Month: April 2014

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News/Politics 4-9-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. Time for a “Phony Scandal” update.

From ABCNews  “The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says investigators have uncovered evidence that a former Internal Revenue Service official may have committed crimes as part of the agency’s tea party controversy.

Rep. Dave Camp set a committee vote for Wednesday on whether to refer Lois Lerner, who used to head the agency’s tax-exempt division, to the Justice Department “for possible criminal prosecution.”

Camp, R-Mich., did not specify which laws Lerner may have broken.”

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More here,

From Politico  “The committee will mark up a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday accusing Lerner of committing three crimes relating to the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups seeking tax exempt status, a Republican staffer said.”

“This action is separate of plans from House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa to hold a contempt vote against the former exempt organizations division head on Thursday.

Lerner has become the focus of congressional efforts to investigate what happened at the IRS, with Republicans accusing her of sharing private taxpayer data and obsessing over the Citizens United Supreme Court case.”

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Need a new meme. This ones busted.

From TheDailyCaller  “IRS agents testified before Oversight that ACORN groups were scrutinized because the agency thought they were old organizations applying as new ones. Emerge America was scrutinized for potential “improper private benefit.” No evidence exists that the IRS requested additional information from any Occupy Wall Street group.

“Only seven applications in the IRS backlog contained the word ‘progressive,’ all of which were then approved by the IRS, while Tea Party groups received unprecedented review and experienced years-long delays. While some liberal-oriented groups were singled out for scrutiny, evidence shows it was due to non-political reasons,” according to the Oversight staff report, which was obtained by The Daily Caller.

“[T]he Administration and congressional Democrats have seized upon the notion that the IRS’s targeting was not just limited to conservative applicants,” the report states. “These Democratic claims are flat-out wrong and have no basis in any thorough examination of the facts.  Yet, the Administration’s chief defenders continue to make these assertions in a concerted effort to deflect and distract from the truth about the IRS’s targeting of tax-exempt applicants.”

Democrats are aware of this. But they lie because they know their base will let them get away with it. Just like with their “Phony Scandal” meme.

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2. Speaking of lies and busted memes…….. Even the liberal press isn’t buying this one.

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More here,

From TheFreeBeacon  “As President Barack Obama and the Democrats prepare to honor “Equal Pay Day,” Senate Democrats continue to pay female employees significantly less than their male counterparts, according to an analysis of Senate salary data in Democratic offices.”

“Democrats have a lot of work to do in their own offices, according to an analysis of salary figures compiled from secretary of the Senate reports covering the fiscal year 2013.”

“Among those with the greatest disparity is Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.), who paid his female staffers only 72 cents on the dollar compared to male staffers. The average female salary was $20,861 below the average male salary.

Alaska’s Sen. Mark Begich (D.) was even tougher on his female staffers. He paid his female employees just 71 cents on the dollar, for a gender pay gap of $23,504.”

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3. A little bi-partisan co-operation. Unanimous even. But will the President sign it?

From TheHill  “The Senate passed a bill Monday that would allow President Obama to block Iran’s new United Nations ambassador from entering the United States.

The bill from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) came in reaction to Iran’s decision to name Hamid Abutalebi as its new U.N. representative. Cruz said Abutalebi is a member of a militant group that took 52 Americans hostage in Tehran in 1979.”

““I thought it was totally inappropriate that Mr. Abutalebi was nominated in the first place,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “It may be a case of strange bedfellows, but I’m glad Sen. Cruz and I were able to work out a bill that would prevent this terrorist from stepping foot on American soil. We ought to close the door on him, and others like him, before he even comes to the United States, and that’s exactly what this bill will do.”

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4. This one isn’t surprising, after all, this is the liberal NYC we’re talking about. It’s disgusting, unsafe, and the same mentality that allows Gosnell’s to fly under the radar, but it’s not at all surprising. Killing off half the city’s pregnancies every year is bloody business. Best not to look too closely right?

