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Egyptian Court Sentences Christian Family to 15 Years for Converting From Islam

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The 15-year prison sentence given to a woman and her seven children by an Egyptian court for converting to Christianity is a sign of things to come, according to alarmed human rights advocates who say the nation’s Islamist government is bad news for Christians in the North African country.

A criminal court in the central Egyptian city of Beni Suef meted out the shocking sentence last week, according to the Arabic-language Egyptian paper Al-Masry Al-Youm. Nadia Mohamed Ali, who was raised a Christian, converted to Islam when she married Mohamed Abdel-Wahhab Mustafa, a Muslim, 23 years ago. He later died, and his widow planned to convert her family back to Christianity in order to obtain an inheritance from her family. She sought the help of others in the registration office to process new identity cards between 2004 and 2006. When the conversion came to light under the new regime, Nadia, her children and even the clerks who processed the identity cards were all sentenced to prison.

Samuel Tadros, a research fellow at Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, said conversions like Nadia’s have been common in the past, but said Egypt’s new Sharia-based constitution “is a real disaster in terms of religion freedom.”

“The cases will increase in the future,” Tadros said. “It will be much harder for people to return to Christianity.”

President Mohamed Morsi, who was elected last June and succeeded the secular reign of Hosni Mubarak, who is now in prison, pushed the new constitution through last year.

Read more from this story HERE.

Former Clinton, Obama Officials Call For Halt to Arctic Drilling

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Former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta and former EPA administrator and Obama climate policy director Carol Browner officials have changed their tune and are now opposed to oil and gas drilling in the arctic. They argue that a “series of mishaps and errors” have them convinced it can’t be done safely and responsibly.

“We were open to offshore oil and gas development in the Arctic provided oil companies and the government could impose adequate safeguards, ensure sufficient response capacity and develop a deeper understanding of how oil behaves in ice and freezing water,” write Podesta and Browner, both now working at the liberal Center for American Progress.

“Now, following a series of mishaps and errors, as well as overwhelming weather conditions, it has become clear that there is no safe and responsible way to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean,” they added.

Podesta and Browner argue that despite reports warning about potential hazards of arctic drilling and advances in technology and expertise, Royal Dutch Shell has shown it is ill-prepared for arctic drilling. The two go farther to argue that arctic drilling should be stopped altogether.

“The Obama administration shouldn’t issue any new permits to Shell this year and should suspend all action on other companies’ applications to drill in this remote and unpredictable region,” write Podesta and Browner.

Read more from this story HERE.

Environmentalists Versus Workers: Keystone Pipeline Decision Will Shape Obama’s Legacy

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Whether President Obama approves the Keystone XL pipeline or not hinges on one key question: Which is more important to him, creating jobs and promoting energy independence or fighting climate change?

Two reports released Thursday highlight both issues, making even clearer the choice the White House faces. Mr. Obama has delayed for more than a year a final decision on the massive pipeline, which would transport Canadian oil sands through the U.S. to Gulf Coast refineries.

The project’s latest route also must be approved by Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican whose state stands to benefit if the pipeline is built.

A study commissioned by the Consumer Energy Alliance details those benefits: more than 5,500 Nebraska jobs created during the 2013-14 construction period, with nearly 1,000 permanent jobs continuing through 2030; more than $950 million in labor income generated for the life of the project; more than $130 million in property, sales and other taxes for Nebraska coffers; and an estimated $679 million boost to Nebraska’s gross domestic product.

The study, conducted by the Goss Institute for Economic Research, also predicts that the pipeline will increase overall economic activity in Nebraska by about $1.8 billion through 2029.

Read more from this story HERE.

Rand Paul to Chris Christie: Cool it With the Temper Tantrums & Grandstanding, Alright? (+audio)

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If it seems like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) have been in the news an awful lot recently, it’s because they have been — the New Jersey governor for his harsh criticism of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the National Rifle Association and the Kentucky senator for his vow to “nullify” the president’s new gun-control measures.

And if you’ve been waiting on a news story that involves both GOP heavyweights, well, you’re in luck: Sen. Paul on Friday publicly reprimanded Gov. Christie for “not standing up for Second Amendment rights in the ongoing gun control debate,” as CNN puts it.

“You have some Republicans backing down like Christie backing down and criticizing the NRA, and I think that doesn’t do us any good,” Sen. Paul told conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham. “So I think Republicans do need to stand more firmly on this issue.”

Asked why he thinks Gov. Christie chose to take such a hard stance against the NRA and its “reprehensible” anti-Obama ad, Sen. Paul said he thinks the governor is merely posturing.

