Judge Declined to Marry Couple Over Christian Beliefs

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By The Blade. A Toledo Municipal Court judge who declined to marry a same-sex couple said today his decision was based upon his “personal and Christian beliefs.”

Judge C. Allen McConnell said in a written statement his refusal Monday followed his beliefs developed over many years.

“I apologize to the couple for the delay they experienced and wish them the best,” Judge McConnell said. “The court has implemented a process whereby same sex marriages will be accommodated.”

The judge said he will continue to perform “traditional marriages” during his assignment and is seeking an opinion from the Ohio Supreme Court as to whether he can leave the judicial rotation for marriages. He said he will follow the court’s decision. (Read more from “Judge Declined to Marry Couple Over Christian Beliefs” HERE)


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Cardinal Wuerl: Same-Sex Marriage “Is the Law of the Land; We Follow the Law”

By P.W. Adams. The Christian community has split on the morality of homosexuality since the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriages. While one denomination recently held a service in Washington’s National Cathedral celebrating the decision, others have felt the need to request some protection of their religious freedom and have refused to perform same-sex ceremonies. But what side the Catholic Church falls on the issue is still not exactly clear. Especially after a recent comment by one of its eminent Cardinals.

Washington Top News reports that Cardinal Wuerl recently stated that same-sex is the law of the land and that the church follows the law:

“WASHINGTON — The District’s top Catholic leader has weighed in on the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

“The law of the land is the law of the land,” says Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl. “We certainly follow what the law says. That doesn’t mean we change the word of God. That doesn’t mean we change the scriptures, or the church’s millennia-long tradition of what marriage is.”

(Read more from this story HERE)

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South Carolina House Approves Removal of Confederate Flag

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By Fox News. The South Carolina House approved taking down the Confederate flag from Capitol grounds early Thursday, a stunning reversal in a state that was the first to leave the Union in 1860 and raised the flag again at its Statehouse more than 50 years ago to protest the civil rights movement.

The move came after more than 13 hours of contentious debate, weeks after the deadly shootings of nine black church members, including a state senator, at a Bible study in Charleston. The House approved the Senate bill 93-27, and still has one more vote than appeared to be perfunctory since they had met two-thirds approval.

It is possible the flag could come down Thursday or Friday, but the exact timing is unknown.

The bill is set to go to Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, who supports it.

“Today, as the Senate did before them, the House of Representatives has served the state of South Carolina and her people with great dignity,” Haley said in a statement early Thursday. “I’m grateful for their service and their compassion. It is a new day in South Carolina, a day were can all be proud of, a day that truly brings us all together as we continue to heal, as one people and one state.” (Read more from “South Carolina House Approves Removal of Confederate Flag” HERE)

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Disney World Removes Confederate Flag From Epcot Display

By Sandra Pedicini. Walt Disney World has joined the list of businesses and governments distancing themselves from the Confederate flag.

The resort has removed a version of the Confederate banner from a flag display in Epcot’s American Adventure. Disney acknowledged it took down the flag recently but would not comment further.

The banner, which was among more than 40 displayed from throughout America’s history, was the third flag of the Confederacy. The familiar “Southern Cross” symbol does not take up the entire banner as it does in the Confederate battle flag. Instead the blue cross with white stars on a red background is displayed in the upper-left-hand corner, bordered by a field of white with a thick, red stripe at the other end.

Sheri Labowski, a Connecticut tourist relaxing outside the American Adventure on Wednesday, said she agreed with the flag’s removal.

“I think in this day and age we shouldn’t be promoting a part of our history we’re not proud of,” she said. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Poll: Most Don’t Think Confederate Flag Racist

By Jesse Byrnes. Most Americans continue to think of the Confederate flag as emblematic of Southern pride and not inherently racist, according to a new Gallup poll, though views are divided along party lines.

Some 54 percent of Americans say the flag represents not racism but Southern heritage, but Democratic support for the Confederate battle banner has dropped precipitously, according to the survey.

About a third of Democrats, 32 percent, view the flag as symbolic of Southern pride, almost half of the 61 percent who held that view when surveyed in 1992.

Meanwhile, views among Republicans have remained relatively consistent, ticking upward 3 points to 78 percent since 1992, when a full three-quarters of Republicans viewed the flag as a Southern symbol. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Pastor Urging Churches Across Nation to Join Him in Placing Christian Flag Above American Flag: ‘We Serve God Before Government’

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A North Carolina pastor is urging people of faith across the nation to raise a Christian flag above the American flag to demonstrate that God, and not the U.S. government, is the ultimate authority.

According to a report from WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina, pastor Rit Varriale first installed a prominent flag pole outside Elizabeth Baptist Church last week, placing the Christian flag at the top and the American flag below it.

