ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20091016

Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable

Promoting "God's Holy Values and American Freedoms"!



"Daily Motivations"

Learning how to "connect" with people remotely and get results from a distance is your key to virtual leadership success. -- Debra A. Dinnocenzo



"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Life in today's world is complex and confusing. Sometimes it's simply a mess! Does that sound a little bit like the week you're having?

Maybe your life feels a little like that ball of yarn sitting by Grandma's sofa. While Grandma is away, the cat will play. He slides up to inspect the colorful ball of wool. He tentatively places a paw upon it, then gives it a good slap.

Then he finds another ball of yarn, and a third one. By the time Grandma enters the room, there are colorful, tangled lines moving in every direction. And, of course, in the middle of the green, yellow and blue strands sits the cat.

Grandma playfully scolds her pet, disentangles the thread, and begins to work on a lovely afghan. The same threads will soon fall into beautiful patterns that form a warm blanket with lovely colors.

Have you ever found yourself as entangled in circumstances as the cat? Do you believe there is a wiser One very near, who knows everything and offers a wonderful plan for every thread of your life?



"The Patriot Post"

"National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman." -- John Adams

"Law and liberty cannot rationally become the objects of our love, unless they first become the objects of our knowledge." --James Wilson



Editorial Exegesis

"Democrats have found someone worth fighting in Afghanistan. His name is Stan McChrystal. The other night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went after the commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, 'with all due respect,' for supposedly disrespecting the chain of command. Around the Congressional Democratic Caucus, we're told Members refer to General McChrystal as 'General MacArthur,' after the commander in Korea sacked by Harry Truman. White House aides have fanned these flames with recent leaks to the media that 'officials are challenging' his assessment asking for more troops. In the last two days, the White House National Security Adviser and the Secretary of Defense have both suggested that the general should keep his mouth shut. President Obama called him in Friday for a talking-to on the tarmac at Copenhagen airport. Though a decorated Army four-star officer, the General's introduction to Beltway warfare is proving to be brutal. To be fair, Gen. McChrystal couldn't know that his Commander in Chief would go wobbly so soon on his commitment to him as well as to his own Afghan strategy when he was tapped for the job in April. .... Gen. McChrystal's liberal critics also have very short memories. In 2003, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki clashed with his superiors by saying many more troops were needed to pacify Iraq. He became a Democratic hero and is now Mr. Obama's Veterans Secretary. In this case, Gen. McChrystal has become a political target merely for taking at face value Mr. Obama's order to fight the war properly. ... In an interview with Newsweek, Gen. McChrystal said he wouldn't resign if the President rejects his request for more troops. If he were really trying to dictate policy, he'd have given a different answer. But we don't think Gen. McChrystal should stay to implement a Biden war plan either. No commander in uniform should ask his soldiers to die for a strategy he doesn't think is winnable -- or for a President who lets his advisers and party blame a general for their own lack of political nerve." -- The Wall Street Journal



Insight

"Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it." -- Maimonides (1135-1204)

"Madness is to hold an erroneous perception and argue perfectly from it." -- French writer Voltaire (1694-1778)

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice." -- physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955)



Upright

"In his 25 minutes on Air Force One, [General] McChrystal may have used his knowledge and experience to convince Obama that his judgment was better than that of the armchair generals that the president had listened to for three hours the day before. Maybe Obama will choose to wage his 'war of necessity' in the way the general he selected believes is necessary for us to succeed. But I wouldn't bet heavily on it -- not any more, in fact, than I would have bet on Chicago's chances of hosting the 2016 Olympic games." -- political analyst Michael Barone

"It's become clear that the White House will try to compromise [Gen. Stanley] McChrystal's request for 40,000 more troops in favor of a smaller buildup or no buildup at all. There is no course more dangerous to the lives of our troops -- and our future security -- than to do what President Obama clearly wants to do: apply Lyndon Johnson's failed brand of indecisive warfare to Afghanistan." -- columnist Jed Babbin

