C. S. F. Dispatch 7

 

CATHOLIC SOUTHERN FRONT

“One must be found proud of his Catholic heritage”

20/11/07

1 The New World

2 The Synagogue of Satan

3 Politics in the USA

4 Our Lady of Prompt Succor

5 Malta and a possible future war

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“The Blessed Virgin Mary: Enmity and War” (c) USA Jozef Sinpaal

1.

The New World Following the signing for the authorization documents of a naval expedition at the Franciscan Friary of Santa Maria de Guadeloupe in Spain, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand financed Columbus for his first voyage to the New World. He left Spain on three ships, the Ina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Together with a crew of ninety men, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean and three months later spotted land for the first time on October 12; the befitting Spanish Feast of ‘Our lady of the Pillar.’ Is this a coincidence or is not Our Lady of the Pillar a Spanish devotion? Christopher Columbus was compared with Saint Christopher who carries the Christ Child; in this case Christopher Columbus was carrying Christianity to America. En route, the newly discovered islands were christened with the following names; San Salvador, Santa Maria de la Concepcion, Dominica, Santa Maria la Galante, Santa Maria de Guadeloupe, Santa Maria de Monserrate, Santa Maria Redonda, Santa Maria la Antigua and Nuestra Senora de las Nieves. Christopher Columbus’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is evident. During the great era of naval exploration, Catholic mariners who fixed their gaze upon the North Star, recited the anthem referred to as the ‘Salve Regina.’ Columbus’s men prayed the Salve Regina the evening before the New World was sighted. The first Native South American Indian converts were brought to Santa Maria de Guadeloupe in Spain, on pilgrimage to pray for their nascent Christian nations. Following Our Lady’s visitation to the native Juan Diego, on Tepeyac Hill, the Virgin of Guadeloupe became the Patroness of Latin America and was honored by the dedication of hundreds of monasteries and churches. As Columbus was financed by Isabella’s court, signed with the words ‘XMY (X- St Christopher, M- Maria, Y- John the Baptist) Xpo ferens’ (meaning Christ-bearer) and sailing upon a vessel named ‘Santa Maria,’ leads one to believe that Our Lady was directing the expedition and discovery of America. Initially, Christopher Columbus was exploring a possible route to India. Therefore, the ‘Christ-bearer’ who was supernaturally guided by Our Lady, in his first voyage knew not that he was to be the discoverer of a new continent and initiate the future conversion of millions of Indios to the Roman Catholic Faith. In 1506, in a codicil to his will, Columbus requested three Masses to be dedicated daily; one for the Trinity, one for his soul and the third in honor of the Blessed Virgin’s Immaculate Conception. Today, Columbus’s remains lie in a sarcophagus beneath a painting of ‘Santa Maria la Antigua’ in the Cathedral of Seville, Spain.According to the Historian Taviani, the adventurers who discovered the New World were ambitious and at times unscrupulous men but were surely all “Catholic sinners.” Pizarro died tracing a cross in his own blood on the ground, while Cortes desired a flag to bear the cross with the writing ‘In hoc signo Vinces’ on one side and an image of Our Lady on the other. Cortes set out from Spain and was devout to the Blessed Virgin, just as Columbus was before him. In 1506, as he traveled through Mexico, images of Mary and of the saints replaced the pagan idols. Cortes followed the exhortations of Pope Gregory the Great, who in 601 advocated that the idol temples of a pagan race should not be destroyed. Pope Gregory ordered the sole destruction of the idols within the temples. Holy water was sprinkled within the pagan shrines, altars built and Catholic relics set in them. The idea was that the pagans would banish error from their hearts and on seeing that their places of worship were kept intact, would more readily come to worship the true God in their own temples. In the New World, Cortes adopted this strategy which worked successfully. Many Indios were thus baptized to the Faith and received salvation. In the Aztec City of ‘Tenochtitlan’ or ‘Mexico City,’ following a battle against the Totonacs, Cortes threw down the idols from their pyramids and instructed the tribe on the Blessed Virgin, as being the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the Spanish believed and paid reverence. Cortes replaced the pagan idols with images of the Blessed Virgin and instructed the blood soaked native priests, to put an end to their sacrificial human practices and rather burn incense and give honor to the Mother of God. He explained that in this manner they would save their souls from eternal perdition. If they accept her, she would also become their advocate. In Tenochtitlan, the native conversion was not quick in coming. Many revolts took place; Cortes himself escaped before the advance of angry natives. At the center of the city, at the summit of a pyramid of one hundred and fifty feet high, Cortes insisted on the removal of the Aztec idols and installed a cross and an image of the Virgin Mary. Eventually, the natives attempted to remove the image, however their attempts proved useless as the image resisted and refused to be removed. A battle ensued and according to the Indios, “…the woman of the altar”(1) cast powder and hail in their eyes and blinded many, while Saint James of Compostella appeared astride a white horse, both the steed and rider killed numerous Indios. The Aztecs claimed that, had Saint James and the Virgin not frightened them, the Spanish would have been cooked and eaten with chocolate. The Spanish thanked ‘Our Lady of the Snows,’ (Feast August 5), for having delivered them from the cannibalistic and chocolate eating Aztecs.At Otoncalpulco, Cortes pleaded for the assistance of the Blessed Virgin, who came to be known as the ‘Virgin of Remedios.’ In August 1521, following Cortes exhortation, he won a decisive battle against the Aztecs, cutting down their leaders and creating havoc and confusion amongst the native warriors. The victor entered Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) beneath the Cross and an Image of the Blessed Virgin. Solemn Mass followed and the conquest of Mexico City by Catholic Spain was complete. In the future, Mexico had to face tough times as the indigenous people and the Spanish conquerors engaged frequently in armed conflict. The friar, Fra Turibio de Benevente Motolina wrote to the Emperor Charles V, saying that the land was so ruined by the afore-mentioned wars and the woes, that many homes were destroyed and abandoned. Not a place was left where sorrow and weeping could not be seen. This went on for many years and to remedy so much evil, the friars had recourse to the Blessed Virgin Mary, ‘Star of the lost’ and ‘Consoler of the Afflicted.’ Our Lady, Mother of Mercy, heard their prayers and answered much more powerfully than they could have imagined. She appeared to Juan Diego, an Indio.On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was on his way towards a Franciscan mission. Juan was a recently baptized South American Indio. On reaching a hill close to Mexico City, called Tepeyac Hill, the Blessed Virgin appeared. She revealed to Juan that she was the mother of Him, for whom we live. Our Lady invited Juan to build in that place ‘a house’ for her Son and herself. Juan Diego was asked to visit the bishop and recount all that he saw. The bishop was at first incredulous or at least suspicious and asked for a sign. Juan was instructed by the Virgin to collect roses and transport them to the bishop. Juan carried the Castilian roses in his tilma and on meeting the bishop he accidentally, let his tilma fall. The Image of the Blessed Virgin of Guadeloupe was cast on the tilma and the bishop had received his sign. As it is made out of Maguey cactus fibers, within thirty years, this tilma should have rotted away. It has been miraculously spared from the ravages of time for four hundred and eighty years and also survived one bombing attempt.

The cult of the indigenous snake deity, Tonantzin, was held on Tepeyac Hill and hundreds, if not thousands, of human sacrifices were offered to the pagan god. The Aztec priest would slit open the chest of the victim and pluck out the warm, still beating heart. The Blessed Virgin, who is referred as being the woman who crushes or stamps out the serpent (Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 12), was factually enacting the prefigurative biblical images. At Tepeyac, the feathered stone serpent god Quetzalcoatl was worshipped together with Tonantzin, the gods of human blood sacrifice and satanic macumba magic. Our Lady’s apparition caused the greatest mass conversion to Catholicism in history, as in the years 1531 to 1538, eight million conversions occurred. Mankind’s true Heavenly Queen Mother was victorious and at Tepeyac, crushed the serpent’s head. This apparition ended completely any desires, on the part of the natives, to re-enact the bloody human sacrifice, which was routinely carried out. The heavenly apparition prevented Indian insurrections in sixteenth century Mexico from taking place. Juan Diego was the instrument and Our Lady the converting power of the Mexican people. Previous to the mass tribal conversions these natives offered anually 20,000 people to their serpent god Quetzalcoatl. The Aztec word ‘coatlaxopeuh’ pronounced as ‘te quatlasupe’ incredibly resembles the Spanish word ‘Guadalupe,’ the former means ‘the stamping out or the crushing of the stone serpent.’ The Aztecs interpreted Our Lady in the Guadalupe Image, as a goddess who would crush their feathered serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, truly exposing the primordial serpent as Lucifer and revealing in fact the age old struggle between the Dragon and the Woman. Our Lady saved the lives and souls of countless Aztecs from the tenebrous clutches of the ancient serpent, Lucifer. Ever since she remained the pride and joy of this people. Obviously, the view that she was a ‘goddess’ was initially necessary, in what other way could such natives describe the supernatural. Today the Mexican people are well aware that she is only our Mother and worship belongs solely to God.

Our modern age attempts to compare the discovery of the American Continents to a hypothetical vision of humanity navigating through the voids of outer space, in search of solar systems and Earth-like planets to colonize or mine. Science fiction is plentifully endowed with such tales, however is the need so urgent? The contemporary eminent Cambridge physicist and cosmologist Professor Hawking, in an interview to the BBC radio in 2006 insisted “…theoretical advances could revolutionize the velocity of space travel and make such colonies possible…. Sooner or later disasters such as an asteroid or a nuclear war could wipe us all out.”(2) Colonizing outer space cannot be compared to the discovery of the Americas, which produced the conversion of millions of Indios. However, Our Lady’s work is always one of protection. She acted in the discovery of the American continents and the conversion and salvation of millions of natives, ‘Our Lady Star of the Sea’ protects mankind constantly. ‘Our Lady of Guadeloupe’ prevented Indios’ insurrections, avoiding much bloodshed. She consoled the Mexicans as they achieved independence from Spain and maintained their Catholic identity. Pope John Paul II named her as ‘Patroness of all the Americas,’ designating December 12 as the Feast and a day of holy obligation.

 In Bernal Diaz del Castillo’s words on the manner in which he found strength in Our Lady, following the death of his companions during the retaking of Tenochtitlan, “I remembered these deaths… for this reason fearing from this moment forward such cruel death; and I mention this because from then on before entering afterward into battles I felt a horror and great sadness in my heart; yet putting myself in the hands of God and his Blessed Mother, and entering into battle, I was one with them, and then the terror left me; and I also must mention that, unaccustomed terror was new to me, even though I had been in many very dangerous encounters. Yet now I had toughened my heart and strength and will, and they were even more firmly rooted in my own being than I had ever experienced before.”(3)

2.

The Synagogue of Satan

Hitler was the murderer of millions of Jews, this genocide was carried out throughout Northern Europe, in concentration camps, extermination camps, such as Auschwitz, Poland. Anti-Semitism is condemned by the general consensus of nations and should be condemned!

Personally speaking, I love the Jews so much that I gave up the pagan gods of our Maltese ancestors to worship the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, Adonai.

I especially adore God the Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer of humanity, and also admire the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady who trashes the head of the Dragon, the serpent, the Prince of this world, the Great Architect of the Universe. 

 

What is the Synagogue of Satan ? Is it Judaism ? Semitism ? Does it refer to Israel or Political Zionism ?

No certainly not !!

While most people living in Israel, similarly to the rest of the world, are atheist, the Synagogue of Satan is a sect, a group of men and women who worship the Devil, their Morning Star they are Mystery Babylon (close fathers and brothers of ‘Christian’ Freemasonry). They are the worshippers of the Great Architect of the Universe or the Prince of this world.

The Synagogue of Satan does not worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or Adonai.

For they lie prostrate beneath Lucifer, their light bearer, the shining darkness, the Great Architect of the Universe.

The people of the Synagogue of Satan are the ones who love Eve’s serpent and admire humanity’s fall into Original Sin making themselves gods over the rest, who according to them are blindly wallowing in the darkness of Christianity.

Revelation 2:9

I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich ! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of satan.

Revelation 2:24

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Sata’s so called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you.)

Revelation 3:9

I will make those who are of the synagogue of satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars – I will make them come and fall down at your feet and achnowledge that I have loved you.

Mystery Babylon

“The Third World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences caused by the “agentur” of the “Illuminati” between the political Zionists and the leaders of Islamic World. The war must be conducted in such a way that Islam (the Moslem Arabic World) and political Zionism (the State of Israel) mutually destroy each other. Meanwhile the other nations, once more divided on this issue will be constrained to fight to the point of complete physical, moral, spiritual and economical exhaustion…We shall unleash the Nihilists and the atheists, and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, obliged to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will from that moment be without compass or direction, anxious for an ideal, but without knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the true light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out in the public view. This manifestation will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time.” ⁴

^{4 Albert Pike 33rd Degree Masonic Pontiff and American Confederation General}

http://www.secondexodus.com/html/patronsaints/stmaximiliankolbe.htm

Early Years

Raymond Kolbe was born in Poland on January 8, 1894. In 1910, he entered the Conventual Franciscan Order. In 1912 Kolbe went to Rome, where he studied theology and philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1917 he founded the sodality (devotional association) of the Militia of Mary Immaculate, and was ordained a priest in 1918, taking the name Maximilian.

