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2013-03-15T01:17:00.002-04:00

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U.S. CONGRESSMAN DON YOUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE INDIAN & ALASKA NATIVE AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE, ASKS OBAMA TO PAY UP ON CONTRACT SUPPORT CLAIMS

2013-03-14T20:46:00.003-04:00

U.S. CONGRESSMAN DON YOUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE INDIAN & ALASKA NATIVE AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE, ASKS OBAMA TO PAY UP ON CONTRACT SUPPORT CLAIMS

Washington, D.C., Mar 13, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman of the Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee Congressman Don Young today sent a letter to the President Obama requesting that the Administration expeditiously pay contract support claims (CSC) to Alaska Native and Native American entities so named in the June 2012 Supreme Court decisions.

Nearly nine months after the Supreme Court ordered the Federal government pay outstanding CSC claims in full for the parties named in the cases, affected Alaska Native entities and tribes have not received their payment. These funds are used to provide much needed healthcare to one of the most medically-disadvantaged populations in the nation. To further delay what is owed violates the trust responsibility the federal government has with Alaska Natives and Native Americans.

“I am writing to request your urgent assistance in having the Indian Health Service (IHS) expeditiously settle outstanding contract support costs (CSC) claims in accordance with the June 2012 Supreme Court decisions in Ramah Navajo Chapter and Arctic Slope Native Associations cases.

requires that Indian and Alaska Native Tribes be paid their full CSC. While tribal health programs have always been underfunded, CSC funds are a contract obligation and by law must be paid in full. These funds are also critical to these tribal programs so that the Tribe may provide essential health services to their American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) beneficiaries.”

Rep. Young continues, “Tribal health programs in Alaska and throughout the United States have always been underfunded and have had to do more with less in providing essential health services to AI/ANs. The mission of tribal health programs has been made even more difficult because of historic underfunding of required contract support costs. The Ramah and Arctic Slope decisions have vindicated the Tribes’ right to be paid in full.”

Rep. Young concludes, “In this difficult economic environment it is critical that tribal contractors receive the CSC funds they are due in a timely manner. Therefore, I request that you direct the IHS to develop a plan of action that will promptly resolve the claims. It is time for the government to pay the amounts owed to tribes and to bring to a close this unfortunate chapter in the agency’s relations with AI/ANs.”

U.S. SENATORS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN HYDROPOWER BILL

2013-03-14T20:39:00.000-04:00

U.S. SENATORS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN HYDROPOWER BILL

Mar 13 2013

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the Hydropower Improvement Act of 2013. The bipartisan legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), James Risch (R-Idaho), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Patty Murray (D-Washington), and Mark Begich (D-Alaska).

The bill seeks to substantially increase the United States’ hydropower capacity in an effort to expand clean-power generation and spur domestic job creation. As the country’s largest source of renewable energy, hydropower allows us to avoid approximately 200 million metric tons of carbon emissions each year. According to the Department of Energy, the U.S. has the potential for 300 gigawatts of additional hydropower.

Murkowski: “Hydropower is, and must continue to be, a major part of our energy solution. It is the largest source of renewable electricity generation in the United States, and our most cost-effective, clean energy option. Hydro already supplies 24 percent of Alaska’s electricity needs and our state has identified more than 200 promising sites for further hydropower development. There is great potential for additional hydropower development across the country.”

Wyden: “Generating hydropower from water in irrigation canals, conduits, and behind existing dams is the low-hanging fruit the U.S. should seize as it moves toward a low-carbon economy. This bill will turn that untapped resource to clean energy in Oregon and across the United States. I look forward to working with Sen. Murkowski and the other co-sponsors of the bill to move this legislation through the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.”

Risch: “Streamlining the hydropower relicensing process and retrofitting existing structures for energy production needs to happen. Hydropower remains the cleanest, most cost effective and one of the most dependable domestic sources of energy. The relicensing process should not be a hindrance to a proven clean energy resource.”

Cantwell: “Emissions-free hydropower provides close to three-quarters of Washington state’s electricity and keeps our rates among the lowest in the country. This bipartisan bill would help encourage small hydropower development and streamline hydropower licensing on existing dams and canals. More hydropower capability means an increased supply of affordable clean energy, which helps make Washington state a leading place to live and do business. I look forward to working with my colleagues to quickly pass this common-sense legislation.”

Crapo: “Hydropower efficiently and cleanly provides about seven percent of the nation’s electricity. Senator Murkowski’s legislation helps to increase that capacity without increasing the country’s out-of-control deficit.”

Murray: “Throughout the Pacific Northwest, hydropower has proven to be a valuable, efficient energy resource that produces a low carbon footprint for the environment. I look forward to working with my colleagues from both parties to pass the Hydropower Improvement Act and build on our use of hydropower to create jobs, protect our environment, and bring clean energy resources to our communities.”

Begich: "Alaska holds over a third of our country’s untapped hydropower, our nation’s largest source of renewable energy. This common-sense legislation will help develop fish-friendly hydro sites that lower ratepayers costs and help power Alaska homes."