"Now that Obama is in the Oval Office, erstwhile Bush bashers want everyone to be a cheerleader. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, for example, has discovered 'the politics of spite' -- and not after looking in the mirror. After eight years of watching some on the left root for defeat in Iraq and snicker at every international slight against Bush, I must admit it is rather special that the left has discovered patriotism -- to such an extent that there now is a duty to root for Chicago to host the [Olympic] Games." -- columnist Debra Saunders

"In the Niagara of words spoken and written about the Obamas' trip to Copenhagen, too few have been devoted to the words they spoke there. Their separate speeches to the International Olympic Committee were so dreadful, and in such a characteristic way, that they might be symptomatic of something that has serious implications for American governance. Both Obamas gave heartfelt speeches about ... themselves. Although the working of the committee's mind is murky, it could reasonably have rejected Chicago's bid for the 2016 games on aesthetic grounds -- unless narcissism has suddenly become an Olympic sport." -- columnist George Will

"As much as Obama pretends to be a man of the people, he is a man for himself -- a man who will get his way, the will of the people be damned. The same is true of many of his congressional lieutenants, including Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who recently said that Congress will pass Obamacare despite the public's objections, because it is so important.. Important to whom? To Democrats -- that's who." -- columnist David Limbaugh



Village Idiots

Non Compos Mentis: "[Having the Olympics in Chicago would be important to] let people know that we understand that sports saves lives, that it makes dreams come true, that it creates visions in kids' heads to make them think they can be the next David Robinson, the next Barack Obama, the next Nadia Comaneci, the next Oprah Winfrey." -- Michelle Obama (Um, Barack isn't an athlete. Neither is Oprah.)

Oops: "Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad's lap, cheering on Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis, and others for their brilliance and perfection." -- Michelle Obama ("Mrs. Obama was 20 years old when Lewis first competed in the Olympics in 1984." --Michelle Malkin)

Blame Bush: "There must be [resentment against America].. The way we [refused to sign] the Kyoto Treaty, we misled the world into Iraq. The world had a very bad taste in its mouth about us. But there was such a turnaround after last November. The world now feels better about America and about Americans. That's why I thought the president's going was the deal-maker." -- the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson, blaming George W. Bush for Chicago losing the Olympics (Kyoto was signed in 1997, but unanimously rejected by the Senate.)

How arrogant: "It's the world's loss." -- White House adviser David Axelrod on Chicago losing the 2016 Olympics

Ingrate: "[C]apitalism did nothing for me.... You know, I had to pretty much beg, borrow and steal. The system is not set up to help somebody from the working class make a movie like this and get the truth out there." -- filmmaker Michael Moore (According to Fortune magazine, "Moore's last three filmed diatribes -- 'Bowling for Columbine,' 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and 'Sicko' -- have amassed more than $300 million in theaters worldwide, and loads more on DVD; and 'Fahrenheit' is, by a long stretch, the top-grossing documentary of all time.")

Up is down, black is white: "Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion." -- Hollyweird's Harvey Weinstein, the man behind the pro-Roman Polanski petition



"GOP Leader"

“TONE DEAF:” SPEAKER PELOSI CONTINUES TO PROTECT REP. RANGEL DESPITE MOUNTING PRESSURE TO DO THE RIGHT THING

HOUSE SPEAKER STANDS BY EMBATTLED WAYS & MEANS CHAIRMAN AS MORE EDITORIALS, VOICES ON THE LEFT WEIGH IN

October 13, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink

Pressure continues to mount on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) after she and all but two House Democrats voted last week to protect Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and allow him to stay as chairman of the powerful tax-writing committee even though he is under investigation for not paying his taxes. In fact, just hours after that vote, Speaker Pelosi sent what CQ called “a clear message that top Democrats in the party’s congressional hierarchy are behind Rangel” by attending a high-level health care meeting held in the embattled Ways & Means Chairman’s office.

All this has Americans asking, what more has to happen before Speaker Pelosi does the right thing? More editorial boards and voices on the left are weighing in:

MORE EDITORIAL BOARDS: PELOSI’S CREDIBILITY “CRUMBLES FURTHER,” “HOW MANY PASSES DOES RANGEL GET?”

