But One Of A Multitude.. Politics On Facebook

To preserve the privacy of those involved, I've decided to use only the first name of those involved in the debate.


This debate was sparked by one mans posting an image of Barack Obama with the slogan, "He is getting my vote in 2012."


The beginning of the debate has been edited out, as we at Sins-Diatribes found the contents meaningless, and quite frankly, childish.


All quotations are presented verbatim -- so please forgive us at Sins-Diatribes for any and all spelling and grammatical errors presented.

Matthew: "No I see both sides and make a sound decision. I know the what the the GOP did to our country. I will never ever want republicans in control again. They are liars who only care about the rich and corporations. They will distort and lie to accomplish their goals. Just look at Fox News. Enough said. I never ever want to be apart of that."

Stephen: "again, you are brainwashed by the liberal idiots, just keep blaming bush, thats all you and them know how to do, oblowma cant hide his bullshit anymore"

Matthew: "im not blaming anyone. He did it. Why should I forget and blame someone who is trying to fix someone else's mistakes. Your logic does not make anysense. All I hear from you is One and Done. Its stupid and shows how little you know. Your like a mouth piece for Fox News. Its sad that rural America buys into that nonsense."

Sin: "Matt, your claim that the GOP "... will distort and lie to accomplish their goals" , pertains just as much to Obama and the Democrats as it does to the G.O.P --- After all, Obama was elected on the premise that our troops would be brought home and the unnecessary war would be ended... Obama lied. 

Not only did he send more troops, but he, against the guidelines of the Constitution, started a bombing campaign of Libya -- a country who has been a puppet of Americas for the last 15 years."

As long as the American public continues to side with either party they will continue to be sheep. Americans need to realize neither party has the interest of the general public in mind when making decisions. Both cater to the rich and corporations. The two party system must end before America can make any progress in rectifying the wrongs that have led our country astray since as early as Wilsons presidency -- if not before.

For every GOP President you name that has mishandled and mismanaged this country during their Presidential reign, I can counter with a Democrat President who is guilty of the same charges.

Stephen: "Finally ,, someone that sees the truth,, I dont support either side, I want them ALL GONE!!! I,m not a Bush supporter, but I am not going to blame everything,, oblowma wastes 17 trillion, and its Bushs fault,, An earthquake happens and its Bushs fault ,, (911 happens,, katrina, the war, and its all Bushs fault,,, when does oblowma take any responsibility for anything ??? Nope he just blames everything on Bush,,, So the floods n tornadoes are bushs fault too,, RIGHT,, They must be because oblowma isint doing ANYTHING about it ,, especially in Texas,, where he KNOWS,, he wont get any votes,, oblowm is a typical liar ,,, scumbag,,, politican !!!!!! ONE N DONE !!!!!"

Sin: "Well, our foreign policy has been leading us into unnecessary wars since Polk sent us to war against Mexico in the Mexican-American war.

I do blame the Iraq-Afghanistan invasions on Bush -- but this does not take anything away from the fact that Obama lied about pulling our troops to get elected.

Both were complicit in the Bail Outs and stimulus that served no purpose, other than to make the rich richer and further burden the backbone of America -- the middle class.

But, as I said, this type of Presidential behavior has been going on for well over a hundred years, and it's unfortunate more Americans don't take the time out to make themselves aware of it." 

Stephen: "Bush had to do SOMETHING after 911, and getting saddam wasnt a bad thing, he needed to be dealt with and drawing the terrorists into Iraq to kill them on a battlefield we were already equiped to fight on made sence, we had to go after them. We couldnt just sit idle n take it, the message had to be sent, I think , given the ciecumstances , he did the right thing"

Sin: "I couldn't disagree more.

What many people fail to realize is that Saddam Hussein repressed Islamic Fundamentalists in Iraq. Saddam had absolutely no use for religion whatsoever, especially of the fundamentalist kind.

1/3rd of his cabinet was Coptic Christians, a religion that is now being targeted in a post-Saddam Iraq.

Terrorists did not support Saddam and would not come to his aid. The simple fact is they disliked him as much as they dislike America -- but for different reasons.

