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POPS"When Same-Sex Marriage Was a Christian Rite "
more (at source): Legend says that Bacchus appeared to the dying Sergius as an angel, telling him to be brave because they would soon be reunited in heaven. While the pairing of saints, particularly in the early Christian church, was not unusual, the association of these two men was regarded as particularly intimate. Severus, the Patriarch of Antioch (AD 512 - 518) explained that, "we should not separate in speech they who were joined in life". This is not a case of simple "adelphopoiia." In the definitive 10th century account of their lives, St. Sergius is openly celebrated as the "sweet companion and lover" of St. Bacchus. Sergius and Bacchus's close relationship has led many modern scholars to believe they were lovers. But the most compelling evidence for this view is that the oldest text of their martyrology, written in New Testament Greek describes them as "erastai,” or "lovers". In other words, they were a male homosexual couple. Their orientation and rel
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POPSRaping Women In the U.S. Military=Unimportant Spend 3 minutes of your time to watch this hair-raising video and then read the article. More from the article below: "By the Pentagon’s own estimate, as few as 10 percent of sexual assaults are reported, far lower than the percentage reported in the civilian world. Specialist Erica A. Beck, a mechanic and gunner who served in Diyala Province in Iraq this summer, recalled a sexual proposition she called “inappropriate” during her first tour in the country in 2006-7. “Not necessarily being vulgar, but he, you know, was asking for favors, she said".
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POPSBury My Heart at Wounded Knee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTmvrHoyMZ8 Buffy Sainte Marie sings my thought best! The killing of people and the earth has not stopped.
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POPSThe US Military Is Exhausted These troops refuse deployment for a variety of reasons: some because they ethically oppose the wars, some because they have had a negative experience with the military, and some because they cannot psychologically survive another deployment, having fallen victim to what has been termed "Broken Joe" syndrome. The voices of refusal coming from within the US military send a powerful message that soldiers will not be fodder for an unjust and unnecessary war. And the longer the war in Afghanistan drags on - the more lives that are lost and destroyed - the more resistance we will see coming from within the ranks.
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POPSReligious Christmas cake Now let's get the reporting accurate. Was he barred from the UK? Did he, or did he not graduate from university? Is it the same Security organisation who reported on Saddams' supposed WMD - in this man's case lessons in maths instruction - wants Carte Blanche on every former soldiers identity by forcing us all to carry dubious ID cards, and who couldn't sit straight in cinema if given a free ticket?
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POPSHey Buddy, Can You Spare $2 Billion? "The civilian component of what we're doing is critical to success for our country," Gates told U.S. soldiers in Kirkuk, Iraq, earlier this month, echoing a concern he has expressed frequently. "And, unfortunately, the civilian elements of our government -- the State Department, AID and so on -- have been starved of resources for decades." Starved!! .:lol:
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POPSHome Found In Narazeth It is a gift to me also to see the historical significance of what it means to follow Christianity. It poses the very important question: How did the religion of Jesus become pro-rich, pro-war and only pro-American? For Christians, it is a provocative question that should haunt us in what often seems to be a Christ-forgetting country.
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POPSIran: Government Mercenaries Beating Women Down In the Streets Government Mercenaries Attacking Women Iran Khabar Agency - December 26, 2009, 12:30 pm Atmosphere from Revolution Square to Azadi Square is very fiery. Many cars can be heard honking, and people show the victory sign. Vali Asr intersection is very crowded ******************************** مزدوران حكومتي هيچ حرمتي را درروز تاسوعا نگه نداشتند : حمله به زنان و دختران
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POPSGod Bless Our Troops I realized the families that I saw this night, owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight. Soon round the world, the children would play, and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day. They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year, because of the soldiers, like the one lying here. I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone, on a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home. The very thought brought a tear to my eye, I dropped to my knees and started to cry. The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice, "Santa don't cry, this life is my choice; I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more, my life is my God, my Country, My Corps." The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep, I couldn't control it, I continued to weep. I kept watch for hours, so silent and still and we both shivered from the cold night's chill.
