The Five Factors Needed to Enslave a Nation

“America, the most free nation on earth? Terrorists hates us because of our freedom”?  Really? I can barely type these words without laughing hysterically. America has descended rapidly on the path of being a police state and we have been in political free fall since September 11, 2001.
I am not going to lie to you America, our country and its values, its economy and the forces that control our country are not what the average American want to see. Liberty has taken a backseat to tyranny. However, I believe that freedom is often the result of the space between the prison bars that we create for ourselves on an individual level. Yet, there are five variables that a super elite must control in order to subjugate a nation and its people. The five variables are the media, the rules governing economics, social standards, the political system and the military. This article briefly analyzes the control the super elite have over each of these four areas.

The Media

Six corporations control 98% of the media. These same six corporations virtually control everything that most people see, hear and subsequently believe. The CNN’s and FOX networks have successfully turned the majority of our people into sheep who are willing to accept any form of dictatorship so long as it is endorsed and glorified by the news media.
There is, however, a steadily growing group of Americans who have taken off their blinders and who are slowly but surely waking up to the growing tyranny which is dominating our country.
Amazingly, only two percent of the media broadcasts the message of freedom. The growth of the patriot movement is largely due to just two percent of the media which is not corporate owned by corporations such as Gannett Broadcasting and Clear Channel Communications. The chances are that you are reading this article on one of the venues which are free to tell you the truth which subsequently states that every aspect of your society is controlled by the Rockefeller/Rothschild banking empire.
If the super elite controls 98% of the media outlets, they control the narrative. However, David is beginning to defeat Goliath. The 98% majority is beginning to lose the battle with the two percent. Because of the threat to the establishment, don’t look for the alternative media to be around much longer.
Even if the mainstream media absorbs the alternative media, we are still free to interact with like-minded people, at least for the time being. The encroachment of NSA spying into our daily lives, which monitor our every communication, is very troublesome. But for now, we the people control the final narrative.

Social Factors

The majority of Americans still believe in hard work, their religion and traditional family values which honors the sanctity of marriage as defined in the Bible. Through the control of the media and an increasing control of the government, Americans are being forced into glorifying every form behavior, previously considered to be perverse and the traditional values of the American family are under attack by the media, Child Protective Services and the education system.
I used to be considered a social liberal. I am responsible for my life and my life alone. I have too many flaws for myself to worry about the religious, social and sexual preference beliefs of my neighbors. So long as nobody was violating my rights, I could care less what lifestyle someone embraces because we all will answer to God on the some fateful day.  But because I am a white, Christian, heterosexual male  who is the leader of my family and I teach Christian values to my son, I am attacked as an intolerant bigot, where only a few years ago, I was considered to be a social liberal by those who knew me. My sacred beliefs are subject to criticism. We now live in a society that is being ruled by the extreme minority and we are being forced to comply with the intolerant dictates of the social elite.  And I, the former social liberal, who never advocated for discrimination against anyone, is experiencing discrimination from those who used to beg for acceptance and equality. Welcome to a fundamentally transformed America.  At this rate, the new America will drive all Christians into the closet formerly occupied by those with alternative lifestyles. I truly believe that the renewal of the persecution of the Christians is just around the corner.
Yet, at the end of the day, nobody can control how we raise our children. Nobody can ever control the values that a family holds dear, while respecting each person to make their own choices. This freedom is due to the fact that nobody controls what you think, at least not yet.

Economics

From the period of 1800-1913, a dollar was still worth a dollar. After the inception of the Federal Reserve, the relative wealth of the dollar has been eroded by 97%. What a dollar could buy 100 years ago, can buy three cents worth today.
One unelected entity controls the nation’s banks, The Federal Reserve. The same people control all governmental legislation for all economic policies including the Stock Market. When the super elite get caught with their proverbial hand in the cookie jar and suffer major economic losses, they simply steal from the people and call it a bail-out. As a result, we have had the bail-out, the son of bail-out and the grandson of the bail-outs.
This same super elite outlaw all competing forms of economic exchange except for the very one that they control, the soon-to-be fiat currency called the dollar. Yes, the dollar will soon be a fiat currency as Russia, China and India are purchasing Iranian oil in gold and bypassing the dollar as the only medium of exchange (i.e. the Petrodollar). This will lead to war that will be started by a false flag provocation and the Syrians and the Iranians will be blamed. The war will follow the imposition of martial law at home following a series of domestic false flag attacks designed to eliminate all citizen opposition to the coming conflict.
Americans do still have the power to collapse the globalist system of economics by refusing to participate in the system. I have repeatedly called for not shopping at multinational chain stores such as Walmart, which now employs a new security force, Securitas (i.e. the SS) who harasses nonthreatening shoppers. We could grow our own food, shop local and trade and barter and there would not be a darn thing the super elite could do about it. Most Americans, because of the corporate controlled media are unaware of their options in this area. One caveat, if we ever let the FDA get control over all food as they are trying to presently accomplish, it will be game over. If this ever happens you will be living in the Ukraine, under Stalin, as he starved to death millions of Ukrainians who wanted freedom.

The Military

If the super elite have made serious miscalculations on the path towards establishing a New World Order, the handling of the American military is a prime example. Why do you think it was announced this week that America’s military is being downsized to a pre-World War II level. This is, no doubt, because the military cannot be trusted to do the bidding of the super elite.
For decades, our brave men and women in uniform have been used to fight banker wars of occupation. The exploitation of the service people is growing daily. An average of 22 veterans are committing suicide on a daily basis. The government is trying to disarm the veterans in anticipation of what is coming. Obama is trying to unseat the command structure of the military through the firing of over 260 senior command military officers. Obama is trying to gain total and absolute control over the nuclear arsenal, but has been unable to do so to date. Obama will never get total control over the military because they know what he stands for.
At the end of the day, our military will prove to be the shining beacon of freedom against the total imposition of tyranny on our soil spearheaded by foreign United Nations mercenaries. However, without the popular support of the people, any military insurgency is doomed to fail. If we fail to wakeup more American people, the military will prove to be an asset as worthless as the dollar will soon be. All mediums of value must have backing and the military is no different.