From TheNYPost  “The state Health Department is failing to inspect many of New York’s abortion clinics — with some facilities escaping scrutiny for more than a decade, bombshell documents obtained by The Post reveal.

Health inspectors regulate 25 diagnostic and treatment clinics and surgery centers that provide abortion services — though pro-choice advocates say there are 225 abortion service providers in New York state.

Eight of the 25 clinics were never inspected over the 2000-12 span, five were inspected just once, and eight were inspected only twice or three times — meaning once every four or six years.

A total of just 45 inspections were conducted at all 25 facilities during the 12-year period.”

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5. The hypocrisy is strong with this one. Looks like the gay mafia has a heretic in their midst.

From MotherJones  “Last week, the online dating site OkCupid switched up its homepage for Mozilla Firefox users.Upon opening the site, a message appeared encouraging members to curb their use of Firefox because the company’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, allegedly opposes equality for gay couples—specifically, he donated $1000 to the campaign for the anti-gay Proposition 8 in 2008. “We’ve devoted the last ten years to bringing people—all people—together,” the message read. “If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we’ve worked so hard to bring about would be illegal.” The company’s action went viral, and within a few days, Eich had resigned as CEO of Mozilla only weeks after taking up the post. On Thursday, OkCupid released a statement saying “We are pleased that OkCupid’s boycott has brought tremendous awareness to the critical matter of equal rights for all individuals and partnerships.”

But there’s a hitch: OkCupid’s co-founder and CEO Sam Yagan once donated to an anti-gay candidate. (Yagan is also CEO of Match.com.) Specifically, Yagan donated $500 to Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) in 2004, reports Uncrunched. During his time as congressman from 1997 to 2009, Cannon voted for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, against a ban on sexual-orientation based job discrimination, and for prohibition of gay adoptions.”

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Our Daily Thread 4-8-14

Good Morning!

Today’s header photo is from Janice.

On this day in 1789 the U.S. House of Representatives held its first meeting. 

In 1873 Alfred Paraf patented the first successful oleomargarine.

In 1946 the League of Nations assembled in Geneva for the last time. 

And in 1986 Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, CA. 

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Quote of the Day

“Standardization of our educational systems is apt to stamp out individualism and defeat the very ends of education by leveling the product down rather than up.”

Harvey Cushing

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Today is Larry Norman’s birthday.

And it’s also Franco Corelli’s.

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Anyone have a QoD?

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Prayer Requests 4-8-14

Anyone have a request or praise they’d like to share?

Let’s all remember to keep Karen O. and her husband Lee in prayer as they prepare for Lee’s tests tomorrow. Thanks.

Psalm 75

¹Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

2 When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.

3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

4 I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:

5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.

6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

9 But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

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News/Politics 4-8-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. Consequences.

From ConservativeIntel  “If Mozilla was hoping to avoid controversy by edging out former CEO Brendan Eich, the company has most certainly failed. The graph below comes from the feedback page on their site. This chart goes back to when the comment system was adopted, and the highest number of “sad” comments is today, by a factor of about two. The second highest number came yesterday.”

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2. How Comcast bought the Democratic party. And how the Democratic party got their own propaganda network. And both employ the same Rev/Snitch. Funny that. 🙄

From NationalReview  “The communications giant Comcast announced in February that it would buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion, creating the largest cable provider in America, with more than 33 million customers. That is about one third of the U.S. cable- and satellite-television market. FCC approval is required for the merger to go into effect. Critics of the deal say it would lessen competition and lead to even shoddier customer service. They are probably right, as all of us will soon find out, because there is little chance the merger will be stopped. Comcast, Time Warner, and their political fixers have spent years preparing for this moment — by buying off the Democratic party.

