Anti-Nativity Scrooges Selective In What Gods They Toss Out Into The Cold

Anti-Nativity Scrooges Selective In What Gods They Toss Out Into The Cold

For decades, Santa Monica churches erected nativity scenes on municipal park land there in celebration of the Christmas season.  However, the onward march to abolish the assorted foundations upon which America was built continues unabated and is now even seeming to accelerate as evidenced by increasing numbers of the able bodied voting for demagogues promising bounty the recipients did not have to lift a finger for and to solemnize with one of society's highest recognitions relationships once considered so far beyond the boundaries of acceptability that the respectable were often too ashamed to even speak of.  As such, even those trappings held over from the previous world order that brought joy and happiness to the adherents of beauty and truth must be eliminated.

In 2011, the authorization process for erecting the Nativities was altered so that many of the permits ended up going not to churches but rather to a motley assortment of unbelievers.   As a result of the hassle and embarrassment, under the excuse of the necessity maintaining an unobstructed seaside view, municipal authorities decided to do away with depictive winter displays altogether.

The ultimate reason though is to deny access by any particular viewpoint by suppressing them all equally.  Sort of the socialistic notion that everyone is equal because everyone is equally miserable.

Cutting edge commentary will likely focus on the here and now with how the tradition has been abolished in its entirety.  However, the way the issue was handled in 2011 still gives rise to observations as pertinent today as they aptly apply to the overall tenor of the age in which we live rather than the narrow focus of a particular year which has already elapsed.

In 2011, one of the displays erected by the apostates and unregenerates read "What myths do you see? 37 million Americans know myths when they see them."  Pictured along with the slogan were images of  Neptune, Santa Claus, Jesus and Satan.

Of course, the Old Deluder, the Devil himself, has no problem being depicted as a buffoonish cartoon villain since, though he has a massive ego having at one time conspired to set his throne on the mount of the congregation in his attempt to usurp the place of the Almighty.  At this point in the game, he is more concerned about dragging down as many as he can with him to eternal damnation rather than to get as many as possible to swear an eternal positive affirmation to his infernal name.

Of course, especially in a place like California, it really doesn't take all that much courage to thumb one's nose at Christ either.  After all, He was the one that admonished the insulted to turn the other cheek and those ready to call for Crusades on behalf of His name, even if not in His spirit, don't exactly hold he sway they once did.

So shouldn't those wanting to take a courageous stand in the name of the Great Emptiness or however else one might be inclined to depict nothing whatsoever take on a figure whose backers show a little more teeth? For instance Islam?  These fanatics threatened the producers of South Park for even obscuring the view of the specific personage  that was suppose to be in the bear costume.

However, it seems these leftists converging upon California only go out of their way to have Judeo-Christian religious figures removed from view on public property.  They seem to exhibit little opposition to deities advocated by less than Biblically acceptable religions and forms of belief.

For in California, in the mid 90’s a monument costing the taxpayers nearly $500,000 was erected to Quetzalcoatl.  Quetzalcoatl is the winged serpent god from Aztec mythology around which a number of Hispanosupremacist front organizations hope to repaganize and de-Christianize this targeted demographic in preparation for the uprising against the United States when insurgents intend to slaughter the remaining Whites in disputed Southwestern territories.

Atheism is the belief that God does not exist.  To be consistent, that would include those of a non-Christian variety as well.

Thus, it would be reasonable to conclude that there must be a greater overarching, more pragmatic commonality linking those that believe in no God and those that believe that higher order beings condescended down to our level who, rather than shed their blood and died on our behalf, insisted that our blood be shed and lives sacrificed to placate the base lusts of these craven entities whether the victims were willing or not.  That shared commonality is nothing less than an outright hatred of the God that is there and a desire to see His followers silenced.

by Frederick Meekins

Free Will in Sandy Hook

by David Lawrence

My wife tells me that God created free will so that we should not blame him for killers. That we should not be angry at him for the twenty little dead babies at Sandy Hook.

I say, “By giving Adam Lanza free will he took away the free will of those children to play, to breathe, to live.  Does God only give free will to overpowering killers?  God disappoints me. “

 “Christ died for you,” she says.

“He was subject to the benighted free will of the Romans,” I say.   “He was a good man without the Godly apparatus to defend himself.”

“Christ had free will.”

“If you believe he wanted to die,” I say.  “The Romans had free will too.  Apparently, there’s was more effective.”

“That’s sacrilegious,” my wife says.

“Truth often is,” I say.  “Free will in a killer is worth more than that in a child or a saint.  I don’t think God was fair in his apportionment of free will,” I say.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I am what I say.  I am the freedom of thought, the celebration of will, the instant word of evaluation. I am mourning God’s reluctance to intercede.  I am saying that free will is comparative and not Godly. The dead children of Sandy Hook are heaven and earth’s condemnation.”

Newsweek Trashes Christ’s Name During Christmas Season

The Dec. 17, 2012 issue of Newsweek Magazine published a cover story titled "Who Was Jesus?"
<p>
Instead of providing a balanced perspective on this topic, editors instead allowed the topic to be addressed by Bart Ehrman.
<P>
Bart Ehrman's claim to fame is essentially undermining every tenet of orthodox Christianity by casting doubt on the sources that serve as the foundation of the faith in favor of texts more gnostic in origins and interpretation.
<P>
Thus, it must be asked, would Newsweek publish an article casting aspirations on the founder or central figure of another world religion deliberately during a time of the year held to be one of the most sacred among a significant percentage of the faith’s adherents?
<P>
Would Newsweek pull something like this during Ramadan?
<p>
Both Voltaire and Nietzsche in their respective eras remarked how the name of Jesus Christ was on the wane and that God was dead.
<P>
Now, a Bible Society has turned Voltaire’s former home into an office and it is Nietzsche that is dead.
<P>
As the periodical prepares to publish its last print edition towards the close of 2012, perhaps Newsweek should stop and reflect where its name will be 200 years or so in comparison to the Name Above All Names.
<P>
by Frederick Meekins

Obama Welcomes the Fiscal Cliff

by David Lawrence

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner boasts that Barack Obama is willing to go off the so-called fiscal cliff if Republicans don’t increase taxes on those who earn more than $250,000. So, our fearless leader, Obama, a scholar in economics, a mathematical whiz kid, is willing to damage our whole country if he doesn’t get his way. 

 

Hell hath no fury like a metrosexual spurned. The shrew can’t be tamed.  It’s his way or the highway.  All or none, no matter how much it damages America, his country, his target for spiteful arrows of outrageous decrease in fortune.  Hamlet was also adolescent.

 

Obama doesn’t care if he punishes us with automatic spending cuts and tax rate increases.  If an agreement is not reached by January 1st he will go over the cliff with us in his knapsack.