“I think he may be solidifying his support with Democrats in New Jersey and maybe liberal Republicans,” the Kentucky senator said.

Listen to audio:

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Gun Solutions, Not Gun Control: Gun Free Zones Should be Liable For Murders

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Most of the mass shootings lately have happened in self proclaimed gun free zones. They have been a drawing card for deranged killers who want to make sure they can fire into defenseless people without the worry of having fire returned.

Time and again these gun free zones have been targeted and time and again, people are bewildered why it happens. But the answer is simple; these advertised gun free zones invite attack.

Politicians simplistic solution is to put tighter restrictions on law abiding citizens, thinking if they make it harder to obtain a certain type of firearm, it will make the senseless shootings stop. It won’t.

But perhaps it’s time to assign responsibility to those who think they can proclaim an area a gun free zone with a sign or a proclamation, but don’t provide protection for the people that frequent those locations.

Airports and commercial aircraft are “gun free zones.” You can be pretty much assured that these gun free zones offer you protection by strict security screening of those they allow in and plenty of armed security on the premises to quell any violence that may occur.

Government buildings in Washington DC are “gun free zones.” There is armed security everywhere, seen and unseen, to protect the precious ruling class.

In the self proclaimed, utopian, “gun free” zones set up all over America, law abiding citizens are not allowed to carry firearms. For that trade off, shouldn’t patrons, students, and employees expect tight security? If these entities are going to require law abiding citizens to be helpless, whether it is a movie theater, shopping mall, school or office building, don’t they owe their clientele the utmost security that can be provided?

The stark reality of this truth came through loud and clear when James O’Keefe, of undercover video fame, targeted journalists, many of whom were involved in the public outing of gun owners in their community. See O’Keefe’s hilarious video

O’Keefe’s group, “Project Veritas” poses as “Citizens Against Senseless Violence,” and visits the homes of journalists working for Westchester Journal News, MSNBC, and the Star-Ledger. They also visit the home of Eric Holder. Hypocritically, none will take the signs that say “THIS HOME IS PROUDLY GUN FREE.”

Even the rabid anti gun members of the left leaning media know that proclaiming you are a gun free zone, announces to the world you are easy pickings. Perhaps it’s time for the litigation industry to pick up on this fact when they seek damages for the death and injury gun free zones have triggered.

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Ed Farnan is the conservative columnist at IrishCentral, where he has been writing on the need for energy independence, strong self defense, secure borders, 2nd amendment, smaller government and many other issues. His articles appear in many publications throughout the USA and world. He has been a guest on Fox News and a regular guest on radio stations in the US and Europe.

NRA: This is About Banning Guns

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Late Tuesday evening, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre sent an email to supporters as President Obama prepares to sign as many as 19 executive orders on new gun control measures. LaPierre said this isn’t about protecting children, it’s about “banning your guns” . . .

It’s not about protecting children. It’s not about stopping crime. It’s about banning your guns…PERIOD!

Last week, NRA sat in on a White House meeting that was sold to the public as an “open discussion” about how to improve school safety. But that was a dirty lie.

They didn’ listen to gun owners’ concerns…they didn’ consider any real solutions on how we can keep our kids safe…instead Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and their gun ban allies in Congress only want to BLAME you, VILIFY you, BULLY you, and STRIP you of your Second Amendment freedoms.

Right now, they’re steamrolling ahead with legislation that would ban your guns, register your ammunition purchases, and even force you to register the firearms you already own with Obama’s anti-gun bureaucrats.

Read full story HERE.

Thirty Hostages Reported Killed in Algeria Assault, Fate of Americans Unknown

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(Reuters) – Thirty hostages and at least 11 Islamist militants were killed on Thursday when Algerian forces stormed a desert gas plant in a bid to free many dozens of Western and local captives, an Algerian security source said.

Details remained scant – including for Western governments, some of which did little to disguise irritation at being kept in the dark by Algeria before the raid and its bloody outcome.

Two Japanese, two Britons and a French national were among at least seven foreigners killed, the source told Reuters. Eight of the dead hostages were Algerian. The nationalities of the rest, as well as of perhaps dozens more who escaped, were unclear.

Americans, Norwegians, Romanians and an Austrian have also been mentioned by their governments as having been captured.

Underlining the view of African and Western leaders that they face a multinational, al Qaeda-linked insurgency across the Sahara – a conflict that prompted France to send troops to neighboring Mali last week – the official source said only two of the 11 dead militants were Algerian, including their leader.

Read more from this story HERE.

