No free expression on public sidewalks in Concord
ADF-allied attorney files suit against city for highly restrictive policies against free speech on public sidewalks
Tuesday, November 22, 2005, 5:34 PM (MST)
ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020

"The First Amendment applies to all Americans, including those expressing their religious viewpoint while standing on public sidewalks," said ADF-allied attorney Rick Nelson of the American Liberties Institute based in Orlando, Fla.
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CONCORD, N.C. - An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney filed suit Monday in federal court against the city of Concord for its highly restrictive ordinances against public expression on community sidewalks and in public parks.

"The First Amendment applies to all Americans, including those expressing their religious viewpoint while standing on public sidewalks," said ADF-allied attorney Rick Nelson of the American Liberties Institute based in Orlando, Fla.  "The city's ordinances are clearly unconstitutional because they restrict the First Amendment rights of citizens in public areas traditionally open to free speech activities."

Nelson filed suit on behalf of three individuals after their family members and relatives were cited for alleged violations of the restrictions.  After the friends and relatives held an event on Oct. 14, two were fined $1,000 and one was fined $5,000.  The city's regulations call for incarceration for up to 30 days and fines up to $5,000 if just two people walk together on a public sidewalk or in a public park without first applying for a permit.

Nelson explained, "This restriction is absurd because it prohibits a family from taking an evening stroll in the city's parks or on the city's sidewalks without first applying for a permit."

The restrictions also prohibit any two people from gathering to make known any position without a permit, and picketing is banned in public parks and other areas where free speech is common in most cities.  The city also may censor any picket sign if city officials feel any words used might be "derogatory or defamatory in nature."

"The First Amendment does not permit government officials to censor speech it deems derogatory or defamatory," Nelson said.  "These restrictions are egregious.  They give the city far too much discretion in when and where to allow the free speech that the Constitution guarantees to all Americans who want to express their point of view in a public area.  Our clients are having their First Amendment rights chilled each day that these ordinances are enforced."

Along with the complaint in the case, Benham v. City of Concord, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Nelson also requested a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop the city from enforcing its ordinances while the lawsuit moves forward.  The court has set a hearing for Dec. 6 at the Greensboro federal courthouse.

Massive quake hits eastern China

Saturday 26 November 2005, 10:06 Makka Time, 7:06 GMT

At least 12 people have died and more than 400 were injured when an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale struck east China's Jiangxi province.

Xinhua news agency, which cited the Ministry of Civil Affairs, gave the official toll as of 11.55am (0355 GMT), three hours after the quake on Saturday morning.

The data seemed to tally with numbers provided by local officials talking to AFP by telephone.

"Six people were killed in Jiujiang county," a local official earlier said. "Another 247 were injured, and 8,072 buildings were toppled."

An official in nearby Ruichang city said five people had been killed there, while 39 were injured.

One fatality was recorded near the city of Wuxue, in neighbouring Hubei province, an official there said.

"The earthquake this morning was quite scary," said a shopkeeper in Ruichang reached by telephone who would only give her surname as Zhou.

Milder trembling that she assumed was an aftershock was felt again around 1pm (0500 GMT), Zhou said.

Many people in Ruichang, which has a population of about 420,000 people, were staying outside for fear of more aftershocks, Zhou added.

Tents were set up outside the local hospital, she said.


Temperatures in the region were relatively mild, hovering around 10 degrees Celsius, weather reports said.

The quake measured 5.7 on the Richter scale and struck at 8.49am (0049 GMT), the China National Seismic Observation Network said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

I'm having a wonderful experience with the blog - I'd never done it before but the set up was soooo easy I just "fell into it".... but I DO have a  

I signed up for a guestbook and was accepted, but now I don't know how to place the "guestbook" button on the blog page .... can anyone enlighten this computer illiterate?

Blessings-

ps: I'll need detailed instructions .....  

I know very little about the Blog Pages myself. I haven't set one up yet so I don't know if the guestbook can even be put on the blog page or not. I would suggest using the "contact us" located at the bottom of the blogs section. I am sure that you will get someone there that will be able to answer your questions on it.

ACLU Violating Students Free Speech

ACLU plans to sue over Jonesboro graduation speech

A graduation speech created an uproar, when the topic turned to God; the ACLU says it's a violation of the separation between church and state.

Before marching with the Jonesboro High class of 2005, Jessica Reed was president of fellowship of Christian Services.

"I'm here today to tell you that God is someone that he's amazing," said Reed in her May 20 speech.

But it wasn't until her final moments as a senior that Reed's religious convictions caused a legal controversy.

"If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour here's your chance," she said in that same speech.

Reed's altar call sparked outrage from the American Civil Liberties Union.

"They felt like there had been a violation of the first amendment separation of church and state with regard to a prayer," said Donn Mixon, the school district's attorney.

A letter from the Arkansas ACLU director urges parents to sue the school calling Reed's comments a blatant display of contempt for the first amendment.

Jonesboro's superintendent of schools admits Reed's comments violated separation of church and state guidelines but he also says schools cannot prohibit students from expressing their views solely because they're religious in nature.

"Our policy is not to recognize any particular religion or not to recognize religion period," Mixon said.

"All you have to do is give your heart to him and before we leave I want to give you all that opportunity," Reed said in her speech.

Reed now an ASU freshman says she can't comment on the matter.

Her former school district will have to clear up any confusion on the balance of civil rights in school.

Jonesboro Public School Administrators say there was a lapse in policy that won't happen again.  The district is also putting a review committee together to study current policies related to the first amendment.

Hi LittlePilgrim,

She believes that there is a demonic force at work within her.