 

Geithner defends Obama’s approach and pretends that he is protecting Medicare for the future when he has done nothing to avoid its going bankrupt and has recommended no substantial easing of entitlements.  Geithner claims he will be using taxpayers' resources wisely when he has in fact stupidly marched us into a 16 trillion dollar debt. He defends Obama’s economic failures and says that they are worth going over the economic cliff. The choice to Geithner and Obama is not between going over the cliff and saving ourselves but between getting their way or the highway.

 

While Obama has offered no compromise the House Republican leaders presented a counteroffer, including changes to Medicare and cuts to spending. Obama and Geithner rejected the offer as a “wish list” but offered no compromise in its place.

 

Obama doesn’t care if going off the fiscal cliff will set the economy back into a recession.  He never had a father.  I suppose he is guessing at what a father’s authoritarian attitude should be and he is adopting it for himself. I’m beginning to believe that there should be a law against damaged people becoming President.

 

While America waits for the fiscal cliff situation to be resolved, businesses are cutting back.   Orders of non-military goods have gone down and consumers are spending less. Retail sales are declining.  

 

Going over the fiscal cliff would impact the private sector as well as the federal.   The federal sector would cut 615,000 jobs; the private sector would lose 1.5 million jobs. Obama wants to enable our economic suicide just so he can get his juvenile way. Doesn’t he have any foresight to determine the relative demerits of various proposals? Can’t he see that adding $5,700 more a year to a middle class individual’s taxes is negative?   

 

Obama boasts that he is the great friend of the middle class.  He is leading them to their financial demise.  Riding a steed in his armor no one can see his toothy military smile and his big ears that betray his hiding in his helmet from reality, listening to his own echo like the ocean in a conch shell. 

Redistricting should be about representative government, not about creating "competitive districts"

by Michael Newton

The recent article in The Arizona Republic, “Election adds to debate over redistricting” continues the debate over the fairness of Arizona’s recent decennial redistricting. Republicans are upset that in state that voted for Romney (Rep) over Obama (Dem) 54% to 44% and Flake (Rep) over Carmona (Dem) 50% to 46% the Democrats managed to win 5 of the 9 federal legislative districts. They point to this as a sign that the system for redistricting was rigged by the Democrats.
Overlooked is a more fundamental problem with the whole redistricting process. The stated goal of the redistricting project was to make competitive as many districts as possible. The redistricting commission succeeded in creating 4 safe Republican districts, 2 safe Democrat districts, and 3 so-called competitive districts. Instead of gerrymandering the state to benefit a political party, they gerrymandered it to promote the goal of “competitive districts.”
But what is the real purpose of electing representatives to the House of Representative? As is self-evident from the name, the purpose is to elect people to represent their constituents. In creating these competitive districts, the state ensure that nearly half of the voters in those districts are not represented in Congress, or rather that they are represented by someone in Congress who holds views in contradiction to their own. To maximize the people’s representation in Congress, it would make more sense to gerrymander the state to create, in Arizona’s case, 5 safe Republican districts and 4 safe Democrat districts. Then, the Republicans can choose their representatives in their primaries and the Democrats can choose theirs as well. We live in a representative democracy, or so we are told. It makes little sense to purposely ensure voters go unrepresented.

Michael E. Newton is the author of The Path to Tyranny: A History of Free Society's Descent into Tyranny and Angry Mobs and Founding Fathers: The Fight for Control of the American Revolution. He is currently writing a biography of Alexander Hamilton.

Prison Fellowship Ministries Up To Old Direct Mail Antics

One can tell the holidays that herald the conclusion of the year (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) are upon us.

Most can tell this by the crispness in the air or from the days growing noticeably shorter.

However, if your name and address has made it into the databases of Christian Evangelical direct marketing, you may also know Christmas time is coming because of an annual appeal received from Prison Fellowship Ministries on behalf of the organization's Angel Tree Project.

In most instances, those that send Christmas cards tooting their own horns at least have the decency to change up the content each year.

The same cannot be said of the part of the Angel Tree Project appeal designed to guilt recipients into compliance.

Contained with the mailing is what the unsuspecting will perceive as a handwritten message from a convict begging for a gift for his daughter.

According to the letter, there was still nine years left on the inmate's sentence and he would not be able to play a role in his daughter's life for nearly an entire decade.

However, since at least 2005 and perhaps even as far back as 2003, Prison Fellowship has been sending the exact same note.

As such, shouldn't "Richard" (if that is even his name) nearly be ready for release if he has not already departed the Big House? It is 2012, after all.

It's bad enough for Prison Fellowship to solicit for the organization's campaign in such a manner as to make those receiving the appeal seem guilty because those perpetrating any variety of criminal deeds have been incarcerated for violating the law.

You'd think that Prison Fellowship could at least exhibit the decency to feature a different jailbird each year still in need of the ministry's services.

by Frederick Meekins

Be Very Afraid

by David Lawrence

On November 19th, 2012 Jack Healy writes a column in the New York Times where he expresses that conservatives are feeling left behind by the liberal president.    

 

What about the liberals?  Obama has consistently done nothing but lower the employment and salaries of his diverse base-- women, youth, Hispanics and totally bigoted blacks (who all vote for him.)

 

He is not a liar.  He just doesn’t know what he is doing. Our future bears no relation to his promises. The Democrats can’t read the writing on the wall.

 

It is Obama’s aura and orations not his accomplishments that garner votes.  He demands everyone get their fair share but does nothing to give it to them.  Instead he gets more than his fair share and has spent more money on personal stuff than any president in the White House before him.  He has indebted his people to an incomprehensible 16 trillion dollars.

 

Healy says that conservatives are worried that they are sliding into the past.  The past is far better than the horrors of a bankrupt future where our depleted military can’t defend us against attack and our morals are based on convenience and rationale.

Since when is the traditional past considered worse than the chaotic future? The future past will one day be our past-past.  What we will be condemned to repeat will make the real past want to retreat into a footnote. Obama will have his wavering DNA on it. It will be a political crime scene.

 

Conservatives and Liberals, should listen to Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, “Be afraid!  Be very afraid!”

I’m a Meat Eater

by David Lawrence

I saw a mouse at Vivolo Italian Restaurant and told the waiter.  He killed it with a broom. 

 

I felt guilty.  I had planned to order a meatball hero.  After seeing the dead mouse I couldn’t eat a steer. I walked out.

 

I remembered thirty years ago when I went pretend-vegetarian.  I got weak and turned green after six months. I bought a juicy steak.

 

I want to be good.  I don’t want to eat animals.  But when I’m hungry, screw it.  I might as well stick with the tradition of meat gobbling.  Man always has.  I’m not a liberal, someone who pretends he is better than he is or flamboyantly protests one unaesthetic habit while he hides another bad one.

