Sponsored by Union of Americans – unionofamericans@aol.com
Week Beginning October 10, 2010
At “Union of Americans” we offer a review of some of the previous week’s significant news. This is done by listing headlines of that week. If you would like to view an entire article, simply click on that headline.
Human Events (10/12/2010)
Obama’s Doomed National Security Reset
We would like to thank “Union of Americans” “Reader B3, NJ” for introducing us to Intelligence Squared U.S. The ‘motion’ of the debate that we listened to was “Islam is a Religion of Peace”. To watch the debate you may click on…
“Islam is a Religion of Peace”
Intelligence Squared U.S. offers Oxford-style debates live from New York City. In this format one side proposes and the other side opposes a sharply framed ‘motion’. The audience registers their pre-debate opinion. Each debater presents a 7-minute opening statement, then the floor is opened for audience questions and inter-panel challenges. The debate ends after each debater gives his or her 2-minute closing argument. The audience votes again and the results are tallied. The winner is the team that has swayed more audience members between the two votes.
Since its inception in 2006, the goals have been to provide a new forum for intelligent discussion, grounded in facts and informed by reasoned analysis; to transcend the toxically emotional and the reflexively ideological; and to encourage recognition that the opposing side has intellectually respectable views. They have presented over 35 debates on a wide range of provocative and timely topics.
The following is the results of the “Islam is a Religion of Peace” debate as reported by Chloe Coffman in the Washington Square News on October 7, 2010.
For further information on any of the 35+ debates please visit Intelligence Squared U.S. ~ Editor
Public Debate Questions Peace Within Islam
Hundreds of people poured into the Skirball Center last night to take part in a debate on one of the more controversial issues facing the country today — the growing militarism of Islam. The motion for the debate:
“Is Islam a religion of peace?”
The night, moderated by ABC News’ John Donvan, featured four panelists, two speaking for the motion and two speaking against it. In favor of the proposal were writer and advocate for Muslim American Civic Engagement, Zeba Khan and Maajid Nawaz, a former Muslim extremist who has since renounced Islamist ideology and now speaks up for Amnesty International as a “prisoner of conscience.” Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who led a campaign to reform Islam, and best-selling author and award-winning journalist Douglas Murray, opposed the argument, linking Islam directly with violence.
Prior to the debate, the audience was polled as to what they thought about the issue, and results showed 41 percent were for the motion, 25 percent were against it and 34 percent were undecided.
While a number of arguments were brought to the table, the dialogue was mainly rooted in questioning the original Islamic principles of violence against the doctrine of peace, both of which are dealt with in the Quran.
The main issues raised included the necessity to put the more violent passages of the Quran into historical context.
Those speaking against the motion said absolutist believers failed in their attempts to contextualize the Quran. But Khan said extremists were simply circumnavigating the issue at hand. “[The absolutists] are using Islam to cover for their political grievances,” he said. “Their real issue lies with Western domination.”
At the end of the debate, the opposing side concluded that while reformed Muslims do exist in the Western world, existing extremists are living by the Quran in its entirety, including the violence it contains.
After the debate, poll results revealed a drastic change from the results at the beginning of the night — 36 percent were for the motion, 55 percent were against it and 9 percent were undecided.
Several students voiced their opinions on the debate. “It was an incredible experience,” CAS freshman Zack Barker said. “Originally I was for [the motion] but ultimately I changed by mind. Douglas made some excellent points and really persuaded me.”
But LSP freshman Nidhi Bhatt said her vote fell with the minority in the end. “I thought that if the pro side had been more articulate, then they would have won more votes,” Bhatt said.
Others, such as CAS freshman Billy Shaw, said they were still unsure of which side presented the stronger argument. “The debate was intense and it included the two most controversial issues of today: religion and politics,” Shaw said. “I am ultimately undecided because politically, the opposition is right and religiously, the proposition is right.”
This morning while I was checking the “Union of Americans” emails I came across one sent in by “Reader B2, FL”. The email contained a brief video clip from a movie that starred Jimmy Stewart. If you were, are or ever wanted to be a pilot you’ll love watching this ‘monster’, the B-36, fly.
To view the video clip simply click on B-36 Takeoff
While serving in the Navy, towards the end of WWII, I found myself on Saipan, an island in the Pacific. Saipan was one of the islands in the Mariana Islands, which served as a Navy Operating Base. A little to the north and a little east of Saipan was another island carrying the name Tinian.
