US 'Spied on Future Pope Francis During Vatican Conclave'

NSA spied on the future Pope Francis before and during the Vatican conclave at which he was chosen to succeed Benedict XVI 
 

Pope Francis delivering a speech during a meeting of the world's cardinals Photo: AFP

The National Security Agency spied on the future Pope Francis before and during the Vatican conclave at which he was chosen to succeed Benedict XVI, it was claimed on Wednesday.

The American spy agency monitored telephone calls made to and from the residence in Rome where the then Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio stayed during the conclave, the secret election at which cardinals chose him as pontiff on March 13. 

Read more at The Telegraph >> 

Russia's "Protectorate" Over Middle Eastern Christians

Kremlin May Grant Citizenship to 50,000 Syrian Christians 

Putin (LaPresse/AP Photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has just eclipsed America's Marxist president on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People, and how telling it is also that the world's most persecuted Christians increasingly look to the Russian leader for protection, peace and justice.  

Vatican Insider reports that "defending Middle Eastern Christians has become a strategic asset for Putin and is in perfect harmony with the Patriarchate of Moscow's mission."

For a half century during Soviet-American summit meetings, American presidents raised the issue of the persecution of Christians and Jews in the Soviet Union.  Can the day be far off when the persecution of believers in the United States is raised by Russian leaders?

From Vatican Insider: 

The Kremlin is about to consider granting citizenship to about 50 thousand Syrian Christians in the region of Qualamun after they issued a collective request to Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In statements issued in the past few days, the spokesmen for President Putin and the Ministry confirmed that the request is being examined by the highest Russian authorities. “This is the first time since Christ’s birth that we, the Christians of Saidnaya and Maara Saidnaya, Maalula and Maarun are being threatened with expulsion from our land.”

The letter was full of praise for Putin’s Russia, which was described as a “powerful factor for global peace and stability”. But its remarks about western countries were less flattering: “the aim of the terrorists who are being supported by the West, is to eliminate our presence in our homeland. They use the most abhorrent methods to achieve this, murdering ordinary people for example.”

The fact that the Christian cause has caught the attention of the highest levels of Russia’s government seems to imply that the Kremlin sees their case as important in terms of geopolitics. Indeed this may be the main reason Russia has been defending their cause. The Patriarchate of Moscow’s spokesman said that the letter from the 50 thousand was proof of the “great authority” Russia has at the moment in the Middle East, “particularly among the Christian minorities living in that area.” Middle Eastern Christians  “have known for centuries that no other country would look after their interests in the same way Russia would,” said Archpriest Nikolaj Balashov, the number two man of the Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. “To reaffirm the ties between Russia and the Churches in Syria, on 14 October the Moscow Spiritual Academy decided to erect a sculpture ensemble with a statue of Jesus at its centre, on a mountain in Syria which is also home to the Marian shrine of Saidnaya. Arab Christian pilgrims come to this shrine from all over the Middle East. The sculpture ensemble was intended as a symbol of peace in a country ravaged by war. This goes hand in hand with the Patriarchate of Moscow’s active efforts to champion the Middle Eastern Christian cause in the face of Islamist violence.

Read more at Vatican Insider >>

The Churchill Bust Dedication Ceremony in the United States Capitol

"So when a great man dies, 
For years beyond our ken,
The light he leaves behind him lies   
Upon the paths of men."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It Takes Heroic Poland – And the Truth About Katyn – To Show Us How Evil Communism Is

From The Telegraph
By Ed West

I'm an unashamed Polonophile. If you grew up in a certain kind of Irish-British Catholic household in the 1980s, Poland was a heroic and tragic fairytale kingdom that, having endured the neo-pagan Nazis, was now held captive by the godless Soviets – and yet maintained its faith, chivarly and honour. 

Yes, Obama Is A Terrorist!

Have you wondered why the United States is arming and funding the Muslim Brotherhood and destabilizing regimes that were America's allies in the Middle East?  The following videos should shock and outrage every American.  An enemy operative occupies the American presidency.  It is probably too late for anyone but God to save America now, but Republicans should at the very least be demanding that Democrats explain the following in an impeachment trial.

