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Citizen Reporter

Rated FFF (Faith, Family, Freedom)

September,  2003

E-mail  mainecr@mainmediaresouces.com

Citizen Reporter, ©2003David Deschesne,  All Rights Reserved

c/o P.O. Box 1310  Presque Isle, Maine [04769]

  This newsletter may be reprinted and distributed electronically or in print, with proper attribution. Printed copies available in newspaper-style format on folded 11"x17" paper for distribution in stores, libraries, etc.  for a printing cost of 15 cents each.

 

This month's articles:

 

- Alternate Energy Rising in Maine

- United States is "Upside Down" in its Finances

- Firefighters Dismissed for Missing Bingo Games

- US Senator Supported the Bible in Every American's Hands

- APA Seeks to Normalize Pedophilia, Sadomasochism

- Will God Still Bless America?

- Woman Triumphs Over IRS in Million Dollar Tax Case

- Our Hebrew Roots

- Go "Bannanas" and Be Healthier

- Topless 3-year old Makes Waves at Pool

- Superintendent Flunks Literacy Test 3 Times

Alternate Energy Rising in Maine

By: David Deschesne

When Maine Public Service announced that they were giving away $50,000 to The Aroostook Medical Center (see Star Herald Jan. 1, 2003, p. 1) and then a few months later cried about lack of money to pay salaries and benefits was prompting rate increases, many began to wonder if MPS officials were wisely and prudently spending the money they were already collecting from rate payers.

With the cost of alternative energy products going down, some people in Maine have already begun the conversion to either solar or wind power as a means of securing themselves against those higher rates, and the unpredictable circumstances of a regional grid failure, such as took place recently from New York to Michigan.

Mars Hill is one of the first communities in this region to begin to look at alternate energy sources with a proposed wind-generating site on top of Mars Hill Mountain. Others in this area have already begun plans to integrate a form of alternate energy as a means to "keep the lights on."

After initial set-up costs, which can amount to about 3-5 years’ worth of electric utility rates, and a conversion to gas or oil for heating, a homeowner can still posses all of the conveniences he currently enjoys.

United States is "Upside Down" in its Finances

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States government now owes more in expenses than the entire net worth of the country.

In banking, the term "upside down" means that a debtor owes more on a loan than the collateral is worth.

According to Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) in his speech, "Neo-conned" on July 10, 2003 in the House of Representatives: "Total U.S. government obligations are $43 trillion, while the total net worth of U.S. households is about $40.6 trillion. The country is broke, but no one in Washington seems to notice or care."

Government obligations are, among many, loans owed to banks, Social Security and Medicare payments, bonds, etc. How long will the banks allow this to go on?

Firefighters Dismissed for Missing Bingo Games

Tuesday, August 5, 2003

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP, NJ (AP) Two volunteer firefighters have been dismissed from their department because they missed too many of it fund-raising bingo games.

Officials with the Rio Grande Fire Company in Middle Township made the decision last month after an investigations panel determined that Walt Belles Jr. and Ed Christensen had failed to meet the requirement. The Cape May County department’s bylaws require that all members attend at least 60 percent of the games each year because money raised there helps fund its operations. Belles and Christensen were told about the rule when they joined, but both said personal and work matters prohibited them from attending. They have met the departments other mandates, such as attending drills, meetings, and fire calls, and both plan to seek reinstatement. "Bingos have nothing to do with serving the community," said Belles, who has been involved with the department for 10 years. He said he did not attend any bingo events this year because he was working two jobs and caring for his young daughter. Rio Grande Chief James Belles, who is Walt Belles’ uncle, declined to discuss the dismissals and referred all questions to Kirby Stiltner, the fire company’s president, who couldn’t be reached for comment.

US Senator Supported the Bible in Every American's Hands

BOSTON, MA - In a speech to the Massachusetts Bible Society in Boston, on May 27, 1850, Senator Edward Everett made his thoughts clear on the use of the Bible in American society.

"...the Bible is very much a traditionary sentiment; that we think it is a book which ought to be read and circulated, because our fathers thought so before us," Senator Everett said. He went on to state, "For these reasons, sir, it may be useful from time to time to turn our thoughts to this subject; to ask ourselves why it is important that the Bible should be circulated, that it should be placed in the hands of every one that can read, and that all should be taught to read, if for no other reason, that they may be able to read the Bible." Quotations are from Everett’s Orations and Speeches, Vol. II, 1860, p. 664.

