Lowcock said, 'parties to the conflict (a disagreement through which those involved perceive a threat) must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law (a set of rules which seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict) and those with influence over them must ensure (make certain) that everything possible is done to protect civilians (persons not in the armed forces).'  A recent spate of fighting (a larger number of events than usual) in the Al Hudayfah area has also hit facilities (buildings where a particular activity happens) that provide health care, water and sanitation, raising alarms (warning people of danger) of a resurgence (increase of activity) in the cholera epidemic (an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food) that has ravaged (caused severe and extensive damage to) Yemen twice during the war (The New York Times, August 24, 2018)."  Maybe it's high time (an appropriate time for a long awaited event) that American high net worth individuals (the super rich) stepped up to the plate (to take action in response to an opportunity or crisis) - took an interest in these situations in Gaza and Yemen, and did something about it.

"[Statos] Valamios has lost count of the boats he has helped [reach the Greek island of Lesbos, off the coast of Turkey] over the years.  'The situations are worse than a horror movie,' he says.  One recent night, Valamios says, he went to rescue a boat that was taking on water.  In a desperate attempt to save their children from perishing, migrants threw them onto Valamios' boat.  'Everyone was screaming and scared,' he says.  'I was just alone on my boat with seventeen children, I got them to land and then got other fishermen out quickly to help the refugees still out in the sea.'...'I understand why they do it,' [fisherman Kostas] Pinteris says.  'They just want to be free, they kiss the ground here when they make it to land.  If there is nobody to help them, then I will need to go out.  I'm human and so are they.' (U.S.A. Today, October 6, 2015)."  Najoud Danwi, a civil engineer from Syria, was in the United Nations transit camp at Macedonia with her two-year-old son.  "Do they hate us more in Denmark, or in Germany," she asked Kim Hjelmgaard, a reporter following migrants.  Thousands have an "extreme", or a "mild", form of despair as they look at Europe for a decent life.  In Macedonia, Mohammed Hassan, 25, boarded a train for Serbia, August 2015, first stop on the way to Hungary.  "I will go to whichever country will take me, whichever place has the best situation.  My life is in God's hands now."  His mother was still in Iraq, his father dead three months earlier.  Riham Kusa is a Palestinian-Syrian journalist living in Berlin, Germany.  "WhatsApp signals a message on my mobile phone.  'Take care of my son,' my aunt writes from Syria.  'He is now heading to Turkey and soon will be with you.'"  Her 17-year-old cousin was on a journey - northern Syria to Turkey to a smuggler for the trip to Europe.  Kusa writes: "I've heard of smugglers packing migrants so tightly into trucks that nobody can move. 

"A friend from Syria who came to Germany in a truck said he asked a guy next to him to run on his mobile phone light so he could tell the time on his wristwatch.  The man couldn't reach his phone in his pocket."  And her friend was lucky.  Seventy-one refugees were found dead in the back of a truck in Austria, August 2, 2015, including a little girl about eighteen months old.  According to David Andelman, editor and publisher of World Policy Journal: "The million refugees Germany may welcome this year (2015), and the 120,000 in the rest of Europe, pale (not much in comparison) before the four million who've fled Syria in the past four years, many still waiting desperately in refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon."  From U.S.A. Today: "Near Greece's northern border with Macedonia on Thursday (September 10, 2015), a mass of at least 7000 people endured downpours and muddy fields as the throng headed north hundreds of miles," some of whom may have been barrel-bombed by a neurotic (anxiety, anger or mental confusion) political leader.  And what about the 373,000 Palestinian children who were said by Penilla Ironside, chief of UNICEF's Gaza field office back in August 2014, to need "immediate psycho-social first aid [to get some courage and confidence]".  Or the thousands of women and children - refugees - leaving North Africa.  As many as 400 people are stuffed (to fill by packing things in) into every centimeter (inch) of space aboard a 12 meter (40 foot) wooden boat before shoving off (to leave a place for another) the coast of Libya and into the choppy (rough with small waves) seas of the Mediterranean.  Are they terrorists too?  Gabriela Andreevska is called the "Macedonian angel" because of her efforts to welcome migrants new to camp.  "People are not afraid of what they don't know.  They're not the Islamic State, they're not terrorists," she said. 

Kim Hjelmgaard again: "I knew that the thousands of Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Eritreans and others undertaking this route [from Greece to Berlin] were fleeing various forms of wretchedness, whether political or economic.  Their lives are full of spirit-crushing logistics - a phone's battery that is always nearly dead, where to find the next meal, how to entice an exhausted 5-year-old to walk 30 miles under a hot sun."  These people are Muslim, but a message of hope is universal.  The United Nations Refugee Agency said that fifty-five million people worldwide have been "forcibly displaced" by the end of 2015.  The problem of despair is so serious, that there is a need for something.  Since the American Cross Global project is a "message of hope" for those in crisis, accusing it of being a "megalomania" is really saying you do not want to see other helped.  Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton were 9/11 chair and vice-chair.  They are now co-chairs of the Bi-partisan Policy Center's National Security Program, and these are their comments on the issue of global terrorism.  "The Islamic State terrorist organization's combination of territory, resources and global appeal makes it more dangerous than previously acknowledged and more of a threat than al-Qaeda.  The 9/11 Commission we chaired argued that in addition to 'dismantling the al-Qaeda network', we must also prevail 'over the ideology that gives rise to Islamist terrorism'.  Yet the second element of this strategy has been largely ignored.  Predominantly military solutions have been emphasized to what is at its core an ideological challenge.  Force can and must be used to degrade ISIL, more than we have done to date, but it cannot destroy the ideas that animate it.  The adversary is a minuscule (very small) number of religious zealots among the world's 1.6 billion Muslims.  Recognizing this does not in any way impugn (to criticize by suggesting that someone is not honest) an entire religion or the overwhelming majority of its peaceful adherents."  On the eve of fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, September 9, 2016, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton reiterated (to repeat something already said) it.  "In the 9/11 Commission Report, we warned that terrorism would 'menace Americans and American interests long after Osama bin Laden and his cohorts (companions) are killed or captured.'  We stressed that our strategy (a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal) 'must match our means to two ends - dismantling the al-Qaeda network and prevailing in the longer term over the ideology that gives rise to Islamist terrorism.'  We have yet to match our military might with an equal focus on the ideological aspects of the struggle.  Until we do, this threat will not diminish." 

Then why not build a big cross which may make a statement (something said or done in a formal way) to any extremist (a person who hold radical political or religious views), foreign or domestic - God will rock (to cause something to shake violently) your world.  According to CNNPolitics.com: "Ben Carson said Sunday (November 29, 2015) that most Syrian refugees would rather be relocated within their own country than resettled in the United States.  'The thing that I really learned in listening to the refugees themselves is their intense desire to return to their country and be repatriated (to restore or return to the country of origin),' Carson said.  Carson implied that the United States should spend more money aiding the refugee camps, rather than resettling small numbers of those refugees [in the U.S.].  'They don't have enough money.' he said.  'You look at last year, there was a $3 billion shortfall (failure to come up to expectation or need).  That's the same amount of money we spent last month on Halloween candy.'"  He flew overseas to the country of Jordan and visited the camps personally.  He found that while the refugees don't necessarily dislike the United States, they would prefer going home to Syria rather than immigrating to the U.S., or even Europe.  So, why doesn't the American government help these people in the camps, so they can go home, if it really wants to defeat the ideology of the Islamic State?  In Lesbos, Greece, a small island off the coast of Turkey where migrants come, many do not make it.  Thedoris Nousias, the island's coroner, said this.  "'I examined more than 200 people,' he said.  'These shipwrecks were really big.'  Most of the dead are women and children.  Nouisias has had two pregnant women on his examining table and more infants and toddlers than he wants to count.  'Babies' lungs are so small, that with just a little seawater, they fill up,' he said (U.S.A. Today, June 3, 2016)."  Christos Mavrachilis, a guard at the Lesbos cemetery, who's witnessed dozens of burials and dug many refugee graves himself, said this.  "'There's an unidentified baby buried here, it died on October 21, 2015, and next to it, there's a 7-year-old child buried with a woman.  This 12-year-old child's name is Safi Syap,' he said, explaining that the parents had to abandon the child when they left for Western Europe.  'When a baby is being buried and people pray over it, I don't know if it's Muslim or Christian,' Mavrachilis said.  'It could have been my child or my grandchild.' (ibid)" 

The idea is to deal with the ideology that motivates, not just to bomb.  Showing a little respect for non-violent mainstream segments of others' religious beliefs is a beginning.  Stating that Muhammad was a terrorist (the late Jerry Falwell, head of Moral Majority, U.S.A.) does not defeat the ideology, it inflames (to cause a person or group to become angry to violent) it.  Mocking Muhammad with a demented (unbalanced, unhinged, unsound) cartoon (Charlie Hebdo) does the same exact thing.  And more.  "We have many antichrists in our world today, and 99% of them are Muslim (anonymous)."  "The real threat we are facing today is that Islam has a strategic plan to conquer and occupy America (Baptist minister David Clippard)."  "Those who live by the Qur'an have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews (American evangelist John Hagee)."  Actually secular people are anti-Christ, meaning they do not do religion.  Is it true the 100,000 or so Islamic State warriors are somehow going to conquer a nation armed to its teeth with guns and nukes, that spends more than the next three nations combined on its military?  And do all Muslims have a scriptural mandate to kill?  Next, conservative American Christians will want to round them up and place them all in concentration camps.  "Or say that entire nations of children are born [in the Middle East] where they will never hear what a group [of evangelicals] across the planet [in America] considers true teachings, and are thus consigned (to put someone in an unpleasant place or situation) by that group to suffer eternally [in hell] (Dancing Past the Dark, Nancy Evans Bush)."  "Yet the pews (the congregation [members] of a church) are emptying at a ferocious (very great or extreme) rate in the developed world (Heaven: A Guide to the Undiscovered Country, Peter Stanford)."  So a purpose of a 313 meter cross is to elevate (to improve culturally) the image (the way people perceive [interpret or look at]) of Islam in the West (countries in Europe, and America).  For example, there is a myth that Muslim martyrs get 72 virgins after death.  "'Nowhere in the Qur'an does it promise 72 virgins, 70 virgins, 48 virgins.  What it promises as far as heaven goes, is something lush (having a pleasingly rich quality),' [Islam scholar Irshad] Manji told CNN's Fareed Zakaria.  'The Arabic word for virgin has been mistranslated (poor translation).  The original word that was used in the Quran was the word for raisin, not virgin.  In other words, that martyrs would get raisins in heaven, not virgins.' (The Blaze, June 1, 2016)" 

So the Islamic State has deceived people.  Europeans and Americans may become a bit (an indefinite small degree) less paranoid (having unreasonable feeling of suspicion or mistrust) toward a "tide of migrants by sea", if they understood extremists' fallacies (wrong beliefs).  One sure way to defeat the Islamic State, however, would have been to have turned loose (to remove anything that limits the action of) about 250,000 of the 2.3 million Chinese People's Liberation Army on them.  Or, perhaps we should follow an example of a herd of stampeding (an occurrence in which a large group of wild or excited animals run together in an uncontrolled way) boars (uncastrated male pigs), who killed three militants (those engaged in warfare or combat) of the Islamic State in northern Syria.  Here is what some comment.  Larry Walker: "Let's round up the thousands of wild hogs festering (become worse or more intense) in our Southern states and airlift (a system of transporting cargo by aircraft) them to Iraq and Syria.  If terrorists are killed by a hog, they won't meet Allah and get their 72 virgins.  A win for the pigs - and the virgins."  Kimberly Genereux: "Ode (a poem meant to be sung) to the wild boars of Kirkuk - they gave up their lives, fighting and humiliating (to make someone feel foolish by injuring their dignity and self-respect) ISIS.  And proving that heroes can come in quite unlikely guises (a form which conceals the true nature of something)."  Jeff Gute: "Air drop as many wild boars, that have not been fed, and unleash (to allow something to happen suddenly) them on ISIS strongholds, and watch the pigs clean house and take down these terrorists.  Very fitting and cheaper than having American soldiers on the ground and spending taxpayer dollars on militia (part of the organized armed forces of a country)."  Denis Sand: "Since ISIS takes credit for all the terrorist attacks around the world, can the U.S. take credit for this?  It's a new special forces team."  Dan Smith: "It was a MOAB - mother of all boars."  This may be humorous (causing laughter and amusement), but in 2017, there are other issues which confront (challenge) people who live in the Middle East. 

Robin Wright is a reporter for The New Yorker, stationed (a place where someone is assigned to remain) in Lebanon, and this appeared in the May 21, 2017 edition.  "Six months ago (November 2016), I was in the National Museum in Beirut, marveling (experience great surprise or admiration) at two Phoenician sarcophagi (stone coffins) among the treasures from ancient Middle Eastern civilizations, when the lights suddenly went out.  A few days later, I was in the Bekaa Valley, whose town hadn't had power for half the day, as on many days (things that happen more often than might be expected).  More recently, I was in oil-rich (plenty of natural oil under the ground) Iraq, where electricity was intermittent (occurring at irregular intervals) at best.  'One day we'll have twelve hours.  The next day no power at all,' Aras Maman, a journalist, told me, after the power went off in the restaurant where we were waiting for lunch.  In Egypt, the government has appealed (make a serious or urgent request) to the public to cut back on the use of light bulbs and appliances (household devices) and to turn off air-conditioning even the sweltering heat (oppressively hot) to prevent wider outages (a period when a service, such as electricity, is not available).  Parts of Libya, which has the largest oil reserves in Africa, have gone weeks without power this year.  In the Gaza Strip, two million Palestinian get only two to four hours of electricity a day, after yet another cutback (reduction) in April.  In Syria, supporters of President Bashar al-Assad in Latakia, the dynasty's main stronghold (a place dominated by a particular group), who had remained loyal for six years of civil war, drew the line (put a limit on what you will allow to happen) over electricity.  They staged a protest in January over a cutback to only one hour of power a day.  Over the past eight months, I've been struck by people talking less about the prospects of peace, danger of ISIS, or President Trump's intentions in the Middle East than their own exhaustion from the trials (tests of one's patience or endurance) of daily life (activities and experiences that constitute a person's normal existence).

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  "Families recounted groggily (dazed, weak or unsteady) getting up in the middle of the night when power abruptly (suddenly and unexpectedly) comes on in order to do laundry, carry out business transactions (buying or selling) on computers, charge phones, or just bathe and flush toilets, until electricity, just as unpredictably, goes off again.  Some families have stopped taking elevators; their terrified children have been stuck too often between floors.  Students complained of freezing classrooms in winter, trying to study or write papers without computers, and reading at night by candlelight.  The challenges wills soon increase with the demands for power - and air-conditioning - surge (a transient sudden rise), as summer temperatures reach a hundred and twenty-five degrees (52 degrees Celsius)."  And not only that, Kahled Hosseini, who came to the U.S. as a refugee after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, wrote a book - Sea Prayer, about a refugee father preparing to make a perilous journey (a dangerous situation) across the Mediterranean.  "Ever since I saw the photo of Alan Kurdi, the 3-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on a beach in Turkey in 2015, I have wanted to write about sea crossings (a journey by sea from one coast to another).  My entry point (a predetermined strategy) into that story was as a father.  I saw that photo and I was devastated (cause severe and overwhelming shock or grief).  I kept asking myself what I would do if I had to be the one to see a stranger lift my son from the sand, and have to see photos of that horrible event over and over again."  Getting heart back - courage and confidence - is essential (absolutely necessary and extremely important), as you connect to the Unseen. 

 And in 2018, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency is working to make life more pleasant (agreeable and enjoyable) for others.  "More than five million registered Palestinian refugees (individuals who have left their native country) benefit from UNRWA's educational, health and social services.  The agency's operations span (cover the area of) the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.  It educates about 500,000 children in nearly 700 schools and UNRWA doctors see more than nine million patients in nearly 150 primary health clinics every year.  'First of all, UNRWA is not a Palestinian institution (an organization created to pursue a particular type of endeavor), it is a U.N. institution,' he (U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres) said at a U.N. press conference Tuesday.  The services provided by UNRWA 'are of extreme importance, not only for the well-being of this population, and there is a serious humanitarian (concerned with, or seeking to promote, human welfare) concern here,' he said.  'But also in my opinion and the opinion that is shared by most international observers (persons who monitor [watching or checking] situations), including some Israeli ones, it is an important factor of stability (a situation in which something is not likely to move or change).'  Palestinian camps around the region typically suffer from rampant (flourishing or spreading unchecked) poverty, overcrowding (a condition where more people are located within a given space than is considered tolerable [able to be endured]), high employment, poor housing conditions (badly designed and built, with no air-conditioning in the heat) and lack of infrastructure (fundamental facilities and systems serving an area), according to UNRWA.  Many of the refugees are descendants (a person related to a group of people who lived in the past) of those displaced (forced to leave their home) from what was then known as Palestine in the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-49 (CNN, January 17, 2018)." 

And turning to Germany, again.  "In the summer of 2015, a curious piece of world news brought a flicker of hope (a feeling of an emotion that does not last very long) to the wretched (very unhappy state) Syrian city of Palmya.  Islamic State fighters had taken over the ancient town, toppling (cause to fall) its monuments and executing anyone who resisted their draconian rules (small offences that had heavy punishments, meaning of great severity).  And yet at one of the city's darkest moments (a time when bad events are at their worst and most dispiriting), rumors of a sanctuary (a place of safety) far away began to filter in (come in very slowly), generating (creating) dreams among a populace (population) that had already lost everything.  On August 31 of that year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that her country was prepared to take in hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war in the Middle East.  'We can do this,' she said in a speech in Berlin, calling it a 'national duty' (a moral commitment by a nation to those in need [people do not have enough of essential things]) to support those in danger (harm that one may encounter).  Across Syria, preoccupations (that which you think about the most) with the civil war gave way to fantasies (pleasant by unlikely situations) of the unlikely new promised land - the Germany of Mama Merkel.  The Chancellor suddenly became a positive punch line (a statement or phrase that makes a point) to dark jokes (morbid and grotesque) about Syrians' futures, says Yehiya Mohammad, a driver from Palmyra who at the time had just been released from one of Syrian President Bashar Assad's notorious (famous for something bad) prisons.  'People would be talking to each other...One would suggest - Just go.  Go Where?  Go to Mama Merkel - she's accepting everyone.' (Time, October 9, 2017)." 

But there's a dark side to the story.  Angelina Jolie, actress and special envoy () for the U.N., wrote an article for Time, February 20, 2020: The Cost of Inaction in Syria is Too High.  "A few months into the Syrian conflict in 2011, I visited the Jordanian border at night, where shell-shocked () Syrian families were crossing under cover of darkness to avoid sniper fire.  A medic at the border post told me about a family who’d recently arrived.  They carried with them their wounded 8-year-old son and his amputated leg.  His leg had been severed in an airstrike.  He’d begged them to bring it with them as they fled, in the hope that it could somehow be reattached.  At the time, I hoped that stories like his might force the world’s rich and mighty countries to intervene to stop the violence.  But now, nearly a decade later, it strikes me as a metaphor () for the Syrian conflict itself: the shattered innocence () of a generation of children; the irreversible damage () inflicted upon a secular (), multiethnic () society; and the years of pleas for help that have gone unanswered.  I’ve been to the Syrian region some 10 times since the conflict began.  At first, the families I met were hopeful.  They said, 'Please, tell people what is happening to us,' trusting that once the truth was known, the world would come to their rescue.  But hope curdled () into anger and the struggle for survival: the anger of the father who held his baby up to me, asking, 'Is this a terrorist? Is my son a terrorist?' and the pain of families I met who faced daily choices about which of their children would get scarce () food and medicine.  We’ve seen countless images of Syrian children asphyxiated () by gas, maimed () by shrapnel, drowned on the shores of Europe or – as I write – freezing to death in the cold of Syria’s Idlib province.  None of it has been enough to override () the brutal indifference () of the competing forces and interests () contributing to the destruction of Syria."  back to top

 Death as a shift.  A 313 meter cross lets these people know, they are not forgotten.  When the cross is finished, and the mirror-finish catches the sun, videos may be taken and posted online to inspire people, and to remind them that when life ceases, paradise begins.  Another reason as to why the cross is so big is that it is a death syndrome cross.  This does not just mean unexpected death of adults during sleep, cardiac arrest in younger people, or a young American Baptist woman pushing her husband of eight days over a cliff.  It means anything.  With over seven billion people on the planet, it takes something huge and perhaps unnerving (to deprive or courage, strength or steadiness) to make people stop and take stock of the dilemma (a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice) of death.  Waiting until you are in Hospice (a place that provides care for people who are dying) may be a bad course of action.  You can be running to win, yet in an unforeseen circumstance, life is cut short.  It can end in one hundred years or one hundred minutes.  Death does not necessarily entail (comprehend, contain or embrace) the end of consciousness (an awareness of one's own existence, sensations and thoughts), it may imply a shift from one spiritual state (a perspective, outlook or approach) to another.  As the Book says, "The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable (enduring forever), and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe (to endow especially with power or a quality) itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality (from I Corinthians)."  And, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain - for the former things are passed away (from Revelation)."  back to top

Second death, revisited.  "Death syndrome" may also refer to a "second death".  "Whoever lives and believes, shall never die (from John)."  How can this happen?  Everyone dies.  How could a person "never die"?  Perhaps there is a death beyond death.  In other words, there is a "death" of the flesh and there is a "death" of the soul - a second death.  This is clarified (make less confused and more clearly comprehensible): "He who believes, though he were dead, yet shall he live (from John)."  So as an individual puts this together, it means that he, or she, who "connects" won't experience a "second death", but will continue to live on (continue to live as you depend on an entity [a thing with distinct and independent existence] as a source [a place something comes from]), after death.  So, it seems to contradict (say the opposite of) itself - first it says you "never die", then it says that "even though you are dead, you will live".  This can cause confusion to the uninformed (not having or showing awareness or understanding of the facts).  "And cast (throw forcefully in a specific direction) the unprofitable (not beneficial [having a positive effect or achieving a good result], or useful [serving some purpose]) servant (a person who is employed) into outer darkness (an absence of light) - there shall be weeping, and gnashing (a grinding together) of teeth (from Matthew)."  Here the Book refers to a second death as outer darkness - a death of the soul.  Meaning, an individual may continue to exist (to have real being, whether material or spiritual), but that person is dead inside - forever.  "But murderers, and the sexually immoral, and those who use power from dark spirits, and liars shall have their part in the second death (from Revelation)."  Thousands of near-death experiencers have gone down or up.  Those who go down and come back don't want to go back (to hell).  Those who go up don't want to come back (to earth).  Think of your most miserable experience in life, that which you were so glad was over, and your most enjoyable experience, which you wish never ended.  What this says is that you will either get the most miserable experience you have ever had, forever, or you will get that most enjoyable experience, instead (alternatively, rather).  back to top

Consciousness after death.  Jean Jacques Charbonier, M.D., in his book Seven Reasons to Believe in the Afterlife, comments: "Experience has shown me that at the moment when death seems imminent (ready to take place) and unavoidable (not able to be prevented or ignored), we are entirely ready to accept another reality (the world or state of things as they actually exist), totally different from the one we have always known and upheld (to judge valid) - another truth that includes the notion (an idea that is believed to be true) of survival in another dimension (an area over which activity, capacity or influence extends).  When there are only a few minutes left, the most assured non-believer becomes a believer, and the most convinced atheist calls upon God.  This observation, made by numerous caregivers (a person who looks after the sick, elderly or disabled) working in resuscitation (to revive from apparent death or unconsciousness) or in palliative care (an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with a life-threatening illness), shows to what extent our firmest beliefs can suddenly go up in smoke."  Dr. Charbonier is a French anesthesiologist (a physician in the medical branch dealing with anesthesia - insensitivity to pain artificially induced by injection of drugs before surgical operations) and intensive care physician, who has studied NDE and a possibility of a survival of consciousness (the state of being aware showing perception or knowledge) after death.  What this means is that the scientist and secular humanist who rant (utter in a bombastic declamatory fashion) about the impossibility of it (survival after death), when face-to-face (involving close contact) with death, sometimes abandon (withdraw from) their former opinion, in that now they are no longer able to control their own destiny (what happens in the future).

Colin Wilson, in Afterlife, makes some observations.  "Dr. Karlis Osis, born in Riga, Latvia in 1917, had worked at Duke University.  Osis was fascinated by the kind of death-bed visions reported by Sir William Barrett.  Osis concludes his study by remarking that his observations need verifying, particularly by studies in other cultures.  This hint was taken up by his colleague Erlendur Haraldsson, who conducted similar studies in India.  It might have been reasonable to expect that, in a totally different culture - particularly one that places less emphasis on life after death - death-bed visions would be of a different kind.  Haraldsson discovered this was not so - the death-bed visions of Indians were much the same as those of Americans.  Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross had visited the extermination camp (a killing center designed and built by Nazi Germany) Maidanek at the end of the Second World War, and established a camp for refugees on the Vista River in Poland.  In America in the early 1960s, now married to a professor of neurology (a study of the disorders of the nervous system) and pathology (a study of diseases) in Chicago, she was struck by the American tendency to ignore death and pretend that it does not exist.  To begin with, her attitude towards life after death was one of skepticism (an attitude of doubt), she was only concerned with the psychological problems involved in accepting death.  Gradually, her study of the dying led her to the conviction that 'survival' is an established fact.  It is also clear that these findings are based upon the study of hundreds of cases.  Compare this with a case described by Kubler-Ross, in which a woman in intensive care went into a critical condition, and the nurse rushed out of the room to get help.  'Meanwhile, this woman felt herself float out of her body.  In fact, she said she could look down and see how pale her face looked.  Yet at the same time she felt absolutely wonderful.  She had a great sense of peace and relief.'  One of the commonest experiences was of a bright light - like the 'thousand arc lights' described by George Ritchie - which seems to radiate a sense of love and warmth - Christians, understandably, are inclined to identify this with Jesus.  There is a sense of direct telepathic communication (knowledge conveyed from one person to another without means of the five senses), without language.  'It was like talking to a person, but a person wasn't there.'  The 'light' may ask probing questions about what the person has done with his [or her] life. 

"Very often there was a sense of some kind of border or limit.  It may be a body of water, a distant shore, a gray mist, or many other things.  The 'dead' person experiences a conviction (firmly held belief) that if he passes this limit, then he is permanently 'dead'.  Until it is passed, there is a choice of returning to the body.  Since all of [Raymond] Moody's interviewees (one who is interviewed) had returned from a near-death experience, he heard many different versions of how a return to the body was accomplished (achieve or complete successfully).  'I just fell right back down to my body.  The next thing I knew I was in my body again.'  But the majority of people simply woke up and found themselves 'alive' again.  Moody's subjects who experienced 'visions of knowledge' seem to be making the point that life after death is not really a continuation of earth life on the same level.  Moody emphasizes how often they say things like - 'It's impossible to explain,' or 'The words I would use are different because there really are not words.'  Our concepts of reality are closely bound up with language, and most accounts of life after death seem to agree that language has become unnecessary.  Kenneth Ring, a professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut, attempted a far more systematic survey than Moody had aimed for.  He noted that Moody made no claim to present scientific evidence about the experience of dying, much less of life after death; in 1977, the year Life After Life appeared, Ring set out to remedy (correct) this shortcoming (a failure to meet a certain standard) by tracking down and interviewing scores of people who had come close to death, and studying the results statistically (analyzing numeric data in large quantities).  In all important respects, Ring's findings confirmed Moody's.  So did those of other researchers - Michael Sabom, Edith Fiore, Maurice Rawlings, Margot Grey, [and] Edith Fiore summarized accounts of more than a thousand near-death experiences.  To read some of these books often gives the bewildering (perplexed and confused) impression of reading the same thing over and over again.  But at least the sheer (nothing other than) repetition drives home (make clearly understood) the fact that Moody's cases were not a random (chosen by chance) sample, selected because they satisfied his own emotional preferences (liking one thing more than another).  Again and again there are the same descriptions of finding oneself in a state of 'disembodiment' (separated from their body), of passing through some kind of tunnel with a light at the end, of a sense of communication with some benevolent being or beings, of some kind of 'review' (a phenomenon in which a person rapidly sees much, or the totality, of their life history), of an experience of some border between life and earth, and of a return to life.

"It has been repeatedly pointed out that all this 'proves' nothing.  James Alcock expressed the basic objection in The Skeptical Enquirer (Spring 1979).  'I have no argument with people's theology or philosophy.  What is bothersome, however, is the necessity these people feel to try to provide objective evidence to support their beliefs.'  This is a perfectly fair objection, but it also seems to overlook the fact that science is based upon repeated observation.  To ignore something that is repeated by thousands of observers would be a contradiction of the scientific attitude.  Ring has the courage to 'remove my white lab coat.  I do believe - but not just on the basis of my own or others' data regarding near-death experiences - that we continue to have a conscious existence after our physical death and that the core experience does represent its beginning, a glimpse of things to come.  Margot Grey, the founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies in Great Britain, makes a clear connection between near-death experiences and mystical insight (direct communion with ultimate reality) in a passage she contributes to The Relevance of Bliss.  She describes how her own interest in near-death experiences began with a personal insight in 1976.  in India, she was struck down by a fever that lasted three weeks, and she hovered (remain suspended) on the brink of death (about to die).  'I remember looking at my body lying on the bed feeling completely unperturbed (not worried, upset or disquieted) by the fact that it seemed likely that I was going to die in a strange country...but thinking that it was totally unimportant where I left my body, which I felt had served me well and like a favorite worn out coat had at last outlived its usefulness and would now have to be discarded (to throw away because it is useless or unwanted).'  She describes a sense of floating (moving or hovering slowly and lightly in the air) in total darkness, and a sense of being 'at one' with infinite space.  'Later on, I seemed to be travelling down a endless tunnel - I could see a pin-point (a tiny dot or point) of light at the end of the tunnel towards which I seemed to be moving...I remember knowing with absolute certainty that I would eventually be through the tunnel and would emerge into the light, which was like the light of a very bright star, but much more brilliant.  A sense of exaltation (a strong sense of happiness) was accompanied by a feeling of being very close to the source of life and love, which seemed to be one.'

"Most people probably have half a dozen acquaintances who have had near-death experiences and can verify some aspect (a particular feature of something) of the 'core experience'.  On the day I began writing this book, I bumped into (to meet, come across) the wife of a friend on my afternoon walk, and mentioned that I was writing about life after death - she immediately told me about her own near-death experience, which might have come straight out of Moody.  In the middle of the night, feeling very ill with a serious internal complaint, she went downstairs and sat in an armchair (a comfortable chair) feeling sick and exhausted.  Her temperature rose, and she felt consciousness (the state of being aware) slipping away (pass out of existence).  Then she found herself being sucked (involved in a situation a person does not want to be involved in) into a long tunnel with a light at the end.  She experienced a sense of total relaxation (being free from tension and anxiety) and peace, and all her fear of death vanished.  Totally reconciled to the idea of dying, it suddenly struck here that her husband and son would find her body in the chair the next morning - she made an effort to return to her body, and then found herself back in the chair, with her temperature normal again.  The experience convinced her that she need never be afraid of death, and she remarked that it had given her the courage to live as well as to die.  Another local resident described how, after a serious heart attack, he had left his body, and found the room full of a blinding light.  A voice asked him: 'Do you want to live?' - and when he replied 'yes', he opened his eyes [in the room]."  Many people in the 21st century, all over the world, fight with machines - laptop or desktop computers, smartphones or ipads, and etc. - at work or at play, and so death is about the farthest (greatest distance) thing from their minds as is conceivable (capable of being imagined or grasped mentally).  When an individual thinks about great cities such as Hong Kong, London, Paris or Moscow - these are forgotten (no longer remembered) places in evangelical church theology (a study of the nature of God).  But a message of hope applies to them as well (with equal reason).  "Unfortunately, America has a long history of people using [organized] religion to legitimize (officially allow, make acceptable) abhorrent (inspiring disgust and loathing) and blasphemous (impiously irreverent) treatment (the way in which someone behaves) of others (Rev. Paul Roushenbush)."   back to top

 Near-death experience.  Elisa Medhus, M.D. wrote an article Life After Death: Why the Growing Interest?  He mentions a reason.  "For one, we've seen a declining membership in, and impact of, the more dogmatic, inflexible religious denominations."  Maurice Rawlings, M.D. wrote a book To Hell and Back.  In it, he recounts a story by David Whitaker, M.D.: "There are people that talk about light, there are people that talk about floating above, there are people that talk about warmth and love, I didn't feel any of that, I felt none of that.  I felt untold terror.  It is very easy to be an atheist when you're successful, but it's very difficult to be an atheist when you're lying on your deathbed."  The Freedom From Religion (or spirituality) Foundation would disagree with the AARP Magazine article, "Is There Life After Death" - "In Michelangelo's painting 'The Last Judgment' [at the Sistine Chapel in Rome] there's little doubt about who's going where.  On the left, a swirl of saints and martyrs ascend Heavenward, their faces a mix of rapture and shock.  On the right, it's a decidedly downward trend, a slightly more populated mix of eternal unfortunates being dragged, pushed, and hurled into the abyss (a hole so deep or a space so great that it cannot be measured)."  The Last Judgment was painted about 500 years ago, but the FFRF doesn't believe in the blackness of darkness forever.  Or this from The Daily Telegraph, "Patients Near Death See Visions of Hell" - "The eerie (strange and mysterious) parallels between the reports of NDEs and traditional views of heaven and hell also defy simple explanation, said Mr. Lawrence (Tony Lawrence, psychology professor at Coventry University, Great Britain).  Attempts to dismiss the images as nothing more than cultural memories do not stand up.  'In fact there seems to be a general lack of cultural factors determining the content of these experiences.  People from many different cultures will describe meeting a figure of light.  They don't meet Jesus or Vishnu or Buddha - although afterwards they may sometimes describe what they saw in that way.  The cultural influences only seem to emerge in the interpretation of what was seen, not in the basic experience itself.'"  FFRF cannot deny that there have been thousands of these experiences.

  The next four NDE stories come from Bible Probe.  "Angie Fenimore, a wife and mother haunted by abuse in childhood and overwhelmed by despair, was in a desperate state of mind.  On January 8, 1991, she committed suicide.  But clinical death didn't draw her to the light seen in so many near-death experiences.  Instead, she found herself in a realm of darkness.  The following is an excerpt from her wonderful book, Beyond the Darkness - My Near-Death Journey to the Edge of Hell and Back: 'I was passing over into a different sphere.  My soul was disconnecting from my body with a hum that kept growing louder, rising to a whine as the vibration of death pulled me deeper.  Where was I?  I was immersed in darkness.  My eyes seemed to adjust and I could see clearly even though there was no light.  The darkness continued in all directions and seemed to have no end, but it wasn't just blackness, it was an endless void, an absence of light.  It was completely enveloping (to be completely enclosed or surrounded).'...'On January 22, 1977, I (Timothy LaFond) was living in Columbus Ohio.  My job was building fire trucks for Sutphen Fire Equipment Corporation in Dublin [Ohio}.  It was Friday about 2:30 in the afternoon, we were putting doors of fire trucks together, punching out the holes on the doors.  The day was a typical cold, winter day and a pile of metal was brought in from outside the plant with snow all over it and of course the snow had melted, which left us standing in a pool of water.  I would put my hand on the pile of metal, on one side of my body, up by my shoulder, and then take it off, and then put my hand on the machine.  Two other guys that I had been talking to at other intervals had walked around the other side of the fire truck.  I touched the metal and the machine with both hands at the same time.  I became the conductor.  Electricity shot through me and it picked my feet fight up off the ground contracting the muscles in my legs.  While I was getting electrocuted crucifixion style, the electricity flowing right through me, I saw my spirit leave my body.  At that time, I didn't know anything about the Bible.  I wasn't a religious person.  I heard the most horrifying, tormenting screams imaginable.  I heard these time and time again, although I never saw who was screaming.'...

"'After I (Athet Pyan Paulu, a Buddhist monk) was discharged from the hospital [for malaria] I went back to the monastery where other monks carted for me.  I grew weaker and weaker and was lapsing in unconsciousness.  My body was prepared for cremation.  Although I faded away in my body, I remember my mind and spirit were fully alert.  I was in a very, very powerful storm.  A tremendous wind flattened the whole landscape until there were no trees or anything else standing, just a flat plain.  I walked very fast along this plain for some time.  At first I was confused until I saw Yama, the king of hell.'...An atheist, Howard Storm was lying in a Paris [France] hospital in 1985 - dying from a perforated (having a series of holes) stomach.  His stomach acids were leaching (a liquid passing through) into his other organs.  Suddenly he was standing up in a surreal (having a quality of a dream) brightly lit hospital room.  He stepped out into the hallway.  The hopelessness of Howard's situation overwhelmed him, especially when he noted he was now in complete darkness."  A book, My Descent into Death, by him, goes into depth and detail.  Matthew Botsford was shot in the head by a 9mm bullet from an Uzi machinegun.  In A Day in Hell, he writes, "Blackness enveloped me as if thick, black ink had been poured over my eyes.  Reaching to my left and my right, up and down, proved the black endlessness of my confines."  Bill Wiese recounts, in 23 Minutes in Hell , of experiencing thirst and dryness while hearing "screams of an untold multitude of people crying out in torment".  Enter the Grim Reaper, the black-cloaked, scythe-wielding (a farming tool with a curved blade and a long handle), personification (an imaginary person that represents a thing or idea) of death.  We all know exactly who he is and what he wants.  He comes for every person going down to the pit, hourglass (a device for measuring time) in hand, waiting for the last grain of sand to fall - a dark soul who goes around to drain people's lives.  "Many people mistakenly believe that Christianity is alone in its portrayal of the after-death journey as an ordeal fraught (causing or having a lot of emotional stress or worry) with dangers.  But this is far from true.  The idea of hell has been depicted in Greek, Judaic, Muslim and Egyptian literature, as well as in Hinduism and Buddhism (The Journey Home, Phillip Berman)." 

On the opposite spectrum (a complete range of different options), people also have positive NDEs.  From Death and the Afterlife, by Brian Innes.  "The striking thing, in what some of those who have been restored to life have to report, is that nearly all seem to have had a range of similar experiences.  These have been classified, in order as follows.  Calm - as soon as they realize that they are the victims of a serious accident or medical crisis, individuals experience, not panic, but peace.  The Black Tunnel - people next discover that they are speeding down a long dark tunnel toward a brilliant light.  The Being of Light - as they emerge from the tunnel into the brilliance, the dying persons are greeted by a Being who is said to 'radiate love and compassion'."  From CNN: "For Laura Geraghty, April 1, 2008 started out just as any other day.  The mother of two, also a grandmother, was at her job, driving a school bus for the Newton Public School District in suburban Boston, Mass., when she realized she was in trouble.  The pain 'went right up my arm and into my chest, and I said to myself - uh-oh, I'm having a heart attack.'  Geraghty, barely conscious, was fading fast.  She was weak and having trouble breathing.  And then she went into full cardiac arrest.  'I floated right out of my body.  It was very peaceful and light and beautiful.'  Next, she says, she was overwhelmed by 'massive energy, powerful, very powerful energy.'  Geraghty was down for 57 minutes.  No blood pressure, no pulse, no oxygen, no blood flow.  She was shocked 21 times before she finally came back.  For Geraghty, it's a daily struggle to put the pieces back together again.  'I've been someplace that not everybody can go, and there's not a lot of people you can sit down and have that conversation with.'" 

Jim Wilhelm experienced a NDE.  "It was the summer of 1991 and I had been trying to sell a home for two years, so one summer morning I decided to go to the home.  I noticed a large wasp nest in the ceiling of the garage.  I proceeded to spray the wasp nest with wasp spray.  I felt the spray coming down over my arms and face, but I decided to just finish spraying until the can was empty.  I wiped my hands and face on some rags in the garage.  I had packed myself a lunch earlier in the day, but with no water available, I was unable to wash my hands prior to eating because the water had been turned off at the house.  I remember how bitter that sandwich tasted because of my dirty hands.  During the evening hours, I began to run a fever and felt generally sick all over.  It felt like I was partially paralyzed.  I recall rolling off the bed.  Somehow I pulled myself up far enough to pull the mirror off the dresser.  The light then came on as my wife came running in.  I asked her to call 911.  Then the next thing I remember was the experience of feeling completely weightless as I was being drawn into a beautiful and loving bright light.  The further along I went, I began to realize there was another person or image in front of me.  I find it difficult to explain the joy I felt.  It's just too amazing for words."  In February 1982 in Newcastle, Australia, Dr. Rene Turner left her optical instrument repair firm to go home and was involved in a horrible car accident that left her with severe damage to her head.  "I have no memory of the process of dying or leaving my body.  I was moving head-first through a dark maelstrom (a situation in which there are a lot of confused activities) of what looked like black-boiling clouds, feeling that I was being beckoned to the sides, which frightened me.  Ahead was a tiny dot of bright light which steadily grew and brightened as I drew nearer.  I became aware that I must be dead and was concerned for Mum and Dad and my sister, and somewhat upset with myself as I thought, 'They will soon get over it.'  I arrived in an explosion of glorious light into a room with insubstantial (not large or important) walls, standing before a man about in his thirties, about six feet tall, reddish brown shoulder length hair and an incredibly neat, short beard and mustache.  He wore a simple white robe.  Light seemed to emanate (to come out from a source) from him and I felt he had great age and wisdom.  He welcomed me with great love, tranquility and peace." 

She returned to this earth.  "It took me five years as a zombie (a person who moves very slowly and is not aware of what is happening) before I was able to rehabilitate myself.  I have gainful employment, formed the Head Injury Society of New Zealand in 1987, and am paraded as the example of how well it is possible to recover from acquired brain damage."  She broke a church rule - she was a Jew in paradise.  Jews are supposed to burn in hell unless they accept Jesus as their personal savior.  The downside of death seems to be terror, endless void, tormenting screams, the king of hell complete darkness.  The upside seems to be massive energy, bright light, a man who welcomes with love and peace.  It takes a lot of faith to believe this is all a figment (something that doesn't really exist) of the imagination.  Mr. Innes concludes with a valid point.  "Few people can bear the thought that death could mean the instant and total extinction of every part of themselves.  Even if the physical body is finished, surely the gathered experience of a lifetime of work, or creative activity, of educating and caring for others, is not suddenly to be snuffed out like a candle?  If there is nothing, absolutely nothing, left after the body has been converted into simple chemicals, is there any point in living at all?"  George G. Richie was twenty years old when he was sent to Camp Barkeley, Texas for basic training in 1943, during World War II.  That December, his platoon sat on the ground for two hours, as it was ten degrees above zero, while a lieutenant lectured them on the proper way to clean equipment.  That night the whole platoon coughed.  Richie himself had a distressing near-death experience in an Army hospital. 

By 1977, he was George G. Richie, M.D., a psychiatrist.  He tells his story in a small paperback book, Return From Tomorrow.  He wasn't doing it for the money, as a psychiatrist he made plenty of that.  In the book, a terminal cancer patient came to talk with him.  Richie turned the discussion to the NDE experience.  At first, Fred was angry.  "'If I wanted to hear a lot of mumbo-jumbo (confusing or meaningless words) about death not being the end, I'd have gone to some pie-in-the-sky (an unrealistic prospect) minister.  They'll promise you wings and a harp and anything else you want, if you drop a big enough bill ($money$) in the plate (the offering plate passed around so people will donate to a church).'  I knew enough of Fred's early history to know that anything that even hinted of religion was anathema (something that is very strongly disliked) to him.  The cruelest of the three sets of foster parents with whom he had lived had been a pious (deeply religious) church-going couple.  'I don't know anything about harps and wings...Fred,' I began hesitantly, 'Doctors gave up on me one time too,  I was pronounced dead - sheet pulled up over my head.  The fact that after ten minutes or so I was brought back to live a while longer on this earth is to me just a parenthesis (discontinuity, interlude, interruption).  Fred took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one with a hand that trembled.  'You're asking me to believe that you got a look into some kind of a future life?  That's what you're to say, isn't it - it doesn't matter if this life's a lousy cheat (to be prevented from having things) because everything's coming up roses (a pleasant situation) in the next?'  'I'm not asking you to believe anything.  I'm simply telling you what I believe.  And I have no idea what the next life will be like.  Whatever I saw was only - from the doorway, so to speak.  But it was enough to convince me totally that our consciousness does not cease with physical death.' 

'If you were as sick as you claim,' he asked, eyes on the brown-and-green carpet, 'how do you know you weren't delirious (frantic, distracted, distraught, frenzied, hysterical)?'  'Because, Fred, this experience was the most entirely real thing that's ever happened to me.  Since that time, too, I've has a change to study dreams and hallucinations.  I've had patients who were hallucinating.  There's just no resemblance.'  'You mean you honestly believe we go on...being ourselves?  Afterwards, I mean?'  'I've bet my life on it.  Everything I've done in the last thirty years - becoming a doctor, becoming a psychiatrist, all the hours of volunteer work with young people each week - all of it goes back to that experience.  I don't believe delirium (an acute mental disturbance characterized by confused thinking) could do that, govern a man's entire life.'  'Delirium couldn't,' he agreed.  'But what if it wasn't just a momentary delusion?  What if you've been, you know, off base (not correct) all along.'  'What if I'm crazy, you mean?'  I was smiling but the question was a legitimate one.  'That's a tough one to answer, Fred.  I don't guess any of us can ever be sure we are making sense.  I have one reason for hoping I am, anyway, and that's the grilling they put me through here at the University of Virginia before I could start training as a psychiatrist.  I had to face every senior member of the staff, one by one, answer every kind of question they could put to me.'"  The story of the NDE filled the rest of the book.  The Tibetan Book of the Dead, compiled from the teachings of sages (philosophers) over the years in the country of Tibet, written down in the 12th century A.D., speaks of a clear light of ultimate reality.  Maybe they knew something we don't.  back to top

An atheist and a scammer.  An atheist says there is no God.  He, or she, is betting that these stories from beyond the grave (a place of burial for a dead body) are simply fabrications (falsehoods).  So, are all these NDE people lying or hallucinating?  Maybe.  Some people would prefer to be in an eternal bar sipping a drink, or have endless success in a stock market, or indulge in illicit (involving activities that are not considered morally acceptable) sex forever, but, sadly, it doesn't work that way.  You may either be with the Entity of Light, who is alleged (said to have happened but not yet proved) to be as bright as the sun, wherein people claim to have been happy, forever, or a dark void, a veritable (being in fact the thing named and not false) hole in the ground, with a bonus of tantalizing (to tease and torment) screams.  Worse than any horror movie you have ever seen...or imagined (form a mental picture of).  As the scripture saith: "There are many who are dead and buried.  Some {not all} of them will awake (to become aroused or active again) and live forever (from Daniel)."  Separating the legitimate from the illegitimate, when people push religious issues, can be intriguing (extremely interesting).  The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a part of the Pentecostal Movement, has built a 10,000-seat replica of Solomon's Temple in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

According to the founder, Bishop Edir Macedo, in words spoken before construction: "We are preparing ourselves to build the temple."  For what?  "[Solomon's] Temple used tons of gold, pure gold.  We are not going to build a temple of gold, but we will spend tons of money, without a shadow of a doubt."  About $300,000,000 to be exact.  "It is going to be a knockout," he concludes.  The attitude is vain.  From Wikipedia: "Throughout its history the church (UCKG) has been charged with immoral and illegal deeds, including money laundering, charlatanism (scamming), witchcraft, and intolerance toward Judaism, Islam, Catholicism and other Protestant groups...According to the Brazilian press, a judge accepted prosecutors' claims that the founder (Macedo) of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and nine other leaders laundered more than $2,000,000,000 (two billion dollars) in donations from 2001 to 2009.  It is believed through federal government reports that the money given by followers was gathered, used and placed in private banks in both New York and London.  The money was then sent through Cable Invest, a private bank located in the Cayman Islands.  Finally it was sent to Brazil."  It is not so much what is built, or even how much money is involved, it's the attitude (a way of thinking) that makes or breaks.  back to top

Other monuments.  Other large monuments, not built in a spirit of megalomania, have been well done: the Great Pyramid in Egypt, the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, the Colossus of Rhodes in Greece, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Maitreya Buddha in India.  The Great Pyramid was built around the year 2560 B.C., taking twenty years to complete, at a height of 139 meters (455 feet), 230 meters (696 feet) at the base.  It is a tomb for an Egyptian pharaoh, built for a world leader - a dead man.  The Statue of Liberty, 93 meters (305 feet) tall, was finished in 1886.  Gustave Eiffel (the same one who built the Eiffel Tower) was the French structural engineer who was responsible for the steel framework, the inner support structure of the statue.  The Colossus of Rhodes, a statue to the Greek sun-god Helios, is to be rebuilt at the town of the same name.  It has been over 2000 years since an earthquake destroyed the original, as it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  This 21st century marvel (something that is extremely good) is to cost $272,000,000 and stand 135 meters (443 feet) high.  The statue will straddle (to stand with legs apart) the entrance to the harbor on the island.  The original, back in the day, was built to celebrate the island's victory over Cypriot (people from Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean south of Turkey) invaders.  The Eiffel Tower was constructed from 1887 to 1889 - twenty months; 312 meters (1024 feet) tall, 125 meters (410 feet) at the base.  Built to celebrate the Industrial Revolution, it has had 200,000,000 visitors since 1889.  Like the Great Pyramid, which was the tallest structure in the world for 3800 years, the Eiffel Tower was an audacious (very confident and daring) experiment in its day.  The Crazy Horse Memorial will be 172 meters (563 feet) tall, 195 meters (641 feet) wide.  It is a monument to Native Americans, a mammoth (something that is very large) unfinished mountain carving begun in 1948.  The Spring Temple Buddha is a statue depicting Vairocana Buddha located in the Zhoacun township of Lushan county, Henan, China, built from 1997 to 2008.  The monument has a total height of 153 meters (502 feet), and is the tallest statue in the world.  It consists of 1110 pieces of copper - not copper bronze or brass - cast, with a total weight of 1000 tons.  Beneath the statue is a Buddhist monastery.  What is wrong with honoring the spirit of the God of the universe?  back to top

Lost and found.  There is a story of a dilemma coming out of 9/11 in a quasi (having some resemblance usually by possession of certain attributes) religious country.  "When Marian Fontana saw the south tower collapse, 'My first impression was to drop to my knees and pray.'  Her husband, Dave, was a firefighter; he'd rushed to Lower Manhattan even though he was supposed to have had the day off to celebrate their eighth wedding anniversary.  She knelt before the television in her living room, said The Lord's Prayer and tried to bargain with God for Dave's life - offering, she would recall, 'pacts, treaties, promises and vows'.  In the days that followed, with Dave missing, Marian walked around her Brooklyn neighborhood, going church to church, regardless of denomination, begging God to return Dave to her and their five-year-old son.  When she realized her husband was dead, Marian Fontana stopped talking to God.  By the time of his funeral, she writes in her memoir, A Widow's Walk, she wanted to believe in God, but 'something has shifted, and even my limited spirituality seems to have been squashed (to beat into a pulp) among the debris'.  She describes feeling 'like a spurned (to reject something disdainfully) friend' - her relationship with God another casualty of 9/11.  Now, at 41, Fontana says she probably has 'some buried religiosity that's been suppressed since 9/11.  But I'm not in a spiritual realm that is God- or Pope-related' (U.S.A. Today, April 18, 2008)." 

So why does God allow suffering in the world.  The truth is this isn't His playpen (a collapsible enclosure in which a young child may play), it's our playpen.  Us inhabitants of earth are free to do anything we want, good or bad.  If we choose to slaughter each other, we choose to slaughter each other.  You can't really use a Higher Power as a scapegoat (an entity who is blamed for something that someone else has done).  So why connect to the spirit of the God of the universe - because He gives you paradise at death.  As the Book says: "To rescue those who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to exasperation (a state of being annoyed or upset)."  St. Augustine lived in the 5th century.  He wrote, in 408 A.D., to woman by the name of Italica, a wealthy Roman widow.  "You should not grieve as the heathen (uncivilized, barbaric or wild) do who have no hope.  We have not lost our dear (highly valued, precious) ones who have departed from this life, but have merely (just, only) sent them ahead of us, so we also shall depart (to die) and shall come to that life [in heaven] where they will be more than ever dear as they will be better known to us, and where we shall love them without fear or parting."   back to top

Purgatory.  This is helpful, but it still does not answer the age old question as to why bad things happen.  Pope Francis spoke to a crowd of 20,000 people at Manila (Philippines) Catholic University, January 2015.  He was asked by Glyzelle Palomar, a 12-year-old, about children who are abandoned by their parents and end up using drugs or in prostitution.  "Why is God allowing something like this to happen, even to innocent children?  And why are there so few who are helping us?"  The Pope said he had no answer.  The problem occurs when not everyone chooses to connect to the Unseen.  Then, bad things can happen.  We may ask questions, like - why did God put us in the position (of having to choose) in the first place.  Because He wants people to do this - choose.  So playing the blame game (a situation in which one person blames [assign responsibility for a fault or wrong] an entity [something that exists separately and has a clear identity] for something bad or unfortunate, rather than attempting to seek a solution [an answer to a problem]) just cuts you out of heaven.  In the first week of April 2015, 400 people died crossing from Africa to Europe in crowded boats journeying through the Mediterranean.  Ahmed Ali, a 19-year-old from Somalia, said the trip was the first time many had been on the open seas.  "When it gets bad, some people become so scared they pray to God to ask what they did to make Him so angry."  The answer is...nothing.  Life can be a form of purgatory (a temporary condition of torment or suffering).  Much of what happens to us, negatively (harmful or not wanted) is self-inflicted, or inflicted by others, due to bad decisions, bad judgment, bad mistakes and etc.  For better, or for worse, we are what we choose to be, or what others have made us. 

As Abraham Lincoln once famously said: "Marriage is neither heaven or hell, it is simply purgatory."  We can have purgatory which occurs due to natural causes - our health breaks down, Mother Nature breaks down (like a typhoon) and etc.  It can be said that God did a poor job of designing things, but again, this is a blame game.  Then there are the issues that occur due to Satan's influence.  An example of this is Adam Lanza, who shot the children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.  When he was in the fifth grade he wrote something about killing kids and shooting a mother.  In 2005 he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and the report said he lacked empathy for others.  One month before the shooting, his mother said, he hadn't gone anywhere for three months and only communicated with her by email, even though they lived in the same house.  Satan owned him.  These three points cover the vast majority of purgatory, but then the miscellaneous.  We have people who take advantage of other people's situations, and other things.  Don't think it's purgatory?  Listen to this: "It's another night in hell (a place or state of turmoil or destruction), another child won't live to tell.  Can you imagine what it's like to starve to death.  And as we sit free and well, another soldier has to yell, 'Tell my wife and children I love them' in his last breath.  Habitual offenders...I'll tell you sometimes I don't know what's worse - natural disasters or these wolves-in-sheep's clothes pastors...(Amen, Kid Rock)"  back to top

Balance.  Mark D. Sauter, who GTP Associates in Midland, Mich., wrote this one year after the Sandy Hook shooting.  "Newtown, Conn.  Twenty-six people dead, 20 of them children.  Has anything changed since the school shooting.  As we near Saturday, the anniversary of the tragedy, it appears not.  Is gun control the answer or simply a way to deflect (to keep something, such as a question, from being directed) attention from a deeper social issue - we are out of balance.  A healthy and balanced society requires weight on two sides.  One side reflects our visible, materialistic values, while the other side reflects our intrinsic (built-in, essential, hardwired, inborn, inbred, inherent), deeper needs in terms of contribution, connection and compassion.  Today, we are preoccupied with prosperity and pleasure seeking, and in turn neglect our inner health - socially, emotionally and spiritually.  In large part, investing in this other side is where the real, deeper answers reside.  Unfortunately, we continue to look to temporary or legislative fixes while overlooking our innate (existing from a time a person is born), inner need for compassion, meaning, purpose and hope."  So, some of the problems we put the blame on God for are a result of our own imbalances (a lack of balance).  We get wrapped up in prosperity and drop core values.  Then, bad things happen. 

Adam Lanza's dad, Frank, made some public comments for the New Yorker Magazine.  He and his wife, Adam's mother, divorced in 2009.  He had left her a beautiful Victorian house worth well over one million dollars.  He had worked hard for his money, yet said his son began to change during middle school.  The boy quit playing the saxophone, stopped climbing trees, avoided eye contact and developed a stiff, lumbering gait.  "The social awkwardness, the uncomfortable anxiety, unable to sleep, stress..."  So did the father pay attention to what was happening to his child during that time and do something about it?  No, he was too busy with the Almighty Dollar, and so aided in the creation of a monster.  The abuse happened in school where the kid was put down, that is - mocked, probably even back to elementary school, which is possibly why Adam chose to strike death there on the rampage (to move in a wild and destructive way).  In Adam Lanza's own deluded (to mislead the judgment of) and demented (not knowing what is real and not real) mind, he may have thought he was exacting just revenge for what society had done to him.  That doesn't help this - Erica Lafferty, whose mother was the principal (the chief executive officer of an educational institution) of Sandy Hook, wrote: "This Thanksgiving I sat at a dinner table with an empty seat.  It's the very seat where my mother, Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, should be.  Smiling, laughing and enjoying a holiday meal with her daughters and grandchildren.  Instead, my mom wasn't there because nearly four years ago, she was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School, along with five of her colleagues (an associate in a profession) and 20 first-graders."  back to top

A mother.  A woman in America raises three children with no husband, working two jobs.  She has a rough time keeping the kids under control and paying the bills, at the same time.  Then they rebel and refuse to co-operate.  The situation plays itself out in thousands of cases all over the United States.  If she can be inspired by a message of hope, and come up with some creative solutions, things might not be as bad.  Living "the way of the cross" may let people down at times, but living "the way of the church" can be a nightmare, causing people to go on periodic rampages.  A new earth is the perfect "way" and is not here yet.  God has dumped the mess of the 21st century on us, and while He has not walked away from everything, it is obvious He does not make a thorough effort to fix things.  In Today's debate: Fragile families (U.S.A. Today, January 25, 2010), the title says: "Unwed births keep climbing and the kids are not alright".  From the article: "In 2009, 41% of children born in the USA were born to unmarried mothers (up from 5% a half-century ago)."  The drift went from 5.3% in 1960, 10.4% in '70, 18.4% in '80, 23% in '90, 33.2% in 2000 and 41% in '09.  Conventional marriage is slowly, but surely, becoming obsolete (no longer in use), at least in western civilization.  back to top

Marriage.  Habitual (done regularly) sex outside of wedlock (the state of being married) has pitfalls (danger or problems that are hidden).  "Fornicators will have their place in the lake of fire (from Revelation)."  Fornication means having sex with someone you are not married to as a single (not married) person.  A "fornicator" is someone who does it habitually - a professional at fornication.  That is, a person who has recreational, or casual sex with anyone they so choose.  Adultery, or an open marriage with spouses (married people) free to have numerous partners, is ten times worse.  Better to "slip" with  fornication or two, than to "fall" with an adultery.  For example, a person abused by a church, then that church went on to "trash" the individual's life, making it difficult to marry, might slip in the area of fornication.  This can also apply to a person abused by a parent, step-parent or relative as a child.  Don't walk too close to the edge (dealing with dangerous situations and taking many risks).  What about couples living together as partners - are they "fornicators"?  Many states in the U.S. have what is called common law marriage, but it's like playing with matches (doing things which may cause harm and problems).  Best solution is to have rings (diamonds are best, but any ring, with or without a precious stone, will do) and a contract (a written vow).  Do without the church wedding (as well as the honeymoon) and the license.  An example of a contract: "I,____________, accept you,_____________, to be my significant other.  I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.  I will honor you as we live out our lives together."  The contract should be signed by both parties.  It can be customized to suit the particular situation you are in presently.  Then exchange the rings.  This can be done in your house, with or without family/friends present.  A copy of the written contract can be deposited with a "third party", if so desired.  This is similar to a free marriage (sine manu) - marriage without marital power, in the old Roman Empire.  That type of marriage was similar to the "home schooling" concept of a child in this present day.  It means schooling without the power of the government's education system, in the home. 

 A horse.  A cross might be compared to Seabiscuit, a racehorse in the 1930s who began his career (occupation or profession) losing races on a regular basis.  A new owner retrained (to teach new skills) the horse.  He would come neck-and-neck (an equal chance of winning) with another horse in a race, look it in the eye (an honest way that shows no doubts), and be gone.  He raced the "invincible" (impossible to defeat) War Admiral from the east coast - Seabiscuit being from the west - and won hands down (very easily).  In 1938, Seabiscuit was number one in the news, second was President Roosevelt, and third Hitler.  He gave people hope they could come back on top (get back control of their own lives).  A monument may inspire (motivate, encourage or influence) as a horse did.  It can be argued that the concept (a fundamental building block of thoughts and beliefs) contained within the project won't work in real life, but no one will ever know if it isn't built.  If it doesn't live up to expectations (a belief that certain things will happen) within twenty-five years, it can always be torn down (the act or process of disassembling [disconnect the pieces of]).  A 20th century tradition (ideological justification and cultural expression) of the "little church on the corner" is, sadly, almost gone.  An internet cross is no more absurd (ridiculously unreasonable) than an internet Egyptian revolution.  The initial protest was on a Facebook page devoted to Kaled Said, a 28-year-old male who died in 2011 at the hands of the police in Alexandria.  The government said he suffocated (to die because you are unable to breathe), but photos of the corpse, showing teeth broken and the body bruised, circulated online.  back to top

Feeding the children.  It has been said, "The money would be better spent feeding hungry children, than on a cross.  This is hypocrisy (pretending to be what you are not).  If people wish to go on a moral crusade (a social movement that campaigns around a symbolic or moral issue) against a cross, then they would need to, as well (also), go on moral crusades against these military, business and political cases (a set of circumstances or conditions).  From Defense News: "The U.S. government will spend an estimated $348 billion over the next decade to maintain, upgrade and operate its nuclear arsenal, according to a new estimate by the Congressional Budget Office."  You could build over eight hundred 313 meter (1027 foot) mirror-finish, stainless-steel crosses, for that amount of money, all over the United States.  Paris Las Vegas is a $785,000,000 investment which built a half-size replica (an exact copy) of the Eiffel Tower and a hotel-casino in Vegas.  This is to promote gambling and other activities.  A two-story penthouse in Manhattan, N.Y. sold for $100,000,000 in February 2015.  Insurance giant AIG gave $165,000,000 in bonuses to certain executives who drove the company into financial ruin, before the government bailed it out, to reward them for bad judgment.  The Human Terrain System, whose purpose was to put civilian anthropologists (those who study the science of human beings) in combat situations to aid the troops, from 2007 to 2014, cost $726,000,000.  Roberto Gonzalez, professor of anthropology at San Jose State University, commented: "HTS, termination was long overdue.  Given the many reports of waste, fraud and mismanagement, why did it survive for more than eight years?" 

A title of a New York Times article, by Nicholas Confessore and Sarah Cohen, February 22, 2016 - "HOW JEB BUSH SPENT $130 MILLION RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT WITH NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT."  The Task Force Business Stability Operations spent almost $150,000,000 renting private "villas" and security for a "handful" of staff and visitors in Afghanistan, according to U.S. Inspector General John Sopko.  He estimated that housing a staff of ten at the U.S. Embassy in 2014 would have cost a more realistic $1,800,000.  October 2015, the Pentagon dismantled a plan to train and field a force of moderate Syrians to combat the Islamic State, after having spent $384,000,000.  Although the goal was to train and equip 3000 Syrians, only 180 Syrians were trained and equipped with the funds.  "Oxton Hill, Maryland.  Far from the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts International opens its $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor casino and resort just outside the nation's capital this week (December 5, 2016), advertising a gambling floor 'bigger than the White House' and an art collection that includes a large welded collage (an artistic composition made of many materials) by Bob Dylan.  But don't expect Vegas glitz (extravagant showiness), neon flamingos (a tall wading bird with mainly pink or scarlet plumage and long legs and neck) or ancient Roman replicas here.  Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, describes the design as 'intentional monumental (massive, highly significant, outstanding)', meaning that the area's first casino-resort was designed to complement Washington's iconic (very famous or popular) landmarks (www.northjersey.com)."  A casino-resort offers some paradise now.  A 313 meter cross offers some paradise when you die.  Donald Trump said this on September 9, 2016 at the Family Research Council's 11th Annual Values Voter Summit, shortly before he was elected. 

"But you look at what's happened to Iran in such a short period of time.  But remember the ransom payments (unsavory, ineffectual or legally questionable).  Remember, it was $400 million two weeks ago.  But then they made a mistake.  This is cash.  Remember, they said they paid cash because they couldn't open a bank account."  This refers to $400,000,000 cash that was flown in (when a person or thing flies through the air) to Iran by the Obama administration.  President Trump has been adamant (unwilling to change an opinion or decision), in the summer of 2017, as he needs Congress to approve $1.6 billion, an initial budget request (preliminary project cost estimate), to begin construction of The Wall on the American-Mexican border.  The Mexican people on September 19, 2017, suffered one of the worst earthquakes in their history.  These people have already had enough pain (physical, mental or emotional suffering).  Is The Wall a necessity, or is it harassment (chronically annoying or tormenting).  This budget request would be enough money to build almost four 313 meter crosses.  If President Trump is trying to make people behave (to act in a certain manner to control yourself and not cause trouble), a cross may be a better defense (the act of protecting something) than a wall.  The One is a 9754 square meter (105,000 square foot) mansion overlooking the ocean in west Los Angeles, Calif.  The asking price - $500,000,000.  In Afghanistan, there was the Pentagon's Commanders Emergency Response Program.  The funds, money that officers in the field could put out for projects, was up to $550,000,000 in 2009, per project.  A report released on May 24, 2018, by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, stated that much of the money, spent on the programs, was largely wasted - some siphoned (drawn off or transferred over a period of time) by corrupt officials, some paying for projects that did apparently (as far as one know or can see) more harm than good.  President Trump spent $115,000,000 of taxpayer money on golf trips, according to HuffPost.  According to the tracking firm Advertising Analytics, Tom Steyer, one-time Democratic candidate for the President of the United States, spent $186,000,000 on ads, before dropping out. The money, in each of these military, business and political cases, might have been better spent feeding the hungry children.  A cross is no worse than these.  back to top

Martian water.  "NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission is an ongoing (continuing to happen) robotic space mission involving two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the planet.  It began in 2003.  The mission's scientific objective was to search for and characterize a wide range of rocks and soil that hold clues to past water activity on Mars.  The total cost of building, launching, landing and operating the rovers on the surface for the initial 90-Martian-day primary mission was $820,000,000.  Since the rovers have continued to function beyond their initial mission, they have each received five mission extensions.  The fifth mission extension was granted in October 2007, and ran to the end of 2009.  The total cost of the first four mission extensions was $104,000,000, and the fifth mission extension is expected to cost at least $20,000,000 (Wikipedia)."  Jet Propulsion Laboratory lost contact with Spirit after March 22, 2010.  According to Fox News, it costs about $14,000,000 per year to maintain Opportunity.  So, this comes to a total of $1 billion.  The Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity, was launched on November 26, 2011.  The rover is almost the size of a small sport utility vehicle - 2.8 meters (9 feet) and four times as heavy as Spirit.  According to the NASA webpage the total cost is $2.5 billion, including $1.8 billion for spacecraft development and science investigations and additional amounts for launch and operations to the present.  So, the grand total, to find out if there is any water on Mars, comes to $3.5 billion.  But, for someone who has been through a tornado, flood, hurricane, shot in a school, blown up by a bomb, or shot in a theater - do they really care.  What might be more important to them is getting back some semblance (the state of being somewhat like something) of normalcy (the state of being normal), not worrying about the Martians in War of the Worlds.  Doing a message of hope, for less than 15% of what it costs to chase water on another planet, may have more intrinsic (belonging to the essential nature of a thing) value.  back to top

Images. There are those in the church who think a spiritual landmark is an "image" (statue).  This comes out of Exodus.  "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven (carved) image."  But also in Exodus, Moses is instructed to make an "ark of the covenant" to include two gold Cherubim (angels): "And thou shalt make two Cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat."  So, here is a situation in the Bible where images are condemned, and yet Moses is told to make two two life-size gold images.  Apparently, there are exceptions to the rule.  If the monument is an image, then are the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial and the Crazy Horse Memorial (to a Native American chief) images as well?  At Groom, Texas, there stands what some might call an image, a 58 meter (190 foot) Cross.  This Cross, constructed by Cross Ministries and finished in 1995, has had hundreds of thousands of visitors since then.  They have Stations of the Cross featuring various statues of Jesus on His way to the crucifixion and then being crucified by the religious leaders of His day, a replica of the Shroud of Turin (a burial cloth believed to be that of Jesus of Nazareth), a replica of the Tomb, a gift shop and etc.  It has been very successful as far as a positive impact on people's lives, as various testimonials on their web page state.  As they declare: "The marvelous story of what God is doing through this nineteen story Cross."  There are other crosses in the world.  The Great Cross, built near St. Augustine, Fl. and completed in 1966, stands 63 meters (208 feet) tall.  This is to remember an event four hundred years earlier, in 1565, when Pedro Menedez de Aviles placed a small wood cross on Florida's soil and founded the mission of Nombre de Dios.  The Millennium Cross is a 66 meter (217 foot) high cross situated in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.  The cross was constructed to commemorate 2000 years of Christianity, finished in 2008.  The cross was built on the high point of the Vodno mountain at a place known since the time of the Ottoman Empire as Krstovar, meaning "place of the cross".  There is another truly spectacular cross near Madrid, Spain.  The Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen) contains one of the world's largest basilicas (a Roman Catholic church given ceremonial privileges), which was hewn out of a granite ridge by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco - to honor the fallen during the Spanish Civil War.  Rising above the basilica is, at this present day, the tallest memorial cross in the world - a 152.4 meter (500 foot) high stone cross that took eighteen years to finish, completed in the 1950s.  How tall does a cross have to be before it becomes an image?  back to top

Idols.  Others will mock a 313 meter Cross as an idol - an object of worship.  In an edict in 730 A.D. Byzantine Emperor Leo III forbade the veneration of all religious images, which did not apply to symbols such as the cross.  He ordered the removal of an icon (a pictorial representation) at the entrance to the Great Palace of Constantinople and replaced it with a cross.  He encouraged non-representational art.  "There arose a great controversy over icons in the 7th and 8th centuries.  People who defended the use of icons were known as 'iconophiles'.  Those against the icons were known as 'iconoclasts (those who destroy icons)'.  The worship of images was based on the belief that material objects can possess divine power, which might provide certain blessings to those who touch them.  The iconophiles supported the use of religious art as a means to convey Bible stories.  They believed that some might not understand a sermon, but everyone could understand a painting representing a story from the life of Jesus - and learn from it.  Iconophiles countered that King Solomon had make many objects to adorn the Temple.  They argued that iconoclasts were mistaken to apply Biblical passages against pagan idols to Christian images, because the intent is completely opposite (Orthodox Icons, James Watkins)."  To worship a cross is to worship suffering, and who wants to worship that.  back to top

Cults.  It has also been suggested that this be done as a virtual Cross, meaning only an image on a web page, instead of building a physical Cross.  Yet there are those who want something tangible (substantially real, material).  And last, is the cause a cult of an icon?  The word cult applies to groups seen as authoritarian, exploitative and possible dangerous.  As can be seen with the other crosses aforementioned, it does not happen with a cross, which dignifies self-sacrifice.  Cults are seen as inimical (likely to cause damage) to the public order due to their totalitarianism, violations of fundamental liberties, inordinate (going beyond that which is usual) emphasis on finances, and/or disregard for appropriate medical care.  If a big iron Cross is a cult, then are the aforementioned crosses cults?  An icon is usually a flat panel painting, generally of wood, depicting a holy being or object such as Jesus, Mary, saints, angels, etc.  It is a two, not three, dimensional rendering, and is common in Eastern Orthodox churches.  Certain people may attempt to twist (alter the meaning of) a message of hope into a cult of an icon.  Yet these same people will accuse family members, parishioners, neighbors, employees or tenants of things they have never done.  back to top

A physical cross.  Was Jesus Christ crucified on a physical cross?  Wikipedia ran an article about Jesus' execution method: "Certain writers accept for the gibbet (gallows) on which Jesus died only the meaning, 'a wooden post'.  Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ was executed on a stake and do not use the cross in their worship.  While the view that Jesus died on a stake has thus been advanced by writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, second century writers, such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, speak of Him only as dying on a two-beam cross.  In the same century, the author of the Epistle of Barnabas and Clement of Alexandria saw a two-beam shape of the cross of Jesus as foreshadowed in the Greek numerals corresponding to the present-day Arabic numerals 328, the same shape prefigured in Moses keeping his arms stretched out in prayer in the battle against Amalek.  At the end of the same century, Tertullian speaks of Christians as accustomed to mark themselves repeatedly with the sign of the cross. and the phrase 'the Lord's sign' was used with reference to a cross composed of an upright and a crossbeam.  Crosses of '+' or 'T' shape were in use, even in Palestine at the time of Jesus...The Epistle of Barnabas, written earlier than 135 [A.D.], witnesses to the shape people of that time attributed to what Jesus died on.  Referring to what Barnabas saw as Old Testament intimations (to suggest something in an indirect way) of Jesus and His cross, he likened the cross to the letter 'T', thus describing it as having a crossbeam.  Justin Martyr (100-165) explicitly says the cross of Christ was of two-beam shape: 'That lamb which as commanded to be wholly roasted was a symbol of the suffering of the cross which Christ would undergo.  For the lamb, which is roasted, is roasted and dressed up in the form of the cross.  For one spit is transfixed (to hold motionless) right through from the lower part up to the head, and one across the back, to which are attached the legs of the lamb.'...Irenaeus, who died around the end of the second century, speaks of the cross as having 'five extremities, two in length, two in breadth, and one in the middle, on which a person rests who is fixed by the nails'...Tertullian (Christian writer, 160-225), who distinguished between stipes  (stake) and crux (cross), noted it was the cross that people associated with Christianity.  And he indicated that the shape of the cross is that of the letter 'T': 'The Greek letter Tau and our own letter T is the very form of the cross,' and compared it to the shape of a bird with outstretched wings."  Pretty fair chance Jesus Christ was crucified on a "T" (St. Antony's) cross, which later the church symbolized by a "+" (Latin) cross.  back to top

 Extreme church games.  Malicious (showing ill will) conduct (the way a person behaves in a particular place, or situation) or strangeness (the quality or state of being different from is usual, normal or expected) within the fringes (concerning people with extreme views) of organized religion, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, leaves people in doubt (to be uncertain).  A pastor desires a needy, male parishioner as his lady, forcing a relationship with little gifts of food, in a rural (small town) church.  The target is told by a leader of a church: "You'd better not speak a word against [that pastor]."  In another incident (an unexpected and usually unpleasant thing), a pastor accuses a struggling (to proceed with great effort) farmer of coming to his small town church in dirty jeans.  This referred to small amount of mud on the cuffs (hem of trouser legs) of near-new, washed jeans, because the farmer had to walk three miles to the church after a rainy day, as his vehicle was broke down.  In a third incident, a pastor uses satanic power against an individual, who was blamed for something he may not have done.  Events were caused that defied (to prohibit understanding) conventional explanation.  "For centuries Man has feared one thing over all others - Satan.  As evil incarnate (to give bodily form and substance to), Satan possesses both the will (a strong desire or determination to do something) and the means (resources) to inflict the most hideous (very ugly or disgusting) torments (severe physical or mental suffering) imaginable (True Stories of Real Evil)."  When organized religion uses the power, it knows full well what can happen when it is finished.  The response, to the target, simply was...Jesus forgave.  The "forgive" doctrine is a weapon (a means of contending against another) in the hands of the church, to silence things it does not want out, i.e. scandals (discredit brought upon religion by unseemly - not according with established standards - conduct of a religious person; conduct that encourages a lapse of faith).  If a target of misconduct (wrong behavior) wants to go "public", the person may be told "you have a twisted faith".  "Forgive" means sit down and shut up.  The problem organized religion has in the 21st century is one of being half-black and half-white (the color, not the race).  Once upon a time on a cattle ranch in western South Dakota there was a dog that was half-black and half-white.  The dog would chase the ranch pickup as it drove out onto the prairie (a large, mostly flat area of land in North America that has few trees and is covered in grasses).  It would run behind the pickup for a while, then stop and run in circles chasing its tail.  Then, it would continue running after the pickup - and do this pattern of chasing its tail then running after the pickup, endlessly.  So it is with the church.  It will do what is right for a while, helping people, then stop and play all kinds of games, destroying people's lives.  This has created a whole new class (ordering in society based on a perceived social status) of people - those who are outside the church, homeless spiritually.  back to top

Avoiding church.  The spiritual homeless of America are not homeless physically - they choose not have a church home.  These people can make $500,000 per year, live in suburbia (a smaller community close to a city), drive a Corvette, but they are not involved with a church because they have been burned by and/or are disgusted with the church; or, they are simply too independently minded to come to church.  And, on the east and west coasts of the United States the influence of the church is not very powerful.  It's not that people living in these areas are all disgusted, burned or independently minded, they're plain not interested in coming to church.  On Sunday, other activities crowd out a church affiliation (closely connect to something) - sailing, skiing, a day at the beach and etc.  These people are spiritually minded, but do not have the time to come to church.  This group probably constitutes the bulk of the spiritual homeless.  College students.  According to Stephen Prothero, Religion Department chairman at Boston University, Mass.: "Study after study has shown that American college students are fleeing from organized religion to mix-and-match spiritually...My students' projects suggest that traditional religions are in trouble."  He labels the iPad/text messaging college crowd as part of the spiritual but not religious generation.  Christian leaders.  According to D. Michael Lindsay, a sociology faculty member at Rice University in Houston, Texas: "Many of the nation's most powerful believers - presidents, CEOs, entertainers and athletes - won't be found in the pews on Sunday...I spent the past five years interviewing some of the country's top leaders - two U.S. presidents, one hundred CEOs and senior business executives, Hollywood icons, celebrated artists and world-class athletes.  All were chosen because of their widely known faith.  Yet I was shocked to find that more than half - 60% - had low levels of commitment to their denominations and congregations."  He refers to the elite (the more successful or powerful people).  back to top 

An idea.  The book, Horse Creek, on this web page contains a concept.  The Introduction states: "This book is dedicated to answering the age old question - did God create Man, or did Man create God?  What is to be remembered, if there is a paradise, if there is an eternal prison, the individual who refuses to acknowledge that these things exist is simply out of luck...God has said, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock - if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and will eat with him, and he with me.'  He did this with the American Indian in 1300 A.D., with the caveman in pre-historic Europe, with the Russian in Siberia, with the Hindu in India, with the European during the height of European civilization, as examples.  Revelation 7:9 says, 'after this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude [of human beings], which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds (a person's relatives), and people, and tongues (languages), stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.'  This is in heaven.  It says, '...a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations...'  All nations means all nations that have ever existed in history."  Everyone gets their chance - back to the first caveman that ever walked upon the face of the earth.  The chapter The Messiah states: "People have argued that God doesn't exist.  Since there is no empirical (based on testing or experience) proof that God does exist, this is a very easy argument to win.  But there are signs, here and there..."  The chapter Your Soul states: "Coming to God is a form of blackmail.  Basically God, says, 'If you let me into your heart, I will let you into paradise.  If you don't let me into heart, I will lock you up forever.'"  There are things that happen in churches in the United States that bother people.  You have the Methodist lesbian minister, the Episcopal homosexual bishop, the Pentecostal satanist preacher and mega-churches sending mega-death.  Organized religion's attitude toward the lapses (an abandonment of religious faith): "We shouldn't get upset over trivial matters."  "No further action from our office is anticipated regarding these matters."  "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but, you just need to forgive."  However, the scripture states: "And to the church write - 'I know you programs (a plan or system), that you are neither cold nor hot.  So, then because you are lukewarm (lacking conviction), I (Jesus) will vomit (to eject violently or abundantly) you (the church) out of my mouth.'"  Next, an individual is told to GIVE TO GOD.  This causes confusion.  The money is being spent on the multi-million dollar church building.  Is this God?  And, the pastor's suburban home.  Is this God?  And, the church secretary's salary.  Is this God?  Last, they tell you that if you don't come to the church, you're not saved.  But while they're in the process of playing games with you, they're doing other things...what really gets bad is when the church starts loosing Satan on you and you have all kinds of bad things happening to you on satanic feast days.  Church historian Diana Butler Bass comments on recent policies (courses of action): "We cannot underestimate the power of the collapse (a complete depletion of energy or strength) of institutional (uniform, dull or unimaginative) religion in the first ten years of this [21st] century."  back to top

The Mote and the Beam.  The root (a basic cause, source or origin) is this.  "The Mote and the Beam is a parable (a succinct [expressed in few words], didactic [learning in a fascinating and intriguing manner] story, in prose [natural flow of speech and grammatical structure] or verse [a single metrical line in a poetic composition] that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles) of Jesus given in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verses 1 to 5.  The discourse is fairly brief, and begins by warning his followers of the dangers of judging others (forming an opinion or conclusion about someone), stating that they too would be judged by the same standard (level of quality or achievement).  The Sermon on the Plain has a similar passage in Luke 6:37-42.  The moral lesson (teaching or exhibiting goodness or correctness of character or behavior) is to avoid hypocrisy (contrivance [scheme, stratagem or tactic] of false appearance [to disguise or conceal] of virtue [moral excellence] or goodness), self-righteousness (a feeling or display of usually smug [an annoying quality of excessive pride] moral superiority) and censoriousness (a troublesome or angry person who breaks the public peace by habitually chastising [criticize someone severely], arguing or quarreling [an aggressive attitude] with their neighbors).  The analogy (compare for the purpose of explanation) used is of a small object in another's eye as compared with a large beam (a long board) of wood in one's own.  The original Greek word translated as 'mote' meant 'any small dry body'.  The terms mote and beam are from the King James Version; other translations use different words, e.g. the New International Version uses 'speck [of sawdust]' and 'plank' (a long, narrow flat piece of wood).  In 21st century English, a 'mote' is more normally a particle of dust (a fine, dry powder [loose substance consisting of extremely small pieces]) - particularly one that is floating in the air - rather than a tiny splinter (a small, sharp, broken piece) of wood.  The analogy is suggestive (stirring mental associations) of a carpenter's workshop, with which Jesus would have been familiar.  In the analogy, the one seeking to remove the impediment (hindrance, obstruction or obstacle) in the eye of another person has the larger impediment in his own eye, suggesting metaphorically (a figure of speech [using words in such a way that deviates from their conventionally accepted definitions] that refers to one thing while mentioning another) that the one who attempts to regulate (control or supervise) another person often displays the greater blindness (lack or perception, awareness or judgment) and hypocrisy (Wikipedia)."  back to top

A dark side.  It might cast a spell (causing something to happen to someone through a use of supernatural entities) - an evil force which pulls at you (jerking you around), and you cannot escape.  It is a story of a fake (they seem very nice to everyone, yet trash-talk [insulting or boastful speech] them behind their back in order to gain attention from people), a psychic vampire (one who sucks the energy and life out of you).  When adverse circumstances (not for one's interests) occur on satanic feast days (witches sabbats), your tenuous grip on reality (your mind plays tricks) begins to slip away (losing it) - plunging you (as in diving) into a waking nightmare (continuous misery).  Cursed (a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone) with evil spirits, you will suffer mysterious psychic attacks (negative energy can affect so many aspects of your waking life in ways you might not even realize).  The Atlantic, March 2020: Why Witchcraft is on the Rise. "According to the anthropologist Rodney Needham’s 1978 book, Primordial Characters, scholars’ working definition of a witch was, 'someone who causes harm to others by mystical means ()'."

A small piece of a collapse is told in a docudrama (which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events) screenplay Beltane, a link on this web page.  The issue centered around "making phone calls and writing letters" - calling former members of a church - which was labeled dissension (disagreement which leads to discord) by them.  The maleficia (a different sort of malevolent act) was labeled punishment.  It is not for you to question.  In this church - families were ruined (demolished, devastated or left in shambles [complete disorder]), the orchestra and choir ceased, and 70% of the key membership (individuals whose knowledge, creativity and inspiration are critical to the viability of an organization) of the church left, while the church one block away doubled in size...foreclosing (taking possession of a mortgaged property) on fellow church members, walking off and leaving their husbands, breaking them (crushing, mutilating or otherwise leaving them broken) financially.  "Just like witches at black masses...Evil minds that plot destruction...Sorcerer of death's construction...Poisoning their brainwashed minds...Now in darkness the world stops turning...Hand of God has struck the hour...Day of Judgment, God is calling (War Pigs, Black Sabbath)."  First words, of textual material, on screen: "What you are about to see is one of the more unusual stories told.  If you have no prior belief in the supernatural, this may be dull - to initiate a satanic attack (coming face-to-face with demonic forces beyond our comprehension) against a small farmer.  It concerns a minister who was adored (an indescribable [beyond words] feeling) by his congregation and possibly conditioned (an automatic response established by training) into adopting radically different beliefs.  This occurred in a rural area of the [American] Northern Plains during the Farm Crisis (1980-1985).  It will be told, not so much through 'action', but through 'documentation (documents, records, etc. used to prove something)'.  That is, the documentation of a fantasy (a daydream-like scenario) through narration, a court deposition (the taking of sworn, out-of-court oral testimony [a form of evidence, a verbal explanation of facts] of a witness), legal arguments, letters and taped phone conversations concerning maleficia within the Pentecostal Movement.  Not one thing has been altered (changed) - original, exact documentation has been used.  The Movement does not label it 'maleficia', but, as stated in a United States federal court, the 'operation (an exertion of power or influence) of spiritual forces invoked (called forth)', the 'actions of Satan as applied (to cause to have an effect)'.  They label it a 'Job (the Book of Job in the Bible) trial (a test of faith through suffering)'.  The Movement has taken full credit (responsibility), but has no remorse (a feeling of being sorry).  You, the audience, are a jury.  Is the minister innocent, or guilty, of evoking (to bring forth) a destructive demonic force." 

 Although the church backs (who is providing support for) "Satan loosed" (set free, released), The Book does not.  "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries.  Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror (from Isaiah)."  "Woe (they will be in trouble if they do a specified thing) to them who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter (from Isaiah)."  "For they sleep not, unless they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall (from Proverbs)."  They made the move (the next objective) on Beltane (one of the four satanic feast days), which attracted even the most stubborn (unyielding or obstinate) spirit, to create inferno. The attitude: "Our brother is straying ("the need to rescue our brother and sisters who have strayed from the path of Church activity is of eternal significance"), teach him that silence is golden (it is often better to remain silent, than to speak), spare him no pity ("do not yield to them, or listen to them; do not spare them, or shield them")."  It has been said: "It's high time (something that should have been done a long time ago) Americans confront (deal with a difficult situation) the silencing narrative (absence or omission of mention, comment or expressed concern) of their evangelical friends" A definition of black satanic power, of which is in the Encyclopedia Britannica - "the exercise or invocation of supernatural powers to control people or events".  No need to read Harry Potter books, just visit your local Pentecostal church.  "A Catholic school in Tennessee removed the Harry Potter books from its library after the school's priest decided they could cause a reader to conjure (to affect or influence by invocation) evil spirits (incorporeal [having no material existence] supernatural beings).  In an email obtained by The Tennessean, the Rev. Dan Reehil of Nashville's St. Edward Catholic School said he consulted exorcists (those who force an evil spirit to leave a person) in the U.S. and Rome who recommended removing the books.  Reehil wrote, 'The curses (an utterance [spoken word] intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm) and spells (to cause something bad to happen in the future) used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.' (U.S.A. Today, September 3, 2019)"  Ethics (decent human conduct) may be out the window (disappeared completely).  "Almost every major single intractable (hard to control or deal with) problem, at the back of it (behind the scenes), you see a big money interest (in this case, organized religion) for whom stopping progress (a movement toward a resolution of an issue), stopping justice is really important to their bottom line (the underlying or ultimate outcome or criterion)."  This from billionaire Tom Steyer.  A drawback or disadvantage to an illegal dumping of demons might be: "for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever (from Jude)".   Just because this occurred in 1983, means nothing. 

Virginia governor Ralph Northam's position (an employment for which one has been hired) was in jeopardy (danger of loss, harm or failure) in 2019, simply because he stood in blackface (makeup used by a nonblack performer playing a black role), next to a person in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe, in a 1984 medical school yearbook (annual publication giving current information).  Statute of limitations (legislation that sets a timeframe within which affected parties must take action) doesn't apply to moral crimes (an act or behavior that gravely [to a degree that gives cause for alarm] violates the sentiment [a view or attitude toward a situation or event] or accepted standards of the community).  "The problem is the clerical culture (that which enables abuse and insists on hiding it) that looks to protect the institution (an organization founded for a religious purpose) even at the expense of (so as to cause harm to or neglect of) individuals who have been harmed (anguish, trauma or torment)."  This is from a theology professor at Marquette University, Wisconsin - James Bretzke.  The church claimed First Amendment protection in the U.S. federal court lawsuit, aforementioned.  Chris Truax, an appellate lawyer in San Diego, Cal., said: "Which brings up an even more fundamental question (within a specific field of interest, it is a question that defines that field).  Just because something is legal - or you can get away with it - does not mean that it is good.  We too often forget that freedom comes with responsibility.  A few years ago, there was a guy in San Francisco who dressed up as Elmo from Sesame Street (Elmo is a Muppet character [a name for puppets] on the children's show Sesame Street) and then shouted obscenities (extremely offensive words or expressions) at children.  Illegal?  No.  Evil Elmo was protected by the First Amendment."  In the church, the so-called (commonly named) Body of Christ, the leadership, those in positions of authority, said things as these to the target.  "You should have got before you got hurt."  "You better forgive, because you have to live with it."  "Have you read the Book of Job?"  "We shouldn't get upset over trivial matters (things in life that have almost no value)."  "These things happen."  "Forgive or your sins won't be forgiven."  "Your credibility (the quality of being trusted) is zero."  These are the devil's rejects.  Kirsten Powers is a CNN news analyst.  She attended a small Jesuit high school in the early 1980s.  At a party, when she passed out (become unconscious, black out) due to alcohol, she awoke with "a popular senior basketball player on top" of her.  "I don't know what month it was.  I don't know whose house it was.  I remember one of my two best friends being there but she doesn't remember it, and why would she?  It was just a random party (occurring without definite aim, reason or pattern) as far as she knew back then.  I can hear the doubters (a person who questions): 'Why didn't you tell (give information about someone's bad behavior)?  Why didn't you report (turn someone in) him?'  The answer is simple - I didn't think I had been sexually assaulted.  In the early 1980s, we didn't have the vocabulary (the number of words that a person knows) to make such declarations (a formal or explicit statement of announcement).  I thought I did something stupid and paid a price (experience something unpleasant because you have done something wrong).  I thought it was my fault (an error caused by ignorance, bad judgment or inattention).  The first time I spoke of the incident chronicled here (record in a factual and detailed way) was last week.  Yet I have zero doubt (emphasizing that something seems certain) of what happened and who did it to me." 