Walid Shoebat is a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood and is now a peace activist.  Click here for more information about his shocking revelations.

And if you are wondering why the federal government is preparing for war against the American people with its purchase of thousands of light armored vehicles, 1.6 billion rounds of hollow point bullets, FEMA camps and guillotines, consider who has infiltrated the United States government, as revealed in this video:

Historic Churchill Ceremony to be Available for Live Online Viewing

"The Best Friend America Ever Had"

The historic ceremony to dedicate a bust of Winston Churchill being donated by The Churchill Centre to the U.S. Capitol will be available for free online viewing, beginning at 11:00 AM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 30, at the website of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. No login or other credentials are required. The ceremony will also be archived for later viewing on the Speaker's YouTube channel and on C-Span's video archive page.  If possible, we will also stream the ceremony live, here at Sunlit Uplands, or make a video available as soon as possible afterwards.
  

The Extraordinary Deeds of an Ordinary Catholic

Mother Antonia Brenner decided at the age of 50 to devote herself to the inmates of a Tijuana prison 

From The Catholic Herald (UK)
By Father Alexander Lucie-Smith

Mother Antonia Brenner (CNS)

The Catholic Church is full of extraordinary people, many of whom you have never heard of. One such, of whom I had not heard, was Mother Antonia Brenner, whose obituary has just appeared at the Telegraph.

First of all, not to be superficial, but just look at that photograph on the Telegraph website. The traditional nun’s veil and habit; the radiant smile; the hand raised in cheery, confident and sincere greeting; the stunning lady-of-a-certain-age good looks: Mother Antonia comes over as a magnetic personality, the sort of person you meet once, and whom you never forget. She ticks the same boxes as the late Blessed John Paul II.

Then there is the life story. It was all very ordinary for much of her life. Growing up in the Great Depression, the good times that come from prosperity, the two marriages, the eight children, the mink coats, the ballgowns – pretty average for life in Beverley Hills, or so I imagine. And the Catholicism, and the charity work, and then the extraordinary decision at the age of fifty or so to go and devote herself entirely to the inmates of a Tijuana prison. But that is the wonderful thing about Catholicism: it enables the most ordinary people to do the most extraordinary things.

The Power of the Religious Habit: A True Story

From Homiletic & Pastoral Review

By John H. Ballentine

Sister Z herself says that her habit is a daily reminder of her vow to God. Since a religious habit is a sacramental, it is an outward sign disposing the wearer (and others who see it) to receive graces.

St. Paul Visiting St. Peter in Prison by Filippino Lippi Capella Brancacci

Sister Mary Brendon Zajac, S.N.D., hails from a clan based in Ohio. I suppose that every Sister of Notre Dame deserves her personal Quasimodo, and for this one, I fit the bill.

Too many people are hesitant to relate to those enrolled in religious orders. True, nuns should be treated with reverence due to their special commitment and vows, and yet, like you and me, they are working out their salvation with fear and trembling. Unlike you and I, though, most of them are making great strides in sanctity because they usually keep Jesus Christ foremost in their minds—and rightly so, considering that eternity is forever, and this present life is short. Most of us are caught up in the distractions of the day.

Vienna Volksoper Orchestra - Psalm 129 "De Profundis Clamavi" - W. A. Mozart

Psalm 129 "De Profundis Clamavi" performed by the Vienna Volksoper Orchestra from the album "99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces."

Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:

Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.

If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.

For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:

My soul hath hoped in the Lord.

From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.

Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Michelle Obama’s Princeton Classmate is Executive at Company that Built Obamacare Website

No Bid Contract Awarded to Campaign Donor

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Princeton classmate is a top executive at the company that earned the contract to build the failed Obamacare website.

Toni Townes-Whitley, Princeton class of ’85, is senior vice president at CGI Federal, which earned the no-bid contract to build the $678 million Obamacare enrollment website at Healthcare.gov. CGI Federal is the U.S. arm of a Canadian company.

