USA

Interesting as this may be, the real issue is that none of these religious organizations who claim to be biblically based should be 501c3 anyway.  They only exist because their master (the state) says they can.

In a move to shine light on one of Washington’s most secretive and perhaps most powerful organizations, a group of Columbus pastors is challenging the tax-exempt status of a boardinghouse for Congress members known as the C Street Center.

The 13 pastors from mainstream Christian denominations plan to file a complaint today with the Internal Revenue Service contending that the center is not a church and that its tax classification as one "poses a threat to the integrity and legitimacy of all religious organizations in the United States."

In their 10-page complaint, the pastors say they are concerned that "an exclusive residential club for powerful officials may be masquerading as a church."

C Street’s activities, they say, "are shrouded in secrecy. Its powerful residents reportedly adhere to a code of silence. This lack of transparency shows a disdain for the political, legislative and economic accountability that define constitutional democracy."

The IRS complaint has the potential to pry open the funding sources and activities of a red-brick house at 133 C Street SE – just a short walk from the Capitol – that is a residence and spiritual refuge for influential members of Congress and last year became the epicenter in Republican sex scandals.

"I look at C Street as a total abuse of claiming to be a church," said one of the complainants, the Rev. Forrest Hoppe, Columbus-based regional minister of the United Church of Christ. "On behalf of the churches I work with and serve, I have a responsibility to call into question the legitimacy of this organization as a church."

Various news reports have said that the C Street facility, valued at more than $1.8 million, is run by a secretive evangelical Christian network called the Fellowship Foundation, also known as the Family, which has its headquarters in Arlington, Va. For more than 50 years, the Fellowship Foundation has organized the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, traditionally attended by U.S. presidents.

But Richard Carver, president of the Fellowship Foundation, said his charitable organization does not own the C Street Center and has no control over its policy. He said he does not know who owns or runs the center.

"It is simply not a part of anything we do," Carver said.

Columbus Dispatch

CNN also weighs in on the matter with several factoids gleaned from the benevolent Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think tank devoted to helping people “better understand the world.”

Hillary Clinton today said Iran was becoming a military dictatorship as the Obama administration’s diplomatic campaign against the Tehran regime continued to escalate.

Speaking to university students in Qatar, the US secretary of state warned that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard wielded so much power it was effectively supplanting the government.

“Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship,” she said. “That is our view.”

Source/Full Story: guardian.co.uk

Source: S.C. Code of Laws Title 23 Chapter 29 Subversive Activities Registration Act – www.scstatehouse.gov-LPITS

Title 23 – Law Enforcement and Public Safety

CHAPTER 29.

SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES REGISTRATION ACT

SECTION 23-29-10. Short title.

This chapter may be cited as the “Subversive Activities Registration Act.”

SECTION 23-29-20. Definitions.

For the purposes of this chapter the following words, phrases and terms are defined as follows:

(1) “Subversive organization” means every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons, which directly or indirectly advocates, advises, teaches or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States, of this State or of any political subdivision thereof by force or violence or other unlawful means;

(2) “Organization subject to foreign control” means every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or other organization, composed of two or more persons, which comes within either of the following:

(a) it solicits or accepts financial contributions, loans or support of any kind directly or indirectly from, or is affiliated directly or indirectly with, a foreign government or a political subdivision thereof, an agent, agency or instrumentality of a foreign government or political subdivision thereof, a political party in a foreign country or an international political organization or

(b) its policies, or any of them, are determined by or at the suggestion of, or in collaboration with, a foreign government or political subdivision thereof, an agent, agency or instrumentality of a foreign government or a political subdivision thereof, a political party in a foreign country or an international political organization;

(3) “Foreign agent” means any person whose actions, or any of them, are determined by or at the suggestion of, or in collaboration with, a foreign government or political subdivision thereof, an instrumentality or agency of a foreign government or political subdivision thereof, a political party in a foreign country or an international political organization; and

(4) “Business” includes, but is not limited to, speaking engagements.