The Government

The NDAA, Executive Order 13603, the Patriot Act, NSA spying, the use of the election fixing electronic voting machines, force feeding us GMO’s, the murders of Michael Hastings and Andrew Breitbart, the completely controlled Democrats and Republicans by the forces of the Rockefeller/Rothschild banking cartel as well as the revealed existence of the new martial law Internment/Resettlement policies are all shining examples of the absolute police state that is being imposed in this country against the will of the people.
Some Americans still have a sense of resilience. When the controlled Democrats (e.g. Dianne Feinstein) and the Republicans (e.g. John McCain) continued America on the path of destroying our civil liberties, American started alternative political parties which preserve the voice of the people to some degree.  Almost five years ago to the day, the Tea Party was born. In today’s environment, the Libertarians are being heard.    I am not a big believer in the political process, given today’s environment. However, this is one avenue that can be used to galvanize the people. There is a movement within the federal government which threatens to take away the political voice of the people. If we lose this voice, we will lose the rallying point needed to support our military should they ever stand against the encroaching tyranny.
America, you need to pay close attention to this development. The IRS is trying to silence millions of Tea Partiers and third party candidates by destroying free speech rights. If these regulations are allowed to stand, Americans will be forever silenced.
Please keep in mind that the following regulations only apply to third parties, grassroots groups and the Tea Party. These regulations will make it illegal to:
1.   Mention a candidate up for re-election within 60 days of an election. That includes every single member of the House of Representatives. Effectively, you will not be able to petition your own elected representatives.
2.   The aforementioned groups will not be allowed to register voters. Does this put anyone else in the mind of the old Jim Crow laws which were designed to prevent the registration of African-Americans.
3.   Call for the election or defeat of a political candidate. This will effectively eliminate all recall provisions in State Constitutions.
4.   Hold candidate forums so voters can decide who would best represent them. In other words, primary election activities for third party candidates would be prohibited. This provision would cut the proverbial legs out from under any political party or movement.

The IRS is trying to silence millions of American voters. They’re trying to pass new regulations that will destroy our free speech rights and this constitutes a complete end run around Congress and ultimately the Constitution.

I am calling for a massive campaign to protest this IRS action. You may send your comments to the IRS at this link. The deadline to voice your opposition is Thursday, February 27, 2014. 

Conclusion

Much of the tyranny being imposed on America can be opposed at an individual level. However, with each passing day, it will become more decidedly difficult to exercise personal freedom. It is time to take a stand and that stand should be in opposition to the de facto outlawing of third political parties which are outside the control of the super elite.

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5 New Solutions For Growing Healthy Produce Indoors

This article was written by Jeffrey Green and originally published at Activist Post
An increasing number of people are moving into urban environments and away from traditional agriculture. As a consequence, those who have a mind for self-sufficiency can find themselves falling short. Storable foods are of course an important part of every emergency prepper's pantry, but storable foods are not a sound long-term solution that contain optimal nutrition.

Even produce from farmers markets and store-bought organic food will lose peak freshness faster than one might imagine. Alanna Ketler from Collective-Evolution explains:

Most people do not realize that vegetables will lose about half of their nutrients within the first week of being picked. The food that you are getting from the supermarket will not be as nutritionally rich as the food you are growing yourself and consuming immediately after harvesting. Imagine how much more fresh and alive this food tastes. If you have or have ever had a garden I’m sure you have certainly noticed a difference. (Source)

Nothing can beat growing your own fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. But it is quite a challenge for those with limited space; not everyone can afford acres of land to become a full-fledged farmer. Then, of course, are the climate considerations that inhibit year-round growing in most places across the planet.

However, several high-tech solutions are becoming available for city dwellers, or those who have a less-than-green thumb. As food prices surge due to climatological and economic factors, there never has been a better time to find ways of becoming self-sufficient at a low cost. It's a movement toward becoming the ultimate locavore.

The following inventions offer an exciting way to have fresh produce year-round ... right in your own kitchen, while also presenting a potential reduction in overall cost.
1. Urban Cultivator - This is a hydroponic system that is currently in use both professionally and in personal homes. One model, as seen in the short promo below, is roughly the same size as a dishwasher and is set up in a similar manner, according to the site's design specs. By setting the perfect level of humidity and temperature, it's as simple as adding a 100% organic food solution to be able to grow a wide range of pesticide and chemical free produce in your indoor garden.

Visit the site here.

For restaurateurs, here is what the commercial model looks like:




2. GrowCubes - Using aeroponics, GrowCubes offer efficient indoor growing for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, using 95 percent less water, with an added built-in resistance to diseases and pests. A software program underpins the system, offering a detailed Internet-connected analysis and customization platform to obtain and fulfill the optimal level of nutrients and maintenance. A coming Kickstarter program will focus on bringing this system to market later in the year.




3. Click and Grow Smart Farm - This is a another concept that is heavily invested in the ideas surrounding the Internet of Farming. The Click and Grow system is actually an expandable series of "smart pots" that can grow produce, as well as flowers. It begins by providing soil that remains in proper nutrient and pH balance throughout the growth of the plant. As they point out, the constant watering in traditional potted plants actually leaches away nutrients, so the addition of proper water management increases efficiency and production. This demo shows the process.




4. Kitchen Nano Garden - This is a concept being developed by Hyundai. It is roughly the size of a refrigerator and employs a similar method of hydroponic growing as seen in the Urban Cultivator. It controls the amount of light, nutrient supply and water to create the optimal efficiency for growing. The prototype won the 2010 Fast Company Idea Award and also doubles as a natural air purifier. While still only a concept, it is exciting to see a company with the resources of Hyundai working on this technology.

5. UrbGarden - While the 4 items above appeal to modern sensibilities, some of us still would like to retain a bit of the natural even if we can't get our hands dirty on a traditional farm. The UrbGarden is designed to be a vertical herb garden with an integrated worm farm for easy composting. The system produces a natural fertilizer which is then fed back through a drip system. Its open-window design offers an element of harvesting, as the grow trays are removed and re-potted as needed.

It is worth mentioning that in a grid-down situation, the four "high-tech solutions" offered here will become virtually useless as they rely on a power source. And none of these systems should be seen as direct replacements for developing a solid relationship with your local farmer, farmers market, or development of community gardens. However, these solutions do enable people to get away from commercial food and the toxic packaging that its often wrapped in, while making the act of farming as easy and hassle free for as many people as possible.

One thing is for certain: there is a movement to regain the self-sufficiency that has been lost within our modern world. If we are going high-tech, then we at least need to employ it the healthiest and most economical ways possible.