Townes-Whitley and her Princeton classmate Michelle Obama are both members of the Association of Black Princeton Alumni.

Read more at  The Daily Caller >>

 

Governor Pat McCrory on the North Carolina Comeback

... and a conversation on how states are leading reform:

Sean Hannity Promises to Recoup Salary for Obamacare Operator Who Was Fired for Talking to Him

As we predicted just days ago, the Obamacare call center employee who told the truth in a conversation with Sean Hannity was promptly fired.  The regime will tolerate massive incompetence, corruption and the waste of billions of your tax dollars, but they cannot abide anyone telling the truth about their schemes to impose an alien and anti-American system on the American public.  As with the Obama-Reid government shut-down, punishments will be meted out.

So Earline Davis of Panama City, a struggling, single mother, was promptly fired for doing her job with kindness, patience and honesty.  Imagine the furor had this young, black woman been fired for honestly responding to questions about "No Child Left Behind" during the Bush Administration.  Of course, these so called "liberals" can't be racists or "anti-woman"; they serve "the masses." It's just people like Earline, you and me they won't tolerate.

A Queen in Obamaland

By Patrick J. Buchanan 

The pots and pans are clanging for the ouster of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as the Obamacare website rollout takes on the aspect of that of the Edsel.

Yet, though it is a website that has America laughing, Obama’s legacy legislation itself could, in its entirety, be in peril. As ex-pilot George W. Bush used to say, this thing looks like a five-spiral crash.

Republicans are clamoring for Sebelius’s firing.

Herewith, a dissent. Why not leave her right where she is?

After all, Sebelius’s continuance testifies more eloquently than any attack ad just how far Obama’s beliefs about government and political philosophy are beyond the Middle American mainstream. 

Sebelius: "I Don't Work for the People"

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has pointedly stated what has been so obvious about the Obama regime.  She believes that she doesn't work for you and Americans who want her resignation.  She, like her comrades in the Obama regime, sees herself as your ruler, not your servant.  Here she is in her own, bitchy, imperious words:

US Spying: Britain Forced to Sign EU Statement Expressing 'Deep Concern'

Britain signs EU statement that is critical of US spying on European governments 

David Cameron has been forced to sign a European Union statement expressing "deep concern" over American, or any other country's, intelligence activities that undermine trust between Europe's governments.  Photo: REX FEATURES

Britain has been forced to sign a European Union statement expressing "deep concern" over American, or any other country's, intelligence activities that undermine trust between Europe's governments. 

Following tense talks on the conduct of intelligence operations, including accusations that Britain was spying on Italy, David Cameron was forced by 27 other European leaders to sign the common EU statement in the early hours of this morning. 

"Heads of state or government discussed recent developments concerning possible intelligence issues and the deep concerns that these events have raised among European citizens," the statement said.

Read more at The Telegraph >> 
 

Russell Moore Clarifies Misleading WSJ Article, Praises Predecessor's 'Prophetic Voice'

Dr. Richard Land

Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, clarified some misleading information from a profile of him in The Wall Street Journal, and praised his predecessor, Dr. Richard Land, in a Wednesday interview with The Christian Post.

The Wall Street Journal article was titled, "Evangelical Leader Preaches Pullback From Politics, Culture Wars." In the article, reporter Neil King Jr. appeared to suggest that Moore, who was recently inaugurated to head the SBC's public policy advocacy group, wanted Southern Baptists to be less involved in politics, while adding that Moore is not "seeking to return the Southern Baptists to a past in which it shunned politics entirely."

Read more at The Christian Post >>

Obama Regime Targeting the South for Refugee Resettlement

Refugee Resettlement Fact Sheet 

Prepared by Refugee Resettlement Watch

1.   Since 1975, the U.S. has resettled over 3 million refugees, with annual admissions figures ranging from a high of 207,000 in 1980 to a low of 27,110 in 2002 (in the aftermath of 911) .