 

I’m a meat eater.  I’m no better than that.  I tell my climate-obsessed friend, Joe, that Obama isn’t going to stop the waters from rising with his idiotic global warming pretense but he is going to bankrupt our country and leave us subject to attack.

 

Reagan made the economy strong and stocked up on weapons so that Russia had to tear down that wall.  He achieved peace through strength.

 

Every Muslim believes in masculinity and strength. They make billions off oil.  Is this the time, when they’re developing nuclear weapons, for our President to ruin our economy and apologize to Arabs for our previous exceptionalism.

 

What is Obama?  He is dart board on which Democrats pinup their stupidity.

 

A few blocks from Vivolo I stop at Soup Burger.  I order a greasy burger, fries and a coke. It’s delicious but not exactly on Michelle Obama’s menu.  But then again I’m stronger and thinner than she is.  I’m sixty-five and could do fifty pull-ups until I tore my rotator cuff last month. Both she and her husband talk but don’t act.

 

That’s a mouthful.  Of good burger.

Homeless Man Hassles Hackman

Considerable consternation erupted online over actor Gene Hackman striking a homeless person.

The headline initially informing of such was formulated without a modifier or a more colorful description such as "crazed deadbeat" or "lewd indigent" in order to make Hackman appear to be this vile individual that makes a habit of accosting the downtrodden or deriving some kind of buzz from doing so.

Quite the opposite seems to be true.

From the complete account, Hackman was actually protecting his wife and the vagrant properly got what was coming to him.

Why should we care that Hackman's attacker was homeless?

Would the public have been informed of this incident if the assailant domiciled in a more traditional mode of habitation?

As in regards to race and ethnicity, many leftists will so romanticize destitution that they cultivate the perception that those characterized by this economic plight or social condition can do no wrong.

If so, are the hypertolerant going to insist that they would allow some filthy, possibly disease ridden, bum to put his hands all over their wives, daughters, or dinner dates they are hoping to impress?

The Declaration of Independence insists that, in terms of fundamental being, all men are created equal.

If we are to accept the notion that the homeless are no less human than the rest of us and are deserving of the same degree of respect and courtesy that we expect from other members of our species, it also follows that we should expect from them the same kind of character flaws plaguing the remainder of our kind and that we should be allowed to protect ourselves from them accordingly.

by Frederick Meekins

Obama Wins: Whither America?

by Ron Lipsman

It's been a week since the election and I am still shell-shocked. Alas, I bought into the hyperbole that Dick Morris and other right-leaning pundits were spewing – namely, that Romney was going to win, if not convincingly then at least comfortably. In retrospect, that faulty prognosis was predicated on three premises: the massive 2008 turnout by Obama's legions (blacks, Hispanics, single women, young voters) would not be repeated; America was fed up with Obama's Keynesian economic policies that had resulted in the weakest economic recovery in 75 years; and conservatives and independents were so energized that their support would more than compensate for Obama's legions. The first premise was certainly false. The second, even if true, discounted the fact that Obama's legions didn't care. And while there was some truth to the third, the groundswell was confined to a demographic that we now recognize is rapidly being eclipsed by its complement.

Prior to November 6, many – including yours truly – wrote that this was an election for the soul of America. The presumption was that the century-long leftward slide of American society had reached the stage at which another four years of Obama's statist agenda would surely drive the country past the tipping point. By this it was meant that it would become literally impossible to restore America to its moorings as a constitutional republic based on individual liberty, traditional moral principles and free market capitalism. Those who subscribe to this thesis must now decide if it is truly valid.

There is much compelling evidence to support it. One piece is the aforementioned demographic. The groups who support Obama's collectivist philosophy are growing percentagewise, while those who oppose it are shrinking. Another piece of evidence is the almost complete control that the Left exercises on the opinion-molding organs of American society. The media is the most glaring example; but the statists also control US education—both higher and lower, foundations, libraries, seminaries, museums and the like. Next, the length of time that the Left has been in control has enabled a shift in the political center of gravity of the nation so far to the left that radical leftists look mainstream and mainstream conservatives appear radical right.

But these political/philosophical reasons are complemented by sobering economic/social evidence:

• We lack the will to deal with our gargantuan national debt, which is certain to bring about a severe economic crisis.
• Our Ponzi scheme-style entitlement programs are on an unsustainable path to calamity – and again, we lack the will to repair them.
• Our military is in the process of a drastic drawdown – necessitated in part by the fiscal consequences of the last two bullets – and we are slowly (or perhaps not so slowly) losing the ability to project power, defend our allies or protect the homeland.
• Our nation is increasingly secular, which results in a culture of abortion on demand, pornography, same-sex marriage, a skyrocketing rate of illegitimacy and other manifestations of social decay.

I could go on, but you get the idea. And yet. And yet! Surely our beloved country was in even greater danger (although perhaps of different types) during the Revolution, at the time of the Civil War, while enduring the Great Depression, and when confronted by the monstrous 20^th century evils of Nazism and Communism. At the height of these crises, there were those who predicted the demise of America. But it did not happen.

In short, my head tells me that America's goose is cooked; but my heart refuses to accept that gloomy assessment. For sure, Obama will toss more statist bombs in our laps in the next four years: cap and trade again, maybe Card Check, an indeterminate number of ultra-left Supreme Court Justices, full implementation of Obamacare and Dodd-Frank and out of control regulatory agencies. But we survived eight years of Wilson, 20 years of Roosevelt-Truman, five years of Johnson and four years of Carter. Surely we can survive eight years of Obama. In fact, the doomsayers would assert that we did not actually survive all of Obama's leftist predecessors. They set the table that Obama is running to radically alter the US into a Euro-style social welfare state, sans exceptionalism, sans freedom and sans prosperity.

So one must decide; does one follow one's head or one's heart? Based on that decision, what does one do? If the former, then the choices are clear. It seems to me that there are four: (i) enjoy the ride for however much longer it lasts and if it ends before you do, then try to adjust as best you can to the grim reality that awaits us; (ii) continue to fight, as hard as you can, knowing full well that it is a Don Quixote-like doomed struggle, but you would rather "die fighting than surrender"; (iii) emigrate; (iv) retreat to local enclaves (certain towns and rural communities, counties, even a few states) where it may be possible to preserve what is historically great about America, and maintain the enclaves until they are swamped or miraculously conjoined with others to carve out a new nation from the ashes to which the leftists are leading us.

If, on the other hand, the heart wins, then the struggle continues with a belief that victory is still possible. Perhaps Obama will screw it up so badly that substantial members of his contingents will have a change of heart. Perhaps as yet unforeseen trends or developments will reverse the demographic calamity previously identified. Perhaps there will occur a moral revival in America (as has happened in the past) that will sweep the leftists from power and restore the nation. Perhaps true conservatives will take over the Republican Party – exactly as hard core leftists have completely captured the Democratic Party – and with a clear vision lead America to resurgence. Perhaps conservatives will finally realize that culture trumps politics and conduct a successful guerilla campaign to recapture all those opinion-forming organs of society that the lefties now control. Perhaps!