“Our typical flag etiquette is to have the American flag above the Christian flag. But when you stop and think about it, it should be our commitment to God first, then our commitment to country,” he told WBTV.

“We should be flying the Christian flag above the American flag as a demonstration that Christians will respect and obey the federal government up to the point that the government asks something that is inconsistent with what God has called His people to do,” Pastor Varriale told the Baptist Press, explaining that he got the idea from another church in Shelby, Focus Missionary Baptist Church, who raised the Christian flag several months ago.

“In large part we started going wrong when we stopped standing up for things that are inherently part of the Christian life, like prayer,” the pastor said. “The admonition from the government to stop praying in the public school system was packaged under the notion of rights — the rights of the individual.” The minority didn’t want to pray and felt they should not be asked to pray in a government institution, Varriale said. However, the public school is not only a government institution, he said, but a place that serves the people of the community. “Any institution should be able to reflect the values of the people who live there,” he said. (Read more from “Pastor Urging Churches Across Nation to Join Him in Placing Christian Flag Above American Flag: ‘We Serve God Before Government'” HERE)

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Kenyan Politician: If Obama Brings ‘Gay Agenda, We Will Tell Him to Shut Up and Go Home’

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When he visits his father’s homeland in Africa later this month, President Obama is expected to run into vocal opposition over his administration’s high-profile promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues.

Obama’s trip to Kenya, his first as president, is scheduled to take place four weeks after the White House was bathed in rainbow colors to mark the U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring that same-sex marriage is a right.

At a small pro-family demonstration at the parliament in Nairobi Monday, organized by the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, participants called on the American president not to raise the subject during his visit.

“It is important for us as Kenyans to know that the U.S. is not God,” local media quoted evangelical Bishop Mark Kariuki as saying, adding that Obama should not use the visit to “talk about the gay issue.”

Irungu Kangata, a lawmaker in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance (TNA) party, was blunter: “We are telling Mr. Obama when he comes to Kenya this month and he tries to bring the abortion agenda, the gay agenda, we shall tell him to shut up and go home.” (Read more from “Kenyan Politician: If Obama Brings ‘Gay Agenda, We Will Tell Him to Shut Up and Go Home'” HERE)

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Israel Building Billion-Dollar High-Tech Anti-ISIS Fence on Jordan Border

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Israel has resolved to take yet another step to strengthen its national security. In this case, it calls for an 18-mile-long fence that will close off the gap in it’s already impressive network of border fences. The border that Israel shares with Jordan is the last area that is totally open to the neighboring country. Their borders with Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon have already been fenced off.

This fence will be similar to Israel’s other high-tech border fences. They’ll be armed with surveillance cameras, razor wire, and an electronic detection system. Though, instead of being only 5-feet-tall like the barrier against Egypt, this new wall will reach 16-feet-high. Deal with that ISIS!

“This is important. It is part of our national security,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It joins the fence that we built along the length of our border with Sinai, which blocked the entry of illegal migrants into Israel and — of course — the various terrorist movements. This step also joins the fence that we built on our border on the Golan Heights.”

This fence is part of a program that hopes to completely circle the allied nation and will cost just under $1 billion. The fence will be built within Israel’s borders and Netanyahu said that it will not interfere with “the sovereignty of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and its national interests.” (Read more from “Israel Building Billion-Dollar High-Tech Anti-ISIS Fence on Jordan Border” HERE)

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Jade Helm 15, Heavily Scrutinized Military Exercise, to Open Without Media Access

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Jade Helm 15, the controversial Special Operations exercise that spawned a wave of conspiracy theories about a government takeover, will open next week without any media allowed to observe it, a military spokesman said.

Embedded reporters won’t be permitted at any point during the exercise, in which military officials say that secretive Special Operations troops will maneuver through private and publicly owned land in several southern states. Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a spokesman for Army Special Operations Command, said his organization is considering allowing a small number of journalists to view selected portions of the exercise later this summer, but nothing is finalized.

“All requests from the media for interviews and coverage of U.S. Army Special Operations Command personnel, organizations and events are assessed for feasibility and granted when and where possible,” Lastoria said in a statement released Wednesday to The Washington Post. “We are dedicated to communicating with the public, while balancing that against the application of operations security and other factors.”