Details of the Hydropower Improvement Act of 2011

Provides the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the authority to extend preliminary permit terms; Directs FERC to explore a possible two-year licensing process for hydropower development at non-powered dams and closed-loop pumped storage projects;

Establishes an expedited process for FERC to consider “qualifying conduit” hydropower facilities; Increases the rated capacity for small hydro projects from five to 10 megawatts; Calls for the Department of Energy (DOE) to study the technical flexibility and grid reliability benefits that pumped storage facilities could provide to intermittent renewable energy, and the range of opportunities for conduit hydropower potential; Does not contain any spending authorizations and therefore does not represent any new funding.

The Hydropower Improvement Act of 2013 is a companion piece to H.R. 267, the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013, sponsored by Reps. Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-Washington) and Diana DeGette (D-Colorado). H.R. 267 passed the House last month by a 422-0 vote and is supported by both the National Hydropower Association and American Rivers.

The bill and a section-by-section summary are attached.

###

Permalink: http://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2013/3/senators-introduce-bipartisan-hydropower-bill

U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, & TECHNOLOGY APPROVES CRITICAL CYBER-SECURITY R&D BILLS

2013-03-14T20:32:00.002-04:00

U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, & TECHNOLOGY APPROVES CRITICAL CYBER-SECURITY R&D BILLS

MAR 14, 2013

Washington D.C. – The Science, Space, and Technology Committee today unanimously approved two critical bipartisan bills that coordinate and drive research and development (R&D) across federal agencies to address cyber threats to America’s high-tech infrastructure. The Committee approved the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013 (H.R. 756) and the Advancing America’s Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Act of 2013 (H.R. 967) by voice vote. Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is an original cosponsor of both bills.

Chairman Smith: “As our reliance on information technology expands, so do our vulnerabilities. Cyber attacks against U.S. government and private sector networks are on the rise. Protecting America’s cyber systems is critical to our economic and national security. The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act promotes much-needed R&D to help create new technologies and standards that better protect America’s information technology systems.

“In the ever-increasing digital age, protecting our nation’s computer networking systems is more important than ever. The second bill approved by the Committee today, NITRD, provides the coordinated R&D efforts necessary to improve cyber and data security nationwide. And better network security promotes U.S. competitiveness, enhances national security and creates high-tech jobs. Both of these bills better protect our nation’s information technology and improve our ability guard against cyber attacks.”

Background on Manager’s Amendment to H.R. 756: Chairman Smith’s amendment supports coordination of cybersecurity R&D. The amendment requires the cybersecurity R&D agencies to track ongoing and completed federal cybersecurity R&D projects and make that information publically available. For years, the Government Accountability Office has recommended this requirement in order to make federal cyber R&D more transparent and ensure we do not duplicate efforts. The manager’s amendment directs NIST to include cybersecurity educational programs and professional development in its activities. And it updates the authorization levels provided to NSF cybersecurity research and education grants, which have not been authorized since 2007. The authorizations show strong congressional support for prioritizing cybersecurity R&D activities that are important to America’s security and competitiveness.

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) introduced H.R. 756 and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced H.R. 967.

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY MEMBERS INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO RESTORE CONSUMERS' ABILITY TO UNLOCK CELL PHONES

2013-03-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY MEMBERS INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO RESTORE CONSUMERS' ABILITY TO UNLOCK CELL PHONES

March 14, 2013

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), along with Representative Howard Coble (R-N.C.), Chairman of the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee and Representative Mel Watt (D-N.C.), Ranking Member of the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee, announced the introduction of legislation to restore consumers’ ability to unlock their mobile phones, in order to switch from one wireless carrier to another. This bill also directs the Copyright Office to determine whether similar treatment should be given to other wireless devices.

“This bipartisan legislation is focused on protecting consumer choice,” said Chairman Goodlatte. “By restoring the cell phone exemption, the power is put back in the hands of the consumer.”

The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (H.R. 1123) restores the exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that permits consumers, once they have fulfilled their contractual obligation, to unlock their cell phones without the approval of their wireless provider.

rulemaking was announced in October and continued the exemption for cell phones purchased on or before January 26, 2013. The exemption was allowed to expire for cell phones purchased after that date.

“Providing consumers with the flexibility to use their purchased cell phones on another network at the expiration of their contract with their initial provider enhances consumer choice and competition in this market. As we move forward, we must ensure that unlocked phones remain affordable and that consumer choice does not come at too high a price,” said Ranking Member Conyers.

“Allowing cell phones to be unlocked is completely logical, and I will support efforts along those lines.” said Subcommittee Chairman Coble.

“I am pleased to cosponsor legislation designed to reflect the desire of the public to unlock their cell phones in order to switch providers at the expiration of their contract without the need to purchase a new phone. The quality of the DMCA process depends upon the quality of the record. Future participants in the process should build an adequate record upon which an exemption may be based,” Subcommittee Ranking Member Watt said.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate earlier this week.

