President blasts Louisiana’s efforts to fight the advances of oil slick

Speaking from the security of his teleprompter, the President was quick to criticize Louisiana’s Governor for his defiant announcement that he was going to take matters in his own hands regarding the advancing oil slick. With a double-barreled attack against the governor, the President said that such a move by the State of Louisiana was quite possibly discriminatory and perhaps even unconstitutional. He warned that his administration would not stand for such behavior, and he would immediately appoint a czar who would in turn form a team of experts to determine if Louisiana’s actions are unconstitutional. In addition the President announced that should Louisiana actually incarcerate any of the alleged illegal oil slick, the U.S. government would not necessarily process that undocumented oil referred to them by the State of Louisiana. Let me be clear, said the President. I will never let a good crisis go to waste when there’s a chance to make my big government even bigger than it already is.

Not one to take the President’s criticism lying down, the governor shot back that he wouldn’t have to go to such extremes if the federal government would merely enforce current policies against oil spills coming ashore. Nevertheless, the Louisiana Governor plans to proceed with his plan even it means that he will have to go to jail. He has been waiting and waiting for the federal government to provide millions of feet in booms and build new barrier islands to keep the unwanted oil from reaching his shore line, but nothing ever happens.

It’s true that current U.S. laws and regulations prohibit oil spills from making landfall, but the administration has been notoriously lax in enforcing those laws. The President warned that any effort to thwart the unending advances of the illegal immigration of the oil slick could very easily lead to unfair profiling practices. Still speaking from his ever-present teleprompter, the President said that while the nation’s citizens, and especially Louisiana’s residents rightfully may not want the uninvited oil to cross their shores, they should understand that the oil has been unduly repressed and held against its will below the earth’s surface for millennia. As anyone knows, the U.S. is viewed around the world as a land of plenty and opportunity. Who can blame the oil for wanting to exist in a better place?

The President expressed grave concerns that if Louisiana goes forward with pushing back against the oil slick, they could easily slip into discriminatory profiling. Doing so could lead to other substances, and even certain life forms being targeted for deportation. There are many legal residents of the United States that don’t deserve being subjected to the profiling that is likely to occur under Louisiana’s new policies. Just think about it. The oil is black when it emerges from below ground, but after spending weeks floating around in the Gulf of Mexico, it can take on a brown, or even a dirty white appearance. In any case, it is always slippery. The President so eloquently pointed out that the sure-to-come profiling could possibly target certain legal U.S. residents such as the Black Sea Turtle, the Brown Crab, the White Grunt which is a tasty salt water fish, and various slippery sea critters. In addition to the potential profiling of the aforementioned life forms, other inorganic substances could be discriminated against. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that mud, which is brown in color, could easily be scooped up and disposed of along with the undesirable oil.

The whole idea of indiscriminately rounding up the invasive oil slick is repulsive, said the President. All summer long, human beach lovers douse themselves in oil until their bodies shimmer in the bright noon-day sun. Don’t the rocks and sand along the shores of Lousiana have a right to the same pleasures? Perhaps they too, would like to have a soothing coating of oil.

Mirroring the President’s stance, California’s legislature immediately called for all of its citizens to boycott Louisiana. New Orleans holds no unique attraction to us, said one Senator. After all, we’ve got San Francisco. We have enough odd balls here to satisfy anyone’s lust for pleasure and entertainment. One West Coast liberal went so far as to call the owner of the New Orleans Saints and pressured him to move his club to another state.

Not necessarily on the President’s Band Wagon, a radio personality was quick to jump into the fray, nevertheless. Mr. Beck immediately doubled his efforts to promote the purchase of gold. Asked what gold had to do with an oil spill, he said that he buys gold, not as an investment, but as insurance. And what better thing is there to insure against than millions of gallons of oil washing ashore.

How this latest chain of events ends up is anyone’s guess. We will keep you posted.

(This is a spoof of the way we are handling the oil spill in light of the way we are handling the Arizona illegal immigration law)

Will you accept the Mark of the Beast?

Stop any Christian on the street and ask them if they will accept the mark. Without exception, they will unequivocally deny any past, present or future tendency to receive the mark. But can it be that cut and dried? We all know that actions speak louder than words. After reading this article, you may discover that the actions being taken by many of today’s Christians are telling a completely different story.

What exactly, is the Mark of the Beast?

And (the beast) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:16-17.

What are the consequences of taking the mark?

… If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Revelation 14:9-10.

“I would never even consider receiving the mark of the beast,” you may say. “Besides that, I plan to be long gone in the rapture before the mark becomes an issue.” Hopefully so, but are you sure without the slightest doubt that you will not have to make a decision regarding the mark?

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5.

There will be a number of people who will be killed as a result of their decision to refuse the Mark. Those people will reign with Christ for a thousand years. Many, if not most Christians, believe they will be taken away before the Mark of the Beast is introduced. Are the people referred to in the above passage ones who missed the rapture? Maybe so, or maybe not—are you willing to risk your eternal spirit on the assumption that you won’t have to make a decision about taking the mark? Wouldn’t it be prudent to at least prepare yourself to resist the Mark just in case you will be faced with that decision? Hopefully there is going to be a Rapture of God’s saints before the Tribulation starts, and we will not have to worry about the Mark of the Beast. On the other hand, maybe the people referred to in the above passage are those who missed the rapture and are given a second chance at salvation. Those could be people who outright refused to accept Jesus in the first place, or they could be people who thought they were saved, but were not. It’s almost as if God may be saying to the ones who get saved after the Rapture – “You all had your chance to accept My salvation before the Rapture and turned it down. Now that the Rapture has taken place, you now know that My people were telling you the truth about My message of salvation. Now I will accept any and all who are willing to come to Me, but you will have to prove yourself to Me by being willing to die for your faith in Me by refusing to worship or receive the mark of the beast.”