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A View From Space with Gary Bell the Spaceman, February 22, 2014

TOPICS: Comet Ison, Lucifer, Aliens, Royalty, Astrology, Sirius, Blue star, Horses, Isreal,

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The War On Men: 10 Ways Masculinity is Under Attack

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

And why the elite – not women – are to blame
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
February 19, 2014

Men are facing a full frontal assault on their rights, health and culture like never before. The war on masculinity has never been so brutal – but it’s not a war being waged by women. The attack is coming directly from the top, as the establishment desperately attempts to emasculate and disempower men in order to force women to be more dependent on the state, thereby enabling more power to be centralized and aiding the growth of big government.

Here are ten ways in which the state has declared war on men and masculinity;

1) Falling Fertility

Sperm counts amongst men have significantly decreased over the last half century and particularly over the last 25 years. In some European countries, sperm counts have dropped by as much as a third since 1989. Part of the fall can be explained by exposure to pesticides, endocrine-disrupting chemicals like Bisphenol A, and the many other artificial horrors that increasingly pervade our water and food supply. Many have made the connection between falling sperm counts and the open calls by innumerable elitists to drastically reduce world population by as much as 95%. Research shows that underpopulation, not overpopulation, will be the major demographic crisis of the 21st century as a result of humans failing to achieve the replacement rate of 2.1 children.

2) Chemical Warfare “Feminizing” Boys

Exposure to phthalates, which are found in many plastics, is “feminizing” boys by blocking normal male testosterone and causing genital abnormalities, according to scientists. “Boys exposed to high levels of these in the womb were less likely than other boys to play with cars, trains and guns or engage in “rougher” games like playfighting,” according to a BBC News report. According to Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of the chemicals campaign group CHEM Trust, phthalates are a true “gender-bender” because they lead to a reduction in “male behavior”.

3) Degradation of Positive Masculine Role Models

Whereas 50 years ago, advertising, Hollywood and television was filled with examples of positive masculine role models that young men could look up to, today’s entertainment industry routinely portrays men as clueless and bumbling oafs at best (think Homer Simpson, Everybody Loves Raymond, Married With Children) or at worst as aggressive sexual predators. Since advertising is primarily aimed at women, men in commercials are also now routinely depicted as either being emasculated losers or stupefied morons. Young men consuming this content grow up thinking that it is acceptable and even encouraged to aspire to these character traits. In doing so, they are robbed of their natural masculinity and find it extremely difficult to attract well-rounded women, who are rightly disgusted by such behavior. The entertainment industry is largely controlled by men, again underscoring the fact that this assault is a top down trend that has little or nothing to do with the gender war.

4) Metrosexual Malaise

Second wave feminism was a creation of the establishment itself and at its core has little whatsoever to do with genuine concern about women’s rights. Radical feminism deliberately confuses gender roles and makes young men apprehensive about exercising their masculinity for fear of being seen as overbearing or aggressive towards women. This has contributed to an entire generation of “metrosexual” men who are promiscuous, unwilling to commit to a relationship and unable to fulfil a women’s basic needs for healthy companionship, destabilizing society and making it more difficult for women to find suitable long term partners with whom to have children.

5) Cultural Marxism

Establishment-controlled second wave feminism also advances the doctrine of cultural marxism, which claims that oppression emerges from patriarchal society and culture, and not the state. Governments love cultural marxism because it absolves them of blame. The true source of all oppression has always been the state, but by blaming it on men or western culture in general (which is primarily shaped by men), the state hides its own responsibility.

6) The ‘Men are Paid More’ Myth

The establishment promulgates the myth that men are paid more than women because of discrimination, feeding into feminist doctrines about patriarchal systems oppressing women in the workplace. In reality, the “wage gap” of around 19 per cent between the two sexes in the United States is explained by a number of reasons that have nothing to do with discrimination, including the fact that men work more hours and men seek less desirable jobs that pay higher. As a result, men account for 93% of workplace deaths despite being only 54% of the workforce. 94% of workplace suicides every year are also men. The establishment buries these shockingly high male workplace fatality figures because they completely contradict the myth that the jobs market discriminates against women.

7) The “Privilege” Trap

Statists, collectivists and their mouthpieces in the media and the establishment claim that western men (in particular white men) cannot express a valid opinion on any issue related in any way to a “minority” (such as feminism or immigration) because they have “privilege”. The “privilege” talking point is a stunt through which liberals and feminists attempt to shut down free speech. In essence they are asserting the ludicrous notion that a man’s viewpoint has no value because of the color of his skin, his gender or his country of origin. This is an inherently racist position, yet it is routinely used by leftists to shout down their ideological adversaries and silence male voices.

8) The Legal System Discriminates Against Men

In both divorce and child custody proceedings, it is widely acknowledged that courts heavily favor women and discriminate against men. Men are routinely hit with onerous alimony payments even if women are capable of working and earning a good paycheck. Men only receive custody of their children in around 10 per cent of divorce cases in the United States. The ironic thing about this system is that it has primarily been instituted by other men, emphasizing again how the war on men is being waged not by women, but by the primarily male-dominated establishment itself.

9) Masculinity as a Dirty Word

Dissident feminist Camille Paglia recently wrote a Wall Street Journal piece in which she warned, “What you’re seeing is how a civilization commits suicide.” Paglia was referring to how the emancipation of masculine virtues by the establishment threatens to create massive destabilization in society due to less and less men being able to fill traditionally “masculine” roles in the jobs market. Paglia points to schools cutting recess, the effort to deny the biological distinctions between men and women, and the left’s characterization of controversial opinions as “hate speech” as examples of how masculinity is being deliberately eroded. “Masculinity is just becoming something that is imitated from the movies. There’s nothing left. There’s no room for anything manly right now,” warns Paglia, adding that young men have, “no models of manhood.”

10) Domestic Abuse Against Men

Whereas women have numerous safety nets to turn to if they become victims of domestic abuse, men have virtually none, despite the fact that domestic abuse against men is a huge and growing problem. In the UK for example, 44 per cent of domestic abuse victims are male, while more married men suffer abuse at the hands of their spouse than married women. While domestic abuse against women is constantly highlighted by the mass media, domestic abuse against men is a complete non-issue.

Conclusion

A totalitarian society can only survive if the male population has been gelded, emasculated and disenfranchised. With this natural bulwark against tyranny removed, the elite can centralize power and pursue collectivist tyranny unopposed. This is why men and masculinity are under assault on every level – and why both men and women should join forces to fight back against this common enemy.