Tinian was the B-29 base and it was from Tinian that the Enola Gay took off for its history making flight carrying the first atomic bomb and having as a target the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
I was onboard the Intrepid flying Corsairs, F4-U4s. We were preparing for the much-discussed invasion of the Japanese home islands. I believe we were part of Task Force 38. I’m checking the history books to be certain because the United States Navy Task Force southeast of Japan was designated either ‘38’ or ‘58’ according to the Admiral in command.
In any event, we were preparing for, as I mentioned above, the invasion of Japan, which promised to be the bloodiest invasion in history. Things were fairly tense onboard the Intrepid in anticipation of “D-Day”. When the word came that the Japanese capitulated as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the sense of release was tremendous.
I doubt if there ever was a better cause for a great celebration and we did our best to do the event justice. There are definite limits to celebrations onboard a Navy carrier. However, for that event there were no limits, as the well-marked logs on the Intrepid will testify.
A few weeks later we found ourselves in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the peace on the USS Missouri. I remember the event vividly as General McArthur officiated at the peace signing on the deck of the Missouri. The General was wearing khakis, no tie and his famous hat for the ceromony. The Japanese officials boarded the Missouri dressed in their official uniforms designating their status as representatives of Japan. As the Japanese officials approached the table were the peace papers awaited signing and General McArthur, the General pointed to the table and then to the chairs for the Japanese officials. The Japanese officials took their seats and General McArthur accepted the document that would be the end of WWII in the Pacific.
A short time after the signing of the peace I found myself on a Navy transport, the name escapes me. Our course was due east and our destination was San Francisco. As the ship passed through the Golden Gate a rather large pleasure boat intercepted us, made a 180 degree change in course and as she steamed suddenly a band somewhere began playing “Back in the Saddle Again”. The pleasure craft had a 20-degree list because a bevy of beautiful girls manned the rails and sang “Back in the Saddle Again”.
I don’t know who the Officer of the Deck was at the time, nor do I know who was manning the Bridge or Engine Room but our ship had a serious list to the starboard side. The response from the Navy transport on which I had a berth was overwhelming and a cheer went up for the girls that set our ship vibrating for 20 minutes or more. It was a great moment for the girls and there was no doubt onboard our ship as to the quality and depth of our appreciation based on the volume of the response.
The celebrations didn’t end there as I recall it. I got a seat on a TWA flight back to New York and went to the Waldorf where my parents were staying. I checked in with them for more celebrations. While recovering from the celebrations I was suddenly struck with the realization that I now had to get a job to support my wife, “Bunny”, and our daughter, Jody.
We settled in New York City with a job and an apartment and prepared for the years to come. ~ dhb
NOTE: The above is as the author recalls these historical events in his role as a Navy Lt. and VBF pilot onboard the Intrepid for the year preceding the signing of the peace on September 2, 1945.
After he returned from WWII he signed up with the United States Naval Reserve and continued to fly as a ‘Weekend Warrior’ for a period of time that ended in late May of 1950. His time as a “Weekend Warrior” and his experiences in the United States Naval Reserve will be told at a later date. ~ Editor
What do the American People feel the Government’s role is? The Washington Post, Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University recently joined together and conducted a survey to determine the answer to that question. The result was published in the Washington Post on October 10th. You can read the entire article by clicking on ‘Beyond the Tea Party: What Americans Really Think of Government’
It seems that the United States is not the only nation to pay the price of finding, using and processing raw materials in an effort to create products desirable and necessary for life in civilized nations.
We’re referring to “HEAVY METAL SLUDGE” which is flowing into the Danube River system. The Hungarian Disaster of Toxic “HEAVY METAL SLUDGE” is a disaster of major proportions. One tributary to the key European river has been declared a “dead zone” which in itself is a terrifying thought. At least half dozen nations are being threatened by this disaster.
We offer our European friends our condolences on learning of the leak of “HEAVY METAL” into the Danube River system. The Euro-nations hopefully have available the resources to deal with a situation of this kind.
It is our hope that President Obama will recognize the disaster and offer the United State’s aid to our European friends. We may have important technology to deal with such a tragedy and it is an obligation of all Free Nations to come to the aid of those nations that will be impacted by the disaster of “HEAVY METAL” leaking into the Danube River system.
America has recently had our own disaster, the Deep Horizon Oil Spill. The American People are having confirmed the problems of the modern world with the safety, security and future of the People. The American People will be dealing with the effects of that disaster for the foreseeable future. The extent of the consequences of the Deep Horizon Oil Spill has yet to be learned. Ecologists are promising ecological damage to most of the Gulf of Mexico.
