The Big B Files Hodgepodge . . .The “What the ______ !?!”Edition

The Big B Files Hodgepodge . . that is the subject of this Big B File.

    In this Big B File, I am going to share with you a number of things that we have heard on the news, on the internet, on radio talk shows that might make you go “What the __________!?!” by the time you are done reading them.
    ”What the __________!?!” number one.  this week has been Srew-ups-R-Us Week for media and politicians.  and it all started with President George W. Bush on the South Lawn of the White House when he said this:

Iraq and the War on Terrorism . . . A New Unpublicized Report

Iraq and the War on Terrorism. . .that’s the subject of this Big B File.        

    A report, the Country Reports on Terrorism 2006, that was released yesterday afternoon by the U.S. State Department said that the largest portion of ALL terrorist Attacks that took place in 2006 occurred in Iraq . . .Iraq!   Even the State Department (who contains bureaucrats who do everything they can to undermine this country) said that Iraq was still the Central Front on the Global War on Terror. The report said the following on Iraq (excerpts):

The Great Big B Files Pyramid Puzzle 1.0 . . .The Answers!

      As Promised . . . Here are the answers. First of all, below is shown how the puzzle breaks down by word and Phrase Every other Phrase (starting with the Second Phrase is in Blue) and every other word (starting with the first word) has the background highlighted in Light Green.
      Those of who are Catholics (especially the Devout Catholics) are going to be kicking yourselves (figuratively speaking) after you see the answers:

O

UR

FAT

HERW

HOART

INHEAV

ENHALLO

WEDBETH

YNAMETHY

KINGDOMCO

METHYWILLB

EDONEONEART

HASITISINHEA

VENGIVEUSTHIS

DAYOURDAILYBRE

ADANDFORGIVEUSO

URTRESPASSESASWE

FORGIVETHOSEWHOT

RESPASSAGAINSTUSA

NDLEADUSNOTINTOTEM

PTATIONBUTDELIVERUS

FROMEVILAMENHAILMARY

FULLOFGRACETHELORDISW

ITHYOUBLESSEDAREYOUAMO

NGWOMENANDBLESSEDISTHEF

RUITOFYOURWOMBJESUSHOLYM

ARYMOTHEROFGODPRAYFORUSSI

NNERSNOWANDATTHEHOUROFOURD

EATHAMENIBELIEVEINGODTHEFAT

HERALMIGHTYCREATOROFHEAVENAN

DEARTHIBELIEVEINJESUSCHRISTHI

SONLYSONOURLORDHEWASCONCEIVEDB

YTHEPOWEROFTHEHOLYSPIRITANDBORN

OFTHEVIRGINMARYHESUFFEREDUNDERPO

NTIUSPILATEWASCRUCIFIEDDIEDANDWAS

BURIEDHEDESCENDEDTOTHEDEADONTHETHI

RDDAYHEROSEAGAINHEASCENDEDINTOHEAVE

NANDISSEATEDATTHERIGHTHANDOFTHEFATHE

RHEWILLCOMEAGAINTOJUDGETHELIVINGANDTH

EDEADIBELIEVEINTHEHOLYSPIRITTHEHOLYCAT

HOLICCHURCHTHECOMMUNIONOFSAINTSTHEFORGI

VENESSOFSINSTHERESURRECTIONOFTHEBODYANDT

HELIFEEVERLASTINGAMENETERNALFATHERIOFFERY

OUTHEBODYANDBLOODSOULANDDIVINITYOFYOURDEAR

LYBELOVEDSONOURLORDJESUSCHRISTINATONEMENTFO

ROURSINSANDTHOSEOFTHEWHOLEWORLDFORTHESAKEOFH

ISSORROWFULPASSIONHAVEMERCYONUSANDONTHEWHOLEW

ORLDHOLYGODHOLYMIGHTYONEHOLYIMMORTALONEHAVEMER

CYONUSANDONTHEWHOLEWORLDINTHENAMEOFTHEFATHERAND

OFTHESONANDOFTHEHOLYSPIRITAMENJESUSITRUSTINYOU!.

      The entire puzzle above is made up of all the Prayers and Phrases used in the DivineMercy Chaplet, inspired by Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, a religious sister (also referred to as a Nun).
      She was a member of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow, Poland. The Caplet was a result of appearances of Jesus to Saint Faustina, which began on February 22, 1931.
      According to EWTN and the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception in Stockbridge, MA,  the following was said about the institution of Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope John Paul II on May 23, 2000:

      In a decree dated 23 May 2000, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments stated that “throughout the world the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind will experience in the years to come.”
        These papal acts represent the highest endorsement that the Church can give to a private revelation, an act of  papal infallibility proclaiming the certain sanctity of the mystic, and the granting of a universal feast, as requested by Our Lord to St. Faustina.

      You can Find out more about the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Saint Faustina, and Divine Mercy Sunday by clicking here.

      That’s the Big B Files.  Click on the “Comments” link below and tell me what you think . . . I’m Bryan Hewing.

