PJ Media ? 2013: The Death of Free Speech

It is February 27, 2013. Barack Obama, having been safely reelected, awakens one morning to news that Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Egypt, and elsewhere are rioting and storming U.S. embassies, tearing down the American flag and raising the black flag of jihad. They?re in a rage over a book that depicts Muhammad as waging war against his enemies, consummating a marriage with a nine-year-old girl when in his fifties, and raining down curses upon Jews, Christians, and others. A grim-faced Obama immediately takes to the airwaves.

?This book is reprehensible and disgusting,? Obama tells the world, his eyes flashing with indignation. ?It does not represent the position of the government of the United States, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. This unseemly provocation of the noble believers in the Holy Qur?an has to end. This is America. We are better than this. We are not a people who condone hate. We are a people who offer a welcoming, helping hand to those in need. And it is high time that we afford religious minorities the same protections that we strive so hard to offer to racial minorities.?

The Obama administration quickly drafts a law that would criminalize the ?use of any means to broadcast, write, produce, publish or distribute material that encourages or incites terrorism, including a website and public speaking, and of material that incites hatred that is likely to lead to violence against or stigmatization of a specific group.?

The international community is thrilled. European heads of state rush to congratulate and thank Obama. British Prime Minister David Cameron calls him ?far-seeing.? Germany?s Angela Merkel says he is ?a true statesman.? Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte opines that Obama is ?richly deserving of his Nobel Peace Prize,? and predicts that a new era of peace will soon dawn between the West and the Islamic world. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), announces that he is ?gratified? that the United States has finally recognized the ?red lines that cannot be crossed regarding discussion of the holy figures of the world?s great religions.?

The mainstream media is just as happy. Eric Posner writes in Slate that finally Americans have come around to the rest of the world?s point of view, that there is ?no sense in the First Amendment? and that we need not be ?paralyzed by constitutional symbolism.? Sarah Chayes in the Los Angeles Times hails the new clarity about the ?distinction between speech that is simply offensive and speech that is deliberately tailored to put lives and property at immediate risk.? In the Washington Post, Nathan Lean effuses that the U.S. has ?recognized the power of our multiculturalism? and will finally ?reach our true potential as a nation? now that ?the voices of intolerance that wish to divide us along religious lines? have been ?drowned out by overwhelming calls for pluralism and co-existence.?

Muslim spokesmen in the U.S. are enthusiastic as well. Haris Tarin of the Muslim Public Affairs Council heralds the imminent demise of the ?hate-mongering industry in the United States that sees Islam as the problem.? Imam Husham Al-Husainy of the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in Dearborn expresses his satisfaction that the U.S. has finally ?put a law not to insult a spiritual leader.? Mohammad Qatanani of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, New Jersey,?is likewise pleased that ?we, as Americans,?have put limits and borders on freedom of speech,? recognizing that non-Muslims ?have no?right?to talk about Muslim holy issues,? as doing so will incite ?hatred or war among people.?

Source: http://pjmedia.com/blog/2013-the-death-of-free-speech/

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US Oct. jobs report likely to show modest hiring

In this Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, photo, a sign attracts job-seekers during a job fair at the Marriott Hotel in Colonie, N.Y. The October employment report the government will release Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 will likely solidify the picture of the U.S. job market that?s emerged this year: Companies are hiring steadily but cautiously. And unemployment remains high. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

In this Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, photo, a sign attracts job-seekers during a job fair at the Marriott Hotel in Colonie, N.Y. The October employment report the government will release Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 will likely solidify the picture of the U.S. job market that?s emerged this year: Companies are hiring steadily but cautiously. And unemployment remains high. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The October employment report the government will release Friday will likely solidify the picture of the U.S. job market that's emerged this year: Companies are hiring steadily but cautiously. And unemployment remains high.

Economists forecast that employers added 121,000 jobs in October, according to FactSet. That would be up slightly from September but below this year's average monthly gain of 146,000. And it's too weak a hiring pace to quickly reduce unemployment.

Analysts think the unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in September.

Friday's report is the last broad snapshot of the economy before Tuesday's presidential election. Any increase in the rate would mean that President Barack Obama would face voters with the highest unemployment rate of any incumbent since Franklin Roosevelt.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford lost to Jimmy Carter when unemployment was 7.8 percent.

A weak job report would also provide ammunition for GOP challenger Mitt Romney, who has charged that Obama's policies have held back the economic recovery.

On the other hand, Obama might benefit from recent declines in unemployment. The 7.8 percent rate in September was the lowest since Obama entered office in January 2009. The rate dropped by a half-point in just August and September.