The problem is not, as Fox news reports, that Islamic Fundamentalist "..hate our freedom and liberty." The problem is our unending devotion to the state of Israel. That is why Muslims dislike America. This can be summarized as "Blowback", a term that was first used by the C.I.A in 1954 -- it was a term used to describe the potential repercussions of Americas foreign policy -- more importantly, of the missions the C.I.A was carrying out overseas.

Saddam possessed absolutely zero Weapons of Mass Destruction... The fact is the only W.M.D's he ever possessed were given to him by America during the Iraq-Iran war. After the Gulf War(another unjust war) Saddam started to destroy every W.M.D in his possession to appease America. He never wanted war with America and quite frankly, he was terrified of it.

If America truly wanted peace with the Islamic fundamentalist, it would stop meddling around in the affairs of the middle east.

It's time we bring our troops home."

Stephen: "saddam needed to go, he was murdering his own people, and the C I A has proof that he hid the weapons in syria,, He was also funding terrorism,, U cant just sit n wait for this to happen again,, Ther is no appeasing these maniacs, we have to kill them,, or they will kill us."

Sin: "You are giving in way too easily to rhetoric, my friend.

Where is the proof Saddam hid weapons in Syria? Why are we not then, invading Syria? Is it because Syria is our supposed ally? The claim that Syria was hiding weapons for Suddam came from Ariel Sharon, the then prime minister of Israel -- perhaps one of the greatest terrorist to ever live. Unfortunately for your arguments sake, there is no factual evidence to support your claim whatsoever.

Whether or not Saddam was killing his own people (which I disagree upon) -- America has no right constitutionally to attack, or invade, his country.

This whole concept of "nation building" was created by Bill Clinton and it is utterly ridiculous and completely un-American. It is not Americas job to police the world.

Saddam did not fund terrorism, period. If anything, he was totally anti-terrorists. Terrorist, or Islamic fundamentalist (according to the government), were punished in Iraq if found. Saddam had absolutely no use for religious fundamentalists, as I've stated previously.

Furthermore, your last statements wreaks of anti-American sentiment. "We have to kill them, or they will kill us." You sound eerily similar to Nazi and/or Stalinist Russia propaganda machines.

The simple fact is, the Islamic middle eastern countries dislike us because our continued support of the state of Israel and our constant meddling around in their affairs (Refer to the Shah in Iran)...

It's simple -- leave them alone, and they will leave us alone.

Ibid, it is not Americas job to police the world."

Stephen: "wrong,,they started the war, 911, we are at war, wether YOU want to be or not, Leave them alone and they will kill us, its that simple, I hope you never lose a loved one in a terror attack"

Sin: "It's unfortunate the government is able to manipulate people with your mind set, Stephen. You think you are being nationalistic and showing American Pride -- but you are being manipulated.

What you're saying is the polar opposite of what America is about. Preemptive strikes are against the constitution.

You are stereotyping a people based on their religion and claiming, "We need to kill them all..." Do you know who else was guilty of this? Adolf Hitler.

I will rephrase your closing statement and present it to you... I hope you never lose a loved one who is in the military fighting an unjustifiable war we will never see victory in -- unlike the families of all those listed here:"

http://antiwar.com/casualties/list.php

Stephen: "wrong again, they- ( the terrorists) will kill us, fight fire with fire,, or they will kill us, They started it,, we will finish it,, end of conversation,, nobody is manipulating me,,"

 Sin: "Yet you refuse you answer even my most basic of questions. It's pointless to continue this conversation with you. Sadly, the simple fact is, you are the cliche that is the Ignorant American -- and unfortunately for this country, you are but one of a multitude."

Carter On Israel

LONDON - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says Israel has a nuclear arsenal of 150 weapons, The Times of London reported Monday.

While experts have long maintained Israel has a nuclear arsenal, the Jewish state has refused to confirm or deny it.

Most estimates, many based on evidence leaked in 1986 by Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu, put the number of Israeli nuclear weapons at between 100 and 200. But other experts have said the number is as low as 60 or as high as 400.

While this is not news to us at Sins Diatribes, some may find this to be quite interesting. The fact that America will attempt to wage wars on various nations for even attempting to gain possession of Nuclear Technology -- while our so called "ally" continues to stockpile their arsenal, is nothing short of absurd.