Or ministers' games in churches, during that time frame (a particular period of time).  Perhaps some in organized religion mock (deride [laugh at], scorn or ridicule) The Vagabond.  This refers to an individual moving from place to place without a fixed home (secured and permanent) - a free spirit (a person free from worldly concerns [for the more sublime - of such excellence, grandeur or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe - pursuits], who can act of his own choosing [a process of selecting - each to his own]) who rarely ever cares about anyone's opinion about them (a view or judgment formed concerning a person).  Jesus could possibly be said to have been a vagabond in his early-thirties of age.  When it comes to DDF (a "destructive demonic force"), nothing stood in the way of a "divine calling" (cultivating your inner creative) - others may have to be expendable (capable of being sacrificed).  Institutional religion may use psychic terror (mystical, religious or magical ends to paralyze, diminish resistance with the ultimate purpose of destroying a target) to rid (throw away an unwanted) the world of people labeled (classified as) cockroaches (persons they falsely accuse [to ruin the life of an innocent person] of having no redeeming qualities [good points or likeable traits], whatsoever).  Lives destroyed, homes wrecked can be a justification (the act of finding plausible [probable or possible] answers) for a metaphysical cross.  Metaphysics means "that which comes after the physical", and is a study of the spiritual root (an essential element) of physical life.  Maleficia can be defined.  "The term maleficia collectively (as a whole) refers to all types of malignant acts (evil in nature or effect), which could result in substantial damage (economic, or other, loss) to mankind (Paranormal Encyclopedia)."  "Maleficia was used to explain personal misfortune.  In its narrowest (limited in extent) definition maleficia meant damage to crops and illness or death to animals.  In its broadest (wide scope of subjects) sense it could include anything which resulted in causing a negative impact (have a strong effect or influence) upon a person (The Mystica)."  "Maleficia was a Latin term - in Roman law it originally meant evil acts in general (worldhistory.biz)."  "A word carried over from the Latin for 'evil doings' and applied to misfortunes and calamities of all kinds which no immediate causal explanation (an action that can be a cause, while an enduring object is its effect) might be given.  Maleficia became inextricably woven (impossible to unravel or separate) into the idea of the work of the Devil.  Maleficia was generally used to explain personal misfortune (Occultopedia)."  Back in 1998, the French made a film named Maleficia.  This is from a review in IMDb.  "'Maleficia is easily one of the goriest horror movies I have ever seen."  According to Past Minds: Studies in Cognitive Historiography (edited by Luther H. Martin and Jesper Sorensen): "In this context, we could say that 'magic' denotes (serves as an indication of) the manipulation (to control something in a skillful manner) of visible reality (our known physical world) with the help of superhuman agents (entities [things with distinct and independent existence] having more powers than, or seemingly outside the powers of, a human being).  This can occur either within or outside of an institutional (a large organization), religious setting." 

Institutional religion may have "taken full credit", but believes it cannot be held accountable (obligation to report, explain or justify).  People really don't care about what a pastor may, or may not, have done - he's God's man.  It is the case of a charismatic (exercising a compelling charm) minister, with a legion (great in number) of supporters (adherents, backers or promoters) - who convinced religious officials that earlier complaints were frivolous (not having a serious purpose).  "Instead, the road that led there was littered (made untidy [chaotic, muddled or in disorder]) with inappropriate (not suitable or proper in the circumstances) abuse of authority (the power to give orders or make decisions), station (social standing) and privilege (an advantage that only one person or group of people has)."  This from Monica Lewinsky in Vanity Fair, February 25, 2018.  "Plausible deniability (when it is acceptable for a party to lie about what they did) is the ability of people to deny knowledge of or responsibility for any damnable (outrageous or deplorable) actions committed by others in an organizational hierarchy (a top to bottom structure, wherein the greatest control, power and autonomy lies right at the top and decreases downwards) because of a lack of evidence that can confirm their participation, even if they were personally involved in or at least willfully ignorant of the actions (Wikipedia)."  So, a 313 meter cross could be seen as an invention (something that has never been made before) - and as a reaction (resistance or opposition to a force, influence or movement - especially toward a former and usually outmoded [out of date] social order or policy) to "these things happen" coming from them, concerning the satanic within a church - a cross being at home (to feel comfortable in the place or situation you are in) on the global scene (things that are happening with worldwide significance).  There are various definitions for sorcery.  "The use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits (www.merriam-webster.com)."  "The use of rituals...with the aim of utilizing supernatural forces (Wikipedia)."  "Use of supernatural power over others (www.thefreedictionary.com)."  And last, but not least: "The use of an evil supernatural power to control or influence people and their affairs (personal or business interests; matters of interest or concern) or the natural world (natural life on earth; the global ecosystem - www.yourdictionary.com)."  Merriam-Webster defines warlock as "a man practicing the black arts".  Black arts are defined as a belief that "harnesses (bring under conditions for effective use) occult forces, evil spirits or invokes supernatural powers to produce unnatural effects (not being consistent with the normal course of events) in the world (vocabulary.com)." 

Or the Pentecostal definition: "The operation of spiritual forces invoked...the actions of Satan as applied."  This is pure evil, that is, to take pleasure in ruining people's lives - to destroy the happiness of others, and not even to have a spark (a small fiery particle) of good.  Melinda Henneberger wrote this piece (written, musical or artistic creation) about Hollywood: "That women as successful as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie stayed quiet for decades before finally daring to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexually harassing them underlines why so few women with no Oscars and far less power and prestige ever come forward."  Within organized religion, it is a same culture of silence - people are too intimidated (compelled or deterred by possible subtle threats) to "speak a word" against the church.  Sadly, it may take decades before things finally come out.  "On November 27 (2017) a woman came forward to NBC brass (high-ranking officials in an organization) with allegations (a positive assertion, especially of misconduct) of inappropriate (not suitable or proper in the circumstances) sexual behavior by [Matt] Lauer over the course of 2014, including at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  The next day the network's (a telecommunications network for distribution of program content) biggest star (a commentator who plays a principal role), fifty-nine, was fired (People, December 18, 2017)."  And there were other things.  Time comments on dirty laundry (private matters whose public exposure brings distress and embarrassment) coming out of the closet (to publicly announce a belief or preference that one has kept hidden).  "We are in the middle of the beginning of this upheaval (extreme agitation or radical change).  There is so much that we still don't know about its ultimate impact (a significant or major effect).  How far-reaching (a great influence on may people or things) will it be?  For giving voice (say or express an opinion or feeling) to open secrets (something that is widely known to be true, but which none of the people involved [to cause to be associated with someone or something] are willing to acknowledge in public), for moving whisper networks (informal channels of communication people use) onto social networks (online services or sites), for pushing us all to stop accepting the unacceptable (not satisfactory or allowable), the Silence Breakers are the 2017 'Person of the Year' (December 18, 2017)."  Bill Cosby may have been a mystical mastermind, but he had a secret life (having two lives, one of which you do not want others to know about).  "What he was so well known for was playing these characters of great dignity (I Spy), [as well as] great gentle humanity and paternal (behaving as a father) qualities (The Cosby Show), and this (stories told by his accusers) is so completely the opposite (Robert Thompson, Professor of TV history, Syracuse University)."  Angels and demons.

 Just chanting (saying a word or phrase many times in a rhythmic [having a regular repeated pattern] way) "forgive" (stop feeling angry or resentful concerning an offence, flaw or mistake) doesn't cut it (meaning these are not the qualities needed to do a task or cope with a situation), anymore.  Sally Quinn, who has been a Washington Post reporter, cast (something that happens) an effective hex (spell, jinx - bringing bad luck and trouble), years ago.  "When I was in my late 20s and early 30s, there were three people who hurt me in some way, or hurt somebody I loved, and so I decided to put a hex on them.  I had never done it before.  What I wanted to have happen was for them to feel what I had felt.  I didn't mean for them to die.  Unfortunately, bad things happened to these three people over the period of five years."  Casting a hex means how to curse someone.  It may entail (what something involves) picturing a person you want to curse in your mind's eye (the mental picture so conceived).  Forget the Golden Rule (the principal of treating others the way one wishes to be treated), and resign yourself (accept that it's going to happen) to the fact that vengeance, and plenty of it, is the only thing that will make you happy.  Visualize (form a mental image of) great harm coming to him or her, as you harness dark powers (forces which cause ruin, injury or pain).  In the Pentecostal Movement, they have got this down to a science (when you are able to manage doing something very well - practiced ease and confidence).  Joshua Miller, University of Georgia, Donald Lynam, Purdue University and Scott Lilienfeld, Emory University - all professors of psychology - stated this.  "Narcissistic personality disorders (people who have an inflated sense of their own importance and a lack of empathy for others) tend to cause others harm and distress via manipulation (to control or play upon by artful, unfair or insidious means)."  Meaning, they do it and have no problem with it.  Kumail Kanjiani commented about "the evil that people justify using religion".  Yet the church attacks a fictitious (not real or true) Harry Potter.  "Harry has made news, ever since his arrival on the scene in 1998, for provoking the ire (anger) of some right-wing Christians who believe his magical powers and wizardly aspirations promote occultism and Satan worship.  These enemies of young Potter arm themselves with this quotation from Deuteronomy.  'There shall not be found among you any who makes his son or daughter pass through fire or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or one who calls up the dead.'  Conservative Christian leaders continue to make public statements against the book.  James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, reiterated (to say again) last week in a statement that he has 'spoken out strongly against all of the Harry Potter products' (Newsweek, August 6, 2007)." 

President Trump has said: "Piety (the quality of being religious) to evil will bring you no dignity (worthy of honor or respect).  If you choose the path (a route, course or track), your life will be empty (vacant, blank or void), and your soul will be condemned (declaring an evildoer to be guilty)."  Witchcraft is defined as "the invocation of spirits" and "communication with the devil" - the invocation of the satanic.  The Pentecostal Movement claimed First Amendment protection in Federal District Court, and the judge agreed they had immunity (to allow an accused to avoid prosecution).  What they do may have similar qualities to a Lucifer's Touch spell.  "Weaving chaos (a state in which everything is out of order) in your mind - hex (a spoken set of words which brings bad luck through often harmful supernatural powers) of anger, hex of hate - bring him down (sabotage - deliberate destruction, disruption or damage of - his life), I will not wait."  A logline (a brief summary of a film that states the central conflict of a story): "A Pentecostal church member suffers numerous setbacks (a change in status for the worse) and hardships after his pastor ex-communicates (depriving a person of the rights of church membership) him and invokes a satanic curse (Screenwriters Online "Studio Coverage" of Beltane)."  A song: "In a dark demonic full moon night, the masters will now call.  The armies of death - thunder and lightning and fire from the sky.  They burn you to ashes...a world full of blackness...a world full of pain (Mystic Prophecy, "Satanic Curses", 2007)."  Fundamentalists (people who believe in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture in a religion) may act somewhat like marauders (persons who may be unpleasant or even dangerous).  You might never know what hit you (to feel shocked or confused because something bad has happened to you suddenly).  True Stories of Real Evil speaks of "forces of evil that seek to harm us".  It goes on to say "the devil is either a real creature or a metaphor (a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing) which epitomizes (to be a perfect example of) the power of evil in the world".  When the Pentecostal Movement is done with a "target" they might have walking corpse syndrome (a very rare mental disorder which makes people think they are dead).  Within organized religion, those who question may be "punished".  "Investigative journalism involves exposing to the public, matters that are concealed - either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or accidentally, behind a chaotic (a state of complete confusion and disorder) mass of facts and circumstances that obscure (dark, vague or ambiguous) understanding.  It requires both secret and open sources (someone who supplies information) and documents (www.journalismfund.eu)."

The trigger (to cause to explode) for an occult (matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural powers) act was an accusation (a claim that someone has done something wrong) made by a church - "We understand you've been making phone calls and writing letters."  So, did the minister evoke (to call forth) evil spirits with a satanic ritual (a formal ceremony), or was it the operation of a church doctrine (a set of beliefs)?  Or was it this: "Within the context of ancient cursing (a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one; evil or misfortune that comes as if in response to an imprecation), one could 'hand over' a person to a metaphysical (relating to things that are thought to exist, but cannot be seen) agent who was entrusted with inflicting various forms of malevolent (the desire to see another experience pain, injury or distress) consequences (Hand This Man Over to Satan, David R. Smith)."  The challenge is proving a case for the paranormal - things which push the boundaries of what we know to be fact.  A destructive demonic force - or DDF for short - can be this.  "Virtually (nearly, almost) all religions and cultures have various supernatural entities (forces or principals believed to animate beings) that are considered malevolent (having or showing a wish to do evil to others).  Sometimes they are entities with capabilities (the ability or power) for destruction.  And in some belief systems, they are evil spirits hell-bent (determined to achieve something at all costs) on making one's life miserable (www. deliriumsrealm.com)."  They are "supernatural beings and the force of evil - supernatural related to forces beyond the normal world (Myth Encyclopedia)."  BibleSprout speaks of the "types of occult satanic worship in the Bible".  Jonas Clark has authored over twenty-nine books, written hundreds of articles and recorded thousands of audios.  In 1985 he founded Jonas Clark Ministries, and has lectured (a talk given to a group of people) in over twenty-six countries.  He describes what those who speak in other tongues can do.  "Witchcraft can be accurately described as a spiritual force that releases chaos.  People releasing witchcraft will often get spiritual with you by ending their conversation speaking in other tongues.  Have you experienced spiritual retaliation (responding to an injury with an injury - retribution) against you?  In the church we see the spirit of witchcraft consuming someone's time." 

Wikipedia says this about speaking in other tongues.  "Glossolalia (profuse and often emotionally charged speech that mimics coherent speech but is usually unintelligible to the listener and that is uttered in some state of religious ecstasy and in some schizophrenic states) or speaking in tongues, according to linguists (those who study language), is the fluid vocalizing (express in words) of speech-like syllables (a unit of spoken language) that lack any readily comprehended meaning.  Glossolalia is practiced in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity.  Felicitas Goodman, a psychological anthropologist (those who study humans in relation to physical, environmental, social and cultural character) and linguist, studied a number of Pentecostal communities in the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico; these included English-, Spanish- and Mayan-speaking groups.  She compared what she found with recordings of non-Christian rituals from Africa, Borneo, Indonesia and Japan.  She took into account both the segmental structure (such as sounds, syllables, phrases) and supra-segmental elements (rhythm, accent, intonation) and concluded there was no distinction between what was practiced by the Pentecostal Protestants and the followers of other religions."  Wikipedia comments on the history of tongues.  "12th century - Hildegard of Bingen is reputed to have spoken and sung in tongues.  17th century - early Quakers, such as Edward Burrough, make mention of tongues speaking in their meetings: "We spoke with new tongues."  19th century - the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) contains extensive references to the phenomenon of speaking in tongues.  At the 1836 dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the dedicatory (rite or ceremony of dedicating) prayer asks that God grant them the gift of tongues and at the end of the service Brigham Young speaks in tongues, another elder interprets it and then gives his own exhortation (encouragement, beseeching, urging ) in tongues."  Brigham Young was an American leader of Mormons and a settler of the western United States.  He was the second president of the Mormon Church and founded Salt Lake City.  In the 20th century there was a "headline (words often in larger letters placed at the top of a page) about the 'Weird Babel (a place of uproar or confusion) of Tongues' and other behavior (the manner in which one conducts oneself) at the Azusa Street, from a 1906 Los Angeles Times Newspaper.  William Seymour, an African-American preacher, traveled to Los Angeles where his preaching ignited (give life or energy to) the Azusa Street Revival.  This revival is considered the birth of the global Pentecostal Movement.  According to the first issue of Seymour's newsletter, The Apostolic Faith, from (published in) 1906: 'A Mohammedan (old term for Muslim), a Sudanese (from Sudan - in Africa) by birth, a man who is an interpreter (a person who translates words) and speaks sixteen languages, came into the meetings at Azusa Street and the Lord gave him messages which none but himself could understand.'"

Mary Stange, a professor of religion at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.: "We as a society (an organized community) have too frequently failed to take religion seriously as a source of evil as well as good."  Organized religion, in situations as these, considers itself to be untouchable (too powerful or important to be punished).  They rampage (to act or move in a wild and usually destructive way) around, as if the world is their own private playground.  A target's (a person at which an attack is aimed) testimony might be: "I really just didn't think anyone would believe me," after being told, "You're credibility (quality of being believed or accepted as true, real or honest) is zero."  The pastor may have felt rogue (a leader who defies the norms), in order to improve himself, due to a religious policy (appropriate or in accordance with the principals of a church). "He will get you in the night.  Then he'll take away your life.  He's coming to your house with Satan in his head."  The band, Macabre's, "Night Stalker", 1993.  "Horror stories of authoritarian abuse and exploitation in certified (officially approved as genuine or authentic) churches abound (to be present in large numbers - Charismatic Control: Witchcraft in Neo-Pentecostal Churches, Steven Lambert)."  "The front [put out] can be [that of] wonderful Christians, and the deeper [reality] can be [ that of] the worst type of satanic monster imaginable (Science of Trauma & Torture)."  If a rape of the poor occurs, a target is instructed to: 1) touch not the Lord's anointed (referring to a pastor, in the Bible refers to a king or the Messiah), 2) forgive or your sins will not be forgiven - a target not only has his, or her, life trashed (to cause great damage to) by a church, but burns in hell when it's all over, and 3) nothing should have happened to you - it's a target's fault that a church was successful in initiating a satanic attack.  There has been a "censorship (the practice of examining written material and blocking things) of intelligence (information collected)" that prevents it from coming out.  Sunday circus at church.  Biblelife.org: "Bondage (servitude or being in submission to a controlling person) pastors do not function as shepherds caring for their flocks; they function more like a sheepdog nipping at the members' backsides.  Bondage church members tend to follow without question...[and] submit to emotional and verbal beatings." 

Woody Woods, former assistant pastor in two fundamentalist churches in Wales, U.K.: "After years and years of this brainwashing and manipulation you are now a fully conditioned soldier for Jesus...well the leadership.  They want your complete compliance (doing what you have been asked to do).  They cleverly equate obedience to the pastor on the same par as obeying God and if you disobey or question you are punished."  Mark Silk, professor of religion and public life at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.: "The real dirty little secret of religiosity in America is that there are so many people for whom spiritual interest, thinking about ultimate questions is minimal (very small or slight in amount)."  What organized religion does can be so full of smoke and mirrors, it is wise to be absolutely sure one is not stepping out of one trap and into another.  Johanna Michaelsen in The Beautiful Side of Evil, experienced a dark side: "What many of of us in the church never expect is to find satanic counterfeits operating in the very midst of Pentecostal and charismatic meetings.  Yet what I have seen happen in some of these meetings has made my blood run cold (it makes you feel very frightened)."  Their philosophy (a system of thought) can be this: "But what do you do when you have a rival (the one you live to defeat, but for some reason enjoy their existence) who is competing unfairly (a deceptive business practice that causes economic harm) with you?  What do you do when you have an enemy (who threatens, attacks or tries or harm you) who is deliberately making your life a misery (to cause a lot of problems, pressure or stress, perhaps by engaging in malicious or mean-spirited treatment)?  You can now - if you wish - raise dark powers (the powers of darkness, meaning: evil spiritual forces; the fuel of the Dark Forces, which causes ruin, injury and pain) to teach such persons a lesson (punish or hurt someone as a deterrent [prevent people from doing a thing by making them afraid]) they'll never forget."  And: "This spell (a set of words, a formula or verse - or a ritual action, or any combination of these) will send out a destructive demonic force, and the husband and wife will soon begin to quarrel (a heated argument or disagreement) about the least little thing (the smallest, most trivial or most inconsequential thing or aspect).  Repeated casting (deeply influencing them) of the spell (an invisible net) could cause a permanent separation."  The dictionary definition of magic.  "The power of influencing the course of events (the way things happen) by using supernatural forces."  Or the Pentecostal Movement's definition.  "The operation of spiritual forces invoked; the actions of Satan as applied."  They seem to have no problem with it, as their only comment is "These things happen"...angels and demons.  back to top

Trauma-based mind control.  From Spiritual and Clinical Dimensions of Multiple Personality Disorder, Dr. Loreda Fox, a Christian psychiatrist: "Some satanists have invaded the church as it is the perfect cover for them.  They masquerade as angels of light and gravitate towards positions of leadership in order to have more influence.  Because much of what they say is sound doctrinally, they are rarely detected.  Most survivors whom I have worked with had satanist parents who were in high positions in churches - many were pastors."  From Mind Control Cults, William Kilgore: "We have had hundreds of emails from readers who have been in mind control fundamentalist [American] Baptist and charismatic churches.  They are not a small minority.  There are far too many to just consider the syndrome (an identifiable pattern) an anomaly (something that is unusual).  I believe many Baptist and charismatic Bible colleges are cultivating the mind control approach to pastoring a local church."  An ex-Pentecostal: "I used to belong to a Pentecostal church for six years, and I've been out now for about twelve.  And yes, you cannot see the bondage you're in until after you're out of there."  From Religious Mind Control Cults, Brian Desborough: "Manipulating the minds of an unwitting (not aware of what is really happening) church congregation, the means of this insidious (causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed) method of mind control, is in my opinion an act of the most despicable (very bad or unpleasant) evil."  Trauma-based mind control can be effective.  I Corinthians 5:5 - delivering someone to Satan - can be a part of this.  From Internal Controls - Targeting Individuals: "A misuse of the Bible - and is a type of programming that the charismatic/Pentecostal movement carries out."  "The reason why traumatic experiences are important to mind control [handlers] is because the human mind is more susceptible (easily affected or influenced) to command in this state (Zen Gardner, March 1, 2014)."  This form of mind control may anxiety and fear, induce a state of high suggestibility (likely to believe what someone says is true), or desensitize (to make emotionally insensitive or callous).

Dr. Robert J. Lifton, American psychiatrist and author, did a study on mind control and came up with eight criteria for thought reform, five of which can apply to organized religion in the United States.  1) Milieu Control.  This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large - known as "the world".  2) Demand for Purity.  The world is viewed as "black and white" and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection - to be not conformed to this world, but to be transformed.  3) Sacred science.  The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute - i.e. "Jesus is about to rapture His church".  The leader, as the spokesperson for God, is likewise above criticism.  "Touch not the Lord's anointed", "I'm God's man", "He that criticizes me blasphemes God".  4) Loading the Language.  The group interprets or uses words or phrases in new ways so that often the outside does not understand - "saved" "anointing" "speaking in tongues".  5) Dispensing of existence.  Those in the outside world are not saved, and they must be converted to the group's ideology.  In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected - "not to even eat with such a one".  Trauma-based mind control occurs when an individual is experiencing a rough time and he or she is subjected to control which devalues a person - that is, to vex (annoy or worry someone) and demoralize (cause someone to lose hope) a victim.  The June 2013 issue of Paranoia Magazine did an article called: "The Sinister Reality of Trauma-Based Mind Control".  It talks of the "victims of this menace", but says "reconstructing what has happened to them is like working on a 10,000 piece puzzle that the wind just scattered all over the ground." 

A history of mind control goes back to the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt.  "Throughout the course of history, several accounts have been recorded describing rituals and practices resembling mind control.  One of the earliest writings giving reference to the use of occultism to manipulate the mind can be found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. (Paralert Press, May 13, 2011)."   In the Middle Ages, in Europe, "this system of mind control had its origins in Illuminati-based black magic practices.  Multi-generational (relating to several generations [groups of people]) satanic cults have employed (made use of) mind control for centuries (The Fundamentals of Trauma-Based Mind Control, Eve Lorgen)."  She wrote this in 2000, credentials being a B.A. in biochemistry and a M.A. in psychology from San Francisco State University, California.  "The current technology grew out of experiments that the Nazis started before World War II and intensified during the time of the Nazi concentration camps when an unlimited supply of children and adults were available for experimentation.  We've heard about the inhumane medical experiments performed on concentration camp prisoners, but no word was ever mentioned by the media and the TV documentaries of the mind control experiments (Mind Control - The Ultimate Terror, by Ken Adachi)."  The Nazis were the "developers" in the mid-20th century.  "One of the first methodical studies (done in an organized and planned manner, following a clear procedure) on trauma-based mind control was conducted (organized and carried out) by Josef Mengele, a physician working in Nazi concentration camps.  He initially gained notoriety (being famous or well-known, especially for something bad) for being one of the SS physicians who supervised the selection of arriving prisoners, determining who was to be killed and who was to become a forced laborer (The Vigilant Citizen)."  "After WWII many Nazi scientists were brought over to the U.S., through our own Intelligence community, who formerly worked on mind control research in the concentration camps ('Montauk Mind Control Victim Interview', NewsHawk Inc.)."  "Organizations practicing trauma-based mind control - Central Intelligence Agency...charismatic movement...Illuminati (www.whale.to)."  "Project Monarch could be best described as a form of structured dissociation (the separation of whole parts of the personality) and occultic (a study of the action or influence of supernatural powers) integration (co-ordination of mental processes into a normal effective personality).  During this process, a satanic ritual is performed.  Many of the abused come from Catholicism, Mormonism or charismatic Christianity (Project Monarch, Ron Patton)."

"Project Artichoke was a CIA project [in 1952].  Artichoke was a mind control program that gathered information with the intelligence divisions of the Army, Navy, Air Force and FBI (Wikipedia)."  It is a possibility that rogue (corrupt, dishonest) elements within organized religion picked up these techniques in the latter part of the 20th century.  The church may dismiss these statements by aforementioned authors as being hearsay (something that you have only been told), but there are simply too many of them.  Eve Lorgen, again: "The important thing to remember is that the powerhouse behind this type of mind control system is demonic."  Trauma-based mind control can be used by a church, to turn people against you.  And what they may have done ten, twenty, thirty or forty years ago, can have ripples (a situation in which one event causes a series of other events to happen) which may affect your life to this day.  "When you look closely at this spiritual anointing permeating (spreading through) charismatic churches, it becomes abundantly clear that it is nothing but white magic dressed up in a 'Christian' garb (The Cutting Edge)."  "Satanists and witches are infiltrating (to enter a place or an organization secretly) the [American] church - especially charismatic churches.  We have received many letters in our office from people who say they believe their pastor must be under some kind of demonic influence.  Let's look more closely at this form of witchcraft in the church...I know one large Pentecostal church wholly given over to Satan (David Wilkerson, March 5, 1990)."  It may be easy to scapegoat (an organization which is unfairly blamed for problems) the Pentecostal Movement, but if the truth be known, probably everybody else does it too. "In 1959, Richard Condon's classic psychological thriller The Manchurian Candidate was published.  The book's plot revolves around the son of a leading American political family being brainwashed into becoming a communist assassin without his knowledge or consent (Real-Life Manchurian Candidates)."  The National Geographic Channel did a series on real-life CIA experiments in the 1950s: "The CIA performed ruthless tests on people to create an assassin without memory."  National Geographic may have gotten a little carried away, but one of the names for the American program was MKUltra.  "Perhaps the most high profile investigation into MKUltra and mind controlled operatives has been conducted by Jesse Ventura, former Governor of Minnesota (Real-Life Manchurian Candidates)."  "The people [in the program] didn't really know what was going on.  They were basically tricked (Dr. Colin A. Ross, a clinical psychologist)."  This is about mind control supposedly used on U.S. military personnel from 1950 to 1975.  "They are alleging (to claim that someone has done something illegal) top secret CIA scientists experimented on them (Russia Today, December 2, 2010)." 

The Chinese may have used a mild form of mind control during the Korean War.  "The Chinese had somehow brainwashed our boys.  But how?  At the height of the brainwashing fever, conservative spokesmen often seized upon the very mystery of it all to give a religious cast to the political debate.  All communists have been, by definition, brainwashed through satanic forces, they argued (The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA and Mind Control, John Marks)."  "Evidence from the returning Americans [from Korea] disproved popular speculation about the motives for collaboration (give help to an enemy during a war).  They were never under absolute psychological control of their captors (a person who catches or confines another).  Instead they had been subjected to the type of comprehensive indoctrination (to teach someone to fully accept the beliefs of a particular group) routinely employed by Chinese officials against their own dissidents (disagreeing with an established religious or political system).  The methods included isolation, endless 'confessions', psychological pressure ('Manchurian Candidate' Was No Mere Fiction, Mark Sauter)."  Church leaders had a lot to study in the late 1970s, that the U.S. government had experimented with twenty-five years earlier.  All they had to do was synthesize (to combine things to make something new) it into "the operation of spiritual forces invoked" and "the actions of Satan as applied" to achieve success.  "In anyone's sincere quest (a long or arduous [hard to accomplish or achieve] search) for truth, they will undoubtedly (certainly) come up against the area of deliberate (done consciously and intentionally) trauma-based mind control.  At first it may seem like 'conspiracy theory (a belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event) on steroids (blown way out of proportion)', but as you investigate this subject further it becomes a dark, stark (rigidly conforming) reality that cannot be shaken (jolted or shocked - Zen Gardner, February 18, 2011)."  "I'm speaking of victims - more accurately (correct in all details) called survivors (persons who cope well with difficulties in their lives) of trauma-based mind control.  Two counselors I know - 'Fern and Audrey" - who have worked with survivors full-time for eleven years have told that '99% of the people we counsel are Christians' (www.allaboutgod.com)." 

"The roots of occult rituals and practices of 'mind control' are deep in human history.  World War II accelerated (moving faster or happening more quickly) the mind control researches (studious inquiries or examinations), so that a new secret science came up.  The pioneer was the ruthless (having or showing no pity or compassion for others) Nazi, Dr. Josef Mengele, which was well known for his torture experiments (resulting in death, trauma, disfigurement or permanent disability).  His methods researched the maximum amount of pain a human was able to bear, and the minimum amount of love they needed.  The main goal was to find out, how one could make an individual do things he would never do by his free will (conspiracy.wikia.com)."  "During the 20th century mind control became a science in the modern sense of the term, where thousands of subjects have been systematically (done or acting according to a fixed plan) observed, documented and experimented on.  Josef Mengele is mostly known for performing grisly (inpiring horror or intense fear) human experiments on camp inmates, including children, for which he was called the Angel of Death.  Mengele is infamous for his sordid (arousing moral distaste) human experiments on concentration camps ' prisoners, especially on twins.  A part of his work that is rarely (not often, seldom) mentioned however, is his research on mind control.  Much of his research in this field was confiscated (take or seize with authority) by the Allies and is still classified (officially stated to be secret) to this day.  Handlers (persons who promise to meet an individual's needs, but those needs are ignored for group goals) seek the compartmentalization (divide into sections or categories) of their subject's psyche (the human soul, mind or spirit) using trauma to cause dissociation (the disconnection or separation of something from something else) [and] spiritual abuse to cause a victim to feel possessed, harassed and controlled (Origins and Techniques of Monarch Mind Control, December 12, 2012)"  "There are different types of cults, with various doctrines, as well as those who subject followers to a variety of mental, mind-controlled techniques.  Currently, great numbers of end time (the period of time leading up to Judgment Day) groups have emerged on the scene (something has become an important part of a situation) with a frenzy (a state or period of uncontrolled excitement).  Some only mildly affect an attendee's (persons who are present on a given occasion or at a given place) psyche while others inflict (force someone to experience something very unpleasant) major psychological damage that can affect the person for years afterwards (Colleen Johnson, 2003)." 

From Christoff Health: "The easiest way to understand trauma-based mind control is to think about what's often called battered women's syndrome.  In the case of an aggressive male, who abuses his wife or spouse, we unfortunately have what's needed to understand trauma-based mind control." Battered woman syndrome means this.  "If you are a woman being abused by your partner and you've lived through at least two cycles of being battered (damaged or worn down so as to bruise, shatter or demolish), you might have what's known as battered woman syndrome.  The term was coined (invent or devise a new word or phrase) decades ago by Lenore Walker, PhD, founder of the Domestic Violence Institute.  This is how she describes one cycle of abuse, which she says has three phases (parts of development).  In the first phase, tension (mental or emotional strain) builds between the batterer and the woman.  The second phase is a explosion (a violent release of energy) or encounter (engaging in opposition) when the woman is the victim (helpless and passive in the face) of [psychological] battering.  The third is when her abuser appears calm and loving [and] pleads (makes an urgent, emotional request) for forgiveness.  Walker believes battered woman syndrome is a subcategory (a further category within a category [a type or group of things]) of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Many battered women stay in abusive relationships.  There are a number of reasons why they don't leave, says Deb Hirschhorn, PhD, a marriage and family therapist (psychoanalyst, psychologist, etc.) in Woodmere, New York.  She may come from a background of abuse and 'is conditioned (characterized by a predictable pattern of behavior as a result of having been subjected to certain circumstances) to look for the good in her partner (husband or significant other) just as she had to see the good in her parents,' Hischhorn says.  She truly believes her spouse or partner wants to help her.  'It's a rescue syndrome,' Hirschhorn says.  She's likely to have low self-esteem (toleration of abusive situations and relationships).  She believes she's only getting what she deserves (Everyday Health)."  From Monarch Programming, February 11, 2016: "The charismatic branch of the satanic network - such as the Assembly of God churches - uses programming (the idea that internal thoughts, emotions and decisions can be controlled against a person's will through psychological or paranormal means)."  These are very dangerous (likely to cause problems) people.

The next two quotes are from Mediocre (not very good) Monday.  "Nothing is as divisive (something that causes great and sometimes unfriendly disagreement) as religion.  All you have to do is point to things like the Vatican or the numerous Protestant mega-churches (any Christian church with a sustained average weekly attendance of 2000 persons or more) and their phony (something that is not real or genuine) prosperity teachings (ideas or principles taught by an authority).  In contrast to all the layers upon layers (professionally implanted fantasies) of religion that have merely (just, only) built themselves up over the centuries in the name of God - when you read what the Bible actually says you find that it's in fact diametrically opposed (two points directly opposite each other) to everything being professed (claimed openly) and pushed (exerted force on).  It goes so far as to divide the entire kingdom (a spiritual reign [a period of time during which someone is in charge]) of God, which is an eternal heavenly kingdom from all the kingdoms of this world - which are ultimately serving the agenda (a list of matters, items or things to be done) of a fallen spiritual entity - the fallen angel named Lucifer.  Jesus teaches us to invest in the kingdom of heaven, to invest in the lives and needs of other people and not to invest in the things of this world, which are only temporary.  Monetary wealth, positions, power, fame are all considered idols (symbols of worship) in the eyes of God, according to the Bible.  Yet the pursuit of these things is essentially the blueprint (a photographic print in white on a blue background) by which our entire modern society functions (works or operates - November 7, 2016)."  "Mind control is a very controversial (causing disagreement or discussion) subject.  One of the most perceived 'defense mechanisms' (any of a variety of unconscious mental processes used to protect oneself) of the brain is the so-called dissociation.  For people who do not know anything about this, enough literature is available, given the widespreadness (common over a wide area or among many people) of this phenomenon (a fact or situation that is observed - June 13, 2017)."  Dissociation means disruptions in consciousness, identity or memory.  From Mind Control Coverup.  "Under the provisions (being provided) of the National Security Act of 1947, the CIA was established.  One of the main areas investigated (to find out the fact about) by the CIA was mind control.  The program was motivated by Soviet, Chinese and North Korean use of mind control techniques.  The CIA originated (had a specific beginning of) its first program in 1950 under the name BLUEBIRD.  MKULTRA officially began in 1953.  In 1973, tipped off (secret warnings) about forth coming investigations, CIA director Richard Helms ordered the destruction of any MKULTRA records (things set down in writing).  The Senate Intelligence Committee did find some records during its investigation in 1976.  Senator Frank Church, who led the congressional investigations of the CIA's unlawful actions (acts which is a violation of any statute), said that the agency was 'a rogue elephant' (one whose behavior is aberrant or independent) operating above the law (exempt from the laws that apply to everyone else) as it plotted assassinations, illegally spied on thousands of Americans, and even drugged citizens in its effort to develop new weapons for its covert arsenal (tactics wrapped in secrecy)." 

From the History of Monarch Programming.  "MK Ultra is widely known to have run throughout the 1950s and 1960s and is admittedly (agreeing that something is true) said to have been done for the purpose of developing the best torture and interrogation (to ask someone a lot of questions for a long time) methods for later use on enemies of the state.  The testing is said to have included, but is not limited to - the administering of LSD, electroshock (application of electric current to a person's head), physical abuse, isolation and sensory deprivation (losing personal identity through long periods of isolation by a person being deprived of sight and sound), and was conducted on both adult and children test subjects (research matters).  Once light was shed (make free from confusion) on the existence of MK Ultra in the 1970s, the CIA quickly stepped forward saying that it had stopped all such experiments.  Since that point however, several whistle-blowers (persons who expose any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical or not correct) have come forth saying that the project merely went completely underground (a group secretly working illegally)."  "Traugott Konstantin Oesterreich, a professor at Tubingen University in Germany, wrote a classic study of 'demonic possession' in 1921 called Possession, Demonical and Other.  This revealed that trauma-based mind control was being used in France, Germany and Belgium long before the dawn of the 20th century (The Biggest Secret)."  "Mind control for diabolical (serious and unpleasant) purposes is a very important part of understanding the nature of modern society.  Things are not what they seem to be.  Private occult societies (any system claiming the use or knowledge of supernatural powers) dabble (take part in an activity) in what in former days would have been called 'black magic', witchcraft or enchantment (magic spell).  Many people dismiss (treat as unworthy of serious consideration) the possibility of mind control as far-fetched (unlikely, implausible or unconvincing) and smacking (seeming to be) of 'conspiracy theories' (beliefs that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event - Alim, February 19, 2011)."  "I am not a doctor.  I am not a therapist.  But, with all due respect (used to express polite disagreement) the Illuminati aren't real.  Conspiracy theorists like to use the idea of this supposed offshoot (an activity that developed from one that already existed) from the Masonic order to construct their theories.  Mind control techniques, however, are very real.  They are used to alter (modify, adjust or transform) a person's perceptions (the state of being aware, the way you think) of reality.  Many abusers use these techniques.  They say things like, 'You're so ugly, no one else would ever want you.'  'If you didn't make me so mad, I would never hit you.'  If anyone is alone in a situation like this for a time, these lies begin to seem plausible (reasonable, believable or conceivable - myPTSD, August 28, 2008)."  You have all these people saying all these things, so perhaps it (trauma-based mind control) does exist.    back to top 

 Occultism and paganism.  A title from an article by The Cutting Edge: "Occult Infiltration (to secretly enter an organization in order to do harm) of the Church to Destroy it from Within".  "A dangerous occult spirit has entered the Christian church in North America (Jonas Clark)."  "What I have discovered is a mass invasion of the occult (matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural powers) into what I will call the [American] 'hyper-charismatic' church, and it is spreading like wildfire (anything that is disseminated [spread] quickly), breaking across denominational barriers...to allow Satan to enter (Missy Combs)."  "We hope to show how occult philosophies have blended together with Christianity (crossroad.to)."  "Charismatic practices and teaching closely resemble yogic (i.e. yoga) and magic practices and teachings.  The occult pastor or priest is more akin to the Hindu guru than to a Christian minister.  Much occultism is openly practiced in charismatic churches (R. Davis)."  "Frequently cults will exploit their followers through the abuse of spiritual authority, forms of mind control or psychological abuse, often in the name of Christ...This form of occultism would also include satanic groups that believe Satan is a real entity and who attempt to gain supernatural power by contacting demons (James Walker)."  The sad conclusion is that "most churches operate like the occult (David J. Stewart)."  Apparently it is a problem, as so many comment on it.

The Toronto Blessing, a term coined by British newspapers, describes a revival that began in January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, Canada.  "Manifestations (signs of something existing or happening) included uncontrollable (too strong to be controlled, things which are unmanageable) laughing, roaring, crying, shaking, etc.  Many felt themselves infused (to cause to be filled) with a feeling of great joy and peace and love (SCP Newsletter, Fall 1994)."  This pretty much describes what happened at the Toronto Blessing.  However, this SCP Newsletter refers to the Hindus in India.  The "revival" came to Brownsville Assembly of God, Pensacola, Florida June 18, 1995.  "Thousands have hit the carpet, where they either writhe (twist the body from side to side) in ecstasy or lie stone-still in a state resembling a coma, sometimes remaining flat on the floor for hours at a time.  Some participants call the experience being 'slain in the Spirit' (Steve Rabey, 1998)."  Hilary Pegg had an adventure in England.  "One night, in 1998, after attending a charismatic Christian service in which I was 'slain in the Spirit', I felt my tongue being moved.  The next day I found my jaws and tongue moved in an incomprehensible (impossible to understand) speech I took to be 'speaking in tongues'.  However, I found the speech turning into English and I soon found myself being spoken through as if I was a medium, except I was not in a trance, by someone who said he was called Alalal, and told me he was a spirit guide."  Julie Inan gave a "testimony", December 1997, regarding a charismatic Anglican church in England.  The Toronto Blessing came to her church in June 1994.  "Everyone was laughing uncontrollably and 'slain in the Spirit'.  Gradually the effects of Toronto increased.  The minister and his assistants were affected when praying, preaching, playing music, ministering, etc.  The congregation would start laughing, crying, shaking, rocking back and forth, grunting, etc. at all times during services.  From the research that we did on leaving this fellowship, I now know that this kind of worship is in fact hypnotic (a drowsy, opiate, trance-like state), and that many charismatic leaders employ hypnotic techniques when ministering.  Over Christmas 1994, doubts began to creep in...Leaving this church was terrible, I grieved for a long time.  Three years down the the line I am fully recovered from my cult."  Toronto came to Bethel Church in Redding, California.  "Paranormal activity, angels and pixie (fairy) dust are claimed activities with this growing mega-church (Jason Stovall)."  Did Toronto come from the Unseen.  If it was, these people get paradise when they are dead.  If not, they may not.

In his book, Love Wins, Pastor Rob Bell states that "it's been clearly communicated to many that this belief [in hell as a conscious, eternal torment] is a central truth of the Christian faith.  This is misguided and toxic (harsh, malicious or harmful)."  He has been a prime mover in the so-called "Emerging Church".  He was insinuating (to introduce an idea in a subtle, indirect or covert way) that hell was a myth (a traditional or legendary story).  Evangelist Kenneth Hagin was born and raised as a Southern Baptist.  As a child he was even baptized with water, a lifelong member of the church.  At the age of 15, in 1933, he had a near-death experience which resulted from a malformed (a part of the body abnormally formed) heart - a condition he was born with.  He wrote about it in I Believe in Visions.  "My heart stopped beating.  This numbness spread to my feet, my ankles, my knees, my hips, my stomach, my heart and I leaped out of my body.  I did not lose consciousness - I leaped out of my body like a diver would leap off a diving board into a swimming pool.  I knew I was outside my body.  I could see my family in the room, but I couldn't contact them.  I began to descend down, down, into a pit, like you'd go down into a well, cavern or cave.  And I continued to descend, I went down feet first.  I could look up and see the lights of the earth.  They finally faded away.  Darkness encompassed me round about - darkness that is blacker than any night Man has ever seen."  Did he hallucinate (have imaginary perceptions)?  Joel Osteen is the senior pastor of Lakeland Church, a huge non-denominational church in Houston, Texas.  "Someone might legitimately raise the question why we are reviewing this book.  After all, the pattern here at TMark has been that we review Christian books.  I suppose we must be branching out now, because Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now is decidedly not one of those.  Open the book to any random page, and you will likely find some mention of God or even a reference to scripture.  Yet that is just window-dressing (something that is intended to make a thing seem better, but does not have any real effect).  When you wring (twist and squeeze) the book out, what you end up with is nothing more than the soggy (heavily dull) old self-help pop-psychology that people have been lapping up (to respond enthusiastically or accept eagerly) for a generation - with the word 'God' thrown in every once in a while for good measure.  It was Benjamin Franklin, not Jesus, who said, 'God helps those who help themselves.'  That is Osteen's message too, only it is more like 'God helps those who think well of themselves' (Greg Gilbert)."  Joel Osteen might have an issue with the cross.  Many may argue this is not the case.  Then, "go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute (suffering extreme poverty), and you will have treasure in heaven (from Matthew)."  These words were spoken by someone those within organized religion might have heard about - Jesus.  Joel Osteen may start with his $10,000,000 house. 

"Witchcraft, manipulation and control are tools of evil spirits who work through warlocks and Jezebels who operate and pose as Christ's very ministers (Safeguard Your Soul)."  "The pastor had a ready defense [and] the pastor's logic was impeccable (flawless).  Nobody in his right mind would ever question his judgment.  When most people think of witchcraft, they think essentially of hocus-pocus.  However, witchcraft is also a manipulative (manage skillfully and especially with intent to deceive) device widely used in the churches.  In the churches of today, the fear of the pastor is the beginning of wisdom (Femi Aribisala)."  "'Witchcraft' - the supposed art of influencing the course of events by the occult control of nature or the spirits...Come early October and throughout the month, one need only turn on any [American] Christian radio station to hear a myriad (basketful, boatload, bunch) of Christian religious programs proclaiming the evils of the dreaded 'Halloween'.  Beware when you hear a Christian minister speak about the evils of 'witchcraft' outside the church.  When you hear such doctrine, know this tactic is a cloak (something that conceals) to hide from God's children the real acts of witchcraft occurring inside the church (Isaiah 58 Broadcast)."  "Probably the most disturbing element is the emergence of the actual practice of witchcraft within the church.  And witchcraft is beginning to be accepted rather casually (feeling or showing little concern) in religious, even Christian circles (Mission: America, January 22, 2016)."  "Paganism is being introduced into the church today by radical feminists (Tom Graffagnino)."  "When Kathleen Ward Atchason left Wicca, she never dreamed she would encounter witchcraft within the walls of Christendom.  As Wicca and goddess worship grow in popularity in the culture, elements of the practice also are appearing in Christian churches.  When [Connie] Alt read Wellsprings [Magazine] article (on a cloning ritual), she telephoned Foundry Methodist [Church] to speak to [Rev. Nancy] Webb [in Washington, D.C.].  Alt tells Insight that Webb informed her that she found Northern European practices of Wicca very helpful.  Evidence of this can be found [as well] in the Presbyterian Church USA which also has sponsored goddess worship (Insight Magazine)."  "Witchcraft is counterfeit spiritual authority, it is using an unholy spirit to dominate, manipulate or control others.  One prominent form of white witchcraft which is common in the church is charismatic witchcraft (Rick Joyner, 1992)."  "Witchcraft in the form of control, domination and manipulation is at the core of the problem in the church...The Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks (California) had yearly women's conferences that were inundated (overflow, overwhelm) with new age spirits in their teachings (Priscilla van Sutphin)."

"It may surprise you that witchcraft is alive and flourishing in our [American] churches.  For those who practice witchcraft in the church, Jude (the Book of Jude in the Bible) has a bit to say about them: '...wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been kept forever' - Jude 1:13 (Angus MacKillop, September 26, 2012)."  "Every time the word 'witchcraft is mentioned, people's minds automatically go to covens (a group of witches).  Unfortunately, no one mentions the three most common forms of witchcraft - intimidation, domination and manipulation (MFM Silver Spring)."  "In most cases, those who practice witchcraft in the church are among the workers, leaders, deacons and prominent (important and well-known) members (Francis Akin-John)."  "The pastor is held to a far lower standard.  These people know they can pretty much act as they choose with impunity (freedom from punishment), and the religious system will protect them.  As a matter of fact, the religious system will close ranks (unite in a concerted way) around the favored individual and actually severely punish anyone who tries to stand against him.  If a victim of a theft or a child molestation wants to take the offender to the authorities, he is told [by the church] - 'No.  We will handle this in house.'  If such a person leaves this den of evil, they (the church) will unleash all the power of the place.  The person who attempts to leave such a place will often find himself stricken (horribly affected) with disease, suffer accidents and financial ruin, family and marriage breakup, or mental insanity.  And then the other people in the church gleefully (great pleasure or satisfaction) go around and laugh at that person's fate, saying - 'See.  This is what happens when you turn against the Lord.  The Lord will punish you.  This is what he got for trying to lie about our deacon, claiming that he stole money and raped his daughter.'  But it is not the Lord's wrath at all, but the demons they have unleashed on that person (Church Witchcraft)."  Or a church can sum it up (conclude) by telling a target: "You have nothing, you've been condemned by a court."  It could be said that there is a possible occult pursuance (a carrying out or into effect) within organized religion in the United States in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.  "In 1570 James Calfhill, Bishop of Worcester [England] claimed 'the vilest (morally despicable) witches and sorcerers of the earth are the priests' (Christian Crimeline)."  Not too much has changed.

Maleficia means misfortunes, injuries and calamities suffered by persons, animals or property for which no scientific, logical or common sense reason can be found.  This has been, at the least, a small part of the church, as of late.  "Many deceived people say that you can still be a Christian and practice witchcraft, which is false (biblereasons.com, January 27, 2016)."  Two quotes from a book by Berit Kjos, A Twist of Faith.  "In November (1993), that allure [of feminist spirituality] drew over 2000 women from mainline [Protestant] churches in 49 states and 27 countries to Minneapolis, Minn.  They came together to re-imagine Jesus, funded in part by their Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Lutheran denominations.  'We invoke Sophia, Divine Wisdom' prayed 2000 women at the opening ceremony to the re-imagining conference in Minnesota."  And on June 2, 1994 in San Francisco, Calif.: "[Episcopal Pastor] Alan Jones, dean of Grace Cathedral expressed his delight.  'We bow to your sacred power, the holy wisdom of Sophia, our beloved mother who is in heaven and earth.'"  On it goes.  "A Protestant church in California is featuring 'guided meditations' by a high priestess of the pagan fertility goddess Isis.  The [conference] is being hosted by the Ebenezer Lutheran Church in San Francisco (WND, October 29, 2011)."  A definition of paganism - a person who delights (something that makes you very happy) in gratification (satisfaction or pleasure) of the five senses - touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing; and the preoccupation (extreme or excessive concern) with material goods (tangible property).  Paganism is simply worldly Christianity run amok (in a wild or uncontrolled manner).  "Today's Christian church is not remotely (far removed in time or space) close to the same as the one Yahushua (Jesus) established.  The different forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually have crept (to move slowly and quietly especially in order to not be noticed) into the worship (G. Lee, Inc.)."  "While Christian paganism may seem to be a contradiction in terms, it sadly, is not.  Indeed, there are growing segments (bits, fragments) of the church which may be better described as pagan than as Christian (Bill Muehlenberg, February 4, 2010)." 

"The ancient labyrinth (a place constructed of intricate or complex passageways) or spiral is now being touted (to talk about something as being very good) as a means of 'healing' and meditation in churches throughout the United States.  'All of these things are part of our spiritual health,' says Murray Blackander, pastor of the Church of Our Savior in West Bloomfield, Michigan, where members have just built a 17-meter-wide (60 foot) labyrinth of stone and grass (The Cutting Edge)."  It's not only in the United States.  "The Church of England is trying to recruit (to find people and get them to join) pagans and spiritual believers as part of a drive to retain congregation numbers.  Rev. Steve Hollinghurst told the BBC, it would be 'almost to create a pagan church where Christianity was very much in the center' (The Telegraph, June 1, 2013)."  "The church is indeed full of pagan relics, pagan philosophies and occult practices (Is Christ Soon to Return)."  "If you examine the 'new age/new spirituality' movement you will see that the demonic deception of neo-paganism has already infiltrated most of what is called Christianity (Don Koening)."  "The new paganism is winning not by opposing but by infiltrating the church (Peter Kreft, 1987)."  "You can't Christianize paganism and expect God to accept it or approve of it (Christian Culture Center, September 30, 2014)."  It could be said that paganism is on the loose (not controlled or held back) in the church today.  "Today almost every conservative Catholic publication has featured a horror story of some form of witchcraft or earth-goddess-inspired liturgy (a fixed set of ceremonies used during public worship) being performed in some Catholic Church in some large North American city (Christian Order, February 1998)."  There was a vision (a picture you see in your mind) of Satan loosed seen way back on October 13, 1884.  "In a famous vision, Pope Leo XIII [in 1884] saw that Lucifer had been released from hell to try to destroy the church (Mariam Hersat, Ph.D, July 21, 2015)."  You have all these people saying all these things, and the church simply marches blithely (showing a lack of proper care or thought) on, oblivious (not conscious or aware of anything) to any and all criticism from anyone.  back to top

Molesting children and gay sex.  The Catholic Church comes behind in no gift (being above nothing in depravity).  "]Pope] Benedict [was] frozen and mute as a ferocious (very fierce) desperation spread through the Roman Catholic Church.  Each week reveals more cases of sexual abuse committed by European priests - several of whom were allowed by church authorities to continue working with children even after their transgressions became known.  Scores of priests have been implicated in Dublin alone; one admitted to abusing more than 100 children, while another said he did so every couple of weeks for 25 years.  What the Vatican views as punishment, the outside world can see as reward.  Cardinal Bernard Law, who covered up and ignored hundreds of abuse cases in Boston, was demoted (a change of position to a less important one), yet remains in a cushy (very easy or pleasant) Vatican post (Newsweek, April 5, 2010)."  "It is impossible to overstate the breadth and depth of the child molestation scandal, or the damage done to both the children and the credibility of the church.  In the U.S. alone, more than 16,000 victims have reported abuse.  Similar scandals have roiled (to upset very much) Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium and Benedict XVI's own German, each revealing thousands more victims.  The details in each country are as horrifying as they are familiar.  Hundreds of priests abused and raped children.  Reports of abuse were ignored.  Victims were sometimes muzzled (something that restrains normal expression).  Predator priests were shuffled off to other parishes to molest again.  And the highest church leaders often fought to keep the details secret (U.S.A. Today, March 4, 2013)."  What do these priests do on Judgment Day?  According to the Book, you can burn over a cup of cold water.  "The biggest mystery surrounding this man (Pope Francis), who combines toughness and compassion, is why he has not applied his roughhouse (disorderly play) tactics to the issue that most cries out for action - clerical sex abuse.  It is more than just a moral matter.  The priority of all the church's recent leaders has been to halt the secularization (an historical process by which religion loses social and cultural significance) that began in its European heartland and is spreading through the Americas.  Top of the list of reasons why many Catholics have abandoned their faith is disgust at the ever-mounting (more and more) evidence of rape and molestation of minors by priests, which has been repeatedly overlooked, indeed covered up, by the offenders' superiors (The Economist, March 18, 2017)."

"In 1972, the United Church of Christ became the first mainline Protestant denomination in the United States to ordain an openly gay clergy.  Other churches are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - since 2010 - and the Presbyterian Church USA - since 2012.  The Episcopal Church in the United States has also allowed ordination of openly gay and lesbian candidates for ministry for some years (Wikipedia)."  Gay relationships may have drawbacks (some disadvantages).  Joel L. Watts, who holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary, commented on it back on July 28, 2008.  "Homosexuality does not offer the stability of a traditional family.  Children need a real male father and a female mother for proper and healthy development.  Homosexuals have a high incidence (the rate at which something occurs) of infidelity.  In regards to homosexual monogamy (the state of having only one partner during a period of time), homosexuals remain faithful to one partner about 25% of the time.  This is a much lower fidelity (being faithful to your partner) rate than their heterosexual (attracted to people of the opposite sex) counterparts, which is 80%.  Same sex couples experience much higher levels of domestic violence than their heterosexual counterparts.  Some studies show that the rate is at least three times higher.  It seems unkind to force children to be exposed to this.  If we allow 'loving and monogamous' relationships to be the standard by which we measure a legitimate marriage, I suppose that women could marry their horses or men could marry their pet dogs.  Doctors agree that anal (the opening through which solid waste passes) sex can be an unhealthy form of sexual contact as the anal cavity was not intended for that kind of use."  Blessed Bi Spirit, edited by Debra R. Kolodny presents a different point of view.  "Indeed, contemporary bisexuals are not the first to ponder (weigh in the mind, think about) whether we have a specific spiritual inheritance.  Who else can look at sacred sexual traditions, all of which hold specific relevance (relation to the matter at hand) to the biological sex of the people involved, and live out those practices with partners of both sexes, either in the flesh or in the mind, allowing for a richness and complexity of experience and consciousness not afforded those who limit their partners to those of only one sex?"  It would seem in the evangelical community, this may be the case.

Austin Miles was a successful circus ringmaster (a person whose job it is to introduce performers at a circus), persuaded to leave the world of show biz (business), having been brought into the Assemblies of God and ordained a minister.  He wrote a book in 1989, Don't Call me Brother.  "I became increasingly aware of the prevalence (accepted, done, or happening often) of homosexuality among Assemblies of God ministers.  But the faithful accepted effeminate (not manly) characteristics in ministers as examples of gentleness and tenderness.  I began to take special note of this sort of behavior in ministers as I went from church to church all over the United States.  I recorded my impressions in my journal.  Reviewing my journal, the ministers I have reason to suspect were homosexually inclined - had some sort sort of clear demonstration of lascivious (showing sexual desire) attention to another."  Being that most of these ministers were married, this would make it largely bisexual.  Later on in the book: "The prevalence of Assembly of God ministers committing - and getting away with - child molestation is a horror.  Rev. E.R. Schultz, District Secretary of the Florida District of the Assemblies, told me of a seventy-five-year-old pastor in his district who had recently been caught molesting a twelve-year-old girl.  He had told the girl it was time for her to learn about sex, that young boys would teach her wrong, so he would teach her about it properly.  'What did you do with him?' I asked.  'Transferred him out of the district [into another],' Shultz replied."  Televangelists may have troubles.  The PTL Club was a daily religious thing hosted by Jim and Tammy Bakker, which adopted a talk-show format.  "[It] was a Christian television program which ran from 1974 to 1989 (Wikipedia)."  Their magnum opus (greatest achievement), as Assembly of God ministers, was conceiving their own evangelical network, the PTL Club ("Praise the Lord").  But, "despite [Jim] Bakker's denials, [Jerry] Falwell also said he had heard tapes from 'men that told me of your (Bakker's) homosexual advances.'  He identified one of the witnesses as ex-PTL staffer Gary Smith.  Falwell added that he was concerned about Bakker's 'homosexual problems, dating back from 1956 to the present time as they have been alleged (to state without definite proof) to us' (Time, June 24, 2001)."  Rev. Jerry Falwell, Baptist preacher and head of Moral Majority, said this in a two hour press conference, May 27, 1987 in Charlotte, North Carolina - as quoted by Time Magazine.  Bakker was married, so that would again make his issue bisexual. 

"There does appear to have been a kind of subterranean (existing or working in secret), homosexual world inside PTL that has never been fully described," according to historian Vinson Synan of Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va.  "Then in 1988, the prostitute told reporters that [Pentecostal evangelist Jimmy] Swaggart had asked her to pose (to assume a posture for artistic purposed) naked in pornographic positions.  Swaggart admitted the incident and publicly confessed his sins, which included a lifelong obsession (a state in which someone thinks about something constantly) with pornography."  There's a different preacher accused of bisexuality.  "On November 4, 2006 another prominent evangelical leader, the Rev. Ted Haggard, pastor of the 14,000 strong New Life mega-church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was forced to step down.  The allegations (a statement that someone has done something wrong) were make by Mike Jones, who claimed that the Rev. Haggard paid for sex with him over a period spanning three years."  These two previous quotes from The Rejection of Pascal's Wager.  "According to their perverse (different in a way that others feel is strange or offensive) theology, accepting Jesus and being 'saved' is all that matters; any kind of immoral (dark, rotten, unethical, unrighteous, vile or wrong) conduct after that can always be 'forgiven', hence a propensity (a strong natural tendency to do something) to cover up any immorality while at the same time smearing (an untrue story about a person that is meant to hurt that person's reputation) the messenger who dares to expose the corruption (Rich Brooks)."  Most scandals in the church go unreported, due to this standard operating procedure.  However, there are people who say things.  "Endless human experiences, emotional experiences, bizarre (very unusual or strange) experiences, and demonic experiences are said to come from the Spirit.  Attributing to the Spirit deeds He didn't do and experiences He didn't produce can be a frightening form of blasphemy (great disrespect shown to God) against the Spirit (Grace to You, John MacArthur, October 23, 2011)."  back to top

Guam and the lower forty-eight.  "An investigation by the USA TODAY network's Pacific Daily News unearthed allegations (assertions made by a party in a legal proceeding) of decades of assault, manipulation and intimidation of children raised on this remote, predominantly Catholic U.S. territory.  Among the accusations - a boy fondled (touched or handled in a gentle manner) on the way to his grandmother's burial, and another molested for the first time on his seventh birthday, then [later] raped.  The children's steadfast faith (sure, dependable, reliable, constant and unwavering belief without true understanding, perception or discrimination) in the island's priests made them vulnerable, the lawsuits say.  Accuser William Payne's parents 'had raised him to honor and respect the priest, and told him that he had to do what the priest told him to do,' according to his lawsuit.  He had 'been instilled with the belief that clergy are never wrong, and that the clergy were like Jesus.'  In the 1970s, [Archbishop Anthony] Apuron molested Roy Quintanilla, then twelve, and raped Walter Denton, then thirteen, according to Quintanilla's and Denton's respective lawsuits.  Both Quintanilla and Denton said they spoke separately with priest Jack Niland, about the alleged abuse.  In a 2015 letter to the Vatican, Denton said that after he and another altar boy told Niland that Apuron raped them, Niland told them, 'Well, boys, priesthood is a very lonely life.'  In 1988, priest Raymond Cepeda threw Timothy Shironma, then around nine, to a basilica (a Roman Catholic church that has been given the right to use that name by the Pope, as being a very important church) office floor and got on top of him, according to Shirona's lawsuit.  When Shiroma began to cry, Cepeda allegedly unzipped a backpack, pushed Shironma's head inside and sexually assaulted him.  A separate lawsuit filed by a man identified as B.B.J. says that in 1982 Cepeda officiated a funeral Mass for his grandmother, then fondled him during the car ride to the cemetery.  Louis Brouillard, a priest in Guam from 1948 to 1981, has been named as an abuser in fifty-five lawsuits.  He admitted in an affidavit (a sworn statement in writing made under oath) in October 2016 that he sexually abused twenty or more boys on the [Guam] island.  Catholicism has long been an integral part of life on this western Pacific island.  'Since the 17th century, Catholic churches have been the center of village activities,' proclaims (states in an official way) the Guam Visitors Bureau on a website describing the culture of its native Chamorro population. 

"About 85% of its residents are Catholic, populating twenty-six parishes (a section of a church district under the care of a priest) on an island just thirty miles long.  Extreme reverence for church leadership, paired with Guam's remote location, left abused children geographically trapped with few places to go for help, says Joelle Casteix, a volunteer regional director of the support group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP.  Priests used their clout to gain access to the boys, as well as to keep their victims quiet, according to many of the lawsuits.  One accuser, described in his lawsuit only as S.A.F., said that in 1975 Brouillard told him, 'If you tell anyone, no one will believe you because I am a priest.'  On the island, resident Mae Reyes Ada, 74, says she sometimes feels embarrassed and guilty that she did not speak up, when she first heard rumors of clergy abuse in the 1970s.  'The mentality at the time was you don't say anything bad about the church and the priests,' she says (U.S.A. Today, August 10, 2017)."  The lower forty-eight refers (has a direct connection) to the forty-eight states within the continental (mainland) United States.  "In May 2003, Thomas O'Brien, the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, admitted to sheltering (protecting) at least fifty priests accused of sexual abuse, often shuffling (move people into different positions) them around to parishes across the state.  O'Brien's admission, which was released under an agreement with the county attorney (chief legal officer for a county, a specific region of a state), acknowledged that he 'allowed Roman Catholic priests under my supervision to work with minors after becoming aware of allegations of sexual misconduct'.  He waived (relinquish a legal right voluntarily - not demand something you have a right to) his own immunity (protection against a legal action) should sexual misconduct allegations against him surface.  Thirteen years later, in a lawsuit filed last September, O'Brien - now bishop emeritus (a cessation of jurisdiction over the office held, while remaining a member of the college of bishops - priests of high authority) - was accused of sexually abusing a grade-school boy.  In the O'Brien case, an Arizona man sued, claiming repressed memories resurfaced (suddenly appear again, become known again) two years ago, according to court documents.  The lawsuit accused O'Brien, now 81, of sexual abuse from 1977 through 1982.  Accusations of sex crimes involving Catholic priests and children in Louisiana may date back seven decades court records reveal (make publicly known). 

"The case of the Rev. F. David Abroussard, who is expected in a St. Martin Prish court on Nov. 27, is the most recent.  The 51-year-old former pastor in Breaux Bridge, La. while not accused of sexual contact with children, was charged in July 2016 with 500 counts (several separate causes of action or charged offenses) of possession of child pornography after investigators say they found hundreds of images on his personal computer.  Former priest Mark A. Broussard - no relation to F. David Broussard - convicted in March 2016 of molesting altar boys in the neighboring diocese (area under authority of a bishop) of Lake Charles in the late 1980s, was arrested in 2012 after a man wrote to Lake Charles bishop Glen Provost to reveal accusations against him.  The Lafayette-area cases were just two of many involving local priests and children.  In 2014, a Minnesota Public Radio investigation uncovered a wealth of court-related documents tied to such incidents in the Diocese of Lafayette.  The link - the Most Rev. Harry Flynn, who was bishop both in Lafayette and in Minnesota, where sex abuse cases involving the clergy were uncovered.  Those cases revealed that at least fifteen Lafayette priests had sexually abused children.  The accused served in myriad (great number of) church positions across the Lafayette diocese, including in small Acadiana (official name given to the French Louisiana region) towns such as Abbeville, where Gilbert Gauthe's case drew nationwide attention in the 1980s.  Gauthe admitted to raping or sodomizing (anal [the opening at the lower end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste is eliminated from the body] intercourse [physical sexual contact]) thirty-seven children dating back to 1972.  "In 2002, as a child sexual abuse scandal in Boston's archdiocese engulfed (flow over, cover or surround) the Catholic Church, The News Journal in Wilmington Del., began chronicling (telling of events in the order in which they happened) decades of child abuse, cover-ups (a usually concerted effort to keep an illegal or unethical act or situation from being made public) and quiet transfers (a process of moving someone from one place to a new location) of priests from one parish to another.  By 2011, the Diocese of Wilmington and several religious orders throughout the diocese distributed more than $110 million to 152 adult survivors who were sexually abused by area Catholic priests.  Tens of millions more were paid in confidential settlements (resolutions between disputing parties about a disputed case) with dozens of other childhood rape survivors who had been abused in families, other churches, non-profit groups or in public, private or religious schools in Delaware, The News Journal found. 

"Dozens of living and deceased priests were exposed as abusers.  Since the two-year window closed in 2009, six additional plaintiffs (persons who bring a legal action) have said they were abused as children during the 1970s and 1980s, says Wilmington attorney Thomas Neuberger, who represented many of the original victims.  Minnesota Catholic dioceses are wrestling (grappling or dealing) with new accusations of priest abuse after a 2013 state law temporarily lifted the statue of limitations to file civil actions.  Under the law, victims age twenty-four and under as of 2013 have unlimited time to sue.  Those over twenty-four had a three year window that ended in May 2016 - by that time accusers had filed more than 800 claims.  The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minnesota disclosed a list of seventy-one priests with substantiated (established by proof or competent evidence) claims of sexual abuse of minors, archdiocese spokesman Tom Halden says.  Most incidents occurred from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s.  New York accusers have filed 118 claims of abuse by Catholic clergy.  The cases date as far back as the 1970s.  Syracuse Bishop Robert Cunningham testified in a 2011 deposition that the victims of child-molesting priests are partly to blame for their own abuse.  Uriel Ojeda, an assistant pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Redding [California], surrendered to the Sacramento Police Department on Nov. 30, 2011 after complaints he sexually assaulted a young teen girl in her bedroom when he worked in Sacramento that year.  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, which covers twenty counties from the San Francisco Bay area to the Oregon border, came under fire (to be criticized strongly) in 2005 when thirty-three people accused ten priests of sexual assault from decades earlier.  A two-year investigation by the [Pennsylvania] state attorney general's office into the Altoona-Johnstown diocese found last year that at least fifty priests or religious leader were involved in the sexual abuse of children.  [And] as recently as 2015, at least one Iowa Catholic diocese was still dealing with the fallout (an unexpected effect or outcome) from an abuse scandal that rocked (effect deeply, stun - move or sway powerfully, as with emotion) the state in the mid-2000s (U.S.A. Today, August 25, 2017)."  "Church leaders protected more than 300 predator priests ("supposed" men of God who usually rape and molest young boys - and often never get caught) in six Roman Catholic dioceses (a district under the care of a bishop) across Pennsylvania for decades because they were more interested in safeguarding the church (to protect from harm or damage) and the abusers than tending (taking care of) to the victims, says a scathing (severely critical) grand jury report released Tuesday (August 14). 

"More than 1000 young victims were identifiable (able to be recognized) from the church's own records, the report says.  'The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid scandal (an action regarded as morally or legally wrong),' the report says.  'Priests were raping little boys and girls and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing - they hid it all.'  The Pennsylvania report accuses church leaders of discouraging survivors from reporting the abuse, which allegedly spanned (the length of a thing) more than sixty years.  'Several diocesan administrators, including the bishops, often dissuaded (to persuade not to take a particular course of action) victims from reporting abuse to police, pressured (the use of persuasion, influence or intimidation) law enforcement to terminate or avoid an investigation or conducted (the action for manner of managing an activity) their own deficient (not having enough of a specified quality), biased (a prejudiced, partiality or partisanship) investigation without reporting crimes against children to the proper authorities,' the report says.  State Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the statue of limitations was a key tool in the systematic cover-up by senior church officials in Pennsylvania and at the Vatican.  'The longer they covered it up, the less chance that law enforcement could prosecute these predators,' Shapiro said at a news conference.  The information was compiled (produced by assembling information collected) during a two-year investigation.  Shapiro called the report an 'honest and comprehensive accounting (a report or description of an event or experience) of widespread sexual abuse' in the dioceses of Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton that minister (attend to the needs of) to more than 1.7 million Catholics (ibid, August 15, 2018)."  Where does it end?  "So when U.S. bishops faced charges of sexual abuse and cover-up (an attempt to prevent people's discovering the truth about a serious matter), they struck back through assertions (confident and forceful statements) of executive power (authority to enforce orders and ensure they are carried out as intended).  They accused the press (people who work for newspapers, magazines, etc.) of anti-Catholic bias (prejudice against a persons), prosecutors of interfering in church affairs (matters of public interest or concern) and victims' lawyers of greed (a selfish and excessive desire) and opportunism (taking advantage of circumstances).  They acted as if they - not preyed-upon (exert a harmful or destructive influence) youth - were the victims (Time, September 3, 2018)."  If they keep heading down (traveling without reference to any specific direction) a path that is dark (engaging in reckless [marked by lack of proper caution] behavior), they may never find their way back (to reach a place by discovering the right way to get there).  back to top

The nuns.  "Revelations (surprising and previously unknown facts) that a prominent (important and famous) U.S. cardinal (a leading dignitary in the Roman Catholic Church) sexually abused and harassed his adult seminarians (students in a school of theology [study of the nature of God and religious belief]) have exposed an egregious (outstanding bad, outrageous and heinous) abuse of power that has shocked Catholics on both sides of the Atlantic (an ocean between North America and Europe).  But the Vatican (the palace and official residence of the Pope in Rome) has long been aware of its heterosexual (people attracted to others of the opposite sex) equivalent - the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops (senior members of the Christian clergy) - and done little to stop it, an Associated Press analysis (investigation, inspection or evaluation) has found.  An examination (considering something carefully) by the AP shows that cases of abused nuns have emerged (surface or materialize) in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, demonstrating (showing the existence or truth) that the problem is global and pervasive (spreading widely throughout an area) thanks to the sisters' second-class status (a person who is systematically discriminated against [unfair treatment], who is denied social, political or economic benefits of citizenship) in the church and their ingrained subservience (a deep-seated attitude which is prepared to obey others unquestionably [not expressed by doubt or hesitation]) to the men who run it.  Yet some nuns are now finding their voices (manage to say something after being too nervous to talk), buoyed (boosted or increased) by the #MeToo movement and the growing recognition (accepting that something is important) that even adults can be victims of sexual abuse when there is an imbalance of power (attempt by the perpetuator [someone who commits a harmful act] to use perceived to use personal characteristics to exert control over a target's behavior) in a relationship.  The sisters are going public in part to denounce (publicly declare to be evil) years of inaction (failure to do something that should be done) by church leaders, even after major studies on the problem in Africa were reported (give an account of what has been observed) to the Vatican in the 1990s.  'It opened a great wound inside of me (due to traumatic emotional manipulation [managing or influencing skillfully]),' one nun told the AP.  'I pretended it didn't happen.'  Wearing a full religious habit (distinctive set of clothes - coif and tunic) and clutching her rosary (wooden beads and metal links, which hang from a belt with small hooks), the woman broke nearly two decades of silence to tell AP about the moment in 2000 when the priest to whom she was confessing her sins forced himself on her, mid-sacrament (Christian rite [religious ceremony] recognized as of particular importance). 

"The assault (to force sexual activity upon) - and a subsequent advance by a different priest a year later - led her to stop going to confession with any priest other than her spiritual father, who lives in a different country.  The extent of the abuse of nuns is unclear, at least outside the Vatican.  However, this week, about half a dozen sisters in a small religious congregation in Chile went public on national television with their stories of abuse by priests and other nuns - and how their superiors (higher in rank) did nothing to stop it.  A nun in India recently filed (began a legal process) a formal police complaint accusing a bishop of rape (unlawful sexual activity), something that would have been unthinkable (too unlikely to be considered a possibility) even a year ago. And cases in Africa have come up periodically (from time to time); in 2013, for example, a well-known priest in Uganda wrote a letter to his superiors that mentioned 'priests romantically (in a way that relates to love or sexual relations) involved with religious sisters (nuns)' - for which he was promptly suspended (not allowed to be involved in activities) from the church until he apologized in May.  'I am so sad that it took so long for this to come into the open, because there were reports long ago,' Karlijn Demasure, one of the church's leading experts on clergy sexual abuse and abuse of power (taking advantage of someone's situation, or manipulating someone with the ability to punish them if they don't comply), told AP in an interview.  The Vatican declined to comment (express an opinion or reaction) to what measures (a plan or course of action taken), if any, it has taken to assess the scope (the extent of the subject matter which has to do with that which is relevant [having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand]) of the problem globally, or to punish offenders and care for victims.  A Vatican official said it is up to local church leaders to sanction (a threatened penalty for disobeying a rule) priests who sexually abuse sisters.  The official said that vulnerable (susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm) adults - 'Consecrated (dedicated to a sacred [worthy of religious veneration] purpose) women have to be encouraged to speak up when they are molested.'  And when these women become pregnant?  'Mainly, she has an abortion.  Even more than once.  And he (the priest) pays for that.  A religious sister has no money.  A priest, yes,' Demasure said.  In 1994, Maura O'Donohue wrote that she learned of twenty-nine nuns who had been impregnated (make a woman pregnant) in a single congregation (people assembled for religious worship).  Nuns she reported, were considered 'safe' sexual partners for priests fearing infection with HIV from prostitutes or other women."  Organized religion's days of betrayal (a violation of a person's trust or confidence).  back to top

The Cardinal.  "A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical leader, consider a Prince of the Church, and usually an ordained bishop () of the Roman Catholic Church.  The cardinals of the Church are collectively () known as the College of Cardinals.  The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available individually or in groups to the Pope as requested.  Most have additional duties, such as leading a diocese () or archdiocese () or managing a department of the Roman Curia ().  A cardinal's primary duty is electing the bishop of Rome (the Pope) when the See () becomes vacant.  During the sede vacante  - the period between a pope's death or resignation and the election of his successor () - the day-to-day governance () of the Holy See is in the hands of the College of Cardinals (Wikipedia)."  A Prince of the Church, fell ().  "A prominent () Vatican diplomat () and the former archbishop () of Washington, D.C., has resigned () from the College of Cardinals over sexual abuse allegations ().  Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick presented his resignation on Friday evening (July 27).  In a statement on Saturday, the Vatican said: 'Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the cardinalate () and has ordered his suspension () from the exercise () of any public ministry, together with the obligation () to remain in a house yet to indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance () until the accusations () made against him are examined () in a regular canonical trial ().  McCarrick, now 88 [years-old], has been one of the Vatican's most prominent officials ().  As archbishop of Washington, a post he served in from 2001 to 2006, McCarrick helped form church policies ().  His resignation () follows an investigation by law enforcement officials and an independent forensic agency () that found evidence that McCarrick had sexually abused a teenager forty-seven years ago while service as a priest in New York. 

"Responding to the allegations in a statement released in June, McCarrick said: 'Some months ago, I was advised by the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, that an allegation of sexual abuse of a teenager from almost fifty years ago had been made against me.  At that time I was a priest of the Archdiocese of New York.  While shocked by the report, and while maintaining my innocence, I considered it essential () that the charges be reported to the police, thoroughly () investigated by an independent agency (), and given to the Review Board of the Archdiocese of New York.  I fully cooperated in the process.  My sadness was deepened when I was informed that the allegations had been determined credible () and substantiated ().  There are also claims of misconduct () and harassment against McCarrick involving adults.  Earlier this month a New York Times investigation detailed the story of a man who said he was abused in his early 20s by McCarrick.  At the time, McCarrick was serving as a New Jersey bishop in the 1980s.  The Times investigation uncovered secretly paid settlements () by two New Jersey dioceses in the mid-2000s to two men over allegations against McCarrick.  In a blog post (), Vatican analyst Rocco Palmo noted that the Vatican's statement on McCarrick's resignation references () several allegations against him, 'Notably (), while McCarrick's de facto () suspension from ministry already took place upon the archdiocese of New York's June judgment of his abuse of a 16-year-old boy on two occasions in the early 1970s as being credible and substantiated, today's statement refers to allegations in plural ().'  On June 20 (2018) in an interview with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, the Rev. Thomas Reese of the Religion News Service said of McCarrick, 'The simple fact that he was not only an archbishop but also a cardinal shows that, I mean, you can't get much higher than that in the Catholic Church.  Not only that, he was used by the Vatican on all sorts of diplomatic missions ().  And he was highly respected () not only within the church but also by government officials around the world, including in the United States.' (NPR, July 28, 2018)"

  "Everybody in James' family called him Uncle Teddy.  Father Theodore McCarrick was a New Jersey priest, whose charisma () and intelligence had already set him () on a clear course to rise in the Catholic ecclesiastical hierarchy ().  But at age 11, to James, whose story the New York Times reported last week, Teddy was a close family friend, an advisor and a mentor ().  He was also, James said, the man who exposed himself to James for the first time when he was 11.  The man, James said, who first molested him when he was 12.  And the man, James said, who got him drunk, took him to a hotel room, and assaulted him () when James was 15.  According to the Times report, James attempted to tell his family of the persistent abuse (), only to be met with denial () and disbelief ().  Since then, McCarrick's career continued to rise ().  In 1986, Father McCarrick became the Archbishop of Newark (N.J.).  In 2000, he became Archbishop of Washington, D.C., a particularly prestigious post ().  In 2001, he was promoted () to cardinal, elevating him () to the very highest ranks () of Vatican officials.  Even after his retirement in 2006 - archbishops must take mandatory () retirement at the age of 75 - McCarrick remained a valued and vocal member of the Catholic community, often representing the Catholic perspective () in global policy debate ().  But on Friday, Pope Francis accepted McCarrick's resignation from the college of cardinals over allegations that he had sexually harassed and abused both minors and young seminarians () over the past several decades.  According to a statement released by the Vatican, McCarrick has been instructed to live out a life of prayer and penance, and will have to remain in seclusion () pending an ecclesiastical trial.  A resignation by a cardinal is exceedingly rare ().  The New York Times reports that the last time a cardinal resigned was in 1927, over political disagreements with the Vatican, suggesting that the Vatican is taking the allegations of McCarrick's abuse seriously. 

"Last month, McCarrrick's was removed from ministry over the allegation that he had abused an unnamed 16-year-old altar boy in 1971.  A preliminary () Vatican investigation found the allegation to be credible.  He currently faces no criminal charges, because the alleged acts are beyond the statute of limitations ().  It's unclear exactly how many people McCarrrick is alleged to have abused or harassed in total ().  The archdiocese of New Jersey settled with two alleged adult victims, who were both seminarians under his tutelage ().  Victims' statements in the settlement documents attest () to McCarrick's habitual sexual relationships with multiple seminarians.  Currently, the altar boy from the 1971 incident () and James are the only two accusers () who were minors at the time of the alleged abuse.  What makes the McCarrick case particularly striking () is the degree () to which his sexual harassment of adult seminarians appears to have gone largely unchecked () despite documented complaints ().  And despite widespread awareness of his behavior (), McCarrick advanced to the highest echelons () of the Catholic hierarchy.  Action against McCarrick appears to have only been taken once his child victims came forward.  'Someone needs to be held accountable () for this disaster,' Catholic commentator Ross Douthat wrote in the New York Times earlier this week, 'And that accountability requires more than self-exculpating () statements from the cardinals involved.  It requires judgment - which requires more certain knowledge - which requires investigation - which probably requires an investigator with a mandate () from the Pope himself.'  According to the New York Times, which reported on McCarrick last week, two separate New Jersey dioceses paid settlements () to adult victims, in 2005 and 2007, over allegations against McCarrick.  Robert Ciolek, who received one of the settlements, told reporters that, throughout the 1980s, when McCarrick was the Bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey, he would frequently take seminarians to his beach house, during which one student would be chosen to share a bed with McCarrick. 

"In bed, McCarrick would massage their shoulders, or otherwise engage in unwanted touching ().  A second seminarian, who asked not to be named in the Times, described not only explicit () sexual contact with McCarrick, but also witnessing () McCarrick frequently engaged in sexual behavior () with other seminarians and priests under his authority ().  'My observations were that people were disgusted () by it,' Ciolek told the Times.  'There were some who gloried in the attention () it brought on them, even if it was screwed-up () attention.  But I don't remember anyone welcoming it and hoping they would be touched.'  By all accounts, McCarrick's behavior () - with adult seminarians, if not with minors - seems to have been widely known at the top of the church hierarchy, even as McCarrrick continued to progress in the ranks ().  In 1994, one of the priests who would later receive a settlement, wrote to Edward Hughes, then bishop of Metuchen, McCarrick's old post, recounting () McCarrick's earlier abuse.  That unnamed priest, who then also faced accusations of abusing teenagers, was given therapy () and transferred ().  No action against McCarrick appears to have been taken.  That same year, the Times reports, another religious brother, Robert Hoatson, expressed concerns to an unnamed official in the diocese of Newark about rumors () he had heard about McCarrick's behavior with seminarians.  At that point, McCarrick was archbishop.  According to Hoatson, the official appeared to confirm () the rumors' veracity (), saying 'Oh no, that ended'.  He claimed McCarrick had ceased his abusive behavior after being asked by Bishop James McHugh, an auxiliary bishop () at the time, and by the papal nuncio (Vatican officials who function like an ambassador).  On several occasions, priests and Catholic laypersons contacted the Vatican directly to express their concerns about McCarrick's behavior with his seminarians.  In 2000, before McCarrick's promotion to the Archdiocese of Washington, a concerned bishop, Father Boniface Ramsey contacted the papal nuncio, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, directly. 

"He said he received no reply to his letter.  Again, no direct action was taken against McCarrick.  A number of journalists (), including the American Conservative's Rod Dreher and GetReligion's Julia Duin, say they have written about attempting to report on McCarrick's behavior in the early 2000s, only to run up against a series of obstacles ().  Dreher told Vox  about another effort by prominent Catholic leaders to alert () the church to McCarrick's behavior in advance () of his nomination () to the Diocese of Washington.  As Dreher told me in an email, two well-known Catholic laymen () had gone to Rome in 2000 to warn the Vatican directly about McCarrick's treatment of seminarians and young priests.  'I phoned the first of the two men.  He confirmed that he had been on this trip, but wouldn't talk about it,' Dreher, who was writing for the New York Post at the time, told Vox.  'When I called the second he said - referencing a story in the Biblical book of Genesis - If that were true, I wouldn't tell you for the same reason Noah's sons covered their father in his drunkenness.  In other words, he believed that loyalty to the institution () required him to cover up () for McCarrick.'  Julia Duin has written publicly about what she saw as the persistent threat () of lawsuit from the Church, which rendered () some of her editors at the Washington Times excessively cautious () in encouraging her to go after the story.  In his conversation with Vox, Dreher also highlighted () what he believed to be a reluctance () on the part of newspapers he worked for to pursue stories about McCarrick.  He believes that some of this reluctance was due to 'fear of giving aid and comfort to anti-gay bigots ()' by appearing to criticize behavior that, at that time, might have been perceived as consensual () since it was between two adults.  But perhaps the biggest obstacle to bringing McCarrick's actions was the reticence () of victims themselves to come forward or go on the record () - a point both Duin and Dreher raised. 

"According to Father James Martin, SJ (), an author and Jesuit priest (), one of the most difficult parts about seeking accountability for McCarrick's acts with adults is that these seminarians and young priests remain professionally, spiritually and financially beholden () to the Catholic Church, which may make them reluctant () to come forward, even while the wider () Catholic child sex abuse scandals rocked the church ().  'In the corporate world,' Martin told Vox, 'let's say the harassment happened ten years ago - the person's in another company now, right?  Well, if you're still a priest, you're still in the archdiocese, for example.  You're afraid to come out against someone who is so powerful.  You wonder what's going to happen.  Will you be labeled as a complainer (), a storyteller ().  So I think that's very difficult for people.'  Only after the revelations that McCarrick had allegedly abused the 16-year-old became public did McCarrick's adult accusers () go public.  According to Martin, multiple factors contributed to McCarrick's ability to operate with impunity () for so long.  For starters, there was the unwillingness of any of his alleged victims -minor or adult - to go directly on the record out of fear () of losing their jobs and careers.  In addition, he says, within church culture (), McCarrick's alleged harassment - especially because it was of adults - was not necessarily seen as meriting () immediate punishment.  As Martin puts it, 'This was often seen as a moral problem, right?  Not a sickness or a crime.  And so there was this, you know, sort of misplaced emphasis on forgiveness.' (Vox, July 29, 2018)."  If he blasphemed the Spirit, he will not be forgiven. 

Federal prosecutors () investigated alleged () sexual abuse by Catholic priests in churches in Pennsylvania, October 2018.  This now brings the federal government into church affairs ().  The result was a grand jury report.  "For decades, law enforcement has been reluctant () to confront () the church because it has been so politically powerful.  The federal government's involvement now represents a real breakthrough ().  We've always felt like this is what needed to happen.  People need to understand, the peril (serious and immediate danger) is real (Minnesota attorney Jeff Anderson)."  And David Hickton, former chief federal prosecutor for western Pennsylvania added: "If they (church officials) had treated the priests as men who made mistakes, and made them account (forcing them to admit they made a blunder [a gross error]) for their mistakes instead of using the power of the institution (a situation where authority [the right to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience] has been socially approved and accepted as legitimate) and their fear about the brand (an emotional response to the presence or anticipation of a danger or threat as relating to the intangible sum of a product's attributes) to secret their abuse (clandestine abuse is sexual, psychological or physical abuse that is concealed or kept underhanded; a victim of child sexual abuse is under a great deal of pressure to keep the abuse secret), we wouldn't be here today."  "Sadly, this never seems to end.  I'm sure the church has been protecting the bad actors () for years but the media pressure, the investigative reporters and the police haven't backed off ( - @HomeTownGloryFs).".  back to top

Religious trauma syndrome.  "'I'm really struggling and am desperate never to go back to the religion I was raised in, but I no longer want to live in fear or depression.  It seems that I am walking through the jungle alone with my machete (a large, heavy knife) - no one to share my crazy and sometimes scary thoughts with...I am in utter turmoil.'  These comments are not unusual for people suffering with Religious Trauma Syndrome, or RTS.  My own awareness of this problem took some time.  It began with writing about my own recovery from a fundamentalist Christian background, and very quickly, I found out I was not alone.  Many other people were eager to discuss this hidden suffering.  But mind control and emotional abuse is actually the norm (standards of proper or acceptable behavior) for many large, authoritarian, mainline religious groups.  The sanitization (to make something more acceptable by taking things that are unpleasant out of it) of religion makes it all the more insidious (causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed).  When the communities are so large and the practices normalized, victims are silenced.  Religious Trauma Syndrome is the condition experienced by people who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the damage of indoctrination.  These comments from people going through it may be the best way to convey the intensity of RTS.  'From nothing - into nothing; reality is harsh.  Plus, I'm pissed (very angry or annoyed at someone) that I was so brainwashed (an indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic beliefs and accept contrasting regimented ideas) for so long...it's like having your entire world turned upside down, no, destroyed.'  'There is a lot of guilt and I react to most religion with panic attacks (an episode of intense fear or apprehension that is of sudden onset) and distress - even photos, statues or TV...I guess although I was willing - it was like brainwashing.'  'My attempts to think outside the Christian box are like the attempts of a convict to escape Alcatraz prison - tunnel through hundreds of feet of stone and concrete, outsmart gun-carrying guards, only to maybe make it to the choppy freezing cold and water and a deadly swim to safety.' (marlenewinell.net)"  Walter Bowart wrote this: "Over and over I heard the phrase, 'They didn't mess with my mind; they messed with my soul.'  I've begun to think in spiritual terms of what has gone on here.  This is a horrible thing.  [It is] just like the Inquisition (an organization within the church which was responsible for finding and punishing people whom did not accept its beliefs), but more sophisticated and less visible.  There's no blood on the streets, but that makes it even more insidious."  Utter turmoil can come from this: "Of all the beings of this world, only a select few can obtain the ability to control - whether they must do it physically, psychologically, or verbally.  It may not be an easy task, but one cannot ignore their power.  They were given it for a reason (www.quotev.com)."