The Great Big B Files Pyramid Puzzle 1.0

      In this Big B File . . . I have placed below something, that until now, I have only sent to a few people via email.
Here is how The Great Big B Files Pyramid Puzzle works. I have taken a number of phases that together have one thing in common and put them in the form of a pyramid, taking out the spaced and punctuation in the original texts. Your job is the figure what the original was and what do the phrases have as a common thread. The answers will be posted at noon Tuesday.
Good Luck and here is The Great Big B Files Pyramid Puzzle 1.0.

O

UR

FAT

HERW

HOART

INHEAV

ENHALLO

WEDBETH

YNAMETHY

KINGDOMCO

METHYWILLB

EDONEONEART

HASITISINHEA

VENGIVEUSTHIS

DAYOURDAILYBRE

ADANDFORGIVEUSO

URTRESPASSESASWE

FORGIVETHOSEWHOT

RESPASSAGAINSTUSA

NDLEADUSNOTINTOTEM

PTATIONBUTDELIVERUS

FROMEVILAMENHAILMARY

FULLOFGRACETHELORDISW

ITHYOUBLESSEDAREYOUAMO

NGWOMENANDBLESSEDISTHEF

RUITOFYOURWOMBJESUSHOLYM

ARYMOTHEROFGODPRAYFORUSSI

NNERSNOWANDATTHEHOUROFOURD

EATHAMENIBELIEVEINGODTHEFAT

HERALMIGHTYCREATOROFHEAVENAN

DEARTHIBELIEVEINJESUSCHRISTHI

SONLYSONOURLORDHEWASCONCEIVEDB

YTHEPOWEROFTHEHOLYSPIRITANDBORN

OFTHEVIRGINMARYHESUFFEREDUNDERPO

NTIUSPILATEWASCRUCIFIEDDIEDANDWAS

BURIEDHEDESCENDEDTOTHEDEADONTHETHI

RDDAYHEROSEAGAINHEASCENDEDINTOHEAVE

NANDISSEATEDATTHERIGHTHANDOFTHEFATHE

RHEWILLCOMEAGAINTOJUDGETHELIVINGANDTH

EDEADIBELIEVEINTHEHOLYSPIRITTHEHOLYCAT

HOLICCHURCHTHECOMMUNIONOFSAINTSTHEFORGI

VENESSOFSINSTHERESURRECTIONOFTHEBODYANDT

HELIFEEVERLASTINGAMENETERNALFATHERIOFFERY

OUTHEBODYANDBLOODSOULANDDIVINITYOFYOURDEAR

LYBELOVEDSONOURLORDJESUSCHRISTINATONEMENTFO

ROURSINSANDTHOSEOFTHEWHOLEWORLDFORTHESAKEOFH

ISSORROWFULPASSIONHAVEMERCYONUSANDONTHEWHOLEW

ORLDHOLYGODHOLYMIGHTYONEHOLYIMMORTALONEHAVEMER

CYONUSANDONTHEWHOLEWORLDINTHENAMEOFTHEFATHERAND
OFTHESONANDOFTHEHOLYSPIRITAMENJESUSITRUSTINYOU!.

Big B Files . . . Employment Wanted

Dear Big B  Files Visitors,

    I am currently living in an apartment in Florissant, MO. Two months ago, I signed a lease to remain here at my apartment in the River Chase Community, which I have every intention and desire to do.
    Unfortunately, I am still in great need of a job to pay bills and to have something to do In addition to writing in the Big B Files. My preferences are as follows (though I am flexible and open to other possibilities):

•  Full Time
• Hourly Pay Rate is at Least $8.00 per Hour.
• Benefits to include Medical Insurance.

    My Cover Letter, Resume (including References), and more details about me are available by going to my website at big-b.net. To access the Cover Letter and Resume, Click on BRYAN’S RESUME then click on Cover Letter & Resume and feel free to download the Cover Letter and Resume. My relevant qualifications are listed below

I am a 1999 Graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communication with a Radio / TV / Film Concentration. Designed and maintained personal and non-profit websites over the past six years. The websites I have designed and maintained include Neoga Pole People Online (Neoga, IL) and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Mattoon, IL (2002-2006, as well as for the radio show that I did from September 2004 until September 2006. An intermediate knowledge of Windows, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dream weaver, & Fireworks, along with Corel WordPerfect, Presentations, Quattro Pro Programs (Corel’s version of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, which I have some knowledge of as well). I Hosted and produced a call-in radio talk show from September 2004 until September 2006 on a station called the Odyssey. Produced a video segment with the station ID built in called Snapshots of the Community which aired Christmas (2003), along with having designed a station logo in use on air for Believer’s television stations and putting together a station ID video for use on TV stations.

I would be an asset to any employer because:

• I seek new opportunities where I can use my knowledge of Radio-TV Broadcasting, video production, graphics and website design gained from my years at WEIU-TV, WICD-TV, and WEIL-LP.
• Have a willingness to learn new things. I believe that with my Radio-TV Broadcasting and Website Design knowledge and Video Production abilities, I can contribute extensively to the mission of your organization, and help achieve the goals of your organization as well.

    If you have any questions, Feel Free to email me at bigbradio@yahoo.com.

Sincerely Yours,.
    