Okay, we’ve established that the Mark of the Beast is a bad thing, and bad things will come to those who accept the mark. That is why you and every other Christian walking on the face of the earth will declare without hesitation that you will not take the mark. Oh, really? If you feel so confident in announcing that you won’t take the mark, why don’t you examine the precursors to the mark, and test yourself to see if you are indeed, a candidate for the mark? Here is your first clue: deceit. Satan is known as the deceiver. Yet, when it comes to considering the Mark of the Beast, we Christians often forget that Satan is a deceiver. The Anti-Christ is not going to walk up to mankind one day, place hand cuffs on them and force everyone to take the mark. Obviously, we’d be running in the opposite direction. Instead, the masses will willfully and gladly stand in line, anxious to receive the mark. The mark is a bad thing; everyone knows that. But the deceiver (Satan) is going to package the mark as a good thing. Satan has time on his side. What many of us fail to understand, is that the Mark of the Beast will not be suddenly introduced one day with an announcement that everyone needs to receive the mark on the next day. Instead, he will pre-market his agenda for years, slowly but surely convincing mankind that his “I.D.” system is coming to our aid. Even more deceitfully, it won’t be him that is telling you how advantageous it is. Instead, it will be your neighbor, your friend, your grocer and your school that will be asking you to get involved with something that will make your life better, protect you, and improve your health—and it won’t be marketed as a “mark.”

The Mark of the Beast is based on the importance of a number. Everything we do and everything we buy is tied to a number. From the food we purchase, to account numbers, to property taxes, to credit cards, to bank accounts, and to driver’s licenses, we are mired down with numbers. Call anyone you do business with. Chances are, they will ask for your account number before they ask for your name.

One of our earliest encounters with I.D. numbers involved the Social Security System. We are quick to call anyone an “extremist” who says that Social Security numbers are somehow connected to the Mark of the Beast. Before you dismiss this author as a conspiracy theorist or an extremist, let it be known right now that your Social Security number is not the Mark of the Beast. With that said, let’s examine this issue. Out of compassion for the retired and the elderly, our society implemented the Social Security System. Each working person is expected to chip in a little bit so that those who cannot help themselves can have food, clothing and shelter as they move through their golden years. What is wrong with that? “Nothing,” we say. “It’s a good thing.” So, in order to get Social Security implemented, every person desiring such a benefit was issued a Social Security number.

Is the Social Security system Satan’s doing? We’ve established that Social Security is not the Mark of the Beast. But does that mean that Satan is not in the background pulling the strings that eventually led up to Social Security? Remember one word: deceit. Satan is a master at putting his programs in pretty packages. He offers us ways to improve our lives, better our health, and increase our finances. Perhaps Social Security was an innocent-sounding program to get us accustomed to carrying a number around in our hip pocket. Perhaps Social Security was one of the first steps designed to keep us from being alarmed at the fact that we are a number in some government file cabinet. Social Security is not the program that Satan is interested in. Social Security was simply one of his useful vehicles of preparation to gradually guide us toward his ultimate goal of putting his number (mark) on our wrist.

After Social Security gained a foothold in society, it was determined that a monthly retirement check from the government was not enough support for our elderly citizens. They also needed medical care. So Medicare was incorporated into the Social Security System. Now, our parents and grandparents can obtain free or nearly free health care; that is if they can present their Medicare number to the health care provider. Without that number, they’re out of luck. Without having a certain number, the elderly cannot receive a monthly check in the mail, and they cannot receive any health care. If they have no money, they cannot buy food; they cannot pay property taxes; they cannot rent housing; they cannot buy clothes; and they cannot obtain health care. Oh boy, that doesn’t sound good. It’s just a wild stretch of the imagination, but just for the fun of it, why don’t we revise Revelation 13:16-17. Perhaps it will make those Christian extremists and conspiracy theorists happy. And the beast forced all elderly citizens to receive a social security number in order for them to obtain food, clothing, shelter and health care. Without that number, they could not buy anything, and they could not see a doctor. Obviously, this revision of verses 16 and 17 is written in fun, but the exaggeration was created to cause us think about the deceitfulness of Satan. Social Security, in and of itself is not evil and it is not the Mark of the Beast. It is however, a very effective tool designed to prepare mankind to freely accept the mark sometime in the future.

“Is that all you’ve got?” you may say. No, that’s just the jumping off point. Social Security is simply a government program designed for the good of the citizens. The real culprit is the “number.” Social Security got us accustomed to being a number, and it got us accustomed to everything around us being a number. There was a day when you obtained a Social Security number just before you entered the work force. Nowadays, Social Security numbers are assigned shortly after birth. We as a society have become so accustomed to being associated with a number, that without hesitation, we freely submit out new born babies to their own numbers.

Now, many years after Social Security was implemented, we as a society cannot function without being associated with numbers. Step number one on Satan’s agenda was to make mankind dependent on being associated with certain numbers. While step number one is not the Mark of the Beast, it is an important and very successful step toward the implementation of the Mark of the Beast. There are several steps involved in Satan’s agenda. They are not clear-cut steps however. That would be too obvious. That would be too straight forward. There is much overlapping and blending of the steps; so much blending that we cannot clearly discern one step from the next.

Broadly speaking, step number two is associated with the ease of buying and selling. Before the Mark of the Beast can be fully implemented, all buying and selling must be linked to numbers. This step was started in step number one, but it is being advanced even further in step number two. There was a time when all transactions were in the form of barter. Barter was difficult however. The fur trader may have wanted tools, but the tool maker may not have wanted any furs. So cash was eventually implemented. That way, the fur trader could sell his furs to the pottery maker for cash. Then, he could go to the tool maker and pay cash for the tools he needed. The cash system worked handsomely for many, many years.