So, dear reader, which organ has triumphed in your body – your head or your heart? As soon as I figure out the answer for myself, I will let you know.

Examples of Election Fraud around the Country and What we can do About it

After I wrote an article for Townhall on how Obama won the election due to election fraud, I received hundreds of emails around the country documenting election fraud, particularly in the swing states. Here are some of those stories, as well as some solutions I received from readers, which are in the second part. 

We had the same thing in st lucie county florida where 140 percent of the registered voters voted...

The Democrat voter fraud here in FL is now basically done in the open with little resistance, particularly in South FL. Part of this years strategy was to just keep polls open in key areas and keep bused-in people voting as long as need to achieve desired results and assure Obama win. Part of operation involved recycling voters into lines and having complicit news crews report on hours-long lines and then having complicit judges order polls to stay open. Independent crews who tried to film this in Tampa were threatened/driven away by thugs. Republican observers in polls were blocked, intimidated, and not allowed to observe some activites including what was described to me as refilling some absentee envelopes with new ballots and throwing out others after opening them with claims of non-matching signatures. I was told by one harrassed photographer that Tampa Police said they were told not to interfere with anything at polls. In key districts in S FL, Democrats kept polls open well past midnight (closing time 7) without legal authority to allow bused and herded in people to vote. Voters were herded by organizers giving voting instructions. Some herded in voters also had IDs with names they could not pronounce or spell but were allowed to vote anyway. A concerted effort was made to oust Congressman Allen West and to assure Bill Nelson stayed in Senate. We also had districtsm with well over 100% turnout. During 2008 election, I reported ACORN people in Tampa area registering and filling out ballots for comatose and demented people in nursing centers and was told not a problem. The cheating machine here is well organized and manned. Florida could save a lot of money simply declaring Democrats winners in national elections.

Election rigged - stolen! You left out illegal aliens voting. Here in Nevada it was rampant. As County worker, working polls on Election day it was obvious - but risked losing job if a single word uttered in challenge! Sickening.

I just wanted to pop you a note I live in Hamilton County Oh (cincinnati) & this past weekend I had 2 different people tell me that when they voted at their polls the scanning machine was "broken" they had to then place their ballots in a box..

One dimension of the cheating issue that you didn't mention in your article is the high tech hacking of electronic counting and tabulating devices - in particular optical scanners of paper ballots. There are already several known instances of in Dem dominated counties in south Florida, plus studies and testimony by computer scientists concluding that many of these devices are in indeed highly vulnerable to these schemes. Not surprisingly, some previously known instances of such hacking occurred wihin the last four years in counties comprising parts of West's new district!

In Clairmont, FL, a friend waited in line to vote, but the majority of other voters were impatient, they wanted to get it overwith so they could spend their $5 "voter voucher", a card valid at Walmart. This actually happened, votes purchased. It will never be investigated, and is surely widespread.

I worked at a polling place here in Indiana and we had lines out the door all day long. I took that to mean that people really wanted change as in Romney. When I got home and saw everything going in the opposite direction I was in shock. Plus after listening to the radio the next day many other areas experienced the same voter momentum only to find out it went for Obama. This is incredible to believe after seeing the crowds out for Romney and Obama couldn't even fill a stadium. I, too, believe there was a lot of cheating going on to win this election. If Obama truly won - why weren't any other states (other than the swing states) sucked into his campaign victory. Something doesn't ring true and I don't know why Romney people don't fight back.

I live in Columbus Ohio where Bus loads of Somalians were taken to the polls to vote Obama. over half the 25,000 Somalian residents of Columbus are not U.S. citizens. Our system has become a joke.

ACTION ITEMS

Please join us in the urgent call for a Forensic Investigation of voting machines and a certified CPA Audit of voters / votes cast. http://bit.ly/ROP7xZ We cannot permit this outrageous theft of America to go uncorrected.

I completely agree with your column on Obama's fraudulent win. Apparently, many other do too. There's a petition going to recount the votes. I thought you might be interested in it. http://www.petition2congress.com/8222/petition-recount-on-2012-p

Please explain to me why all the states cannot be forced to recount votes as Allen West has done in the state of Florida?!?!?

Sharon Rondeau has some postings at The Post & E Mail concerning possible election challenges.

if obamaphones were purchased by the taxpayer, and they were used to call voters the day or week of the election, might that have broken a law sufficient to influence the electoral college? FOIA subpoena the phone records?

Hello Rachel, In some places election fraud is LEGAL, not illegal. See www.reformwascoelectric.com for more details

It is obvious that fraud was committed during this election; mishandled ballot, machine difficulties and the deceased voting. Please read my petition to reform our electoral process. http://signon.org/sign/petition-to-reform-floridas

Layoffs since Obama took office

UPDATED 11/10/2012 (All layoffs reported here are just since Obama's re-election, nearly 30,000 lay-offs since election day)

“Daily updates on job losses under the 0bama administration.”
http://www.dailyjobcuts.com/

“After Obama Victory – Ohio Businessman Reads Prayer to Staff Then Lays Off 156 Employees”
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/11/after-obama-election-ohio-businessman-reads-prayer-to-staff-then-lays-off-156-employees/

“PICKET: Companies plan massive layoffs as Obamacare becomes reality”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/nov/8/picket-companies-plan-massive-layoffs-obamacare-be/

“Employers react to Obama victory …by cutting jobs”
http://www.ijreview.com/2012/11/21739-employers-react-to-obama-victory-by-cutting-jobs/

Utah Company blames Pres. Obama for 102 workers laid off
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=22890041

Papa John’s forced to cut employee hours.
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/john-schnatter-papa-johns-ceo-obamacare-likely-to-raise-costs-employees-hours-being-cut

More companies affected by Obama re-election: Reported since election day.