Einstein Letter Dismissing God Sells For $330,000

A letter written by Albert Einstein in which he dismissed belief in God as a “product of human weaknesses” was auctioned off Thursday for more than $330,000 US, destroying previous selling records of letters by the renowned physicist.

The letter, written in German in 1954 to philosopher Eric Gutkind, was sold in London, England, by Bloomsbury Auctions to a private collector. It had initially been expected to fetch between $12,000 US and $16,000 US.

“It beats the world record for an Einstein letter by about four times," managing director Rupert Powell told the Guardian newspaper. "It's a massive difference."

In the letter, Einstein writes "the word 'God' is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish."

Einstein, who was Jewish, also rejects the notion that Jews were God’s chosen people

"For me, the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," he wrote.

He added that "the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong, and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity, have no different quality for me than all other people.

“As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise, I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."

Einstein's religious and spiritual beliefs have been the subject of much speculation by both believers and skeptics.

Moments like these make me wish I had money.

The 60th Anniversary Of The Nation Of Israel.

While the Zionist are celebrating the 60 Anniversary of their Nation. We at Sins-Diatribes have decided to spend the time mourning the poor Palestinians who were unjustly expelled from their land, and/or injured or killed during the founding of the State of Israel.


On May 15, Israel will celebrate its 60th anniversary. Palestinians around the world will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba or the “Catastrophe.” Among other things, Al-Nakba marks the forced expulsion and destitution of 750,000 Palestinians from their indigenous homeland and the destruction of 418 villages in 1948. Its aftermath effectively decimated Palestinian identity, culture and life.

While Israelis are exhorted to remember this day and mark the sixth decade of Israel’s creation and independence as a celebratory occasion, Palestinians are encouraged to forget their past and their historic link with their homeland.

We’re instructed to concede to traditional Zionist myths that have depicted the land of Palestine as empty prior to the arrival of Zionist settlers. We’re expected to accept that Israel’s creation did not alter or disrupt the lives of the land’s indigenous Palestinian inhabitants.

Today, we’re reminded Israel is the only country anxious for peace with its Palestinian and Arab neighbors. We’re told the building of the apartheid wall upon Palestinian territories, the repeated military incursions into the West Bank and Gaza, the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories in contravention of international law, the displacement of Palestinians through the confiscation of ID cards and the targeting and collective punishment of Palestinian civilians—including the latest massacre on Gaza, which resulted in the death of at least 106 Palestinian civilians—are all justifiable and “measured” acts. We’re pressured to ignore the current state of colonization and occupation and focus instead on unbalanced attempts at peace and reconciliation that privilege Israeli security over Palestinian sovereignty and human rights, including their UN-sanctioned right of return.

Ironically, in the U.S., it’s no longer possible to celebrate Columbus Day without acknowledging the considerable toll of European settlement. Likewise, 1948 shouldn’t be celebrated as a realization of a dream without recognizing its catastrophic consequences for Palestinians. Yet Israel continually refuses to acknowledge any culpability for Palestinians’ plight.

One can only celebrate the creation of the Israeli state through the deliberate burying of the following historical facts: that the creation of the Israeli state was made possible at the expense of the indigenous population; that its creation was legitimized through racist Zionist narratives that depicted Palestinians in the words of Zionist leader Moshe Smilansky as “semi-savage” and incapable of self-governance; that it actively engages in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Palestine through expulsion, massacre and state terrorism; that Israeli “democracy” privileges its Jewish citizens and actively discriminates against Palestinians; that it has left Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza cut off economically and politically; and finally that Israel continues to employ racist and exclusionary legislative policies that prevent the seven million Palestinians living in the diaspora from returning to their homeland.

Palestinians will mark the 60th anniversary of Israel’s creation by remembering these painful historic facts. They will remember the names of the villages that were destroyed, record the names of those who were killed and lament the loss of their inherent right to a dignified life in their homeland. They will challenge efforts to deny Israeli abuses of Palestinian human rights and oppose attempts to silence Israel’s critics by deliberately conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. They will recognize the contributions and sacrifices of those Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation and languish in refugee camps. They will speak against Israel’s present and continuing crimes in the West Bank and Gaza. When 1.4 million Palestinian women, men and children living in Gaza are deprived of water, electricity and medical care and are subject to brutal military attacks, how can we ignore the pain and suffering the formation of the state of Israel has wrought on Palestinians?