Miami Herald: “Leaders must enforce high ethical standards in Congress. … For the most part, the burden of enforcing ethical standards fairly and impartially falls on the party in power. Rep. Pelosi should recall that she promised to take a zero-tolerance attitude toward corruption when she became speaker of the House. Americans expect her to keep that pledge.” (Miami Herald editorial, 10/13/09)

Detroit News: "This probably isn’t the person who should be in charge of writing and adjusting the nation’s tax code. The House ethics investigation has now lasted far longer than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said it would and is beginning to look more like an evasion than a real inquiry. Rangel’s colleagues should tell him to step aside." (Detroit News editorial, 10/12/09)

Austin (MN) Daily Herald: "...[E]qually oddly, the Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, has refused to ask Rangel to resign. A congressman since 1971, Americans can’t help but wonder whether decades of power and privilege have simply distorted Rangel’s view of what is right. Pelosi, presumably, suffers from a similar malady. Can either of them truly be serving the American public and their constituents when confronted with the sorts of transgressions that Rangel has perhaps committed? Although things might look different from the lofty perch of Capitol Hill, from here it seems that Rangel and Pelosi should heed calls for Rangel to step back from his chairmanship – even if only until investigators complete their work." (Austin (MN) Daily Herald editorial, 10/12/09)

Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman: “He may have a right to his seat in the House while awaiting due process of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, but he has no equivalent right to the chairmanship of the tax committee. ... For cluelessness, it would be difficult to match his party’s failure to come to grip with the obvious — that this issue is about much more than just partisan politics. Charlie B. Rangel is utterly incapable of providing the type of leadership the nation deserves on a congressional tax-writing committee. It’s an utter disgrace that the Democratic Party ... hasn’t got the clarity of vision to see that." (Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman editorial, 10/11/09)

Waco Tribune Herald: “Assuming you even believe Rangel … he’s guilty of incompetence at least, making him wholly unsuitable as the Ways and Means chairman. So much for Democratic vows of a new era of public integrity under hypocritical House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.” (Waco Tribune Herald editorial, 10/13/09)

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “How many passes does Rangel get before he’s benched? Though Rangel hasn’t been charged with any wrongdoing, the allegations against him suggest a willful pattern of tax evasion on assets reportedly totaling more than $500,000. A proper public steward would have stepped down at the onset of such damaging claims. Instead, Rangel’s peers patted him on the back as he walked off the House floor during the repugnant vote to defer action. So much for the vow from a strengthened Democrat majority to clean up Congress.” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial, 10/12/09)

Washington Times: “It doesn’t take a yearlong investigation to recognize that Mr. Rangel has subverted that purpose. Nevertheless, Mrs. Pelosi and the ethics panel continue to drag their feet - expanding the probe but never concluding anything. There is an undeniable stench of corruption in all this. Every day Mrs. Pelosi denies this fact, her credibility and the reputation of congressional Democrats crumbles further." (Washington Times editorial, 10/11/09)

VOICES ON THE LEFT: “TALK ABOUT TONE DEAF,” “RANGEL SHOULD STEP DOWN”

Arianna Huffington: “Nancy Pelosi, who promised to ‘drain the swamp’ and create ‘the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history,’ is, instead, sticking by Rangel. Talk about tone deaf. The Democrats have to make it clear to America’s beleaguered middle class that they don’t believe there are two sets of rules: one for the power players of Wall Street and Washington, and one for everybody else. Congress’ approval rating is at 21 percent, a 10-point drop over the last month. If the Democrats want to see it hit single digits, by all means, keep Charlie Rangel as chairman.” (Huffington Post, 10/11/09)

Donna Brazile: “I do believe, at the end of the day, that … especially for the leadership, they will have to decide at some point if Mr. Rangel needs to step aside, in terms of his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee.” (ABC’s This Week, 10/11/09)

Daily Kos blog: “Memo to House Democrats -- the ‘culture of corruption’ crosses partisan lines. … Rangel should step down from his chairmanship until the ethics committee completes its work and issues a final report.” (Daily Kos blog, 10/9/09)

REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-204, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-4000 | GOPLEADER.GOV



"Chuck Sproull "

THE MOST ENJOYABLE WAY TO QUIT SMOKING

By Chuck Sproull, Springville IN

Tobacco and nicotine lovers dedicate the best years of their lifetimes to worshipping and serving their god - a ¼” diameter and 4” long idol. Many spend $300- $500 per year to dwell in its presence of smoke and poisonous vapors. Some have so much love for their god they spend over $25,000 just for the privilege of dying from the painful diseases their god can offer. Friend, that's devoted worship.