(Company Name - Number of lay-offs)
Update: DuPont Co in Richmond VA - 64
TMX Group Ltd. - 100
Penn Refrigeration - 40
Wilkes-Barre PA - Layoffs Possible
Standard Bank Group Ltd. - up to 15% of Staff
The Art Gallery of Windsor ( International ) - 12
American Coal - 54
New Energy Corp. Indiana - Idles 40
Mills Manufacturing NC - 68
TECO Coal Corporation - 90
Energizer Holdings Inc - 1,500
Update: Exide Technologies in Laureldale - 150
Southeastern Container - 15
Update: UtahAmerican Energy Inc - 102
The SCA plant in Barton - Plans Staff Reductions
Plexus Corp - Contract Loss Could = Layoffs
Yakima Regional Medical Center Washington - 10+
Crouse Hospital Syracuse NY - 70 Jobs

Eagle-Tribune in North Andover - 21
Ameridose LLC - up to 650 Layoffs
EMD Millipore St. Charles - Some Layoffs
Groupon - 80
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - 100
Slidell La. - Warns of Possible Layoffs
Westinghouse Anniston - 50
Research in Motion Ltd. HQ - 200
Lightyear Network Solutions - 12+
The Providence Journal Co. - 23
Hawker Beechcraft - 240 Layoffs + Facility Closings

Boeing - 30% of Executives at Defense Unit
CVPH Medical Center - 17 Pink Slips
U.S. Cellular - 980
Commerzbank ( German ) - up to 6,000 Layoffs Poss.
Spanish airline Iberia - up to 7,000 Possible
Momentive Performance Materials - 150 Temp, Layoffs
Brake Parts LLC - 75
Gameforge Berlin - 20
Vestas Wind Systems - 3,000 More Job Cuts
Husqvarna AB - 600
ING - 2,350
Ericsson ( Sweden) - 1,550
SRA International Inc - 222 in Arlington Va.
PerkinElmer - 66 Layoffs During 3rd Quarter
Majestic Star Casino and Hotel - About 80
Center for Hospice / Palliative Care NY - 40 Temp. Layoffs
Bristol-Myers - 480 Sales Related Jobs in NJ
Update: the Lower Bucks Hospital - 30
Oce North America, Inc. CT - 135
Updated: Corning in Erwin NY - 100
United Blood Services Gulf region - 10% of Workforce
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation ( International )- 16

Daily Job Cuts - Layoff News , Job Layoffs 2012 / 2011 , Bankruptcy, Store closings, Business Econom

Headshrinkers Badmouth Pilgrims

On the masthead page of the Nov. 2012 issue of Monitor On Psychology, there was a cartoon published.

In this illustration, one Indian says to another, "That was nice, but I don't want to make it in a regular thing."

Seated in the background are the Pilgrims.

It is no doubt hoped readers will conclude this was a depiction of the first Thanksgiving Day feast in the New World; but given the state of the education system, that might be too much to hope for.

Some will likely laugh, relating to how they themselves have endured numerous dinners and parties this festive time of year they didn't mind attending but would rather not have to endure again in the future if given a choice.

However, the Monitor On Psychology is a flagship publication of the American Psychological Association.

This front organization seeks to turn either every depravity known to man into a mental illness the individual has no control over or excuse it in some fashion altogether.

Therefore, would these otherwise political correct leftists have published a cartoon where a Pilgrim forefather made a similarly snide remark about not wanting the Indians over again any time soon?

by Frederick Meekins

Concerning The Existence Of God

Upon leaving the confines of the Earth's atmosphere and entering the vastness of space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is alleged to have remarked, "Where is God?" This was said out of a sense of mockery that the Lord of the universe could not be found in the final frontier rather than an honest inquiry from a soul awed by a majesty of the cosmos.

Several decades later, God might very well reply, "Where is the Soviet Union?" That nation, once referred to as the "evil empire" because of the threat it posed to human freedom, has become a shadow of its former self. This former superpower decayed from its own internal rot resulting primarily from the regime's rejection of the Judeo-Christian worldview as epitomized by that state's promulgation of revolutionary Communism.

Had Colonel Gagarin and his Soviet comrades been more willing to approach the issues in a more objective manner without the rose colored glasses of their Marxist ideology (perhaps "red" would have been a more fitting characterization) and without suppressing the conclusions that such evidence leads to, the world might have been sparred a Cold War costly in terms of both dollars and human lives. Even now nearly two decades later, the world still struggles to forge a global order and stands ready to fall into international chaos at any possible moment.

Despite what some political conservatives and Pentagon officials might think, the mentioned illustration should not be construed as arguing that the former Soviet Union was the sole source of evil operating in the world throughout the era of its infamous existence. Rather, that one nation merely came to symbolize what happens when man tries to expunge the evidence and knowledge of God from the society and its way of life through the use of violence and intimidation of its citizens. For while the Soviet Union and its kin in the Communist orbit may have perfected the outwardly horrific and bloodthirsty ways of suppressing eternal truths, the democratic West was itself busy finding ways to live as if God did not exist.

It could be argued that the methods used throughout Western society to suppress knowledge of God's existence are in one manner more sophisticated than those employed by the secularist's counterparts behind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains. For where the totalitarian Marxist utilized torture in the form of physical violence and coercive psychological manipulation, his Western counterpart simply made God irrelevant by declaring that, while belief in God was acceptable for those too weak to live without Him, this character flaw was to remain a private issue and not to impact the public marketplace.

Phillip Johnson in "Reason In The Balance" characterized this as a primary tenet of naturalism, the belief that the physical world is all that exists in the closed system of the universe and that man can only look to himself for any kind of values (8). Applying the Protagorean ethic of man as the measure of all things with the satisfaction of natural desires as the highest objective, contemporary man has lived up to this lofty goal with all the zeal, fortitude, and ingenuity over which the secular humanists deified the species in the first place --- with a trail of corpses and chaos laying in the social wake.

No sphere of human endeavor has remained untouched from this effort to remove God and His standards from civilized life. These trends illustrated themselves no better than in the field of sexual morality.

According to Cal Thomas in “The Death Of Ethics In America”, the metaphorical death of God and the abolition of His standards causes those adhering to a naturalistic outlook to see the divinely sanctioned rules governing this sphere of existence as an illusion to be ignored by the liberated individual. Yet in a surprising twist, those same individuals holding to a do-your-own-thing kind of ethic change their tune when it comes to doing one’s own thing when it comes to religion, especially if the belief under consideration is traditional Christianity. According to a New York Times poll, a significant number of young adults believe that belief in God is a personality disorder and that theists cannot cope with reality (Thomas, 93).

However, the rules governing these intimate behavioral matters and their Creator are not illusions to solidify the power of an authoritarian priesthood or to comfort the psychologically imbalanced. These precepts were in fact promulgated with the goal of protecting the ultimate happiness and welfare of the beings made in the image of their loving Creator. Mankind ignores these standards at his own peril --- with abortion, venereal disease, and broken hearts the rewards of such folly.

Thomas points out that sexually transmitted diseases now rank as the primary form of communicable disease (93). However, even these kinds of terrifying consequences barely phase the calloused anymore. One student matriculated in a school near Thomas remarked, “We’re not going to get pregnant....If we slip up, we’ll get an abortion (105).”

To fall into sin is tragic and lamentable. To do so with such a callous attitude surely invites judgment. And when that day arrives, the God dispensing it will not be so easily dismissed.

