by Thomas E. Brewton

From an intellectual viewpoint, there is no inherent conflict between religion and science. Trouble comes from the efforts of atheistic materialists to hijack science.

As noted in Science vs Religion, religion is obviously no impediment to scientific study of the natural world. All of the 17th century's groundbreaking discoveries and applications of mathematics to the natural world were the work of devout Christians. In only one case– Galileo – was there conflict with the church, and that was primarily a political matter.

Galileo's fight with the Church was not solely the result of his heliocentric theories. One of his personal friends, the local bishop, had supported publication of Galileo’s scientific work. But, after his friend became Pope, Galileo published a satirical work in which some church doctrine was presented as foolish. It was one thing to publish scientific papers, quite another to ridicule the Pope and the Church during the Reformation's spiritual and political warfare.

Religion looks at the big picture, science at particular natural instances. Mathematics is a bridge between the two: applicable to particulars, but drawing its theorems from extrapolations into the immateriality of mental constructs, as did Plato with his paradigm of Ideal Forms.

In the 17th century, when natural science emerged as a new paradigm, religion and science were understood to be equally valid ways to study God's creation. The laws of mathematics and natural science had, after all, been created by God as part of the whole universe.

The emerging paradigm of scientific experimentation was not conceived by seminal thinkers like Francis Bacon as replacing religion and classical philosophy. The physical sciences were, instead, to be a supplemental method to determine the nature of the physical world.

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Posted by Walt as ACLU, Creation, Science at 7:28 AM EDT

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ABC, CBS, NBC Painting Tough Curbs On Illegals As ‘Far Right’ Harshness

Alexandria, VA—A new Media Research Center study released today shows that for this past spring’s extensive coverage of illegal immigration, the broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, and NBC – largely portrayed illegals and their lobbyists as heroic and deserving of support while proponents of secure borders were portrayed as “harsh” and “hard line.” This spin defies polls showing upwards of 90 percent of Americans view illegal immigration as a serious problem.

This blatant disconnect between the views of the American people and the elite media, as well as the administration, on the issue of illegal immigration is startling and fully detailed in the MRC Special Report, Election in the Streets.

“This new MRC study proves that the liberal media at ABC, CBS, and NBC have a left-wing political agenda when it comes to illegal immigration, and they will ignore the views of most Americans and misinform the public and our policy leaders to advance that agenda,” said MRC President L. Brent Bozell III. “Journalists must provide a complete, balanced picture of the immigration crisis and stop peddling propaganda.”

Major points in the study include the following:

• 309 broadcast network news stories were analyzed between March 24 and May 31, showing that in contrast to hundreds of words emphasizing a huge “wave” of “pro-immigrant” activism, the networks aired only 16 mentions of nationwide polls on immigration. ABC, CBS, and NBC largely ignored poll numbers – including from their own polls – proving that overwhelming majorities of Americans see illegal immigration as “out of control.”

• Networks gave advocates for amnesty and guest-worker plans twice as many sound bites as those wanting tighter border control.

• Networks used the “conservative” label 89 times while “liberal” was used only 3 times – all by ABC. CBS and NBC never tagged those pushing for more lenient policies as “liberal.”

• Only 6 stories discussed how illegals cost more to government than they provide in taxes.

• Networks never questioned the propriety of illegals protesting and lobbying on immigration while in violation of federal laws.

To schedule an interview with MRC President Bozell or an MRC spokesperson, please contact Tim Scheiderer (x. 126) or Colleen O’Boyle (x. 122) at 703.683.5004.

Posted by Walt as Biased Media, Immigration at 10:29 AM EDT

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More evidence continues to show the fallacy of the "Global Warming" myth and that the "global Warming" scare is just a tactic to control our freedom and economics through increasing negative legislation.

WASHINGTON — The past two years have seen a flood of news reports about global warming, largely concentrating on melting ice caps, hurricanes and mass extinctions.  A new study by the Cato Institute examines these stories and shows that many of them, including scientific reports, are remarkably flawed.

In the Policy Analysis "Is the Sky Really Falling?: A Review of Recent Global Warming Scare Stories," Patrick J. Michaels, a Cato senior fellow in environmental studies, argues that many stories about hurricanes, the melting of polar ice and extinctions "are riddled with self-inconsistencies, are inconsistent with other findings, and are reported — as much by scientists themselves as by reporters — in extreme or misleading fashions that do not accurately portray the actual research."

Once a commonly-exceeded temperature threshold is reached, there is no relationship between observed hurricane severity and ocean-surface temperatures, writes Michaels.  Actually, the frequency of intense and extreme hurricanes in both the Atlantic and the Western Pacific (the most active regions on earth) was the same in the 1940s and 50s as in the mid-1990s.

"Reports of rapid disintegration of Greenland's ice ignore the fact that the region was warmer than it is now for several decades in the early 20th century, before humans could have had much influence on climate," the paper points out.  Furthermore, Antarctica is gaining, not losing ice, and that is predicted to continue for at least the next 100 years by all modern models.

