Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Daily Devotional Tuesday 30th November

Last day of Spring.
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“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.” - Psalm 136:1,26
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Michal : The Woman Who Tricked Her Father

Scripture Reference: 1 Samuel 14:49; 1 Sam. 18:20-28; 1 Sam. 19:11-17; 1 Sam. 25:44; 2 Samuel 3:13, 14; 2 Sam. 6:16-23; 2 Sam. 21:8; 1 Chronicles 15:29.

Name Meaning: This name is allied to the previous name, Michaiah, and also to Michael, and mean the same - "Who is like Jehovah?" Michal, along with its cognates, illustrates the comparatively small class of proper names composed of more than two words. It is a name describing an admiring acknowledgment of the transcendant unapproachable majesty of the divine nature.

Family Connections: Michal was the younger daughter of Saul, Israel's first king. Her mother was Ahinoam. She became David's first wife, was given to Phalti the son of Laish, of Gallim for a-while, but was recovered by David. As the aunt of her sister Merab's five sons, Michal cared for them after the somewhat premature death of her sister.

Michal, although a princess, does not appear to have had a very commendable character. Desire for prestige, fervor of infatuation, indifference to holiness, and idolatry mark out this Jewess who knew the covenant God yet persevered in idolatrous practices. Closely associated with David, her career can be broken up thus -

She Loved David

What young woman would not be attracted by such a strong, athletic young man, who was "ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to"? Further, David was the young shepherd who defied and killed the giant Goliath who had terrified Michal's father and his people. Thus Michal grew passionately fond of David, and made no effort to conceal her love for this much-lauded champion of Israel. While there may not be very much to admire in Michal, we cannot but express sympathy for her experiences in an age when women were treated as chattels, being thrown from one husband to another. But while "Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David," she did not love the Lord as David did. What a different story might have been written of her if she had been a woman after God's own heart!

She Married David

Saul had vowed that the man who killed Goliath would become his son-in-law, and Merab, Saul's first daughter should have been given to David, but Saul, regretting his promise, gave her to another man. David was now a veritable hero among the people, and Saul's jealousy prompted him to devise means whereby David would be slain by the Philistines. Learning of Michal's love for David, Saul asked as a dowry, usually paid to a father according to Eastern custom, the foreskins of 100 Philistines. David slew 200 Philistines, and Saul was forced to give his daughter to wife to the man whose death he had planned. As David had been victorious, Saul dared not go back upon his word. How Saul illustrates the adage that "Jealousy is as cruel as the grave"!

She Delivered David

Still bent on destroying David, Saul had David's house surrounded. In a frenzy of envy Saul had messengers "watch David to slay him in the morning." But Michal's love smelled danger and, discovering her father's intention, "let David down through a window; and he fled and escaped." Then, as a truehearted wife she tricked her father and his emissaries. With her husband safely out of the way, Michal put a hair-covered image in David's bed, and when the men burst into the supposedly sickroom, they found that they had been cleverly tricked. When Saul heard he had been outwitted, he accused his daughter of disloyalty to her father, and was most bitter in his reproach. Michal, however, pretended that David had threatened to kill her if she did not help him to escape.

She Forsook David

After this incident, Michal's love for David waned. Where was the pleasure in being the wife of a man forced to spend his days a fugitive, hunted like a wild animal in the wilderness? Phalti of Gallem was a better catch, she thought, seeing he was on his way to royalty which she was eager to secure and hold. So Michal became the wife of Phalti. This was an illegitimate union seeing David was alive and was in no way lawfully separated from Michal as her husband. That Phalti cared for Michal is proven by the way he followed her, weeping, when she decided to leave him for her former husband.

She Was Restored to David

With Saul's death, circumstances changed for David whom God had already chosen to be king over His people. Michal and her husband Phalti were living to the east of Jordan during the short rule of Ishbosheth. Abner made an arrangement to assist David to take over the kingship of the nation, and David made the restoration of Michal the one condition of the league. So despite Phalti's sorrowful protest, Michal was forcibly restored to David as he returned from his wanderings as king. Evidently his ardor for Michal was the same as at the first, and his desire to claim her proves how he wanted her as queen in Hebron.

How pathetic it is to read of Phalti with whom Michal had lived for some considerable time. We see his sorrow as he went with her in tears, only to be rudely sent back by Abner! We do not read of Michal weeping as she left the man who had showered so much affection upon her. It did not require much force to make her leave Phalti. Her pride and love for prestige left little room for weeping and although she knew she could never become David's ideal love, seeing she had been the possession of another man, yet as his first wife Michal thought of the position that would be hers at court.

She Despised David

The closing scene between Michal and David is most moving, for what love Michal might have had for David turned to scorn and disdain. After making Jerusalem his capital, David brought the sacred Ark of the covenant, the ancient symbol of Jehovah's presence, to Moriah. On the day of the Ark's return David was so joyful that, stripping himself of his royal robes, he "danced before the Lord with all his might." Michal watched from a window and seeing David - the king - leaping and dancing before the Lord, she "despised him in her heart." Although she had loved him, risked her life for his safety, she now abhors him for his loss of royal dignity. Her haughtiness was shocked by David's participation in such an excitable demonstration.

Nursing her contempt Michal waited until David returned to his household. When they met, she with a biting sarcasm, revealing "her self-pride, and lack of sensitiveness to her husband's magnificent simplicity," sneeringly said, "How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!" For her there were no pious and affectionate feelings at the return of the Ark to Zion. Like her father, Saul, she had no regard for the Ark of God (1 Chronicles 13:3 ). But David, mortified by Michal's pride as a king's daughter, was curt in his reply. Resenting her reproach, he made it clear in no uncertain terms that he was not ashamed of what he had done "before the Lord" who had chosen him rather than any of Saul's family to reign as king. Michal had missed the essential significance of David's career, that in spite of his failures he was a man after God's own heart. As Alexander Whyte put it, "What was David's meat was Michal's poison. What was sweeter than honey to David was gall and wormwood to Michal.... At the despicable sight [of David dancing] she spat at him, and sank back in her seat with all hell in her heart.... Michal is a divine looking-glass for all angry and outspoken wives."

She Lost David

After such an outburst of reproach we read that "Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death," and such a final flat statement practically means that she lived apart from David, more or less divorced (2 Samuel 6:16 ). The estrangement between them likely became more acute because of the other wives now sharing David's prosperity. Childless till her death was a punishment appropriate to her transgression. David was given many sons and daughters, and her sister Merab bore five sons, but Michal never achieved the great attainment of being a mother. She ended her days without the love and companionship of a husband, caring for her dead sister's five children, all of whom were ultimately beheaded.

What can we learn from this story of Michal and David? Misunderstanding arose in their relationship because of a clash of temperament, outlook and purpose. Had Michal shared David's faith in God how different life would have been for both of them. But Michal made no effort to understand her husband's Godward desires and so passed a wrong judgment upon him. How certain we should be of a person's motive for his acts or attitudes before we condemn him. Further, had Michal loved David enough, she should have sought his forgiveness after he had explained his demeanor before the Lord. "She worshipped him when he was poor and unknown and now that he is King 'she despised him in her heart' ... David realized they could never love the same God. Therefore he cut her from his heart." But being eaten up with pride there was no tolerance in her heart and so harmony was impossible. Love brings harmony and understanding into every human relationship. A fellow-minister confided in Alexander Whyte that he preached and prayed best when his wife stayed at home. This was something of the gulf between David and Michal. How different it is when husbands truly love their wives and wives sincerely reverence their husbands!
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Micaiah, Michaiah
[Mīcā'iah,Mī chā'iah] - who is like jehovah. Here is a name occurring many times in the Old Testament and used of women as well as men. It is spelled in different ways. See MICA and MICAH.

1. A prophet, son of Imlah, who foretold the fall of Ahab at Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22:8, 9; 2 Chron. 18:8). There are no truer hearts to God than his. Carefully compare the three great prophets of 1 Kings - Ahijah, Elijah and Micaiah.

2. The father of Achbor, a chief officer of King Josiah (2 Kings 22:12, 14).

3. A prince of Judah ordered by Jehoshaphat to teach the people (2 Chron. 17:7).

4. A priest of the family of Asaph who blew a trumpet at the dedication of the wall (Neh. 12:35, 41).

5. The son of Gemariah, a prince of Judah in Jehoiakim's time (Jer. 36:11, 13).

Also the name of the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. (See 1 Kings 15:2; 2 Chron. 11:20, 13:2).
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
November 29: Morning

"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people ... Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." - Leviticus 19:16-17

Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison; for it injures the teller, the hearer, and the person concerning whom the tale is told. Whether the report be true or false, we are by this precept of God's Word forbidden to spread it. The reputations of the Lord's people should be very precious in our sight, and we should count it shame to help the devil to dishonour the Church and the name of the Lord. Some tongues need a bridle rather than a spur. Many glory in pulling down their brethren, as if thereby they raised themselves. Noah's wise sons cast a mantle over their father, and he who exposed him earned a fearful curse. We may ourselves one of these dark days need forbearance and silence from our brethren, let us render it cheerfully to those who require it now. Be this our family rule, and our personal bond--Speak evil of no man.