Mr. Bryan Hewing
bvh

Chief Illiniwek Retired due to . . .Political Correctness! (Part 2)

The effect of the Retirement of Chief Illiniwek and the Political Correctness of the NCAA . . .that’s the Subject of this Big B File.

       Last night, the 81 year old symbol of the University of Illinois, Chief Illiniwek, danced for the last time at Assembly Hall in Champaign, IL.  The students and fans in attendence told the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette that they were saddened and in mourning, including Maren Schuit  of Chicago, former Marching Illini member and one of the few women to try out to be the Chief, who said this:

      “When I was a little girl, they used to show the dance at halftime on TV during basketball games,” Schuit said. My dad “would actually get me out of bed so I could watch the Chief dance at halftime, then he would put me back to bed. It makes me sad that my kids will never see the Chief with me the way that I was able to with my father.
    ”It’s something I’m incredibly proud of having been a part of for even a couple of months.”

     In fact, a large number of the members of Orange Crush, the Official fan club of the Fighting Illini Athletic Teams, changed from orange to black right after halftime was over. there are a group of people to portray the Chief are working to find a way to keep the tradition alive.

     The ramificatioins of the “retirement” of Chief Illiniwek are huge!  According to the News-Gazette, thousands of  Chief Illiniwek supporters have said that thet will never donate to the U fo I as long as there is no Chief Illiniwek, and that means that the U if I could Millions of Dollars in funding that come from Donations to the university.  not only that, but any apparrel (buttons, glasses, clothing, photos, bags, etc.`) with chief Illinwek has been flying off the shelf at local stores since the Announcment las Friday.  As the Champaign News-Gazette Reports:

     ”If it has the Chief on it, people are wanting it,” said Kristi Brownfield, owner of Brownfield Sports in Urbana.
    Rumors had been circulating that the UI would announce the end to Chief Illiniwek, but “since that on-the-record ruling came down on Friday, it has exploded. We didn’t anticipate this much of a reaction. We’re having a lot of fun keeping up with the sales,” said Cory Shumard, manager of Gameday Spirit in Champaign.
    ”Anything with the Chief logo is dominating requests. Especially anything referring to the last dance or the 80-year-old tradition,” he added.
    Since Friday, Shumard estimates the average number of items per transaction has more than doubled – “that’s always nice to see,” he said, adding that about 90 percent of sales since the announcement have been for Chief-related items.
    Hundreds of items, including Chief buttons, glasses and photos, have been listed for sale in recent days on the online auction site eBay. Top sellers on the UI’s Fighting Illini site included a slate Chief Illiniwek sign and a “Hail to the Chief” T-shirt. Even a few Chief-related items, such as duffel bags, were for sale on the NCAA’s Web site as of Wednesday.
    ”We have a lot of Chief merchandise, and we’re getting more every day,” Brownfield said.

   The University of Illinois caving to Political Correctness and intimidation of the NCAA will most certainly embolden the Left. Others might ask, especially in the St. Louis Metro Area might ask “What is the impact of the U of I’s decision to us?”  Here are some of the examples of what could happen now in lite of the Chief Illiniwek decision:

• The animal rights groups could go after Missouri State Bears, Missouri Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams and tell them that either you change your team names and get rid of your mascots because they are “offecsive and Abusive” to animals (the groups themselves) or we’ll do to you what the NCAA did to the U of I or worse.
• The Enviromentalists could go after the Rivermen of the University of Missouri-St. Louis and tell them that either you change your team name and get rid of your mascot because it is “offecsive and Abusive” or we’ll do to you what the NCAA did to the U of I or worse.

      Do not think that the senario above won’t happen is so far fetched, because nothing is beyond theAmerican Left.  Do not be surprised if it happens within the next 10-15 years or so.

    That’s the Big B files.  Click on the “Comment” Link below and tell me what you think . . i’m Bryan Hewing.

Chief Illiniwek Retired due to . . .Political Correctness!

The Retirement of Chief Illiniwek and the Political Correctness of the NCAA . . .that’s the Subject of this Big B File.

    During the Midday Hour Friday, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees announced that the 80 year plus symbol of the University will be “Retired” after Tonight, when the Illinois Men’s Basketball team takes on Michigan at Assembly Hall in Champaign, IL.
    After the Announcement, Lawrence Eppley Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees said the following:

“While people differed on their opinions of the Chief, the overwhelming majority of those voices put their love for the University ahead of their opinion on the Chief. Now we have the responsibility to work together to maintain other great traditions that will unite our community for decades to come.”

       That comment was followed up a comment by B. Joseph White, President of the University of Illinois, who has never been a Chief Illiniwek Supporter from the beginning: 

       ”I support the Board of Trustees’ consensus decision on Chief Illiniwek. While I understand many people have strong feelings about this 80-year-old tradition, for the good of our student-athletes and our university it is time to come together and move on to the next chapter in the history of this distinguished institution.”