Stories about mass species extinction rates as a result of global warming turn out to be demonstrably wrong, as well.  According to Michaels, reports about extinctions of butterfly populations in Europe ignore the fact that warming has increased the geographic range of most species, resulting in more, not less, biodiversity.

This collection of half-truths and misstatements about global warming are "a predictable consequence of the way that science is now conducted, where issues compete with each other for public support," Michaels concludes.  "Unfortunately, this creates a culture of negativity that is reflected in the recent spate of global warming reports."

Policy Analysis Paper no. 576

Posted by Walt as Environmental Issues, Global Warming, Science at 8:57 PM EDT

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(Washington, DC)  Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and judicial abuse, announced today that Judge Anna Diggs Taylor, who last week ruled the government’s warrantless wiretapping program unconstitutional, serves as a Secretary and Trustee for a foundation that donated funds to the ACLU of Michigan, a plaintiff in the case (ACLU et. al v. National Security Agency).  Judicial Watch discovered the potential conflict of interest after reviewing Judge Diggs Taylor’s financial disclosure statements.

According to her 2003 and 2004 financial disclosure statements, Judge Diggs Taylor served as Secretary and Trustee for the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan (CFSEM).  She was reelected to this position in June 2005.  The official CFSEM website states that the foundation made a “recent grant” of $45,000 over two years to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, a plaintiff in the wiretapping case.  Judge Diggs Taylor sided with the ACLU of Michigan in her recent decision.

According to the CFSEM website, “The Foundation’s trustees make all funding decisions at meetings held on a quarterly basis.”

“This potential conflict of interest merits serious investigation,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.  “If Judge Diggs Taylor failed to disclose this link to a plaintiff in a case before her court, it would certainly call into question her judgment.”

(Judge Diggs Taylor is also the presiding judge in another case where she may have a conflict of interest.  The Arab Community Center for Social and Economic Services (ACCESS) is a defendant in another case now before Judge Diggs Taylor’s court [Case No. 06-10968 (Mich. E.D.)].  In 2003, the CFSEM donated $180,000 to ACCESS.)

Click here to read Judge Diggs Taylor’s financial disclosure statements.

Click here to read the CFSEM’s list of recent grants

Posted by Walt as U.S. Legal Issues, ACLU, Activist Courts at 1:03 AM EDT

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Mayor Nagin's ranting on a recent 60 Minutes about rebuilding New Orleans has created a buzz in the news scene. The following piece is from www.scrappleface.com and it says it all about the blunt style of Mayor Nagin. And the truth abounds.

(2006-08-25) — New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who this week answered criticism about the speed of his administration’s reconstruction efforts by noting that the World Trade Center site in New York still sits vacant, today pledged that his city would be fully restored faster than two other devastated metropolitan areas. “New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed in five years,” Mr. Nagin said, “and look at Atlantis and Babylon — still a mess more than a generation later. We’re on pace to finish the job well before either one them.” Mr. Nagin refused to answer any more questions on New Orlean’s recovery delays “until Mike Wallace sits down with the mayors of those two towns and holds them accountable for their mismanagement.”

Posted by Walt as Economics, Humor, Natural Disasters at 2:02 AM EDT

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Our hunt for Bin Laden has slowed, but his deadly terrorist activities continue full speed. When the CIA had a fighting chance to capture him, they never received the military ground support to complete the mission back in 2001. He escaped to Pakistan and continues to gather more strength commanding increasing deadly terrorist attacks.

In an interview with CNN Michael Scheuer spoke openly about Bin Laden:

Michael Scheuer, who once headed the CIA's bin Laden unit, says bin Laden has been given permission by a young cleric in Saudi Arabia authorizing al Qaeda to "use nuclear weapons against the United States … capping the casualties at 10 million."

"He's had an approval, a religious approval for 10 million deaths?" I asked him.

"Yes," Scheuer responded. (CNN)

Unfortunately, Bin Laden has been using videos to tell th world what he will be dong, and the proposed death of 10 million Americans.

We have been warned.

Posted by Walt as Islam, Terrorism at 10:23 AM EDT

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by Thomas E. Brewton
The View from 1776   

It’s a pity that the Bill of Rights didn’t incorporate language found in many of the contemporary state constitutions.

Many of the state constitutions, between the time of the Articles of Confederation and our 1787 Constitution, contained clauses similar to Delaware’s, granting freedom of worship “…unless under color of religion, any man disturb the peace, the happiness, or safety of society.”

Were such language in the First Amendment, vast numbers of vexatious problems could have been avoided.  For instance, the practice of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 1940s of employing sound trucks to blare out messages to Catholics on their way to Easter Sunday mass, declaring that the Roman Catholic Church is the"great whore of Babylon” and that Catholics are all damned to hell.  The result in some cases was civil disturbance requiring police to prevent mayhem.  It was such cases that resulted in the Supreme Court’s present-day doctrines of “separation of church and state,” under the ACLU construction of free speech as inclusive of any sort of conduct, no matter how offensive to the majority of people.

