Death Book for vetarans, Carbon dioxide irrelevant in global "warming", Lutherans allow gay clergy, Red-light cameras unconstitutional

1) Obama Revives VA Death Book RUSH: Now, folks, Obama says there aren't death panels. He pooh-poohs the notion that there aren't death panels here. The Wall Street Journal has an interesting report. "If President Obama wants to better understand why America's discomfort with end-of-life discussions threatens to derail his health-care reform, he might begin with his own Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He will quickly discover how government bureaucrats are greasing the slippery slope that can start with cost containment but quickly become a systematic denial of care. Last year, bureaucrats at the VA's National Center for Ethics in Health Care advocated a 52-page end-of-life planning document, 'Your Life, Your Choices.'" The VA has a 52-page end-of-life planning document. It has a name. It's called the "Death Book," and what has happened here, George W. Bush suspended the use of the Death Books last year. Obama has reinstated the Death Book! "After the Bush White House took a look at how this document was treating complex health and moral issues, the VA suspended its use. Unfortunately, under President Obama, the VA has now resuscitated 'Your Life, Your Choices.'" So it's called "Your Life, Your Choices." That's what it's actually called. But it's a Death Book. And it "presents end-of-life choices in a way aimed at steering users toward predetermined conclusions ... [A] worksheet on page 21 lists various scenarios and asks users to then decide whether their own life would be 'not worth living.'" See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_082109/content/01125108.guest.html 1a) The Death Book for Veterans  Ex-soldiers don't need to be told they're a burden to society. …Who is the primary author of this workbook? Dr. Robert Pearlman, chief of ethics evaluation for the center, a man who in 1996 advocated for physician-assisted suicide in Vacco v. Quill before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for his support of health-care rationing. …The circumstances listed include ones common among the elderly and disabled: living in a nursing home, being in a wheelchair and not being able to "shake the blues." There is a section which provocatively asks, "Have you ever heard anyone say, 'If I'm a vegetable, pull the plug'?" There also are guilt-inducing scenarios such as "I can no longer contribute to my family's well being," "I am a severe financial burden on my family" and that the vet's situation "causes severe emotional burden for my family."  When the government can steer vulnerable individuals to conclude for themselves that life is not worth living, who needs a death panel? One can only imagine a soldier surviving the war in Iraq and returning without all of his limbs only to encounter a veteran's health-care system that seems intent on his surrender. I was not surprised to learn that the VA panel of experts that sought to update "Your Life, Your Choices" between 2007-2008 did not include any representatives of faith groups or disability rights advocates. And as you might guess, only one organization was listed in the new version as a resource on advance directives: the Hemlock Society (now euphemistically known as "Compassion and Choices"). This hurry-up-and-die message is clear and unconscionable.  See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204683204574358590107981718.html 2) White House Reveals Identity of Firm That Sent Unsolicited E-Mails on Health Reform: The White House revealed to FOX News that it hired a private communications firm to distribute mass e-mails, including unsolicited spam to help sell President Obama's health care plan.  The White House hired a private communications company based in Minnesota to distribute mass e-mails, helping to shed light on how some recipients received e-mails in support of President Obama's health care plan without signing up for them, FOX News has learned. The company, Govdelivery, describes itself as the world's leading provider of government-to-citizen communication solutions and says its e-mail service provides a fully-automated on-demand public communication system. It is still unknown how much taxpayer money the White House provides to Govdelivery for its services. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/22/white-house-reveals-identity-firm-sent-unsolicited-e-mails-health-reform/ 3) Poll: Americans losing confidence in Obama WASHINGTON – A new poll says that Americans, concerned over the future of health care reform and anxious about the growing federal budget deficit, are losing faith in President Barack Obama. The Washington Post-ABC News survey found that less that half of Americans — 49 percent — say they believe the president will make the right decisions for the country. That's down from 60 percent at the 100-day mark of the Obama presidency. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090821/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_poll 4) Carbon Dioxide irrelevant in climate debate says MIT Scientist In a study sure to ruffle the feathers of the Global Warming cabal, Professor Richard Lindzen of MIT has published a paper which proves that IPCC models are overstating by 6 times, the relevance of CO2 in Earth’s Atmosphere. Dr. Lindzen has found that heat is radiated out in to space at a far higher rate than any modeling system to date can account for. Professor Richard Lindzen of MIT’s peer reviewed work states “we now know that the effect of CO2 on temperature is small, we know why it is small, and we know that it is having very little effect on the climate.” “The global surface temperature record, which we update and publish every month, has shown no statistically-significant “global warming” for almost 15 years. Statistically-significant global cooling has now persisted for very nearly eight years. Even a strong el Nino – expected in the coming months – will be unlikely to reverse the cooling trend. More significantly, the ARGO bathythermographs deployed throughout the world’s oceans since 2003 show that the top 400 fathoms of the oceans, where it is agreed between all parties that at least 80% of all heat caused by manmade “global warming” must accumulate, have been cooling over the past six years. That now prolonged ocean cooling is fatal to the “official” theory that “global warming” will happen on anything other than a minute scale.” See: http://www.examiner.com/x-7715-Portland-Civil-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d18-Carbon-Dioxide-irrelevant-in-climate-debate-says-MIT-Scientist 5) Lawsuit: Orlando's red-light cameras unconstitutional A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday claims Orlando's red-light cameras are unconstitutional and should no longer be used to issue tickets. The city placed the cameras at seven intersections on Sept. 1, saying they would save lives. But the suit alleges the real reason for the program is to generate revenue. …Though Ansari admitted running the light, which he said is long, the lawsuit alleges that the cameras are unfair partly because they don't determine who is driving. The plaintiffs "were presumed guilty by reason of their ownership of the vehicle" and had to prove their innocence, contrary to legal precedent, the suit states. "You shouldn't have to prove anything," Schuler said. "They should have to prove the case against you." Further, the law requires a law-enforcement officer to see an infraction and testify in court if a driver challenges a ticket, he said. Attorneys hope a judge will certify the suit as a class action. If so, hundreds or more people could be included as plaintiffs. Well, way to go, Orlando! How do we do that in Chicago? See: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-red-light-lawsuit-082009,0,6615874.story 6) Lutherans to allow sexually active gays as clergy MINNEAPOLIS – The nation's largest Lutheran denomination took openly gay clergy more fully into its fold Friday, as leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to lift a ban that prohibited sexually active gays and lesbians from serving as ministers. Under the new policy, individual ELCA congregations will be allowed to hire homosexuals as clergy as long as they are in a committed relationships. Until now, gays and lesbians had to remain celibate to serve as clergy. The change passed with the support of 68 percent of about 1,000 delegates at the ELCA's national assembly. It makes the group, with about 4.7 million members in the U.S., one of the largest U.S. Christian denominations yet to take a more gay-friendly stance. “Christian”? You could have fooled me. “If you love me you will keep my commandments”…“I and my Father are one.”  See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090822/ap_on_re/us_lutherans_gays 6a) The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality I saw the fast-moving, misshapen, unusually-wide funnel over downtown Minneapolis from Seven Corners. I said to Kevin Dau, “That looks serious.”  It was. Serious in more ways than one. A friend who drove down to see the damage wrote,  On a day when no severe weather was predicted or expected...a tornado forms, baffling the weather experts—most saying they’ve never seen anything like it. It happens right in the city. The city: Minneapolis. The tornado happens on a Wednesday...during the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's national convention in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The convention is using Central Lutheran across the street as its church. The church has set up tents around it’s building for this purpose.  According to the ELCA’s printed convention schedule, at 2 PM on Wednesday, August 19, the 5th session of the convention was to begin. The main item of the session: “Consideration: Proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality.” The issue is whether practicing homosexuality is a behavior that should disqualify a person from the pastoral ministry.  The eyewitness of the damage continues:  This curious tornado touches down just south of downtown and follows 35W straight towards the city center. It crosses I94. It is now downtown.   The time: 2PM.   The first buildings on the downtown side of I94 are the Minneapolis Convention Center and Central Lutheran. The tornado severely damages the convention center roof, shreds the tents, breaks off the steeple of Central Lutheran, splits what’s left of the steeple in two...and then lifts. See: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1965_the_tornado_the_lutherans_and_homosexuality