       Board of Trustees’ consensus decision on Chief Illiniwek?  What!?! What a bunch of Bologna!  A “Consensus decision” on Chief Illiniwek  simply means that the University of Illinois caved to the outrageous bullying tactics of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which has swung to the Far Left over the past several years.  these tactics could be compared to the Mafia, which often uses intimidation tactics like this to get whatever they want.
       Dr. White has made his views well known from the beginning of his tenure at the helm of the University of Illinois System (Champaign-Urbana, Springfield, & Chicago)  and has been a member of the vocal minority in the state of Illinois as well as the United States of America that oppose Chief Illiniwek.
       In 2005, the NCAA imposed a new rule that  defined “hostile and abusive” mascots and team names as those mascots and team names  that offend or could offend people of ANY race, ethnicity or national origin . . .including Native Americans . . .a.k.a. Indians! .
       The policy prohibiting colleges or universities with hostile or abusive mascots, nicknames or imagery from hosting any NCAA championship competitions that took effect February 1, 2006.  It sure as heck does sounds like intimidation to me.
       Myles Brand, NCAA president,  said the following in an op-ed piece on Thursday, August 11, 2005:

• “The decision does not mandate that institutions change their mascots. This is a membership-based association where institutional autonomy is valued; there is no league office that can dictate. The decision applies only to NCAA national championships. 
• The affected institutions (18 out of more than 1,000 schools) have six months to appeal their classification and the broader decision of the Executive Committee.
•  Finally, this is a teachable moment. A major part of this effort is aimed at initiating discussion on a national basis about how Native American Indians have been characterized and, in some cases, caricatured. In that, the decision has already been successful.     

         Others, the majority, saw the move as unnecessarily intrusive on local decision-making, bureaucratic kowtowing to political correctness, too impractical or ill-defined to make a real difference, or a decision that simply caught everyone off guard.”

        Not bureaucratic kowtowing to political correctness?  Not mandating that institutions change their mascots? Not overly intrusive on local control?  Come on! Give me a break! Because that is exactly what this has been since 2005.  this has been political correctness run amok and then some.
      There is no way that this cannot be Political Correctness run amuck.  Even Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich says that the NCAA way overstepped their authority. . . and Governor Blagojevich is a Liberal democrat in the Same mold as Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, and Dick Durbin.
       It would be politically Incorrect to keep Chief Illiniwek.  Everyone thought that when Chief Illiniwek  would be “retired”, that the progressive resource/action cooperative  (PRC), the Native American House, and other groups on the Left still aren’t happy and will always want more!   As reported by Sarah Jindra of WCIA 3 NEWS in Champaign, IL (Click here to see the video).

      They say the chief is one of the biggest obstacles to addressing racism on campus.  Now that the chief is out, they hope to fix the problem.  The progressive resource/action cooperative  (PRC) and the Native American House both say there is a racism problem on campus.  PRC also wants the University to remove the name “Illini” and “Fighting Illini”
   The NCAA decided to allow the University to keep those names.
   The University says the name “Illini” stems from the name of our state, and the word  fighting refers to the competitiveness of the University’s teams. The University does plan on keeping those names, but as far as a new tradition goes…administrators are deciding what should be done.

 - Anti-Chief Groups Want More
   Reported by: Sarah Jindra / WCIA 3 NEWS
02/19/2007

       The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that  “Congress Shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free Exercise thereof;  or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people to peacefully assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of Grievances.”  Where does it say that we have a right not to be offended by anyone?  After all the people are a small but very vocal minority.
       The University of Illinois should get ready to write checks to Alumni who donated to the university who will now want their Donation returned as a result of the decision made by the U of I in relation to Chief Illiniwek.  This will also result in the number of future donations to the U of I to go down by a very noticeable level in the least, as well as a drop in attendance at U of I Sporting events.
       All this as a result of the University of Illinois decided to cave to the outrageous bullying tactics of the NCAA and Political Correctness run wild . . .I hope They’re satisified with their decision.

        That’s the Big B Files.  Click on the “Comments” link below and tell me what you think . . . I’m Bryan Hewing

The Democrat-Controlled Congress, War on Terror, and effect on the Troops

The Democrat-Controlled Congress, War on Terror, and effect on the Troops . . . that’s the subject of the Big B Files.

         There are currently a number of Non-Binding Resolutions, or NBRs for short, winding through the Democratically-Controlled Congress that are saying it is not in the National Interest and Security to fight the War on Terror in Iraq. These are the same people wanted and demanded a troop surge going three years back and now that these people got their own wish . . . they’re opposed to it all of a sudden! Hillary Clinton recently stated that ” . . . if we had known then what we know now, there never would have been a vote and I never would have voted to give this president that authority.”. Nonetheless, Hillary said that “There are no do-overs in life. I wish there were. You know, I acted on the best judgment that I had at the time, and at the time I said this was not a vote for preemptive war (in Iraq), and the president took my vote and other votes and basically misused the authority we gave him.”

