America s Flag - A Spiritual History

Shrouded in both history and to some degree in the mystery of its creation, the story of the American flag has been recounted many times by historians and yet its symbolism is only partly understood. Originally the symbol and banner of the thirteen colonies, its form and colors were chosen not on the basis of rational thought, but on the basis of intuition infused by spiritual truth and guidance which led to a correlation between the flag that America came to call her own, and the intentionality of the realms of Spirit whose guiding light was ever watchful over the destiny of this nation. At the time of her birth, America's flag was simple, with bands of red and white color and a circle of stars against a background of blue.

Will Barack Obama Become The First African American President?

In the critically-acclaimed multi-awarded TV series, "24", we were introduced to the concept of a Black president. Somehow the idea did not seem bad at all. On television, that is. But when reality followed fiction, the public outlook changes and many people were not that supportive of the idea of having an African American sitting in the Oval Office as President. Just recently Sen. Barack Obama, the gentleman from Illinois who could be a political dark horse, is thrust into controversy when he announced his intent to run for President in the 2008 Elections. Unlike his celluloid counterpart, however, Obama was met with criticism and skepticism.

Phantoms in the Gulf of Tonkin

Until 1964, Vietnam was not a U.S. war. Sure, the U.S. had sent 400 special forces to train South Vietnamese troops in 1961. And more troops were sent to police the country in 1963. And every now and again U.S. newspapers printed photos of Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire in public. But, even the threat of Communism toppling regimes like dominoes wasn"t good enough to sell a full-blown war. Until August 2... The Rush to War On August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked a U.S. destroyer, the USS Maddox. The boats reportedly fired torpedoes at the U.S. ship in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, about thirty miles off the Vietnam coast.

Is Al Gore Running For President?

Al Gore is back in the news. He won an award for his documentary of Global Warming and its affects. The scientists in the field are trying to get Gore to stop talking and stop stretching the truth. Meteorologists are even saying the global warming tactics are bordering on fear mongering. Let's just call a spade a spade, he's generating publicity to make a run for the White House. Why else would he be bellowing on this tune about Global Warming so intensely? Most free thinking people who show any signs of intelligence knows that Global Warming isn't real. If you think it's real, then wait for me on a winter morning to come out of my house and drive around the block in your SUV to warm me up.

The War in Afghanistan - No Excuses

We owe a moral debt to the people of Afghanistan, and our inability to cover the tab is largely because of the disaster in Iraq. The Iraq war has impacted the Afghanistan campaign in all sorts of negative ways. It has weakened the will of Western governments to meet their obligations, and has added immeasurably to public cynicism. Yet the inescapable fact remains that we owe a moral debt that must be honored. Let's not forget that the removal of the Taliban was mandated by the United Nations, and all the Muslim member countries stood together in a call for the removal of the regime. But five years down the road the campaign is mired in difficulty in the face of a resurgent Taliban, although I use that term advisedly since foreign fighters have moved into the arena also - small groups of jihadis along with increasing numbers of Pashtuns, some from homeland regions in Pakistan.

Weapons Found in Hungary

The Police is continuing the search for illegal weapons across the country. Yesterday in Budapest they discovered an apartment converted into a Molotov cocktail 'factory'. The tenant and maker of the weapons - a 19 year old young man - has been preparing the Molotov cocktails for a month now and was planning to use them tomorrow on the 15th. He also admitted that he is a member of the Kossuth Square Revolutionists. The young man has been taken into custody. Unfortunately, this was not the only case yesterday. Weapons were found in other districts of Budapest and also in smaller towns across the country.

The War On Earth

Since September 11th, the land of the free has become the land of tyranny. Since September 11th, we have gone from being a proud people to a shamed people. Since September 11th, our Constitution has gone from a beloved document to "just a God-damned piece of Paper! " (As stated by the man claiming to be our president.) And on September 20, 2001, just 9 days after our country was so ferociously attacked, the man who TOOK office just 10 months before, declared War on Terra. Listen for yourself! http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=0-3IQ8XaV6Y&mode=related&search This was one time that he may have actually told the truth.

What Do Afghans Think Of US Lead Invasion

In an attempt to understand the situation in Afghanistan better, I interviewed Afghan journalist Daud Khan. The online interview session took place on 27th September, 2006. Q)The United States and other nations have given millions in aid to Afghanistan. But reports say the people have not benefited from aid because a large sum of money is being wasted by corrupt officials. Do you, as a person living in the country; have felt the benefit of reconstruction? A) No doubt, huge sums have been poured in into Afghanistan in terms of foreign aid since the ouster of Taliban and formation of the Karzai-led government in 2001.

Insurgent Psychology - Honour, Dignity, Shame And Humiliation - The Roots Of An Endless War

Working out the perspectives for war takes a certain type of empathy. It should not be confused with sympathy or even, in this case, as necessitating a positive connotation. Every general should be empathetic to his enemy counterpart. If he is to stand a good chance of anticipating his moves and thereby forearming himself with the knowledge to defeat him, he must understand, get a feel for, and even put himself in the practical and psychological shoes of his opponent. This was sorely lacking both in the Administration and the Pentagon. The Administration"s want of cultural and humanitarian empathy meant Iraq was lost on the psychological level before a boot could hit the ground or a shot could be fired.

Blaring Double Standards in the Cultural Diversity Movement

In Massachusetts a judge recently said that a parent"s authority concerning their children ends at the doors of the public school. This was the answer given to parents who were at arms over the teaching of the gay lifestyle to their children in the public school. They were told that they had the option to send their children to private schools or home school them if they could not abide the rule. In Philadelphia a man witnessing about his faith in Christ received death threats and was told his adherence to the idea of marriage being between only one man and one woman is perverted. Using the P word when referring to homosexuals can raise the ire of any number of gay activists or groups not to mention that in some states may lead to a law suit.