SECTION 23-29-30. Effect on freedom of press or speech.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to authorize, require or establish censorship or to limit in any way or infringe upon freedom of the press or of speech as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and no regulation shall be promulgated hereunder having that effect.

SECTION 23-29-40. Organizations exempt from application of chapter.

The terms of this chapter do not apply to any labor union or religious, fraternal or patriotic organization, society or association, or their members, whose objectives and aims do not contemplate the overthrow of the government of the United States, of this State or of any political subdivision thereof by force or violence or other unlawful means.

SECTION 23-29-50. Registration by subversive and foreign-controlled organizations.

Every subversive organization and organization subject to foreign control shall register with the Secretary of State on forms prescribed by him within thirty days after coming into existence in this State.

SECTION 23-29-60. Registration of members of subversive and foreign-controlled organizations.

Every member of a subversive organization, or an organization subject to foreign control, every foreign agent and every person who advocates, teaches, advises or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States, of this State or of any political subdivision thereof by force or violence or other unlawful means, who resides, transacts any business or attempts to influence political action in this State, shall register with the Secretary of State on the forms and at the times prescribed by him.

SECTION 23-29-70. Forms and schedule for filing information.

Every organization or person coming within the provisions of this chapter shall file with the Secretary of State all information which he may request, on the forms and at the times he may prescribe.

SECTION 23-29-80. Promulgation of rules and regulations.

The Secretary of State may adopt and promulgate any rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the terms of this chapter, which may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter and may alter or repeal such rules and regulations.

SECTION 23-29-90. Penalties.

Any organization or person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than ten years, or by both fine and imprisonment.

Source/Full Story: S.C. Code of Laws Title 23 Chapter 29 Subversive Activities Registration Act – www.scstatehouse.gov-LPITS

Aerospace executives and the US government reacted with concern on Sunday to a Chinese threat to impose sanctions on American groups involved in a $6.4bn arms deal with Taiwan.

Giovanni Bisignani, director-general of the International Air Transport Association, the global airline industry body, called for fresh talks between Beijing and Washington to avert a crisis over the arms package.

“At a moment in which the world is in crisis [and] China is playing a very important role in overcoming and pushing for recovery it would be a very, very difficult and unhappy situation” for sanctions to be imposed, he said, as industry leaders gathered in Singapore for Asia’s biggest air show.

The deal, to which the Obama administration gave the green light last week, includes 60 Black Hawk helicopters, 114 Patriot missiles and systems supplied by Boeing, United Technologies, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
…
A senior aerospace executive with knowledge of the situation said China was clearly “flexing its muscles” and that the sanctions threat would be felt most by Boeing, as the main overseas supplier of civil aircraft to China over the last decade. Beijing manages aircraft purchasing centrally and political factors have played a role in the past.

Source/Full Story: FT.com

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran rose Monday after the Obama Administration quietly increased the capability of land and sea-based missile defenses in several Gulf nations to protect American allies against a potential Iranian strike.

Administration officials said over the weekend that the U.S. was speeding up arms sales to a number of Gulf Arab states and that it had also deployed warships capable of knocking down hostile missiles in flight to the region.

The moves, which include the sales of anti-missile systems to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, are designed to deter Iran from launching attacks against its Sunni Muslim neighbors and to send a message to Israel that a preemptive strike against Iran is unnecessary.

The deployments come as President Obama enters a new phase in efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program after the failure of a diplomatic offensive. Washington is anxious to get a tough new round of U.N. sanctions against Tehran, something that China and Russia have shown little interest in backing.

Source/Full Story: FOXNews.com

Foreword

This report compares United States and Israeli homeland security
practices. Its purpose is to determine whether there are lessons from
Israeli experience that might enhance U.S. homeland security efforts. 
The research for this study included a literature review as well as
field interviews with American and Israeli elites in Washington, D.C.,
and Israel during the summer of 2005. The principle investigator met
with key Israeli homeland security and counterterrorism experts in
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramla, and Hertzilya.