The average number of refugees admitted annually since 1980 is about 98,000. Additionally, in recent years, another 40,000 or more per year come in as asylum seekers and Cuban/Haitian entrants – all with the same rights and entitlements as refugees.

All these flows detonate their own chain migration flows in addition to the refugee influx.  These follow-on flows have easily multiplied the original admission numbers by a factor of 4 or more.

The quota for 2013 is 70,000 and it looks like it will be met this year.  There is strong political pressure to get refugee numbers back to over 100,000.

Viguerie Predicts Bloodbath for Republican Traitors in 2014

When the House Republicans In Name Only (RINO's) caved to Obama and gave him everything he wanted on the national debt limit and Obamacare, we suggested in our reserved and soft-spoken way that every one of them should be primaried.  Therefore, we are pleased that conservative icon Richard Viguerie has predicted just that.  Indeed, he believes that House and Senate GOP leadership will face an "absolute bloodbath" in 2014. Viguerie says conservative Republicans "have been betrayed, abandoned by our leaders, and that includes Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, [and] Reince Priebus at the Republican National Committee."

Our list of the House Republican traitors is here.  In South Carolina, we look forward to retiring next year one of the most notorious of RINO's, Senator Lindsey Graham.  If you have the misfortune of being represented by one of these Quislings or a RINO Senator like Graham, please let us know what is happening in your state and district.

Kennedy, Reagan and a Little, Foreign Impostor

The Christening of Prince George

Prince George was christened today in a ceremony that spanned four generations of the Royal family.

The baby Prince looked pink-cheeked, chubby and peaceful as he emerged from the historic Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in the arms of his mother The Duchess of Cambridge, who beamed with delight.

Prince George arrived for his christening in the arms of his father, the Duke of Cambridge, and gurgled happily when his great grandparents The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arrived for the short service.

Come Polling Day We Will Not Forgive Our Leaders for Their Silence Over Egypt’s Christians

Sticking up for Christians is not something Britain’s ruling Coalition does
 

Our Government needs to face up to the persecution of Christians abroad (PA)

From The Catholic Herald (UK)

By Father Alexander Lucie-Smith

It is nice to know that the US government has condemned the recent attack by gunmen on a wedding party coming out of a Coptic Church in Egypt. The attack in question took place last Sunday; two of the four people killed were little girls. The attack was reported by the BBC though there seems to have been little reporting of it elsewhere in the print media.

Everyone knows, or ought to know, that Christians in the Middle East are under siege right now. Some, such as our own government here in Britain, choose to ignore this, and there has been no statement from the Foreign Office on this matter. Christians abroad are simply not on our government’s radar. (Though the FCO did have this to say, back in December 2011. But that was almost two years ago.) Sticking up for Christians is not something the Coalition does, one assumes because the idea of Christians as an endangered species has little traction in the current cultural climate: Mr Cameron would much rather talk about species endangered by climate change. 

The Americans will condemn this attack and others like it, as they are Egypt’s chief allies and major donors of much needed aid. Their condemnation will be read in Cairo, perhaps, as a coded warning. Please make sure you protect your Christians better, for America cannot finance and protect an anti-Christian regime in Egypt. (It can do so in Saudi Arabia, but that is another matter.) The American government also has to heed its powerful Christian, particularly evangelical, lobby. It was this lobby that secured American interest in favour of South Sudan in its long struggle to break away from Sudan, and it may well have been American interest in the case that proved decisive in that decades-long conflict. Which all goes to show that when Christian opinion is organised, it can make a difference in foreign policy. After all, Christians in America have votes, lots of them.

Christians in Britain have votes too. While we are nowhere near as vocal or well-organised as the Christians of America, the Christians of Britain are its largest single affinity, and more likely to vote than others simply because they are Christian. We need to make it clear to our elected representatives that come polling day we will not forgive them for their silence on Egypt, or indeed the other places where Christians are victimised. 


