War Powers

the following is based off of this article:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/22/congress-returns-town-demand-obama-ok-libya/

Two months ago President Obama took military action with Libya. He did so without the congressional consent, and now has a some congressman out for him. Some just want to have a measure drafted in order to show they did agree with the action but wished they would have been asked first. Meanwhile others call for the complete absence of action in Libya seeing as it is a "civil war." The view many congressman hold is that President Obama's acts were unconstitutional, because he has disobeyed the War Powers Act, which requires him to get approval from congress within 60 days of making military action. Saturday marked day 61 of the Presidents time to do so. Along with presidents from the past, Obama holds that limited military operations do not require him to follow the War Powers Act. This stance has gained him more heat by congressman, reminding others of the fact that President Obama opposed former President Bush in 2007 for abusing the separation of power between presidency and congress.
One of the leaders in opposition to President Obama's actions is Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. He claims that he does not want the president impeached as that would be a blow toward the stability of the nation, but he does want the United States to get out of Libya. As no story about U.S. involvement in the middle east is complete without the mention of one key thing, Kucinich also made a comment about the situation in Libya smelling of oil.

The CBT to go with this story is Sin. This CBT holds that Law is to resatrain the depravity of both the governed and the governors. The question that comes from this story on the matter is whether or not the President was within the law in his actions.

Two Minutes Hate

this post is based on the following article. warning: the link contains offensive language and does not reflect my views.
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/2011/february/egypt.html

In the time I have been doing these blog posts, I have never seen an article less journalistic than this. The writer does use quotes to show the situation, but upon seeing the situation the writer speaks of, the reader should lose interest. The title suggests that the article is about Egypt. This view is wrong. The article is actually only about a church and its praise of the people of the Middle East being hostile towards one another. There is no journalistic value within this article. The reader is not made self-governing, nor is the reader informed of anything other than a cults hatred. The writer takes a serious issue and laughs at it. No information is given on the situation in Egypt. Instead the writer spews a hate message on anyone that is unfortunate enough to find read the article. A message of hate does not qualify as journalism. The racial slurs and offensive stereotypes used in the article have no business in the journalistic realm.

God has specific directions (absolute law) concerning man’s relationship to both Himself and his fellow man (Evangelism, Social Studies). This article goes perfectly with the CBT of Evangelism. The "church" that puts out this article and others like it is a prime example of how Christians are told not to act. They have chosen to overlook the message to love even your enemy, and instead have decided to ridicule and hate on anyone that is not one of them. People like this- who claim to represent the will of God yet do the opposite of what He has said- are not furthering God's kingdom, but pushing others away from it.

Libya Divided

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42014852/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/



In this article, the author tells of the current state of the African nation of Libya. United States National Intelligence Director James Clapper is mentioned because he has made comments about how he believes that the rebels will not be able to overthrow Gadhafi. Others in the U.S. government would like to see Clapper fired for making his opinions on the matter public. If things continue the way they are in Libya, it is possible that the country will be divided into new nations. In such an occasion the rebels would keep the east with their stronghold, Bengazi, while Gadhafi would hold the capital. The United States plans to send personnel to the Libyan rebels for humanitarian purposes. France wants to send and receive ambassadors from the rebels. If the international committee approves, they plan to start a campaign to defend civilians. Along with Britain, they are encouraging the European Union to recognize the rebel's council as being legitimate.

This article is journalism. It provides information that the reader would not easily attain through daily life. The author uses quotes in order to clarify what is happening.

Throughout history, God has partnered with people to further His mission of salvation and redemption of a fallen creation. Because of His blessings, we have the responsibility to communicate the Gospel to a fallen world(Salvation, Social Studies). Through the recent events in Africa, it is evident that the world is unstable. Nations and rulers can rise and fall at any time. It is the duty of Christians to be there when destruction happens, to rebuild, and to spread the gospel.

This is Important!...?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41632581/ns/today-entertainment/



Believe it or not, some people find it important to learn how much money the Kardashians make. It is not enough just to learn how much they make, but it is also necessary to publish it on a "news" website. Anyone that cares, you are helping make this world stupid. The article tells of the amount of money the Kardashians made last year, which is $65 million. The author provides quotes from one member of the family that imply that they are helping people with their show. Apparently the Kardashians are showing the lighter side of what it means to be rich and famous for no reason. The Kardashians' reported income for the previous year topped actors Angelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock, and Tom Cruise' combined income. I'm not saying these actors are earning what they make, but at least they provide some entertainment. My favorite quote from the article is when someone says, "Sometimes just raw energy and intelligence wins out." I feel the same way. Those Kardashians must be pretty smart in the way they have managed to make so much money by simply being... whatever it is they are known for being.

This article is not journalism. It in no way leads the reader to information that will make him/her aware or self governing.There is no purpose to the article other than to praise vanity.