"Mind control - also known as brainwashing, coercive persuasion, mind abuse, thought control, or thought reform - refers to a process in which a group or individual 'systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment (something that will cause damage to someone) of the person being manipulated (to control by unfair means so as to serve one's purpose)'.  The term has been applied to any tactic, psychological or otherwise, which can be seen as subverting (secretly trying to ruin or destroy) an individual's sense of control over their own thinking, behavior, emotions or decision making.  Theories of brainwashing and of mind control were originally developed to explain how totalitarian regimes appeared to succeed in systematically indoctrinating (to teach to fully accept ideas, opinions and beliefs of an organization and to not consider other ideas) prisoners of war through propaganda and torture techniques.  These theories were later expanded and modified, by psychologists including Margaret Singer, to explain a wider range of phenomena, especially conversions to new religious movements (NRMs).  A third-generation theory proposed by Ben Zablocki focused on the utilization of mind control to retain members of NRMs and cults, to convert them to a new religion.  The suggestion that NRMs use mind control techniques has resulted in scientific and legal controversy (strong disagreement among a large group of people - Wikipedia)."  Eve Lorgen did an article named "Religiosity Programming" on May 27, 2001.  "I know for a fact, that certain types of mind control programming are used to silence the victim, and maintain a shame based core."  Dr. James Noblitt, a professor of psychology, listed some mind control programming methods utilized (use for a certain purpose) against individuals, three of which are these - shaming, humiliation and belittlement.  "Does the Church of Satan involve summoning (to order to come to a place) demons. Yes.  For instance, here are some of the words of an important invocation (the act of asking for help from a spiritual entity) - 'I command the forces of darkness to bestow their infernal (condemnation or displeasure) power.' (Fritz Springmeier)"  

"Religion has the power to manipulate humans to believe unrealistic (inappropriate to reality or fact) doctrine and engage in destructive behavior (www.jwfacts.com)."  Ellen P. Lacter, Ph.D., wrote this March 4, 2004.  "Spiritual abuse [can] cause [a] victim to feel harassed, and controlled internally by spirits or demons.  Ritual abuse survivors, by and large, believe in the presence and power of spiritual evil forces.  They may be devout (expressing devotion or piety) in their spiritual beliefs and practices."  Mind control got a push with the Nazis.  "Ever since World War II when the United States Government's Project Paperclip sponsored the resettlement of about 2000 high-level Nazis in the United States, the technology of mind-control programming. has advanced rapidly.  'The Germans under the Nazi government began to do serious scientific research into trauma-based mind control,' write Fritz Springmeier and Cisco Wheeler in their book, The Illuminati Formula.  'Under the auspices (kindly patronage and guidance) of the Kaiser Wilhelm Medical Institute in Berlin, Josef Mengele conducted mind control research on thousands of twins and thousands of other hapless victims.'  Mengele, known as the Angel of Death, was one of the approximately 900 military scientists and medical researchers secretly exfiltrated (to escape from a hostile area) into the United States, where he continued his 'research' and trained others in the black arts of mind control.  This work in behavior manipulation was later incorporated into the CIA's projects Bluebird and Artichoke which, in 1953, became the notorious (not respectable) MKULTRA."  According to The Skeptic's Dictionary: "Mind control is the successful control of the thoughts and actions of another without his or her consent.  Generally, the term implies that the victim has given up some basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes, and has been made to accept contrasting ideas.  Many believe that a terrorist kidnap victim who converts to or becomes sympathetic to her kidnapper's ideology is a victim of mind control - the so-called Stockholm syndrome.  Similarly, a woman who stays with an abusive man is often seen as a victim of mind control."  Within organized religion, this type of thing may cause religious trauma.

"In anyone's sincere quest for truth, they will undoubtedly come up against the area of deliberate trauma-based mind control.  At first it may seem like 'conspiracy (secret activity) theory on steroids (very large or impressive)', but as you investigate (to observe or study by close examination) this subject further it becomes a dark, stark (austere, dour, fierce, forbidding) reality that cannot be shaken (www.sott.net)."  Religious trauma can come from satanic abuse in a church.  "Suicides are relatively (somewhat) common among individuals recovering memory of SRA (satanic ritual abuse) and of [mind control] programming (to make a person behave in a particular way - www.religioustolerance.org)."  People may become puppets (one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another - chump, dupe).  "There have been some concerns that I have when it comes to mind control and how various organizations make use of certain techniques (a method of accomplishing a desired aim) just to make a human being become obedient to the point of being a puppet.  The path led to some information that is graphic (producing a mental picture) compared to the techniques used by cults (a group of people showing intense devotion to a cause) to control their members.  Once again I have come across the Illuminati  who are the masters of what is called trauma based mind control (truegeorge.com)."  Some may think that "Satanists infiltrate (to enter or become established in gradually or unobtrusively usually for subversive purposes) the highest church positions (www.energyenhancement.org)."  "Those involved in a totalistic (totalitarianism) Bible-based cult become enmeshed (to catch or entangle) in the government (administration, authority, regime) of that organization.  Totalistic groups use varied forms of though reform, manipulation, coercion (compulsion, constraint, arm-twisting), deception, peer pressure, guilt, fear, phobias (exaggerated and often disabling fears) and threat tactics which lead members to non-questioning.  Ministers distort (to twist out of the true meaning or proportion) the Bible - heavily using the Old Testament Law - to enhance (improve, enrich, upgrade) their control on the unsuspecting (lacking in informed judgment) and vulnerable (being in a situation where one is likely to meet with harm - www.exitsupportnetwork.com)."

In Advanced Secret Mind Control, written in 2014 by William Horton, PsyD, CAC, he goes into the "how to" of undue influence (improper influence that deprives a person of freedom of choice), and how to manipulate (to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair or insidious means) the minds of the ignorant.  He suggests that an individual "come with me on a journey into a very different world -  the world of conversational (dialogue, discourse or discussion) hypnosis (the art or act of inducing in a person a sleeplike state during which he or she readily follows suggestions) and neuro-linguistic (the relationship between the human nervous system and language) programming.  They both involve communication with a person's unconscious mind (a part of mental life that is not ordinarily integrated or available to consciousness yet may be manifested as a motive force in overt - not secret or hidden - behavior), as does traditional hypnosis.  The difference, however, is that the communication with the target's unconscious is achieved without using traditional deep-trance hypnotic states.  In fact, it can be executed during the course of normal daily conversation.  Your communication skills will greatly improve and become much more effective in terms of exercising influence and getting people to do what you want them to do."  So, in a church that is having problems, if you would, with occultism, paganism and/or bisexuality - if you talk to church members, they will tell you things like this.  "Everything's fine in our church."  Or, "The Spirit really moved (to flow - to move in a steady or continuous way - with their God) last Sunday."  Or, "The anointing (the expression of sanctifying influences - the act of making something pure through religious ritual - upon Christians who are priests and kings before their God) is so strong in our assembly (a body of people come together in one place)."  Or, "We have a vibrant (marked by much life, movement or activity) church."  Or, "We haven't had any serious problems, as of late."  This, even though there is ample (plenty) evidence of one or more or these issues occurring within a local church.  And these people absolutely believe it, for when trauma-based mind control is in use, no matter what is really happening in their midst (a position among members of a group), they are convinced that there is nothing wrong.  Those who have been victimized (singled out for cruel or unjust treatment), within their midst, are totally (utterly, unconditionally and altogether) forgotten and ignored.  These targets (persons selected as "experiments" - for abuse or misuse) may now finally talk about the unspeakable (hideous, atrocious or odious) acts (behavior in certain ways) they have borne (suffered) so long in silence.  And tell how, often, powerful men sought (attempted or desired) to hide their misdeeds (wicked or immoral actions), or how institutions sought to protect their reputations (respect or admiration they receive).   back to top

Touch not the Lord's anointed.  "It is common for the [evangelical] 'word-faith' teachers to warn 'touch not the Lord's anointed', meaning one cannot criticize or question in any way (Clete Hux)."  "I've also seen it (Psalm 105:15 - 'Do not touch my anointed ones and do my prophets no harm') invoked when someone simply disagrees with his or her pastor, as someone in the church tries to manipulate or intimidate the 'dissident' (disagreeing with the established religious system) into silence by using Psalm 105:15 out of context (Twisted Scripture, Twisted Theology, Brannon Howse)."  "This phrase, 'touch not my anointed' is used by some pastors today to say that no one should criticize anything they say or do, or God will make that person pay for it (Steve Shirley)."  "From time immemorial (very old or ancient) the 'priestly class' has attempted to exploit the fears of others by suggesting that they are specially (for a special purpose) chosen by God as authorities.  We see evidence of this throughout history - beginning with ancient Babylon and permutating (re-arrangement of certain elements) throughout the plethora (abundance) of major world religions extant (in existence) today.  In Protestant Christianity, and in particular the so-called 'charismatic movement', there is often a lack of a well-defined hierarchy (i.e. 'priestly class'), but the mantra (a phrase repeated often) 'touch not the Lord's anointed' is something quoted by self-styled leaders as a means of maintaining control over the members of the assembly (John J. Parsons)."  "Clever 'one liners' and biblical phrases lifted out of context are heard on every hand today.  'Touch not the Lord's anointed' - time and again we hear this cry parroted (to repeat, without understanding the meaning) as a counter to those who attempt to alert the unsuspecting to the dangerous, unbiblical teachings of a particular ministry (Dennis Costella)."  "For those of you who are not acquainted with the statement 'touch not the Lord's anointed', allow me to explain.  It is cherry-picked, twisted and misused by a minority of misguided Christian leaders to discourage people questioning their teachings, morality or level of accountability.  When bent into a human agenda, this scripture becomes a doctrine of its own, and one that I would call 'the doctrine of immunity' (Sarah's Collage [collection of different things])."  "If there has been a phrase in the Bible that has been recently tortured until it confesses a lie, it is the phrase, 'touch not the Lord's anointed'.  I hear it a lot in Christian conversation today.  Usually the phrase is meant to caution anyone who is criticizing the questionable teaching or way of life of a famous preacher or church leader.  That is meant to be a no-go area (Conrad Mbewe)."

"So there it is, the infamous passage 'touch not my anointed ones'.  It's a favorite passage of authoritarian abusers throughout the church, a sort of "Get Our of Criticism Free' card for preachers.  Because, you know, obviously what the Psalmist had in mind, when he talked about sojourners (temporary residents) of little account (few funds, not well known) wandering from nation to nation, is wealthy American preachers who don't want anyone looking too closely into their doctrine, their family lives, or their tax returns (Tom Chantry)."  "One of the first lines of defense for a preacher or leader under fire from the congregation is [the psalmist] David's famous statement, 'Touch not the Lord's anointed'.  This is used to prove that the preacher or leader, assumed to be 'the Lord's anointed', is beyond criticism, rebuke or human control (wickedshepherds.com)."  "The way it's quoted is usually in the form of 'touch not the Lord's anointed'.  Leaders regularly abuse this passage.  After all, once the verse in applied in this way, it gives leaders a free pass to be entirely unaccountable to the people they're meant to lead (K.W. Leslie, March 27, 2013)."  "Once in my early years in the institution called 'the church', I approached a minister regarding something questionable that he had previously shared with the local assembly.  He obviously perceived this to be a challenge to his authority, and feeling that was above such inquiry, he hastened to preface that conversation with these words, 'Are you about to touch God's anointed?' (George Davis)"  "Chances are you've heard this weird doctrine based on I Chronicles 16:22.  In an attempt to discourage any form of disagreement in the church, insecure leaders tell their members that if they ever question church authority, they are 'touching the Lord's anointed' and in danger of God's judgment (J. Lee Grady)."  "When Christian author Rachel Held Evans died unexpectedly last week from brain swelling (), the widespread outpouring of grief () was a testament () to the reach of her words ().  Her ire () was often aimed at the religious aristocracy () and political powerbrokers () whom she perceived () to be agents of injustice () and marginalization ().  In a time of resurgent bigotry () and hatred during which many Christians seem content to side with the oppressors () over the oppressed, we need Rachel Held Evans more than ever.  But she is gone, never to return (Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic)."  She was found guilty of touching the Lord's anointed, and punished.  back to top 

Trust.  It is better to put trust (belief that an entity is reliable, good, honest or effective) in the spirit of the God of the universe.  "The Unseen is my shepherd (a watch or a guide), I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters; He restores my soul.  He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (deep distress - darkness or gloom like that caused by the presence or impending of death), I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod (a club approximately 1 meter [3 feet] long, used to beat wolves away from the herd) and your staff (about 1.5 meters [4.5 feet] long, used for walking, resting or guiding sheep), they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint (smear or rub over) my head with oil; my cup overflows (flows over the brim of a receptacle).  Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Unseen forever (Psalm 23)."  The National Constitutional Center did a poll on "What public institutions do you trust?"  The military: 42%.  Small business: 39%.  Scientific community: 30%.  Organized religion: 18%.  The church can satirize (mock, ridicule, deride) the concept of building a big iron cross with: "It's ahead of its time."  While the funds to do it may be available now, they may not be available then.  The attitude contributes to this - 44% told a 2011 Baylor University religion survey they spend no time seeking eternal wisdom; 19% said: "It's useless to search for meaning."  46% told a 2011 survey of LifeWay Research they never wonder whether they will go to heaven; 28% said: "It's not a major priority in my life to find a deeper purpose."  Some church people in the United States will pursue Bible codes, like finding the name Hitler spelled out in the Book.  Or, confessing material things into existence.  Or, railroading (punishing based on lies) the unwanted (nobody wants them) out of a church.  This while their Christian brethren are beheaded in North Africa.  To regain some form of decency (polite, moral and honest behavior), the church will have to come out of its psychic dreamworld (a world of illusion).  Oliver Thomas put it this way: "In a single generation, [American] clergy have gone from being some of our most revered (to have great respect for) community leaders to some of our most reviled (to speak about in a very critical way - Marshfield News Herald, February 10, 2014)."  back to top

What is to come.  An international monument may symbolize a return of this Entity (something that exists separately from other things, having its own independent existence): "...when I turned I saw seven gold sconces (candleholders) and near them a figure (a person's bodily shape)...dressed in a robe with a gold belt tied at the waist.  His head and His hair were as white as snow.  His eyes burned like a flame.  His feet were like brass in a furnace, and His voice was as the sound of an ocean (from Revelation)."  The site (a space of ground occupied by a structure) could possibly be thought of as a handwriting on the wall (a premonition [foreboding], portent [forewarning] or clear indication).  Within four hundred years a return might take place.  Four hundred years might seem like a long time, but as any evolutionist will tell you, Man has been in existence for millions of years, so this is a relatively (to a certain degree, especially when compared to other things) short period.  Some shun the grapes of wrath while pursuing the $buck$ in their everyday lives: "Paradise opened and behold (to see something) a horse, and He who sat on it had eyes as a flame of fire.  He wore clothes that were soaked (become saturated [make completely wet]) with blood...and He treads (crushes or squashes [to squeeze with force]), through the use of a torchio (a machine for the trampling [forcibly walking right over] of the grapes in a pit where the wine is made), the wrath of Almighty God.  There was an angel standing near the sun, who cried out (made a loud noise) to all the birds flying through the air - 'Gather for the great banquet (an elaborate and formal meal) of God.  Eat the flesh (carnivorous [an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue] meat-eating) of kings (political leaders), and of generals, and of warriors (special forces persons).' (paraphrase from Revelation)"  This reminds one of an Alfred Hitchcock film - The Birds.  Did the observer (a person who sees something) see an actual horse and a torchio, or was it symbolic (expressing an idea or quality).  We don't know.  Although Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, commented: "We believe a previously dead man is going to arrive in the sky on a horse."  We do know that we have nuclear arsenals (a collection of weapons) capable of fulfilling this scripture to the letter.  In other words, organized religion could possibly become immersed (involving onself deeply in a particular activity) in a concept of what is to come.  Until it does this will continue: "When it comes to religion, the U.S.A. is now a land of freelancers (people who act independently without being affiliated with any organization).  The percentage of people who call themselves some type of 'Christian' has dropped more than 11% in a generation.  The faithful have scattered out of their traditional basis - the Bible Belt is less Baptist.  The Rust Belt is less Catholic.  And everywhere, more people are exploring spiritual frontiers - or falling off the faith map completely (U.S.A. Today, March 9, 2009)."

The ever powerful One in battle causing an affliction that tries one's patience isn't a thing to talk about.  Is a lecture (a discourse given before an audience) concerning the End of Days, in Revelation, a grisly (causing horror or disgust) tale (a narrative or story)?  Are people fascinated (commanding an interest of) about one third of the planet being annihilated (to destroy completely), or men gnawing (to bite repeatedly) their tongues for pain.  The few people who enthralled (capturing the fascinated attention of) about these things are sadists (people who are cruel to others) and masochists (people cruel to themselves).  As Matthew puts it: "For then shall be great tribulation (unhappiness, pain or suffering) such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."  Yet this is what it is.  A sample (representative part) occurred when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, seventy-five years ago, killing 210,000 people.  During the week following the bombings, thousands of survivors experienced a unique combination of symptoms (evidence of disease).  Susan Southard wrote an article on August 7, 2015, in the Los Angeles Times.  "Their hair fell out in large clumps (clustered mass of particles), their wounds secreted (produced and released a liquid) extreme amounts of pus (a thick, opaque, usually yellowish-white, fluid matter), and their gums (the tissue that surround the necks of the teeth) swelled and bled.  Purple spots appeared on their bodies, signs of hemorrhaging (an escape of blood from a ruptured blood vessel) beneath the skin.  Infections ravaged (causing severe and extensive damage to) their internal organs.  Within a few days of the onset (beginning of something) of symptoms, many people lost consciousness, mumbled deliriously (unable to think or speak clearly) and died in extreme pain - others languished (lose strength or animation - to be or become dull, feeble or spiritless) for weeks before either dying or slowly recovering."  Jesus is speaking in Matthew of a possible nuclear winter.  What is to come concerns a new heaven, and a new earth.  What exactly this means may be unexplainable (unable to make plain or clear).  There is talk of a New Jerusalem, but this can cause confusion (lack of understanding).  We do know that the new system will be a improvement over the old, this present world.  "And he showed me a pure river of water, clear as crystal (quartz [a colorless mineral] that is transparent), proceeding out of the throne of God...and on either side of the river was a tree of life...and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (from Revelation)."

How does this relate (show or make a connection) to the 21st century?  "Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist.  He developed the theory of relativity (all motion must be defined relative to a frame of reference and that space and time are relative, rather than absolute concepts).  Einstein is best known in popular culture for his mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2.  He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and, being Jewish, did not not go back to Germany.  On the eve of World War II, he endorsed (to officially say you support something) a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential development of 'extremely powerful bombs of a new type' and recommending that the U.S. begin similar research.  Later, with the British philosopher Bertrand Russell, Einstein signed the Russell-Einstein Manifesto (a written statement describing an opinion), which highlighted (pick out and emphasize) the danger of nuclear weapons (Wikipedia)."  He said this: "I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."  Fidel Castro was the late dictator of Cuba.  He said this, in October 2010.  "In a nuclear war the 'collateral damage' (a general term for deaths, injuries, or other damage inflicted on an unintended target) would be the life of all humanity."  This refers to a nuclear winter.  Carl Sagan wrote a book in 1983 by that name, Nuclear Winter.  "In a 2 megaton explosion over a fairly large city, buildings would be vaporized (convert from a solid into a vapor - a substance that is in the form of a gas), people reduced to atoms and shadows (very small amounts of something), outlying (remote from a center) structures blown down like matchsticks (slender pieces of wood) and raging fires ignited.  And if the bomb were exploded on the ground, an enormous crater (a large, bowl-shaped cavity in the ground), like those that can be seen through a telescope on the surface of the moon, would be all that remained where midtown (a central section of a city) once had been."  The Russians, on October 30, 1961, detonated (explode with suddenness and violence) the largest nuclear bomb.  "A 50 megaton hydrogen bomb was detonated by [the] Russians - called Tsar Bomba or Mother of all Bombs.  The blast radius (the distance from the source that will be affected when an explosion occurs) of Tsar Bomba is so large that [the] entire [city of] Paris would have been 'totally destroyed' (www.quora.com)."  This was fifty-nine years ago.  And in 2017: "The president (Donald Trump) has plenty of nuclear weapons to back up his aggressive rhetoric (undue use of exaggeration [overstate]) - more than 4000 in the active U.S. stockpile (a reserve supply of something essential), when a mere (to say that something is small) handful could obliterate (destroy utterly) North Korea at the cost of millions of lives.  Indeed, a few hundred hundred nuclear warheads (a missile designed to deliver an atomic bomb) could do the same for even the largest of nations.  Those 4000, if ever used, could essentially (relating to the most important characteristics) destroy the planet (Mother Jones, November 18, 2017)." Armageddon simply means nuclear winter.  back to top 

Horror stories of abuse.  Jesus lectured (a talk or speech given to a group) on paradise at death.  "The poor, it seems, would enjoy positive discrimination (treating a group differently than others) while the rich would have work doubly hard to earn their passage (the act of moving from one place to another).  Heaven's standards would not be, he was saying, the same as earth's.  Taken together, the two passages (concerning Lazarus and the widow) debunked (to show that something is not true) another long-standing concept - that only a select few could attain heaven.  Lazarus was there, along with the oft-married widow and her various spouses.  At His crucifixion, Jesus also promised the thief who died next to Him: 'Today you will be with me in paradise.' (Luke 25:43).  Clearly this would be no exclusive (available to only one group) club for the great and good with lesser mortals (human beings) blackballed (to exclude socially) - quite the opposite in fact (Heaven, Peter Stanford)."  It is not who we think that will enter the "pearly gates".  Fair use allows non-profits to use a limited amount of material from a printed work.  The following are quotes from Setting the Captives Free, by Austin Miles.  A letter from a former Assembly of God member.  "I was raised A.G. (Assembly of God).  My mom was converted shortly after she married my dad, whose father was an A.G. pastor for years - he saved souls on Sunday and verbally and physically abused his wife and seven children the rest of the week, all who are dysfunctional to this day."  She and her husband left the Assembly of God, but came back.  "At the end of three years we went back to the Assemblies of God, and sat in a very large church for two years, before the pastor admitted to adultery and left the church October 1983."  They left for good.  "We haven't been to church since January '88, and haven't missed it."  A comment by the author.  "The evil connected with the Assemblies of God is not confined to mind control."  A former acquaintance, referring to Televangelist Jim Bakker (A.O.G.).  "However, the abuse of his power over the vulnerable is something for which there is no excuse."  Two divorcees wanting to marry in church.  "We were attending a large Southern Baptist church and wanted to get married there, but the pastor refused on account of our divorces."

An ex-minister and Marine Corps veteran.  "The corruption which you saw in the Assemblies of God, PTL and elsewhere is historically cyclical (occurring in cycles).  For some reason, Pentecostal churches tend to draw unstable people and raise up unstable ministers.  It is as if the message of the Man of Galilee is not enough.  Hence, He is put aside, and a new gospel comes forth putting the individual before God and in some cases psychologically enslaving them to a power broker minister."  A second comment by the author.  "The god of cult Christianity is a home-wrecking, closet psychopath."  A Christian woman.  "I was brought into a Christian church by a so-called Christian lady.  While I received Jesus Christ into my heart, she left the service to go sleep with my husband."  A frustrated pastor.  "There are thousands out there who are literally trapped in an evangelical cult."  A third comment by the author.  "The very history [of Christianity] is written with blood and destruction.  One of the darkest times in the history of civilization was the period of the Inquisition, when Catholic priests used torture to punish and force suspected heretics to submit to church doctrine.  During that time, a bishop wrote to the Pope: 'We're so pious in our village that even if we suspect someone is a heretic, we burn them at the stake.'"  And, at an evangelical church community in Spindale, North Carolina.  "As a court-appointed advocate (a person who argues for or supports a cause) for two foster boys, it was Nancy Burnette's to ensure they were in good hands.  So as part of her casework (social work directly concerned with individuals), she visited Word of Faith Fellowship, the evangelical church they (the boys) attended with the couple seeking to adopt them.  What happened next haunts (to cause repeated suffering or anxiety) her.  In the middle of the service, the chanting (singing religious prayers, repeated over and over again) and singing suddenly stopped, Burnette said, and the fiery (ardent, fervent and spirited-nature) pastor pointed at Burnette, accusing her of being 'wicked' [and] 'You are here to cause strife' - [as] she recalled Jane Whaley shouting. 

"The AP (Associated Press) interviewed a dozen former congregants (members of a church) who said they had personally witnessed the three [other foster] children living with the clerk (a longtime Word of Faith Fellowship member who was a county court clerk) being subjected (one who is placed under authority or control) to intense screaming sessions called blasting (to shame somebody badly in front of a group of three or more people) aimed at casting out demons, or being held down, shaken or beaten.  Now, the AP has uncovered numerous instances in which Word of Faith leaders turned children against their parents, with the children then taken in or adopted by other church families.  'I felt my son was being brainwashed,' [Keela] Blanton told a judge during an emergency custody hearing.  'In retrospect (a review of a past course of events) I regret I didn't do more to protect him (a foster child).  But at the time, I was afraid.  I believed that if you defied (openly resist or refuse to obey) Jane (Pastor Jane Whaley), you would become a target (a person selected as the aim of an attack) and you would go to hell,' [Tim] Cornelius (former church member) said.  When he was thirteen, Brent Johnston said, Jane Whaley ripped his family apart (to destroy completely).  She decreed (an official order given by a person in power) that he should be taken from his mother and live instead with Bill and Jennifer Creason, a church couple with no children of their own.  Johnson grew up in Word of Faith.  Over the years, his mother had struggled with personal problems and the church's strict ways, breaking with the sect (a religious group) at times, only to return when she ran out of options (things that are, or may be, chosen).  After Johnston and his younger brother went to live with the Cressons in 2008, his mother left the church for good and Whaley told him she had 'turned my mom over to Satan,' he recalled (www.msn.com, November 13, 2017)."  back to top

I Corinthians 5:5.  There are times when the church wreaks havoc in the lives of the unsuspecting (naive and trusting).  Usually, a person can tell when they are up to something, as they will tell you, "Forgive (to cease to have feelings of anger toward someone), or your sins ( the breaking of a moral code) won't be forgiven."  One incendiary (exciting factions or quarrels) method is contained within the I Corinthians 5:5 doctrine.  "In this case, handing someone over to Satan is like giving them a 'death sentence'.  Some have used this idea as a way to justify destroying the lives of people.  If someone speaks against our doctrinal statement, some have believed this gives us the right to 'burn them at the stake' [so to speak] (Jeremy Myers)."  "It has been said that the verse is a literal curse, formulated using stereotypical (concept, generality, notion) ancient vocabulary, with which curses were pronounced - e.g. 'I am giving you over to dark chaos in utter destruction' (koine scholar)."  Forgiveness is a cover used by the church to protect themselves after using a "punishment" scripture such as I Corinthians 5:5, which actually refers to incest (sex between family members) within a church.  The scripture is now used against those who are fed up with being abused by a church leader.  This comes from a church policy that "abusers should be able to repeatedly cause pain for others, while smugly (showing an annoying quality of feeling very pleased or satisfied with abilities, achievements, etc.) claiming that God forgives them and their victims have to forgive them as well.  Abuse is intentional, deliberate, ongoing, and often planned out in detail and in advance.  It is also repetitive in nature, and the abuser keeps doing it because it works for him (Sister Renee)."  A purpose of I Corinthians 5:5, in this present day, is entertainment.  This comes from a destroy to save mentality (a particular way of thinking), invoking Satan, Baphomet if you will.  "'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it', a United States major (military leader) said today.  He was talking about the decision by allied commanders to bomb and shell the town regardless of civilian casualties."  This was written on February 7, 1968, during the Vietnam War by AP correspondent Peter Arnett, concerning the city of Ben Tre.

 "One of the marks of the highly popular style of St. Paul's missionary methods is that in many passages of his letter we find St. Paul employing a usage particularly familiar and intelligible to popular feeling - I mean the technical phraseology and the cadence (rhythm) of the language of magic...In the case of the directions to the Corinthian church concerning the punishment of the transgressor who had committed sin with his step-mother, the full meaning does not come out until the passage is read in connection with ancient custom of execration, i.e. devoting a person to the gods of the lower world.  A regular usage was established in the language of these execrations - a usage common to antiquity.  The only difference between Jewish and pagan execrations probably lay in the fact that Satan took the place of the gods of the lower world.  In form, however, there must have been great similarities.  This is seen in the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians: 'Gather together in the name of the Lord Jesus, you and my spirit, and in the fellowship with the power of the Lord Jesus, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.'  Two expressions are here adopted from the ritual of cursing.  The phrase 'deliver to Satan that...' recurring in I Timothy 1:20, corresponds to the formula in the London Magical Papyrus 46: 'Deamon of the dead...I deliver unto thee (such a man), in order that...'  We find it not only in the Paris Magical Papyrus, but also on a much older Attic cursing tablet of lead (3rd century B.C.): 'I bind her...in fellowship with Hecate (a Greek goddess of the underworld), who is below the earth, and the Erinyes (fury).'  All this proves therefore that the apostle advises the Corinthian church to perform a solemn act of execration (Light from the Ancient East, A. Deissmann)."  "In brief, we have in this chapter a case of the ecclesiastical discipline that is apparently carried out in a completely undemocratic, highly authoritarian manner by the Apostle Paul.  It involves a ritual curse for the physical destruction of the guilty (A Curse for Salvation - I Corinthians 5:5, Ivan Havener)."  "According to this understanding of the text, delivering the man to Satan meant putting him outside the sphere of God's protection within the church and leaving him exposed to satanic forces of evil (Disciplinary Practices in Pauline Texts, J.T. Smith)." 

"We will pay particular attention to the idea of handing over a person to, for example, a demon within the context of 'cursing'.  In so doing, we will demonstrate the existence of a cross-cultural understanding of 'cursing' in the ancient world, in which a common language existed (Hand This Man Over to Satan, David R. Smith)."  "[There are] literal binding verbs and verbs with technical or legal connotations that either 'register' the victims before an imagined underworld tribunal or those that simply 'consign' the victims to the control of the chthonic (of or relating to the underworld) deities (The Agonistic [relating to the athletic contests of ancient Greece] Context of Early Greek Binding Spells, C.A. Faraone)."  "The verbs of binding - to register and consign, hand over or transfer - are common in texts of this sort.  The affairs of the target are placed under the temporary control of the deities invoked so that the desired result may follow (Curse Tablets and Binding Spell from the Ancient World, J.G. Gager)."  The Apostle Paul not only relied on the ritual cursing of his day, similar perhaps to the occultists of today, but also on Old Testament methods of retribution (punishment for doing something wrong).  "When Paul regulates conduct in the churches he is dependent on the scriptures in general and on Deuteronomy in particular.  In the specific case of I Corinthians 5-7 at a remarkable number of points there are evident links with Deuteronomy (Paul, Scripture and Ethics: A Study of I Corinthians 5-7, E.J. Brill)."  Some American Protestant churches may serve, if not cautious, a father of lies.  This may result in billboards (large signs for advertisements that are next to a road) in cities of Tennessee and Arkansas showing a mischievous-looking young girl writing a letter to Father Christmas: "Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is to skip church!"  If church people want to play their games, they may end with the lord of the flies.  They tell their target (a person selected as the aim of an attack) - "You should have got out before you got hurt."  "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you just need to forgive."  "Children will be children, must have been something in your childhood."  "You have nothing, you've been condemned by a court."  "Have you read the Book of Job?"  This does not sound like a situation described by the Apostle Paul, wherein the man in I Corinthians 5:5 was so far gone that he was destined for hell if something radical wasn't done.  Paul basically said, make his life hell, so when he is dead, he gets paradise.  These people in the American Christian church just want some entertainment. 

They will pursue (to follow in order to overtake) a poor farmer, someone who isn't popular in a church, or in general someone having a rough time due to circumstances beyond their control.  The pastor might say something like, "I've never done this before," while his church is falling apart, in a gleeful (exultant high-spirited joy) tone that betrays his determination (to continue to do or achieve something that is difficult) to exterminate (get rid of completely) a target.  The scripture that has degenerated (decayed) into a circus becomes a ritual curse, used by the Greeks, Romans Egyptians and etc.  When they are done trashing someone's life, the person is told: "Have you read the book of Job (in the Bible)?"  Psychic torture may be a result, a slavery that can build a prison for the mind.  This may be preceded by holding a target to a higher standard, and punishing with verbal abuse if that person doesn't measure up, even though others in a church are not held to the same standard.  Project Pitchfork did a song back in 1991 named "Psychic Torture".  "Angels cry from above - they're not reaching me.  Darkness all around me - I'm yearning for the light."  This is a little known form of torture called psychological warfare (aka psychic warfare or harassment).  Spiritual forces can choose to stage an open insurrection (a violent attempt to take control).  Sometimes Satan may attack from an unexpected source.  This is why groups like Baphomet Blood come out with albums entitled Satanic Metal Attack.  There has been a watering down (reduce or temper the force or effectiveness) of Christianity to a point of beginning to accept a mild form of "Satanism".  Certain elements within the Pentecostal Movement practice an invocation which they feel is the most natural method of summoning demons.  After which, they will incessantly (continuing without stopping) torment (extreme mental pain) their victim with demands for forgiveness.  Yet when it comes to them "forgiving", it's not happening.  When the scripture is in context, it may be of help.  When out of context, it becomes a tool of destruction against people the pastor may not like, for his own personal reasons.  He has "no guilt, no reason or shame (Behemoth, 2013)."  When misused, the dogma (belief, tenet, ideology, theology, principle) becomes a pagan (delighting in sensual pleasure and material goods) rape of the poor.  Some of the worst scandals (an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or ethically wrong) never come out, as a target is silenced using a "forgive" doctrine (a set of beliefs).  Forgive really means, "Sit down and shut up."

"Christianity claims to oppose the force known as 'Satan' and yet there are many themes of satanic ritual within its beliefs and ceremonies.  Some of the most famous church 'leaders' and evangelists on the planet are Illuminati operatives (a person who does secret work) who use religion to manipulate and brainwash their followers while engaging in satanic rituals that beggar (to defy) belief (bibliotecapleyades.net)."  The Illuminati is a secret society formed May 1 (Beltane), 1776 to oppose superstition (belief resulting from ignorance), religious influence on public life, and state power abuse.  Modern conspiracy theory has it that certain world events are being controlled by members of the Illuminati.  Professor Robert Hare is a criminal psychologist: "It stuns me, as much as it did when I started 40 years ago, that it is possible to have people who are so emotionally disconnected that they can function as if other people are objects to be manipulated and destroyed without any concern."  What "psychopath" means may not be quite what you may think.  They can be charming (magnetic, captivating or engaging), but callous (not feeling or showing any concern about the problems or suffering of other people).  "Those afflicted [by the mental illness] can be calculating, cunning and disarming.  Because guilt, shame and remorse (a feeling of being sorry for doing something bad) are absent, the suffering they cause others is meaningless to them.  Some enjoy seeing others in desperate circumstances as it instills (breeds, implants, infuses) an inner sense of superiority.  It is especially hard to get your mind around it, if you are the target.  For [spiritual] kin (family) to want to ruin you is a taboo (not acceptable to talk about) mind twister (bent into a shape that isn't normal), but it happens (Carrie Barron, M.D.)."  They may accuse a person of things they have not done and deliver him or her to the gods of the lower world - an execration (the act of cursing).  When I Corinthians 5:5 is used against someone who is bothering a pastor, it becomes a usage of ancient times, to mess someone up (to cause a person emotional problems).  This has nothing to do with the Apostle Paul's intent (the thing you plan to achieve), but becomes a part of the black arts as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary: "The use of means believed to have supernatural power over natural forces, that is associated with the devil or evil spirits."  Or the church's version - "the operation of spiritual forces invoked" and "the actions of Satan as applied", as quoted from two United States Federal Court briefs (a document that states the facts a lawyer plans to use in a court case).

The scripture is used to scapegoat (a person unfairly blamed for something others have done).  Church persons invoking a curse are the devil's rejects.  "The Ancient Greeks practiced a scapegoating rite in which a cripple or beggar was cast out of the community in response to a natural disaster (Wikipedia)."  The pagan rite has seeped (to enter or penetrate slowly) into the church.  "These people are usually esteemed and influential persons in society whose opinions as pastors or theologians carry a lot of weight.  Their deceptive teachings are very subtle forms of disinformation (false information given to people) that cannot be easily discerned (recognize as separate and distinct) from the truth.  Their supporters [can] have [a] blind and unconditional faith in them (Professor J.S. Malan, University of the North, South Africa)."  This is the exact opposite of what organized religion should be doing.  There is a method (a systematic procedure) to fight this.  "See the cross of the Lord; begone, you hostile powers.  No longer dare, cunning serpent, to deceive the human race.  Therefore, accursed dragon and every diabolical (extremely evil) legion, we adjure (to urge to do something) you to cease deluding (cause to believe something that is not true) human creatures and filling them with the poison of everlasting damnation (a state of being in hell).  Begone Satan, father and master of lies, enemy of Man's welfare.  Bow down before God's mighty hand.  We humbly entreat (to ask in a serious manner) Thy glorious majesty to deliver us by Thy might from every influence of the accursed (very bad) spirits (The Roman Ritual, 1964)."  The Medal of St. Benedict has this written on the back: "May the Holy Cross be my light.  Let not the dragon be my overlord.  Step back, Satan, do not suggest to me your vanities - evil are the things you proffer (offer to give), drink your own poison."  "The medal [of St. Benedict] is one of the oldest and most honored medals used by Christians and due to the belief in its power against evil is also known as the 'devil-chasing medal' (Wikipedia)."

St. Benedict, after whom the medal is named, founded the great Benedictine abbey (a church connected to other buildings) of Monte Cassino in 529.  This sits on a hill between Rome and Naples, Italy and was a site of a vicious (very violent) battle in World War II.  The root of the abbey goes back another 500 years.  "Oh to see the dawn of the darkest day; nailed to a cross of wood.  Took the blame, bore the wrath; every bitter thought, every evil deed.  Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath quakes (to shake violently) as its Maker bows his head.  Oh to see my name written in the wound, for through Your suffering I am free.  Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live (The Power of the Cross, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend)."  "The Cross is the mighty and profound (all encompassing) symbol of Christianity, a symbol whose meaning is inexhaustible (incapable of being worn out).  In a canon (dogma decreed by a church) composed by Gregory of Sinai - 'O cross.  Be to me the might, the strength and the power.'  The Cross is the most powerful, almighty (intense, explosive, fearsome - having complete power) source of comfort and strength (Professor I.M. Andreyev, March 25, 2014)."  Gregory of Sinai was an Orthodox monk who lived in the early 14th century.  John Chrysostom, an important Church Father who lived in the 4th century, wrote concerning the Sign of the Cross.  "Be not ashamed then of so great a blessing, lest Christ be ashamed of you, when He comes with His glory, and [the world] appears before Him - shining beyond the very sunbeam.  For indeed the cross comes, then uttering a voice [about His] appearance, and pleading with the whole world for our Lord."  So, why then do evangelical ministers toy with demons?  Maybe Prince of Darkness, a 1987 American supernatural cult film, inspires them.  A church may tell you, in so many words or less, when they use this, after bad things occur: "Nothing should have happened to you." 

Wilbur N. Pickering, a Wycliffe Bible translator, wrote: "I went to the Amazon jungle in 1963 in order to begin our ministry among the Apurina people - so far as I know I was the first one to challenge Satan's dominion over this people, a total domination down through the centuries.  My basic purpose in being there was to see if I could remove that people from Satan's house and take them to Jesus' house; if I could transfer them from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.  But unfortunately, in spite of a Master of Theology degree and having read the Bible through several times, I was not aware of these truths [about spiritual warfare].  I got clobbered (hit very hard).  I got it without mercy, until I had had enough.  Satan wiped the floor (defeat someone very easily) with me."  He referred to the Apurina tribe, consisting of about 2000 to 4000 people scattered over sites (a place where something is located) close to the banks (land alongside a body of water) of the Purus River, in the Brazilian Amazon rain forest.  Evangelicals do not like to lose, so if nothing else will work, they will act as though they have done you a favor.  They think that they are purging (to free from moral impurities) out the dross (something that is base, trivial or inferior) within your life to enable (to make possible) you fulfill some sort of sacred (entitled to reverence and respect) "mission" with their jungle justice.  Whatever it takes to get out from under a fetish (a strong and unusual need or desire) with the satanic.  As one parishioner said to a target after that person pursued redress (something given to someone to make up for damage) - "Every move you make to antagonize (to irritate or upset) or blow it up (expose it to the world), you get stopped."  An act of pure evil, a hate crime - summoning evil spirits - is a more accurate assessment (an evaluation [making of a judgment] of the nature, quality or ability).  Using this scripture against people you don't like, is not at all what the Apostle Paul had in mind (having conceived as a purpose of this scripture).  When they get done with you, you're nothing more than a dead man running.  back to top

 A church scam.  Former U.S. House of Representatives' speaker Dennis Hastert was given fifteen months for molesting a handful of boys many years earlier when he was a middle school coach.  "Fifteen months is a slap on the hand for a man who admitted to abusing boys as a trusted coach before serving as House speaker for almost a decade.  The sentence that Dennis Hastert received Wednesday (April 29, 2016) will never give back the lives he stole and emotional well-being he destroyed.  Mercy should be rendered to those who cared enough not to repeat their heinous (very bad or evil) crimes, and not to a man who tried everything, including paying off one victim who was reportedly 14 years old when Hastert molested him, to avoid exposure (Camille Lambardi-Olive)."  "Hastert leaves behind a life of destroyed lives, and it's what he'll be remembered for (Jeff Ostach)."  "Only fifteen months.  Are you kidding me?  That is a green light license to the pedophiles (a person who has a sexual interest in children) to go after children (Paul McClintock)."  Religious people may use subterfuge (a use of tricks to hide or avoid) to make it look like a perpetuator (someone who is doing something that should be stopped, but allowed it to continue) is actually a victim (a person who has been harmed): "Is the purpose of prison to punish or remove people temporarily from society so they can reform?  It appears Dennis Hastert has reformed already.  In John's Gospel, Jesus was addressed by a group of men who had trapped a woman in adultery.  They said that under Jewish law, they could stone her to death.  Jesus said he who was without sin should cast the first stone.  The group dispersed, and Jesus said to the woman 'Where are they who condemn you?  Go and sin no more.'  We should imitate this philosophy wherever possible (Patrick Murphy)."  It sounds good.  We are not perfect...who are we to "throw stones" at a former speaker of the House?  But in reality, this scripture is being used by organized religion to protect a pedophile.  Another example is the 2002 home video Left Behind - Tribulation Force, based on the Left Behind book series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.  In the film, a small group of "Christians" defeat the "Antichrist" on an occasion.  However, in the Book of Revelation, the story is one of the "seals" and the "plagues".  It consists of the spirit of the God of the universe smashing planet Earth into the dust (fine particles of matter).  As an angel says: "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the Earth," and etc.  The "Antichrist" doesn't figure in too much at all. 

The movie is misguided (having wrong or improper goals or values) in that it has virtually nothing to do with "what is to come".  Claiming that I Corinthians 5:5 is to prepare someone for a "holy mission", is in reality a "revenge spell" used to take revenge on someone without them knowing who it is.  A "spell" can be placed by someone who means you harm.  An example of how it can be done.  "O Lucifer, a shining star; touch him, burn him from afar.  Revenge will now have its day."  The use of paranormal (of, relating to, or being part of a reality beyond the observable physical universe) methods to manipulate (to control or take advantage of) natural forces - magic - is wrong, whether it be black-white-green-yellow-red-blue, or whatever.   Organized religion demands forgiveness (the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well), but doesn't show remorse (an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after they have committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful or violent).  The root of all of this is the Lucifer Effect (Philip Zimbardo): "Dehumanization (to treat as though a person is not a human being) is one of the central processes in the transformation of ordinary, normal people into indifferent or even wanton (not limited or controls) perpetrators (produce, perform or execute) of evil.  Dehumanization is like a cortical (outer layer of a bodily structure) cataract (condition in which part of an eye becomes cloudy impeding sight) that clouds one's thinking and fosters the perception that other people are less than human.  It makes some people come to see those others as enemies deserving of torment, torture, and annihilation."  Dehumanization may lead to this.  "Coercive (use of threats) and manipulative leaders/groups create psychological and spiritual hostages out of vulnerable or well-intended human beings (Harvey Schwartz, PhD)."  The reaction may be - "there are tons of unverifiable (not capable of being verified, confirmed, checked or proven) information" or "the entire unfortunate incident (something that happens) has been resolved (to deal with successfully - clear up)" or "it might just be an illusion (something that deceives or misleads)" or the sarcastic (an expression showing scorn - open dislike and disrespect) "the dark side doesn't suit you (something you like)". 

Steven Hassan, in his book Combating Cult Mind Control, outlines a whole series of situations that may occur.  Someone from the occult.  "One occult-group ex-member I worked with was convinced that her spiritual body was disintegrating and that she was dying.  She suffered tremendous anxiety attacks, particularly in the middle of the night, and felt pains in her chest.  She had been tested by doctors for every conceivable problem, and it was determined that the difficulty was 'all in her mind'.  She had been programmed by the group to self-destruct if she ever left it."  A former Pentecostal.  "'It's very frustrating to realize over and over again that my mind is out of control.  Particularly when I'm in a stressful situation, I'll suddenly discover I'm babbling nonsense words and syllables - speaking in tongues - inside my head, and I've become disoriented from whatever I was doing.'"  A member of the Children of God, who walked out of the group.  "Five years later, a piece of cult literature turned up in his mailbox.  All his cult indoctrination was triggered by this one letter from the leader.  His mind started racing out of control.  A voice in his head told him to go upstairs and choke his children."  Philip Zimbardo, when he was president of the American Psychological Ass., wrote: "Mind control is the process by which individual or collective freedom of choice and action is compromised by agents or agencies that modify or distort perception, motivation, affect (a set of observable manifestations), cognition (conscious mental activities) and/or behavioral outcomes.  It is neither magical nor mystical, but a process that involves a set of basic social, psychological principles."  back to top

Leaving the fold.  Faith, Hope, No Charity is a look at fundamentalist (a belief that statements in the Bible are literally true) Christianity, written by Judith Haiven.  "Most of today's electronic (television) healing evangelists are much like old-fashioned 'medicine men' (a person believed to have magical powers of healing) - they live off the fears and hopes of simple people.  They are quacks (a person who pretends to have medical knowledge and skill) practicing spiritual medicine without a license - offering remedies (a treatment that relieves or cures a disease) they neither understand nor have bothered to examine.  They are not bright enough to be truly evil, but are nonetheless wicked men, leaving behind them a pathetic (marked by sorrow or melancholy) trail of emotional wreckage and illnesses sometimes worsened by neglect (a disregard of duty resulting from carelessness).  Our faith and hope may have been shaken (disturbed psychologically) by these ultra-conservative times, but the humanist (a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings) movement still possesses one genuine virtue which the born-again New Right is unlikely ever to acquire (obtain for oneself) - namely, the spirit of charity (love, benevolence and good will)."  Leaving the fold (the dangers of religious indoctrination and what therapists and victims can do to reclaim a healthier human spirit) occurs due to the depravity (a very evil quality or way of behaving) of born-again bigots (one who regards or treats members of a group with hatred or intolerance).  In rare instances (a certain point or situation in a process), people leave due to pathological liars (someone who compulsively tells lies - lies out of habit - or fabricates information) who are in ministry (positions of authority in a church), that enjoy stepping on little people (to treat ordinary people who are not wealthy, famous or powerful with arrogant indifference, as all-American rejects). 

"The Thirty Years' War began in 1618 when Protestant leaders threw two Catholic emissaries (people who are sent on a mission to represent an organization) out of a Prague (now capital of the Czech Republic) window into a dung (the excrement of animals) heap.  War flared (a sudden outburst) between Catholic and Protestant princedoms, drawing in supportive religious armies from Germany, Sweden, France and Italy.  Sweden's Protestant soldiers sang Martin Luther's Ein Feste Burg in battle.  Three decades of combat turned central Europe into a wasteland of misery.  One estimate states that due to the war and resulting famine and pestilence (a contagious or infectious epidemic disease), Germany's population dropped from eighteen million to four million.  In the end nothing was settled (to come to an agreement - Holy Horrors: An Illustrated History of Religious Murder and Madness, James A. Haught)."  Nothing much has changed nowadays, just more subtle (elusive or difficult to understand - skilled, clever), within organized religion.  "Young children aren't the only ones who lack the means to make informed decisions about religious doctrines.  What about the profoundly (difficult to fathom or understand) retarded or brain injured?  Some people live to adulthood never achieving the comprehension (the capacity for understanding fully) of the average six-year old.  Still others lack not the means, but the opportunity (a favorable combination of circumstances) to make a reasoned (based on sound reasoning or information) judgment about faith.  Severe (difficult to endure) brain injuries or developmental disabilities are relatively rare - but outside of Europe and the Americas, the world is populated by people, billions of them, who have never even heard of the saving power of Christ. 

"In centuries past, as theologians (an expert in the study of religion) wrestled (engaged in deep thought) with this contradiction (something with qualities that seem to conflict with one another), one solution that emerged was the concept of the noble savage.  It works like this - being saved by faith is really a matter of aligning (to get or fall into line) your will with God's will which, because God is good, means to place yourself on the side of goodness, real goodness, ultimate (of the greatest or highest degree or quantity) goodness.  Some believers argue that the concept of the noble savage applies only to those who haven't heard the way of salvation (The Dark Side, Valerie Tarico, Ph.D.)."  This doesn't necessarily mean Native Americans, but anyone organized religion regards as being others.  Anybody who connects (hitches, hooks, interlocks, joins, links) to the spirit of the God of the universe (the whole body of things observed or assumed) obtains (acquires, attains, gains, gets, procures, wins) paradise (a place or state of utter happiness - nirvana, wonderland, blessedness, Shangri-la) at death.  "Just as I was disappointed (to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of) with sexist (discrimination against women) and hypocritical Christians, I was soon influenced by non-Christians who impressed (gain the admiration or interest of) me.  When I made friends with two people involved in an Eastern religion, I found they were just as enthusiastic (ardent, eager, excited) about their religion as I was about mine...My helplessness and shame and dependence on God were being replaced with real abilities...I left the faith of my childhood because of old promises that were not fulfilled and new promises that were.  The diaries (a record of events or observations) I kept made it clear to me later that being a Christian did not solve my personal or interpersonal (being, relating to, or involving relations between people) problems.  I had mystical (having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence) experiences which seemed to give me a glimpse of the divine (of, relating to, or being God).  But in my everyday life I lived with enormous guilt (the fact of having committed an offense - Leaving the Fold, Marlene Winell, Ph.D.)." 

Here was a woman who, due to sexist and hypocritical church people, left the faith and replaced it with secular humanism.  Perhaps, in part, because of religionists (fundamentalists) who like to stay busy, and hold people in fear, she removed herself from the church.  "Recently my agnosticism (a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality is unknown) was shaken by the testimony of one man in particular, Howard Storm, a former hardened agnostic and chairman of a university art department, whose description of his long, involved, near-death experience roused (stirred up) me from my doubts and fears that there may be no afterlife (an existence after death), to positively hoping there may be one.  I am presently studying a number of books on near-death experiences, and have 'confirmed' several aspects of Storm's story by comparing it with the stories of those who have had remarkably (worthy of being or likely to be noticed) similar experiences.  Few stories I've run across are as long and detailed as his.  After his experience, Storm's life changed radically.  He quit his well-paid position at the university and attended seminary.  Today he is a minister in a liberal Christian denomination, United Church of Christ.  He is much happier than he was before the experience and does not fear death.  He continues to assert (to state or declare positively and often forcefully) that his near-death experience was 'more real' than waking reality.  Moreover, I've discovered that my personal happiness has increased with my renewed (to make like new) interest in an afterlife.  After studying only a few books on near-death experiences, and reading several skeptical (disbelieving, distrustful, doubting) pieces on them, I am still no expert on the phenomenon (something extraordinary or surprising).  However I am no longer the skeptic I once was (Leaving the Fold, Edward T. Babinski)."  

This from an ex-Methodist who wishes to remain anonymous ().  "It was a friendly group of people, some of whom became close family friends over the years.  And my parents were VERY involved in the men's and women's groups and especially building and work projects on the church itself.  They left the church a huge amount of $$ (money) when they died, which rubbed us daughters the wrong way () as they left their own grandchildren only a token tiny bit ().  After all the work, and money, the two of them had already given to the church over all the years they sure didn't owe the church anything as the church totally ignored () them during their dying years.  The long time family church friends had all died before my parents, and even though they were still VERY involved in work up until they became ill and couldn't, not one person even bothered to come visit or even call them, including the ministers (which seemed to switch around a lot during the later parts of their lives) even lifted a finger () to help THEM when they needed it.  The whole thing left a very bitter taste in my mouth ().  And then the newest minister, a woman, whom my Mom only met once as she was laying in bed actually dying, treated us daughters so horribly after Mom died.  It was so appalling () that it sealed the final nail in the coffin () about my extremely negative feelings about church at that point.  Apparently () she did the worst thing she could have possibly done to us and I, clearly, do not forgive her for it. I guess according to the church I won't be forgiven for my sins as a result - but that's fine with me as I have nothing to do with those who believe that these days."  back to top

Fallen shepherds.  Some claim that the criticisms of the church are no more than a rant (to complain in a way that is unreasonable).  The truth is that tens of thousands of people have been burned (as when someone in authority does something to oppress an individual) by organized religion, and want some answers.  "One evening I sat almost alone in the once-bustling (involved in constant activity) cafeteria at the [PTL] Heritage [USA] Grand Hotel.  As I looked down Main Street, I saw nothing of the crowds that once flocked (a great number of persons massed together) to this place.  At the weekend the hotel would be much busier, but on this day even a whisper would echo in the empty mall.  As I walk around Heritage USA, everywhere I look I see the innocent victims of one couple's (Jim and Tammy Bakker) fall.  I see dedicated staff members working more than one job at minimum wage to keep heart and home together.  I see people who invested life savings, only to believe the cause was lost.  I see dreams destroyed, loyalties betrayed, and hearts which are hopeful but hurt (Fallen Shepherds, Scattered Sheep, F. LaGard Smith)."  Heritage USA was a theme park (an amusement park in which the structures and settings are based on a central theme) built by Jim and Tammy Bakker in the 1980s.  A fallen shepherd is a religious leader who once had a high rating (considered to be of high quality), but has since been reduced to junk (that which is of low quality or worth) status (position or rank in relation to others). 

Rank and file (ordinary members of an organization as opposed to leaders) Catholics are getting fed up (annoyed or upset at a situation or treatment), too.  Melinda Henneberger, an editorial writer and columnist for The Kansas City Star, is one of them.  She writes this in November 2018.  "For months, American Catholics had been asked to be patient just a little longer.  No one can accuse me of being hasty (done with excessive speed).  But after a lifetime of stubborn adherence (sticking to and being faithful to one's purpose) on my part and criminal behavior on yours, your excellencies (bishops, cardinals, priests and etc.), you seem to have finally succeeded in driving me away (to behave in such a way that makes someone want to leave).  I'm not even sure there's such a thing as a former Catholic, but I'm about to find out.  I'm just all out of willingness (from being prepared to being enthusiastic) to be conned (an instance of deceiving or tricking someone) into believing that you - who have so long seen the devastation (great destruction or damage) of innocents (like a young child in a biblical massacre), principally (for the most part - chiefly; there was a logic to it) as a PR (public relations) problem - will ever change.  Like others who've had more than enough of your betrayals (acts of deliberate disloyalty) and arrogance and perpetual (never ending or changing) surprise about having coddled (treat in an indulgent [overly lenient] way) child rapists, I haven't been back to Mass since June [2018]."  As the Book says: "If you cannot contain [your sexual impulses], then marry.  Better to marry than to burn."  If these priests, bishops, nuns, cardinals cannot resist (withstand the action of abstaining [to refrain deliberately and often with an effort] from sex), the Catholic Church needs to change a policy (a course or principal of action), so that these persons may have an option (a thing that is or may be chosen) to marry.  The first Pope, the Apostle Peter, was married.  Peter's mother-in-law was healed, as proof (evidence).  "Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her (from Matthew)."  If the church does not change its policies, their (amoral [lacking a moral sense] clergy) plight (a dangerous, difficult or otherwise unfortunate situation), forever, may be like Paradise, Calif. after a fire roared (move at high speed making a long prolonged sound) through town.  "It just looked like Dante's Inferno (a journey through hell)," said evacuee (a person who has withdrawn from a place of danger) John Yates, who is 65-years-old.  "Black and red was all you could see."

A song by the Charlie Daniels band may be helpful.  "The devil (the supreme personification of evil often represented as the ruler of hell - Lucifer) went down to Georgia.  He was looking for a soul to steal.  He was in a bind (to burden with an obligation) because he was way behind (lots of things left undone).  He was willing to make a deal.  And the devil said, 'Now you play a pretty good fiddle (violin), boy, but give the devil his due (pay the devil what you owe him).  I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul because I think I'm better than you.'  The boy said, 'I'll take your bet - and you're going to regret it.'  The devil opened up his case and said, 'I'll start this show.'  And fire flew (moved through the air) from his fingertips as he rosined (to treat with an amber-colored resin) up his bow (a wooden rod with horsehairs).  He pulled the bow across the strings (wire or cord of a musical instrument) and it made an evil hiss (the sound a snake makes).  When the devil finished, Johnny said, 'Well, you're pretty good.  But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done.'  Fire on the mountain - run, boys, run.  The Devil's in the house of the rising sun.  Chicken's in the bread pan picking out dough.  Granny, does your dog bite?  No, child, no.  The devil bowed (to cease resistance) his head because he knew that he'd been beat (overcome, defeated)."  These "shepherds" allowed the devil to overcome and defeat them.  back to top

Demons in a church.  Numerous previous topics depict (portray in words) what happens when "the operation of spiritual forces invoked" and "the actions of Satan as applied" are performed within the American Christian church.  Lives are torn to shreds (pulling something apart).  Many never recover (bring back to a normal condition), unable to have a family or a home - or have a family, a home, then watch it disintegrate (destroy the unity of).  The root cause of "games of the church", "occultism", "paganism", et.al., are mild forms of Satanism which are present in the church system.  It's not only within organized religion - it even extends to the British royal family. "The girlfriend of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, has been caught in a satanism scandal.  Her niece is reportedly a twisted Satanist.  Radar Online obtained chilling (very upsetting or frightening) handwritten letters and illustrations of Meghan's niece Noel Rasmussen, where she proudly boasts (brag, vaunt or crow) of selling her soul to the devil (www.aceshowbiz.com, April 26, 2017)."  Until the church decides to do something about it, there will continue to be a mass exodus (a flowing or going out) of individuals who are simply fed up, or who cannot take it anymore.  The American Christian church may respond with: "We love Jesus," or "Better accept Jesus into your heart," or the classic "Jesus saves" - but which Jesus do they refer to?  Given the sordid (immoral or dishonest) tales of abuse and misuse (mishandling, mismanagement, ill-treatment, damage, destruction or ruin) aforementioned, it may be that their "Jesus" destroys to save - that particular "Jesus" did not die to save. 

They talk of Jesus as being the earthly son of the Virgin Mary - the queen of heaven.  However, the son of the queen of heaven is actually Baal, a fertility (to be fruitful, productive, plentiful or thriving) god - the abundant material life concept.  Although there is nothing wrong with having "plenty" (being more than enough, without being excessive) in a context of spirituality, and people all over the world want this, yet these religious people's lives revolve around the dollar bill.  If these people claim to serve the "Jesus" who died to save, maybe they should listen to the Sermon on the Mount.  "Happiness to you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Bliss (a feeling of well-being) to you who hunger now - for you shall be filled.  Good fortune to you who weep now - for you shall laugh...But misfortune to you who are rich - for you have received your solace (psychological comfort).   Sorrow to you who are full - for you shall hunger.  Distress to you who laugh now - for you shall mourn and weep."  It sounds like Jesus favors (friendly regard shown toward another especially by a superior) those who have suffered in Aleppo, Syria, and really has no great love for a rich church bigot (the intolerant).  Maybe it's time to take the Jesus-who-died-to-save's words more seriously.  back to top

Scattered sheep.  "In 1971, my senior year at Crescenta Valley High School in Southern California, I accepted Jesus into my heart and became a born-again Christian.  When you are in the religious bubble everything makes sense and there is no such thing as chance, randomness and contingencies (events that may but is not certain to occur).  Things happen for a reason and God has a plan for each and every one of us.  When something good happens, God is rewarding us for our faith, our good works, or our love of Christ.  When something bad happens, well, God does work in mysterious ways you know.  Inside the bubble the explanatory filter (distinguishing the intelligent from the unintelligent) works at every level, from the sublime (causing wonder or astonishment) to the ridiculous (extremely silly - absurd), from career opportunities to parking spots (an area where people leave their cars).  I thanked God for everything, from getting me into the Christian-based Pepperdine University - my grades and SAT scores were unspectacular - to finding a parking place at theaters and restaurants.  In the Christian worldview (the way someone thinks about the world) there is a place for everything and everything is in its place, and believe it or not when you are committed to that belief system, it is internally consistent (marked by harmony, regularity or steady continuity) and logically coherent (having clarity or intelligibility - understandable) - as long as you don't look too closely and you are surrounded by others who are also in the bubble.  When you step outside of the bubble, however, and encounter people who employ (make use of) reason and science in their lives, the internal logic unravels (cause to come apart).  I'm talking about the kind of reason and logic called Street Epistemology (study of knowledge) by the philosopher Peter Boghossian (A Manual for Creating Atheists, Peter Boghossian, forward by Michael Shermer)."  Scattered sheep are those who were formally involved in organized religion, but have left (go away from) for a variety of reasons.  His "born-again" experience was hallow (a depressed part of a surface) and fake (artificial, bogus, false, sham, unauthentic, counterfeit), and so wouldn't last for a duration (continuance) of time.  Possibly if he had connected to the Unseen, he might not have fallen off a cliff - something had gone terribly wrong, and he lost a faith. 

The Day After is a Hollywood movie made in 1983, thirty-five years ago.  With technology, it is almost inconceivable (too extraordinary or improbable to believe - incredulous, unimaginable, unthinkable) as to what new and better weapons of mass destruction are now available in this day and time.  Thirty-five years before 1983, in 1948 - to show how fast things can change - the Soviet Union did not even have WMD.  The Day After details a period when Cold War tensions (pressure, strain stress) reach a boiling point (a point at which people might do or say something violent).  The story begins with East Germany blocking West Berlin.  It escalates (to increase in extent, volume or number) to a tactical (used for a specific plan to achieve a specific goal) nuclear exchange against NATO.  Nuclear missiles are then fired from Kansas silos against three hundred fired from Russia.  About eight or nine Soviet warheads (a section of a missile containing the explosive charge) begin to appear overhead (in the sky above someone) in Kansas to destroy the missile silos.  Kansas City, and other towns are leveled (completely destroyed) - a classic nuclear Armageddon.  This text appears on the screen at the end of the film.  "The catastrophic events you have just witnessed are, in all likelihood, less severe than the destruction that would actually occur in the event of a full nuclear strike (a surprise attack using overwhelming force) against the United States.  It is hoped that the images (visual representations) of this film will inspire the nations of this earth, their peoples and leaders, to find the means to avert (prevent something bad from happening) the fateful day."  Reason and science might possibly create this nightmare scenario (a sequence of events).  Perhaps reason and logic can then explain to whoever remains on the planet - if they would care - when it occurs in a near or far future, as to why it happened in the first place.  But, then, who will really know. 

The Terminator is a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was later governor of California.  The story concerns the aftermath (a period of time after a bad or destructive event) of a nuclear war occurring sometime between 1984 and 2029.  After the war, the city of Los Angeles is a nuclear wasteland - due to a nuclear winter, famine and an electromagnetic pulse (rapidly changing electric and magnetic fields coupled with electrical and electronic systems producing damaging current and voltage surges).  Schwarzenegger, the "Terminator", and another character in the film, are sent back from 2029 to 1984 to change history.  If L.A. was to become a nuclear wasteland someday, perhaps our atheist friends, if they are still alive, can explain to whoever else is left living, the reason and logic which caused it.  "Early in the 21st century, Skynet, a military defense program, became self-aware.  Viewing humanity as a threat to its existence, Skynet decided to strike first.  The survivors of the 'nuclear fire' called the event 'Judgment Day' (Terminator Salvation)."  In 1959, almost sixty years ago, another movie was made, On the Beach.  This details the increase of radiation nine-fold in one year in Australia - the only country left intact (having no relevant component destroyed) on the planet after an atomic war.  "Who would believe that human beings would be stupid enough to blow themselves off the face of the Earth.  Everybody had an atomic bomb, and counter-bombs, and counter-counter bombs.  The devices outgrew us - we couldn't control them."  This said by a scientist character in the film.  Instead of dealing with these issues (a vital or unsettled matter), the church ignores them - spending its time speaking of a rapture - a Jesuit doctrine, a Great Tribulation, and an Antichrist.  These things are so far removed from the mainstream (the dominant trend in opinion) of reality, being issues on the fringe (the outer limit of something), that it is pitiful (causing disgust).  The only thing anywhere near close is the Great Tribulation, more accurately defined as a nuclear war.  It could be said that dreamers (those who are guided more by a delusion [a belief based on false or incomplete information] than by the real world) don't want to talk on it.

So, then, organized religion degenerates (decline or deteriorate mentally or morally) into inquisitions, to defend the church.  Those who question are punished, as enemies.  The philosophy is simple - some souls have strayed (wandered from proper limits) so far from God, that pain is the only way to call them back (to communicate the need to someone to return from one situation to a previous).  A definition of inquisition is an investigation conducted with little regard for individual rights.  This goes back to a former Roman Catholic tribunal for the discovery and punishment of heresy (adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma).  Some church leaders will invoke a demon (a source or agent of evil, harm, distress or ruin).  In a local church, these things might happen.  "Invocation means to summon or call upon, especially through speech.  Invocational rites are the summoning of spiritual powers (spirit-alembic.com)."  "When you mention the word spirit to someone, they will immediately connect it with the kind of evil spirits that inhabit every horror movie.  In fact, however, it is not as inherent to black magic as you might expect and spirits can actually be used to add power to a rite or ritual (Wishbonix)."  "The word invocation means to draw out a spirit or a spirit force (www.onstar.com)."  "Invocation is the process of calling the spirit energy...many reserve this task for their leaders (Rituals of Invocation)." "Demonic invocation is much the same as any other kind - ensuring an actual physical representation of something known to cause harm or mischief.  There are different forms of invocations within various cultures.  One of the most intense stems (originates or caused by) from a religion known as Voudou, a form of Haitian Voodoo (www.auntyflo.com)."  However, the result of such policy (a definite course of action) is that people scatter (go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole).  There are, in the United States, more persons of faith outside the church than there are inside the church.  back to top

Another Jesus.  Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University, said this on February 16, 2016.  "The historical (concerning past events) Jesus bears almost no resemblance (a state of being like something else) to the American Jesus conjured up (created or imagined) in the late 1970s."  A pastor fondles (touches or handles in a gentle way) a parishioner's foot at a foot washing ceremony.  A pastor accuses a parishioner of not paying a tithe (dedicating a tenth of your money to "God" in a church).  A pastor harasses a parishioner about not being able to easily find a job in a sharp recession (economic downturn).  In a rural church, the pastor derides (expresses contempt for) a struggling parishioner for walking through muddy (soft, sticky matter resulting from the mixing of earth and water) streets after a severe rainstorm, as his vehicle was broke down: "You came to the church in dirty jeans (some elders wore blue jeans in that church, referred to mud on the cuffs [the end part of a trouser leg] of the jeans)."  Justifying divorce - in a fifty parishioner small-town church with two divorces in three and a half years - a pastor's comment: "There's another pastor in this town who is a divorcee."  Concerning a parishioner who forecloses upon another parishioner, a pastor: "I don't care about their business."  Concerning a parishioner who questions a pastor's policies: "He that criticizes me blasphemes God."  A congregation, led by their pastor, looses Satan on a parishioner, at an ex-communication ceremony.  A pastor accuses a parishioner of not taking communion in a church (he did, but the pastor was mad at him, because he refused to be the pastor's friend).  These are results (consequences, effects or outcomes) of people who serve (perform duties for) another Jesus.  This Jesus is cold-blooded (without emotion or feeling) and exacting (rigor [harsh inflexibility] or sternness [severe in nature]).  The biblical Jesus operates (functions or behaves in a proper or particular way) differently.  This is a paraphrase (a repeat something written using a few different words): "Two men went into a church to pray - one a deacon (an official in a church ranking below a minister), the other a drug dealer.  The deacon prayed, 'God, I thank you that I'm not like other men - thieves, adulterers, or this drug dealer.'  But the drug dealer didn't even look up.  He said, 'God, have mercy on me.'  God blessed the drug dealer, not the deacon."  He enjoyed camping out (sleeping outdoors): "Our Father in heaven feeds the birds in the air, how much more will He give to you?"  When the biblical Jesus came riding into Jerusalem, Israel to make an appearance almost 2000 years ago, He rode on a donkey (an animal that is like a small horse, but with large ears), not on a white horse, as was a custom for the Romans of that day.  He said to religious leaders (paraphrase): "You pray lofty (deserving to be admired) prayers and love your shows (allowing something to be seen) of piety (devotion to God) in a church...hypocrites (persons who put on a false appearance of virtue or religion)."  Then He gave people a lesson on prospering (the idea of thriving or flourishing): "It is harder (more difficult) for a rich man to enter the realm (region, sphere or domain) of heaven, than it is for a camel (a large hoofed animal that has one or two humps on its back) to go through an eye of a needle (a tiny aperture [hole or small opening] that thread is put through when sewing cloth)."  Maybe one of the camel's hairs (coarse [composed of large particles] hair used in making paint brushes, etc.) might fit (be the right size or shape) through a needle's eye - only one.  

Kate Bowler is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel.  She wrote this for The Washington Post, August 29, 2017.  "With his yachts (large, usually motor driven, boats used for pleasure cruising) and jets and endlessly-smiling mouth offering promises of Your Best Life Now - that's the name of his best-selling book - [Joel] Osteen has been lambasted (criticize someone severely) as being, at best, sluggish (slow to respond) in providing emergency aid to those suffering from the [Hurricane Harvey] disaster and, at worst, a hypocrite (a person whose actions give a false idea of stated beliefs) who cares more about people's wealth than welfare.  From aerial views (viewpoint seen at a high elevation) of his jaw-dropping (causing great surprise or astonishment) mansion to the cut of his navy suits (the style of dark blue garments), he always looks like a man with a good reason to be smiling.  He is a wealthy man who unapologetically (being such without apology or qualification) preaches that God has blessed him, with the added bonus that God can bless anyone else, too.  The promise of the prosperity gospel is that it has found a formula that guarantees (an assurance for the fulfillment of a condition) that God always blesses the righteous (acting in accord with moral law) with health, wealth and happiness.  For that reason, churchgoers love to see their preachers thrive (grow vigorously - flourish) as living embodiments (someone who is a perfect representative or example of a concept or ideal) of their own message.  [However] when the floodwaters rise, no one wants to see Osteen float (move gently on the surface of a body of water) by on his yacht, as evidenced by the Christian satire (use of irony, sarcasm or ridicule) website the Babylon Bee's shot (a remark aimed at a particular person) Tuesday (August 29) [aimed] at him: 'Joel Osteen Sails Luxury Yacht Though Flooded Houston To Pass Out Copies of Your Best Life Now'."  However, nobody wants to sleep under a bridge.  The Ancient of Days wants people to have enough for their needs.  But how much is enough?  The biblical Jesus said this, when speaking of a church.  "You say, 'I am rich - I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'  But you do not realize that you are wretched (extremely or deplorably bad or distressing), pitiful (pathetic), poor (of a low or inferior standard or quality), blind (unable or unwilling to discern or judge) and naked (without protection - from Revelation)."  Apparently, the biblical Jesus, and this other Jesus, do have a difference of opinion (a conflict of opposed ideas or attitudes or goals).  

When people get wrapped up (completely absorbed [having one's attention fully engaged] or engrossed [so consumed you don't notice anything else]) with another Jesus, things can degenerate (having lost the physical, mental or moral qualities considered normal and desirable).  "Why Are So Many Christians Practicing Witchcraft" is the title of an article by Jennifer LeClaire, who is the news editor of Charisma magazine.  She says, "Witchcraft is not always so mysterious.  Indeed, word curses fall into the realm of witchcraft.  However you define it, though, practicing witchcraft is a serious sin, and far more [American] Christians are experts at sorcery than you may realize."  She goes on.  "In modern times, word curses aren't so dramatic.  When we speak negatively over someone's life - 'They will never hold down a job,' 'Their marriage is bound to fail,' 'The doctors said he's going to die in thirty days,' - we are agreeing with the 'enemy's plan'."  This one's from Above and Beyond Christian Counseling.  "Word Curses Activate the Demonic Realm (the region, sphere or domain within which anything occurs)"  Certain American Evangelicals practice this.  "A man told me when he was a little boy his father repeatedly released word curses over him saying things like, 'You will never accomplish anything.'  Throughout his life when taking exams or trying to complete projects, he would have lots of troubles.  Word curses can be discovered in many common sayings.  'You will never amount to anything,' 'You are just like your father, good for nothing,' 'You are the dumbest (lacking intelligence or good judgment) kid in the world.' (Jonas Clark)"  This does not necessarily mean releasing demonic spirits, however.  Institutional religion refers to itself as the body of Christ.  They say, "Don't say anything negative (marked by denial, prohibition or refusal) about 'the body of Christ'."  They may possibly come from a loyalty to another Jesus.  In Christianity After Religion - The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening, Diana Butler Bass offers a interpretation of the "spiritual but not religious" trend (a general direction in which something is developing or changing) and shares a vision (seeking to accomplish things that matter to you) for a faith that stays true (continuing to be loyal and supportive) to a message of hope.  In the book, she mentions: "We are moving toward a completely religionless (a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency [thoughts and actions taken that express power] or agencies) time.  Even those who honestly describe themselves as 'religious' do not in the least act up to it (Letters and Papers from Prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer)."  He wrote this from a Nazi prison in 1944, seventy-five years ago.  "She (Diana Butler Bass) points the way beyond either clinging (adhering closely) to or rejecting (dismissing as inadequate, inappropriate or not to one's taste) creeds (a system of Christian or other religious beliefs) and institution-bound (chained to an establishment) religion to a faith (complete trust or confidence in a person or thing) centered not on 'what' we believe - or do not believe - but on what she calls the 'how' question (Harvey Cox)."  "For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough (from II Corinthians)."  back to top

Neo-Nazism in church.  "The treaty (Treaty of Versailles), negotiated between January and June 1919 in Paris, was written by the Allies with almost no participation by the Germans.  The negotiations revealed (made known to others) a split (a division or disagreement) between the French, who wanted to dismember (partition or divide up) Germany to make it impossible for it to renew (resume after an interruption) war with France, and the British and Americans, who did not want to create pretexts (reasons given in justification) for a new war.  The eventual treaty included fifteen parts and 440 articles.  Part I created the covenant (a formal, solemn and binding agreement) of the new League of Nations, which Germany was not allowed to join until 1926.  Part II specified (identified clearly and definitely) Germany's new boundaries, giving Eupen-Malmdy to Belgium, Alsace-Lorraine back to France, substantial eastern districts to Poland, Memel to Lithuania, and large portions of Schleswig to Denmark.  Part III stipulated (said exactly how something must be done) a demilitarized zone (an area in which it is forbidden to station military forces) and separated the Saar (a river of western Europe) from Germany for fifteen years.  Part IV stripped (to deprive of possessions, to divest of honors) Germany of all its colonies (territories controlled politically by a more powerful country), and Part V reduced Germany's armed forces to very low levels and prohibited Germany from possessing certain classes of weapons.  Part VIII established Germany's liability (the state of being responsible) for reparations (compensations for war damage paid by a defeated state).  Part IX imposed numerous other financial obligations (binding agreements committing a nation to making payments) upon Germany (The History Channel)."  Germany received a raw deal (a situation in which individuals are taken advantage of and treated unfairly).  In the German mind, then, someone had to pay (exacting [to perform] revenge [the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered]) for the misery (a state of feeling of extreme distress or unhappiness) inflicted (to force persons to experience very unpleasant things) by people more powerful than they. 

So, they looked for individuals who could be punished so that the German would feel good about himself, or herself, again.  And the obvious targets (selected as objects [persons to which a specified action is directed] of attention or attack) were Jews, gypsies and political dissidents.  Jews were an ethnic group dating back to ancient Israel.  Gypsies were a group of people who traveled from place to place, especially in Europe, and who originally came from northern India.  They traditionally lived by itinerant trade (traveling salesmen, hawkers and peddlers).  Political dissidents were persons who opposed official government policies (plans of what to do in a particular situation).  The selection of targets was also a part of Nazism, not just its militarism (the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests).  This philosophy (study of the fundamental nature of knowledge) seeps (flows, oozes and dribbles) into the evangelical mentality (a particular way of thinking).  In a metropolitan (big city) American evangelical church, a young lady who worked as a head bookkeeper in a bank receives a raw deal from her various boyfriends.  One dumps (get rid of someone no longer wanted) her, one says, "I don't even like being seen with her."  One, whom she cared about deeply (ignoring and sacrificing ourselves for someone), leaves the church, and her.  She was a tomboy (a girl who enjoys rough, noisy activities generally associated with boys).  And she had a solution (a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation).  When a farm boy (a young man who works on a farm or ranch) asked her out for a date (a social engagement [an arrangement to go somewhere at a fixed time] between two persons), and did not kiss on the first date, she said, "I don't want to eat with him, I don't want to talk with him, I don't want him calling me on the phone."  It was time for someone to pay for the misery inflicted upon her by others.  So, she proceeded to do everything her former boyfriends had done to her, to the farm boy, including having him thrown out (get rid of as worthless or unnecessary) of the church.  That intrinsic desire (behavior that is driven by internal rewards, which arises from within the individual because it is naturally satisfying to you) to have someone suffer for what others have done, when elevated to a science (an organized body of knowledge) can rise to a level of neo-Nazism.  She felt so good (a feeling of satisfaction [fulfillment of one's wishes]) when it was all over, as if God had vindicated her (to be totally set free from any form of torment [mental suffering]), as she mutilated (inflicted serious damage on) the farm boy's life. 

An evangelical woman is humiliated in her marriage by her husband's actions.  She and him joint-owned a mid-sized business and he bilked (obtained unfairly or by deceit) a sum (amount) of money out of it.   After a divorce, she lived in a house across the alley from a person who lived in an efficiency (a one room apartment with a private bathroom), and did lawncare (mows grass) for a career.  She proceeded to vent (to seek her just revenge) by going to his landlady, and doing everything she could to have him evicted (expelling a tenant), as she regarded him as a lower form of life (the worst of the worst, with the most modicum [a small amount, particle, speck, fragment, scrap or crumb] of intelligence).  It's the same situation - she got a raw deal from someone who had power over her (a husband), and she sought a target who was struggling to make ends meet (to earn enough income to provide for basic needs).  An American evangelical minister is thrown out of a church for various reasons, in a mid-sized town.  He feels unfairly treated and humiliated (made to feel ashamed or embarrassed).  His denomination (subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name) finds him a church in a small town to pastor (oversee a church).  Immediately, he looks for someone to exact revenge (punishment or expiation for a wrong, done especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit) upon.  He is fortunate, as in this small town farm and ranch community there is a drought and economic recession occurring.  Someone attends the church who is just starting out in the agriculture business and is just struggling to survive.  When he walks three miles down to the church on a muddy day, due to a vehicle breakdown (mechanical failure), in near-new washed jeans, its - "You came to the church in dirty jeans (the pastor)."  In this particular church, elders wore blue jeans.  When this church person shares his woes (sorrows or distresses) with the pastor in his plight (a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation) not being able to find a decent job in the economic downturn (decline in business, or other activity), its - "I don't care where you've worked."  When this parishioner (one who belongs to or attends a particular church) refused to be his pastor's friend, the minister retaliated (do something bad to someone) by accusing, falsely, the individual of not taking communion in the church. 

Within ecclesiastical circles (connected with the Christian church), refusing communion is a very serious offense.  Finally, things got to a point where the minister felt comfortable with inflicting as much emotional pain as possible.  With his small town congregation backing him (confirm what someone says, support what someone does), he handed the parishioner over to Satan to afflict as Satan would.  So, all kinds of bad things happened to this person on satanic feast days, and the congregation was joyful (causing great happiness).  In the pastor's mind, justice had been served (meted out, delivered) for the raw deal he had gotten in his previous church.  Just as when the Jews were herded (moved in a particular direction) into the boxcars (enclosed railroad freight cars) in World War II, destined for slavery, and the Germans rejoiced (felt great delight).  The evangelical pastor who replaced him in the small town church commented: "Nothing wrong with pronouncing a curse upon a Jew, let them be accursed (under a curse)."  Pronouncing a curse means 1) the harmful energy released against another by the use of witchcraft, hateful words, slander or by one's hateful attitude, 2) a prayer or invocation (the summoning of a deity or the supernatural) for harm or injury to come upon an individual, 3) you literally wish ill upon someone else, and, moreover, it often (but not necessarily) involves invoking the aid of a deity, 4) a curse was considered to possess an inherent (permanent and inseparable - built-in) power of carrying itself into effect and referred to supernatural beings, 5) a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone, 6) a curse is a pronouncement of ill fortune (bad things happening).  A locker plant is a smaller version (a particular form or variant) of a packing plant, where beef is processed for public consumption - all the way from killing the animal to packaging the product.  In this locker plant three people worked on the "kill floor", where the beef was first slaughtered. 

A favorite game played with one of the workers was attempting to get him to say, in a boisterous tone (a rough and noisy quality in a person's voice), Heil Hitler.  A German American was the supervisor there.  An evangelical, a Lutheran and an ex-Pentecostal joined in on the "fun", pressuring (the use of persuasion, influence or intimidation) the worker to do it.  Toward the end of the year this person worked there, things got a little nasty (highly unpleasant).  The German supervisor dropped a beef hind quarter onto the target's foot and said, "You should have moved your foot."  The evangelical, who was a body builder, tossed (thrown with a quick, light motion) the worker up against a wall, with a right fist swirling (a whirling motion).  The ex-Pentecostal came at the "target" with his fists.  And, the Lutheran said, "I'll lock you up (put behind bars) and you won't come out for a nice long time," meaning that's what will happen if you don't hurry up and say Heil Hitler, in a right tone of voice (it's not about what you say, but the way you say it).  And that is exactly what did happen, as he refused to say Heil Hitler - the person was locked up, in jail, on a bogus (not what it appears or claims to be) charge (an accusation, typically one made against a person brought to trial).  One would think, had it been World War II, that these people worked for German military intelligence.  You cannot do anything you want, in spite of (without being affected by the particular factor mentioned) what the church tells you, and get off scot free (avoiding punishment for something that deserves punishment), when you are dead.  As the Book says (paraphrase): "Many will say to me on that Day (that is, Judgment Day) - we have prophesied (to predict with assurance or on the basis of mystic knowledge) in your Name, and in your Name we have done wonderful things.  Then will I profess (assert, state or affirm), I don't even know you, depart (get away) from me (to eternal prison), YOU WHO VICTIMIZE (from Matthew)."  Victimize means to single someone out for cruel or unjust treatment.  It means to pick on, push around, bully, abuse, discriminate against, take advantage of, give someone a hard time, hassle or gang up on.  back to top

The rape of the poor.  There is an ancient song that says: "Nearer (closely associated with) my God to you - even though it be a cross that raises (lifts or moves an individual to a higher position or level) me."  There are some American evangelicals who actually can foam at the mouth (to become very angry) at the mention (an instance of calling attention to something) of a cross.  It is absolutely antithetical (being in direct and unequivocal [leaving no doubt] opposition) to the way they live.  With a church person who had the disasters (sudden events bringing great damage) occurring on satanic feast days, due to an evangelical church ceremony (a formal act that is part of a religion), there was a general (widespread) acceptance (approval) among evangelical people.  The pastor had said, at the ceremony, "He who criticizes me blasphemes (speak irreverently [showing a lack of respect] about sacred things) God," and "I loose Satan upon you (the target)."  The rape of the poor means to plunder (despoil, ransack or devastate), to pillage (ruthlessly crushing or marauding [going about in search of people to attack]), to plow under (cause to disappear), and in general wreak havoc (cause or inflict a large amount of damage or harm) in the lives of those you feel can't fight back.  An evangelical official, in authority (having official power to make important decisions) above that minister: "Have you read the Book of Job?"  He was referring to a person named "Job" in the Bible who went through a loss of property, dying children, and finally - health issues.  This was due to Satan turned loose.  As a result of the satanic mischief (a cause or source of harm, evil or irritation) accomplished by the minister, a fellow evangelical minister (a woman) gloated (observe or think about something with triumphant [to express jubilation] and often malicious satisfaction)  over his success with: "You have nothing, you've been condemned by a court."  In her mind, the poor were created for one holy (exalted or worthy of complete devotion) purpose - to be raped. 

How to get away with (escape blame, punishment or undesirable consequences) butchering (spoil, ruin, mangle or wreck) people's lives, in a church - use the forgive dogma (a principle laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true).  "We know this isn't what you want to hear, but you just need to forgive."  "Forgive or your sins won't be forgiven."  "You better forgive, because you have to live with it."  Sometimes they slip up (make a small mistake) with: "You should have got out (left) before you got hurt."  Apparently, an evangelical church is somewhat like a minefield (a subject or situation presenting unseen hazards).  And last, they will smirk (smile in an affected [artificial or pretentious] and smug [self-satisfied, complacent or superior] manner) and say, "Jesus forgave."  Did He?  "Woe (grief, unhappiness, and anguish) to you, religious leaders (those who are recognized by a religious body as having some authority within that group) - for you shall receive the greater damnation (from Matthew)."  The greater damnation means a place below hell (even worse than hell), especially reserved (kept by special arrangement) for them.  The last step for a successful rape - silence the target.  This is done through intimidation (frighten or threaten).  "Sit down and shut up."  This spoken by an American evangelical businesswoman, concerning the issue (a topic for debate).  "Your credibility (the fact that someone can be believed or trusted) is zero."  This spoken by a lay leader (a local church official) in a church.  Meaning, with all the bad stuff (unpleasant things that happen) we did to you, nobody is going to believe anything you say, anyway (in any case).  "You'd better not speak a word against ------- (the minister)."  This spoken by the wife of another pastor, who was aware (knowing that something exists) of the situation.  Meaning, if you say anything at all, more bad things will happen to you.  And, it is very effective, because it silences any form of dissent (differ in opinion). 

The old philosophy (making sense out of the world) of: "We Americans like to hear both sides (understand both of the opinions in a situation) of an argument (exchange of diverging views) before we decide which side we're going to take (give one's support to one person or group in a dispute)," is dead (gone, no more) with the evangelicals.  If done properly (correctly or satisfactorily), a target should be such a complete mess (a situation or state of affairs that is confused), that it could rise to a level (measure, volume or size) of mind control (brainwashing).  There are many arguments, pro and con (both for and against), concerning the possibility of this.  "Many shall come from the East and from the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the realm (a place) of heaven.  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast (throw forcibly in a specified direction) into outer darkness - and there shall be weeping and gnashing (grind together) of teeth (from Matthew)."  Russia, China and the Middle East often refer to Europe and America as the "West".  Those areas, as well as Asia, constitute (be considered as) the "East".  So, "many" shall come from the Europe, America, Russia, China, the Middle East, Asia and anywhere else, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in paradise.  "We who are children of the kingdom have a specific nature and character.  Our character, our essence (indispensible quality of something), our element (an aspect of something abstract), and our nature with all its expression (the process of making known one's thoughts) are altogether different from the people who are under the worldly, earthly ruling (an accepted principle that states the way things are - Living Stream Ministry)."  But, the "children of the kingdom", the church group, may be tossed (throw something carelessly) into "outer darkness", that is, the blackness of darkness, forever.  "Today, and every day, we continue to make the choice to triumph over evil (Brian Sandoval, Nevada governor, October 1, 2018)."  This is a little different than the Pentecostal philosophy of the "loosing of Satan".  Call it mind control, call it what you wish.

In Jamaica, it is estimated that one American female is raped a month, according to U.S. State Department statistics (a branch of mathematics dealing with data collection, organization, analysis, interpretation and presentation).  "She woke up on the shower floor crying and naked - choke marks (from squeezing or obstructing the windpipe [air passage from throat to lungs] - to strangle or stifle) on her neck, scratches (minor cuts or grazes [a scraping along the surface]) on her body.  The 18-year-old au pair (a young foreign woman) vacationing in Jamaica had no idea how she wound up in a bathroom near the pool until hours later.  She had been drugged (unconscious or in a stupor [a state in which a person is almost unconscious and their thoughts are not clear] as a result of taking or being given a drug) and raped, she said, and the resort did nothing to help her.  Jamaica resorts silenced (prohibited or prevented from speaking) assault claims for years (Detroit Free Press, November 30, 2018)."  When the rape of the poor occurs in a church, the individual is silenced.  Others in the church may become aware of that person's plight (a dangerous, difficult or otherwise unfortunate situation), and will not lift a finger (not make any effort to help).  back to top

 American arrogance.  A sixth reason for the name American Cross is that it is an anti-arrogance tool to deflate American arrogance.  It needs a monument this big to fix it.  Americans could learn to be more thankful.  The story of the Cross is a story of a prince who became a pauper (a very poor person), and loved it.  "Pride goes before the fall (from Proverbs)."  The arrogance, if left unchecked, can in time bring down the whole country.  The occupation of Iraq is an example when arrogance can cause our leaders to make missteps (actions or decisions that are mistakes).  "The dispute concerns what many regard as the Bush administration's single biggest mistake in the first few months after Saddam Hussein's ouster (the act of removing someone from a position of power) - the order in May 2003 to disband the Iraqi army.  It was a move that put 250,000 young Iraqi men out of a job, out on the streets, angry and armed - and all but guaranteed the violent chaos to come.  Paul Bremer, who was the head of the U.S. led Coalition Provisional Authority, arrived in Baghdad on May 14, 2003.  The next day, he released CPA Order No. 1, barring members of the Baath party (Sunni Muslims) from all but the lowliest government posts.  The next day [May 16], he issued CPA Order No. 2, disbanding the Iraqi army (Slate Magazine, September 7, 2007)."  The New York Times wrote: "For their guiding principles, the leaders of the Islamic State...are open and clear about their almost exclusive commitment to the Wahhabi movement of Sunni Islam (September 26, 2014)."  There is a possibility that CPA Orders No. 1 and 2, back in 2003, created a frustrated, core group of Sunni Muslims, who desired revenge.  The Islamic State has provided a vehicle (that which allows something to be achieved) for that.  Another root of the arrogance is the debt load (a total amount of debt an organization has on its balance sheet) of America.  According to Newsweek: "This is how empires decline.  It begins with a debt explosion.  If the United States doesn't come up with a credible (able to be believed) plan to balance the budget, the danger is a major weakening of American power (December 7, 2009)."  When that was written, the debt was over $12 trillion (a trillion equals a thousand billion, or a million million).  As of January 2020, the debt is about $23 trillion.  This is somewhat unnerving (to make someone feel afraid) when the total revenue (money collected by a government through taxes) for the United States government was only a little over $3.5 trillion in 2019. 

