Author of 14th Amendment Explains EXACTLY Who It Was Meant For | The Federalist Papers

Author of 14th Amendment Explains EXACTLY Who It Was Meant For | The Federalist Papers

Author of 14th Amendment Explains EXACTLY Who It Was Meant For

By Brittany Soares 

 

Laura Ingraham and John Kasich got into a debate over the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship.


Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: This is Census Bureau numbers, or CIS numbers. There are 300,000 children who are born in the United States each year, neither parent an American citizen. What’s your reaction to that?
GOV. JOHN KASICH: Well, I mean, we have laws here that say that if you’re born here in America you become a citizen.
INGRAHAM: There’s actually no law that says that. There’s no law that says that.
KASICH: Well, I think if you’re born here, my understanding is, I thought it was in the 14th amendment that says equal protection, if you’re born here, you become a citizen. Am I wrong on that? If I’m wrong on it, I’ll be glad to —
INGRAHAM: There’s a Citizenship Clause in the 14th amendment, written by Howard Jacob, who himself said it was never meant to apply to foreigners, neither parent being an American citizen. It was directed towards the slaves of course, who were being continued to be abused in our society, who people wanted to consider less than an American citizen. And, they were subject to the jurisdiction therof, which is the key phrase in that Constitutional provision. I think, we can quibble about the phrasing of the Constitution and what it really means, I think what’s happened and, again I don’t want to make this about Trump, this is about you, but I think the reason people are so frustrated, they’re frustrated, Governor, is things don’t seem fair. For people to come here, and, frankly Bush was right, a lot of folks who come here are Asians, they have birth hotels in Long beach and Arizona, and Texas, a lot of people come here because when they get that American passport for their kid, that’s an anchor. And, people say we’re not going to use anchor baby, that’s rude. Why is it rude? It’s a phrase, because that’s how people use birthright in this country to stay here and to be able to say, look, you’re not going to separate families are you, governor, that would be horrible.
KASICH: Let me just say something, you know, people are frustrated, but you know what, people also have to count their blessings here in the United States of America. My father carried mail on his back, you came from humble beginnings, you’re one of the most popular radio talk show opinion leaders in the country, you’re on Fox News with O’Reilly, you subsitute for him. I’m running for President of the United States. We’ve got problems in this country, but we ought to start counting some of our blessings.


INGRAHAM: So, you’re thinking people are upset for no reason? They haven’t gotten a wage increase in 17 years, governor. KASICH: No, no, no. You know what, no, I don’t like that. And, that’s because we’ve had bad economic policies. But, we have a lot of good in America and we spend an awful lot of time in this country now talking about all the bad. We ought to at least spend 25% of our time talking about some of the great things that happen. Talk about the advances in medical care, the advances in education.

A LITTLE GUN HISTORY

A LITTLE GUN HISTORY

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
56 million defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control:
You won't see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information.
Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws adversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.
Take note my fellow Americans, before it's too late!
The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, please remind them of this history lesson.
With guns, we are "citizens". Without them, we are "subjects".
During WWII the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED!
If you value your freedom, please spread this antigun-control message to all of your friends.
SWITZERLAND ISSUES EVERY HOUSEHOLD A GUN!
SWITZERLAND'S GOVERNMENT TRAINS EVERY ADULT THEY ISSUE A RIFLE.
SWITZERLAND HAS THE LOWEST GUN RELATED CRIME RATE OF ANY CIVILIZED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!
IT'S A NO BRAINER!
DON'T LET OUR GOVERNMENT WASTE MILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE ALL LAW ABIDING CITIZENS AN EASY TARGET.
Spread the word everywhere you can that you are a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment!
It's time to speak loud before they try to silence and disarm us.
You're not imagining it, history shows that governments always manipulate tragedies to attempt to disarm the people.