There came a time however, when cash transactions became a bit burdensome. So banks and checking accounts came to the rescue. Modern society had evolved enough that writing a check to another person was as good as giving them cash. One unique thing about a checking account however, was that a number was absolutely essential. Each checking account had to have a number associated with the person who opened the account. Then further down the line, came the credit card and the debit card. These cards were a dramatic improvement over writing checks. Swiping a card is a great time-saver in our modern and hectic society. Go into any grocery store or home improvement store and observe the check-out lane. You’d be hard-pressed to find that no less than 95% of all transactions are being processed with one of these great little cards. The card is not the focus of the transaction, however. It’s the number associated with that card. Each card has an all-important number, and that number is linked to the person who is carrying the card.

Another modern trend is to eliminate paper billing. Every utility company and nearly every other vendor you buy from on a regular and consistent basis wants you to set up a paperless billing and payment program. Like clock-work, your checking account or your credit/debit card will be debited every month. You don’t have to do a thing other than apply for that all-important “number.” That number will process your purchases and automatically take the necessary funds from your personal account. We often hear of a coming cashless society, and it is almost here. There will be a day in the not-too-distant future when cash will only be known as an entry in a history book.

Step number three is tracking and surveillance. Tracking of the products we buy and sell is a very useful tool in our society. Barcodes are found on virtually everything we buy. These barcodes permit stores and manufacturers to keep track of inventory and sales. Barcodes are absolutely essential at the check-out lane. Try going to your grocery store and asking the clerk to just punch in the price of the product you are purchasing like they did thirty years ago. You’ll get nothing but a look of confusion from the clerk. Have you ever been in a store when the electricity went out? Even if you have cash in your hand, and even if you can take the clerk back to the shelf and show him the price of the product you want to purchase, you cannot buy the product. If the clerk cannot scan the barcode, he cannot sell you the product.

Take a look at your driver’s license and you will see a barcode. That barcode can tell authorities everything they want to know about you and your driving record. If you will remember, you probably had to submit to a fingerprint when you obtained your driver’s license. With that information, crime scene investigators can quickly associate a finger print with an individual even if that person has had no previous criminal record. “That’s a good thing,” we are told. “We are protecting our citizens when we require fingerprints.” Perhaps it’s a good thing, but it’s the ever-increasing requirement of utilizing a number that is leading society down the pathway to accepting the Mark of the Beast.

When was the last time you bought medicine without a barcode attached to the paperwork? “It’s a good thing,” says the pharmacist. Now we know every medicine you take, so we can quickly tell you if one medicine is incompatible with another.”

We see cameras at nearly every intersection, and we see cameras watching our every move in every store. “It’s a good thing,” we are told. “Cameras at intersections can solve disputes as to who was at fault in an accident and cameras in stores can help prevent crime, and keep costs down as a result.” Right now, cameras don’t necessarily identify a person, but facial recognition software is nearly ready to implement into the program. Do you remember having your picture taken when you got your driver’s license? When the facial recognition software is fully implemented, and when it is tied to the driver’s license data base, Big Brother will be able to track a person’s movements virtually everywhere he goes.

Toll roads have opened up another great way to track a person’s movements. Who wants to waste time at a toll booth fumbling for money? This little problem has been conveniently solved with electronic devices that you attach to your windshield. With one of these nifty little devices, you can freely zoom through the toll booth without stopping, while others wait in line to pay the toll booth attendant. While the pike pass device is useful and handy, it also allows authorities to monitor and track the usage of vehicles. “Well, it may monitor the location of my vehicle, but it doesn’t know who’s inside the vehicle,” you may say. Perhaps so for the time being, but do you remember the cameras? There are cameras at every toll booth. Right now, they are primarily dedicated to capturing an image of every vehicle that goes through the booth, but they are also capable of capturing an image of every person in the vehicle. When facial recognition software is fully implemented, surveillance and tracking will take a giant leap forward.

It used to be that new-born babies could be carried out of a hospital by a baby-snatcher. That crime is a virtual impossibility now. As soon as a baby is born, a band is placed on the baby. This band has a sensor that will alert hospital staff if the baby is taken into an unauthorized area. In addition to the sensor, there is a number associated with that band. With that number, authorities know who that baby is, and they know who its parents are.

Steps one through three are slowly but surely getting us accustomed to accepting I.D. numbers in virtually everything we do. It hasn’t taken long for us to realize that we can’t buy or sell without a number being utilized. Up to this point however, the “number” is on a card or on a statement, or on a band; not actually etched on or in our bodies. Take a moment and think about it. When the Mark of the Beast is implemented, buying and selling cannot occur without a person having the “mark.” Even though the Mark of the Beast is not in place right now, the spirit of the Mark of the Beast is preparing us for that eventual occurrence. Today, it is a rare occurrence to buy or sell without utilizing a number for the product we are buying or selling, and without utilizing our personal number for that transaction.

Step four goes one step further. Somehow or another, Satan must convince the masses to utilize one number that handles all transactions and all activities, and that one number must be permanently attached to, or implanted in or on the body of each person. Remember that Satan’s mode of action is deceit. He knows that even though Twenty-First Century society has become accustomed to being tied to a number, they will still balk if asked to have that number permanently attached on their bodies. Nevertheless, this last step is slowly but surely being set up.

Radio Frequency Identification Tags (RFID) emit a simple radio signal alert akin to a barcode. The use of RFID devices began in 1945 as an espionage tool for the Soviet government. In 1973, the first patent for a re-writeable memory on an RFID tag was issued. In 1991, Oklahoma was the first state to provide RFID tags for an open highway electronic tolling system. In 2004, the FDA approved the implantation of RFID tags the size of a grain of rice into humans. The usage of RFID tags is still in its infancy, but it is gaining in public approval. These electronic chips are capable of performing financial transactions, tracking presence or non-presence in buildings, storing medical records, and even monitoring and reporting ongoing health-related issues.

