Here comes the Amero! (and the North American Union)

The skeptics have said for years that the upcoming North American Union was a myth. The Amero, the single unified currency was also a myth, they said.

Well, lets see what Steve Previs of the global investment bank Jeffries International, a guest on the CNBC network, has to say about it.

I've said it for a while now... The North American Union is coming. The Amero is coming. And so is the one world government. The cynics can scoff all they want. But its coming, whether people choose to believe it or not.

The Rise of Witchcraft in America

David Kupelian has written an excellent article on the rise of Witchcraft/Wicca in America.

Its a bit long, but a very good and worthwhile read.

Excerpt from the article:

"So, what is witchcraft? Is it the same as Wicca? Is it a form of Satan worship, as critics allege? Or can witches be good? Can they really cast spells that somehow call forth the spirits beyond the world of nature to help them accomplish their will – whether good or evil? And what's the deal with going naked? Most of all, why do so many people today aspire to be witches?

I'm a journalist, and in the news world we see many reports on witches, but they don't have hooknoses or poisoned apples. Instead, we hear that increasing numbers of modern-day Americans – housewives, students, professors, even soldiers believe it or not – self-identify as witches or Wiccans. We see stories about Wicca being an official, legal religion and a fast-growing one at that, about judges ruling that witches must be allowed to lead prayers at local government meetings, and that Wiccan convicts must be provided with requested "sacred objects" so they can perform spells in their cells.

A few basics: "Wicca" and "witchcraft" are often used interchangeably, but they aren't exactly the same. While witchcraft goes back into ancient times, with many varieties springing from diverse cultures and worldviews, Wicca is a relatively modern nature-based religion first popularized in the 1950s by an Englishman named Gerald Gardner. Most "witches" today, at least in the Western World, are followers of the Wiccan religion. Although Gardner claimed he was resurrecting an ancient pre-Christian, matriarchal pagan religion, that is disputed – some historians saying he just made up parts of it. And while there are other forms of Wicca today besides "Gardnerian" Wicca, each with their own variations of belief, ritual and practice, all share certain basic features.

According to Wiccan teachings, to find balance, practitioners must worship both the male and female aspects of deity, the god and the goddess, embodying the life-force manifest in nature. Although males are welcome, Wicca is predominantly a female religion, and the goddess dominates the god..."

Full article here.

Let's Finally Change Foolish Cuba Policy

I normally dont agree with much of what Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constition has to say. But she hit the nail on the head with her article this past Sunday : Let's Finally Change Foolish Cuba Policy. Hopefully our next president will do just that.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/24/08

Fidel Castro has had a powerful ally in his half-century of brutal rule: the United States government. The antiquated U.S. policy of complete isolation did more to help Castro maintain his ruthless tyranny than any of his police-state tactics — brutally quashing dissent, ruining (or murdering) potential rivals and occasionally allowing criminals and troublemakers to flee.

Castro blamed the U.S. embargo for every misery visited upon Cuban citizens, from fuel shortages to food rationing to dwindling medical supplies. In the 1990s, after subsidies from the old Soviet Union dried up and Cubans began to experience malnutrition, Castro blamed "imperialist forces" to the North.

When his experiment with limited foreign investment and entrepreneurship began to produce slight wealth discrepancies (tourism workers had access to dollars), Castro blamed U.S.-style capitalism. When old American cars and refrigerators finally began to break down irreversibly after decades of ingenious repair, he blamed a U.S. policy that blocked spare parts.

The embargo was a policy ready-made for demagogues — in Washington and Havana. It gave Castro an excuse for every political failing, every repressive policy, every economic disaster. And it gave American presidents a chance to grandstand against tyranny in a small island nation that could not push back.

President Bush took an illogical policy to its foolish extreme. He clamped down on cultural exchanges, cut back on remittances and limited the trips that Cuban emigres could make to visit relatives still on the island. If Bush aimed at making life harder for Fidel, he didn't succeed. The policy did make it harder for churches to dispense medical supplies, for colleges and universities to spread democratic ideals and for Cuban exiles to extol the virtues of capitalism by handing over dollars to their relatives.

Last week, the ailing 81-year-old Castro, who has reportedly been bedridden for weeks, announced that he was stepping down. "It would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication that I am physically able to offer," he said in a letter published in Granma, the state newspaper.

It's unlikely that Castro's successor will steer toward Jeffersonian democracy. Nevertheless, the change in leadership gives Congress and the White House a perfect rationale to announce a change in policy. If engagement is the preferred course with other nations hostile to democracy — China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia come to mind — why wouldn't it work with Cuba? Why is it that Americans can travel freely to Pakistan or Iran or Zimbabwe but not to Cuba?

Indeed, Cuba is already more fertile ground for American-style democratic institutions than, say, Iraq. It is not riven by feuding sects or ethnic groups. While color-consciousness remains a social force, it is not oppressive. (Before Castro's revolution, Cubans of African heritage were the victims of rank discrimination.) These days, dark-skinned Cubans go to medical school, teach at universities and occupy significant government posts.