The Result of Victimhood and Lies: Great Evil

The Result of Victimhood and Lies: Great Evil

The Result of Victimhood and Lies: Great Evil fullscreen Roanoke shooter Vester Flanagan Share article on Facebook share Tweet article tweet Plus one article on Google Plus +1 Print Article Email article Adjust font size AA by Dennis Prager September 1, 2015 4:00 AM @dennisprager In the past week, two television reporters in Roanoke, Va. — Alison Parker and Adam Ward — were murdered by a black man who hated whites; and a white sheriff’s deputy in Houston — Darren Goforth — was murdered by a black man. Neither crime has been labeled a hate crime. And no mainstream media reporting of the murders attributes either to race-based hate. For the mainstream media, the Roanoke murders were committed by “a disgruntled former employee”; and regarding the Houston deputy, the media report that, in the words of the New York Times, “a motive for the shooting remained unclear.” The disregard of anti-white hatred as the motive for blacks who murder whites even when the murder is obviously racially motivated comes from the same people who denied that Islamist Nidal Hasan’s murder of 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood was religiously motivated. These people — all on the left — have an agenda: to deny black racism and Islamist-based violence whenever possible. Only white police and other white violence against non-whites is clearly racist — even when not. Thus, President Barack Obama convened a “White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism” rather than a “White House Summit on Countering Islamist Violence.” Though the summit was convened the month following the Islamist massacre of the Charlie Hebdo staff in Paris, the words “Islam,” “Muslim,” “Islamist” did not once appear in the White House 1,668-word fact sheet on the summit. The Obama administration went so far as to label Nidal Hasan’s murders of his fellow soldiers “workplace violence.” Whenever blacks are killed by whites, the Left attributes the killings to racism. But when blacks kill whites, the Left attributes the killings to guns. So, too, the mainstream media depicted the black murderer of eight white people at a Connecticut beer warehouse in 2010 as a man who had been angered by white racism, not as the white-hater he was. Under the headline “Troubles Preceded Connecticut Workplace Killing,” a New York Times article reported: “He might also have had cause to be angry: he had complained to his girlfriend of being racially harassed at work, the woman’s mother said, and lamented that his grievances had gone unaddressed.” And a Washington Post headline read: “Beer warehouse shooter long complained of racism.” The fact was that the man was fired for stealing beer from his workplace, and there was a video of him doing so. The Left denies black racism in another way. When a white racist was charged with murdering nine blacks in a Charleston, S.C., church this past June, the Left and the media correctly stressed the suspect’s racism. Indeed, whenever blacks are killed by whites — which, it is worth noting, is many times less likely than a white being murdered by a black — and especially by white police officers, the Left attributes the killings to racism. But when blacks kill whites, the Left attributes the killings to guns. This is all reinforced by the Left’s position that only whites can be racist, because only the powerful can be racist, and whites have all the power. Share article on Facebook share Tweet article tweet The grieving and enraged parents of Roanoke TV reporter Alison Parker provide an example of this thinking. They have entirely ignored the racism of their daughter’s murderer and concentrated exclusively on the issue of gun control. How tragic that the Parkers would not channel their grief and rage into a different campaign — one that actually addresses the reason for their daughter’s murder and that might prevent future murders: a campaign against the fomenting of anti-white hatred among black Americans. After a lifetime of studying and writing about evil, I have come up with an equation that explains most of it. Coincidentally, the equation actually spells the word. The equation is Evil = Victimhood + Lies. Or E=V+L. Either victimhood or lies is enough to produce great evil. Together they constitute the components of ultimate evil. More Virginia Shooting The ‘Racist Comments’ Flanagan Killed Parker over Included the Words ‘Swinging’ and ‘Field’ Re: 'Sporting' Rifles The Hypocrisy of the 'Culture Kills' Crowd The Left has been supplying both victimhood and lies to black America. The lies are that America is a racist society — as the president of the United States himself has said, racism is “still part of [America’s] DNA”; that the greatest problem facing young blacks is racism; and that white (and even black) police routinely kill blacks for no reason other than racism. One of the best examples of this lie is the Left’s use of the word “Ferguson” as an example of white police killing innocent young black men. The extensive investigation into what actually happened in Ferguson (by both local authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice led by then–Attorney General Eric Holder) revealed no such thing. Yet even President Obama continues to use the term “Ferguson” as an exemplar of police racism. Those lies in turn produce the anger-inducing victimhood that pervades too much of black life. Just this past weekend at the Minneapolis State Fair, a “Black Lives Matter” group chanted: “Pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon.” Some blacks, as in Houston this past weekend, are taking this message literally and randomly murdering police officers. And some other blacks just want to kill whites, whether or not they are police. Such is the power of victimhood and lies. There is a lot of blood on the Left’s hands. And there will be more.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/left-sees-only-white-evil

