James L. Paris's Blog, page 153
July 25, 2016
Top Cardinal: Islam ���Wants to Govern the World���
An American cardinal, a prelate based in Rome, has gone on the record with his opinion that Islam is fundamentally different from other religions, in that it is ���a form of government��� that ���wants to govern the world.���
Cardinal Raymond Burke made his remarks to the Religion News Service in the course of promoting his new book, Hope for the World: To Unite All Things in Christ.
Burke was critical of Catholic leaders for assuming the posture that Islam is a religion like any other, saying, ���That is simply not the case.���
���When they [Muslims) become a majority in any country then they have the religious obligation to govern that country. If that's what the citizens of a nation want, well, then, they should just allow this to go on. But if that's not what they want, then they have to find a way to deal with it.���
���This is the way things are to go... And if you do understand that and you are not at peace with the idea of being forcibly under an Islamic government, then you have reason to be afraid.���
When asked about how the West should answer the threat, Burke said, ���I think the appropriate response is to be firm about the Christian origin of our own nation, and certainly in Europe, and the Christian foundations of the government, and to fortify those... We have to say no, our country is not free to become a Muslim state.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Clinton Pick of Tim Kaine as VP Has Sanders Supporters Up in Arms
If Sanders supporters and ardent progressives, more generally, had doubts about just how seriously their interests were viewed, let alone shared, by Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee���s selection of Tim Kaine as ticket-mate answered those doubts with a resounding, ���not much at all.���
Kaine, a fan of more deregulation of Wall Street and someone who���s in favor of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, is by no means reflective of the progressive values that are clearly a priority of many Democrats today, given Bernie Sanders��� strong performance against Clinton in head-to-head matchups throughout the primary and caucus season.
From the good feelings telegraphed during meetings between Sanders and Clinton just prior to the former���s announced endorsement of Hillary, it is clear that many Sanders supporters were hopeful that their interests would be represented on the ticket by the selection of a running mate who is a strong progressive, and a not-insignificant number of the rank-and-file were wishing out loud that the choice would be Sanders himself.
That, however, was not to be, as Hillary eventually decided on someone who is, in many ways, a mirror image of herself.
Economist and lawyer William K. Black, who played a key role in revealing congressional corruption in connection with the saving and loan crisis of the 1980���s and 1990���s, said of the pick, ���It's not what you say, it's what you do. Clinton can talk about caring about the U.S. public, but this choice cuts through the rhetoric. Kaine, like Clinton herself, is a quintessential 'New Democrat'���meaning they are allies of Wall Street. They embrace a neoliberal, pro-corporate outlook that has done incredible damage to the vast majority of Americans.���
While many progressives are something between perplexed and outraged by Clinton���s selection of Kaine, many other folks ���get it.��� The plain fact is that Clinton is fond of money, of Wall Street. She also, just as clearly, holds tried and true progressives in genuine disdain, and, my guess is that, in private, she sees them as both daffy and grubby. More formally, though, she knows that when it comes time for the general election, left-leaning candidates must reposition themselves as from the center, and absolutely must govern that way once in office in order to get anything of consequence accomplished.
Poor Bernie and his faithful minions never stood a chance.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
July 23, 2016
7 Great Sites For Finding Airfare Bargains
While some people may say that there are too many airfare search platforms today, I could not disagree more. What is important to grasp, however, is that each one of these portals has a little something different to offer. While there is some benefit to simply doing the same itinerary search on multiple airfare search engines, the results are magnified when you take advantage of the unique tools available at each site.
My article 5 Hacks For Finding The Lowest Airfare Every Time is still one of the most popular articles on this blog. Today I am going to share with you some new airfare search engines to consider that should be added to your quest for super low airfares. These are all excellent supplements to my prior article.
A Recent Success Story
For me there is almost no greater thrill than bagging an airfare bargain. I just returned from Chicago, and on this trip I paid $100 round trip for my ticket. Did I mention that my wife and I went to Italy for a week in March? We paid just $1,600 for round trip air, car, and hotel for the week!
Well, my latest challenge was a trip to a music conference my wife is speaking at in Las Vegas in mid September. After trying for two weeks to find a great airfare to Las Vegas, I gave up. That's when my wife reminded me that Las Vegas is just a three hour drive from Los Angeles, and she has relatives that we could visit in southern California.
Using Google flights I was able to piece together quite a deal. I bought one way tickets to Los Angeles for $80 (from Orlando) and then picked up one way returning flights for $120 on a completely different airline. I have never actually bought two one way tickets like this to manufacture my own round trip (this is one feature unique to Google Flights). I used travel rewards points from my Chase account to pay for the rental car and hotel. My out of pocket costs, including airfare, hotel, and rental car came to just $400 for the week! (of course, there will also be money spent on food, gas, and entertainment).