Father Alexander Lucie-Smith is a Catholic priest and a doctor of moral theology. On Twitter he is @ALucieSmith  

The Christening of Prince George: Archbishop of Canterbury's Message

Evangelical Leader Preaches Pullback From Politics, Culture Wars

Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention says it is time for evangelicals to tone down the rhetoric.

 

Russell Moore, the principal public voice of the Southern Baptist Convention, warns evangelicals not to become 'mascots for any political faction.' Melissa Golden for The Wall Street Journal

For years, as the principal public voice for the Southern Baptist Convention, the country's biggest evangelical group, Richard Land warned of a "radical homosexual agenda" and pushed for a federal ban on same-sex marriage.

His successor, Russell Moore, sounded a different note when the Supreme Court in June struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. "Love your gay and lesbian neighbors," Mr. Moore wrote in a flier, "How Should Your Church Respond," sent to the convention's estimated 45,000 churches. "They aren't part of an evil conspiracy." Marriage, he added, was a bond between a man and a woman, but shouldn't be seen as a "'culture war' political issue."

Read more at The Wall Street Journal >>

Religious Orders Teach Entrepreneurialism in Cuba

From Catholic World News

In a Communist nation in which 80% of workers are employed by the government and private education is officially banned, the Archdiocese of Havana, the Jesuits, and the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools have partnered with a Mexican university to offer courses in entrepreneurialism, the Fides news agency reported. 

“Our course is designed to teach people how to run a business in an elementary way,” said an archdiocesan official. “Therefore it offers the basic elements necessary to adapt the project to our country.” 

Additional sources for this story Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Entrepreneurs trained in courses promoted by the Catholic Church (Fides)
• Cuba’s bishops call for political reforms (CWN, 9/17)

Judicial Watch Obtains Documents Detailing the Cost to Taxpayers for Michelle Obama’s Family Trip to Africa

Charges for the Aircraft and Crew Alone Amount to $424,142

"Lobster Isn't Cheap When You Fly It Around the World"

Judicial Watch, the organization that investigates and fights government corruption, announced today that it has obtained mission expense records and passenger manifests from the United States Air Force related to the June 21-27, 2011, trip taken by First Lady Michelle Obama, her family and her staff to South Africa and Botswana. Judicial Watch obtained the documents pursuant to an August 19, 2011, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Air Force (No. 11-1496)). Judicial Watch is investigating the purpose and itinerary of the trip as well as a breakdown of the costs to taxpayers.

On June 28, 2011, Judicial Watch filed a FOIA request seeking the mission taskings, transportation records, and passenger manifests for Michelle Obama’s Africa trip. Documents were only provided after Judicial Watch filed suit: 

The Beauty of the Earth and Its Creator

Catbells Sunrise, Cumbria, England, by Bart Heirweg, winner of the VisitBritain 'You're invited' prize

The Guardian newspaper has featured 14 winning photographs from the 2013 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, like the one above.  The stunning collection prompted this thoughtful reflection by Father Alexander Lucie-Smith on the modern love of landscapes and our need "to see beyond what God has made." 

Sean Hannity Dials Obamacare Call Center, Operator Says No One Likes It So Far

We hope someone will provide a job for this good and honest call center employee.  She's about to experience the wrath of the vindictive, evil regime that employs her.

Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom - Musical Excerpts

Father Larry Richards' Men's Retreat: "To Know Jesus Christ"

Oath Keepers Remove Barricades from WWII Memorial on Last Day of "Shutdown"

In keeping with our solemn obligation to preserve the liberty that our World War II heroes fought for, Oath Keepers posted an Honor Guard at the WWII Memorial, beginning on Wednesday morning, October 16, led by 91 year old WWII Army Airborne combat veteran Renn Bodeker, to ensure that the Memorial remained open and accessible to the WWII veterans on Honor Flights, and open to the public, for the duration of the absurd “shutdown” of the Memorial (which made no sense at an open-air memorial made of concrete and stone).

Our concern was that in between large demonstrations, there was a risk that WWII veterans would be denied access.  We made sure that didn’t happen.

