Pro-life activists chant during a Celebrate Life Day Rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the first anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, June 24, 2023, in Washington, D.C. | Credit Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 18, 2024 / 12:12 pm

With the second anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court approaching, thousands are expected to travel to the nation’s capital to partake in the second annual Celebrate Life Conference from June 21–23.

In response to the June 24, 2022, ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade and the authority to regulate abortion to states, the Pro-Life Women’s Conference and National Sidewalk Advocacy Center have joined forces to convene the upcoming Celebrate Life Conference, offering attendees opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and strategizing to protect unborn children.

Among many events scheduled to take place at this year’s conference, March for Life President Jeanne Mancini will deliver the opening keynote session on the next steps for the pro-life movement following the Dobbs decision.

In addition to Mancini, the lineup of speakers includes Abby Johnson, founder of And Then There Were None and ProLove Ministries; Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America; Shawn Carney, president of 40 Days for Life; and Lauren Muzyka, founder of Sidewalk Advocates for Life, among others.

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A federal court on Monday protected the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from a new federal abortion rule as litigation over the directive plays out in court.

The USCCB will not be “forced to support employee abortions against their religious beliefs” while a federal lawsuit works its way through the courts, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said in a Monday press release.

The bishops, along with several other Catholic plaintiffs including the Catholic University of America, filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration last month over regulations that would require that employers accommodate women for workplace limitations that arise from “having or choosing not to have an abortion.”

The new regulations issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) were related to the implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The pregnancy law itself does not mention abortion.

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Glory to God!

Trial opens of ‘esoteric’ wing of alleged German coup plotters​

Eight alleged members of the German far-right Reichsbürger have gone on trial accused of a plot to violently overthrow the state, in the third in a row of similar court cases being held across the country.

Held at a high-security court in Munich, the trial of the so-called esoteric wing is, like two others taking place in Stuttgart (the so-called military wing) and Frankfurt am Main (allegedly the core plotters), scheduled to last until January but could, prosecutors have said, take years to complete.

Among those on trial in Munich are Hildegard Leiding, 60, a member of the rightwing AfD party and an astrologer, who was allegedly destined to become the group’s “trans-communications minister”.

Together with a welder from the Bavarian rocker scene, Leiding was said to have used “spiritual criteria” to pick out appropriate candidates for the future government, including a celebrity cook from Austria, tasked with feeding the new regime a healthy diet, and a practising GP, described by former patients as “established and respected” in her community.

The woman, who is said to have become radicalised during the pandemic and specialised in a method of predicting the future through reading eggs, known as oomancy, was expected to become the health minister.

I think he popped in a few months ago but I might be wrong. I think he just moved on from the forum, unfortunately (for us). But I hope things are well with him.

EDIT: I could be thinking of another OBOB vet who hadn't been on in a while but I'm not sure.

frienden thalord said:

only in part sister . cause the left does worse and so do it news folks .
not only do they not blame , or fault in any way those who burned down stuff
heck they supported it . I dont seem to remember to many right wing news folks actually
SUPPORTING the actual event and actions of jan sixth . SOME probably did .
But both sides are guilty sister . and the sooner we stop trusting in men
the far BETTER OFF we gonna be sister .
you see i dont expose just the sins of one side , but all sins .
IT probably is why i am so hated both by conservatives and liberals
and etc . But it is what it is . I aint ever gonna stop either .
Now its time we get us into the bible , be in prayer , be learning and stop trusting in men . TRUST In GOD .

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Pommer said:

Do you have any concrete examples for the bolded parts?

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frienden thalord said:

Yes . but every time i try and point us all back to what and who we need
or every time i try and write things , I keep getting told stay on the subject etc .
We are not gonna make it my friend . This breaks my heart because i desire good for all peoples .
But we , and when i say we i mean the church , we have sat under the wrong version of love
the wrong version of unity , the wrong concepts that have gave rise to evil
because it shuts out the voices of those that expose evil , FOR way too long .
THIS generation is not gonna make it . you dont know how much that breaks my heart .
In fact most probaby see me as a hater cause i expose sins
That mindset allowed evil to take over and gain a very strong hold . And as much as i warn
and i do warn because i love the peoples so , it seems the more they see me as the enemy .
But be that as it may , and may you be encouraged by what i say next ,
Be that as it may , the only way this people , this govt , this world
is gonna take the bible from me , is they gonna have to pry it from my cold dead fingers .
I am staying in the scriptures my friend . I WISH all had . that i say to the church .
But its gonna cost me very much in the days ahead . But i love the peoples .
AND i have a slogan for us all .
Before i write it , i want us to know i am not political at all .
BUT here it is , ITS TIME TO MAKE BIBLICAL DOCTRINE and CORRECTION , GREAT AGAIN . sorry i stole the great again from trump .
But man this people is not gonna make it . This has been a very hard road , when i say hard
i mean its very hard to watch those YOU LOVE keep attacking the very truth i bring which was meant for their good .
My heart wallows in tears my friend . But as i wrote above , many are not gonna make it . But
while i got breath i must do as i must in hopes at least some or a few might hear . My desire IS GOOD for people .
But they see me as evil . Not that being persecuted itself bothers me . IT dont .
What bothers me is the fact that those i love are gonna perish on that path they are on because they wont
come to the TRUTH .