In your earlier post this thread you said the above quote. We know from what we are told in the Bible that we cannot have an evil spirit within us at the same time that the Holy Spirit is there and we know that Jesus says that he will never leave us for we are sealed unto the day of redemption. The Bible does tell us however that we can be attacked and tempted by evil spirits from without. So it is quite possible that this is what was happening.

I will continue to keep her in prayer.

its the first name that came to my mind! Sorry its not that exciting!

Hi gracie21,

Welcome to Christians Unite. I think it's a beautiful name. The name comes from the word grace which means kindness,  beauty, pleasant or precious. So that means that you have a precious, beautiful name.

God's gift to us is called grace for this very reason .... it is a precious, beautiful gift. The most precious, beautiful gift of all.

I want to wish everyone at the forum a very Happy Thanksgiving.
I thank God for all the wonderful Christians here, and for all He's done for each and everyone of us.  

A happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone else on here also.

my daughter got in from Colorado safe and sound with my 4 grandchildren, thank you all for praying for her safe trip, she will be leaving on Saturday morning so please continue to pray that she will make it back home to Co. safe  

That is great news. Enjoy their visit as I am sure you will. I will definitely pray for their safe return home.

I was looking to see what ever happened with PR's brother? How is he doing? I pray that he's happily celebrating the holiday season with his family on earth, and preparing also for his ultimate home in heaven.

Blessings-

Thank you for asking. He is home and doing fine considering what he has gone through. He was able to go to his granddaughters birthday party a couple of days ago even though it wore him out.

He is planning on celebrating Thanksgiving with his wifes family this year. Fortunately it is a very short trip so I am sure he will do fine.

 

Rare seal bearing Jesus image found in Tiberias
By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent

A rare seal bearing a picture of Jesus on one side was discovered at an archeological dig in the old city of Tiberias on Thursday.

The other side of the seal, which dates from the sixth century, depicts a cross and bears the inscription "Christos."

The seal was discovered by two volunteers, employees of the American and British embassies.


Prof. Yizhar Hirschfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who is directing the dig, said the seal apparently belonged to a high-ranking church official, and indicated that the church in Tiberias "was stronger than we had thought."

 Quake jolts southwest of Iran
Tehran, Nov 23, IRNA

Iran-Quake
A tremor measuring 3.7 on the open-ended Richter scale hit the city of Chelgerd of Chaharmahal Bakhtiari Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Shahr-e Kord Seismological Center, affiliated to Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the quake occurred at 12:57 hours local time (09:27 GMT).

The tremor was centered in an area located 49.67 degrees longitude and 32.59 degrees latitude, the report added.

There are no reports of any casualty or damages.

Quakes of varying magnitudes often occur in Iran, which is situated on some of the world's most active seismic fault lines.

5.2 earthquake recorded in Unimak Island region

 According to the Associated Press, residents in the Felt Pass area of Unimak Island got a jolt this morning before their morning coffee.

The Alaska Earthquake Information center says a magnitude 5.2 earthquake was recorded just after six o'clock this morning. The quake was centered about 72 miles southwest of False Pass, at a depth of about five miles.

Officials say the earthquake was felt in False Pass. That's a community of about 60 people located on the eastern shore of Unimak Island, about 650 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Rockfall plumes draw attention to simmering volcano

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Rockfall at Mount St. Helens kicked up a dust plume Tuesday that rose above the rim of the volcano's crater, drawing attention in the region.

"It's a nice sunny day and we're having the first couple of rockfalls that we've had in a while that are putting little dust plumes over the crater rim," said U.S. Geological Survey geologist Seth Moran at the agency's Cascade Volcano Observatory here, about 50 miles south of the mountain that erupted to deadly effect in May 1980.

Seismic activity has continued at low levels, Moran said.

The white plume floating above the peak was raising concerns locally.

"When rockfalls go down they kick up a dust plume and people can see it - especially from Portland," Moran said.

Overcast weather had hidden the mountain for weeks.

"Any time you go through a pause" during which the mountain is not visible, people notice activity more when the peak comes back into view, Moran said.

Mount St. Helens rumbled back to life in September 2004 after years of quiet. In October a flow of molten rock reached the surface, marking a renewal of domebuilding activity that had stoppped in 1986.

The 1980 eruption killed 57 people, flattens forests and sent a river of hot mud and ash down the Toutle River Valley.

USGS and the University of Washington continue to monitor the mountain.

Scientists say a more explosive eruption, possibly dropping ash within a 10-mile radius of the crater, is possible at any time.

American Muslim student convicted on al-Qaeda charges
Last Updated Wed, 23 Nov 2005 06:13:55 EST
CBC News

A federal jury in Virginia deliberated for 2 ½ days before finding a Muslim student guilty of belonging to al-Qaeda and plotting to kill U.S. President George W. Bush and hijack aircraft.

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 24, faces life in prison at his sentencing on Feb. 17.

The U.S. citizen had claimed that officials in Saudi Arabia tortured him to extract a false confession to the charges.

Jurors who watched the videotaped confession did not accept his version of events.

It showed the defendant occasionally laughing and pretending to point a gun, as well as saying he hated his home country because of its support for Israel.

Notes provided by Saudi interrogators said Abu Ali had talked of several plots, including a plan to assassinate Bush.

"The evidence presented in this case firmly established Abu Ali as a dangerous terrorist who posed a grave threat to our national security," U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty said in a statement.

Abu Ali's lawyer said he will appeal Tuesday's verdict.

The young man was raised in the Virginia town of Falls Church, the son of a Jordanian father. He was attending an Islamic university in Saudi Arabia when he was arrested more than two years ago.

My prayers that you will find one soon.