This report sets the stage for a comparison of United States and
Israeli homeland security issues and policies by addressing the common
and unique threats facing each state. It then looks at how each state
has organized its governmental response to those threats, its policies
for preventing terrorist attacks, and its response capabilities should
an attack occur. In the final section it lists lessons from Israeli
experience that might be considered by the United States, along with a
discussion of the reasons the United States will likely be unable or
unwilling to implement those lessons.

Source/Full Story: Public Intelligence

The Transportation Security Administration is investigating after they say an outdated version of their standard operating procedures manual was posted on the Internet. Who gets more scrutiny in line? What countries’ passports are singled out? Who’s exempt from screening? The answers to those questions and more were posted online for everybody to see.

The document is dated May 28, 2008, and it is considered sensitive security information. It details who gets special treatment, and what to do with people who balk at the checkpoint.

Many passengers who spoke with WTTG-TV in D.C. about the story at Reagan National Airport said it was concerning. Some pointed out that if we could get our hands on the document online, so could anyone else.

Documents note that passengers from Cuba, North Korea, Libya and a number of other countries must undergo additional screening.

“You don’t want discrimination against a certain country or against a certain population group or a certain group of people but if you don’t profile, then I think you’re missing the boat. You’re not being realistic,” said Bob Boswellin, a passenger.

It offers examples of identification documents that screeners accept, including congressional, federal air marshal and CIA ID cards; and it explains that diplomatic pouches and certain foreign dignitaries with law enforcement escorts are not subjected to any screening at all. It said certain methods of verifying identification documents aren’t used on all travelers during peak travel crushes.

Source/Full Story: FOXNews.com

A former commander of Soviet forces in Afghanistan has warned history is being repeated in the war-ravaged country as the United States and its allies become increasingly mired in an “unwinnable war.”

Gen. Victor Yermakov commanded the Soviet Union’s 40th army in Afghanistan from May 1982 to November 1983, one of six commanders to preside over the Soviet task force after its 1979 invasion.

The Kremlin’s bloody nine-year campaign to support the Marxist government in Kabul cost the lives of more than 15,000 troops and brought the Soviet economy to its knees before its 100,000-strong army was forced into a humiliating withdrawal.
…
“But you cannot impose democracy by using force. An Afghan has agreed with you today, at gunpoint, that American democracy is the best thing in the world, just as he was once saying that the Soviet system was the best.

“But as soon as you turn around, he’ll shoot you in the back and immediately forget what he was just saying.
…
Asked what difference the latest troop surge will make, the 74-year-old former deputy defense minister says, “I can see only one: Obama will be more often going to the airport to pay his last respects to the [airlifted U.S.] soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

“That’s the only difference that I can see, whatever the size of the task force.”

Source/Full Story: CNN.com

President Obama will maintain a lid of secrecy on millions of pages of military and intelligence documents that were scheduled to be declassified by the end of the year, according to administration officials.

The missed deadline spells trouble for the White House’s promises to introduce an era of government openness, say advocates, who believe that releasing historical information enforces a key check on government behavior. They cite as an example the abuses by the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War, including domestic spying and assassinations of foreign officials, that were publicly outlined in a set of agency documents known as the “family jewels.’’

The documents in question – all more than 25 years old – were scheduled to be declassified on Dec. 31 under an order originally signed by President Bill Clinton and amended by President George W. Bush.

But now Obama finds himself in the awkward position of extending the secrecy, despite his repeated pledges of greater transparency, because his administration has been unable to prod spy agencies into conformance.