19 Intriguing Coincidences Surrounding The Virginia Shooting 

19 Intriguing Coincidences Surrounding The Virginia Shooting

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Bernie Suarez

The problem with repeated false flags and staged events executed for a particular political purpose is that they demand a commitment from the minds of the masses and it has to happen in real-time. You either get it right away that the event is staged or you don’t. That is, you require “proof.” Until you receive that proof or, should I say, until you consciously register a series of information that convinces you that it must have been fake, you will choose to believe mainstream media news and accept it as truth. On the other hand, those who are fully awakened to the overall agenda in full motion now know right away as soon as another staged shooting takes place. They know exactly which signs to look for or, more specifically, which group of signs to look for. Also there is a sequence of events that usually plays out exactly almost every time. Once the working minds of these people see that sequence of events play out their natural brain does not allow them to believe the official story no matter how much “proof” the mainstream media presents to convince their viewers that the story is true. This is the natural resistance that humanity is creating to government lies which I’ve discussed in the past.
That said, without getting too deep into what I believe could likely be another staged shooting event to advance the federal government’s gun control agenda, let’s just zip through a list of oddities that every single person must reconcile surrounding the recent Virginia TV reporter shooting of Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward by alleged shooter Vester Lee Flanagan. Here are 19 oddities to fill your brain with. Perhaps you can explain away some of these. If you can, more power to you but good luck tackling the entire list. Ultimately, it’s not about one person being right or wrong but about lining yourself up with truth. Keep in mind that all of these things are happening at once and you have to let your natural instincts, intuition and common sense kick in and take this information in and then file it under one of two categories: orchestrated event or coincidence … or perhaps I don’t know. You decide:

1 – Big man with gun pointed directly at 2 people just a few feet away. No one notices, no one cares.

No one looks at the gunman even once despite his brandishing a normal-sized gun. Peripheral vision must be a conspiracy also! Instead, the 2 women carry on with their conversation. You couldn’t make this up. Don’t believe it? Watch the video for yourself.

2 – After clearly pointing gun at his victims, shooter doesn’t shoot.

The video shows what turns out to be some kind of rehearsal pointing. Ask yourself what killer has ever done this outside of a Hollywood movie set? Put yourself for a second inside the mind of the supposed killer. Who points a gun at people in broad daylight, practices what he’s going to do and then after not pulling the trigger waits around to re-point the gun again a minute later?

3 – Cameraman conveniently pointing camera away even though the interview is taking place now.

Watch as the cameraman is inexplicably shooting footage in a direction unrelated to the interview taking place, providing the perfect entrance for the apparently invisible shooter. Ask yourself, why would the cameraman do this? Was the interview that boring or that long that he needs to amuse himself by aimlessly panning across the scenery while the interview is happening? What are the odds of this coincidence?

4 – Shooter is super close to cameraman who somehow has no idea he’s there.

How does cameraman Adam Ward not see, hear, sense or even smell that there is someone standing right next to him? The shooter doesn’t even have a shadow! The scene takes place in a super quiet remote area and it’s a big man with a gun who is also invisible. This defies logic and reason, does it not? Coincidence? You decide.

5 – How did gunman know they were filming that day, that location?

Simple questions that beg good answers. What’s a shooter doing in this remote area anyway? And how does the shooter know to be there at that exact time? Was he just wandering around in the neighborhood and decided to do this? Or did the shooter have a copy of the WDBJ production schedule? Maybe he did. Just wondering.

6 – Reporter never goes down or twitches after being shot multiple times.

