UNI Blog - From the Washington Bureau

The man who used to head the U.S. Office of International Religious Freedom claims that the Obama administration not only neglects religious freedom overseas, it is attacking it here at home.  Dr. Thomas Farr says that the Obama administration decided recently not to exempt religiously-affiliated groups from a rule requiring employers to offer birth control coverage to their women employees.  The new rule stems straight from the Affordable Care Act.

Most women employed in the U.S. will have the costs of their birth control covered with no co-pay, effective August 1. The rule always exempted employers, such as churches and other places of worship, whose primary purpose is imparting religious beliefs.  But many liberal religious  groups argued that this denied women their rights. They pressured the Obama administration to apply the requirement to all religious-affiliated organizations as well. The Obama administration gave religious employers an extra year to comply with the new law.

In effect, the President has agreed to force every Catholic institution, every Jewish institution, and every Protestant institution, to provide birth control products even if it violates their religious beliefs. Some argue that is a direct violation of both freedom and religion.  Catholic Bishop Timothy Dolan called the rule a direct assault on freedom of religion in America and a complete violation of our First Amendment rights. Dolan is currently archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He will soon be elevated to cardinal. Dolan says that he told the President, “that I was terribly let down, disappointed and disturbed.”

The rule reminds me of a gospel song that asks a question about moral and spiritual decay:  It’s titled, “How Much Further Can We Go?”

Iran’s president and his government are reportedly ready to resume talks about their controversial nuclear program. The talks would be with the U.S. and five other global powers…Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. This is presumably because the widespread economic sanctions are working.

The hot button issue is Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which its government insists is a peaceful endeavor intended to produce electricity and medical products. The U.S. and some allies are taking a more sinister view. The U.S. and Israel could step up their campaign against the uranium enrichment with military strikes against Iran.  Neither country is ruling out such a move.

It is my guess that at the least Israel already has a detailed plan for such an attack.  I may be wrong, but I think that Israeli would conduct a more effective operation, if for no other reason they have the most to beware of an Iranian nuclear attack.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have a detailed plan already, which might include planting dirty bombs in the Iranian facilities which would render them useless for decades or longer.  The Israeli military has proved its prowess before in wars against its Arab neighbors. It would be my guess the Israeli’s wouldn’t be deterred by some Arab nation refusing them permission to fly over their land to conduct a raid.

The Holocaust is a constant reminder of how close they came to being wiped out, so my estimate is that they will do whatever necessary to ensure their survival.  Perhaps the Iranians have realized all this, and that could be a stronger incentive for them than getting rid of the economic sanctions.  Maybe Iran realizes it has a tiger by the tail.

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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Social networks have now become a large part of the Internet. They allow people to follow the lives of friends, acquaintances and families. The number of people on social networks has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade. Facebook, Linkedin and Myspace, to give a few examples, contain millions of members who use these networks for keeping track of each other, finding experts and even engaging in buying and selling.

On the academic side, a large body of knowledge has accumulated on these social networks. The standard definition of a social network implies that people who use them are in touch with all the people they link to on those social networks.  In reality, people interact with very few of those “listed” as part of their network. One important reason behind this fact is that attention is the scarce resource in the age of the Web. Users faced with many daily tasks and the large number of social links default to interacting with those few that matter.

In order to find out how relevant a list of friends is to members of the network, the Website, First Monday, collected and analyzed a huge list of people on the Twitter social network. They found that the vast majority of people on any Twitter account have no communication with their so-called friends on Twitter.  Maybe a phone call, or even a visit, is a better indicator of real friends than the number of people signed in to a social network.

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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Since the U.S. Navy seals killed Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan has been investigating who helped us get the 9-11 mastermind. A Pakistani commission investigating the raid that killed Bin Laden now claims that a doctor who worked for the CIA should be tried for “high treason,” a move likely to anger U.S. officials pushing for his release.

The doctor is accused of running a vaccination program for the CIA in an effort to obtain a DNA sample from Bin Laden.  A commission was formed amid intense international pressure for answers over how Bin Laden was able to live undetected for so long in an army town close to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

Pakistan faces unusual pressures, that’s for sure.  The terrorists cross the  border with Afghanistan in largely tribal areas where the central government has little control.  Pakistan put itself in a squeeze by declaring neighboring India its mortal enemy.  The United States is signaling no let-up in pressure on Pakistan to act against the armed groups in its lawless tribal regions.  Top American military leaders believe that area poses serious threats to the remaining forces in Afghanistan. So, Pakistan is between the proverbial “rock and a hard place.”

So far, its current leaders seem afraid to take a firm stand one way or the other.  Can Pakistani leaders afford to continue to be “wishy-washy.”  Doesn’t it seem that they’re going to have to make a choice and let the chips fall where they may?

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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Their latest raid was in Somalia where the Seals rescued an American woman and a Danish man from pirates.  Once again, the hostages were not hurt and none of the Seal team was injured.  However, all of the Somalian pirates were killed after they started shooting at the Seal team.  Some of Seals who took part in this raid were also on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.

Why are the Seals so good at their task.? First, they are trained not only on land but in the water.  The Somalian pirates have felt the sting of the Seals before. In one incident, both the pirates and the Navy destroyer the Seals were on were on a rolling sea.  The Seal’s snipers had to make a successful “head shot,” something that is “extremely difficult.” That means the bullet must strike within  one inch of where the Seal was aiming. An accurate shot to the  head destroyed the pirate’s nervous system which made it very unlikely that they would have a reflex reaction and shoot one of the hostages.