President Trump is creating, with a runaway (out of control) National Debt, another Great Depression.  It is like a balloon.  It is blown up (enlarged), and blown up, and blown up, yet someday it will pop (crack, snap, burst or explode).  It is an elephant in a room (an obvious problem or risk that no one wants to discuss).  If the government wants to do something right, it could chop (reduce the size of in a way that is regarded as ruthless [having or showing no pity]) the National Debt to below $10 trillion.  This may be done by selling the national parks, or whatever, privatizing (the transfer of a business, industry or service from public to private ownership and control) much of what the government owns or controls now.  Perhaps a look at the Eisenhower era of the 1950s, some of the most prosperous times in American history, when the rich were in a 90% tax bracket (a category of a range of incomes) could be helpful.  If President Trump does not cut the national debt in half, possibly within ten years America will face the greatest depression (a sustained [continuing for an extended period] long-term downturn [business decline] in economic activity marked by low production and sales, and a high rate of business failures and unemployment) the world has ever known.  This is not an option, this is a necessity.  And the luxury.  From air conditioned dog houses to the Forbes Investment Guide to extravagant (spending too much money) SUVs, the luxury only feeds the arrogance.  How much is enough.  If the Ruler of the Universe can enjoy being homeless, why can't we?  The cross site (an area of ground on which a monument is constructed) will let people know that there are things in America other than the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., the Strip in Las Vegas, Wall Street in New York City, smog (fog mixed with smoke) in Los Angeles, "big oil" in Houston, or vehicle manufacturers in Detroit.  Since people cannot take their money with them when they die, they why be uppity (arrogant, presumptuous).  Or as Maurice Rawlings, a famous heart surgeon, put it almost forty years ago: "There is a peculiar apathy (a feeling of not having much emotion or interest) and moral degeneration (not honest, proper or good) now occurring in America and it closely resembles the situation that led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire as was classically described over two hundred years ago by Edward Gibbon.  Although our American democracy has existed only one-fifth as long as the one thousand-year reign of the Roman Empire, the same five attributes (inherent characteristics) outlined by Gibbon as the cause for the fall of Rome are ominously (suggesting that something bad is going to happen in the future) existent in the United States today: 1) bountiful affluence and luxury; 2) a disparaging (degrading) separation of the very rich and very poor; 3) an obsession with sex; 4) a loss of originality and creativeness; 5) the emergence of a welfare state." 

This is not to say that everything in America is bad.  "It was March 4, 2002.  American special operations forces were fighting to establish observation posts (positions from which soldiers can watch enemy movements) high above Afghanistan's Shah-i-Kot Valley, as conventional troops continued their push through the valley floor below.  One of those men, Air Force Technical Sgt. John Chapman, was alone in the pitch-black (extremely dark), wounded and slowly regaining (getting back) his consciousness in the thigh-deep snow of a 10,469-foot peak (a pointed top of a mountain) known as Takur Ghar, as scores (over forty) of al-Qaeda fighters closed in.  For his actions earlier in the battle and for his incredible bravery (extraordinary mental or moral strength in the face of [when confronted with] danger, fear or difficulty) on that peak, according to sources (persons who give information) familiar with the matter (a subject under consideration), Chapman will be posthumously (after the death of the originator) awarded the Medal of Honor later this year.  And Chappy - as he was known by his teammates (members of a group who come together to achieve a common goal) - will be the first Air Force service-member to receive the nation's highest award for valor (great courage in the face of danger) since the Vietnam War.  It was the second day of what would be the largest battle involving conventional U.S. troops in the Afghanistan War, called Operation Anaconda.  But on that early Monday morning, the MH-47 Chinook helicopter that was supposed to ferry (transport) Chapman and the SEALs to Takur Ghar was late.  The operators (persons who are often successful) were due to lift-off from their Gardez base around midnight and quietly land near the base (bottom) of the peak before climbing to the top.  But maintenance delays and pressure from senior officers forced Senior Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski, the team's leader, to nix (cancel) the safer approach (preliminary guidance before landing), instead opting (making a choice from a range of possibilities) to 'land the x' of the peak at around 3 a.m.  It would prove a gross (very obvious and unacceptable) miscalculation (a wrong judgment) in retrospect (review of a past course of events - Task and Purpose, April 20, 2018)." 

There are still people in the United States who make tremendous (very great) sacrifices (things you give up, for the sake of a better way [method, style or manner]) for a cause (an idea or principle strongly supported by certain people).  "When people come to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, one of the things they are reminded of is resilience ("bouncing back" [to become healthy, happy or successful again] from difficult experiences).  This is a place that can provide a modicum (a small quantity) of comfort (a pleasant and satisfying emotion) and hope that, despite the worst imaginable things (it would be impossible to think or conceive of something worse) that human beings can do to one another, we also have the capacity to help one another (Alice Greenwald, Chief Executive Officer of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum)."  Yet there are still people who walk in absolute (complete total and utter) arrogance.  When American Cross Global began to fundraise for the monument, and needed help on social media, a "data scientist" in Amarillo, Texas made it abundantly clear (extremely obvious) the only thing he was interested in was the money.  He was emailed on October 23, 2018: "This project deals with those who lose courage and confidence due to a traumatic event - PTSD veterans, survivors of terror bombings and school shootings, wildfires and hurricanes.  I guess the question is, if you do not wish to help, can you recommend someone in this town who actually cares."  To which the American responded: "Let me remind you that this is your project not mine and it certainly puts you in no position to judge me.  Not only will I not make a recommendation (a suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action) to you, but I will be sure to share your communications with me to all my peers (persons equal to others in abilities, qualifications, age, background or social status)."  The callous (showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others), unfeeling (heartless, uncharitable or unsympathetic) attitude has sadly infected (contaminated, polluted or tainted) so many in the United States.  Helping people who lose courage and confidence, and are having a rough time (a challenging period during which an individual struggles), get some heart back, should be everyone's concern (responsibility, business and duty).  back to top

American exceptionalism.  Wikipedia: "In June 1927 Jay Lovestone, a leader of the Communist Party of America and soon to be named General Secretary, described America's economic and social uniqueness.  He noted the increasing strength of American capitalism, and the country's 'tremendous reserve power'; a strength and power which he said prevented Communist revolution.  In 1929, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, disagreeing that America was so resistant to revolution, called Lovestone's ideas 'the heresy of American exceptionalism' - the first time the specific (special or particular) term 'American exceptionalism' was used."  So Stalin created the term (a word or phrase that has an exact meaning).  Wikipedia continues: "Parts of American exceptionalism can be traced to American Puritannical roots.  Many Puritans with Arminian (maintaining the possibility of salvation for all) leanings embraced a middle ground.  They believed God had made a covenant with their people and had chosen them to provide a model for other nations of the Earth.  One Puritan leader, John Winthrop, metaphorically (a figure of speech) expressed this idea as a 'City upon a Hill'."  The concept of exceptionalism is a part of 21st century America.  Again, Wikipedia: "In a speech about the Syrian crisis on September 10, 2013, Barack Obama said, 'But when, with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death, and thereby make our own children safer over the long run I believe we should act.  That's what makes America different.  That's what makes us exceptional.'  In a direct response the next day Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an op-ed (an essay in a newspaper) for The New York Times on September 11, 2013, articulated (to express oneself readily, clearly or effectively) that, 'It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation.'  He went on to say, 'We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.'"  However one views American exceptionalism, the [mind-altering] drugs and the rock [music] create a delusion (a belief that is not true) that, when combined with other things, may lead to a pax Americana.  back to top

Pax Americana.  The term comes from pax Romana of the Roman Empire and pax Britannica of the British Empire.  It was first used in the August 1894 issue of Forum: "The true cause for exultation (a feeling of great happiness) is the universal outburst of patriotism in support of the prompt and courageous action of President Cleveland in maintaining the supremacy (the quality or state of having more power) of law throughout the length and breadth of the land in establishing the pax Americana."  It was used again in the October 1898 issue of the International Journal of Ethics in an article written by Felix Adler: "Instead of establishing the pax Americana so far as our influence avails (is useful to others) throughout this continent, we should enter into the field of Old World strife, and seek the glory that is written in human blood."  What Adler was saying was that America should step out of its influence in the New World, at the end of the 19th century, and into influencing the rest of the world.  But is that really a true pax Americana.  The American tradition of always returning governance (the government) back to the indigenous (native) people and only insisting on a rejection of previous isolationist (a belief that a country should not be involved with other countries) policies is not imperialism (a policy of extending the power of a nation over other areas of the world).  When the troops and the governors move into various countries and don't leave, that is a true form of pax Americana, in the tradition of pax Romana and pax Britannica.  Deposing (getting rid of) of a psychopathic (a person who sabotages other people's lives) dictator (i.e. Saddam Hussein) who committed numerous crimes against humanity, spending billions of dollars to rebuild a country, and then leaving, is not a true form of pax Americana.  In northern Iraq, on a reconnaissance (an exploratory military survey of enemy territory) mission near the Syrian border in 2009, Specialist Chris MacKay said: "I'd give my life for America any day.  Wouldn't think twice."  Staff Sgt. Derek Fisher, on why he joined the military: "I've tried to make my dad proud (causing someone to feel very happy and pleased) every since I've been a little kid.  It was hard to see if I was doing that."  Marine Gunnery Sgt. Edward Allier hunting snipers in the Sunni triangle that same year: "I can control a lot of things, I don't like contributing to, or even indirectly, being responsible for a kid being hurt, because they are an innocent thing." 

This aptly (appropriate, suitable) reflects an attitude of gratitude (a feeling of appreciation or thanks) on the part of the soldiers.  Not only soldiers, but law enforcement.  "The selfless acts (an act devoted to others welfare or interest and not one's own, giving to others without looking for personal gain) of bravery from the men and women of law enforcement is real, just like the power of prayer (reliance on the assurance that the God of the universe is listening to you - a principle weapon of spiritual warfare) is real (South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster)."  Those who used the term pax Americana in the 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries were and are misguided (having or showing faulty judgment or reasoning) in their application (implementation or use).  What the future holds, no one knows.  John F. Kennedy said this: "I have, therefore, chosen this time and place to discuss the most important topic on earth - peace.  What kind of peace do I mean and what kind of peace do we seek?  Not a pax Americana forced on the world by American weapons of war.  Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave.  I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living."  President Kennedy understood, more than most, what a real pax Americana is - a forced peace.  The Islamic State has accused Americans of being modern legionnaires (a large group of soldiers in ancient Rome).  They forget the Declaration of Independence, that all people, on the planet, "are endowed (to provide with something freely) by their Creator with certain unalienable (impossible to take away) rights - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".  Admiral James Stavridis is dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO.  He writes, concerning Afghanistan, in June 2017: "The good news in terms of this Graveyard of Empires is that the U.S. and NATO are hardly empires - we have no desire to rule Afghanistan, control its not insignificant (too small or unimportant to be worth consideration) mineral wealth, defend its borders or guide its destiny (a great or noble course of events).  Our mission (important assignment) remains ensuring the nation is relatively stable (firmly established)."  back to top

A school.  "If any person builds on the 'foundation' gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - everyone's work will become clear.  For the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire - and the fire will test everyone's work, of what sort it is.  If any person's work which he (or she) has built endures (lasts), he (or she) will receive a reward [a position] - (from I Corinthians)."  There are those who regard the spirit of the God of the universe as a glorified babysitter (nursemaid) or a sugar daddy (one that helps another with gifts or money).  "God, please take care of me and give me anything I want."  That is not what it is.  "For the realm (sphere, domain) of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard (from Matthew)."  The wood, hay, straw group are those who wish the realm of heaven to do something for them.  The gold, silver, precious stones group are those who wish to do something for the realm of heaven.  The spirit of the God of the universe looks for workers who wish to work in His vineyard - the world system.  People who work for the realm of heaven get a fun (what provides amusement or enjoyment) eternity (in paradise, perhaps a nice house).  Those who believe but won't work get a boring (dull, stale, tiresome) eternity (in paradise, maybe sweeping the streets of gold).  The entire (having no element or part left out) American Cross Global webpage could be viewed as a school (to teach or drill through instruction, in a specific knowledge or skill) - to include the documentary screenplay Beltane, more than a hundred and twenty different topics (matters dealt with in a text) of interest contained on the ACG homepage (a page typically encountered first on a Web site, that usually contains links to other pages on the site), and the book Horse Creek.  The screenplay details the effects (changes that result when something is done) of satanic power (dealing with the deceiver who leads humanity astray) when exercised (something that is done) by organized religion.  The homepage contains various subjects from "what is to come" to "post-traumatic stress" to "spiritual but not religious people", etc.  If one would read one chapter of Horse Creek per week, which is designed mostly for those in organized religion, here is what could be done - week one: Introduction; week two: Rapture Myth; week three: Four Horsemen; week four: Your Soul; week five: Second Death; week six: Other Religions; week seven: The Trinity; week eight: The Messiah; week nine: Fall of Man; week ten: Church Today; week eleven: Church Tomorrow; week twelve: Mechanics of Salvation; week thirteen: Way of the Cross.  Horse Creek mainly concerns church doctrine (something that is taught).  Organized religion, worldwide, could use a 21st century version (interpretation, performance, rendition) of a 16th century Protestant Reformation.  back to top

Online education.  L. Rafael Reif, President of MIT, wrote an online learning article for Time: "Everyone would like a solution to the problem of rising college costs.  While students worry that they cannot afford a college education, U.S. colleges and universities know they cannot really afford to educate them either.  Some wonder whether today's online technologies - specifically, massive open online courses, or MOOCs, which can reach many thousands of students at a comparatively low cost - could be an answer.  I am convinced that digital (characterized by electronic and especially computerized technology) learning is the most important innovation (something created for the first time through the use of the imagination) in education since the printing press.  To understand the potential, it's important to focus on what digital learning is good for.  At least at the moment, it is surely not very good at replacing a close personal connection with an inspiring teacher and mentor (someone who teaches to a less experienced and often younger person).  However, it is incomparably (having no equal for excellence) good at opening possibilities for billions of human beings who have little or no other access of higher learning.  The global appetite (a strong wish for something) for advanced learning is enormous: MIT Open Course Ware - the initiative we started in 2002 to post (place, position) virtually all our course materials for free online - has attracted 150 million learners worldwide.  Today learners from every state in America and every nation on earth are actually taking MIT online classes."  Mr. Reif concludes, "I strongly believe that by capitalizing (to gain by turning something to advantage) on the strengths of online learning, we will make education more accessible (possible to get, situated within easy reach, capable of being understood), more effective and more affordable for more human beings than ever before (October 7, 2013)."  Michael Luger, director of Manchester Business School in England: "Online learning has been advancing at a pace (rate of movement) in higher education for many years and will continue to expand in the future."  Online schools, stressing spiritual values at no charge whatsoever, to be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, are long overdue.  Many working class people would wish to learn about spirituality (of, or relating to, eternal things), but cannot afford a school's charge, and so watch cable TV or get on Facebook instead, in an evening.  back to top

Spiritual but not religious people.  There has been an explosion in the persons of faith outside the church category (classification, group, set), over the last quarter century.  "According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65% of us believe that 'many religions can lead to eternal life' - including 37% of white evangelicals, the group most likely to believe that salvation is theirs alone.  Also, the number of people who seek spiritual truth outside the church is growing.  Thirty percent of American call themselves 'spiritual, but not religious', according to a 2009 Newsweek poll, up from 24% in 2005 (Newsweek, August 24, 2009)."  Thirty percent of the population of the United States is approximately 90,000,000 people.  These are the people the monument is geared (to make ready for effective operation) for.  This group, serviced (the act of delivering to someone a notice) by one lone (being the one of a class with no other members) Cross, is about as big as the group which attend thousands of churches in America.  The monument gives the spiritual, but not religious segment (one of the pieces) of society some form of direction (guidance or supervision of action or conduct).  It doesn't tell them what to do.  They can figure that out for themselves.  All over the world, people shun (to avoid deliberately and especially habitually) organized religion.  To them, services (a meeting for worship) are vain (having no real value), sermons are corny (tiresomely simple and sentimental) - church bores them.  In Russia over half the population claims to be Orthodox Christians, yet just over half of these (34% of the total population) has been in a church.  In Western Europe, church attendance (the act of being present at a place) is less than 10% in certain areas. 

Barbara Ehrenreich did an interview for Time sometime in April 2014 with Belinda Luscombe.  Belinda - "You're a noted and stanch (firm in one's allegiance to something) atheist.  Yet much of your memoir Living with a Wild God is about your own mystical (having a spiritual meaning or reality) encounters."  Barbara - "All kinds of people have uncanny (being beyond what is normal) experiences which they can see as transcendental (supernatural) or unspeakable or whatever."  Belinda - "Would you every explore the idea this 'other' that you've experienced could be God?"  Barbara - "The religions that impress me are those which involved ecstatic (very happy or excited) communion (an act or instance of sharing) with a deity (essential nature of a god) or spirit."  "'Religion is an impediment (a bar or hindrance - impairment) to knowing God,' says Lotz (Anne Graham Lotz, the second of Billy Graham's five children).  'Procedures, rituals, creeds (formula of religious belief) - how in the world can they help you connect with God?'...Like so many other Christians, Lotz 61, had too many bad experiences in church to believe that God dwells there - and only there.   She was kicked out of one church, she says, for insisting on the inerrancy (exemption from error) of Scripture.  She left another more recently in a fight concerning a new pastor.  She soon came to realize that she was a 'believer in exile' (Newsweek, September 21, 2009)."  This lady is a daughter of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, whose crusades (a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal) have been around for most of the second half of the 20th century.  One would think she would be loyal to the church, given that her father worked with so many churches.  Yet here is a woman, at least for a period in her life, who was spiritual but not religious. 

In a small town southwest of Forth Worth, Texas in the mid-1970s, a Southern Baptist preacher drank whiskey and beat his teenage daughter, the daughter becoming spiritual but not religious as well.  The preacher got away with it for years before someone finally turned him in.  The last example is from Transformed by the Light, Melvin Morse, M.D.: "For nearly fifteen years Suzanne was married to an abusive husband.  To the outside world, her husband seemed like the perfect man.  In the privacy (a state of being apart from company or observation) of their home, Suzanne suffered through almost daily sessions (meeting or series of meetings) of slapping and shouting.  She wanted to divorce him, but her religious parents told her to stay married and maybe things would change."  After fourteen years of this, Suzanne plowed (to move through in a forceful way) into the rear end of car while driving, not paying attention.  At the hospital, with internal bleeding, she had a cardiac arrest.  "In the midst of all this hospital chaos (a state in which everything is out of order), I just zoomed (to go speedily) out of my body and into a tunnel.  I was walking down the tunnel with the most beautiful light at the end that was enveloping (surrounding) and warm."  After her near-death experience, she left her abusing (malediction, put-down, criticism, tirade - harsh insulting language) husband and stopped going to the church where he was a leader.  She went back to school, remarried and has a decent home.  Her faith is still intact (not lacking in any part), but in a different form.  "I don't go to church anymore, but I have a deep personal faith.  I can never be a part of organized religion again.  After standing so close to the light, I can't bear bureaucracy (a system that has many complicated rules and ways of doing things) in religion anymore."  One begins to understand why there are approximately 90,000,000 people in the persons of faith outside the church category.  back to top

Jacob and Esau.  According to polling done by statistician (a person who collects statistics - a collection of quantitative data) Tom Smith for the American Jewish Committee, 2005 - 80% of Black American believe that God exists, 75% of Hispanics believe God exists and 65% of Caucasians (relating to the white race) believe God exists, in the United States.  35% of evangelical Protestants attend religious services, 30% of Catholics attend services and 25% of liberal Protestants attend services.  So there is a discrepancy (the state of disagreeing) between Americans who believe in some form of God and those who attend religious services.  Islam has its roots (a point or place at which something is invented or provided - origin, source, beginning) that go all the way back to Esau in the Bible.  Esau became the father of the Arab nations.  Christianity has its roots that go all the way back to Jacob in the Bible.  Jacob became the father of the nation of Israel, which is where Christianity began.  So Islam and Christianity are brother religions.  There have been spats (petty quarrels) between the brothers, but living in a nuclear age this may become dangerous (creating a risk of bodily injury).  The wars between Islam and Christianity in the Middle Ages don't work today given the nuclear, biological and chemical capacities (largest amount that something can hold) of the participants (players, colleagues).  A peace can't come until each religion sees the other as a viable (capable of working) path to the spirit of the God of the universe. 

Christianity is a forest (a tract of wooded land) religion.  Islam is a sand (desert, arid) religion.  Christianity tends to flourish (to grow vigorously - thrive, prosper) in areas of the world where the topography (the physical features of a region as a whole) is green.  Islam tends to flourish in areas of the world where it is arid (having very little rain - desert).  Doesn't make one religion superior (excellent of its kind - better) to the other, just a different religion for a different region and climate.  "Muhammad ibn Abdallah (570-632 A.D.) was an Arab businessman, trading in skins and raisins in and around Mecca.  He was also a devout (devoted to religion) man and every year he would retire (withdraw from activity) to a cave on the summit of Mount Hira, just outside the city, to pray and fast.  In 610, he experienced such a powerful vision while in that cave that he came back a changed man.  Islam literally means surrender, and those who followed it were surrendering their entire beings to Allah and His principal concern, as passed on via (by way of) Muhammad, for justice and equity (justice according to natural law or right).  The Qur'an promised (10:26) 'those who do good' that 'a most happy state' would be theirs (Heaven, Peter Stanford)."  Perhaps it could be said that Islam, a monotheistic (a belief that there is but one God) religion, was given to the Middle East simply because the church refused (to show unwillingness to do) to do its job back in the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries, reaching out to that area.  They are commanded in their Bible to "go out into all the world" and bring monotheism to everyone.  The church failed miserably in the Middle East within that time frame (a period of time that is used or planned for a particular action or project).  back to top

The Qur'an.  Islam holds (remains secure and intact in) that there is a single indivisible (impossible to divide or separate) God.  Here are some quotes from what certain Bible believing Christians may regard as a book of an infidel (an unbeliever with respect to a particular religion) religion.  "How can you deny God?  Did He not give you life when you were lifeless; and will He not cause you to die and again bring you to life; and will you not ultimately return to Him (al-Baqarah 2:28)?"  "Beyond them there lies hell, and nothing of what they have earned in this world will be of any benefit to them (al-Jathiya 45:7)."  "Those who disbelieve the Qur'an and prior scriptures will have yokes (servitude or bondage), and wealth and children are not the indications of God's pleasure.  It is belief that brings you close to God (Saba 34:31-32)."  "When the angel said, 'O Mary.  God gives the good news with a word from Him - you will be given a son, his name will be Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary.  He will be noble in this world.'  Hearing this Mary said, 'How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?'  He replied, 'Even so, God created however He wants; whenever He decides to do anything, He only says to it be and it is.'  He [Jesus] will heal the blind and the lepers and raise the dead to life, by God...The unbelievers among the children of Israel plotted against Jesus, and God devised a plan to raise Him up (al-Imran 3:47-54)."  "As for those who do not hope to meet Us on the Day of Judgment, being well pleased and satisfied with this worldly life - they will have the Fire as their abode (home - Yunus 10:5-7)."  "Do you think that you will enter paradise without any trials (a test of faith, patience or stamina) while you have known the examples of those who passed away before you?  They were afflicted (to distress so severely as to cause persistent anguish) with suffering and adversity (al-Baqarah 2:26)."  "God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.  The parable of His light is as if there were a niche (a recess in a wall), in which there is a lamp, the lamp is enclosed in crystal (quartz that is transparent or nearly so), the crystal is of a starlike brilliance (the state of giving off light), and is lit with olive oil (An-Nur 24:35)."  The last quote relates to this.  "That is the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world (from John)."  Christians who mock (laugh at in a scornful manner) Islam simply do so through ignorance.

Evangelical Christians have a tendency to twist (to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of) the Qur'an to their own ends (come or bring to a final point - finish).  "Right-wing (people who support conservative or traditional ideas) websites devoted to showing the 'truth about Islam' array (large group or number of things) searing (very intense) verses (some of the series of short subsections) that seem to show the Qur'an offering a nearly unlimited license to kill.  But the closer you look at the context (part of a discourse that surrounds a word or passage) of these verses, the more limited the license (allow an activity to take place) seems.  The passage most often quoted is the fifth verse of the ninth sura (a chapter of the Qur'an), long known to Muslims as the Sword verse.  It was cited by Osama bin Laden in a famous manifesto (a written statement that describes the policies, goals and opinions of a person or group) issued in 1996, and on the first reading it does seem to say that bin Laden would be justified in hunting down any non-Muslim on the planet.  The verse is often translated colloquially (types of speech not on a formal level) - particularly on these right-wing websites - as kill the infidels wherever you find them.  This common translation is wrong.  The verse doesn't actually mention infidels but rather refers to 'those who join (link or connect) other gods with God' - which is to say, polytheists (people who believe in many gods).  So, bin Laden notwithstanding, the Sword verse isn't the strongest imaginable basis for attacking Christians and Jews.  Still, even if the Sword verse wasn't aimed at Christians and Jews, it is undeniably bloody.  'And when the sacred months are passed, kill those who join other gods with God wherever you shall find them; and seize them, besiege them, and lay wait for them with every kind of ambush (a trap in which concealed persons lie in wait to attack by surprise).'  It seems that a polytheist's only escape from this fate (a determining cause by which things are believed to come to be) is to convert (bring over from one belief to another) to Islam, 'observe prayer, and pay the obligatory alms (money, food or other donations given to the poor or needy)'. 

"But the next verse, rarely quoted by either jihadists (a Muslim who participates in a holy war - a struggle or fight against the "enemies" of Islam) or right-wing websites, suggests that conversion isn't actually necessary.  'If any one of those who join gods with God ask an asylum (protection given to refugees) of you, grant him an asylum, that he may hear the Word of God, and then let him reach his place of safety.'  After all, polytheists are 'people devoid of knowledge (ignorant)'.  And the following verse suggest that whole tribes of polytheists can be spared if they're not a military threat.  If those 'who add gods to God' made 'a league (an association of persons or groups with common interests) [with the Muslims] at the sacred temple', then 'so long as they are true to you, be true to them - for God loves those who fear Him'.  For that matter, the verse immediately before the Sword verse also takes some of the edge off it, exempting (free from an obligation or liability imposed by others) from attack 'those polytheists with whom you are in a league, and who shall have afterwards in no way failed you, nor aided anyone against you'.  In short, 'kill the polytheists wherever you find them' doesn't mean 'kill the polytheists wherever you find them'.  It means 'kill the polytheists who aren't on your side in this particular war' (The Evolution of God, Robert Wright)."  Taking verses out of context (without the surrounding words, and so not fully understandable) is a dangerous habit (a negative behavior pattern).  They would damn (send someone to hell as punishment after death) 1.8 billion innocent (not deserving to be harmed - the quality of being sincere) people to hell, because of some radical Islamists.  When the Iranians accidently shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, General Hossein Salami, head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard said, on January 12, 2020: "I swear to Almighty God that I wished I was on that plane and had crashed with them and burned."  General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, said: "For a lifetime, we put our life on the line for the people, and today we put our honor on the line for God."  Radical Muslims (al-Qaeda, ISIS) kill, radical Christians (you figure it out) damn.  back to top

Hindus.  What about the Hindus.  Will they be locked up in eternal (having infinite duration) prison because they didn't accept Jesus as their savior?  With almost a billion Hindus in India alone, what if some Christian missionary (a person undertaking a religious mission) doesn't get to them all?  Maybe God will have to damn the missionary for not doing his job.  According to the Himalayan Academy: "Hindus believe in a one, all pervasive (spreading through every part) Supreme Being who is both immanent (being a part of the innermost nature) and transcendent (a part of a reality beyond an observable physical universe), both Creator and unmanifest (the Absolute - free from change, the unmoved mover) reality."  Wikipedia: "Hindu practices generally involve seeking awareness of God.  Therefore, Hinduism has developed numerous practices meant to help one think of divinity (ruler of the universe) in the midst of everyday life."  There are different schools of Hinduism: "Nyaya being the school of logic, makes the 'logical inference' (a conclusion or opinion that is formed because of known facts or evidence) that the universe is an effect (purport, intent) and it ought to have a Creator (Religious Truth, Robert Neville)."  "When God is viewed as the supreme personal Being - rather than as the infinite principle - God is called Ishvara ('The Lord'), Bhagavan (The Auspicious One') or Parameshwara ('The Supreme Lord') {Wikipedia}."  Hindus have their scriptures.  Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: "Lead us from darkness to light; lead us from death to immortality (1.3.28)."  This is similar to the Christian New Testament in the Bible.  "Hinduism is a major religion in India, followed by around 80.5% of the country's population of 1.21 billion (2012 estimate - 960 million adherents)  Other significant populations are found in Nepal (23 million), Bangladesh (15 million) and the Indonesian island of Bali - 3.3 million (Wikipedia)."  Organized religion may reach 7% of those living in India with its gospel.  Does this not make God into somewhat of a tyrant (an absolute ruler unrestrained by law), in that He would send those the church doesn't reach to prison forever, even though they believe in an "all-pervasive Supreme Being"?  What if their Supreme Being is the spirit of the God of the universe?  "The [near-death] experiences of Indian patients (in India) were basically similar to those of American patients.  Emotional responses included serenity and peace (At the Hour of Death, Karlis Osis, Ph.D. and Erlendur Haraldsson, Ph.D.)."  How can it be "similar" to American Christian experiences, as they haven't accepted "Christ"?  Or, the Native Americans and their belief in the "Great Spirit".  What if this is the spirit of the God of the universe, as well?  back to top

A dilemma of Krishna.  Krishna is said to be the second person in the Hindu Trinity.  Kersey Graves, a Quaker from Indiana, wrote a book back in 1875 comparing Jesus' and Krishna's lives.  1) In both cases warnings were issued that the local dictator planned to kill the baby and had issued a decree for his execution (murder).  The parents fled, Mary and Joseph stayed in Muturea, Krishna's parents stayed in Mathura.  2)  Jesus was called the lion of the tribe of Judah - Krishna was called the lion of the tribe of Saki.  3) Both referred to themselves as having existed before their birth on earth.  4) Both performed many miracles.  5) Both were meek and merciful.  6) Both forgave their enemies.  7) Both had untimely deaths.  According to religioustolerance.org: "If one were to delete from the Gospels the events of Jesus' life that seem to originate (begin to exist) in Krishna's story, one would basically end up with a story of: 1) a very human itinerant (traveling from place to place), Jewish, rabbi-healer, 2) a teacher who largely followed the teachings of Hillel - a liberal Jewish rabbi from the 1st century BCE and 3) an observant (keen, perceptive) Jew who had a special relationship with God - a kinship so close that Jesus referred to God by the familiar term 'Abba'.  At the minimum, He [Krishna] is believed to have been on Earth at least fourteen centuries before Jesus.  Hindus believe that whenever profound (all encompassing) evil spreads widely through the earth, the Supreme Being comes to earth in the form of a human person."  In The Skeptical Review online, Stephen Van Eck wrote: "Then there is the Hindu epic, Ghagavad-Gita, a story of the second person of the Hindu Trinity, who took human form as Krishna.  Some have considered him a model for the Christ, and it's hard to argue against that when He says things like, 'I am the beginning, the middle, and the end' (BG [Behagavad-Gita] 10:20 vs. Revelation 1:8 [I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end])."  Graves found 346 elements in common within Christian and Hindu writings on the issue.  If, and only if, Jesus and Krishna are manifestations of the Entity (this Person with a brilliance about Him) people say they encounter in paradise during a near-death experience, there might be a possible link (connecting element or factor).  But, Indians could not keep all the truths given them fourteen centuries before Christ, but changed some of them into the doctrine of the sacred cow some centuries later - just as Catholics worshipped the virgin Mary some centuries after Christ.  The Supreme Being comes to earth in the form of a human person may actually strengthen the case for Christianity.  If this Entity can manifest Himself in other time frames (being the God of the whole earth), with attributes (characteristics) similar to Jesus, then His miraculous birth and teachings (ideas or principles taught by an authority) on earth are not so fantastical (absurd, bizarre, crazy) after all.  back to top

Other appearances.  Could the Entity of Light have been present in other historical periods?  There is no absolute proof He was, and there is no absolute proof He wasn't.  When Krishna was born, Deity was said to be the agent of conception (process of becoming pregnant), but the mother already had seven children.  As a result, Hinduism is a decentralized religion, as opposed to Christianity.  According to Krishna.com: "For God there is no difference between material and spiritual energies, since they both come from Him and are under His control."  We like to take God and put Him into a nice little box, and say the only time He could have visited the planet was at the height of the Roman Empire, but that is not the way it is.  God is not in anybody's box, but does what He wants.  If He decides to drop in on humanity, He can do it whenever He pleases.  As was said to the religious leaders about Abraham, who was a Jewish leader approximately 2000 years earlier - "Before Abraham was, I am."  This isn't to say that the strongest manifestation wasn't the one which took place at the height of the Roman world, and possibly the only one - we don't know.  To quote from The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors by this Graves, concerning other so-called manifestations (one of the forms that something has when it occurs): "The 'New York Correspondent' published in 1828, furnishes us the following brief history of an ancient Chinese god, known as Beddou: 'All the Eastern writers agree in placing the birth of Beddou at 1027 B.C.  The doctrines of this Deity prevailed over Japan, China and Ceylon.  He was believed to have sprung from a virgin of royal blood, that the king of the country, uneasy at his birth, was desirous to put him to death, also that, being saved by shepherds, he lived in the desert to the age of thirty years, that he performed a multitude of the most astonishing miracles, spent his life fasting, and at his death bequeathed (handed down) to his disciples a volume in which the principles of his religion are contained.'  Here, it will be observed, are some very striking counterparts (remarkably similar to another) of the miraculous incidents found related in the Gospel history to Jesus Christ.  And no less analogous (similar, alike) is the well-authenticated story of Quexalcote of Mexico, which the Rev. Maurice concedes to be, and Lord Kingsborough and Niebuhr, in his history of Rome, prove to be much older than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  According to Maurice's 'Indian Antiquities', Humboldt's 'Researches in Mexico', Lord Kingsborough's 'Mexican Antiquities', and other works, the incarnate (having human nature and form) Quexalcote was born about 300 B.C. of a virgin by the name Chimalman, and led a life of the deepest humility and piety, retired to a wilderness, fasted forty days, and was finally crucified between two thieves.  Again, 'Quexalcote is represented, in the painting of Codex Borgianus, as nailed to the cross' (see Mexican Antiquities vol.6, p. 166)."  Maybe these other manifestations actually took place, maybe they did not.  But there is a possibility.  back to top

Buddha.  Buddhism also has parallels (qualities in common) to Christianity.  Buddha said: "Hatred does not ever cease in this world by hating, but by love - this is an eternal truth...Overcome anger by love, overcome evil by good, overcome the miser by giving, overcome the liar by truth."  Jesus said: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you..."  How could Buddha have gotten these Christian truths many centuries before Christ unless he has some sort of a connection to the spirit of the God of the universe.  Buddha believed in hell: "He who inflicts pain on innocent and harmless persons, will soon come to one of these ten states - he will have cruel suffering, loss [of property], injury of the body (an accident), heavy affliction (a distress so severe as to cause persistent anguish), or loss of mind (insanity), or a misfortune come from the king (government), or a fearful accusation [from someone], or loss of relations (family), or destruction of treasure (money), or lightning will burn his house [down]; and when his body is destroyed (death), the fool will go to hell (Dhammapada 137-140).'  In the Bible it says you can burn in hell over a cup of cold water - it is even worse.  Christianity seems to be a stronger religion, yet some arrogant (an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in making excessive or unjustified claims) Christians believe that President Obama was an Islamic terrorist, or that Adolph Hitler had a deathbed (the last hours of life) repentance (a change of heart), or insist on sending refugee children from gang-infested Central American countries back to their doom (unhappy destiny).  The atheist (belief in no deity) solves the dilemma (a situation in which you have to make a difficult choice) of the Entity of Light by stating that there is no God.  For him there isn't, and when he dies, he goes to a place of no God, where it has been said that grotesque (very strange or ugly) animal faces bubble (gurgle, spew, squirt) out of the muck (slimy dirt or filth). 

In certain ways, the founder of the Christian faith is unique (being the only one): "He was born in an obscure (insignificant, minor, unimportant) village - the child of a peasant woman.  He grew up in another obscure village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty.  He never wrote a book.  He never held (have a position of responsibility) an office.  He never went to college.  He never visited a big city.  He never travelled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born.  He had no credentials (knowledge that makes a person able to do a particular job) but himself.  When he was only thirty-three [years old], his friends ran away.  He was turned over to his enemies and went through a mockery (insincere and impertinent) of a trial.  He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.  While dying, his executioners (those who put another to death in fulfillment of a judicial death sentence) gambled for his clothing - the only property he had on earth.  When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend (One Solitary Life, Dr. James Allen Francis, 1926)."  Buddhist near-death experiences are different, yet similar, to those in the western world.  These people meet Yamatoots, who are servants of Yama, the Lord of the Dead, and visit hell.  They also visit heaven, but no tunnel, instead a cloud "as hard as a stone".  A person named Vipassanna: "On February 5, 1952, I came home from work feeling very tired and sleepy, after feeling run-down (worn-out, exhausted) and fatigued all day.  I lay down to take a nap, and when I awoke, I got up and found that, although I was standing up, my body was still sleeping.  I went outside the house and stood under a coconut tree.  Looking around, I saw a road, and wondered where it went.  I walked along the road.  Suddenly, I heard two people talking very loudly.  I looked and saw that they were Yamatoots.  One of them spoke to me saying, 'We've come to take you to hell.'" 

 Go Taeng Saeyep, a 46 year old Chinese-Thai coffee shop employee.  "One day at work, quite without warning, I fell unconscious.  Everybody thought I was dead.  My boss was fond of me, and bought the best quality coffin for me, one made in the classical style.  He took me to the temple, and sponsored (a person who assumes responsibility for some other person) a 'high' funeral ceremony for me.  Even though I was no longer in my body, I felt sleepy, and lay down.  I felt that I was dreaming, even though I was dead.  Two Yamatoots took me to a strange place.  I saw many people who looked like prisoners.  These prisoners were punished by having their tongues put between red-hot pincers (a tool made of two pieces of metal with two concave jaws, that are arranged like blades of scissors, used for gripping objects, that is so hot that it glows red).  The Yamatoot explained that they were being punished like this because, during their lives, they were liars and slanderers."  Somewhat later, "My spirit returned to my body, and I revived."  From Experience Through Consciousness: "One morning in 1982, while brushing his teeth, Sanit Tahnarat passed out for reasons unknown.  He saw his own body, unconscious on the floor.  He saw clouds approach him, and he was able to take hold of one.  He found it was as hard as a stone.  He climbed onto it, and sat down.  The cloud carried him up to one of the heavens.  He saw it filled with diamonds and jewels.  He moved up to another heaven, and saw that it had people dressed like angels.  He wanted to see more, so he climbed up the clouds until he came to another plane (a level of existence).  There were no people there, just spiritual lights.  As this happened, the cloud disappeared, and he fell to earth.  When he hit the ground, he revived and found someone doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on him."  This last was provided by Dr. Dhebhanom Muangman, President of the Bangkok [Thailand] Institute of Psychical Research, concerning a 58 year old U.S. educated female university professor.  "NDE (near-death experience) began in her kitchen as a cobra bit her when she reached down to turn on the propane that fed her stove.  Patient was put in a coffin which was placed in a Buddhist temple.  She remained there for three days before reviving.  Her NDE began with an autoscopic (the perception of oneself as an external object) OBE (out of body experience).  She then found herself in front of her house.  Two men in western clothes appeared and told her to get up.  They said they wanted to take her for a walk.  She looked back and found that the house had disappeared...After her tour was over, she revived, and began to beat on the lid of the coffin.  The monks in the temple ran away, frightened (filled with fear or dread), thinking that she was a ghost.  One of her family members opened the coffin, and let her out."  back to top 

 Coming from the east and the west.  A problem within organized religion is a doctrine of exclusion (the state of being shut or kept out).  You must believe their way - you need to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead.  This means that if Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or no religion don't do this, they will be locked up forever.  American Evangelicals look upon themselves as the Lord's despised (to dislike strongly) few.  The method is but one way to connect.  It is not the only way.  "Because that which may be known is manifest (readily perceived by the senses) to them (people), for God has showed it to them.  For the invisible (not readily seen or noticed) things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen [in nature], so they are without excuse (from Romans)."  The Buddhist monk, living out in the middle of nowhere in Tibet, can connect through nature.  Evangelicals miss a statement in Revelation which says that all "nations, kindreds (tribes) and tongues (languages) stand before the throne".  Meaning, anyone who connects to the spirit of the God of the universe gets paradise at death - a doctrine of inclusion (the state of being included - reaching out with love and understanding).  So, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or no religion whatsoever, do not have to convert to Protestant Christianity to make heaven.  Organized religion should be there to help as a means to an end (something done only to produce a desired result).  A connection can be made outside of organized religion as well as in.  "They shall come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham,. Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the children of the kingdom (the Lord's despised few) shall be cast into outer darkness and there shall be weeping and gnashing (grinding together) of teeth (from Matthew)."  The Lord's despised few may end in outer darkness.  From Changes in Religious Beliefs, Attitudes and Practices Following Near Death Experiences - An Australian Study: "They say if you're not a Christian none of you will be able to come in through the eye of the needle (a loop on a sewing needle in which thread passes through), and all that sort of thing.  And I think, well, I went up there and I saw it (a light - crystal-clear and brighter than the sun) and I certainly wasn't a Christian at the time.  So how do they know?"  back to top

A rotten system.  Due to a rotten (suffering from decay) system (a set of detailed methods, procedures and routines), ministers in the U.S. are saying, "We have fallen away (a total desertion or departure) from God."  American evangelist Rick Joyner served in the U.S. Navy until 1970.  Sometime during the '70s, he "found out there is a God."  He founded MorningStar Ministries in 1983.  By the mid '90s, Joyner was president of MorningStar publications.  He wrote an article, The Hordes of Hell Are Marching, concerning a realization (the act of becoming fully aware) he had sometime in 1995.  "The most shocking part of this 'vision' was that this horde (a large unorganized group) was not riding on horses, but on Christians.  Most of them were well-dressed, respectable, and had the appearance of being refined and educated.  These were Christians who had opened themselves to the powers of darkness to such a degree that the enemy could use them and they would think that they were being used by God.  Trailing behind these first divisions [of demons] were a vast multitude of other Christians who were prisoners of this army.  They were all wounded, and were guarded by little demons of Fear.  There seemed to be more prisoners than there were demons in the army.  Above the prisoners the sky was black with vultures (entities who habitually prey upon others) named Depression.  These would land on the shoulders of a prisoner and vomit (to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth) on him.  The vomit was Condemnation.  When the vomit hit a prisoner he would stand up and march a little straighter for a while, and then slump over (to collapse and fall forward), even weaker than before.  Even worse than the vomit from the vultures was a repulsive (causing intense displeasure or disgust) slime (a slippery or sticky mucous substance) that these demons were urinating (to discharge a yellowish liquid waste material produced by kidneys) and defecating (to pass solid waste from the body) upon the Christians they rode.  This slime was the pride, selfish ambition, etc. that was the nature of the division they were a part of.  However, this slime made the Christians feel so much better than the condemnation that they easily believed that the demons were messengers of God (those who spread God's truths), and they actually thought this slime was the anointing of the Holy Spirit." 

According to what the Reverend Morris Tipton stated in the summer of 2017, church leaders "are selling their churches to land developers (conversion of property into) who are turning them into restaurants and bars and condos (an apartment building of which units [set of rooms] are individually owned) and apartments."  This is because organized religion has failed in its core (a central and often foundational part) mission, being bogged down (prevented from making progress) in the trivial (unimportant details), as it attempts (to make an effort to achieve or complete something) to live its 20th century Christianity, in the 21st century.  The church itself, and the church system are different.  The church itself is eternal.  "Upon this rock I will build my church (from Matthew)."  The church system is rotten (having undergone an organic - fundamental - breakdown).  "In my Name you have done many wonderful works (beautiful buildings, massive programs), depart [to eternal prison], you who victimize (exploiting those who struggle, pronouncing a curse, molesting a child, lying about the poor - from Matthew)."  American organized religion may preach a prosperity gospel - promising that if the faithful donate (to make a present of) financially for their belief, by giving to the church, God will reward them with material wealth (goods and services that we can see and touch).  This is a fantasy inside a delusion wrapped in a tissue of lies (a story or report that is completely false).  Kate Bowler is an assistant professor of the history of Christianity in North America at Duke Divinity School and author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel.  "On a Thursday morning a few months ago, I got a call from my doctor's assistant telling me that I have Stage 4 cancer.  The stomach cramps I was suffering from were not caused by a faulty gallbladder (a small sac-shaped organ beneath the liver in which bile is stored), but by a massive tumor (an abnormal mass of tissue).  I am thirty-five.  I did the things you might expect of someone whose world has suddenly become very small.  I sank to my knees and cried.  I called my husband at our home nearby.  I waited until he arrived so we could wrap our arms around each other and say the things that must be said. 

"I am a historian of the American prosperity gospel.  Put simply, the prosperity gospel is the belief that God grants health and wealth to those with the right kind of faith.  I spent ten years interviewing televangelists with spiritual formulas for how to earn God's miracle money.  I ruined family vacations by insisting on being dropped off at the showiest (given to excessive outward display) megachurch (a church having 2000 or more people in average weekly attendance) in town.  If there was a river running through the sanctuary, an eagle flying freely in the auditorium or an enormous, spinning (rapid or whirling motion) statue of a golden globe (the earth), I was there.  The modern prosperity gospel can be directly traced to the turn-of-the-century theology of a pastor named E.W. Kenyon, whose evangelical spin (a form of propaganda, achieved through providing a biased interpretation of an event) on New Thought taught Christians to believe that their minds were powerful incubators (designed to accelerate growth and success) of good or ill.  Christians, Kenyon advised, must avoid words and ideas that create sickness and poverty.  The prosperity gospel holds to this illusion (deceptive appearance) of control until the very end [of life].  If a believer gets sick and dies, shame (a feeling of guilt) compounds the grief.  Those who are loved and lost (die) are just that - those who have lost the test of faith (common trials caused by hard times, wherein a person is to overcome fear and a sense of hopelessness).  In my work, I have heard countless (too numerous to be counted) stories of refusing to acknowledge that the end had finally come.  An emaciated (wasted away physically) man was pushed about a megachurch in a wheelchair as churchgoers declared that he was already healed.  A woman danced around her sister's deathbed shouting to horrified (greatly upset and shocked) family members that the body can yet live.  There is no graceful (pleasing or attractive, characterized by an elegant) death, no ars moriendi (the art - something created with imagination and skill - of dying), in the prosperity gospel.  There are only jarring (a harshly unpleasant or perturbing effect on one's nerves) disappointments after fevered (displaying an excessive degree of nervous excitement) attempts to deny its (death's) inevitability (sure to happen - unavoidable). 

"I am well aware that news of my cancer will be seen by many in the prosperity community as proof of something.  I have heard enough sermons about those who 'speak against God's anointed' to know that it (the punishment) is inevitable, despite the fact that the book I wrote about them is very gentle (New York Times, February 13, 2016)."  The woman stepped on too many toes (to upset a person by getting involved in someone else's business, problems or situation) in her expose (to reveal the truth about a situation) on "following Christ for loaves [of bread] (Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyan)".  Someone within organized religion retaliated (do something bad to someone who has hurt you) against her by pronouncing a satanic curse.  The book came out in 2013.  Two years later, she had the cancer.  Grace Halsell, who worked in the White House as a staff writer for President Lyndon Johnson for three years, wrote a book called Forcing God's Hand, copyrighted in 1999.  In the book, she postulates (suggests, posits or proposes) a subtle (difficult to perceive) satire (humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule) against the church rapture doctrine.  One year later, 2000, she died.  Her death was attributed (regarded as being caused by) to complications of multiple myeloma (a cancer of the plasma - the watery part of blood which contains blood cells).  In a small rural (characteristic of the countryside) town Assembly of God church, a mother divorces a father.  She came to the church, he did not.  She, the church member, initiated the divorce and moved to another state in the U.S., with a large financial settlement.  The teenage son in the small rural town had concern (anxiety or worry - to make someone nervous) as to whether the minister in that church was involved in tearing up (rend, rip or mean to pull apart) his family, as it seemed "fishy" (causing doubt or suspicion) to him.  A few months later, he died in a freak (a strange, abnormal event) vehicle accident on a gravel road near the family ranch - skewered (insert a long pin of wood through meat) by a tree branch that thrust (a sudden or violent lunge with a pointed weapon) through the windshield as the son ran the vehicle off that county road.  A parishioner (person who attends church) of that church commented, in a slight sinister (giving an impression that something harmful occurred) tone: "There was a purpose in it." 

More co-incidences (a condition of coming together in space or time)?  There are too many "co-incidences" of bad things happening to people who question organized religion, that it smells incredibly (so extraordinary as to seem impossible) evil.  On a more positive note (with an optimistic tone or good news), Lisa Miller relates (explains, tells) in her amazing (startling impressive) book, Visions of Heaven: "In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus talks about heaven in metaphors (figurative language - simile).  It is a field that the farmer sows (plants).  Its properties are as mysterious as a mustard seed or the yeast in dough.  It is as wide as a fishing net, as bountiful as a wedding banquet.  Jesus uses other, more cryptic (difficult to understand) comparisons as well.  Heaven, He says, is like a merchant looking for pearls, a king settling accounts, a landowner who hires men for his vineyard.  With these parables (short stories that illustrate a moral attitude), Jesus seems to be saying that heaven is a place both known and unknown, like this world, but unlike it - a place of love and justice, big enough to accommodate (to make or have room for) all the souls of the world.  He is unmistakable on the question of the poor - it is easier for them to gain heaven than the rich, He says, who will find it harder to get in than a camel trying to fit through the eye of a needle.  He advises followers not to hoard (to put something of value in a secret place) wealth on earth.  'Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,' he says, 'where neither moth nor rust consumes.'"  In a certain town a local Kmart store does very little business.  So minimal (being the least in amount), it is finally sold to Home Depot, which tore everything to the ground and build back from scratch (from the very beginning).  A concept of a multi-faceted (having many different aspects) store was not being torn down, just this one store that did not work. 

So it is with the church - the old system should be scrapped (rejected or discarded).  This has been done before.  The Jerusalem church system (the Early Church) was built to withstand persecution (punishment or harassment usually of a severe nature) from the Romans and the Jews.  The European church system (post-500 A.D.) was developed to Christianize pagan (people who worship nature and the earth) Europe.  Different times call for different solutions.  A goal would be to tear the old system down by 2025 and have a new one built by 2050.  For almost 2000 years, the church has lived a horse and buggy religion, i.e. the babe in the manager.  In the 21st century, it is an era of the horseless carriage, a digital age (an information age - a time period beginning in the 1970s with the introduction of the personal computer and subsequent technology) leading to the End of Days.  A move toward reform (to improve by removing or correcting faults) is glacial (very slow) at best.  Organized religion, especially in the United States, could become more humanitarian (marked by compassion, sympathy or consideration) more often, like this Sister: "In Gulu, Uganda [Africa], Sister Rosemary has made it her mission to provide with an orphanage (a place where children whose parents have died can live and be cared for) a home, a shelter for women and girls whose lives have been shattered (to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness) by violence, rape and sexual exploitation (to take unfair advantage of - Forest Whitaker, a producer, actor and director)."  Instead of the church loathing (to dislike greatly and often with disgust or intolerance) change, it could look upon it as an adventure (an exciting or remarkable experience) akin (similar or related) to the Louis and Clark expedition.  In 1804-6, these were the first Americans to cross overland (by, on, or across land) from St. Louis, Mo., to the Pacific coast - going where no Caucasian had ever been before.  To show that the church could be open to a new system, one only need look at the Southern Baptist Convention...and a theologian (a specialist in the study of religious faith). 

John Davies, in Evangelism, Scandals and Christian Indifference: "The overwhelming (extreme, great) majority of Southern Baptist church members give little or no sign of spiritual life, Tom Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Fla. stated during the 2001 Southern Baptist Founders Conference, July 17-20, at Asbury College in Wilmore [Kentucky], reported by the Baptist Press on July 24, 2001.  As evidence of this jettisoning (junking, removal or riddance) of regenerate (spiritually reborn or converted) church membership, Ascol cited from the SBCs [year] 2000 church profile and a study conducted by the North American Mission Board which showed that 1) SBC churches totaled 15.9 million members but only 5.5 million are in total attendance (the number of people present) on any given Sunday morning, 2) beyond Sunday morning, only one member in ten takes part in further church activities and 3) less than one of every ten persons who make decisions through the evangelistic efforts of Southern Baptist churches is active in the church one year later."  Barbara Taylor is a well known theologian.  Yet according to an April 28, 2014 issue of Time: "Taylor has always inhabited (to be present in or occupy in any manner or form) the edge of mainstream Christian spirituality.  In 1996, a Baylor University survey named Taylor one of the 12-most-effective preachers in the English-speaking world...Like many Americans, Taylor may have lost the church, but she is far from faithless.  Taylor writes, 'The one thing most emerging (to become manifest - rise from an obscure position) Christians will say is that the faith they inherited (to take or hold a possession) from their elders is all worn out (tired, exhausted).'"

The church's conduct (mode or standard of behavior) over the past forty years reminds (to cause to remember) an individual of the church 500 years ago in Europe, when it was sending missionaries to the New World while at the same time burning heretics (a dissenter from established religious dogma) and witches (a person believed to have often harmful supernatural powers) at the stake (a post to which a person is bound for execution) in Europe.  Especially in the United States, when organized religion reaches out all over the world, the local (neighborhood) church in isolated incidences (rate of occurrence) rapes (an act or instance of robbing or despoiling - pillaging to strip of belongings) the poor in America.  OneHope is an example of organized religion "sending missionaries to the New World".  That is - benefiting (something that is advantageous or good) different parts of the world in the 21st century.  "OneHope is working in 125 countries to provide a message of hope to children and youth through culturally-sensitive media (a system of communication through which information is spread to a large number of people).  OneHope was founded in 1987 by former missionary and Life Publishers President Bob Hoskins.  That year Hoskins was asked by the Minister of Education in El Salvador to provide Bibles to the country's 968,000 school children.  Instead of Bibles, he delivered the Book of Hope - an interactive, Bible-based publication customized for the special challenges and interests of the country's children and youth.  By [the year] 2000, the Book of Hope had been shared not only with children in El Salvador but also with children in Haiti, Africa and Eastern Europe (Wikipedia)."  Another.  Hillsong Church combines values of a rock concert and the community of a megachurch (a church with an unusually large congregation).  "The church has become a phenomenon (a observable fact or event), capitalizing on, and in some cases, shaping, trends not only in evangelicalism, but also in Christian youth culture.  Hillsong is even more remarkable because the target is young Christians in big cities, where faith seems out of fashion (no longer generally liked by people - unpopular).  Hillsong has churches in Amsterdam [Holland], Barcelona [Spain], Cape Town [South Africa], Copenhagen [Denmark], Kiev [Ukraine], London, New York, Paris and Stockholm [Sweden] (International New York Times, September 4, 2014)." 

Mitch Albom is an author of books such as The Five People You Meet in Heaven.  Since the Haiti earthquake of 2010 he has worked with displaced (removed from their parents and immediate family) Haitian children.  His own words: "I first arrived just weeks after the 2010 earthquake.  It look like Armageddon (a usually vast decisive conflict or confrontation).  Bloodied people walking the street.  Makeshift (taking the place of one that came before) hospitals.  The stench (a very bad smell) of death wafting (to move lightly through the air) from beneath collapsed shops and houses.  So, with several colleagues (an associate in a profession), I vowed to help the place.  We returned to Detroit and recruited (providing a job) plumbers, electricians, roofers and contractors for one trip, then many more.  Calling ourselves the Detroit Muscle Crew, we helped build the mission's first real bathrooms, showers, full kitchen, dining room and eventually a three-room schoolhouse.  A charity I run, A Hole in the Roof Foundation, raised all the money for these efforts.  Nine months after the earthquake, it took over daily operations.  The name was modified to the Have Faith Haiti Mission, and we began the process of taking in new children.  The earthquake, by most estimates, created tens of thousands of orphans (children whose parents have died), and many landed in hastily assembled tent cities, meant to deal with the immediate refugee crisis.  To this day (January 12, 2015), we take in children from these camps, five new kids each summer, who will live, play and learn with us until they are eighteen and, hopefully, graduate our program with the equivalent of a U.S. high school education ready for college here or in America.  "When they arrive at our doorstep, they are often malnourished (supplied with less than minimum amount of the foods essential for sound health and growth), suffering skin rashes, uneducated, abused.  Five years after the earthquake, Haiti still needs everything.  Its government is in another crisis.  Poverty and illiteracy (the state of being unlearned) remain rampant.  I have always believed that outsiders can't fix this country.  But they can fix a tiny part of it."  This is while some within organized religion in the United States pronounce a ritual curse on the needy (a person needing emotional support) within their midst (close to members of a group).  The failings (weaknesses or problems - shortcomings) within the system have produced this - "Religion isn't for everyone, and it's understandable given all the terrible (very shocking and upsetting) news, that many people drift away (slowly or gradually lose interest over time).  A recent Pew study found that nearly 40% of Americans under age thirty report no religious affiliation (connection with an organization).  The 'millennials' (a person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century) seem to be the least religious bunch in American history.  They're known as religious nones, because when given a list of possible denominations and faiths, they checked a box called 'none' (Monique Parsons, religion reporter for National Public Radio, in the Cate Bulletin, Fall 2014)." 

After the death of Billy Graham, American evangelicals were caught in their bigotry (intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself).  "In the wake (aftermath) of Graham's death at age 99 on February 21 comes discord (disagreement between people).  His prodigal (characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure) firstborn (first to be born) son has risen heir (continuing the legacy of a predecessor) to his religious empire (a literal theocracy).  And yet it is difficult to imagine most anything that Franklin Graham says [as] coming from the mouth of his father.  The elder Graham rose to the heights of religious power in America by uniting evangelicals after a fundamentalist (relating to or advocating the strict, literal interpretation of scripture) crisis in the early 20th century.  His son has risen to prominence (the state of being easily seen or well known) by embracing (accepting or supporting willingly and enthusiastically) the divisions (disunities, conflicts or alienations) of our time (era, age).  It is not just outsiders (persons who do not belong to a particular group) who know that the house of Graham (a family, especially a large group of people who are related) has entered a new era (period of time) of division.  The difference between father and son is impossible to ignore, even for those who love Franklin most.  'Daddy's style was so gentle, maybe not in the beginning, but loving and warm,' Franklin's sister Anne Graham Lotz told Time in 2016.  'You think of Daddy speaking at the National Cathedral after 9/11,'  she said.  'That is Daddy, and Franklin is just not [like] that.'  The fractured (cracked or broken) Graham legacy (things received from an ancestor) is about more than just the first family of American Christianity.  The Grahams represent the state of evangelicalism in the U.S., pulled apart (destroyed, trashed or wrecked) by the extremism (beliefs that most people think are unreasonable or unacceptable) of the day.  Without their unifying (bring separate parts of something together, so that they are one) senior statesman (an experienced religious leader, who is no longer working within organized religion), American evangelicals today are fighting over politics, the President (Trump), Islam, women's leadership, same-sex marriage and what the very basics (essential facts) of Christian witness (sharing the faith) should be (Time, March 12, 2018)."   back to top

 A new system.  The present church system, overall (relating to the whole), is obsolete (having passed its time of usefulness).  From autumn 1977 through autumn 2017, organized religion, with exceptions (a situation in which a rule does not apply) such as have been aforementioned, has been joyriding (conduct or action resembling a ride taken for pleasure, especially in disregard of cost or consequences).  The transition (passage from one state or stage to another) into this period of time could be from 1972-1977; transition out - 2017-2022.  This is the blackest period in church history, ever (at any time).  Approximately 3% of the church world spends its time damning thousands of innocent souls to eternal prison.  The rest of the church world simply looks the other way (deliberately ignores wrongdoing by others).  In the Middle Ages, for approximately 150 years, about 3% of the church went on Crusades killing thousands of innocent people,  The rest of the church world did not participate (take part, share), but looked the other way.  Sending someone to prison forever is ten times worse than only killing them.  If a person would study the Crusades in depth, they would find that 3% is basically an accurate amount.  Islam does what the church did 600 years ago in this present day - about 3% go on "crusades" - jihad - against western civilization and most of the rest of Islam looks the other way.  So, if the church wishes to regain some relevance (relation to the matter at hand - the fact or state of being pertinent, relevant or appropriate) in the 21st century, it will have to scrap (abandon or get rid of as no longer of enough worth or effectiveness to retain) the old system and get a new one.  It is like a car engine - the engine block (the metal casing containing the piston chambers of an internal combustion engine) is intact, but it has to be rebuilt.  In other words, the church itself is intact (untouched especially by anything that harms or diminishes) - having been around for almost 2000 years - it just needs a new system.  It could show with a logical and scientific analysis (separation and identification of parts of a whole), for instance (as an example), why the planet has less than 400 years left (remaining) - due to issues such as global warming, pollution, over-population, depletion (amount by which something is lessened. diminished or reduced) of natural resources and, of course, the nuclear arsenal (place where military arms are stored). 

General Douglas MacArthur made a radio address to the American people, September 2, 1945, at the close of World War II.  "We have had our last chance.  If we will not devise some greater and more equitable (marked by justice, honesty and freedom from bias) system, Armageddon will be at the door.  The problem basically is theological (moral righteousness from a religious perspective) and involves a spiritual recrudescence (becoming active again) and improvement of human character that will synchronize (occurring or existing at the same time) with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature, and all material and cultural developments of the past 2000 years."  This was stated over seventy years ago.  In July 1955, the Russell-Einstein Manifesto was released, a document signed by Betrand Russell, Albert Einstein and eight other prominent (widely and popularly known) scientists.  "Here, then is the problem which we present to you, stark (absolute, rigid) and dreadful and inescapable - shall we put an end to the human race or shall mankind renounce (give up formally - relinquish) war?  We appeal, as human beings to human beings - remember your humanity, and forget the rest.  If you can do so, the way lies open to a new paradise - if you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal death."  This was written over sixty years ago.  Andreas Toupadakis, Ph.D., a former scientist of Los Alamos Laboratory, wrote this January 8, 2003.  "Scientists and engineers have built thousands of weapons of unthinkable destruction and they still continue to design new weapons for state terror (acts of terrorism conducted by a nation against foreign targets).  State violence, rather than terrorists, will lead our world into unthinkable agony (intense pain of mind or body) and soon after, into extinction unless we soon match our knowledge and power with responsibility."  Dr. Jeffry Boutwell, executive director of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, wrote this June 19, 2005.  "Time is running out if a nuclear catastrophe is to be averted (avoid, prevent, stave off).  Political solutions are urgently needed to resolve those conflicts that either spawn (bring forth, generate) international terrorism, or increase the risk of the use of nuclear weapons or other WMDs, or destabilize the non-proliferation (preventing the spread of nuclear weapons) regime or all of these thing combined.  Global security must be based on international institutions and the rule of law rather than on unilateral (done or undertaken by one party) action and an excessive reliance on military force."  Maybe organized religion could tie this into (work on vigorously) the End of Days.  Dwelling on a fantasy (to form a mental picture) of the "Antichrist" (the Great Atheist), has no value (usefulness or importance).  The church has all this data (factual information) concerning what is to come, and should make use of it. 

"Clerics are curiously nervous of mentioning heaven, despite its potential as a crowd-puller (something that attracts a large audience), especially with the elderly.  There is no mention of hell from the pulpits (the preaching profession) of mainstream (prevailing direction of influence) churches.  Yet the pews (benches that are placed in rows in a church) are emptying at a ferocious (extremely fierce and wild) rate in the developed world (Heaven, Peter Stanford)."  One thing for organized religion to do would be to examine near-death experiences and relate (give an oral or written account in some detail) a more empirical (based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience) concept of paradise and eternal prison.  Also, instead of dwelling on (repeating negative thoughts over and over) the less than 5000 dead over the past twenty-five years in the United States due to Islamic extremists (people who hold fanatical political or religious views), the church, in America, could address the opioid explosion.  Opioids can be hydrocodone, oxycodone or fentanyl, among others.  In 2015 alone: firearm deaths - 36,252; vehicle crash deaths - 38,300; drug overdose deaths - 52,404.  This from the National Safety Council and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  In one year, this adds up to over 125,000 dead.  Straining out the gnat - extremists deaths, while swallowing the camel - firearm, vehicle crash and drug overdose deaths - by religious leaders who focus (center of interest or activity) on lesser matters, while completely ignoring the more important ones, can change.  President Trump has words of wisdom for anyone who has any desire to formulate (create or devise methodically) a new system.  "What imprint (strong effect or influence) will you leave in the sands of history?  What will future Americans say we did in our brief time right here on Earth?  Did we take risks?  Did we dare (have enough courage or confidence to do something) to defy expectations?  Did we challenge (an objection to something as not being true, genuine, correct or proper) accepted wisdom and take on established systems?  Or did we just go along with convention (a custom or way of acting or doing things, that is widely accepted and followed), swim downstream - so easily with the current and just give in because it was the easy way, it was the traditional way or it was the accepted way?  Remember this, nothing worth doing ever, ever came easy.  Following convictions (strong beliefs or opinions) means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the same courage to do what is right (Liberty University commencement speech, May 13, 2017)." 

In the summer of 2018, a boys' soccer team in northern Thailand went missing and was thought to be trapped (an unpleasant situation in which you lack freedom) in a flooded cave.  "With help arriving from across Thailand and other countries, this challenging mission (trying, succeeding, failing and trying again) needs something that has been missing right from the start (immediately as something begins) - a highly organized (planned and controlled on a large scale involving many people) and well-coordinated command center ("war room", a centralized operational location used by an organization) with someone in charge who has the necessary experience and abilities in emergency and disaster response (Bangkok Post, [Thailand] July 4, 2018)."  This was written as the boys and their coach were stilled trapped.  This challenging mission needs something that has been missing right from the start - a highly organized and well-coordinated command center with someone in charge who has the necessary experience and abilities.  This is a missing link (a thing necessary to solve a problem) that organized religion needs to latch onto (attach oneself to), if it wishes to survive (continue to exist).  "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice (use in actual situations) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the steams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone that hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the steams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (from Matthew)."  Hanging on (holding tightly or clinging) to the old, antiquated (old-fashioned or outdated) system in the 21st century, is like a church building its house on the sand.  The old system simply needs to be discarded (get rid of as no longer useful or desirable), and a new system, built upon the rock, is to be developed (grow or change into a more advanced, larger or stronger form [to come together and make a particular order]).  Getting back on the rock entails (involves a necessary or inevitable effort) a lot of hard work.  back to top

 A glorious church.  "What is about to come upon the earth is not just a revival, or another awakening, it is a veritable revolution (a complete change - a brand new development with essentially new techniques).  The vision was given in order to begin to awaken those who are destined to radically change (different from accepted or traditional forms) the course (direction - onward movement), and even the very definition (making definite and clear), of Christianity.  The dismantling (come apart into separate pieces) of organizations and disbanding (cease to exist) of some works (internal concepts) will be a positive and exhilarating (exciting, galvanizing or inspiring) experience (The Harvest, Rick Joyner)."  Glorious means to achieve acclaim, distinction, renown, and/or repute - like an appearance of a rainbow that is in a cloud on a day of rain.  For this to happen, first organized religion must get back into the real world (a place in which one actually must live and the circumstances with which one actually must deal), then acknowledge that, in the past, they had opened the gates of hell one time too many.  The Foe (archenemy, adversary, antagonist, nemesis, assailant, attacker) came to foul (offensive to the senses) beliefs, trample (to inflict injury or destruction, especially contemptuously or ruthlessly) freedom, and in this not only must there be failure, but it can grant (to permit as a right) the church the greatest gift, a chance at rebirth.  The attitude toward the wreckage (the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless) the past should be - "We shall rise and renew, stronger and united."  During World War II, a period of drastic (acting rapidly or violently) change with D-Day, Stalingrad and etc., there was a ton (a considerable amount - abundance, bunch, plenty) of technological things that had not come along at that point.  So instead of allowing technology to work against organized religion today, make use of it. 

One thing the church could do is deal with some contemporary (happening in recent times) moral issues that need attention.  Many returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan turn to law enforcement for employment.  "[William] Thomas, a decorated narcotics investigator and a veteran of the New Jersey Air National Guard, tortured by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of his [military] service in Iraq, had downed a fistful (an amount that can be held in one hand) of prescription sleeping pills with an entire bottle of Bermuda rum.  He collapsed onto his stepson's bed, calmly waiting to die.  This was the second time since returning from war and rejoining the police force that he had tried to take his own life.  In 2012, Iraq War veteran and Albuquerque police officer Martin Smith responded to a call about a suspicious black SUV.  Seconds later, he shot and killed the unarmed driver through the driver side window.  In court papers, lawyers for the dead man's family said Smith 'later told his co-workers that he blacked out and had a PTSD moment' (U.S.A. Today, March 30, 2017)."  More than 200,000 people from South Sudan live in one refugee camp in Uganda, Africa.  "Two of her five children died as Pauline Nyaluok navigated her way from war-torn (devastated and torn apart by war) South Sudan to this refugee camp (temporary shelter built for displaced persons who have fled their home country) in northern Uganda where she expected to be welcomed with open arms.  Uganda is celebrated around the world for its generosity toward those desperately fleeing violence.  Unlike other East African nations like Kenya, where refugees are restricted to camps, Uganda in the past gave refugees land to farm and build a home, plus free health care and education.  But a three-year civil war has sent 700,000 South Sudanese refugees fleeing, many to their southern neighbor.  Refugees also are escaping violence in nearby countries such as Burundi.  That is putting pressure on camps in Uganda, which can't provide enough shelter, food, water and medical care, leaving the most vulnerable struggling to survive (U.S.A. Today, March 28, 2017)."  What can the church do to aid PTSD veterans - those who served America, and now need help? And turning to the plight (dangerous, difficult or otherwise unfortunate situation) of innocents, who are caught in someone else's stupid (not intelligent) war in Africa, what can the church do to alleviate (make a problem less severe and easier to endure) their suffering? 

The bombing of two churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday is appalling (inspiring horror, dismay or disgust).  "Islamic State claimed responsibility for explosions at two Coptic Christian churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday that killed at least forty, including worshippers and police officers.  'All of a sudden everything went dark,' one eyewitness said.  The attacks constituted (made up or formed) one of the deadliest days of violence against Christians in Egypt in decades and presented a challenge to the authority of the country's leader, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who promptly declared a three-month state of emergency.  'I won't say those who fell are Christian or Muslim,' Mr. Sisi said in a speech shown on state television on Sunday night.  'I will say they're Egyptian.'  One attack on Sunday struck at St. Mark's Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic Church in Alexandria, where the bomber blew himself up at the church gates as the Coptic patriarch, Pope Tawadros II, led a Palm Sunday service inside.  The other struck in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, where the attacker slipped past security to the front pews of the church and blew himself up, turning a religious celebration of joy into a ghastly (horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect) scene of bloodshed and death.  The Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attacks through its Aamaq news agency, signaled in December its intention to step up attacks on Christians when a suicide bombing at a major Cairo church killed at least twenty-eight people.  In February, hundreds of Christian fled their homes in north Sinai after a concerted (mutually contrived or agreed upon) campaign of assassination and intimidation (discourage, restrain or silence) in the area.  The explosion in Tanta, about fifty miles north of Cairo, occurred at St. George's Church, where the authorities had already sealed the main door to prevent attacks.  The bomber managed to slip past security measures, including a metal detector, at one of the side doors, and blew himself up near the altar (a platform or table used as a center for worship).  At least twenty-seven people were killed and seventy-eight others injured, officials said.  Children, their parents and deacons - lay Christians who help with the service (formalized period of communal worship) - accounted for many of the dead. 

"Hours later, victims' relatives stood silently outside the city morgue (a place used for the storage or human corpses), waiting to identify and collect the remains of their loved ones.  The Rev. Daniel Maher, a priest who had been leading the Mass, was still wearing his bloodstained (stained with blood) white vestments (robe worn by the clergy).  The priest said he had not been harmed in the attack, but he lost his son, Bishoy, who was to get married later this year.  'What can I say?  Thank God,' he said in a cracking (going higher or lower, that a person cannot control) voice.  Next to the priest, a young woman sat on the sidewalk, sobbing (cry uncontrollably) as a group of women tried to comfort her.  'God, what did he do to deserve this?' she asked, bemoaning (expressing grief or sorrow) the loss of her own loved one.  The second attack occurred just over two hours later in the coastal city of Alexandria, where a suicide bomber tried to enter St. Mark's Cathedral.  Surveillance footage (close observation maintained over a person, by video cameras used for the purpose), later aired (exposed publicly) on a private Egyptian television channel, showed a man wearing a bulky (large and cumbersome in size) jacket being directed into a metal detector at the church gates, where he paused to be searched by a police officer.  A moment later, a giant blast (explosion or violent detonation) rang out.  At least seventeen people were killed including a district police chief and a police officer, and an additional forty-eight were wounded, according to the Health Ministry.  Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's ninety million people (The New York Times, April 9, 2017)."  These are moral issues the American Christian church really could get involved with.  This would be a switch (a change) from an American clergyman (religious leader) telling his congregation (persons gathered for religious worship) how he is planning to cut his hair - or his playing a "big man" (a male human being who does something that makes him feel superior to others) with the church ladies.  Time for the church to get its "head out of the sand" (unwilling to recognize or acknowledge a problem or situation) and enter the 21st century.  This alludes (make indirect reference) to an ostrich, a bird which is believed to hide its head in a hole in the ground when it sees danger.

An ancient prayer may be of use.  "O Lord God, when you give to your servants (people dedicated in helping others do their best at home, work, and in the community) to endeavor (to attempt by exertion of effort) any great matter (a subject under consideration), grant to us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same (not different), until it be thoroughly finished, which yields the true glory."  When done, people such as Ted Turner, an American billionaire, may have a change of heart.  "Turner told how he had been 'very religious' as a little boy.  'I was going to be a man of the cloth (pastor, priest, minister, clergyman, preacher).  I was going to be a missionary (a person who is sent to a foreign country to do religious work).  But the thing that disturbed (bothered, concerned, perturbed, upset) me is that my religious Christian sect (a religious denomination) was very intolerant (uncompromising, unforgiving or unyielding) - because it taught we were the only ones going to heaven.'  In his spiritual search, Turner said: 'Now I believe there may be one God who manifests (makes known through outward signs) Himself in different ways to different people.' (Maranatha Christian Journal, January 6, 2002)"  A veritable revolution (a brand new system) might get him, and others, interested in organized religion, again.  An old hymn (a song of praise to God) may be helpful.  "This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears - all nature sings, and around me rings, the music of the spheres (an ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of the sun, moon and planets as a form of musica - the Latin term for music).  This is my Father's world.  He shines in all that's fair (pleasing to the eye or mind especially because of fresh, charming or flawless quality), in the rustling (to make a quick series of small sounds) grass I hear him pass (move, proceed, go).  Oh let me never forget - that though the wrong (that which is morally unacceptable - unfair or inadequate treatment of someone) seems often so strong, God is Ruler (one who rules with a supreme authority) yet."

There are already a few "birth pangs" (disorder and distress incident especially to a major social change) of a glorious church, a few of which have been touched on (to mention a subject quickly) under the topic: A rotten system.  "Christian Friends of Korea has been helping ordinary people affected by flooding, disease, malnutrition, and ongoing challenges in North Korea - Democratic People's republic of Korea or DPRK - since 1995.  Our organization provides ongoing support to more than thirty care centers including the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, seven provincial tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis hospitals and nearly eighteen TB and hepatitis rest homes located throughout the geographical region - many of them in remote locations.  We regularly assist our supported TB and hepatitis care centers by providing developmental assistance - confirming the arrival, distribution and use of goods we send - and assessing current needs (a process for determining and addressing "gaps" between current conditions and desired conditions).  Most of our aid is targeted (select as an object of attention) to respond to the medical needs of patients.  Our aid includes - 1) food and medicine, 2) medical equipment and supplies, 3) agricultural support - tractors, greenhouses, seeds, etc., 4) bedding and blankets, and 5) clean water.  We are also involved in the renovation (restore to a former better state - revamping, repairing) of multiple health care facilities, solar powered water and lighting projects, water well drilling, greenhouse construction [and] medical staff training."  Samaritan's Purse does a lot of work, the world over.  "The death toll (the number of people who die in an accident, disaster, war, etc.) from back-to-back earthquakes [in Nepal, May 2005] surpassed 8000.  Some villages, such as Langtang Valley, were completely wiped out.  Samaritan's Purse immediately responded in the hardest-hit areas by distributing desperately needed relief supplies.  In the past two years Samaritan's Purse has transitioned (an evolution from one stage, form or style to another) from emergency relief to long-term recovery in Nepal.  Our staff is bringing physical relief and spiritual comfort through efforts such as 1) rebuilding homes and schools, 2) water, sanitation and hygiene projects, and 3) livelihood skills development.  [For example] before the earthquake, it was not unusual in Nepal for women and children to walk hours every day to fill water jugs (large bottles with narrow mouths for water) and haul the heavy jugs home in overwhelmingly (something that overcomes or frustrates) large baskets on their backs.  When the earthquake destroyed water sources in areas where water was already scarce, desperation increased among earthquake survivors.   Samaritan's Purse is providing clean, accessible (easy to reach) water in earthquake-affected communities.  In one village, our team built a collection tank (containers that hold liquids) around a natural spring.  'The tank is an enclosed chamber and is cleaner and safer for the people.  Their health has been improved,' explained Nikita, a Samaritan's Purse engineer in Nepal."  Residents (personal presence at some place) of Nepal are basically Hindu for religion. 

"A large percentage of the most recent refugees (a person who has left his or her native country and is unwilling to return) are from Syria.  In Syria, a more than four-year-old civil war between President Bashar al-Assad and various insurgent groups (people who revolt against civil authority), including the Islamic State, has resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 people and displaced millions.  Other refugees are escaping violence in the nations of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.  More than one million refugees arrived in Europe by sea (by means of a ship or ships) last year.  The majority of them are simply seeking safety and the opportunities that Europe provides.  Samaritan's Purse has staff on five islands in Greece, in two locations in mainland Greece, and in Croatia (a country in southeastern Europe), working to provide relief to vulnerable (exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally) people.  In Greece and Croatia, we are focusing on providing shelter, clean water and sanitation, including heated shower containers and handwashing stations.  Our teams have installed flooring, tarps and heaters for winter shelters in Greece and are working to improve conditions within transit centers (transfer facilities serving transit buses and other modes) on a daily basis.  We're also working to distribute backpacks filled with food, hygiene items, ponchos, hats, blankets and other necessities.  We've distributed more than 59,000 backpacks.  In Greece, we're providing refugees with Wi-Fi and phone charging stations so that they can stay in contact with their families while they travel.  We're also distributing pre-paid debit cards (cards issued by financial institutions that are pre-loaded with funds) to vulnerable women and families so that they can buy the items they need most."  These are Muslims.  "On Friday, March 17 [2017], the Samaritan's Purse Emergency Field Hospital received its 1000th patient on the Plains of Nineveh, Iraq.  Due to its proximity (closeness) to the frontlines (areas of potential or actual battle) of the Mosul conflict, the hospital is saving lives that would likely have been lost in transport to the nearest permanent medical facilities (something built for a specific purpose), up to two hours away.  'This is 1000 critical (severely injured) and dying patients,' said Dr. Elliott Tenpenny, emergency medical specialist for Samaritan's Purse.  'This is more Level-1 traumas (penetrating wounds to the chest, head or neck - the worst trauma level) in a matter of months than large hospitals in the United States would see in a year.'  Emergency Field Hospital arrived in Iraq on Christmas Day [2016] to treat those injured as a result of the fighting in Mosul.  Since opening in early January [2017], our team has performed more than 435 major surgeries to deal with wounds caused by mortars, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mines, grenades and sniper fire.  Roughly 40% of patients admitted to the hospital have been women and children."  Iraq is a Muslim nation. 

And in the United States: "Southern Baptist Disaster Relief said it began sending teams to Texas before Harvey made landfall Friday (August 25, 2017) and will probably be in Houston 'for months to come'.  The group said it was assisting up to 60,000 people displaced by the flooding by providing hot meals, laundry services [and] hot showers.  It will ease (freedom from difficulty) Houstonians' return to their homes by helping to clear land, remove fallen trees and restore flooded homes (U.S.A Today, August 30, 2017)."  Likewise, the United Methodist Committee on Relief has work crews helping to pull mud out of houses, clear debris (remains of anything broken down or destroyed) such as fallen trees with chainsaws, and general home cleanup.  They also send out trained volunteers to help families deal with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) assistance, state aid programs and private insurance, so people can get back on their feet (get better after a disaster - survive and recover) as soon as possible.  From their webpage: "UMCOR provides humanitarian relief and disaster response in the United States and internationally.  Our efforts are targeted in places where natural disasters, war, or conflict have done so much damage that communities are unable to recover on their own."  And the Lutherans: "Lutheran Disaster Response's affiliate is actively present, collaborating (working jointly or together) with community leaders and officials to initiate (cause something to begin) the proper responses (correct replies), particularly the long-term recovery efforts (process of returning persons to a state of normality).  Together, we have a strong history of working with disasters in the Gulf Coast area.  Recovery efforts are expected to take years, and Lutheran Disaster Response will be there to accompany those affected through every phase (any stage in a series of events or in a process of development) of this disaster (community.elca.org)."  The Convoy of Hope, a non-denominational Christian organization, feeds people after natural catastrophes (a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction).  Before Hurricane Irma, there were three tractor-trailers (a large truck with a long trailer) stocked (supply of goods available) with food, water and sanitary supplies parked in Florida waiting to deploy (spread out and arrange strategically) to areas hardest hit. 

"Tens of thousands of residents of coastal Georgia are returning to the communities following evacuation from Hurricane Irma.  Many are finding their homes uninhabitable (impossible for people to live there) because of flood waters and downed trees on top of their roofs.  For these residents, temporary shelters (living accommodations not needed for very long) are opening up and down the Georgia coasts.  And their neighbor, MAP International, will be supplying several of these shelters with its Disaster Health Kits (DHK).  In Savannah today, MAP's Disaster Response Team distributed the DHKs as a shelter was being set up to receive people at Groves High School.  As the team wrapped up their work, the first families were beginning to arrive.  They saw each of six children carrying their own suitcase and their mother walking closely behind with her arms full of her own few possessions.  This family has been living in a shelter since last Saturday.  They looked tired and weary as anyone who has been through what that family has endured.  Thanks to MAP supporters, this family and many others will arrive at the Groves High School shelter today and will find a fresh MAP International disaster health kit awaiting them on their cot (small collapsible bed).  And tomorrow, the MAP Disaster Team will visit another shelter offering each family a measure of comfort in a truly difficult time (Martin Smith, Communications Director for MAP, September 13, 2017).  MAP stands for Medical Assistance Programs and is a global Christian health and relief organization.  "The Knights of Columbus has raised more than $1.3 million for victims of the disastrous flooding in Texas and in preparation to help those who may be in the path of Hurricane Irma.  The organization has taken a leadership role in assisting those affected by the historic flooding in and around Houston, Corpus Christi and an enormous swath (a broad strip or area of something) of inland and Gulf Coast towns and cities in Texas, distributing more than $150,000 for food, water and other necessities.  The Knights began reaching out to its members throughout the U.S. in Harvey's immediate aftermath (a period that follows an unpleasant event) and is now expanding it appeal to the general public, as Irma bears down on Florida and the Caribbean.  'We have seen incredible generosity from our members, and we invite others to join us in providing aid that is urgently (compelling or requiring immediate attention) needed,' said Knights' CEO Carl Anderson.  'The funds we raise will make a real difference in the lives of those already affected and those who are bracing for the worst.'  Consistent with the Knights of Columbus' long standing policy, 100% of all disaster relief donations are being used for current relief efforts and the needs that may arise from Irma.  Knights in Texas are already providing food and shelter to victims, helping people return to their homes, clearing debris and solving local problems such as providing upwards of 5000 meals in the Beaumont [Texas] area and 8000 in Ingleside [Texas] (ChristianNewsWire, September 7, 2017)."  This is what the American Christian church, all of it, could be doing, globally (involving the entire world).  "It is to the cross we must go (Joe LaGuardia, TC Palm, February 15, 2018)."  back to top

 Near-death revisited.  The following negative report is found in Margot Grey's Return From Death.  "I went into St. Giles Hospital in London, to have an operation.  Sometime while I was under the anesthetic I became aware that I was hovering (remain suspended over an object) above my body looking down at myself on the operating table.  I felt very frightened and began to panic.  I wondered why I was no longer in my body and thought I must be dead.  I next find myself looking down in a large pit, which was full of swirling gray mist.  There was a terrible wailing (to express sorrow audibly, mournfully or plaintively) noise, full of desperation.  Then suddenly I found myself rushing back through this dark tunnel and back in my body in the hospital bed."  Dr. George Rodonaia has a Ph.D. in neuropathology (a study of the nervous system).  In 1989, he emigrated (to leave one's country to live elsewhere) to the United States from Russia.  But, earlier, when he wanted to come to America in 1974, to pursue advanced research at Yale University, he said he "was very much a typical young research scientist and a petty skeptical one, too.  I was an atheist."  In 1976, when he was scheduled to come, he had an accident.  In his own words, recorded by Philip Berman in his book The Journey Home: "The KGB had no intention of letting me go.  I was waiting for a cab on a sidewalk in Tbilisi [Georgia] when I saw a car jump up on the sidewalk, avoid a few trees, and then head directly for me.  It all happened in an instant.  First I saw the car coming toward me, then I felt it hit me head-on (direct confrontation).  I estimate I flew about ten meters (thirty feet), landed face-down, and then the car ran over me again.  From that time on, I must have been unconscious, because I can't remember anything else about the crash or the crash scene.  The first thing I remember about my NDE (near-death experience) is that I discovered myself in a realm (sphere, domain) of total darkness.  I had no physical pain, I was still somehow aware of my existence as George, and all about me there was darkness, utter and complete darkness - the greatest darkness ever, darker than any dark, blacker than any black.  This was what surrounded me and pressed (crowded in, pushing) upon me.  Then, suddenly, I was in light; bright white, shiny and strong, a very bright light.  It was like the flash of a camera, but not flickering (a wavering or fluttering visual sensation) - that bright.  At first I found the brilliance of the light painful, I couldn't look directly at it.  But little by little I began to relax.  I began to feel warm, comforted, and everything suddenly seemed fine."  While all this happened, Dr. Rodonaia's body was taken to a morgue (a place where bodies of dead people are kept), and then they decided to do an autopsy (an examination of a dead body). 

"As they began to cut into my stomach, I felt as though some great power took hold of my neck and pushed me down.  And it was so powerful that I opened my eyes and had this huge sense of pain.  My body was cold and I began to shiver (shake involuntarily).  They immediately stopped the autopsy and took me to the hospital...Many people have asked me what I believe in, how my NDE changed my life.  All I can say is that I now believe in the God of the universe.  So I don't believe in the God of the Jews, or the Christians, or the Hindus, or in any one religion's idea of what God is or is not."  Two more from The Journey Home.  Andy Petro was seventeen in the summer of 1956.  He was swimming with some friends in Lake Michigan on the American side, when his legs began to cramp (a painful involuntary contraction of a muscle).  He sank to the bottom of the lake.  "After I landed on the bottom, the first thing I felt was all this muck (dark, highly organic soil) - the mud and the muck and reeds at the bottom of the lake.  I was down probably fifteen to twenty feet (five to seven meters), because I was not all that far from shore.  Maybe one hundred, two hundred yards (100-200 meters).  I was in a state of complete terror, and was very cold, because in the lake, the temperature really drops off fast."  He was badly cramped and could not swim.  "Then all of a sudden in my head I heard myself say, 'I need to rest.  There is no way I can go on.  I'm in so much pain, I need to rest.'  So somehow, on the bottom of that lake, I talked myself into letting go, and as soon as I let go, the next instant, I was in the tunnel.  The letting-go process sent me shooting down this tunnel.  It was dark and spherical (round), and as I entered it, I could see myself at the bottom of the lake.  So I knew that the Andy now entering the tunnel was the same Andy that was stuck at the bottom of the lake.  That connection was there.  Initially it was a bit frightening, but my first thought was, Boy, it sure is great to be warm.  I was not longer cold and I now longer felt any pain.  So my fear just lifted.  I could see this light at the far end of the tunnel feeding warmth to me.  I was the beginning of a euphoric (a feeling of happiness or excitement) feeling.  And the closer I got to the light, as I shot down this tunnel, the warmer I got."  His NDE finished when he was rescued (saved from danger) by friends.  Novelist (a writer) Katherine Anne Porter had an NDE in 1918 during an illness of influenza (a virus that causes fever and weakness).  "I had seen my heavenly vision and the world was pretty dull after that.  My mood for several years thereafter was that it was not a world worth living in.  And yet one has faith, one has the inner core of strength that comes from somewhere, probably inherited from someone."

Robert Helm had a cardiac arrest (a cessation of the heartbeat) during knee surgery on November 7, 1979.  "I was conscious of a tunnel with an intense light at the other end.  I was going toward it at a really blinding speed."  He came out of it onto a street.  "There was a band of angels singing.  I was a total agnostic (a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality is unknown).  I had no belief in angels or any kind of heavenly being."  He says further, "It is without doubt, the most wonderful experience I've ever enjoyed."  And concludes, pointing to our present environment, "This is hell (Maclean's Newsmagazine, April 20, 1992)."  The next three stories are from To Hell and Back, Maurice Rawlings, M.D.  "A retired and well-to-do accountant was a Christian-turned-cold following the death of his mother several years previously when her leg was amputated (to cut a limb from the body).  In spite of his most fervent (ardent, blazing, intense) prayers, she died, and he concluded, 'God is as deaf as a stone idol.'"  Later, he got into trouble.  "In the hospital elevator, I actually felt my heart stop and then I stopped breathing.  I remember saying, So this is it.  The next thing [that happened was that] I was looking down from the ceiling in the intensive care unit.  There was this young doctor in a white coat and two nurses bent over me.  The doctor was yelling get this and get that.  Next thing, I was going through this dark passage (a dark place that is mysterious and not fully known about).  I didn't hit any of the walls and at the other end I walked out into an open field.'"  He came back.  "'I felt as if I were hit and everything became dark.  A jolting (a hard coming together) power went through my body.  I opened my and I grabbed at the heart machine's paddles ("paddle" like electrodes that deliver a charge) before they could shock me again.'"  These experiences are not all positive.  "An example is the Sunday school teacher, a Baptist, who had three separate death experiences from three separate cardiac arrests.  The first of these clinical deaths (death as judged by medical observation as a cessation of vital functions) displayed snakes and fires and things." 