St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Jews

When Pope John Paul II canonized St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1982, several Jews charged that he had been an anti-Semite. The charges were extreme: “…pursued a relentless anti-Semitic campaign…” and “…rabid racist anti-Semitism…” were typical.

The Record of History

Poles and Jews had lived together for a thousand years. People often ask why Hitler put Auschwitz, his largest death camp, in Poland rather than Germany. It was because Poland harbored the single largest Jewish community in the world. When other European countries persecuted or expelled Jews from their lands, Poland served as a haven for Jews and was the foremost center of Jewish learning and culture. It was the Poles who brought the genocide of the Jews to the attention of the incredulous West. In fact, in Poland there was an underground organization, the Zegota, established expressly to assist Jews.

The City of Mary Immaculate

During the 1920’s Father Kolbe built a friary just west of Warsaw, the City of Mary Immaculate (Niepokalanów), which eventually housed 762 Franciscans. It became Poland’s chief Catholic publishing complex, printing eleven periodicals including a daily newspaper, The Little Daily, with a circulation of 230,000 and a monthly journal, The Knight of Mary Immaculate (Rycerz Niepokalanej), with a circulation of over one million. To better “win the world for the Immaculata,” the friars utilized the most modern printing and administrative techniques. This enabled them to publish countless catechetical and devotional tracts. Father Kolbe served both as superior of the City of Mary Immaculate and director of the publishing complex. Father Kolbe soon added a radio station and planned to build a movie studio.

After travel to Asia, where he founded similar friaries in Nagasaki and India, and envisioned similar missionary centers worldwide, Father Kolbe was recalled in 1936 to supervise the original friary near Warsaw. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, he knew that his monastery would be seized, and sent most of the friars home. The Gestapo ransacked the City of Mary Immaculate and arrested Father Kolbe with about 40 other friars. They were sent to a holding camp in Germany, then to one in Poland.

Father Kolbe’s Writings

The dynamic Father Kolbe wrote 10,006 extant letters and 396 other writings (newspaper and magazine writings, spiritual conferences, etc.). Of these, 31 refer to Jews or Judaism. Their content is overwhelmingly spiritual and apostolic, with few comments of any kind on contemporary political, social, economic, or other secular concerns.

In his monthly journal, and his daily paper, Kolbe used the printed word to inform the public about national political and cultural problems. The Little Daily championed Catholic moral and social views. For example, when the paper presented the idea that Catholic children should be taught in Catholic schools by Catholic teachers, it was the same as Orthodox Jewish rabbis saying, as they do today, that Jewish children should be taught in Jewish schools by Jewish teachers.

Among Father Kolbe’s writings cited was his appeal that readers pray for the “straying children of Israel,” to “lead them to the knowledge of the truth and the achievement of true peace and happiness, since Jesus died for everyone, and therefore for every Jew also …” The Catholic Church has taught for two thousand years that Christ’s sacrifice redeemed all mankind. Jews have said for two thousand years that they do not accept Jesus as God’s Messiah. It follows that from a Catholic perspective, which Father Kolbe was certainly entitled to proclaim, that the Jews hold to an incomplete revelation and that they would benefit spiritually from embracing Christ.

Father Kolbe believed that the so-called Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, a master plan for Jewish world domination later shown to be an virulently anti-Semitic Russian forgery, was an actual plan drawn up by Zionists. During the 1920s, when Father Kolbe read the Protocols, many Polish Jews as well as Catholics assumed that they were a Zionist plan. Father Kolbe mentioned the Protocols in two articles. Reflecting the Protocol’s rhetoric, Father Kolbe referred to the people who had apparently published it as “a cruel, crafty, little known Jewish clique,” a “small handful of Jews [who had let themselves] be seduced by Satan.” Jews use comparable language in condemning the Protocols.

A Shelter for Jews

On December 8, 1939, the Gestapo released Father Kolbe. He returned to the City of Mary Immaculate, where he and the other friars began to organize a shelter for three thousand Polish refugees, including two thousand Jews. The friars shared everything they had with the refugees. They housed, fed and clothed them, and brought all their machinery into use in their service.

Father Kolbe’s sheltering of these two thousand Jews aroused the Nazis to full fury. To incriminate him, the Gestapo permitted one final printing of the “Knight of Mary Immaculate” in December of 1940. It was in this issue that Father Maximilian wrote: “The real conflict is inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the catacombs of concentration camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are victories on the battle-field if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?”

On February 17, 1941, Father Maximilian was again arrested, this time on charges of aiding Jews and the Polish underground. Gestapo officers who were shown around the whole monastery were astonished at the small amount of food prepared for the brothers. Father Maximilian was sent to the infamous Pawiak prison in German Occupied Warsaw, and was singled out for special ill-treatment.

On May 28, 1941 the Nazis closed the the City of Mary Immaculate and took Father Kolbe, with four of his companions, to Auschwitz, where he died.

Heroic Sacrifice

At Auschwitz, after a prisoner escaped, the Nazis chose ten men to be killed. When Franciszek Gajowniczek, protested that he had a wife and children, Father Kolbe stepped forward and offered to replace Gajowniczek among those killed. Father Kolbe was thrown into a starvation bunker, where he taught the Catholic faith to the others in the bunker and prayed with them as they died one by one. After two weeks, Father Kolbe remained alive. Finally, on August 14, 1941 the Nazis injected phenol into his veins, killing him at last. Franciszek Gajowniczek survived and told the story of Father Kolbe’s heroic sacrifice to everyone he could until his death in 1997.

Church Honors

Father Maximilian was a fervent advocate of devotion to the Virgin Mary and a ground-breaking theologian. His insights into the Immaculate Conception anticipated the Marian theology of the Second Vatican Council and further developed the Church’s understanding of Mary as “Mediatrix” of all the graces of the Trinity, and as “Advocate” for God’s people.

On Oct. 17, 1971, Father Kolbe was beatified by Pope Paul VI, the first Nazi victim to be proclaimed blessed by the Roman Catholic church. On October 10, 1982, Pope John Paul II canonized him, proclaiming also that he was to be venerated as a martyr. St. Maximilian Kolbe is considered a patron of journalists, families, prisoners, the pro-life movement and the chemically addicted.

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe therefore believed that Jews were his brothers and he loved them, however he also knew that a Jewsih sect also exists which has created pandamonium in the world (French Revolution, Russian Bolshevism, etc etc). How does one separate the good Jew from the bad Jew. One must first separate the good Christian from the bad one and later maybe worry about the bad Jews. Firstly, Freemasonry and such secret societies must be stopped or all world governments will fall to their mace. This has happened and is still happening – many nations have masonic governments, such as the U.S.A.

^{http://www.nybooks.com/articles/6260}

Volume 30, Number 6 · April 14, 1983

KOLBE & ANTI-SEMITISM

By Warren Green, Daniel Schlafly, Reply by John Gross

To the Editors:

In a review of Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s List and Patricia Treece’s A Man for Others: Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz in the Words of Those Who Knew Him, John Gross claims that Father Kolbe’s papers “kept up a relentless anti-Semitic campaign” and quotes from an article Kolbe wrote in 1939 in which he refers to “international Zionism” as the guiding hand behind the “criminal mafia” of Masonry, which in turn was stoking the fires of “atheistic Communism.” While the reviewer stops short of charging, as the Wiener Tagebuch did in April, 1982, that Maximilian Kolbe was a “rabid racist anti-Semite,” and does mention that Father Kolbe did try to restrain his collaborators from attacks against Jews, Mr. Gross’s conclusion is of the same order.

The principal sources for Father Kolbe’s life and work, however, paint a quite different picture of the man: Gli Scritti di Massimiliano Kolbe, Eroe di Osiecim e Beato della Chiesa (3 vols; Florence: Edizioni Citta di Vita, 1975-1978) and Patavina seu Cracovien. Beatificationis et Canonizatonis Servi Dei Maximiliani M. Kolbe Sacerdotis Professi Ordinis Fratrum Minorum Conventualium (Rome: Sacred Congregation of Rites 1964), the former, the complete collection of Kolbe’s writings and sermons, the latter, some 940 pages of sworn eyewitness testimony. From these records it is clear that the Jewish question played a very minor role in Kolbe’s thought and work. Of his 1,006 extant letters and 396 other writings (newspaper and magazine articles, spiritual conference, etc.), only thirty-one refer to Jews and Judaism. Their content is overwhelmingly spiritual and apostolic with few comments of any kind on contemporary political, social, economic, or other secular concerns.

As Mr. Gross mentions, Father Kolbe’s main interest was his missionary work, in Kolbe’s words, “to seek the conversion of sinners, heretics, schismatics, Jews, etc., and, especially, Masons.” In this effort, “zeal” was always to be tempered by “prudence” and by respect for the individual. In 1926, he wrote that “Jesus died for each one of us without distinction, and that each of us, also each Jew, is always unworthy and is the son of our common heavenly mother” (Scritti, III, pp. 256-257).

Father Kolbe did, however, accept uncritically the picture of a Zionist-Jewish-Masonic conspiracy presented in the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, a work widely circulated in the Poland of his day. Thus, several of his mentions of Jews speak approvingly of the Protocols, and, as in the quote cited by Mr. Gross, one can find such phrases as “Jewish-Masonic conspiracy,” “cruel clique of Jews,” and “their work (the Talmud) which breathes hatred against Christ and the Christians.”

Yet, as on other issues, he warned against translating this image into social, political, or economic activism. Thus, in the admonition to his collaborators to which Mr. Gross is apparently referring, Father Kolbe states “speaking of the Jews, I would devote great attention not to stir up accidentally nor to intensify to a greater degree the hatred of our readers against them, who are already so ill-disposed or sometimes downright hostile in their confrontations” (letter to Father Marian Wojcik, editor of the Rycerz Niepokalanej, the monthly devotional magazine founded by Kolbe, Scritti, II, p. 183). Similarly, in a letter to his religious superior, Father Anselm Kubit written June 22, 1937, Father Kolbe describes a certain Monsignor Trzeciak as a “fiery anti-Semite to the point of being a chauvinist. Thus, the Maly Dziennik (a religious daily also founded by Kolbe) cannot follow his line and not all of his writings can find a place in the columns of the Maly Dziennik (Scritti, II, p. 323). Even in the 1939 article cited by Mr. Gross, Father Kolbe, after presenting the picture of a Jewish-Masonic conspiracy, goes on to state that “true scoundrels, those of evil intent, who sin with full awareness are relatively few.” Urging his readers to respond in a spirit of love and concern, he asks, “how can you not extend a hand to those people?” (Scritti, III, pp. 548-550).

The real test of Father Kolbe’s alleged anti-Semitism came at the outbreak of World War II when thousands of refugees were driven by the Nazis from western Poland. Numerous Polish witnesses have testified how Father Kolbe, himself just released from two-and-one-half months of German imprisonment and torture, sheltered all he could at his friary of Niepokalanow near Warsaw, without distinguishing between German or Pole, Christian or Jew (Polish estimates of the number of Jews cared for at Niepokalanow range from several hundred to more than two thousand). The refugees, Jews included, were given food, fuel, and clothing, and the sick were treated in the friary hospital. Kolbe frequently visited and consoled the refugees, without distinction of nationality or religion, even organizing a special New Year’s party for the Jews to balance the Christmas celebration for the Christians. Of particular note is the testimony of Rosalis Kobla, who lived near the friary. “When Jews came to me asking for a piece of bread, I asked Father Maximilian if I could give it to them in good conscience, and he answered me, ‘Yes, it is necessary to do this because all men are our brothers’ ” (Patavina, Seu Cracovien, pp. 389-390). Brother Juwentyn Mlodozeniec, who was at Niepokalanow at the time, quotes a certain Madame Zajac, a delegate of the Jewish refugees, as saying “in the name of all the Jews present here, we want to express our warm and sincere thanks to Father Maximilian and all his brothers” (I Knew Blessed Maximilian Kolbe, Washington, NJ: AMI Press, 1979, p. 53).

Thus, while Maximilian Kolbe shared some of the anti-Semitic stereotypes so widespread in prewar Poland, his image of the Jews, as of all who did not share his faith, was of people who were prisoners of error, not objects of hatred. Whatever theories he espoused, when he acted it was in a spirit of respect and charity, as his supreme sacrifice at Auschwitz showed.

Daniel Schlafly

St. Louis University

St. Louis, Missouri

Warren Green

St. Louis Center for Holocaust Studies

St. Louis, Missouri

John Gross replies:

Diana Dewar devotes several paragraphs to the question of anti-Semitism as it arises in connection with Father Kolbe’s prewar career as editor and publicist. They seem to me inadequate and in some respects evasive, but it is a measure of how completely Patricia Treece chooses to ignore the problem in her own book that one feels positively grateful for them by contrast.