Comcast, which employs more than 100 lobbyists, spent almost $19 million last year on lobbying activities. Its president and CEO, Brian L. Roberts, is a golf buddy of President Obama’s, and a Democratic donor who has contributed thousands of dollars not only to the president’s campaigns, but also to the Democratic party of Pennsylvania, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the DNC Services Corporation, and to Steny Hoyer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Bob Casey. Roberts’s executive vice president, David Cohen, is a former aide to Democratic bigwig Ed Rendell. Cohen skirts lobbying regulations through loopholes, has raised more than $2 million for Obama since 2007, and in 2011 hosted a DNC fundraiser at which the president called him “friend.” Cohen has visited the White House 14 times since 2010, including two visits to the Oval Office. He attended the recent dinner for President Hollande of France.

Cohen plays a major role in the Comcast Foundation, which has disbursed more than $3 billion since 2001, primarily to “groups that serve African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians” and other segments of the Democratic coalition. You will be surprised to learn that many of the groups to whom the Comcast Foundation has donated now support the proposed merger. Of the $33 million Comcast has spent on political campaigns since 1989, more than half, or some $18 million, has gone to Democrats. Barack Obama is No. 1 on the list of the top ten recipients of Comcast’s largesse. There are four Republicans on the list.

Comcast’s in-kind contributions to the Democratic party are more difficult to calculate. In a media environment that already tilts leftward, the NBC networks, which Comcast owns, distinguish themselves as especially pro-Obama. Comcast has one channel, MSNBC, which is almost entirely devoted to furthering the president’s agenda and the broader priorities of the American progressive movement. How do you put a price on the contributions of the invaluable Ed, Al, Chris, Chris, Rachel, and Lawrence? Where would the Democratic party be today without The Reid Report? They give so much.”

Here’s one example of the way these relationships work.

From Politico  “At 9:00 a.m., MSNBC.com publishes an “exclusive first look” at a new video from the Democratic National Committee, in which Vice President Joe Biden urges Dems to stand up for voting rights.

At 9:04 a.m., the Democratic National Committee’s communications director retweets MSNBC’s tweets about the article and, over the course of the next hour, tweets more links to the MSNBC article. Other DNC operatives do the same.

At 9:23 a.m., the Democratic National Committee sends a blast email to reporters promoting the piece. There’s no additional language here: just an embedded video and the text of the article, copy and pasted.

In other words, the DNC had a video it wanted to promote. But knowing how often reporters overlook or ignore press releases, the DNC likely figured the video would have more reach — and seem more legitimate — if a news organization was already reporting on it. In MSNBC, a liberal outlet, it found a receptive audience.”

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3. Obama’s magic pen is at it again. Once again though, it’s only on federal contracts, so mostly meaningless.

From Politico  “At the White House on Tuesday, President Barack Obama will sign two executive actions on equal pay, as Senate Democrats move for a show vote this week on the Paycheck Fairness Act — launching Democrats’ first large-scale coordinated message effort ahead of this year’s midterms.

One of the new executive orders on Tuesday, Equal Pay Day, will prohibit federal contractors from retaliating against workers who discuss their salaries — a move one White House official called “a critical tool to encourage pay transparency.”

“Obama will also sign a presidential memorandum instructing Labor Secretary Tom Perez to create new regulations requiring federal contractors to report salary summary data to the government, including sex and race breakdowns. The hope, according to the White House, is that this will encourage other employers to submit data voluntarily, enabling more targeted government enforcement.”

I’ll translate that last part for ya. It will enable them to use your company data to shake you down, with the threat of lawsuits, in order to change your racist and sexist ways, that you didn’t even know you had. A solution seeking a problem.

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4. Something to keep in mind as tax day approaches.

From TheDailyCaller  “The day when the nation collectively has made enough money to pay its total tax burden for the year is three days later this year, according to a new report.

According to a report released Monday by the Tax Foundation, this year Tax Freedom Day falls 111 days into 2014, on April 21.

By April 21, to group says, Americans will have made enough to pay the $3 trillion in federal taxes and $1.5 trillion in state taxes — more than they will spend on food clothing and housing combined.”

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5. Yet another reason to homeschool.

From Chicago/CBSLocal  “An alarming number of instances of inappropriate sexual behavior among middle school students appear to be going unnoticed by teachers and other adults, a new study concludes.

