Crowd stunned after valedictorian rips up speech, recites Lord’s prayer

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A South Carolina valedictorian garnered wild applause after he ripped up his pre-approved speech and delivered the Lord’s prayer at his high school graduation on Saturday.

The act was apparently in protest of the Pickens County School District’s decision to no longer include prayer at graduation ceremonies, Christian News reported. Officials said the decision was made after the district was barraged with complaints by atheist groups.

But that didn’t stop Roy Costner IV of Liberty High School. He ripped up his graduation speech for all to see, before he started talking about his Christian upbringing, Christian News reported.

“Those that we look up to, they have helped carve and mold us into the young adults that we are today,” he said. “I’m so glad that both of my parents led me to the Lord at a young age.”

“And I think most of you will understand when I say…” he paused. “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” The auditorium began to erupt with applause and cheers.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” he continued. “For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”

Pickens County School District spokesman John Eby said that no disciplinary action will be taken against Mr. Costner.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/5/crowd-stunned-after-valedictorian-rips-speech-reci/#ixzz2VSKobHOU

Incidents involving attacks on religious liberty!

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The House Armed Services Committee is considering a religious liberty amendment  to the National Defense Authorization Act Wednesday over fears the military is punishing soldiers for expressing their religious faith.

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“The men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms should not have their own religious freedom jeopardized during their military service,” said Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), who authored the amendment.

Fleming said steps taken in last year’s NDAA only focused on protecting beliefs of service members – and not the exercise or expression of those beliefs.

“My amendment is necessary to ensure that men and women of faith will not be discriminated against in the Armed Forces, and will be free to exercise their religious beliefs,” he said. “Military service members, particularly chaplains, feel like their ability to execute their duties are being greatly limited by some of the policies and actions in the Pentagon.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about the congressman’s amendment.

Fleming told Fox News it appears that in some cases members of the U.S. military have been punished because of their religious faith.

“There have been reports,” he said. “We don’t know how widespread it is.”

Among the incidents:

• A service member received a “severe and possibly career-ending reprimand” for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog.
• An enlisted service member received a career-ending punishment for sending personal invitations to his promotion party which mentioned that he would be providing Chick-fil-A sandwiches due to his respect for the Defense of Marriage Act.
• A senior military official at Fort Campbell sent out a lengthy email officially instructing officers to recognize “the religious right in America” as a “domestic hate group” akin to the KKK and Neo-Nazis because of its opposition to homosexual behavior.
• An Air Force officer was told to remove a Bible from his desk because it might offend someone. The officer had kept the Bible on the desk for 18 years;
• A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because, consistent with DOMA’s definition of marriage, he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.
• An enlisted service member was threatened and denied promotion by a senior NCO for expressing – during a personal conversation – his religious belief in support of traditional marriage.
• Last month Rear Admiral William Lee told a National Day of Prayer audience that religious liberty was being threatened by Pentagon lawyers and service members are being told to hide their faith in Christ.“Leaders like myself are feeling the constraints of rules and regulations and guidance issued by lawyers that put us in a tighter and tighter box regarding our constitutional right to express our religious faith,” he said.

Read more: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/congressman-troops-being-punished-for-expressing-religious-faith.html

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E. Tenn. Democrat, Holder Justice Department challenged on outreach program said to enforce Sharia

Reacting to reports that the Obama Department of Justice may prosecute those who write and post articles offensive to Muslims, Pamela Geller of the American Freedom Defense Initiative has vowed, “We will fight you on this every step of the way. We will drag your dhimmi asses all the way to the Supreme Court. This is Sharia enforcement, and we are not going to stand for it.”

The term “dhimmi” refers to submission to or enforcement of Islamic law, also called Sharia.

Pamela Geller.

Geller, who also co-founded Stop Islamization of Nations (SION) with Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch, has endorsed a rally for free speech on June 4 in Manchester, Tennessee, to protest anti-free speech comments by Bill Killian, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Killian has generated outrage by vowing to use federal civil rights laws to punish those making critical comments about Islam.