The exercise is scheduled for July 15 through September 15 and is expected to include more than 1,200 troops. Army Special Operations Command announced the exercise in March, saying its size and scope would set it apart from most training exercises. For months, some protesters have said Jade Helm is setting the stage for future martial law. Those fears have been mocked by comedians such as Jon Stewart and others, and the U.S. military has tried to reassure people about the exercise.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, called in April for the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercise, drawing a new wave of attention to Jade Helm and criticism from people who said he was fanning the hysteria. He defended the decision, saying it would improve communication between Special Operations forces and civilians in Texas. (Read more from “Jade Helm 15, Heavily Scrutinized Military Exercise, to Open Without Media Access” HERE)

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Black People’s Problems Are Not Civil Rights Problems

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Let’s list major problems affecting black Americans. Topping the list is the breakdown in the black family, where only a third of black children are raised in two-parent households. Actually, the term “breakdown” is incorrect. Families do not form in the first place. Nationally, there is a black illegitimacy rate of 72 percent. In some urban areas, the percentage is much greater. Blacks constitute more than 50 percent of murder victims, where roughly 7,000 blacks are murdered each year. Ninety-five percent of the time, the perpetrator is another black. If a black youngster does graduate from high school, it is highly likely that he can read, write and compute no better than a white seventh- or eighth-grader. These are the major problems that face black Americans.

Let’s look at some of the strategy since the beginning of the civil rights movement. The black power movement of the ’60s and ’70s held that black underrepresentation in the political arena was a major problem. It was argued that the election of more black officials as congressmen, mayors and city council members would mean economic power, better neighborhoods and better schools. Forty-three years ago, there were roughly 1,500 black elected officials nationwide. According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, by 2011 there were roughly 10,500 black elected officials, including a black president. But what were the fruits?

By most any measure, the problems are worse. There is the greatest black poverty, poorest education, highest crime and greatest family instability in cities such as: Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Calif., Memphis, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Buffalo, N.Y. The most common characteristic of these predominantly black cities is that, for decades, all of them have been run by Democratic and presumably liberal administrations. What’s more is that in most of these cities, blacks have been mayors, chiefs of police, school superintendents and principals and have dominated city councils.

Political power has not lived up to its billing.

So what should black politicians and activists now be focused on to address some of the problems confronting black people? Let’s look at some of the fiddling by some black politicians, white liberals and some intimidated white conservatives. How about banning the Confederate flag from public places because it is alleged to be a symbol of slavery? What would that do for black problems? By the way, one could make the case for also banning the American flag. Slave ships sailed under the American flag. (Read more from “Black People’s Problems Are Not Civil Rights Problems” HERE)

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Kansas Governor Issues Executive Order Protecting Religious Organizations

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In a move that has been applauded by many in the Christian community, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback issued an executive order Tuesday prohibiting the state from taking action against clergy or religious social service agencies who refuse service to same-sex couples due to their religious beliefs.

According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, Executive Order 15-05, “Preservation and Protection of Religious Freedom,” argues that both the United States Constitution and the State of Kansas have provisions which restrict government interference with the right of individuals to practice religion according to their consciences.

Thus, Brownback’s order explicitly prohibits state officials from taking “discriminatory action” against both clergy members and religious organizations who apply that religious practice to facilitation of services for homosexual couples.

“The State Government is prohibited from taking any action inconsistent with the restrictions placed upon the State Government by the United States Constitution, or the Kansas Constitution, or the Kansas Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, against any individual clergy, religious leader, or religious organization on the basis that such person or organization believes or sincerely acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman,” the order reads.

[Listen to Kansas’s Secretary of State discuss the need for the states to resist the federal government]

Brownback’s order comes less than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in all 50 states. Among other states, the SCOTUS decision overturned the will of 70 percent of Kansas voters who, in 2005, approved an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. (Read more from “Kansas Governor Issues Executive Order Protecting Religious Organizations” HERE)

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Air Force Drops Dummy Nuclear Bomb in Nevada in First Controversial Test to Update Cold War Arsenal

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The United States Air Force (USAF) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have completed the first development flight test of a controversial update to a nuclear bomb that has been use since the 1960s.

A ‘safe’ version of the the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb with no warhead was tested at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.

The tests are designed to extend the lifespan of the nuclear weapon by upgrading some of its parts.

‘This test marks a major milestone for the B61-12 Life Extension Program, demonstrating end-to-end system performance under representative delivery conditions,’ said NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Dr. Don Cook.

‘Achieving the first complete B61-12 flight test provides clear evidence of the nation’s continued commitment to maintain the B61 and provides assurance to our allies.’ (Read more from “Air Force Drops Dummy Nuclear Bomb in Nevada in First Controversial Test to Update Cold War Arsenal” HERE)

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Putin: Russia and China Can Overcome and Difficulty Together

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Welcoming China’s leader to two summits in a Russian city, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia and China can overcome their countries’ difficulties by working together.

Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both arrived Wednesday in the Russian city of Ufa for summits of the BRICS trade group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The BRICS group also includes Brazil, India and South Africa, while the SCO, which also focuses on regional security and political issues as well as economics, includes the former Soviet Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran, India and Pakistan are observer SCO participants. (Read more from “Putin: Russia and China Can Overcome and Difficulty Together” HERE)

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