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Your Joycean answer didn’t provide any concrete examples.

How 3M Discovered, Then Concealed, the Dangers of Forever Chemicals​

The company found its own toxic compounds in human blood

Kris Hansen had worked as a chemist at the 3M Corporation for about a year when her boss, an affable senior scientist named Jim Johnson, gave her a strange assignment. [In 1997,] Johnson wanted Hansen to test human blood for chemical contamination.

Several of 3M’s most successful products contained man-made compounds called fluorochemicals. In a spray called Scotchgard, fluorochemicals protected leather and fabric from stains. In a coating known as Scotchban, they prevented food packaging from getting soggy. In a soapy foam used by firefighters, they helped extinguish jet-fuel fires. Johnson explained to Hansen that one of the company’s fluorochemicals, PFOS—short for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid—often found its way into the bodies of 3M factory workers. Although he said that they were unharmed, he had recently hired an outside lab to measure the levels in their blood. The lab had just reported something odd, however. For the sake of comparison, it had tested blood samples from the American Red Cross, which came from the general population and should have been free of fluorochemicals. Instead, it kept finding a contaminant in the blood.

Hansen didn’t want to share her results until she was certain that they were correct, so she and her team spent several weeks analyzing more blood, often in time-consuming overnight tests. All the samples appeared to be contaminated.

In subsequent weeks, Hansen and her team ordered fresh blood samples from every supplier that 3M worked with. Each of the samples tested positive for PFOS.

In the middle of this testing, Johnson suddenly announced that he would be taking early retirement.

...

What Hansen didn’t know was that 3M had already conducted animal studies—two decades earlier. They had shown PFOS to be toxic, yet the results remained secret, even to many at the company.

In 1979, an internal company report deemed PFOS “certainly more toxic than anticipated” and recommended longer-term studies. That year, 3M executives flew to San Francisco to consult Harold Hodge, a respected toxicologist. They told Hodge only part of what they knew: that PFOS had sickened and even killed laboratory animals, and had caused liver abnormalities in factory workers. According to a 3M document that was marked “confidential,” Hodge urged the executives to study whether the company’s fluorochemicals caused reproductive issues or cancer. After reviewing more data, he told one of them to find out whether the chemicals were present “in man,” and he added, “If the levels are high and widespread and the half-life is long, we could have a serious problem.” Yet Hodge’s warning was omitted from official meeting notes, and the company’s fluorochemical production increased over time.

eleos1954 said:

“The founders didn't want this sort of democracy at all. The Constitution is written so that citizenship rights are very, very limited,” he says. “They worried about democracy ... It was a bad form of government because once you let everybody participate, then you're likely to elect a demagogue. You're likely to have people come to power who appeal to the frenzy of the masses. That idea is long gone.”

and that's we we have .... a

demagogue

: a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

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Citizens rights are not limited but instead guaranteed by the Constitution. They were much more limited under the Articles of Confederation, as states limited their citizens rights differently. The states were a mess and the Founding Fathers fixed that with the Constitution.

sorry I started a response, but it accidentally was posted before I was even part finished with it. I can't find a delete, so this is next best....

Wow. South Jersey person here. I thought Norcross was unstoppable. I did not expect this.

In response to DaisyDay:

DaisyDay said:

And if Norcross should be convicted, I sincerely doubt there will be leftist riots in the streets on that account.

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I think if Norcross is convicted, there will be leftists dancing in the streets.

For readers outside of New Jersey: This is not a Republican-vs-Democrat story, and it's not about the current or former president. This is a story about a powerful unelected person in New Jersey, and how he relates to our state government.

tonychanyt said:

Exodus 20:


Leviticus 19:


Revelation 21:


On the other hand, there were excusable occasions in the Bible.

Midwives lied to Pharaoh in Exodus 1:


Rahab lied in Joshua 2:


Samson lied to Delilah in Judges 16:


Is it always wrong to tell a lie or untruth?

No, it partly depends on your motivation and intent, but let the Paraclete guide you in your conscience. As a rule of thumb, we should tell the truth.

See also Did the Lord approve a spirit to lie to Ahab?

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"Does this dress make me look fat?"
"Is that movie more interesting than me?"
"I look old, don't I? How old do I look, to you?"
"Wow, she has an amazing figure, doesn't she sweetheart?"
"What's on your mind?"
"How much did you spend on that last motorcycle, truck or car part?"
"This meal is delicious! Can we afford this place?"