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71
FOLLOW Paul Joseph Watson @ https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet

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A View From Space with Gary Bell the Spaceman, February 15, 2014

TOPICS:Illuminati events, Global control, Brain washing, Television manipulation, media control, Astrology, numerology, sacred geometry
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U.S. Plunges to #46 in World Press Freedom Index, Below Romania and Just Above Haiti

One of my most popular posts of 2013 highlighted the decline of America’s once large and enviable middle class. It was titled: How Does America’s Middle Class Rank Globally? #27, and it helped to dispel many myths Americans (particularly the mainstream propaganda media) continue to tell to themselves.
As you might expect, the economic decline of a nation into rule by a handful of corrupt oligarchs will have many other negative repercussions. One of these is a loss of civil rights and freedoms that many of us have taken for granted. Reporters Without Borders puts out their Press Freedom Index every year, and the 2014 ranking came out today. It was not a good showing for the USSA. Specifically, the U.S. registered one of the steepest falls of all nations, down 13 slots to the #46 position. As the screen shot shows, just above Haiti and just below Romania.

More coverage from the AFP:

Paris (AFP) – Conflicts continued to weigh heavily on the media last year but press freedom was also under increasing threat from abuses by democracies like the United States, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday.

In its annual World Press Freedom Index, the Paris-based media rights watchdog warned of the “growing threat worldwide” from the “tendency to interpret national security needs in an overly broad and abusive manner”.

The United States was singled out for its pursuit of intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, the conviction of WikiLeaks informer Bradley Manning and the secret seizure of phone records from the Associated Press.

The group, known by its French acronym RSF, said the United States had suffered “one of the most significant declines” in press freedom last year, dropping 13 places to 46th in the 180-country index, wedged between Romania and Haiti.

“Countries that pride themselves on being democracies and respecting the rule of law have not set an example, far from it,” RSF said.

Repeat after me: USA! USA!
Full article here.
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12 Months of Prepping: Month One

Getting prepared, and becoming a Prepper, has got to be one of the more important challenges for families living in the the 21st century. The reasons are clear.  We live in an uncertain world with a shaky global economy, extremes in weather, an increase in superbugs, a risk of an EMP, and the threat of attack by militant political regimes.  Add to that an increase in our dependence on petroleum products and the unbalanced distribution of wealth and indeed, there is cause for worry.
For these reasons, a sizable segment of the population has turned to prepping and family preparedness as a solution to the inherent dependence we have on supermarkets, shopping malls, organized medicine and governments.  It is not that these entities are going away, not all it all.  It is simply that we do not want to have to be dependent.
Instead, we prefer to embrace what is commonly called the “Survival Mindset”.

What is the Survival Mindset?

The survival mindset is a frame of mind whereby daily life is focused on the pursuit of of independence and self-reliance.  This focus is done in a non-obtrusive way to the determent of no one and the betterment of everyone.  It is a lifestyle and a commitment to preparedness and to courage, to optimism and to family values.  Ultimately, it is the will to live and to survive with the knowledge that you have done the very best you can to protect yourself and your family from danger and the woes that come from living in complicated and uncertain times.
What I have just described is also the Backdoor Survival mindset.  And while I would like to think that it is the very best description out there, I am not arrogant enough to think that what works for me will work for everyone.  But – and you know how I like to do this – whether you are an experienced prepper or a newbie that is just beginning to get your toes wet, you need to think about your own personal Survival Mindset and move to a survival place that meets your own needs.
Okay. Enough said abut that.  Let us begin with 12 Months of Prepping: Month One.

MONTH 1 SUPPLIES & GEAR:

• Water-3 gallons per person and per pet
• Hand-operated can opener and bottle opener
• Canned meat, stew, or pasta meals – 5 per person
• 2 flashlights with batteries

Let’s talk about water first.
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with an unquenchable thirst?  That thirst is a signal that your body is dehydrated and is lacking a sufficient quantity of fluids to function.  When this occurs, the blood in your body is compromised.  More succinctly, it gets completely whacked out.  And the result?  In addition to increased thirst, dry mouth & throat and chapped lips – all of which are annoying – there is a risk of lethargy, dizziness,  decreased urine output, constipation, migraine headaches, wild fluctuations in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and ultimately, lack of consciousness.  Much more, at this point, than a mere annoyance, this can, in fact, be life threatening.
So how bad really is dehydration?  Back in 2001 I ended up being carted to the hospital by the local EMTs as a resulted of dehydration caused by food poisoning.  Shelly, who is known as the Survival Husband, thought he was losing me; it was not a pleasant experience.
So yes, think about water storage now and make it your number one priority.
There are lot of ways to store water.  You can purchase a 55-Gallon Barrel, you can stock up on bottled water, or, if money is tight and you are willing to do a little work, you can clean and fill some empty soda bottles with water from your tap and store them someplace cool and protected for up to six months.  I have written an article on do-it-yourself water storage which you can go back to if you need some guidance with your water storage: Survival Basics: Water.
The next items on the list are related:  canned goods and a manual can opener.  The goal here is to put  away some food items that you enjoy, that require minimal cooking, are tasty and – here is the rub – are  calorie dense.  This is not the time to worry about the very best in low fat, diet-friendly foods.  What you are looking at are foods that are going to feed your body with energy.
Have you ever analyzed the contents of M.R.E.’s?  (If you are not familiar with that term, M.R.E. stands for “Meal ready to eat” such as the precooked and prepackaged meals used by military personnel in combat.)  Many such meals seem tiny in quantity by today’s standards and yet the total calorie count, per meal, is up to 1,200 calories or more.
The moral of this lesson is that in a crisis or emergency situation, your body needs fuel and fuel means calories.  As you are planning your canned food storage items, think calories and lots of them.

Raid the pantry to find canned foods that can be moved to emergency storage

One of the easiest ways for a beginner to tackle their initial food storage needs is to open up their cupboard or pantry and raid the contents.  And for the more experienced prepper?  You are still going to want to take a peek in your cupboards and take a look at the foods you are currently eating and hopefully enjoying.  Have you included these with your existing supplies?  What better time than now than to go take a look.  Pick and choose some new items and add them to what you already have.
Here are some of the canned and prepared food items that I personally have stored away in my survival pantry:

• Canned chicken
• Canned beef
• Canned Soups
• Canned beans
• Canned chili
• Mac and Cheese
• Peanut Butter
• Pilot Crackers in a tin

For a more thorough list of ideas of food items to store for an emergency, see 20 Items to Kick Start Your Food Storage Plan.  Keep in mind, however, that this is only month one and you do not need to stock your entire food pantry at once.
In addition to food, we have flashlights and batteries on our list of Month One supplies and gear.  This is one area where you are going to want to do a bit better than your 99 cent flashlight from the Dollar Store.  Not that I don’t love those little LEDs that cost just a few bucks each but in a power outage, you are going to need something a bit more powerful.  I like the Eveready lantern-style flashlights that can be modified so that they last a full 2000 hours. I also own a number of Maglites which are dependable and heavy enough to also be used as a weapon.  If you have a few extra dollars, then by al means get a few of these $4 Mini Crees from Amazon and stash them around the house.  You can never have too many flashlights.
And then there are batteries – lots of batteries.  It is all well and good that you are a good steward of our planet and use rechargeable batteries but trust me, in a power out, grid down situation, you will be thankful that you have a healthy supply of standard alkalines as well.