That the problem is a very real one would surely be apparent from Daniel Schlafly and Warren Green’s letter alone. In the Poland of the 1930s it was no light matter for a man of Kolbe’s influence and stature to endorse the Protocols of the Elders of Zion or to indulge in the kind of language about “cruel cliques” and so forth which Messrs. Schlafly and Green quote; nor, of course, was it only a question of Kolbe’s own writings, but also of the general tenor of the publications which he founded and superintended. At a time of feverish anti-Semitism, hostile images of Jews, whether intended for purely theological consumption or not, were only too liable to get translated into “social, political, or economic activism,” often of the most brutal kind. (An excellent recent account of the plight of Polish Jewry during the years in question can be found in Celia Heller’s On the Edge of Destruction: Jews of Poland Between the Two World Wars, Columbia University Press, 1977.)

The Church was the one major institution in the Poland of the period potentially equipped to hold at bay the spread of anti-Semitic forces, but its actual record in this respect is, alas, far from exemplary—it is perhaps enough to cite Cardinal Hlond’s notorious pastoral letter of 1936. To his credit Father Kolbe distanced himself, as Schlafly and Green point out, from an ultra-extremist like Trzesiak, but it is also worth recalling that there were a number of distinguished Poles—although he was not among them—who took a firm public stand against anti-Semitism at this time. (Some of their names are listed in Celia Heller’s book.)

Messrs. Schlafly and Green are, I think, unfair when they run together my comments on Father Kolbe with those of the newspaper which described him as a “rabid racist.” In fact I tried to make it clear that he always regarded conversion to Christianity as the highest aim, a view which is needless to say incompatible with racism, at any rate racism of the full-blown pseudo-scientific variety. On the other hand I feel in retrospect that I ought to have said something about the Jews who were sheltered in Niepokalanow in 1939-1940. I was irritated by Patricia Treece singling out this episode, while omitting so much else about Kolbe’s attitude to the Jews (and glossing over the question of Polish-Jewish relations generally); but I should have mentioned it nonetheless.

^{http://www.consecration.com/antisemite1.html}

‘To even think Kolbe was anti-Semitic is ludicrous?
Our Sunday Visitor
July 17, 1983
By Mitch Finley‘To even think Kolbe was anti-Semitic is ludicrous’
Wiener Tagebuch is an Austrian anticlerical, anti-Catholic German-language periodical. In the pages of its April 1982 issue there appeared an article which charged that the then soon to-be-canonized Father Maximilan Kolbe was the publisher of newspapers which “stood for rabid racist anti-Semitism.” The non-Jewish Wiener Tagebuch charged that Father Kolbe was “a key figure,” who supported anti-Semitism among the Polish clergy” in the 1930s. The article states that in August 1938 the Polish government “sent a memorandum to the Vatican. They complained about the ‘beastly anti-Semitism of many prelates and especially Father Kolbe.” Quotations are attributed to Father Kolbe’s newspapers which reflect anti-Semitic philosophy.The Wiener Tagebuch article stops short of suggesting that Father Kolbe ought not to be canonized, but does object to his being honored for his contribution to modern journalism. The Austrian article concludes with these words: “It may well be the case that most of the dignitaries in Rome have no idea at all what Kolbe’s journalism consisted of in reality. But one has been given to understand that a few Poles are to be found in Rome.”On June 13, 1982, and June 16, 1982, respectively, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the St. Louis Jewish Light published articles which reported the accusations against Father Kolbe, along with comments from Catholic and Jewish researchers who disagreed.Subsequently, on June 16, 1982, the St. Louis Jewish Light published a more in-depth article which cast further doubt on the validity of the charges of anti-Semitism against Father Kolbe.Nevertheless, the ball was rolling. In a column in The Jewish Advocate of Nov. 4, 1982, Rabbi Zev K. Nelson wrote: “. . . it is of grave concern to us when we learn that the sainted Kolbe was a notorious anti-Semite during the Hitler regime in Poland. He was a Franciscan monk who organized an invidious anti-Semitic press. . . .” Rabbi Nelson refers to Kolbe as “this inveterate anti-Semite” and asks: “How can we possibly say that Kolbe is kosher when his whole life has been unclean – seared by the disease of anti-Semitism and sullied by the spewing of hatred towards human beings of a different faith?”On Nov. 18, 1982, The New, York Times published an article by Henry Kamm which reported “The collected works of St. Maximilian Kolbe contain a number of comments that indicate that the Polish Priest … may have shared in the anti-Semitism current in the Polish Roman Catholic Church in the 1930s” The article went on to report opposing evidence.In December 1982, Washington Post syndicated columnist Richard Cohen published what only appeared to be a balanced account of the charges against Father Kolbe. Cohen’s column concluded: “Father Kolbe was in most respect s an extraordinary man…. But that does not erase his (anti-Semitic) writings or make him an appropriate choice for sainthood. The Church meant only to honor the way he died. Unfortunately, it is also excused the way he lived.”
In the December 1982 issue of the Republic, a column by Martin Peretz was published which included these words:
“Before our eyes there is a revival of anti-Semitism in the world, and it is being widely denied. On October 10, the day after a terrorist attack on a Rome synagogue Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest, and, it turns out, a rabid anti-Semite, was canonized in the Roman Catholic Church.” Peretz then rejects the defense of Father Kolbe reported in the New York Times article by Henry Kamm.
Patricia Treece (Kolbe authority and author of A Man For Others: Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz) sent letter to the editor of The New Republic objecting to Peretz’ accusations. The New Republic has neither published this letter, nor has Peretz retracted his remarksIn a note to this writer, Patricia Treece remarked: “One looks in vain in the writings of Father Kolbe’s entire lifetime for a single off-handed smear of a Jew like the one dashed off by Martin Peretz without a single substantiating fact to support it.”

The finger has continued to be pointed at Father Kolbe. In a review of A Man For Others in the New York Review of Books (Feb. 17, 1983), John Gross wrote: “. . . Kolbe’s papers kept up a relentless anti-Semitic campaign, including a witchhunt against liberal-minded Poles who were regarded as unduly pro-Jewish.”

Two key defenders of Father Kolbe are St. Louis University history professor Daniel L. Schlafly, Jr., a Catholic, and Warren P. Green, director of the St. Louis Center for Holocaust Studies, who is Jewish. In an 18-page response to Kolbe’s critics, Schlafly and Green present the following factual items:

1. Efforts to locate a copy of the issue of Father Kolbe’s newspaper from which the Wiener Tagebuch article claims to quote have been unsuccessful. It is highly doubtful that Father Kolbe was responsible for the issue in question, as he was traveling in Asia at the time and was not exercising direct editorial control over the periodicals he had founded.

2. Furthermore, the collected writings of Father Kolbe reveal no record of the quotations cited by Wiener Tagebuch, nor of any article having been written by Father Kolbe for the issue in question.

3. There is no record of Father Kolbe having written any of the quotations attributed to his periodicals by Wiener Tagebuch. Again, Father Kolbe was in Japan when the quotations appeared for which he is said by Wiener Tagebuch to have been responsible.

4. No evidence can be found that Father Kolbe was the object of a Polish government request that the Vatican restrain clerical anti-Semitism. Besides, such a request would have been completely inconsistent with the anti-Semitic Polish government policy of the time.

5. The Jewish question was a very minor concern to Father Kolbe, as evidenced by the 938 pages of testimony gathered for the beatification process, the 1,006 extant letters written by Father Kolbe, and the 396 extant articles, conferences, notes, radio sermons, etc. Among all these writings, only 14 comments can be found about Jews. In the words of Schlafly and Green: “Their content is overwhelmingly spiritual and apostolic, revealing Father Kolbe as a man dedicated to God and the Virgin Mary….”

Schlafly and Green acknowledge that “Five of the 14 references to Jews in Father Kolbe’s writings reflect the stereotype of the Jews depicted in the Protocols of the Learned Elder’s of Zion (an apocryphal Russian book which claimed to describe a plot by International Jewry to undermine the existing order and to establish a world state through hatred, sabotage, etc.). One can find phrases such as “Jewish-Masonic conspiracy,” “cruel clique of Jews,” and “their work (the Talmud) which breathes hatred against Christ and the Christians.”

It is important, say Schlafly and Green, to realize that “Kolbe saw the Jews as one part of those who were ‘prisoners of error,’ not as racially inferior . . . and urged prudence and charity on an individual level. Thus, in 1934 he wrote ‘concerning the Jews, I am of the opinion that it is necessary to devote oneself seriously to converting them, too; however, prudently, very prudently.’ Again, in 1935, he wrote, ‘Speaking of the Jews, I would devote great attention not to stir up accidentally nor to intensify the hatred of our readers against them….’”

The wise observer will not only read Father Kolbe’s writings, but will take seriously accounts of his actions as well. Schlafly and Green: “Numerous witnesses testified that (In the fall and winter of 1939-40) Father Kolbe, himself Just released from two-and-a-half months of German imprisonment and torture, sheltered all who were in need of aid without distinguishing between Christian and Jew. The refugees were given food from the friary kitchen, fuel and clothing. The sick were housed in the friary hospital, and Father Kolbe personally visited and consoled the refugees, Jews Included.”

Many similar accounts of Father Kolbe’s compassion and charity toward Jews are in the official records. At the same time St. Maximilian Kolbe was a man of his time. It is unfair to expect him to reflect a post-Vatican II ecumenism which values the Jewish tradition as integral to a complete appreciation for Christianity.

In the end, perhaps the most significant witness to Father Kolbe’s attitudes toward Jews come from a man who shared concentration camp life with him. Sigmund Gorson, now producer of his own television variety show In Wilmington, Del., knew Father Kolbe well in Auschwitz where he was imprisoned for his Jewish faith. In a recent letter to American Jewish leaders, the major broadcasting network and several Jewish organizations, Gorson wrote “To utter or to even think for one second that Kolbe was anti-Semitic and a known Jew-hater is absolutely ludicrous. . . . Kolbe was never. . . anti-anyone. If there would be more like him, no Jew would be harmed, no Jew would suffer and no Jew would be killed. He loved the Jewish people, he suffered with them, he cried when they cried and smiled with them…. I know, because I lived with him In Auschwitz-Hell…. He was a shining and indeed a brilliant example of decency and bravery, a great credit to my beloved homeland, Poland, and to his Catholic Faith.”

Reprinted with Permission from, “Our Sunday Visitor” (Huntington, IN)

^{BELOW – what a beautiful monument! a round-a-bout in Israel!}

more….. http://www.scottishrite.org:80/ee.php?/scottishrite/archives/

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction USA.

Toasting the Feast of Tishri

The Kadosh – the ancient Masonic Ritual where the Holy Eucharist is desecrated and vengeance against the Pope and Royalty is re-enacted.

3.

Politics in USA….

BISHOPS-POLITICS Oct-18-2007

Bishops’ document to offer new guidance on Catholics’ political role

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
Catholic News ServiceWASHINGTON (CNS) — Rejecting a political climate based on “powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype,” the U.S. bishops call Catholics to “a different kind of political engagement” in a document to be voted on during their fall general meeting Nov. 12-15 in Baltimore.That engagement must be “shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good and the protection of the weak and vulnerable,” they said.The 37-page “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility From the Catholic Bishops of the United States” was developed by seven committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and must be approved by two-thirds of the USCCB membership.The bishops also are to vote on a shortened version of the text, designed for use as a parish bulletin insert.In the longer document, the bishops admit that “Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and too few candidates fully share the church’s comprehensive commitment to the dignity of the human person.”"As Catholics, we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group,” the draft document says. “When necessary, our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths.”

The draft is part of a series of documents that have been issued before every presidential election for more than 30 years.

But the 2007 version underwent a wider consultation at the committee level and is the first to come before the full body of bishops. In past years, the documents were approved by the Administrative Committee, made up of the executive officers of the USCCB, elected committee chairmen and elected regional representatives.

Although the draft document outlines a wide variety of policy positions taken by the bishops on domestic and international issues, it makes clear that not all issues carry equal importance.

“There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor,” the document says, citing in particular abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, stem-cell research involving the destruction of human embryos and “violations of human dignity such as racism, torture, genocide and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war.”

The bishops warn against “two temptations in public life (that) can distort the church’s defense of human life and dignity.”

“The first is a moral equivalence that makes no ethical distinctions between different kinds of issues involving human life and dignity,” they say. “The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is … not just one issue among many.”

But it is also wrong to misuse “these necessary moral distinctions as a way of dismissing or ignoring other serious threats to human life and dignity,” the draft document says.

Although there might be “principled debate” about the best approach on issues such as health care, racism, unjust war, the death penalty and immigration, “this does not make them optional concerns or permit Catholics to dismiss or ignore church teaching on these important issues,” the bishops say.

The draft document does not address a topic raised during the 2004 presidential campaign — giving Communion to Catholic politicians who support keeping abortion legal. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis already has said he would not give Communion to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Catholic and the leading Republican candidate for president, because of Giuliani’s support for abortion.

The document says that “those who knowingly, willingly and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil.”

“If a Catholic were to vote for a candidate who supports a policy involving intrinsic evil, such as abortion, precisely because of that position, the Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil,” it adds. “In some cases, if a Catholic who fully accepts fundamental principles such as the right to life were to vote for a candidate despite the candidate’s opposing position but because of other proportionate reasons, their vote would be considered ‘remote material cooperation’ and can be permitted only if there are indeed proportionate reasons.”