         Should not wage a pre-emptive war? What!?! Got News for you Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin (Comrade Durbin), Chuck Schumer and others on the left who oppose the Iraq portion of the global war on terror . . . the entire War on Terror IS a preemptive war! Besides, Mohammed Atta and the 18 other hijackers from Al-Qaida started the War on Terror back on September 11, 2001 when they flew two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane each into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Would you rather be proactive or wait until we are hit again which if Pat Robertson’s prediction for 2007 comes true (along with that of a premonition someone I met recently received from the Virgin Mary), you may very well get your wish. By the way . . . Bill ÒReilly has stated a number of times that if we are hit again, the United states will turn sharply right. In this instance, I agree with Bill ÒReilly. What is the effect on the troops?
         I believe Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman put it best what he said the following in a February 5, 2007 speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate:

         Cynics may say this kind of thing happens all of the time in Congress. In this case, however, they are wrong. If it passed, this resolution would be unique in American legislative history. I contacted the Library of Congress on this question last week and was told that, never before, when American soldiers have been in harm’s way, fighting and dying in a conflict that Congress had voted to authorize, has Congress turned around and passed a resolution like this, disapproving of a particular battlefield strategy.
         This resolution also sends a terrible message to our allies. I agree that we must hold the Iraqi government to account. That is exactly what the resolution Senator McCain and I have offered would do. But I ask you: Imagine for a moment that you are a Sunni or Shia politician in Baghdad who wants the violence to end—and ask yourself how the Warner-Levin resolution will affect your thinking, your calculations of risk, your willingness to stand against the forces of extremism. Every day, you are threatened by enemies who want nothing but to inflict the most brutal imaginable horrors on you and your loved ones. Will this resolution empower you, or will it undermine you? Will it make you feel safer, or will it make you feel you should hedge your bets, or go over to the extremists, or leave the country?
         And finally, what is the message this resolution sends to our soldiers? I know that everyone here supports our troops—but actions have consequences, often unintended. When we send a message of irresolution, it does not support our troops. When we renounce their mission, it does not support our troops.

         Now I dislike war as much as the next person, but I also realize that at times it becomes absolutely necessary to fight a war as it is now. Even Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of Al-Qaida, has said (through Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the Al-Qaeda deputy leader) more than once that Iraq is the central front in the War on Terror a.k.a. the War against Radical Islam.
         As for the legal and moral issues that are being raised about the War on Terror, let me address these two issues. In reference to the legal issues, try Saddam violating a grand total of 17 U.N. Security Council Resolutions along with the 1991 Cease-Fire Agreement Saddam signed with the United States and numerous other countries that comprised of the “Coalition of the Willing”. . . including most of Iraq’s neighbors! Therefore, the U.N. Security Council Resolutions and the 1991 Cease-Fire Agreement gave us the legal right to remove Saddam from Power in 2003.
         On the Weapons of Mass Destruction . . . Hillary’s own husband, President Bill Clinton and many in his administration and a number her fellow members of Congress all said the exact same thing in the 1990s.
         As far as the morality, or “Just War” is concerned, there are two moral justifications for the War on Terror. One, we are fighting for the very survival of our nation and our very way of life. We are proud to be a nation where you could worship God and Jesus Christ in whatever way you choose . . . and anywhere you want to do so free of government restriction and/or oppression. If the Radical Muslim terrorists have their way, we would be arrested for just being a Christian or Jew or even killed for not converting to Islam. Those on the left all say that we should negotiate with terrorists like Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah (a.k.a. Hizbollah, Hizbu’llah), and other terrorist groups whose starting point in any negotiation would be, oh shall I say . . . our deaths!
         Second, the majority of the religious leaders during the time of World War II did believe that WW II was a just war because they believed that the WW II generation was fighting to preserve religious freedom for the whole world and keep freedom from being denied by tyrants like Adolph Hitler.
         Now, a number of religious leaders are saying that the War on Terror is not a just and moral war, even though the stakes are much higher now than ever before…including the World War II era. Finally here is quote from the column Conditions of a Just War by the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in relation for a just war:

         Two practical considerations follow from this Catholic theology of war: First, we Christians should never talk of war, as the world does, in terms of freedom, but always in terms of justice. One of the greatest disasters that happened to modern civilization was for democracy to inscribe “liberty” on its banners instead of “justice.” Because “liberty” was considered the ideal it was not long until some men interpreted it as meaning “freedom from justice”; then when religion and decent government attempted to bring them back to justice, organizing into “freedom groups” they protested that their constitutional and natural rights were being violated. The industrial and social injustice of our era is the tragic aftermath of democracy’s overemphasis on freedom as the “right to do whatever you please.” No, freedom means the right to do what you <ought>, and <ought> implies law, and law implies justice, and justice implies God. So, too, in war, a nation that fights for freedom divorced from justice has no right to war, because it does not know why it wants to be free, or why it wants anyone else to be free.

-CONDITIONS OF A JUST WAR by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Courtesy of Trinity Communications Copyright © 1994

         I would also have you look at Zenit Daily Dispatch’s “George Weigel on Pre-emption, Just War and the Defense of World Order” and the Address of the Pope John Paul II to President George W. Bush Dated June 9, 2004 for more on just wars, which as an additional benefit, helps defend and preserve religious freedom not only for the United States of America, but for the whole world.

That’s the Big B File. Click on “Comment” link below and tell me what you think…I’m Bryan Hewing.

Missouri’s Proposed Amendment 2 . . . . Version 2.0

Missouri’s Proposed Amendment 2 Developments. . . that’s the subject of this Big B File.