Wisdom is a very important thing!

wing2000 said:

There is a a Confederate section...where this statute resides.

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Ooohhh, that’s very different…never mind, [/Latella]

Fantine said:

Only because of your exposure to misleading and vindictive propaganda--perhaps even some from Russian propagandists who strongly favor a candidate who will leave Ukraine powerless and leave NATO, opening the gateway to Europe for Russia's imperialist invading leader, Putin.

I urge you to listen to the President himself. You will be pleasantly surprised by his command of the facts, his experience and wisdom, and his compassion and kindness--so lacking during the 2017-2020 years.

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What is it with your worship of Joe Biden and the democrats? Is the DNC the collective fourth person of the trinity to you?

Occams Barber said:

My view of S&G has nothing to do with the nature of the crime (e.g., homosexuality). It's entirely possible that the crime was invented post-hoc to explain why God would flatten S&G in a fiery mess.

Remember this is several centuries BC. There was no explanation for things like meteoric mass destruction or earthquakes so assuming God's involvement was natural. From their point of view, it was obvious that God had something against S&G.

Was S&G a particularly Gay town? Who knows - but, rightly or wrongly, that appears to have been chosen as the sin which could explain S&Gs destruction.

Occam's razor suggests the crimes were invented or exaggerated after the event to explain why God might rain down death and destruction.

OB

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It also had much to do with inhospitality and how the stranger/outsider were treated as @FireDragon76 explained.

I’m reading a fascinating new book that came out last year on the Shroud of Turin.

I did not realize the scientists who conducted the C14 dating refused to release all the data, and it was only obtained from Oxford in 2017 after someone filed a freedom of information act claim.

I also did not realize the date range from Oxford was so different from the other two labs, and placed the cloth well before the lifetime of the bishop who claimed to have interviewed the creator of the shroud. Or that the bishop had a mistress and was trying to raise money to build a cathedral and was worried pilgrimages to the shroud would eat into his revenue.

I also did not realize the Oxford team removed some of the sample because it was “contaminated” by cotton threads from medieval repairs, but the other two labs didn’t.

Or that the reported weight of the samples if extrapolated out to the entire shroud would make it significantly heavier than it is.

Or that several statisticians reviewed the calculations and determined they were significantly flawed.

Or that scientists have been able to take ancient cloths and manipulate them through radiation so their C14 date reflect the middle ages.

Or that new x-ray tests conducted on the shroud indicate an age closer to 2,000 years old.

Unfortunately, the book is in French, so it may not be accessible to many people. But I highly recommend it. Hopefully, an English translation comes out soon.

Zaha Torte said:

It was supposed to be a joke. It is actually commonalities that build stronger societies.

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Yeah fair enough...

I think there's a general principle that can be applied to any group....

First of all, diversity of race, sex, and culture doesn't really matter. Race and sex definitely don't...culture can, but typically doesn't.

Generally speaking....if you have a total lack of diversity (ideologically) then you don't see the problems that ideology is blind to. Having everyone on the same page certainly seems to have more advantages than disadvantages....but the eventual problem will be a real obstacle that the group is unable to see or understand because it's outside the ideological bubble. In regards to diversity of opinions and values and views...there's an advantage to having some diversity.

On the other end of the spectrum, a completely diverse group of ideologically varied people leaves everyone unable to agree and forward movement towards the solutions to problems or the ability to navigate real obstacles for an ideologically diverse institution becomes nearly impossible. Oftentimes there's 100 ways to "skin a cat" (to use an idiom) and the issue isn't even worth arguing over....there simply needs to be enough leadership and agreement.

The ideal in my opinion is probably a basic set of tenets that orient towards the goal of the institution and allow for diversity of ideology without allowing those that deviate from the goal entirely.

Take our universities (please) for example. Do they need diversity of race or sex? Nope. Do they need diversity of ideology? Oh yeah. We've got huge problems in the universities because of a lack of diversity and frankly, a number of ideologies which do exist are completely anathema to the goal of higher education and academic excellence.

Good day, I'm asking for prayer for salvation of Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Iowa, Grand Lodge of Iowa, Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana, Prince Edwin Grand Lodge of Indiana, Grand Lodge of Indiana, United Grand Lodge AF & AM, United Grand Lodge Ancient and Accepted Masons, St. Mark Grand Lodge, St. John Grand Lodge, St. James Grand Lodge, Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State of Illinois, Grand Lodge Of Illinois, Grand Lodge of Idaho, Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Hawaii, Grand Lodge of Hawaii, Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Kansas, Grand Lodge of Kansas & families. Thank you for all your prayer.

I don't know, but there is some chance that it could be true.

Genesis 3:

24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim [Cs] and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard [H8104] the way to the tree of life.

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Cs guarded or protected the tree of life.