All Catholics “have a responsibility to discern carefully which public policies are morally sound,” the draft document says.

“Catholics may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems, but we cannot differ on our moral obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means, so that the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended,” it adds.

The draft will be presented to the bishops on behalf of seven committees — domestic policy, international policy, pro-life activities, communications, doctrine, education and migration.

END    Pope says political field is for laypeople, but church must guideVATICAN CITY (CNS) — Involvement in politics is a role reserved to laypeople, but Catholic Church leaders must explain and promote the moral principles that will contribute to the common good, Pope Benedict XVI said. “The church, while recognizing that it is not a political agent, cannot abstain from taking an interest in the good of the whole civil community in which it lives and works,” the pope said in a message published Oct. 18. The papal message marked the 100th annual celebration of a week dedicated to studying Catholic social teaching sponsored by the Italian bishops’ conference. Working for a just social order is a task that belongs to laypeople, the pope said. “As citizens of the state it is up to them to participate personally in public life,” and to dedicate themselves “with generosity and courage, enlightened by faith and the teaching of the church, and animated by the love of Christ,” he said.  

Catholic News Service (www.catholicnews.com)WASHINGTON (CNS) — Rejecting a political climate based on “powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype,” the U.S. bishops call Catholics to “a different kind of political engagement” in a document to be voted on during their fall general meeting Nov. 12-15 in Baltimore.

U.S. Catholic Bishops Hold Annual Meeting in 2004

That engagement must be “shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good and the protection of the weak and vulnerable,” they said.The 37-page “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility From the Catholic Bishops of the United States” was developed by seven committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and must be approved by two-thirds of the USCCB membership.The bishops also are to vote on a shortened version of the text, designed for use as a parish bulletin insert.In the longer document, the bishops admit that “Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and too few candidates fully share the church’s comprehensive commitment to the dignity of the human person.”"As Catholics, we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group,” the draft document says. “When necessary, our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths.”The draft is part of a series of documents that have been issued before every presidential election for more than 30 years.But the 2007 version underwent a wider consultation at the committee level and is the first to come before the full body of bishops. In past years, the documents were approved by the Administrative Committee, made up of the executive officers of the USCCB, elected committee chairmen and elected regional representatives.Although the draft document outlines a wide variety of policy positions taken by the bishops on domestic and international issues, it makes clear that not all issues carry equal importance.

“There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor,” the document says, citing in particular abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, stem-cell research involving the destruction of human embryos and “violations of human dignity such as racism, torture, genocide and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war.”

The bishops warn against “two temptations in public life (that) can distort the church’s defense of human life and dignity.”

“The first is a moral equivalence that makes no ethical distinctions between different kinds of issues involving human life and dignity,” they say. “The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is … not just one issue among many.”

But it is also wrong to misuse “these necessary moral distinctions as a way of dismissing or ignoring other serious threats to human life and dignity,” the draft document says.

Although there might be “principled debate” about the best approach on issues such as health care, racism, unjust war, the death penalty and immigration, “this does not make them optional concerns or permit Catholics to dismiss or ignore church teaching on these important issues,” the bishops say.

The draft document does not address a topic raised during the 2004 presidential campaign — giving Communion to Catholic politicians who support keeping abortion legal. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis already has said he would not give Communion to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Catholic and the leading Republican candidate for president, because of Giuliani’s support for abortion.

The document says that “those who knowingly, willingly and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil.”

“If a Catholic were to vote for a candidate who supports a policy involving intrinsic evil, such as abortion, precisely because of that position, the Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil,” it adds. “In some cases, if a Catholic who fully accepts fundamental principles such as the right to life were to vote for a candidate despite the candidate’s opposing position but because of other proportionate reasons, their vote would be considered ‘remote material cooperation’ and can be permitted only if there are indeed proportionate reasons.”

All Catholics “have a responsibility to discern carefully which public policies are morally sound,” the draft document says.

“Catholics may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems, but we cannot differ on our moral obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means, so that the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended,” it adds.

The draft will be presented to the bishops on behalf of seven committees — domestic policy, international policy, pro-life activities, communications, doctrine, education and migration.

       

Patriot Act ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act_controversy

USA PATRIOT Act controversy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The following are controversial invocations of the USA PATRIOT Act. The stated purpose of the Act is to “deter and punish American terrorists in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes.” One criticism of the Act is that “other purposes” often includes the detection and prosecution of non-terrorist alleged future crimes.

Contents [hide] 1 2007 US Justice Department audit finds FBI abuse of PATRIOT act powers 2 Dismissal of United States Attorneys 3 Investigating copyright infringement 4 Use against the homeless 5 Investigation of potential drug traffickers 6 Blanket requests for financial information on visitors to Las Vegas 7 Wrongful accusations under the Act 8 Controversial requests to the media 9 Other cases 10 Opposition 11 References

//

[edit] 2007 US Justice Department audit finds FBI abuse of PATRIOT act powers

Wikinews has related news:

U.S. Justice Department says FBI misused Patriot Act

On March 9, 2007, a Justice Department audit found that the FBI had “improperly and, in some cases, illegally used the USA Patriot Act to secretly obtain personal information” about United States citizens. ^[1]

On June 15, 2007, following an internal audit finding that FBI agents abused a Patriot Act power more than 1000 times, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ordered the agency to begin turning over thousands of pages of documents related to the agency’s national security letters program.^[2]

[edit] Dismissal of United States Attorneys

Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

Main issues Timeline Summary of attorneys Documents Congressional hearings List of Dismissed Attorneys Complete list of related articles

Main article: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

Seven United States Attorneys were dismissed by the United States Department of Justice on December 7, 2006. Senior members of the White House and the Department of Justice participated in compiling the a list of dismisees.^[3] The USA Patriot Act Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, which was signed into law on March 9, 2006, extinguished the former 120-day term limit of interim United States Attorneys appointed to fill vacated offices. This in effect gave the U.S. Attorney General greater appointing authority than the president, since the interim U.S. attorneys did not need Senate confirmation, and the presidential nominees do. (An interim U.S. attorney’s term expires upon the confirmation and swearing in of a presidentially appointed U.S. attorney, if one is put forward.)^[4] Critics have claimed the dismissals were either motivated by desire to install attorneys more loyal to the Republican party or as retribution for actions or inactions damaging to the Republican party. At least six of the eight had positive internal Justice Department performance reports.^[5][4][6][7]

A bill, S-214, filed in January 2007, to rescind the no-term-limit interim U.S. attorney provision was approved by very large majorities in both the Senate and the House, and was signed into law by the President on June 14, 2007, designated Public Law No: 110-34 and called the Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act of 2007. ^[8] The new law also specifies that all Attorney General-appointed interim attorneys then in office on shall have a term that ends 120 days from the signing of the bill. As of June 14, 2007, the Department of Justice has more than twenty United States attorney positions that are not presidential appointees, which are filled by either acting US attorneys (held by civil service first U.S. attorneys) or interim U.S. attorneys appointed by the Attorney general. (Terms of district court-appointed interim US attorneys were unaffected by the new law–there was at least one: Paula D. Silsby of Maine, appointed in 2001.)^[9]

[edit] Investigating copyright infringement

Adam McGaughey, the webmaster of a fan site for the television show Stargate SG-1, was charged with copyright infringement and computer fraud. During the investigation, the FBI invoked a provision of the Act to obtain financial records from the site’s Internet Service Provider.^[10] The USA PATRIOT Act amended the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to include search and seizure of records from Internet Service Providers.

[edit] Use against the homeless

Summit, New Jersey invoked the USA PATRIOT Act to defend itself from a lawsuit over removing homeless people from its train station.

The city said that its conduct is protected by thePatriot Act and that a homeless man’s federal lawsuit should be barred. The city cited a section of the law regarding “attacks and other violence against mass transportation systems.”

Initially, the Justice Department criticized Summit’s use of the law saying that it “[represented] a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Patriot Act is,” however since the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the Justice Department has sent out a warning of terrorists posing as homeless people in transit stations.^[11]

[edit] Investigation of potential drug traffickers

In September 2003, the New York Times reported on a case of the USA PATRIOT Act being used to investigate alleged potential drug traffickers without probable cause. The article also mentions a study by Congress that referenced hundreds of cases where the USA PATRIOT Act was used to investigate non-terrorist alleged future crimes. The New York Times reports that these non-terrorist investigations are relevant because President Bush and several members of Congress stated that the purpose the USA PATRIOT Act was that of investigating and preempting potential terrorist acts. ^[12]

This is also seen by some as a violation of constitutional rights as Defined in Article One of the United States Constitution which states, “No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.” Prohibiting a bill of attainder means that the US Congress cannot pass a law which deems a specific person or group guilty and then punish them. Prohibiting an ex post facto law (Latin – literally – after the fact) means that the US Congress cannot make any given act a crime (or a more serious crime) after the time when that act has been committed. It is arguable that this applies to some uses of the Patriot Act and those who watch the Supreme Court are waiting for a case to make its way up so that the judges can rule on it.

[edit] Blanket requests for financial information on visitors to Las Vegas

In November 2005, Business Week reported that the FBI had issued tens of thousands of “National Security Letters” and had obtained one million financial records from the customers of targeted Las Vegas businesses. Selected businesses included casinos, storage warehouses and car rental agencies. An anonymous Justice official claimed that such requests were permitted under section 505 of the USA PATRIOT Act and despite the volume of requests insisted “We are not inclined to ask courts to endorse fishing expeditions”. ^[13] This didn’t just include financial records, but credit records, employment records, and in some cases, health records.

Furthermore, this information is databased and maintained indefinitely by the FBI. Previous legislation required that federal law enforcement destroy any records harvested during an investigation that pertained to anyone deemed innocent. The Patriot Act superseded that and now the records are maintained indefinitely. According to the legislation, they may be “shared with third-parties where appropriate” yet no where in the legislation does it define who these third parties are or what conditions would be deemed appropriate for the sharing of such records.

The large scale wiretapping and tracing of calls to and from foreign countries also falls under this. Millions of phone records were harvested, fed into a database and were searched for patterns of calling to and from numbers of known terrorists. To date, there have been no announced arrests from this program.

Public libraries have been asked to turn over their records for specific terminals. A few have filed suit, because the National Security Letters, that they were presented with were very sweeping, demanding information not just on the individual under investigation, but on everyone who had used specific terminals at the libraries during given time windows. Since many of the users in one case were minor children, one library felt that it had an obligation to notify the parents. The FBI has disagreed and the case is now working its way through the court system.

Another little-known fact is that a National Security Letter can be issued by any FBI agent with the rank of Field Supervisor or above, at their discretion. It does not require a judge or probable cause, as does a search warrant, which leads many to see it a major erosion of Constitutional rights, in particular the Fourth Amendment which reads, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

[edit] Wrongful accusations under the Act

In May 2004, Professor Steve Kurtz of the University at Buffalo reported his wife’s death of heart failure. The associate art professor, who works in the biotechnology sector, was using benign bacterial cultures and biological equipment in his work. Police arriving at the scene found the equipment (which had been displayed in museums and galleries throughout Europe and North America) suspicious and notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The next day the FBI, Joint Terrorism Task Force, Department of Homeland Security and numerous other law enforcement agencies arrived in HAZMAT gear and cordoned off the block surrounding Kurtz’s house, impounding computers, manuscripts, books, and equipment, and detaining Kurtz without charge for 22 hours; the Erie County Health Department condemned the house as a possible “health risk” while the cultures were analyzed. Although it was determined that nothing in the Kurtz’s home posed any health or safety risk, the Justice Department sought charges under Section 175 of the US Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act—a law which was expanded by the USA PATRIOT Act. A grand jury rejected those charges, but Kurtz is still charged with federal criminal mail and wire fraud, and faces 20 years in jail. Supporters worldwide argue that this is a politically motivated prosecution, akin to those seen during the era of McCarthyism, and legal observers note that it is a precedent-setting case with far-reaching implications involving the criminalization of free speech and expression for artists, scientists, researchers, and others. ^[14][15]

FBI agents used a USA PATRIOT Act “sneak and peek” search to secretly examine the home of Brandon Mayfield, who was wrongfully jailed for two weeks on suspicion of involvement in the Madrid train bombings. Agents seized three hard drives and ten DNA samples preserved on cotton swabs, and took 335 photos of personal items. Mayfield has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, contending that his rights were violated by his arrest and by the investigation against him. He also contends the USA PATRIOT Act is unconstitutional. ^[16]

[edit] Controversial requests to the media

The FBI used the USA PATRIOT Act multiple times to request journalists that had interviewed computer intruder Adrian Lamo to preserve their notes and other information while they petitioned the Department of Justice for a subpoena to force the reporters to hand over the information. Journalists involved included newspaper writers and MSNBC writers. The Department of Justice did not authorize any of the subpoena requests not because of protection of the media, but because the language of the subpoena violated the Department’s guidelines for a subpoena request. The requests to preserve information were dropped. In some cases, the FBI apologized for the language of the request. ^[17][18]

[edit] Other cases

In April 2003, Sami Omar Al-Hussayen was arrested on charges of supporting terrorism by maintaining several web sites that supported violent activities. [3] This crime was created by a 1996 act signed by President Clinton, but was further expanded under the USA PATRIOT Act. Supporters of the Act respond that prosecutors did not try Mr. Al-Hussayen because of his association with the website, but because he actively participated in raising money for terrorist organizations, recruiting terrorists, and disseminating inflammatory rhetoric via his website. Prosecutors said the sites included religious edicts justifying suicide bombings and an invitation to contribute financially to the militant Palestinian organization Hamas.