God has specific directions (absolute law) concerning man’s relationship to both Himself and his fellow man (evangelism, social studies). God has specific directions for our relationships with others, but I find it hard to believe that God wants us to care about how much money "celebrities" are making. Our directions from God- concerning our relationships with others- are to build one another up and to press on to the things that matter. As long as people are taking interest in things like this, that is not happening. God save us.

Cuba in Control

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/10/egypt-cuban-governments-concerns-internet/


Fidel Castro is keeping his cool no matter what problems may arise.

Castro supporters in Cuba have been watching the situation in Egypt, and seeing something they have been working to prevent. Plans had already been put in order to make sure social networking could not negatively affect the government. Turn on the news to witness what is happening in Egypt and one can see why Cuban leaders must be happy with their work. Cuba is watching social networking within the country even more closely, and is cracking down on those that are outspoken about wanting a new government set up. They have been attempting to weed out any influence coming in from the United States, and trying to silence opposition within Cuba for quite some time. However, something new has happened. Cuban officials have started to allow bloggers that are known for opposing the government to be accessible to the public. Perhaps thinking that the government has enough control that any real threat can be shut down immediately, as internet use is much more limited in Cuba than in a place like Egypt. A new fiber-optic cable that is being planned to be made, making internet faster and more accessible in Cuba may change this line of thought, but for now, the Cuban government seems perfectly confident in their control.

This article is journalism. The article provided quotes by people from both a pro and anti Castro supporter, giving a clearer view of what is actually going on. There were interesting statistics that helped the reader better understand the situation. The article provided information that the reader would not know on their own. Lastly, it is relevant to major news that is currently happening in the world.

In God’s sovereignty, He controls the rise and fall of rulers and nations (Creation, Social Science). The Cuban government may not fall or even be in danger because of the threat of social networking, however, the situation in Egypt shows that the problem may be bigger than they would like to admit. God has the power to decide who will be in power, and though Cuban leaders are comfortable now, they cannot guarantee things will stay that way.

Trouble in Cairo

http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/gerson/article_f306bdb3-3e84-5136-9866-06693bd31326.html

The author opens by telling of his past experience in Egypt. He recalls the year 2005 in which he was in the presence of then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as she spoke with Egyptian leaders, calling for free elections. The author then comes around and begins to tell of the Egyptian political situation, describing President Hosni Mubarak, and his tendencies to weaken his opposition by many different means. He goes on to say that the president's opposition are all poor choices, because the president has done everything in his power to make it that way. America has recognized the Egyptian government as being legitimate, because it is profitable to the U.S. to do so. The U.S. has also called the government stable, despite previous signs that it is not. The author repeatedly tells of what is going to happen due to the past until the article ends.

This article is not journalism. The author tells of himself being in a place of importance, which does add to the authority he has on the matter, but as he continues to speak, the things that proceed from his mouth are analysis. He is not informing the reader of new information, but rather, he is venting his criticism to the reader.

In society, TRUTH is NOT relative to the individual, but rather is absolute and its source is solely God. Tolerance understands other’s ideas, but does not require surrender of your worldview(Social Studies). Eventually, God will be heard above all of the fighting over what will happen in Egypt. His truth will show what is to happen, and what the effects of humanity's actions will be. Men will not decide what is going to happen. They can guess all they want, but nothing will be known until God acts.

The Fate of Sudan

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpps/news/south-sudanese-vote-en-masse-in-referendum-dpgonc-km-20110109_11365993

Photo: AP

Unidentified observers of the European Union Election Observation Mission for the Southern Sudan Referendum arrive at a polling center in the city of Um Durman, Sudan, 10 Jan 2011

Years of conflict between northern and southern Sudan have been leading up to this for years. On Sunday, January 9, a vote was held that would determine the fate of Sudan. It is expected that an overwhelming amount of the southerners will vote to separate from the north, thus gaining their independence and becoming the world's newest country. The polls were scheduled to stay open from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, however, many voting stations remained open longer due to an overwhelming number of voters. President Barack Obama has praised the actions being taken in allowing the vote and has promised to support the outcome, whatever it is.

This article is journalism. It provides the reader with information they could not know on their own. The article gives numbers and specific details showing that research has been done. There is no noticeable bias in the article, making its information more reliable. Lastly, it has quotes by important people on the matter.

"In God’s sovereignty, He controls the rise and fall of rulers and nations."(Social Science). The CBT of creation fits perfectly into the topic of this article. The CBT says that God determines the rise and fall of nations, and this article speaks of just that. The possible rise of a new nation that will come out of an old one. God is sovereign and has the power to divide a country in conflict in two. When one half of the country is following Him, and the other half follows another religion, He can intervene.

For video of southern response to vote and possible new national anthem click on link: http://www.france24.com/en/20110119-south-sudanese-vote-overwhelmingly-secession-juba-referendum-juba-sudan