A POPE FROM THE HEARTLAND OF THE GLOBAL CHURCH

2013-03-14T19:22:00.000-04:00

FRANCIS’ ELECTION PROVIDES A LEADER WHO POSSESSES FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WITH THE EVANGELICAL CHALLENGES OF CONTEMPORARY CATHOLICISM

BY JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND + Posted 3/14/13 + National Register

WASHINGTON — With the election of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the first Latin-American Vicar of Christ in the history of the Catholic Church, the College of Cardinals confirmed an inescapable truth: The pilgrim Church has traveled far beyond its base in the Eternal City.

Pope Francis himself alludedto this significant reality in his first public words as Pope, spoken March 13 from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Dear brothers and sisters, good evening,” Francis began. “You know that the duty of the conclave was to give Rome abishop. It seems that my brother cardinals picked him from almost the ends of the earth. But here we are!”

Latin Americarepresents 40% of the world’s Catholics, and many immigrants from the region have put down roots in the United States, spurring the growth of Catholicism in a nation where the Church’s numbers might otherwise be dwindling, since one out of every 10 adults is aformer Catholic.

The election of Pope Francis follows the pontificates of two non-Italian popes, Blessed John Paul IIand Benedict XVI, and the news confirms the shifting center of gravity in a Church that has experienced growth in Africa, Asiaand Latin America, even as Europe pulls away from its Christian moorings.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia welcomed the landmark papal election. Pope Francis, said Archbishop Chaput, “comes from the new heartland of the global Church.”

Indeed, back in 1999, John Paul II drew attention to the emergence of “two quite different situations” in this Catholic New World heartland. In his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, he outlined the trends: “on the one hand, the situation of countries strongly affected by secularization and, on the other, the situation of countries where there are still many vital traditions of piety and popular forms of Christian religiosity.”

“There is no doubt that, in varying degrees, both these situations are present in different countries or, better perhaps, in different groups within the various countries of the American continent,” wrote Blessed John Paul II.

Argentinian Experiences

As the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cardinal Bergoglio experienced both “situations”firsthand.

He has strengthened pastoral outreach while battling legislation to legalize same-sex “marriage”and liberalize abortion laws. He has gone toe-to-toe with the nation’s authoritarian President Cristina Kirchner.

Pope Francis is also known in his homeland for encouraging the tradition of piety. In a Vatican Radio interview following the papal election, Brother Ricardo Saenz, an Argentinian seminarian studying in Rome, recalled how the former cardinal shared in his flock’s strong public devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

“Each year, we always have a walking pilgrimage which [the former cardinal] always precedes,”Brother Ricardo said. “The whole Diocese of Buenos Aires walks until [they get to] the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lujàn [in Buenos Aires Province] … 12 hours of walking. It’s full of young people, who walk all day, all night, and he always wants to celebrate that Mass. He always goes back to Lujàn to the sanctuary.”

That background will help guide Pope Francis’ plans for advancing the New Evangelization in the Church in Latin America and in the U.S., where Catholic leaders seek to revitalize ethnic strongholds while drawing Hispanics into the Catholic mainstream.

Catholic Population Shifts

A new study released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life suggests that the new Pope will have his work cut out for him.

While the Pew study reported that Catholics’ share of the world’s population has changed very little over the past century — 17% in 1910 to 16% in 2010 — “What changed substantially … is the geographic distribution of the world’s Catholics,”stated the study’s authors.

“In 1910, Europe was home to about two-thirds of all Catholics, and nearly nine-in-10 lived either in Europe (65%) or Latin America (24%). By 2010, by contrast, only about a quarter of all Catholics (24%) were in Europe,” the study reported.

Today, 39%of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics reside in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the study, and Catholics comprise about 50%of the global Christian population.

The study documents the striking expansion of the Church in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 171 million believers, compared with 1 million Catholics in 1910. In Asia, the faithful number about 131 million, compared with just 14 million in 1910, and they now represent 12% of the continent’s population, up from 5%.

Such countries are marked by harsh material poverty and glaring social inequities between rich and poor. Thus the promotion of Catholic social teaching and the evangelical witness of charity will be priorities for Pope Francis, whose service to the needy began with his personal care for a member of his household in Buenos Aires.

The new Pope also must reassess the Holy See’s efforts to protect and advance the growth of Christianity in China, where it must deal with the government-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association that operates alongside an “underground” Church whose bishops are in full communion with Rome, and in African nations like Nigeria, where Christian churches are routinely burned to the ground by Muslim fundamentalists and where the faith can be blurred by syncretistic practices that incorporate animist beliefs.

“Today, religious persecution against Christians occurs in the Muslim world and the communist world,” said Nina Shea, who directs the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute in Washington.

But Sheaalso noted that the growth of faith under such circumstances could inspire Catholics in parts of the world where apathy is prevalent.

“In Nigeria, the fact that people are willing to stand up for their faith and go to church, despite repeated bombings, gets other people’s attention and has led to more conversions.”

The U.S. Picture

The Pew study reported that Catholicism in the U.S. and Canada is not growing as robustly as in many areas of the developing world.

