Click to read full story from CNN
Authorities have shut down a global social networking-like site where members traded child porn, talked about their fantasies and traded tips about not getting caught, according to the Department of Justice.
The investigation into the site is ongoing, the agency said, and it is working with police officials from several countries to try to find members who haven't been identified. More than 50 people have been arrested around the world and 35 convicted since the 2008 start of the investigation, dubbed Operation Nest Egg, the Department of Justice said.
The members "participated in a sophisticated, password-protected Internet bulletin board group, which existed to allow members to meet like-minded individuals with a sexualized interest in children, to discuss that interest and to trade images of child pornography," according to court documents.
At one point, the site had more than 1,000 active members.
"The individuals who participated in this Internet-based bulletin board exploited the most innocent and vulnerable in our society," Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said.
The Department of Justice said the operation began by targeting 26 defendants who were charged in the Southern District of Indiana and then expanded to about 500 other individuals around the globe who were a part of the online group that was "dedicated to trading images of child pornography."
Most of the people charged are accused of conspiring to advertise and distribute child pornography, along with substantive counts of advertising and distributing child pornography.
Officials said the inquiry led them to further investigate some people for sexual abuse of children.
Click to read full story from World Net Daily
By Michael Carl
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
Officials at a New York middle school have decided a rosary could be a symbol of gang activity and have suspended a student for wearing one, but now a legal action is developing that will challenge the school's censorship.
Oneida Middle School officials say their district-wide police in the Schenectady Public School District bans any bandanas or other apparel – including beads – that can be associated with street gangs.
The result? The suspension of 13-year-old middle schooler Raymond Hosier, who chose to wear the rosary as a symbol of his faith and in honor of a deceased brother and uncle.
The American Center for Law and Justice now has confirmed officials have dispatched a letter to the school demanding the school allow the rosary, as protected by the First Amendment, or face a court challenge.
The ACLJ said the school system's dress code is too vague and that just about any clothing accessory could be labeled gang-related.
The dispute started last week when Hosier came to school wearing a rosary, and a principal ordered him to go home.
"A week ago, he was told to either remove the rosary or be sent home. The first day he was sent home. He returned back to school with the rosary, and the school district said he was suspended for two more days.
He said 'Fine, send me home,'" Jordan Sekulow of the ACLJ explained.
"Raymond goes home, the weekend comes and he came to school this week, and when he showed up with his rosary on, they said he was suspended indefinitely," Sekulow said.
Sekulow, the ACLJ's foreign affairs coordinator, said Hosier was just trying to do what he believes he should.
"You know, Raymond decided to take a stand. He's just 13 years old. He decided to take a stand and I don't think many 13-year-olds would be able to take a stand like that," Sekulow said. "He was clearly trying to do something here that his conscience was telling him to do."
"Raymond said he wasn't trying to start something, but the school officials targeted him specifically and came after him because of their policy on gang-related items including bandanas, colors, flags, and beads," Sekulow added.
Sekulow believes that if the issue goes to court as he expects, Hosier's suspension will not be the only issue that will be on trial. Sekulow believes that the district's dress code will also be on trial.
"The federal courts have been very leery of these school dress code policies that ban anything that could be related to gang imagery. If you look at their school policy, it's so broad that they go to the point where they are defining what is gang related," Sekulow added.
"In their definition, they can ban colors, flags, bandanas, and anything with beads. Let me read you the actual policy. Quoting directly, 'A student's dress shall not denote, represent or be deemed to be gang related, including but not limited to, bandanas, colors, flags or beads,'" Sekulow quoted.
"The school told him to take that (the rosary) off because it could be gang related," Sekulow stated.
"He said, 'Listen, I'm doing this for my uncle and my brother. I'm not doing this because I'm a member of a gang. Everyone knows I'm not a member of a gang,'" Sekulow quoted.
The ACLJ attorney added that Hosier had not been in trouble before.
"He's a good student. He's never been in any trouble. He's not a rabble rouser and he's not trying to start any controversy. He's not trying to start a religious trend. He only wanted to express his faith and honor his uncle and brother," Sekulow said.
Sekulow said this isn't the first time the Schenectady school system has been sued over the issue.
"In 2005 a 12-year-old girl (Raven Furbert) had family members serving in Iraq and she wore a red, white and blue beaded necklace and was told by the school to take it off," Sekulow said.
"She sued and the school had to settle out of court and that presumably means a monetary out of court settlement. The superintendent of the school district was an assistant superintendent then and he was named in the suit," Sekulow said.