Ezekiel mentioned a creature (C1) in Eden, 28:

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire,b emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.

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C1 was in Eden.

14 You were an anointed guardian [H5526] cherub.

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C1 was a guardian cherub. Was C1 one of the Cs?

C1 was in Eden. C1 was a guardian cherub. There is some probability that C1 guarded the tree of life.

I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.

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C1 could be the serpent (Rev 20:2) who tempted Eve to eat from the forbidden tree.

16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

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C1/Satan was cast/thrown down from heaven.

Did one of the cherubim guarding the Garden of Eden become Satan later?

There is some probability of that.

See also The changing role of satan

Heavenly Father, we pray Withhope will have a good rapport with Gerry, today and in the future as well. May Your Will be done, in the Name of Jesus. Amen and Amen.

JustaPewFiller said:

Even if the they have, it still can vary from church to church.

For example, the recent controversy around women pastors in the SBC churches and the expelling of some churches with women in a pastoral role. Even within the same denomination, what women are allowed to do in a church can range from being limited to cooking, cleaning, nursery / children, decorating, book keeping, women's Sunday school all the way to much more visible and broader ministry roles depending on which church they attend.

I will admit, I'm most familiar with Baptist churches where "complementarian" often translates to women being limited to cooking, cleaning, book keeping, decorating, nursery, etc. I've also heard women express how they sometimes feel stifled and made to feel inferior by this. I've also witnessed some men exhibit a clear "air of superiority" in their words and actions towards the women in these churches. But, as I said, it can vary from church to church.

The condensed version of my above rambling would be - depending on the church the young ladies visited they may very well have a valid point.

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Southern Baptists are just one denomination, albeit a large one. There are alot of churches out there where women participate fully in both church governance and the pastoral ministry, like the Methodists or Presbyterians.

Justin Koelbl regains ‘helmet of salvation’ by finding meaning in mysterious illness.
L to R: The Koelbl father and sons at a 2005 race in Maryland; Justin Koelbl outside of a Gothic church in upstate New York. The special glasses are for eye moisture retention. (photo: Courtesy of Justin Koelbl)

In 2009, Justin Koelbl was in the midst of an outstanding cycling career. Despite being only 15 at the time, the Virginia native’s accomplishments already included five junior U.S. National Championships in road cycling.

Because the U.S. did not have many major cycling teams, Koelbl joined a men’s team in the south of France. The young foreigner’s presence sparked interest among the locals and inspiration for Koelbl himself. The teenager was in the country that annually hosts the best-known race in the sport: the Tour de France. Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly.

Then a mysterious illness appeared that threatened Koelbl’s health, career and even salvation. In anticipation of Father’s Day on June 16, Koelbl spoke to the Register of how he hoped and prayed his way out of this grand challenge to his temporal and eternal well-being.





What was your early life like?

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Maxine Waters tells judge of ‘nightmares’ after Texas man threatened to cut her throat​

Waters told U.S. District Court Judge Gary Klausner on Monday that her family members — several of whom were present in the Los Angeles courtroom — live “in fear every day” because of violent threats made by Brian Michael Gaherty, a Houston resident.

Gaherty, 61, pleaded guilty Jan. 29 to one count of threatening a United Sates official. In his plea agreement, he admitted to threatening to assault and murder Waters in phone calls he made in 2022, in which he used racial slurs and repeatedly referenced the congresswoman’s race.

The judge found that Gaherty targeted Waters because of her race and applied a hate-crime enhancement to the sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Gaherty was arrested in April 2023 after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint that outlined the threats to Waters and alleged Gaherty had threatened other elected officials and a news reporter in Houston. A grand jury later indicted Gaherty on federal charges.

[Prosecutor Laura] Alexander said Gaherty had also threatened a Latina congresswoman.

As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is threatening to shut down a Catholic nonprofit known as Annunciation House for allegedly facilitating illegal border crossings from Mexico, a lawyer for the group has called the state’s claims “utter nonsense.”

Attorneys representing both sides argued before El Paso District Judge Francisco Dominguez in a hearing on Monday.

Jerome Wesevich, a lawyer with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid (TRLA), which is representing Annunciation House, claimed that Paxton’s actions constitute an attack on the free exercise of religion and violate the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Rob Farquharson, an attorney with the Texas attorney general’s office, claimed that Annunciation House has been breaking portions of the Texas penal law that prohibits “knowingly encourag[ing] or induc[ing] a person to enter or remain in this country in violation of federal law by concealing, harboring, or shielding that person from detection.”

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Vambram said:

If the elites in the establishment uni-party Repubilcans were against Scott Perry, then he has my support. Also, I do like that Scott Perry was a chairman of the Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives.

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Elites.
Establishment.
uni-party Repulbicans.

Congruatulations.
3 MAGA (define as we want) words in teh first clause.