“North America’s share of the global Catholic population has increased more slowly, from about 15 million (5%) in 1910 to 89 million (8%) as of 2010,” stated the report.

The study’s authors point to two separate, but related, developments inhibiting Church growth here: declining population growth in Western countries; and the changing dynamics of religious belief, with some cradle Catholics rejecting the faith entirely and others switching denominations.

The latter trend is also evident even in Latin-American countries that are overwhelmingly Catholic. Over the past decade, Brazil and Mexico — the two countries with the largest populations of Catholics, with 126 million and 96 million respectively — both experienced a significant drop in the number of self-identified Catholics.

Latin-American Church leaders often blame aggressive Protestant sects as the primary cause of declining numbers, but Pope Francis is expected to focus his energies instead on improving Catholic evangelization.

In aMarch14 report in National Review, papal biographer and commentator George Weigel recalled a conversation he had with the cardinal last year about “the importance of the Latin American bishops’ 2007 'AparecidaDocument,' the fruit of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin Americaand the Caribbean.”

Weigel cited one relevant passage from the document that reflected the tenor of the cardinal’s perspective: “The Church is called to adeep and profound rethinking of its mission. ... It cannot retreat in response to those who see only confusion, dangers, and threats. ... What is required is confirming, renewing, and revitalizing the newness of the Gospel ... out of a personal and community encounter with Jesus Christ that raises up disciples and missionaries.”

For their part, the U.S. bishops do not complain of “sheep stealing”by Protestant sects in this country, but, the 2013Pew study confirmed that “the Catholic population has lost more members than it has gainedfrom religious switching.”

A Latinizing Church

Meanwhile, reflecting an historic pattern, the Church in the U.S. “has been heavily shaped by immigration and includes arising share of Latinos,” the Pew study noted. “More than half (52%) of all migrants to the United States are Catholic.

“Of the estimated 75.4 million Catholics in the United States in 2010, 22.2 million were born outside the United States (30%). By comparison, slightly more than 13% of the overall U.S. population is foreign-born.”

The Pew study confirmed that 76%of Catholic immigrants are from Latin America. The election of Pope Francis will have special relevance for them, offering a potent new opportunity to advance the New Evangelization by bridging two cultures and continents and yielding perhaps a new Catholic moment in the United States.

Last year, during a Vatican conference marking the 15th anniversary of Blessed John Paul’s apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, Pope Benedict XVI said that the faithful in the Western Hemisphere must “devote ourselves without reserve to proclaiming” Christ “throughout the Americas.” In the months and years ahead, that urgent task will now be taken up by a native son, Pope Francis.

Joan Desmond is the Register’s senior editor.

NOTRE DAME TO JOIN ACC NEXT SEASON AFTER 7 OTHER SCHOOLS CREATE A NEW BIG EAST

2013-03-14T19:17:00.002-04:00

NOTRE DAME TO JOIN ACC NEXT SEASON AFTER 7 OTHER SCHOOLS CREATE A NEW BIG EAST

Published March 12, 2013 Associated Press

South Bend, Indiana - Notre Dame is joining the Atlantic Coast Conference a season earlier than expected, following the split among the Big East's football schools and seven Catholic schools that are leaving to form a basketball-focused conference.

Notre Dame announced the move Tuesday, six months after it surprised the college sports world by opting to join the ACC in all sports except football and hockey.

Tuesday's move means Notre Dame will join the ACC at the same time as fellow Big East members Pittsburgh and Syracuse, which announced earlier they would join the league. Louisville is expected to join the ACC after next season.

The move means Notre Dame coaches can move forward with scheduling for the 2013-14 school year.

U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION & THE WORKFORCE INTRODUCES BILL 'PREVENTING GREATER UNCERTAINTY IN LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS ACT' - H.R. 1120

2013-03-14T18:17:00.001-04:00

Committee Members Introduce Bill to Prevent Future NLRB Legal Uncertainty | Education & the Workforce Committee

KEEP YOUR ILLINOIS KIDS HOME & SAFE FROM SEX OFFENDERS ON APRIL 19, 2013 HOMOSEXUALITY-AFFIRMING 'DAY OF SILENCE' | ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE

2013-03-14T18:04:00.001-04:00

Keep Your Kids Home on Homosexuality-Affirming “Day of Silence” | Illinois Family Institute

SUSAN B. ANTHONY LIST + CAMPAIGN FOR LIFE GALA & SUMMIT + APRIL 11, 2013 + FEATURING U.S. REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI) & WISCONSIN'S LT. GOVERNOR REBECCA KLEEFISCH

2013-03-14T17:58:00.000-04:00

RSVP:

http://www.sba-list.org/gala/index.html

PRO-LIFE WOMEN'S GROUP WINS GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION AWARD AT CPAC | LIFENEWS.COM

2013-03-14T17:51:00.001-04:00

Pro-Life Women's Group Wins Grassroots Organization Award at CPAC | LifeNews.com

POPE FRANCIS I: FIRST HOMILY (FULL TEXT)

2013-03-14T17:32:00.001-04:00

POPE FRANCIS I: FIRST HOMILY (FULL TEXT)

2013-03-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated the Missa pro Ecclesiae in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon.

Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the full text of his homily.

************************************

In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing.

Walking: the House of Jacob. “O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” This is the first thing God said to Abraham: “Walk in my presence and be blameless.” Walking: our life is a journey and when we stop, there is something wrong. Walking always, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with that blamelessness, which God asks of Abraham, in his promise.

Building: to build the Church. There is talk of stones: stones have consistency, but [the stones spoken of are] living stones, stones anointed by the Holy Spirit. Build up the Church, the Bride of Christ, the cornerstone of which is the same Lord. With [every] movement in our lives, let us build!

Third, professing: we can walk as much we want, we can build many things, but if we do not confess Jesus Christ, nothing will avail. We will become a pitiful NGO, but not the Church, the Bride of Christ. When one does not walk, one stalls. When one does not built on solid rocks, what happens? What happens is what happens to children on the beach when they make sandcastles: everything collapses, it is without consistency. When one does not profess Jesus Christ - I recall the phrase of Leon Bloy – “Whoever does not pray to God, prays to the devil.” When one does not profess Jesus Christ, one professes the worldliness of the devil. Walking, building-constructing, professing: the thing, however, is not so easy, because in walking, in building, in professing, there are sometimes shake-ups - there are movements that are not part of the path: there are movements that pull us back.

This Gospel continues with a special situation. The same Peter who confessed Jesus Christ, says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. This has nothing to do with it.” He says, “I’ll follow you on other ways, that do not include the Cross.” When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, Popes, but not disciples of the Lord.

I would like that all of us, after these days of grace, might have the courage - the courage - to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the Cross of the Lord: to build the Church on the Blood of the Lord, which is shed on the Cross, and to profess the one glory, Christ Crucified.

In this way, the Church will go forward. My hope for all of us is that the Holy Spirit, that the prayer of Our Lady, our Mother, might grant us this grace: to walk, to build, to profess Jesus Christ Crucified. So be it.

COOK CO. JUVENILE COURT INTERNATIONAL CHILD TRAFFICKERS & PLANNED CHILD ABDUCTORS JUDGE SANDRA 'THE HOOKER' OTAKA & HER COURTROOM OF 'TERRORIST DEFENSE' ATTORNEYS FREAK OUT - TRIAL OF ABORTIONIST DOCTOR WHO SNIPS BORN-ALIVE BABIES' SPINAL CORDS STARTS MONDAY | LIFENEWS.COM

2013-03-14T17:24:00.001-04:00

Trial of Abortion Doc Who Snipped Babies' Spinal Cords Starts Monday | LifeNews.com

PIZZA THAT DOESN'T CAUSE FORCED STERILIZATION? CALL DOMINOS ! | LIFENEWS.COM

2013-03-14T16:55:00.001-04:00

Dominos Pizza Founder Wins Court Order Stopping HHS Abortion Mandate | LifeNews.com

PLANNED PARENTHOOD MEDICAID FRAUD LAWSUIT HEADS TO U.S. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT | LIFENEWS.COM

2013-03-14T16:53:00.001-04:00

Planned Parenthood Medicaid Fraud Lawsuit Heads to Appeals Court | LifeNews.com

GRANDMOTHER VIOLENTLY ATTACKED FILMING FOURTH BOTCHED MURDER OF A 'MINOR CHILD' AT DELAWARE PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINIC - WATCH VIDEO | LIFENEWS

2013-03-14T16:51:00.001-04:00

Grandma Attacked Filming Fourth Botched Abortion at Planned Parenthood | LifeNews.com

DOMINOS PIZZA WINS COURT ORDERED INJUNCTION STOPPING OBAMA'S HHS ABORTION MANDATE

2013-03-14T16:46:00.003-04:00

DOMINOS PIZZA WINS COURT ORDERED INJUNCTION STOPPING OBAMA'S HHS ABORTION MANDATE

By JOHN NOLTE 14 Mar 2013 + Breitbart

Though the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate forcing employers to violate their conscience by providing birth control and pills that cause abortions has been temporarily stopped today in a Federal District Court, there is no question the Obama Administration will appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court.

This is the fight of our time. Either this country will stand for religious freedom, or it won't. And we will know the answer if the courts allow the government (by way of the HHS to brazenly) violate the First Amendment by forcing individuals to fund birth control and the abomination of abortion.

Once the government gets its toe in this door, nothing will stop it. The next phase is almost certain to be the forcing of Christian institutions to allow same-sex marriage or face civil rights penalties.

Via LifeNews.com: [emphasis added]

The founder of Dominos Pizza won his bid for a court order to prevent enforcement of the mandate while the lawsuit it filed against the Obama administration over the HHS mandate that forces religious employers to purchase drugs that may cause abortions for their employees continues.

Tom Monaghan calls requiring businesses, schools and other religious places to pay for such drugs a “gravely immoral” practice and filed suit earlier this month in federal court for Domino’s Farms, a business development complex he owns. ...