The good news is that there is a true and living GOD, the all powerful Spirit who Created heaven and earth and mankind by His Word, and who is able to completely deliver all who trust in the authority of His Word. He desires for us to love and worship Him only, so He can freely bless us with a lifetime of abundant physical and spiritual health, and so we can dwell in His presence of holiness, love and joy forever. Jesus came, not to give us another religion, but to give us “life more abundantly” (John 10:10). Entering into His spiritual body and following Him is the healthiest, least expensive, and highest quality of life we can possibly live on earth, while preparing to live with Him in heaven.

The New Birth procedure (“of water and of the Spirit”) that Jesus taught in John 3:5 and which began in Acts 2:38-42, consists of turning from self-will to God’s will, being water “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [forgiveness, washing away] of sins,” and receiving the “gift of the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance” like believers received it in Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:1-7). This experience adds souls to the church Jesus will save when He returns.



"The Web"

The Oak Ridge Boys/GI Joe

http://silverandgoldandthee.net/V/Lil.html



Is the Church Full of Hypocrites?

R.C. Sproul

http://www.crosswalk.com/pastors/11609755/

Renewing Your Mind

About thirty years ago, my close friend and colleague, Archie Parrish, who at that time led the Evangelism Explosion (EE) program in Fort Lauderdale, came to me with a request. He indicated that on the thousands of evangelistic visits the EE teams made, they kept a record of responses people made to discussions of the gospel. They collated the most frequent questions and objections people raised about the Christian faith and grouped these inquiries or objections into the ten most frequently encountered. Dr. Parrish asked if I would write a book answering those objections for evangelists to use in their outreach. That effort resulted in my book Objections Answered, now called Reason to Believe. Among the top ten objections raised was the objection that the church is filled with hypocrites. At that point in time, Dr. D. James Kennedy responded to this objection by replying, "Well, there's always room for one more." He cautioned people that if they found a perfect church, they ought not to join it, since that would ruin it.

The term hypocrite came from the world of Greek drama. It was used to describe the masks that the players used to dramatize certain roles. Even today, the theatre is symbolized by the twin masks of comedy and tragedy. In antiquity, certain players played more than one role, and they indicated their role by holding a mask in front of their face. That's the origin of the concept of hypocrisy.

But the charge that the church is full of hypocrites is manifestly false. Though no Christian achieves the full measure of sanctification in this life, that we all struggle with ongoing sin does not justly yield the verdict of hypocrisy. A hypocrite is someone who does things he claims he does not do. Outside observers of the Christian church see people who profess to be Christians and observe that they sin. Since they see sin in the lives of Christians, they rush to the judgment that therefore these people are hypocrites. If a person claims to be without sin and then demonstrates sin, surely that person is a hypocrite. But for a Christian simply to demonstrate that he is a sinner does not convict him of hypocrisy.

The inverted logic goes something like this: All hypocrites are sinners. John is a sinner; therefore, John is a hypocrite. Anyone who knows the laws of logic knows that this syllogism is not valid. If we would simply change the charge from "the church is full of hypocrites" to "the church is full of sinners," we would be quick to plead guilty. The church is the only institution I know of that requires an admission of being a sinner in order to be a member. The church is filled with sinners because the church is the place where sinners who confess their sins come to find redemption from their sins. So in this sense, simply because the church is filled with sinners does not justify the conclusion that the church is filled with hypocrites. Again, all hypocrisy is sin, but not all sin is the sin of hypocrisy.

When we look at the problem of hypocrisy in the New Testament era, we see it most clearly displayed in the lives of those who claimed to be the most righteous. The Pharisees were a group of people who by definition saw themselves as separated from the normal sinfulness of the masses. They began well, seeking a life of devoted godliness and submission to the law of God. However, when their behavior failed to reach their ideals, they began to engage in pretense. They pretended they were more righteous than they were. They gave an outward facade of righteousness, which merely served to conceal a radical corruption in their lives.