“HEAVY METAL” is a toxic substance, which can threaten the lives and well being of those exposed to the substance. The red sludge is a byproduct of making aluminum. With that in mind we urge that President Obama and his Administration take immediate steps to secure such toxic products as “Heavy Metal”. The United States needs to make sure that all such toxic materials are securely stored and disposed of in a manner that removes it as a possible target for Terrorist actions.
Secondly America needs to develop standby technology should the escape of such toxic substance into the air, into the rivers and into the land of the United States occur. The American People need to be able to minimize the effects that such a disaster will cause.
Risking the label of being paranoid, we can’t help but think of what a clever Terrorist act this would be. With that thought in mind we urge all of the Free Nations to take immediate steps to secure such toxic byproducts so that Terrorist acts cannot be perpetrated.
Yes, we may be paranoid but we’d rather be paranoid then suffer from “HEAVY METAL” poisoning. ~ dhb
One of the problems with “Forwards” is the shear number of them being passed around and around and around on the Internet. It seems that 97.3% of Emails are “Forwards” and “Forwards” never, ever seem to stop or go away. There are “Forwards” that started circulating the Internet in 2003 and are still going strong 7 years later.
The fact that they have lasted 7 years is bad enough, but when you add to the fact that of that 98.7% of the “Forwards” purposely contain misinformation or are what is known as a “Hoax”. While almost everyone who has an Email account knows of the existence of “Hoaxes” and that you need to be diligent not to fall for one, they fall for them all the time. It’s easy to fall for them because the majority of people will make one basic, incorrect assumption. That assumption is that the person who sent you the “Forward” cared enough to check out the accuracy before hitting “Forward”.
We’re not saying that people DON’T care. In fact, what we are saying is the exact opposite. People DO care. They have received a “Forward” and it has touched them either emotionally (usually) or intellectually and felt the need to spread the word. Unfortunately, they are going on raw emotion. They have just read of a grave “injustice” or an extreme unpatriotic act or their faith has been threatened or that there is some type of danger that must be dealt with immediately. The source of their information is the “Forward” so they turn to it for directions on how to deal with or defeat the threat. The “Forward” has a very simple, “quick” solution. The solution is to pass the “Forward” on.
However, what they should do is take a momemt to catch their breath. Then they should check the facts of the “Forward”. It is a fairly simply thing to do. Simply go to a “Hoax Busting” site. There are quite a few on the Internet including “Snopes.com”, “Truth or Fiction”, “Urban Legends” and “Hoax Slayer”. By typing in a few “key words” into their search engine boxes you can search their sites for information quickly. They will tell you what is “True”, what is “False” and what is a “Mixture”. Plus they will usually go into details about the actual facts regarding the subject discussed in the “Forward”.
Armed with the accurate information, a person can than decide if they should pass it on (only if 100% true), simply delete it (if it is 100% false). If the information is a mixture of “True” and “False” a person really should not pass the information on. That is unless they take the time to correct or at least acknowledge the “False” information. By doing so a person is stopping the spread of a Hoax. ~ Editor
If you ask me the Democrats might be a little smarter than the Republicans when it comes to direct mail marketing. I received a letter this morning from the Democratic National Committee. The piece was as good of a direct mail promotion as any I’ve seen in my 50+ years in the publishing and direct mail business.
It was a very official looking piece of mail. The face of the envelope read…
/// REGISTERED DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED ///
Registered Survey Number: 19-08-03
Response Requested within 72 hours
The back of the envelope warned in large letters …
Do Not Tamper
The enclosed letter began…
“Dear Jack”
I’m not sure why they referred to me by “Jack”. My name is not “Jack”. The address on the envelope was properly addressed to me so they are aware that I am not “Jack”.
The letter went on to inform me all about the Democrats that are running for office. I now know why they are running, where they were running, and of their great need for campaign funds. I agree that they do indeed have a great need for campaign funds since they are soliciting non-Democrats for funds.
Overall, I have to give the Democratic National Committee an A+ in direct mail because of the attention-grabbing envelope, personalization attempt, clear and concise content, etc. However, they do have one major problem. They are trying to sell an inferior product. Any successful businessman will tell you that unless you have a good product, don’t bother trying to sell it.
November 2nd presents the American People with a unique opportunity. We can either re-elect the same Democratic Congress or we can elect a new Congress.