           Since I wrote the Big B file entitled “Missouri’s Proposed Amendment 2 and Claire McCaskill” on Tuesday, October 24, 2006, There have been a number of developments. First, I have come across some interesting research materials. The research articles are listed below:

• somatic cell nuclear transfer
  Courtesy of Answers.com

• Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (Therapeutic Cloning)
  Courtesy of the Association of American Medical Colleges : Tomorrow’s Doctors. Tomorrow’s Cures.

• Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
  The National Academies: Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
  

 On Monday night, the Oreilly Factor TV program conducted an investigation into who is bankrolling the effort to pass amendment in Missouri. ,

           According to The O’Reilly Factor, “A billionaire couple, Jim and Virginia Stowers, has pumped $29 million ‘The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures’ – 97% of its financial support—in an effort to get the amendment passed. the factor also discovered that the Stovers, their non-profits, and biotech companies stand to gain Billions . . .that’s right . . .Billions of Dollars in total revenue, if not profits oner the next few years.

• The $$$ Behind Missouri’s Stem Cell Amendment 2
  ‘Factor’ producer Jesse Watters looks at the money behind Missouri’s Stem Cell Amendment 2.
• The Truth About Michael J. Fox and Rush Limbaugh
  Video of Bill O’Reilly’s Talking Points Memo from October 27, 2006 (The O’Reilly Factor)

By the way, according to the The O’Reilly Factor, Jim Stowers is the founder & CEO of American Century Investments, a privately held asset management firm with a $100 billion portfolio. The Stovers (through their foundation are going to the extremes top make sure that Amendment 2 passes . 
         Why? Apparently, as the The O’Reilly Factor also discovered , the Stovers, their non-profits, and biotech companies stand to gain Billions . . .that’s right . . .Billions of Dollars in total revenue, if not profits oner the next few years. It seems like they want to to make money on Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning and have Missouri Taxpayers foot the bill for them at the same time. 
         Finally, the Big B Files received this in an email from the Google Groups “OSMM-Announce”, a part of our Sorrowful Mother’s Ministry in Vandalia, IL . . .

 

Dear Friends,

         This is a letter that I find difficult to write because I am not a political person, and I don’t believe in imposing my views on others. But I am deeply troubled by the inaccuracies that are being used to shape public opinion in favor of the Missouri stem cell amendment on the November ballot and I feel a responsibility to speak out since I understand the scientific and medical issues.  
         If you read nothing else, please read this: Amendment 2 is a deceptive piece of legislation that may mislead Missourians into approving a constitutional right to human cloning, something over 80 percent oppose. It would create a uniquely privileged status for biotech special interests to do human cloning experiments with taxpayer money.  
         If the industrial revolution were just now starting and we had the choice of developing a society dependent on solar energy rather than oil, is there any doubt that we would choose solar energy? I think that we face a similar choice today regarding embryonic stem cells versus adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells may seem to the lay person to offer greater promise for cures, but even if this were true (which it is not), embryonic stem cell therapies will create an insatiable and unceasing demand for more and more womens¹ eggs. And once a hugh biotech industrial complex is establish that is dependent on women’s eggs to generate more and more cloned stem cells, it will be impossible for us to get rid of it. In contrast, investing our resources in adult stem cells will ultimately result in similar or greater cures than embryonic stem cells without creating a biotech industrial complex that pursues women¹s eggs the way oil companies plunder our land for oil profits.  
         The basic arguments for the stem cell amendment are essentially that (1) embryonic stem cell research has tremendous potential for curing a wide variety of diseases, and (2) any concerns that this research will be abused are unfounded because we can trust the medical and scientific community to regulate itself. Being knowledgeable of stem cell biology and related medical research, I am deeply skeptical that either of these arguments is true.  
         As many of you know, I am a physician-scientist at Washington University School of Medicine and have received millions of dollars in research funding, part of which has been for stem cell research related to cancer. I approached this amendment without preconceived opinions and have read the amendment carefully. I have listened to the arguments on both sides. After sifting through the rhetoric, I have concluded that there is nothing about embryonic stem cells that would indicate that they are better than adult stem cells for curing human disease. In fact, there are many problems with embryonic stem cells, such as rejection and cancer formation. Further, adult stem cell research and therapies do not endanger women who must donate eggs for embryonic stem cells.
These deceptive tactics by the amendment proponents say to me that “you are not intelligent enough to understand the issues so I will intentionally deceive you for your own good.”
As a medical professional, I believe that my responsibility is to make sure the public understands the issues so that they can make up their own mind. Thus, my goal in this letter is not to convince you of my personal opinions, but to make sure you have the facts from a doctor and scientist who understands the issues and does not have political or monetary motives.
Some of the most common arguments in favor of the amendment are as follows:

• Argument # 1: Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which is the type of process for creating stem cells that is at stake in this amendment, is not human cloning.

MY RESPONSE: When scientists talk about cloning, SCNT is exactly what they are talking about. SCNT is the medical dictionary definition of cloning  
         The amendment proponents claim that SCNT is not cloning unless the cell is placed into a woman¹s womb, but that has never been the medical definition of cloning. That is like saying that a nuclear bomb is not a weapon unless it is dropped on people. The potential for harm and abuse is great, even if one does not intend to act on this potential!  
         The fact is that this amendment not only allows human cloning, it creates a uniquely protected right to perform human cloning!