For purposes of the preliminary injunction, Judge Zatkoff focused only on the unconstitutional nature of the HHS Mandate due its infringement on Mr. Monaghan’s exercise of religion. Judge Zatkoff held that he did not need to engage in a separate discussion of Plaintiffs’ Constitutional right to the Free Exercise of Religion since both theories seek to protect the same liberty interest — the free practice of one’s religion.

The Obama administration is expected to appeal Judge Zatkoff’s ruling to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judge Zatkoff’s ruling halts enforcement of the HHS mandate against Monaghan and his property management company, Domino’s Farms Corporation of which he is the owner and sole shareholder. Religious freedom aside, it is unconscionable that the federal government is allowed to force anyone to buy anything. But thanks to the Supreme Court's 5-4 ObamaCare ruling, that debate's already lost.

Don't know about y'all, but suddenly I got a hankering for some Dominos Pizza!

STATEMENT OF NEW YORK CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN ON THE ELECTION OF POPE FRANCIS

2013-03-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

STATEMENT OF NEW YORK CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN ON THE ELECTION OF POPE FRANCIS

March13, 2013

The following statement was released Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, in his role as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

STATEMENT ON THE ELECTION OF POPE FRANCIS I CARDINALTIMOTHY DOLAN OF NEW YORK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 13, 2013

The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who has taken the name Francis I, marks agreat milestone in our church. As successor to Peter, our first pope, Pope Francis Istands as the figure of unity for all Catholics wherever they reside.

The bishops of the United States and the people of our 195 dioceses offer prayers for our new leader and promise allegiance to him.Intense prayer from all around the world surrounded the election of Pope Francis I.

The bishops of the United States thank God for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the inspired choice of the College of Cardinals.With joy in our hearts, we declare "Ad Multos Annos!" (For many years!)

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York President United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

U.S. BISHOPS TO MEET WITH NEW YORK GOVERNOR CUOMO TO STOP HIS LATE-TERM MURDER & DEATH PENALTY FOR BABIES BILL | LIFENEWS.COM

2013-03-14T12:49:00.001-04:00

Bishops to Meet With Gov. Cuomo to Stop His Bill for Late-Term Abortions | LifeNews.com

GOP TO BLOCK FEDERAL FUNDS TO SCHOOLS OFFERING TO MURDER 'MINOR CHILDREN' WHILE SEXUALLY OFFENDING OTHERS INTRODUCING THE 'PROTECTING LIFE IN FUNDING EDUCATION (PRO-LIFE) ACT, H.R. 1122

2013-03-14T10:55:00.002-04:00

GOP TO BLOCK FEDERAL FUNDS TO SCHOOLS OFFERING TO MURDER 'MINOR CHILDREN' WHILE SEXUALLY OFFENDING OTHERS INTRODUCING THE 'PROTECTING LIFE IN FUNDING EDUCATION (PRO-LIFE) ACT, H.R. 1122

By Pete Kasperowicz - 03/14/13 09:22 AM ET

Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) and dozens of other Republicans proposed legislation on Wednesday that would deny federal funding to public schools that offer students abortion services through third party health providers.

"Our school health centers should be a place of healing and education for students," Neugebauer said this week. "They shouldn't be used as a tool to advocate for abortion, and certainly not with federal taxpayer dollars."

Neugebauer and his 43 GOP cosponsors argue that school districts in a handful of states, including California and New York, are partnering with Planned Parenthood to provide health services to students. Sponsors of the bill argue that Planned Parenthood is already the largest abortion provider in the country, and that federal education funds should not be sent to schools that enter into these partnerships.

"I was alarmed to learn that they are setting up clinics in public high schools," Neugebauer said of Planned Parenthood. "I'm very concerned that these centers will encourage pregnant students to seek abortions at nearby abortion clinics with little or no parental involvement."

His bill is the Protecting Life in Funding Education (PRO-LIFE) Act, H.R. 1122.

Under the bill, school districts that partner with any third party health services provider would be denied access to federal education funds, unless the health centers certify that they won't offer students abortions or abortion-related services, such as referrals for abortions.

AIRLINE RESPONSIBLE FOR SECURITY FAILURE RESULTING IN TERRORIST HIJACKING OF 9/11/01 KILLING OVER 3,000 PEOPLE ON U.S. SOIL - AMERICAN AIRLINES IS REQUESTING YET ANOTHER EXTENSION OF TIME TO FILE RE-ORGANIZATION PLAN

2013-03-14T10:53:00.003-04:00

American Airlines requests more time to file reorganization plan

FAILED ILLINOIS POWER COMPANY, AMEREN, SOLD TO FAILED TEXAS ENERGY COMPANY, DYNEGY

2013-03-14T10:53:00.001-04:00

Ameren selling Illinois power plants

CHICAGO BENGHAZI 9/11/12 TERRORIST ATTACK & INTERNATIONAL CHILD TRAFFICKING COVER-UP BEGINS WITH GAGGED LAWYERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDER OF UNITED STATES SENATOR TED STEVENS (R-AK) - COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER WILLIAM BEAVERS OPENING STATEMENTS IN COVER-UP EVASION TRIAL