APA Seeks to Normalize Pedophilia, Sadomasochism

LifeSite Daily News June 10, 2003

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Confirming LifeSite’s previous warnings about efforts to legitimize adult-child sex, The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recently sponsored a symposium in which participants discussed the removal of pedophilia from the psychiatric manual of mental disorders.

Cybercast News Service reports today that Psychiatrists at the May 19 conference in San Francisco proposed removing several long-recognized categories of mental illness - including pedophilia, exhibitionism, fetishism, transvestitism, voyeurism and sadomasochism - from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Normalizing pedophilia could have enormous implications especially since civil laws closely follow the scientific community.

The question has been raised that if pedophilia is deemed normal by psychiatrists, then how can it remain illegal? Another logical question is how this development would also affect the battle against child pornography.

Will God Still Bless America?

MONTGOMERY, AL - Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore is in deep trouble with the US Federal District Court and could lose his job. His "crime" is displaying the 10 Commandments at the entrance to the State’s Supreme Court Building despite being ordered to remove them.

Chief Justice Moore, who has held this battle for about two years, finally relented on Sunday, August 24, when the building custodian was ordered to remove God’s word. Judge Moore did not interfere with the removal of the 5,300 pound granite monument depicting that Holy doctrine on Wenesday August 27.

Citing a non-existent law regarding the ‘separation of church and state’ the US Federal District Court ordered the 10 commandments removed several weeks ago. Some have noted the irony that the currently existing court system in this country has its foundation in the Mosaic law and practices, which the Federal Court is now trying to uproot. The US Supreme Court has declined to stay the order; but they, too, feature the 10 commandments engraved in stone directly above their heads.

The US appears to be following the lead of 19th century political thinker, Karl Marx, as he states in his Communist Manifesto, "...But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience."

While many people wave their flags and proclaim, "God Bless America" very few people know how to contend with a government which has effectively turned its back on God. Some churches were even calling for Judge Moore to "submit" to the federal government’s ruling, even though his oath of office required him to uphold God’s holy word.

The ‘separation of church and state’ is a phrase which originates in a letter written by President Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association promising that the government wouldn’t interfere with religious practices. It had nothing to do with keeping God out of government.

Woman Triumphs Over IRS In Million Dollar Tax Case

MEMPHIS, TN - A federal jury in Memphis has acquitted a woman charged by the Internal Revenue Service of conspiring to evade nearly $1 million in taxes.

Jurors on Friday, August 8, 2003 declared FedEx pilot Vernice Kuglin, 58, not guilty of evading $920,000 in taxes, due to the prosectution being unable to show the law requiring Americans to pay the income tax.

"I think it is safe to assume the IRS will attempt civil collection, but she is not guilty of tax evasion," defense attorney Robert Bernhoft of Milwaukee told the Commercial Appeal newspaper.

Kuglin was charged with six counts of tax evasion, for which she could have received up to 30 years in prison had she been convicted. Government prosecutors claimed she filed false W-4 forms for the years 1996 through 2001.

A FedEx pilot for nearly 18 years, Kuglin said she had paid taxes like most other wage earners until about a decade ago, when the paper said she began to question the tax code.

She said she researched legal documents, court cases and the tax code itself, but claimed she could not find a specific section that stated she is liable to pay taxes. Rather, she found a series of contradictions, she told the Appeal.

In 1995 Kuglin wrote to the IRS twice with questions about her obligation to pay taxes, but said she never received a response.

Nevertheless, defense attorney Larry Becraft of Huntsville, Ala., who has a reputation for defending tax-related cases, said Kuglin decided mandatory payment of income taxes "did not apply to her." Following Friday's verdict, he declared the federal tax code "at best is a walking due-process violation."

Barbara Snodgrass, one of the jurors, told the paper the panel chose to acquit Kuglin because "we all felt that the prosecution didn't prove its case."

Kuglin left open the possibility of future IRS cooperation, without admitting she owes the agency money.

"I will pay all the taxes for which I am liable," she told the paper.

"The prosecution fought to win," Bernhoft told the Citizen Reporter newsletter. But, without producing a law requiring payment of taxes, they had no case.

In addition to there being no law requiring Americans to pay federal income tax, the sixteenth amendment to the Constitution - the one establishing an income tax - wasn’t even properly ratified by the States, to begin with. This based upon research done by Bill Benson in his book, The Law That Never Was.

