An edlerly lady said, "I have lived all my life as a good Baptist lady and I strive to live a christian life. "But all of our rightousness is as filty rags and but for the rightousnous of the blood of Jesurus and the grace we would have sinned and thus could never see heaven." "That is true." "What do you think about the DON"T ASK DON"T TELL" law imposed on the gays who are trying to protect us with their lives and some of them have given ALL? Can we deny them their Constitutional right to free speech on a morality issue when there are adulters, fornicators, men who look at women with lust in their eyes which Jesus said was adultry, liars, and most importantly those who do not treat their neighbors as themselves, yet they are not kicked out of the military?" " Yes, but I am not in the catagory of them (gays)." "Do you love your neighbour as yourself?" "No, I try but it is hard." "But you are saved and you have the rightousness of Christ's blood so all of your sins are forgiven , past, present and future." "but the gays continue in their sins and we are supposed to turn from our sins and try to live a sinless life." " Do you know anyone who do not break the commandment that says that we are to love our neighbors as our selves?" "No. You are right, it is hard to treat your neighbor as yourself, and I think noone ever does really keep that commandment so I quess the only way we will get to heaven is not by works but by grace and we all have the rightousness of Christ and gays will live next to us in heaven!" Do not violate the constitutional right of free speech to the gays who are serving in our military and do not be like the scribes and pharasees and look down on your nose at them. I am so proud of First Lady Hillary Clinton who is the epitimy of unconditional love and stand firmly with the gays as she understands that we are to love our neighbors and leave the judging to God. But we all who accept the blood of Jesus have the Rightousness of Christ and all of our sins are forgiven past, present and future. "He that is without sin cast the first stone," said Jesus as he wrote in the sand when the self rightous people wanted to stone the lady with seven husbands and living with one that was not her husband in adultry.
This story is taken from Sacbee / Latest News / E-mail Alerts -- Breaking News
Bryan Edward Hall of Elk Grove, a U.S. Army staff sergeant, was among five American soldiers killed Friday in Iraq when a suicide bomber in a dump truck attacked a Mosul police station, military officials disclosed Sunday.
Hall, 32, had served in the military for 14 years and had been deployed in Iraq since September.
Hall and four other soldiers from Fort Carson in Colorado were in their military vehicle when the blast occurred, Army officials said.
The other soldiers were Staff Sgt. Gary L. Woods Jr., 24, of Kentucky, Sgt. Edward W. Forrest Jr., 25, of Missouri; Cpl. Jason G. Pautsch, 20, of Iowa and Pvt. Bryce E. Gautier, 22, of Cypress, California.
All were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Hall had received three Army Commendation Medals, according to military records, as well as several Army Achievement, Good Conduct, and War on Terrorism medals.
The Friday attack caused the most American military deaths in any single incident in more than a year, the Washington Post reported.
Hi everyone,
The standoff in the Indian Ocean continues for a second day - with armed Somali pirates holding the captain of an American cargo ship on a lifeboat. A U.S. Navy Destroyer is now keeping close watch, and the FBI is sending in a hostage negotiating team to win the captain's release. Meanwhile, the cargo ship is on the move, toward Kenya, to carry out its original mission to deliver relief supplies. David Martin will have the latest.
David will be back later in the broadcast with an in depth report about the shocking increase of suicide among U.S. troops. He has an exclusive interview with a top general who admits the military needs to do more to address this problem.
Barry Petersen reports from the world's number one car market - China. Sales are booming there, and you might be surprised to learn that Ford and GM are selling lots of cars there. In fact, the Chinese market is providing a much-needed boost to Detroit.
When most people hear about spring break, they think of sandy beaches and late-night parities. But Dean Reynolds has a story about students from Howard University taking a different type of spring break, in order to inspire high school students.
See you tonight!
Katie Couric
STRASBOURG, France -- President Barack Obama won a pledge from NATO allies Saturday to send as many as 5,000 more troops to help in Afghanistan, calling it a "strong down payment" to securing coming national elections and the entire country.
"I am pleased that our NATO allies pledged their strong and unanimous support for our new strategy," Obama said as he wrapped up the two-day summit, his second international meeting of the week after an economic summit in London.
It was unclear, however, exactly how much Obama won at the gathering of the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Some of the troops included in the announcement already had been committed heading into the summit. And Obama would not say how many of the new troops would be new forces or merely reinforcements.