MONTH 1 TASKS:

• Inventory the disaster supplies you already have on hand, including your camping gear
• If you fill your own water containers, mark them with the date they were filled
• Date cans of food and food containers if you have not already done so

The first task in Month One is to inventory your existing supplies, especially any outdoor or camping gear that you may already own.  What I did when I first got started prepping is walk around the house, yard and garage, taking note of items I had on hand that could be used if the power were out, if a natural disaster or storm shut down the roadways, or if there was some other crisis.
Here is a list of some of the things you can look for as you undertake a walk-around inventory.  This is not a comprehensive list, just some ideas to get you started.

• First aid supplies
• Warm blankets
• Outdoor cooking facilities
• Cooking fuel
• Knives, hatchets and saws (for cutting away brush)
• Hiking boots
• Self-powered radio gear
• Sleeping bags & tents
• Lanterns
• Firearms and self defense items

Remember, at this point we are merely taking an inventory so you can assess any gaps in your gear and begin thinking about the purchases you will need to make in future months.  You can also use this time to note the condition of the gear you have on hand and make repairs if any are needed.
Note:  Next month we will talk about assessing specific risks so you can better plan for mitigating the consequences of those risks.  For now, however,the important thing is to simply take stock of what you already own.
The final task for Month One is to get out those Sharpie’s or other permanent marker and note the date you filled your water containers and the date you purchased the food you set aside for emergency use.  Many will argue that you should mark everything with the expiration date but to my thinking, you need a PhD in code breaking to understand those expiration dates that appear on cans and packaged food.
I feel you are much better served by focusing on an effective rotation system – first in first out – using the approximate purchase date as a rough guideline.  Couple that with rotating food and water twice a year when you change the clocks for daylight savings time and you should be all set.

The Final Word

The very first month in implementing a preparedness plan does not have to be difficult, nor does it have to be time consuming or unnecessarily expensive.  Please, whatever you do, do not get frustrated.  There is a lot of support in the online community, including the kind folks that visit this website.  Ask a question and surely someone will reach out to help with an answer; if not here then on Facebook or one of the other social media platforms.
And what if you are a more experience prepper?  What better time than now to go back and review your progress and perhaps share your experience with an unenlightened family member or a favorite friend.  Send them a copy of this article and help them formulate their own survival mindset and preparedness plan.
Be patient and gentle with them if they don’t at first understand.  In the long run, they will thank you.
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Americans Killed by Cops Now Outnumber Americans Killed in Iraq War

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Cops have killed well over 5,000 Americans since 9/11. Many of these killings have occurred during no-knock raids, which have risen by 4000% since the 1980s.
Iraqi insurgents, by comparison, have killed around 3,500 Americans in Iraq since 9/11 in Operation Iraqi “Freedom.”
It is not just Iraq. The number of Americans killed by police also now exceeds the number of Americans killed by Afghan insurgents.
Afghan insurgents have killed around 2,000 Americans in Afghanistan since 9/11 in Operation Enduring “Freedom.”
The police are getting paid with our money to go on shooting sprees and they are killing more of us than the terrorists from whom they “protect” us.
Do not be too surprised.  This data is to be expected; it naturally fits with the fact that the State  uses “counter-terrorism” as a means to oppress and initiate violence against the population.  In fact, you are eight times more likely to be killed by a cop than by an actual “terrorist.”
Domestic violence is two-four times more common among police families than American families in general.
As of 2010 the compared data lifted from Cato’s NPMSRP shows that the reports of police committing sexual assault amounted to more than 2 times the reports in the entire general population.
If officer-involved killings were prosecuted as murder, the murder rate for law enforcement officers would exceed the general population murder rate by at least 472%. And these are only the reported incidents. The vast majority of police misconduct and abuse is unreported. Who knows what the actual total is.

Excerpt from compared data between Cato’s NPMSR and the DOJ’s UCR for police homicide and sexual assault.

While we’re at it, over a quarter of a billion human beings were killed by government last century alone, making government the leading cause of unnatural death in the 20th century.  This doesn’t include casualties from all the wars that governments started to “protect” us.
The number of Americans in prison now exceeds the number of high school teachers and engineers. There are at least 7.3 million Americans locked in captivity or under federal control as you read this, the majority of whom are non-violent (for example, they were caught ingesting a plant that the government claims is “illegal”).
One in 25 Americans were arrested as of 2011. The number may be even higher now.
Friends, don’t listen to anybody who tells you it’s “just a few bad apples.” The whole barrel is rotten.

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These 11 Charts Show Everything That's Wrong With The Modern Diet

Flickr/jonolist

The modern diet is the main reason why people all over the world are fatter and sicker than ever before. Everywhere modern processed foods go, chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease soon follow. The studies are clear on this... when people abandon their traditional foods in favor of modern processed foods high in sugar, refined flour and vegetable oils, they get sick (1, 2, 3). Of course, there are many things that can contribute to these health problems, but changes in the diet are the most important factor.
Here are 11 graphs that show everything that is wrong with the modern diet.

1. Total Sugar Intake Has Skyrocketed in The Past 160 Years

he American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

People in Western countries are consuming massive amounts of refined sugars, reaching about 150 lbs (67 kg) per year in some countries. This amounts to over 500calories of sugar per day. The sources vary on the exact figures, but it is very clear that we are consuming way more sugar than our bodies are equipped to handle (4). Controlled human studies show that large amounts of sugar can lead to severe metabolic problems, including insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides — to name a few (5, 6).
Added sugar is believed to be one of the main drivers of diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer (7, 8, 9, 10).

2. Consumption of Soda and Fruit Juice Has Increased Dramatically

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Of all the sugar sources in the diet, sugar-sweetened beverages are the worst. Fruit juice is actually no better... it contains a similar amount of sugar as most soft drinks (11). Getting sugar in liquid form is particularly harmful. The studies show that the brain doesn't "register" liquid sugar calories the in the same way as calories from solid foods, which dramatically increases total calorie intake (12, 13). One study found that in children, each daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity (14)..