WWII veteran Renn Bodeker flew in from Montana on Wednesday morning and promptly led the Oath Keeper Honor Guard in dismantling the silly ‘Barrycades’ and carrying them across the street, where they were left on the grass on the other side, in front of the Washington Memorial.  People were already ignoring the barricades and walking around them to enter the Memorial, but Renn found the presence of barricades around the WWII Memorial so offensive and absurd that he couldn’t stand to see them up.  So, they came down!

WWII Airborne Hero Renn Bodeker Leads the Way in dismantling the “Barrycades,” Assisted by Navy SEAL Veterans Ben Smith and Shannon Rusch, and Oath Keepers Founder, Stewart Rhodes

Read more at Oath Keepers >>

 

The Republicans Who Caved to Obama and Gave Democrats Everything They Wanted

The following is a list of unprincipled House Republicans In Name Only (RINOs), whores and quislings all, who betrayed GOP principles, refused to defend the Constitution, failed to stand for fiscal sanity and as Senator Chuck Schumer gloated, gave the Democrats everything they wanted in exchange for "a fig leaf".  Is it any wonder that a mere 13% of the American public believes the nation is headed in the right direction?

If it is not too late to salvage the Republican Party, which in much of the country seems to be overrun with traitors like these, every one of these RINO's should be primaried.  

Like Churchill warning his countrymen of a reality they chose to ignore until reality was brutally forced upon them, one leader stood out - Senator Ted Cruz.  Perhaps, like Churchill and President Reagan, he can forge a new consensus, moor his party to the sound, common-sense views most Americans share, and in so doing, restore the United States Constitution, American freedoms, prosperity and greatness.  If not, there is an enormous void waiting to be filled by a conservative, principled political party that will do so. 

Spencer Bachus
Lou Barletta
Dan Benishek
Gus Bilirakis
John Boehner
Charles Boustany
Susan Brooks
Vern Buchanan
Ken Calvert
Dave Camp
Eric Cantor
Shelley Moore Capito
Howard Coble
Mike Coffman
Tom Cole
Paul Cook
Tom Cotton
Kevin Cramer
Rick Crawford
Ander Crenshaw
Steve Daines
Charlie Dent
Mario Diaz-Balart
Mike Fitzpatrick
Jeff Fortenberry
Rodney Frelinghuysen
Cory Gardner
Jim Gerlach
Chris Gibson
Tim Griffin
Michael Grimm
Brett Guthrie
Richard Hanna
Gregg Harper
Doc Hastings
Joe Heck
Jaime Herrera Beutler
Darrell Issa
Lynn Jenkins
David Joyce
Mike Kelly
Peter King
Adam Kinzinger
John Kline
Leonard Lance
Tom Latham
Frank LoBiondo
Kevin McCarthy
Patrick McHenry
Buck McKeon
David McKinley
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Pat Meehan
Gary Miller
Tim Murphy
Devin Nunes
Erik Paulsen
Robert Pittenger
Dave Reichert
Reid Ribble
Scott Rigell
Hal Rogers
Mike Rogers
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Peter Roskam
Jon Runyan
Aaron Schock
John Shimkus
Bill Shuster
Mike Simpson
Adrian Smith
Chris Smith
Steve Stivers
Lee Terry
Glenn Thompson
Pat Tiberi
Scott Tipton
Fred Upton
David Valadao
Daniel Webster
Ed Whitfield
Rob Wittman
Frank Wolf
Steve Womack
Don Young
Todd Young

The “Salute Seen Around The World;” Wounded Ranger Salutes Commander Despite Injuries

From Guardian of Valor 

Josh Saluting His Commander After Presentation Of His Purple Heart. (Courtesy Taylor Hargis)

Josh Hargis, a Ranger with the 3rd Ranger Battalion, was wounded last week in the attack that left four other members of his team dead. The 3rd was conducting a mission to try to capture a HVT(High Value Target), in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan.

With the little info we know so far, 36 members and a canine unit were attempting to capture a high value target in Panjwai in southern Afghanistan. When the troops arrived at the home, U.S. military officials said, the unit did a typical “call out” asking for those inside to come out.