New York Fires Auditor Who Found Misuse of Sandy Recovery Funds

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No good deed goes unpunished in New York: the state has abruptly cut off a contract with the independent auditor who found that the state had been wasting federal money meant to be spent on Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.

Thomas Sadowski, the fired consultant, told the Times Union that he was escorted out of the building when he visited the New York Office of Emergency Management shortly after he filed his report on November 17.

The state hired Sadowski for his extensive experience in emergency procurement management with the federal government. The certified public accountant also did similar work for 10 years at the U.S. Department of Interior’s Inspector General’s office. Sadowski also trained the U.S. Forest Service, Alaska Fire Service, National Interagency Fire Center, Colorado Wildfire Academy, and other government agencies.

“I didn’t believe I did anything to be escorted off the premises,” Sadowski told the Times Union. “I wasn’t trying to get back at anybody or get anybody in trouble.” But Sadowski said he believed he was fired for finding the waste. “I was relieved of my duties because I identified these problems,” he said.

In his report, Sadowski found that the state was buying equipment it didn’t need but had wanted for other purposes, had bought equipment that cannot be tracked, and even lost some equipment bought.

Read more from this story HERE.

GOP Knows What to do on Guns, But Doesn’t Have the Backbone

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In the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, there is a desire to do something to try to prevent similar types of incidents from occurring again. The liberals understand this, and have run with it. They have run in the direction that feels good, but has no proof of effectiveness. Conservatives have the solution that has been proven everywhere it has been tried, yet are silent on this issue. Rather than Republicans answering questions about bad Democratic ideas, the President should be answering questions about Republican legislative proposals. Where is the proposal from a republican to allow for concealed carry rights throughout the country? This has helped reduce gun violence everywhere it has been tried, and could be administered by each state. With one proposal the conversation could be changed from what feels good to what works.

There are now 39 states that have concealed carry laws (where you can receive a concealed weapon permit if you meet certain criteria). This is up from 9 states that had these laws in 1986, and has been pointed to as being instrumental in the drop in gun violence in these states. The recent shootings in CT and Colorado were cases where concealed carry guns were not allowed. In the case of Sandy Hook school, it is not allowed in the entire state. In the case of the Colorado movie theater, there is concealed carry allowed in Colorado, but specifically not allowed in that particular theater. Imagine if the 5-10% of the population who typically carry guns when permitted, had them in that Colorado theater that night, or in the Sandy Hook school that day. How many lives might have been saved? Concealed carry should be part of the national debate on guns.

In 2008 some of the strictest gun control laws were lifted in Chicago and Washington DC. According to the conventional wisdom in the media, this was supposed to lead to the “wild west”. Instead gun crime and murder rates have plummeted in both cities. The fact that you have heard nothing from the media in terms of the removal of these gun control laws, is all that you need to know. If there was a case to be made that the elimination of gun control led to more crime, rather than hearing crickets, it would be force fed to us daily in the anti-gun media! This is typically what happens when these laws are removed or concealed carry is implemented. John Lott has been a leading light on this issue started with his book, “More Guns, Less Crime”.

Right now all we hear from Democrats and the media is which guns we can eliminate, or what restrictions we can put on the law abiding citizenry. Even gun advocates are taking a narrow, elitist view with the idea of one armed guard in each school. Where are the voices advocating more freedom to defend ourselves from horrific crimes such as these? With over 200 million guns currently in the US, we already know the bad guys can get them. Let’s let the good guys to have them as well.
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Michael Porfido is relatively new to the writing ranks. He has been an editor and contributor at the website www.freemarketsfreepeople.net for the past 1 ½ years. He has over 20 years of diverse business experience from running complex operations where he managed hundreds of people, to starting and running small businesses such as www.realinterestfund.com. He is blessed, or perhaps cursed, with a logical mind which he uses to analyze government, media, politics, and culture. He believes that his life experiences help him bring a unique perspective to the issues of the day.

Sen. Rand Paul to Propose Bill to ‘Nullify’ Obama’s Executive Orders on Gun Control

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has announced he will propose a bill to “nullify” any of President Obama’s executive orders on gun control that give the appearance that the president is writing new legislation.

Paul released his plan, called the Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act 2013, on Wednesday. The document, which he plans to introduce early next week, has several purposes.

The bill intends to condemn the use of executive orders which undermine the powers reserved for Congress under the Constitution. It specifically mentions Article I of the Constitution which states, “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States.”

Paul’s proposed legislation also declares “null and void” any executive order that “infringes on the powers and duties of the Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution and the Second Amendment.”

The bill also intends to prohibit funding for an “Executive Order Restricting [the] 2nd Amendment.”

Read more from this story HERE.