3. Calorie Intake Has Gone up by Around 400 Calories Per Day

Dr. Stephan Guyenet. The American Diet. 2012.

Although sources vary on the exact figures, it is clear that calorie intake has increased dramatically in the past few decades (15). There are many complicated reasons for this, including increased processed food and sugar consumption, increased food availability, more aggressive marketing towards children, etc (16).

4. People Have Abandoned Traditional Fats in Favor of Processed Vegetable Oils

Dr. Stephan Guyenet. The American Diet. 2012.

When health professionals started blaming saturated fat for heart disease, people abandoned traditional fats like butter, lard and coconut oil in favor of processed vegetable oils. These oils are very high in Omega-6 fatty acids, which can contribute to inflammation and various problems when consumed in excess (17, 18). These oils are often hydrogenated, which makes them high in trans fats. Many studies have shown that these fats and oils actually increase the risk of heart disease, even if they aren't hydrogenated (19, 20, 21).
Therefore, the misguided advice to avoid saturated fat and choose vegetable oils instead may have actually fueled the heart disease epidemic.

5. People Replaced Heart-Healthy Butter With Trans-Fat Laden Margarine

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Another side effect of the "war" on saturated fat was an increase in margarine consumption. Margarine was traditionally made with hydrogenated oils, which are high in trans fats. Many studies show that trans fats increase the risk of heart disease (22, 23).
Grass-fed butter actually contains nutrients that are protective against heart disease (like Vitamin K2), therefore the advice to replace heart-healthy butter with trans-fat laden margarine may have done a lot of damage (24).

6. Soybean Oil Has Become a Major Source of Calories

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The most commonly consumed vegetable oil in the U.S. is soybean oil. Soybean oil actually provided 7% of calories in the U.S. diet in the year 1999, which is huge (25)! However, most people don't have a clue they're eating this much soybean oil. They're actually getting most of it from processed foods, which often have soybean oil added to them because it is cheap. The best way to avoid soybean oil (and other nasty ingredients) is to avoid processed foods.

7. Modern Wheat is Less Nutritious Than Older Varieties of Wheat

Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology

Wheat is a major part of the Western diet. It is found in all sorts of foods... breads, pastas, pastries, pizzas and various processed products. However... wheat has changed in the past few decades.
Modern dwarf wheat was introduced around the year 1960, which contains 19-28% less of important minerals like Magnesium, Iron, Zinc and Copper. There is also evidence that modern wheat is much more harmful to celiac patients and people with gluten sensitivity, compared to older breeds like Einkorn wheat (26,27, 28).
Whereas wheat may have been relatively healthy back in the day, the same is not true of modern dwarf wheat.

8. Egg Consumption Has Gone Down

USDA

Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. Despite being high in cholesterol, eggs don't raise the bad cholesterol in the blood (29). For some reason, the health authorities have recommended that we cut back on eggs, even though there is no evidence that they contribute to heart disease (30). Since the year 1950, we have decreased our consumption of this highly nutritious food from 375 to 250 eggs per year, a decrease of 33%.
This has contributed to a deficiency in important nutrients like Choline, which about 90% of Americans aren't getting enough of (31).

9. People Are Eating More Processed Foods Than Ever Before

Dr. Stephan Guyenet

This graph shows how consumption of fast foods has increased in the past few decades. Keep in mind that even though it looks like people are still eating most of their foods "at home&" — this does not take into account the fact that most people are also eating processed, pre-packaged foods at home.

10. The Increased Vegetable Oil Consumption Has Changed The Fatty Acid Composition of Our Bodies

Dr. Stephan Guyenet

Most of the Omega-6 fats that people are eating is a fatty acid called linoleic acid. Studies show that this fatty acid actually gets incorporated into our cell membranes and body fat stores. These fats are prone to oxidation, which damages molecules (like DNA) in the body and may be increasing our risk of cancer (32, 33, 34, 35, 36).
In other words, the increased consumption of processed vegetable oils has lead to actual harmful structural changes in our bodies. That's a scary thought.

11. The Low-Fat Dietary Guidelines Were Published Around The Same Time The Obesity Epidemic Started

National Center for Health Statistics

The first dietary guidelines for Americans were published in the year 1977, almost at the exact same time the obesity epidemic started. Of course, this doesn't prove anything (correlation does not equal causation), but it makes sense that this could be more than just a mere coincidence. The anti-fat message essentially put the blame on saturated fat and cholesterol (harmless), while giving sugar and refined carbs (very unhealthy) a free pass.
Since the guidelines were published, many massive studies have been conducted on the low-fat diet. It is no better at preventing heart disease, obesity or cancer than the standard Western diet, which is as unhealthy as a diet can get (37, 38, 39, 40).
For some very strange reason, we are still being advised to follow this type of diet, despite the studies showing it to be completely ineffective.

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A View From Space with Gary Bell the Spaceman, February 08, 2014

TOPICS: The Beatles, Rock music and satanic influences, N.w.o, Tavistock, Aleister Crowley, Royalty, numerology, Sacred geometry, Astrology

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The Miracle of Tea Tree Oil: 80 Amazing Uses for Survival

Essential oils have been used for healing and medicinal purposes for centuries and most certainly long before we had pills, capsules and big pharma to take care of our medical woes.  And while there is a place for manufactured pharmaceuticals in our survival medicine kit, there exists the possibility that none will be available or that they will be in such scarce supply that they should be reserved for only the most dire of circumstances.

For that reason, many preppers and individuals seeking self-reliance are learning to use essential oils to manage the both routine and not-so-routine maladies that occur in daily life.  There are about a dozen or so essential oils that belong in every survival kit including Melaleuca (tea tree), peppermint, lavender, clove, rosemary and lemon among others. All of these essential oils have healing properties but today I would like to focus on just one, tea tree oil.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TEA TREE OIL

It is believed that the Aborigines of Australia have been using the leaves of the indigenous Malaleuca Tree (whose leaves are used to make tea tree oil) in their medications for centuries. They inhaled the oils from the crushed leaves to treat coughs and colds, sprinkled crushed leaves on their wounds and used an infusion of soaked leaves to treat sore throats or skin ailments.
Use of the oil itself, as opposed to the un-extracted plant material, did not become common practice until researcher Arthur Penfold published the first reports of its antimicrobial activity in a series of papers in the 1920s and 1930s. In evaluating the antimicrobial activity, he found that tea tree oil was 11 times more active than phenol.
The commercial tea tree oil industry was born shortly thereafter although interest in tea tree oil ebbed  after World War II, presumably due to the development of effective antibiotics and the waning image of natural products. Interest was rekindled in the 1970s as part of the general renaissance of interest in natural products.