Yet it's unclear how much political effect any economic report will have. By this point, all but a few voters have made up their minds, particularly about the economy.

"People have given this a lot of thought," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center. "One report, unless it is a real shocker, is unlikely to affect their view of whether Obama has done a good job with the economy or if Romney would do a better job."

The recent drop in unemployment has heartened consumers, who are more confident and spending more. That's providing much-needed support to the still-weak economy.

The Conference Board said Thursday that its index of consumer confidence surged to 72.2 in October, its highest level since February 2008, two months into the Great Recession.

The index is still below the level of 90 that's consistent with a healthy economy. But it's far above its all-time low of 25.3 in February 2009, in the midst of the financial crisis.

Americans are buying more big-ticket items, like cars and appliances. Auto companies reported steady sales gains last month despite losing three days of business to the storm in heavily populated areas of the Northeast.

Yet businesses remain nervous about the economy's future course. Many are concerned that Congress will fail to reach a budget deal before January. If lawmakers can't strike an agreement, sharp tax increases and spending cuts will take effect next year and possibly trigger another recession.

American companies are also nervous about the economic outlook overseas. Europe's financial crisis has pushed much of that region into recession and cut into U.S. exports and corporate profits.

But steady consumer spending is supporting gains in U.S. factory production. The Institute for Supply Management, a private trade group, said manufacturing activity expanded for the second straight month in October.

New orders and production rose, the ISM's survey found. The increase came mainly in consumer-oriented industries such as furniture, food and beverages, and computers. Demand for machinery, chemical products, steel and other metals fell.

In a rare dose of healthy news for the global economy, China's manufacturing improved in October, two business surveys showed Thursday. The world's second-largest economy may be recovering from its deepest slump since the 2008 global crisis.

Analysts expect China's growth to strengthen this quarter. But they caution that the rebound will be too weak to drive a global recovery without improvement in the United States and Europe.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-02-Economy/id-b4b7640a5923457fbe40a5e3dc6c15d8

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'Jersey Shore' cast sends support to Sandy victims

The house made famous by the cast of MTVs Jersey Shore is empty two days after superstorm Sandy rolled through the coast, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in Seaside Heights, N.J. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The house made famous by the cast of MTVs Jersey Shore is empty two days after superstorm Sandy rolled through the coast, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in Seaside Heights, N.J. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

This Oct. 30, 2012 photo released by NBC shows Jenni "JWoww" Farley, a cast member in the reality series "Jersey Shore," left, and host Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," in Burbank, Calif. Seaside Heights, the New Jersey town that for millions made ?Jersey Shore? synonymous with Snooki was among the hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy and its famous summer residents sent their prayers to those affected. Farley and fellow cast members Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio, Vinny Guadagnino asked their Twitter followers to donate to the American Red Cross. (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC)

With nightfall approaching, Rodrigo Vargas, 25, of Seaside Heights, N.J., ponders treading through floodwaters to check on his second floor apartment a day after superstorm Sandy rolled through the barrier island community, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Sandy, the superstorm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Rescue workers help stranded people out of their flooded homes in Seaside Heights, N.J., following the arrival of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

This photo made available by the New Jersey Governor's Office shows flooding on the bay side of Seaside, N.J. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 after superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey Monday evening. (AP Photo/New Jersey Governor's Office, Tim Larsen)

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) ? The shore town that Snooki and gang made famous and synonymous with their show "Jersey Shore" took a heavy hit from superstorm Sandy, with homes splintered and buried in sand, roofs flattened, the boardwalk buckled and amusement rides dumped in the ocean.

Its famous summer residents sent their prayers to those affected.

"Sandy destroyed Seaside ? our second home," Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi told MTV News in a statement. "It's devastating to see our boardwalk and favorite spots ruined. My prayers go out to everyone affected by the storm."

Huge piles of sand choked the streets blocks from the beach on the narrow barrier island as construction vehicles entered the ghost town Wednesday.

Police Chief Thomas Boyd described the island scene as one of "total devastation."

An Associated Press photographer who went by the house used to film "Jersey Shore" said it appeared to have come out of the storm unscathed.

Appearing Tuesday on "The Tonight Show," Jenni "JWoww" Farley was asked by host Jay Leno about the house she owns with her fiance, Roger, in neighboring Toms River.

"Fixable, I want to say. It's really, it like hurts the heart a lot. It's really kind of devastating," she said. "But as long as like my dogs, Roger's safe, my friends are safe, we're just all without power."