The island is also a good candidate for redevelopment. A genuine success of Castro's revolution was broad literacy. Unlike many poor nations, Cuba boasts a population that is reasonably well-educated. The country takes justifiable pride in a large corps of physicians and a capable community of scientists. With that infrastructure, Western companies would find no shortage of workers.

And Cubans already have an affinity for American culture — baseball and popular music, movies and television. Among the most popular items smuggled into the country are CDs and DVDs. Though Castro tried hard to keep the country closed, he enjoyed only limited success.

And the success Fidel did enjoy came with the assistance of his most hated enemy — the United States, and its anachronistic policy.

Obama: Socialist in Disguise

I saw Barack Obama's acceptiance speech last night after winning the Wisconsin Democratic Primary. I was stunned by some of the stuff I heard. I've come to the conclustion that the man is not just a liberal; he's a socialist.

Among Obama's proposals for his presidency:

He wants to ensure that the minimum wage always keeps up with the inflation rate, because in his view "no-one should be poor" in America. (Sounds good, but what impact will this have on small business)

He wants to eliminate income tax for seniors making $50,000/year or less. (Sound good too. But can we as a nation really afford that?)

He wasnt to make sure all teachers are paid more than they are now. (How do you pay for this? Teachers are paid at the local level, so does this mean Federal tax dollars will be spent for this)

He "will end" the Iraq war in 2009! (How can he make a promise like that when he doesn't even know what the situation will be like on the ground in Iraq in 2009?)

he wants to create a path to citizenship for illegal aliens after they "pay a fine", and "go to the end of the line". (This is amnesty under a different name. That one's not even fooling anybody. And we all know he's in favor of giving illegal aliens driver's licenses, even though surveys have shown that most Americans oppose that)

Look for Obama's liberal policies and proposals to get lots of scrutiny in the upcoming months if he wins the Democratic Nomination for president. I think the Republicans will expose his socialistic nature in due time. Otherwise, the United States of Obama might become a reality we all end up seeing. And I'm convinced that wont be a good thing.

This guy has the possibility of being the worst president ever... even worse than Jimmy Carter! Scary thought.

Charles Barkley Calls Conservatives "Fake Christians"

Charles Barkley has been running his mouth again. The outspoken sportscaster and retired basketball player, known for being opinionated, has decided to bash Republicans and Conservatives in a recent CNN interview, calling them "fake Christians".

Among the pearls of wisdom from Mr. Arrogant himself, the following comments:

“[B]ut I don't like the way the Republicans are taking this country,” Barkley said. “Every time I hear the word conservative it makes me sick to my stomach because they’re really just fake Christians, as I call them. That’s all they are.”

“Well, I think they want to be judge and jury,” Barkley said. “Like, I’m for gay marriage. It’s none of my business if gay people want to get married. I’m pro-choice. And I think these Christians, first of all, they’re not supposed to judge other people. But they’re the most hypocritical judge of people we have in the country. And it bugs the hell out of me. They act like they’re Christians. They’re not forgiving at all.”

Of course his words presuppose that all Republicans are religious, or are Christians (they're not). Nonetheless, his anti-Christian tone is obvious, and quite odious.

When I think of words like this, I'm reminded of the Lord's words in Malachi 4:1

"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

Mockers and unbelievers will continue to speak harsh words against Christianity. Lets hope "Sir Charles" gets his act together before the day comes when he leaves this earth. Otherwise, he wont be speaking so proudly on the day that he stands before God.

Understandably, many Christians will be angry and offended by Charles Barkley's words. But frankly, this man is to be pitied.

Full article here.

The Cult of Obama

This whole Barack Obama mania I've been witnessing has long seemed to me to be part political campaign, and part cult of personality. I guess I'm not the only once who's noticed this.

Great article here from ABCnews.com:

"And Obama Wept

February 07, 2008 9:43 AM

Inspiration is nice. But some folks seem to be getting out of hand.

It's as if Tom Daschle descended from on high saying, "Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of Chicago a Savior, who is Barack the Democrat."

Obama supporter Kathleen Geier writes that she's "getting increasingly weirded out by some of Obama's supporters. On listservs I'm on, some people who should know better – hard-bitten, not-so-young cynics, even – are gushing about Barack…

Describing various encounters with Obama supporters, she writes, "Excuse me, but this sounds more like a cult than a political campaign. The language used here is the language of evangelical Christianity – the Obama volunteers speak of 'coming to Obama' in the same way born-again Christians talk about 'coming to Jesus.'...So I say, we should all get a grip, stop all this unseemly mooning over Barack, see him and the political landscape he is a part of in a cooler, clearer, and more realistic light, and get to work."

Joe Klein, writing at Time, notes "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism" he sees in Obama's Super Tuesday speech."

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