Magic bullet part 2? Could this be an example of the adrenaline bullet initial impact resistance theory? Perhaps it happened so fast she didn’t know she was shot? Everyone should go back and watch other videos of people being shot and look for the quick body twitch, the jolt and the instant collapse that happens when people get shot at point-blank range which is when bullets do the most damage. Then go back and see if anything in this recent shooting looks different. Also ask yourself, where is the blood? Where is the staggering struggle of someone who has just been shot?
Where have we seen this before? Back in January of this year (2015) during the Charlie Hebdo shooting incident we saw a supposed point-blank head explosion shooting of a Paris police officer with a AK47 assault rifle, only the video shows the shot hitting at least a foot away, no head jolt and no blood. This might lead us to think they are playing out of the same script again. But who knows? You decide.

7 – Shooter commits the usual suicide.

Dead men tell no tales. Once again the shooter, this time Vester Lee Flanagan does not live to tell the story. The perfect ending once again for the controllers. Shooters who contribute to possible future gun legislation apparently almost always conveniently kill themselves now. The end result of shootings these days almost seem automated.

8 – Shooter puts out the usual manifesto.

The “manifesto” has become a standard part of the script but we must all start to wonder – is the “manifesto” now being overplayed? I don’t know anyone, or know of anyone who has ever met someone who has written or even considered writing a manifesto of their life intent, yet government rolls out manifestos on all killer patsies nowadays. What’s the deal with the automated manifestos? What everyone should realize is that the manifesto is the perfect fill-in-the-blank propaganda document to sway the masses on anything they want them to believe. If the manifesto says you did it, then you did it. The manifesto conveniently fills in the blank to create perception of intent. How perfect!

9 – Video of shooting seems intended exclusively for shock value, no other purpose.

This may be coincidental as well but like the James Foley fake beheading and all other ISIS videos, this point-of-view video seems like it is mostly intended to shock you and get a reaction from you as in problem-REACTION-solution. Ask yourself, why would the government and media want to shock everyone? Is the story itself not enough?

10 – Video conveniently now being censored by YouTube Charlie Hebdo and James Foley style.

Once the shock value is accomplished by the mainstream media as we’ve seen in recent shock value videos like the James Foley fake beheading video or the Charlie Hebdo fake police officer execution video, it seems once the mainstream media pushes the initial shock value video to create the reaction there is no need to allow the world to watch the video and scrutinize it. This seems to be when the censorship of the same video begins. The controllers would rather you not watch the video on your own on YouTube where you might come across alternative media links and explanations of their false flags and crisis actors. Instead, they would rather you just trust the mainstream media’s presentation of the video evidence and leave it at that.

11 – Image of shooter produced by a video without such frame?

Others have pointed out how the media put out an image of the shooter based on the video camera footage but we never see this footage so where did they get this frame from? Yes, this may be a coincidence, who knows, but given all the other oddities it makes you wonder.

12 – Audio file of shooting after camera cuts off sounds very different.

I’m no sound expert but from my military experience I know the sound of rounds shot at a range. Admittedly, the audio of the shooting sounds very different from the camera version due to its much more pronounced echoes. I find this a little odd but who knows.

13 – Police order BBC journalist to delete video footage of shooter’s crash.

Anytime we hear police forcing anyone, especially a journalist, to destroy evidence this should set off a red flag in your mind and it’s got to make anyone at least wonder why. Why destroy evidence?? Who or what threat does this evidence represent and to who? This is very troubling.

14 – Family members quickly on TV calling for gun control, Sandy Hook style.

This is one of the most disturbing issues for me when I first watched an interview with family member Andy Parker. Once again supposed family members in lightning speed are propped up on TV bypassing the mourning, sincerity and humility stage that comes with grieving for a recently murdered family member and they are instead calling for gun control and political agendas. Parker delivers his shocking political call to action to America within seconds:

We’ve got to do something about crazy people getting guns.

Is anyone not reading through this?

15 – Andy Parker, alleged father of murdered reporter happens to be a former Broadway actor.

Should it matter that Andy Parker is a former Broadway actor? Under any other circumstances it might not matter, but unfortunately this is not an ordinary situation.

16 – Andy Parker, Director of Human Resources for Virginia National Bank.

Should it matter that, coincidentally, Andy Parker is directly tied to the banking system in addition to being a proven professional actor? You decide.