80 USES OF TEA TREE OIL FOR SURVIVAL

For thousands of years, the derivatives of the Malaleuca Tree have been effective in treating a wide variety of ailments.  Here are 80 reasons why you should use it, too!
(click here for more)
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The "war against children" in Massachusetts, Turning Children Into Homosexuals

Schoolchildren across Massachusetts are under assault by the radical homosexual and transgender movement. It's being funded and supported by the state. It must be stopped.

This infamous book, Queering Elementary Education -- with a foreword by homosexual activist Kevin Jennings --has been widely used by school staff. We've even seen it in a high school guidance counselor's office bookshelf.

Announcement by MassResistance

On January 15, Brian Camenker of MassResistance was the featured speaker at the Plymouth Rock Tea Party meeting in Pembroke, Massachusetts. We've been invited to the Plymouth Rock Tea Party twice before, as well as several other Tea Parties across the state. But this was a special speech, outlining: What MassResistance is taking on in 2014.

Brian Camenker of MassResistance takes a question at the Plymouth Rock Tea Party meeting.

Camenker, along with others from MassResistance, came and addressed the group with shocking news about the super-charged push of sexuality, homosexuality, and transgenderism on schoolchildren -- going on under almost everyone's radar, including parents. Tea Party people are used to confronting the country's crises, but this was particularly new and distressing for many of them. And it should be. At any other time in history, it would be considered madness.

The state-sponsored "war on children"

The well-funded and well-organized radical sexual agenda targeting schoolchildren has reached levels once unimaginable. It's been growing quietly but very forcefully. We've documented much of it over the last few years, but the totality of it has still not been grasped by the public.
Here's what's been happening in Massachusetts, centered in the public schools. Much of this is now spreading to other states. Some of it has been going on for years; other things are fairly new. But all of it is horrific:
* Sexualization of young children. So-called "sex-ed" often includes birth-control information, condoms-on-bananas, masturbation, positive discussions of abortion, and other sexual "health" information even in elementary school grades.
* Homosexual and transgender school-wide events. "Gay" and "Transgender" awareness days. Specialized events for particular propaganda purposes, such as the "Day of Silence," "National Coming Out Day", and even "Gay History Month."
* State-supported "Youth Pride" activities. Middle school and high school students are encouraged to attend state-supported annual "Youth Pride Day" activities in downtown Boston. There are homosexual- and transgender-themed booths and speakers. Condoms and anal lubricants are given out. One year there was an adult sadomasochism practitioner as a staff member. Kids march in a "gay" parade. And they attend a "transgender" prom in the evening.

High school kids marching in state-supported gay "Youth Pride Day" parade in downtown Boston.

* Official state GLBT Commission. The Massachusetts Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth includes hardcore adult homosexual and transgender activists. This state "commission" receives hundreds of thousands of tax dollars (and has access to millions more indirectly) to go into public schools and work directly with schoolchildren. It also helps coordinate the homosexual "gay straight alliance" (GSA) clubs in high schools and middle schools across the state.

This man who dresses as a woman is a transgender activist and a long-time member of the Massachusetts Commission on Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Youth and directs the youth club BAGLY. [MassResistance photo]

* Encouraging kids to "come out" as homosexual and transgender. This is very dangerous. Schools encourage kids to declare their "true" identity as homosexual or transgender. It is done at events and also with encouragement from staff and school "gay" clubs. This has a profound emotional effect on children, particularly during adolescence.

Normalizing the "transgender" concept in kids' minds. This booth was at a "Youth Pride Day" in Boston. They also go directly into public schools. [MassResistance photo]

* Sending kids to outside "gay clubs." Schools often direct troubled youth to outside "gay" and transgender organizations run by radical adult activists. Where they are told that they are really "gay" and their parents are bad people who don't understand or appreciate them. There have been reports of homosexual sex between students and adults at these groups. Here's one mother's story of what happened to her son.

This outside "club" for youth, run by radical adult activists, also had a booth at "Youth Pride Day." Note the packages of condoms (round and square) being given out on the table -- an indication of what the "club" is really all about. [MassResistance photo]

* Move to deny children access to needed therapy. There is an outrageous bill in the Massachusetts State House (House Bill 154, and there are similar bills in other states) to ban children from receiving professional counseling to deal with unwanted homosexual issues -- but would allow counseling for children to affirm homosexual feelings they might have! This would have terrible consequences for children and adolescents who desperately need this kind of help.
* Intrusive sexual surveys. Thousands of students in middle schools and high schools across the state are asked to fill out surveys on private, personal issues without their parents' knowledge or consent. The surveys include questions about heterosexual and homosexual activity, drug use, criminal activity, personal questions about family members, suicidal feelings and attempts, and violence they may be involved with. They are unscientific, and use leading questions to elicit answers from kids that are used by radical groups to justify their programs.
* Cross-dressing and transgenderism. The State of Massachusetts has directed all schools to allow so-called "transgender" students -- children who decide to "identify" as the opposite sex -- to wear opposite-sex clothes to school, use opposite-sex restrooms and locker rooms, and be called by an opposite-sex name. Parents are not required to be notified. And students or school staff who openly disagree are liable for punishment and diversity training.

Very confused. Young man at 2009 state-supported GLBT youth "prom" held each year in Boston City Hall. Part of annual "Youth Pride" day which attracts teenagers from across the state and promotes GLBT identities and behaviors to them. [MassResistance photo]

* Homosexual-themed school plays. School drama departments across the state are having kids put on school plays with hard-core homosexual themes, with the students acting in homosexual roles. See example here.
* Forcing anti-Christian values on Christian children. Children with Christian values are told that their religious values are inferior to the "modern" acceptance of homosexuality, and that they have no choice but to accept that. See example here.
* Explicit homosexual books assigned or recommended to kids. Students in all grades are assigned explicit books promoting homosexuality, masturbation, and related sexual behaviors, some of them very explicit and pornographic. Such books are also made available to students in the school libraries.

After this book about homosexual romance was read to second graders, a federal judge ruled that current Massachusetts law doesn't give parents the right to opt-out or even be notified!