White House aides said the deal includes a pledge of 3,000 troops to help safeguard Afghanistan's Aug. 20 national elections, including 900 from the United Kingdom, 600 from Germany and 600 from Spain.
The 3,000 additional international troops would join 17,000 new U.S. troops to meet commanders' request for 20,000 more troops to secure the elections, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.
Other allies, inside and outside the NATO alliance, also pledged between 1,400 and 2,000 troops to train Afghan Army units and police, including 300 to 400 from France, 100 from Italy and the rest from nine other countries.
They will be dispatched in "operational mentoring liaison teams" of 20 to 40 trainers each to go into the field with Afghan units.
Allies also pledged $100 million for a trust fund to finance training, including $57 million from Germany, according to Gibbs.
As the allies met, thousands of protesters battled riot police and set a hotel and a border post on fire.
Obama particularly heralded the alliance's endorsement of his overall strategy for Afghanistan and its agreement that violence and instability there will harbor terrorism and pose a threat to Europe as well as the United States.
"For years, our efforts in Afghanistan have lacked the resources needed to achieve our goals," Obama said. "And that's why the United States has recommitted itself to a clear and focused goal - to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future."
"We will deploy the forces necessary to safeguard the national elections," added NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. "When it comes to Afghanistan, this summit and this alliance have delivered."
If there were objections to sending more troops, a key reason could have been a clash of values.
Scheffer said that Europeans blanched when Afghan President Hamid Karzai proposed new laws sanctioning child marriage and marital rape.
"We are there to defend universal values and when I see, at the moment, a law threatening to come into effect which fundamentally violates women's rights and human rights, that worries me," he said.
Merkel and Sarkozy both said the alliance is pressing Afghanistan to kill the proposed laws.
"It is very important," Merkel said, "that we make the point that the rights of women are equal ... that the piece of legislation is to be withdrawn, it is unacceptable."
"Unanimously, we requested that the rights of men and women be respected," Sarkozy said. "We will not compromise on these values."
Obama said he's told the Afghan government of his objections to the law. Asked about sending U.S. troops to defend a government considering such a repugnant law, Obama stressed that the troops are there defending the United States.
"I think this law is abhorrent," Obama said. "Certainly the views of the administration have been, and will be, communicated to the Karzai government. And we think that it is very important for us to be sensitive to local culture, but we also think that there are certain basic principles that all nations should uphold, and respect for women and respect for their freedom and integrity is an important principle."
In another stress point between NATO and the Muslim world, a dispute simmered over whether a cartoon offensive to Muslims might derail the appointment of the group's next leader.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen had been the popular choice to become the alliance's next secretary general.
But Turkey objected, saying Fogh Rasmussen would be offensive to the Muslim world because he defended the Danish publication of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad in 2006.
Muslims in some countries reacted in violent protests, but Fogh Rasmussen insisted that freedom of speech protected the publication.
Turkey eventually agreed to the appointment, reportedly in return for more say in NATO.
Obama flew later Saturday to the Czech Republic for a third summit, this one with the European Union. He planned Sunday to deliver a speech on non-proliferation.
Today, President Obama announced his comprehensive strategy for dealing with the deteriorating situation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. For those of us who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was extremely important that the new President get this situation right. With today’s announcement, he’s shown that he “gets it.”CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT PRESIDENT OBAMA ON AFGHANISTANhttp://ga3.org/campaign/afghanistanThe President sees Afghanistan as a war that must be fought on a number of levels. Yes, militarily, but also with heavy diplomacy and political negotiation, as well as humanitarian assistance. Each of those were lacking during the last administration, and the result was a situation that devolved largely into chaos. Most importantly, this President has given up the pipe dream of setting up a European-style democracy in Afghanistan, and instead has refocused our goals on a more urgent mission – protecting America and the world from terrorism.President Obama has got it right. He knows that the war against terrorists requires much more than just throwing troops at the problem. We need to stand up to show our support for his renewed focus on getting Afghanistan right.CLICK HERE TO SIGN OUR PETITION, SUPPORTING PRESIDENT OBAMA ON AFGHANISTANhttp://ga3.org/campaign/afghanistanThis is just one quick and easy thing you can do, to show your public support for the President. The more people who sign, the more attention this petition will get. And, the more attention it gets, the more lawmakers in Washington know that the people are behind the President.So please, take a moment to sign on to our petition, and get five of your friends and family to do the same. Together, we can show that we support a strong but rational policy towards Afghanistan, that will keep America truly safe.Thanks for all you do, and your support,Brian McGoughAfghanistan War VeteranAnd the entire VoteVets.org team.