17 – White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, rolls out direct propaganda.

The White House quickly urges Congress to use “common sense” in order to reduce gun violence in America. Timing is everything isn’t it?

18 – Obama administration quickly links the incident to a race war and gun owners, perfectly in line with Flanagan’s manifesto.

Just in case no one believes the manifesto, here comes the White House to reiterate the race theme in the manifesto and to push their propaganda.

19 – Shooting takes place 2 days after the UN Arms Trade Treaty in Mexico.

In the end this is about gun control, so should it shock you that this shooting took place 2 days after the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in Mexico? Lucky timing? Is it a coincidence that Obama is trying to claim that Congress ratified the UN’s Arms Trade agreement in 2013 when in fact Congress did not? Does it surprise you that the timing is perfect with these treaty talks? There seems to always be a shooting right around the time the UN Arms Trade Treaty comes up or whenever there is an event or Arms bill being discussed. Coincidence? Again, you decide.

Summary

The globalists have clear-cut stated goals to have the United Nations act as the bullies of the world to enforce regulation on guns and arms in complete violation and disregard of the U.S. Constitution which grants every American the inalienable right to bear arms to protect themselves from tyrannical government.
Obama’s cooperation with this UN treaty is an attempt to destroy the Second Amendment and transfer gun control power to the UN. What this means for freedom lovers and those who oppose tyranny is that the permanent enslavement of humanity is in the balance. Resist now. Do not allow our criminal government and their CIA-controlled mainstream media to use shooting events whether real or staged to be used as tools to disarm Americans. This will give ALL the power to an evil oppressive and corrupt totalitarian global government and permanent enslavement of humanity. Don’t miss the bigger picture for a staged comparatively insignificant shooting.
Finally, you decide what happened in this latest Virginia TV reporter shooting. Is this another staged shock-and-awe psyop for Jade 2 software to monitor and track the reaction from the masses being that we are in the middle of Jade Helm operations? Is this a staged event to boost the likelihood of a UN Arms Trade Treaty signing? Is this a great story to get attention away from Hillary scandals and a collapsing economy? Is it all the above? I believe it very well could be. You decide for yourself.

Solutions

Know that the new world order is here and no huge news story is randomly being told by coincidence. There is an argument to be made that if the government and media did that now that might be considered wasted resources. All stories now have a specific purpose.
Find out your purpose and separate yourself from the control system, which very much includes the mainstream media. Realize that your mind is just like your laundry or your dishes – it can get dirty or polluted and if so it needs cleansing. Purge their lies out of your mind and stop assuming that those who don’t believe mainstream media are lunatic conspiracy theorists. Now is the healthiest time in history to question every single news piece. Your survival depends on it.
Let’s all exercise short-term memory and let’s quickly go back to focusing on solutions instead of dwelling on their crisis actor laced convenient and staged shootings. Instead stay focused on knowing your rights and how special each and every person is. We are born free and we are conscious human beings. See the nature of the cage and purpose to free yourself from their mental enslavement which keeps you bound. Realize that when people forget about a shooting this hurts the controllers and the new world order plans. They want and they need you to keep dwelling on these staged stories for the stories to be effective. Recall the “I shot Bin Laden” story earlier this year(2015) desperately trying to revive the Bin Laden hoax … only no one cared.
The faster the globalists move, it only makes me wonder if the new world order is slowly dying. We are seeing many ways every day how humanity is turning things around but you have to look for them. Without looking for and seeing that silver lining it can easily seem like things are really bad and only getting worse without hope of things changing. It’s a classic glass half-full situation. How full is the glass from your point of view?
Also See:

• Virginia Shooting Hoax: Crisis Actors “Mission in Life” is Gun Control
• Is The Virginia Shooting Hoax Blowing Up in the MSM’s Face?