2013-03-14T10:48:00.001-04:00

CHICAGO BENGHAZI 9/11/12 TERRORIST ATTACK & INTERNATIONAL CHILD TRAFFICKING COVER-UP BEGINS WITH GAGGED LAWYERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDER OF UNITED STATES SENATOR TED STEVENS (R-AK) - COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER WILLIAM BEAVERS OPENING STATEMENTS IN COVER-UP EVASION TRIAL

By MICHAEL TARM 03/13/13 08:47 PM ET EDT + HUFF POST

CHICAGO -- A judge on Wednesday imposed a gag order on attorneys in the tax-evasion trial of a powerful Chicago Democrat after a defense lawyer claimed jury selection was "rigged" because no black men were in the 50-person pool from which jurors were selected.

Opening statements at Cook County Commissioner William Beavers' trial were set for Thursday after the jury was selected Wednesday. Each side will have 30 minutes to talk to jurors about allegations that the former policeman turned politician diverted around $225,000 from his campaign coffers for gambling and other personal use without reporting it.

The 12 jurors who will decide Beaver's fate include 10 whites, a Hispanic and one African-American – a woman. In all, the jury has seven women and five men.

Lawyers for Beavers, who is black, made race an issue Tuesday by complaining to U.S. District Judge James Zagel that there were no black men and only a few black women in the jury pool. They argued that a jury of Beavers' peers should include at least a few African-American males.

Outside court, defense attorney Sam Adam Sr. told reporters he'd never seen a jury pool without at least one African-American male in his more than 50 years practicing in federal court.

Zagel did not refer directly to Adam's comments Wednesday in announcing the ban on statements to the media during the trial. But he said comments in public by attorneys during a trial "frequently distracts the lawyers from the purpose of the case."

Prosecutors themselves haven't spoken publicly about the case, while defense attorneys had been addressing TV cameras and reporters almost daily. Violating the gag order could mean jail time.

Beavers, who also served for years as a Chicago alderman, has pleaded not guilty to four federal tax counts. Each count carries a maximum three-year prison sentence.

Sam Adam Sr.'s son, Sam Adam Jr., will deliver the opening for Beavers. The father-and-son duo are known for super-charged, often witty and sometimes inflammatory public commentary on their clients' behalf.

The younger Adam delivered the opening and closing at former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's first corruption trial, which ended in a hung jury. He also played a central role defending R. Kelly at the R&B singer's 2008 child pornography trial, which ended in acquittal.

GOP LAWMAKERS TO SUBPOENA BENGHAZI 9/11/12 TERRORIST SURVIVORS BEING HELD IN COVER-UP

2013-03-14T10:43:00.001-04:00

GOP LAWMAKERS TO SUBPOENA BENGHAZI 9/11/12 TERRORIST SURVIVORS BEING HELD IN COVER-UP

By Julian Pecquet and Carlo Muñoz - 03/14/13 05:00 AM ET

Republican lawmakers are threatening to subpoena U.S. survivors of the terrorist attack in Benghazi.

Exasperated GOP members say unless they get more answers from the White House, they will call on the survivors to testify before Congress, and might hold up President Obama’s nomination to replace the U.S. ambassador who was killed on Sept. 11, 2012 in Libya.

The recent revelation that U.S. survivors are recuperating at Walter Reed Hospital has sparked GOP demands that the White House provide Congress with access to them. It has also breathed new life into the controversy that was highlighted repeatedly during the 2012 presidential campaign.

GOP criticisms of the Obama administration’s handling of the deadly incident had appeared to lose steam after then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified earlier this year and the Senate subsequently approved Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to replace her.

But reports that as many as 30 Americans may have been wounded in the attack — including seven treated at Walter Reed — have put Benghazi back in the spotlight.

“That’s why this story continues to perpetuate itself,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the chairman of the House Oversight subcommittee on National Security. “And it will not end, because the State Department’s not allowing us to put a nice, tight ribbon on it.”

Republicans say they might delay the confirmation of Deborah Jones, the State Department official Obama nominated Wednesday to succeed Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya who died along with three other Americans in the attack six months ago.

In a March 1 letter to Kerry, Reps. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) said they’d been informed that “as many as 30” Americans —including State Department and CIA officers and government contractors — were injured in the attack. They demanded the names and contact information for each survivor “so that we can make appropriate arrangements.”

Republicans have additional questions about who at the State Department knew — or should have known — about the security risks in Benghazi, as well as the embassy’s unanswered requests for more security. Some of them also continue to question the administration’s motivation for initially attributing the attack to a peaceful protest gone awry.

Wolf introduced a House resolution earlier this year to set up a select committee to investigate the run-up and aftermath of the Benghazi attack, which had 60 co-sponsors as of Wednesday. The congressman is not sure about the number of injured — he told The Hill the “30” figure seems high — but that their sacrifice should be acknowledged, even if it’s done discreetly, in the case of CIA operatives.

“We should be honoring them,” Wolf said. “We should be thanking them.”