One man appeared. Reports from the battlefield suggest he dropped to his knees and lifted his shirt to show the U.S. forces that he was not wearing a suicide bomb vest.

As several members of the Ranger unit moved toward the man to begin questioning him, a woman wearing a suicide vest emerged from the house and blew herself up, killing several members of the unit instantly, along with the dog, and injuring others.

Another Afghan male tried to escape from the compound.

As U.S. army medics, explosives specialists and others in the unit moved in to help the wounded, 13 improvised explosive devices went off, killing and injuring more U.S. forces.

Josh was one of the wounded and was evacuated for medical assistance. The photo (above) is Josh in a hospital in Afghanistan, right after the doctors stabilized his injuries. His wife posted this picture, along with what she received from Josh’s commander, this is a true warrior! No matter the pain we know Josh is in, he renders the most beautiful salute you will ever see!

We will call this “The Salute Seen Around The World!” as it should be, and it should show what a true Warrior’s Spirit looks like! RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!

This is what Josh’s wife Taylor posted to  her FB:

I received this picture today along with a letter from the commander of the team Josh was a part of on the night of his injuries. A letter to explain to me what kind of man I have the privilege of being married to. He explained to me what happened and what was going on in the picture.

“Josh was seriously wounded as you know, and survived for almost two hours after his injury before arriving to the hospital. Josh was immediately pushed through a series of surgeries and emerged hours later into an intensive care unit here at our base in Afghanistan.

Despite being in intense pain and mental duress, Josh remained alert and compassionate to the limited Rangers that were allowed to visit his bedside. Prior to Josh being moved to Germany for his eventual flight to America, we conducted a ceremony to award him with the Purple Heart for wounds received in action.

A simple ceremony, you can picture a room full of Rangers, leaders, doctors, and nurses surrounding his bedside while the Ranger Regimental Commander pinned the Purple Heart to his blanket. During the presentation the Commander publishes the official orders verbally and leaned over Josh to thank him for his sacrifice.

Josh, whom everybody in the room (over 50 people) assumed to be unconscious, began to move his right arm under the blanket in a diligent effort to salute the Commander as is customary during these ceremonies. Despite his wounds, wrappings, tubes, and pain, Josh fought the doctor who was trying to restrain his right arm and rendered the most beautiful salute any person in that room had ever seen.

I cannot impart on you the level of emotion that poured through the intensive care unit that day. Grown men began to weep and we were speechless at a gesture that speaks volumes about Josh’s courage and character. The picture, which we believe belongs on every news channel and every news paper is attached. I have it hanging above my desk now and will remember it as the single greatest event I have witnessed in my ten years in the Army.” 

I agree with the commander, this should adorn the cover of every newspaper, magazine and news show.  This shows the true meaning of the Warrior Spirit! Josh you are a true American Hero! Our thoughts and prayer’s go out to you, your wife, and all your Ranger brothers and those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the attack.

Get well soon brother! You have America behind you! We love you, brother!

Representative Tom McClintock Presents the Best Summary Yet of the Debt Limit Crisis

This is a crisis manufactured by the Obamunists to seize power from the House of Representatives -- to seize power from the people.  Please share this far and wide.

Goldwater-Rockefeller Redux

By Patrick J. Buchanan

“History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”

Mark Twain’s insight comes to mind as one observes the panic of Beltway Republicans over the latest polls in the battle of Obamacare.

According to Gallup, approval of the Republican Party has sunk 10 points in two weeks to 28 percent, an all-time low. In the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, approval of the GOP has fallen to 24 percent.

In the campaign to persuade America of their Big Lie — that the House Republicans shut down the government — the White House and its media chorus appear to have won this round.

Yet, the truth is the Republicans House has voted three times to keep open and to fund every agency, department and program of the U.S. government, except for Obamacare.