Though the church is not filled with hypocrites, there is no denying that hypocrisy is a sin that is not limited or restricted to New Testament Pharisees. It is a sin with which Christians must grapple. A high standard of spiritual and righteous behavior has been set for the church. We often are embarrassed by our failures to reach these high goals and are inclined to pretend that we have reached a higher plateau of righteousness than we've actually attained. When we do that, we put on the mask of the hypocrite and come under the judgment of God for that particular sin. When we find ourselves enmeshed in this type of pretense, an alarm bell should go off in our brains that we need to rush back to the cross and to Christ and to understand where our true righteousness resides. We have to find in Christ, not a mask that conceals our face, but an entire wardrobe of clothing, which is His righteousness. Indeed, it is only under the guise of the righteousness of Christ, received by faith, that any of us can ever have a hope of standing before a holy God. To wear the garments of Christ in faith is not an act of hypocrisy. It is an act of redemption.

Dr. R.C. Sproul is founder and president of Ligonier Ministries, and he is author of the books Reason to Believe and The Priest with Dirty Clothes.



DeMint will seek another term

Sen. DeMint (R-SC) is unquestionable one of the most qualified, responsible, honorable, statemanship Conservative representatives on Capitol Hill. I would hope he may soon become a candidate and be elected President or Vice President of the USA. - oyh

http://www.thestate.com/521/story/981651.html?storylink=Morning%20Newsletter



Palin Plans New Political Group

By: Dan Weil

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/sarah_palin_new_PAC/2009/10/15/272751.html?s=al&promo_code=8CF9-1

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is starting a political organization, continuing a path that could lead to a run for the presidency in 2012.

The organization will be called Stand Up For Our Nation, according to The New York Post.

Palin aide Tim Crawford told The Wall Street Journal an announcement would be forthcoming, but he declined to give details. Crawford is treasurer of Palin’s political action committee, SarahPAC.

The Journal suggested that the launch of the new group will coincide with the publication of Palin’s memoir “Going Rogue: An American Life” in November.

Palin backers told the Journal that last year’s GOP vice presidential nominee is keen on staying in the spotlight and generating significant personal income at the same time.

“She wants to continue to be in a position to help causes dear to her heart and help people close to her,” said Fred Malek, a former fundraiser for Sen. John McCain.

Unlike many of McCain’s personnel from the presidential campaign, Malek is still Palin’s friend.

After abandoning her post as Alaska governor in July, Palin has worked on her book, sent messages to her conservative followers on Facebook, and given public speeches.

The group Texas for Sarah Palin speculates that Palin is setting up what’s known as an issue, or ideological PAC, as distinguished from SarahPAC, a leadership PAC that allows her to support other candidates.

An ideological PAC would focus on national issues. “Issue PACs operate under a different set of rules than do leadership PACs. So from Sarah Palin's point of view, this new PAC will work to her advantage because it expands her political options,” according to Texas for Palin.



U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler to step down

Rep. Wexler Democrat (with a Freedom Index score of 10 )19th dis. Florida is saying by by to congress. When the RATS abandon the ship take notice!!!! -- Clarence Jaeger

BY BETH REINHARD

breinhard@MiamiHerald.com

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1281623.html

U.S. House of Representatives member Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, a self-described ``fire-breathing liberal,'' defender of Israel and friend of both President Barack Obama and Gov. Charlie Crist, is quitting Congress to head a think tank seeking peace in the Middle East.

In a conference call Tuesday night with Democratic leaders, Wexler said he will become director of the Washington-based Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation. Wexler, 48, is expected to make a public statement about his plans at a 10 a.m. Wednesday press conference at his Boca Raton office.

The jockeying to represent his heavily Democratic congressional district began in earnest Tuesday as the news of his departure began to leak out.

``I'm still a little bit in shock over all this,'' said state Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland, though he added he was ``for sure'' considering a run for the seat.