Despite humanity’s attempts to stifle knowledge of its infinite Creator through the calculated disbelief of the atheistic philosopher or the wanton apathy of the hedonist drunken on assorted carnal pleasures, there is little that can be done to totally obliterate the knowledge of God’s existence since this truth is written across the very fabric of the universe and abides in the hearts of men if only they would open themselves to it. Despite this centuries-old effort at suppressing this knowledge, untold masses are seeking after a higher power in record number.

Unfortunately, the same effort once aimed at dethroning the God of the universe has now turned on the rational thought process created by this very same God. The postmodernist movement argues that, at best, objective reasoning does not exist and, at worst, it is a White male imposition designed to foster the dominance of the patriarchy.

This detachment from reality and commonsense often ends in disaster as those with enfeebled mental powers regularly fall for spiritual counterfeits offering their own false answers. An example of this occurred when Marshall Applewhite convinced his followers to commit suicide so that they might find salvation with extraterrestrials circumnavigating the galaxy.

In many instances, the so-called “Christian church” is not much better. Some branches have veered off into a liberalism bordering on agnosticism and atheism. And even some claiming to adhere to a more literalistic form of worship have fallen for dangerous heresies resulting in aberrant beliefs regarding God.

In “Christianity In Crisis”, Christian Research Institute President Hank Hanegraaff warns that one’s conception of God is just as important as having one in the first place. Hanegraaff shows the destruction that can result from thinking not tethered to God’s revelation in Scripture.

One typical example of this faulty theological thinking can be found in television minister Kenneth Copeland who said God “....stands somewhere around 6 feet 2 inches, in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred pounds and has a hand span of nine inches across (Hanegraaff, 121).” Copeland, however, was not preaching on God's incarnation in the person of Jesus Christ. He was, in fact, making these statements regarding God the Father, who according to John 4:24 is a spirit who must be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

These faulty theological formulations do not confine themselves to the seminary classroom. Rather, they filter down to impact man's view of himself and his relation to the divine Creator. For example, many of these prosperity teachers have demoted the sovereign God into a cosmic department store manager by promoting the doctrine that God is to grant the Christian's every earthly desire whether or not that is in the best interest of the individual making the request or in accordance with God's ultimate will. In so doing, they create an undo emphasis on material wealth when in fact Proverbs 30:8 says, "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread."

So what is a soul searching for the truth of God or someone seeking to lead someone to the realization m this era such as Alvin Plantinga and Jean-Paul Sartre. The crux of this debate centers around the dispute of whether or not the forms produced by human thought correspond to an objective reality existing apart from the mind.

For example, some conjecture, because someone can think of a perfect God who must exist since existence a perfection, does that mean such a God really exists? Theologian John Frame believes so, arguing that mental forms do correspond to objective realities.

Frame writes, "Our idea of a perfect triangle is not derived from a specific object of the senses, but it must correspond to something real; else it would not be useful as a criterion (116)." Put another way, the ontological argument bears a resemblance to the innate knowledge possessed by each person regarding God's existence mentioned in Romans 1:19-21.

But while this proof may have entertained the Western world's most formidable minds, it has been pointed out that few have been brought to faith through it. At best, it can clarify one's thinking and re-enforce one's position once they have made a decision for theism in regards to these matters.

Perhaps the best known of these theistic proofs is the cosmological argument. In essence, the cosmological argument holds that every affect has a cause which itself is the affect of a previous cause. Yet this chain cannot go on forever therefore, this chain of causality must have a mover complete in itself, an unmoved mover who is God.

This argument has gained added weight in recent times with the advents of the fields of thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. The first points to the need for a Creator and the second establishes the need for His preservative influence.

Thermodynamics argues that a closed system will move towards maximum entropy (a scholarly euphemism for disorder and energy loss) in a finite amount of time. This really socks it to the litany harped by metaphysical naturalists such as Carl Sagan (who claimed that the cosmos is all that was, is or ever will be) that the universe is of an infinite age.

Had the paradigm employed by these weighty academics been true, the reader would not have been able to read this sentence nor the writer able to compose it. The universe would have ground to a halt sometime in the infinitely distant past since, by definition, the amount of time needed for an infinitely old universe to have run down would have elapsed infinite ages ago.

This reality points to a startup point --- a moment of creation if you will --- be it the Big Bang or God speaking the ornaments of the cosmos into existence where they now sit on the celestial sphere. Surprisingly, many Evangelical Christians are now coming to grips with some kind of interpretation regarding the Big Bang theory which they once viewed as suspicious and scientists who once looked to it with cyclical modifications to fit their notions of naturalistic universal renewal are fleeing from it with the speed once reserved for seven-day Creationists discussing the matter.

Related to the revelation of thermodynamics in that sense that it is a scientific theory with divine implications is the esoteric field of quantum mechanics, which warns that there is more to the seemingly deterministic clockwork nature of the universe than meets the eye. According to quantum mechanics, the substance of the universe does not operate in compliance with the Newtonian certainty perceived by the senses but is rather a realm where on the subatomic level a wide range of possibilities exist.

George Bernard Shaw remarked, "Everything happened because it must." Quantum mechanics responds that a particle event is as likely not to happen as happen.

Yet, if such an absolute haphazardness were the case, would not the nightly news be filled with stories of individuals discombobulating into non-existence from the loss of their very molecular cohesion? This gulf between absolute determinism and particle anarchy allows for a creator who holds the cosmos together at all times. Colossians 1:17 says, "...and by him all things consist." This is a reference to the role played by God in the maintenance of creation.

Taken together, the ideas of therbecomes. For example, pseudo-scientists are at a loss to explain how random chance could bring about complex organic life as it now walks the earth into existence when the chances randomly aligning the twenty amino acids properly in order to form one cell of hemoglobin is reported to be 1 in 10 to the 603 power. And mind you, this is for only an organism as complicated as a single cell.

How then, without reference to a Creator is the rest of the complexity accounted for? Did the viceroy butterflies convene a conference to decide that they would mimic the coloring of the monarch butterflies in order to be avoided by dimwitted predators because the monarch is toxic?

Phillip Johnson points out in works such as "Darwin On Trial" and "Reason In The Balance" that evolution takes as much faith to believe in (if not more so in the light of the evidence) as some form of creation theory. And despite their academic hegemony, the proof evolutionists point to supporting blind chance, unlike the God being argued for in this discourse, does not exist.

The beginning of this paper elaborated in some detail how the world flounders across the stage of contemporary history without the illuminating insight of divine guidance. Related to this is what is known as the moral argument for the existence of God.

Throughout the past two centuries, mankind has striven to retain some sense of morality without reference to the Divine Legislator. And the results have been disastrous.

The role of morality in light of atheistic assumptions was set down by Marquis De Sade who had the “foresight” to realize that, without God acting as a cosmic policemen, all acts that were natural in that they could be carried out by an individual being permissible. The new golden rule became do it to others before they could do it to you.