The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin, and prescribes the way in which we are to do it. It must be done by rebuking our brother to his face, not by railing behind his back. This course is manly, brotherly, Christlike, and under God's blessing will be useful. Does the flesh shrink from it? Then we must lay the greater stress upon our conscience, and keep ourselves to the work, lest by suffering sin upon our friend we become ourselves partakers of it. Hundreds have been saved from gross sins by the timely, wise, affectionate warnings of faithful ministers and brethren. Our Lord Jesus has set us a gracious example of how to deal with erring friends in his warning given to Peter, the prayer with which he preceded it, and the gentle way in which he bore with Peter's boastful denial that he needed such a caution.

Evening

"Spices for anointing oil." - Exodus 35:8

Much use was made of this anointing oil under the law, and that which it represents is of primary importance under the gospel. The Holy Spirit, who anoints us for all holy service, is indispensable to us if we would serve the Lord acceptably. Without his aid our religious services are but a vain oblation, and our inward experience is a dead thing. Whenever our ministry is without unction, what miserable stuff it becomes! nor are the prayers, praises, meditations, and efforts of private Christians one jot superior. A holy anointing is the soul and life of piety, its absence the most grievous of all calamities. To go before the Lord without anointing is as though some common Levite had thrust himself into the priest's office--his ministrations would rather have been sins than services. May we never venture upon hallowed exercises without sacred anointings. They drop upon us from our glorious Head; from his anointing we who are as the skirts of his garments partake of a plenteous unction. Choice spices were compounded with rarest art of the apothecary to form the anointing oil, to show forth to us how rich are all the influences of the Holy Spirit. All good things are found in the divine Comforter. Matchless consolation, infallible instruction, immortal quickening, spiritual energy, and divine sanctification all lie compounded with other excellencies in that sacred eye-salve, the heavenly anointing oil of the Holy Spirit. It imparts a delightful fragrance to the character and person of the man upon whom it is poured. Nothing like it can be found in all the treasuries of the rich, or the secrets of the wise. It is not to be imitated. It comes alone from God, and it is freely given, through Jesus Christ, to every waiting soul. Let us seek it, for we may have it, may have it this very evening. O Lord, anoint thy servants.

Flasher! Whoops!


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Hope you're all well and enjoying your weeks.
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n

All I know


"All I Know" is 1973 pop ballad witten by Jimmy Webb, and recorded by over 20 different artists. Art Garfunkel's original 1973 rendition for his debut album, Angel Clare, is the most well-known and the highest-charting version, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Easy Listening chart for four weeks in October 1973
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I have good friends and they tell me not to do things like this ..

Monday, November 29, 2010

Daily Devotional Monday 29th November

“Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” - 1 Chronicles 16:8
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
November 28: Morning

"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth." - 3 John 3

The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never have occurred; and if the second could not be said of him the first would have been a mere pretence. Truth must enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is of no value. Doctrines held as a matter of creed are like bread in the hand, which ministers no nourishment to the frame; but doctrine accepted by the heart, is as food digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body. In us truth must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the woof and warp of our being. If it be in us, we cannot henceforth part with it. A man may lose his garments or his limbs, but his inward parts are vital, and cannot be torn away without absolute loss of life. A Christian can die, but he cannot deny the truth. Now it is a rule of nature that the inward affects the outward, as light shines from the centre of the lantern through the glass: when, therefore, the truth is kindled within, its brightness soon beams forth in the outward life and conversation. It is said that the food of certain worms colours the cocoons of silk which they spin: and just so the nutriment upon which a man's inward nature lives gives a tinge to every word and deed proceeding from him. To walk in the truth, imports a life of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity--the natural product of those principles of truth which the gospel teaches, and which the Spirit of God enables us to receive. We may judge of the secrets of the soul by their manifestation in the man's conversation. Be it ours today, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by thy divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence to our daily walk among men.

Evening

"Seeking the wealth of his people." - Esther 10:3

Mordecai was a true patriot, and therefore, being exalted to the highest position under Ahasuerus, he used his eminence to promote the prosperity of Israel. In this he was a type of Jesus, who, upon his throne of glory, seeks not his own, but spends his power for his people. It were well if every Christian would be a Mordecai to the church, striving according to his ability for its prosperity. Some are placed in stations of affluence and influence, let them honour their Lord in the high places of the earth, and testify for Jesus before great men. Others have what is far better, namely, close fellowship with the King of kings, let them be sure to plead daily for the weak of the Lord's people, the doubting, the tempted, and the comfortless. It will redound to their honour if they make much intercession for those who are in darkness and dare not draw nigh unto the mercy seat. Instructed believers may serve their Master greatly if they lay out their talents for the general good, and impart their wealth of heavenly learning to others, by teaching them the things of God. The very least in our Israel may at least seek the welfare of his people; and his desire, if he can give no more, shall be acceptable. It is at once the most Christlike and the most happy course for a believer to cease from living to himself. He who blesses others cannot fail to be blessed himself. On the other hand, to seek our own personal greatness is a wicked and unhappy plan of life, its way will be grievous and its end will be fatal.

Here is the place to ask thee, my friend, whether thou art to the best of thy power seeking the wealth of the church in thy neighbourhood? I trust thou art not doing it mischief by bitterness and scandal, nor weakening it by thy neglect. Friend, unite with the Lord's poor, bear their cross, do them all the good thou canst, and thou shalt not miss thy reward.
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Brian Loughnane, National Press Club Address


Words remain true a month later ..

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Daily Devotional Sunday 28th November

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” - Colossians 3:16
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
November 27: Morning

"Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord." - Zechariah 3:1

In Joshua the high priest we see a picture of each and every child of God, who has been made nigh by the blood of Christ, and has been taught to minister in holy things, and enter into that which is within the veil. Jesus has made us priests and kings unto God, and even here upon earth we exercise the priesthood of consecrated living and hallowed service. But this high priest is said to be "standing before the angel of the Lord," that is, standing to minister. This should be the perpetual position of every true believer. Every place is now God's temple, and his people can as truly serve him in their daily employments as in his house. They are to be always "ministering," offering the spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praise, and presenting themselves a "living sacrifice." But notice where it is that Joshua stands to minister, it is before the angel of Jehovah. It is only through a mediator that we poor defiled ones can ever become priests unto God. I present what I have before the messenger, the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus; and through him my prayers find acceptance wrapped up in his prayers; my praises become sweet as they are bound up with bundles of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia from Christ's own garden. If I can bring him nothing but my tears, he will put them with his own tears in his own bottle for he once wept; if I can bring him nothing but my groans and sighs, he will accept these as an acceptable sacrifice, for he once was broken in heart, and sighed heavily in spirit. I myself, standing in him, am accepted in the Beloved; and all my polluted works, though in themselves only objects of divine abhorrence, are so received, that God smelleth a sweet savour. He is content and I am blessed. See, then, the position of the Christian--"a priest--standing--before the angel of the Lord."

Evening

"The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." - Ephesians 1:7

Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word "forgiveness," when it sounds in a guilty sinner's ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, forever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and forever? Hell is my portion as a sinner--there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me--can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. Forever blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my sins are at this moment, and forever, forgiven by virtue of his substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to him who of his own unpurchased love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through his blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive forever! Here is a constellation of wonders; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.
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I Don't Like Mondays


"I Don't Like Mondays" was a UK number one single for four weeks during July and August 1979. Written by Bob Geldof and performed by The Boomtown Rats, it was the band's second number one single.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Daily Devotional Saturday 27th November

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,” - Hebrews 12:28
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
November 26: Morning

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." - Ecclesiastes 9:10

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do," refers to works that are possible. There are many things which our heart findeth to do which we never shall do. It is well it is in our heart; but if we would be eminently useful, we must not be content with forming schemes in our heart, and talking of them; we must practically carry out "whatsoever our hand findeth to do." One good deed is more worth than a thousand brilliant theories. Let us not wait for large opportunities, or for a different kind of work, but do just the things we "find to do" day by day. We have no other time in which to live. The past is gone; the future has not arrived; we never shall have any time but time present. Then do not wait until your experience has ripened into maturity before you attempt to serve God. Endeavour now to bring forth fruit. Serve God now, but be careful as to the way in which you perform what you find to do--"do it with thy might." Do it promptly; do not fritter away your life in thinking of what you intend to do to-morrow as if that could recompense for the idleness of today. No man ever served God by doing things to-morrow. If we honour Christ and are blessed, it is by the things which we do today. Whatever you do for Christ throw your whole soul into it. Do not give Christ a little slurred labour, done as a matter of course now and then; but when you do serve him, do it with heart, and soul, and strength.