RFID tags are being utilized to come to the aid of real human needs. Some researchers are suggesting that the tags could help save lives in the aftermath of a major earthquake or other similar disasters. Anyone entering or leaving a building would be identified via an RFID tag. Then if a disaster happened to take place, authorities would know who, and how many people were still in the building. Continuously updated information on casualties and losses could be made available to disaster response managers in real time so that they could arrange and deploy relief supplies in an appropriate and timely manner. According to these caring and concerned people, once the majority of the world’s population has RFID tags, rescue authorities will be able to know how many people are in a building when a disaster takes place. “It’s a good thing,” they say. “We want to save lives.”

Some schools have suggested that RFID tags would improve the security and safety of our children. The tags could be useful in tracking library book borrowing, disciplinary records, cafeteria purchases, visits to the nurse’s office, punctuality, getting on and off of school buses, and best of all, protecting children from predators. These schools are calling for the usage of RFID tags as a safety issue. “It’s a good thing,” they say. “We’re only interested in the welfare of your child.”

Some people however, are apprehensive about RFID tags tracking their every movement. That concern has some genuine merit. Perhaps that area of usage is moving a bit too fast. At least one firm has announced that they are shifting gears and changing the focus of RFID tags. Now, they are suggesting that the chips should be used for medicinal reasons. Now that is worth a closer look. With this change in focus, the general population is not so up-in-arms. Who can argue with health monitoring? Medical applications don’t hold near the controversial aspects as tracking, surveillance and financial aspects of the devices. At the physician’s office, a scanner could easily access a patient’s medical history and recent health issues.

Hundreds of hospitals have already registered for microchip-based patient identification systems to more quickly identify patients admitted to their emergency rooms. Suppose that a patient is found unconscious by emergency personnel. RFID tags would allow physicians to easily identify the victim and become aware of all of the victim’s medical history and medications. These microchips would also be useful in monitoring elderly people who can be forgetful about taking their medications.

RFID tags can be made capable of monitoring blood glucose levels in diabetics. How many people do you know who do not monitor their own levels often enough? Lots of people; that’s how many. RFID tags can come to the rescue of the health of untold thousands of people. These chips will be able to detect glucose levels and report those levels to physicians. VeriChip Corporation has already been granted a license to provide RFID tags that will be capable of detecting and identify viruses, including the dreaded H1N1 virus. These chips will provide multiple levels of identification—first identifying the agent as virus or non-virus, secondly, classifying the virus and alerting the person of the presence of the virus, and thirdly, identifying the precise pathogen.

How can Satan’s final step be implemented? Answer: Much easier than you thought. With deceit as his best asset, Satan will convince mankind to accept his “mark” by coming to the rescue of mankind’s needs. It will (or did) start innocently enough. Through the advances of medical technology, we don’t think twice about having man-made products placed inside our bodies. Severely broken bones are often mended by placing a pin in the broken bone. Women’s bodies are enhanced by placing implants in their breasts. Heart patients are capable of living a much-longer life with the aid of Pace-Makers. Obese patients may have a ring strategically placed on their stomachs for the purpose of aiding in weight control. Without exception, every man-made object placed in a human body has a number stamped on it. That number can be useful in the event that something goes wrong with the procedure. “That number is for the benefit of the patient,” they say. Who in their right mind, would refuse a pace maker just because it has a number on it, and just because the doctor can communicate with that pacemaker without requiring additional surgery? Who in their right mind would refuse to have a broken bone repaired just because the pin has a number stamped on it? The answer: Almost no one.

RFID tags are small. The original tags were the size of a grain of rice. Later on, the Hitachi mu-chip was introduced, which was smaller than the diameter of a strand of hair. Since then, even smaller devices have been developed that are sixty times smaller than the mu-chip. They are more of the consistency of a grain of powder.

What’s so alarming, is that these chips don’t have to be legislated by the government to become universally used. If enough hospitals and insurance companies begin requiring them, or treating patients wearing them more expeditiously than nonusers, or providing discounts for usage of the chips, they could easily become the new norm. Then, not wearing a chip might be akin to not having an ATM card or a credit card.

Okay, this is referring to implanted devices. Maybe the Mark of the Beast will be some sort of invisible tattoo on the surface of the skin. Would people resist that? Have you ever been to an amusement park, and decided that you forgot something in the car? When you told the gate attendant that you needed to go out of the park for a few minutes, what did he do? He said, “No problem. Stick out your hand so I can “mark” your wrist.” Without thinking twice, you eagerly extended your arm and received a mark. Sometimes the marks are easily visible, and sometimes they are nearly invisible and need to be illuminated with a black light in order to be seen. In either case, you had a need, and the “mark” on your wrist solved that need. “Well, that’s not the Mark of the Beast,” you may say. True. It’s not the mark, but it is a mark nevertheless. Satan’s deceit is focused on getting us accustomed to being tied to numbers, and on getting us accustomed to man-made devices and markings placed in and on our bodies. Who knows whether the Mark of the Beast will be implanted in the body, or if it will be stamped or marked on the surface of a person’s skin? It doesn’t really matter. We as a society are becoming accustomed to the forerunners of Satan’s Mark.