Other potential Democratic contenders in the district covering parts of North Broward and Palm Beach counties are state Sen. Ted Deutch of Delray Beach, West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter and former Broward County Commissioner Ben Graber.

Once Wexler's resignation becomes official, state law requires Crist to call a special election. That can leave candidates little time to raise funds and campaign, and sometimes makes for an unpredictable and chaotic race.

DEMOCRAT DEFENDER

Wexler prided himself on representing the ``greatest generation'' -- the World War II veterans and Depression survivors from the Northeast who turned South Florida's retirement communities into Democratic strongholds. He was a high-profile spokesman for the Democratic party during the 2000 presidential recount in the state and fought for a paper trail for voters using electronic machines.

He argued fervently against President Bill Clinton's impeachment and in favor of impeachment hearings for former Vice President Dick Cheney. But partisanship did not affect his relationship with Gov. Charlie Crist, his buddy from his days in the Florida Senate.

In 2007, when most of the Florida political establishment was aligned with Hillary Clinton, Wexler was one of the earliest and highest-profile supporters of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. He emphatically vouched for Obama's candidacy in Jewish communities across the country.

``I don't think you can overstate his importance to the campaign,'' said Democratic fundraiser Kirk Wagar.

Wexler was elected in 1996 and has not drawn serious challengers to his reelection. Even after questions were raised about his using his in-laws' address to establish his Florida residency, he won a seventh term in 2008.



New Machine Gun for Joes in Afghanistan

New Machine Gun for Joes in Afghanistan

http://www.military.com/news/article/new-machine-gun-for-joes-in-afghanistan.html?col=1186032325324

U.S. Army infantry units are fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan with a special operations forces machine gun that’s 30 percent lighter than the standard M240B but still packs the killing power of 7.62mm NATO.

Army weapons officials are fielding several hundred MK 48 MOD 1 machine guns in an effort to lighten the heavy loads ground forces, especially machine-gunners, struggle to carry over the country’s unforgiving terrain. The MK 48, made by FN Manufacturing LLC, was first adopted by Navy SEAL teams in 2000. The elite commando units needed a reliable 7.62mm machine gun that was light enough to carry on fast-moving raids and other special missions.

“It’s a great assault gun,” said Army Col. Doug Tamilio, the head of Project Manager Soldier Weapons, the command that overseas Army small arms.

At 18.26 pounds, the MK 48 is about nine pounds lighter than the 27.5-pound M240B. But the 550 MK 48s being fielded are not the beginning of a move to replace the Army’s beloved M240B, also made by FN Manufacturing, Tamilio said. It’s a short-term fix until next year when the Army begins fielding the lighter version of the M240B—the M240L.

The MK 48 fielding is intended to quickly “get something in the hands of soldiers to fight with in the mountains of Afghanistan,” Tamilio said.

The weapon’s appearance resembles the M249 squad automatic weapon, also made by FN Manufacturing. It has the same ergonomic fixed polymer stock and pistol grip. But unlike the 5.56mm M249, the MK 48 is chambered for the potent 7.62mm NATO round and is capable of spitting them out at a cyclic rate of fire of 720 rounds per minute.

The MK 48, while highly reliable, wasn’t designed to offer the long-term durability found in the M240 series machine gun, said Jim Sharp, deputy director for crew-served weapons for FNH USA. The MK 48’s receiver will last about 50,000 rounds compared to the M240’s 100,000-round receiver lifespan.

Tamilio agrees. “It’s a much lighter gun, both in weight and materials,” he said, describing how the MK 48’s bolt will have to be replaced after about 15,000 rounds while the M240s will last for about 100,000 rounds. Despite its durable reputation, the M240 is too heavy to carry long distances, especially up and down steep mountain trails. In some cases, units have chosen to sacrifice firepower to save weight on multi-day foot patrols in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, by leaving their M240s at their combat outposts, Army officials maintain.

The MK 48 “breaks away from the traditional support-by-fire position of your heavy or medium machine gun,” said Pedro Gomes, marketing manager for tactical weapons at FNH USA. Before coming to FN, Gomes served as an infantry captain in the Army’s 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). He deployed to Iraq from April 2007 to June 2008. “I didn’t use my 240s dismounted; I kept them always mounted on the vehicle” for highly mobile support fire, he said.