 

• Argument #2: Embryonic stem cell research has the potential for curing many more diseases than adult stem cells.

MY RESPONSE: There is no scientific evidence for this claim. Many people have been led to believe that we have not yet seen the incredible curative potential of embryonic stem cells because this research is banned. The truth is that embryonic stem cells is not banned and never has been. Embryonic stem cells have been researched for many years and have been reported in the medical literature as early as 1963! And yet, there is no evidence that embryonic stem cells have cured any disease, even in animals.  
         But what is really frustrating for someone like me who is involved in stem cell research is that the success of adult stem cells is being ignored by the amendment proponents. Advantages of adult stem cells over embryonic stem cells: (1) they are the only stem cells that have been shown to cure disease in animals, (2) they do not require egg extraction and the associated risks to women, (3) they have amazing plasticity (the ability to change into many different cell types) that far exceeds anyone’s expectations. For example, stem cells from bone marrow can be turned into brain cells.  
         If adult stem cells are likely to be just as good, if not better, than embryonic stem cells, why expose women to risky egg extraction and create a huge demand for eggs that will surely end up in the exploitation of poor, disadvantaged women and young, college-aged women with limited financial resources?

• Argument #3: SCNT will not endanger women.

RESPONSE: To be honest, this is my greatest concern. Despite loud cries to the contrary, the widespread use of SCNT for medical research and treatment will unquestionably jeopardize the health of women, particularly poor disadvantaged women and young, college-age women with limited financial resources who will be tempted to allow themselves to be given synthetic hormones and undergo surgical procedures to extract eggs in exchange for monetary awards. We are not talking about a few hundred cloned embryos, but rather, millions and millions will be needed for this research!. And the need for more eggs will never end. Even if laws are passed to regulate this process, profiteers will undoubtedly go to third world countries to find willing subjects.

• Argument #4. How could this amendment be a bad idea when leading scientists and physicians support it?

RESPONSE: Many scientists and physicians, including myself, support adult stem cell research, but are deeply concerned about embryonic stem cell research and human cloning. The reason that you do not hear more experts speak out against this amendment is that their voices have been muted. The amendment proponents have identified one wealthy couple in Kansas City who donated virtually all of the $16 million that is being used to saturate the media with pro-amendment information. 
         Meanwhile, those who are concerned about this amendment have been denied the opportunity for public debate and discourse by our medical schools and universities. Suffice to say, the freedom of speech violations at ostensibly liberal universities to suppress voices against this amendment are breathtaking!

Final Thoughts 
         If for no other reason, I am deeply disturbed by this amendment because of the deception being used to promote it. For example, Cynthia Kramer, who is running for state office in our district, has used this issue to promote her campaign by implying that her life-threatening disease could have been treated more effectively with embryonic stem cells. After questioning her campaign office and reading the text of many of her interviews and website statements, I can find no evidence for this claim. In reality, she received adult stem cells in the form of a bone marrow transplant, and the fact that she is still alive is evidence that this adult stem cell transplant was successful! When she went to Israel seeking a cure¹ for her disease, they told her to come back to Missouri where she could get the best care available anywhere!  
         I personally know of many other examples of deliberate deceptions, intentional misinformation, and freedom of speech violations.  
         My practice focuses on patients with cancer, and I am profoundly wounded when one of them dies of their disease. I am in the trenches every day, and I understand what is at stake. But I am convinced that this amendment is not the right direction for our state. There are much more effective ways we can spend our money and time, without endangering women.  
         We all have to make our own decisions, and democracy only works well if we make those decisions based on facts. Whatever opinion you develop on this issue, I hope that it is based on facts. Please feel free to email me if you have more specific questions or if you would like to talk.

Thanks for your attention.

Bill (and Tonya) Harbour
J. William Harbour, MD
Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Endowed Professor at Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, Missouri 63110

Bill O’Reilly reported on The O’Reilly Factor earlier this week that support for Amendment 2 has fallen Dramatically since His team’s reporting of their investigation of the people that are financung the campaign to get Amendment 2 ratified.

That’s the Big B File. Click on “Post Comment” link below and tell me what you think…I’m Bryan Hewing

Missouri’s Proposed Amendment 2 and Claire McCaskill

Missouri’s Proposed Amendment 2 and Claire McCaskill’s recent campaign ad . . .That’s the subject of this Big B File..
         
         On the way home from my sisters’ place in Chesterfield to my Apartment in Florissant, Missouri, I heard a soundbite of Michael J. Fox on the Matt Drudge on 97.1 FM Talk. I have also seen ad he did for Claire McCaskill for Senate. In the Clip from his appearance on Good Morning America, Mr. Fox says that people like myself who oppose Amendment 2 are in the minority.
         What!?! Michael J. Fox has gotten a number of things wrong, not to mention out of context. Allow me to correct the record here.