Provisions against disturbing the peace, happiness, or safety of society would also have enabled authorities in the early decades of the 20th century to clamp down on provocateurs advocating the atheistic, materialistic, and anti-Constitutional religion of socialism, as well as dealing today with Islamic Imams who preach hatred and death to non-Muslim American citizens.

With regard to my categorization of socialism as a materialistic religion, see Socialism: Our Unconstitutionally Established National Religion.

For more information on this important series dealing with the intents of our Founding Fathers, please read: Part One and Part Two

About the author:

Thomas E. Brewton, who maintains the blog, The View from 1776, had the great good fortune in the middle 1950s at Louisiana State University to study under two of the 20th century's great minds: Eric Voegelin in political science, and Walter Berns in Constitutional law. These two professors opened the door of education to a glimpse of Western civilization and of American political and social thought as they had been before socialism was unconstitutionally established as the official national religion of the United States in 1933.

The View from 1776 presents a framework to understand present-day issues from the viewpoint of the colonists who fought for American independence in 1776 and wrote the Constitution in 1787.

Posted by Walt as U.S. Constitutional Issues at 7:02 AM EDT

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I reported in an earlier post last October, Is SSP the Beginning of the End of the United States? and I am amazed of the lack of media attention this evil treaty is getting.

In the March 31, White House press release named the special initiatives of the treaty that expands the authority of the North American Union. The initiatives named are:

1. North American Competitiveness Council
2. North American Emergency Management
3. Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza
4. North American Energy Security
5. North American Smart, Secure Borders

Human Events did report in July, the formation of the North American Competitiveness Council the first initiative on the list. Again, no other coverage by the liberal news media.

With virtually no mention in the mainstream media, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez convened on June 15, the first meeting of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), an apparently extra-constitutional advisory group organized by the Department of Commerce (DOC) under the auspices of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). . .

. . . The “SPP Ministers” were not identified. Moreover, the term “Ministers” was an unusual reference to the U.S. government, especially when the founding fathers had taken such pains to rid the U.S. of all terminology that could be reminiscent of monarchical systems such as the British royalty against whom the Revolutionary War was aimed.

The treaty will result in open borders and a loss of identity to the United States as a sovereign nation.

Posted by Walt as North American Union, U.S. Borders Issues at 9:20 PM EDT

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Aug. 21 /Christian Newswire/ — Author and Christian broadcaster Dr. D. James Kennedy connects the dots between Charles Darwin and Adolf Hitler in Darwin’s Deadly Legacy, a groundbreaking inquiry into Darwin’s chilling social impact. The new television documentary airs nationwide on August 26 and 27 on The Coral Ridge Hour. For station listings, go to http://www.coralridge.org/darwin/.

What: New TV documentary, Darwin’s Deadly Legacy

When: August 26, 27, 2006

Where: Nationwide; details at http://www.coralridge.org/darwin/

The program features 14 scholars, scientists, and authors who outline the grim consequences of Darwin’s theory of evolution and show how his theory fueled Hitler’s ovens.

“To put it simply, no Darwin, no Hitler,” said Dr. Kennedy, the host of Darwin’s Deadly Legacy. “Hitler tried to speed up evolution, to help it along, and millions suffered and died in unspeakable ways because of it.”

The one-hour program features Ann Coulter, author of Godless; Richard Weikart, author of From Darwin to Hitler; Lee Strobel, author of The Case for a Creator; Jonathan Wells, author of Icons of Evolution; Phillip Johnson, author of Darwin on Trial; Michael Behe, author of Darwin’s Black Box; Ian Taylor, author of In the Minds of Men, and Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project.

“Among German historians, there’s really not much debate about whether or not Hitler was a social Darwinist. He clearly was drawing on Darwinian ideas,” said Weikart, a professor of modern European history at California State University, Stanislaus.

Ann Coulter, a bestselling author and popular conservative columnist, said Hitler “was applying Darwinism. He thought the Aryans were the fittest and he was just hurrying natural selection along.”

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Posted by Walt as Creation, Europe Political Issues at 8:42 PM EDT

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by Thomas E. Brewton
The View from 1776  

Liberal Republicans, Democrats, and independents declare that our invasion of Iraq was based on lies, was immoral, and now is a failure.  Glibly they demand that we simply withdraw our troops from Iraq, but none of them has presented any evidence of thinking about what happens next.

The standard rationale is that, by pulling our troops out, we can concentrate on the presumptive real objective, capturing Osama Bin Ladin.  In that simplistic scenario, we end the terrorist threat, and everybody can go back to watching American Idol on TV.

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Posted by Walt as Iraq, Middle East Conflicts, Terrorism at 10:21 AM EDT

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