Palestinians everywhere will mark May 15 by celebrating the enduring spirit of Palestinian resistance. They will remember by engaging their communities, by educating others about their plight and by working in solidarity with other marginalized indigenous groups in Canada and elsewhere. They will remember Al Nakba by asserting their right to remember Palestine.

Acts of remembrance involve a conscious effort to resist erasures or commit them.

How will you choose to remember Palestine?

Target Appeases Muslim Workers

MINNEAPOLIS - Muslim cashiers at some local Target stores who object to ringing up products that contain pork are being shifted to other positions where they don’t need to, the discount retailer said Saturday.

The Star Tribune reported this past week that some Muslim cashiers at local Targets had declined to scan pork products such as bacon because doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs. They would ask other cashiers to ring up such purchases, or sometimes customers would scan those items themselves, the newspaper reported.

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. has now offered its local Muslim cashiers who object to handling pork the option of wearing gloves while cashiering, shifting to other positions or transferring to other nearby stores.

“We are confident that this is a reasonable solution for our guests and team members,” Target spokeswoman Paula Thornton-Greear said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Greear said it was a localized problem and that it would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

“It is not an issue in most of our stores in the Twin Cities,” she said in separate comments via e-mail. “There is also no indication that this is an issue in the Minnesota market overall or nationwide.”

I don't think it's an over-reaction to be absolutely appalled, disgusted, and downright distraught over such a thing as this. The primary reason immigrants in America have been successful, and consequently, America has been successful, is because immigrants in the past have conformed to the ideal America has presented.

What pains me most when reading a piece of news such as this -- is that these Muslims were very well aware that their job entitled them to not only scan, but also to bag groceries and/or meats that may compromise their belief system. That Target, a "Super Store", would bow to these Muslims in this regard is beyond rationale.

These employees should, like any American, do the job -- or get fired.

...On P.E.T.A

NORFOLK, Va. — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking the suspension of Eight Belles' jockey after the filly had to be euthanized following her second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Gabriel Saez was riding Eight Belles when she broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track.

PETA faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky's racing authority claiming the filly was "doubtlessly injured before the finish" and asked that Saez be suspended while Eight Belles' death is investigated.

"What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?" PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. "If he didn't then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."

Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones said the filly was clearly happy when she crossed the finish line.

"I don't know how in the heck they can even come close to saying that," Jones told The Associated Press on Sunday. "She has her ears up, clearly galloping out."

Guillermo said if Saez is found at fault, the group wants the second- place prize of $400,000 won by Eight Belles to be revoked.

Saez, a 20-year-old Panama native, was riding in his first Kentucky Derby. He frequently rides for Jones.

A call to the jockeys' room at Delaware Park, where Saez raced on Sunday, went unanswered.

Eight Belles, the first filly since 1999 to run in the Derby, appeared fine until collapsing while galloping out after the finish.

The letter to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority also sought a ban on whipping, limits on races and the age of racehorses, and a move to softer, artificial surfaces for all courses.

Naturally I am sympathetic to the cause of respecting animals - and to the horse that was needlessly euthanized. However, it would seem the hypocrisy and cruelty of P.E.T.A goes beyond whatever good deeds it may perform. For instance:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a group that complains bitterly when animals die accidentally in horse races or intentionally in slaughterhouses, killed more than 90 percent of the adoptable animals in its care during 2007.

Last year, PETA wrangled with the Virginia government for nine months before its 2006 records were finally made public. In a cynical bid to hide the outrageous percentage of animals that wind up in their giant walk-in freezer, PETA's leaders tried to lump the pets they spayed or neutered in with those they took in for more than an hour. That squabbling continues, but this year we decided not to wait for the dust to settle.

Instead, with the help of Virginia's public records law, we did a little digging. Responding to our formal legal request, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has released PETA's 2007 "Animal Record" report. Although VDACS itself has still not relased this report, we're making it available to the general public.

PETA claims to be dedicated to protecting animals and treating them "ethically"—it’s right there in the group’s name. But killing animals that could otherwise be placed in adoptive homes isn’t terribly ethical, especially for a group whose $30 million annual income is more than enough to do the right thing instead.