The MK 48 “gives you the option of bringing that higher caliber, more powerful round inside the maneuver box,” Gomes said.

Back to the Minimi’s 7.62 Heritage

The MK 48 is very similar to FN’s original Minimi design, which was chambered for 7.62mm when it first appeared in the mid-1970s, Sharp said. When the Army went shopping for a new squad automatic weapon in the 1980s, it chose the Minimi design but in the 5.56mm version, which became the M249 SAW. FN built a streamlined version of the M249, known as the MK 46, for the SEALs in 1998. Two years later, the SEALs asked FN to build them a 7.62mm version of the 46 and the MK 48 MOD O was born. Since then, the MK 48, like the MK 46, has been very popular among Special Operations Command units, such as the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Like most modern machineguns, the MK 48 fires from the open bolt to reduce the risk of rounds cooking off during sustained firing. When the weapon is loaded, the feeding operation begins when the trigger is squeezed. This lowers the sear and starts the bolt moving forward. A roller that sits on top of the bolt assembly travels down the feed lever, forcing it to pivot from left to right. This sets the feed-pawl assembly into action. It pushes the first round on the belt of ammunition into the tray groove.

Dave Hall, a retired Navy SEAL team senior chief petty officer, described the MK 48 as “simple to operate, simple to take apart” and “very, very reliable.”

While deployed in Afghanistan in 2005, Hall’s team primarily used the MK 48 mounted in pairs atop their vehicles. His unit didn’t need to carry its MK 48s in the dismounted role, but he agreed that the weapon is light enough that “if you need to break it off the vehicle and use it somewhere else, you could.”

Hall didn’t find durability to be a problem. “We shot them quite a bit,” he said, adding that firing accurate bursts at “500 to 600 meters was pretty routine.” The MK 48’s accuracy at such ranges would come in handy when engaging enemy armed with AK47s and rocket propelled grenades—weapons that greatly lose their effectiveness beyond 300 meters, Hall said. “You are way outside of that—you could just eat their lunch with that thing,” Hall said. “I think the MK 48 is an excellent balance of accuracy and reliability.”



Disney elevates homosexual to studio chief

I have said so many times that if Mr. Walt Disney could awaken, and see what has happened to the company his founded, he would shut the doors and/or start over. Walt Disney was one who practiced and promoted "all" G-rated products. How left will Disney now go? How will the newer productions compare to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", his first full-length animated musical? Sorry, but now I believe you will see a much more radical left-wing version than any of yesterday and/or even today. Now the leadership is under the guidance of an open homosexual, which is sexual activity in violation of our Holy Bible. - oyh

Allie Martin - OneNewsNow

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=719420

A pro-family activist says he's not surprised that the Walt Disney Company has named an open homosexual as studio head.

Disney announced last week it had named Rich Ross as studio chief. The 47-year-old television executive helped to revive the Disney Channel, and now will oversee all production, distribution, and marketing for the company's live-action and animated feature labels. It is the first time an open homosexual has been named to such a position.

Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. He says although a boycott of the entertainment giant (initiated by the American Family Association) was called off several years ago, the company is still very homosexual-friendly.

"The sad reality is that whenever you see a homosexual activist at the top, nine times out of ten they end up pushing that gay agenda using their influence to push it wherever they can," states LaBarbera.

"It's the way the homosexual movement ends up influencing the country far beyond its tiny numbers," he explains. "They get in key positions of power, and then they use that power to advance their agenda."

LaBarbera says it is time for parents to get educated and to move away from Disney to family-friendly entertainment companies.



ACORN's Man in the White House

By Matthew Vadum

http://spectator.org/archives/2009/09/28/acorns-man-in-the-white-house/print

Newly discovered evidence shows the radical advocacy group ACORN has a man in the Obama White House.

This power behind the throne is longtime ACORN operative Patrick Gaspard. He holds the title of White House political affairs director, the same title Karl Rove held in President Bush's White House.

Evidence shows that years before he joined the Obama administration, Gaspard was ACORN boss Bertha Lewis's political director in New York.