7 Great Sites For Finding Airfare Bargains
Here is a more comprehensive article on Google Flights from Kim Komando. There is a lot to like about this platform, but probably my favorite feature is the ease at which you can see price differences available by moving your dates by a few days. I also love the fact that the searches will also bring back one way ticket options (as mentioned above). Lastly, there is a fantastic visual tool that allows you to see all of your options on a map. This makes 'discovering' alternative airports super easy. For example, you might find that flying into Milwaukee instead of Chicago will save you a load of money (and it is only 90 miles away).
Google Flights Map View
The name gives you a hint what their niche is - Clever Layovers. Airlines absolutely hate this strategy, but it is totally legal and can save you big money (especially on international flights). This site takes airfare deal hunting to an art by piecing together one way tickets and sometimes long layovers to generate the lowest overall cost. There are some drawbacks here. First, you can only take a carry-on bag (as you may be disembarking at the mid point of a flight with a layover). Secondly, because these deals are pieced together with non-partner airlines, you stand the risk of one flight being late and then missing the next leg of your journey. Lastly, you have to check in on each leg of your trip. This all might sound like a hassle, but the site is very user friendly and builds in enough time to allow for contingencies such as late arrivals.
3. Skyscanner
Most people are not aware that the big travel sites don't typically include budget airlines in their search results. Skyscanner is a great site to use to be sure you have all of the options in front of you, including budget airlines. The site also offers search tools for hotels and rental cars as well.
4. Skipplagged
Another strategy hated by the airlines - so called hidden cities. Let's say that you want to fly to Chicago. The cheapest way to get there might be to buy a ticket to New York that has a stop in Chicago. Rather than boarding the New York leg of your flight in Chicago, you simply walk out of the airport. Due to how this strategy works, you will have to get by with just a carry-on bag.
This platform is much like the software a professional travel agent would have access to. There are some very powerful features here, including the ability to search multiple departure and arrival airport fares simultaneously. Additionally, the ability to see fares for plus or minus two days on both your departure and arrival dates. There is a lot here, and with the full suite of features comes a bit of a learning curve.
This is not a free site, but for $9.95 monthly you get a lot. The strength of the site seems to be its international airfare deals. The site uses proprietary software to search 24/7 for price drops, anomalies, and 'mistake' airfares. After you sign up, you can select what departure and arrival locations you want to track. The site will then notify you by a text alert to your mobile device. Just scanning the site I uncovered some fascinating bargains as well. I Just found a round trip flight from New York to Seoul South Korea for $399 (a trip I am seriously considering). I also found round trip flights from New York to Dublin, Ireland for under $300. Your first month is free, and you can earn two months free for every new person you refer to the site. (note: the link here is my own referral link as I am taking advantage of this program myself).
Just when you thought there were no new angles on how to search for trip options, Flykt brings us yet another twist. Just input your budget and interests and the site will spit out up to six destinations for you with hotel and airfare options. Rather than focusing just on the airfare, the site focuses on destinations and activities you have an interest in. This site seems to offer something akin to the experience of using a full service travel agent. I love this approach and will definitely use this platform when I have a particular theme in mind for a trip I am planning.
Use the comments section below and we can start a conversation. Share your favorite travel search engines and your greatest bargains.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
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MSNBC���s Chris Matthews: ���Law and Order��� is a Racist Phrase
Yup, it does get even dumber.
The left-wing narrative, that is.
On Thursday night, during MSNBC���s coverage of the Republican National Convention, Chris Matthews, who once famously said that Obama gave him a ���thrill up his leg,��� declared that the phrase ���law and order��� has ���a racial tone to it.���
Trump has repeatedly said throughout the campaign that he will restore ���law and order��� to the nation, and emphasized that point again in his address to the convention on Thursday.
Matthews, however, clearly does not like the term, and sees it as just one more racial ���dog whistle.��� As Matthews said, ���Why did he use the phrase with all its implications and attitude, ���law and order?��� He didn���t say, ���Let���s enforce the law.��� He did that once, most of it was the phrase ���law and order,��� that was so Nixonian. I think that carries a racial tone to it.���
Perhaps the bigger question is, does Matthews think the phrase ���law and order��� is racist���or does Matthews think that law and order itself is racist?