Navy Seals use an extensive array of firearms of both U.S. and foreign manufacture, several of which have been specifically developed to their design. Most of their weapons make very little noise and are designed not to create smoke when they’re fired. It isn’t uncommon for seals to need clothing for varying temperatures and tasks. For example, when swimming to shore for a mission, the seal may need gear for extremely cold water temperatures as well as warmer land temperatures.

We can be thankful our military has such skilled people.

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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The “Daily Mail” reports a poll taken for yesterday’s edition of “Stern” news magazine finds the word Auschwitz means absolutely nothing to 21% of 18-to-30-year-old Germans.  That survey mirrors a 2009 poll showing that 23% of German school children were unaware of what happened at Auschwitz. Today is the 67th anniversary of Soviet troops liberating the Nazi death camp.  They arrived on January 27th, 1945.

Germany has marked that day of liberation since 1996 with memorial ceremonies for Holocaust victims.  An estimated 1.2-million people were killed at Auschwitz. Millions more perished in five other German camps.  If that figure of 21% is accurate, it is shocking.  Especially since genocide has occurred in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia and many other places in modern times.  The Holocaust gives a peek into the deepest depths of depravity of human beings.

But there is rebellion against God in every human.  It can only be forgiven through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…the Son of God. However, even Christians have made mistakes or given into temptations that have been tragic to others and themselves.  We must be careful and with God’s help we can avoid what Walt Kelly expressed through his cartoon character Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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When the United States declared war in December of 1941, this 5-foot, 5-inch-tall boy rushed to enlist. He first attempted to join the Marines where he was turned away for being too small. Besides being short he weighed only 110 lbs. He didn’t let those rejections stop him.  He then attempted to join the Army Paratroopers, again he was turned away. Finally, he enlisted in the regular Army as an infantryman. His first assignment was with an infantry unit in North Africa.

But he didn’t experienced his first combat as he landed in Sicily in July of 1943. His captain did his best to keep this tiny soldier from fighting by making him a runner.  However, this soldier had other plans and he slipped off to join any patrol and  soon distinguished himself under fire.  It wasn’t long until he won medal after medal for his bravery.

On January 26, 1945, his unit was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. This officer ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in the woods while he remained forward at his command post.  He then used a damaged enemy tank destroyer to single-handedly hold off German forces.  He then ordered an artillery strike on his own position that scared the enemy so bad that their tanks retreated.

The year was 1945.  The man was  First Lieutenant Audie Murphy, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and was the most-decorated soldier of World War II.  We can learn a lesson from Audie and honor our country and God by doing our very best.

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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The White House announced Tuesday that most healthcare plans will be required to cover birth control without charging co-pays or deductibles beginning August 1st.  “TheHill.com” says the regulations retain the approach the President proposed last summer despite the many complaints issued by religious groups.

While churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are exempt, religious-affiliated hospitals, universities and other religious organizations  must comply by 2013.  Some religious institutions liken birth control to abortion and say they would rather shut their doors than cover birth control.

The final regulation retains the approach federal health officials proposed last summer in ignoring the concerns of religious groups and individuals. The administration of President Obama seems to be trampling all over the deeply held beliefs of many, many millions of citizens of various religious faiths.

“This decision was made after very careful consideration, including the important concerns some have raised about religious liberty,” the words of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. She goes on, “I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services.”

It remains to be seen whether such a decision in an election year will start a serious national debate about government interference in religious and moral matters.

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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The average temperature worldwide last year was the ninth-warmest since modern records have been kept. NASA claims that 2011 continued a trend, nine of the ten warmest years on record, all being recorded since the year 2000.  In a separate report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that the average temperature across the U.S. in 2011 was the 23rd warmest year on record.

But some scientists urge caution in our response. Global warming is real, according to Dr. Jeff Zweerink.  He has a bachelor of science degree in physics and a doctoral degree in astrophysics from Iowa State University. At ISU, he focused his study on gamma rays. He says that, “Global warming is a complex issue. Therefore, its solutions are more complex than most people seem to realize. We tend to think earth’s climate will always be optimal for human civilization if we just take good care of it. But nothing could be farther from the truth.”

He says that when we put our emotions and politics aside and take a unbiased look at our planet’s history, we see a different picture. Ice and sediment cores show that the global climate has oscillated many times. The changes are caused by variations in earth’s orbit.

Could it be that the fine tuning in all these complex processes gives us a clear picture of a creator who exquisitely prepared a place for humans to live in and to launch — at least for awhile — a global high-tech civilization?

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

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Unlike the children’s story of the little engine that could, the U.S. can’t.  What am I talking about? The U.S. national debt. In 1981, the national debt, since the founding of the nation, was 909-billion dollars. That figure included all the debt accumulated from George Washington through Jimmy Carter. That 909-billion dollars included all the monies borrowed for the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  President Reagan explained that a stack of one-trillion dollar bills would reach the moon.  Now that stack must be approaching Jupiter.

A huge number of Americans are very upset about the rapidly increasing national debt. And, they are  demanding a solution. But, what they don’t realize is that some experts say that there isn’t  a solution under the current U.S. financial system. It is now, they say, mathematically impossible for the U.S. government to pay off the national debt.

You see, the truth is that the U.S. government now owes more dollars than actually exist in the United States of America.  Some people think that we could solve this problem by shutting down the Federal Reserve and restoring the power to issue U.S. currency to the Congress.  And by the way, that’s what the U.S. Constitution calls for.

But you and I both know that the politicians in Washington are not about to do that.  Is there some undiscovered way to pay off or at least pay down our national debt?

This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.

Let us know how God is blessing you! Please share your comments below.