But where is the might of a Christian? It is not in himself, for he is perfect weakness. His might lieth in the Lord of Hosts. Then let us seek his help; let us proceed with prayer and faith, and when we have done what our "hand findeth to do," let us wait upon the Lord for his blessing. What we do thus will be well done, and will not fail in its effect.

Evening

"They shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel." - Zechariah 4:10

Small things marked the beginning of the work in the hand of Zerubbabel, but none might despise it, for the Lord had raised up one who would persevere until the headstone should be brought forth with shoutings. The plummet was in good hands. Here is the comfort of every believer in the Lord Jesus; let the work of grace be ever so small in its beginnings, the plummet is in good hands, a master builder greater than Solomon has undertaken the raising of the heavenly temple, and he will not fail nor be discouraged till the topmost pinnacle shall be raised. If the plummet were in the hand of any merely human being, we might fear for the building, but the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in Jesus' hand. The works did not proceed irregularly, and without care, for the master's hand carried a good instrument. Had the walls been hurriedly run up without due superintendence, they might have been out of the perpendicular; but the plummet was used by the chosen overseer. Jesus is evermore watching the erection of his spiritual temple, that it may be built securely and well. We are for haste, but Jesus is for judgment. He will use the plummet, and that which is out of line must come down, every stone of it. Hence the failure of many a flattering work, the overthrow of many a glittering profession. It is not for us to judge the Lord's church, since Jesus has a steady hand, and a true eye, and can use the plummet well. Do we not rejoice to see judgment left to him?

The plummet was in active use--it was in the builder's hand; a sure indication that he meant to push on the work to completion. O Lord Jesus, how would we indeed be glad if we could see thee at thy great work. O Zion, the beautiful, thy walls are still in ruins! Rise, thou glorious Builder, and make her desolations to rejoice at thy coming.
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Jonah, Jona, Jonas
[Jō'nah,Jō'nă, Jō'nas] - a dove.

The son of Amittai, and the first Hebrew prophet, or missionary, sent to a heathen nation (

The Man Who Ran Away

The meaning of the prophet's name is suggestive. When first chosen, it doubtless meant to Jonah's mother gentleness and love. This son of Amittai was a citizen of Gath-hepher in Zebulun of Galilee and a subject of the Northern Kingdom. He is thus a proof of the false statement of the Pharisees about no prophet coming out of Galilee (John 7:52).

Jonah lived in the early part of the reign of Jeroboam II, and in a period when the kingdom was in a divided and abject condition. He is without doubt one of the earliest, if not the first, of the prophets whose writings are preserved to us. He is the first of a new order of prophets, appearing that he might declare God's love claims the whole world. By friend and foe Jonah has been ridiculed and tortured and treated as a myth or parable. Our Lord, however, believed him to be a historic person; so do we! For proof in this direction compare Jonah 1:7 with Matthew 12:39, 40 and Luke 11:29, 30; Jonah 3:5 with Matthew 12:41.

Jonah's mission was to Nineveh and therefore beyond the bounds of Israel, which is in perfect harmony; for whenever God brought His people into any relation with other peoples, He made Himself known to them as was the case in Egypt through Joseph and Moses; to the Philistines through the capture of the Ark; to the Assyrians by Elisha; to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzer by Daniel.

Within the Book of Jonah we have the most beautiful story ever told in so small a compass. In 1,328 words we are given a wealth of incident and all the dialogue needed to carry on the grand and varied action. Jonah was an isolationist, believing that salvation was for the Jews, and the Jews only. Through affliction he came to know of God's embracing love (John 3:16). Dealing with Jonah as a servant, Dr. C. I. Scofield gives us these helpful points: disobedient (Jonah 1:1-11); afflicted ( Jonah 1:12-17); praying (Jonah 2:1-9); delivered (Jonah 2:10); recommissioned (Jonah 3:1-3); powerful (Jonah 3:4-10); perplexed, fainting but not forsaken (Jonah 4:1-11).

Another serviceable outline for the worker can be developed around these thoughts:

Chapter one: A disobedient prophet running from God and punished.

Chapter two: A praying prophet running back to God and delivered.

Chapter three: A faithful prophet running with God and rewarded.

Chapter four: An angry prophet running ahead of God and rebuked.

Here are other aspects to deal with: Jonah was sent to a foreign field (Jonah 1:2); sought to flee from his unwelcome task (Jonah 1:3); was overtaken in his flight (Jonah 1:4-17); found God in the depth of the sea (Ps. 139:10; Jonah 2); became a revivalist ( Jonah 3 ); was disappointed with his own work (Jonah 3:5-10; 4:1); reveals bigotry (Jonah 4:1-3); was taught the breadth of divine mercy (Jonah 4:4-11).

Jona is given as the name of the father of Peter (Matt. 16:17; John 1:42; John 21:15).
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Bill O'Reilly And Glenn Beck: Jimmy Carter "Extraordinarily Misguided"


Jimmy Carter has Republican friends?

Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points: Happy Thanksgiving, Let Me Pat You Down - 11/23/10

Friday, November 26, 2010

Daily Devotional Friday 26th November

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
November 25: Morning

"To preach deliverance to the captives." - Luke 4:18

None but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty cometh from him only. It is a liberty righteously bestowed; for the Son, who is Heir of all things, has a right to make men free. The saints honour the justice of God, which now secures their salvation. It is a liberty which has been dearly purchased. Christ speaks it by his power, but he bought it by his blood. He makes thee free, but it is by his own bonds. Thou goest clear, because he bare thy burden for thee: thou art set at liberty, because he has suffered in thy stead. But, though dearly purchased, he freely gives it. Jesus asks nothing of us as a preparation for this liberty. He finds us sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and bids us put on the beautiful array of freedom; he saves us just as we are, and all without our help or merit. When Jesus sets free, the liberty is perpetually entailed; no chains can bind again. Let the Master say to me, "Captive, I have delivered thee," and it is done forever. Satan may plot to enslave us, but if the Lord be on our side, whom shall we fear? The world, with its temptations, may seek to ensnare us, but mightier is he who is for us than all they who be against us. The machinations of our own deceitful hearts may harass and annoy us, but he who hath begun the good work in us will carry it on and perfect it to the end. The foes of God and the enemies of man may gather their hosts together, and come with concentrated fury against us, but if God acquitteth, who is he that condemneth? Not more free is the eagle which mounts to his rocky eyrie, and afterwards outsoars the clouds, than the soul which Christ hath delivered. If we are no more under the law, but free from its curse, let our liberty be practically exhibited in our serving God with gratitude and delight. "I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds." "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

Evening

"For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." - Romans 9:15

In these words the Lord in the plainest manner claims the right to give or to withhold his mercy according to his own sovereign will. As the prerogative of life and death is vested in the monarch, so the Judge of all the earth has a right to spare or condemn the guilty, as may seem best in his sight. Men by their sins have forfeited all claim upon God; they deserve to perish for their sins--and if they all do so, they have no ground for complaint. If the Lord steps in to save any, he may do so if the ends of justice are not thwarted; but if he judges it best to leave the condemned to suffer the righteous sentence, none may arraign him at their bar. Foolish and impudent are all those discourses about the rights of men to be all placed on the same footing; ignorant, if not worse, are those contentions against discriminating grace, which are but the rebellions of proud human nature against the crown and sceptre of Jehovah. When we are brought to see our own utter ruin and ill desert, and the justice of the divine verdict against sin, we no longer cavil at the truth that the Lord is not bound to save us; we do not murmur if he chooses to save others, as though he were doing us an injury, but feel that if he deigns to look upon us, it will be his own free act of undeserved goodness, for which we shall forever bless his name.

How shall those who are the subjects of divine election sufficiently adore the grace of God? They have no room for boasting, for sovereignty most effectually excludes it. The Lord's will alone is glorified, and the very notion of human merit is cast out to everlasting contempt. There is no more humbling doctrine in Scripture than that of election, none more promotive of gratitude, and, consequently, none more sanctifying. Believers should not be afraid of it, but adoringly rejoice in it.
===
Naaman
[Nā'aman] - delight, pleasant or agreeable.