Anarchy, though, is not the only social threat in an atheistic system. In a situation where God and His precepts are not seen as absolutes binding upon conduct, dictatorship becomes an even greater likelihood as those with a lust for power are no longer burdened by ethical restraints and the people willingly hand their inalienable liberties over to such despots in an attempt to regain some kind of social order, Draconian though it may be.

Even if the sociological climate is not as repressive as Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia (regimes epitomizing the brutalities resulting from political systems inherently hostile to God), what right does anybody have to tell anybody anything if God does not exist? If the Black man is not made in the image of God, what’s so wrong with slavery as it obviously results from his own innate inferiority in the Darwinian survival of the fittest.

Francis Schaeffer once remarked that, if God does not exist, it does not matter whether one helps an elderly lady across the street or pushes her into oncoming traffic. Yet this moral chaos is clearly not the intended moral order. Even those not enrolled in an Evangelical seminary realize that genocide of noncombatants is wrong. No one but the most rabid Skinhead or fanatical Palestinian supports Hitler’s pograms against the Jews.

In "The Abolition Of Man", C.S. Lewis refers to this universal morality as "the Tao" or "the Way" (12). Even though the way the Way is implemented changes as man's understanding of it grows, the Tao itself represents God's universal standards and any reform of the Way as understood by finite human beings must come from within by its loyal adherents. To do so from without amounts to tyranny because those crafting the moral ethos in such an environment will only end up codifying their own arbitrary inclinations as law. With society increasingly marked by crime and arbitrary rule, the moral argument for God's existence will grow in poignancy as millions will grow weary of liberty degenerating into license and justice perverted into political expediency.

While the classic theistic proofs and other arguments such as that for moral values are intellectually formidable, they are merely a starting point as their conclusion could eventually lead to a deity wearing any number of sectarian hats ranging from historic Christianity to deism to Islam depending on the spin put on the proofs. Furthermore, most of the proofs fail to comment on whether or not the deity arrived at intimately cares for the human creation apart from setting up some kind of legal framework, making Him more akin to some kind of metaphysical traffic cop holding the universe together like some kind of subatomic Elmer's glue.

While quite persuasive, these arguments are just that, arguments, not unlike those bandied about night after night on Fox News debate programs where issues are never resolved and the highest goal being to get a rouse out of the opposition. The theistic proofs also bring to mind the Wisdom/Flew parable mentioned by John Warwick Montgomery in "The Suicide Of Christian Theology" where the theist argues that, while God’s handiwork can be deduced through the magnificence of creation there is no concrete way to point out God to those that doubt (89).

It is because that these arguments present a somewhat distant God that there must be a source to bridge the gap. For man steeped in sin to care about God, he must know that God care for him because before such an awakening man is so full of sinful pride to concern himself with his relation to the Creator. The proof of that love and the reality of God’s existence was made certain in the incarnation and redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

Despite the power of the theistic proofs, one cannot come to a knowledge of salvation through them alone. In order to give this intellectual starting point a solid foundation, one must turn to this God’s personal revelation, the Bible.

Wheaton Professor of Biblical Studies Gilbert Bilezikian in "Christianity 101" points out that the Bible never tries to prove the existence of God but assumes it as a given (25). However, Scripture does contain internal indicators as to why it can be trusted. For starters, the Bible is historically accurate.

Paul Little of Intervarsity Fellowship in "How To Give Away Your Faith" quotes archaeologist Nelson Gluek as saying, "No archaeological discovery has ever contraverted a Biblical reference (Little, 77).” In fact, the Bible had the historical record straight long before modern historians as evidenced by the controversy surrounding the Hittites, an ancient people once thought mythological but eventually proven an historical reality. Since the Bible has proven itself historically accurate and capable of providing a code of conduct cognizant of human nature, there is little reason to doubt the existence of a God who reveals Himself in its pages and preserved them so that man might come to know Him through this special book.

But perhaps the greatest proof of all regarding the existence of God is His earthly manifestation in the person of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, an act proclaimed in Scriptureht come to this knowledge. It has been seen that some of this knowledge can be arrived at through common logic.

For example, through the theistic proofs man can conclude that a God exists through an analysis of the creation. The fact that man can engage in this intellectual quest at all points to a rational Creator seeking to imbue His most cherished creations with a finite portion of His own rationality. The scientific understanding of the cosmos also points to God's existence. Even the most simple components of the universe testify to a complexity beyond human comprehension. This is even the case with the so called "simple" organisms such as bacteria and viruses.

Even more importantly, this complexity testifies that God is not beyond the pale of legitimate conceptual discussion. Mortimer Adler argues that, if man can expound on theoretical constructs such as black holes and subatomic particles without having directly experienced them, then God is therefore not necessarily off limits conceptually.

The contemporary social climate testifies to God's existence as civilization becomes more chaotic with anarchy and tyranny gaining ground simultaneously. Without Scriptural principles under-girding the nation's laws, one can kill their child through abortion but can be sent to jail for disciplining the child should the child be privileged to see the world outside of the birth canal.

Despite the power of these proofs to any unprejudiced individual with any degree of mental acuity, the best proof for God's existence is His revelation to man in the form of Jesus Christ as detailed in Scripture. The only begotten Son of God, whose claims cannot be legitimately dismissed by His enemies, predicted His own resurrection in Matthew 12:39. And unlike the false prophets, hucksters, and shysters who refuse to subject their claims to verification, the risen Christ was authenticated by over 500 witnesses. One of these witnesses was so skeptical that he insisted on sticking his hands into the Lord's wounds in order to be convinced otherwise.

One's alignment in the debate of whether or not God exists is the most important position one will ever take as it will ultimately impact every facet of one's existence. And while this decision is ultimately up to the individual in consultation with the Holy Spirit and cannot be made for them by longwinded apologists attempting to persuade them, they should know that their final decision in these matters will dramatically impact their eternal destinies. There is much more at stake in this conflict than where one will be spending Sunday morning.

By Frederick Meekins

P*rn Addiction at Crisis Level

Over 50% of American men are addicted to pornography. This is a crisis, since the effects of porn damage everyone around the addict, including the addict himself, who loses his memory and ability to concentrate. Women, if your man seems distant, it is probably not because he is "mysterious," but because he has a secret addiction to porn.

Read the abridged article at WND (formerly WorldNetDaily) 

The full, unedited version is below.

More than 50% of men now look at pornography regularly, thanks to easy access and constant bombardment of images on the internet. No one wants to talk about it. Society generally looks the other way at pornography, dismissing it as harmless “men's entertainment.” The reality is that it is extremely addictive, and along with the addiction comes life-destroying side effects. It puts the addict into a creepy bondage that affects the lives of those around him or her. It is not a victimless crime. It has become a chilling epidemic that is ruining the minds, families and jobs of possibly half the men in the country. Everyone has a family member, spouse or friend whose life is full of problems due to this addiction.