Church people do not seem to be immune (marked by protection) from bad things.  "An illustration is the case of Mr. Bartholomy in the nursing home.  'What is it you see?' I said.  Mr. Bartholomy was trembling and grimacing (a facial expression of disapproval or pain) at something behind me.  When I turned, I could see nothing there.  'They're coming again,' he repeated.  'Who's coming?' I insisted.  Mr. Bartholomy was then sitting bolt upright (vertical) for the first time in a week, but kept looking toward the window.  'They're prowling (roaming around in a predatory manner) around over there.'  Putting a hand on his shoulder, I eased him down and read his chart.  I could see that no drugs had been administered, there was no fever.  The chart indicated he was well educated, a Protestant, several grandchildren, but no family in town."  It seems safer to be an agnostic (a person without a definite belief about eternal matters), when dealing with death.  From an article in Psychology Today, written by Steve Taylor, Ph.D.  "Several years ago, I worked with a college tutor (a private teacher) called John, who had a heart transplant in 1992.  During the operation, he was surprised to find himself awake and alert, looking down on his own body from above.  He could see the surgeon and the nurses performing the procedure [to transplant the heart], and sensed from their behavior that there was an emergency - he could see them rushing around, trying to save his life.  He was also surprised to find that he could hear classical music in the operating theatre (a facility within a hospital where surgical operations are carried out - the operating room).  He felt himself floating further away from his body, in a darkness which felt strangely peaceful and welcoming.  Then he encountered (meeting without expecting or intending to) his father, who had died a few years earlier.  His father seemed surprised to encounter him and told him, 'You shouldn't be here - it's not your time yet.'  Then John felt himself moving back down towards his body, and lost awareness (knowledge or perception of a situation or fact) again.  The next thing he knew, he was awake in recovery [after the operation].  Shortly afterwards, he asked the surgeon, 'How come you were playing classical music in the operating theatre?'  The surgeon was amazed that he knew this, since he had been unconscious (not knowing, awake or aware) when they turned the music on." 

From Near-Death Experiences and Islam, written by Kevin Williams.  "Melvin Morse reported the following Muslim near-death experience in his book, Parting Visions.  'Mebruke is a thirty-year old Saudi Arabian living in New York City.  At the age of twenty she was swimming in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy when she became tired.  As she headed for shore, she realized she was too far out to make it back.  She began to struggle and swallow water.  Finally she slipped beneath the waves.  I went under [water] for the fourth time, and my body went limp and I wasn't aware of it anymore.  It was at this point that I saw a beautiful white light.  It was so bright and yet it had such a calming effect that the more I looked at it, the calmer I felt.  To this day I can't really say what that light was.  In my religion there are beings called angels who are made out of pure white light.  Maybe that is what I saw.  Anyway, while I was underwater, I head a voice say, YOU ARE NOT TO DIE LIKE THIS.  Suddenly I felt this energy shoot through me from my feet to my head, and at the same time I seemed to be propelled (driven, pushed, shoved or thrust) out of the water.  It was as if someone was physically bringing me out of the water, but I can swear there was no physical being there.  I was moving through the water, I don't know how else to describe it.  Before long a boat came, and a man reached over the side and pulled me out.  When he did that, I started to laugh because I was so glad to be out of the water.'"

Wan I, a Muslim from Malaysia, had an NDE in 1995, recorded by Jody Long and Jeffrey Long, M.D. in Nderf.  "As my family was Muslim, my father who was on my left was whispering in my ears the 'Shahadah' which goes: 'There is only one God', over and over again, which made me even more afraid because the 'Shahadah is only whispered into one's ear when close to the moment of death.  I cried even more.  I do remember uncle Maharram, my neighbor, coming to help, but I was already helpless on the floor.  Slowly that feeling of coldness began to creep up to my upper body to my chest, which slowed my breathing down even more and caused me to feel dazed (a state of mental confusion - haze, fog, swoon).  As it started to reach my entire body - I could barely feel my physical body anymore as everything was numb and felt like it wasn't even there.  My vision began to blur (cloud, fog, obfuscate) to gray, the slowly turned white, as I couldn't see anymore.  I was so scared and as afraid at that moment as I knew somehow that I was dying.  As my vision turned white, all I could hear were the voices around me, but slowly even my hearing began to fade - as that cold-numbness feeling began to creep up to my head.  At that moment, I could no longer feel I had a body anymore but somehow I was conscious of my surroundings.  For a few seconds, I saw myself from above, lying on the floor, I saw uncle Maharram on my left and my dad on my right, my mother near the sofa looking worried, but I kept on floating upwards and away.  For a brief second I saw the rooftop of my house.  I saw the housing area where I lived from above, and as I got higher, I could see some night clouds in the sky.  As I turned to face the direction to which I was being pulled, the moment I turned around - there was a bright blinding light, as I expected to see the moon.  But at that precise moment as I faced towards the direction I was floating or being pulled towards, it felt like an instantaneous (done or occurring without any noticeable lapse in time) 'vacuum', as I was being sucked (to draw by or as if by suction) with incredible speed towards that light. 

"It felt like a tunnel with a light at the end of it.  The only way to describe the feeling was almost like riding a motorcycle at breakneck (very fast or dangerous) speed without your helmet on, or skydiving with the wind blowing hard against you - that feeling of tremendous speed where you're helpless to do anything about it as you have no control.  But as I grew closer to the light and felt its shine, a sudden cool and calmness came over me.  For the light made me feel peaceful all of a sudden as I grew closer.  It was a kind of peace and calm which I've never felt in my entire lifetime, even until this day...At that precise moment, I started breathing again.  I awoke, which felt as if I had been holding my breath underwater for too long.  Slowly my physical consciousness came back to me.  I slowly began to 'hear' again, then slowly everything was white, then gray.  I could slowly begin to see again.  My sense of that feeling of my body slowly began to come back to me.  I slowly began to feel my arms and my chest, and slowly, my legs...Ever since then, my whole life has changed.  I began going for my dreams and ambitions in life without any fears to try new things and which has brought me very far in life and career achievements."  Organized religion may comment "that entire nations of children are born where they will never hear what a group across the planet [in the United States] considers true teachings, and are thus consigned (delivered into the control of another) by that group (evangelical Christians) to suffer eternally (Dancing Past the Dark, Nancy Evans Bush)."  Meaning, believe our way (the method we give), or burn [in hell]. 

"A 32-year-old ISIS jihadist (holy warrior) has recently experienced clinical death after receiving multiple gunshot wounds in clashes (a physical dispute between opposing groups) with the Syrians Army forces and left helpless by his fellow fighters in the battlefield.  He was found unconscious by monks (a man who is a member of a religious order) of the Saint Dominican Catholic Presbytery of Ayyash ( a town 150 kilometers [94 miles] from Aleppo) hours after his collapse.  They carried his body 26 kilometers (16 miles) to give a proper burial before this man came miraculously back to life.  As he came back to his senses, he reported to priest Hermann Groshlin of the visions he had while in the afterlife (unending existence after death), an event that profoundly changed him.  'He told me that he was always taught that to die as a martyr (a person who suffers for a cause) would open him the gates of Jannah, or gates of heaven,' recalled the priest.  'Yet, as he had started to ascend towards the light of the heavens, devilish entities, or Jinnes he called them, appeared and led him to the fiery pits of Hell.  There he had to relive all the pain he had inflicted upon others and every death he had caused throughout his entire life.  He even had to relive the decapitations (to cut off the head) of his victims' - an experience the jihadist claims will haunt (to recur constantly) him for the rest of his life (Oriental Review)."  Anita Moorjani is a U.K. national and an ethnic Sindhi (a socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province in Pakistan) woman from India.  She grew up in Hong Kong, studied in England, then returned to Hong Kong and took up a senior management position for a French fashion company.  She also wrote a New York Times bestseller, Dying To Be Me.  She tell her story of an NDE: "I was drifting in and out of consciousness during this time, and I could feel my spirit actually leaving my body.  I saw and heard the conversations between my husband and the doctors taking place outside my room, about forty feet down a hallway.  I was later able to verify this conversation to my shocked husband.  Then I actually 'crossed over' to another dimension (realm), where I was engulfed in a total feeling of love."  One Muslim has said this: "As the great Spanish Sufi Ibn Arabi (a Muslim) said, God reveals Himself to each individual differently, according to the measure (something set up as an example) of his or her soul.  The divine (relating to God) self-revelations - whether it be through a 'white light', the figure of Jesus, holy figures, angelic beings or prophets - must take into consideration the unique cultural and spiritual landscape of the NDEr.  The REAL has created many nations and had revealed Himself to each one differently.  It would be naive (marked by unaffected simplicity) to deny religious experiences of those outside of one's own faith tradition simply because such experiences do not correspond to a narrow theological reading of one's own religion." 

Magazines such as Scientific American will tell you that these aforementioned people were having an hallucination (something that seems real but does not really exist).  This may be true for the Americans, as they live in a dream world much of the time anyway.  But to accuse a Russian, or the Muslims, of this is pushing it (pretending that something will work, when really it won't) a little far.  Again, Beyond Death's Door: "Dr. Karlis Osis and his associates initiated two studies in America and one in India.  Questionnaires (a set of questions to obtain statistically useful information) were received from over one thousand doctors and nurses who were particularly exposed in their work to dying patients.  1) Those patients taking either sedatives (tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress) or drugs that were known to produce hallucinations were less likely to have after-death experiences than those who took no medications at all.  2) Patients having experiences in an afterlife did not see heaven or hell in the form they had previously conceived.  3) The sequence (continuous or connected series) of the experience was not altered by differences in culture and religion.  Dying patients in the United States and in India both claim to see this dark passage and brilliant light."  On the other side of the spectrum (continuous sequence or range) some church people may say that these were just "angel of light" (i.e. satanic) experiences.  These NDE people describe a brilliant light, light at the end of the tunnel, intense light, a beautiful white light, bright blinding light.  There was no angel of light.  Their experiences sound more like "the true Light, that gives light to everyone (from John)."  "The doctrine that the Devil can disguise himself as Christ must be particularly troubling to fundamentalist (a conservative movement in theology) authorities as they consider the possibilities of pediatric (related to the medical care of children) NDEs.  Does God permit Satan to fool dying kids by masquerading (a way of appearing that is not true or real) as Jesus?  Or is God powerless to prevent that kind of satanic deception?  If so, common decency (social acceptable behavior) dictates that funda-Christian NDE experts urgently (calling for immediate attention) prepare clear, precise instructions that will enable desperately ill, dying pre-schoolers to distinguish (to identify or explain differences in or from) a satanopanic (counterfeit) Jesus from the real, true funda-Christian one (The Last Laugh, Dr. Raymond Moody)."  back to top

 A rapture myth.  The word myth means a widely held, but false belief or idea.  People may come to believe as true, when told a myth over and over and over again.  The rapture (a state of overwhelming, usually pleasurable, emotion) before the meltdown is a fairy tale.  Many conservative American Christians believe they will disappear into the clouds before things turn sour (turn out badly).  The chapter "The Rapture Myth" from Horse Creek clarifies this.  "The order of events is given to us in Matthew 24:21-42.  First, verse 21 - 'For then shall be great tribulation (a state of great suffering of body or mind) such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall ever be.'  This of course speaks of the seals and the plagues in Revelation.  Then, in verses 29 and 30 - 'Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken (perhaps from a thermonuclear war).  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes (nations) of the earth mourn - and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [as lightning shines from the east to the west].'  So after the seals and the plagues spoken of in Revelation, the Son of man will come to this world for the second time.  And now, verses 37 through 41 - 'But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away - so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

"Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding (reducing corn, etc. to flour) at the mill (a machine for grinding grain), the one shall be taken and the other left.'  Now, this concept of 'two in the field, one taken,' 'two women grinding at the mill, one taken and the other left,' is used by Evangelical people to show that the rapture will occur.  While it is true that a rapture will occur, it will occur after 'the great tribulation', seals and the plagues spoken of in Revelation.  Notice that after the great tribulation, the seals and the plagues spoken of in Revelation, our Lord come back to earth.  Then, at that time, the 'rapture' takes place - 'two in the field, one taken'.  Some argue that 'eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage' couldn't take place during the seals and plagues.  However the 'Antichrist' [Great Atheist] sets up so people can 'buy and sell' during this period.  The coming of the Son of man, after the seals and plagues is the flood, the end...Revelation 20:3-5 - 'And cast him (Satan) into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, and he should deceive the nations no more, until a thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season.  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God and who had not worshipped the beast (an allegory [a story in which a character represents a particular religious idea], which refers to a powerful leader), neither his image (picture), neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands (possibly refers to infrared scanning), and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.  THIS IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION.'  The first resurrection - the dead in Christ shall rise first.  If the rapture were to occur before the seals and plagues, Revelation 20:5 would say, 'This is the second resurrection.'  But it doesn't.

"In William Kimball's book The Rapture a Question of Timing, he makes some interesting comments on I Thessalonians 4:16-17 - 'A final note on the word descend employed in I Thessalonians 4:16 is also helpful at this point.  The word is consistently employed to characterize an uninterrupted descent.  This is substantiated (give substance or form to) in those passages mentioning the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ at His baptism.  It is also borne out in passages which refers to Christ's first advent (the act of coming upon a scene).  It is also employed numerous times in the New Testament in which its context clearly states or suggests an uninterrupted ascent.  When a change of direction is stated, a specific statement is included to qualify it.  Pre-tribulationists claim that since the saints (one of God's chosen) will be caught be up meet the Lord in the air that His heavenward ascent lends support to their defense of a two-stage coming.  They naturally assume that our translation (a change to a different form or appearance) skyward is a clear indication of our heavenward destination immediately following our rendezvous in the air.  However, opponents of the two-stage concept argue just the opposite.  They maintain that Christ's descent to the earth will be uninterrupted at the rapture.  They claim that the scriptures say nothing about a change of direction in the Lord's descent after the saints have joined Him in the air.  Though pre-tribulationists like Walvoord maintain that I Thessalonians 4 says nothing about continuing the journey to the earth, it should be pointed out that this verse says nothing about a return trip to heaven either.  On the basis of direct statements, neither post-tribulationists or pre-tribulationists can conclusively prove their position.  However, the internal evidence associated with the distinctive usage of the word meet lends strong support to the argument against the two-stage theory.  Interpreting this meeting of the Lord in the air by both the resurrected, dead saints and the translated, living saints to mean that Christ will then book (to reserve in advance) them on His return flight to heaven to wait seven years before coming back to earth again violates the precise meaning of the word met.  The word translated meet is derived from the Greek word apantesis.  It is a unique word used in reference to the coming of a king or magistrate (an official vested with limited judicial powers) to visit a city.  As Bruce (F.F. Bruce, New Bible Commentary) noted - when a dignitary paid an official visit or parousia to a city in Hellenistic times, the action of the leading citizens in going out to meet him and escorting him on the final stage of his journey was called the apantesis.'" 

The rapture was originally a Jesuit doctrine.  "The Jesuit Order, or The Society of Jesus, also called 'Jesuits' today, was founded by a man named Ignatius of Loyola, born in 1491.  He maintained a military career as a Spanish knight until he was severely wounded at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521.  While he was in recovery, he supposedly went thought some sort of 'spiritual conversion'.  He then combined his military experience with his newfound religious conversion to decide that his religion needed 'an army'.  Thus, he created The Society of Jesus under the banner of Roman Catholicism.  With several of his companions he formed the Jesuit Order in 1534 and it was officially commissioned and sanctioned by Pope Paul III in 1540.  'I do declare from my heart, without mental reservation, that the Pope is Christ's Vicar General and...He hath power to depose (remove from a throne) heretical (departure from accepted beliefs or standards) Kings, Princes, States...that they may safely be destroyed.  Therefore, to the utmost of my power I will defend this doctrine...I do further declare the doctrine of the Church of England, of the Calvanists, the Huguenots, and other Protestants to be damnable (extremely bad or unpleasant) and those to be damned (condemned by God) who will not forsake the same.  I do further declare that I will help, assist, and advise all or any of His Holiness agents in any place wherever I shall be; and to do my utmost (to the greatest or highest degree) to extirpate (root out and destroy completely - eliminate, suppress, crush) the heretical Protestant doctrine, and to destroy all their pretended power,' - The Jesuit Oath, as taken from the Political and Economic Handbook by Thomas Edward Watson in 1916, p. 437.  The Jesuit Order would become the Papacy's (office of the Pope) counter-Reformation.  It was mostly through the Papacy's selling of 'indulgences', or certificates of pardon, that the Reformation was flamed to life.  Luther was outraged when members of the university were handing him these 'requests for pardon of sin'.  So many Christians today do not know where many of the most commonly accepted beliefs even came from or why they were developed. 

"This brings us to Francisco Ribera (1537-1591) - a Jesuit leader in the area of theology, who began writing a long commentary, a few years before he died, on the events in the book of Revelation.  His documentary, In Sacrum Beati Ioannis Apostoli, & Evangelistiae Apocalypsin Commentarij, was published about a year before he died.  In his work, he explained that the first few chapters of Revelation actually referred to old Pagan Rome, and that the rest of Revelation described events circulating around a 'literal' three and a half year period in the future where a charismatic Antichrist figure would be revealed who would - 1) persecute and kill the Christian saints during an oddly separated 70th week of Daniel's 70-week prophecy, 2) rebuild an actual third Temple in Jerusalem, 3) deny the deity of Jesus Christ and claim to be the Messiah himself, 4) place himself in this newly restored Jewish Temple, claiming to be God, 5) kill an actual two witnesses of God in the city of Jerusalem, 6) force the entire world to worship him (www.end-times-prophecy.org)."  J. Preston Eby wrote a book, The Origin of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.  "Later, Emmanuel Lacunza, also a Jesuit priest, built on Ribera's teachings, and spent much of his life writing a book titled The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty.  Lacunza, however, wrote under the assumed name of 'Rabbi Ben Ezra'...Lacunza taught the novel notion that Jesus returns not once, but twice, and at the 'first stage' of His return He 'raptures' His Church so they can escape the reign of the 'future Antichrist'.  His book was first published in Spanish in the year 1812 and soon found its way onto the shelves of the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London, England."  What is the evangelical church in America doing adopting a doctrine from some of the most strict Catholics imaginable (conceivable), who in their distant past (far away in time and space) were virulently (malicious, malevolent, hostile, spiteful, venomous, vicious, vindictive, bitter) anti-Protestant?  back to top

A creation myth.  There is an apparent shift away (in a different direction) from a strict creationist view (an opinion or way of thinking).  There are those who hold to the Young Earth view believing that humankind was created in the past approximately 10,000 years and evolution did not play a part (make a contribution to a situation).  In the Bible, it says that God created Man in six days.  Day one: night and day created.  Day two: clouds and sea split apart.  Day three: dry land plus plants.  Day four: clouds dissipate (break up and scatter or vanish) showing sun, moon and stars.  Day five: fish and birds.  Day six: animals, insects and male plus female humans.  "A day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day (from II Peter)."  This is used by American fundamentalist Christians to prove that God created Man in six thousand years - end of story.  And like all of the other intolerance (unwilling to grant equal freedom of expression, especially in religious matters), this one falls flat (fails completely) before the facts.  Notice, it says that a day is as (use to indicate how a thing appears) a thousand years.  It does not say a day is a thousand years.  So, "a day" could mean a million years just as easily, as not.  Carbon 14 dating (a method of obtaining the age of an object containing organic material [long dead plants or animals - carbon based compounds originally derived from living organisms] by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope [forms in which atoms of a chemical element can occur] of carbon) lends credibility to "a day" being a million years, more or less.  Evolutionists say that Man evolved (developed gradually, from the simple to the more complex) from, say, a worm.  But where did the worm come from?  This may be traced back (to ascertain the successive stages in the development or progress of something, by reasoning backwards from an effect to a cause) throughout the whole evolution process, to the first infinitesimal (an indefinitely small quantity, a value approaching zero) life on the planet.  But where did that come from?  Perhaps an alien (a being from another planet, extraterrestrial life which does not originate from the earth).  But where did the alien come from?  This may be traced back throughout the entire universe.  But where did the first infinitesimal life come from in the universe?  Evolution implies (to express in an indirect way) things developing from something.  They cannot develop from nothing.  "Creationists will believe what they want to believe.  But they should know the consequences (results of a particular action or situation).  Continued fighting to promote creationism is hurting religion's credibility in an age (a distinct period of history) when science and technology are perceived as reliable sources of truth and positive contributors (people who contribute) to society.  Anecdotal (a factual account of an incident) and polling (selection of opinions on a subject, taken from a random group of persons) evidence implicate (involve as a consequence) religion's anti-science reputation in the drift away (lose personal contact over time) from church involvement - especially among younger adults, nearly 40% of whom have left organized religion behind (Tom Krattenmaker, communications director at Yale Divinity School)."  back to top  

Internet cross.  From The Economist, July 8, 2017.  "Estonians are among Europe's least pious folk.  Just 2% of the population attend services (communal worship in Christian tradition) weekly in the medieval churches of Tallinn, or anywhere else.  A growing number of the inhabitants of this forested, sparsely populated (few people scattered about the area spoken of) land subscribe (express or feel agreement with) to the nature-loving precepts of neo-paganism (any of several spiritual movements that attempt to revive an ancient polytheistic [belief in many gods] religion of Europe)."  Tallinn is the capital and the largest city in Estonia, a small country in northern Europe which was formally part of the Soviet Union.  Then, U.S.A. Today, August 11, 2005, makes a point on religion in Western Europe, that "attendance is sliding (to change position or become dislocated), attitudes toward God and church authority are changing".  It notes that "the [attendance] drop is most evident in France, Sweden and the Netherlands, where church attendance is less than 10% in some areas".  An article in the same paper is entitled "Is God Dead in Europe?" and comments, "In The Prague Post, an English-language weekly newspaper...an op-ed ("opinion editorial" - a writing which expresses the opinion of a named author) examines why only 19% of the people in this once-religious country (the Czech Republic) believe that God exists (January 9, 2006)."  Europeans are drifting (a slow and gradual movement) toward neo-paganism and secularism (a system of social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship).  So, a purpose of a Cross is to give the Europeans some form of a direction (a position extending from a specific point), with what is on the webpage, i.e. a message of hope, as it deals with some issues (fix or solve things discussed), when 403,000,000 in the European Union use the internet.  Russian Life has classified some people: "58% of Russians classify themselves as Orthodox believers, while 42% of these have never been in an Orthodox Church and 31% said they go to church once a year.  Of those who called themselves 'believers', 60% had never read any of the Bible."  The efforts to reach the Russian people could be placed on an individual's thumbnail (a nail of a thumb - that is, a very small representation).  According to the June 2005 Issue of Russian Life, 41% of Russians have a home computer, presently, 85,000,000 use the internet.  The Middle East is supposed to be some sort of a mission field.  But, they already have a religion that works for them - Islam.  So it is better to leave that area alone.  Pushing Christianity on the Middle East makes about as much sense as pushing Islam on the United States.  From the Qur'an: "As for those who are unbelievers, if they have everything that the earth contains, or twice as much, to offer as a ransom (a consideration paid for the release of someone) to redeem (to remove the obligation of) themselves from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it will not be accepted (to have a favorable opinion of)."

In the 19th century many were the missionaries to China, and they have approximately 80,000,000 Christians there now.  But in the 21st century, it's hard to conceive of a few thousand missionaries reaching the remaining 1.3 billion people.  According to Falun Gong and the Internet: "Throughout history, technology has often facilitated (help bring about - make easier) the spread of religion.  Indeed, it is frequently stated that the most important difference between John Huss and Martin Luther was the availability of the printing press.  More recently, radio and television have assisted the spread of evangelical Christianity in the United States.  It is not unreasonable to posit (suggest), therefore, that the internet may play an important role in the growth of religious movements (groups of people working together to advance their shared ideas, intended to bring about religious reforms) that embrace (to take up readily or gladly) it."  Falun Gong is a religious cult (a religious group whose beliefs considered extreme or strange) within China that has used the internet to peddle (try to get people to accept or believe something) its trash (of a low cultural profile) to the masses (ordinary people who form the largest group in a society).  If Falun Gong can effectively use the internet - surely (without danger or risk) it may be used to reach people with a message of hope.  When you have 1.3 billion people across the sea, you need a 313 meter Cross to do it, as 642,000,000 people use the internet.  In Australia, India, and Africa there are 21,000,000, 243,000,000 and 331,000,000 internet users respectively.  Mexico is a country which might have a spiritual need.  Unlike the Chinese, the Mexicans aren't very internet savvy (knowledge gained by actually doing something), yet there are still 51,000,000 who use it.  Latin America and the Caribbean, also, might enjoy (have for someone's use or benefit) a message of hope twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with 315,000,000 internet users.  So, if the internet can be used to reach people across the sea, surely it can be used to reach people on the back doorstep (a step leading to the back door of a house).  "Around 40% of the world's population has an internet connection today.  In 1995, it was less than 1%.  The number of internet users has increased tenfold (being ten times as great) from 1999 to 2013 (Internet Live Stats)."  Over 3.4 billion use the internet as of 2017.  A 313 meter Cross get their attention (causes someone to look) and the material on the webpage tells them, the Africans, the Indians, the Australians, the Chinese, the Russians, the Europeans and whoever else, what it means (intends to convey, indicate or refer to).  A pygmy (something very small) Cross, 100 meters tall, doesn't cut it (doesn't have the qualities needed to do a task or cope with a situation).

Shanghai is located on the mainland coast of China.  According to a recent census, it has about 25,000,000 people, and is an economic, cultural and spiritual center for all of China.  The Shanghai Tower is 632 meters (2073 feet) tall, and is the second tallest building in the world.  Its tiered (one of two or more rows arranged one above the other) construction, designed for high energy efficiency, provides multiple separate zones for office, retail and leisure.  Is it possible that a missionary, with a Bible tucked (to put something in a place to make it safe) under his arm, would enter the building, go to a certain floor, talk to one of the elite (a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence) Chinese businessmen who work there, uninvited, and ask him: "Do you know Jesus?"  The church does not worry about reaching people in metropolitan areas of which Shanghai is one.  It's just too problematic (difficult to understand, solve or fix).  Perhaps people who work and stay at the Shanghai Tower could go online and check out (to look over closely) a 313 meter Cross.  The Shanghai Tower takes the form of nine cylindrical (shaped like a cylinder - a turning chambered breech) buildings stacked (laid) on top of each other.  The unique (being the only one) design of a mirror-finish, stainless-steel Cross might interest them - as well as the message.  In the 1930s, some 30,000 Jewish refugees from Europe arrived in the city, fleeing from Hitler and welcome in China.  Shanghai has seen massive development over the past fifteen years, catching up with the Western world.  It is also an important center for Christianity in China.  When the monument is done, they won't feel as isolated.  Shanghai is a fast-paced port city where many of the items American prize (to value highly), which are stamped Made in China, are sent from.  So where are the American missionaries to deal with this 21st century boomtown (a town enjoying rapid growth due to sudden prosperity)?

Moscow, Russia,  This is a city of over 12,000,000 people, a Russian Orthodox town.  Approximately 50% of Russians claim to be Russian Orthodox, but only about 15% of these are actively involved in a church.  The Kremlin (seat of the government of Russia) resides here.  Foreign missionaries aren't too welcome.  A monument doesn't tell them what to do, just helps them in their personal faith.  Russians don't like to be told what to do by the West.  Paris, France.  This city is located on the Seine River - a town of romance with over 2,000,000 inhabitants.  The city of amour is basically a Catholic town, although not many go to the Catholic churches in the city.  There is little evangelical effort being done there.  Nobody stands on a street corner, say, on the Champs-Elysees and says to the thousands of sophisticated (showing experience about the world and culture) passersby (those who pass by): "Do you know Jesus?"  Just won't happen.  After the child molestation cases all over Europe, they could use some encouragement that a Cross can give.  Sao Paulo, Brazil is the twelfth largest city in the world.  Churches in the United States frequently make a missions trip to rural (typical of open areas with few buildings or people) areas of Mexico to talk to people.  They do not venture (to expose to hazard) as far south as Sao Paulo, and would probably feel lost in a city of about 12,000,000 people.  Online, these people can access a spiritual landmark (an object or structure on land), and receive some benefit.  In the United States, belonging to a church may cost ten percent of an individual's annual income.  The Cross is free - Jesus never charged.   back to top

Peace in the Middle East.  There could be peace in the Middle East between Jews and Muslims.  There is a need for a Temple.  There will be no peace, without it.  Jews may be afraid to give the Palestinians a state, due to a fact that the Muslims have Mecca.  It's a psychological paranoia (a psychosis characterized by systematized thoughts of persecution).  Mecca is the birthplace of Muhammad, and the site of Muhammad's first revelation of the Quran.  Mecca is a holy city in the religion of Islam and a pilgrimage (to take a trip of some distance) to it, the Hajj, is an obligation (something one must do) for able-bodied (having a sound body) Muslims.  More than 15,000,000 Muslims visit annually (occurring once a year).  Where a Temple is to be put is debatable (open discussion or open to question).  There is a problem of Israeli settlements in Palestine.  A Mexican solution might work in the situation - Americans live in gated communities as American citizens in Mexico.  Israelis could do the same thing - live in Palestine as Israeli citizens.  Palestinian refugees living in camps need Jewish help.  A Temple might make the Jewish people more philanthropic (humanitarian).  Thousands may feel as though they have been locked up, forgotten (to treat with inattention or disregard), as the world looks at other issues, such as Syria.  Jerusalem has always been a hope of a Jew.  Next year Jerusalem! has been their cry for over a thousand years.  Dearborn, Michigan is a town inhabited by many Arab Americans.  They control much of the town - under the American flag.  Jerusalem is the Jewish peoples' dream.  Arabs living in the Arab section of Jerusalem can do so as well - under the Israeli flag.  As far as a right to return, Jews return to Israel and Palestinians return to Palestine.  To prevent violence, China could provide peacekeepers (international enforcement and supervision to preserve the peace).  No one would consider the harassing, the intimidating or the killing of them, for fear of bringing the wrath of 1.35 billion Chinese on their heads (great anger that expresses itself in a desire to punish). 

"On Friday (August 31), the Trump administration ended decades of financial support for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) - which was set up to serve Palestinian refugees after the creation of Israel in 1948.  UNRWA schools provide education to 515,000 children.  The organization also provides health care, relief, social services and other types of help to almost 2.1 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, two million others in Jordan, 560,000 in Syria and 450,000 in Lebanon.  Chris Gunness, the group's spokesman, said that 'some of the most marginalized (to treat a group as insignificant or peripheral) and vulnerable (those unable to protect themselves from significant harm or exploitation) people in one of the most volatile regions (an area liable to change rapidly and unpredictably) on the planet are being put under terrible pressure (forced into a difficult situation)' by the elimination of funding (money removed).  The State Department said the U.S. would look into 'new models (better systems) and new approaches (better procedures or techniques)' that aimed to provide Palestinian children 'with a more durable (long-lasting) and dependable path (a trustworthy and reliable direction) towards a brighter tomorrow (to become cheerful and feel welcome)'.  Khalid Al Saifi is a 57-year-old former math teacher who now runs after-school (taking place at the end of a school day) dance, athletics and music programs.  He feels the American UNRWA cuts were motivated by politics (public affairs) and not a desire to bring about a just resolution (one that focuses on repairing any harm done to people and communities) to the plight (a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation) of Palestinian refugees.  'We want peace; we don't like blood.  But I want to ask you a question - if there is no hope, what do you think will happen?' (NBCNews, September 3, 2018)"  For any peace in the Middle East to work (a system that is to operate or function, especially properly or effectively), America must abandon (give up completely a course of action, a practice or a way of thinking) its Muslim-hate.  back to top

Abortion.  Some people in the United States say abortion is pro choice.  That is, it is a woman's choice to terminate (come to an end) her pregnancy and abort (to induce the expulsion of) her fetus (a human being in the later stages of development before it is born).  The question is, as to what the fetus actually is...even though it is not a born human, it could be looked upon as being a partial (incomplete) human.  The United States Supreme Court stated, in 1973, that the word person does not include the unborn.  It is not quite clear what the Supreme Court regards the unborn as - but definitely (without a doubt) not a person.  In Nazi Germany, Jews were regarded as partial human beings, and eliminated (put an end to).  People in that time frame (a period of time) really didn't have a problem with it.  And in the 21st century, with the killing of fetuses, people don't have a problem with it, either.  The word genocide means the deliberate and systematic extermination (get rid of completely) of a cultural group, whether that cultural group be Jews, or whether that group be unborn children.  Although the abortion clinics are not attempting to exterminate every unborn child, they are eliminating a limited amount of them.  Six million Jews were eliminated in Hitler's Germany, and with fetuses in the U.S.A., ten times that amount have lost their lives since 1973.  "A new analysis published by the National Right to Life Committee indicated there has been an estimated 60,069,971 abortions since the Supreme Court handed down its 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision allowing virtually unlimited abortions (LifeNews.com, January 18, 2018)."  Pope Francis put this way on January 13, 2014.  "It is frightful (causing intense fear or alarm) even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day."  But, according to Patricia Rudy Hale, "Abortion is not murder.  Calling it such justifies (show what is just, right or reasonable) the nuts with guns who actually do murder living, breathing people.  Stop the incendiary (causing anger) language and mind you own - reproductive (sexually functional social instinct) - business."  That is, "threatening a woman's freedom to control her own body", according to Senator Dianne Feinstein. 

Does controlling your own body mean liquidating (removing by a violent means) an unborn child?  Does the pro-choice group regard a fetus as perhaps on the level (the placement of someone in relation to others) of a rat?  They say, "Reproductive freedom for all."  Roe vs. Wade occurred in 1973, just after Vietnam.  Perhaps when Americans could not eliminate any more women and children in Vietnam using napalm (jelly-like gasoline enclosed in bombs dropped by an airplane), the country went in this direction (guidance of action or conduct).  If the clinics are proud of what they do, why not make posters (a sheet bearing an announcement) of groups of aborted babies available, so that Planned Parenthood can proudly (displaying excessive self-esteem) hang them on their office walls for the public to enjoy...or on the walls of hallowed (highly respected) Democratic senators in Washington D.C., for their constituents (a body of citizens).  If the clinics aren't proud of what they do, why do it?  For the clinics to wish to shut down, however, they might have to see that what do may be a possible form of limited genocide.  Deborah Nucatola, senior director of medical research for Planned Parenthood, explained how she could perform late term abortions - with a woman four months pregnant - to aid in the harvesting (to collect for human use) of aborted body parts.  "We've been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, so I'm not gonna crush that part [of the unborn child], I'm gonna basically crush below, I'm gonna crush above, and I'm gonna see if I can get it all intact."  Shades (similarity between a previously situation and one presently) of Nazi Germany.  Kirsten Powers, a political analyst (to dissect, evaluate or assess) who served with the Clinton administration, commented on the abortion doctor.  "The problem here is not one of tone.  It's the crushing.  It's the organ harvesting of fetuses that abortion rights activists (those who emphasize direct vigorous action) want us to believe have no more moral value than a fingernail."  What may be done is a Gallup poll of pro-choice women as to what they believe a fetus is - a human, half-human, or not human at all. 

There can be an exception to a rule.  Rev. Amy Butler is a minister at The Riverside Church, New York City.  She told this, in October 2016.  "When my oldest son was a year old, my husband and I got the news that I was pregnant with a second child, a girl.  I handled most of the doctor's appointments on my own - I knew the drill.  The baby with active and present in family conversations, her big brother slowly acquiring the language of sibling-hood (one of two individuals having one common parent), the lively discussion of her name a frequent topic.  Until one routine appointment toward the end of the pregnancy when the doctor looked at the sonogram (image produced by ultrasound) images, was silent for too long, then told me to hang on - she'd be right back.  In the moments that followed, one doctor after another entered the exam room, looked at the sonogram screen, then retired to the hallway and whispered conversation.  I kept asking what was going on, but nobody would say.  As I sat there in the cold company of beeping monitors (a device for measuring a biologically important condition), my heart beat so fast and I felt so afraid.  And then all the doctors came in the room together, stood around the bed, and told me that my baby was severely developmentally compromised; that she would die at birth, if not before, after a very short, excruciatingly (extremely) painful few minutes of life; and that continuing the pregnancy to full term would be very dangerous for me."  She did abort (terminate a pregnancy).  However, "I sat in shock on the toilet seat, staring at all four positive pregnancy tests.  How could this be?  Taking birth control pills made me feel invincible (the state of being immune to any form of damage)  - there was no way I could be pregnant.  I was 17-years-old and in a state of pure instability (unreliability, uncertainty or unpredictability).  My best friend knew of an option (a thing that can be chosen from a set of possibilities) - abortion.  After the five-minute procedure (official way of doing a surgical operation), all I felt was relief (a feeling of reassurance and relaxation).  I was shocked (a sudden mental, emotional disturbance) by how much buildup (a period of excitement and preparation in advance of a significant event) there was for something so safe and quick.  I controlled my life and my body again (Sarah Valliere, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health)."  This refers to limited genocide.  "There have already been tens of millions of legal abortions serving as grim building blocks of an American death cult...in a culture that turns its face away from God (Chicago Tribune, August 7, 2019)."

"I began my medical career believing the modern clichés () that women must have total control over our bodies, and that it’s irresponsible () and unethical to bring unwanted children into an overpopulated world.  During my OB-GYN residency () in Florida in the late 1970s, I went above and beyond the usual first-trimester () abortion requirement and asked to learn to perform second-trimester dismemberment () abortions.  When faced with my own unwanted pregnancy before entering medical school, I chose abortion.  Abortions, I soon discovered, can be very profitable.  When I got my medical license in Florida in 1978, I moonlighted as an abortionist on the weekends, making more money than I would have made working in the emergency room.  I was amazed by the perfect little fingers and toes but treated fetal remains () like any other medical specimen — with no emotion.  I even performed abortions while I was pregnant.  The difference was clear to me at the time - my baby was wanted; my patients' babies weren't.  I saw no contradiction () in that.  The only time I questioned my line of work was during my neonatal rotation (), when I realized I was trying to save babies in the neonatal intensive care unit who were the same age as some of the babies I was aborting.  Three patients changed my professional trajectory ().  I was preparing to perform an abortion on the first when I realized I had already performed three on her in the past — she was using abortion as birth control.  I protested doing the fourth, only to be told by my boss that I had no right to deny it to her.  'Easy for you to say, you’re not the one doing the killing,' I snapped back.  I did the killing, but my response startled even me.  The second patient was a young woman there with a friend.  Her friend asked whether she wanted to see the tissue when I was done, and she replied angrily that no, she just wanted to kill it.  'What did this baby ever do to you?'  I wondered, again surprised by my reaction.  I don't think I had ever thought of them as babies before.  But it was a mother of four who felt she just couldn’t manage another child who brought me to tears.  She wept before, during and after the procedure.  It was the grief of a woman who knew the moral gravity () of what she was doing that ended my abortion career.  I stopped doing abortions.  Over time, I saw in my OB-GYN practice young girls flourish () who had chosen not to abort, and older, more educated patients who had aborted struggle psychologically ().  Gradually, I began to see the feminist narrative () that abortion empowers women as increasingly flimsy ( - Dr. Kathi Aultman, associate scholar with Charlotte Lazier Institute)."  Perhaps it could be said that it is so not pro-life vs. pro-choice, but pro-life vs. pro-death.  back to top

Separation of spiritual values and state.  Another issue is a separation of church and state, in the United States.  With the church's satanic tendencies (a purposeful trend), bigotry, petty sadism and etc., this is probably a good thing.  But, the doctrine of the separation of spiritual values and state remains unconstitutional.  The First Amendment to the Constitution states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."  In other words, if school district "A" located in Seattle, Washington, composed of parents, teachers and students, chooses the "religion of atheism", that is to teach evolution, no prayer, nothing from the Bible, no Christian group can do anything about it.  However, if school district "B" located in the backwoods (remote or culturally backward area) of Mississippi, composed of parents, teachers and students, chooses to teach creation, exercise (something done over and over) prayer, with a moral lesson from the Bible, no civil liberties group should be able to touch it.  David Saperstein and Oliver Thomas spoke of a concept: "Admittedly, the separation of church and state does not mean the separation of God and government...Lincoln spoke of 'the Almighty', Jefferson of 'the Creator' and Washington of 'Divine Providence'."  There have been some changes.  On May 5, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that centuries of tradition of prayer to open government meetings cannot be removed on the basis of sectarian (religious beliefs) content.  "Absent a pattern of prayers that over time denigrate (defame or belittle), proselytize (persuade to join a religious group), or betray an impermissible (not permissible) government purpose, a challenge based solely on the content of prayer will not likely establish a constitutional violation," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority.  "Fueled by controversies over aggressive policing and seemingly random attacks on officers, dozens of departments have placed In God We Trust on patrol cars.  'There are all these news stories out of Ferguson and Baltimore, and I have personally been in a firefight (a hostile confrontation that involves gunfire) and when you come out of one of those, you know you're trusting in God,' Nathan Stevens, police chief of Cave City, Ark., told KAIT Television."  This wrote by Ken Paulson, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University.  If you are getting shot at, then In God We Trust really doesn't seem to have much to do with a separation of church and state.   back to top

Human trafficking.  An example of this is Boko Haram, meaning "Western education is unclean", which kidnapped 276 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria on April 14, 2014.  According to Time: "Boko Haram known as a terrorist group, but with its latest thrust, it has moved into a new line of business - large volume human trafficking.  The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, hinted as much in one of two videos he released after the abduction (to carry away forcibly or unlawfully).  'We will give their hands in marriage because they are our slaves,' he announced.  'We will sell them in the market.'"  What is organized religion doing concerning it?  Not enough.  Just telling these people to forgive, really doesn't solve (find a solution, explanation or answer for) it.  Nearly thirty million individuals worldwide have been exploited and treated as property.  These victims, scattered in 118 countries - adults and children - are forced to work, marry, serve in wars or as prostitutes.  The perpetuators (people who cause something evil to continue) have a beautiful home prepared for them...in hell.  The victims may do two things to help themselves: 1) connect to the Unseen so they get paradise when they are dead and 2) continue to connect to the Unseen, until He does something about their situation - like causing their captors to "screw up" - completely mismanage or mishandle a situation - so they can escape, or find someone to help them back to safely. 

"Boko Haram kept Fatsuma's daughter Fatima for a year and a half before she escaped.  Now that she has been reunited with her family in a camp for people displaced by Nigeria's war to defeat the Islamist insurgency, her mother says she doesn't trust her.  The 14-year-old retreats into silence for days, only to lash out explosively (intermittent explosive disorder - in a hostile way, sudden and unexpected aggressive behavior) at the slightest disturbance (fragile self-esteem that is vulnerable).  'We are afraid of her sometimes,' says Fatsuma, with an uneasy (worried or unhappy) glance at her daughter sitting across the room.  'When she came back from Boko Haram, she was different, hard-hearted.'  Fatsuma believes it was because Fatima was forced to watch as Boko Haram fighters killed her brother in front of her, and was threatened (have an uncertain chance of continued survival) when she cried.  Fatsuma hasn't seen her daughter cry since, but Fatima often wakes up the family in the middle of the night with her screaming.  Most unnerving (depriving of strength or vigor, and the capacity for effective action) of all, Fatima soothes (gently calms) herself by chanting (repeating or singing a word or phrase continuously) Boko Haram dirges (laments - mournful songs - for the dead).  'I love her,' says Fatsuma.  'I am happy she is with me now, but Boko Haram still has a part of her (Time, July 10, 2017)."  The spirit of the God of the universe can help this girl with post-traumatic stress disorder, and tens of thousands of others like her, get some heart (the center of human emotion) back.  back to top

Global migration.  "From where Violeta Monterroso stood, in a migrant encampment () near one of Tijuana's main border crossings (), she could almost see San Diego, the shimmering () American city just beyond the frontier fence ().  She could see American cars as they slid down a highway and disappeared toward a ghostly skyline (), and she could imagine what lay almost within reach ().  But that promised land () was also infinitely distant ().  From the Mexican side of the border, mired () in inches of mud that reeked () of broken portable toilets, the entire U.S. might as well have been a mirage ().  When Monterroso and her husband Candido Calderon arrived in late November with their children, Kenia Jasmin, 12; Isaac, 11, and Yeimi, 9, they added their names to the bottom of a list in a thick book ().  There were more than 5000 migrants () ahead of them waiting to request asylum () in the U.S., and because of recent changes in policy, American authorities were processing only forty to one hundred requests per day.  Monterroso and Calderon expected it would take months before their names were called.  But they were willing to do whatever it took.  Going back to Guatemala was simply not an option, they said.  Monterroso explained that in October, their family was forced to flee after a gang threatened to murder the children if they didn't pay an exorbitant bribe (), five months' worthy of profits from their tiny juice stall ().  The family hid for a day and a half in their house and then sneaked away () before dawn.  'There is nobody that can protect us there,' Monterroso said.  'We have seen in the other cases, they kill the people and ill their children.'  Her voice caught ().  'The first thing is to have security for them,' she said of her kids, 'that nothing bad happens to them.'

"Months of reporting by Time correspondents around the world reveal a stubborn reality () - we are living today in a global society increasingly roiled () by challenges that can be neither defined nor contained () by physical barriers ().  That goes for climate change, terrorism, p0andemics (), nascent technologies () and cyber-attacks ().  It also applies to one of the most significant global developments of the past quarter century - the unprecedented explosion () of global migration ().  Monterroso and Calderon, along with thousands of other families who had gathered in late November in encampments outside Tijuana, represent a tiny fraction () of the record-breaking 258,000,000 international migrants, defined by the U.N. as people living outside their country of birth.  The total number has more than doubled since 1985 and ballooned () 36,000,000 since 2010.  They abandoned their homes for different reasons - tens of million went in search of better jobs or better education or medical care, and tens of millions more had no choice.  More than 5,600,000 fled the war in Syria, and a million more were Rohingya, chased from their villages in Myanmar.  Hundreds of thousands fled their neighborhoods in Central America and villages in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by poverty and violence.  In Murfreesboro, Tenn., Albertina Contreras sits in a folding chair behind a Mexican restaurant just down the street from the small brick house she shares with two other families.  She wears brown sandasl (), despite the crisp December weather (), and when she speaks, her eyes periodically brim () with tears.  But she seems less nervous than relieved.  She and her 11-year-old daughter Yaquelin Yohana Garcia Contreras are togehter now, she says, safe in the U.S., thanks to the grace of God.  It's been a long year.  Albertina and Yaquelin fled their home in Cubulco, Guatelmala, in early May.  It took them three weeks and $6000 borrowed for the trip.  Albertina, 27, says that for years she was raped and beaten by deifferent men in her town, and she's worried that Yaquelin, who is at that tender age between childhood and adolescence, would soon face a similar fate ().  'She's on the cusp () of that time period of being 13 or 14 years old, and that's when the girls get picked up (),' says Albertina, describing the ubiquitous sexual violence () that many Central American women endure.

"Americans are hardly alone in finding their nations shaped its reaction () to waves of newcomers ().  The collapse of the Venezuelan economy has driven more than 3,000,000 people into neighboring countries.  And violence in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan has made Uganda, Kenya, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Pakistan into the world's largest refugee camps ().  Europe, which from 2015 to 2016 received roughly (about) 2,000,000 new migrants, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, is seeing the political landscape () remade in many countries as a result.  Sami Baladi and Mirey Darwich, who fled their middle-class home in Aleppo, Syria in 2013, were among the first wave (group) of Syrians to arrive on European shores ().  They both remember the day they left with searing clarity ().  The war had come close, and they feared for their two young daughters' lives.  They called a friend and climbed into the back of Sami's pickup truck, lying flat on the bed beneath a cover ().  Sami held their daughter Fabienne, who was 6-years-old at the time, while Mirey carried Joyce, who was one and a half.  They remember the sound of bullets zipping over them (), the boom () of distant mortar fire ().  When they finally boarded a plane, a packed troop transport (), the pilot warned his human cargo () to prevent their cell phones from creating any light, then took off down a darkened runway (), flying in a steep corkscrew () to avoid fire ().  Mirey, who was pregnant with their third child, Clara, almost threw up (vomited).  Sami, overwhelmed, felt nothing at all.  'I didn't have the energy to feel,' he says.  When the Baladis first arrived in their new town, Anrochte, Germany, they were a rarity ().  Fabienne was the only Middle Eastern kid in her new elementary school, and it was impossible to find a good Syrian restaurant.  'When we first came, we were the only Arabic people in Anrochte,' says Mirey.  'When I heard Arabic in the street, I would stop them.' 

"Seven years later, everything has changed.  From 2011 to 2017, roughly 500,000 Syrians arrived in Germany, according to U.N. data, giving the nation the world's fifth largest population of Syrians outside Syria.  Under the leadership of Chancellor Angele Merkel's centrist party (), Germany accepted thousands of migrants from other countries as well.  Every fifth person in Germany today is either an immigrant or the child of an immigrant, according to the German Federal Statistics Office.  When Kazi Mannan left his village in Pakistan in 1996, wearing the only pair of shoes he owned and clutching () a one-way ticket to Dulles airport in Virginia, he was a hard-line () anti-immigration advocate's () worst nightmare.  The 26-year-old Muslim had no money, no high school diploma and no English.  He'd worked since he was a child, hauling ice into his village from a neighboring town, but he had no marketable skills, no resume (), and he was dirt-poor ().  Mannan's plan, such as it was (), was to secure a tourist visa to visit his cousin, who already lived in the U.S. - and then, somehow, get rich and never leave.  That was just over twenty years ago, and these days Mannan, who's now 48, owns two businesses in Washington, D.C. - a halal restaurant () and a car service - where he employs fifteen people and gives away thousands of meals every year to the homeless.  In 2004, eight years after coming to the U.S., he became a citizen.  'I was so excited that I am here,' he says.  Mannan's story scans (), at first, as a quintessential telling () of the American Dream - that familiar mythology () of a young Horatio Alger character () who, thought grit () and hard work, makes something of himself (). 

"Basil Bacall, 54, fled Iraq in the 1980s and now owns twenty-two hotels in Michigan, which together gross more than $100,000,000 each year.  As a philanthropist (), Bacall has raised more than $10,000,000 for his nonprofit, which supports refugees, and as the CEO of Elite Hospitality Group, a development and management company, he employs more than 1000 people, about 40% of whom he estimates are foreign-born.  Without that immigrant workforce (), he says, he's struggle to keep growing while keeping prices down.  'We could not sustain () the same amount of development or create as many jobs,' he says...But any long-term solution, experts insist, must address the reasons () people leave home in the first place.  In Central America, that means establishing security () and rule of law ().  Texas Republican Representative Will Hurd, among others, has suggested implementing () a comprehensive () foreign aid plan for much of the region, comparable () to the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War II.  Doris Meissner, onetime head () of the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and the director of the Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, has suggested a similar, international effort to funnel () humanitarian aid and establish stability () and export markets in nations from which tens of thousands of people flee () each year (Time, February 11, 2019)."  The U.N.'s refugee agency () reports that the number of displaced persons is at its highest ever - surpassing () even World War II numbers ().  back to top

Arabs.  The war in Iraq has a disagreement of pro and con.  Some in the United States wanted it and some didn't.  A justification (sufficient reason or cause) is that for over twenty-five years certain areas of the Middle East, notably (to a high degree) Iraq, would accuse America of being the Great Satan.  While America is many things, that is one thing it is not.  At Pearl Harbor in 1941, approximately 3000 people were killed, causing a war with Japan.  To attempt to kill the soul of a nation is far more serious than to actually kill a very small percentage of its population.  While the Middle East, notably Iraq, did not kill the soul of America, it did do quite a bit of damage.  So America, alone, was justified in dealing with Iraq.  The European Union was not accused of being the Great Satan, Russia was not accused of being the Great Satan, it is strictly (firm or rigid) an American problem.  A second reason was to depose (to remove from a powerful position) a dictator, Saddam Hussein, who had slaughtered (the act of killing - butchering like cattle) his own people on a regular basis.  A third reason was to try to bring constitutional government to the region.  The Democrat Party's way of solving the problem - diplomacy (the ability to deal with others without offending them).  The Republican Party's way - war.  Perhaps a better way could have been to have used stepped-up (increase in intensity) Cold War tactics (a device for accomplishing an end) on Iraq to have caused the regime to implode (to collapse inward) within two to five years.  But, the efforts to establish a democracy in Iraq became contagious (easily spread to others).  There is some truth in a statement that other Arab nations caught the bug and began an Arab Spring.  This has been somewhat successful in North Africa, but not too successful in the Middle East proper. 

Tunisia, in North Africa, started a process (progress, advance).  "Tunisia has long been a model Arab country.  Since its independence from France in 1956, Tunisia has led the region in promoting economic development, free public education and equality for women.  Millions of tourists from Europe and the Arab world flock to Tunisia to enjoy its famed hospitality (generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests) and discover a history dating back thousands of years.  Yet behind this facade (a false appearance) of success were repression (the act of using force to control), corruption and nepotism (favoritism based on kinship) traced to longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.  Poverty and unemployment among young college graduates also caused the discontent that led to demonstrations after a street vendor set himself on fire in December 2010 to call attention to his need for a job.  That tragedy gave rise to the 'Arab Spring' protests against oppressive regimes across the region.  In Tunisia, the frustration and yearning (to desire very much) for freedom exploded.  Chants of 'Ben Ali Degage' (get out, Ben Ali), 'Freedom' and 'Democracy' forced the president to flee in January 2011, ending his 23-year rule.  Today, nearly six years after our revolution, Tunisia is the only country in the region where the 'Arab Spring' brought about real change.  We are the only country with a democratically elected constitutional assembly, and we Tunisians are enjoying free expression as we try to sustain a democratic system."  This written by Hajer Korbi and Lilia Ben Messaoud in August 2016, Tunisian students who work under the sponsorship (a backer, guarantor or patron) of the International Center for Journalists.  While attempting to kill the soul of a nation is serious, having a threat of nuclear annihilation (destroy all traces of, obliterate) is even more serious.  A bigger problem is Russia.  In other words, while Iraq may not have had weapons of mass destruction, Russia has the WMD. 

Moreover, there is strong circumstantial (abounding in factual details) evidence that Iraq did in fact have chemical agents, but moved them to Syria in late 2002.  "In January 2004, Nizar Nayouf, a Syrian journalist who moved to Western Europe, said in a letter to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he knows the three sites where Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are kept inside Syria.  According to Nayouf's witness (a person who sees something happen), described as a senior source inside Syrian Military intelligence he had known for two years, Iraq's WMD are in tunnels dug under the town of al-Baida near the city of Hama in northern Syria, in the village of Tal Snan, north of the town of Salamija, where there is a big Syrian air force camp, and in the city of Sjinsjar on the Syrian border with Lebanon, south of Homs city.  Nayouf also wrote that the transfer of Iraq WMD to Syria was organized by the commanders of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Republican Guard.  In February 2006, Ali Ibrahim al-Tikriti, a former Iraqi general who defected shortly before the Gulf War in 1991, gave an interview: 'I know Saddam's weapons are in Syria due to certain military deals that were made going as far back as the late 1980s that dealt with the event that either capitals were threatened with being overrun by an enemy nation.  Not to mention I have discussed this in-depth (covering many or all points of a subject) with various contacts of mine who have confirmed what I already knew.  At this point Saddam knew that the United States was eventually going to come for his weapons and the United States wasn't going to just let this go like they did in the original Gulf War.  He knew that he had lied for this many years and wanted to maintain legitimacy (a right or status supported by tradition) with pan-Arab (involving all of a region) nationalists.  He also has wanted since he took power to embarrass the West.'  In a telephone interview with The Daily Telegraph, the former head of the Iraqi Survey Group, David Kay, said: 'We know from some of the interrogations (question formally and systematically) of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components (ingredients) of Saddam's WMD program.'  Satellite imagery also picked up activity on the Iraq-Syria border before and during the invasion.  James R. Clapper, who headed the National Imagery and Mapping Agency in 2003, has said U.S. intelligence tracked a large number of vehicles, mostly civilian trucks, moving from Iraq to Syria (Wikipedia)."  A purpose of Saddam's subterfuge (the use of tricks to hide something) was to discredit the U.S government and so divide the country.  And it worked pretty well.  back to top

Crimea.  The Ukraine, along with Russia, Byelorussia and Transcaucasia, were the founding members of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922.  Approximately seventy years later, in 1991, Ukraine became a sovereign (independent and not under the authority of any other) nation.  However, while still part of the USSR in 1954, Nikita Khrushchev who was the Russian leader at the time, gave Crimea, which had belonged to Russia since 1783, to Ukraine as a present (something presented as a gift), in order to bolster (support or strengthen) the "unity of Russians and Ukrainians (Khrushchev)".  The problem is that, for example in 2001, 77% of Crimean inhabitants named Russian as their native language, 10% - Ukrainian, and 13% - miscellaneous.  Also, according to various censuses (counts of the population), Russians outnumbered Ukrainians as an ethnic group (people who share a common cultural background or descent) an average of three to one.  Examples.  In 1897, three to one.  In 1926, four to one.  In 1939, 3.5 to one.  In 1959, three to one.  In 1970, 2.5 to one.  In 1979, 2.5 to one.  In 1989, 2.5 to one.  In 2001, 2.5 to one.  And in 2014, four to one.  Then we have the problem of self-determination.  Merriam-Webster defines this as "determination by the people of a territorial unit of their own future political status".  Wikipedia says, "The principle does not state how the decision is to made, nor what the outcome should be, whether it be independence, federation (group of states), protection, some form of autonomy (the right of self-government) or full assimilation (become part of a country or society)."  And further, President Wilson, in his self-determination speech of February 11, 1918, said, "National aspirations (desire to achieve something great common to the whole of a nation) must be respected; people may now be dominated (exercise control over) and governed only by their own consent."  So the people of the Crimea should have had the right to choose by their own consent (give assent or approval), once Ukraine became an independent state, as to whether they wanted to stay in the Ukraine, or return to Russia.  This was finally done in 2014 with a referendum (a general vote by the electorate on a single political question), which international observers claimed was rigged (pre-arrange or tamper with results, conduct fraudulently, or something that is fixed in a dishonest way to guarantee a desired outcome).  How can this be?  With four times as many people with a Russian ethnic background as a Ukrainian ethnic background, the result should have been obvious to anyone with half a brain (if someone was even a little bit smart).  This is simply self-determination at work, no more and no less.

Furthermore, The Economist did an article March 4, 2017 entitled "Assured Destruction".  "It has emerged (become known or apparent) that in his (President Trump's) hour-long telephone call with Vladimir Putin on January 28th, the Russian president suggested extending the New START strategic arms-reduction treaty by five years after its expiration in 2021 [to 2026].  Mr. Putin may have seen this as something relatively uncontroversial (not giving rise to public disagreement) that could help unfreeze (remove or relax controls or restrictions on) relations between the two countries - something Mr. Trump frequently says he wants.  The New START treaty, which came into force six years ago, was no exception [to strategic arms-control agreements].  It limits both sides to no more than 1550 deployed (move weapons to where they may be used) strategic warheads on a maximum of 700 deployed missiles (land- and submarine-launched) and nuclear bombers.  Far from being one-sided, New START is firmly in America's interests.  Steven Pifer of the Brooking Institution, a think-tank, notes that the treaty was not only unanimously supported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (chiefs of staff of the U.S. Army and Air Force, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and the chief of U.S. Naval Operations), but was also endorsed by seven former heads of Strategic Command (one of nine unified U.S. commands responsible for deterrence and global strike).  Apart from capping (putting a limit or restriction on) the number of warheads aimed at America, the treaty provides a trove (discovery, find - a store of valuable or delightful things) of information about Russia's forces.  It allows for eighteen on-site (at the place where activity will happen) inspections in Russia every year, detailed data exchanges every six months and a stream of mutual notifications - nearly 13,000 since 2011.  While the treaty allows each side to modernize its nuclear forces, the transparency (honesty and openness) it brings means both can do so without making what Mr. Pifer calls 'costly worst-case assumptions'."  So, while the American government is straining out the gnat (observing details) worrying about the Crimea, it is swallowing the camel (blind to the big picture) in that it fails to acknowledge that disagreements on this stage (a platform on which theatrical performances are presented) may lead to a mass murder of 7.5 billion people on the planet.  "In September 2013, Vladimir Putin gave an important speech near the ancient city of Novgorod.  The key to the country's (Russia's) progress, he said, was 'spiritual, cultural and national self-determination.  Without this we will not be able to withstand internal and external challenges.  We can see how many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots (the basic cause, source or origin), including the Christian values (values [a person's principles or standards of behavior] derived from the teachings of Jesus and taught by Christians throughout the history of the religion) that constitute (make up or form) the basis of Western civilization.'  Russia, on the other hand was 'reinforced (encouraged or given support to) by the Russian language, Russian culture and the Russian Orthodox church.' (The Economist, July 15, 2017)"  To an accusation that American Cross Global is pro-Russian, the response is actually it is pro-survival-of-humanity into the 22nd century.  back to top

The Russians.  So, it might have been better to have spent the billions of dollars to nurture (the care and attention  given to something that is growing or developing) democracy in Russia, because Russia has lots of WMD.  With America preoccupied in Iraq, Russia rebuilt.  Its democracy, without active American support, fell through the cracks (be ignored, overlooked or forgotten).  In December 2007, Russia sent an aircraft group to the Mediterranean.  Earlier that year Russia resumed long-range flights of strategic (required for the conduct of war) bombers and, in January 2008, test-fired tactical (suitable for bringing about a desired result under the circumstances) missiles off the coast of France and Spain.  According to Moscow News, November 27, 2008: "Twelve Venezuelan warships will take part in a joint exercise (two nations exploring the effects of warfare without actual combat) with a Russian naval group."  The task force (a temporary grouping under one leader) was led by the Pyotr Veliky  missile cruiser.  The Economist said in its November 16, 2013 issue that there were "large Russian exercises four years ago [in 2009] which rehearsed an invasion of the Baltic states and included a simulated (present a false appearance) nuclear attack on Poland.  In September, Russian and Belarusian forces conducted another big exercise involving, according to some unofficial estimates, up to 70,000 men.  On Good Friday this year, Russian warplanes staged a dummy (having the appearance of being real) attack on Sweden.  Two weeks ago they carried out another one, with Poland and Lithuania targeted too."  James S. Robins author of Native Americans: Patriotism, Exceptionalism and the New American Identity, made a comment about news anchor (a person who presents news during a program) Dimitry Kiselyove, who hosted a segment on the Rossiya I news channel during the Crimean referendum (a public vote on a particular issue), and said he "graphically showed how Russia is capable of turning the United States into 'radioactive dust'."  However, a journalist from Vologda, in the heart of Russia, wrote a letter to President Putin during the Ukrainian crisis: "Could you also send the troops to the Vologda region?  We are all Russian-speakers here and our rights are really infringed upon - our sick cannot get medication and care, our education is getting worse every year, our agriculture is dead."  Russians have their sense of humor.  The conflict in Ukraine might have been avoided if the Ukrainian government had created a European economic zone for western Ukraine and a Russian economic zone for eastern Ukraine, in the first place.

The Russian military has been active around North America, as of late.  In September 2014, according to a European Leadership Network report, Russian strategic bombers in the Labrador Sea off of Canada practiced cruise missile (a low-flying missile that is guided to its target by an on-board computer) strikes on the United States.  Back in May, according to the report, Russian military aircraft approached within fifty miles of the California coast - the closest since the Cold War.  In November 2014, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated: "In the current situation we have to maintain a military presence in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico."  The strategic bomber flights will conduct "reconnaissance missions to monitor foreign powers' (i.e. the U.S.) military activities and maritime communications," he said.  Russia never flew bomber patrols over the Gulf of Mexico, even during the Cold War.  Vladimir Putin commented concerning the decline in oil prices, December 18, 2014, at a press conference, about these circumstances "tearing out the teeth and claws of the Russian bear.  We must decide whether we want to keep going and fight, or whether we want our pelt (an undressed hide [skin], with its fur) to hang on the wall."  Further, according to The Inquisitr, Russia's top military general, Valery Gerasimov, recently said in January 2015 that the Russian army will receive more than fifty new nuclear missiles with intercontinental capabilities this year.  A multi-billion dollar military modernization plan is also reportedly underway (having started and in progress) in Moscow.  "Support for our strategic nuclear forces will assure that [the United States and NATO] do not gain military superiority over our country.  Western countries are actively using new forms of aggression combining military as well as non-military means," he said. 

Kaliningrad is a sliver (a small and narrow portion) of territory situated between Germany and Poland - a part of Russia.  An article in The National Interest, dated November 26, 2016, refers to a problem.  "In 1945, Soviet armies occupied East Prussia, a portion of Germany territorially detached from the rest of the Reich since 1918 - briefly re-unified in 1939.  Ethically German and featuring the historic Prussian city of Konigsberg, the territory represented a problem for the Soviets.  They had no interest in returning it to Germany especially as such a move would increase tension with the Poles, and they did not want to create an independent German socialist state, the birth of the German Democratic Republic remained in the future.  Stalin decided to simply annex (to incorporate within a political domain) the territory, expelling the German inhabitants and replacing them with Russians.  Until 1991, The Kaliningrad enclave (a distinct area enclosed within a foreign territory) was territorially contiguous (being in actual contact) with the Soviet Union, if not the Russian Federation.  After the secession (formal withdrawal from an organization) of the Baltic Republics and the collapse of the USSR, Kaliningrad was separated from the rest of Russia.  When the Baltics joined joined NATO, it became hostile territory deep inside the Western alliance.  This has left Kaliningrad deeply vulnerable (open to attack) but has also made it a potentially deadly military threat.  Recently, the Russian government has taken to publicly highlighting (indicate the importance of) the deployment (extend a military unit) of some of its most lethal (capable of causing death) military systems to the enclave.  Intended to defend Kaliningrad, these systems could also represent a critical offensive threat to the heart of the NATO alliance.  As detailed in numerous National Interest articles, the S-400 is one of the most lethal air defense systems in the world.  It includes a variety of radars, communications equipment and information-management technology necessary to conducting a layered (to form or arrange in layers), integrated (to form, coordinate or blend into a functioning or unified whole) area air defense, and can protect against aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.  The S-400 system comes with a variety of different missiles, from 40 kilometer (25 mile) short-range SAMs (surface to air missiles) to 400 kilometer (250 mile) extreme long-range weapons." 

According to The Guardian, October 8, 2016: "Russia has moved nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave bordering Poland and Lithuania.  Some modifications of the Iskander can hit targets 700 km (450 miles) away, putting the German capital of Berlin in range of Kaliningrad."  From The Washington Post, November 24, 2016: "The Iskander-M is a mobile short-range ballistic missile system [that] is extremely mobile and hard to detect, and has superior accuracy."  And from the same paper, November 21, 2016: "Russia's President Vladmir Putin is warning his forces could target NATO sites if the country feels threatened.  'We must take countermeasures (a military system or device intended to thwart a sensing mechanism such as radar), that is strike with our missile systems the targets that, in our opinion, begin to threaten us,' Putin said in an interview with American filmmaker Oliver Stone for a documentary."  Not content with having their military aircraft within fifty miles of the California coast, now the Russians have their military ships within thirty miles of the Connecticut coast.  "The Russian spy ship patrolling the East Coast was located near a U.S. submarine base in Connecticut Wednesday (February 15, 2017), CBS News reported.  The ship, known as an AGI (Auxiliary, General Intelligence), was located 30 miles from Groton, Conn., [David] Martin reported.  Groton is the home of Naval Submarine Base New London, which the Navy describes as the 'Home of the Submarine Force' (www.msn.com)."  And on March 15, 2017: "The Russian spy ship first spotted off the Delaware coast last month is back.  U.S. officials told Fox News on Wednesday that the Russian spy ship Victor Leonov has returned to waters off the East Coast of the United States after a brief stop for fuel in Havana last week.  The Russian spy ship has remained in international waters (www.msn.com)."  And Alaska.  "The U.S. scrambled jet fighters to intercept (obstruct so as to prevent from continuing to a destination) two Russian bombers that flew near the Alaskan coast on Monday night, several American officals said.  The Russian-range TU-95 Bear bombers breached (broke through) airspace around the U.S. and Canada known as the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone in which aircraft must be readily identified and report details of their course and destination.  The bombers flew near the Aleutian Islands (NBC News, April 18, 2017)."  And the next day: "The U.S. military tracked two Russian bombers that flew close to the Alaskan coast Tuesday afternoon in the second such event in as many days, American officials said.  This time, the planes - long-range TU-95 Bear bombers - were about 36 miles from the Alaskan coast (NBC News, April 19, 2017)." 

Further, a new Russian thermonuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile was in service sometime in 2018.  The RS-28 Sarmat is to have a 40 megaton capacity - 2000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.  "In May this year Sputnik, a Russian publication aligned with the Kremlin, claimed the missile could carry a payload (an explosive warhead - section of the missile) capable of wiping [out] (destroy completely) a landmass (large area of land) 'the size of Texas or France' (CNBC, October 25, 2016)."  Where does it end?  On September 17, 2016, a U.S. airstrike allegedly (to state without proof) killed dozens of Syrian troops around Deil el-Zour in eastern Syria when coalition (a group of nations acting together) aircraft appear to have mistakenly struck Syrian government forces.  The Russian government said 62 people were killed.  This is what happens without a strategic partnership between Russia and America.  This means an arrangement between the two nations to help each other, that is commonly associated with defense or security related issues.  And worse yet, in Syria, tens of thousands of innocent women and children have died.  Russia, and America, cannot bring back the dead.  But they could work together to see that it does not happen again.  The fault for the carnage (a great and usually bloody slaughter) lies mostly with the United States, as it has numerous allies all over the world, to wit (that is to say) - Australia, Canada, the U.K., Europe, Japan, Israel, plus others.  80% of the blame rests on America.  Russia gets 20%, because although they don't have as many allies, they have the backbone (having guts), as they do huge military drills (preparation of soldiers for performance of their duties) on a regular basis.  A Russian sniper (to shoot at exposed individuals from a usually concealed point) in World War II, told his partner: "You can't live only for revenge (the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands)."  Meaning, it's time for Russia, and America, to quit trying to get even (inflict [cause something unpleasant or painful to be suffered] trouble or harm on someone similar to that which they inflicted on oneself) with each other.  Time magazine did an article on April 24, 2017, concerning Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to Russia, just after President Trump ordered a cruise missile strike against Syria.  "'The idea of retreat (the act or process of withdrawing or running away) is not part of our President [Putin's] constitution (physical condition of a person),' says Alexander Konovalov, a foreign policy expert in Moscow.  'So he will have to demonstrate toughness.'  The need to act tough (strong enough to withstand adverse conditions) did not stop Putin from showing an openness - even an eagerness (strong or urgent desire or interest) - to work with the U.S. during Tillerson's visit.  While avoiding the media (internet, magazines, newspapers, television - considered as a group) right after their talk, the Russian president left it to his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to announce that U.S.-Russia cooperation (working together) would 'benefit not only our peoples but the entire world.'" 

The U.S. administration, when this all started in Syria back in 2011, simply sat on its hands (took no action) and did nothing, resulting in the greatest refugee crisis (movements of large groups of displaced persons) since World War II.  "As late as June 2013, [Hillary] Clinton reportedly told a private audience that she 'would love it if we could continue to build a more positive relationship with Russia' (George Banks, former CIA analyst)."  After President Trump did a press conference February 16, 2017, Vox.com commented: "The very first part of what Trump said, about it being desirable (worth seeking or doing as advantageous) to get along (to move forward along a positive course) with Russia, makes sense (justifiable or practical).  Powerful countries getting along as well as they can with their powerful rivals (one that is equal to another in status) can be a good thing, as it makes it less likely that they'll end up in [a] costly (expensive) conflict (antagonistic state or action) with each other, even if their interests are at odds (in a state of disagreement) on many matters (issues)."  This is what is meant by the concept (an idea or statement) of a strategic partnership.  "In Forcing God's Hand - activating (causing to function) their quick Rapture and Armageddon - Christian zealots (those who are intensely or excessively devoted to a cause) are demanding immediate destruction of Jerusalem's most holy Islamic shrine (a place in which devotion is paid to a deity - Andrew T. Killgore, publisher of Washington Report on Middle East Affair)."  The book was written by Grace Halsell who also worked for various newspapers, later as a White House staff writer, and then wrote Soul Sister, which relates her experiences after darkening her skin, as a Caucasian, and living as a black woman in Mississippi and Harlem.  The "Islamic shrine" refers to the Dome of the Rock, also known as Al Aqsa Mosque, which was completed in 691 A.D. by Abd al-Malik.  It was built to commemorate (to be a memorial of) Mohammad's ascension into heaven after his night journey to Jerusalem.  It is located on the Temple Mount, where it is rumored (information or opinions with little authority) that the old Jewish temple once stood.  Christian zealots want its destruction so the Jewish people can rebuild their temple on the site (an area intended for something).  "There's a new religious cult in America.  It's not composed of so-called crazies so much as mainstream (a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence), middle to upper-middle class Americans.  They have one goal - to facilitate (to make easier or help bring about) God's hand to waft (glide, sail, float - to move along the surface in the air) them up to heaven, free from all trouble, from where they will watch Armageddon and the destruction of planet Earth (Dale Crowley Jr., a religious broadcaster of Washington, D.C.)."

To waft them up to heaven refers to the "rapture" of the church.  Armageddon refers to thermonuclear holocaust.  This means an apocalypse (a sudden violent event that brings about great loss) involving widespread destruction and radioactive fallout causing the collapse of civilization.  These people actually want the nukes to fly (nuclear weapons readied for use), because they believe they will be gone and be able to watch the entertainment from the pearly gates (the entrance way through which souls travel to reach their God after death).  These Christian zealots push (a vigorous effort) for America and Russia to be at each other's throats (a vivid image of two persons trying to strangle - choke, smother or suffocate - each other), to orchestrate (to achieve a desired or maximum effect) the mass murder to 7.5 billion people.  The American government, and certain elements (a constituent part) of the press, could stop playing along (pretending to cooperate) with the agenda (list of things to be considered), and start working on getting along (listening with the intent to understand, walking in their shoes and being polite) with the Russians.  Sure beats (is better than) an armed conflict, which might possibly result from a wireless (operated by means of transmitted electromagnetic waves) war of words in a game of chance (a game in which chance rather than skill determines the outcome).  Poking (angering) a nuclear bear with a stick may be a poor (less than desirable) excuse (justification, defense, reason and explanation).  "As many as 100,000 troops are expected to take part (join in the activity) in the Zapad drills (the training of soldiers), Russia's premier military exercises (a means of practice or training), from September 14 to September 20.  These war games (simulated battles), usually held every four years along the borders of E.U. and NATO countries, seek to send a message (make a significant statement) to the world - that the Russian military is once again a force to be feared (Time, September 18, 2017)."  Zapad means West in Russian, and was led by forces based in Russia's Western Military District.  "Russia will next month hold its biggest war games since at least the 1980s, with around 300,000 troops and 1000 aircraft the defense minister said Tuesday.  The Vostok-2018 (refers to a small town of 4000 people located 613 kilometers [381 miles] north of Vladivostok) exercises will be carried out from September 11 to 15 in the country's east with the participation of China and Mongolia.  'This will something of a repeat of Zapad-81, but in some senses even bigger,' (Russian Defense Minister) Sergei Shoigu said of the 1981 war games in Eastern Europe, in comments reported by Russian news agencies.  He said 'more than 1000 aircraft, almost 300,000 troops and almost all the ranges (a set of different things of the same general type) of the Central and Eastern Military Districts' would be involved in the exercises.  'Imagine 36,000 pieces of military equipment moving together at the same time, tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles.  And all of this, of course, in conditions as close to combat as possible.' (CBSN, August 28, 2018)."  This is truly amazing (incredible [extremely good], awesome [inspiring great admiration] and fabulous [extraordinarily large]). 

"After the fall of the Berlin Wall, East (Russia) and West (America) debated (a formal discussion) whether Germany should reunify (join together as one country - restore political unity).  Reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev understood that reunification was inevitable (certain to happen, unavoidable).  But since Russia and the Soviet Union had borne the brunt (put up with the worse of some bad circumstances) of German depredations (acts of attacking or plundering [pillage, loot, rob, raid or ransack]) in the two world wars, he was eager (wanting to do something very much) to minimize the danger of a reunited Germany.  In discussions with America leaders, Gorbachev secured (make sure something is protected from danger or threat) verbal assurances (positive declarations [formal or explicit statements] intended to give confidence) that a reunified Germany would remain in the Cold War alliance but that NATO would not expand beyond the old inter-German border (between borders).  Historians debate whether the subsequent retreat (move back and away - a withdrawal) of the U.S. from these assurances marked bad faith (intent to deceive) or simply strategic absent-mindedness (showing an habitually forgetful or inattentive calculated or tactical aim [intention of achieving]).  Either way, for Russians of all political stripes (distinct variety or sort) it did not matter, as NATO began to talk about expansion (act of becoming larger or more extensive) into states (nations) of the former Warsaw Pact (a military alliance of nations in eastern Europe) and the collapsed Soviet Union.  Not coincidentally (in a way that results from chance despite being very unlikely), the turn of the century witnesses the first wave of NATO expansion and the ebbing (gradually waning or diminishing) of Russian democracy (Michael C. Desch, director of the Notre Dame International Security Center)."  America broke its word (to fail to act as one has promised), and look where we are at today.  Sad to say, this is an American legacy (something that is the result of events in the past), even now with North Korea.  They were promised a peace agreement to finally end the Korean War - after almost 70 years - and were toyed with.  Meaning - lied to, set up to be taken advantage of. 

Senator Rand Paul serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and has a more progressive view (favoring change, improvement or reform).  "To understand what NATO expansion does to our relations with Russia, one must at least be aware of Russia's perspective (point of view).  Such awareness does not mean we agree with their point of view (a particular attitude or way of considering a matter), but rather that we are aware our actions lead to reactions, and that NATO expansion does not occur in a vacuum (separated from outside events or influences).  We once had robust (strong, vigorous or sturdy) and thoughtful debate (having no enclosed or confining barrier) in our country over diplomacy (profession, activity or skill of managing international relations) and our desire to avoid war.  Both parties now tend to shake their fists (a way of showing you are angry) and declare to our adversaries (one's opponent) - 'Take this sanction (official action taken against a government to force it to behave in a particular way).'  'Take this expansion of NATO.'  'Take this travel restriction' - under the misguided notion (resulting from wrong or improper goals or values) our unilateral actions (things done or undertaken by one organization) will lead to capitulation (an action of surrendering).  Instead, we've often seen rising tensions (a series of events building to a point mental or emotional strain), increased nationalism and a ratcheting up (increasing over a period of time) of a Cold War-like fever (widespread enthusiasm for a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action, in a period of hostility and tension). 

"There was a time when many cautioned (warned) against reckless (without thinking or caring about the consequences) expansion (increase the extent [area or size] of).  Perhaps the most famous diplomat (an official representing a country abroad) of the last century, George Kennan, wrote that NATO expansion would be a 'fateful error' (having extremely unfortunate or dire [extremely serious] consequences) that would 'inflame (provoke or intensify) the nationalistic (having strong patriotic feelings), anti-Western and militaristic tendencies (a belief that the military should play a central role in society) in Russian opinion' and restore the atmosphere of the Cold War to East-West relations (a logical or natural association between two nations)."  A Cold War mentality (the same themes, logic and points of view the took during the Cold War) may lend itself (be good for a particular use) to a nuclear winter (a period of abnormal cold and darkness predicted to follow a nuclear war, caused by a layer of smoke and dust in the atmosphere blocking the sun's rays).  Americans can get fed up () with the games that Washington (D.C.) plays.  "I'm having a hard time () understanding why so many people are upset () about Russian meddling () into our election.  Who cares?  The good ol' U.S.A. (an American English slang term that can have both positive and negative meanings) meddles in countries around the world and their affairs (), and we think nothing of it.  Well, what goes around comes around (the consequences [repercussions or ramifications] of one's actions are dealt with eventually [in the end]).  We're extremely naive () to think other countries don't follow our example.  Unless we can prove that the Russians changed the vote count (), what is the big deal ()?  It is no different to me than all the garbage-filled () political ads we see (Jeff Parsigian)." 

The money the special council has spent should have been used to feed hungry children.  "Mueller indicted () thirteen Russians linked to a troll farm internet research agency () in February (2018), hoping that they wouldn't bother to appear in court, not being bound by U.S. law or having anything to gain by participating in his show trial ().  But a few sent their lawyers and demanded discovery (), which would have forced Mueller to reveal the evidence he had against them.  Finding his own indictments riddled with errors () - one of the companies named didn't even exist at the time of the election - Mueller quietly backpedaled ().  But this time he has evidence, right?  Surely, he wouldn't make that mistake again.  And this time it's Russian military operatives (), not some two bit troll-farmers.  The indictment accuses them of spear-phishing () Democratic staffers and using those login credentials () to access the party's servers, stealing the famous documents and leaking them to public through Wikileaks and DCLeaks.  Isn't this what we've all been waiting for?  Perhaps it would be, if the FBI had actually encountered the servers () firsthand ().  Government investigators never even laid eyes () on the hacked () servers belonging to the DNC and DCCC, instead relying on the assessment () of a computer security firm headed by a Russian expat () with an axe to grind () against his former government.  Dmitri Alperovitch's CrowdStrike specializes in attributing () malware attacks () to state actors () - something he was discouraged from doing by former employer [John] McAfee.  The DNC hired CrowdStrike to find evidence that Russia was behind the hack on its servers.  CrowdStrike dutifully found that evidence.  When the FBI came knocking, the Democrats had no interest in getting a second opinion () about who'd been rooting around () in their digital underwear drawer () and Alperovitch certainly didn't want some upstart security expert () revealing his business model () was hideously flawed ().  If this dubious information () sourced from an unaccountable third party () never placed under oath () with numerous reasons to lie or at least mislead (), was used as evidential basis () for any indictment, that indictment cannot stand up in court ().  CrowdStrike delivers geopolitically-actionable () conclusions swaddled () in just enough technical jargon () to dissuade () observers from looking too closely (Global Research News, July 15, 2018)." 

John McAfee, spoke about the hacking back in December 2016.  "Following the release of an FBI report outlining Russia's alleged role in hacking the 2016 election, Larry King sat down to talk with tech pioneer () John McAfee to discuss the current state of cybersecurity ().  McAfee is no stranger to cybersecurity.  As the developer () of the first commercial antivirus program (), he has been a major player () in the industry for the past fifty years.  Based on all of his experience, McAfee does not believe that Russians were behind the hacks on the Democratic National Committee, John Podesta's emails and the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign.  As he told RT, 'if it looks like the Russians did it, then I can guarantee you it was not the Russians'.  The Joint Analysis Report () from the FBI contains an appendix () that lists hundreds of IP addresses () that were supposedly 'used by Russian civilian and military intelligence services'.  While some of those IP addresses are from Russia, the majority are from all over the world, which means that the hackers constantly faked () their location.  McAfee argues () that the report is a 'fallacy' (), explaining that hackers can fake their location, their language, and any markers () that could lead back to them.  Any hacker who had the skills to hack into the DNC would also be able to hide their tracks () he said.  'If I was the Chinese and I wanted to make it look like the Russians did it, I would use Russian language within the code (), I would use Russian techniques of breaking into the organization,' McAfee said, adding that, in the end, 'there simply is not way to assign () a source for any attack' (RT, December 30, 2016)."  It seems, however, that America's hands are not completely clean ().  Overthrowing governments (), over oil, can be a serious business (). 

"Reversing earlier U.S. policy, President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the CIA to instigate () a coup d'etat (an illegal and overt seizure of a country by the military or other elites within the state apparatus [complex structure within an organization]) in Tehran that led to the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq and his government on this day in 1953.  The political, economic and social consequences of Mosaddeq's removal from power has had a profound impact on Iran-U.S. relations - one which manifests itself () to this day.  A previously excised section () of an internal CIA history titled The Battle for Iran released in 2013, reads: 'The military coup () that overthrew Mosaddeq and his National Front cabinet was carried out under CIA direction as an act of U.S. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government.'  The documents, published on the agency's archival website () under freedom of information protocols (), describe in detail how the United States - with British help - engineered the coup (), codenamed TPAJAX by the CIA.  Anthony Eden, the British foreign secretary, regarded Mosaddeq as a threat to Western strategic () and economic interests after the Iranian leader nationalized (the process of transforming private assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government) the British Anglo-Iranian Oil Co., known today as BP (Politico, August 19, 2018)." 

So it is "acceptable" () for America to overthrow a government.  But for Russia to "influence" () an election is not.  However, "The Russian military is ready to work with the U.S. colleagues () on all the areas discussed by the two presidents during the Helsinki summit, namely cooperation in Syria and mutual reduction of the Strategic nuclear arsenals ().  'Russian Defense Ministry is ready to implement the agreements () on the international security, reached by Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump during the Helsinki summit yesterday,' Ministry's spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Tuesday (July 17).  On Monday, Russian and the U.S. leaders agreed to revitalize () the military cooperation in several fields.  During the press conference in the aftermath of the summit, Trump stated that Russian and U.S. militaries proved to actually get along better than the politicians of the two countries over the past few years, naming deconfliction communication () in Syria as an example.  Putin and Trump agreed to work together on returning the people displaced by the Syrian conflict, since several million refugees () are still living in Turkey and Lebanon.  These people might take off and head () for Europe, the U.S., and other destinations (), Putin warned ().  'One should not wait until they start moving towards these destinations, the conditions for their return must be created,' Putin stated (RT, July 17, 2018)."  The Democratic Party, and their liberal friends in CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times and the Washington Post use this to distract the public from their social responsibility ().  Jesus said: "You strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel (from Matthew)."  Meaning, in part, focusing on the lesser matters, while completely ignoring the more important ones.  A gnat is a small two-winged fly that resembles a mosquito; a camel is a large animal with a large neck, that lives in the desert and has one or two humps (large raised areas of flesh). 

"The U.S. and Western European media did everything they could to make President Trump look like the face of treason () and all evil () for his stubbornly persisting () in giving the relations between his country and the Russian Federation a chance to heal and be normalized ().  But while the American press was calling out () Russia for being a godless regime (), this is what the alleged God-haters in Russia were actually doing last night (July 16).  [So,] 100,000 faithful Orthodox Christians from around the world, including Azerbaijan, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Lithuania, Moldova, New Zealand, Serbia, USA, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, France, Estonia, South Korea and Japan gathered in Ekaterinburg last night for the liturgical celebrations (), reports the site () of the Russian Orthodox Church.  The event began with the Divine Liturgy celebrated on the square in front of the Church on the Blood in Ekaterinburg.  Following the Liturgy, the patriarch () led the traditional Royal Cross Procession () from the place of martyrdom () to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Genina Yama ravine (), covering a distance of x km (13 miles).  According to law enforcement agencies, about 100,000 took part in the procession.  Field kitchens and tents were also set up at the Royal Passion-Bearers Monastery for the pilgrims () to rest.  It is for the reason of events like this one, shown above, that the U.S. liberal political and media establishment fear and hate Russia, and nothing less.  "Most countries in the West have been experiencing a religious decline () and advance of secular humanism ().  This event is not even the biggest such Christian event to take place in Russia.  But it is big.  It actually started several months ago, and the entire procession covered x km (1800 miles), through many cities and towns across Russia.  The event reported here was merely the culmination ().  Cross-processions happen many times each year in Russia, and some of them draw () up to a half-million people per event.  The modern definition of American 'democracy' appears to have changed.  The God element of liberty has been rejected (), and forces of 'democracy' seem to state that anything, but Christianity and traditional values (), is to be upheld ().  Behind the politics and rhetoric () of the media and the likes of James Clapper, Senator John McCain, Senator Jeff Flake and the multitude of liberal Democrats, the Russia they truly fear and hate is this Russia.  The Russia that is unafraid to proclaim even in modern times that God is the true King of all (RussiaFeed, July 17, 2018)." 

The Russians also have those who are brave and free.  "Russian explorer Fedor Konyukhov, who is traveling across the globe on a solo rowboat, has survived hurricane-force winds as he makes his way through the turbulent waters of the Southern Pacific.  Konyukhov set off for his round-the-globe trip in December from Dunedin, New Zealand and managed to cross half of the Southern Pacific in just 100 days.  The traveler’s recent Instagram post suggests he is approaching Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America, which is notorious known for its violent storms.  Konyukhov is no stranger to climbing adventures, having conquered the highest peaks of all seven continents.  He also made solo trips to both the North and South Poles, and sailed across the world three times.  In 2016, he broke a world record by managing a non-stop balloon flight around the globe in just 11 days (RT, March 26, 2019)."  On that Instagram post he said: "I am nearing 110 degrees West.  It is the region of what is known as the Cape Horn approach.  To make an analogy with climbing [Mt.] Everest, the previous 100 days were the acclimatisation () and preparation, and now we are storming () the summit.  Ahead lie 3000 kilometers (x miles) approaching Cape Horn.  It is there I will have to withstand the maximum physical and mental stress.  Everything will be decided by this leg ().  When you go past the Island of Horn, it is just a point on the map - a cliff, and all of the work () is behind you.  The journey to the summit itself, that is the reason we set out () into the mountains or the sea.  As St. Cyril of Jerusalem said: 'If you are here in body and not in spirit, then it is all in vain.'  The past 100 days were my preparation and I think I am ready, but you can never be 100% sure.  Everything here is up to God.  Will He let me see out this journey to the end?  I ask for your prayers."  back to top

 Moral crimes against humanity.  The U.S. liberal political and media establishment might possibly be committing a moral () crime against humanity ().  "As 2016 drew to a bloody close in Syria and the government took back control over eastern Aleppo, over 4.8 million Syrian refugees () continued to seek safety and a means of living a dignified life () across the Middle East.  There are 2.8 million Syrians currently registered () in Turkey, over a million in Lebanon and around 656,000 in Jordan.  To put this figure into context (), in the so-called European 'refugee crisis' a total of 884,461 Syrian refugees applied for asylum () in Europe between April 2011 and October 2016.  Media focus on international forced migration continues to leave internal displacement () largely invisible to international audiences ().  It also hides the realities of involuntary immobility () - people who are 'internally stuck' - and those who are physically prevented from crossing Syria's borders to its neighboring countries.  What will 2017 bring fore those people who have been displaced by the ongoing () Syrian conflict?  In December 2016, over 6.3 million people remained displaced inside Syria's borders.  Syria's internally displaced people (IDPs) remain at risk () both within the towns and cities they once called home, and also when attempting to escape.  These IDPs include Syrian citizens, but also over 430,000 Palestinian refugees, an estimated 5000 stateless () Kurds, and thousands of Iraqi refugees.  Evacuation buses () - including those from eastern Aleppo and villages in Idlib province in December 2016 - were attacked and torched.  IDPs, stayees () and evacuees () alike both fear, and often face, a similar fate.  In June 2016, Jordan effectively closed its border with Syria, citing security concerns.  As a result, more than 75,000 Syrians refugees have spent more than six months stranded () on the Syrian-Jordanian border, including in the Ruqban and Hadalat camps.  As early as 2012, Jordan had already barred the entry () of certain groups of refugees fleeing Syria - all Palestinian refugees who had been living in Syria, unaccompanied men without family ties in Jordan, and people without valid identity documents (). 