“But,” you may say, “I’ll recognize that line, and I’ll never cross that line.” Well, that sounds good, but most likely; you’ll never see that line. You’ve demonstrated that you may never see that line by the fact that you’ve accepted one baby-step after tiny little baby-step of societal change. We need to realize that there may never be a detectable line in the sand that separates us from taking the mark or not taking the mark. The line, if there actually is one, will be so blurred that there will be few who will recognize it. For that reason, we should refrain from self-righteously saying that we won’t take the mark when it comes. What we should be doing is resisting the current societal drift toward that mark. Vigilance is the key to resisting the mark. It may come as a surprise to you, but it’s not the act of accepting the actual mark that is the problem. The problem has to do with accepting the deceitful spirit that is associated with the mark. Too many Christians are asleep. They think that Satan’s Anti-Christ is going to make an announcement some day saying, “I’m a really bad dude. And to prove how bad I am, I’m going to require you to take my mark on your wrist. If you don’t, I’ll have your head.” No, it won’t be that obvious. The majority of the world’s population will eagerly accept their “personal” number as an aid to good health, well being, and ease of buying and selling. Satan won’t be the one placing that mark on us. It will be our merchants, our utility companies, our doctors and our taxing authorities.

How then, are we to resist the mark if we are faced with that decision? The one who is most likely to refuse the mark when it is eventually presented, is the person who is actively involved in the direction our society is taking today. What a person is doing today is a clear indication of how that person will deal with the “mark” in the future. The person who is most likely to resist Satan’s “mark” is the person who is writing and calling his Senators and representatives and telling them what they are doing wrong and what they are doing right. The person who will most likely refuse the Mark of the Beast is the person who registers to vote; it is the person who actually studies the issues and candidates; it is the person who votes for issues and candidates that are fiscally, socially, and morally responsible; and it is the person who votes in every election that comes around, whether it be the President of the United States for the local dog catcher. Whoa, Nellie. What does voting have to do with taking the Mark of the Beast?

Socialism is one of Satan’s most important vehicles for gaining total control over the people of the world. Capitalism resists government control over the people. Socialism embraces government control. Anyone who votes for issues or candidates that are in favor of socialistic trends is a person who is a prime candidate for accepting the “mark.” The person who is most likely to resist the “mark” is more than just a Sunday-go-to-meetin’ person. The Bible instructs us to resist the wiles of the devil. RESIST: that is the key to avoiding the Mark of the Beast.

Will you resist the Mark of the Beast? The Anti-Christ may not be active today, but the spirit of Anti-Christ is alive and well in our society. The current trend to social programs and Socialism is being orchestrated by the spirit of Anti-Christ. Socialism is a government that provides for the needs of the people. On the flip side of the coin, Socialism is the people being dependent on the government. The person or entity that is doing the giving is the person or entity that has the greatest power and control. Before the Anti-Christ can take control of the entire world, the entire world must be ready to be taken over. The more power and control we give to the government, the more likely we are to come under subjection to that government. America is the only major hold-out against Socialism. Sadly though, we are embracing every socialistic trend that comes along.

Once America becomes a socialistic nation, Satan will be able to move into his final game. With the citizens of all the world’s nations depending on the government to care for their needs, the world will be ripe for embracing a one-world government. The Anti-Christ will become the head of that one-world government. This one-world government will not be capitalistic; it will be socialistic. The citizens of the world social system will already be utilizing their personal I.D. number for everything they do. The only thing left on Satan’s agenda, will be to permanently place that mark on our bodies.

Have you ever studied the parable of the ten virgins? Five of the virgins said they would be ready to perform their duties when the bridegroom showed up. But when he actually did show up, they weren’t ready. They claimed that they would be ready, but their actions said otherwise. The other five didn’t just “say” they would be ready; they constantly made themselves ready; taking care of business all along the way. Then when the bridegroom showed up, they were fully prepared to carry out their business. We Christians are the ten virgins who are waiting for the bridegroom. If we merely go to church and worship the Lord while “saying” that we will resist the mark when it shows up, we won’t have a chance to resist the mark. On the other hand, if we go church, worship the Lord and resist every wile of the devil’s agenda all along the way, we may have a chance to resist the mark.

How does one resist the spirit of the mark that is preparing mankind to accept the actual mark? Social programs and socialism in general must be deeply engrained in society before the actual mark can be administered. Resistance of the spirit of the mark is resistance against the socialistic vehicle that is bringing us the mark. Diligent voting and diligent oversight of the people and policies we have put in place is our fight against the spirit of the mark. If you are not making a great effort to put the right people in office, you are not resisting the spirit of the mark. If you are not regularly communicating your thoughts and desires to your leaders, you are not resisting the spirit of the mark. If you are not currently resisting the spirit of the mark, you won’t stand a chance to resist the actual mark. Not only will you take the mark; you’ll be the first in line to accept the mark.

Will you be able to resist the Mark of the Beast? The actions you are taking today speak more truth about how you will handle the “mark” than the simple statement, “Yes, I will resist the Mark.”

For a complete view of today’s slide toward the end times, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception. Go to http://bit.ly/bCKGlW for ordering information.

Iran says it can destroy Israel in one week

Iran is merrily on the road to the development of nuclear weapons. President Obama and the U.N. have been doing little, other than holding meetings and proposing sanctions. In the mean time, Iran is steadily advancing its nuclear program by continuing to enrich uranium which Israel believes is a covert weapons program.

With U.N. sanctions going nowhere, Israel prodded and failed to persuade the Obama administration to impose sanctions on Iran's petroleum sector, even after the House and Senate passed legislation enabling it to do so. In April, Iran's announcement that it had produced faster centrifuges further rattled Israel. Israeli officials are saying that nothing short of a sanction of Iran’s energy sector will work. And with no sign of that in the offing, the prospect of Israeli military action looms larger.

Israel’s chairman of the Israeli Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said that Israel is frustrated with the fact that Iran does not feel the pressure of the world and does not care about the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.N.

While the United States has been discussing some sort of an effective sanctions regime, Iran has been able to acquire a stockpile of at least two tons of low-enriched uranium, which is enough for at least one bomb. Israel believes Iran has also been developing a method for weaponizing highly enriched uranium.