The study, written by three University of Illinois researchers, found that 21 percent of the students in the survey experienced some form of physical sexual harassment.

The students reported instances like being slapped on the buttocks, being rubbed against their bodies sexually or being forced to kiss another student.

Much of the behavior happened in open areas, most commonly in the hallways, classrooms or gymnasiums.”

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Our Daily Thread 4-7-14

Good Morning!

Today’s header photo is from Cheryl.

On this day in 1864 the first camel race in America was held in Sacramento, California.

In 1930 the first steel columns were set for the Empire State Building. 

In 1940 Booker T. Washington became the first black to be pictured on a U.S. postage stamp. 

In 1969 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material.

And in 1970 John Wayne won his first and only Oscar for his role in “True Grit.” He had been in over 200 films. 

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Quote of the Day

“To begin, begin.”

William Wordsworth

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Today is John Cooper’s birthday.

We played the Un-game Saturday night. One of my questions was what song I would like played at my funeral. I hadn’t really thought about it at length, but this was my answer. I’ve always liked it, and I like Trace’s version.

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Anyone have a QoD?

Or if you’d prefer, answer the funeral music question.

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Prayer Requests 4-7-14

Anyone have a praise or request they’d like to share?

Psalm 72

¹Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

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News/Politics 4-7-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. ObamaCare is/will make it harder for some to get insurance.

From FoxNews  “Here’s more fallout from the health care law: Until now, customers could walk into an insurance office or go online to buy standard health care coverage any time of year. Not anymore. 

Many people who didn’t sign up during the government’s open enrollment period that ended Monday will soon find it difficult or impossible to get insured this year, even if they go directly to a private company and money is no object. For some it’s already too late. 

With limited exceptions, insurers are refusing to sell to individuals after the enrollment period for HealthCare.gov and the state marketplaces. They will lock out the young and healthy as well as the sick or injured. Those who want to switch plans also are affected. The next wide-open chance to enroll comes in November for coverage in 2015. 

It’s a little-noted consequence of President Obama’s health care overhaul, which requires nearly all Americans to be insured or pay a fine and requires insurers to accept people with health problems.”

facepalm-double

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2. More ObamaCare shenanigans. I wonder if these are counted in the 7 million number? I’m thinking probably yes.

From TheSharkTank  “In the closing days of the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was mailing out letters notifying certain Americans that they had already started a healthcare coverage application on their behalf.

The HHS letter stated that the information they used to begin the application for individual Healthcare was obtain by the state agency in charge of implementing Obamacare. 

The next step for the individual would be visit Healthcare.gov and complete the already started application to see if they qualify for “Marketplace coverage.”

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3. Not shocking.

From IJReview  “Obama’s ‘Champion Of Change’ Amnesty Advocate Indicted For What Else? Immigration Fraud!”

“Bonnie M. Youn, who Obama’s White House touts on its website as “a recognized Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community leader in Georgia,” was indicted on three criminal charge counts in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division on April 1, according to publicly filed court documents.

 The first indictment count alleges Youn committed perjury with regard to an alien illegally in the United States. The second indictment count alleges that Youn violated a federal immigration law that prohibits bringing illegal aliens into the United States and harboring them, alleging she did so “for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain.” The third indictment count alleges Youn illegally tampered with witness testimony, specifically alleging she influenced the illegal alien—whose identity is kept anonymous in the indictment—to provide false information about employment in the United States to federal agents.

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4. UNC has a scandal on it’s hands, besides the one in the athletic dept. They’re being accused of religious profiling.

From AccuracyInAcademia  “At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Dr. Mike Adams teaches crime — but he never dreamed he’d be the victim of one. Unfortunately for the assistant professor, that all changed when his ideology did. When he was hired as a criminology expert 21 years ago, Adams was an avowed and outspoken atheist — a worldview that was shaken to the core when Mike went to visit a prisoner on death row in 2000. The convict, a mentally handicapped man, had read the entire Bible — something Adams had never done. He resolved then and there to change that — and when he did, Mike was completely transformed.

