Ethnic Jews are definitely not Palestinian aborigines.

The US Constitution says treaties are the supreme law of the land. The UN Charter is a treaty. The US is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. The Council's decisions are binding under international law and the US Constitution. The General Assembly and the Security Council have passed "Responsibility to Protect" resolutions. It is under those that the Libyan operation was undertaken.

You may not like it, but under the secular, mundane law of the world and US, it's legal and binding.

The wording of the Charter has problems though. It's ambiguous in places regarding Security Council military actions.

Lastly, I'm a total pacifist and called upon the US to remain in a non-violent, humanitarian-only role.

This is just one deal: 1,000 sq miles of Ethiopian, raw, fertile land for 150 pounds a week plus free roads and tax breaks. I can guarantee that there's huge corruption involved. There is zero way that this deal is good for the common people of Ethiopia. Government officials are going to get filthy rich(er) while the common people will end up in urban squalor.

Where's the general revenue for the government to pay for services for the people?

The rich nations are "buying" land to grow food to feed their own populations, not Ethiopia's. This is a crime that ought to be stopped. It's no better than militant, imperial colonialism of the past.

Not only that, but they're going to grow things using all the wrong methods for maintaining the soils and ecosystem and environmental health.

It's a crime. It's a greedy, neoliberal-economic, state-capitalist crime against the poor, oppressed people of Ethiopia.

See also: "Not so Fast, Not so Fast: 'YouTube - The total collapse of the U.S. economy is inevitable - Here's why'."

"I am using passive as in apathetic and not engaged with what God is doing."

I saw that.

Peace

I have the opposite take from yours. I was somewhat pleasantly surprised at the manifestation of a higher level of "sportsmanship" that is all too uncommon these days.

Competitive winning in the hyper-money-making game that is major-league, professional sports is not the highest virtue.

Did Jesus win or lose when he was passive toward the Pharisees, who came in the dead of night as if he were a common thief? Did Jesus win or lose when he was passive toward the Roman Soldiers, who tortured and crucified him, as those Pharisees had so desperately wanted?

One can stand with Jesus and not deny him and in fact speak up clearly and resolutely while still being passive. In fact, it's required if one is to stand with him at all.

Peter seized a mundanely competitive moment and cut off an ear. He was wrong. He wasn't abiding then by Jesus's rules.

Peace,

Tom Usher
http://www.realliberalchristianchurch.org

P.S. When you quote or even paraphrase this, real attribution will be appreciated in Heaven.

Well Mikes,

I just finished reading all the comments here and your comment over on my post, and I must say that I see you, Mikes, as having grown in the Spirit since I last visited your blog or heard from you. Keep at it, brother.

We are still a bit apart semantically, but we are both still growing closer to God.

Peace, love, truth, mercy, and forgiveness,

Tom

Hi Mikes and All,

I started writing this in response to your question, Mikes, over on BlogCatalog: "Should a Convicted Sexual Abuser be ordained to be a MINISTER?" http://www.blogcatalog.com/broadcast/view/39188

I should think most people would prefer to answer the question: "Should no convicted sexual offenders ever be ordained to the ministry?"

Really, that ends up being the question of whether or not anyone who has ever sinned and repented should ever be ordained to the ministry.

Truly repented with stick-to-itiveness is the operative aspect, isn't it? If someone is truly showing the signs of one who now knows best in the congregation, shouldn't he or she be followed? Which Apostle never sinned? Even they deferred to each other.

There are plenty of former sexual offenders who were never convicted by the people. God knows though. How many people have been addicted to pornography for instance but have ended up swearing off porn?

After writing that and a bit more, I decided to see your whole post since it occurred to me that there is some story behind the question concerning which story I should probably learn more.

So, in your post, you are dealing with a particular case of a pedophile/pederast. Recidivism is taken for granted by so many. However, how may Christians claim we as human beings may change, as Jesus called and still calls sinners to return to the fold, if we also say that pedophiles, pederasts, homosexuals, adulterers, and also those who commit all manner of non-sexual sins, per se, cannot change. People can change and do change. As for who is and who is not given to do it, we only know in the end when everything is fixed and change is too late.

Jesus said that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit won't be forgiven in this or the next age/life. Jesus though forgives ignorance. What is blasphemy in Jesus's mind that falls to the level of marking an individual soul unforgivable forever? I have wondered if I've ever made the mistake without realizing it. I do say that if I have, I am certainly apologetic and ask to be enlightened so as never to be so ignorant again. I don't say that disingenuously just to be feigning the right words, as if trying to fake out God. I don't want to fake out myself. I don't want to be playing mind tricks with myself. I trust you understand.

This post also brings to mind the Conservative Bible Project on Conservapedia: http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_P...

They want the adulteress story you mentioned, Mikes, out of the Bible (their planned Bible). They also don't believe Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." They want that gone too.

By the way, Mikes, how do you know that the adulteress was Mary Magdalene?

I also wrote this before reading the other comments. I suspect that others will have echoed most of your position and perhaps mine.

Peace to all,

Tom Usher
Real Liberal Christian Church

You're a good marketer, Mikes; and you're marketing good rather than evil. Way to network to spread the ingathering in righteousness!

You are most welcome for my comment above.

As for the long comments that kept disappearing from your post on Carrie Prejean, I just checked the screen shots I took. The links show up as light blue text, and I see only one. Do you just delete spam without looking? Otherwise, wouldn't the long comment still be there for you to de-spam?

Anyway, I appreciate that you kept thinking about what possibly could cause such comments to disappear. I take it you have no comment-length set.

Thanks also for popping over to the RLCC site and leaving a comment about the Missouri State University video on the homosexual agenda against real Christianity.

I'm glad to say that the University reversed all of what happened to Emily Brooker.

Peace to you, Mikes