Moshe Yaalon, Israel's deputy prime minister, said earlier this month that Israel has the capabilities to attack Iran and described the possibility of a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel has acted unilaterally in the past to set back nuclear programs. In 1981, it obliterated an Iraqi nuclear reactor and in 2007 it struck at a suspected Syrian nuclear site.

Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security advisor has said that Israeli officials believe that in less than one year, Israel might need to make a terrible decision, either to get used to the sad fact that Iran has nuclear weapons, and nothing can stop it, or try to do something by themselves.

In May 2010, Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei said that if Israel attacks Iran, Israel would be destroyed within a week. On a separate visit to Saudi Arabia Mashaei claimed that the annihilation of Israel should be a global goal. He told Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that the corrupt and criminal Zionist regime is harming not only the Arab and Islamic world, but all of humanity.

With today’s politically-correct world that bends over backwards to protect and promote the Muslim world, Israel very well may have to resort to military action. As for Iran destroying Israel in one week, or one month, or even one year…well good luck! I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.

Who in the world are "They?"

We have a habit of referring to the way they are doing things.
We love to complain about how they are controlling our lives.

They are handing out birth control pills to eleven year old girls without parental consent.
They are teaching evolution and calling creationism nothing more than a myth.
They are teaching our kids that it is no longer important to excel.
They are promoting homosexuality as the lifestyle of choice.
They are suggesting that late-term abortion is a woman’s right.
They have convinced us that political correctness is the gentlemanly way to be.
They preach that right and wrong is much too black and white.
They tell us that the Ten Commandments should not be seen in public.
They rule that Christmas trees on college campuses are offensive.
They do not permit public prayer to end in “Jesus Name.”
They inform us that one’s gender is based on one’s feelings, not one’s biology.
They tell us that we should have the right to end our life whenever we want to.
They tell us that we should create babies to provide spare parts for living children.
They suggest that the elderly should not have as much access to health care as the young.
They believe that they should control your money—not you.
They want to do away with national sovereignty and implement a one-world government.
They want to do away with your right to privacy.
They are responsible for this country’s slide to socialism, reduction in values, and the removal of God from the public square.

Do you have enough interest to find out who they are?
Would you like to find out how we have lost control of the world we live in?
You will be stunned and shocked when you find out who they really are.

Do you have the courage to invest $16.99 in the future of your country? With the insight acquired from reading Shadow Truth, the downward trend of this nation can be reversed in short order.

Buy Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate today. Go to www.shadowtruthbook.com for ordering information. It may be the best investment you could make in your life, the lives of your children and the lives of their children.

Laura Bush in favor of gay marriage and abortion

While pushing her new book, “Spoken from the Heart” on the Larry King show, Laura Bush dropped a bomb shell regarding her inner liberal leanings. She said that her stand in favor of abortion and gay marriage has been a point of disagreement between her and George Bush since before his first term as President of the United States.

She said that when (same sex) couples are committed to each other and love each other, they ought to have the same sort of rights that everyone has. When asked by Larry King if she could accept gay marriage, Laura Bush said, yes. The ex-first lady also told King she believes abortion should remain legal, an opinion she has held since before President Bush's first day in office in 2001. Laura Bush said abortion should remain legal, because she thinks it's important for people…

She even admitted to not being honest when interviewed by Katie Couric. On the day of George W. Bush's first inauguration, the first lady was asked by Couric if she was for the overturn of Roe versus Wade. Believing that her true liberal stand in favor of abortion might be detrimental to her husband’s presidency, she answered, “no.”

These statements came on the heels of another recent interview where she offered her approval of Obama’s latest pick, Elena Kagan, for the Supreme Court. Speaking of nominee, Laura said, "I think it's great." Kagan’s approval would mean that three women will be serving at once. "I'm really glad that there will be three,” said Bush “I like to have women on the Supreme Court…I like women to be represented in all parts of American political and civic life." Laura expressed approval of Kagan in spite of Kagan’s widely known stand in favor of socialism, and in spite of Kagan’s ruling that military recruiters should be banned from Harvard Law School. It seems strange that Laura Bush would support a greater representation of females on the Supreme Court even though Obama’s pick is known for her liberal policies. To Laura Bush, a greater representation by females on the bench trumps a person’s stand on moral issues.

Are you disappointed in Laura Bush? Does her stand cause you to waver? Do you feel that you don’t know who to trust? You can never fully trust another person. You must be diligent and you must do your homework. But at the end of the day, there will still be certain people who will let you down. Don’t use that as an excuse for you to give up or let up. Continue standing for that which is right. Continue speaking up about the issues of the day. Continue voting for the candidate who best fits in with the future of this country. Never let apathy rob you of your obligation to do your part in choosing the leadership of this country.

Who’s Making Fun of Jesus Now?

In the spring of 2010 Comedy Central announced aggressive plans to mock not only Christians, but Jesus as well. The network plans to develop a cartoon series about Jesus Christ, who will be called, “JC.” The story line will have Jesus moving to New York City to escape from his father’s oversight so that he can live out a more normal life and just be a normal guy. The apathetic father (God) will be portrayed as a lazy man who wastes his time playing video games while at the same time, ignoring his son, Jesus. The cartoon show will be making fun of religion and our Christian society and will be casting them as a bit dumb.

This announcement comes on the heels of the very same organization hiding and covering up a visual depiction of the prophet Muhammad after a protest by Muslims. In order to appease the Muslim protest, the network hid the Muhammad character in a black box so that he would not be depicted. It seems that many Muslims consider any depiction of Muhammad to be blasphemous. By their actions, the network is saying that they are happy to honor the belief systems of the Muslims, but Christians and their beliefs are fair game.