"At the Ruqban border crossing, in the far-northeast of Jordan, the number of people in the border camps has been increasing dramatically ().  Satellite images published by Amnesty International showed that ninety shelters () were present in July 2014.  By the end of July 2016, this had increased to 6563 and by September to 8295 [shelters].  With only one delivery of humanitarian aid () allowed between June and August 2016, satellite images have also documented graves and burial sites () there.  Desperately needed aid deliveries resumed () in October.  However, such deliveries remain under threat (), as do the lives of the camps' residents - the camp was reportedly struck by a car bombing in October and an IED explosion in mid-December.  The recent history of the region is scarred with barriers () to entry and border camps that violate the international principle of non-refoulement () - which prohibits refugees from being pushed back over a border into a territory where their lives or freedoms area at risk ().  Between 2006 and 2010, thousands of Iraqi Palestinians were left stranded at the al-Tauf and al-Waleed camps on the Syrian-Iraqi border after the end of the 2003 Iraq War.  The Libyan War also left thousands of Libyan and non-Libyan migrants () and refugees, including Iraqis and Palestinians, stranded at a camp on the Salloum border crossing between Libya and Egypt in 2011.  Even after a conflict is officially declared () to be 'over', thousands of people can remain stranded in border camps for years.  As in Jordan, Lebanon's border controls have been increasing over the past year, with border closures and push-backs () to Syria occurring on and off since at least 2013.  Michel Aoun's election as Lebanese president at the end of October 2016 is expected to lead to even greater restrictions () on Syrian refugees.  Aoun's inaugural speech () called directly for Syrian refugees to return to their country of origin (), irrespective () of the conflict. 

"Aoun, along with other political leaders in Lebanon, have proposed the creation of 'safe zones' within Syria, in the expectation that  refugees in neighboring countries could be moved back.  The international community has not yet supported such a proposal, which - as history clearly tells us - would likely result in the creation of hyper-militarized zones () that are far from safe for those people corralled () there.  Even Turkey - which has been heralded () as having the most accessible border policy () out of these three countries - started building a concrete wall along its 900 km (x mile) border with Syria in 2014.  It is due to be completed by Spring 2017.  In addition to closing seventeen of its nineteen border crossings () Turkey has also used physical force on a regular basis throughout 2016 to prevent Syrian refugees from entering its territory.  This year will invariably witness new and ongoing border closures and push-backs over the Turkish-Syrian border in light of both the ongoing unrest across Turkey and the EU-Turkey deal that allows European states to return those refugees who have crossed the Mediterranean to Turkey.  This deal has helped to provide an air of legitimacy () for Turkey to close its border with Syria in the name of protecting the EU (), while sacrificing refugees from Syria in the process.  Despite the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps in Jordan featuring heavily () in media and political accounts of Syrian refugees, fewer than 10% of all refugees from Syria across the Middle East live in camps.  Instead, more than 4.3 million - in addition to hundreds of thousands of new and established Palestinian and Iraqi refugees - live alongside host communities () in cites, towns and rural areas across Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.  In Turkey, 38% of all Syrian refugees are in the poor regions of the southeast and 29% in the south of the country.  In one city, Killis, they make up 49% of the population.  Employment opportunities in these poor towns and cities, even in the informal [job] market (), remain low, and large proportions () of both refugees and host communities continue to live in acute () poverty. 

"In Jordan, an estimated 93% of Syrian refugees in urban (city) areas are living under the poverty line.  In Lebanon, over a million refugees from Syria are obligated () to pay a prohibitive fee () every year to renew their residence permits () to remain in the country legally, and face numerous restrictions on formal employment.  This has meant that increasing numbers of refugees from Syria are forced to live in hiding ().  Syrian men are particularly vulnerable to arrest () at the many checkpoints () across Lebanon and can find themselves at risk of immediate deportation ().  As a result, hundreds of thousands of women and children continue to engage () in unsafe and exploitative forms () of labor to survive.  Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon have for over sixty years been prohibited from employment in over twenty professions - including medicine, law and engineering.  Newcomers () can only enter formal employment if they are sponsored () by a Lebanese employer through a system which effectively leads to exploitative labor.  A similar sponsorship system exists in Jordan and Turkey.  The international community is encouraging host states to grant Syrian refugees legal access () to the labor market in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to overcome these vulnerabilities ().  But given high unemployment and impoverishment () levels among each country's own citizens, this is unlikely.  Turkey has been heralded () for accepting such a large number of Syrians and also for officially developing policies () to grant Syrians the right to work legally in the country.  But between January and April 2016, only 2000 Syrians applied () for permission to work in Turkey and the actual number of permits issued remains undisclosed ().  States (nations) continue to develop increasingly restrictive () policies, and the international community continues to fail to deliver [on] its promises to meaningfully support Syrian refugees (www.vcl.ac.uk, January 3, 2017)."

Time magazine, July 30, 2018, said this about Russia: "America's long-standing adversary ()" and "America's most dangerous enemy".  The Democratic Party would know, as they set up () an "industrial espionage" complex () for the Russians in Moscow - according to the FBI - and turned over 20% of an American strategic asset, which is used in the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction, to the Russians.  Furthermore (), a Democratic presidential candidate did state: "Our goal is to strengthen Russia."  According to Democratic Party standards (), if they would apply those same standards to themselves, they may have to be arrested for treason ().  And the liberal press who backed them () may have to be thrown in jail for aiding and abetting ().  Russian interference in the election is a distraction ().  It is straining out the gnat (a small two-winged fly which resembles a mosquito).  Swallowing the camel concerns the plight () of Syrian, and other Arab, refugees in the Middle East.  Putin warned: "One should not wait until they start moving to these destinations (Europe), the conditions for their return (Syria) must be created."  Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Roosevelt (FDR), flew into Moscow in 1957, at a high point () of the Cold War, to work with Russians on an issue.  There are no excuses (), today.  In 1942, Eleanor Roosevelt invited the Russia/Ukrainian soldier Lyudmila Pavlichenko to stay at the White House during her visit to the United States.  She had just finished killing hundreds of Nazi soldiers, as a female sniper ().  She said, at a press conference in Chicago later that year in English, as her mother was an English teacher: "Gentlemen, I am 25-years-old.  And I have killed 309 fascist occupants () by now.  Do you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back (concealing oneself, secretively, without a person knowing, in a way that is unfair) for too long?"  Meaning, that in World War II, she wanted America to open a "Second Front" (), to take the pressure off of Russia. 

The girl received a standing ovation () that night.  These hapless () millions of refugees still stranded in the Middle East should not be allowed to flood () Europe, as it is reaching a saturation point ().  Effort must be made immediately to facilitate () their return to Syria.  This will entail () a lot of work on the part of the international community, as these people are being treated as dirt (), presently.  The Democratic Party and liberal press are using the gnat to avoid (stay away from, steer clear of, give a wide berth [evade] to) having to deal with the camel.  These brutal () savage () godless () beasts (), who live in their swank () suburban homes and come to work in their plush () air-conditioned offices, pretending that these people do not exist, are committing a moral crime against humanity.  There are sins of commission and sins of omission.  Commission means acts we commit by doing something we shouldn't have done - overt, evil acts.  Omission means a failure to do something, especially something one has a moral or legal obligation to do - we knew we should have done something good, but refused to do that which one can and ought to have accomplished.  The root of their acts of omission is the fact that these people simply do not care () - for them ignoring () the plight () of the war-scarred () is like shooting fish in a barrel (a thing which is easy and unchallenging).  According to the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization (), just 8% of the 2.8 billion people living in the world's hottest regions own an air conditioner, compared with more than 90% in places like the U.S.  It should be obvious to anyone concerned that these people living in the camps in the Middle East don't have it, and are living in abject misery ().  The swank suburban home/plush air-conditioned office crowd might just possibly roast () in hell when they are dead, if God feels that their neglect () rises to a level () which is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah.   back to top

#MeToo, Russian style.  "Lyudmila Pavlichenko arrived in Washington, D.C., in late 1942 as little more than a curiosity (a strange or unusual object [focus]) to the press.  She visited with President Franklin Roosevelt, becoming the first Soviet citizen to be welcomed at the White House.  Afterward, Eleanor Roosevelt asked the officer to accompany (go with) her on a tour (journey, expedition or excursion) of the country and tell Americans of her experiences as a woman in combat (fighting between armed forces).  Pavlichenko was only 25-years-old, but she had been wounded four times in battle.  She graciously (in a courteous, kind and pleasant manner) fielded (reply, respond or answer) questions from reporters.  One wanted to know if Russian women could wear makeup at the front.  Pavlichenko paused (temporary inaction) - just months before, she'd survived fighting on the front line during the Siege of Sevastopol, where Soviet forces suffered considerable casualties (persons killed or injured in a war) and were forced to surrender after eight months of fighting.  'There is no rule against it,' Pavlichenko said, 'but who has time to think of her shiny nose (powdering one's nose, touching up one's makeup) when a battle is going on?'  But as the tour progressed, Pavlichenko began to bristle (make aggressive or angry) at the questions, and her clear, dark eyes found focus (the central point).  Soon, the [lady] sniper had had enough of the press' sniping (petty [trivial, minor or unimportant] verbal attacks).  'I wear my uniform with honor,' she told Time magazine.  'It has been covered with blood in battle.  It is plain to see that with American women what is important is whether they wear silk underwear (women's undergarments) under their uniforms.'   Slowly, Pavlichenko began to find her voice (finds a style and subject matter that is personal and original), holding people spellbound (having your attention completely held) with stories of her youth, the devastating effect of the German invasion on her homeland (native land, country of origin), and her career in combat.  Lyudmila Mykhailvna Pavlichenko was born in 1916. 

"Her father was a St. Petersburg factory worker, and her mother was a [English] teacher.  Pavlichenko described herself as a tomboy (a girl who enjoys rough, noisy activities) who was 'unruly (disorderly, rowdy or wild) in the classroom' and who would not allow herself to be outdone (surpassed or outclassed).  'When a neighbor's boy boasted of his exploits (bold feats) at a shooting range,' she told the crowds, 'I set out to show that a girl could do as well.  So I practiced a lot,' and 'to perfect myself (to do the best that one has ever done at a given activity) in shooting, I took courses at a sniper's school.'  When the war broke out, officials tried to steer her (guided in a particular direction) toward becoming a nurse.  To prove that she was as skilled with a rifle as she claimed, an Army unit held an impromptu audition (not regularly scheduled interview for a particular role) on a hill they were defending, handing her a rifle and pointing her toward a pair of Romanians who were working with the Germans.  'When I picked off the two, I was accepted,' Pavlichenko said.  On her first day on the battlefield, she found herself close to the enemy - and paralyzed by fear (so scared, you can't even move), unable to raise her weapon (ripping through her heart), a Mosin-Nagant 7.62 mm rifle with a PE 4x telescope.  A young Russian soldier set up his position (a place where someone has been put) beside her.  But before they had a chance to settle in, a shot rang out (loud and clear) and a German bullet took out her comrade (fellow soldier).  Pavlichenko was shocked into action (avail oneself to set in motion).  'He was such a nice, happy boy,' she recalled.  'And he was killed just next to me.'  She got the first of her 309 official kills later that day when she picked off (shoot or bring down) two German scouts (soldiers sent out ahead of the main force) trying to reconnoiter the area (make a military observation of the enemy's strength).  Pavlichenko racked up (achieve or gain) the majority of her kills, which included 100 officers, until German advances forced her unit to withdraw, landing them in Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula.  As her kill count (count of the bodies of killed enemy soldiers) rose, she was given more and more dangerous assignments, including the riskiest (dangerous, hazardous or perilous) of all - countersniping, where she engaged in duels (a contest with deadly weapons between two people) with enemy snipers. 

"Pavlichenko never lost a single duel, notching (scoring or achieving) thirty-six enemy sniper kills in hunts (pursued with force) that could last all day and night - and, in one case, three days.  'That was one of the tensest (characterized by a strain upon the nerves [a person's mental state]) experiences of my life,' she said, noting the endurance (ability to withstand hardship or adversity) and willpower (ability to control yourself) it took to maintain positions for fifteen or twenty hours at a stretch (period of time).  Promoted to lieutenant, Pavlichenko was pulled from combat (fighting between armed forces).  Just two months after leaving Sevastopol, the young officer found herself in the United States for the first time in 1942, reading press accounts of her sturdy (solidly built) black boots that 'have known the grime (dirt rubbed into a surface) and blood of battle,' and giving blunt (straightforward, candid, terse) descriptions of her day-to-day life (routine, natural and normal) as a sniper.  Her time with Eleanor Roosevelt clearly emboldened (gave the courage and confidence to) her, and by the time they reached Chicago on their way to the West Coast, Pavlichenko had been able to brush aside (treat as not important) the 'silly questions' from the women press correspondents (a person employed by a news publication) about 'nail polish and do I curl my hair'.  Pavlichenko received gifts from dignitaries (persons important due to high rank) and admirers (feel respect and approval for someone) wherever she went - mostly rifles and pistols.  The American folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song, Miss Pavlichenko, about her in 1942.  She continued to speak out about the lack of a color line (social or political restriction or distinction based on differences of skin pigmentation [natural coloring of animal tissue]) or segregation (the action of setting someone apart from other people) in the Army, and of gender equality (means that women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, protections and opportunities), which she aimed (to have the intention of achieving) at the American women in the crowds (smithsonian.com, February 21, 2013)."  Maybe she could become a poster girl (a woman who epitomizes [perfect example of] or represents a specified quality, cause, etc.) for the #MeToo movement.  Violence (physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage or destroy) is not being advocated (to suggest an ideal, development of way of doing something).  A fighting spirit (courage and determination expressed in a willingness for the struggle [hard effort to accomplish a goal]) is.  back to top

Putin.  After the completion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum (a place where ideas and views can be exchanged) in November 2017, President Putin answered questions from Russian and foreign journalists.  "Concerning foreign policy, our (Russia/China) positions (opinions, strategies and concepts), as diplomats (officials representing a country abroad) are known to say, are very close or coincide (represent the same views) on many issues, and they certainly do on the key (of paramount or crucial importance) ones.  One of such key issues today is the North Korean problem.  Our views completely overlap (cover part of the same space) here.  We believe that it is a problem, [and] we do not recognize (acknowledge the validity [the state of being legally or officially binding or acceptable] of) North Korea's nuclear status (an accepted or official position), but at the same time we urge all the opposing, conflicting sides to scale down the confrontation (a hostile situation between opposing parties) and to find the strength to sit down at the negotiating table.  There is no other solution to the issue.  Russia and China put forward a roadmap (a plan for how to achieve something) for solving this problem, which states every step to be made - first to stop the rhetoric (extravagant language), then to stop any signs of aggression from all the parties, and ultimately (finally - in the end) to sit down at the negotiating table (a situation or place where people formally discuss something in order to reach an agreement).  But, as you have heard, there have been some encouraging signals (gestures, actions or sounds) lately, including from the U.S. administration, Japan and South Korea regarding the overall (taking everything into account) understanding by everyone, that there is no alternative (available as another possibility) to this way of solving the problem.  We hope it will happen this way...The U.S. President's behavior (the way in which a person acts or conducts oneself) is absolutely polite and friendly, and we have a normal dialogue (conversation between two or more people). 

"Unfortunately, there is too little time, we still have not managed to discuss the entire range of our relations (the way in which two or more people, groups or countries talk to, behave toward and deal with each other), and there is a great deal to talk about - both in the security area and in the area of economic cooperation, which is practically suspended as of today.  We have [had] a meager (very small or not enough) 28 billion [rubles in trade - $470,000,000], and now we have 20 billion.  This is nothing for such nations as the United States and Russia, it is almost zero.  This is why we and our teams should definitely find an opportunity to sit down and discuss the whole scope of our relations.  But let me reiterate (to say something again), he (Trump) is a courteous (polite, respectful or considerate in manner) man and it is comfortable (to feel confident and relaxed) to talk and work with him...Relations between Russia and the United States are still in crisis (a time of intense difficulty or danger).  As you know, I speak often and at length about it - we are ready to turn this page over (convey that a new phase has begun) and move on (prompt or impel toward some action), to look into the future, to solve problems which are of concern both for the people of the United States and the people of the Russian Federation.  Now, they (the U.S.) did not let ExxonMobil work on the Artic shelf.  The company was simply deprived (to take something away from) just of an interesting, promising opportunity that would have enhanced (improve the quality of) the economic power of the United States, created jobs in the United States, generated revenue, taxes, etc.  This is just one example, while taking into account restrictions in financing, for instance, there are many more examples.  Your place will be taken by your competitors - it is inevitable (certain to happen) in the modern world.  But we want harmonious (free from disagreement or dissent) relations with the United States, not just in the economy, but also in ensuring (make certain that something shall occur) security.  We have the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty - START III.  When the treaty was being concluded, I was not the President of Russia, and President Trump did not take part in drafting that treaty.  But it exists.  There are issues in it that need to be discussed."  A carrot and a stick (pleasant inducements [things that persuade or influence] with subtle pressure [to use compulsion, constraint or duress]).  The previous topic "The Russians" detailed a stick.  President Putin's approach (a way of dealing with something) at the APEC forum was a carrot. 

But he also added, at his annual press conference, which was approximately four hours long with a record 1640 journalists (persons who write for newspapers, magazines or news websites), on December 14, 2017, concerning possible meddling (to interest oneself in what is not one's concern) by Russian rogue (dishonest or unprincipaled person) cyber (relating to, or involving, computers or computer networks) experts living in, say, Siberia (a vast Russian province covering most of northern Asia, with terrain spanning tundra, coniferous forest and mountain ranges), that "we should make conclusions (judgments or decisions reached by reasoning) and go further on (move on - jump out of the troublesome stuffs, and go on with your life), rather than turn on each other (suddenly attack - physically or verbally) like beasts (the crude animal nature common to humans)."  The New York Times wrote an article about private Russian hackers, back in June of that year.  "President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia suggested on Thursday (June 1) the 'patriotically minded' (feeling, expressing or inspired by love for one's country) private Russian hackers could have been involved in cyberattacks (any type of offensive maneuver [move skillfully or carefully] employed by nation-states, individuals, groups or organizations that targets computer information systems) last year that meddled (interfering or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern) in the United States presidential election.  Artists, he said, paint if they wake up feeling in good spirits (happy and cheerful) while hackers respond if 'they wake up and read that something is going on in interstate (involving or existing between two nations) relations' that prompts (serve as the inciting [urge or persuading] cause for) them to take action (to do something).  'If they are patriotically minded, they start making their contributions (something you do to help produce or achieve a goal) - which are right from their point of view (a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated) - to fight against those who say bad things about Russia,' Mr. Putin added." 

The Washington Post had this to say about Russian-American cooperation (the act or process of working together).  "Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday phoned President Trump to thank him for a tip (a small but useful piece of inside information) from the CIA that thwarted (stopped something from happening) a terrorist attack being planned in St. Petersburg.  The unusual call - countries share intelligence all the time, but presidents rarely publicly thank one another for it - was confirmed (verify, authenticate or validate) by White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.  'Based on the information the United States provided, Russian authorities were able to capture the terrorists just prior to (in advance of) an attack that could have killed a large number of people,' the White House said in its readout (a visual record or display) of the call.  'Both leaders agreed that this serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when our countries work together.'  The CIA tip apparently provided the breakthrough (an act or instance of moving through or beyond an obstacle [something that stands in the way or opposes]) that allowed Russian authorities last week to detain (keep in official custody) seven members of what officials identified as Islamic State cells (usually three to seven members - to insure operational security, the members of adjacent terrorist cells usually don't know each other or the identity of their leadership).  The suspects, investigators said, had been planning a suicide bombing this weekend of Kazan Cathedral, a St. Petersburg landmark located on Nevsky Prospect, its main thoroughfare (a passage through somewhere).  The cathedral was built between 1801 and 1811, and, controversially (in a way that gives rise to public disagreement) at the time, was designed along the lines (in conformity - similar in type) of a Roman Catholic basilica (a church which is rectangular in shape and has a rounded end - that has been accorded special privileges by the Pope).  Russian state television reported the capture of the alleged cell members as it often does in takedowns (instances of an opponent being brought down) of terrorist suspects, with a video that shows agents in action (in intelligence usage, those who have access to, and perform actions against, a target) and an on-camera confession (participants appear individually to speak candidly about tactics - December 17, 2017)."

President Putin gave a New Year's address (formal speech delivered to an audience) to Russia, December 31, 2017.  "We are the threshold (boundary beyond which a different state of affairs exists) of a New Year, year 2018.  Change (making or becoming different) will certainly come to our lives if each of us takes care of our parents and values (the regard that something is held to deserve) every minute we spend with them, if we try to better understand our children and their aspirations (hopes and ambitions) and dreams, and if we support those nearest to us who need our help and our generosity.  The ability to help, to show concern and understanding for others and to do good deeds fills our lives with true human meaning (that which makes life worth living).  A New Year, year 2018 will begin in just a few seconds.  This is the time when we should forgive one another's mistakes and forget old grudges (deep seated resentments or ill will), and show that you really care (watchful or protective attention)."  The Valdai International Discussion Club "was established in 2004.  It was named after lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky, Novgorod, where the club's first meeting took place (valdaiclub.com)."  Mr. Putin commented on the decline (to turn from a straight course) of Christian values in Europe and the United States, in a speech he gave there on September 20, 2013.  "We can see how many of the Euro-Atlantic countries (twenty-nine NATO members and twenty-one partner nations) are actually rejecting their roots (sources or origins), including the Christian values (principles or standards of behavior) that constitute (make up or form) the basis (the most important facts from which a thing is developed) of Western civilization.  They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities - national, cultural, religious and even sexual." 

Nine days earlier (September 11), an opinion piece (op-ed) was published in The New York Times, written by Mr. Putin.  "The United Nations' founders understood that decisions affecting (having an influence on) war and peace should happen only by consensus (general agreement or a generally accepted opinion).  No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate (development of events beyond a person's control) of the League of Nations (a post-World War I attempt to have nations meet together to discuss issues, that failed), which collapsed because it lacked real leverage (influence or power used to achieve a desired result).  [So] the world reacts by asking - if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security (to be free from danger or threat).  Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction.  This is logical (characterized by or capable of clear, sound reasoning) - if you have the bomb (nuclear weapons), no one will touch you (unable [incapable or lacking the skill] to be attacked, harmed or destroyed).  We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal (everyone having the same rights and opportunities)."  Meaning, the Americans had bombed, using conventional (normal, standard or regular) weapons, North Korea into oblivion (the state of being numb [unable to think, feel or react normally because of something that shocks or upsets you] to what happened) during the Korean War.  Kim Jung Un could fear that the U.N. might not protect him from U.S. "aggression" (hostile or violent behavior toward another) - as North Korea was a part of President Bush's axis of evil (used to describe countries which Bush thought were involved in terrorism and weapons of mass destruction).

Epiphany is a holiday which commemorates (do something special in order to remember and honor) the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, in Christian tradition.  "In Russia, President Vladimir Putin marked the celebration of Theophany (sometimes called 'Epiphany' in the West [Europe and North America]) in the usual way - by immersing (plunging and submerging) himself in freezing cold water in Lake Seliger at a monastery (house for persons under religious vows) near Tver, some 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of Moscow.  January 19 marks the Orthodox Christian celebration of the feast known as 'Holy Theophany'.  This feast commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.  So many people celebrate this by jumping into bodies of water - rivers, lakes, the ocean: no matter how cold.  Pictures of cross-shaped holes in thick lake ice are a yearly distribution (act of giving or delivering something to people) because of this feast.  Fox News received and ran the video of President Putin doing this.  The comment of one of the anchors on the program, 'I just did not perceive (become aware of) him having a religious side, until just now,' says a lot about the American view of Putin aided and abetted (assisted and committed through encouraging) by a virtual (almost complete) news blackout (suppression of information) regarding Russian life and the Russian leader himself.  The common American narrative (story) about Vladimir Putin comprises (consists of) terms like 'KGB thug', 'secret Communist', 'Tsar-aspirant' (a person who has ambitions) and many other things.  But such a narrative is so completely divorced from reality (cut off from the real issue), that Americans generally do not know [much] about the president's commitment to the church, even while far from perfect - just like any one of us.  He has been very strict against desecration (violating the sanctity) of holy places, as in the Pussy Riot incident (event or occurrence) in Christ the Savior Cathedral, [and] he has built monastic (relating to monks living under religious vows) establishments like the one on Valaam in the Karelian region.  Of course, though, the secular (denoting attitudes, activities or other things, that have no religious or spiritual basis) media, including the specifically (referring to) American counterparts (persons with similar positions) - even Fox News, which is categorized as conservative and thus, Christian-friendly - are really quite disconnected (separated, detached or disengaged) from Christianity as reality (the state of things as they are). 

"The pieces and coverage (treatment of an issue by the media) from the West treat (behave toward or deal with) Christian commitment (being dedicated to a cause) as something quaint (unusual or old fashioned) and outdated (no longer current - outmoded).  It seems that the idea of simple, honest faith, has passed completely out of style (primitive or obsolete) in the West (RussiaFeed, January 20, 2018)."  The Pussy Riot incident refers to a mockery (an absurd misrepresentation) in a church.  "The group gained global notoriety when five members of the group staged a performance inside Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 2012.  The group's actions were condemned as sacrilegious (gross irreverence) by the Orthodox clergy and eventually stopped by church security officials (Wikipedia)."  And again, "Now the [Russian] church is quite resurgent (increase of activity or interest in a particular subject), with an estimated 40,000 parishes as of October 2017, with the rate of construction or restoration at about 1000 churches per year, or about three per day.  Moscow has 1154 parishes as of October 2017, with at least 200 more in planning and development stages - and these churches are privately funded, by individuals and businesses who contribute money to build them (RussiaFeed)."  Maybe if Americans would show a little more respect (treating people in a positive way that acknowledges who they are) for the Russian version (differing in certain aspects) of "church", the Russians might not be so militarily aggressive (ready to confront).  From a Russian point of view, "the Western mindset (established set of attitudes) about Christianity is at best (a favorable view) 'respectful of meaningless (having no purpose or reason) traditions (handing down of information, beliefs or customs)'."  President Putin was up for re-election, March 2018.  He's a judo master (a 5th degree black belt) who plays ice hockey, and deals with polar bears and Siberian tigers.  He would have loved to compete (try to be more successful) with a person who is on a similar skill level (function of the range and complexity of the set of tasks performed in a particular occupation), in an election.  Apparently, his country admires (regard with respect, approval and hold in high regard) him, as they handed him (gave and presented with) a victory with 76% of the vote.

In his State of the Nation address on March 1, 2018, President Putin said this.  "Sarmat will replace the Vaevada system made in the USSR.  Its immense power was universally recognized (symbolized by all).  Our foreign colleagues (associates) even gave it a fairly threatening name.  That said, the capabilities of the Sarmat missile are much higher.  Weighing over 200 tons, it has a short boost phase (portion of the flight of a ballistic missile during which the booster [a thing that increases or improves] or sustainer engines operate), which makes it more difficult to intercept for missile defense systems.  The range of the new heavy missile, the number and power of its combat blocs (equipment developed by the Russian Federation) is bigger than Vaevada's.  Sarmat will be equipped with a broad range of powerful nuclear warheads, including hypersonic (relating to speed five or more times the speed of sound), and the most modern means of evading missile defense.  The high degree of protection of missile launchers and significant energy capabilities the system offers will make it possible to use in any conditions.  Vaevada's range (area of variation between upper and lower limits) is 11,000 km (6835 miles) while Sarmat has practically no range restrictions.  As the video clips show, it can attack targets both via (from) the North and South poles.  Sarmat is a formidable (impressively large, powerful, intense or capable) missile and owing to its characteristics, is untroubled (unworried, unperturbed or unconcerned) by even the most advanced missile defense systems.  Russia's advanced arms are based on cutting-edge (latest or most advanced stage in development), unique achievements of our scientists, designers and engineers.  One of them is a small-scale heavy-duty nuclear energy unit that can be installed in a missile like our latest X-101 air-launched missile or the American Tomahawk missile - a similar type but with a range dozens of times longer, dozens, basically an unlimited range.  It is a low-flying stealth missile carrying a nuclear warhead, with almost an unlimited range, unpredictable trajectory (the path followed by a projectile [self-propelled weapon]) and ability to bypass interception boundaries.  It is invincible (invulnerable, indestructible or unconquerable) against all existing and prospective missile defense and counter-air defense systems.  I will repeat this several times today.  In late 2017, Russia successfully launched its latest nuclear-powered missile at the Central training ground.  During its flight, the nuclear-powered engine reached its design capacity and provided the necessary propulsion. 

"Now that the missile launch and ground tests were successful, we can begin developing a completely new type of weapon, a strategic nuclear weapons system with a nuclear-powered missile.  You can see how the missile bypasses interceptors (a light high-speed, fast-climbing missile).  As the range is unlimited, the missile can maneuver (movement requiring skill and care) for as long as necessary.  Now, we all know that the design and development of unmanned weapon systems is another common trend in the world.  As concerns Russia, we have developed unmanned submersible (capable of operating underwater) vehicles that can move at great depths intercontinentally, at a speed multiple times higher than the speed of submarines, cutting-edge torpedoes and all kinds of surface vessels, including some of the fastest.  It is really fantastic.  They are quiet, highly maneuverable and have hardly any vulnerabilities (open to attack or damage) for the enemy to exploit.  There is simply nothing in the world capable of withstanding them.  Unmanned underwater vehicles can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads, which enables them to engage various targets, including aircraft groups, coastal fortifications (military constructions designed for the defense of territories) and infrastructure (basic systems and services).  In December 2017, an innovative (featuring new methods) nuclear power unit for this unmanned underwater vehicle completed a test cycle (a series of test runs to be executed) that lasted many years.  The nuclear power unit is unique for its small size while offering amazing power-weight ratio, but is still more powerful and can switch into combat mode (purposeful violent conflict).  The tests that were conducted enabled us to begin developing a new type of strategic weapon that would carry massive nuclear ordnance (military materiel [equipment, apparatus and supplies]).  Countries with high research potential and advanced technology are known to be actively developing so-called hypersonic weapons.  The speed of sound is usually measured in Mach numbers in honor of Austrian scientist Ernst Mach who is known for his research in this field.  One Mach is equal to 1062 km per hour (670 mph) at an altitude of 11 km (7 miles).  The speed of sound is Mach 1, speeds between Mach 1 and Mach 5 are called supersonic, and hypersonic is above Mach 5.  Of course, this kind of weapon provides substantial advantages in an armed conflict.  Military experts believe that it would be extremely powerful, and that its speed makes it invulnerable (impossible to harm or damage) to current missile and air defense systems, since interceptor missiles are, simply put, not fast enough.  In this regard, it is quite understandable why the leading armies of the world seek to possess such an ideal weapon. 

"Friends, Russia already has such a weapon.  The most important stage in the development of modern weapons systems was the creation of a high-precision (the quality, condition or fact of being exact and accurate) hypersonic aircraft missile system.  It is the only one of its kind in the world.  Its tests have been successfully completed, and moreover, on December 1 of last year, these systems began their trial service (a time during which something is being tested) at the airfields of the Southern Military District.  The unique flight characteristics of the high-speed carrier aircraft allow the missile to be delivered to the point of discharge (target) within minutes.  The missile flying at a hypersonic speed, can also maneuver at all phases of its flight trajectory, which also allows it to overcome all existing and, I think, prospective anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems, delivering nuclear and conventional warheads in a range of over 2000 km (1615 miles).  We called this system Kinzhal (Dagger).  Now we have to be aware of this reality and be sure that everything I have said today is not a bluff (to deceive someone as to one's abilities or intentions) - and it is not a bluff, believe me - and to give it a thought (to consider, reflect upon or think hard) and dismiss (shrug off - minimize the importance of) those who live in the past and are unable to look into the future, to stop rocking the boat (you do or say something that will upset people or cause problems) we are all in, and which is called the Earth."  Don't poke (prod, jab or punch) a nuclear bear with a stick.  Or in the words of the Russians: "They were poking and prodding (rousing or inciting by nagging or goading) at what they considered to be a weak, sleeping and toothless (lacking genuine force or effectiveness) bear, willing to perform circus tricks (as a lion does, standing on small mounts [round supports less than one meter high] at the crack of a whip, or perhaps an elephant, standing on its hind legs on command) for them, instead they awoke the Russian Bear (RussiaFeed, March 17, 2018)."  There are better methods of expelling (forcing out) energy (strength and vitality [physical or mental vigor]).  The World Cup soccer games are being held in Moscow in 2018.  "Despite (without being effected by) the immediate array (an impressive display) of social media jokes claiming the Russian president was responsible for his country's dramatic penalty shootout (three shooters take alternating shots against the opposing goaltender) victory over Spain to reach the quarterfinals on Sunday - instead it was a display of extreme resiliency (the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties) and courage (U.S.A. Today, July 2, 2018)." 

So, Americans do admire (regard with respect) brave feats (bold achievements).  On July 16, 2018, there was the Russian-American summit in Helsinki, Finland.  Tom Nichols, a professor at the Naval War College commented that Putin was a "professional intelligence officer" who was "competent (having the necessary ability, knowledge or skill to do something successfully) and performed brilliantly (accomplished or executed in an exceptionally clever or talented way)", while Trump "babbled (talked enthusiastically or nonsensically [made without regard for reason])".  Why could it be that Russia may produce a superior statesman (a skilled, experienced and respected political leader)?  "The mere fact of a U.S. president seeking better relations with Russia should not be controversial (disputable, debatable or arguable).  President Obama certainly did his best.  Who can forget his 2012 hot-mic (a microphone that is turned on) moment assuring outgoing (leaving an office or position) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have 'more flexibility' (willing to change or compromise) in dealing with Moscow after the election?  Or Hillary Clinton's famous 2009 'Russian reset'?  For Democrats to invoke (call on for inspiration) the ghost of Joe McCarthy and cry treason (the crime of betraying one's country) has more than just a whiff (a slight trace or indication) of hypocrisy (pretense).  Besides, do they want relations to get worse?  Should the U.S. purposely (intentionally) freeze out (an exclusion of an organization by ignoring them) the second - or maybe first - largest nuclear power in the world (James S. Robbins, former Defense Department special assistant under George W. Bush, July 16, 2018)."  This is a dangerous choice (like a baby walker, which can roll down the stairs).  "Vladimir Putin's offer to let U.S. officials attend interrogations (cross-examination) of Russian officials indicted by the 'Russsiagate' probe (to search into or examine something) has been rejected.  It seems Capitol Hill lawmakers have no interest in fair trials (conducted fairly, justly by an impartial judge) when it comes to Russia.  Considering the unmistakable liberal bent (one's interests or inclination) of the U.S. mainstream media complex (mass communication), which churns out (produce something automatically, without much thought, and in large amounts) anti-Trump, anti-Russia stories with more predictable homogeneity (the quality of being all the same) than a Pringles potato chip factory, the chances of the Putin-Trump summit winning any positive reviews (to state your opinion or judgment) back home was about slim to none (very small, extremely unlikely).  And, as if to worsen those dismal odds (chances of winning are gloomy) even more, U.S. Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein, with timing so uncanny (strange or mysterious) it could only have been premeditated (think out a plan beforehand), announced indictment (a formal charge of a crime) against twelve Russian military intelligence officers for their alleged involvement (taking part) in hacking the computer servers (a computer program that provides a service to another computer program) of the Democratic National Committee. 

"That bombshell (overwhelming surprise), coming just days before the opening of the summit, appears to have knocked President Donald Trump off his horse (pulled the rug out from under him) in Helsinki, forcing him into a defensive posture (an attitude toward something that is not aggressive anymore).  The reason is obvious - any talk of 'Russia meddling' (interfering or tampering [exert a corrupt influence upon]) in the 2016 presidential election works to delegitimize (to seem to make not valid [based on truth or reason]) his presidency.  In other words, according to the 'Russiagaters', it was not due to the democratic will of the American people that Trump secured (obtain, with difficulty) an historic victory, but rather some Russian Facebook and Twitter ads.  Putin, however, whose political fortunes (the way things play out [happen or develop]) are not swinging in the breeze (a difficult situation a person cannot bring under control, for a long period) of an intensely partisan witch hunt () on the domestic front (), offered to meet U.S. official 'halfway' () in an effort to close the 'Russiagate' case once and for all ().  Pointing to the 1999 agreement between the U.S. and Russia, entitled, Mutual legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Putin reminded U.S. officials that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is entitled to send a formal request to have those Russian citizens facing charges in the United States undergo questioning () by the Russian authorities.  He even offered to allow American officials to be present in Russia during the 'interrogation' process ().  'We can actually permit official representatives of the United States, including the members of this very commission headed by Mr. Mueller, we can lead them into the country and they will be present at this questioning,' the Russian leader said (RT, July 20, 2018)."  The Democratic Party and liberal press, having fallen prey () to neo-McCarthyism, have jeopardized () any form of cooperation in an hyper-sonic weaponry age ().  McCarthyism hearkens () back to the 1950s.  "McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion () or treason () without proper regard for evidence.  The term refers to U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, lasting from the late 1940s through the 1950s and characterized () by heightened () political repression ().  Suspicions () were often given credence () despite inconclusive () or questionable evidence.  The term is also used more generally to describe demagogic () attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries ( - Wikipedia)." 

However, in a holiday message Putin said that Russia is open to dialogue () with the U.S.  "The message was included in a list of holiday greetings () sent by Putin to heads of foreign states () and governments that was released by the Kremlin () Sunday.  'In a congratulatory message () to President of the United States of America Donald Trump on the occasion of the Christmas and New Year holidays, Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russian-American relations are an essential factor in ensuring strategic stability () and international security (), and confirmed () that Russia is open to dialogue with the United States on the widest possible agenda (),' the Kremlin statement read.  The Kremlin said that former President George W. Bush was among the former heads of state to whom Putin had also sent a holiday message (CNN, December 30, 2018)."  This statement is what is meant by the biblical "peace on earth, good will toward humanity".  He also tries to be transparent () with his own people.  "More than 1.5 million people sent in their questions by phone, video calls or internet in the Direct Line With Vladimir Putin show.  It was his 17th Q&A show since his first in 2001.  Seated in a theater-in-the-round-style setting (), Putin fielded questions from a studio audience () and used the opportunity to push his $390 billion National Projects plan, akin to a national infrastructure () bill (U.S.A Today, June 21, 2019)."  When was the last time an American president, ever, sat down on national television, took questions from the public, and literally laid himself open () to their scrutiny ()?  President Putin has met with Pope Francis on more than one occasion.  His comments on secularism ().  "Sometimes I get the feeling that these liberal circles () are beginning to use certain elements and problems () of the Catholic Church as a tool () for destroying the church itself."  "Russian President Vladimir Putin said he offered to sell United States President Donald Trump hypersonic weapons during their last meeting in Japan.  Speaking at the plenary session () of the fifth Eastern Economic Forum in the Primorsky Krai region, Putin said he discussed arms control measures () with Trump in June during the G20 summit in Osaka and 'the issue was raised as to how and in what way it would be possible to count Russian modern weapons, including the hypersonic missile systems (), into the common agreements, considering that so far not a single country in the world possesses these weapons, not even the U.S.,' as quoted by the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.  'I told Donald the following: If you want, we can sell you some and this way we will balance everything out ().  But truth be told, they are saying that they will soon produce it themselves,' Putin remarked.  'Perhaps they will, but why waste money when we already have spent some and can get something back, and at the same time not harm our security but rather create a situation where there is a balance,' he added.  Putin first unveiled () his country's up-and-coming () arsenal of advanced weapons during his State of the Nation address in March last year.  These include the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile and the accompanying Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle (Newsweek, September 5, 2019)."  Doesn't sound like a nation hell-bent () on America's destruction.  back to top

CIA special ops.  These and other issues may be of more importance than a Russian hacking.  However, Vladmir Putin admitted that it is possible that rogue hackers within his country may have been partially (to a limited extent) responsible for Democratic Party malaise (a general feeling of uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify) in the 2016 election.  However, he has made clear on numerous occasions that the Russian government wasn't involved directly (without anything else being involved).  These may be a "criminal underground (a new form of crime that is quickly adapting to a new version of coercion)" with "mercenary (concerned with making money at the expense of ethics) hackers" who work in it.  There have been widespread (broad, deep or expansive) complaints concerning alleged (stated as a fact, usually forcefully) Russian hacking (unauthorized intrusion into a computer - a person who secretly gets access to a computer system in order to get information, cause damage, etc.) of Democratic Party emails and the subsequent expose (a report of the facts about something - to reveal something hidden or dishonest) which proved to be embarrassing to them.  This has become a national scandal (a cause of shame).  However, this becomes interesting (keeps your attention) when compared (noting the similarity or differences between) with some of the accomplishments (successful results brought about by hard work) of American intelligence services.  Wikipedia comments: "Operation Mockingbird was allegedly a large-scale program of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that, beginning in the early 1950s, attempted to manipulate (to control or take advantage of) news media (an umbrella term for all sources of presentation of news) for propaganda purposes (ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated).  Operation Mockingbird was established by Frank Wisner, director of the Office of Policy Coordination, a covert operations (an operation that is so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor) unit.  After 1953, the media network was overseen by CIA Director Allen Dulles, by which time Operation Mockingbird had major influence over twenty-five newspapers and wire agencies.  The usual method was placing reports developed from intelligence provided by the CIA to cooperating or unwitting (not informed about or aware) reporters.  Those reports would be repeated or cited (to give as an example) by preceding reporters, which in turn would then be cited throughout the media wire services.  These networks were run by people with well-known liberal views, such as William S. Paley (CBS), Arthur Hays Sulzberger (New York Times), [and] Alfred Friendly (managing editor of the Washington Post)."  So, in America's past, we had our own little propaganda coup (a sudden decisive act). 

Fast forward (advance rapidly) to the 21st century.  Wikipedia again: "The Special Activities Division (SAD) is a division of the United States Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert operations known as 'special activities'.  The Political Action Group (PAG) is responsible for covert activities related to political influence, psychological operations and economic warfare.  The rapid development of technology has added cyberwarfare (actions by a nation-state to penetrate another nation's computers or networks for the purpose of causing damage or disruption) to their mission.  Tactical units (an organizational unit within any arm of the service) within SAD are also capable of carrying out covert political action while deployed in hostile and austere (nothing fancy or luxurious) environments."  They may not "hack emails", but they do "covert activities related to political influence".  Nick Turse is an investigative reporter.  He wrote a couple of items, one on August 8, 2011 and one January 7, 2014.  First - The U.S. Military's Secret Military.  "Somewhere on this planet a U.S. commando (a soldier trained to do a covert operation) is carrying out a mission.  Now, say that seventy times and you're done...for the day.  Without the knowledge of much of the general public, a secret force within the U.S. military is undertaking operations in a majority of the world's countries."  And second - America's Black-Ops Blackout.  "I started with a blank map that quickly turned into a global pincushion (a small cushion in which pins may be stuck).  It didn't take long before every continent but Antarctica (which is where the South Pole is located) was bristling (abounding, overflowing or bursting) with markers indicating special operating forces' missions [and] deployments in 2012-2013."  These people risk their lives to defend the homeland (one's native country).  The majority of the stars displayed on the Memorial Wall at the CIA headquarters indicate agents who died serving their country overseas (in a foreign country that is across an ocean).

WikiLeaks released some files, March 2017, on CIA cyber (relating to electronic communication) spying tools.  "The latest revelation about the U.S. government's powerful hacking tools potentially takes surveillance (close observation) right into the home and hip pockets (a pocket in the back of a pair of trousers - meaning spying on smartphones) of billions of users (a person who operates a computer, smartphone, etc.) worldwide (The Washington Post, March 7, 2017)."  This refers to smart TVs - which, with a program named "Weeping Angel", can set a Samsung smart TV into a fake "off" mode and allow conversations in a home to be sent out via a server (a computer or computer program that manages access).  Further, CIA-created malware (software that is intended to damage a computer system) can penetrate and control operating systems for Android and iPhone phones.  The software allows the agency to copy and transmit audio and text from a phone.  The Daily Beast did an article March 8, 2017 by Kevin Paulsen.  "Tuesday's (March 7) document dump, titled 'Vault 7, Year Zero' by WikiLeaks, details the capabilities and culture within the CIA's secretive Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virginia.  The leak portrays a robust (strong and healthy) if not unique, computer intrusion (the act of wrongly entering upon) capability inside the CIA, accented (prominence or emphasis) by a few James Bond novelties (new, original or unusual), like special snooping software intended to be carried into an adversary's lair (a secluded or hidden place as a base of operations) on a thumb drive (a small rectangular device used for storing and transferring computer data), where a CIA asset plugs it into a USB port (short for Universal Serial Bus, used to connect hardware such as printers, scanners and keyboards).  The hacking files are the second WikiLeaks disclosure from a tranche (a portion of something, one part or division of a larger unit) of CIA documents it calls 'Vault 7'.  The first, in February, showed that the CIA closely monitored (observe or check the progress of, keep under systematic review) the 2012 French election, an unsurprising revelation (a previously unknown fact, disclosed or revealed) that nonetheless fueled charges of American hypocrisy (the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform).  Julian Assange broke with tradition to claim that the files had already leaked to former government hackers and contractors, one of whom then passed the tranche to WikiLeaks.  The source (a cause or starting point) wanted to spark (a first small event that causes a much worse situation to develop) a public debate on policy questions, Assange wrote, 'including whether the CIA's hacking capabilities exceed its mandated powers and the problem of public oversight of the agency'." 

Americans comment.  "I suspect that, ultimately, the real story concerning the Russian connection to the election will be the spying on Americans by the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency (Chris Clifford)."  "In this day and age, a government cannot effectively protect its citizens without this kind of capability.  I expect my government to be on the cutting edge of hacking (Luke Sonner)."  "You can bet it is true what the NSA, CIA and others do.  Spying is their job, and you have most likely been hacked at one time or another and may still be.  Under the Obama administration, the hacking of Trump and all others who were running for president most likely happened (Eli Cole)."  "The U.S. in particular is known to maintain satellites that can intercept cell-phone and pager traffic, usually referred to as the ECHELON system.  Analysis of bulk traffic is normally performed by complex computer programs that parse (divide a sentence into grammatical parts) natural language and phone numbers looking for threatening conversations and correspondents (a person who contributes a letter).  In some extraordinary cases, undersea or land-based cables have been tapped (hacked [persons who secretly gets access] by the NSA) as well.  In January 2012, Mike McConnell, for former director of national intelligence at the National Security Agency under President George W. Bush told the Reuters news agency that the U.S. has already launched attacks on computer networks in other countries (Wikipedia)."  "A grim year for American spy agencies took a turn for the worse with the leaking, on March 7th, of what appeared to be a lengthy, detailed catalogue (a complete list) of the CIA's secret hacking tools for turning computers, internet routers (networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks), telephones and even web-enabled televisions into remote spying devices, and for bypassing encrypted (convert data into a cipher or code, to prevent unauthorized access) messaging services by penetrating individual Apple and Android smartphones.  The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy organization posted nearly 9000 documents.  The files show agents discussing how to break into such operating systems as Apple's iOS and Google's Android, to extract a target's location, audio and text messages (The Economist, March 11, 2017)." 

And we worry about the Russians.  What these articles and leaks do not mention, however, is the effort that the Central Intelligence Agency goes to keep Americans safe (free from harm or risk).  Overall (taking everything into account), these are unsung heroes (people who make a substantive yet unrecognized contribution, whose bravery is unknown or unacknowledged).  In World War II, these types of Americans were preventing an armed insurrection (an uprising against a larger force that is in power) of Arabs in Libya and tracking down (to find someone) Nazi spies in San Francisco.  Back then, it was called the Office of Strategic Services.  It seems a question of who can hack the best.  Charges were made against four Russians in March 2017 concerning the massive (impressively large) hack attack against Yahoo.  "Outsourcing hacking only makes sense in Russia because it's where the nation's cyber talent is, said Vitali Kremez, research director at Flashpoint, a cyber intelligence company.  Russia's technical universities are among the world's best, and the country each year produces a bumper crop (a large yield) of highly-skilled graduates.  But it lacks a robust tech industry, so many end up working in the criminal underground.  'There's no Silicon Valley in Russia - it's not able to provide good conditions for them to thrive,' Kremez said.  By working in the underground, they're able to lead lavish (sumptuously rich, elaborate or luxurious) lifestyles, enjoying travel, beautiful cars and an income that the army or intelligence services could never provide.  Ironically, the creation of that criminal underground and the mercenary (working or acting merely for money) hackers who work within it was in part funded by U.S. intelligence agencies, which made use of the markets there to purchase information computer code vulnerabilities (capable or susceptible of being wounded) in popular programs that could be used to hack and crack networks, noted Bruce McConnell, a global vice-president at the EastWest Institute, a think tank that works on cyber issues (Elizabeth Weise, March 16, 2017)."  Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord commented: "The defendants targeted Yahoo accounts of Russian and U.S. government officials, including cybersecurity, diplomatic and military personnel.  They also targeted Russian journalists."  Apparently, they are equal opportunity (free of discrimination) hackers.  Possibly, Trump Tower was hacked by a handful (an amount you can hold in your hand) of disgruntled (ill-humored or discontented) female CIA managers, using malware to penetrate the operating system of an Android or iPhone.  The software allows an agent to copy and transmit audio and text from a phone.  There were those who are fiercely loyal (a friend who is on your side no matter what) to Hillary Clinton and believed the election was a farce (something that is supposed to be serious, but has turned ridiculous).  back to top 

Stellar Wind.  According to Wikipedia: "Stellar Wind is the code name (a coded and usually secret meaning) of information collected under the President's Surveillance Program.  The National Security Agency program was approved by President George W. Bush shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks and was revealed by Thomas Tamm to The New York Times in 2008.  The program's activities involved data mining (the computing process of discovering patterns in large data sets) of a large database of the communications of American citizens, including email communications, telephone conversations, financial transactions, and internet activity.  William Binney, a retired technical leader with the NSA, discussed some of the architectural and operational elements of the program at the 2012 Chaos Communication Congress.  There were internal disputes within the U.S. Justice Department about the legality of the program, because data is collected on large numbers of people, not just the subjects of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants.  From a report by the Inspector General of six U.S. intelligence agencies that was declassified in September 2015, it became clear that President Bush had originally authorized the collection of telephone and email metadata only if one end of the communications was foreign or when there was a link to terrorism.  But in 2004, the Justice Department found out that the NSA was apparently also collecting the metadata of purely domestic communications, after which President Bush declared that NSA had always been allowed to do so.  In March 2012 Wired magazine said: 'For the first time, a former NSA official has gone on the record to describe the program codenamed Stellar Wind, in detail,' naming the official William Binney, a former NSA code breaker.  Binney went on to say that the NSA had highly secured rooms that tap (establish a connection in order to take advantage of something) into major switches (a device that channels incoming data from any of multiple input ports to the specific output port, that will take the data toward its intended destination), and satellite communications at both AT&T and Verizon.  In September 2014 The New York Times asserted: 'Questions persist after the release of a newly declassified version of a legal memo approving the National Security Agency's Stellar Wind program a set of warrantless surveillance and data collection activities secretly authorized after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.' 

"The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy (a state of dispute or disagreement) - warrantless wiretapping - concerns surveillance of persons within the United States.  During the Obama Administration, the NSA has allegedly continued operating under the new FISA guidelines despite campaign promises to end warrantless wiretapping.  However, in April 2009 officials at the United States Department of Justice acknowledged that the NSA had engaged in 'overcollection' of domestic communications in excess of the FISA court's authority."  Was Trump Tower 'hacked', or was it 'warrantless wiretapping'.  Hard to tell.  National Enquirer allegedly (claim or assert that someone has done something illegal) claims to have a source inside the intelligence community and to have seen 132 pages of transcripts (written, printed or typed copy).  These are contents of calls made from numbers inside Trump Tower to other unspecified numbers.  When President Trump called President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines in the Spring of 2017, the contents of the call between the two leaders was published by The Washington Post.  Regarding the young North Korean leader, Trump asked Duterte, "Are we dealing with someone who's stable (a person who is steady and not prone to change - who is level headed and not subject to wild swings of emotion) or not stable?"  Duterte replied that "he is not stable" and has "a dangerous toy in his hands which could create so much agony and suffering for all mankind."  This was a confidential phone call on a secure line (voice security that provides end-to-end encryption [converting information or data into a code]).  How could The Washington Post gather this information if President Trump wasn't either hacked or warantlessly wiretapped by CIA or NSA "holdovers" (someone who remains from an earlier time) of the Obama administration?  However, we must always remember this: "It is significant that we take an oath to support and defend the Constitution and not an individual leader, ruler, office or entity.  A government based on individuals - who are inconsistant, fallible and often prone to error - too easily leads to tyranny (cruel and unfair treatment by people with power over others) on the one extreme or anarchy (a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority) on the other (Federal Bureau of Investigation website)."  back to top 

Shadow Brokers.  "It (Shadow Brokers) identified him (Jake Williams) - correctly - as a former member of the National Security Agency's hacking group, Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, a job he had not publicly disclosed.  Then the Shadow Brokers astonished (surprised or impressed) him by dropping technical details that made clear they knew about highly classified hacking operations that he had conducted.  America's largest and most secretive (not open or outgoing in speech, activity or purposes) intelligence agency had been deeply infiltrated (to gain access or an organization gradually, especially to acquire secret information).  There is a broad agreement that the damage from the Shadow Brokers already far exceeds the harm to American intelligence done by Edward J. Snowden, the former NSA contractor who fled with four laptops of classified material in 2013.  Mr. Snowden's cascade (a large number of things that happen quickly in a series) of disclosures (acts of making something known) to journalists and his defiant (showing a disposition to challenge) public stance (a particular way of thinking about something) drew far more media coverage than this new breach (a gap in a wall, barrier or defense).  But Mr. Snowden released code words, while the Shadow Brokers have released the actual code (program instructions).  Millions of people saw their computers shut down by ransomware (a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid), with demands for payments in digital currency to have their access (a means of entering) restored.  FedEx reported that an attack on a European subsidiary (a company that is owned or controlled by another company) had halted deliveries and cost $30,000,000.  Hospitals in Pennsylvania, Britain and Indonesia had to turn away patients.  The attacks disrupted (caused to be unable to continue in a normal way) production at a car plant in France, an oil company in Brazil and a chocolate factory in Tasmania, among thousands of enterprises affected worldwide.  American officials had to explain to close allies - and to business leaders in the United States - how cyberweapons (malware agents which include computer viruses and software that can be used to penetrate enemy networks) developed at Fort Meade in Maryland (headquarters of NSA) came to be used against them.  'It's a disaster on multiple levels (a real scale of amount, quantity or extent),' Mr. Williams said.  'It's embarrassing (in a manner or to a degree that causes self-consciousness, shame or awkwardness) that the people responsible for this have not been brought to justice (punished for a crime by being arrested and tried in a court of law).'  Compounding the pain for the NSA, is the attackers' regular online public taunts (reproaches or challenges in a mocking or insulting manner). 

"At the heart of the NSA crisis (a time of intense difficulty) is Tailored Access Operations, the group where Mr. Williams worked, which was absorbed last year into the agency's new Directorate of Operations.  Long known mainly as an eavesdropping (listening secretly to what is said in private) agency, the NSA has embraced hacking as an especially productive way to spy on foreign targets.  The intelligence collection is often automated (converted to a largely automatic operation) with malware implants (a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software placed within a system) - computer code designed to find material of interest - left sitting on the targeted system for months or even years, sending files back to the NSA  The same implant can be used for many purposes - to steal documents, tap into email, subtly change data or become the launching pad for an attack.  TAO's most public success was an operation against Iran called Olympic Games, in which implants in the network of the Natanz nuclear plant caused centrifuges (machines that spins mixtures of different substances around very quickly) enriching uranium to self-destruct.  It was this arsenal (an array of resources available for a certain purpose) that the Shadow Brokers got ahold (hold onto something with a firm grip) of, and then began to release.  They include a large share of TAO's collection, including three so-called ops disks (operational types of media consisting of thin, round plates) - TAO's term for tool kits (collections of libraries containing a set of graphical control elements) - containing the software to bypass computer firewalls (parts of a computer system or network that is designed to block unauthorized access), penetrate Windows and break into the Linux systems most commonly used on Android phones.  Evidence shows that the Shadow Brokers obtained the entire tool kits intact (having no relevant part removed or destroyed, untouched especially by anything that harms or dimishes).  On August 13 [of] last year, a new Twitter account using the Shadow Brokers' name announced with fanfare (a lot of talk or activity showing that people are excited about something) an online auction (a service in which users or participants sell or bid for products of services via the internet) of stolen NSA hacking tools.  'We hack Equation Group (Kaspersky Lab's - Russia's most prominent cybersecurity firm - name, in February 2015, for TAO hackers),' the Shadow Brokers wrote.  'We find many many Equation Group cyber weapons.'  Inside the NSA, the declaration (a formal or explicit statement of announcement) was like a bomb exploding.  A zip file (a computer file whose contents of one or more files are compressed for storage or transmission) posted online contained the first free sample of the agency's hacking tools.  It was immediately evident that the Shadow Brokers were not hoaxsters (people who perform something established or accepted by fraudulent means), and that the agency was in trouble (The New York Times, November 12, 2017)." 

A possibility for this mess (a situation which is very complicated or difficult to deal with) could be a Russian "criminal underground (a category of transnational, national or local groups running highly centralized enterprises engaged in illicit [forbidden by law, rules or custom] activities as a means of generating income)" with "mercenary (individuals willing to sell technical skills to the highest bidder looking to attack rival nations or infect a global corporation with malware [software intended to damage disable computer systems]) hackers (quietly creating malware and spyware [software that enables a user to obtain covert information from another's computer activities by transmitting data covertly from their hard drive], they can plant evidence that implicates an innocent party, overshadowing even the most infamous state-sponsored cyber armies)" in it.  And this, from The Atlantic, January/February issue.  "The large, sunny room at Volgograd State University smelled like its contents - forty-five college students, all but one of them male, hunched (scrunching shoulders, bending knees and looking smaller) over keyboards (typewriter-style devises), whispering and quietly clacking away (making quick, sharp sounds in succession).  Clustered (a group of people closely together) in seven teams from universities across Russia, they were almost halfway into an eight hour hacking competition, trying to solve forensic (relating to scientific methods) problems that ranged from identifying a computer virus' origins (sources) to finding secret messages embedded (to fix something firmly into a substance) in images (pictures - optically formed reproduction of an object).  [Victor] Minin was there to oversee the competition, called Capture the Flag, which had been put on by his organization, the Association of Chief Information Security Officers, or ARSIB in Russian.  ARSIB runs Capture the Flag competitions at schools all over Russia, as well as massive, multiday (more than one day) hackathons (an event, typically lasting several days, in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative [conducted by two or more parties working together] computer programming) in which one team defends its server (a type of computer that manages network resources, and does a particular task) as another team attacks it.  In April (2017), hundreds of young hackers participated in one of them.  'I've been doing cybersecurity (the state of being protected against the criminal or unauthorized use of computer data) since I was eighteen, since I joined the army in 1982,' Minin told me (Julia Ioffe, a reporter for The Atlantic) after we'd ducked out (leave hurriedly) into the hallway so as not to distract (take attention away from something) the young contestants (those who participate in a competition).  He wouldn't say in which part of the army he'd done his work.  'At the time, I signed a gag order (protect the integrity of military operations),' he told me, smiling slyly (displaying cleverness).  'Do you think anything has changed?  And that I'd say it to a journalist (writer for a news medium)?' 

"Once, this (the city of Volgograd) was Stalingrad, a city made famous by the grueling (demanding great effort and determination) battle fought here in the winter of 1942-43, when more than one million men died before the Germans lost the fight and a field marshal (a military officer of the highest rank) and the momentum (strength something has when it is moving forward) of the war.  Over the past year, Russian hackers have become the stuff of legend (very well known) in the United States.  But most Russians don't recognize the Russia portrayed (described in a particular way) in this story.  A businessman who is high up (a senior person in an organization) in Putin's United Russia party said over an espresso at a Moscow cafe: 'You're telling me that everything in Russia works as poorly as it does, except our hackers?  Rosneft' - the state-owned oil giant - 'doesn't work well.  Our health-care system doesn't work well.  Our education system doesn't work well.  And here, all of a sudden (quickly and without warning), are our hackers, and they're amazing (startling impressive)?'  In the same way that Russians overestimate (think that something is greater or more important than it is) America, seeing it as an all-powerful orchestrator (arranging by means of clever or thorough planning) of global political developments, Americans project their own fears (dreads, frights, alarm or panic) onto Russia.  It (the Russian hacking of the Democrats) was almost like one of Minin's hacking competitions, but with higher stakes (having the potential for very significant gains or losses) - they're mercenary (concerned with making money at the expense of ethics) freelancers (persons who act independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization) willing to work for the highest bidder (person who offers the most money)."  The United States trains (teaches a particular skill to) hackers as well, many of whom will work for the National Security Agency.  There is a slight (small in amount or degree) possibility that stolen NSA hacking tools were used to hack the Democratic Party emails in the 2016 election.  Secret documents (a security level assigned - an unauthorized disclosure may result in damage done), covert (not openly acknowledged) special operations (the use of small units in direct or indirect military actions focused on stategic or operational objectives) - this is what it's all about - on both sides of the Atlantic (Russia and America).   back to top

The Democrats.  "Hillary Clinton made a deal with Russia about uranium, this is OK.  President Obama tells Russian President Vladimir Putin he can 'be more flexible', this is OK.  A businessman conducts business with Russia, and it's as if now he's the leader of the Russian mafia (Darlene Blankenship)."  This one is from an online news service called Redline, dated August 25, 2016.  "Former intelligence officer John Schindler, has a great op-ed in The Observer that details the extent to which Hillary Clinton is also deeply compromised by Russian intelligence.  Keep in mind as you proceed that Schindler loathes (feel intense dislike or disgust for) Donald Trump.  'As part of the [Russian] reset, Hillary encouraged and enabled (made possible or practical) American and European investment in Russia, particularly in high-tech firms.  A key role was played by the Skolkovo Innovation Center, a sprawling (things that extend across a large area) complex in Moscow's western suburbs that was established in 2009 as Russia's answer to Silicon Valley.  As Schweizer explained, of the twenty-eight U.S., European and Russian companies that participated in Skolkovo, seventeen of them were Clinton Foundation donors or had hired former President Clinton to give speeches.  How much money these Skolkovo benefactors gave to Clinton, Inc. cannot yet be determined, but Schweizer concluded that it's somewhere between $6.5 million and $23.5 million.  Then there's the matter of what Skolkovo actually is.  In truth, it's nothing like Silicon Valley except in outward appearance.  It's a fully state-driven enterprise - funded largely by the Kremlin and acting on its orders.  It does the bidding of the Russian government, and President Putin has taken intense interest in his high-tech complex, understanding its value to the country's defense and security sector.  Therefore, it's no surprise that Western intelligence considers Skolkovo to be an extension of Russia's military-industrial complex - and its intelligence services.  A July 2013 unclassified study by U.S. European Command that surveyed Skolkovo activities suggested, in delicate language (careful communication), that Russia's Silicon Valley is an overt (not concealed or secret) alternative to clandestine (conducted with secrecy) industrial espionage (spying directed toward discovering the secrets of a rival).' 

"If anything, Hillary Clinton's ties to Russia, and to entities (an organization or business that has a legal and separate existence) that are basically subsidiaries (owned and controlled by another entity) of the FSB (Russia's equivalent to the CIA), are deeper than those of Donald Trump and they are much less transparent (action, method or procedure that lacks hidden agendas).  We know, for instance, as she prepared to give a Russian state-owned company control of [some] U.S. uranium mining, she was warned by U.S. and European diplomats (an official representing a country overseas, or in another country) that it was a bad idea.  'State Department officials in Fall 2009 - a year before the United States approved the deal - obtained an internal strategy (careful plan or method) document from Russia's nuclear energy firm, Rosatom, that warned about Moscow's intentions as it flexes muscles (to try to worry others by showing strategic asset [tangible or intangible things which are essential] power) in uranium markets.  Despite warnings that this purchase would not only hurt a U.S. company - Westinghouse - but it would increase Russian leverage over Europe - none of which, I hasten to add, further U.S. foreign policy goals - Clinton's State Department gave its approval.  This is a timeline (a table listing important events for successive years): 1) September of 2005 - Canadian Frank Giustra visits Kazakhstan (a former republic of the U.S.S.R.) with Bill Clinton.  Days later, his company, UrAsia, wins a major uranium deal with the country.  2) 2006 - Giustra donates $31 million to the Clinton Foundation.  3) February 2007 - UrAsia merges with Uranium One and expands into the U.S.  4) June 2008 - Russian atomic agency Rosatom begins talks to acquire Uranium One.  5) 2008 to 2010 - Uranium One and UrAsia investors donate $8.65 million to Clinton Foundation.  6) June 2009 - Rosatom acquires 17% of Uranium One.  7) 2010 to 2011 - millions more donated by Uranium One investors to Clinton Foundation.  8) June 2010 - Rosatom requests Committee on Foreign Investment - of which the State Department is a member and its approval is needed - to approve a majority ownership in Uranium One, promising not to purchase 100% of it, nor take it private.  9) June 2010 - Bill Clinton receives $500,000 to speak at a conference held by the Russian investment bank involved in the Rosatom transactions.  10) October 2010 - Committee approves Rosatom's request to acquire a majority share in Uranium One.  11) January 2013 - Rosatom purchases remainder of Uranium One and takes it private."

And from The New York Times, dated April 24, 2015.  "The deal made Rosatom one of the world's largest uranium producers and brought Mr. Putin closer to his goal of controlling much of the global uranium supply chain.  But the untold story behind that story is one that involves not just the Russian president, but also a former American president and a woman who would like to be the next one.  At the heart of the tale are several men, leaders of the Canadian mining industry, who have been major donors to the charitable endeavors of former President Bill Clinton and his family.  Members of that group built, financed and eventually sold off to the Russians a company that would become known as Uranium One.  Beyond mines in Kazakhstan that are among the most lucrative (producing a great deal of money or wealth) in the world, the sale gave the Russians control of one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the United States.  Since uranium is considered a strategic asset, with implications for national security, the deal had to be approved by a committee composed of representatives from a number of United States government agencies.  Among the agencies that eventually signed off (to approve something as by a signature) was the State Department, then headed by Mr. Clinton's wife.  As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation.  Uranium One's chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totally $2.35 million.  Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identity all donors.  Other people with ties to the company made donations as well.  And shortly after the Russian announced their intention to acquire a majority stake in Uranium One, Mr. Clinton received $500,000 for a Moscow speech from a Russian investment bank with links to the Kremlin that was promoting Uranium One stock.  At the time, both Rosatom and the United States government made promises intended to ease concerns about ceding (give up) control of the company's assets (valuable things) to the Russians.  Those promises have been repeatedly broken records show.

"The New York Times examination of the Uranium One deal is based on dozens of interviews, as well as a review of the public records and securities filings in Canada, Russia and the United States.  Some of the connections between Uranium One and the Clinton Foundation were unearthed (made known or public) by Peter Schweizer, a former fellow at the Hoover Institution.  Whether the donations played any role in the approval of the uranium deal is unknown.  But the episode underscores the special ethical challenges presented by the Clinton Foundation, headed by a former president who relied heavily on foreign cash to accumulate (gather or acquire gradually) $250 million in assets even as his wife helped steer (guide or control the movement of) American foreign policy as Secretary of State, presiding over decisions with the potential to benefit the foundation's donors.  The [Uranium One] deal was strategically (related to a general plan that is used to achieve a goal) important to Mr. Putin, who shortly after the Americans gave their blessing (approval), sat down for an interview with Rosatom's chief executive, Sergei Kiriyenko.  'Few could have imagined in the past that we would own twenty percent of U.S. [uranium] reserves,' Mr. Kiriyenko told Mr. Putin."  This might possibly be construed (understood in a particular way) as a form of treason.  Anyone in the former administration who had anything to do with the selling out (compromising the integrity of - without a firm adherence to a code of moral values) to Russia of a strategic asset with implications (possible future effects or results) for national security - should be dealt with by proper authorities.  To the uninformed (not educated or knowledgeable), uranium can be used in the making of nuclear weapons of mass destruction.  Vantage Point is a film made in 2008, detailing a fictional assassination plot in Spain.  The movie is told from different points of view (particular attitudes or ways of considering a matter), much of it repetitive, to allow people to have a better understanding.  This situation with Uranium One and Skolkovo is told from many points of view, to get a better "picture" of what was going on in that time frame. Treason means a betrayal (be disloyal or reveal secrets) of one's own country.  As U.S. House of Representatives Seth Moulton said: "If members of the administration are essentially conspiring (making secret plans) with Russia, that's the very definition of treason.  This is a very, very serious affair.  It seems like there is a lot of evidence that there are members of this administration that are more concerned with Russia's goals than our own."

That's not it.  From www.truerevolt.org, dated March 31, 2017.  "Peter Schweizer - head of the Government Accountability Institute - on Fox News this week, explained how the Clinton Campaign and Obama administration have connections to Russia that would make even Donald Trump say, 'Nyet!'  First, John Podesta - Clinton's campaign chair - failed to disclose his stock holdings in a 'Kremlim-funded company'.  This is a violation of federal law.  'In 2011, John Podesta joins the board of this very small energy company called Joule Energy based out of Massachusetts,' Schweizer said.  'About two months after he joins the board, a Russian entity called Rusnano puts a billion rubles - which is about $35 million - into John Podesa's company.  Now what is Rusnano?  Rusnano is not a private company, Steve.  It is an entity directly funded by the Kremlin.  In fact, the Russian science minister called Rusnano Putin's child.  So you have the Russian government investing in one of John Podesta's businesses in 2011, while he is an advisor to Hillary Clinton at the State Department.'  Steve Doocy asked about the severity (degree of harshness or sternness) of this misconduct.  'Does anyone in Trump's circle rise to the level where there's this kind of money involved?'  'Nobody that has an advisory role in the White House has had this money exchange.  And certainly the money hasn't exchanged as far as we know while they have been advising the president,' he (Schweizer) said, pointing out that while he was an advisor in the Obama White House, Podesta owned stock shares with 'Putin's Child' and failed to disclose it.  'So then in 2013, he (Podesta) goes to the White House, to be a special counselor to Barack Obama and that requires that you have financial disclosures every year.  'In his financial disclosure form in 2013, he not only fails to disclose these 75,000 shares of stock that he has in Joule Energy, which is funded in part by the Russian government - he also fails to disclose that he is one of the three corporate boards that this entity has.  It's got this very complex ownership structure.  He discloses he is on the company in Massachusetts, that he is on the board of a company in the Netherlands, but he fails to disclose that he is also on the executive board of the holding company.  That's a clear violation of the disclosure rules that I think needs to be looked at.'  But what does it all mean?  Why is it a big deal that these guys had Russian ties?  Is this just the imagination run wild of someone who's watched too many episodes of The Americans?  Not quite.  'What makes the Podesta case clear is there was a transfer of money and that stood to make John Podesta a lot of money.  That is unique and that's extremely troubling because at the time the transfer is taking place he is advising Hillary Clinton at the State Department.  We know that from the Podesta emails that he is helping her make personnel decisions, speech decisions, policy decisions.  He is meeting with her monthly.  It's a transfer of money from a foreign government, at the time that he is advising America's chief diplomat, Hillary Clinton.'" 

So we have Democratic administration setting up a high-tech complex, Skolkovo, to improve Russia's defense and security sector.  Then we have that administration handing over 20% of America's uranium reserves to the Russians.  And last, we have an individual directly involved with a Russian company while at the same time participating at the Obama White House.  On January 21, 2020, the impeachment trial of President Trump began in the U.S. Senate.  "House Democratic impeachment mangers (the impeachment analog of a prosecutor) accused Trump of threatening to withhold aid from Ukraine as punishment and of offering the president of Ukraine a White House meeting if he announced an investigation of the Bidens.  Trump and aides said he wanted Ukraine to investigate corruption and that concern about that corruption is the reason the administration held up aid temporarily.  They noted the money was released in September (U.S.A. Today, January 21, 2020)."  What is this compared to the Democrats setting up an industrial espionage complex, Skolkovo, in Russia?  House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff - a Democrat - said: "The U.S. aids Ukraine and its people so they can fight Russia over there and we don't have to fight them here."  Schiff lives in a psychic dreamworld (a world of illusion or fantasy).  On December 9, 2019, France, Russia, Ukraine and Germany held a meeting in Paris to deal with issues.  "For Emmanuel Macron, the meeting will be a test case for his diplomatic initiative to 'retie Russia to Europe' (France24, December 8, 2019)."  America was not even invited to the "peace talks" (a conference aimed at ending hostilities).  And Russia is building a major natural gas pipeline into Germany.  Economically, this will somewhat connect (bring together or into contact) Russia and Germany together.  "German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the Nord Stream 2 is an economic project that will benefit large parts of Europe, criticizing US attempts to undermine it ().  Speaking to journalists in Moscow along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Merkel argued that 'sanctions () are the wrong way to go.'  Both leaders vowed that the gas pipeline project will be finished against all odds.  Merkel dismissed these arguments at a joint press conference with Putin, stating that 'everyone' in Germany and Europe is interested in diversifying () the gas supply and we are going to continue working in this direction,' while saying the Nord Stream 2 is of the 'utmost importance ().  It will be implemented no matter what ().  In the future, we will support the project as we did in the past.'  President Putin told journalists that Russia is capable of finishing the project on its own 'without involving any foreign partners (),' though the schedule for construction could be extended by a couple of months.  Either by the end of this year or early next year, the work will be finished and the pipe will be up and running.  He also said that Moscow respects 'the responsible position of the German authorities when it comes to Nord Stream 2.'  Both leaders have supported the project throughout the construction period despite pressure from the U.S. (RT, February 6, 2020."

Russia and Germany were enemies in World War II - times change (a situation is different now, from the way it used to be).  "Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have unveiled a memorial to the siege (a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town) of St. Petersburg – a major event in WWII that hit very close to home for the Russian leader.  The Candle of Memory monument was dedicated by the leaders in Jerusalem on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Holocaust memorial conference (a high-level meeting) taking place at the nearby Yad Vashem.  Putin, whose mother survived the siege, was visibly touched by the ceremony.  'The monument is very good,' he told the hosts at the end of a short speech.  'There were many ways to unveil it (uncover a new monument as a part of a ceremony). The way you did it today…thank you.' (RT, January 23, 2020)"  What is this so-called hostile power (unpeaceful, antagonistic or unfriendly) doing in Israel?  Or is the American press simply lying to us.  "Speaking to RT, firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte spewed (flow in large amounts) vitriol (cruel and bitter criticism) at the U.S. for seeing the Philippines as 'a vassal state' (a nation that has a mutual obligation to a superior nation), revealing that he has sets his hopes (to have expectations) on reaching out (communicating in order to involve others) to Moscow and Beijing instead (RT, January 24, 2020)."  America's days will be numbered (its usefulness will be nearly ended), if it doesn't change its ways (improve one's behavior, habits or beliefs).

   National Review did an article on April 7, 2017 which confirms what others have said on the Democrats fleeting (lasting for a very short time) marriage with Russia.  "While visiting Moscow on March 24, 2010 Hillary explained the purpose.  'Our goal is help strengthen Russia.'  Hillary said this in an interview with veteran broadcaster Vladimir Pozner of Russia's First Channel TV network.  Pozner is a Soviet-era relic who still communicates in barely accented (ways in which people of a particular country pronounce words) English.  During the Cold War, he popped up (appeared abruptly) on American TV and radio programs and presented the views of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.  Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining mogul (an important or powerful person) and major Clinton Foundation donor, led a group of investors in an enterprise called Uranium One.  On June 8, 2010, Rosatom, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation announced plans to purchase a 51.4% stake in the Canadian company, whose international assets included some 20% of America's uranium capacity.  Because this active ingredient in atomic reactors and nuclear weapons is a strategic commodity (raw good or product that is extremely important to a country), this $1.3 billion deal required the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).  Secretary of State Clinton was one of nine federal department and agency heads on that secretive panel.  On June 29, 2010, three weeks after Rosatom proposed to Uranium One, Bill Clinton keynoted (speech summarizing the core message) a seminar staged by Renaissance Capital in Moscow, a reputedly (according to popular belief) Kremlin-controlled investment bank that promoted this transaction (business deal).  Renaissance Capital paid Clinton $500,000 for his one-hour speech.  Others were less enthused (express one's eager interest or approval) about this deal.  'Russia's record of transferring dangerous materials and technologies to rogue (restricting human rights, sponsoring terrorism, seeking WMD) regimes, such as those in Iran and Syria is very troubling,' Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee at the time, wrote to CFIUS' then-chairman, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.  The top Republicans on the Financial Services, Homeland Security, and Armed Services Committees also signed Ros-Lehtinen's letter of October 5, 2010.  'We believe that this potential takeover of U.S. nuclear resources by a Russian government-owned agency would pose great potential harm to the national security of the United States,' the letter read, 'and we urge the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to block the sale.' 

"On October 23, 2010, within three weeks of that letter, CFIUS  approved Rosatom's purchase of a majority stake in Uranium One.  Thanks to subsequent investments, Rosatom's share of Uranium One grew to 100% by January 2013.  Robert Gill of Morrison Williams Investment management told Canada's Financial Post: 'By doing this acquisition (obtaining a controlling interest in a company), they can continue to build the company they intended to build, but they can do so without the transparency required by the public markets.'  Rosatom CEO Srgei Kiriyenko crowed (gloated, boasted or exulted over) just after taking total control of Uranium One, 'Few could have imagined in the past that we would own 20% of U.S. [uranium] reserves.'  A headline in Pravda boasted (talking with excessive pride) on January 22, 2013: 'Russian nuclear energy conquers the world.'  Hillary Clinton also favored Skolkovo, an innovation city near Moscow, which enjoyed some $5 billion in Russian-government seed money.  She discussed Skolkovo with Russia's then president, Dimity Medvedev.  'At a long meeting I had with Medvedev outside Moscow in October 2009, he raised his plan to build a high-tech corridor (areas near transportation arteries that are devoted to research and development of high-technology products) in Russia modeled (system used as an example to follow) after our own Silicon Valley,' Hillary said.  'When I suggested that he visit the original in California, he turned to his staff and told them to follow up (a continuation of something that has already been started).'  The month before Medvedev's June 2010 visit to Silicon Valley, the State Department arranged for twenty-two leading U.S. venture capitalists to tour Skolkovo.  Under Hillary, State encouraged American companies to participate in the Skolkovo project.  Far more troubling, in 2014, the FBI wrote companies that operated in Skolkovo or back the Skolkovo Foundation.  'The Foundation may be a means for the Russian government to access (obtain, examine or retrieve) our nation's sensitive (data that must be protected from unauthorized access) or classified research development facilities and dual-use technologies with military and commercial application,' warned Boston based FBI agent Lucia Ziobro.  'The FBI believes the true motives of the Russian partners (countries who work together), who are often funded by their government, is to gain access to classified, sensitive, and emerging technology from the companies.'  The U.S. Army Foreign Military Studies Program at Fort Leavenworth concluded in 2013: 'Skolkovo is arguably an overt alternative to clandestine industrial espionage (the use of a stolen trade secret to benefit a foreign power).'  When it comes to Team Trump, Democrats and their journalist pals (friends) are as relentless (oppressively constant, incessant) as bloodhounds (a large breed of hound used in tracking human scents) chasing escaped jailbirds (people who were in prison).  And yet, regarding the Clintons, the Democrats and old-guard news people are as ferocious (savagely fierce) as puppies enjoying a roaring fireplace (fire that burns with a lot of flames)."  

And this one from Time, dated April 17, 2017.  "One night last spring, Amiran Chaduneli, a flea-market trader in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia, met with two strangers on a bridge at the edge of Kobuleti, a small town on the country's Black Sea coast.  Over the phone, the men had introduced themselves as foreigners - one Turkish, the other Russian - and they were looking for a item so rare on the black market that it tends to be worth more, ounce for ounce, than gold.  Chaduneli, knew where to get it.  He didn't know that this clients were undercover cops.  From the bridge, he took them to inspect the merchandise (goods that are bought and sold in business) at a nearby apartment where his acquaintance had been storing it - a lead box about the size of a smartphone, containing a few pounds of radioactive uranium, including small amounts of the weapons-grade material known as uranium-235.  The stash (something stored or hidden away) wasn't nearly enough to make a nuclear weapon.  But if packed together with high explosives, these metallic lumps could produce what's known as a dirty bomb (a nuclear weapon improvised from combining radioactive material and conventional explosives) - one that could poison the area around the blast zone (area where a destructive explosion occurred) with toxic levels (gaseous substances that produce harmful effects) of radiation (very small particles of a radioactive substance).  Though it possesses no nuclear fuel of its own, Georgia sits in the middle of what atomic-energy experts sometimes refer to as the nuclear highway - a smuggling route (international and illegal trade) that runs from Russia down through the Caucasus Mountains to Iran, Turkey and, from there, to the territory that ISIS still controls in Syria and Iraq.  In May 2015, ISIS suggested in an issue of its propaganda (ideas or statements that often false or exaggerated) magazine that it was wealthy enough to purchase a nuclear device on the black market - and to 'pull off something truly epic'.  Similar investigations in the past, most recently in 2010 and 2011, have traced the nuclear material to reactors in Russia.  On the border between Moldova and Ukraine is the pro-Russian enclave (a portion of territory surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally distinct) of Trans-Dniestr, where Moscow has stationed about a thousand troops since the region's violent split from Moldova in the early 1990s.  This sliver (small and narrow portion) of land along the Dniestr River was a base for one of the world's most notorious (famous for something bad) nuclear smugglers, Alexandr Agheenco, a dual Russian-Ukrainian citizen nicknamed 'the Colonel', who is wanted by U.S. and Moldovan authorities for attempting to sell weapons-grade uranium to Islamist terrorist groups in 2011.  One of his middle-men was caught that year in a Moldovan sting operation (a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime) - police reportedly found the blueprints for a dirty bomb in his home.  The Trump Administration says it takes the threat 'extremely seriously', a White House offical tells Time." 

So the previous Democratic Administration gave access to American uranium for the Russians, who subsequently had it stolen, and then possibly, will have that U.S. uranium used by ISIS to make a dirty bomb to target an American city.  Maybe the Democrats and liberal journalists such as CNN, The Washington Post, and MSNBC should prosecute this, instead of someone like General Flynn for talking to a Russian ambassador.  It seems the Democrats may be "pulling the wool" over people's eyes (deceive someone in order to prevent them from knowing what you are really doing).  The present Republican Administration's past involvement with Russia is a tip of the iceberg.  The previous Democratic Administration's involvement is the iceberg.  Apparently, Mr. Flynn was paid some money by RT (Russian Television), without U.S. permission (formal consent - authorization).  MSNBC has been particularly vicious (deliberately cruel) about this.  It makes one wonder how involved they were in pushing the uranium "grab" (a sudden attempt to seize) by the Russians.  U.S.A. Today has accused Russia of being a "hostile government" and "foreign adversary", President Putin as being an "autocratic (ruler with absolute power) leader".  What was the Obama administration doing turning over 20% of a strategic asset, used to make weapons of mass destruction, to that "hostile government"?  Or, Hillary Clinton in particular with: "Our goal is to help strengthen Russia."  United States House of Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, said this on July 8, 2017.  "I don't think we can expect the Russians to be any kind of a credible partner (work or do business together) in some cybersecurity (technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access) unit."  Is he attempting to smokescreen (something that you do or say to hide something or take attention away from something) previous actions by himself and other members of the Democratic Party, and its coddling (to treat with extreme or excessive care or kindness) of Russia?  Or what about Obama himself.  "A new U.S. president 'resets' (move back to an original place) relations with Russia.  Later, while running for re-election, the President tells Dmitry Medvedev to reassure (comfort someone and stop them from worrying) his boss Vladimir Putin that he will have the 'flexibility' (willing to change or try different things) to give Mr. Putin what he wants post-election, once freed from political accountability (responsibility or obligation of government officials to act in the best interests of society, or face the consequences).  A hot microphone (that which amplifies or broadcasts a spoken remark that was intended to remain private) captures these presidential promises. 

"When a political opponent portrays Russia as America's chief strategic challenge (pressures that exert a decisive influence), the president responds with ridicule (unkind words that make someone look stupid): 'The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back - [this is absurd] because the Cold War's been over for twenty years.'  Of course, that president is Barack Obama.  I cannot recall Democrats having problems with any of these servile (too eager to please others) presidential actions toward Russia.  Ironically, my friends on the Left (liberals) now obsess (preoccupy intensely, think about something unceasingly) about President Trump and the Russians, much as a certain unhinged (mentally unbalanced - not attached where it really counts) 1950s Cold Warrior, Joe McCarthy, fretted (be nervous or worried) about President Truman.  If Democrats oppose Russian and other dictators only when they help Mr. Trump, then reasonable moderates and conservatives like me cannot take them seriously (Robert Maranto, 21st Century Chair in Leadership at the University of Arkansas, May 29, 2017)."  For Democrats, appeasing (making someone pleased or less angry) Mr. Putin was statesmanlike (one actively engaged in shaping the policies of a government) when Barack Obama did it - treasonous (a crime of betraying one's country) for Mr. Trump.  "What surprises me is that they are shaking up the domestic situation, using anti-Russian slogans (phrases used to express a characteristic position).  Either they don't understand the damage they're dong to their own country, in which case they are simply stupid, or they understand everything, in which case they are dangerous and corrupt (President Putin, May 17, 2017)."  David Ignatius, in an article for The Washington Post, June 1, 2017, said this on the Russian reaction.  "When Russian officials and analysts here talk about the U.S. investigation of their alleged (asserted to be true without proof) hacking of the 2016 campaign, two themes (main subjects) predominate (stand out above all the rest).  They're flattered (pleased about something) that their country is seen as such a powerful threat, and also amazed that America is so preoccupied with the scandal.  'We think Washington has gone crazy,' says Andranik Migranyan, a former Russian government official who has taught politics in the U.S.  'The American story was always one of self-sufficiency (able to function without support from others).  Now, we see a sense of vulnerability (open to attack or damage).'  The official media here is sardonic (disdainfully or skeptically humorous) about each day's revelations in the U.S. media and Congress.  When Senator John McCain said this week that Russia was more dangerous than the Islamic State, a Russian news site responded: 'Somebody give this gentleman a sedative (a drug having a soothing, calming or tranquilizing effect).'  When a story broke that day about White House adviser Jared Kusher's problems, the same site headlined: 'Once again, those Russians!'  Basically, they think it's funny." 

An American comments: "There is proof of Russian ties!  Remember when Donald Trump made that $500,000 speech in Russia?  Oops, that was Bill Clinton.  Then Trump signed off on selling U.S. uranium resources to Russia?  Silly me, that was Hillary Clinton.  But then after the uranium deal Trump got $145,000,000 for his foundation.  Wait, now I remember, the Clinton Foundation is the one that got the money from shareholders (people who own stock in a company) who sold their company to the Russian government.  Oh, but didn't Trump forget to disclose that his foundation received millions more from Russian oligarchs (very rich business leaders with a great deal of political influence) for his foundation?  Oh Lord, my memory is slipping.  That was also the Clinton Foundation (Michael Velsmid)."  At the 2017 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum: "Russian President Vladimir Putin dominated his signature (a distinctive mark) investment forum (creation of capital capable of producing goods and services at a public meeting place for open discussion), taking a long walk with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, [and] berating (scolding or rebuking) NBC anchor (most prominent member of a panel of reporters or experts) Megyn Kelly for her stubborn grilling (subjecting someone to intense questioning) over Russian election meddling (involving oneself in a matter without invitation).  Meanwhile, Russia's business leaders were trying to focus (a center of interest or activity) on showing how the country has embraced (accepted or supported) digital technologies and begun to adapt (to change so it functions better) them for marketable (wanted by purchasers) civilian use, and on hopes for economic growth driven by these technologies, not just oil and gas exports.  Other executives happily spoke to me (David Filipov, the Post's bureau chief in Moscow), but expressed consternation (amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion) at the Western fascination with Russia as a malevolent force (productive of harm or evil).  'It's so strange that we are hated,' said Vasily Brovko, director of special projects at Rostec, a major Russian conglomerate (a large business that is made up of different kinds of companies) that makes everything - Kalashnikov firearms, advanced optics, helicopters, communication systems, trucks - you name it.  Rostec is busy adapting its military-inspired technologies to civilian ones as part of Putin's national program to partially convert defense industries.  'We have gone past the Cold War, but it seems that in America, the Cold War remains,' said Brovko, who, at thirty [years-old], doesn't remember the Cold War.  But like other business leaders at the forum, he said Russia had learned to cope and was turning things around (The Washington Post, June 3, 2017)."  What is Megyn Kelly, an NBC News commentator, doing moderating (presiding [to be in a position of authority] over a meeting or discussion) a forum held, in the words of U.S.A. Today, by a "hostile power"?  People need to calm down (become quiet or calm, especially after a state of agitation) and quit playing with the [nuclear] button.  Then, perhaps we could all concentrate (focus one's attention) on trying to get along (have a harmonious and friendly relationship to manage to live and survive) with the Russians, and avert (prevent something bad from happening) a nuclear Armageddon (widespread destruction and radioactive fallout causing the collapse of civilization). 