We ask all “Patriots” to give it your all to get the word out about how important this election is. Every single vote counts. In order to have a new Congress elected we must take every opportunity to get every Republican to vote on November 2nd. ~dhb
We do not want to cause a panic but there is an epidemic sweeping the Internet. If you have an Email account you have been exposed. You may even be a “Carrier” of this disease. This disease seems harmless enough at first glance. In fact it even has a very innocent sounding name, “Forward”.
We would like to thank “Union of Americans” “Reader W2” for sending us “Laus Deo: A History Lesson”. As is the policy of “Union of Americans” we verified the authenticity of the piece. What we found was a mixture of fact and fiction, the majority of the piece being fact. Because of the ongoing controversy over references to God in government settings we have decided to share the piece with all of our “Readers” with a breakdown of what is fact and what is fiction. ~ Editor
Religious Significance of the George Washington and the Washington Monument – Mostly Truth!
The Truth
This one’s got many statements in it, so let’s take them one by one.
The words “Laus Deo” on the cap of the monument-Truth!
There is an aluminum point crowning the apex of the monument.
There are four sides, each facing a point of the compass.
According to the National Park Service, the north side lists the members of the joint commission that was in charge of the Washington monument project.
The west side lists the dates of the laying of the cornerstone, the first stone laid at the height of 152 fee, and the the setting of the capstone.
The south side lists the names of chief engineer, the architect, and some of the workmen.
The east side simply has the words “Laus Deo” which is translated as “Praise be to God.”
Washington DC was laid out to be in the design of a cross-Fiction!
It seems to be in the form of a cross, but there’s no evidence that was the intent of the designer, architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant.
If one sees the layout of White House, the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, and The Lincoln Memorial as the intended cross, it was not in the mind of Charles L’Enfant because he proposed the original design in 1791, which was long before it was decided that the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials would be built and where (1911 and 1934).
On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore-Truth!
There is a memorial stone in the wall at the 140-foot level with the following blessing:
“May heaven to this union continue its beneficence. May brotherly affection with union be perpetual. May the free constitution which is the work of our ancestors be sacredly maintained and its administration be stamped with wisdom and virtue.”
On the 20th landing is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians-Truth!
It is from Christians from the port city of Ningpo, Chekiang Province, Mainland China and is a eulogy to George Washington.
On the 24th landing a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6.-Truth!
The memorial says it is presented by the Sunday Schools of the Methodist Episcopal Church in New York and from the Sabbath School children of the Methodist Episcopal church in Philadelphia. It then says “A preached Gospel” and “A free press” then closes with “Washington, we revere his memory.”
The inscriptions include the Bible reference Proverbs 10:7.
There is also an open bible on the monument that includes Luke 18:16 where Jesus said “Suffer the little children to come unto me” and Proverbs 22:6, which says “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
When the cornerstone was laid, one of the items in it was a Bible-Truth!
Several dozen items were placed into the monument at the laying of the cornerstone including, according to the National Park Service, a copy of the Bible presented by The Bible Society.
Washington‘s Prayer for America-Truth! But altered.
This is an interesting one.
This “prayer of Washington” is widely circulated and reflects his true wishes about the United States because the bulk of it comes from his own words.
There is a certain lack of integrity with the prayer, however, in that he never really formally prayed it in the way that is circulated.
Someone along the way decided to create the prayer from one of Washington’s letters and package it in the fabricator’s own religious cultural language.
The original words from Washington are from the closing paragraph of a letter to the governors of the 13 states on the occasion of his retirement from command of the Continental Army and public life.
We consulted John C. Fitzpatrick’s collection of the writings of George Washington that are available through the University of Virginia Library and which includes the text of the letter.
In the letter, Washington said that he wanted the governors to convey his words to their legislatures and that he hoped it would be regarded as coming from someone who always wished to be useful to his country and who in the shade of retirement would not fail to “implore divine benediction upon it.”
Then his final paragraph contains the words of his benediction:
| I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation. |
The prayer that is circulated, however, adds a formal salutation and prayer ending, changes it to King James English (used for formal prayers among many Christian groups), changes some of the wording, and leaves out words from the original.
A blessing that was written to the governors of the states about their states and their soldiers was changed to be a general prayer about the country.
We even found one reference that claimed the prayer was prayed by George Washington during battle at Valley Forge.
We would like to thank “Union of Americans” “Reader S3” for sending us the following slide show. The pictures are truly spectacular. ~ Editor
Click on the graphic to see the current state of our US economy. Give it a few seconds to display the numbers.
Hold your mouse over any number to see a description of the source.