1. A son of Benjamin and founder of a tribal family (Gen. 46:21).

2. A son of Bela, son of Benjamin (Num. 26:40; 1 Chron. 8:4).

3. A son of Ehud, or Abihud, grandson of Benjamin (1 Chron. 8:7).

4. A Syrian captain in the army of Ben-hadad, king of Damascus. This able commander was cured of leprosy by Elisha the prophet (2 Kings 5; Luke 4:27).
===

Thursday, November 25, 2010

A TRUE STORY


Check out: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/blog/nata...
and don't forget to thumb me. Previews of the trip are also at and http://www.facebook.com/lonelyplanet. Subscribe for new vid in 4 days. You can keep up to date with me at Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/natalietran Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/communi...
Hope you're all well and enjoying your weeks.
x
n

On the Turning Away


"On the Turning Away" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1987 album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Released as the second single from the album, it reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in early 1988. In the United Kingdom, the song charted at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart. A live performance of the song was featured on both the video and double CD releases of Delicate Sound of Thunder. The song references issues of poverty and oppression, lamenting on the tendency of people to turn away from those afflicted with such conditions. It ends on a hopeful note, with the last stanza beginning, "no more turning away …". It is also a song that recovers the mysticism of songs like "Wish You Were Here" or "Us and Them", but this time treating topics like the suffering of people; the phrase "weak and the weary" portrays the suffering of people as a big problem in today's world.
===
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
"Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away"
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it's shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?

Cafferty File: If Palin runs for president, should she agree to Couric interview?


Couric is an attack dog for the left, but she failed to get Palin compromised then, and Palin has grown since then.

Special Report with Bret Baier: "Political Grapevine" - 11/23/10

Daily Devotional Thursday 25th November


WhatIfYouDie2night
When things are difficult......find peace in these beautiful words of encouragement - Julia
===
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” - Colossians 2:6-7
===
Morning and evening by Charles Spurgeon
"The glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams." - Isaiah 33:21

Broad rivers and streams produce fertility, and abundance in the land. Places near broad rivers are remarkable for the variety of their plants and their plentiful harvests. God is all this to his Church. Having God she has abundance. What can she ask for that he will not give her? What want can she mention which he will not supply? "In this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things." Want ye the bread of life? It drops like manna from the sky. Want ye refreshing streams? The rock follows you, and that Rock is Christ. If you suffer any want it is your own fault; if you are straitened you are not straitened in him, but in your own bowels. Broad rivers and streams also point to commerce. Our glorious Lord is to us a place of heavenly merchandise. Through our Redeemer we have commerce with the past; the wealth of Calvary, the treasures of the covenant, the riches of the ancient days of election, the stores of eternity, all come to us down the broad stream of our gracious Lord. We have commerce, too, with the future. What galleys, laden to the water's edge, come to us from the millennium! What visions we have of the days of heaven upon earth! Through our glorious Lord we have commerce with angels; communion with the bright spirits washed in blood, who sing before the throne; nay, better still, we have fellowship with the Infinite One. Broad rivers and streams are specially intended to set forth the idea of security. Rivers were of old a defence. Oh! beloved, what a defence is God to his Church! The devil cannot cross this broad river of God. How he wishes he could turn the current, but fear not, for God abideth immutably the same. Satan may worry, but he cannot destroy us; no galley with oars shall invade our river, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

Evening

"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man." - Proverbs 24:33-34

The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if they were accused of thorough idleness. A little folding of the hands to sleep is all they crave, and they have a crowd of reasons to show that this indulgence is a very proper one. Yet by these littles the day ebbs out, and the time for labour is all gone, and the field is grown over with thorns. It is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They have no intention to delay for years--a few months will bring the more convenient season--to-morrow if you will, they will attend to serious things; but the present hour is so occupied and altogether so unsuitable, that they beg to be excused. Like sands from an hour-glass, time passes, life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers. Oh, to be wise, to catch the flying hour, to use the moments on the wing! May the Lord teach us this sacred wisdom, for otherwise a poverty of the worst sort awaits us, eternal poverty which shall want even a drop of water, and beg for it in vain. Like a traveller steadily pursuing his journey, poverty overtakes the slothful, and ruin overthrows the undecided: each hour brings the dreaded pursuer nearer; he pauses not by the way, for he is on his master's business and must not tarry. As an armed man enters with authority and power, so shall want come to the idle, and death to the impenitent, and there will be no escape. O that men were wise be-times, and would seek diligently unto the Lord Jesus, or ere the solemn day shall dawn when it will be too late to plough and to sow, too late to repent and believe. In harvest, it is vain to lament that the seed time was neglected. As yet, faith and holy decision are timely. May we obtain them this night.
===
Rechab
[Rē'chăb] - companionship, a horseman or square.

1. A son of Rimmon, a Beerothite, captain of the band who slew Ish-bosheth in his bed, and who was put to death by David (2 Sam. 4:2-9).

2. Father of Jehonadab and founder of a tribe known as the "Rechabites" (2 Kings 10:15, 23).

The Man Who Vowed to Be Separate

This particular order had its rise in the religious revival that took place under Elijah and Elisha. The tenets of the followers of Rechab were a reaction and a protest against the luxury and license which under Jezebel and Ahab threatened to destroy the simplicity of the ancient nomadic life of Israel. Accordingly, the Rechabites vowed to drink no wine, nor build houses, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyards, but dwell in tents all their days. They were to remember they were strangers in the land. For 250 years they adhered faithfully to their rules but were driven from their tents when in 607 b.c. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah.

Of these noteworthy people, whose high moral example was specially commended by God, Dr. Dinsdale Young elaborates on these points:

I. They honored the memory of the good.

II. They were marked by great simplicity of life.

III. They were worshipers of Jehovah.

IV. They maintained their integrity amid surrounding degeneracy.

V. They had their principles severely tested.

VI. They received special blessing.

May all of us be found among God's true Rechabites!

3. A descendant of Hemath a Kenite (1 Chron. 2:55).

4. The father of Malchiah, a chief man who, after his return from exile, helped to repair the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:14).
===

Bill O'Reilly Interviews Whoopi Goldberg - 11/23/10


On last night's O'Reilly Factor, Whoopi Goldberg sat down with Bill to discuss the notorious 'View' walk-off, terrorism in the Muslim world, her new book ... and much more.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Daily Devotional Wednesday 24th November

Psalm 100:4-5

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations
===

Give thanks to the risen lord by David Fishel circa 1973
===
Abiram
[Ăbī'ram] - father is the exalted one.

1. A son of Eliab, a Reubenite who with others conspired against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and who perished with his fellow-conspirators (Num. 16:1-27, 26:9).

2. The first-born son of Hiel the Bethelite, who began to rebuild Jericho, but who came under the curse foretold by Joshua (Josh. 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34).
===
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
November 23: Morning

"Fellowship with him." - 1 John 1:6

When we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought into such complete fellowship with him, that we were made one with him, and his interests and ours became mutual and identical. We have fellowship with Christ in his love. What he loves we love. He loves the saints--so do we. He loves sinners--so do we. He loves the poor perishing race of man, and pants to see earth's deserts transformed into the garden of the Lord--so do we. We have fellowship with him in his desires. He desires the glory of God--we also labour for the same. He desires that the saints may be with him where he is--we desire to be with him there too. He desires to drive out sin--behold we fight under his banner. He desires that his Father's name may be loved and adored by all his creatures--we pray daily, "Let thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven." We have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. We are not nailed to the cross, nor do we die a cruel death, but when he is reproached, we are reproached; and a very sweet thing it is to be blamed for his sake, to be despised for following the Master, to have the world against us. The disciple should not be above his Lord. In our measure we commune with him in his labours, ministering to men by the word of truth and by deeds of love. Our meat and our drink, like his, is to do the will of him who hath sent us and to finish his work. We have also fellowship with Christ in his joys. We are happy in his happiness, we rejoice in his exaltation. Have you ever tasted that joy, believer? There is no purer or more thrilling delight to be known this side heaven than that of having Christ's joy fulfilled in us, that our joy may be full. His glory awaits us to complete our fellowship, for his Church shall sit with him upon his throne, as his well-beloved bride and queen.