President Putin stated in an interview with U.S. film director Oliver Stone: "'I think no one would survive [such a conflict],' Putin said answering a question if the United States would be dominant (to be in control) in a hot war with Russia (Sputnik, June 7, 2017)."  An ultimate (greatest or most extreme) no-win (one where a person has choices, but no choice leads to a net gain) situation.  NSA contractor Reality Winner leaked documents (unsanctioned release of confidential information to news media) showing Russia probed (a careful examination or investigation of something, trying to discover information on and perhaps influence) U.S. election systems days before the 2016 presidential election.  Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi comments: "There is no proof provided in the report to support the assertion (confident and forceful statement of fact or belief) that the GRU, Russian military-intelligence service, carried out the probes.  Would a highly sophisticated intelligence service behave so transparently (honestly and openness) in an operation that would certainly be regarded as highly sensitive (readily affected by various agents)?  I think not.  Cut-outs (mutually trusted intermediaries [a person who acts as a link between people], methods or channels of communication that facilitate [make easier] the exchange of information between agents) would have been used to misdirect (intentional deflection of attention) anyone looking to determine the hand behind the hacks.  It should be noted that the U.S. National Security Agency illegally collects vast quantities of information on ordinary Americans, but that does not necessarily imply intent (being resolved or determined) to use it in a malicious way.  It is a desirable capability (ability to understand something) and intelligence agencies are always working to expand their reach (strengthen powers and abilities)."  According to Washington's Blog, June 13, 2017: "The Los Angeles Times notes that the U.S. has interfered in other countries elections as many as eighty-one times.  This includes recent elections."  The Blog concludes: "Those who live in glass houses probably should not be throwing stones."  CNN reporter John Bonifield referred to the liberal press' reporting as persistent (continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action) nit-picking (bothered by minor problems or looking for something to criticize).  "I think there are a lot of liberal CNN viewers who want to see Trump get really scrutinized (examined or inspected closely or thoroughly).  And I think if we'd have behaved that way with President Obama and scrutinized everything that he was doing with as much scrutiny as we applied to Donald Trump, I think our viewers would have been turned off (evoke a negative feeling in)."  And, according to Ellis Cose, senior fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union: "Donald Trump Jr. was caught red-handed (the act of committing a misdeed) cheering on (giving comfort or support to) a hostile (of or relating to an enemy) foreign power."  If Hillary Clinton says, "Our goal is to strengthen Russia," this is acceptable (able to be tolerated or allowed).  Or, if she discusses the Skolkovo project with Dimitry Medvedev, once President of Russia: "At a long meeting I had with Medvedev I had outside Moscow, he raised his plan to build a high-tech corridor (areas devoted to research and development of high technology) in Russia modeled after our Silicon Valley.  When I suggested he visit the original in California, he turned to his staff and told them to follow-up." 

What is a President's wife, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State doing cheering on (shout loudly in order to encourage someone) a "hostile foreign power"?  U.S. House of Representatives Adam Schiff: "The American people deserve to see ways that the Russian intelligence services manipulated and took advantage of..." the Obama administration.  So much so, that President Obama stated: "The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back - [this is absurd] because the Cold War's been over for twenty years."  But if the Republicans talk to Russians, it is treason (attempting to overthrow the government).  If the Democrats talk to the Russians, it is diplomacy (the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations).  Within months, North Korea may develop an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capable of reaching the continental (mainland) United States.  The Democrats, instead of constantly hounding (harass or pursue relentlessly) President Trump, might be more concerned (worried, troubled or anxious) about North Korea sending a nuclear weapon to the West Coast - or Alaska, or Guam.  "Every successful launch is accompanied by carefully stage-managed images showing huge outbursts of joy, not only by a Kim (Jung Un) grinning ear to ear, but by the top military brass, too.  These images of wild celebrations, of fists pumps and bear hugs, are beamed across the dour (unfriendly, unhappy and very serious) country, in an effort to get all citizens to partake (have a part of something along with others) in the joy of acquiring a potential nuclear deterrent (a military doctrine that an enemy will be deterred [cause someone to decide not to do something] from using nuclear weapons as long as he can be destroyed as a consequence).  It is the only high (a period of extreme excitement or happiness when you feel full of energy) that Kim can offer his people.  Just like an addict, as the lows (depressed or lacking in energy) of his people get ever lower, so Kim finds he must respond with only high he knows.  Off goes another missile (Phar Kim Beng, South China Morning Post)."  It won't be much of a "high", for anyone, if America gets nuked (attacked or destroyed with nuclear weapons).  Malia Zimmerman is an award-winning investigative reporter (a form of journalism in which people deeply investigate a single topic of interest) focusing on crime, homeland security and political corruption.  She wrote this on July 17, 2017.  "The Russian lawyer who landed a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. during last year's presidential campaign with the promise of dirt on Hillary Clinton had one big thing in common with the Democratic candidate - both had opposed Russian sanctions targeting human-rights abusers.  Further, from Secretary of State Clinton's initial opposition coincided (happened at the same time) with a $500,000 speech her husband gave in Moscow - a link her 2016 campaign fought to downplay (make something seem smaller or less important) in the press, according to WikiLeaks-released documents.  Trump White House officials now are trying to draw attention to that speech and the Clintons' ties to Russia in a bid (strategic move) to counter (respond to) criticism over Trump Jr.'s now infamous (well-known for being bad) meeting.  'If you want to talk about having relationships with Russia, I'd look no further than the Clintons,' Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a briefing (instance of giving essential information) last week.  'Bill Clinton was paid half a million dollars to give a speech to a Russian bank, personally thanked by President Putin.'  The former President indeed had received a personal call from then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressing his appreciation for the speech. 

"According to Mrs. Clinton's ethics disclosure form (a form that permits the disclosure of private information) filed while she was Secretary of State, Bill Clinton was paid $500,000 by the Russia-based finance company Renaissance Capital for his June 29, 2010 speech in Moscow to its employees and guests attending the company's annual conference.  The speech is now coming back to haunt the Clintons, considering the company that cut the check was allegedly tied to the scandal that spurred (something that makes you want to do something) the Global Magnitsky Act, a bill that imposed sanctions on Russians designated as human-rights abusers and eventually would become law in 2012.  This was the same law Russian attorney Natalia Veseinitskaya was lobbying against during her sit-down (a meeting held to talk about about a problem) with Trump Jr. last year.  And back in 2010, it would have put the Clintons on her side.  Shortly before Bill Clinton's speech in 2010, when members of Congress pushing the sanctions bill had asked Hillary Clinton to refuse visas to Russian officials implicated (involved as a consequence) under the policy, the State Department denied the request.  The Obama administration initially was opposed to the Magnitsky Act because then-President Barack Obama was seeking a 'reset' with Russia and did not want to deepen the divide between the two countries.  Former President Bill Clinton's speech to Renaissance just weeks later was all the more curious, considering Renaissance's Russian investment bank executives would have been banned (officially or legally prohibit) from the U.S. under the law.  Fast-forward (a state in which something is quickly developing) to 2015, and the timeline (a schedule of events) has caught the attention of Bloomberg News.  According to a memo (brief written message from one person in an organization to another) from Clinton's presidential campaign team later published by WikiLeaks, however, the Clinton campaign was able to stop the presses (discovery of the need to change the content of an issue).  'With the help of the research team, we killed a Bloomberg story trying to link (suggest a connection between) HRC's (Hillary Clinton's) opposition to the Magnitsky Bill to a $500,000 speech that WJC (Bill Clinton) gave in Moscow,' Jesse Lehrich, on the Rapid Response Communications team for Hillary For America, boasted (express pride in one's accomplishments) on May 21, 2015.  The Global Magnitsky Act was named for 36-year-old tax attorney Sergei Magnitsky, who died in the custody of the Russian government after accusing the government and organized crime of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from a foreign company, Hermitage Capital Management.  Magnitsky, hired by foreign investor and Hermitage owner William Browder, had tracked what turned out to be hundreds of millions of dollars in tax fraud.  He reported the fraud to the Russian authorities, but instead of pursuing charges (accusations) against the alleged offender, Russian authorities jailed (locked up) Magnitsky.  After Magnitsky died in November 2009, Browder said Magnitsky proved Renaissance officials were among those orchestrating the scheme (a clever and often dishonest plan to get to do something).  The State Department finally reversed its position in 2011 and refused visas to some Russians purportedly (appears to be true, although not necessarily so) involved in the financial fraud (deceit or trickery) seeking to enter the country.  The Magnitsky Act passed with bipartisan (both political parties) support in 2012." 

Newsweek, October 19, 2017: "Senate Republicans are stepping up (take action where there is a need or opportunity for it) their probe (try to find information that other people do not want you to know) into a Russian bribery scheme (the giving or receiving of a "thing of value" to corruptly influence the actions of another) that the F.B.I. had evidence of before the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton approved a uranium deal that greatly expanded Vladimir Putin's footprint (the scope or range of operations) in the United States' nuclear industry.  The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday night requested permission to interview an undercover informant (a person working with law enforcement to provide information on criminal activities) who helped F.B.I. agents compile evidence of Russia racketeering (dishonest and fraudulent business dealings) before the 2010 deal approved by President Barack Obama's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which included then-Secretary of State Clinton.  Department of Justice officials threatened the informant in a lawsuit litigated (to cause to be settled in a court of law) during November's presidential election when he attempted to disclose some of the findings, forcing him to step back from taking legal action, his lawyer Victoria Toensing told The Hill.  The informant, whose identity has not been made public could not disclose information he gathered over a nearly five-year period because he signed a non-disclosure agreement with the F.B.I., according to Toensing.  During his service, the informant collected financial records, made secret recordings and intercepted (obstruct something) emails dating back to 2009 that showed that Moscow was involved in bribery and kickbacks (amounts of money paid to someone, illegally, in exchange for secret help or work) with an American uranium trucking company.  The CFIUS unanimously agreed to a partial sale of the Canadian mining company Uranium One to Rosatom, a major Russian nuclear company, effectively handing Moscow control of 20% of the United States' uranium supply.  Though F.B.I. officials held evidence on the investigation in 2009 and 2010, the Department of Justice waited until 2014 to bring forth charges.  In his letter Wednesday night to Toensing, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley expressed concern that the Obama administration agreed to the deal while the F.B.I. had evidence of Russian collusion (secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others) and corruption, and questioned whether that posed a national security threat.  'It appears that your client possesses unique information about the Uranium One/Rosatom transaction (an instance of buying or selling something) and how the Justice Department handled the criminal investigation into the Russian criminal conspiracy,' Grassley stated in the letter obained by The Hill.  'Such information is critical to the Committee's oversight of the Justice Department.'  Last week, the Senate committee sent letters to ten federal agencies involved in the Uranium One deal, requesting information.  In a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week, Grassley wrote he was not convinced of the assurances (positive declaration intended to give confidence) the Obama administration gave in 2015 that no evidence existed suggesting they should block the Uranium One deal.  Like the Obama administration, Clinton has denied knowledge of Russian bribery before the deal.  Her husband, Bill Clinton, received millions of dollars from Russian officials while she sat on the CFIUS." 

And this from U.S. House of Representatives Trent Franks: "If the American public has an insatiable appetite (incapable of being satisfied) for Russian collusion stories, why don't we begin looking at one that's a little more substantiated (provide evidence to support or prove the truth of) - the Uranium One scandal.  The Obama administration, knowing that Russia was extorting (gain especially by ingenuity, compelling argument or other unfair means) and bribing its way into the U.S. atomic energy industry, signed off on a deal allowing Moscow-backed Uranium One access to U.S. uranium reserves."  Point being (refer to something someone has said), if Mr. Mueller is going to pursue (go after something or someone) the Republicans for "collusion", he could also pursue the Democrats as well.  Or, perhaps (possibly but not certainly) try to get along (to have a harmonious or friendly relationship) with the Russians.  Sure beats (although something may be troublesome, it is better than the other thing that might happen) World War III.  "On the orders of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Justice Department prosecutors (government attorneys who present the State's case) have begun asking F.B.I. agents to explain the evidence they found in a now dormant (marked by a suspension of activity) criminal investigation into a controversial (causing much discussion, disagreement or argument) uranium deal that critics have linked to Bill and Hillary Clinton, multiple (more than one) law enforcement officials told NBC News.  At issue is a 2010 transaction (action of conducting business) in which the Obama Administration allowed the sale of U.S. uranium mining facilities (a place where particular activities happen) to Russia's state atomic energy company.  Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State at the time and the State Department was one of nine agencies that agreed to approve the deal after finding no threat to U.S. national security.  A senior law enforcement official who was briefed on the initial F.B.I. investigation told NBC News there were allegations (statements, without giving proof, that people have done something wrong or illegal) of corruption surrounding the process under which the U.S. government approved the sale.  But no charges were filed.  As The New York Times reported in April 2015, some of the people associated with the deal contributed millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation.  And Bill Clinton was paid $500,000 for a Moscow speech by a Russian investment bank with links to the transaction.  On June 8, 2010, Uranium One announced it had signed an agreement to sell a majority stake to the mining arm of Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy agency.  At the time, Uranium One's two licensed mining operations in Wyoming amounted to about 20% of all uranium mining production capacity in the U.S., according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  Because enriched uranium is a component (a part or element of a larger whole) of nuclear weapons, the deal required a national security review by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States. 

"As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, The New York Times reported, Uranium One's Canadian chairman, Ian Telfer, used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million to the Clinton Foundation.  Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Foundation, the Times reported, despite a promise to publicly identify all donors.  The Foundation later said it make a mistake.  Others associated with Uranium One also donated to the Clinton Foundation, according to the Times.  Senator John Barasso, a Republican from Wyoming, raised objections (bring up or mention a reason or argument presented in opposition) to the sale, saying it would 'give the Russian government control over a sizable (farily large - considerable) portion of America's uranium production capacity'.  The U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan also raised concerns in cables to Clinton's State Department that Rosatom was acting on behalf (interest or benefit) of Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, to gobble up (continually absorb or expand - consume something rapidly) uranium mines after Russia felt 'squeezed' (pressure being applied) by having their uranium imports limited by other countries.  Nonetheless (in spite of what has just been said), the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, approved the deal by a unanimous vote (all voters [expression of opinion or choice] are in agreement), according to public reports.  Clinton was just one member of the nine member CFIUS by virtue of her role (function assumed by a person in a situation) as Secretary of State.  The other eight members of CFIUS came from [the Departments of] Treasury, Homeland Security, Commerce, Defense, Energy, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Office of Science & Technology and the Justice Department.  Uranium one became a much bigger player (important and successful company) in the uranium market after it absorbed (took or swallowed up) a company run and co-owned by Frank Giustra, a Canadian businessman and Bill Clinton associate, in February 2007.  Giustra was the chairman of UrAsia, a company bidding (an offering to pay an amount of money) for uranium rights (ownership of these resources as well as the right to gain monetarily) in Kazakhstan.  In 2005, after he had begun negotiating for the rights, he and Bill Clinton travelled to Kazakhstan on separate planes and attended a dinner with the country's president.  UrAsia soon closed deals for uranium mining rights in Kazakhstan.  In 2006, Giustra donated $31.3 million to the Clinton Foundation.  Uranium One merged (to cause to combine) with UrAsia in 2007 (NBC News, December 21, 2017)." 

The Obama Administration allowed a sale of U.S. uranium mining facilities to the Russian government's atomic energy company, and yet found no threat to American national security?  Even though the company may have been acting on behalf of Russia's military intelligence agency.  Maybe the Democrats were colluding (a secret agreement between two or more parties) with the GRU.  And then they go after President Trump for collusion (an agreement among organizations to limit production or limit opportunities) with the Russians.  Limiting production and opportunities came with the sale of a strategic asset (resources that are sources of sustainable competitive advantage) -  that is, uranium used to make nukes (nuclear weapons).  All these people are saying these things, so there must be some truth in it.  Americans, in general, are worried that while the media's focus (a central point of activity) is on the Russia investigation, other key (paramount or crucially important) issues are being ignored (passed over without giving due attention).  Suehalia Amen, 38, Dearborn Heights, Michigan.  "In reality, Russia is not impacting my life as an American every day.  Whatever happened with Russia and whoever was colluding with Russia, that's not impacting my existence in this country."  Mary Johnson, 68, Louisville, Kentucky.  "I think that the biggest problem is all of the changes that are occurring that people sort of hear about and then they don't hear about it again, like the environmental protections that are disappearing."  Chris Elswick, 52, Mansfield, Ohio.  "Say, at the end of the day, they do find out Russia has some kind of impact on the election.  What do you do about it?  We just need to get down to the business of bringing jobs back to America."  Brian Easton, 47, Indianapolis, Indiana.  "I think that we are wasting millions - and possibly billions - of taxpayer dollars searching for Bigfoot, probably.  It's just ridiculous."  Bigfoot meaning collusion.  A BuzzFeed News report, January 19, 2019, claimed that President Trump directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about the timing of talks of a proposed Trump project in Russia - a Trump Tower in Moscow.  "If the @BuzzFeed story is true, President Trump must resign or be impeached," Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted.  Robert Mueller's office disputed it - saying "characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen's Congressional testimony are not accurate".  They want to impeach Trump because of an apartment building he proposed to build in Moscow. 

However when the Democrats, under President Obama, helped set up an industrial espionage complex, according to the FBI, in Moscow for the Russians and turned over a strategic asset (how many times has this been said before) - uranium - to a so-called "hostile power"...NO PROBLEM.  This is not just gross hypocrisy (a very obvious and unacceptable situation in which someone pretends to believe something they do not really believe), this is actually terrifying (it makes you feel extremely afraid).  And when the Democrats are in power again, you wonder what they're going to do next...probably cozy up (to be very friendly) to the Russians, like they did before.  And then you wonder why America has lost respect (as it won't treat people in a positive manner that acknowledges them for who they are) all over the world.  People in the interior (functioning within limited a boundary) of America are far more concerned about health care, among other things.  "There's no easy conclusion here.  There is at this point ample evidence (available body of facts or information) of Trump team members having questionable contacts with Russia both before and after the election; two of them have pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about those contacts.  There's enough evidence to warrant (justify) further investigation along several lines (a direction or procedure), and only through thorough (detailed and careful), fair investigation can allegations (claims or assertions) be proven or debunked (implication that it was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim).  Still, the requirement to rely on the say-so (statements not supported by proof) of an intelligence community (a government agency) that has abused its powers, obfuscated (the action of making something obscure, unclear or unintelligible), and retaliated (hurt someone because that person has done something bad to you) against political opponents must give pause (cause someone to stop and think about what they are doing).  There's no comfortable position (the place where someone is) to be found (The Atlantic, January 24, 2018)."  And The New York Times commented: "The CIA helped overthrow (remove forcibly from power) elected leaders in Iran and Guatemala in the 1950s and backed violent coups (sudden, decisive exercises of force in politics, where an illegal and overt seizures of a state by military or other elites occur) in several other countries in the 1960s.  It plotted assassinations and supported brutal anti-Communist governments in Latin America, Africa and Asia.  It illuminates (enlightens intellectually) the larger currents of history (courses of suggestive events or ideas) that drove American electoral interventions (attempts by a government, overtly or covertly, to influence elections in another country) during the Cold War and motivate Russia's actions today.  At least once, the hand of the United States reached boldly (not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger) into a Russian election (February 17, 2018)." 

Laughing?  Not so much.  Most Russians just wish the election-tampering (distributing false or misleading information in order to affect the outcome of an election) story would go away (title of a L.A. Times piece).  "For many Russians, the U.S. accusations have simply become tiresome (causing one to feel bored or annoyed).  Many dismiss the idea that their government could be powerful enough to weaken American democratic institutions (establishments, organizations).  The spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated (say something again) this idea in a message posted (piece of writing published online) to her Facebook account over the weekend.  'Thirteen individuals interfering in the U.S. election?' Maria Zakharova wrote.  'Thirteen individuals versus the budgets of the security agencies that are measured in billions of dollars.  Versus the intelligence (gathering military and political information), counterintelligence (activities designed to prevent or thwart spying) and top-notch technologies?  Isn't it absurd (unreasonable, unsound or incongruous)?  Well, that's the U.S. political reality (favorable responses toward government actions) nowadays, you know.'  The Kremlin has said the investigations into allegations of Moscow meddling (involving oneself in a matter that changes an existing situation) stem (develop) from a growing sense of 'Russophobia' in Washington.  Still, Alexander Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center, a think tank in Moscow, said the detailed charges in the 37-page indictment (formal charge, or accusation, of a crime), which explain how the troll farm (anonymous internet political commentators) worked, are a game changer (a newly introduced element or factor).  'Compared to what we had before, these accusations are much more detailed,' Barnov said.  'We have moved past the political and media language and are now speaking in a legal language.  There's a difference.'  'One can only sympathize (show concern or compassion) with the Americans,' said Semyon Chikhlov, 37, an IT specialist (expert, authority or professional) in Moscow, about Trump's barrage of tweets over the weekend.  'Smart politicians do not talk about their problems in the country to the whole world.  But Trump is right that with this case, they need to finish realizing the situation and resolve the issue.' (February 19, 2018)"

Due to Russophobia (a person who feels intense and often irrational hatred of Russia), there may be in sometime in the near future a possible alliance (an association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries) between Russia and China.  "At the core (central or most important part of something) of this new phase is another bi-lateral (involving two groups or countries) relationship which I regard as far more critical (analysis and evaluation of an issue) in shaping the present and the future.  This is the relationship between China and Russia which is at its zenith (culminating point - a period in which something may be successful) at this point in time.  It is a relationship that covers the entire gamut (complete range or scope) from finance, energy and agriculture to military and security ties and to close coordination on regional and global political issues.  The leaders of the two countries, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, who have forged (moved forward gradually or steadily) a strong inter-personal bond, approved in July 2017 the 2017-20 implementation outline (overview of the system, brief description of major tasks and overall resources needed) for the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia.  A number of other states (countries, nations) are already linked to China and Russia through BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.  These bodies are further buttressed (a source of strength or support) by initiatives such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the One Belt, One Road project and the Eurasian Economic Union (Dr. Chandra Muzaffar)."  Not only that, but there is an issue (an important topic or problem for debate or discussion) of Russia and China flexing military muscles (trying to worry an opponent by publicly showing power). 

"Russia brought back the First Guards Tank Army, which was disbanded (caused to be broken up) after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ending the Cold War.  That unit is now manned (having a human crew) with veteran professional soldiers rather than conscripts (a person who is forced to serve in the armed forces) or reservists, and will be sent to Belarus, north of Ukraine, to take part in the military exercises that Russia holds every few years.  The Russian military recently moved the 20th Army, a combined infantry (part of an army that has soldiers that fight on foot) and mechanized (infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat) unit, from near Moscow to near the Ukrainian border opposite the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, roughly midway between Ukraine's north and south, [Philip] Karber (former Defense Department official under President Reagan and present head of the Potomac Foundation) said.  And Russia's 8th Army has been deployed near the Russian city of Rostov, near southeastern Ukraine.  Two headquarters subordinate (occupying a lower position) to the 8th Army are stationed in insurgent-held (a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority) Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, Karber said.  Russia's exercises, which date back to the Soviet era (another name for the USSR established in 1922) during the 1970s and 1980s, were revived (make active again) in 1999 by Putin when he became prime minister, Karber said.  The last exercise took place in 2013, and involved a simulated (imitate the appearance or character of) attack on a NATO country and the simulated use of nuclear weapons.  Russia ordered 200 railway cars to transport tanks for the drill.  This year (2017), Russia ordered 4000 rail cars to move the 1st Guards Army's tanks to September's exercise, Karber said.  'That will the largest buildup (gradual accumulation or increase) since the Cold War and right up against the Baltics,' he said, referring to former Soviet republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, now NATO members (U.S.A. Today, July 31, 2017)."

The People's Liberation Army newspaper said this: "'Regional situations around China are complex and unstable, and dangers are hiding under the peace (a certain quality of existence which has been sought after, yet seldom found).  China cannot afford a military failure, so must be fully aware of potential crisis and be prepared for battle at all times,' the official PLA newspaper wrote (Newsweek, January 12, 2018)."  Six months earlier, the Chinese leader commented: "China's military has the 'confidence and capability' to bolster (support or strengthen) the country's rise into a world power, President Xi Jinping said Sunday (July 30) as he oversaw (watch or direct an activity) a large-scale military parade meant to show off the forces at his command to foreign and domestic audiences.  Live state television broadcasts (production in real-time [actual time during which a process occurs], as events happen, in the present) showed Xi, dressed in fatigues (people dressed in camouflage trousers and jackets) and speaking from an open-top (a vehicle that has no roof) Jeep, telling his troops that China needed a strong military 'more than ever' as it moved 'closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation (the act of making something newly fresh or full of energy) of the Chinese nation' (U.S.A. Today, July 31, 2017)."  The Economist: "Rarely in times of peace has a country acquired (get as one's own) naval power at such a rate as China has in recent years.  Three decades ago its warships were clapped out (old or damaged from being used too much), capable of operating only close to shore.  Now its shipyards are churning out (produce at a rapid rate) state-of-the-art combat vessels at a furious pace.  Some experts believe it could have as many warships as America within a few years.  China's navy is also developing global range (the area of variation between upper and lower limits) - this week three of its ships have been staging (performing) war games (a military exercise, a training operation)  in the Baltic Sea with the Russian navy, the first joint exercises by the two countries in those waters (July 29, 2017)."  The Baltic Sea is located between Sweden and Russia, east of Denmark.  There can be a backlash (strong public reaction against something).  "Perhaps, it is worthwhile to turn off cooperation with the United States on those issues which are necessary first of all for the U.S. itself.  For example, the U.S. depends on Russia in the field of space cooperation.  Perhaps there is a need to make adjustments (small alterations to achieve a desired result) and give up part of the programs of cooperation.  It is worthwhile to think about increasing military cooperation between Russia on the American continent - I mean primarily to build up cooperation with Venezuela (Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy)."  Russophobia may have drawbacks (objectionable features).  back to top 

Neo-McCarthyism.  McCarthyism is "the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy in trying to 'root out' () communists in the United States of America during the 1950s (Wiktionary)."  "McCarthyism is the practice in the United States of making accusations of subversion () or treason () without proper regard for evidence (Wikipedia)."  "Neo-McCarthyism is when you investigate () just about everything about everyone out of paranoia ( - Urban Dictionary)."  "When I was 16-years-old and turning the pages of my state-curriculum () history book, I swept past () the section () on McCarthyism.  It wasn't particularly emphasized in our European curriculum.  Looking at the black-and-white pictures of a U.S. society gripped () by a perpetuated () miasma (an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere that surrounds something) of hysteria () was something I couldn't relate to ().  Thinking about the 'McCarthyism era', where anything even remotely divergent () from the hysteria was antithetical () to these United States made me summarize the entire period - witch-hunt.  What we are watching in the U.S. [now] is a hysteria being orchestrated () by members of the U.S. corporate and political establishment to rally 'America' against the 'commie Soviets' again, except there are no 'commit Soviets'.  The push for Russophobia () is like nothing Western audiences - yes audiences because this is theater () - have seen before.  Night and day, the press wheels churn () any and all content warning that the Russians are coming, linking Russia to everything dubious () and malevolent ().  The U.S. corporate media has desensitized () and drained () the public's tolerance () in being able to take any more indoctrinating daily shows () on Russia.  The hysteria has made people suspicious () of anyone who 'knows or has reason to believe is of Russian nationality or descent' - April Doss, the former head of intelligence law at the National Security Agency (NSA), and senior counsel to the Democrats of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a email obtained by The Young Turks. 

"While the media has chased those pesky () Russians directing Trump from the shadows () in grainy carparks (), there's been a black-out () on Yemen despite a cholera epidemic (), and 130 children dying every day from the Saudi-orchestrated war ().  There were also multiple leaks () of CNN members admitting the consistent Russian narrative was hollow ().  Former CIA director James Woolsey was recently on Fox News laughing as he stated that the U.S. only interferes in other countries' elections for a good cause.  The eighty-one elections influenced between 1946 and 2000 by the U.S. all being 'for a good cause' are hard to validate ().  Trump is a businessman, but he's not a Manchurian candidate ().  A Russian puppet () doesn't arm Ukrainians, or send a fleet of naval ships into the Black Sea (Asia Times, March 22, 2018)."  "This focuses () on the nascent () new McCarthyism in the mainstream () U.S. political-media establishment, on attempts in Congress and other official agencies to recreate a version () of the McCarthy-era House Committee on Un-American Activities, which conducted a witch-hunt that ruined many lives.  The current new-McCarthyism might be traced back to the 1990s when a few Americans were critical of the Clinton administration's blanket support () for Russian President Boris Yeltsin's domestic policies () that savaged () Russian society, and who were labeled () pro-Communist for their dissenting views.  The small group of Americans critical of U.S. policy and the growing demonization () of Russian President Vladimir Putin, nearly a decade ago, were quickly labeled pro-Kremlin and Putin apologists (), a slurring () that intensified () and spread through the media when the Ukrainian crisis erupted () in 2014. 

"This kind of Kremlin-baiting () defamation of political opponents () became a national phenomenon () with the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, whom the Clinton campaign assailed (), along with its media supporters, as a Putin puppet and Kremlin agent.  It did not end with the election, as evidenced () by a front-page Washington Post story, on November 25, alleging () that scores () of U.S. internet publications severe conduits () of Russian propaganda that gravely threatened () American democracy.  There is no actual evidence for any of these allegations and American publications are scarcely () without their own post truth practices in reporting on Russia.  Today's neo-McCarthyism, unlike its predecessor (), mainly from self professed () liberals and their leading media outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and MSNBC, which thereby betray () a fundamental democratic principle () - protecting, even encouraging, free speech in the form of minority opinions.  Democratic Senator Harry Reid, for example, following in McCarthy's footsteps (), insisted that the FBI investigate two of Trump's American supporters for their alleged Kremlin ties (The Nation, December 7, 2016)."  "Casting himself as 'a student of history', [former Australian prime minister Kevin] Rudd said he was concerned about the rise of neo-McCarthyism in the United States in this highly charged debate ().  He said the practice caused some people [to be] 'automatically subject () to a series of open persecutions () and judiciary sanctions ()' on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations ( - Xinhua, December 6, 2018)."

 The money would have been better spent feeding hungry children.  back to top

North Korea.  Furthermore, the liberal (more tolerance for change) element in the U.S. government and the press need to get their heads out of their rear ends (a person's buttocks) and start worrying about North Korea nuking (attack or destroy with nuclear weapons) Guam.  The Economist: "It is odd that North Korea causes so much trouble.  It is not exactly a superpower.  Its economy is only a fiftieth (1/50) as big as that of its democratic capitalist cousin, South Korea.  Americans spend twice its total GDP (gross domestic product) on their pets (tamed animals kept as companions).  Yet Kim Jong Un's backward little dictatorship has grabbed the attention (demanding notice) of the whole world, and even of America's president, with its nuclear brinkmanship (pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits before stopping).  On July 28 it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit Los Angeles.  In 1994 President Bill Clinton secured a deal whereby Kim Jong II (the current despot's father) agreed to stop producing the raw material for nuclear bombs in return for a huge injection (placing an object into orbit) of aid.  Kim took the money and technical help, but immediately started cheating.  Another deal in 2005 failed, for the same reason.  The younger Kim, like his father, sees nuclear weapons as the only way to guarantee the survival of his regime.  It is hard to imagine circumstances in which he would voluntarily give up what he calls his treasured sword of justice.  If military action is reckless (marked by lack of proper caution) and diplomacy insufficient (not enough), the only remaining option is to deter (discourage someone from doing something, typically instilling doubt or fear of the consequences) and contain Mr. Kim.  Mr. Trump should make clear - in a scripted speech (written in advance, although the speaker may pretend it was spoken without preparation), not a tweet or via (by means of) his Secretary of State - that America is not about to start a war.  Mr. Kim cares about his own skin (protect yourself from danger or difficulty).  If he were to unleash (cause something very powerful to happen suddenly) a nuclear weapon, he would lose his luxuries and his life (August 5, 2017)."  The magazine did forget to mention China. 

Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met his counterpart (a person holding a position that corresponds to that of another person), Fang Fenghui, chief of the People's Liberation Army's joint staff department, in Beijing, August 15, 2017.  According to the Associated Press: "The top U.S. military officer told his Chinese counterpart Tuesday that the U.S. and China have 'many difficult issues' to work through.  General Joseph Dunford made the remarks at the opening of a meeting with Fang Fenghui.  U.S. officials say Dunford's visit aims to create a mechanism for improving communication between sides, especially on sensitive issues such as North Korea.  Fang said Dunford's visit was a key part of efforts to expand dialogue between the U.S. and China as agreed by President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, when they met earlier this year.  To that end, China has arranged a series of important meetings and visits to help Dunford 'know more about our military, [boost] our cooperation and build up our friendship,' Fang said.  'I know we share one thing - we share a commitment to work through these difficult issues,' he (Dunford) added, saying that with the guidance of political leaders 'we are going to make some progress over the next few days'.  This is the highest-level (specific goals of a systematic operation) meeting between the two countries' militaries since Trump and Xi met in Florida in April.  The U.S. delegation will be flying to the northeastern city of Shenyang on Wednesday to observe an exercise staged (put on) by the People's Liberation Army's Northern Theater Command.  Fang cited (mentioned) the event as being among the measures (amount or degree of something) aimed at building mutual trust (that both parties should behave in such a way as to not undermine the political relationship) and understanding.  While the sides agreed several years ago to establish a hotline between the Pentagon and China's defense ministry, that mechanism (a process or system that is used to produce a particular result) has never gone into operation." 

According to The Washington Post: "The Pentagon's top general and his Chinese counterpart has signed a new agreement aimed at improving communication in times of crisis, a step that brings Beijing and Washington closer together as the two nations grapple (trying hard to solve a problem) with what to do about North Korea and its efforts to build an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.  Marine General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Fang Fenghui of the Chinese People's Liberation Army signed the deal at the Chinese military headquarters in Beijing at the outset of a three-day visit by Dunford.  The agreement establishes what the Pentagon called the Joint Staff Dialogue Mechanism, in which a three-star officer on Dunford's staff, Army Lieutenant General Richard D. Clarke, will communicate regularly with a Chinese counterpart.  Navy Captain Daryn James, a U.S. military spokesman, said in a statement that Dunford started his meeting Tuesday with Fang by stressing the importance of 'candid (marked by honest, sincere expression) and professional communication' between their militaries 'because both nations have tough issues where we do not share the same perspective (point of view)'.  Dunford stressed that the new agreement will 'only be useful if it results in reducing the risk of miscalculation (you make a mistake in judging a situation - error in judgment), which not only has long term benefits (gains) to manage bilateral differences (difficulties on both sides) but is especially critical now due to growing North Korean provocations (actions or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry),' James said.  Dunford also once again emphasized (show that something is very important) that North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs threaten the entire world, including China, Russia, the United States and its allies, James said.  Dunford will spend three days in China, visiting PLA units, including China's Northern Theater Command in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, which borders North Korea."  And Reuters commented: "Fang said cooperation was the only correct choice for the two countries, and their two militaries could certainly become good cooperative partners, the ministry added.  'The Chinese military is willing to make efforts with the U.S. side to strengthen strategic communication, increase strategic mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, appropriately handle problems and disputes and effectively manage and control risks,' the ministry cited Fang as saying." 

There are those who defect (leave a political party or a country) from North Korea.  "Hee Yeon Lim, twenty-six, the daughter of a high-ranking soldier from Pyongyang, fled to South Korea last year.  Speaking with the Mirror (Daily Mirror, London, England), she described one occasion where she was pulled out of school by soldiers and forced to watch a group of musicians accused of making a pornographic video (a film that presents sexually explicit matter for the purpose of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction) being slaughtered (killed).  Hee Yeon said she and her classmates were taken to a stadium at the city's Military Academy where the hooded (a soft or flexible covering for the head and neck) and gagged (to stop up a person's mouth with a piece of cloth) victims were tied to the end of anti-aircraft guns (weapons that discharge missiles at high speed) in front of some 10,000 spectators (persons who look on or watch).  The escapee (a person who has escaped from what he or she thinks is confining - to limit or restrict) then recalled how the guns were fired one by one, saying: 'The musicians just disappeared each time the guns were fired into them.  Their bodies were blown to bits, totally destroyed - blood and bits flying everywhere.'  She said officials came to her school to pick out teen schoolgirls to work at the dictator's homes.  The escapee said they would only choose the prettiest girls, who were taught to feed him caviar (the eggs of various large fish, especially the sturgeon, eaten as food) and massage (a manipulation of tissues - as by rubbing, kneading or tapping - with the hand or an instrument, for relaxation or therapeutic purposes) his body (news.com.au, September 21, 2017)."  Playboy and Penthouse wouldn't be too welcome in that country.  Kim Jong Un prefers being served caviar by a pretty girl and getting a back massage, over than, say, a day golfing (a game in which clubs with wooden or metal heads are used to hit a small, white ball into a number of holes) at a private club (as does President Trump).  A fight is not won by technique (a way of carrying out a particular task), but by the most furious (marked by noise, excitement, activity or rapidity) mind.  However, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said, referring to Kim Jong Un's nuclear ambitions (particular goals or aims): "He is playing with dangerous toys."  Russia and China then weighed in (added advice or comments to a plan, decision or discussion) on fiery rhetoric (language on a particular subject that only escalates the tension further) coming from the North Korean and American leaders.  "'We have to calm down the hotheads (persons who do things or react to things quickly and without thinking carefully first),' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations, where world leaders gathered this week for the annual U.N. General Assembly.  'We continue to strive for the reasonable and not the emotional approach...of the kindergarten (a school or class for children usually from four to six years old) fight between children.' (Business Insider, September 23, 2017)" - referring to the leaders of those two countries. 

China called for all sides in the North Korea missile crisis (a time of intense difficulty or danger) to show restraint (determined control over behavior in order to prevent a strong expression of emotion or violent action) and not "add oil to the flames".  So, The New York Times said: "The Trump administration acknowledged on Saturday for the first time that it was in direct communication with the government of North Korea over its missile and nuclear tests, seeking a possible way forward beyond the escalating (increasing in extent, volume number, amount, intensity or scope) threats of a military confrontation (implies hostility involving opposing armies) from both sides.  Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said it was important to lower the temperature of threats (caustic remarks causing premature media failure) being exchanged between the United States and North Korea (September 30, 2017)."  One week earlier, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Young Ho eloquently (exercising a power of forceful and appropriate speech) stated, in reply to President Trump's remarks (comments made) at the U.N., that: "Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations stipulates (specifies especially as a condition or requirement of an agreement) 'to bring about by peaceful means and in conformity (agreement between an individual's behavior and a group's standards or expectations) with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace (people in fear of being harmed through disorderly conduct or a creation of a public nuisance by an unreasonable interference)'."  This is what the United Nations was created for, in part, to prevent a nuclear war.  A nuclear cloud (a mushroom-shaped cloud of debris and smoke resulting from a large explosion) will affect other nations, not just the Korean peninsula (a piece of land almost surrounded by water). Saudi Arabia is presently building many magnificent skyscrapers and their businesses are flourishing (growing or developing in a healthy or vigorous way).  France has a great culture (the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement) - the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the French Rivera.  The situation is not just a North Korea-U.S. problem.  The whole world can be effected (a change that is the result of an action) by a nuclear exchange (a military or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is used to inflict damage).  Perhaps it is time to let the U.N. do its job.  If the North Korean Foreign Minister and the United States Secretary of State would sit down, together, along with all other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - China, France, Russian Federation and the United Kingdom (Britain) - and not leave until a proper resolution (settling or finding a solution to a problem or contentious matter, then deciding firmly on a course of action) to all issues is accomplished, then the United Nations is actually functioning correctly (pursuing a proper activity). 

"Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned the United States not to back North Korea 'into a corner', while urging dialogue (conversation between two or more people) amid heightened tensions (a feeling that exists when two countries do not trust each other - a nervous worried feeling that makes it impossible to relax), NBC News reported.  'Problems should be solved in dialogue, and North Korea should not be backed into a corner,' Putin reportedly said in a speech organized by Valdai Discussion Club, a group that aims to 'promote dialogue of Russian and international intellectual elites' (The Hill, October 10, 2017)."  And, a letter was sent on October 13, 2017 by North Korea Ambassador J Song Nam to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which stated in part: "I write to you with respect to the worst ever situation prevailing (controlling or influencing) in and around the Korean peninsula, which is making it impossible to predict (say that something will or might happen in the future) when nuclear war breaks out (starts suddenly)."  Apparently, methods (systematic procedures, techniques or modes of inquiry) need to change.  "'The conclusion that our army and people have reached via (by way of) the history of North Korea-U.S. confrontations (disputes between two groups of people) is there is no way other than standing against the repressive (inhibiting or restraining the freedom of) U.S. imperialists (actions that involve a country extending its power by the acquisition of territories - other people's land) only with a nuclear deterrent (a thing that discourages someone from doing something) of justice,' the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun wrote in an article.  'We already made clear that we would never take even one step back from a road (a course of action that will lead to a particular outcome) to beefing up (make something stronger or more effective) national nuclear power unless the U.S. hostile policy (an antagonistic, unfavorable or unfriendly course or principle of action) against us comes to an end.' (Newsweek, November 17, 2017)"  Therefore the Democrats, living in a psychic dreamworld (focused on a reality other than your usual one, ignoring bad situations taking place all over the world), taking potshots (criticisms made without careful thought and aimed at a handy target for attack) at President Trump, may find their own time to be more valuable (very useful) dealing with North Korea's concern (something that is of interest, important or worrisome).  When they get done solving (find a solution, explanation or answer for) that, perhaps they can work on reducing the country's vast stock (supplies available) of VX nerve gas. 

"Amid a flurry of missile tests and inflammatory rhetoric (speech that can inspire mentally unstable people to commit acts of violence), the world's attention is focused on North Korea's nuclear program.  But one expert (a person who has a special skill or knowledge relating to a specific subject) believes the country's stockpile of chemical weapons could also bring catastrophic consequences (an event usually causing a disaster end), NBC News reported.  The Center for Nonproliferation (a desire for curbing or controlling an excessive, rapid spread) Studies estimates North Korea has between 2500 and 5000 metric tons of chemical weapons including a large supply of VX, the deadliest nerve agent ever created.  The chemical stockpile (a large supply gathered and held in reserve for use) could harm thousands of people if it were attached to a missile or if it ended up in the hands of Islamist extremists, according to Hamish de Breton-Gordon, former commanding officer of the U.K. Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment (CBRN) and NATO's Rapid Reaction CBRN Battalion (www.nbcchicago.com, September 28, 2017)."  And, "North Korea's chemical weapons stockpile is a 'concern for peace and stability' in the Korean peninsula and beyond, the world's chemical watchdog (an organization that tries to influence governments, so they aren't doing bad things) said Wednesday.  The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' director general Ahmet Uzumbu urged countries to pressure Pyongyang to get rid of them.  'The international community should be concerned about North Korea because of its unpredictability (likely to change suddenly and without reason),' Uzumbu said (www.msn.com, October 4, 2017)."  A rogue regime (human rights are restricted) with enough nerve gas to kill millions is a danger and a menace (by unruly behavior, they only contribute to society's misery).  Exposure to VX nerve gas may result in convulsions, loss of consciousness, paralysis and fatal respiratory failure (not enough oxygen passes from your lungs into your blood).  Just one drop containing ten milligrams of VX, absorbed through the skin, is enough to cause "fatal disruption of the nervous system", according to the Council on Foreign Relations.  

"This of a country which in living memory (remembered by some people who are still alive) had every town, village, and its capital city near erased from the map (scrubbed from the face of the earth) by the United States and lost at least 20%, some estimates state nearer 30%, of its population of then just nine million people.  In 1953 when the U.S. had destroyed all and there was nothing left to bomb they turned to bombing the dams, flooding the rice fields and causing starvation.  North Korea's government and the country's collective and inherited memory (traits, intuitions and collective wisdom of the past) have not forgotten (Global Research News, Felicity Arbuthnot, October 14, 2017)."  Maybe dealing with issues (important topics for debate or discussion) dating back to the 1950s might be a start to resolving (finding an answer or solution to) things.  The War on Terror has receded (moved further away into the distance).  Nowadays (at the present time), the issue is nuclear blackmail.  "Nuclear blackmail is a form of nuclear strategy (using nuclear weapons as a means to political ends) in which an aggressor using a threat (an express or implied promise by a government of a resort to force) of the use of nuclear weapons to force an adversary (one's opponent in a dispute) to perform some action or make some concessions (things that are allowed or given up).  It is a type of extortion (obtaining money, property or services through coercion - persuading someone to do something they are unwilling to do), related to brinkmanship (the practice of trying to achieve an advantageous outcome by pushing dangerous events to the brink, or edge, of active conflict).  Nuclear blackmail is considered most effective when the person making the threat is unhinged (mentally deranged - unable to think clearly) and ostensibly (apparently, but perhaps not actually) willing to commit suicide (intentionally causing one's own destruction).  It is generally regarded as ineffective (not producing any significant or desired effect) against a rational (based on, or in accordance with, reason or logic) opponent who has assured destruction (where behaviors or choices are deterred because they will lead to overwhelming punitive consequences) capability.  If both states have nuclear weapons, the form of nuclear blackmail becomes a threat of escalation (a process by which conflicts grow in severity over time - Wikipedia)."  There needs to be a coherent (logical and well organized) policy (a set of guidelines or rules that determine a course of action) dealing with the situation (a set of circumstances in which one finds oneself - a state of affairs), before it is too late.  On November 29, 2017, North Korea launched (sent or shot into the air or outer space) a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, possibly capable of detonating (exploding) in Washington, D.C.  Kim Jong Un commented on the launch as being "a significant day when the historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power, was realized".

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Washington's approach (a way of dealing with something) was dangerously provocative (causing annoyance, anger or another strong reaction).  Trump's tweets further inflamed tensions (conditions when people are anxious), reignited (make something such as a disagreement or worry, that was disappearing, grow stronger) this week after North Korea said it had successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile in a 'breakthrough' (an act or instance of moving through or beyond an obstacle [that which hinders progress]) that put the U.S. mainland (continent) within range (near enough to be reached) of its nuclear weapons whose warheads could withstand re-entry (the return) to the earth's atmosphere.  Lavrov pointed to joint (shared by two organizations together) U.S.-South Korean military exercises, and accused the United States of trying to provoke Kim [Jong Un] into 'flying off the handle' (suddenly becoming very angry) over his missile program to hand Washington a pretext (a reason given in justification of a course of action) to destroy his (Kim's) country (Reuters, November 30, 2017)."  The root (the basic cause, source or origin) of all of this goes back to the 1950s.  Michel Chossudovsky did an essay (a short piece of writing) entitled North Korea and the Dangers of Nuclear War in November, 2017.  "Fire and Fury was not invented (created or designed) by Donald Trump.  It is a concept (plan or intention) deeply embedded (enveloped or enclosed) in U.S. military doctrine.  General Douglas MacArthur appeared before the U.S. Congress and [said]: 'I have never seen such devastation, the general told members of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees.  At that time, in May 1951, the Korean War was less than a year old.  Casualties, he estimated, were already north (more than an amount) of one million.  I have seen, I guess, as much blood and disaster as any living man, he added, and it just curdled my stomach (extremely unpleasant and making one feel sick, to the causing of a feeling of nausea or disgust - quoted by The Washington Post, August 10, 2017).'  The American people should, in the words of Vietnam War veteran Brian Wilson 'place themselves in the position of people living in targeted countries (psychological warfare, intended to crush the morale of the general population). 

"'That North Korea, a nation of 24 million people, i.e. one-fifteenth the population of the U.S., many of them poor, a land slightly (small in amount)  larger in area than the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, continues to be one of the most demonized (portrayed as bad or evil) nations and least understood, totally perplexes (unable to grasp something clearly or think logically) the Korean people.'  What most people in America do not know - and which is particularly relevant (having significant and demonstrable importance) when assessing (making a judgment about - evaluating) the alleged (assert without proof) threats of the DPRK to world peace - is that North Korea lost 30% of its population as a result of U.S. led bombings in the 1950s.  U.S. military sources confirm (establish the truth or correctness of) that 20% of North Korea's population was killed off over a three period of intensive (highly concentrated) bombings.  'After destroying North Korea's seventy-eight cities and thousands of her villages, General Curtis LeMay remarked, Over a period of three years or so we killed off 20% of the population.  It is now believed that [the area] north of the imposed (force to be accepted or put in place) 38th parallel (imaginary parallel circles of constant latitude) lost nearly a third its population of eight-nine million people during the 37-month long war, 1950-1953 - perhaps an unprecedented (never done or known before) percentage of mortality (death, especially on a large scale) suffered by one nation (quoted in Richard Rhodes, The New Yorker, June 19, 1995).'  Every single family in North Korea has lost a loved one in the course of the Korean War.  In comparison, during the Second World War the United Kingdom lost 0.94% of its population, France lost 1.35%, China lost 1.89% and the U.S. lost 0.32%.  The DPRK's Foreign Minister's Cable to the United Nations Security Council: 'On January 3 (1951) at 10:30 AM, an armada (a fleet of military planes) of eighty-two flying fortresses (heavy bombers, the B-17) loosed their load (the quantity of bombs carried by an aircraft) on the city of Pyongyang.  Hundreds of tons of bombs and incendiary compounds (substances or weapons used to start fires) were simultaneously (at the same time) dropped throughout the city, causing annihilating (doing away with entirely) fires.  In order to prevent the extinction (causing to be extinguished) of these fires, the trans-Atlantic (located on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean) barbarians (uncivilized people) bombed the city with delayed-action (operating or effective after a predetermined length of time) high-explosive bombs which exploded at intervals (an intervening time) throughout for a whole day, making it impossible for the people to come out onto the streets.  The entire city has now been burning, enveloped in flames, for two days. 

"'By the second day 7812 civilians' houses had been burnt down.  The number of inhabitants of Pyongyang killed by bomb splinters (the dispersal of deadly shrapnel [small pieces of metal that fly through the air]), burnt alive and suffocated (the state or process of dying from being deprived of air or unable to breathe) by smoke is incalculable (extremely large), since no computation (action of mathematical calculation) is possible.'  The armistice (an agreement by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain period of time) agreement signed in July 1953 - which legally constitutes a temporary ceasefire (stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions for a period of time) between the warring parties (groups of people who are involved in a conflict with each other) of the U.S., North Korea and China's Volunteer Army - must be rescinded (the unmaking of a contract between parties) through the signing of a long-lasting (continuing for a long period of time) peace agreement."  At the 2018 Olympic Games, Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian, was excessively rude (a violation of human dignity or respect due) to the North Korean peace envoy (a representative sent to talk to another government), Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister.  Apparently, Mr. Pence does not listen to his Christian Bible: "Peace on earth, goodwill (a kind, helpful or friendly feeling or attitude) toward men (and women)."  "When the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, decided to send a large delegation (group of people) to the Winter Olympics in South Korea this month, the world feared he might steal the show (attract the most attention).  If that was indeed his intention (aim or purpose), he could not have chosen a better emissary (a person sent on a mission) than the one he sent - his only sister, Kim Yo-jong, whom news outlets (publications or broadcast programs) in the South instantly called North Korea's Ivanka.  Ms. Kim managed to outflank (outmaneuver) Mr. Trump's envoy to the Olympics, Vice President Mike Pence, in the game of diplomatic image-making (public relations activities).  Ms. Kim delivered messages of reconciliation as well as an unexpected invitation from her brother to the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, to visit Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.  But Mr. Pence drew the greatest reaction for where he did not appear - most pointedly (in a very obvious way) at a dinner Mr. Moon hosted before the opening ceremony. 

"And while the unified Korean Olympic team received a standing ovation (period of prolonged applause with the crowd on its feet) as they marched in the stadium Friday night, Mr. Pence remained seated (in his chair).  Commentators (those who report and discuss news) analyzed her no-nonsense (sensible) hairstyle and dress, her low-key (not elaborate or showy) makeup and the sprinkle (a small quantity or amount) of freckles on her cheeks.  After she attended a luncheon at the presidential palace on Saturday, it released photographs of her message of hope that 'Pyongyang and Seoul get closer in our people's hearts'.  Social media promptly lit up (expressing a strong emotion - usually happiness or excitement).  Her quiet friendly approach (a way of dealing with something - method, procedure or technique) while in South Korea seemed to endear (cause to be loved or liked) her to some observers (The New York Times, February 11, 2018)."  Some Americans do want to talk.  "Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. is ready to talk with North Korea without preconditions (things that must happen or be true before it is possible for other things to happen), in comments that appeared to signal a shift (an adjustment in the way something is done) in State Department policy.  'We've said from the diplomatic side, we're ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk,' Tillerson said at the Atlantic Council in Washington on Tuesday (December 12), in what amounted to a direct public invitation (act of one who solicits [seek by respectful request] others to enter) for North Korea to put aside an escalating cycle (making a conflict situation unmanageable) of tests and taunts (remarks made in order to anger, wound or provoke) and engage in diplomacy.  'We are ready to have the first meeting without precondition,' Tillerson said.  'Let's just meet, and we can talk about the weather if you want.  Talk about whether it's going to be a square table or a round table, if that what you are excited (cause strong feelings of enthusiasm) about.  But can we at least sit down and see each other face-to-face (directly meeting someone in the same place), and then we can begin to lay out a map, a roadmap (a detailed plan to guide progress toward a goal) of what we might be willing to work towards.' (CNN, December 13, 2017)"  And North Korea responded.  "During an hour-long meeting in Pyeongchang on Sunday night, North Korea's chief representatives at the closing ceremonies [of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics] told [South Korean President] Moon [Jae-in] that Pyongyang [North Korea] was open to dialogue (conversation between two parties) with Washington (The Washington Post, February 25, 2018)."

And again, from CNN on January 1, 2018.  "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held out a rare olive branch (an offer of reconciliation - restoration of friendly relations) to the country's southern neighbor Monday, offering talks over sending a delegation (group of people chosen to act for someone else) to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next month.  Kim struck an unusually conciliatory note (will to end a disagreement) in his annual New Year's Day address, declaring his wish 'for peaceful resolution (finding a solution to a problem) with our southern border'...'The [South Korean President's office of Moon Jae-in] has been expressing its intent to talk with North Korea anytime, anywhere and regardless of formality (compliance with formal or conventional rules) if this is for the normalization (process of returning something to a normal position) of the inter-Korean relations (the political, commercial, diplomatic and military interactions between North and South Korea) and for the peace of the Korean Peninsula,' the spokesman (Park Soo-hyun) said, adding that the President's office also 'hopes South and North Korea will peacefully resolve (find a solution for) the North Korea's nuclear issue while closely cooperating with the international community'.  In his address, Kim called for peace on the Korean peninsula.  'North and South must work together to alleviate (make less severe) the tensions (feelings produced in a situation where people are anxious and do not trust each other) and work together as a people of the same heritage (features belonging to the culture of a particular society) to find peace and stability,'  Kim said, according to a CNN translation of his speech.  He added that North Korean representatives should start talks with their South Korean counterparts (persons that have the same purpose) 'as soon as possible' to discuss sending a delegation to the 2018 Winter Games.  Kim went on to wish South Korea success in hosting the upcoming (about to happen) Olympics and said the event would be a 'good chance' to show the greatness of the Korean people.  The South Korean presidential spokesman agreed.  'If the Pyeongchang Olympics can be successfully held as peace Olympics, it will make contributions to the peace and harmony (cooperation, understanding, consensus) of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, as well as to the world, Park said.  "But Kim ratcheted up (increase something by a small amount) his warnings to the U.S.  'The entire mainland of the U.S. is within the range (near enough to be reached or detected - within the realm of possibility) of our nuclear weapons and the nuclear button (a figurative term referring to the power to use nuclear weapons) is always on the desk of my office.  They should accurately (in a way that is correct in all details) be aware that this is not a threat (statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury or damage) but a reality (a true situation that exists - the state of things as they are, rather than as they are imagined to be),' Kim said."

It's better to look at the Korean situation from a Korean perspective (a particular attitude toward or way or regarding something).  One of these sources is the South Korean Hankyoreh.  "The Hankyoreh is an independent newspaper established in 1988 by journalists (writers or editors for a news medium [mass media that focuses on delivering news to the general public]) who dreamed of a genuinely (in a truthful way) independent newspaper.  Among them were dozens of former journalists who had been dismissed (discharged from employment) from their jobs due to their roles (functions or parts played) in promoting (furthering the progress of) freedom of the press and democracy.  The Hankyoreh is a progressive (favoring social reform) newspaper."  They did their "take" (someone's attitude or opinion) on Kim Jong Un's New Years Day address (a former speech delivered to an audience).  "In his New Year's address on Jan. 1, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made clear (easy to perceive, understand or interpret) that he may take the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as an opportunity to fully restore inter-Korean relations.  In contrast, he ratcheted up pressure (the burden of mental distress) against the U.S. by mentioning the nuclear button even while denying (saying that something is not true) that he means to carry out a preemptive strike (a first-strike attack with nuclear weapons).  Kim appears to have designed the speech to put his confidence in the 'completion of the state nuclear force' on full display (an event at which something is done or shown to impress or entertain people) while also showing his intention (the thing you plan to do or achieve) to use inter-Korean relations to bring about future dialogue (conversation between two or more persons).  'This year is a year of significance (the quality of being important) both for the north and the south of Korea as our people will celebrate the 70th birthday of the DPRK as a great auspicious (pointing to a happy outcome) event and there will be the Winter Olympic Games in the south.  We should melt the frozen (made motionless in a fixed position) north-south relations, thus adorning (enhance the appearance of) this meaningful year as a year to be specially recorded in the history of the nation,' Kim said during his personally delivered New Year's address, which was broadcast by Korean Central Television at 9:30 am on Jan. 1. 

"In order to achieve this, Kim specifically (in a definite or precise manner) mentioned his willingness to send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Olympics, hold meetings with South Korean officials, make a joint effort to ease military tensions and fully restore inter-Korean exchange.  Kim said that 'it's time for North and South Korea to sit down together and seriously discuss the issue of improving inter-Korean relations among Koreans and to boldly pave the way (make progress or development easier) for that'.  He also expressed his willingness to fully open inter-Korean channels of communication (the way information flows within an organization) by 'paving the way for dialogue, contact and travel for anyone, including both the ruling party and opposition parties of South Korea, all kinds of organizations and individual figures.  'North and South Korea must refrain (stop oneself from doing something) from aggravating (make worse or more serious) matters any more, and they must make a joint effort (something done by two or more people) to ease military tensions and to create a peaceful environment,' Kim went on to say.  The reference to a 'joint effort' can be interpreted as a signal that, if South Korea and the U.S. delay their annual military exercises, North Korea might also halt (a suspension of activity) its nuclear weapon and missile provocations (a cause of resentments or irritations).  North Korea has not carried out a nuclear weapons or missile test since test launching the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Nov. 29.  If this situation continues until the end of March, for the duration of the Olympic truce (a short interruption in a disagreement between nations), the 'dual freeze' (no tests and no military exercises) that China and Russia have suggested as a solution to the Korean Peninsula crisis would tentatively (not certain) have lasted for almost four months.  This suggests that a 'window of opportunity' (a period of time at which some action can be taken that will achieve a desired outcome) might open to shift from crisis to dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.  'The main task (work to be done or undertaken) this year is to put the national economy on a firmer independent and Juche basis and improve the standard of the people's living,' Kim said.  Since this year marks the 70th anniversary of the North Korean regime's establishment, Kim, who is entering his seventh year as North Korean leader, finds himself obliged (do something that someone has asked you to do) to achieve concrete results (consequences, effects or outcomes) in the economy and the standard of living.  Kim's focus (center of interest or activity) was on economic independence, which appears to reflect (mirror) the difficulties caused by the international community's sanctions (commercial and financial penalties applied) against the North. 

"'Production lines (a line of machines and workers) at factories in light industry need to be upgraded (raised to a higher standard - improved) to save labor and electricity; even more diverse and high-quality consumer goods made of domestic materials should be manufactured and supplied; and the local economy should be developed according to its unique characteristics with the provinces, cities and counties' own materials and resources,' he said."  Juche is "translated as 'self-reliance', [and] is described by the government as 'original [and] brilliant contribution to national thought' (Wikipedia)."   And The Washington Post, on January 3, 2018, commented on a hotline (a direct phone line set up for communication between governments).  "North and South Korea reopened a long-suspended cross-border hotline on Wednesday, conducting (organizing and performing) a brief conversation to pave the way for official talks between the two sides.  Talks, if they take place, would mark the first formal dialogue between the two sides since December 2015, while the hotline has been dormant (marked by a suspension of activity) since February 2016."  Things do progress (forward or onward movement).  "President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that his choice for Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had visited North Korea recently for one-on-one talks (two people speaking directly) with Kim Jong Un.  Just three weeks before he left on his secret mission (an intelligence agent sent to assess [evaluate or analyze]), he called Kim 'a very young leader who is clearly in charge of his country' (nbcnews.com, April 18, 2018)."  And according to the BBC: "U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says there is a 'real opportunity' for a deal when President Trump meets the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.  Mr. Pompeo met Mr. Kim secretly (in a secret way, without others knowing) in Pyongyang earlier this month as CIA director.  On Friday (April 27), Mr. Kim and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in agreed at an historic summit (direct personal negotiations between heads of governments) to work on denuclearization (the removal of nuclear weapons).  This is another significant (to be worthy of attention) and symbolic (meaningful [having a serious, important or useful quality or purpose] and allegorical [revealing a moral or political meaning]) step by Kim Jong-un (April 28, 2018)."  And, he went to North Korea, again, May 8-9.  "'We had good conversations, substantive (having a firm basis in reality) conversations that involved deep complex challenges (ones that keep coming back time after time: many attempts have been made to solve them, but overall little ground has been gained).  Our conversations were warm, we were each representing our two countries.  We talked about the fact that America has often in history (a whole series of past events) had adversaries (enemies or opponents) that we are now close partners (close cooperation between nations, each having specified responsibilities) with.' (CNN, May 11, 2018)" 

Apparently, North Korea may have had a plan, in 2013, to denuclearize.  "For a group of former U.S. government officials who have been meeting with North Korean officials in 2013, which I (Joel S. Wit) attended along with other former U.S. officials, holds valuable clues (anything that serves to guide or direct in the solution of a problem) - and they show that the North Koreans have given a great deal of thought (to a very great degree or extent) to denuclearization and almost certainly have a concrete plan of action (an organized program of measures to be taken in order to achieve a goal) for the upcoming summit, (a meeting between heads of government) whether the White House does or not.  Not surprisingly, for the North Koreans the key to denuclearization was that the United States had to end its hostile policy (no longer resort to provocative acts, straining the situation).  That demand sounds vague to many Americans, but in fact, the North Koreans have made it quite clear on a number of occasions (several times) what ending a hostile policy would entail - stopping political, security and economic confrontation (a hostile situation between opposing parties) in return for eliminating (completely remove) their nuclear weapons.  The 'political' part means U.S. recognition of North Korea as a sovereign state (independent geopolitical entity) through establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.  As the North Koreans pointed out, theirs is one of the few states in the international community that the U.S. has never recognized, which they see as a clear sign of its true intention to overthrow the regime (to depose [topple, remove or unseat], as from a position of power).  The 'security' part would involve ending the state of war that has existed on the Korean Peninsula since the 1950s by replacing the temporary armistice agreement (a suspension of hostilities, by a cease-fire between military forces) ending the Korean War with a permanent peace treaty (an agreement which formally ends a state of war).  Finally, the 'economic' part would consist of lifting trade restrictions and sanctions imposed (a ban [official or legal prohibition] as a penalty levied) on the North over the decades since the Korean War (The Atlantic, May 20, 2018)."  On May 24, 2018, President Trump abruptly (suddenly and unexpectedly) cancelled the planned meeting on June 12 with Kim Jung Un in Singapore.  "We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant (completely beside the point, immaterial and not pertinent [having a clear decisive relevance to the matter at hand])." 

Fortunately, this did not carry the day (be victorious or successful).  "In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness (tranquil silence) and humility (Henry V, William Shakespeare)."  MSNBC and CNN may prefer (submit for consideration) Los Angeles, Calif. to be nuked (attacked or destroyed with nuclear weapons), rather than talking directly to a dictator (a ruler with power over a country).  Because that's the alternative (available as another possibility).  Meeting with Kim is simply (merely or just) the less unpleasant or harmful of two choices.  At least that's how they should regard it with their half-sized brains.  "Last fall, President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were trading insults (treating with disrespect) and threatening nuclear war.  Fast-forward (rapid progress) to the Singapore summit, and the two men are smiling.  The two leaders signed a statement that marked the beginning of a process (a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end).  The two men have given birth to a new world of possibilities that no thoughtful person can see anything but good.  Naturally, there has been no lack of criticism of the summit, but anti-Trump mania (an excessive enthusiasm or obsession [a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea]) drives (an organized effort to achieve a goal) most of the critical narrative (stories a writer tells), rather than a reasoned analysis (reasoned [underpinned by logic or good sense] argument, science, social science, analysis vs. mockery, slander, laughter and dismissal) of strategic opportunity (to design a plan that will create an advantageous condition for the future - James S. Robbins, Senior Fellow for National Security Affairs on the American Foreign Policy Council, June 13, 2018)."  President Trump then offered to stop the war games (training operations carried out to test or improve tactical expertise), at least temporarily.  "'A stunning concession (something given up, causing awe and confusion).'  That was the consensus (general agreement) of the world's media gathered in Singapore, where President Trump announced that the U.S. would halt (come to an abrupt [sudden and unexpected] stop) all military exercises with South Korea.  But by saying he would discontinue the war games, Trump is in effect offering to stop the simulated (create conditions similar to that which exists of) mass murder of North Koreans. 

"Don't let military language sugarcoat (make superficially [appearing to be true, only until examined more closely] attractive or acceptable) this - when you send a nuclear bomber on a 'dry run' (a rehearsal of a procedure before the real one), you are practicing the indiscriminate (done at random, or without careful examination) murder of civilians.  Each year, that's exactly what South Korea and the U.S. have been doing (Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)."  `However Kim Jung Un sent a letter to President Trump, July 12, 2018.  "The significant first meeting and the joint statement (which provides detailed information) that we signed together in Singapore 24 days ago was indeed the start of a meaningful journey (do the difficult things while they are easy, do the great things while they are small).  I deeply appreciate the energetic and extraordinary efforts made by you, Mr. President, for the improvement of relations between the two countries and the faithful implementation of your statement.  I firmly believe that the strong will (determination, not giving up easily and the need to succeed), sincere efforts and unique approach (very remarkable way of dealing with a situation) of myself and you, Mr. President, aimed at opening up (making possible) a new future between the DPRK and the U.S. will surely come to fruition (the point at which a plan or project is realized).  Wishing that invariable (never changing) trust and confidence in you, Mr. President, will be further strengthened in the future process (an analysis goal) of taking practical actions (action-oriented strategies).  I extend my conviction (firmly held belief or opinion) that the epochal (uniquely or highly significant) progress in promoting (supporting or actively encouraging) the DPRK- U.S. relations will being our next meeting forward (not pushed back into the future, brought forward toward the present)."  This is nothing but positive and good, and people who criticize this are unhinged (mentally unbalanced or deranged [completely unable to think clearly]).  A common sense (good sense and sound judgment in practical matters) statement was released five days earlier by a spokesman of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"International society has focused (center of intense interest and activity) its expectation (a belief that something will happen) and attention (awareness, notice or observation) on the DPRK-U.S. high level talks (very important, with people having senior authority or high status) for the implementation (the process of putting a decision or plan into effect) of the Joint Statement of the DPRK-U.S. summit (conference or discussion) after the first historic summit meeting and talks were held between the DPRK and the U.S.  We expected that the U.S. side would bring itself with a constructive proposal (a plan or suggestion, especially a formal or written one) which would help build up trust true to the spirit of the DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks.  We, on our part, were also thinking of doing something which corresponds (has a close similarity) with it.  It was, however, so regretful (an expression of sorrow or disappointment) to mention what the U.S. side had shown in its attitude and stand (point of view, position or thinking) at the first DPRK-U.S. high level talks held on 6 and 7 July.  The DPRK side, during the talks, put forward the constructive proposals to seek a balanced (different things that have an equal or proper amount of importance) implementation of all the provisions (clauses in a legal instrument) of the Joint Statement out of its firm willingness to remain faithful to the implementation of the spirit and agreed points (ideas, opinions or pieces of information) of the DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks.  These included taking wide-ranging proactive steps (controlling a situation by making things happen) of simultaneous actions (at the same time) in a respective manner (in the order given) such as realizing multilateral exchanges (a forum for transactions) for improved relations between the DPRK and the U.S., making public a declaration on the end of war first on the occasion (a particular time or instance of an event) of the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement (an agreement signed to suspend hostilities on the Korean peninsula) to build a peace regime (a system or planner way of doing things) on the Korean peninsula, dismantling (take a structure to pieces) the test ground of high thrust engine to make a physical verification (the process of establishing the truth, accuracy or validity) of the suspension of ICBM production as part of denuclearization steps and making an earliest start of the working level talks (discussions between lower level leaders) for recovering POW/MIA remains. 

"Chairman Kim Jong Un expressed his expectation (a belief that something positive will happen) and conviction that good personal relations forged (friendship through mutual trust) with President Trump and his sentiments (views or attitudes toward a situation) of good faith built towards the latter at the Singapore summit and talks would be further consolidated (make stronger or more solid) through the process of future dialogues (conversations between two or more people) such as high-level talks this time.  But, the U.S. side came up only its unilateral (undertaken by one party) and gangster-like demand (a dangerous phase that might rattle [cause to feel nervous, worried or irritated] our willingness) for denuclearization just calling for CVID - declaration and verification - all of which run counter to the spirit of the Singapore summit meeting and talks.  The U.S. side never mentioned the issue of establishing  peace regime on the Korean peninsula which is essential for defusing tension (reduce the danger) and preventing a war.  It took the position that it would even backtrack (go backwards) on the issue (topic for debate) it had agreed on to end the status of war (no peace agreement) under certain conditions and excuses.  As for the issue of announcing the declaration of the end of war at an early date, it is the first process of defusing tension and establishing a lasting peace regime on the Korean peninsula, and at the same time, it constitutes a first factor (circumstance, fact or influence) in creating trust between the DPRK and the U.S.  This issue was also stipulated (specified or set down) in Panmunjom Declaration as a historical task (a definite piece of work) to terminate (bring to an end) the war status on the Korean peninsula which continues for nearly 70 years.  President Trump, too, was more enthusiastic about this issue at the DPKR-U.S. summit talks.  The issues the U.S. side insisted on at the talks are all roots of troubles, which the previous administrations also had insisted on to disrupt the dialogue processes (a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end), stoke the distrust (a feeling that a person cannot be relied [to depend with confidence] on) and increase the danger of war.  Valuable agreement was reached in such a short time at the Singapore summit talks, [the] first ever in the history of the DPRK- U.S. relations. 

"This is attributable (regarded as being caused by) to the fact that President Trump himself said he would move towards resolving (finding a solution to) the DPRK-U.S. relations and the issue of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a new way (the individual is in control of their own time).  If both sides at the working level reneged (went back on a promise) on the new way agreed at the summit and returned to the old way, the epoch-making Singapore summit would be meaningless (having no purpose or reason), which was held thanks to the determinations (firmness of purpose) and wills (the mental facility by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action) of the two top leaders to open a new future for the interests of the two peoples and peace and security of the world.  The first DPRK-U.S. high-level talks this time brought us to a dangerous situation (a set of menacing, threatening or treacherous circumstances) where we may be shaken (disturbed psychologically) in our unshakable will for denuclearization, rather than consolidating trust (firm belief in the reliability of a person) between the DPRK and the U.S.  A shorter way to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula is to remove deep-rooted mistrust (have no confidence in) and build up trust between the DPRK and the U.S.  For this, both sides should be bold (showing an ability to take risks) enough to be free from old ways which had only recorded failures and resolve the problem in a fresh manner (method, system or style) which is never bound by the existing ways.  A shortcut to it is also to take a step-by-step approach and follow the principle of simultaneous actions in resolving what is feasible (practical, workable and achievable) one by one while giving priority to creating trust.  We still cherish (hold in high esteem) our good faith (honestly or sincerity of intention) in President Trump.  The U.S. should make a serious consideration of whether the toleration (acceptance) of the headwind (a situation which will make growth more difficult) against the wills of the two top leaders would meet the aspirations and expectations of the world as well as the interests of its country." 

However, "instead of the stale (not fresh), scripted summits (written before it is read) of the past where unelected bureaucrats (an official in a government department) spent months in lukewarm negotiations (discussions not showing much enthusiasm or interest), Trump has engaged Kim one-on-one (face-to-face - Brian Babin, U.S. House of Representatives)."  Retired Army Major General Bob Dees, who commanded the troops along the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea, commented as well.  "The North Korean political and military Rubik's Cube (a puzzle in the form of a plastic cube covered with multicolored squares, which the player attempts to twist and turn so that all the squares on each face are the same color) has confounded () Democratic and Republican administrations for seventy years.  President Donald Trump's 'peace through strength' approach (a phrase that suggest that military power can preserve peace - it is quite old and has famously been used by many leaders from Roman Emperor Hadrian in the first century AD to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s) has achieved more tangible results () in the past two years than all the other efforts combined ().  While maintaining strategic and tactical pressure (), he has developed relationship and initiated meaningful dialogue () with the world's most insular () nation and dictator.  In short, our president has taken us from nuclear brinkmanship () to a period of greater regional stability () and potential for breakthrough () on the Korean Peninsula."   back to top 

China.  "The Chinese leaders slowly but methodically move towards a grandiose (impressive or magnificent in appearance or style) infrastructure (basic physical and organizational structures and facilities) project of the new Silk Road.  Beijing will not just build a fast transport (to carry people or goods from one place to another) and communication link (a channel that connects two or more devices) with the countries of the Eurasian continent (a combined landmass of Europe and Asia) with this.  The project One Belt, One Road, aims to redefine global trade.  China is now planning another ambitious (a strong desire and determination to succeed) project - the construction of a high-speed rail system allowing for the movement of trains at over 300km/hr (186.5 mph).  The first high-speed lines in China are fairly recent.  In 2007, the first line was put into operation and today, about 20,000 km (12,428 miles) of railway highways operate in the country - more than all other countries in the world combined.  China has more than 2000 ports, allowing Chinese goods - currently amounting to nearly 40% of the freight transported by sea - to travel thousands of nautical miles to all corners of the world.  At the beginning of the [21st] century, Beijing began the phased construction of a mega project (initiatives that are physical, very expensive and public) - the deep-sea container port (a port that specializes in handling goods transported in containers), Jansa, south of Shanghai.  The special feature of the port is its location -  on an artificial island in the ocean.  Jansa Port is connected to land via the longest sea-bridge in the world (32.5km or 20.2 miles) and last year, it handled nearly 37 million TEU (unit of measurement equivalent to twenty standard transport containers) and is on the way to becoming the biggest deep-water port ever built in the world.  Beijing is building the largest bridge in the world to ease the movements between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao.  The project is complicated from an engineering point of view and must find a solution to the huge traffic flow of ships at the estuary (the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream) of Zhujiang and the unusually deep waters in the area.  The 50 km (30 mile) facility will be the longest bridge - some fifteen times greater than the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.  The huge highways, ports, airports and high-speed lines serve as a base from which Beijing plans to connect its powerful economy with the countries of the Eurasian continent. 

"The largest Chinese step (development) in the implementation (the process of putting a decision or plan into effect) of the project, One Belt, One Road, however, was made in Pakistan and the Persian Gulf.  Beijing secured a forty year lease of the Pakistani port of Gwadar and is currently expanding its capacity with an investment of nearly $2 billion, which will make it a megaport (a large seaport dealing with containerized cargo transiting in the global maritime shipping network).  The biggest transport investment ever made in Africa is a railway line from the port city of Mombasa in Kenya to Jairobi, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and the second section between Kenya and South Sudan.  The state company, the China Road and Bridge Corporation, will build the track, and the funding, worth $14 billion will be provided by China's Export-Import Bank.  The northern Eurasian direction of the Chinese project, One Belt, One Road, is going at a good pace.  Russia has a key role in its realization.  The two countries have already agreed in the biggest energy project for energy export from Moscow to Beijing in the history of the world.  The project The Power of Siberia, worth $400 billion, will provide for the Chinese demand for natural gas.  The pipelines are being built, and the first deliveries to the Celestial (a name used to refer to China) are expected in 2019.  The [European] concept envisages (contemplate or conceive of as a possibility) the construction of trans-Eurasian passage for economic interaction (mutual or reciprocal action or influence) between China and Europe with an endpoint (a final stage of a process) - Rotterdam.  The Greek government and the Chinese state corporation, COSCO, in April [2016] finalized a deal for the privatization (transfer of a service from public to private ownership) of the largest port in the country - Piraeus, Athens.  The Chinese have already invested over $275,000,000 in the two container terminals (place where goods end their journey) near Athens, which they acquired in 2009, bringing the facility's capacity to growth of over 2.5 million containers annually.  In the next few years, an extensive modernization (the process of starting to use the most recent methods), worth $475,000,000, will open the entrance of Chinese maritime transport in Europe.  Since the signing of the bilateral (affecting two nations) strategic partnership between China and Serbia in 2009, the Celestial has invested more than $1 billion in the Serbian economy, mainly in infrastructure.  The format 16+1, including China and the sixteen countries of Eastern Europe, is a business forum (a public meeting place for open discussion) in which leaders of countries like Poland and Romania also agreed to major Chinese investments in their countries (South Front, Nikolay Nikolaev, October 31, 2016)."  China could be termed (given a descriptive name) as a sleeping giant (one who has great but unrealized or newly emerging power).

"China is aiming to re-create Marco Polo's ancient Silk Road that connected Europe to Asia.  But instead of the camels and caravans (a company of travelers on a journey through desert or hostile regions) that transported spices and silk hundreds of years ago, a $1.4 trillion network of modern trading routes (a route, often covering a long distance, that people buying and selling goods used in the past) would be built.  On Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping will host twenty-eight heads of state (chief public representatives of a country) at the opening of a two-day summit focusing on the Belt and Road initiative (the ability to judge what needs to be done and take action).  Analysts (a person who reviews and examines data and information for a specific area) suggest the project could shift the center of global economy (international exchange of goods and services) and challenge the U.S.-led world order (a system controlling events in the world).  Beijing hopes the gathering (an assembly or meeting) will rally (summon up strength and courage) international support for the plan.  Xi's colossal program is eleven times the size of the U.S. Marshall Plan, which reconstructed Europe after World War II.  It envisions (imagine as a future possibility) new roads, high speed rail (trains), power plants, pipelines, ports, airports and telecommunications links (several types of information transmission paths) that would boost (increase or improve) commerce between China and sixty countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.  Among Xi's guests will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the leaders of Turkey, Italy, Pakistan and the Philippines.  A minister from North North Korea will also attend.  The U.S. delegation (representative, envoy or emissary) is led by Matt Pottinger, a special assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for East Asia on the National Security Council.  'The ambitious plan is not empty talk (a message that seems to convey no meaning),' the official Xinhua News Agency declared, highlighting that China has already invested more than $450 billion in twenty countries along the routes. 

"Former U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary Chas Freeman described the Belt and Road project as 'potentially the most transformative (causing an important and lasting change) engineering effort in human history'.  He highlighted (picked out and emphasized) that the countries involved boast about 55% of global economic output (quantity of goods and services produced in a given time period), 70% of the world's population and an estimated 75% of known energy reserves (estimated quantity of energy source - such as coal gas or oil - known with reasonable certainty to exist).  'Americans currently conceive of power in almost exclusively (restricted or limited to the person, group or area concerned) military terms, which is ironic (a situation where the result is a complete reverse of what was expected), because we claim to believe in the power of markets (places where the forces of supply and demand operate) to shape events, and the Belt and Road initiative relies on markets,' Freeman told NBC News.  Belt and Road is still a vision (the changing business culture as goals are met), but if it's realized in a significant way (living by a code of ethics), all roads in Eurasia (combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia) will 'lead to Beijing' in time, according to Freeman.  Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University, cited the example of Erik Prince, the Blackwater founder and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.  Prince's Frontier Services Group has announced two operational bases in China to provide security to the northwest and southwest corridors (areas) of the Belt and Road project.  'Regardless of the U.S. government attitude, U.S. companies will join the Belt and Road if there is money to be made,' Wang told NBC News.  'There is a huge market for U.S. technology, and by bringing development and stability to Afghanistan and other parts of Central Asia, which are hotbeds of terrorism (unwelcome unlawful use or threat of violence), the Belt and Road will also benefit U.S. security (measures taken to guard against crime, attack, espionage or sabotage).'  With 12,500 miles, China already boasts of the longest high-speed rail network (trains) in the world - with plans to almost double it by 2025.  Under Belt and Road, a total of 50,000 miles is projected.  The plan is to enable train travel from London to Beijing 'in a mere two days', according to Freeman (NBC News, May 12, 2017)."

After President Trump visited Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on November 8, 2017, the Xiahua News Agency ran an article entitled: "New Heights of Sino-U.S. Cooperation".  "As the birthplace of the Shanghai Communique, released forty-five years ago (1972), laid the foundation for the normalization (the process of bringing or returning something to a normal condition or state) of China-U.S. relations, Shanghai has witnessed close bilateral ties (conduct of relations between two sovereign states) in economy, education and culture.  An iconic (the more recent, highly original, influential or unique) Sino-U.S. cooperation project is Shanghai Disneyland which opened in June 2016.  Earlier this month, the theme park was awarded the Luban Prize, the highest award in China's construction industry.  It is expected to reach break-even point (the level at which total cost and total revenue are equal) in its first complete fiscal year of operation, the fastest theme park of its size worldwide to break even.  Shanghai is an epitome (a perfect example of a particular quality or type), showing that China and the United States can supplement (something that enhances - further improves the quality of) and promote (further the progress of) each other's development, said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies of Fudan University.  'They can be excellent partners,' he said.  As General Electric's second largest market after the United States, China will remain the most relevant (appropriate to the current time) growth market in the future for the multinational enterprise (business or company), Rachel Duan, president and CEO of GE China, told Xinhua.  Progress in bilateral cooperation has also come via high level dialogue mechanisms (flexible conversation policies) focusing on diplomacy and security; the economy; law enforcement and cyber security; and social and people-to-people exchanges.  The two countries should strengthen cooperation to help attain global peace, stability and prosperity, according to Wu [Xinbo]." 

And, two more from the same news agency, January 3, 2018.  "In his keynote (most important or most emphasized, with a prevailing tone or central theme) speech at the opening of the World Political Parties High-Level Meeting on December 1 (2017), Xi [Jinping] described pictures of the future (impressions of innovation) - a world that is safe and free of fear, a world that is prosperous and free of poverty, [as well as] a world that is open, inclusive and free of isolation.  As an attempt to realize this vision (a picture you see in your mind), China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build trade and infrastructure networks (people or organizations that work with each other) connecting Asia with Europe via land and maritime (referring to sea or ocean) routes.  The Belt and Road Initiative links China's development potential with other countries."  "A recent high-level political party conference in Beijing drew representatives of nearly three hundred political parties and organizations from more than one hundred and twenty countries.  China has lifted seven hundred million people out of poverty and become the world's second largest economy.  The success of the Chinese model has not only made it impossible for the West to overlook it (fail to notice), but has made China more confident in the path it has taken.  To date, China has dispatched more than 36,000 peacekeeping personnel, and the country has acted as a major peacekeeping force and contributor of funds for U.N. peacekeeping missions (the activity of keeping the peace by military forces).  Thousands of Chinese scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, technicians, medical workers, teachers and volunteers are working alongside locals in other developing countries to help change their destiny (events that will necessarily happen to a particular person)."  In the military sector (area), China also operates (exerts power or influence).  "Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered troops to step up drill (training of soldiers) and digital (computer technology - a binary system) combat readiness (condition of the armed forces to perform during a conflict) as the world's second-biggest army launched unprecedented (never done or known before) nationwide winter exercises.  Xi issued the call from a military base in the Central Theatre Command, one of the country's five military zones (places under control of the armed forces), as troops in 4000 sites across the country took part in simultaneous drills in the armed forces' annual New Year exercises on Wednesday.  'We will forge (form through concentrated effort) a military that is ready to respond to the call (a strong inner impulse to a particular course of action), to fight and to win,' he said. 

"The drills included live-fire exercises (realistic scenarios for the use of specific equipment) in heavy snow by the army, amphibious assaults (attacking a land base that is carried out by troops that are landed by naval ships) by the navy, air battle training by the air force, test maneuvers by the rocket force (a part of the People's Liberation Army that controls the nation's arsenal of land-based ballistic [the science of the motion of projectiles in flight] missiles - both nuclear and conventional), and a counterterrorism operation (practice, military tactics, techniques and strategy used to combat and prevent attacks by extremist groups) by the armed police, the report said, adding that Xi watched the exercises via a video link (an electronic facility that enables audiovisual communication between people in different locations  - South China Morning Post, January 4, 2018)."  What about rural areas.  "On a bitterly cold morning this month Wang Fuman, 8 [years-old], set out for school as he usually did, walking 2.8 miles through mountains and streams until he reached the warmth of the third-grade classroom.  When Fuman arrived two hours later, his classmates erupted (burst from limits or restraint) in laughter.  The freezing temperatures had covered his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes with frost (a covering of tiny ice crystals on a cold surface), making him look like a snowman.  'Some people see beauty and hope on his simple and honest face,' one newspaper wrote.  'From this little man, foreigners far away will see the great effort and strength of the Chinese nation.' (www.msn.com, January 14, 2018)"  Trying to bash China's skull (high-pressure [involving aggressive techniques]) by telling them what to do concerning the situation of Taiwan, is not good foreign policy (a government's strategy in dealing with other nations).  "'Whatever the U.S. says will never change the objective fact (a statement about a factual matter - one that can be proved) that there is only one China in the world and the Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan regions are an inalienable part (not transferable to another, or not capable of being taken away or denied) of China's territory,' foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a statement Sunday posted online (Associated Press, May 7, 2018)." 

Russia and China continue to cooperate (working together to achieve a common goal), in 2018.  "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was a two day summit held in Qingdao consisting of leaders and delegates (persons sent or authorized to represent others) from member states Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.  Together, these member nations constitute (be a part of a whole) over 40% of the global population and a quarter of the world's GDP (gross domestic product).  Here, rather than harsh verbiage (speech or writing that uses too many words) about sanctions (bans on trade) and Russian threats, one is treated to Confucian words about peace and harmony (agreement or concord [concurrence in attitudes, feelings, etc.]).  Xi Jinping: 'Confucianism, as an integral (very important and necessary) part of the Chinese civilization, preaches the highest human ideal, which is that the world belongs to everyone, that all countries should live in peace and harmony, help each other, and be friendly members of one big happy family.'  Putin received a warm welcome.  An honor guard (a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature) stood at attention.  The red carpet had been laid out.  A military orchestra was also present.  Another interesting detail (individual feature) of this solemn ceremony (serious and dignified event) was a group of Chinese children, prepared to meet the Russian and Chinese presidents.  The ceremony was followed by a number of meetings held both in private sessions (a small group behind closed doors) and with delegations (larger group chosen to represent others).  The result was a set of signed agreements (negotiated arrangements between parties as to a course of action).  The fields of cooperation include energy, space, technology and investment.  President Putin: 'Rosotom is to build another two reactor units (a device for the controlled release of nuclear energy) for the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant.  We have also agreed to build another Russian-designed nuclear power plant in a new location in China.  I'd like to point out that China is the only country we cooperate so closely with (in a way that connects).' 

"Xi Jinping, Chinese President: 'Both sides agree that trade protectionism methods (countries that raise tariffs and reduce imports to protect their domestic industries) have been used extensively (to a large or detailed degree) around the world lately.  There's a number of factors that cause instability and uncertainty in the recovery in the global economy.  In this situation, China and Russia are actively promoting (furthering the progress of) the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union.'  China has been actively building high-speed railways.  Over the last ten years, the country has become a leader in the field.  Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping took one of these trains on their way from Beijing to Tianjin.  It reaches a speed of about 185 miles per hour and was designed completely in China.  Large-scale (involving many people or things) Russian-Chinese projects will be discussed by businesses at the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held in Vladivostok in the Fall (autumn).  Vladimir Putin has already invited Xi Jinping to the forum (a place, meeting medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged) as a guest of honor (the most important guest at an occasion - RussiaFeed, June 13, 2018)."  Like America, China has progressed () in the last one hundred and fifty years.  "On November 11, 1861, the Qing dynasty opened a new agency to deal with foreigners.  A target for the West's 'gunboat diplomacy', the last imperial Chinese government had been forced to recognize a wider world () and, with little leverage (), it entered into a series of unequal treaties that crippled () its economy and left it only more vulnerable ().  Still, Chinese officials believed the crisis would pass.  It was for this reason that this new body (), a quasi- ministry () of foreign affairs, was housed in a small, shabby building that had previously served as the Department of Iron Coins. 

"There was no need to construct something grander or more impressive; after all, this new office would be only temporary, until these foreigners and the world they represented lost interest in China.  Of course, that never happened, and China has spent much of the past 150 years regaining its place () on the world stage ().  Its march () to economic behemoth () is well-known, a string of impressive breakthroughs (), superlatives () and the unprecedented creation of wealth that came along the way.  China's financial fortunes - especially in the past three decades - have led to greater political influence () and diplomatic sway () in almost every facet () of international life.  Democracies crave () its markets and investment.  Fellow authoritarians heap praise () on its stability () and unchallenged rule ().  International institutions bend the rules () to accommodate () Beijing.  Under President Xi Jinping, China has ambitiously pressed its advantage () almost everywhere at once.  It tightens its strategic grip () on the waterways of the South China Sea, while it deepens its trade and business ties in the Americas, just south of its chief rival (), the United States.  Its Belt and Road Initiative - what amounts to a nearly global infrastructure bid () - pours billions into paving, dredging () and remaking large swaths () of Africa, South Asia, Europe and elsewhere.  In its breadth and sweep (), some see an economic lifeline () to struggling industries and developing economies.  The world is coming face to face with a more assertive (), strengthened and invigorated () China.  For nearly thirty years, the media have been reporting on a rising China.  It's time to say it has risen (NPR, October 2, 2018)."  As America pulls back from the world scene (), China comes in. 

"Calls for further expansion of political and economic cooperation between Beijing and Berlin resonated loudly () at this week's China Meets Europe summit in this northern German port city.  While China's drive to strengthen old trade relations () and seek new alliances () in Europe has raised red flags () in Washington, German Chancellor Angela Merkel last year said Europeans 'must really take our fate into our own hands ()'.  Her comments followed bruising () G-7 and NATO meetings.  'In Germany, we are thinking about new strategic alliances () because we have a feeling that we cannot trust our old alliances and that we need to adapt () to a new world order,' said Henning Voepel, director of the Hamburg Institute of International Economics.  China is already Germany's top trading partner - with a volume of more than $204 billion in 2017, putting it ahead of the United States for the second consecutive year ().  More than half of Berlin's trade with Beijing is handled in the port city of Hamburg, which the Chinese respectfully call Han Bao or Fortress of the Chinese due to longstanding ties ().  Every third container in the port either arrives from China or is destined for it.  A total of more than nine hundred Chinese companies have branches in Germany, including five hundred and fifty such firms that are based in Hamburg.  Voepel said American trade protectionism () was costing the U.S. global influence () - with China stepping in to fill the vacuum ().  'In economic terms, China has been making rapid gains () on the West () for quite some time now, and the United States' apparent withdrawal from globalization is expediting () China's political upsurge (),' Voepel said.  A poll published by the Pew Research Center this week found that 67% of Germans said their country should cooperate more with China, while only 41% said the same about the U.S.A.  Wess Mitchell, the U.S. assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, last month (November) highlighted that Chinese investments in Europe totaled $318 billion last year. 