In a story on the controversy, Politico quotes Floyd Abrams, one of the country’s most respected First Amendment attorneys, as saying about Killian: “He’s just wrong. The government may, indeed, play a useful and entirely constitutional role in urging people not to engage in speech that amounts to religious discrimination. But it may not, under the First Amendment, prevent or punish speech even if it may be viewed as hostile to a religion. And what it most clearly may not do is to stifle political or social debate, however rambunctious or offensive some may think it is.”

A local paper reports that Killian and Kenneth Moore, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Knoxville, Tennessee, Division, are speaking at a public event and “will provide input on how civil rights can be violated by those who post inflammatory documents targeted at Muslims on social media.”

A U.S. Attorney usually prosecutes offenses such as foreign terrorism, child pornography, violent crimes and drug trafficking. But Killian told the local paper that civil rights laws can have certain “consequences” for the First Amendment right of free speech. The paper said, “Killian said Internet postings that violate civil rights are subject to federal jurisdiction.”

Read more: http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/06/04/e-tenn-democrat-holder-justice-department-challenged-on-outreach-program-said-to-enforce-sharia/

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Congressman: Obama is letting China steal U.S. military secrets

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A formerly obscure naval exercise involving China and the United States is coming under increased scrutiny ahead of President Barack Obama‘s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.

For the first time, the Obama administration invited China’s People’s Liberation Army to participate in the 2014 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, an annual maritime exercise that enlists a variety of nations typically allied with the United States. But in wake of concerted Chinese attempts to obtain U.S. military secrets, not everyone is thrilled about the two naval powers floating side-by-side.

“The administration made a mistake by letting China play a role in the Rim of the Pacific exercises,” Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, tells The Cable. “They will likely utilize these exercises to their advantage: stealing our military secrets and better understanding our military strategy.”

Michael Auslin, a resident scholar of Asian security studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, agrees.

“They will get a better understanding of our tactics and procedures as they see how we can coordinate with our allies and friends,” he told The Cable. “I would much rather see them mystified about how well or closely we work with the Japanese or Australians. If they come into RIMPAC and see the improved communications between the fleets, that is valuable from a military perspective.”

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter first acknowledged that China had accepted the offer in March, though the invite was originally extended by then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last year. At the time, Carter said, “We seek to strengthen and grow our military-to-military relationship with China, which matches and follows our growing political and economic relationship.”

Read more: http://www.trunews.com/congressman-obama-is-letting-china-steal-u-s-military-secrets/

Hawaii’s gentle breezes are disappearing, and scientists don’t know why

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Hawaii’s gentle breezes are disappearing, and scientists don’t know why

The Extinction Protocol at The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond - 10 hours ago

June 6, 2013 – HONOLULU — Part of what makes living in Hawaii so pleasant is the gentle breeze. Arriving from the northeast, it’s light enough that it is barely noticeable but strong enough to chase away the humidity. It’s … Continue reading →

The Middle East Is Being Divided Along Sectarian Lines

End Of Days News

The Middle East Is Being Divided Along Sectarian Lines

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates

*Syria, like Iraq And Lebanon, Is On Path Toward Sectarian Split -- McClatchy News* DARKUSH, Syria — The men from the last Alawite family in the northern Syrian town of Darkush have been kidnapped twice. The Saleh men were fortunate both times: They were released by rebels who’d suspected them of being agents for the government of President Bashar Assad. Their good fortune wasn’t shared by the rest of the Alawites who used to live here. They’ve all left, a pattern that’s been repeated across Syria and mirrors the demographic changes that war brought to its neighbors, Iraq and L... more »

HEY KATHLEEN? WHAT IF IT’S YOUR DAUGHTER? Kathleen Sebelius won’t waive regulation for girl with five weeks to live!

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HEY KATHLEEN? WHAT IF IT’S YOUR DAUGHTER?

lamarzulli at L.A. Marzulli's Blog

Commentary & Analysis by L. A. Marzulli Kathleen Sebelius won’t waive regulation for girl with five weeks to live: ‘Someone lives and someone dies’ http://washingtonexaminer.com/sebelius-wont-waive-regulation-for-girl-with-five-weeks-to-live-someone-lives-and-someone-dies/article/2531097 “I’m begging you,” Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) told Sebelius at a House hearing Tuesday morning, asking her to suspend the transplant rules until they can be revisited. “Sarah has three […]