The once-vocal liberal became a passionate follower of Christ, a conversion that ultimately bled over into his political beliefs. Over time, he started writing columns and doing media appearances from a conservative perspective — infuriating UNCW’s forces of political correctness in the process. Like most universities, the faculty was a fraternity of liberals, who insist on diversity but practice anything but. After a slew of awards and accolades for his work, Mike applied for a full professorship in 2006.

Despite a glowing record, the University turned down his application. Apparently, the only promotion UNCW is interested in is the promotion of the liberal agenda. As his lead attorney, David French, writes in NRO, administrators engaged in the fiercest kind of viewpoint discrimination. It was “a process where they applied a made-up promotion standard that contradicted the faculty handbook, passed along false information about his academic record, deceptively edited documents to influence the faculty vote, explicitly discussed his constitutionally protected viewpoint, and allowed a faculty member with an obvious and outrageous conflict of interest to cast a vote against him.” At one point, the University even launched an underground investigation (at the request of a transgender group) to determine if the professor was “transphobic.”

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5. Good question.

From MercuryNews  “Why did state Sen. Leland Yee escape terrorism charges?”

“Shocking enough are the allegations that a long-perceived unassuming state senator tried brokering an international arms deal with military-style rifles and rocket launchers, but Leland Yee may have narrowly escaped an even more ominous label: supporter of terrorism.

Yee, whose arrest after an FBI undercover sting shook the California political world last week, would likely have been charged with aiding terrorists if not for a bureaucratic label missing from the militant Filipino group that he is accused of sourcing for an international arms deal, counterterrorism experts told this newspaper.

His ties to the group, whose leader has said he personally met with Osama Bin Laden, are spelled out in a 137-page affidavit. It accuses Yee and two associates of conspiring with an undercover FBI agent posing as a Mafia gangster to purchase up to $2.5 million in weapons from a source with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines.”

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6. Cummings has obstructed this investigation since the start. He should be looked at more closely, as should his witness tampering ways.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked the panel’s top Democrat to disclose communications between his office and the lawyer for former IRS official Lois Lerner, who faces contempt charges before the committee.

In a letter to ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Issa said it was vital for him to share what he learned from interviewing her attorney, William W. Taylor III.

The panel is investigating Lerner — who headed the Exempt Organizations division of the agency when it controversially targeted conservative groups — and will vote on contempt charges on the grounds that she has refused to cooperate with the probe.

“As you know, Mr. Taylor’s position with regard to Ms. Lerner’s willingness to cooperate with the committee has changed several times,” Issa wrote. “So that all members of the committee can have a better understanding of Mr. Taylor’s current position, please disclose any communications that you or your staff have had with Mr. Taylor.”

He’s more interested in protecting a Democrat president than he is in getting the truth.His actions don’t pass the smell test.

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Our Daily Thread 4-5-14

Good Morning!

And Happy Saturday!

Today’s header photo is from Kim. 🙂

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On this day in 1621 the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, MA, on a return trip to England. 

In 1806 Isaac Quintard patented the cider mill. 

In 1933 the first operation to remove a lung was performed at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO. 

In 1951 Americans Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death for committing espionage for the Soviet Union. 

And in 1986 a discotheque in Berlin was bombed by Libyan terrorists. The U.S. attacked Libya with warplanes in retaliation on April 15, 1986. 

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Quote of the Day

“I followed the law. Before God, before the law, before the people of the state of Florida who elected me, I know that I followed the law.”

Katherine Harris

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Today is Tommy Cash’s birthday.

This one was sent to me by one of you. Not so much for the music, but to share with us a view of their town. The video was filmed in the area near where they live. So sit back, and enjoy the scenery, maybe see if you can guess where it is. I’ll leave it to the person who sent it to give you what details they’d like to share. 🙂

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Who has a QoD for us?

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Prayer Requests 4-5-14

Anyone have a request or praise to share?

Psalm 71:1-16

¹In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

5 For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.

6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.