In comparison, the Virginia Beach SPCA, right down the road from PETA’s Norfolk headquarters, managed to adopt out almost 70% of the animals in its care last year. And it did it on a relative shoestring budget.

Adding PETA's 2007 numbers to the mix, we can now document that the group has put down over 19,200 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens. While it's possible that some of these animals were too broken or sick to be rehabilitated, humane societies in Virginia managed to save an average of nearly 65 percent of their animals in 2007. PETA found adoptive homes for less than 1 percent.

One wishes that the members of P.E.T.A would admit to their own unethical treatment of animals before criticizing others. To quote the man they call Christ, "How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." [Luke 6:41-43]

Infant Dies, Given Prayer Instead Of Medicine

Ava Worthington is dead. She was only 15 months old when she died. The people responsible are her parents, who relied only on prayer as their child expired before their eyes. The question is whether they deserve to be put on trial for doing so. I think they do.

Ava succumbed on March 2 to bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection, problems easily treated with antibiotics. But Ava’s parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington of Oregon City, Ore., do not believe in antibiotics. As Ava struggled for days to breathe, her parents prayed, never calling a doctor, an ambulance or 911.

The Worthingtons belong to a small fundamentalist sect, The Followers of Christ Church. The Followers believe that faith will heal all and that death, if it comes, it is God’s will.

In fact, death has come often to the children of the Followers. Before Ava, other children died in circumstances where simple, well-proven medical treatments might have saved them. According to an investigative report done some years back by Mark Larabee of The Oregonian newspaper, at least 38 young children lie in graves in the church’s cemetery in Oregon City. And the Followers have reported a suspiciously high number of stillborn deaths in recent years.

Ava Worthington is not the only child to become a victim of prayer in recent weeks. Madeline Neumann, 11, of Weston, Wis., died March 23 from an easily treatable form of diabetes after her parents chose to rely on prayer. According to news reports, Madeline spent a month suffering from nausea, excessive thirst, vomiting and and loss of mobility before she died.

So far, nothing has been done to punish the Neumanns. Rarely do the authorities take action, because many states have laws that permit exceptions to required medical care if prayer is involved. That sad circumstance may be about to change.

Oregon authorities have charged the Worthingtons with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment in connection with Ava’s death. They should. Not to punish her parents but to make it clear that Americans will not tolerate the neglect and abuse of children in the name of religion.

Any adult has and should have the right to refuse medical care. That option is sometimes chosen by Jehovah’s witnesses who refuse blood transfusions, Christian Scientists who prefer to rely on faith, or others who don’t want to use Western medicine and would rather follow another healing philosophy.

Such decisions make little sense in light of the data showing the ability of modern medicine to treat diabetes, acute trauma, deadly infections, and other life-threatening diseases and injuries. But they are decisions that ought to be respected nonetheless. The same legal and public policy stance should not extend to children.

Parents do not have the right to watch a child wither away while they pray. Parents do not have the right to watch a child convulse in pain while they pray. Parents should understand that if a child is in agony, if a child is slowly dying before their eyes, that they have an absolute duty, the same as any other parent — religious or not — to call the police, an ambulance or emergency services.

Society must make the protection of children a core value. The way to do that is to make it clear that child neglect is still neglect, even when performed under the cover of religious faith. So, the authorities in Oregon should prosecute Ava’s parents. It is important, even if they never serve a day in jail.

We need to send the right message to parents — you can rely on prayer, but not when your child’s life clearly hangs in the balance. When it comes to children, faith must have limits.

Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., is director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

I rest my case.

The United States For Israel

Under a 1975 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the USA guaranteed all Israel's oil needs in the event of a crisis. This Memorandum of Understanding is quietly renewed every five years. It commits U.S. taxpayers to maintain a strategic U.S. reserve for Israel, equivalent to $3 billion in 2002 dollars. Special legislation was enacted to exempt Israel from restrictions on oil exports from the USA. Moreover, the U.S. government agreed to divert oil from the USA, even if this causes domestic shortages. The U.S. government also guaranteed delivery of oil in U.S. tankers if commercial shippers become unable or unwilling to carry oil from the USA to Israel.

Memorandum of Agreement between the Governments of the United States of America and Israel - Oil, March 26, 1979

The oil supply arrangement of September 1, 1975, between the Governments of the United States and Israel, annexed hereto, remains in effect. A memorandum of agreement shall be agreed upon and concluded to provide an oil supply arrangement for a total of 15 years, including the 5 years provided in the September 1, 1975 arrangement.