Lewis, the current "chief organizer" or CEO of ACORN, was head of New York ACORN from at least 1994 through 2008, when she took over as national leader of ACORN. With Gaspard at work in the White House, Lewis might as well be speaking to President Obama through an earpiece as he goes about his daily business ruining the country.

Erick Erickson of the website RedState recently did an excellent job explaining the relationship of Gaspard to Lewis and President Obama so I won't take up space here recalling all his valuable insights. Suffice it to say Erickson reported that Gaspard figures prominently in Lewis's rolodex, which Erickson has in his possession.

Skeptics among you may ask, How do we actually know the low-profile Gaspard, who prefers to work outside the public spotlight and who can hardly be found in Nexis searches at all, was Lewis's right hand man?

Because Gaspard's employment with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now is acknowledged by no less an authority than ACORN founder Wade Rathke himself. Rathke writes at his blog:

Tell me that 1199's former political director, Patrick Gaspard (who was ACORN New York's political director before that) didn't reach out from the White House and help make that happen, and I'll tell you to take some remedial classes in "politics 101."

The "before that" time period Rathke is referring to is 2003 when Gaspard was executive vice president for political and legislative affairs for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. According to publicly available disclosure documents, Gaspard registered as a federal lobbyist for SEIU on Oct. 22, 2007. The registration and subsequent disclosures indicate he lobbied Congress on SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Incidentally, the lines between ACORN and radical left-wing SEIU, whose acronym stands for Service Employees International Union, become fuzzy in places.

SEIU Locals 100 and 880 are part of the ACORN network of organizations. Local 100 in New Orleans is headed by Rathke. SEIU Local 880 in Chicago is headed by longtime ACORN insider Keith Kelleher.

You'd never know about the SEIU connection from visiting ACORN's website, www.acorn.org. That's because the website has been receiving a thorough scrubbing in recent months. On ACORN's affiliated organizations page, references to the two SEIU locals mysteriously disappeared.

It's worth noting that Gaspard's ties to ACORN, SEIU, and Lewis go way back.

According to the Complete Marquis Who's Who, Gaspard has a long history of political involvement stretching back to at least 1989 when he volunteered for the David Dinkins mayoral campaign in New York City. In 2003 he became acting field director for Howard Dean's presidential bid. He was national field director in 2004 for America Coming Together, a now-defunct get-out-the-vote operation that received a $775,000 fine for campaign finance abuses. In 2006 Gaspard was acting political director for SEIU International.

Gaspard also worked for New York's Working Families Party, which is an appendage of ACORN. Lewis is a co-founder of that party -- which endorsed Obama last year -- and has close ties to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) who has been most reluctant to have the House Judiciary subcommittee he chairs investigate ACORN.

Nadler invented the incredibly creative argument that recent legislative language aimed at depriving ACORN of federal funding constitutes an unconstitutional "bill of attainder." Perhaps singling out the mafia for a federal funds cutoff would be unconstitutional too in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the American public is beginning to realize that ACORN is a vast criminal conspiracy whose reach extends to the highest levels of the U.S. government.

Obama's statement that he's barely aware of ACORN's problems is nothing short of ridiculous, especially so because Patrick Gaspard was a political director for ACORN New York.

Last year he worked as national political director for the Obama campaign followed by a stint as associate personnel director for the Obama-Biden transition team.

As the old Washington saying goes, politics is personnel. Who knows how many administration officials were put in place by Gaspard with direct input from ACORN's Bertha Lewis. It boggles the mind.

We also now know the Obama administration was lying about ACORN's high level involvement in the 2010 Census. The coordination between ACORN and the Census was revealed as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the relentless investigator Tegan Millspaw of Judicial Watch. The Census and other government agencies have cut ties with ACORN as the ACORN scandal widens.

We have to wonder: when it comes to ACORN, what else is the Obama administration lying about?



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More Blonde Jokes

A blonde was bragging about her knowledge of state capitals. She proudly says, 'Go ahead, ask me, ... I know 'em all.'

A friend says, 'OK, what's the capital of Wisconsin ?'

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Q: What did the blonde ask her doctor when he told her she was pregnant?
A: 'Is it mine?'