Evening

"Get thee up into the high mountain." - Isaiah 40:9

Each believer should be thirsting for God, for the living God, and longing to climb the hill of the Lord, and see him face to face. We ought not to rest content in the mists of the valley when the summit of Tabor awaits us. My soul thirsteth to drink deep of the cup which is reserved for those who reach the mountain's brow, and bathe their brows in heaven. How pure are the dews of the hills, how fresh is the mountain air, how rich the fare of the dwellers aloft, whose windows look into the New Jerusalem! Many saints are content to live like men in coal mines, who see not the sun; they eat dust like the serpent when they might taste the ambrosial meat of angels; they are content to wear the miner's garb when they might put on king's robes; tears mar their faces when they might anoint them with celestial oil. Satisfied I am that many a believer pines in a dungeon when he might walk on the palace roof, and view the goodly land and Lebanon. Rouse thee, O believer, from thy low condition! Cast away thy sloth, thy lethargy, thy coldness, or whatever interferes with thy chaste and pure love to Christ, thy soul's Husband. Make him the source, the centre, and the circumference of all thy soul's range of delight. What enchants thee into such folly as to remain in a pit when thou mayst sit on a throne? Live not in the lowlands of bondage now that mountain liberty is conferred upon thee. Rest no longer satisfied with thy dwarfish attainments, but press forward to things more sublime and heavenly. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, a fuller life. Upward to heaven! Nearer to God!

"When wilt thou come unto me, Lord?
Oh come, my Lord most dear!
Come near, come nearer, nearer still,
I'm blest when thou art near."

Fat Bottom Girls - ALP politics


ALP's sole promise was to wear pants, not swim suits in '07. They kinda broke that promise many times, but Keneally has demanded that as they go to lose the next election they should keep their pants on. She won't even look at the Hamidur tragedy.

"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a hit single by the English rock band Queen. It was released in 1978 on the album Jazz. The song was written by Queen guitarist Brian May. It was one of the few Queen songs played in an alternative guitar tuning, "drop D tuning".

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

New Directions

From now on only special articles will be posted, and daily items for book keeping.
This is because my ISP (Telstra) 'forgot' to allow me access to their new account for almost a week.
I will now concentrate on raising the issue of the death of Hamidur Rahman and running for government in 2011

Plan of Action
  • Auto biography .. three chapters for Thief!
  • He Lives. An apology account featuring a former atheist interpretation and a spiritualist account.
  • Birth of the WEB
  • The Search for Zoan Star
  • Featured news items instead of daily headlines.
  • Bible Commentary

Another one bites the dust - ALP politics


The ALP are continually shedding members, taking their constituents who support them for granted. Placing another in the place of a fool before the next election.

"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game (1980). The song was a worldwide hit, charting one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and the Disco Top 100, and number seven in the United Kingdom Singles Chart. The song is credited as Queen's best selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies. This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard's All Time Top 100

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Headlines Thursday 18th November 2010 - LAST

These are the final postings of headlines. From now on only special articles will be posted, and daily items for book keeping.
This is because my ISP (Telstra) 'forgot' to allow me access to their new account for almost a week.
I will now concentrate on raising the issue of the death of Hamidur Rahman and running for government in 2011
===
Breaking News
Mum sparks bomb scare to stop wedding
A DISAPPROVING mother told Russian airport officials her daughter was a suicide bomber intent on blowing up a passenger jet in a desperate bid to stop her flying away to marry.

Longoria files for divorce after denial
DESPERATE Housewives star Eva Longoria filed divorce papers in Los Angeles today to end her three-year marriage to husband Tony Parker - just one day after reps for both denied rumours that Parker had filed for divorce in Texas.

Dollar back above US98c
THE dollar is higher this morning, after spending most of the last 24 hours below the US98-cent mark.

Dance teacher faces more sex charges
SEVEN more charges will be laid against a dance teacher who sexually assaulted girls at his school in Sydney's inner west.

US fighter jet goes missing
THE US Air Force is searching for one of its Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter jets today after it failed to return to base following a routine training mission yesterday.

NSW/ACT
Lane case now rests with jurors
SHE is the accused killer whose trial has become one of the most talked about court cases ever. But Keli Lane will say nothing more.

DOCS in crisis over staffing
DOCS staff are so stretched the ratio of workers to children in foster care is more than double what is required to keep youngsters safe.

Time to weed out the pests
WOLLI Creek Recreational Park appears a lush oasis in Earlwood. But it's one of the frontlines in the ongoing battle against weeds.

Leading dance teacher charged
A TOP instructor will be charged with seven counts of sexually assaulting students at one of Sydney's leading dance schools.

$120m payday for NSW racing
RACING industry poised for a big payday after court ruled wagering operators must pay 1.5pc of their turnover on bets on races in NSW.

Asbestos more deadly than driving
THE number of asbestos deaths in NSW will soon outnumber those killed on the state's roads, a scathing report has found.

Strangers stalking our streets
THE mother of an eight-year-old girl has told of the moment her child ran into her arms after escaping a would-be kidnapper.

Queensland
ALP donors win contracts
TWO developers who have donated generously to Labor are the biggest winners from the federal stimulus spending spree on social housing in Queensland.

Pollies in line for huge pay rise
STATE MPs and councillors could get a massive boost to their pay packets without having to lose precious perks like their federal counterparts.

MySchool website reloaded
PARENTS will be able to track the performance of their child's school and discover how much is spent on each student under major changes to the MySchool website.

Twins pull strings on Henson sequel
FILMMAKING twins Peter and Michael Spierig will use traditional muppets rather than sophisticated CGI for the sequel to Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal.

Live AFL coverage gets bounce
QUEENSLAND AFL fans could benefit from the Government giving free-to-air television networks the right to show selected exclusive matches live.

Police competence no dead SERT
OUR elite SERT police dropped a high-powered rifle overboard in a Moreton Bay training exercise, and imported weapons parts without permits.

Elderly forced out of homes
DOZENS of people in their 80s and 90s face the loss of their rental homes as retirement village operators redevelop in search of higher profits.

Visit Brissie, cousin Kate
WHAT does a builder from Brisbane's southern suburbs have in common with a British princess-in-waiting? A great-grandmother is the answer to that question.

 

Power restored after blackout
POWER has been restored to 400 inner-city homes and businesses after a blown transformer plunged them into darkness.

Man critical after plane crash
TWO men have been injured, one critically, in a light plane crash near Mt Coleridge in far north Queensland

Victoria
Drunk P-plater faces $1.2 million bill
A 20-year-old driver who decided to take his car "for a couple of laps" while drunk faces a huge bill after causing a train derailment.

Our injured, ill sick of waiting
MORE than 70,000 ill Victorians left emergency wards untreated in the past year as they were sick of waiting.

Drunk P-plater faces $1.2 million bill
A 20-year-old driver who decided to take his car "for a couple of laps" while drunk faces a huge bill after causing a train derailment. 

Police take on search for Terry
VICTORIA Police stepped in to ensure the hunt for the body of missing schoolboy Terry Floyd could continue. 

Tyler 'didn't suffer', says paramedic
A PARAMEDIC who declared a teenager shot by police was dead believes the "poor boy" didn't suffer.

Great Aussie dream turns nightmare
BANKS and other lenders have moved to seize almost 11,000 Victorian properties worth about $2.5 billion in the past five years.

Heart attack trial a cool idea
HEART attack, crash and assault victims will soon have their bodies cooled to help prevent brain injuries.

Fashion's black for autumn
MELBURNIANS will indulge in their favourite black palette with sequins for days when the weather turns cold next year.

Party time for jaded pooches
IT used to be a dog's life to be bored in backyards. But that was before doggy day care and beach parties.

Praise for conjoined twins miracle
A YEAR ago Moira Kelly kept a vigil in church, praying for a miracle as surgeons worked to separateTrishna and Krishna. 

Northern Territory
Nothing new

South Australia
Police fall short with recruiting
GAINS in police recruitment are being offset by retirement or resignation, with the Opposition blaming "archaic operating procedures" for the losses.

Give us cash to do our job
CFS volunteers still are not being sufficiently trained, 10 months after the body made a plea for help, the CFS Volunteers Association says.

Our economy in a great state
SA's economy was the second strongest performer last financial year but the economic outlook was a "mixed bag", the NAB's David de Garis said.

Teens arrested after petrol bombing
TWO teenagers will face court after a petrol bomb was thrown through the bedroom window of a Sheidow Park house.

iLearn by iPad, say students
STUDENTS as young as five at Mark Oliphant College are using iPads to learn to count, read and spell, as northern schools become more tech-savvy.

Western Australia
Man pleads guilty to Perth crime spree
A MAN has pleaded guilty to armed robbery and carjacking charges after crashing a stolen motorcycle and setting fire to a four-wheel drive vehicle during a crime spree in Perth.