Viewing pornography overstimulates a neurochemical in the body called dopamime. In men, it mixes with testosterone and builds up an adrenaline rush. After repeatedly looking at porn, a tolerance is built up, and it becomes difficult for ordinary romantic experiences to provide pleasure. Men lose interest in real romance. Musician John Mayer has publicly admitted that his pornography habit is so strong he prefers to stay home with it instead of spending time with a real woman. Some men end up forcing the pornographic acts they watch on their unwilling wives in order to try and become interested in them again. The rise in men's erectile-dysfunction aids is no doubt due in part to the increase in pornographic addictions.

The kind of addiction created by porn is akin to drug users needing stronger and stronger drugs in order to achieve the same feeling. Addicts seek out increasingly hardcore porn to try and satisfy their addictions. Ironically, they don't seek out more hardcore porn in order to obtain more pleasure, but because they are obtaining less pleasure. Several studies have come out revealing that pornography addicts have the same brain changes as drug addicts. It radically alters the structure of the brain, as the pleasure parts of the brain become more dominant, literally turning into a “one-track mind.” The structural brain changes have been compared to brain damage. Addiction to pornography destroys intelligence, ruining the ability to concentrate and causing forgetfulness. It reduced one engineer's ability to hold down any job except at minimum wage level.

The American Society of Addiction modified its definition of addiction to include pornography last year, stating that it can be associated with the "pathological pursuit of rewards." Pornography is an extremely difficult addiction to cure, because recovery involves withdrawal symptoms like irritability, concentration problems, and even flu-like symptoms. It takes 6-12 weeks after stopping to be able to enjoy normal romance fully again.

The internet has allowed for the creation and sharing of an endless stream of pornography, making it easier to get trapped. Men cannot surf the web or log into their email accounts without seeing ads and emails with air-brushed provocative women inviting them to click. 25% of internet searches are related to pornography. They're not all men, either, one-third of all who look at porn on the internet are women. 20,000 pornographic videos are produced each year in the San Fernando Valley, 90% of all pornographic videos.

The most disturbing part about pornography addiction is that it can lead to child pornography. When an addict cannot get the same feeling any longer from regular pornography, the addict may turn to child pornography. Child pornography is increasing; between 2005 and 2009 there was a 432% increase in child pornography movies and images.

Another terrible consequence of porn is it can lead to rape. Clinical psychologist Dr. Victor Cline, author of Pornography's Effects on Adults & Children, found that almost half of the rapists he studied used pornography to arouse themselves before they sought out a victim to rape. Dr. M.J. Goldstein studied sex offenders and found that many of them acted out the sex acts they watched in pornography on their victims. Most admitted that watching pornography increased their desire for deviant activities. Serial rapist and killer Ted Bundy has said that his pornography addiction progressed through stages.

Porn creates images of women that are not based in reality. Most porn stars are deeply troubled, and a high proportion are sexual abuse survivors. Many ex-porn stars are now speaking out about how how terrible the industry really is. It is not glamorous, the average male porn star makes $40,000 annually. There are 15 new cases of STDs reported in the adult movie business every week. One porn star has said that 99.9% of the industry has herpes. Another porn star said the industry only tests for HIV, not other STDs. Another one said they are all on drugs, that is “an empty lifestyle trying to fill up a void.”

Shelley Luben, a former porn actress, now speaks out against porn. She exposes the truth the porn industry hides, “The porn industry wants YOU to think we porn actresses love sex. They want you to think we enjoy being degraded by all kinds of repulsive acts.” The pornography industry renamed itself to the “adult entertainment industry” in order to create the perception that it's just entertainment. It's not, it is extremely damaging to the wives and children of the man “being entertained.” Culture theorist and author Jackson Katz describes how porn hurts regular relationships, “It normalizes the men's pleasure-taking as it sexualizes the woman's degradation.”

The epidemic has seeped into the workplace, hurting workplace productivity. A Nielsen report found that 29% of working adults access adult websites form work computers. Considering that viewing porn is a fireable offense, this is evidence of how severely addictive porn is.

Men who are addicted to pornography frequently defend their addiction by claiming they have “needs.” However, pornography has not been around or easily accessible until recently. Cavemen got by just fine without it.

Communities used to be able to zone adult stores away from sight. With the advent of the internet, any attempt now to regulate pornography raises cries of censorship. Yet the Supreme Court's rulings over the past 60 years holding that pornography is protected free speech drew arbitrary lines: obscenity – which includes extremely hardcore pornography - can still be banned.

Dr. Patrick Carnes, who researches sexual addictions, has found that most sexual addicts come from dysfunctional families, with the root of their addictions based in childhood. Instead of dismissing this unhealthy addiction as “free speech,” society should help pornography addicts understand that their behavior is not normal, and they need to take steps to correct it, such as joining a 12-step support group or using self-help at websites like yourbrainonporn.com. Addicts are not using pornography for “entertainment,” but to mask their emotional problems. Porn does not liberate men, but puts them in virtual bondage. Their unhappiness is still there, their relationship problems are still there, and they risk damaging their lives further as the addiction increases. Sadly, most pornography addicts are probably unaware they have an addiction, thanks to society telling them that it is just “men's entertainment.”

There needs to be a shift in cultural attitudes regarding pornography. Ironically, it is women who are responsible for instituting this laissez-faire attitude towards porn. Feminists in the 1960's ushered in a sexual revolution, which said that anything goes, free love, free sex. This was self-defeating to feminists, since porn eroticizes male supremacy. Sexologist Alfred Kinsey also contributed to society normalizing porn. He performed research on subjects that included a high percentage of pedophiles, inmates, sex offenders, pimps and prostitutes, but told everyone his subjects were “average” Americans. He claimed his results proved that men need deviant sexual behavior and that it is normal. His findings were widely adopted in schools and universities and by psychologists, even though it became well-known later that he was a deviant himself who welcomed the sexualization of children.

Former porn actress Luben tells men they must stop, “The truth is there IS NO fantasy in porn. It’s all a lie.” She asks men, “We want you to throw out our movies and help piece together the shattered fragments of our lives.”

Christians can speak up against pornography from a moral basis. The Bible calls it a sin. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus said that looking at a woman lustfully is the same as the sin of adultery. 2^nd Peter 2:14 speaks to the addiction aspect, “They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied.” Christian leader James Dobson produced a report for the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography under President Reagan, where he explained how pornography has gone from airbrushed naked models to serious perversion, due to addicts needing more stimulation. “This is the world of pornography today, and I believe the public would rise up in wrath to condemn it if they knew of its prominence.” It is over 25 years later and pornography is more prevalent and disgusting than ever. Why hasn't the public risen up against it? Because half of the men in our society are addicted themselves.