The memorandum of agreement, including the commencement of this arrangement and pricing provisions, will be mutually agreed upon by the parties within sixty days following the entry into force of the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel.

It is the intention of the parties that prices paid by Israel for oil provided by the United States hereunder shall be comparable to world market prices current at the time of transfer, and that in any event the United States will be reimbursed by Israel for the costs incurred by the United States in providing oil to Israel hereunder.

Experts provided for in the September 1, 1975 arrangement will meet on request to discuss matters arising under this relationship.

The United States administration undertakes to seek promptly additional statutory authorization that may be necessary for full implementation of this arrangement.

M. Dayan
For the Government of Israel

Cyrus R. Vance [at the time, Secretary of State]
For the Government of the United States
Annex to the Memorandum of Agreement concerning 0il

ANNEX

Israel will make its own independent arrangements for oil supply to meet its requirements through normal procedures. In the event Israel is unable to secure its needs in this way, the United States Government, upon notification of this fact by the Government of Israel, will act as follows for five years, at the end of which period either side can terminate this arrangement on one-year's notice.

(a) If the oil Israel needs to meet all its normal requirements for domestic consumption is unavailable for purchase in circumstances where no quantitative restrictions exist on the ability of the United States to procure oil to meet its normal requirements, the United States Government will promptly make oil available for purchase by Israel to meet all of the aforementioned normal requirements of Israel. If Israel is unable to secure the necessary means to transport such oil to Israel, the United States Government will make every effort to help Israel secure the necessary means of transport.

(b) If the oil Israel needs to meet all of its normal requirements for domestic consumption is unavailable for purchase in circumstances where quantitative restrictions through embargo or otherwise also prevent the United States from procuring oil to meet its normal requirements, the United States Government will promptly make oil available for purchase by Israel in accordance with the International Energy Agency conservation and allocation formula, as applied by the United States Government, in order to meet Israel's essential requirements. If Israel is unable to secure the necessary means to transport such oil to Israel, the United States Government will make every effort to help Israel secure the necessary means of transport.

Israeli and United States experts will meet annually or more frequently at the request of either party, to review Israel's continuing oil requirement.

Source: Israeli Foreign Ministry

One can't help but wonder how our great country can continually fund the state of Israel(65 Billion$ and counting) while our infrastructure continues to collapse, recession looms, and THEIR war is being fought with our soldiers lives.

Behold! The Future Of America

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- A couple fighting about which gang their 4-year-old toddler should join caused a public disturbance that resulted in the father's arrest, Commerce City police said Thursday.

On Saturday, Joseph Manzanares stormed into the Hollywood Video store where his girlfriend worked, threatened to kill her and knocked over several video displays and even a computer, Commerce City police Sgt. Joe Sandoval said.

After he ran out of the store, police were called and the 19-year-old was arrested at his home.

His girlfriend told police that they had been arguing about the upbringing of their son and which gang he should belong to. The teen mother, who is black, is a member of the Crips. Manzanares is Hispanic and belongs to the Westside Ballers gang, the woman said.

"They have different ideas on how the baby should be raised. Basically, she said they cannot agree on which gang the baby would 'claim,'" Sandoval said.

Manzanares was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, and domestic violence. He was transported to the Adams County Detention Facility.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a year of probation. The misdemeanor harassment charge was dropped.

Such vulgar decadence leaves one questioning, "Is man truly the rational animal?"

"Prayer Works!" -- Says Who?

From the actual research article in the American Heart Journal:

Methods
Patients at 6 US hospitals were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: 604 received intercessory prayer after being informed that they may or may not receive prayer; 597 did not receive intercessory prayer also after being informed that they may or may not receive prayer; and 601 received intercessory prayer after being informed they would receive prayer. Intercessory prayer was provided for 14 days, starting the night before CABG [coronary artery bypass graft]. The primary outcome was presence of any complication within 30 days of CABG. Secondary outcomes were any major event and mortality.