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POPSCourt-martial warning for pregnant US soldiers It outlines some 20 barred activities. Most of them are aimed at keeping order and preventing criminal activity, such as selling a weapon or taking drugs, but apart from pregnancy includes a ban on elective surgery that would prevent their deployment. Under Gen Cucolo's order, troops also are prohibited from "sexual contact of any kind" with Iraqi nationals. And, they cannot spend the night with a member of the opposite sex, unless married or expressly permitted to do so.
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POPS2009 in photos (parts 1, 2 and 3!) A great collection of photos from The Boston Globe's "The Big Picture" feature. Please click through to the site for the lovely hi-res images and information on each one.
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POPSGloBull WARming Professor Michael Klare noted in 2007: Sixteen gallons of oil. That's how much the average American soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan consumes on a daily basis -- either directly, through the use of Humvees, tanks, trucks, and helicopters, or indirectly, by calling in air strikes. Multiply this figure by 162,000 soldiers in Iraq, 24,000 in Afghanistan, and 30,000 in the surrounding region (including sailors aboard U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf) and you arrive at approximately 3.5 million gallons of oil: the daily petroleum tab for U.S. combat operations in the Middle East war zone. And in 2008, Oil Change International released a report showing that: * The war is responsible for at least 141 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) since March 2003. To put this in perspective, CO2 released by the war to date equals the emissions from putting 25 million more cars on the road in the US this year. article continues...
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POPSThe Christmas Truce 1914 (A True Story) Go here to listen at storytellers: http://www.theamericanstoryteller.com/story-details.cfm?story=116 I love this story! Hope you like it. In our age of uncertainty, it's comforting to believe, regardless of the real reasoning and motives, that soldiers and officers told to hate, loathe and kill, could still lower their guns and extend the hand of goodwill, peace, love and Christmas cheer.
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POPSSend a message to the US troops Xerox is sponsoring Let's Say Thanks. I clipped some messages from soldiers that have received the postcards. It is easy to do. Select a drawing, select a message (or write your own) and type in your name and city. I encourage every Clipper, regardless of personal politics, to send a message of thanks for the brave men and women that are away from their families right now. It takes 10 seconds. Thanks!
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POPS14-Defining Characteristics of Fascism 3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc. 4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
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POPSSome Indians Find It Tough to Go Home Again 
“It seemed perfect,” he said recently of the job opportunity. It wasn’t. As Mr. Ayyadurai sees it now, his Western business education met India’s notoriously inefficient, opaque government, and things went downhill from there. Within weeks, he and his boss were at loggerheads. Last month, his job offer was withdrawn. Mr. Ayyadurai has moved back to Boston. In recent years, Mother India has welcomed back tens of thousands of former emigrants and their offspring. When he visited the United States this week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh personally extended an invitation “to all Indian-Americans and nonresident Indians who wish to return home.” But, like Mr. Ayyadurai, many Indians who spent most of their lives in North America and Europe are finding they can’t go home again. About 100,000 “returnees” will move from the United States to India in the next five years, estimates Vivek Wadhwa, a research associate at Harvard University who has studied the topic. These repats, as t
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POPSExclusive: Elite Special Forces in Afghanistan With Fox Embed 
“There’s a lot of different tools in our tool kit,” the Major said, “to influence the populace and to win over their support.” They also work closely with Afghan soldiers and elite commandos. Something that has gained in importance, as well. The Major and his colleagues have done that in South America, Africa and Asia. “We’ve already done that around the world,” he told Fox News. “Coming here and working with the government is nothing new to us.” Officials say high-level, irreconcilable Taliban and Al Qaeda figures still have to be killed or captured. Which is something the Major and his men have no problem with. TO VIEW VIDEOS --- LINK TO SITE HERE: http://bit.ly/8HpiHC “Without targeting the Taliban and providing security for the populace,” he says, “we’re a lot worse off.” And there are more commandos getting into the fight. Special Forces numbers have surged to a reported 5,000 in Afghanistan, with more expected -- if they clear the
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