On the other hand, sometimes critics of the law mistake unrelated prosecution as being under the USA PATRIOT Act. Sherman Austin, anarchist and webmaster of Raise the Fist, plead guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. 842(p), a 1997 statute authored by California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein which prohibits the distribution of bombmaking information knowing or intending that the information will be used in a violent federal crime. Despite claims to the contrary, the USA PATRIOT Act was not invoked in this case.

On October 24, 2005, David Sobel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) obtained FBI Papers under the Freedom of Information Act that revealed that the FBI had been conducting surveillance on citizens for lengthy periods of time without correct paperwork. A total of 13 cases from 2002 to 2004 were referred to the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board’s Intelligence Oversight Board. ^[19]

[edit] Opposition

On April 6, 2004, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the FBI over the USA PATRIOT Act’s authority to demand that a business hand over records that may contain private financial or business information that is not pertinent to an ongoing investigation. The specific action in question was the request of the FBI for the account information for users of an Internet service provider.

Citing possible secrecy provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Department of Justice prevented the ACLU from releasing the text of a countersuit for three weeks. [4] After judicial and congressional oversight, sections of the countersuit that did not violate secrecy rules of the USA PATRIOT Act were released.

The lawsuit filed by the ACLU was dropped on October 27, 2006. ACLU stated it is withdrawing the lawsuit because of improvements to the law. “While the reauthorized Patriot Act is far from perfect, we succeeded in stemming the damage from some of the Bush administration’s most reckless policies,” Ann Beeson, associate legal director of the ACLU.

In June 2005, the United States House of Representatives voted to repeal the Patriot Act provision that allows federal agents to examine people’s book-reading habits at public libraries and bookstores as part of terrorism investigations.[5]

House passes H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
Government Printing Office Web Site ^ | October 23, 2007 | Reps. Jane Harman (D-Venice) and Dave Reichert (R-Bellevue)Posted on 10/27/2007 12:08:14 PM PDT by TaxesR2HighText of LegislationHR 1955 RFS110th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 1955←→ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESOctober 24, 2007

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

AN ACT

To prevent homegrown terrorism, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007′.

SEC. 2. PREVENTION OF VIOLENT RADICALIZATION AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM.

(a) In General- Title VIII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 361 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new subtitle:

`Subtitle J–Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism

`SEC. 899A. DEFINITIONS.

`For purposes of this subtitle:

`(1) COMMISSION- The term `Commission’ means the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism established under section 899C.

`(2) VIOLENT RADICALIZATION- The term `violent radicalization’ means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.

`(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM- The term `homegrown terrorism’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

`(4) IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE- The term `ideologically based violence’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual’s political, religious, or social beliefs.

`SEC. 899B. FINDINGS.

`The Congress finds the following:

`(1) The development and implementation of methods and processes that can be utilized to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States is critical to combating domestic terrorism.

`(2) The promotion of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence exists in the United States and poses a threat to homeland security.

`(3) The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.

`(4) While the United States must continue its vigilant efforts to combat international terrorism, it must also strengthen efforts to combat the threat posed by homegrown terrorists based and operating within the United States.

`(5) Understanding the motivational factors that lead to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence is a vital step toward eradicating these threats in the United States.

`(6) Preventing the potential rise of self radicalized, unaffiliated terrorists domestically cannot be easily accomplished solely through traditional Federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts, and can benefit from the incorporation of State and local efforts.

`(7) Individuals prone to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence span all races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs, and individuals should not be targeted based solely on race, ethnicity, or religion.

`(8) Any measure taken to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism in the United States should not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, or civil liberties of United States citizens or lawful permanent residents.

`(9) Certain governments, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have significant experience with homegrown terrorism and the United States can benefit from lessons learned by those nations.

`SEC. 899C. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE PREVENTION OF VIOLENT RADICALIZATION AND IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE.

`(a) Establishment- There is established within the legislative branch of the Government the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism.

`(b) Purpose- The purposes of the Commission are the following:

`(1) Examine and report upon the facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States, including United States connections to non-United States persons and networks, violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in prison, individual or `lone wolf’ violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence, and other faces of the phenomena of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence that the Commission considers important.

`(2) Build upon and bring together the work of other entities and avoid unnecessary duplication, by reviewing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of–

`(A) the Center of Excellence established or designated under section 899D, and other academic work, as appropriate;

`(B) Federal, State, local, or tribal studies of, reviews of, and experiences with violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence; and

`(C) foreign government studies of, reviews of, and experiences with violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence.

`(c) Composition of Commission- The Commission shall be composed of 10 members appointed for the life of the Commission, of whom–

`(1) one member shall be appointed by the President from among officers or employees of the executive branch and private citizens of the United States;

`(2) one member shall be appointed by the Secretary;

`(3) one member shall be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;

`(4) one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;

`(5) one member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

`(6) one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;

`(7) one member shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives;

`(8) one member shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives;

`(9) one member shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and

`(10) one member shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.

`(d) Chair and Vice Chair- The Commission shall elect a Chair and a Vice Chair from among its members.

`(e) Qualifications- Individuals shall be selected for appointment to the Commission solely on the basis of their professional qualifications, achievements, public stature, experience, and expertise in relevant fields, including, but not limited to, behavioral science, constitutional law, corrections, counterterrorism, cultural anthropology, education, information technology, intelligence, juvenile justice, local law enforcement, organized crime, Islam and other world religions, sociology, or terrorism.

`(f) Deadline for Appointment- All members of the Commission shall be appointed no later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this subtitle.

`(g) Quorum and Meetings- The Commission shall meet and begin the operations of the Commission not later than 30 days after the date on which all members have been appointed or, if such meeting cannot be mutually agreed upon, on a date designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Each subsequent meeting shall occur upon the call of the Chair or a majority of its members. A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold meetings.

`(h) Authority of Individuals to Act for Commission- Any member of the Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action that the Commission is authorized to take under this Act.

`(i) Powers of Commission- The powers of the Commission shall be as follows:

`(1) IN GENERAL-

`(A) HEARINGS AND EVIDENCE- The Commission or, on the authority of the Commission, any subcommittee or member thereof, may, for the purpose of carrying out this section, hold hearings and sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, receive such evidence, and administer such oaths as the Commission considers advisable to carry out its duties.

`(B) CONTRACTING- The Commission may, to such extent and in such amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts, enter into contracts to enable the Commission to discharge its duties under this section.

`(2) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Commission may request directly from any executive department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality of the Government, information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics for the purposes of this section. The head of each such department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality shall, to the extent practicable and authorized by law, furnish such information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics directly to the Commission, upon request made by the Chair of the Commission, by the chair of any subcommittee created by a majority of the Commission, or by any member designated by a majority of the Commission.

`(B) RECEIPT, HANDLING, STORAGE, AND DISSEMINATION- The Committee and its staff shall receive, handle, store, and disseminate information in a manner consistent with the operative statutes, regulations, and Executive orders that govern the handling, storage, and dissemination of such information at the department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality that responds to the request.

`(j) Assistance From Federal Agencies-

`(1) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION- The Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Commission on a reimbursable basis administrative support and other services for the performance of the Commission’s functions.

`(2) OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES- In addition to the assistance required under paragraph (1), departments and agencies of the United States may provide to the Commission such services, funds, facilities, and staff as they may determine advisable and as may be authorized by law.

`(k) Postal Services- The Commission may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as departments and agencies of the United States.

`(l) Nonapplicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act- The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Commission.

`(m) Public Meetings-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The Commission shall hold public hearings and meetings to the extent appropriate.

`(2) PROTECTION OF INFORMATION- Any public hearings of the Commission shall be conducted in a manner consistent with the protection of information provided to or developed for or by the Commission as required by any applicable statute, regulation, or Executive order including subsection (i)(2)(B).

`(n) Staff of Commission-

`(1) APPOINTMENT AND COMPENSATION- The Chair of the Commission, in consultation with the Vice Chair and in accordance with rules adopted by the Commission, may appoint and fix the compensation of a staff director and such other personnel as may be necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its functions, without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, except that no rate of pay fixed under this subsection may exceed the maximum rate of pay for GS-15 under the General Schedule.

`(2) STAFF EXPERTISE- Individuals shall be selected for appointment as staff of the Commission on the basis of their expertise in one or more of the fields referred to in subsection (e).

`(3) PERSONNEL AS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The executive director and any employees of the Commission shall be employees under section 2105 of title 5, United States Code, for purposes of chapters 63, 81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, and 90 of that title.

`(B) MEMBERS OF COMMISSION- Subparagraph (A) shall not be construed to apply to members of the Commission.

`(4) DETAILEES- Any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement from the Commission, and during such detail shall retain the rights, status, and privileges of his or her regular employment without interruption.

`(5) CONSULTANT SERVICES- The Commission may procure the services of experts and consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, but at rates not to exceed the daily rate paid a person occupying a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code.

`(6) EMPHASIS ON SECURITY CLEARANCES- The Commission shall make it a priority to hire as employees and retain as contractors and detailees individuals otherwise authorized by this section who have active security clearances.

`(o) Commission Personnel Matters-

`(1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS- Each member of the Commission who is not an employee of the government shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day during which that member is engaged in the actual performance of the duties of the Commission.

`(2) TRAVEL EXPENSES- While away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Commission, members of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Commission.

`(3) TRAVEL ON ARMED FORCES CONVEYANCES- Members and personnel of the Commission may travel on aircraft, vehicles, or other conveyances of the Armed Forces of the United States when such travel is necessary in the performance of a duty of the Commission, unless the cost of commercial transportation is less expensive.

`(4) TREATMENT OF SERVICE FOR PURPOSES OF RETIREMENT BENEFITS- A member of the Commission who is an annuitant otherwise covered by section 8344 or 8468 of title 5, United States Code, by reason of membership on the Commission shall not be subject to the provisions of such section with respect to membership on the Commission.

`(5) VACANCIES- A vacancy on the Commission shall not affect its powers and shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made. The appointment of the replacement member shall be made not later than 60 days after the date on which the vacancy occurs.

`(p) Security Clearances- The heads of appropriate departments and agencies of the executive branch shall cooperate with the Commission to expeditiously provide Commission members and staff with appropriate security clearances to the extent possible under applicable procedures and requirements.

`(q) Reports-

`(1) FINAL REPORT- Not later than 18 months after the date on which the Commission first meets, the Commission shall submit to the President and Congress a final report of its findings and conclusions, legislative recommendations for immediate and long-term countermeasures to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence, and measures that can be taken to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence from developing and spreading within the United States, and any final recommendations for any additional grant programs to support these purposes. The report may also be accompanied by a classified annex.

`(2) INTERIM REPORTS- The Commission shall submit to the President and Congress–

`(A) by not later than 6 months after the date on which the Commission first meets, a first interim report on–

`(i) its findings and conclusions and legislative recommendations for the purposes described in paragraph (1); and

`(ii) its recommendations on the feasibility of a grant program established and administered by the Secretary for the purpose of preventing, disrupting, and mitigating the effects of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence and, if such a program is feasible, recommendations on how grant funds should be used and administered; and

`(B) by not later than 6 months after the date on which the Commission submits the interim report under subparagraph (A), a second interim report on such matters.

`(3) INDIVIDUAL OR DISSENTING VIEWS- Each member of the Commission may include in each report under this subsection the individual additional or dissenting views of the member.

`(4) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY- The Commission shall release a public version of each report required under this subsection.

`(r) Availability of Funding- Amounts made available to the Commission to carry out this section shall remain available until the earlier of the expenditure of the amounts or the termination of the Commission.

`(s) Termination of Commission- The Commission shall terminate 30 days after the date on which the Commission submits its final report.

`SEC. 899D. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE STUDY OF VIOLENT RADICALIZATION AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES.

`(a) Establishment- The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States (hereinafter referred to as `Center’) following the merit-review processes and procedures and other limitations that have been previously established for selecting and supporting University Programs Centers of Excellence. The Center shall assist Federal, State, local and tribal homeland security officials through training, education, and research in preventing violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States. In carrying out this section, the Secretary may choose to either create a new Center designed exclusively for the purpose stated herein or identify and expand an existing Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence so that a working group is exclusively designated within the existing Center of Excellence to achieve the purpose set forth in subsection (b).

`(b) Purpose- It shall be the purpose of the Center to study the social, criminal, political, psychological, and economic roots of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States and methods that can be utilized by Federal, State, local, and tribal homeland security officials to mitigate violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism.

`(c) Activities- In carrying out this section, the Center shall–

`(1) contribute to the establishment of training, written materials, information, analytical assistance and professional resources to aid in combating violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism;

`(2) utilize theories, methods and data from the social and behavioral sciences to better understand the origins, dynamics, and social and psychological aspects of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism;

`(3) conduct research on the motivational factors that lead to violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism; and

`(4) coordinate with other academic institutions studying the effects of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism where appropriate.