Bernie is a revolutionary writer with a background in medicine, psychology, and information technology. He has written numerous articles over the years about freedom, government corruption and conspiracies, and solutions. A former host of the 9/11 Freefall radio show, Bernie is also the creator of the Truth and Art TV project where he shares articles and videos about issues that raise our consciousness and offer solutions to our current problems. His efforts are designed to encourage others to joyfully stand for truth, to expose government tactics of propaganda, fear and deception, and to address the psychology of dealing with the rising new world order. He is also a former U.S. Marine who believes it is our duty to stand for and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. A peace activist, he believes information and awareness is the first step toward being free from enslavement from the globalist control system which now threatens humanity. He believes love conquers all fear and it is up to each and every one of us to manifest the solutions and the change that you want to see in this world, because doing this is the very thing that will ensure victory and restoration of the human race from the rising global enslavement system, and will offer hope to future generations.

Obama Concedes His Gun Laws Would not have Stopped Virginia Gunman 

Obama Concedes His Gun Laws Would not have Stopped Virginia Gunman

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Michael Ware

It was no surprise to anyone that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton went after the 2^nd Amendment after the tragedy in Virginia. Far be it from these disciples of Saul Alinsky to allow a crisis go to waste. They recognize an opportunity when they see it, and they took full advantage of this tragedy.
Guns in the News reports:

First, Obama came right out on cue to promote his unconstitutional attack on the Second Amendment.
“It breaks my heart every time you read about or hear about these kind of incidents,” he said during a television interview at the White House with Monica Malpass of WPVI.

Source
It is shameless that this president will not miss out on using the emotional moment to rally supporters to his cause. He, like a master engineer, uses the event as a fulcrum to wedge out and move his opposition.
He could care less for the victims and their families because he is right, at least in his own mind. Who cares that these two young people are dead. But unlike the Charleston shooting, there is no mention of the shooter and his hate. This, as Tim Brown pointed out, would be counter intuitive.
But there may be a problem with this line of propaganda. It is not true. There is no law that has been proposed that would have changed anything. None of the anti-2^nd Amendment laws recently proposed would have stopped Flanagan from getting a gun or killing the two victims.
The Washington Times reports:

The White House conceded Friday that new gun regulations probably wouldn’t have prevented the gunman who murdered two television journalists in southwestern Virginia this week.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said it appears that a proposal championed by President Obama to require background checks on purchases at gun shows “would not have applied in this particular case.”

It would not apply to most in any case. If we could look back at the events leading up to any particular shooting, there is no way of knowing to what lengths the criminal would go to accomplish the deed. Therefore, there is no way of saying conclusively that any law banning any gun purchases by any people would accomplish anything.
So, if we say that a background check would have stopped Flanagan, for example, from purchasing the guns he used, would he have just given up? Would that have stopped his evil intent? This is a naive accounting of things. To say such things is foolishness. But this is the pipe dream that the administration is selling to any fool who is naive enough to believe that laws stop people from breaking laws.
Tim Brown answers Ernest best when he wrote:

No, Mr. Earnest, there are not. The Constitution does not give any authority to the federal government to do anything “common sense” regarding arms, because the fact of the matter is that government rarely does anything that is common sense.

No law made by man will restrain the wicked heart of man. It is only when the government does its duty by administering the wrath of God on the lawless that crime is subdued.

Audit criticizes funding program for Colorado roads, bridges 

Audit criticizes funding program for Colorado roads, bridges

Aug 31, 2015, 2:32pm MDT Updated Aug 31, 2015, 4:06pm MDT

Ed Sealover Reporter Denver Business Journal

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Jeffrey Beall | Wikimedia

Critics who have accused Colorado’s FASTER transportation-fee program of being a tax in disguise and of paying for projects requested by people with connections aren’t likely to back down on their contentions after Monday’s release of a state audit on the six-year-old program.

The Colorado Office of the State Auditor found numerous problems with the controversial program, which uses fees paid by motorists on vehicle registrations and rental cars to fund road and bridge repairs and transit projects throughout the state. Colorado Department of Transportation officials who oversee the program agreed to comply with all of the recommendations that affect their department.