Accused car wash sex pest in court
A MAN accused of a number of child sex offences at a northern suburbs carwash has made a brief appearance in court.

Dad to fight umpire bash charge
A 41-YEAR-OLD father who allegedly assaulted an umpire during a junior football match is set to fight the charge.

First real taste of summer heat
PERTH is set to feel the sting of summer with at least three more days of searing 36C and 37C maximum temperatures.

Police to boost Schoolies presence
POLICE have bolstered manpower for 2010 Schoolies celebrations, amid a concession that officers were 'caught short' last year.

Premier backs CCC Taser probe
WA Premier Colin Barnett says a decision by the state's corruption watchdog to take over police investigations into the tasering of an unarmed man at a watch house is the 'proper process

Tasmania
Nothing new
=== Journalists Corner ===



=== Comments ===

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Hands off our homes


The compulsory acquisition of people’s homes is on NSW Labor’s agenda.

Premier Kristina Keneally made the admission in a live TV interview.*

That means no one’s home is safe.

Join our campaign to protect your homes by signing this petition.

We will fight Labor's attack on people's homes.

What do we stand for?

We understand that local decision-making delivers better outcomes for your community.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals have a five point action plan to make NSW number one again. Part of that plan is a promise to put planning back in local hands. We are committed to:

  • Rewriting NSW's planning legislation protecting the rights of private property owners
  • Returning planning controls to local residents
  • Scrapping Part 3A
  • Appointing a Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
  • Appointing a separate Minister for Heritage
  • Implementing campaign finance reforms to stop the deals for donations culture under Labor

Let’s stop Labor’s plans to seize people’s homes.

* Sky News Australia, 12 March 2010
===
Click on the top link to sign the petition.

O'Reilly Factor: John Stossel On Airport Security Measures - 11/16/10

Can You Hear That?


Steven KIng was asked how he could write such large books about horror with so much material, so many things that happened. He said "Basically I have the heart of a small boy. And I keep it in a jar near my desk."

Headlines Wednesday 17th November 2010

=== Todays Toon ===
Arthur Lyulph Stanley, 5th Baron Sheffield KCMG (14 September 1875 – 22 August 1931), also 5th Baron Stanley of Alderley and 4th Baron Eddisbury, was an English nobleman and Governor of Victoria from 1914 to 1920.
=== Bible Quote ===
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”- Psalm 119:18
=== Headlines ===
Ethics Panel Finds Rangel Guilty on 11 Violations of House Rules
House ethics panel finds Rep. Charles Rangel guilty on 11 counts of breaking House rules, charges that include financial and fundraising wrongdoing by the 80-year-old congressman from New York.

Senate Challenge on Earmarks Expected
As Senate Republicans move to approve a two-year ban on earmarks, Sen. Tom Coburn is part of a bipartisan duo expected to challenge the move

Chinese 'Hijacked' U.S. Web Traffic
When 15 percent of the world's Internet traffic — including the Pentagon — was redirected last April onto computer servers in China, it may have left the sites vulnerable to surveillance

Beyond the Call of Duty To Save His Buddies
President Obama will present Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta — who raced head-on into an enemy ambush to save the lives of two American soldiers in Afghanistan — with the Medal of Honor

Hundreds of foetuses found in temple
THE bodies of more than 340 human foetuses, apparently from an illegal abortion clinic, were discovered inside a Buddhist temple in central Bangkok, Thai police said overnight.

Muslims torch Christian homes
MUSLIMS set fire overnight to at least 10 houses belonging to Coptic Christians in a village in southern Egypt over rumours that a Christian resident had an affair with a Muslim girl, security officials said today.

French cuisine makes world heritage list
UNESCO today declared French cuisine one of the world's cultural treasures, the first time gastronomy has been added to a list aiming to protect intangible slices of a nation's heritage.

iTunes to sell Beatles music
BEATLES for Sale is finally for sale on iTunes - along with the rest of the Fab Four's albums, from Please Please Me to Revolver to Abbey Road.

Iran security 'strike French diplomats'
IRANIAN security agents struck French diplomats in scuffles at a Tehran embassy residence, prompting France to summon Iran's ambassador and complain of "unacceptable violence", officials said overnight.

Wealthy schools cover-up alleged
PARENTS won't be told the true wealth of elite schools when the updated My School website is launched next month, allegedly.

Please DON'T fix our street
SUE Roker and Robyn Martin, neighbours in Newcastle, just want Newcastle City Council to leave Lambton Road the way it is.

Father and son facing kill counts
A MAN and his father have been charged over the disappearance and suspected murder of high-ranking Nomads bikie Neil Green.

Cash cow suburb angry at levies
THEY paid more than $5 million in levies to their local council - but can't get a pedestrian crossing to escape speeding trucks.

'A higher levy is not enough'
VICTIMS of crime have backed State Government plans to boost a compensation fund but fear it could still fall short of demands.

Fed-up Muslims to take on ALP
ISLAMIC leaders declare war on the NSW Labor, calling for pro-Muslim candidates to run in key western seats.

Libs water down liquor shame law
A LIST of the most violent pubs dumped in favour of "three strikes", says Coalition

Miner dismisses sand theft claim
SAND miner Unimin is digging in against environmentalists over North Stradbroke Island, declaring any illegal mining was carried out with the "full knowledge" of the State Government.

At-risk children wait 18 months
CHILDREN'S lives are at risk if health bosses do not cut an 18-month waiting list to see a paediatric allergy specialist, experts have warned.

Bligh cuts breast screening funds
A CAMPAIGN credited with encouraging an extra 13,000 women to have potentially life-saving mammograms has been controversially cut by the Bligh Government.

Trains to get boost in numbers
TRAINS will run every six minutes during peak-hour at some of Brisbane's busiest stations in the biggest overhaul of the Citytrain timetable in more than a decade.

More MPs buck gay marriage stance
A QUEENSLAND Labor MP has broken ranks to back same-sex marriage as pressure builds within the party to overturn the ALP's official opposition.

Combat vehicle has lots of grunt
IT has a Falcon automatic gearbox, can run on jet fuel, has an F1 engineering pedigree and will withstand a bomb blast - but you can't buy one.

LNP gas pledge is 'hot air'
THE Opposition's promise of a new body to oversee coal seam gas and groundwater in Queensland is ``too little, too late'', environmentalists claim.

Noosa's koala population dwindles
NOOSA National Park's famed koala population is on the brink of being wiped out.

Chinese rush to call Australia home
THE number of Chinese migrants moving to Australia has almost doubled in a decade, a new report reveals.

Man killed, four hurt in smash
A MAN is dead and four people are injured after a car collided with a pole in Melbourne's north overnight.

Police officer wins over 'wog' insult
VICTORIA Police spent almost $300k of taxpayers' money trying to beat an officer's complaint that he was called a "f---ing wog" at work.

Public service army balloons
ALMOST one in 10 Victorians works for the state because of unprecedented growth in the public sector under the Brumby Government.

State schools pay $4m for bully victims
STATE school students who sued after being bullied or injured have received payouts of more than $4 million in the past two years.

More females drinking at risky levels
AN alarming number of Victorian women are turning to alcohol at dangerous levels, far outdrinking their male colleagues.

School apology over gay ruckus
THE girls' school at the centre of a gay partner controversy wants to apologise to the students concerned.

Tortured teen's life rebuilt by surgeon
A BANGLADESHI teen shot during an uprising has been given his life back by Melbourne surgeons who restored the use of his arm.

Hi-tech heaven for mum
IT'S not only juggling the needs of four children aged under eight that wears out Lillian Kline.

Be careful when selling gold
CUSTOMERS wanting to cash in on unwanted jewellery could be offered as little as half its value.

Qantas plane damaged in lightning strike
A QANTAS flight has been struck by lightning soon after takeoff on its way from Alice Springs to Darwin.

Doomsday cult chief to face court
CONTROVERSIAL religious cult leader Rocco Leo will return to South Australia in January to face assault charges, The Advertiser has learned.

Danger signs all point to SA
THE South Australian Film Corporation has been transformed into Adolf Hitler's lair for Adelaide's first locally produced fictional adult TV series in two years.

Minister blunders again
A SENIOR minister has questioned the intelligence of those who put his Government into office - saying South Australian are less well-educated than other states.

Recall of 'leaked' Burnside draft files
COPIES of a controversial report into Burnside Council are being recalled as "extracts" from the suppressed document are being made public.

Youth comfortable in their own skin
SOUTH Australian teens are more positive about their body image than interstate peers but are more concerned about violent crime.