I have my suspicions.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Ben Carson Speech Suggests Hillary Mentor Admired Lucifer
In case you missed it, Dr. Ben Carson gave quite a speech on Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention, one in which he made a rather big deal about Hillary Clinton hero Saul Alinsky���s alleged affection for none other than Satan.
Alinsky is generally thought to be the original American leftist community organizer. He is particularly well-known for his book Rules for Radicals, published in 1971, just a year before his death of a heart attack at age 63. Rules for Radicals is essentially a handbook for community organizing within perceived disenfranchised communities across the United States, and Alinsky drew on his own experiences as a preeminent community organizer from 1939 to 1971 to create the manuscript. The book has become a highly-regarded work by the American left, and the principles outlined are regularly employed today by progressive social activists. As a matter of fact, even some groups on the right have found it a useful reference, although the book, and Alinsky himself, are chiefly darlings of the far left.
It is well-known that Alinsky was a big influence on Hillary Clinton, so much so that he was the subject of her senior undergraduate thesis at Wellesley College.
In his Tuesday speech in support of Donald Trump, Carson made mention of the fact that Alinsky wrote an epigraph in Rules for Radicals that seems to be, if not a testimonial on behalf of Satan, a bit of an homage���and went on to pointedly ask if we���re ���willing to elect someone as president who has as their role model somebody who acknowledges Lucifer?���
This is the epigraph in question:
���Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins ��� or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom ��� Lucifer.���
Here is the principal excerpt from Carson���s speech that addresses Alinsky, Lucifer, and Clinton:
���One of the things that I have learned about Hillary Clinton is that one of her heroes, her mentors, was Saul Alinsky.
���And her senior thesis was about Saul Alinsky. This was someone that she greatly admired and that affected all of her philosophies subsequently.
���Now interestingly enough let me tell you about Saul Alinsky. He wrote a book called ���Rules for Radicals.��� On the dedication page it acknowledges Lucifer, ���the original radical who gained his own kingdom.���
���Now think about that. This is a nation where our founding document the Declaration of Independence talks about certain inalienable rights that come from our Creator. This is a nation where our Pledge of Allegiance says that we are ���One Nation under God.��� This is a nation where every coin in our pocket and every bill in our wallet says ���In God we Trust.���
���So are we willing to elect someone as president who has as their role model somebody who acknowledges Lucifer? Think about that.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
July 22, 2016
TSA Agent Arrested for Recording ���Upskirt��� Videos of Airline Passengers
Our pals at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) just keep at it.
The latest tidbit of information regarding their nefarious behavior has to do with misdeeds of a sexual nature; what a shock.
It seems that a TSA agent in the Seattle, WA area was arrested after being witnessed in the baggage claim area of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport using the video camera feature of his cell phone to engage in so-called ���upskirt��� voyeurism.
The agent in question became subject to monitoring by a TSA special agent and Port of Seattle Police after suspicions about the offending agent���s behavior were brought to the attention of authorities. According to The Seattle Times, the suspect was busted on Tuesday after the special agent allegedly saw him leave his duty station and quickly position himself behind a woman at baggage claim���and turn on his cell phone���s video recorder.
In addition to being arrested, the suspect has been placed on indefinite suspension by the TSA.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Finnish Man Hit with Four Years in Prison for the Crime of ���Excessive Self-Defense���
Recently, an American think tank, the Social Progress Initiative, declared Finland to be the most socially progressive country in the world. Knowing that common sense exists in inverse proportion to social progression, Finland must be the most socially progressive nation, based on this one news item.
A 35-year-old resident of Hyvinkaa, a town that sits just a relative handful of miles north of Helsinki, is going to prison for four years and will pay a $23,000 fine because the court determined that when he was attacked in his residence by three home invaders, he was too aggressive in the manner in which he defended himself.
You read that right.
As the story goes, when the victim heard a knock at his front door and went to answer it, three people���two men a woman���rushed in, armed with baseball bats and a gun. The victim was able to retrieve a weapon of his own, a knife, from the kitchen, and with it, got the best of his attackers.
However, in progressive countries, when things like this happen, victim and criminal are one and the same. In this case, the homeowner did such a good job defending himself that he was arrested, along with the intruders.
When the court was finished sorting it all out, the victim in this case was handed the aforementioned punishment of four years in the slammer and a $23,000 fine, while the attackers each received a little over a year of strict probation; they also have to pay a fine of $3,300.
It���s worth noting the crimes of which the homeowner was convicted were ���excessive self-defense and attempted manslaughter.���
���Excessive self-defense?��� When you���re attacked in your home by three armed people?