Problems discovered by the audit include:

• Transportation officials are spending money on bridges that are ranked as lower-safety priorities over some that are higher on the list without providing any explanation as to why.
• State officials also are over-budgeting many of the bridge projects and taking more than a year to close them out, leaving money unavailable for other projects on the to-do list.
• CDOT leaders are using some of the road-safety fee revenues for projects that are not directly tied to construction or maintenance of roads, concerning some legislators that there is not a direct link between the fee and its usage, which is more indicative of a general tax.
• CDOT disbanded a citizens’ oversight committee on road-safety spending in 2013 after complaining that it was inefficient, despite the FASTER law that was passed in 2009 requiring that such a committee exist.

“The audit confirms some of the criticisms and concerns that were expressed against the 2009 legislation, particularly that the dollars are fungible,” said state Sen. Chris Holbert, a Parker Republican and member of the Legislative Audit Committee that heard a report on the findings. “There’s supposed to be a distinction between the tax and fee revenue ... It’s particularly frustrating that we don’t have control over those fee dollars, and there seems to be no repercussions [for CDOT].”

The CDOT officials who spoke Monday at the committee hearing were, on the whole, almost a completely new group of officials than those who implemented the program beginning in 2010. But they offered some defense for their policies in addition to pledging to implement the reform recommendations.

For example, deputy executive director Mike Lewis said that some lower-priority bridges jumped ahead of structures with greater safety concerns because the environmental permitting for the higher-priority structures would take longer and CDOT wanted to move ahead on some rebuilds. Also, even the road-safety projects that didn’t involve construction that were funded by FASTER dollars had overall connections to the planning of future projects, Lewis and others said.

Rep. Dianne Primavera, D-Broomfield, warned that some state residents already think that funded road projects are chosen by political connections, and she warned CDOT to be transparent about its reasoning for choosing certain bridges and stretches of road.

Kathy Connell, chairwoman of the Colorado Transportation Commission, said the new leadership at CDOT was thankful for what occasionally was a critical audit from the state.

“We are determined to be more transparent,” Connell told the committee. “I think it was so helpful for us to be able to have something to simplify very complex processes.”

WATCH: Rabbi Delivers Dire Message For All To Hear: 'America Crossed The Line'

WATCH: Rabbi Delivers Dire Message For All To Hear: ‘America Crossed The Line’

The time to prepare is now. "The fact is America is in danger…"

Randy DeSoto August 24, 2015 at 10:49am

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Messianic rabbi and New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Cahn says he has been getting deluged with questions as the date discussed in his book The Mystery of the Shemitah approaches in a few weeks. Cahn made a video earlier this month in response, instructing people that the time to prepare is now. 
“I believe a great shaking is coming and it is wise that we be aware,” he says. The rabbi argues that: “This summer, America crossed the line,” beyond any line ever crossed before, referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling in June redefining marriage.

“When the Supreme Court struck down the biblical definition of marriage, this was a tectonic event, a seismic change, with ramifications not just about marriage but about the future of the culture, of society, of religious freedom, of persecution, and, I believe, judgment,” Cahn says. It was an act of “desecration” of an institution God established from the beginning of humankind to be sacred.

The Bible teacher wrote the runaway bestseller The Harbinger in 2012, arguing the very signs of impending judgment that presaged ancient Israel’s demise appear to now be in play in modern America.
One of the centerpieces he uses in making his case are the attacks of 9-11. He believes God allowed them as a wake-up call to a nation dedicated to the Almighty at its founding, but now far from Him.