Extremists warn of invasion
EXTREME nationalists are bombarding homes with flyers opposing the "refugee invasion in the Adelaide Hills".

Olympic Dam plan within days
MINING giant BHP Billiton will hand a long-awaited Olympic Dam environmental plan to the federal and state governments within 10 days.

Pokies 'soft target'' in crime spate
INVESTIGATORS will pull in extra resources - including the police helicopter - to stop a spate of armed robberies on hotel pokie rooms.

SACE exam question pulled
A QUESTION has been pulled from a SACE maths exam already completed by some students.

Cat's horrific end recorded on video
A MAN laughed as he tortured his housemate's cat by "chopping" it with a shovel and setting it on fire, a court has heard

Government blocks Barnett-Carles inquiry
GOVERNMENT uses its numbers in Parliament to stop the 'staff for votes' deal between Colin Barnett and Adele Carles being referred to a powerful committee.

Crash closes Great Northern Hwy
GREAT Northern Highway has been closed to all traffic following a serious traffic crash in Upper Swan that has left two men critically injured.

Avatar star joins Sea Shepherd
HOLLYWOOD actress Michelle Rodriguez, star of blockbuster Avatar, is in Fremantle throwing her support behind anti-whaling activist group Sea Shepherd.

Man denies '160km/h Lamborghini test'
A PERTH mechanic has denied driving a Lamborghini at 160km/h and telling officers that he was taking it on a test run because of performance issues.

Bikie link to firebombed tattoo parlour
POLICE are investigating whether a tit-for-tat feud between rival Rebels and Rock Machine bikies is to blame for the firebombing of a Bibra Lake tattoo parlour early this morning.

Bank ordered to pay stressed boss
A FORMER Perth bank manager who was driven to a nervous breakdown by stress has won a legal battle against the Commonwealth Bank for withholding his entitlements.

Man on Salvos robbery charges
POLICE have charged a 29-year-old man who allegedly stole an axe and used it to rob a Salvation Army store.

Woman charged after robbery, chase
A 28-YEAR-old woman has been charged with a string of offences, including the robbery of a 90-year-old woman in her Redcliffe home just over a week ago.

Cane toad find sparks suburban hunt
A CANE toad discovered in a Bayswater front garden may have hitched a ride from Queensland, wildlife officials suspect.

Jetstar to fly Gold Coast-Hobart
DIRECT flights from the Gold Coast to Hobart will start next month.

Salvos up security after $1m crimewave
THE Salvation Army has been forced into a national roll-out of security cameras to combat theft.
=== Journalists Corner ===
Prince William Gets Engaged!
All of Britain is buzzing today with the official announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton are engaged!
===
12 in 2012: Sarah Palin
Can being a Tea Party favorite carry Sarah Palin all the way to the White House in 2012?
===
Airport Screenings: Safety Precaution or Sleazy Practice?
Are "intimate" airport pat-downs an invasion of privacy? Ann Coulter sounds off! Plus, making a modern-day president! Is the job just too big for any one individual to control? Charles Krauthammer responds on O'Reilly!
On Fox News Insider
New Clue in Natalee Holloway Case?
VIDEO: Bulls Leap Into Crowds
What Did Glenn Beck Think of His SNL Mention?
Saul Anuzis Reveals Why He's Taking On Michael Steele
=== Comments ===
The President in Retreat
BY BILL O'REILLY

Things did not go well in the Far East last week, and now the president's home and immediately has to deal with the Bush tax code.

As you may know, the president wants to hike taxes for the affluent, but that is an unpopular strategy, and "Talking Points" believes the president will pull back and extend the Bush tax code for everybody. That, of course, will infuriate the far left, which desperately wants income redistribution in this country.

Also, The Washington Post is reporting that the Obama administration has folded on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and how to prosecute him. You may remember Attorney General Eric Holder wanted to try the mastermind of 9/11 in New York City. That turned into a PR fiasco, and now The Post reports Mohammed will remain in Guantanamo Bay indefinitely, with some believing he will not be put on trial until after the 2012 presidential election.

Now, I wrote all about the Khalid situation in my book "Pinheads and Patriots," saying the president was crazy to go up against public opinion on the issue. Just try him in front of a military tribunal, Mr. President. That's all you need to do.

There is no question the Obama administration is now in retreat. Apparently the president finally understands his power position has been severely weakened. I mean, when "Saturday Night Live" begins to ridicule you on a regular basis, you know things are tough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were so surprised to see you embark on this 10-day vacation to Asia that is costing $200 million a day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on. I don't know where you heard that, but this trip is not costing $200 million a day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's not what Glenn Beck says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, let me be clear. Glenn Beck has no idea what he is talking about.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was right about buying gold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Just think about what you just saw. The wise guys at "SNL" actually siding with Glenn Beck against President Obama. They are, indeed, wearing earmuffs in hell.

Finally, it is hard to see how Mr. Obama will make a comeback, but I believe he will to some extent. The president is a man who is not going to go quietly into the night.
===
LAKEMBA LEAVES LABOR
Tim Blair
All those years of pandering, and this is the thanks that Labor gets:
Islamic leaders have declared war on the State Government, calling for pro-Muslim candidates to run in key western Sydney Labor seats.

Lebanese Muslim Association president Samier Dandan yesterday used the Eid al-Adha festival at Lakemba to outline his group’s political ambitions.

In front of more than 5000 followers, Mr Dandan said Labor had to be kicked out of office at the March election.

“We want the Muslim people to have their say. We are telling them that Labor has not done the job and that it’s time for them to go,” he said.
Islamic leaders are a little late on this.
===
MAGIC TAX
Tim Blair
Australia has sufficient coal reserves to supply us with power for centuries. Beyond that, we also have massive uranium reserves. But Julia Gillard believes the best way to guarantee continued power is by taxing a trace gas:
Putting a price on carbon is the only prudent answer, because it unlocks one of the most powerful forces on earth - the genius of the street market.
If it works for carbon, why not tax other gases? Maybe if we tax hydrogen we’ll all get free Ferraris.
The alternative is very stark, if we continue to do nothing we will pay a heavy cost - electricity prices will spiral up. Our power supplies will begin to run short.
According to this logic, increasing the tax on cigarettes will boost smoking.
Just because the dominance of coal has been the status quo doesn’t mean it should remain the status quo.
Indeed. Why stick with something inexpensive and abundant when unspecified other things might be even better? Bring on the alternatives, Prime Minister.

UPDATE. It’s time for carbon action!
===
CUPS OF GRIEF
Tim Blair
An unfortunate abbreviation in the Werribee Star:
===
Where are those 50 million environmental refugees?
Andrew Bolt
The United Nations University’s warning in 2005:
Amid predictions that by 2010 the world will need to cope with as many as 50 million people escaping the effects of creeping environmental deterioration, United Nations University experts say the international community urgently needs to define, recognize and extend support to this new category of ‘refugee’.
Anyone seen those 50 million environmental refugees? Or was this just one more outrageous scare by alarmists who should be held to account?

(Thanks to reader Observer of Wodonga.)
===
They seem old for their age, or we’re dumb for our own
Andrew Bolt
WHAT sort of “children” are these really, who this week put seven other boat people in hospital?

Sunday’s all-in brawl between 40 boat people at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation should finally alert us to what seems yet another immigration rort.

These brawlers are reportedly all “unaccompanied minors” from Afghanistan - that is, they are allegedly aged under 18, and came on boats without their parents.

They are among more than 200 such unaccompanied Afghan “boys” in detention, or about one in six of all Afghans now detained, which seems an astonishingly high proportion.

In all, 645 “unaccompanied minors” have come by boat since the Labor Government softened the rules in 2008.

Fancy so many parents sending children off alone on leaky boats.

But already alarm bells should be ringing - even more so given that teachers working with these “boys” say they actually seem to be young adults.

One, who has asked for anonymity, says of the more than 30 students they’ve seen, only two seemed to be children, and neither was Afghan.

“All the rest look to be anything from their late teens to their mid twenties. All claim to be 15,” the teacher says.

And almost every one is Afghan, or says so, since some Afghan boat people seem to come from Pakistan instead.

Why men would call themselves children is not surprising when you see what privileges come with being deemed to be under 18.
===
If warming is so dangerous, why is Dick Smith overhead?
Andrew Bolt
DICK Smith and his two helicopters aren’t just evidence that global warming is the first faith preached exclusively by hypocrites.

Our petrol-powered greenie also demonstrates a bizarre chasm between private behaviour and public policy that should warn us we’re being ripped off.

Smith, in a profile in Good Weekend on Saturday, once more banged his warmist drum.