"Mitchell said that Beijing 'owns or controls almost a tenth of Europe's entire port capacity ()', and warned that the U.S. 'must not see it as a forgone conclusion () that countries will automatically remain friendly to America'.  But Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to Washington who is now head of the Munich Security Conference, told this week's summit that the relationship with China 'represents one of the greatest historic opportunities' for both Germany and the 28-country European Union.  China is investing in trade infrastructure () in more than sixty countries worldwide.  German cities like Hamburg and Duisburg are becoming major logistics hubs () for Europe-bound () trains from China.  'Up to thirty trains a week are already currently making the trip between Hamburg and twenty-seven Chinese cities,' Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher said.  China is focused on taking 'the lead in world development and reform' together with its European partners, according to Li Yizhong, chairman of the China Federation of Industrial Economics.  "He highlighted () railway links that now connect forty-eight cities in China to forty cities across the E.U.  "While trade between the U.S. and Latin America has doubled since 2000, China's trade with the region multiplied twenty-two times, OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) economist Angel Melguzio highlighted last year.  China also lends the region a lot of money - around $30 billion in 2015, up from $231 million in 2005.  And the funds largely come with no strings attached ().  China is Africa's largest trading partner and the country opened its first military base on the continent last year in Djibouti (NBC News, December 1, 2018)."  And not only this, Beijing Review commented, in January 2019, on global governance issues (). 

"In part, current global governance problems are a result of multilateral institutions () failing to reform and adapt to new circumstances.  In response to this, China - while continuing to support existing mechanism for international cooperation - has stepped forward to promote reform of the global governance system according to concepts of fairness and justice.  It is not only official agencies that are engaged in this task.  A growing cast of social actors () is also contributing ideas and impetus () to reform global governance.  This includes non-governmental think tanks () that can help generate and disseminate () ideas at home and abroad ()."  China is reaching out () all over the world.  "Italy is moving towards greater economic cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing's development and investment megaproject () in 152 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa (RT, March 14, 2019)."  When America turned its back () on Saudi Arabia, the crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, simply went and talked to the Chinese.  "In a post-Khashoggi world - where Riyadh's longtime bond () with its foremost security ally (), Washington, faced its biggest crisis in years over human rights issues - the kingdom is working to ensure () it has a range of options () at its disposal.  Numerous European and American policymakers () have sought to blame the crown prince for his alleged role () in the October murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a charge () the monarchy () denies.  The governments of Pakistan, India and China, by contrast (), haven't uttered a peep () about the killing.  While in China, the Saudi crown prince emphasized efforts () to link Saudi Vision 2030 investments with those of Beijing's expansive Belt and Road Initiative, and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for developing deeper ties () through a China-Gulf Cooperation Council free trade zone (), China is already the kingdom's largest trading partner (CNBC, March 5, 2019)."  back to top

BRICS.  "With the convening () of the 10th BRICS Summit (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 25-27, the world's gaze was fixed () on a cooperation mechanism () that consists of emerging markets () and developing countries, with members from Asia, Africa, Europe and South America.  The BRICS mechanism came into being () at a time when the world was undergoing profound changes.  When former chairman of Goldman Sachs asset management () Jim O'Neill coined the BRIC acronym () in 2001, it was only a concept classifying the most potential and attractive emerging markets for multinationals () according to their economic indicators (), such as population, resources, market potential and economic growth.  With the rapid rise in strength of developing countries and the increase of China-Africa cooperation, it has now developed into a new platform for emerging markets and developing countries to strengthen multilateral consultation and cooperation.  Though a latecomer () to the BRICS partnership, South Africa, the only African country in the group, is playing an increasingly important role in facilitating () the BRICS-Africa cooperation.  It inclusion () in BRICS reflects other member nations' recognition () of the continent's rising status () and development potential in the coming years.  In terms of economic aggregate (), South Africa's GDP () accounts for nearly a quarter of Africa, but is still considerable less compared with other BRICS members at about a quarter of Russia's, which itself was the lowest of the former BRIC group.  Despite this, South Africa serves as an important gateway () for other BRICS countries to strengthen mutually beneficial () cooperation with the African continent.  Along with the expansion of BRICS' geographic coverage (), South Africa's membership also reflects the group's vision which now extends beyond the original scope () of economic cooperation to much broader areas (), such as international politics and geostrategic structures ().  It has become a platform () for comprehensive dialogue and collaboration () among emerging markets and developing nations. 

"BRICS countries occupy important positions in the global political and economic structure.  China and Russia are two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, while Brazil, India and South Africa are important powers in South America, Asia and Africa.  Economically, the combined GDP of the five countries is 20% of the world total.  Their combined territory and population account for 30% and 43% of the world, respectively ().  Given this, it is natural for the mechanism to transcend () economic cooperation and take on a broader vision ().  Thanks to close economic and trade cooperation between BRICS and African countries, Africa has successfully emerged () from the international financial crisis and the wake of unrest () in North Africa, and is now in the process of rapid recovery ().  African economies and BRICS nations are supporting each other through mutually beneficial () cooperative programs to achieve sustainable development ().  In little more than a decade, BRICS countries have not only contributed 50% to world economic growth, but promoted Africa's development through trade and investment, making great contributions to poverty reduction in Africa and around the world.  Another achievement is the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB), which came into operation on July 21, 2015, and the launch () of its Africa Regional Center (ARC) in Johannesburg in August 2017.  The NDB is committed to supporting infrastructure construction and green energy development.  Sources indicate that it will grant loans of $1.5 billion in South Africa over the next eighteen months.  The launch of the ARC reflects BRICS' determination () to fulfill its commitment () to Africa's sustainable development.  It also provides an opportunity for developing countries to realize independent financial innovation ().  In the future, the ARC will, through its financial capital and backed by project development (), greatly promote African integration () as well as industrialization and infrastructure upgrading () on the continent (Beijing Review, August 2, 2018)."  No one can escape (break free from) from a multi-polar world (a distribution of power in which more than two nation-states have nearly equal amounts of military, cultural and economic influence).  back to top 

Three dictators plus one.  Some people say that Iraq and Libya are now "failed states", or Egypt was better before the uprising of 2011.  People who say this love dictators (those holding complete autocratic control, ruling absolutely and often oppressively), especially perverted (a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal) and cruel (devoid of humane feelings - barbaric heartless, sadistic) ones.  Jeff Jacoby wrote "Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein's Shop of Horrors" in Capitalism Magazine, November 15, 2002.  "As a boy, writes Kenneth Pollack in his masterful new book on Iraq, 'The Threatening Storm,' Saddam Hussein would heat an iron poker until it was white-hot, then use it to impale (to cause a pointed object to go through something) cats and dogs.  Years later, when he had boys of his own, he would take them into prisons so they could watch - and get used to - torture and executions.  The Arab world is replete (pleasantly full) with dictators, many of them ruthless.  But for sheer unbridled cruelty, none of them can touch Saddam.  And for hellish and sadistic brutality, no other Arab state - perhaps no other state in the world - can compare with what Saddam has created in Iraq.  Writing in The New Republic, foreign correspondent Robert Kaplan recalled the treatment meted (give out by measure) out some years back to Robert Spurling, an American technician working at a Baghdad hotel.  Spurling 'had been taken away from his wife and daughters at Saddam International Airport and tortured for four months with electric shock, brass knuckles, and wooden bludgeons.  His toes were crushed and his toenails ripped out.  He was kept in solitary confinement on a starvation diet.  Finally, American diplomats won his release.  Multiply his story by thousands, and you will have an idea what Iraq is like to this day.'  Spurling was one of Saddam's luckier victims - he survived.  Many thousands of others have been executed outright or tortured to death - or forced to witness the torture or murder of their loved ones. 

"In June, the BBC interviewed 'Kamal', a former Iraqi torturer now confined in a Kurdish prison in the north.  'If someone didn't break, they'd bring in the family.' Kamal explained.  'They'd bring the son in front of his parents, who were handcuffed or tied and they'd start with simple tortures such as cigarette burns and then if his father didn't confess they'd start using more serious methods,' such as slicing off one of the child's ears or amputating a limb.  'They'd tell the father they'd slaughter his son.  They'd bring a bayonet out.  And if he didn't confess, they'd kill the child.'  Horror in Saddam's Iraq takes endless forms.  In 1987-88, Iraqi Air Force helicopters sprayed scores of Kurdish villages with a combination of chemical weapons, including mustard gas, Sarin, and VX, a deadly nerve agent.  Scores (forty or more) of thousands of Kurds, most of them women and children, died horrible deaths.  Of those who survived, many were left blind or sterile or crippled with agonizing lung damage.  But most of the Kurds slaughtered in that season of mass murder were not gassed but rounded up and gunned down into mass graves.  Those victims were mostly men and boys, and their bodies have never been recovered.  In one village near Kirkuk, after the males were taken to be killed, the women and small children were crammed (pack tight) into trucks and taken to a prison.  One survivor, Salma Aziz Baban, described the ordeal (an experience that is very unpleasant) to journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who reported on Saddam's war against the Kurds in The New Yorker in March.  More than 2000 women and children were crammed into a room and given nothing to eat.  When someone starved to death, the Iraqi guards demanded that the body be passed to them through a window in the door. 

"Baban's six-year-old son grew very sick.  'He knew he was dying.  There was not medicine or doctor.  He started to cry so much.'  He died in his mother's lap.  'I was screaming and crying,' she told Goldberg.  'We gave them the body.  It was passed outside, and the soldiers took it.'  Soon after, she pushed her way to the window to see if her child had been taken for burial.  She saw twenty dogs roaming in a field where the dead bodies had been dumped.  'I looked outside and saw the legs and hands of my son in the mouths of the dogs.  The dogs were eating my son.'  She was silent for a moment.  'Then I lost my mind.'  Horror without end.  Amnesty International once listed some thirty different methods of torture used in Iraq.  They ranged from burning to electric shock to rape.  Some governments go to great lengths to keep evidence of torture secret.  Saddam's government tends to flaunt (to show something in a very open way) its tortures, leaving the broken bodies of its victims in the street or returning them, mangled (a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds) and mutilated (injure so severely as to cause lasting damage), to their families."  This details the savage cruelty that was commonplace in Iraq in the last two decades of the 20th century.  And Fox News labels the Islamic State as "savages".  They are amateurs (showing a lack of expert skill) compared to Saddam's brutality (disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others). 

Olga Craig and Nikki Murfitt wrote "Uncovered: The Macabre (involving violence that is strange, frightening or unpleasant) Sex Chamber of Libya's Colonel Gaddafi" in The Daily Mail, January 25, 2014.  "It has been more than two years since the capture and death of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator whose reign subjected an impoverished (to make someone poor) people to four decades of murder and terror.  When the bedraggled (wet or dirty from rain or mud) former leader was hauled out of a drainpipe and shot in October 2011, his death ended the bloody NATO led civil war that had ravaged (violent destructive effect) the country since the start of that year.  The full horror of his brutality (cruel, harsh and usually violent treatment) has been slow to emerge, with many Libyans still fearing retaliation by those who continue to be loyal to their late leader.  But it can now be revealed that the most heartbreaking of Gaddafi's victims include hundreds, possibly thousands of teenage girls who, throughout his forty-two year reign, were beaten, raped and forced to become his sex slaves.  Many were virgins kidnapped from schools and universities and kept prisoner for years in a specially designed secret sex lair (a place of a wild animal) hidden within Tripoli University or his many palaces.  In the twenty-six months since he was deposed, Gaddafi's den (a home to some kinds of wild animals) - where he regularly raped girls as young as fourteen - has remained locked.  But today its gaudy (too bright and heavily decorated) interior, where the colonel brutalized (to treat someone in a very harsh way) his victims, can be seen for the first time in photographs from a hard-hitting BBC documentary.  Inside the small, nondescript (dull, drab) single story complex, the girls were forced to watch pornography to 'educate' them for their degrading (to treat someone poorly) treatment at the hands of Gaddafi.  And even those who did manage to escape were often shunned by their deeply religious Muslim families who believed their family honor had been tainted (to contaminate morally).  One of the rooms holds little more than a double bed, lit by an orange lamp. 

"Its 1970s decor (a way a room is decorated) and grimy (dirty) Jacuzzi (used for a whirlpool bath) - all left exactly as they were when Gaddafi last used it - give it a seedy (not respectable or decent) and gloomy air.  But even more chilling is the clinical gynecological (dealing with routine physical care of the reproductive system of women) suite in an adjoining room.  It was here, on two beds fitted with stirrups (a stirrup-shaped footrest) behind a table laden with surgical instruments, that Gaddafi's young victims were examined to ensure they had no sexually transmittable diseases.  And here they were forced to undergo abortions if they became pregnant.  They, however, were the lucky ones.  Other young victims were so badly abused that they were dumped in car parks and on waste ground, and left to die.  Gaddafi's modus operandi (a usual way of doing something) was to tour school and universities where female students were invited to his lectures.  As he spoke before his hushed (become quiet) audience, he would silently scan (to look at carefully in order to find someone) the room seeking out attractive girls.  Before leaving he would pat those he had 'selected' on the head.  Within hours his private bodyguards would round up those chosen and kidnap them.  If their families tried to keep them from Gaddafi's clutches (to seek to grasp and hold), they were gunned down.  One teacher at a Tripoli school recalled how the girls were all very young.  'Some were only fourteen,' she said.  'They would simply take the girl they wanted.  They had no conscience, no morals, not an iota (a very small amount) of mercy even though she was a mere child.'  It took the documentary-makers months of negotiations to be allowed access to information on Gaddafi as Libya remains secretive and hide-bound (shackled) by bureaucracy. 

"But they also established that Gaddafi set up a 'murder for hire' team run from Tripoli to rid him of enemies around the world.  Former CIA agent Frank Terpil said: 'I would say [it was] Murder Incorporated...murder for hire.  Gaddafi thought that anybody who was a dissident (disagreeing with an established political system), they [should be] eliminated, he had contracts out on a bunch of people in London.'  One of the few Libyans who was prepared to be named and talk about the horrors Gaddafi inflicted (to cause someone to be affected by something unpleasant) on his people was Baha Kikhia, the widow of Libya's former foreign minister with whom Gaddafi had a frosty (unfriendly or cold) relationship.  When her husband vanished one evening, she confronted Gaddafi about his whereabouts (near what place).  The colonel refused to tell but, to Baha's horror, his body was one of many found in freezers after the regime fell.  'He liked to keep his victims in the refrigerators to look at them now and again,' she says haltingly (stopping often because of not being sure about what to say).  He would visit his victims.  'It was as though they were some sort of macabre souvenirs.  Something that he could look at and touch to remind himself of his omnipotence (an agency of unlimited power).  Some had been there as long as twenty-five years.'"  As shocking (causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness) as the four deaths in Benghazi (Libya) at the American embassy, is it justifiable (capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack) to allow a child rapist (an individual committing unlawful sexual activity, carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will, with a person who is beneath a certain age) to remain in power?  President Putin of Russia would definitely not approve of Gaddafi's psychopathic (a need for stimulation, pathological lying, an ability to manipulate, and a lack of remorse) perversions (sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior), why should America?

David Keyes wrote "Hosni Mubarak's Human-Rights Horrors" in The Daily Beast, February 6, 2011.  "'Mubarak did not know the meaning of humanity,' said Bassem Samir, a democracy activist (someone who emphasizes direct vigorous action) imprisoned under the dictator.  'He did not know that they have rights.  He worked for thirty years to ensure that Egyptians fear democracy.  He weakened the opposition, and anyone who didn't agree with him was out, out of everything - the media, work, and even the country.'  One of those the dictator effectively removed was the sociologist and democracy advocate Saad Eddin Ibrahim.  The aging professor was imprisoned three times under Mubarak and can barely walk now as a result of his treatment in prison.  'More people were executed during Mubarak's reign than all of those executed for political reasons throughout the last 200 years,'  Ibrahim said.  'When he took over there were eleven prisons in Egypt.  Today there are fifty-four.  To put someone like myself or Kareem Amer in prison just shows how brutal and mean the regime is.  We are secular, and all we are calling for is a defense of human rights and democracy.'  Few know the cruelty of Mubarak's regime better than Amer, who spent the last four years in prison for criticizing the dictator and 'insulting' Islam on his blog (a Web site in which someone writes about personal opinions).  When I asked him to describe Mubarak's record, he said: 'Many human-rights activists and journalists were imprisoned during his reign. 

"Some were beaten and tortured.  Others were abducted (to take someone way from a place by force) or disappeared without a trace.  The most important of these incidents was the disappearance of the Egyptian journalist Reda Helal in the hart of Cairo in 2003.  Many believe the security services were behind the abduction because of his political views.'  Young Egyptians like Dina Guirguis, now a scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, are especially fed up with the regime.  'For nearly thirty years, Mubarak has governed the country with an emergency law suspending basic constitutional protections, including the right against indefinite detention (to keep someone in a jail or prison) without charge,' she said.  'Torture at the hands of Egypt's brutal security apparatus (an organization used for doing something) became routine (normal), as did repression of all forms of political dissent.  The regime has been complicit (participation in a wrongful act) in the explosive growth of sectarian (a political group connected to a larger group that has beliefs that differ greatly) violence culminating in massacres of Egypt's religious minorities, most notably the Copts.'  Guirguis recalled a personal anecdote (a short narrative) that resonates (to have a certain meaning or importance) particularly today.  'My grandmother's apartment is on top of a police station close to Tahrir Square, and when we would spend the night there we would regularly hear screams coming from the station,' she said.  'They were screams of petty criminals being tortured by officers, because this kind of abuse of citizens was sanctioned (official permission or approval).'"  The new regime (administration, governance) is a vast (very great in degree - immense) improvement over the old.

Bashar Assad, President of Syria, rules with a consortium (a group of people that agree to work together) which included his mother, wife of the late dictator Hafez Assad and deceased in 2016, his brother Maher Assad who is the commander of the Republican Guard, and other key members of his father's regime.  So he is not really a dictator is the classic sense of the first three mentioned above.  Timothy McGrath wrote "Eight reminders of how horrible Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been to his people" in globalpost.com, September 24, 2014 - five of which are quoted here.  "1) According to the United Nations, at least 191,000 people were confirmed killed in Syria as of April 2013.  More than 8800 were children under the age of ten.  2) In a report published in January 2013, a small team of international human rights lawyers presented conclusive evidence that the Assad regime had tortured and executed approximately 11,000 Syrians since the beginning of the conflict.  Drawing on photographs and documents smuggled out of Syria by a defector (a person who abandons his country) from Assad's military police force, the lawyers concluded the regime has engaged in 'systematic killing' on an 'industrial scale'.  3) There's no shortage of war crimes when it comes to the Assad regime, but one of the more prominent violations has been the use of chemical weapons.  Before the United States started bombing the Islamic State, the closest it came to striking Syria was after August 21, 2013, when someone - there's international consensus (a general agreement on something) that Assad's forces were the aggressors (a country that attacks another one), although the regime continues to deny it - dropped weapons loaded with sarin (an extremely toxic chemical weapon) gas on Ghouta, a rebel-held suburb outside Damascus.  More than 1400 Syrian civilians were killed in the attack, and several hundred more were poisoned.  It was the first large-scale use of chemical weapons since 1988, when Saddam Hussein used them against the Kurds near the end of the Iran-Iraq War. 

"4) Barrel bombs are like chemical weapons in that they don't discriminate (treat unfairly a group of people) between civilians and soldiers, and, one could argue, this is their main value - killing huge numbers of civilians, destroying whole city blocks, and terrorizing the entire population.  These bombs are highly explosive, unguided, and imprecise weapons made from cheap and available materials, like oil or water drums, and packed with explosives and scrap metal for maximum destruction.  Assad's army has repeatedly used barrel bombs, and in densely population cities like Aleppo, the results have been devastating to human life and city infrastructure (the underlying foundation or basic framework).  5) 2.5 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries [of] Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.  Another 6.5 million internally displaced persons remain in Syria.  The U.N. World Food Program says that nearly six million Syrians now rely on its food assistance programs to survive."  The Economist commented in its December 24, 2016 issue.  "It was clear that Hamza Ali al-Khateeb had been tortured before he died.  Returned to his family a month after he was arrested at a peaceful protest in April 2011, the 13-year-old boy's dead body was covered with cigarette burns and lacerations (long deep cuts).  His jaw and both kneecaps had been smashed.  As demonstrations against the regime's rule spread across the country, the boy's death at the hands of the regime's security forces became a powerful symbol of its brutality.  'I can only hope that this child did not die in vain but that the Syrian government will end the brutality and begin a transition (change) to real democracy,' said Hillary Clinton, who was America's secretary of State at the time.  During the early days of the uprising (open fight against authority) many shared her hope.  Almost six years on, that hope has been crushed.  The scale (amount) of the killing carried out inside Syria's torture dungeons (a dark underground prison) is difficult to gauge - human-rights groups say the regime has tortured to death or executed between 17,500 and 60,000 men, women and children since March 2011. 

"The dead, often buried in mass graves or incinerated (burn to ashes), are rarely returned to their relatives.  The official death certificates that are sometimes handed to relatives typically say that the victims died from natural causes.  Tracking the number of people in detention (held in custody) is also difficult.  Mr. Assad's security forces have converted sports stadiums, abandoned homes, hospitals and schools into jails.  Loyalist militias (citizens organized for military service) from Iraq, Lebanon and Iran also operate their own secret sites.  At least 200,000 people are thought to remain in detention, most of them in government facilities that are closed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.  What little is known about Mr. Assad's torture machine comes from survivors swapped (giving something of value in return for another) in prison exchanges or released after bribing officials.  Relatives of the dead, defectors (a person who abandons an organization or cause) and hundreds of thousands of government files smuggled (to export secretly contrary to law) out of the country by activists (those who emphasize direct vigorous action) add to their accounts.  Together, they paint a picture of a regime that has tortured and murdered on an industrial scale (large size or amount) to silence dissent (to differ in opinion).  Take the case of Muhannad, a 28-year-old university student who organized some of the first peaceful protests in Aleppo.  He was arrested in 2011 by agents from air force intelligence, blindfolded and taken to a cell (a one-room dwelling) where he was strung from the ceiling by his wrists.  He was tortured for eight days until he signed a false confession that he had killed regime soldiers with the help of his mother.  After that he was moved to an air force intelligence base near the presidential palace in Damascus, where he underwent two years of almost daily interrogation (to harass and intimidate while questioning) and torture. 

"Sometimes, for amusement, the prison guards would force the inmates to strip naked and play at being dogs.  As they drank alcohol and smoked water, the guards stubbed (extinguish by crushing) out cigarettes and tipped hot coals over the prisoners' backs.  'You have to work hard to amuse (to cause to pass the time agreeably) them or you get beaten,' he says.  Death at the al-Mezzeh Air Force Intelligence prison was routine (a regular course of procedure).  Muhannad remembers how, during the month of Ramadan in 2012, the guards killed nineteen prisoners in a single night.  'They had brain seizures (physical manifestations such as convulsions, sensory disturbances or loss of consciousness), severe bleeding from the torture,' he says.  On another occasion, a teenage boy returned to his prison cell in tears.  'They'd executed (kill) his brother in front of him.  Then they'd bent him over a table and raped him with a stick.  They were laughing and saying a new woman has been opened.'  Two other cellmates were beaten to death by guards as they waited to have their hair cut.  When the infection (caused by germs) from an open wound in his leg spread, the guards took Muhannad to a nearby military hospital.  Patients were forced to sleep with shoes in their mouths.  If the shoe fell, nurses beat them with stiff plastic pipes.  Muhannad says he saw a nurse club a patient to death in his bed after he asked for medicine.  It was here, at Hospital 601, that a forensic (used in courts) photographer working for Syria's military police force photographed the bodies of more than 6000 people killed in government detention facilities (buildings) between 2011 and 2013.  The images show rows of naked, emaciated (waste away physically) corpses with number written on their foreheads.  Most bear (contain, possess, sustain) signs of torture.  Smuggled out of the country on flash drives (a data storage device), these images provide some of the most damning (ruinous) evidence of the regime's systematic (methodical or regular) use of torture." 

On April 4, 2017, in Khan Sheikhoun, a small village in northern Syria, nerve agent sarin was used to kill almost one hundred civilians (people not in the armed forces or the police force) and children.  U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, "There are reports of dozens dead, including many children.  While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates - with brutal (extremely cruel or harsh), unabashed (without shame) barbarism (savagely cruel and uncivilized)."  Kutalba al-Zouhoury was one of those gassed in the town.  "I can't describe what it is like to see all those people [dying] on the ground.  But [Assad] kills women and children.  There are attacks everyday.  Why does the world only care when there are chemical weapons?  The international community's silence is a crime.  People care more about animals than Syrians."  It continues.  It is alleged (to state that someone has done something illegal or wrong, without giving proof) that helicopters dropped barrel bombs full of poisonous gas on the town of Douma, April 7, 2018.  "Survivors (persons who continue to live, despite nearly dying) of Syria's recent chemical weapons attack have told of their escape (breaking free) as friends and relatives died around them.  About 3000 people have fled (ran away from danger) Douma since the April 7 strike on the Damascus suburb.  At least forty were killed.  'The bombs were really strong,' said Amani, 34, who clutched (grasped tightly) her seven-year-old twins Masa and Malaz in a basement during the attack.  'Then we heard two bangs, like something fell, and a hissing sound.'  Two young men went out to investigate before returning and shouting - 'Gas, everybody out.'  Speaking from a refugee camp near the Turkish order, Amani said Masa was foaming at the mouth (emit a large amount of saliva - froth) as the family scrambled (move quickly, but with difficulty) into the street.  'The gas was spicy (strong, sharp or pungent [penetrating, powerful or stifling]) in my throat like chili.  I was vomiting (disgorging the contents of the stomach) and coughing,' she told The Sunday Times.  'Around me, people were just falling to the ground.  The basement next door didn't hear the gas.  They all died where they were.'  Rescuer Ibrahim Reyhani said the symptoms (the subjective evidence of a disease) he saw suggested (put forward for consideration) a mix of chlorine and the nerve agent sarin (The Sunday Times, April 14, 2018)."

With Syria's war nearly over, targets () are taking their grievances () into European courts.  "The Syrian war is winding down () after seven brutal () years, with hundred of thousands killed, millions displaced () and neighborhoods in smoking ruins ().  Now, activists () who lost the challenge () to Assad's rule on the streets of Syria are waging a new fight - in European courts.  Anwar al-Bunni, a prominent Syrian human rights lawyer () who fled () to Germany in 2014, helped file a criminal complaint that led Germany's Federal Supreme Court to issue charges () and an international arrest warrant () in June (2018) for one of Syria's most senior military officials.  The charges claim that Jamil Hassan, head of Syria's notorious () Air Force Intelligence Directorate, oversaw () some of the war's most horrific () crimes, including systematic () rape, torture and murder of thousands of Syrians.  Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have sought refuge () in Germany in recent years, many of them witnesses to the Assad regimes atrocities ().  'We have a responsibility because the survivors live among us,' says Alexandra Lily Kather, a legal adviser at the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, or ECCHR.  The center jointly filed () the complaint naming the air force intelligence chief and other senior officials all the way up to President Assad.  ECCHR represents fifty Syrians clients () and has filed four more criminal complaints in Germany and one in Austria.  'We go after those who are at the top of the chain of command,' she says.  Al-Bunni himself was arrested and tortured for his human rights work in Syria.  He says his jailers tried to kill him twice.  He fled to Germany in 2014.  Soon after his arrival in Berlin, members of the Syrian refugee community sought out al-Bunni, who was well known in Damascus for representing political prisoners. 

"He got to work compiling eyewitness accounts () with fellow human rights lawyer Mazen Darwish, who also says he was detained () and tortured by the regime.  The two are now key figures () in building the cases, and, according to al-Bunni, they work with more than thirty exiled Syrian lawyers across Europe.  'Our complaint has fifteen perpetrators (), including Assad himself,' says al-Bunni, who heads () the Syrian Center for Legal Research and Studies in Berlin.  'We want to push them out of the future of Syria.'  Crucially (), Germany has the broadest interpretation () in Europe of a legal principal () known as universal jurisdiction () over international war crimes, explains Scott Gilmore, a Washington (D.C.)-based attorney with the Center for Justice and Accountability.  That means a judicial process () can begin in Germany, regardless () of where the alleged atrocity occurred or where the plaintiffs or defendants are from.  'It's a local crime, a crime occurring in the basement of a Syrian detention center (), with a global impact ().  These types of war crimes, because of our interconnected world, because of technology, because of flows of migrants (), affect everyone,' Gilmore says.  Prosecutors are building cases based on a vast trove () of evidence, including thousands of images of dead bodies, torture victims, emaciated and battered (), who died in Syrian prisons.  The photos, along with GPS locations, were smuggled () out of Syria by a photographer who worked for the Syrian military police.  Code- named () 'Caesar', he fled his homeland in 2013 carrying 55,000 photographs on a thumb drive () hidden in his sock.  Two years later, Syrian activists started posting () many of the images on Facebook to encourage families of the victims to identify the dead by name and create a database () for future trials.  Gilmore says the evidence points to a crucial factor () about the early years of an uprising () that began as a peaceful protest in 2011.

"'The Assad regime focused the brunt () of its violent crackdown () on the intelligentsia (), on moderate activists, on professionals, lawyers, journalists, doctors,' he explains.  'They really tried to liquidate () the civil society that formed the best alternative () to the regime, in terms of being the plausible inheritors () of power in Syria.'  That's why activists in exile are at the forefront () of the justice campaign ().  'I think what you're seeing now is a second wave () of the civil society striking back () and they are striking back in exile () with global partners (),' he adds.  Noura Ghazi, a Syrian lawyer based in Beirut, says she has identified () some of the battered faces among the Caesar photos.  'It was very ugly (), very hard and I found many of my friends there,' Ghazi says.  The latest shock () came when she discovered that her husband, Bassel Khartabil, a prominent pro-democracy activist who disappeared in 2015, was executed () after his arrest by the regime.  The grief is overwhelming (), Ghazi says, but the campaign () to bring torturers to justice () keeps her spirits from breaking ().  'We need this hope that we are going to reach justice.  Maybe the second generation, maybe not us, but we need this hope.' she says.  The stakes are especially high () because Syria has so far stood as a failure of international accountability and justice, according to Stephen Rapp, who led the State Department's Office of Global Criminal Justice from 2009 to 2015.  Rapp also worked as a prosecutor () in the successful war crimes tribunal () for Rwanda and Sierra Leone.  He says the evidence against Assad in Syria is far stronger than it was in those cases, but prosecution is a matter of political will ().  Last year, Rapp traveled more than 280 days to promote stepping up () prosecutions against Syria's regime in European capitals.  There are developing cases in Spain, France, Austria and Sweden, he says. 

"There's also a case underway () in the United States.  In 2016, the Center for Justice and Accountability filed a lawsuit against the Syrian government in the Washington (D.C.) federal district court on behalf of the family of murdered American journalist Marie Colvin.  They charge that Syrian officials targeted () Colvin for death when she was killed while reporting on the war in the Syrian city of Homs in 2012.  In a museum thousands of miles from Syria, the evidence of some of the country's most horrific () war crimes has been on display () for more than a year.  The exhibition (), Syria: Please Don't Forget Us, is housed in the Holocaust Museum in Washington.  Some of the Caesar photos are on display, grisly images () of death from torture and abuse.  In addition (), there are five scraps of cloth () with names of eighty-two prisoners, opponents of the Syrian regime, written in a mixture of blood and rust.  Syrian journalist Mansour al-Omari spent 356 days in detention () in Syria, nine months of the time in an underground cell.  He smuggled () out the documentation of his cellmates (), most not longer alive.  He created the record () so families would know the fate of their loved ones ().  He now lives in exile () in Europe and agreed to donate his evidence to the Holocaust Museum for the historical record ().  'In the exhibition I took this story from under the ground from darkness to light (),' al-Omari tells NPR.  'My main goal, we can still fight back and provide information.' (NPR, August 13, 2018)"   Russian military intervention () in the Syrian Civil War began in September 2015.  The slaughter and torture of innocent persons is not the Russian way ().  In Russia, possessing illegal drugs, alone, can bring big prison sentences.  It is, then, for Russia to bring to justice () perpetrators () of human rights violations ().  Should they be brought to The Hague, or extradited to Russia to face prosecution ()?  That should be for Russia to decide.     

 Questions may be asked as to how God can be a good God and let these things happen.  The Rolling Stones did a song about a half century ago.  "Please allow me to introduce myself.  I'm a man of wealth and taste (to have perception, experience or enjoyment).  I've been around for a long, long year - stole many a man's soul (a spiritual part of a person, the immaterial essence) and faith (a belief in the existence of God).  I was around when Jesus Christ had His moment of doubt and pain.  Made damn sure that Pilate (governor of Judea, Israel - 26 to 36 A.D.) washed his hands and sealed His fate (decide what will become of a person).  Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name.  But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game.  I stuck around St. Petersburg (Russia) when I saw it was a time for a change.  Killed the czar (the title of a Russian ruler before 1917) and his ministers, Anastasia screamed in vain.  I rode a tank, held a general's rank, when the blitzkrieg (a sudden and overwhelming military attack, during World War II) raged and the bodies stank (to have a very bad smell).  Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name..."  In general (involving or affecting the whole), this entity (something that exists by itself) wreaks havoc (causes great damage) all over the known world, to include the stealing of souls and having them locked up, forever.  So, then, we know what is behind many of the things that go on, but that still does not answer the age old question as to why the Creator sits on His hands (takes no action - does little, if anything), as the benevolent (kind and generous) dictator that He is.  To a point (limited extent), He has the turned the planet over to us, and given us the liberty (the power of choice) to do as we wish - for better, or for worse.  Those who believe in the Ancient of Days, and do good, get paradise when they are dead.  Those who don't, get hell, for good (permanently).  People are free to choose in this life, and sadly, many decide to make bad choices.  back to top

American history.  U.S. society (a group of persons joined together) could be said to be living in an era, 1996-2036, that the 9/11 Commission described: "[America should] offer an example of moral leadership in the world, [be] committed to treating people humanely (marked by sympathy and consideration for others), abide by the rule of law, and be generous and caring of our neighbors."  Constantine, when he attacked Rome in the 4th century, had a vision of a shining Cross in the sky and heard these words, "In this, overcome."  In 313 A.D. he signed the Edict of Milan, ending oppression of the church by the tyranny (cruel and unfair treatment by people with power over others) of Rome.  On March 7, 321 A.D., Constantine instituted (set in motion, established) Sunday as the "Christian" sabbath and made it law.  He chose to celebrate the Resurrection.  President Bush described a desire to liberate in the January 20, 2005 Inaugural Address (first speech given by a President at a ceremony): "The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.  The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.  So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions (public organizations with a particular purpose) in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny (cruel and unfair treatment by people with power) in our world.  America will not impose (force to be accepted) our own style of government on the unwilling (not prepared to do something).  Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.  We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery.  When you stand for your liberty we will stand with you.  We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph (great achievement) of freedom.  Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability (sure to happen), it is human choices that move events.  Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation - God moves and chooses as He wills." 

On April 4, 2017, in Khan Sheikhoun - a village in northern Syria, there was a sarin nerve agent gas attack.  Dozens died, including small children.  President Trump responded: "My fellow Americans - on Tuesday, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians.  Using a deadly nerve agent, Assad choked out (a combat tactic) the lives of helpless men, women and children.  It was a slow and brutal (savagely violent) death for so many.  Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric (showing no mercy) attack.  No child of God should ever suffer such horror.  Tonight, I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter (the killing of great numbers of human beings - carnage) and bloodshed in Syria, and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types.  We ask for God's wisdom as we face the challenge of very troubled world.  We pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who have passed."  And, former U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson at the G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Italy, April 2017.  "We rededicate (commit oneself to a concept once again) ourselves to holding to account (to require a person to explain or accept responsibility) any and all who commit crimes against the innocents (people who have done nothing to deserve the pain and suffering inflicted) anywhere in the world."  There are three important periods in American history - 1886-1926 when America rose, 1941-1981 when American stood, and 1996-2036 when America moves.  This is the last great period of American history.  In the first period, immigrants flooded the country and America won the Great War.  The second period was characterized by World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, among other things.  The third period is when America encourages democracy all over the world, as an example.  It has its troops stationed (placed) in over thirty countries and its fleets (a number of warships under a single command) sailing on the seven seas.  "At stake is America's role as a global superpower - building coalitions (alliance of countries), fostering (encouraging) development, combating disease, fighting terrorism, upholding democratic institutions and values, and filling leadership voids where other nations come up short (fail to meet high expectations)."  This said December 8, 2016 by Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Select Committee on Intelligence. 

The period, 1996-2036, thus far has been an era when America goes on assignment (doing a job) against human rights violations, that is the horrifying spectacle (something exhibited to view) of wholesale slaughter (performed on a large scale) and ethnic cleansing (the expulsion, imprisonment or killing of an ethnic minority - a group with a different national or cultural tradition) in different parts of the world, perpetuated (to cause something that should be stopped, to continue) by such actors as Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein.  As with Milosevic, over 7000 Muslims dead in the Srebrenica massacre.  Saddam's methods did include electric shock treatments, amputating body parts with chainsaws, breaking of bones, ripping out of fingernails, gouging (to force out with the thumb) of eyes, and the use of acid baths.  Or Afghanistan, where a woman could be stoned (throw stones at) for showing an ankle.  And the War on Terror, once led by the late Osama bin Laden, who in January 2006 stated that he was actively planning another terrorist attack against America, but was willing to call a truce (suspension of fighting) if American troops left Iraq and Afghanistan.  But for al-Qaeda, or lately the Islamic State, to chant (recite something in a monotonous repetitive tone) "death to America" is to chant "death to the American Cross".  To the chant of "death to the Cross", a response might be God will rock your world.  As Time puts it: "Collectively these hatemongers (those who stir up hatred) form a global industry of outrage (an act of showing scorn), working feverishly (intense emotion, activity or instability) to give and take offense, frequently over religion, and to ignite (kindle or excite) a combustible mix (likely to become dangerous or violent) of ignorance and suspicion."  President Obama at the United Nations on September 24, 2014: "Belief in permanent religious war is the misguided refuge (protection from danger) of extremists who cannot build or create anything, and therefore peddle (try to get people to accept or believe something) only fanaticism (excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions) and hate.  No God condones (accepts and allows to continue) this terror.  No grievance justifies (shows to be right or reasonable) these actions.  There can be no reasoning - no negotiation - with this brand of evil (exploiting the last human refuge - religious freedom).  The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force."  An Islamic State video released February 15, 2015, showed a mass murder of Coptic Christians in Libya.  The speaker of the video spoke in American English: "A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross." 

This is not to be confused with the Crusades of the Dark Ages.  Back then, when the Crusaders liberated a Spanish town, a sergeant asked a captain, "How will I know the 'faithful' from the 'infidel'?"  The captain replied, "Slay (kill) them all, God will know His own."  As of 2016, the period is showing some cracks (a weakness that might cause someone to fail).  American mercenaries (soldiers hired into foreign service) are operating like business ventures.  "Yemeni army spokesman Brig. Gen. Sharaf Lugman said that the Saudi-led coalition has people to fight in Yemen, among contractors there are 400 persons from Blackwater (Sputnik News, January 19, 2016)."  "In January 2016 an unpublished United Nations panel investigating the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen uncovered 'widespread and systematic' attacks on civilian targets in violation of international humanitarian law (Wikipedia)."  "Yemeni forces have managed to kill over 80 Saudi-led troops, including 42 Blackwater mercenaries, in a ballistic missile (a weapon that is shot in the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes) attack in western Babael-Madeb area (PressTV, December 13, 2015)."  Blackwater Worldwide, which is now known as Academi, is one of the most well-known private security firms in the world.  "Cholera (an infestious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhea) spreads, with over 200,000 new cases reported.  Malnutrition (lack of nutrients, caused by not having enough to eat) is rife (in an unchecked or widespread manner).  Government salaries were last paid a year ago.  But the customers keep coming to the local franchise (the right to sell a company's goods or services) of Baskin-Robbins, an American ice cream brand, in Sana'a, Yemen's rebel-held capital.  Since the war erupted, the company has added a new branch to the five it already has in the capital.  'Our best-seller is pralines (a confection [sweet food] of nuts and sugar),' says one of the managers, who last month served more than 16,000 customers (The Economist, July 1, 2017)."  Americans are not necessarily bad (not achieving an adequate standard - morally wrong), just simply crazy (making absolutely no sense, not reasonable - wild or aggressive).

The previous could be said to be a part of a transition (a passage from one state or condition to another) into the second half of the period, which is more of a pivot (a sudden, rapid change of direction and focus) toward Asia and has more risk (a situation involving exposure to danger).  Unlike the first half, when America dominated (had a commanding influence on), in the second - Russia and China are making a presence felt (to have a strong effect).  "President Donald Trump has unveiled (made public) his premier national security strategy (a policy of action), a plan that promised to put America First by challenging leading competitors (rivals) Russia and China and confronting (facing up and dealing with) what he considered aggressions (behavior that is threatening) by other states, especially nuclear-armed North Korea.  Russia and China bit back (reacted angrily) Tuesday against Trump's charges that they 'challenge (dispute validity of) American power, influence and interests (economic and political concerns), attempting to erode (eat away by slow destruction of) American security and prosperity' and were 'determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data'.  'After looking through [the strategy], particularly the parts concerning our country, one can see the imperial (relating to an empire) nature of this document (an original or official paper), as well as unwillingness (reluctance) to abandon (cease to support) the unipolar world (a distribution of power in which one nation exercises most of the cultural, economic and military influence) idea and accept a multipolar world (a system in which power is distributed among three significant nations, concentrating wealth or military capabilities)', Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladmir Putin, told the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.  'We urge the U.S. side to stop deliberately (consciously and intentionally) distorting (pulling or twisting out of shape) China's strategic intentions (aims or purposes) and abandon such outdated (no longer current, obsolete) concepts as the Cold War mentality ("contesting our geopolitical advantages and trying to change the international order in their favor" - National Security Strategy) and the zero-sum game (a situation in which each country's gain or loss is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of other countries), otherwise it will only end up harming itself as well as others,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters. 

"Like Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping has placed his military high on his national agenda since coming in power in 2012.  Xi's massive defense reforms (amendments and improvements) have aimed to make the world's largest standing army into a 21st century world-class (among the best in the world) military built to fight.  China also has focused on projecting its military power in the waters of the Asia-Pacific.  China, which competes with the U.S. for the world's largest economy, also has launched an intercontinental (occurring between two or more continents) campaign (a planned group of economic activities) to reassert (make clear that you are still in a position of power) and expand historic trading routes (sea lanes used by merchant ships, or pathways used for the commercial transport of cargo).  The One Belt, One Road initiative (a process to achieve something) has produced plans for economic development and commerce (exchange of goods and commodities) across Asia and the Middle East, extending into Africa and Europe, as well.  As Xi looked abroad, however, an escalating (increase in extent) crisis (a time of intense trouble) between North Korea and the U.S. has threatened to bring widespread violence and instability (tendency to unpredictable behavior) to his doorstep.  While Trump has taken diplomatic shots (criticisms) at both Putin and Xi, no leader has been more frequently targeted (negative comments on policy) by the president than his young, millennial (a person reaching young adulthood in the 21st century) rival in North Korea.  [However] Russia and China teamed up for a five day, high-tech joint missile defense exercise (a war game which is an employment of military resources) that finished over the weekend and at least one Chinese commentator has said was intended to deter (prevent the occurrence of) any potential (expressing possibility of) U.S. military action.  NATO's latest Strategic Foresight Analysis report in September conceded (admit that something is true) that, 'As power is shifting away from the West toward Asia, the West's ability to influence the agenda (a list or outlines of things to be considered or done) on a global scale is expected to be reduced.' (Newsweek, December 21, 2017)."  However, "China has no interest in seeking world domination (a power structure in which a single political authority holds the power over virtually all the inhabitants of the planet)," Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to the United States, said.

America might consider pivoting (a change of direction) to a multipolar world.  It is not what the United States had experienced.  "Russia's armed forces conducted (organized and carried out) two drills (military exercises) Thursday on opposite sides (from one end to the other) of the massive Eurasian (European and Asian) nation's territory.  On the westernmost stretch (area) of Russian soil (territory of a nation), grenadiers (specialty trained military personnel) of Russia's Baltic Fleet Marines fired RPG-7 anti-tank (weapons to destroy a tank) and AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers (weapons that fire rifle grenades) at a mock (fake) 'illegal armed formation' Thursday at the Khmelevka training ground in Kalingrad, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.  The militarized Russian exclave (portion of a country entirely surrounded by a foreign territory) of Kaliningrad, which will reportedly see such exercises until the end of the month, lies isolated (separated) from the rest of the country by NATO states Lithuania and Poland.  More than 4500 miles (7242 kilometers) away, Russian warplanes bombarded (attacked with bombs) imitation (a thing intended to simulate something else) groups of soldiers and military equipment at a special training ground in Primorsky Krai, part of Russia's Eastern Military District, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.  The exercise included Sukhoi Su-25SM and Su-25UB fighter jets and Mil Mi-8AMTSh and Karnow Ka-50 helicopters (Newsweek, December 22, 2017)."  And, "Russia and China are planning 'enormous' (very large) and 'important' joint military events in their future, after a meeting in which the countries agreed on a military 'roadmap' (a detailed plan to guide progress toward a goal) until 2020.  'It is important that Russia and China are ready to defend the world with mutual efforts (comradery [the spirit of friendship and community in a group] together) and strengthen international security (mutual survival and safety),' Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told the Interfax news agency at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart (a person who holds the same political position) in Kazakhstan.  'Our experts have prepared a roadmap for development in the military sphere (area of activity) between Russia and China in the years 2017-2020,' Shoigu said, addressing journalist alongside Chinese General Chang Wanquan.  The Chinese general told Interfax that both countries were planning 'enormous, important events' but did not give further details on what these would entail. 

"He added, 'In recent years, under the personal guidance of our heads of state, the level of cooperation and trust between the armed forces of China and Russia have continuously increased.  The scope of our cooperation is constantly expanding and the trend of developing military cooperation have maintains a good trajectory (path, progression or line of development).'  Russia and China have sought to strengthen their political and military ties in recent years, as well as promote their jointly led alliance (a union formed for mutual benefit) known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, particularly among Central Asian states.  The 'Shanghai Five' is loosely aligned on political, economic and military issues and serves somewhat as a counterweight (an equivalent force) to NATO.  The two countries launched an eight day naval drill in the South China Sea last year.  The drill made annual joint-naval practices a recurring feature in Russia and China's military calendars after having conducted a joint drill in the Mediterranean Sea in the year prior (ibid)."  Russia is also gaining influence (the power to have an effect on people and things) in the Middle East.  "On the morning of January 11 [2017], Field Marshal (an officer of the highest rank) Khalifa Haftar climbed up the companionway (a set of steps leading from one deck [platform in a ship] to another) of an aircraft carrier floating off the Mediterranean port of Tobruk.  As a Marine band played (a professional musical organization) and an honor guard presented arms (military personnel assigned to ceremonial duty), an admiral in a white full-dress uniform greeted the Libyan strongman (the most powerful or influential man in an organization), who was a senior commander in the U.S.-backed rebel forces that ousted (drive out or expel from a position) the dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011.  After the welcoming ceremony, the 73-year-old Haftar, an American citizen who for many years lived in the United States, was escorted (accompanied by others) below decks for a secure video conference (people in different locations are able to communicate with each other in sound and vision) with the Middle East's most energetic (spirited, animated or vital) foreign power broker (a person able to exert strong influence).  The official topic was battling terrorists.  Haftar has close ties in Washington, but his hosts in January were not American.  Rather, he was aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, and his interlocutor (a person who took part in the conversation) was Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.  Like a growing number of leaders in the Middle East, Haftar has a new set of friends in Moscow.  After three decades on the sidelines (not being involved, taking part or participating), Russia is once again a major player (a leading figure or competitor) in the region (area or division).  In the last six months alone, the country has altered the course of the Syrian civil war and taken control of the peace process, forged (formed or made) a close relationship with Turkey's strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and has been courting (playing special attention to) traditional U.S. allies such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and even Israel. 

"And over the past two years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has received the leaders of Middle Eastern states twenty-five times - five more than former U.S. President Barack Obama, according to a Newsweek analysis (detailed examination and careful study) of presidential meetings.  Russia's return to the Middle East has proved a stunning (extremely impressive), sudden success - and a setback (a reversal or check in progress) to American power and prestige (widespread respect and admiration).  Up until recently the U.S. had no real diplomatic or military rival (one country competing with another country) in the Middle East.  Now, as Trump begins his presidency with promises of wiping out (complete or utter destruction of) ISIS, there are Russian planes in the air and troops on the ground in Syria; battleships off the coast of Libya; and Moscow's friends occupy - or are in line to occupy - presidential palaces from Tripoli to Damascus.  Anytime Trump makes a move in the Middle East, he'll have to ask himself - what will Putin think of this?  No other recent American president had that problem.  At the same time, Russia was also inserting (placing, fitting or thrusting) itself, steadily (in a controlled manner) and quietly, into the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.  Moscow's key (important or vital) ally was Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who earned a doctorate (the highest degree awarded at a graduate school) at the People's Friendship University in Moscow in the 1970s.  Abbas 'likes the Russians, he wants to please them,' says Ziad Abu Zayyad, a former Palestinian minister (government official) and negotiator (someone who tries to help two groups who disagree, reach an agreement).  When Putin visited Bethlehem during a 2012 trip to the West Bank, Abbas gave him a plot of land - now a Russian cultural center; that year, he named streets in Bethlehem and Jericho after Putin and his predecessor (someone who had a job or position before someone else), Dmitry Medvedev.  Running in parallel (occurring at the same time and having some connection) with these grand, public gestures of friendship is a quieter and constant diplomatic campaign in the region.  Spearheading (a leading element or influence in a development) Moscow's outreach (efforts to bring services or information to people) is a bespectacled (wearing eyeglasses), Arabic-speaking, 64-year-old career diplomat (official representing a country abroad) named Mikhail Bogdanov, who has been Putin's special envoy (messenger or representative) to the Middle East since 2012.  A former ambassador to Syria, Egypt and Israel, Bogdanov has played a key role (be involved [having a part] in a way that is important) in winning friends and influencing people, from Egypt's president and military strongman, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to Libya's Haftar.  America's steady disengagement (process of withdrawing from involvement) from the Middle East under Obama helped Bogdanov.  One unintended consequence (result or effect of an action) was to allow Bogdanov to strike deals (come to agreements) from Ramallah to Cairo and Benghazi, Libya.  'The nature of the Russian regime's foreign policy is extreme pragmatism (dealing with things sensibly and realistically), the absence of ideology (a system of ideas and ideals) and the attempt to deal with all the main players (most important and very influential people) in a region,' says Nikolay Kozhanov, former attache (a person on the staff of an ambassador) at Russia's embassy in Tehran, now with U.K. (United Kingdom) think tank (a group of experts providing advise and ideas) Chatham House.  'So this should be considered as the main principle of Russia's strategy and its main advantage in the Middle East.' 

"The Kremlin's unlikely new best friend is Turkey, a NATO member a centuries-old foe (opponent) of Russia.  Erdogan has turned to his 'friend Vladimir' [saying] 'without Russia it is impossible to find a solution to the problems in Syria,' in August [2016], in a Russian TV interview before visiting Putin in St. Petersburg.  'The axis (fixed reference line) of friendship between Moscow and Ankara will be restored.'  Erdogan has urged Turkish politicans to re-evaluate (consider or examine again) their 'fixation' (obsessive interest) with the EU (European Union) and instead consider joining the Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which Moscow also favors (approves of or supports).  In January, for the first time, Russian and Turkish warplanes participated in joint airstrikes against ISIS.  Cairo has long been a key military, intelligence (collection of information) and diplomatic partner for Washington.  While close ties with Washington have been maintained, Egypt has also acknowledged Moscow's new found status (position of affairs at a particular time) by hosting (opening up the country for a private event) an air drill (airborne military exercise) for Russia last year - the Kremlin's first such exercise in Africa (Newsweek, February 9, 2017)."  The S-400 missile system, according to Quora "is a far more capable system than the [American] MIM-104, in both anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missiles roles.  The MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 has 35 km (21 miles) range against ballistic missiles, versus the often quoted 400 km (248 miles) range for the S-400 (September 11, 2014)."  "The S-400 Triumf air defense missile system is the best in the world.  Now, according to RT, China will be receiving their shipment (a large amount of goods sent).  'Moscow has begun the delivery of the S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems to China under the 2014 contract, Tass said, citing a source (a person who provides information) in the military cooperation system.  The implementation (process of putting a decision or plan into effect) of the contract has begun, the first shipment has been sent to China, the source said on Thursday.'  The S-400 missile system is an evolution of the S-300 and has been in service with the Russian military since 2007.  The missile system is deployed (bring into effective action) in key regions throughout Russia such as Crimea, and also Moscow and Kaliningrad.  The shipment reportedly includes a control station, a radar station, energy and support equipment, spare parts, various tools and other elements of the S-400 system (RussiaFeed, January 19, 2018)."  Supposedly (generally assumed or believed), a Russian Su-27 jet flew within five feet (1.5 meters) of a U.S. Navy surveillance (close observation) plane.  "'This interaction (reciprocal action) was determined to be unsafe due to the Su-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3's flight path (actual or planned course of an aircraft), causing the EP-3 to fly though the Su-27's jet wash (wake turbulence [disturbance in the atmosphere] that forms behind an aircraft),' Captain Pamela Kunze, a spokesperson for the U.S. naval Forces Europe told CNN.  The Russian Defense Ministry said its fighter jet flew 'strictly in accordance (in a way that agrees or follows) with international rules' when it intercepted (obstuct so as to prevent them from continuing to a destination) the U.S. surveillance plane. 

"In a statement, the Defense Ministry said that an 'unidentified air target' (an aircraft that has not been determined to be hostile, friendly or neutral) was detected (discovered or notice the presence of) approaching Russian airspace (air available to aircraft to fly in, subject to the jurisdiction of a particular country) at about midday over the neutral waters (internal waters of a neutral state) of the Black Sea.  'A Su-27 fighter was sent to intercept the target and approached the aircraft at a safe distance and identified it as an ER-3E U.S. reconnaissance (sent on a primary survey to gain information) aircraft.  The crew of the fighter jet reported the identification of the American reconnaissance aircraft and accompanied (go with) it, preventing it from violating (doing something that is not allowed) Russian airspace, observing (watching and listen to carefully) all necessary security measures (taken as a precaution against dangerous situations).  The entire flight of the Russian Su-27 was strictly in accordance (done the way the system says it should be done) with international rules for the use of airspace and there were no extraordinary events (unusual, infrequent, unforeseen and atypical in nature),' the statement added (CNN, January 29, 2018)."  Russia borders (is on the edge of) the Black Sea, and might consider it to be their "backyard" (a territory close to a particular country).  Russians have done the same thing - put military aircraft 80.5 kilometers (fifty miles) off the California coast.  Finding common ground (shared interests, beliefs or opinions between two countries, which disagree about most other subjects), before things escalate (get out of hand - grow, develop or mushroom [spread, boom or snowball]) into Cold War II - which is a colossal (an excessively large) waste of time and money - is mandatory (obligatory, required, necessary, essential and imperative).  "Chief of the Russian General Staff General Valery Gerasimov and U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman discussed on Monday (February 19) prospects of bilateral relations (political, economic or cultural ties between two countries) in the military sector (area), the Russian Defense Ministry said.  It said Gerasimov and Huntsman 'exchanged views on the situation in the security sphere (activity or interest), as well as views on the current state (present set of circumstances) and prospects for bilateral relations in the military sphere,' the ministry said.  Jon Huntsman spoke in favor of more active contacts (dialogue) between Washington and Moscow, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said on Monday.  'There is obviously a low level of trust (confidence placed in persons) between our two countries.  It is precisely (exactly) at moments like these (things that are happening here and now), when more communications are needed, not less,' it quoted the U.S. diplomat as saying.  The embassy also said 'they discussed Ukraine, Syria, Strategic Stability (used during the Cold War in terms of deterrence [maintenance of military power for the purpose of discouraging attack]), Afghanistan, and the DPRK (North Korea)' (TASS News, February 19, 2018)."

Gallup did a poll (survey of public opinion).  "More people in the world approved of China's leadership than U.S. leadership in 2017, according to a Gallup poll released on Thursday (January 18).  The Gallup World Poll survey found the median (average) approval of U.S. leadership at only 30%, trailing (behind) the 31% for China.  And disapproval of U.S. leadership climbed (go upward with continuous progress).  The 43% median disapproval, fifteen points higher from the previous year, set a record as well, not only for the U.S. but for any other major global power that Gallup has asked about in the past decade.  Comparatively, China boasts an edge (have an effective quality) with its worldwide disapproval rating of only 30%.  The U.S. approval rating suffered most in its own neighborhood (area or district), the Americas, where the ratings dropped to a new low.  Approval of U.S. leadership plummeted (steep or rapid fall or drop) in every country in the region in 2017.  Only a median 24% approved of U.S. leadership, while a whopping (very large) 58% disapproved of U.S. leadership.  Comparatively, China performed better with 28% approval and 35% disapproval in the Americas.  'We've gone from being the principal preserver (keeping safe) of the world order (a system controlling events in the world) such as it was - now we've become something of a principal disruptor (cause disorder or turmoil in),' said Hass (Richard Hass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations - China Watch, January 19, 2018)."  With its One Belt One Road Initiative, China is constructing a massive (exceptionally large) multi-national (including or involving several countries) zone (area, sector or territory) of economic and political influence.  However, "U.S. President Donald Trump inspires less trust around the world than many other international leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, according to a new global survey.  The poll of people in twenty-five countries found that just 27% of all respondents (a person who is called upon to issue a response to a communication made by another), on average, have confidence in Trump to 'do the right thing in world affairs'.  Xi Jinping scored 34% and Vladimir Putin, 30%.  The survey was conducted among 26,112 respondents in twenty-five countries from May 20 to August 12 by the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan (lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias toward, a political party) Washington-based think tank (a body of experts providing advice and ideas on specific political or economic problems - CNN, October 2, 2018)."  

Yet, President Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland on January 26, 2018.  "Like all nations represented at this great forum (a medium where ideas and views can be exchanged), America hopes for a future which everyone can prosper (be successful) and every child can grow up free from violence, poverty and fear.  Over the past year, we have made extraordinary strides (above and beyond what was expected) in the U.S.  We're lifting up forgotten communities, creating exciting new opportunities (possibility of doing things), and helping every American find their path to the American dream (a happy way of living).  The dream of a great job, a safe home and a better life for their children.  I believe in America.  As president of the United States I will always put America first just like the leaders of other countries should put their country first also.  But America first does not mean America alone.  The drive for excellence (being outstanding), creativity and innovation (new methods, ideas or products) in the U.S. has led to important discoveries (finding things for the first time) that help people everywhere live more prosperous and far healthier lives.  We must invest (expend effort) in our people.  When people are forgotten the world becomes fractured (broken, cracked or ruptured).  Only by hearing and responding to the voices of the forgotten can we create a bright future (destined to be happy and successful) that is truly shared by all.  The nation's greatness (deeds of people that make this world a better place) is more than the sum of its production (process of manufacturing) - a nation's greatness is the sum of its citizens, the values, pride (sense of achievement), love, devotion and character of the people who call that nation home (relating to a place where one lives).  From my first international G-7 summit (meeting between heads of government) to the G20, to the U.N. General Assembly, to APEC, to the World Trade Organization and today at the the World Economic Forum, my administration has not only been present but has driven our message (piece of information) that we are all stronger when free, sovereign (power of a state to do everything to govern itself) nations cooperate towards shared goals and they cooperate toward shared dreams.  Each of you has the power to change hearts (move to a different opinion or attitude), transform lives (positively alter a person's life or circumstances in a substantial way) and shape your country's destinies (future and fate)." 

He also said some things in State of the Union address, January 30, 2018.  "Tonight I call upon all of us to set aside our differences (disparities, deviations or gaps), to seek out common ground (opinions or interests shared), and to summon the unity we need.  In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy (government by many bureaus, administrators and petty officials), are the center of the American life.  Our motto (maxim, saying or proverb) is In God We Trust.  The United States is a compassionate (feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others) nation.  We are proud that we do more than any other country to help the needy, the struggling (those having difficulty handling or coping with issues in life) and the underprivileged (those deprived through adverse social or economic conditions) all over the world.  But as President of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion and my constant concern is for America's children, America's struggling workers and America's forgotten communities.  I want our youth to grow up (advance to maturity) to achieve (successfully reach) great things.  Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight.  Near Raqqa last November, Justin and his comrade (fellow soldier in arms), Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, were on a mission to clear buildings (make safe) that ISIS had rigged (set up) with explosives so that civilians could return to the city.  Clearing  the second floor of a vital (an absolutely necessary) hospital, Kenton Stacy was severely wounded by an explosion.  Immediately, Justin bounded (a leaping movement forward) into the booby-trapped (concealed explosive devices contrived to go off when some harmless-looking object is touched) building and found Kenton in bad shape.  He applied pressure to the wound and performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).  Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas.  It was that yearning (a feeling of intense longing for something) for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave birth to a special place called America.  It was a small cluster (group) of colonies (an area controlled by a country, located far away from it) caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness.  But it was home to an incredible (extraordinary) people with a revolutionary (involving or causing a complete or dramatic change) idea - that they could rule themselves.  [These are the] memorials (statements of fact) to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga - to young Americans who shed their blood on the shores of Normandy.  And others, who went down in the waters of the Pacific.  A people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all around us - defending hope.  As long as we are proud of who we are, and what we are fighting for, there is nothing we cannot achieve.  As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens and trust in our God, we will not fail." 

There are American military sites around the world.  "About half of the U.S.' Special Operations forces are deployed (positioned, stationed or placed) in the war-torn (racked or devastated by war) Middle East and South Asia, down from 85% a decade ago.  Demand is growing for them elsewhere, especially in Africa.  At any given moment, 8000 of the country's most elite forces (military or paramilitary units trained to carry out special operations), including Navy SEALs. Army Delta Force, Army Special Forces and others, are operating around the globe.  In 2001, that number was 2900.  So far in 2017, the service members (soldiers) have deployed to 143 countries, or nearly three-quarters of the nations in the world.  Africa in particular has seen a dramatic expansion of the Special Operations presence.  Over the past year, the Pentagon has moved more than 15% of its Special Operations forces to assist relatively small, poorly equipped African militaries, up from 1% in 2006.  Where a decade ago the U.S. had special operators (forces using unconventional methods and resources) sporadically (occasionally or at irregular intervals) deployed on the continent, it now has 1200 dedicated (devoted effort to a particular task or purpose) to about a dozen countries there.  The expanding global deployments, violent or otherwise, can be successful, if underappreciated (failing to value highly enough).  In Colombia, special operators helped defeat the decades-long FARC insurgency (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia - the oldest and largest group among Columbia's left-wing rebels) that had turned the country into a near failed state (a political body that has disintegrated) and a source of much of the world's cocaine trade.  In the Philippines, commandos (soldiers trained to carry out raids [surprise attack by a small force]) helped suppress (forcibly put an end to) a long running (continuing for a long time) Islamist insurgency.  Last summer, commandos were dispatched (send off or away with promptness or speed) to the Syrian city of Tal Abyad, near the Turkish border, to resolve (settle or find a solution to) dangerous, mounting tensions (situations or conditions of hostility, suspense or uneasiness) between Turkish and Kurdish forces - sworn enemies that are both U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS (Time, December 11, 2017)."  On January 2, 2020, Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and five others were killed in a U.S. drone strike (an attack by an unmanned combat aerial vehicle) at the Baghdad airport.  What an entrance into the Last Days.  "Soleimani had overseen a network of paramilitaries (groups of civilians organized in a military fashion), militias (a military force raised to supplement a regular army in an emergency) and terrorist groups across the Middle East and beyond that furthered Iranian interests by often undermining those of the United States and its allies.  The Pentagon, for instance, had linked him to the introduction into Iraq of sophisticated roadside bombs (an explosive device placed at the side of a road and detonated when the target passes) that killed hundreds of U.S. troops and wounded thousands more during the peak of fighting there in mid-2000s (U.S.A. Today, January 6, 2020)."  back to top

The Big Three in the world today.  There are three great nations in the world today - nations that other nations, such as those in the Middle East, should not consider (think carefully about before making a decision) attacking - Russia, China and the United States.  To declare war (a formal declaration) on one of the nations may be suicidal (likely to have a damaging effect on one's interests).  That said, none of the three has a desire for world domination (a single political authority who holds power over virtually [nearly, almost] all the inhabitants of planet Earth), as of 2020.  The greatest challenge of the 21st century is for these three nations to work together (on a shared goal, you collaborate [working jointly with others] as you brainstorm [a spontaneous group discussion to produce ideas], create and share possible solutions) to confront the dire (extremely serious or urgent) challenge of weapons of mass destruction, or else it's lights out (when the lights shall be switched off).  WMD refers to a weapon with the capacity (maximum amount produced) to inflict death and destruction on such a massive scale (involving many people) and so indiscriminately (done at random [chosen without method] or without careful judgment) that's its very presence (a thing of a visible or concrete nature) in the hands of a hostile power (harassing conduct of a nation which becomes sufficiently severe) can be considered a grievous threat (to be reasonably in fear of bodily harm or death).  Other issues include worldwide refugees (persons who have forced to flee their country).  According to the UN Refugee Agency, there are over 25,000,000 refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18.  One person is forcibly displaced (forced movement of people from their locality [neighborhood, district or region]) every two seconds, as a result of conflict for persecution. 

There was a day when America could do it all by itself (without help from other entities, organizations or institutions).  But with a national debt approaching $25 trillion - this means that 25,000,000 brand new (something that has never been done) millionaires could be created in the U.S.A. with the debt - America no longer has as much internal strength (integrity of character, resoluteness of will and mental resistance to doubt or discouragement) as before.  It doesn't have the money.   Other issues preventing America from doing enough () include the political parties at each other's throats (fighting or arguing) on a continual basis ().  Plus: the drugs, the sex and the crime which pervade (spread through it and are present in every part of) America today prevent it from being a force for good (action defined by a genuine concern with others), as much as it could be.  Philip Alston, United Nations special rapporteur (a person appointed by an organization to make a report) on extreme poverty and human rights, wrote: "I met with many people barely surviving on Skid Row () in Los Angeles.  I witnessed a San Francisco police officer telling a group a homeless people to move on (), but having no answer when asked where they could move to.  I heard how thousands of poor people get minor infraction notices () which seem to be intentionally designed () to explode into unpayable debt (), incarceration () and the replenishment () of municipal coffers ().  I saw sewage-filled yards () in states where governments don't consider sanitation facilities () to be their responsibility.  I saw people who had lost all their teeth because adult dental care is not covered by the vast majority of programs available to the very poor.  I heard about soaring death rates () and family and community destruction wrought () by opioids."  There are weaknesses (qualities or features [distinctive attributes] regarded as a disadvantage or fault [being unattractive or unsatisfactory]) in the American system. 

"When universal international rules () are replace by laws; administrative and judicial mechanisms () of a single country or a group of influential states (), like the U.S. is now doing by extending its influence over the whole world - such model () contradicts not only the logic () of international communications () and the realities of an emerging () multi-polar world, but more importantly - it doesn't fit the tasks () of humanity's future (Vladimir Putin, St. Petersburg International Forum, June 7, 2019)."  America's supremacy is slipping ().  "Doom () has burst forth (), the rod () has budded (), arrogance has blossomed ( - from Ezekiel)."  Pride () has reduced () America to being a player (), along with Russia and China, as of 2020.  "The Slava-class missile cruiser ‘Marshal Ustinov’ of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet has arrived at one of the world’s southernmost ports, South Africa’s Cape Town.  It will take part in a joint exercise () also involving China.  The cruiser and two support ships reached South Africa’s co-capital () after an almost five-month, 25,500-nautical mile (47,200 km) voyage from its home base in Severomorsk.  The flotilla () made stops in Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Cape Verde and Equatorial Guinea, and took part in several sea exercises before reaching its South African destination on Sunday.  The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China has dispatched the Type 054A frigate Weifang for the joint exercise while the South African Navy will be represented by the Valour class frigate Amatola.  The MOSI maneuvers (), the first ever involving the three nations, are scheduled to kick off on Monday next week and last till early December (RT, November 24, 2019)."  Don't ever let Russia and China get together, Trump said at a rally () in 2016.  back to top

 For God and country.  "Nine years, seven months, and twenty days after September 11, an American was a trigger pull from ending bin Laden's life.  The first round, a 5.56mm bullet, struck bin Laden in the chest.  As he fell backward, the SEAL fired a second round in his head, just above his left eye.  On his radio, he reported, 'For God and country - Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo (The New Yorker, August 1, 2011)."  The attitude toward God and country has changed over the years.  "Although the separation of Church and State is essential to both religious and personal freedoms in America, the concept of 'God and country' working in unison (simultaneous performance) is also very important if America is to survive long-term as a nation of ethics (Godandcountry.org)."  A U.S. ambassador to Iraq: "I've changed hearts and minds here.  Now I honestly believe that."  There have been questions about the concept.  Army Recruiters Forced to Remove "God and Country" Poster: "The U.S. Army is upset at several Phoenix recruiters for having put up a poster outside their office that said the Army is 'on a mission for both God and country' (LibertyNews)."  However, a U.S. Marine serving in Afghanistan said this: "A Marine fights so others can have the opportunity to make a difference."  Actor James Stewart, who made many American western films in the 1950s, was asked, in 1980, about duty to God and country, which is in the American Boy Scout Oath and Scout Law.  In his youth, he had been an Eagle Scout: "To God and my country.  Duty to God - means a lot more than saying a prayer every time you need a favor (do a service for).  A lot more.  Duty to God is simply that voluntary gesture (sign, indication) you must make and remake a million times in your lifetime as a statement of your recognition (special notice or attention) that there is Someone above this universe who watches over this universe and to whom each of us is a favorite son [or daughter].  Duty to God is a lifetime thank you note our hearts send out in appreciation for the life that has been loaned to us here on earth (Scouting Magazine, October 1980)."  Some may adopt (to take up and use) the American Cross as a "God and country" Cross, but mostly it speaks of things to come.  back to top

 Defying repression.  A 313 meter cross may be thought of as having some memorial overtones (suggestions, connotations).  Major General Graves Erskine, at the dedication (a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose) of the Third Marine Division Cemetery at Iwo Jima in 1945, said: "There is talk of the greatest fight in our history, or unheard-of (not known to existed or happened before) sacrifice and unheard-of courage.  Victory was never in doubt.  Its cost was.  Let the world count our crosses."  The cross could be looked upon as a tribute (something that is said or done to show respect) to the dead in America's wars, going back to the Revolution of 1776.  President Obama said on Memorial Day, 2015: "Honor, courage, selflessness - those values lived in the hearts of everyday heroes who risked everything for us in every American war - men and women who now rest forever in these quiet fields [of Arlington National Cemetery] and across our land."  Arlington West, located in Santa Barbara, California, has put over 3000 wooden crosses on a beach in the sand on Sundays gone past.  These were intended to resemble and represent traditional military grave markers, to honor American soldiers who died in Iraq.  The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France honors soldiers with over 9000 white marble crosses as markers (that which serves to identify).  "The cemetery is located on a bluff (a cliff, headland or hill with a broad, steep face) overlooking Omaha Beach (one of the landing beaches of the Normandy Invasion) and the English Channel.  It covers 70 hectares (172 acres) and contains the remains of 9387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing (being the one that comes immediately after another) military operations in World War II.  Included are graves of Army Air Corps crews shot down over France as early as 1942 and three American women (Wikipedia)."  The World War I, St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial in France, near Paris, contains the graves of 4153 of U.S. military dead, with white marble crosses as markers.  On August 24, 2008 a 9/11 Cross was erected at Shanksville, Pennsylvania where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed, to honor the over 3000 dead on September 11, 2001.  Hundred of motorcyclists, many of them current or retired New York firefighters, made a trip from Brooklyn, N.Y. to be there for the dedication.  It is a War on Terror memorial cross fashioned out of steel from the World Trade Center North Tower, 4.3 meters (14 feet) high, with a concrete base shaped like the Pentagon.  It symbolizes a 21st century struggle of civilization vs. chaos (a state in which everything is out of order).

 Heaven.  "This is a very sobering (serious and thoughtful) time for ecclesiastically (relating to the Christian church) minded Americans.  At a steadily growing rate, more and more Americans - especially the young - claim no religious affiliation (associated as a member).  The figure has climbed from 15% to 20% of all Americans in the past five years.  Pew researchers call the trend nones on the rise (Time, March 25, 2013)."  Since organized religion believes it has the answers, what are its solutions to this dilemma (predicament)?  Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon (a doctor of nerves, brain and spinal cord), wrote a cover article for Newsweek.  In it, he recounts (tells) an adventure, while in a coma (a temporary or permanent state of unconsciousness) for seven days, of a near-death experience.  "I was in a place of clouds.  Big, puffy, pink-white ones that showed up sharply against the deep blue-black sky.  Higher than the clouds - immeasurably (incapable of being measured) higher - flocks of transparent, shimmering (shooting forth bursts of light) beings arched (turn away from a straight line - a curved path) across the sky, leaving long, streamerlike (like a strand of moss, or a long hanging hatband) lines behind them.  Birds?  Angels?  These words registered (perceived, comprehended) later, when I was writing down my recollections (bringing back to mind).  But neither of these words do justice to the 'beings' themselves, which were simply quite different from anything I have known on this planet (October 15, 2012)."  Three weeks later, he wrote again in Newsweek:

"At around five o'clock on the morning of November 10, 2008, I awoke with early symptoms of what proved to be an extremely severe case of bacterial meningitis (inflammation of membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord).  As I wrote here three weeks ago, and I narrate in my book Proof of Heaven, over the next several hours my entire cerebral cortex (the outer layer of the brain composed of folded gray matter and playing an important role in consciousness) shut down.  The part of my brain responsible for the higher neurological (the nervous system) functions went every bit as dark as the lower portion of New York City did during Hurricane Sandy.  So when I announced to the world that during my seven days of coma I not only remained fully conscious but journeyed to a stunning (causing astonishment) world of beauty and peace and unconditional love, I know I was stirring up a very volatile (likely to become dangerous) pot."  Even children can have an NDE.  "She (a nurse at a hospital in the interior of the United States) said that one of her young patients had a cardiac arrest (a heart attack) and nearly died.  The resuscitation (the bringing back of someone to a conscious state) was plagued (hampered, burdened) with technical problems which ultimately rendered (caused to be, made) the machinery on the crash cart (a set of trays, drawers and shelves on wheels) useless.  Yet just as the resuscitation team was giving up, the patient came back.  That evening he was angry.  He said he was 'having fun in heaven', and that he didn't want to return.  'But I saw this light and it told me I had to come back.'  She thought he was delirious (not able to think or speak clearly).  She assured him that it was the doctors that made him come back, not a talking light that he saw in his dreams.  'You're wrong,' insisted the boy.  'The machine they were trying to use wasn't plugged in.'  She checked the cords on the crash cart and discovered he was right (Transformed by the Light)."  back to top

 Conclusion.  This is a rendition (furnishing for consideration) of what we may look forward to when we are dead.  "Emily Kelly is a psychologist who works at the University of Virginia's Division of Perceptual Studies, which treats the study of NDEs as [a] legitimate science.  Her resume (set of accomplishments) is impressive - she has degrees from Duke [University], the University of Virginia and the University of Edinburgh - not institutions one usually associated with the study of the supernatural or paranormal.  Kelly has spent her career researching, as she puts it, 'the interface (a place where independent systems meet) between the brain and the mind.'  Practically speaking, she interviews dying people and tries to find patterns among their similarities.  Kelly believes the experiences of people who have had near-death visions demonstrate that consciousness exists even after normal brain function ceases.  This theory, she argues, could suggest explanations for the afterlife: 'If our conscious experience totally depends on the brain, then there can't be an afterlife - when the brain is gone, the mind is gone.  But it's not that simple.  Even when the brain seem to be virtually disabled (severe or permanent injury), people are still having these experiences.'  (Visions of Heaven)"  Melvin Morse, M.D., who wrote Transformed by the Light, is a pediatrician (a doctor who treats babies and children).  He talks of a change in thinking: "I have often been asked why I am so interested in near-death studies.  I did not always feel this way.  When I first heard of near-death experiences, I thought they were just hallucinations (a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality) generated by medication or lack of oxygen.  I, like most of my peers (one belonging to the same social group), thought they were some sort of psychological defense mechanism (an often unconscious mental process that makes possible compromise solutions) designed to soothe (relieve, alleviate) the fear of dying."  He then speaks of people who had a brush with death (a time or situation when someone was very close to dying).  "There were people who had nearly drowned and those who had been struck by speeding automobiles.  A couple had been clobbered (hit very hard) into comas by baseball bats (a smooth wooden or metal club).  One was even struck in the ear by lightning as she spoke on the telephone during a thunderstorm.  They had nearly died in very different ways.  After talking with them, I realized they had one important thing in common.  They were transformed.  Virtually (almost entirely) everyone to whom I spoke had little or no fear of death." 

He continues: "NDEs are not like hallucinations we know of, nor are they akin (having qualities in common) to drug induced (cause or bring about) hallucinations, schizophrenia (a psychiatric disorder characterized by a withdrawal from reality), anesthetic (a substance that induces insensitivity to pain) reactions or dreams.  The near-death experience is a logical and orderly (following a set method, arrangement or pattern) event.  One woman explained it (her NDE) best when she said that it was not like a light that you see with your eyes.  'It wasn't God, but it wasn't not God either.'  The significance (the quality or state of being important) of these results is that visions of light or near-death experiences result in lowered death anxiety."  So what about the bits and pieces (an assortment of small items) of newspaper, magazine articles and books that have been reprinted (print again) on this web page.  Does fair use allow non-profits to reproduce small parts of these on their websites.  We believe it constitutes (establishes, creates, justifies) a fair use of such copyrighted material as provided in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law.  In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material (something used for, or made the object of, consideration or study) on this site is distributed to those who have an interest in receiving information for educational purposes.  Cornell University Law School quoted from the copyright law contained in Title 17, Section 107: "The fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies of phonorecords (a material object that embodies sound, such as a CD or cassette tape) or by any other means specified (to name or state explicitly or in detail) by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement (a failure to uphold the requirements of law, duty or obligation) of copyright." 

When it comes to fair use: "The first factor is regarding whether the use in question helps to stimulate (to excite to activity) creativity (the skill and imagination to create new things) for the enrichment (betterment, improvement, upgrading) of the general public.  The Zapruder film of the assassination (to murder a prominent person by sudden or secret attack) of President Kennedy, for example, was purchased and copyrighted by Time magazine.  Yet its copyright was not upheld (judged valid, let stand), in the name of public interest (welfare or well-being of the general public), when it tried to enjoin (to prevent someone from doing something) the reproduction of stills (photographs) from the film in a history book.  The practical effect (a condition traceable to a cause) of the fair use doctrine is that a number of conventional (accepted, used or practiced by most people) uses of copyrighted works are not considered infringing.  For instance (as an example), quoting from a copyrighted work in order to comment (analyzing, criticizing or explaining a subject) upon it is considered a fair use.  On September 12, 2007 the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a group representing companies including Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and other high-tech companies, released a study that found that fair use exceptions to U.S. copyright laws were responsible for more than $4.5 trillion in annual revenue for the United States economy representing one-sixth of the total U.S. GDP (gross domestic product).  'As the United States economy becomes increasingly knowledge-based, the concept of fair use can no longer be discussed and legislated in the abstract (in a general way, without references to specific instances - dealing with or expressing a quality or idea),' said Ed Black, President and CEO of CCIA.  'Much of the unprecedented economic growth of the past ten years can actually be credited to the doctrine of fair use, as the internet itself depends on the ability to use content in a limited and unlicensed (not having an official license) manner.'  Fair use is a right granted to the public on all copyrighted work.  Fair use rights take precedence (prior in time, order, arrangement or significance) over the author's interest (Wikipedia)."  Being able to talk about big, puffy, pink-white clouds in paradise, and the fact that one in five Americans now claim no religious identity, to back up what is said with what others have said, is important.

And so begins an ethics (the code of good conduct) debate (a careful weighing of reasons for or against something), concerning a spiritual landmark (a real or imaginary point beyond which a person shouldn't go), among the intellectual elites (people considered by others, or usually themselves, to be the best in a particular society) trained in our most famous seminaries (schools for training religious leaders), far removed from abused and neglected children turned violent, suicidal veterans, or those wallowing in despair (getting stuck in the rut of feeling sorry for yourself) after being hit by a natural or Man-made disaster.  On September 11, 2001, a piece of the World Trade Center's North Tower, a seventeen foot tall cross-section of steel I-beams, fell into the shell of a nearby office building (design and construction of a base building only, leaving a range of construction and fit-out works to be completed).  It tilted about fifteen degrees, its horizontal bar (a steel bar parallel to level ground) draped with insulation like a shroud (something that covers).  "He had just helped pull three bodies from the rubble when he saw it there in dawn's first light, standing in a sea of debris (the remains of something down or destroyed).  A heavenly symbol in a hellish setting.  A cross.  Exhausted and traumatized by his labors, the man dropped to his knees in tears.  'It was a sign that God hadn't deserted us,' Frank Silecchia recalled."  Each weekend, for sometime, many came to see the I-beam cross.  "There were people of all religions and none.  The cross' image appeared around the world on lapel pins (a small pin worn on clothing), knickknacks (a small object displayed for its attractiveness), posters and tattoos (a mark or figure fixed upon the body by insertion of pigment under the skin).  Replica (exact reproductions) pendants went into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Silecchia says that in the days after 9/11, people were drawn to the cross not as a symbol, but something else - a sign that somehow, death, even the death of almost 3000 innocents - was not the final word.  'My cross is not a symbol of religion,' he says.  'It's a symbol of faith.' (U.S.A. Today, May 14, 2014)" 

It has been said that this web page meanders, that is, follows a winding (following a twisting course) and intricate (something that makes a situation more complicated) path.  The truth is that for almost a half a billion dollar project, issues should be discussed.  The web page goes into a lot of depth and detail, because the monument is big.  Something this large has to be explained.  And it cannot be explained other than a detailed account.  "Human love, between friends and spouses (a person to whom another is married) and especially between parents and children, is often cited (quoted) as the best metaphor (an elaborate way of expressing something) for God's enduring and supernatural love for humankind.  And if that is true, if God is love and heaven is where God lives, then the love between people - and the striving (make great effort) to be kind in spite of our impulses toward selfishness - is where heaven can sometimes be found even amid the busy, anxious (feelings of uncertainty toward) chores of life.  If I'm quiet enough, I (Lisa Miller) can sometimes feel what it might be like in heaven - a place of overwhelming (very great in amount) eternal joy and love beyond the reach of a skeptic's (a person who often questions everything) doubts (Visions of Heaven)."  A goal of the project is to make sure you get into paradise when you are dead.  The idea for the concept (something conceived in the mind) began with an erratic (deviating from what is ordinary or standard) Pentecostal clergyman (a person ordained for service in a church).  At a church ceremony (a formal act), he initiated (to cause the beginning of) a satanic attack using the black arts (the use of supernatural powers for evil or selfish purposes) to trash (cause damage to) a needy parishioner's (a person who goes to a particular local church) life.  "If he 'invoked demons', he practiced witchcraft (Deliverance Center, January 26, 2000)."  "When people turn to evil forces by way of a joke (not done seriously), when they praise them and flirt (behave as though attracted) with them, it reflects on the fate (events beyond someone's control) of the person because it teaches him that evil is acceptable (Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin, October 2003)."  The reaction of organized religion in the United States varied from a lack of interest (callous indifference) to - for a few - firm (strongly felt and unlikely to change) devotion (love, loyalty or enthusiasm  for a person, activity or cause) to the pastor.  No righteous indignation (anger over the mistreatment, insult or malice of another individual) against the use of black satanic power within the church system.  Those who would turn a blind eye (to ignore unpleasant information), could also be held accountable (responsible for what they do). 

The Grim Reaper is "Death with a capital D", neither ghost nor god, but a psychopomp (a guide to the afterlife for those who won't get paradise).  Playing games an American evangelical church likes to play may get you a free ticket to hell.  The Reaper will wait patiently in the shadows (a place of concealment that often suggests an evil intent) - and come for each in the end.  A different church in Florida caused the death of twenty-four innocent Muslim people in Afghanistan, due to a burning of the Quran.  They burned things like this: "It is utterly (absolutely) against reason and justice that the good and the bad, the obedient and the disobedient, the oppressor and the oppressed, should be made equal ultimately (finally, in the end).  Just as you did not become living of your own accord, but became living by Our power, so you do not die of your own accord, but die when We send death upon you.  And a time is certainly coming when you will all be gathered together.  You may not believe in this because of your ignorance (lack of knowledge or information) today, but the time will come when you will see it yourself.  You will be presented before God and your whole book of conduct (the manner in which a person behaves) will be laid open bearing evidence against each of your misdeeds (acts that are bad - improper behavior that is just plain wrong).  Then you will come to know how dearly (with much loss or suffering, at great cost) your denial (refusing the truth or reality of something unpleasant) of the Hereafter (in some future time or state) and your mockery (contemptuous [not liking or respecting something] action) of it cost (loss or penalty to) you."  Denying the Hereafter refers to those who pretend (speak and act so as to make it appear that something is the case, when in fact it is not) that nothing exists beyond the grave (a place of burial for a dead body).  This is from Surah 45, Al-Jathiya, Malik Al-Qur'an translation.  Why burn that?  And plus, former Senator John Edwards, a born again, has an affair with a campaign aide (an assistant to a politician) while running for President of the United States, while his wife was stricken (afflicted or overwhelmed) with cancer.  He fathers a daughter through the campaign aide, asks another aide to get a doctor to "fake" the DNA results, and lies about the paternity (being a father of a child) for almost two years.  And so the wife dies, in part, because Edwards lied to her.  In certain cases (an instance of a particular situation), the church unleashes (releases, unchains, discharges) torment (a source which causes great suffering and unhappiness) on the unsuspecting (a person not aware of the presence of danger).  Then they are told to forgive. 

"Any time a person is abused (a corrupt practice or custom) or harassed (annoyed or bothered in a constant or repeated way), it is wrong.  And it's even more alarming (worrying or disturbing) when abusers (persons who use someone for a bad purpose) leverage (conniving [sneaky and up to no good] used to achieve a desired result) positions of power (assumed authority or influence a person holds over others) as opportunities to prey (a policy of easily harming or affecting in a bad way) on people (Daniel Fusco, author of Upward, Inward, Outward)."  Parts of the church, in the 21st century, are dirty (morally unclean or corrupt).  It should purge (to remove a problem from a sphere of influence) itself, and become what it has the potential (capable of development into actuality) to be.  Then, its best years are ahead (in a forward direction).  In the words of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, to "make respective (relating separately to each of several people) contributions to the magnificent (great in deed or exalted in place) goal of constructing a community of shared destiny (something that may happen to a collective of people) for mankind."  If China can adopt (choose to take as one's own) a political message of hope, why cannot organized religion adopt a spiritual message of hope to suit (be convenient for or acceptable to) the pressures (stressful situations) of the 21st century?  America means ever powerful in battle.  Cross means an affliction (distress, agony, anguish, pain or misery) that tries one's patience.  So, in the Book of Revelation, the ever powerful One in battle will cause an affliction that tries one's patience, leading to a new heaven (the expanse of air surrounding the earth) and a new earth (the celestial body on which we live).  Betty Malz had complications (problems that make a disease or condition more dangerous or harder to treat) from acute appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix [a pouch on the colon with no known purpose]), while at Union Hospital of Terre Haute, Indiana in 1959. 

"My memory of the late-afternoon crisis and the rest of that day is blurred (not clear or distinct).  Dimly I recall a crowded room, slipping into a coma (a state of profound unconsciousness), then coming out of it.  I was vaguely (in a way that is uncertain) aware that my parents left my hospital room first, John (the husband) sometime later, that Nurse Barton watched me closely before she went off duty, that a young nurse's aide was in and out of my room during the night.  It must have been sometime around 5:00 a.m. when my bodily functions apparently stopped, much as they had earlier in the day.  Only this time there was no one at my bedside to call for the emergency equipment.  The transition (a passage from one state or place to another) was serene (calm and untroubled) and peaceful.  I was walking up a beautiful green hill.  It was steep, but my leg motion was effortless and a deep ecstasy (a feeling of great happiness) flooded my body.  Despite three incisions (surgical cuts) in my body from the operations, I stood erect (rigidly upright or straight) without pain.  I looked down.  I seemed to be barefoot (wearing nothing on the feet), but the complete outer shape of my body was a blur (a thing that cannot be seen clearly) and colorless.  Yet I was walking on grass, the most vivid (producing a strong or clear impression on the senses) shade of green I had ever seen.  Each blade (a flat expanded part of a leaf) was perhaps one inch long, the texture like fine velvet (softness or smoothness).  An opening appeared at the center of the pearl panel (a usually rectangular section of something) and slowly widened and deepened as though the translucent (allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through) material was dissolving.  Inside I saw what appeared to be a street of golden color with an overlay (cover the surface of, with a coating) of glass or water.  The yellow light that appeared was dazzling (of a bright light).  There is no way to describe it.  I saw no figure, yet I was conscious (aware) of a Person (My Glimpse of Eternity, Betty Malz)."  She came back to consciousness (the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings) from a near-death experience, and wrote that she was fully cured of her malady (a disease or ailment).  As the doctor told her after the experience: "Some things happen which we can't explain - you seem to be much improved."  In 1977 Betty Malz was still doing well, as a church organist (a person who plays an organ - a large musical instrument having rows of tuned pipes).  Former First Lady Barbara Bush stated in an interview (in-depth discussion): "I have no fear of death (C-SPAN, October 29, 2013)."  This is what connecting can do for you.  "In a flash (a very short time), in the twinkling of an eye (very quickly), the dead will be raised (come back to life) imperishable (deathless, timeless and changeless - from I Corinthians)."  back to top

1996 - 2016

Counter start date: 08/28/2018