Source/Full Story: The Boston Globe

The European Commission analysis of ACTA’s Internet chapter has leaked, indicating that the U.S. is seeking to push laws that extend beyond the WIPO Internet treaties and beyond current European Union law (the EC posted the existence of the document last week but refused to make it publicly available). The document contains detailed comments on the U.S. proposal, confirming the U.S. desire to promote a three-strikes and you’re out policy, a Global DMCA, harmonized contributory copyright infringement rules, and the establishment of an international notice-and-takedown policy.

The document confirms that the U.S. proposal contains seven sections:

Source/Full Story: Michael Geist

The Obama administration has soured on a call from its top commander to double the size of the Afghan police and army, reflecting the White House’s continued skepticism about the Afghan government even as the U.S. prepares a surge of troops into the country, people familiar with the matter say.

At an address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Tuesday, President Barack Obama is expected to announce that he will send roughly 30,000 American reinforcements to Afghanistan in addition to the 21,000 he deployed early in his administration. The escalation would bring total U.S. forces to some 100,000, the largest American troop deployment to Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion that toppled the Taliban government.

Source/Full Story: FOXNews.com

Israel and the United States have launched a three-week joint air defense exercise, code-named Juniper Cobra 10, in the port city of Haifa.

The military exercises which are described as the largest ever by the two allies are conducted under a media blackout in the West.

About a thousand US troops, from all four branches of service, would work alongside an equal number of Israel Defense Force personnel, taking part in computer-simulated war games.

The air maneuver will include the newly-developed Arrow 2 as well as America’s THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) and the ship-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.

Israel’s aerial artillery brigade, the US Army Corps’ 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, and naval destroyer USS Higgins are all taking part in the drill. The US has also sent 17 warships equipped with radar systems. The drill involves the deployment of missile batteries throughout Israel.

The Joint Task Force commander is Rear Admiral John M. Richardson, deputy commander of the US Sixth Fleet. It began October 21 and will last through November 3, 2009.

The US says the war games are aimed at protecting Israel against possible threats.

This is while Tel Aviv has initiated several wars in the region in its 60-year-long history and is considered as a major threat by regional countries given its nuclear weapons capabilities.

The United States is Israel’s closest ally, providing it with about 2.2 billion dollars a year in military assistance.

Source/Full Story: presstv.ir

Israel and the United States launched a major air defense drill Wednesday as part of what Israeli public radio called preparation for a faceoff with Iran.

During the two-week maneuvers, dubbed Juniper Cobra, some 1,000 American personnel will mesh ground- and ship-based missile interceptors like the Aegis, THAAD and Patriot with Israel’s Arrow II ballistic shield, defense officials said.

Spokesmen on both sides insisted the biennial drill was unrelated to world events, but Israel Radio quoted an unnamed commander as saying it served “to prepare for a nuclear Iran.”

Source/Full Story: Reuters
Technorati Tags: Juniper Cobra

Launched in March by Las Vegan Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers bills itself as a nonpartisan group of current and retired law enforcement and military personnel who vow to fulfill their oaths to the Constitution.

More specifically, the group’s members, which number in the thousands, pledge to disobey orders they deem unlawful, including directives to disarm the American people and to blockade American cities. By refusing the latter order, the Oath Keepers hope to prevent cities from becoming “giant concentration camps,” a scenario the 44-year-old Rhodes says he can envision happening in the coming years.

It’s a Cold War-era nightmare vision with a major twist: The occupying forces in this imagined future are American, not Soviet.

“The whole point of Oath Keepers is to stop a dictatorship from ever happening here,” Rhodes, a former Army paratrooper and Yale-trained lawyer, said in an interview with the Review-Journal. “My focus is on the guys with the guns, because they can’t do it without them.

“We say if the American people decide it’s time for a revolution, we’ll fight with you.”

That type of rhetoric has caught the attention of groups that track extremist activity in the United States.

In a July report titled “Return of the Militias,” the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center singled out Oath Keepers as “a particularly worrisome example of the Patriot revival.”

Source/Full Story: ReviewJournal.com
Technorati Tags: Oath Keepers