`SEC. 899E. PREVENTING VIOLENT RADICALIZATION AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM THROUGH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE EFFORTS.

`(a) International Effort- The Secretary shall, in cooperation with the Department of State, the Attorney General, and other Federal Government entities, as appropriate, conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in their respective nations.

`(b) Implementation- To the extent that methodologies are permissible under the Constitution, the Secretary shall use the results of the survey as an aid in developing, in consultation with the Attorney General, a national policy in the United States on addressing radicalization and homegrown terrorism.

`(c) Reports to Congress- The Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that provides–

`(1) a brief description of the foreign partners participating in the survey; and

`(2) a description of lessons learned from the results of the survey and recommendations implemented through this international outreach.

`SEC. 899F. PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES WHILE PREVENTING IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM.

`(a) In General- The Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to prevent ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism as described herein shall not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, or civil liberties of United States citizens or lawful permanent residents.

`(b) Commitment to Racial Neutrality- The Secretary shall ensure that the activities and operations of the entities created by this subtitle are in compliance with the Department of Homeland Security’s commitment to racial neutrality.

`(c) Auditing Mechanism- The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Officer of the Department of Homeland Security shall develop and implement an auditing mechanism to ensure that compliance with this subtitle does not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, or civil liberties of any racial, ethnic, or religious group, and shall include the results of audits under such mechanism in its annual report to Congress required under section 705.’.

(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of contents in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting at the end of the items relating to title VIII the following:

`Subtitle J–Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism

`Sec. 899A. Definitions.

`Sec. 899B. Findings.

`Sec. 899C. National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Ideologically Based Violence.

`Sec. 899D. Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States.

`Sec. 899E. Preventing violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism through international cooperative efforts.

`Sec. 899F. Protecting civil rights and civil liberties while preventing ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism.’.

Passed the House of Representatives October 23, 2007.

Attest:

LORRAINE C. MILLER,

Clerk1st SessionH. R. 1955AN ACTTo prevent homegrown terrorism, and for other purposes.

Constitution & Law
See other Constitution & Law Articles

Title: House Passes Thought Crime Prevention Bill
Source: RogueGovernment
URL Source: http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php? id=4682
Published: Oct 25, 2007
Author: Lee Rogers
Post Date: 2007-10-29 23:00:04 by bush_is_a_moonie
13 Comments

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed HR 1955 titled the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. This bill is one of the most blatant attacks against the Constitution yet and actually defines thought crimes as homegrown terrorism. If passed into law, it will also establish a commission and a Center of Excellence to study and defeat so called thought criminals. Unlike previous anti-terror legislation, this bill specifically targets the civilian population of the United States and uses vague language to define homegrown terrorism. Amazingly, 404 of our elected representatives from both the Democrat and Republican parties voted in favor of this bill. There is little doubt that this bill is specifically targeting the growing patriot community that is demanding the restoration of the Constitution.

First let’s take a look at the definitions of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism as defined in Section 899A of the bill.

The definition of violent radicalization uses vague language to define this term of promoting any belief system that the government considers to be an extremist agenda. Since the bill doesn’t specifically define what an extremist belief system is, it is entirely up to the interpretation of the government. Considering how much the government has done to destroy the Constitution they could even define Ron Paul supporters as promoting an extremist belief system. Literally, the government according to this definition can define whatever they want as an extremist belief system. Essentially they have defined violent radicalization as thought crime. The definition as defined in the bill is shown below.

`(2) VIOLENT RADICALIZATION- The term `violent radicalization’ means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.

The definition of homegrown terrorism uses equally vague language to further define thought crime. The bill includes the planned use of force or violence as homegrown terrorism which could be interpreted as thinking about using force or violence. Not only that but the definition is so vaguely defined, that petty crimes could even fall into the category of homegrown terrorism. The definition as defined in the bill is shown below.

`(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM- The term `homegrown terrorism’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

Section 899B of the bill goes over the findings of Congress as it pertains to homegrown terrorism. Particularly alarming is that the bill mentions the Internet as a main source for terrorist propaganda. The bill even mentions streams in obvious reference to many of the patriot and pro-constitution Internet radio networks that have been formed. It also mentions that homegrown terrorists span all ages and races indicating that the Congress is stating that everyone is a potential terrorist. Even worse is that Congress states in their findings that they should look at draconian police states like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom as models to defeat homegrown terrorists. Literally, these findings of Congress fall right in line with the growing patriot community.

The biggest joke of all is that this section also says that any measure to prevent violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism should not violate the constitutional rights of citizens. However, the definition of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism as they are defined in section 899A are themselves unconstitutional. The Constitution does not allow the government to arrest people for thought crimes, so any promises not to violate the constitutional rights of citizens are already broken by their own definitions.

`SEC. 899B. FINDINGS.

`The Congress finds the following:

`(1) The development and implementation of methods and processes that can be utilized to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States is critical to combating domestic terrorism.

`(2) The promotion of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence exists in the United States and poses a threat to homeland security.

`(3) The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.

`(4) While the United States must continue its vigilant efforts to combat international terrorism, it must also strengthen efforts to combat the threat posed by homegrown terrorists based and operating within the United States.

`(5) Understanding the motivational factors that lead to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence is a vital step toward eradicating these threats in the United States.

`(6) The potential rise of self radicalized, unaffiliated terrorists domestically cannot be easily prevented through traditional Federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts, and requires the incorporation of State and local solutions.

`(7) Individuals prone to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence span all races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs, and individuals should not be targeted based solely on race, ethnicity, or religion.

`(8) Any measure taken to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism in the United States should not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights and civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents.

`(9) Certain governments, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have significant experience with homegrown terrorism and the United States can benefit from lessons learned by those nations.

Section 899C calls for a commission on the prevention of violent radicalization and ideologically based violence. The commission will consist of ten members appointed by various individuals that hold different positions in government. Essentially, this is a commission that will examine and report on how they are going to deal with violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism. So basically, the commission is being formed specifically on how to deal with thought criminals in the United States. The bill requires that the commission submit their final report 18 months following the commission’s first meeting as well as submit interim reports every 6 months leading up to the final report. Below is the bill’s defined purpose of the commission. Amazingly they even define one of the purposes of the commission to determine the causes of lone wolf violent radicalization.

(b) Purpose- The purposes of the Commission are the following:

`(1) Examine and report upon the facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States, including United States connections to non-United States persons and networks, violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in prison, individual or `lone wolf’ violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence, and other faces of the phenomena of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence that the Commission considers important.

`(2) Build upon and bring together the work of other entities and avoid unnecessary duplication, by reviewing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of–

`(A) the Center of Excellence established or designated under section 899D, and other academic work, as appropriate;

`(B) Federal, State, local, or tribal studies of, reviews of, and experiences with violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence; and

`(C) foreign government studies of, reviews of, and experiences with violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence.

Section 899D of the bill establishes a Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States. Essentially, this will be a Department of Homeland Security affiliated institution that will study and determine how to defeat thought criminals.

Section 899E of the bill discusses how the government is going to defeat violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism through international cooperation. As stated in the findings section earlier in the legislation, they will unquestionably seek the advice of countries with draconian police states like the United Kingdom to determine how to deal with this growing threat of thought crime.

Possibly the most ridiculous section of the bill is Section 899F which states how they plan on protecting civil rights and civil liberties while preventing ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism. Here is what the section says.

`SEC. 899F. PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES WHILE PREVENTING IDEOLOGICALLY-BASED VIOLENCE AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM.

`(a) In General- The Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to prevent ideologically-based violence and homegrown terrorism as described herein shall not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, and civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents.

`(b) Commitment to Racial Neutrality- The Secretary shall ensure that the activities and operations of the entities created by this subtitle are in compliance with the Department of Homeland Security’s commitment to racial neutrality.

`(c) Auditing Mechanism- The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Officer of the Department of Homeland Security will develop and implement an auditing mechanism to ensure that compliance with this subtitle does not result in a disproportionate impact, without a rational basis, on any particular race, ethnicity, or religion and include the results of its audit in its annual report to Congress required under section 705.’.

(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of contents in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting at the end of the items relating to title VIII the following:

It states in the first subsection that in general the efforts to defeat thought crime shall not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights and civil liberties of the United States citizens and lawful permanent residents. How does this protect constitutional rights if they use vague language such as in general that prefaces the statement? This means that the Department of Homeland Security does not have to abide by the Constitution in their attempts to prevent so called homegrown terrorism.

This bill is completely insane. It literally allows the government to define any and all crimes including thought crime as violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism. Obviously, this legislation is unconstitutional on a number of levels and it is clear that all 404 representatives who voted in favor of this bill are traitors and should be removed from office immediately. The treason spans both political parties and it shows us all that there is no difference between them. The bill will go on to the Senate and will likely be passed and signed into the law by George W. Bush. Considering that draconian legislation like the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act have already been passed, there seems little question that this one will get passed as well. This is more proof that our country has been completely sold out by a group of traitors at all levels of government.

Kerry and Bush: Both skull and bones

Bush, Kerry Share Tippy-Top Secret

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A48358-2004Apr3?language=printer

Yalies Bush and Kerry Share a Patrician Past Of Skull and Bones

By Don Oldenburg

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 4, 2004; Page D01

NEW HAVEN, Conn.People passing through on High Street barely notice the cryptlike Greco-Egyptian building called the Tomb.On a snowy March morning, Yale professor Ingeborg Glier hurries to class past the grim, practically windowless, brown limestone mausoleum. For 138 years it has housed Skull and Bones — a secret society that links President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, and is imagined by some to be the most potent in the nation’s history.