Results
In the 2 groups uncertain about receiving intercessory prayer, complications occurred in 52% of patients who received intercessory prayer versus 51% of those who did not. Complications occurred in 59% of patients certain of receiving intercessory prayer compared with the 52% of those uncertain of receiving intercessory prayer. Major events and 30-day mortality were similar across the 3 groups.

Conclusions
Intercessory prayer itself had no effect on complication-free recovery from CABG, but certainty of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with a higher incidence of complications.

"Patients who received prayers were marginally more likely to develop complications (52.5 to 50.9 percent) and substantially more likely to develop major complications (18.0 to 13.4 percent) than patients who received none."

Well, it would appear in this case, that "Goddidntdoit!"

Baby Born With 2 Faces, Worshiped

SAINI SUNPURA, India - A baby with two faces was born in a northern Indian village, where she is doing well and is being worshiped as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess, her father said Tuesday.

The baby, Lali, apparently has an extremely rare condition known as craniofacial duplication, where a single head has two faces. Except for her ears, all of Lali's facial features are duplicated — she has two noses, two pairs of lips and two pairs of eyes.

"My daughter is fine — like any other child," said Vinod Singh, 23, a poor farm worker.

Lali has caused a sensation in the dusty village of Saini Sunpura, 25 miles east of New Delhi. When she left the hospital, eight hours after a normal delivery on March 11, she was swarmed by villagers, said Sabir Ali, the director of Saifi Hospital.

"She drinks milk from her two mouths and opens and shuts all the four eyes at one time," Ali said.

Rural India is deeply superstitious and the little girl is being hailed as a return of the Hindu goddess of valor, Durga, a fiery deity traditionally depicted with three eyes and many arms.

It speaks volumes in terms of a cultures progression when they continually worship those born with deformities.

Prayer Healing?

WESTON, Wis. - Police are investigating an 11-year-old girl's death from an undiagnosed, treatable form of diabetes after her parents chose to use prayer rather than medicine to heal her.

An autopsy showed that Madeline Neumann died Sunday of diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that left too little insulin in her body, Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said.

She had probably been ill for about a month, suffering symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness, the chief said Wednesday, noting that he expects to complete the investigation by today and to forward the results to the district attorney.

The girl's mother, Leilani Neumann, said that the family believes in the Bible and that healing comes from God, but she said they do not belong to an organized religion or faith, are not fanatics and have nothing against doctors.

She insisted that her youngest child, a wiry girl known to wear her straight brown hair in a ponytail, was in good health until recently.

"We just noticed a tiredness within the past two weeks," she said Wednesday. "And then just the day before and that day [she died], it suddenly just went to a more serious situation. We stayed fast in prayer then. We believed that she would recover. We saw signs that, to us, it looked like she was recovering."

Her daughter - who hadn't seen a doctor since she got some shots as a 3-year-old, according to Vergin - had no fever and there was warmth in her body, she said.

The girl's father, Dale Neumann, a former police officer, said that he started CPR "as soon as the breath of life left" his daughter's body.

Family members elsewhere called authorities to seek help for the girl.

"My sister-in-law, she's very religious, she believes in faith instead of doctors," the girl's aunt told a sheriff's dispatcher Sunday afternoon in a call from California. "And she called my mother-in-law today . . . and she explained to us that she believes her daughter's in a coma now and she's relying on faith."

The dispatcher got more information from the caller and asked if an ambulance should be sent.

"Please," the woman replied. "I mean, she's refusing. She's going to fight it. . . . We've been trying to get her to take her to the hospital for a week, a few days now."

The aunt called back with more information on the family's location, emergency logs show. Police and paramedics arrived within minutes and immediately called for an ambulance that took her to a hospital.

But less than an hour after authorities reached the home, Madeline - a bright student who left public school for home schooling this semester - was declared dead.

She is survived by her parents and three older siblings.

"We are remaining strong for our children," Leilani Neumann said. "Only our faith in God is giving us strength at this time."

The Neumanns said they moved from California to a modern, middle-class home in woodsy Weston, just outside Wassau in central Wisconsin, about two years ago to open a coffee shop and be closer to other relatives. A basketball hoop is set up in the driveway.

Leilani Neumann said that she and her husband are not worried about the investigation because "our lives are in God's hands. We know we did not do anything criminal. We know we did the best for our daughter we knew how to do." *

There is something wrong with this picture -- I think it's prayer.