Reading University's Mark Gasson conducted an experiment to show how radio frequency identity (RFID) chips could become electronically infected.
He explained to Rory Cellan-Jones the risks involved with the new technology including its effects on medical implants such as pacemakers.
Ronald Reagan was in the midst of a contentious economic summit in 1983 and so sent George H. W. Bush on his behalf.
Barack Obama wants to go on vacation — the second vacation he has had since oil began spilling out of the gulf. That’s okay though because the oil spilling is George W. Bush’s fault, just like all the new dead soldiers are George Bush’s fault too. Why should he care?
The problem for Barack Obama is simple.
The troops don’t like him no matter how much the White House propaganda machine tries to gin up staged pictures of Obama voting soldiers fawning all over him. But see the tepid response from cadets at West Point or talk privately with lots of soldiers and sailors and you get something else — they fundamentally do not respect their Commander in Chief.
There was no question they respected and loved Ronald Reagan. Same with George H. W. Bush, the last veteran of World War II to serve as President.
Obama? Not so much. And what does the left do when you point this out? They equate dead soldiers to political props/ Seriously.
By suggesting this President, in the midst of a war, should probably be going to Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day instead of taking his second vacation in a month, conservatives are somehow suggesting he use dead soldiers as political props.
After eight years of the left demanding publicity of flag draped coffins returning to Deleware from overseas to use as political props against George W. Bush, it is more than a little humorous to have the left now accuse the right of doing the same. It also ignores a fundamental point leftists too busy calling our soldiers “war criminals” and our dead soldiers “political props” miss — going to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns has nothing to do with using dead soldiers as political props and everything to do with a Commander in Chief who seems to not like the military showing some basic respect to the men and women, alive and dead, who have actually kept us free.
Obama may talk about the government in the first person, but the men and women lying at Arlington know differently.
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JMC Ministries Response
Written By Miranda Caverley
Should it really surprise us that our President would rather take a vacation during memorial day and in the midst of the worst oil spill ever in history along with all the other problems our country is facing? I don't think so.
Obama canceled the National Day of Prayer Ceremony at the White House This Month so it should not be a surprise that he is canceling all other events that all past Presidents have taken part in. Those who voted for our current leader voted for someone who does NOT care about anything that has to do with our country. He's more about trying to put the blame on past presidents and leaders for everything that is wrong with our country and so to avoid dealing with anything it seems he takes a 2nd vacation trip in just 2 months. What a way to use our Tax dollars Mr. President Great Job!
As the wife of a Veteran of our Current War and the granddaughter of a Korean War Veteran I feel Mr. Obama has NO respect for our service men and women. I am happy that my Grandfather is no longer alive to see what this country has become that he fought for because he would be heart broken.
But for us that are still alive we must keep fighting against those who are trying to take everything away that our armed service men and women have fought and died for since the Revolutionary War. FREEDOM!
President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Why? Honestly I have no idea because he is doing NOTHING to promote peace he is sending more and more of our troops to fight and protect our borders. To fight in Afghanistan, and just the other day made the statement that the U.S will help fight against North Korea to protect South Korea from being attacked again after North Korea Sank one of South Korea's Ships. He keeps placing our troops into harms way and won't even acknowledge them on Memorial day for all they have done and sacrificed. That should make us all boiling mad!
We as Christians need to lift up our Service men and women in prayer and support those who are fighting right now to protect us from terror and those who seek to destroy our freedoms. Because it is obvious that our Current President sure isn't going to do it.
Click to read original Article from NBC 4i.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A teenage girl who converted to Christianity and ran away from her Ohio home alleging she would be harmed has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing surgery.
Rifqa Bary, who fled Ohio last year and stayed with a Florida minister she met on Facebook, is scheduled for an operation for uterine cancer Thursday.
Jamal Jivanjee, a Florida minister and friend of the girl, says Bary is expected to need several rounds of chemotherapy after the surgery.
The 17-year-old girl from suburban Columbus returned to Ohio earlier this year and has been in foster care while a judge tries to reconcile Bary and her family.
Bary's Muslim parents deny allegations she would have been harmed and police found no evidence she was in danger in Ohio.
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JMC Ministries Response
We have been following and sharing articles about Rifqa since her story broke over a year ago. This young woman has been through so much and now is facing this battle with Cancer.
We just lift Rifqa up in prayer that God heal her body and restore her to health. We also pray that this battle she is continuing to go through with her family and fearing for her life because she converted to Christianity will be worked out and that peace can come to this family.
JMC Ministries will continue to share news about Rifqa as this story unfolds. We are praying for you Rifqa and may God Bless you.