Oath Keepers Establishing Rotating Honor Guard to Ensure WWII Veterans’ Access to Their Memorial

We thank God for the growing national resistance to tyranny and our nation's domestic enemies.  Oath Keepers has truly been in the vanguard of citizen patriots ready to defy the anti-American thugs of the Obama regime, a cabal of domestic enemies that is determined to destroy our constitutional republic.  Oath Keepers has now committed to protecting what belongs to the American people until that day when we again have a "government of the people, by the people, for the people".

Government of the people, by the people, for the people,
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin101395.html#VfhRxGm3lR6BlMrQ.99

Government of the people, by the people, for the people,
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin101395.html#VfhRxGm3lR6BlMrQ.99

Government of the people, by the people, for the people,
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin101395.html#VfhRxGm3lR6BlMrQ.99

Government of the people, by the people, for the people,
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin101395.html#VfhRxGm3lR6BlMrQ.99

Government of the people, by the people, for the people,
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin101395.html#VfhRxGm3lR6BlMrQ.99

To be part of this noble resistance movement, see the Oath Keepers website. 

From Oath Keepers:

First Honor Guard Shift: 

Wed., October 16 to Sunday, October 20

Every Day, Dawn till Dusk (you pick the day(s) you can serve)

World War II Memorial, Washington D.C. (and other D.C. area war memorials, if we have enough volunteers)

In yet another intolerable act, the Obama Administration has ordered the barricades back up at the World War II memorial, even after angry veterans, Oath Keepers, and dedicated citizens tore down the barricades at the World War II memorial on Sunday, and dumped them at the White House gates.

Clearly, Obama thinks that what happened over the weekend was a mere flash in the pan, and now he can get back to his perverse, calculated, vindictive insult to our WWII veterans, by yet again shutting down their memorial.  We need to prove him wrong.

On Sunday, the veterans made sure the Memorial was open to the WWII vets, and many Oath Keepers were there, directly helping.  There were no Honor Flights on Monday, and on Tuesday there will be another mass protest by The Military Coalition, so, they have Tuesday covered.  But our concern is that on Wednesday, and thereafter, when the crowds and cameras are gone, the barricades will go back up yet again, as they did today.   There are Honor Flights scheduled for everyday this week, and those WWII veterans need to be guaranteed access too.

Therefore, starting Wednesday, October 16, Oath Keepers is establishing a rotating “Honor Guard” of volunteer veterans and concerned Americans at the WWII Memorial, to ensure that WWII vets can get in to pay their respects to their fallen brothers in arms.   They risked all, in combat, to stop arbitrary, oppressive governments over there.  We need to step up and keep them from being victimized by arbitrary, oppressive government here.  Let’s get it done!

Oath Keepers will take the first shift of this rotating standing Honor Guard, from dawn to dusk each day, from Wednesday, October 16, through Sunday, October 20.  All veterans, and all concerned Americans, are invited to join us in this vigil.

We also call on other veterans groups to commit to taking the next shift, starting Monday morning, October 21, so we can maintain an unbroken Honor Guard, dawn till dusk, for as long as this Shutdown lasts.   Please contact us if you are part of a veterans group that can take over on Monday, or thereafter, and please put “Group Volunteering to Take Over Honor Guard,” in subject line.

Ready to Stand in the Door One Last Time, at Age 90

World War II Airborne combat veteran Warenn (Renn) Bodeker, from Plains, Montana, will be leading the Oath Keepers standing guard Wednesday at the WWII Memorial.

On February 23, 1945, Renn, along with his brother paratroopers of Co. B, 511^th Parachute Infantry Regiment, parachuted in at dawn’s early light, 40 kilometers behind enemy lines, into the Los Banos prison camp and rescued 2,100  prisoners of war – men, women, and children – from their brutal Imperial Japanese guards, before those guards could slaughter them, as they had planned (read more about Renn, and that daring rescue, here).

Now Renn will be making one last “jump” behind enemy lines, this time into Washington D.C., with bolt-cutters in hand, to make sure his brother WWII veterans can continue to get into their memorial.

WWII Heroes Getting Ready to Jump in Behind Enemy Lines.  Time for One More Jump!