Having criss-crossed the world by chopper and private plane, the entrepreneur declared: “After my research, it is most likely that humans are affecting climate.”

Er, one human in particular, Dick.

As the same article made clear, few of us would have pumped out more emissions than Smith, even though he’s the one claiming these gases are suffocating the planet.

For instance: “He has a holiday house, a farm with a homestead, a large house with a swimming pool, two cars, a steam train and all that owning three separate households entails.

“He’s very open but for some reason refuses to confirm just how many aircraft he owns - there are at least two helicopters and a jet.”

Smith objects that cutting back on his joy rides would “make no measurable difference”, and change really had to come from governments.

Decoded, that means governments must pass laws to force the rest of us to make the sacrifices Smith will not.

Or put it this way: Smith wants governments to force up the bills for the power you need to cook dinner and wash the kids’ clothes, but won’t voluntarily cut down on his helicopter trips to watch birds.

You may say I’ve picked an extreme example, but how many would you like?
===
Who’s minding Victoria’s shop?
Andrew Bolt
That’s insane:
ALMOST one in 10 Victorians works for the state because of unprecedented growth in the public sector under the Brumby Government.

The explosion in staff numbers means 40c in every $1 spent by the Government goes on paying staff.

The public sector workforce has jumped by almost 40,000 in the past five years but neither side of politics plans to cut jobs.

Almost 250,000 people are employed in the Victorian public sector, according to the State Services Authority.
===
More eco-cars like this will burn the planet
Andrew Bolt

Neil Young’s eco-friendly LincVolt causes record emissions instead:
The three-alarm blaze that caused $1.1 million in damage to a warehouse filled with rock legend Neil Young’s music equipment and memorabilia appears to have started in a one-of-a-kind hybrid car stored at the site, a fire official said Monday.
(Thanks to reader Mickey.)
===
Obama’s hype exposed; Gulf oil spill good for fish
Andrew Bolt
President Barack Obama mercilessly hyped the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico:
Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it’s not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years.
I’ve written before of the grotesque scaremongering by the President, media and environmentalists, but now comes news that the spill was actually good for the fish there:
The catastrophists were wrong (again) about the Deep Water Horizon oil spill. There have been no major fish die-offs. On the contrary, a comprehensive new study says that in some of the most heavily fished areas of the Gulf of Mexico, various forms of sea life, from shrimp to sharks, have seen their populations triple since before the spill. Some species, including shrimp and croaker, did even better.

And meanwhile, the media has greatly exaggerated damage found in studies about coral, which is in some ways more vulnerable to oil and dispersant. Most of it is doing fine.

The growth of the fish population is not occurring because oil is good for fish. Rather, it is occurring because fishing is bad for fish. When fishing was banned for months during the spill, the Gulf of Mexico experienced an unprecedented marine renaissance that overwhelmed any negative environmental consequences the oil may have had, researchers say.
(Thanks to reader tony.)
===
Again, Sykes’ whole story not told
Andrew Bolt
One of the most interesting things about Roberta Sykes is discretely overlooked, and, given the new legals risks these days, probably wisely:
ROBERTA SYKES, the campaigner on indigenous issues, has died after a long illness.

A vigorous advocate for Aboriginal civil and political rights and education, she was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal in 1994…

Dr Sykes became the first black Australian to attend Harvard University in the 1980s, which Professor Behrendt said encouraged her own studies there in the 1990s.
No mention of it in the Age version, either:
Dr Sykes was the first executive secretary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and worked as an adviser in Aboriginal health and education.
The ABC avoids it, too:
Aboriginal rights campaigner Roberta Sykes has died at the age of 67, after suffering a debilitating illness for several years.

Bobbi Sykes, as she was better known, was an author and poet who became a national political figure as the executive secretary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972.
The Australian does mention it, though:
While Dr Sykes was careful to define herself by colour rather than as being indigenous, she was widely believed to have been part-Aboriginal until her white mother disclosed that Dr Sykes’s father was an African-American serviceman. The revelation led to controversy in indigenous circles, with Dr Sykes widely criticised, among others, by lawyer Pat O’Shane and academic Gracelyn Smallwood for adopting the Aboriginal snake motif as her own when she entitled her three-part, prize-winning autobiography Snake Dreaming.
Apologies, but to better protect my right to free speech, I must prevent you from commenting on this thread.
===
Oakeshott does his duty
Andrew Bolt
Just representing a generous constituent:
ROB Oakeshott intervened in a government investigation on behalf of a campaign donor accused of dumping thousands of tonnes of contaminated waste.

The independent MP’s intervention, which allegedly included meetings with officials and a potential witness, came after the NSW Environmental Protection Agency launched an investigation in 2006 into the dumping of up to 10,000 tonnes of waste containing the toxic biocide tributyltin, or TBT.
===
Attention Newsweek: the problem is not the job but the man
Andrew Bolt
Witnessing the past two chaotic years, Newsweek has a question:
Can any single person fully meet the demands of the 21st-century presidency?
Answer: not if that person is community organiser Barack Obama.
===
At least the kids will be able to spell S-T-U-N-T
Andrew Bolt
If you’d asked me to reform state school education, I admit this would not have been on my list:
COUNTRY kids will spend two weeks in the city and city kids a couple of weeks in the bush in a $208 million policy announced today by Victorian Premier John Brumby…

The year 9 program would give state school students the same opportunities as some of the best private schools in the state, he said.
This option in the term-long program was not included in Brumby’s campaign launch, oddly:
TEENAGERS will be packed off to military bases such as Puckapunyal for intensive boot camps under an overhaul of the year 9 education program.

The Herald Sun can reveal the State Government has written to the Defence Department with a proposal to send year 9 boys and girls to Army, Navy and Air Force bases for two-week camps as part of a new $208 million Education For Life Program.

Premier John Brumby said the army camps can help to boost both self-respect and respect for the wider community among young people, helping to combat rising youth violence…

Mr Brumby admitted to the Herald Sun that spending time at an army camp won’t be for everyone and the program will also include options of working with volunteer groups such as the CFA, SES, Life Saving Victoria and St John Ambulance.

“For some students, spending time with the defence forces might be just the sort of experience they want to undertake,” he said.

“But I think the defence forces could offer valuable experience for some students in areas like leadership, survival skills and personal discipline.”
===
Er, no, she’s not
Andrew Bolt

You write it, and Virginia Trioli will read out every word on the ABC TV autocue.

Professional hazard:

(Thanks to readers Michael, who is, and Ganesh, who isn’t.)
===
Let the Inuit drown, for Jake must fly
Andrew Bolt
Global warmist Jake Gyllenhaal flies to the Arctic to protest against emissions:
In a recent effort to demonstrate the human impacts of climate change, Global Green led a delegation of celebrities, scientists and political leaders to the Arctic Circle on Earth Day.

Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal helped Global Green generate worldwide visibility from “the top of the world” about the plight of the indigenous Inuit people whose very way of life is threatened by the impacts of snowmelt attributed to global warming.
So when even his warming protest involves hypocrisy, who can be surprised by Gyllenhaal’s latest flights:
ACTOR Jake Gyllenhaal has spent up big and rented a personal jet to woo his new love, country singer Taylor Swift. The Brokeback Mountain actor reportedly spent $165,000 whisking the chart-topping country singer from America to the UK on a private jet to be with her for 24-hours.
(Thanks to reader BlackBall.)
===
Krugman endorses death panels. But it’s still Palin who’s wicked
Andrew Bolt

When Sarah Palin warned against “death panels”, that was terrible. But what if Nobel laureate and Leftist Paul Krugman recommends them?
When former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin warned about the potential for “death panels” under ObamaCare that would make life and death medical decisions for patients, she was scoffed at and dismissed as off base.

Now, an economist who is a columnist for the New York Times says death panels may be needed as a solution to fix the troubled economy.

Paul Krugman appeared on ABC’s “This Week with Christiane Amanpour” during a roundtable discussion about the economy and the recent conclusions from the U.S. Debt Reduction Commission.

Krugman said the death panels won’t come into play now but would down the road.

”Some years down the pike, we’re going to get the real solution, which is going to be a combination of death panels and sales taxes. It’s going to be that we’re actually going to take Medicare under control, and we’re going to have to get some additional revenue, probably from a VAT. But it’s not going to happen now,” he said.

Krugman said if the debt commission “were going to do reality therapy, they should have said, ‘OK, look, Medicare is going to have to decide what it’s going to pay for. And at least for starters, it’s going to have to decide which medical procedures are not effective at all and should not be paid for at all.’”
(Thanks to reader John.)