* Lies and medical disinformation. Schools tell children that homosexuality is "normal" and that they are "born that way" -- despite overwhelming medical evidence to the contrary. School officials withhold information about the diseases, addictions, and mental illnesses associated with homosexuality, and the ex-gay therapy available to those who desire it.

This harms kids very badly

This is hurting children (and their families) in many terrible ways. Children who are introduced to sexual topics at a young age -- during their "latency period" -- can easily be psychologically traumatized by that throughout their lives. Prematurely sexualized children sometimes commit horrible sexual crimes on other, younger children. Pregnancies, diseases, and various self-destructive behaviors have become a problem in society when kids are introduced to this information.
The so-called "coming out" process -- persuading a child to internalize that he is "born" homosexual or transgender and cannot change, then publicly declare it -- causes even more trauma in vulnerable kids.
The breaking down of religion and moral values by schools and school officials, whom kids look to as authority figures, causes additional problems with youth struggling to develop their sense of right and wrong. And it can cause terrible conflicts with parents who are trying to raise their children with traditional or religious values.

Why are they doing this to children?

What we're about to say may jolt you. For two decades we've been helping parents deal with schools and public officials in reaction to the kinds of things listed above (and worse). After seeing it up close for that long, we've concluded that the teachers and school officials (and politicians) doing these things to kids are not simply misguided. In our experience, they are truly bad (some might say evil) people. They know very well how these things affect children. Most of the time the effects are very visible to them. They've had it explained to them by us and many others. They know the anguish that parents have about it, and they purposefully mislead parents or don't inform them or offer them a choice. They refuse to consider or even acknowledge any data or information that contradicts their agenda in any way. This is very dangerous, since they are dealing vulnerable human beings. But in our long experience, they simply don't care. Whatever vague utopia they're trying to achieve justifies the means.
In our on-the-ground experience going back nearly 20 years the only thing that ever stops this is the overwhelming force of angry citizens.
And unfortunately, the conservative movement is backing away from this fight. And most state-level establishment pro-family groups are too compromised and fearful to make any meaningful progress against this.

It's distressing how many adult homosexual activists are attracted to the state-supported "gay youth" activities. This group is shown marching in the "Youth Pride Parade" last year. [MassResistance photo]

Our goal in 2014

A core group of MassResistance people have been meeting regularly since early September working on this. We have decided that in 2014 we are going to do whatever it takes to stop this state-sponsored war on children.
The ultimate source of this horrible problem are the politicians in the Legislature, which has created the legal apparatus for it and lavishly funds it every year. It must be dismantled and stopped. We will direct our energy to mobilizing people from every corner of the state to do the one thing that we know works: to confront them. And continue to confront them more and more until they back down -- which they will. And continue to expose the outrages, lies, and disinformation that is being used against innocent children (and their families) which can affect them for the rest of their lives.
We hope intend to be a model for the rest of the country in this regard. The counter-revolution has to start somewhere.

The Massachusetts State House gets a lot of attention from homosexual groups and not enough from regular citizens. That needs to change! [MassResistance photo]

Getting started

The starting point is a set of strong bills that we filed a (or encouraged State Reps to file) last year at the beginning of the current session -- and certain horrific bills filed by radicals that must be stopped. Those include:
Strong bills to be supported forcefully:

1. H333 - Comprehensive Parents' Rights Opt-In Bill

2. H452 - Protect children from intrusive school surveys on personal issues

3. H427 - Require parental notification when referring child to outside homosexual (or other) organization

4. H2851 - Eliminate the "Commission on GLBT Youth"

5. H1479 - Repeal the Transgender Rights and Hate Crimes law

6. H1282 - Remove exemption of schools from anti-pornography laws

Bad bills by radical groups that must be stopped:

1. H154 - Would deny a child access to therapy to help deal with unwanted homosexual desires.

2. H3793 - Would create required curriculum statewide for sexuality, homosexuality, and similar issues.

3. H1589 - Would expand statewide "transgender rights and hate crimes" law to include public accommodations where children frequent.

4. H454 - Would expand anti-bullying law to force diversity training on homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. on students and staff in schools.

What can you do?

This isn't complicated. To start with, you can do two things: (1) let us know that you are willing to be involved. And (2) donate money, as much as you can spare. Both of these are really necessary.
The politicians on Beacon Hill (and in states around the country) rarely hear much from large groups of regular people on bills like this. They hear a lot from the radical special interests. With your help, we intend for that experience to change drastically.

After the meeting ended at the Plymouth Rock Tea Party, people continued to ask us questions and sign our sheet to get involved!

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Christians Are The World’s Most Oppressed Religious Group: Pew Study

WEB Notes: Of course Christians are, they are the enemy of Satan.

(CNS News) - Restrictions, harassment, and intimidation towards people who practice their religion increased in every major region of the world in 2012 except the Americas, with Christians the major target, says a new report by the Pew Research Center. “Muslims and Jews experienced six-year highs in the number of countries in which they were harassed by national, provincial or local governments,” the study found, but Christians continue to be the world’s most oppressed religious group, with persecution against them reported in 110 countries.

A recent report by the Christian group Open Doors noted that “North Korea remains the world’s most restrictive nation in which to practice Christianity,” followed by Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran and Yemen.

More than “5.3 billion people (76% of the world’s population) live in countries with a high or very high level of restrictions on religion,” Pew noted, “up from 74% in 2011 and 68% as of mid-2007.”

A fifth of the world's nations (20%) also experienced religious terrorism or sectarian violence in 2012, Pew researchers found, which was “up markedly from 2007 (9%).”

President Obama expressed hope that the “Arab Spring” would give rise to greater religious freedom in North Africa and the Middle East, which has had the world’s highest level of hostility towards religion in every year since 2007, when Pew first began measuring it. However, the study finds that these regions actually experienced the largest increase in religious hostilities in 2012.

Across the six years that Pew has conducted the study, Christians were being harassed for their faith in 151 countries and Muslims in 135. Together they represent the world’s two largest religious groups and more than half of the world’s population.

Jews, who make up less than 1% of the world’s population, experienced religious persecution in 95 countries. Researchers also found an increase in religious harassment in countries where Hindus, Buddhists or followers of other traditional religions predominated.

"Among the world's 25 most populous countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Pakistan and Burma (Myanmar) had the most restrictions on religion in 2012,” the report stated. Pakistan had the highest level of social hostilities involving religion, while Egypt had the highest level of government restrictions on religious practice, Pew found. - CNS News: Pew Study: Christians Are The World’s Most Oppressed Religious Group

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