Dear darlene,
I'm on the road in Washington, DC, but I wanted to send you a quick update on two big breaking news stories.
First, just a few minutes ago, the Pentagon officially announced they will be phasing out involuntary enlistment extensions, otherwise known as "stop-loss."
The Pentagon also agreed to pay $500 per month to servicemembers forced to stay beyond their original enlistment term, which is a policy that IAVA has been supporting for a long time.
Stop-loss has had an enormous impact on the lives of many of our nation's troops, veterans, and military families. As I mentioned last week, tonight's episode of MTV's The Real World, which features IAVA prominently, focuses on cast-member Ryan, an Iraq veteran who was stop-lossed. The information about that episode, which airs tonight at 10pm on MTV, is in the forwarded email below.
Second, on what has proven to be a huge day for veterans, there has been another major development in Washington, DC. President Obama listened to IAVA and the other major veterans organizations, and made a critical decision to not move forward with a proposal to bill a veteran's private insurance for the cost of caring for a service-connected injury.
Today, President Obama showed that he understands and respects our nation's veterans.
Later this week, I'll have much more to report about this whirlwind week in Washington, DC, which included meetings with the President, Speaker Pelosi and VA Secretary Shinseki.
In the meantime, be sure to tune in tonight at 10pm on MTV, and keep an eye on your inbox for more breaking news from the nation's capitol.
Thank you for standing with us.
Sincerely,
PaulPaul RieckhoffIraq VeteranExecutive Director & FounderIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)--sent from my mobile device
IN OUR OWN WORDS
A Collection of Stories and Photographs
From Military Families of the
Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
To our President and First Lady
On February 27, 2009, in his speech from Camp Lejeune, President Obama said, "…my strategy for ending the war in Iraq does not end with military plans or diplomatic agendas; it endures through our commitment to uphold our sacred trust with every man and woman who has served in Iraq.... And for you and your families, the war does not end when you come home. It lives on in memories of your fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who gave their lives…. You and your families have done your duty; now a grateful nation must do ours….”
“We also know that service does not end with the person wearing the uniform. In her visits with Military Families across the country, my wife Michelle has learned first hand about the unique burden that your families endure every day. I want you to know that Military Families are a top priority for Michelle and me, and they will be a top priority for my administration…. Each of you has your own story. And that story is now a part of the history of the United States of America..."
Recently, on a show from Walter Reed, Oprah talked about Military Families, reminding Americans that every day when we listen to the news, we hear another number, and we go on with our lives. Behind the statistics are real families. An injured service member at Walter Reed said, “No soldier comes back the same - it is a family process. Go to the floor upstairs where the injuries are not seen. They are just as injured as those with physical injuries."
As President Obama works to end the war in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan continues, the faces and every day lives of Military Families who wait at home will remain at the center of the war and our stories will continue. During war, military family experiences are so much more than can ever be communicated in news reports, care packages, legislation, military or political strategies.
Our MYBO/OFA group, “Military Families Need Obama as We Share the Human Faces of War,” led by military parents and siblings, invites military spouses, children, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles to be a part of "IN OUR OWN WORDS," a special collection of stories and photographs that will be presented to our President and First Lady.
"IN OUR OWN WORDS" will share the human faces of the consequences of war from the hearts and souls of those who live it everyday. It is intended to serve as a tribute to the lives of Military Families of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and will include both our inspirational and heart breaking experiences, with a special section honoring those service members who have been killed while at war. Together, Military Families will create "IN OUR OWN WORDS” with the hope that as we share our stories, it will lift us all up.
Stories and photographs will only be used in this project to be presented to our President and First Lady. They will not be distributed to any other group, organization, or the media. To learn more about how to participate in this project, please contact one of us:
Debbie: DebbieIngraham@gmail.com
Jessica: JessicaIngraham@gmail.com
Terry: Tdaniel333@comcast.net
