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POPSKenyans call for end to shady pastors "Giving is not bad because it is a mission of the Church, but we should not teach people to give all they have, causing disharmony in their homes," said Pastor Otieno.
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POPSBali Hindus Challenge Indonesian Porn Legislation It's time for a clip that has nothing to do with US politics: Usually when we hear about religious minorities making a fuss about anti-porn laws, it's because they're not restrictive enough. But Bali's 93% majority Hindus fear that the new, draconian laws being contemplated by the rest of Indonesia's Muslim majority will trample on local customs such as erotic temple statuary and threaten the tourist trade - skimpy is a word that barely describes the swimwear on Bali's beaches (pun intended) Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said, "Many people in Papua still live naked or half-naked. Are we going to arrest them all?" Bali is home to Legian beach, the only publicly acknowledged clothing-optional beach in Indonesia.
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POPSThe Physicist Who Figured Out Ballet "To turn your body you must apply a torque, or twisting force, to it, and once you are in the air you have nothing to apply a torque with. If, on the other hand, you begin twisting from the ground up, clasping your legs together at the apex of your leap while raising your arms above your head, you will do a rapid 180-degree turn, which is the object of the exercise. “ :-)
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POPSSCOTUS Strikes Down DC Gun Ban Here's a fun question for the "strict constructionist" Scalia -- if this is true, why would 2nd amendment mention militias at all? And why doesn't it mention self-defense? Scalia's never been a "strict constructionist." All that means is "someone who'll be a judicial activist for Republican causes."
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POPSCourt rules in favor of Second Amendment gun right riting for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted. The Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home," Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington's requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.
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POPSHouse passes bill (HR 4279) that will let the RIAA take away your home for downloading music If this bill is passed in its present form by the Senate and signed, that means there's no more pro forma RIAA lawsuit payoffs, because if you wind up settling with the RIAA, you could still lose all your stuff in addition to any fee you paid them.The more the law is constructed to sweep in folks who are absolutely observant of it, the more we need broader protections. The voting scorecard, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll300.xml Only 11 Noes, to include Ron Paul. "It means they may take your home away if your KID is stealing music over the internet without even your knowledge. Cause it happened on property you had direct control over though you are clueless." Read the rest at the source, the comments are pretty good as well.
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POPS Medical marijuana patients face transplant hurdles
"Marijuana, unlike alcohol, has no direct effect on the liver. It is however a concern ... in that it's a potential indicator of an addictive personality," said Dr. Robert Sade, director of the Institute of Human Values Dr. Brad Roter, the Seattle physician who authorized Garon's pot use for nausea, abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant. That's typically the case, said Peggy Stewart, a clinical social worker on the liver transplant team at UCLA who has researched the issue. "There needs to be some kind of national eligibility criteria," she said. The patients "are trusting their physician to do the right thing. The physician prescribes marijuana, they take the marijuana, and they are shocked that this is now the end result," she said. Many doctors agree that using marijuana — smoking it, especially — is out of the question post-transplant. The drugs patients take to help their bodies a
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POPSSupreme Court To Back Right To Bear Arms
It appeared clear that a majority of the court would rule that the US constitution protects the right of individual Americans to “keep and bear arms” – but that federal, state and local governments will retain some powers to regulate firearms. At issue in the case is the constitution’s second amendment, which includes ambiguous language about gun rights. It says “a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”.A majority of the nine justices, including the crucial “swing” justice Anthony Kennedy, who often holds the balance of power on the court, appeared to believe the amendment guaranteed an individual right to weapons. Justice Kennedy repeatedly insisted that the amendment must have been intended to allow citizens to protect their frontier homes and families against dangers such as attacking Indians or bears, and should provide a similar right to protect the modern home.
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POPSThis had to come out of NZ!!! But I am NOT givin' up my protection for anybody. Our lousy government has caused so much crap and this is why we're not safe ---even from our own people.
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POPSYou Know You're Getting Old When... You wear black socks with sandals. You know what the word equity means. You can't remember the last time you laid on the floor to watch television. Your ears are hairier than your head. You talk about "good grass" and you're referring to someone's lawn. You get into a heated argument about pension plans. You got cable for the weather channel. You can go bowling without drinking.
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POPSStakes high as court hears case on gun rights versus control In March, the U. S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on the meaning of the Second Amendment. It's the first time in 68 years the high court will look at the amendment, and arguably the first time ever that a definitive interpretation will emerge of what the Constitution guarantees with those incendiary words, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Gun rights versus gun control is at issue in District of Columbia vs. Heller, and the societal stakes are enormous. Because if the court does render an NRA-friendly judgment that the words are pretty much what they say, that an individual has the guaranteed right to keep a pistol at home for personal use, then a tsunami of test cases can be expected across the country that will crash over existing state and local gun control laws.
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POPSWill Supreme Court Uphold Right to Bear Arms?
The case in particular revolves around a Washington DC (unconstitutional) ordinance that bans handguns, or requires their disassembly. But upholding what a federal judge has ruled, that such an ordinance is unconstitutional, the principle of course (though plain to all) has ramifications on all gun measures that states and the federal government have (unconstitutionally) passed--i.e. mandatory registration, IDs, concealed carry, transportation between states, etc. The current gun laws would have been immediately decried by the founders which included this in the Bill of Rights. "As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow citizens, the people are confirmed by the next article in their right to keep and bear their private arms." Tenche Cox, 1789 on the 2nd Amendment
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POPSTerror not. The Police look for one year now told no charges to be laid Terror laws act. just guns.
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POPSReligious Law I can't help but imagine a few Christian Nationalists drolling over the prospects of religious law in the US.
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POPS80 Lashes for "Immorality" in Iran This is what happens when Islam takes over a country. The goons in Iran are just as effective as the goons in Nazi Germany, the goons in N. Korea, and the goons in Uganda under Idi Amin. Our freedoms are precious, and our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are protecting them for us.
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POPS"Guns don't kill people," ...absurd!!!
When NRA and other groups stand up for their rights to bear arms * READ THIS PAGE ask yourself if it is really the answer to an improved society. This is what happens to people when we become lax in our duties to protect one another in ways other than arming ourselves. We can best protect ourselves and our future leaders by listening to each other, taking action when we see some one is troubled (cho was a troubled dude that everybody IGNORED from his fellow students to his supervisors, teachers and establishment. When people don't enforce flimsy gun laws we get this.... When we care MORE about owning an item of metal designed to send bullets into another's body with such force as to DESTROY them, we get this.... Sadness, loss of so much potential... Christians, who seem to be in the forfront of gun advocacy, ask yourselves, Did Jesus own a Glock? (*which when you read your history books, you will learn this is an antiquated stupid right not relevant to our modern
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POPSTolerance vs. Intolerance Doctor 1: "I believe that the problem is focused on your gall bladder. We are going to have to remove it." Doctor 2: "No! The evidence clearly shows that this condition is caused by a bacteria. We should start the patient on antibiotics" Doctor 1: "I do not see why you militant bacterialists simply refuse to tolerate the opinions of us defective organists. We have as much of a right to our opinion as you do. We have a sick patient here. We should learn to tolerate each other's beliefs and work together." I don't know about you, but as soon as I heard Doctor 1 make that statement, I'm firing him as my doctor. Clearly, he does not understand what medicine is about and that treating a patient involves finding the best treatment based on the available evidence.