The network defends its platform by saying that comedy nearly always offends someone and causes them to become uncomfortable. That is the whole basis of comedy. But they draw the line when it comes to offending Muslims or making them feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

This network, along with much of today’s mainstream media goes out of its way to respect Islam, while at the same time attacking and defaming Christianity and the 70 to 80 percent of Americans who call themselves Christians. Out of respect for the beliefs of Muslims, Muhammad can’t show his face around Comedy Central, but Jesus Christ is readily available for ridicule.

How, and most importantly, why is this sort of thing permeating our society today? The answer is much closer than we may think. As a matter of fact, the answer is right under our collective nose. To find the answer, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate. Go to http://www.shadowtruthbook.com/ for ordering information.

One World Government—Coming Sooner Than You Think

The nation of Greece has fallen to its knees in the wake of a total financial collapse. Now, the once-proud nation has gone hat-in-hand to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for bailout assistance.

Greece has found itself in a financial death spiral brought on by years of amazingly irresponsible deficit spending as is often done by countries that adopt socialism and/or socialistic-styled programs. In spite of the knowledge that there is no such thing as financial perpetual motion, socialistic-leaning governments continue spending money they don’t have—to the detriment of their own economies.

What are some examples of their deficit spending? In keeping with common socialistic thought, the common and working-class people should have the right to the life styles and pleasures enjoyed by the well-to-do. As a consequence, Greece set out to artificially elevate the Greek standard of living. The idea that being able to pay for increased salaries was not considered. With the stroke of a pen, salaries were simply raised to the tune of about 30% since 2006. However, additional salaries were not enough. Annual bonus payments were also implemented and paid out as 13th and 14th month salaries.

Then, there are holidays and vacations. Greece implemented a statutory minimum number of days off for its Greek workers. Employees were entitled to a minimum of thirty-seven days of paid leave which was required and mandated by law. In comparison, the United States does not place any statutory minimum holiday allowance requirements on employers.

In order to protect its workers, Greece instituted a law restricting a company’s right to fire and/or lay off employees in times of hardship. The maximum number of employees that a private company could lay off was set at 2%. The average age of retirement was a rather young age of 61, with many in the public sector entering retirement in their 50’s. The pension that a worker received after retirement reflected their wage being drawn at the time of retirement. And then, there was a common and out-of-control problem with tax evasion. To help pay for many of the above perks, income tax was relatively high. Consequently, many, if not most Greeks were involved in some sort of tax-evading methods.

So, Greece’s addiction to spending more than they were making finally caught up with them. Consequently, begging for assistance was the only option left. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that it is the lender who has the upper hand. Greece’s only hope of survival is to accept a bailout along with a long list of attached strings and demands. Europe, in partnership with the IMF has offered to come to the rescue of the floundering nation of Greece. If Greece wants to accept the help being offered by the world community, they will have to obey certain demands. There will have to be an across-the-board freeze of wages. Some wages must be slashed. Income taxes must be increased even more. Huge cuts must be implemented tin Greece’s public sector, including the elimination of contract workers. Private companies must be permitted to increase the number of employees they can lay off, from 2% to 4%. The age of retirement must be raised, and pensions must be reduced to reflect a worker’s average pay rather than their final pay. Consumption taxes must be increased on alcohol, fuel, cigarettes, etc. Construction projects must be taxed. People must be removed from public payroll, and tax evasion must be eliminated.

What are the consequences of a nation being bailed-out by other nations? It all boils down to a loss of sovereignty. The nation of Greece will no longer be able to call its own shots. Greece will have to seek approval from the world for almost anything it does. It may sound like the requirements being placed on Greece are a move back toward privatization and capitalism. However, control is what the one-world movement wants. Once world control is established, then socialistic mandates are sure to be reinstated, while the floundering nation remains under world control.

Comparisons can be drawn with the United States. Our leaders implemented large-scale bailouts for many giant companies, including AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, GM, Chrysler and many large banks. In doing so, the United States has spent billions and billions of dollars it doesn’t have. In order to spend money you don’t have, you must borrow that money. Who have we borrowed from? At the end of the first quarter of 2010, the U.S. public debt was 87% of GDP. Now, for the bad news. In 1988, only 13% of our debt was owned by foreign governments. In 2007, it doubled to 25%. In 2009, that number has skyrocketed. China and Japan alone, own 44% of the American debt.

Like Greece, the powerful United States may someday find itself bound to comply with the demands of the world community. That is when a one-world government will be able to begin taking control of the entire world. The agents of humanism have been working toward that end for many years. The Fourteenth Affirmation of the First Humanist Manifesto says: …profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate…A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible.

The Twelfth Affirmation of the Second Humanist Manifesto says: We deplore the division of humankind on nationalistic grounds. We have reached a turning point in human history where the best option is to transcend the limits of national sovereignty and to move toward the building of a world community…

The Closing Statements of the Second Humanist Manifesto says: …(the) goal for humankind…(is) for each person to become…a citizen of a world community.

It is time for the U.S. electorate to wake up and put representatives in office who have a drive to keep America sovereign. Much of that will be predicated on reducing or eliminating foreign-held debt. The only way to keep debt under control is to spend only what we have. What a smart idea. Our government should act the way its private citizens have acted since the very beginning.

U.S. Federal Court Rules That Doing Business With The Boy Scouts Is Unlawful

On May 3, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn a lower court’s ruling that the Boy Scouts can no longer lease city-owned parkland in San Diego because the group is a religious organization.

A California U.S. District judge had earlier ruled that the City of San Diego acted improperly when it leased 18 acres of camp space to the Scouts because the group is a religious organization. The judge said the lease violated federal law that prohibits the government promotion of religion.

It all got started when with the help of the ACLU, a lesbian couple and an agnostic couple filed a lawsuit regarding the one-dollar per year lease agreement between the Scouts and the City. The lesbian couple had a beef with the Scouts due to their policy against using homosexuals to lead the scouts. The agnostic couple was against the Scouts due to their recognition of God.