• Last time I checked, I have seen far more signs for Jim Talent and for opposing Amendment 2. I have encountered very few people who say that they will support amendment 2 based upon this , I thing that the amendment will go down to a huge defeat.
• I have heard news stories about various studies over the years that the only benefits of stem cell research that have come from research on Adult stem cells and Stem cells that come from the blood from the umbilical chord.
• I have never read or seen news reports about a single study of positive results that have come from that Embryotic. To the contrary, I have seen examples of how bad the effects of experiments using Embryotic Stem Cells have turned out. In many cases, they have had deformities and have resulted in Lab rats developing cancer . . . cancer (no joke).

         Contrary to what Michael J . Fox, Sheryl Crow, and other proponents of Amendment 2 have been saying, it does allow a certain kind of cloning called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) and embryonic Stem cell research, which the Majority of people in Missouri and the United States are opposed to on moral grounds. Those of us who oppose Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning (or any cloning for that matter) have absolutely no problems with the research using the other forms of stem cells, Adult stem cells and stem cells from the umbilical cord blood. 
         In reference to the argument from the proponents of Amendment 2 on research using ALL forms of Stem cells, including embryotic stem cells, that “with the use of cell therapies, we may soon have dramatic cures for cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration and a host of other diseases. Cell therapies have also shown great promise in helping to repair catastrophic spinal injuries, and helping victims of paralysis regain movement. It is even possible that the human life span could be greatly extended due to the replenishment of tissues in aging organs.” 
         Oh really? In 1994, the voters in California were presented with and approved Proposition 71, which was very Similar to, if not the same as, Amendment 2 currently on the ballot here in Missouri. See the wording of the two ballot measures for yourself:

• CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 71 (2004)

• Should the “California Institute for Regenerative Medicine” be established to regulate and fund stem cell research with the constitutional right to conduct such research and with an oversight committee? Prohibits funding of human reproductive cloning research.
  • Establishes “California Institute for Regenerative Medicine” to regulate stem cell research and provide funding, through grants and loans, for such research and research facilities.
  • Establishes constitutional right to conduct stem cell research; prohibits Institute’s funding of human reproductive cloning research.
  • Establishes oversight committee to govern Institute.
  • Provides General Fund loan up to $3 million for Institute’s initial administration/implementation costs.
  • Authorizes issuance of general obligation bonds to finance Institute activities up to $3 billion subject to annual limit of $350 million
  • Appropriates monies from General Fund to pay for bonds.

• MISSOURI’S PROPOSED AMENDMENT 2 (2006)

• Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to allow and set limitations on stem cell research, therapies, and cures which will:
  •  
    • Ensure Missouri patients have access to any therapies and cures, and allow Missouri researchers to conduct any research, permitted under federal law;
    • ban human cloning or attempted cloning;
    • require expert medical and public oversight and annual reports on the nature and purpose of stem cell research;
    • impose criminal and civil penalties for any violations; and
      prohibit state or local governments from preventing or discouraging lawful stem cell research, therapies and cures?
    • The proposed constitutional amendment would have an estimated annual fiscal impact on state and local governments of $0-$68,916.

         According to Reuters, a study came out this past Sunday and “researchers Steven Goldman and colleagues at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York said human stem cells injected into rat brains turned into cells that looked like early tumors. Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers said the transplants clearly helped the rats, but some of the cells started growing in a way that could eventually lead to a tumor.” This has been the case with Human Cloning and embryotic Stem Cell Research from the beginning.
All the “successful” cloning experiments have eventually ended in failure . . . Remember Dolly the Sheep? She had to be put down due to a whole hose of health complications that were a direct result of the Cloning. 
         It is morally wrong to create Human Embryos and them to destroy them period, not just for Embryonic Stem Cell Research, and to clone Human Beings for research purposes (or any cloning for that matter). Let Mr. Fox and others use their own money to fund the research themselves . . not our hard earned tax dollars. I just hope that they are willing to live with the real bad effects of Embryonic Stem Cell Research as the study mentioned above Illustrates.
It would also wipe out 47 different laws that are currently on the books in Missouri and as was said on Allman & Smash Morning Show on 97.1 FM Talk this morning. The hosts put it best when they said that passing this amendment would be like the writing a continous blank check to the Biotech Industry. Big B files wants to leave you with the following story clip from Wednesday, October 4, 2006 edition of the Washington post about the effects of Proposition 71 in California two years later. . . .

South-Central L.A. Hospital in Critical Condition
King/Drew, Founded After ‘65 Watts Riots, Likely to Cut Services After Failing InspectionLOS ANGELES — Activists who fought hard to bring a hospital to south-central Los Angeles after the 1965 Watts riots are in mourning since the announcement that their beloved but deeply troubled hospital failed a crucial federal inspection and will lose more than half its funding.
While the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors weighs a proposal to slash services and turn most of King/Drew Medical Center’s management over to a nearby county facility, African American community members met for a combination pep rally and wake. Its [King/Drew] trauma center was closed in 2004, dealing a blow to community pride and further diminishing emergency care in Los Angeles County, where nine emergency rooms and trauma centers have closed in the past five years.

- Portion of an Article by By Sonya Geis, Washington Post Staff Writer.

 

That’s the Big B File. Click on “Comment” link below and tell me what you think…I’m Bryan Hewing.