As reported by Western Journalism, while speaking at an event at the U.S. Capitol before lawmakers in April, the rabbi recounted the history of America’s calling and vision as a “City on a Hill” committed to God (like ancient Israel), quoting George Washington at his Inauguration and the Founders in the Declaration of Independence. However, the killing of tens of millions of unborn children and the embrace of the homosexual agenda reflect a “nation at war against its own foundation.”
Cahn highlights not only 9-11 attacks, but the economic crash of Sept. 2008 seven years later (to the day on the Jewish calendar, Elul 29, “The Day of Remission”) as another indication that God is trying to warn the people of the United States that divine judgment will come if it continues down its current path.  
In The Mystery of the Shemitah (2014), the author focuses on the timing of the divine wake-up calls that appear to be in play. He notes that on the Jewish calendar, the seven year cycle is very important, with the seventh year being known as the Shemitah–the “Year of Nullification”–during which debts were to be cancelled in ancient Israel. (Incidentally, the inscription on the Liberty Bell, “PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF LEV. XXV X,” is a reference to the practice of the Shemitah and “the year of jubilee,” marking the end of seven cycles of them.)
The requirement to forgive one another’s debts and set free the captives was to be a blessing, but citizens of ancient Israel ignored the law and ignored their God, so it became a curse. Rather than heed the harbingers of impending judgement for breaking this law and many more, the people continued down their path, calling what was right, wrong and what was evil, good. 
First, God allowed a breach in Israel’s defenses that was temporary and repulsed, but took the nation by surprise, much like 9-11. It caused damage to Jerusalem, but the people, rather than heed the warning and return to God, only pledged to rebuild and make the city stronger than before. (Cahn notes the Freedom Tower was just completed earlier this year on Ground Zero with a similar pledge during a Shemitah year, which he sees as a harbinger.)
Other shakings followed in subsequent years as ancient Israel ignored the prophets and the signs God sent, until finally the Babylonians conquered the no longer divinely protected land. The Jews suffered a 70 year exile: one year for every one that it did not honor the Shemitah.
In The Mystery of the Shemitah, Cahn notes the incredible coincidence, which he believes is divine providence, that the greatest stock market crashes in American history took place on Elul 29 in 2001 (Sept. 17) and 2008 (Sept. 29), the last day of the year on the Jewish calendar ( the day of the Shemitah).
The largest drop to that date took place on Sept. 17, 2001, the first day the markets opened following 9-11, only to be superseded by an even steeper one which took place on September 29, 2008, heralding the beginning of the financial crisis and the Great Recession. To put an exclamation mark on the message, the amount the market fell that day was 777 points.
Now, another seven year cycle is about to be completed. Cahn notes in his 18 minute video (which he made on Elul 1 – Aug. 16) that Elul 29 (Sept. 13) this year is a Sunday, when the U.S. markets will be closed, but points out that world markets will be opened. He highlights that the last day American markets will be opened before the end of the Jewish calendar year is Sept. 11.      
The rabbi explains that God obviously does not have to keep the pattern of judgement during the Shemitah year, but it is something of which to be aware. He adds that the Jewish new year that starts this September marks a year of jubilee for Israel. The last one that took place in 1966-67 saw war, but also the restoration of Jerusalem to the Jewish state. Fifty years before that came the announcement of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, meaning the Jews would officially have a homeland after nearly 2000 years in exile. Both of these events, Cahn believes, are of “end time prophetic” significance.  
He also counsels to keep an eye on the United States dealings with Israel. “The relations between America and Israel are at its worst. This is a dangerous sign for America. America is now pressing for [the Iranian nuclear] deal that Israel says will put Israel in danger. That is also ominous,” Cahn says. “All these things: Israel, the harbingers, the apostasy, the Shemitah, all these things are converging, and we need to take heed now.”
Cahn’s advice: be prepared. As far as physical needs, he recommends having a supply of food on hand. He says at worst, you have some extra food; but it may be important if there is some sort of financial collapse. He also advises having cash on-hand in case the banking system experiences disruption (as was the case this summer in Greece.)
Spiritually, he exhorts this is no time to be lukewarm. He believes the gray middle ground is in fact disappearing. Everyone will have to choose a side. For example, governments have already started to persecute those who hold to God’s definition of marriage. Do not be deterred. Live by faith and share the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.  
As the rabbi nears the close of his message, he states: “The fact is America is in danger. America is progressing on a dangerous course away from God. And we are in critical times. We are at a crossroads in every way. For the society, the culture, the civilization, the church, to be praying for this time. And to declare we will make up our minds we will not bow down to Baal, we will not compromise, we will not give in to political correctness. No matter what, we will not turn away from God, no matter what any power on earth says. We will follow the Lord, and His ways, only.”
He ends by quoting the prophet Isaiah: “Arise and shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples, but the Lord will rise upon you, and nations will come to your light…And kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60: 1-3)

Posted by Western Journalism Video on Tuesday, August 25, 2015