Following the letter, Kerry acknowledged that he had visited one of the survivors at Walter Reed.

“Why have we not heard from any of the Benghazi survivors? I can’t tell you the answer to that,” Kerry told Fox News last week. “I can tell you that I have visited with one of the survivors ... who is a remarkably courageous person, who is doing very, very well.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is leading the charge on the Senate side. He’s drafting a letter to Kerry and seeking access to the survivors and to the FBI files of their accounts “to see what they said” and how it was possibly used to draft up the administration’s now infamous initial talking points on the terrorist strike.

“We will be looking at every option,” Graham told The Hill on Wednesday in a reference to potentially issuing subpoenas for access to the witnesses. He said it was “pretty disappointing” that Republicans might have to resort to forcing the Benghazi survivors to appear before Congress, but that “the story of Benghazi has to be told.”

Leaders in the House, where Republicans are in the majority and could get subpoenas approved in committee, made similar threats.

“Leadership has been exceptionally patient, but we’re getting to the point where there’s no other option,” Chaffetz told The Hill. “Nobody wants to go there, but we’re probably going to have to do that if we’re serious about doing our work here.”

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, say they might delay the confirmation of Jones as Libyan ambassador.

“Unfortunately it seems like that’s the only vehicle we can use to get the answers,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who crossed swords with Clinton when she testified in January. “I’d like to cooperate with the president and make sure that his administration is staffed and these important ambassadorships are filled, but if that’s the only avenue we have in terms of eliciting information from the administration, that might be something we have to do.”

He said the State Department has been citing an ongoing FBI investigation to deny requests for more information, but that it should be concluded soon.

“Certainly my part in the confirmation hearing of Sen. Kerry for secretary of State was basically asking him, ‘Will you cooperate’? And I kind of got that assurance that he would cooperate with us,” Johnson said. “As soon as [the FBI probe] is concluded, maybe even before that, I think the American people have a right to know, so we should have access to those witnesses.”

Holding up the nomination of the ambassador, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) concurred, “is certainly an avenue” to get answers.

“But I would hope that the level of cooperation between the [intelligence] community and the [Senate Intelligence] committee is at a level that we’ll be able to get those without any threats,” said the second-ranking Republican on the Intelligence panel. “I don’t see that as an option right now.”

He said the committee needs the “flexibility to interview any witnesses that we feel are appropriate. I think the first step is thoroughly reviewing the FBI interviews — we have yet to do that. And then once we do that, we can be a little more specific about who we might need to talk to or if we need to talk to anybody.”

It is possible that witnesses would testify in a closed session.

Democrats say Republicans are simply looking for any avenue to score political points.

“Benghazi is over and done with,” Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), a senior member on the Intelligence Committee, told The Hill. “As far as [Republicans] are concerned ... this has always been a political issue and that is the way they will continue to [pursue] it.”

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) put the blame squarely on the administration’s shoulders.

“This all could have been resolved a long time ago,” he said, if the White House had fully disclosed all the pertinent details about its response to the terrorist attack.

ILLINOIS HOUSE REJECTS HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINE BAN

2013-03-14T10:37:00.001-04:00

ILLINOIS HOUSE REJECTS HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINE BAN

March 13, 2013 + Illinois Review

The Illinois House rejected Amendment 10 on HB 1156, which would have banned any high capacity magazines over 10 rounds. The vote was 57 to 59, with 1 present. Roll call will follow.

SPRINGFIELD - State Rep. Mike Zalewski answered one question after another on the House floor Wednesday about his amendment #10 to HB 1156, which would ban any high capacity magazines with more than 10 rounds.

Zalewski said that as in New York, ammunition owners had a full year to rid themselves of the high capacity magazines his amendment would have made illegal in Illinois.

"There can be no grandfather clause on this," he said to those requesting an amendment, "because there are no identity numbers on these clips." If he allowed grandfathering the magazines, he said he would lose votes from those from which he had already garnered support.

Among those Republicans that spoke in opposition to Zalewski's proposal were State Reps Mike Bost, David Harris, David Reis, Ed Sullivan, Jeanne Ives, Dwight Kay, Dennis Reboletti and Jim Sacia. Democrat State Rep. Mike Smiddy said that a weapons manufacturer in his district would be adversely affected by the clip limit.

"This is not a threat, but if you do this to the good citizens of this state, you know its going to increase the sales of these magazines," Rep Sacia said. "Don't do this, Representative, this is bad, bad legislation."

"Week 3 of the gun saga continues," State Rep. Reboletti said as he closed his comments opposing the amendment.

Because of the amendment wording, the weapons that hold these magazines would also be banned, State Democrat Rep. Brandon Phelps said in debate. "You say you're looking out for hunters, if you are, vote no."

GOP State Rep. Reis went further, forecasting a possible need for body bags. "If you pass this, there will be riots on the streets. You can't take guns from people."

"After all the talk, there's nothing that's been said today that would incline me to change the wording," Zalewski said. "I will not pull this amendment."

The House rejected Zalewski's amendment in a 57 to 59 vote, with one present.