An aspect to this case that is particularly troubling is the very fact that the man was assaulted in his home. While even many in the U.S. choose to make a distinction between the defense of oneself at home and self-defense away from home, few even on the left side of the political dividing line in America believe that a homeowner is in the wrong if he seriously injures or kills an attacker who assaults him in the confines of his own residence.
It remains tempting to look at this from afar and say, ���That could never happen here,��� but don���t be too sure; anyone who is paying attention can see how successive generations of Americans seem perfectly fine with the subordination of rights and freedoms���including the inalienable right to self-preservation���to the ���greater good��� of the collectivist agenda. As the numbers of these people continue to grow, so, too, will grow the numbers of our lawmakers and judges who reflect the kind of idiotic outlook that sent this Finnish man to prison. Beware.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
July 20, 2016
Prez of Cleveland Police Union Pulls No Punches, Says Obama Has ���Blood on His Hands���
Detective Steve Loomis, head of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen���s Association, has come out swinging against President Obama and the media over what he sees as their culpability in the rash of attacks on police all over the country.
Loomis pointedly accused the president of validating ���a false narrative��� in the form of messages that declare police are essentially executing unarmed black men.
Appearing on Fox News, Loomis said, in part:
���The president of the United States validated a false narrative and the nonsense that Black Lives Matter and the media are pressing out there to the public ��� he validated with his very divisive statements and now we see an escalation.
���This has got to end.
���We need some leadership in this country to come forward and put an end to this.
���I don���t care if it���s clergy or who it is, but somebody has to step up and put an end to this. It���s false narrative and people politicizing the false narrative���that we have a President of the United States and the governor of Minnesota making a statement less than one day after the police-involved shootings.
���Those police-involved shootings are what absolutely has triggered in rash of senseless murders of law enforcement officers across the country. It is reprehensible.
���The president has blood on his hands and it will not be able to come washed off...
���How the hell did we ever become the bad guys in this country? I cannot imagine how we got here. It is the irresponsible reporting of the media and irresponsible statements from people who are credible - like the president, like celebrities.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Sheriff Asks Civilian Employees to Be Armed at Work
In the wake (midst?) of a slew of horrific attacks against police officers around the country, an Ohio sheriff is asking his civilian employees and agency volunteers to start packing while at work, as well as while driving any department vehicles.
Richard Jones, the Sheriff of Butler County, Ohio, has issued a memo to all of his staff asking that they use ���extra caution��� at the present time while anti-police tensions are running so high, and that being armed is a key component of that ���extra caution.���
According to television station WLWT, Jones��� memo ���urged employees to plan their attire appropriately and carry their weapons discreetly when in public view.���
The memo also dictates that the sheriff expects his employees to adhere to all of Ohio���s CCW laws as they carry guns about their person, but that being armed, presently, is important to staying safe right now.
The memo was specifically directed at civilian employees of the agency, and serves as another reminder that when law enforcement chiefs are genuinely interested in the safety of their citizens, they demonstrate that concern by suggesting those citizens carry firearms.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr.
July 19, 2016
French Elected Official Suggests Country on the Brink of Civil War
Jonathan Miller, a liberal British expatriate who is now an elected city councilor in southern France, is sounding the alarm that, after a spate of vicious terror attacks that have rocked that country in recent years, many citizens are now preparing for what they see as the only solution to the root causes of all that has plagued the country for too long now: civil war
In a commentary that appears over at CNBC, Miller suggests that the Nice truck attack may prove to be the straw that breaks the collective back of the French people. While Miller���s claim that his adopted nation ���may be on the edge of something resembling a civil war��� will likely strike many to be an exercise in hyperbole, as an elected official whose expat status grants him some presumption of objectivity, Miller says that he talks ���to a lot of people at every level of French society��� and that he is ���detecting a change of mood. And the mood is turning nasty.���
���Normally, it takes quite a bit to excite my neighbors under the languid southern sun, but as one horror has followed another, I am no longer taking for granted that they will put up with this much longer.���
Miller points to the rapidly-growing memberships in the nation���s gun clubs as one of the many signs of trouble to come. When he inquired of one club member why he thought the membership rolls were increasing so drastically, the ominous reply was, ���They���re getting ready for a war.���
Further infuriating the French citizenry, says Miller, are the feckless responses by politicians to the attacks: ���The president, Francois Hollande, has so far responded feebly to this. After the massacre at Charlie Hebdo magazine, he suggested that radicalism could be avoided by making school children recite a pledge of allegiance to the French state,��� while prime minister Manuel Valls ���further infuriated my neighbors by suggesting that they should just ���learn to live��� with terrorism.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