<!– Start of rightcontent.inc –>   The Skull and Bones “Tomb” on the Yale campus : An elite, covert club whose activities continue long past the final strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” on graduation day. (Photos David Roberts For The Washington Post) “I know it exists but that’s about as much as I know,” says Glier, who has taught Germanic language and literature at Yale for 34 years. “Once in a while there is a sort of furtive person slinking into this building.” Bulldozing a stump in front of the Tomb’s towering padlocked front doors, grounds worker Dawn Landino says that after 19 years on the job she knows “nothing” about the secret society. “I never see anyone around the Tomb,” she says. “I think it’s more of an after-hours club.” New Haven cabby Gerald Walthall grins knowingly. “They’re supposed to have Geronimo’s bones in there, but they could be anyone’s bones,” he says. “College kids do crazy things. . . . But because Skull and Bones doesn’t tell you anything, people suspect it.” Rick Beckwith flips sausages and eggs on the grill at the Yankee Doodle diner, a Yale institution three blocks away. “From what I hear,” says the New Haven native, whose grandfather opened the popular eatery 54 years ago, “it’s the most powerful secret society at Yale. Looking at the number of powerful people who come out of Yale, Skull and Bones is probably everything it’s made out to be.” It’s no secret that Bush and Kerry are both Yalies. Bush graduated in 1968, Kerry in ‘66. It’s no secret either that they both come from privileged preppy backgrounds. What remains shrouded in mystery is their membership in Skull and Bones, an elite, covert club for which involvement continues long past the last refrain of “Pomp and Circumstance” on graduation day. Never before have two Bonesmen run against each other for the presidency. It’s a coincidence of historic political proportions. “What is so staggering about two Bonesmen running against each other for president is that it’s a tiny club with 15 members a year and only 600-some living at any time. What are the odds?” says Alexandra Robbins, author of the 2002 book “Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power.” Don’t bother asking Bush and Kerry the odds. Both would rather advocate raising taxes. Neither talks publicly about Skull and Bones — except to say he can’t talk about it. Neither man responded to repeated requests for interviews for this article. But when Tim Russert asked Bush about Skull and Bones in February on “Meet the Press,” the president said: “It’s so secret we can’t talk about it.” When Russert asked Kerry last August what it meant that both he and Bush are Bonesmen, the Massachusetts senator replied: “Not much because it’s a secret.” But the fact that both presidential candidates are Bonesmen raises a different question: How has Skull and Bones imprinted them? Some critics say Bones produces elitist leaders who are myopic on America’s social and economic challenges. Others argue that for presidential candidates to profess loyalty to a secret society — particularly one that for a time didn’t admit minorities and women — is contrary to democratic principles. Chicago writer and educator Steve Sewall, son of revered Yale English professor Richard B. Sewall, has even called for Bush and Kerry to resign from Skull and Bones. “They can be loyal to it, but they can’t place that loyalty above the loyalty to the nation they serve,” he argues. “It is really by definition an extremely exclusive club for the wealthy and connected,” says Bill Minutaglio, a Texas journalist and author of “First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty.” “Put all that together and suddenly, in the year 2004, realize the two men who are running for the most important office on the planet Earth come out of that exact same mausoleum, and it should give you pause and reason to think about what it means to be privileged, enabled and protected in the United States.” A Legacy of Leadership Skull and Bones was created in 1832 by Yale student William H. Russell, heir to a fortune made in the opium trade. During his travels, Russell linked up with an occult society in Germany and returned to New Haven with thoughts of starting a chapter, according to documents purloined during an 1876 Tomb break-in. Rejecting the day’s anti-Masonic movement that deplored all things secret, Russell lured a select few of his most promising classmates into a covenant — sworn to secrecy for fear of repercussions by the faculty and for the prestige of exclusiveness. Twenty-four years later, in 1856, the corporate parent of the thriving secret society, the Russell Trust Association, built the Tomb across the street from Old Campus, the university’s original structures. At some early point, the society settled on a membership formula that remains today: Every spring, senior Bonesmen tap 15 juniors, students considered the most promising future leaders. A roster of Bones alumni, known as “patriarchs,” surfaced in the mid-1980s. Included are names of the nation’s oldest, wealthiest and most powerful dynasties — Whitney, Adams, Lord, Rockefeller, Payne, Pillsbury, Weyerhaeuser. Other famous names on the list: poet Archibald MacLeish; writer John Hersey; political commentator William F. Buckley; Time-Life founder Henry Luce; investment banker Dean Witter Jr. and Morgan Stanley founder Harold Stanley, among others who built Wall Street; diplomat Averill Harriman and FedEx founder Frederick Smith. Bush’s father, former president George H.W. Bush, is a Bonesman, as was his grandfather, Sen. Prescott Bush. And the family married into even more Bones links on the Walker side. As for Kerry, his brother-in-law from his first marriage was Bones; his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, was married to the late Sen. John Heinz, whose father was Bones. Bones alumni show up as luminaries of the political power grid throughout history — Supreme Court justices, federal judges, U.S. senators and congressmen, Cabinet members, CIA officials. And, yes, presidents — though more Bonesmen had the president’s ear than the job. The first Bonesman in the White House was William Howard Taft, whose father was an original member. The two Bush administrations restored Bones to the presidency. If Kerry is elected, it will mean three of the last four presidents have been Bonesmen. This legacy of Bones prominence is not surprising since Yale, like all prestigious universities, theoretically is attended by the nation’s best and brightest, many of whom are from wealthy and powerful families — a circle of success. Bones taps those who the members think are the most promising of this promising pool. But with its veil of secrecy, Bones also inspires far-fetched conspiracy theories. Skull and Bones has been accused of being a satanic group, an international Mafia, and an incubator of future agents of a “New World Order.” What feeds such suspicions is that Bonesmen are like a cross between Forrest Gump and Zelig — always in the picture at major historical crossroads: Bonesmen oversaw development of the atomic bomb and influenced the decision to use it on Japan. They managed the postwar occupation of Germany. They helped shape U.S. Cold War policies. They were policymakers during the Vietnam War. They have ties to the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission — two hot-button organizations for conspiracy theorists. Conspiracy theorists have a field day over the fact that Bonesmen were among the founders of the Central Intelligence Agency. They love to point out that statues of the patriot spy Nathan Hale, Yale 1773, stand on both the university’s campus and the CIA’s headquarters in Langley. But there’s a simple explanation for the “cloak-and-gown connection,” says Gaddis Smith, Yale history professor emeritus who is writing a book on modern Yale. During the Second World War, bright students from Yale, Harvard and Princeton were recruited into the Office of Strategic Services, predecessor of the CIA. “Part of it was they found more people with European language skills here than they would out of Nebraska State,” says Smith. After the war, the new CIA continued to recruit Yale grads, as well as other Ivy Leaguers — no big conspiracy there. As for Hale, captured 30 minutes into his first mission, he was “the nation’s first and least successful spy,” says Smith. He is remembered for his final words before British troops hanged him: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Says Ron Rosenbaum, a journalist who wrote the first Bones exposé in a 1977 Esquire article and continues to investigate the society: “Many of the people who helped shape the American national character in the past century had their character shaped in part by the bones of Skull and Bones, but this is not a secret cabal that rules the world. It is an underreported network of influence and power.” Believing the society was exclusionary, William Sloane Coffin, Bones ‘49, refused to associate with it during the ’60s and ’70s, when, as Yale’s chaplain, he was renowned for his civil rights and antiwar leadership. But even so, he says today, Bones brothers leave Yale bound together for life and determined to make a difference. Caught in the Courtyard Much of what’s public about Skull and Bones is lore, and some of it sounds more sophomoric than snobbish. Most Bones alumni contacted for this story did not reply; a few spoke, though willingness to be identified was rare. To research her book, Robbins — Yale ‘98 and a member of Scroll and Key, another Yale secret society — says she contacted more than 300 Bonesmen; about 100 talked, but few would be identified. And since the book was published, she has been snubbed by fellow Key members. Rosenbaum says much of his information comes from disenchanted girlfriends of Bonesmen. Rosenbaum became fascinated with Skull and Bones when, as an undergraduate in the same class as Bush, he lived next to the Tomb. After nightfall one Saturday in April 2001, he and a videotaping crew hid on a perch in Weir Hall overlooking the Tomb’s back courtyard and filmed what he believes was the climax of a Skull and Bones initiation. It was a ritual that sounds like a frat party gone medieval. The ceremony was coarse with sexual taunts, loud with shrieking and groaning, and centered on “mystical mumbo jumbo,” Rosenbaum says. Bonesmen emerged in hooded robes, some carrying skulls and femur-sized bones, one dressed as the devil, another in a George W. Bush mask. Each of the 15 initiates knelt, kissed a skull and had his throat ceremoniously cut. “This is conjecture,” says Rosenbaum, “but I feel that the death imagery is designed to instill a sense of mortality, to turn preppy Prince Hals into people who have a sense of a larger mission in life.” After initiation, new members spend a week with Bones patriarchs on Deer Island, the 40-acre New York “resort” the Russell Trust Association owns on the St. Lawrence River. In the 2000 movie “The Skulls,” a fictional murder mystery based loosely on Bones legend, the gathering is a hedonistic welcome that showers sports cars, fat bank accounts and prostitutes on the increasingly smug initiates. Robbins and Rosenbaum say the reality is more likely a G-rated version. In September, the 15 new members are said to meet twice weekly to reveal their sexual histories. Some accounts say each member lies naked in a stone coffin and describes his most intimate experiences while masturbating, but Robbins speculates that the coffin confessions went out of style decades ago and Bonesmen now fess up more civilly. The goal, supposedly, is to create lasting bonds. “That’s why they do the sexual history,” she says. “If you want to form best friendships as quickly as possible, it makes sense.” “Quirky, mawkish, sophomoric, whatever you want to call it,” says Coffin, who just published “Credo,” a book of reflections. “I can only say that in 1949, even for a pretty skeptical guy like me, it worked. It worked for the whole group.” The Secret Handshake What is a network of friendships to some is an old-boy network to others. “There’s no specific creed that they are supposed to go out and spread,” says Robbins. “They do have this agenda to further and bolster their superiority complex . . . and to get its members into positions of power, and to have those members hire other members into similar positions of power.” Many would argue that’s how any fraternity — or any circle of friends and associates, for that matter — would operate. Since Bush moved into the White House, he has nominated or appointed at least 10 Bonesmen to prestigious positions — among them the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bill Donaldson, ‘53; Assistant Attorney General Robert McCallum, ‘68; General Counsel to the Office of Homeland Security Edward McNally, ‘79; and his close friend Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Roy Austin, ‘68. “What’s interesting about Bush is how he distances himself from the Eastern Establishment while he is installing it in high offices,” says Robbins. Bush has also benefited from Bones on his path to power. His first real job, the financing of his first oil company, his lucrative partnership owning the Texas Rangers baseball team, the big money backing his campaigns — all had Bones backing, says Minutaglio. “George W. went from being a self-described ‘Good-time Charlie’ to president of the United States largely with the help of an inner circle of his parents’ friends, his own trusted pals, and brothers from Yale and Skull and Bones,” he says. But what bothers Minutaglio more is the influence he thinks Bones has had on Bush. “The Bushes like to talk about folks who are ‘good men,’ and they use that term almost in the sense of King Arthur and the Round Table,” he says. For a chunk of its history, Skull and Bones was criticized as a male WASP stronghold. While numbers aren’t accessible, Smith and Robbins say Bones has tapped Jews since the 1930s and blacks and gays since the ’60s, though only in token numbers until recent decades. Since the ’90s, according to Robbins and Yale President Richard Levin, Yale’s growing ethnic diversity has been reflected in Bones membership. But the old-boy network couldn’t accept women quite as easily. After Yale began admitting women in 1969, the first Bonesmen to try to tap them were in the Class of ‘71. The attempt was thwarted by outraged patriarchs — among them McGeorge Bundy, the national security adviser to presidents Kennedy and Johnson; investment banker Jonathan Bush, George W.’s uncle; and John “Tex” McCrary, the public relations legend. They threatened to shut the Tomb for a year and choose the next Bones class themselves. In 1991, the patriarchs did lock down the Tomb to rebuff that class’s intention to tap women. After a lawsuit was filed, women were approved narrowly. Since then, speculates Robbins, Bones has tapped five to eight women per class. Russell Cangelosi, Bones ‘72 and a high school history teacher and head football coach in Tennessee, says Bones always sought diversity, in one way or another. “Where else would a jock . . . get to debate issues with an actor, a singer, a symphony musician, or a writer for the Yale Daily News? You can’t get a bunch like that to agree on very much of anything, much less conspire as a group. Yet, the experience is priceless.” View >From the Top Arguably, in the larger context of Yale itself, Skull and Bones doesn’t seem quite so mysterious. Framed on the wall in Yale President Richard Levin’s office in Woodbridge Hall is the founding charter, dated 1701. By today’s standards, it sounds plebeian: To establish a college where youth “may be fitted for publick employment both in church and civil state.” For more than three centuries, Yale has seen its job as educating future leaders — from the 14 Yalies who served on the Continental Congress and four signers of the Declaration of Independence to four of the past six U.S. presidents (the two Bushes; Bill Clinton, Yale Law ‘67; and Gerald Ford, Yale Law ‘41). This year’s Democratic primary was flush with Yalies, in addition to Kerry: Joe Lieberman, ‘64 and Yale Law ‘67, and Howard Dean, ‘71. They and President Bush were undergrads when then-Yale President Kingman Brewster proclaimed Yale’s goal to be to produce “one thousand male leaders every year.” After Brewster turned the university coed in 1969, the statement was trimmed to “one thousand leaders.” Levin, who has been president for 11 years, often refers to Yale as “a laboratory for leadership.” Aside from the university’s acclaimed academic life, Yale provides undergrads a wealth of opportunities to lead. Registered on campus are 250 student organizations. “With only 1,300 seniors, roughly one in five or six becomes the head of an organization,” says Levin, sitting in the rocking chair favored by Yale President Ezra Stiles in the 1780s. Lieberman was chairman of the Yale Daily News. Kerry was president of the Yale Political Union, the long-standing debate forum on campus. Bush presided over Delta Kappa Epsilon, the national fraternity founded more than 150 years ago at Yale. Former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke, Yale ‘71, recalls that during his junior year, he proposed to Yale administrators that the class start a child-care center — a rarity then. “Rather than having somebody say, ‘That’s a silly idea’ or ‘Come back 20 years from now when you’re successful and can fund it,’ there was encouragement. There was a sense of ‘Give it a try and see what you can do,’” says Schmoke, now dean of Howard Law School. “Yale embraces the notion of its students thinking like leaders and doing what leaders do.” Moreover, Lieberman, Kerry, Bush and Dean were at Yale during a politically potent 11-year span ripe for sparking leadership. The early ’60s were a time when a dashing Ivy-educated president inspired a generation to ask what they could do for their country. By the time Kerry gave the Class Day speech before graduation, Vietnam was turning bad and he expressed his class’s concerns about the war. But true to the Yale motto, “For God, for Country and for Yale,” he enlisted in the Navy and served. Two years later, Bush and the class of ‘68 straddled the cultural divide that split the nation over mounting casualties and diminishing credibility in a controversial war. By the time Dean graduated in ‘71, the Yale campus, and nation, was a powder keg of disaffection. “No doubt politics was in the air, it was something people talked about and thought about,” says Levin. “But the specific thing about Yale is that it’s really less a creation of the ’60s than it is a product of long tradition.” Looking out of his office windows, Levin can see Scroll and Key’s headquarters. In a sense, Skull and Bones is just a microcosm of Yale’s culture of leadership, he suggests. “The truth is, it looks more prominent from the outside than from the inside. . . . It is not fraught with all the significance that the outside world tends to give to it.” What the Launderer Saw Outside the Tomb, a laundry service truck pulls up to the curb. Ben Barrett climbs out and goes down a flight of steps to a basement side door and returns with a large bag of dirty laundry. He regularly picks up Skull and Bones’s dirty laundry. Ever anything weird? “Just tablecloths, napkins,” he says. No hooded robes? No devil costumes? “Nope. Just linens and tablecloths.”   