The ACLU found a loophole in the law, permitting them to sue the city and the scouts. This loophole was centered around San Diego’s non-discrimination policy which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and religion.

The lawsuit argued that the city’s lease agreement with the scouts amounts to a subsidy of a religious organization that is violating the city’s non-discrimination law. The Federal Court ruled in favor of the two couples because they “suffered injury-in-fact.” What sort of injury did these couples suffer? Apparently, they suffered some sort of mental trauma when they avoided using the city park due to the Boy Scouts publicly expressed disapproval of lesbians, atheists and agnostics. The judge said that the city’s one-dollar lease to the Boy Scouts violates the state’s ban on support for religions.

The federal judge ruled against the Boy Scouts even though an earlier U.S. Supreme Court ruling stated that the Boy Scouts is a private organization with a First Amendment right to exclude gay people from its ranks.

Isn't it amazing that four people have the power to overturn the wishes of untold thousands of other people? How is it that the few can rule the many in today's society. The policies of non-discrimination started out as a necessary and a proper direction for our country to take. However, over the years, the definition of discrimination has evolved radically. To learn just how much and why, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate. Go to www.shadowtruthbook.com for ordering information.

The U.N. is devoted to tearing down the nation of Israel

In April 2009, the U.N. Human Rights Council commissioned “The Goldstone Report,” which on the surface, was intended to investigate violations of international human rights law that may have been committed during the military operations that were conducted in Gaza between late 2008 and early 2009.

In September 2009, the report was released, the majority of which was devoted to accusing Israel of military misconduct. Over a period of several years, Israel has defended itself against thousands of rockets and mortars fired by Hamas and other Palestinian groups at civilian targets in Israel. The U.N.’s Goldstone Report vividly accused Israel of human rights violations, war crimes and other actions that might justify a court finding that crimes against humanity have been committed. Even though Israel withdrew from its occupation of Gaza in 2005, the report labels Israel as an occupying power because it controls Gaza’s borders.

According to the report, Israel used Hamas’ rocket attacks as an excuse and a cover for its desire to target innocent Palestinian civilians, children, women and the elderly. What the report conveniently fails to report is that Hamas deliberately and willfully used its civilian population as human shields. The Hamas combatants mingled with the civilian population for the express purpose of shielding themselves from attack. The biased Goldstone Report suggested that Israel deliberately planned to kill civilians, while at the same time suggesting that Hamas did not use Palestinian civilians as human shields. While spending much verbiage condemning Israel, the report glosses over the terrorism to which Hamas is devoted to.

In November 2009, the United States rejected the Goldstone Report as irredeemably biased. In spite of the U.S. rejection of the report, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the report and sent it to the Security Council. Even though the Security Council has not yet acted on the report, the Islamic Extremists have won a victory in propaganda.

The Human Rights Council is made up of 48 members, including China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In spite of the widely known gross violations of human rights for which these nations are guilty of, they have singled out Israel for defending itself.

The world as a whole has drawn a line in the sand, leaving Israel and only a very few allies on the other side of that line. Let your Senators and Representatives know that you are in favor of continuing to support and defend Israel.

Cameras make Chicago the most closely watched US city

In the fall of 2009, the body of Chicago’s school board president was found in the river. With the help of Chicago’s extensive interlinked camera system, police were able to prove that the bullet wound to his head was due to a suicide—not a murder.

Chicago’s police were able to recreate the man’s drive through the city by using high-tech equipment that was capable of singling out his car on a succession of surveillance cameras. As the car travelled out of the range of one camera, the sophisticated equipment handed the image to the next camera along the route, creating a virtual non-stop video of his 20-minute drive through the city.

Chicago proudly possesses the most extensive and sophisticated video surveillance system in the United States. In less than ten years, the city was able to link thousands of cameras situated on street poles, skyscrapers, aboard buses, in train tunnels, schools and in many other public and private locations. City officials are able to watch live video, following people or vehicles as they travel throughout the city.

London—the world’s most closely watched city, has approximately 500,000 cameras. But not even London incorporates private cameras in its system as does Chicago. While critics decry the network as the biggest of all Big Brother invasions of privacy, most Chicago residents accept it as a necessary fact of life. Authorities say the system helps them respond to emergencies in a way never before possible.

Each freedom and privacy we give up begins by sounding like it’s good, necessary and beneficial. However, there comes a time when humanity has lost so much freedom and privacy that they are destined to eventually become wards of the state. Read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate. Go to www.shadowtruthbook.com for ordering information.

Hillary Clinton Stumps for Global Abortion Policies

In April, 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to a group of G8 foreign ministers in Canada regarding maternal health. She said that any global plan to enhance maternal health must include strategies to boost access to birth control and abortion. She said, “I've worked in this area for many years and if we're talking about maternal health, you cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes…access to legal, safe abortion."

The Toronto Star described this statement as a "grenade in the lap of her shell-shocked Canadian hosts." Clinton's grenade did damage beyond Canada. It’s like addressing poverty by doing away with the poor; like fighting disease by getting rid of those with diseases.

Contraception allows women, if they choose, to avoid high-risk pregnancies early or late in life, to space births at safer intervals and to limit the number of pregnancies they have during their childbearing years. Most people now generally assume that contraception is essential to the creation of happy, healthy families. Most Protestants, even of the more sober varieties, do not view contraception as a moral issue.

Abortion however, is a totally different issue. The global community is being pressured from all sides to adopt and embrace abortion as a normal method for limiting the size of families. People are being told that they can do what they want, when they want and how they want—all with no consequences. If they happen to end up with an unwanted pregnancy, all they have to do is terminate the life of that unwanted child.