Our Hebrew Roots

By: David Deschesne

Here are a few English words which feature the ancient Hebrew language as their root. When applicable, Strong’s Concordance numbers are placed in brackets {}, otherwise, meanings are derived from NTC’s Hebrew/English Dictionary ©1997.

AMERICAN

am = a people, nation {5971} eri(y) = watchful eyes opened {6179} c(h)an = to officiate as a priest {3547}

 

BRITISH

brit = covenant, pact; ish = man {376}

 

ISRAEL = he will rule as God {3478} (y)asher = to go straight, be just {3477} el = God {410}

 

AMEN = so be it, it is so {543}

 

HALLELUJAH = praise the Lord God hallel = praise yah = the Lord God

Go "Bannanas" and Be Healthier

www.scionofzion.com/banana

If you want a quick fix for sagging energy levels there's no better snack than a banana. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose - combined with fiber a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90 minute workout.

They can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions making it a must to add to our daily diet. Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia. Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke. Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert. Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives. Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milk shake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heart burn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from heart burn, try eating a banana for soothing relief. Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balanced with the help of a high potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in 'The New England Journal of Medicine' eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that, if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart,with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So you see a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. A banana a day really does keep the doctor away!

Topless 3-year old Makes Waves at Pool

August 2, 2003 BY JACK KRESNAK, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

DETROIT, MI - It may be all right for girls to bathe topless in pools in, say, Brazil, but don't try going topless at a water park in Detroit -- even if you're only 3 years old. Karima Sorel and her daughter Suhayla Smith, 3, learned that the hard way Wednesday when security guards at Wayne County's Chandler Park Family Aquatic Park called police on Sorel because she allowed her daughter to play in the pool topless. Sorel, of Detroit, said she came to the park at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The park, complete with water slides, wave and wading pools, is owned by Wayne County and managed by Winco Enterprises of Detroit. Suhayla had her bikini bottom on, but her mother had forgotten the matching top. "If I had the top, I would have put it on her," Sorel said Friday. But Sorel saw nothing wrong with her daughter going topless, just like the 3-year-old boys splashing around in the pool. Topless toddlers apparently can spark lust in adults who are sexually attracted to children -- at least that's what Sorel said the park's security guards repeatedly told her during the standoff. "If there are pedophiles in your park, please harass them and leave my daughter and me alone," Sorel said she told the guards. So Sorel held her ground -- or better still -- waded deeper into the pool. The guards then threatened to call Detroit police on Sorel and her topless tot. And finally, at Sorel's own urging, they did. At about 1 p.m., a police officer from the 5th (Jefferson) Precinct arrived, assessed the situation and, according to Sorel, told the park manager, Lorenzo Douglas, Sorel was doing nothing wrong. Sorel said Douglas apologized. On Friday, Douglas declined comment, referring a reporter to Wayne County officials. Sharon Banks, a spokeswoman for County Executive Robert Ficano, said the park personnel are working to maintain a family atmosphere where rules are consistently enforced. Sorel said she and her husband, New York restaurateur Charles Sorel, have visited beaches in Brazil where swimsuits are a mere accessory. "What I'm not understanding is the sexualization of a 3-year-old," Sorel said.

Superintendent Flunks Literacy Test Three Times

August 6, 2003

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

The superintendent of a Massachusetts school district has failed a required English literacy three times, even though he has put two dozen teachers on unpaid leave for failing a similar exam.

Gov. Mitt Romney will give Wilfredo T. Laboy of the Lawrence schools one more chance to pass the test by December before taking action, via the state Board of Education, to remove him, reports the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune.

Laboy, a native Puerto Rican whose original language is Spanish, has flunked the Communications and Literacy Skills Test three times.

According to the paper, Laboy blames his failures on a deficiency in grammar and punctuation, and the school’s chief now hopes to get tutoring help from district teachers. At least one school committee member, however, thinks he should pay for the tutoring out of his own pocket.

The superintendent plans to skip a chance to take the test in September in favor of a November date.

According to the Eagle-Tribune, Laboy is the highest-paid city employee, taking in $156,560 a year.

State Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll defended Laboy. The test Laboy failed assesses fundamental reading and writing skills expected of all entry-level teachers, including vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, spelling and capitalization.