Skull and Bones http://proliberty.com/observer/20040205.htm http://www.apfn.org/apfn/thule.htm http://www.trosch.org/bks/msnc/masonry-exposed.html http://www.ontopofacloud.com/SkullandBones.htm http://www.texemarrs.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=catalog&Product_Code=wop_digging_deeper_set Democracy in action ? is it ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE A student gets arrested for asking Senator Kerry whether he and George W. Bush are members of the same secret society otherwise known as the Skull and Bones. A Democrat and a Republican, both potential candidates for US Presidency, each one a member of Skull and Bones. Hey…. wait a minute… is not America the land of the free…. whats wrong in that ? DEMOCRACY The people vote and whoever they vote for will eventually carry out Skull and Bones agenda. What is their agenda ? who knows – ‘for the people and by the people’ yeah right ! For what is the point of voting when the same secret society rules whosoever is elected ? Andrew Meyers Also, are you a member, were you a member of Skull and Bones in college with Bush? Were you in the same secret [Meyer's microphone is cut off] society as Bush? Were you in Skull and Bones?” [turns to side and says, sarcastically]: “Thank you for cutting my mic [A man in a suit and sunglasses makes a throat-slitting motion towards police and walks offscreen]. [turns to Senator Kerry and says] Thank you.” Kerry: “That’s alright.” “Let me answer his question.” A question which he never replied…. “In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way. I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody. I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building. I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted.” Good and healthy discussion ?… yeah right!! Democracy in action…. Andrew Meyers was arrested for inciting a riot…. which riot ? the one against Skull and Bones! http://www.jeremiahproject.com/newworldorder/nworder03.html http://www.government-propaganda.com/skull-n-bones.html http://www.meta-religion.com/Secret_societies/Groups/Order_of_Skull/order_of_skull_and_bones.htm http://www.bilderberg.org/skulbone.htm http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0122-10.htm other taser abuse http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2007/11/15/milewski.canada.man.tasered.cbc 4. But all is not bad in the great UUUU   SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS of AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA………………. “The Blessed Virgin Mary: Enmity and War” (c) USA Jozef Sinpaal Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the United States of America  Centuries ago, on the Island of Crete, there was once venerated an Icon which was referred to as ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Succor.’ During the times of the Ottoman invasions, it was removed to Rome. The Image was also known as ‘Our Lady of Never-Failing Help’ and ‘Our Lady of Ever-Enduring Succor.’ It became famous with the locals due to the many miracles wrought when the Icon was solemnly carried during processions. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the Augustinians promulgated the devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, and this devotion spread throughout Italy. It remains a fervently observed devotion up till our modern day, especially in the Sicilian town of Caltavulturo, where an Image of the Madonna is kept, holding a club in her upraised right hand, ‘used to drive away enemies,’ and painted by Giovanni da Monte Rubiano. The devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor became well known when a man named Nicolo Bruno beheld a vision of Our Lady holding a club in her hand. At the time he was sick and consequently following the vision, was healed of his fever and a broken neck. Another popular miracle amongst the citizens of Sciacca, Sicily, occurred when Our Lady saved a boy from the tenebrous clutches of the Devil. The event came about when the mother of the ‘naughty’ child in a fit of rage cried out “may the devil take you away,” the devil immediately appeared and was about to drag her son into the abyss of hell, when the mother repenting begged Our Lady of Prompt Succor to save her son. The Blessed Virgin appeared dressed in white and a gold robe and gold diadem, she carried the club with which she struck the Devil knocking him to the ground. The boy, who was now released, ran to the Blessed Virgin and hid under her cape. The Blessed Virgin together with the boy, walked to the Devil and trampled him underfoot. She then proceeded to the boy’s mother saying: “Put your trust in Our Lady of Prompt Succor, for I am the protector of Sciacca (Sicily), fear not my children for I shall never abandon you.”(1)In 1727, French Ursuline nuns established a monastery in New Orleans, USA. King Louis XV aided their cause, their main apostolate was Catholic education. When in 1763 the State of Louisiana came under the rule of the Spanish Nation, the Spanish nuns were sent to the monastery. On reverting back to the French the Spanish nuns fled, as they feared the Napoleonic regime and his persecution of the Church. In 1803, the Mother of the Congregation, Mother Saint Andre Madier, sent for Mother Saint Michel from France to join her and her nuns. Mother Saint Michel consulted the Bishop, who informed the nun that the permission of her leaving France could only be granted by the Pope. At the time the Holy Father was held hostage by Napoleon Bonaparte, therefore, this permission seemed virtually impossible to obtain. Mother Saint Michel was courageous and hopeful; such a difficulty was not to discourage her. She wrote to the Holy Father and prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She prayed: “O most Holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain for me a prompt and favorable answer to this letter, I promise to have you honored at New Orleans under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.”(2) She sent her letter to the Pope on March 19, 1809, and received a reply on April 29, 1809, by a Cardinal who said: “Madame, I am charged by Our Holy Father, Pope Pius VII, to answer in his name. His Holiness cannot do otherwise than approve of the esteem and attachment you have fostered for the religious state… His Holiness approves of your placing yourself at the head of your religious aspirants, to serve as their guide during the long and difficult voyage you are about to undertake.”(3)The Holy Pontiff in exile, granted her request and Mother Saint Michel commissioned a statue portraying Our Lady of Prompt Succor. The statue was blessed by a French Bishop, Bishop Fournier. On December 31, 1810, Mother Saint Michel and her nuns arrived at the New Orleans monastery and placed the Statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor within the chapel. A first miracle occurred two years after the statue was placed in the chapel. In 1812, nuns praying before Our Lady of Prompt Succor saved the Ursoline Monastery by way of their prayers and Our Lady’s intervention, from the sure destruction by fire. On January 8, 1815, at the famous Battle of New Orleans, Our Lady of Prompt Succor intervened decisively to grant victory to the Catholic and non-Catholic Americans in Battle. Failing to comply with the Treaty of Paris, the British did not evacuate their forts; they rather proceeded to take under their control, New Orleans, the heart of the State of Louisiana. The British General Packenham had assured his soldiers, pledging: “beauty and booty.”(4) This evidently scared the locals for they understood that the soldiers, apart from pillaging their town, would rape the women. General Andrew Jackson recruited a force of 6,000 men, they were to face a superior force of 15,000 British troops. The enemy troops were the best of Europe, recently defeating Napoleon Bonaparte and the victors of the Peninsular Campaign in Spain. When the British ‘red coats’ landed, General Andrew Jackson, spent the next four days depriving himself of sleep, organizing the defenses and inspiring his men. When General Jackson was questioned on the reason for which he chose to include free black African men in his army, he replied: “Place confidence in them… engage them by every dear and honorable tie to the interest of the country who extends to them equal rights and privileges with white men.”(5) On January 7, many of the faithful gathered at the Ursuline Chapel and passed the night in prayer before the Statue of Our lady of Prompt Succor and the Blessed Sacrament. Nuns and citizens prayed and wept, amongst them were the relatives of the men who formed part of General Jackson’s army. They fervently beseeched Our Lady, that General Andrew Jackson’s troops would prevail over their enemies. The British encamped at Chalmette near New Orleans, and maneuvered around the city. On the morning of January 8, the vicar general offered Mass at the main altar, before which the Statue of Our Lady had been placed. The prayers were said in special earnest, for the thundering of cannons was constant. Nightly raids by the Americans killed the British sentries, usurping their equipment and keeping the whole army in confusion. At the Ursoline Chapel, around communion time, a courier rushed in to bring the tidings that the British troops were defeated. The courier described the events; a fog had descended upon the British and most wondered into a swamp, where the Americans shot them wounding and killing most. Over 2,600 British soldiers were killed, captured or wounded, whilst the Americans lost only seven killed, and six wounded.Following the battle, General Andrew Jackson visited the Ursuline Monastery and personally thanked the nuns for their prayers and their charity in nursing the wounded soldiers. General Jackson proclaimed: “By the blessing of heaven, directing the valor of the troops under my command, one of the most brilliant victories in the annals of war was obtained.”(6) He described the victory in a letter to the vicar as a “signal interposition of heaven.” A local newspaper, ‘The Picayune,’ had the following words on the battle: “The result seems almost miraculous. It was a remarkable victory, and it can never fail to hold an illustrious place in our national history.”(7) The Vatican in Rome officially approved devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the Statue was solemnly crowned through a decree issued by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII. In 1895, after establishing the confraternity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Archbishop Francis Janssens crowned the Image of the Blessed Virgin. Mass of thanksgiving has been celebrated on January 8, at Saint Louis Cathedral and since 1851, at the Ursuline’s Chapel. The old convent remains the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley, but no longer keeps the Statue or convent, which are now located on State Street.  General Andrew Jackson would later become, President Jackson. 5. Malta The people of the Synagogue of Satan are the ones who love Eve’s serpent and admire humanity’s fall into Original Sin making themselves gods over the rest, who according to them are blindly wallowing in the darkness of Christianity. They forget that most are atheist. Revelation 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich ! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of satan. Revelation 2:24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you.) Revelation 3:9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars – I will make them come and fall down at your feet and achnowledge that I have loved you. Mystery Babylon “The Third World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences caused by the “agentur” of the “Illuminati” between the political Zionists and the leaders of Islamic World. The war must be conducted in such a way that Islam (the Moslem Arabic World) and political Zionism (the State of Israel) mutually destroy each other. Meanwhile the other nations, once more divided on this issue will be constrained to fight to the point of complete physical, moral, spiritual and economical exhaustion…We shall unleash the Nihilists and the atheists, and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, obliged to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will from that moment be without compass or direction, anxious for an ideal, but without knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the true light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out in the public view. This manifestation will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time.” 4 4 Albert Pike 33rd Degree Masonic Pontiff and American Confederate General http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/11/libyan_islamic_fight.php Libyan Islamic Fighting Group joins al Qaeda By Bill RoggioNovember 3, 2007 10:35 AM   As Sahab banner announcin the Zawahiri and al Libi tape welcoming the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group into al Qaeda. Al Qaeda continues to consolidate its organization in Northern Africa. The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was officially welcomed into the al Qaeda fold by al Qaeda’s second in command Ayman al Zawahri and al Qaeda in Afghanistan commander Abu Laith al Libi in a statement released on the Internet. “Today, with grace from God, the Muslim nation witnesses a blessed step,” Zawahiri stated. “Honorable members of the Fighting Islamic Group in Libya announce that they are joining the al Qaeda group to continue the march of their brothers… Zawahiri called for the overthrow of the governments of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, and named the leaders of these governments in his speech. “O nation of jihad, support your sons so that we defeat our enemies and rid our homeland of their slaves.” Zawahri also criticized Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for surrendering its nuclear and chemical “weapons and equipment to … crusader masters,” Reuters reported. Al Qaeda in Afghanistan’s leader, Abu Laith al Libi, who is Libyan, also spoke on the recording. “We announce we are joining al Qaeda as loyal soldiers,” al Libi said. “The tyrant of Libya is pushing the country into a new quagmire … He suddenly discovered … that America the guardian of the cross is not an enemy.” He also urged Libyans to join the fight against Qaddafi, the United States “and their brothers the infidel of the West.” Libyan Islamic Fighting Group The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was formed in 1995 and “is principally compromised of Libyans who fought in the Soviet-Afghan war,” the MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base notes. “The Libyan veterans returned to their country with the aim of creating an Islamic state in Libya.” The terror group “is dedicated to two principle objectives,” the overthrow the Qaddafi and his government, and “to contribute to the international jihadist campaign.” “It is suspected that certain LIFG [Libyan Islamic Fighting Group] senior leaders maintain positions in al-Qaeda’s senior command structure,” the MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base notes. Abu Laith al Libi, already a senior al Qaeda theater commander, stated “we are joining al Qaeda as loyal soldiers” in the tape, indicating he is a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Other senior Libyans in al Qaeda include its influential spokesman Abu Yahya al Libi and Abu Farraj al Libi, who was believed to be al Qaeda’s third in command and is currently in US custody. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb Al Qaeda has made deep inroads in expanding its network in northern and eastern Africa. The poor countries with restive Muslim populations, oppressive governments, and lawless regions provide fertile recruiting grounds and locations for training camps. The Algeria-based Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat joined al Qaeda under the name of al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb in the summer of 2006. In Somalia, the defeated Islamic Courts Union continues its insurgency as Shabab, and has deep connections with al Qaeda. The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, along with the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group and the Tunisian Combatant Group, essentially rolled into al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb in 2006. The official joining of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group with al Qaeda represents the terror group’s strategy to unite allied Islamist terror groups under a single banner. AFRICOM To combat the rise of al Qaeda in Africa, the US created a new command on par with US Central Command, or CENTCOM. The US Africa Command, or AFRICOM, was officially created in February 2007. Prior to the creation of AFRICOM, the continent was divided between CENTCOM, European Command, and Pacific Command. The US has yet to establish a command headquarters for AFRICOM on the continent. Morocco, Algeria and other nations have turned down offers to host the headquarters, and the command is currently based out of Germany. The US plans to establish five “regional integration teams” in the northern, eastern, southern, central and western regions in Africa. “The regional teams will link to African Union organizations, ‘Africa stand-by force brigade headquarters [and] U.S. AID support hubs,’” Defense News reported in September. subscribe : catholicsouthernfront@gmail.com unsubscribe : omega@onvol.net This email is not unsolicited. If you do not want to receive the Catholic Southern Front Dispatch newsletter/email please reply to unsubscribe.