Vinny Guadagnino told MTV that Seaside Heights had become his second home, while Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio sent thanks to the "heroes" who were working to help. Sammi Giancola called the impact "devastating."

Guadagnino tweeted that the New York City borough of Staten Island, where he lives, "looks like war zone" and posted a picture of a downed tree.

He, Farley and DelVecchio asked their Twitter followers to donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting REDCROSS to 90999. Polizzi also said she would donate but was more true to form: "Ugh trying to change my son's diaper while holding a flash light is not easy," she wrote from East Hanover, using the hashtag "nopower."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-10-31-Superstorm-MTV-Jersey%20Shore/id-d2f596f4629b437495a98dcbde2829d9

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Video: Is climate change to blame for Sandy?

>>> is the third straight day for no electricity for millions of americans impacted by this storm. in fact, it's the third storm in just a year that seems to have crippled the northeast power system. nbc's harry smith takes a closer look at that story for "rock center with brian williams ."

>> good morning, guys. first it was hurricane irene , then last october's freak snowstorm, and now sandy. mother nature has put an unprecedented strain on the power grid and some experts are wondering if climate change is to blame. the images from across the eastern third of the nation are still a little difficult to comprehend. but for millions of americans, they are all too real. lines down, nerves frayed, power out. monday night, new york city was on edge, and con-ed the city's electrical supplier was gearing up for the worst. the man at the center of the storm, senior vice president.

>> they are forecasted somewhere between 11 to 12 feet peak, and that would be the highest tide the city has ever seen.

>> reporter: by 8:00, he had decided he had no choice but to shut down power to lower manhattan . high water was about to inundate underground power supplies . so high, it caused an explosion at a con-ed substation. today, people like the schmidt family have to take the stairs, 13 flights to get to their apartment.

>> i was in my daughter's bedroom and just staring out at the building across the street in great envy watching the lights there.

>> reporter: 8.5 million households and businesses lost power in 19 states, and today, over 6 million are still waiting for the lights to go back on. sandy's relentless wind, rain, and storm surge laid the power grid to ruin. and there is a growing consensus that this is all part of a new normal.

>> anyone who says there's not a dramatic change in weather patterns i think is denying reality.

>> many climate scientists say there is a reason this is happening.

>> we're seeing more and more extreme weather events . leading to greater and greater economic damages. and i'm very suspicious that climate change is an important player for many of these.

>> reporter: whatever the reason, these storms put the power grid at risk. and for the time being , massive power outages are an inevitable reality.

>> in your view, not science, just your gut, are we living in a time unlike times of the past?

>> the simple answer is absolutely. i've never seen anything like this. i mean, we're having an annual storm of the century . it is just crazy.

>> i spoke with an official at the electric powers research institute . he said building a power grid that could withstand these kinds of storms is just not economically feasible. so how best to deal with these changes remains to be seen.

>> go back to those numbers for a second. he predicted a surge of 11 1/2 feet.

>> which would have been the highest ever, it was closer to 14. and there's a piece in the paper trying to figure out is it climate change what's going on? the temperature in the western atlantic , 5 degrees above normal for the end of october. there's something going on.

>> harry smith . and by the way, harry's going to have more on a special "rock center with brian williams " tonight 10:00 /9:00 central right here on nbc.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49638101/

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Hollywood gets back to biblical

Several Bible-based projects, including 'Noah' starring Russell Crowe and two separate treatments of the story of Moses, are due in theaters over the next few years.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / November 1, 2012

?The Ten Commandments? (1959)

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Superheroes and mystical creatures with their physics-defying powers have been drawing record numbers of moviegoers to multiplex theaters over the past decade. Now Hollywood is getting ready to roll out the next fleet of mega personalities: Bible characters.

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Several Bible-based projects are in the works and will begin to appear in theaters over the next few years. ?Noah,? due out in March 2014, stars Russell Crowe as the ark builder who saves civilization ? and two of each animal. The story of Moses, that early leader and lawgiver, is getting two new treatments: Warner Bros. is working on ?Gods and Kings? (Steven Spielberg may direct), and 20th Century Fox is developing ?Exodus.? Will Smith has the green light for ?The Redemption of Cain,? a sibling epic with a vampire twist (2015).

For New Testament narratives, Lionsgate is planning a project titled ?Mary, Mother of Christ? (2013) with Ben Kingsley as King Herod, and Warner Bros. recently announced a production of ?Pontius Pilate,? about the man who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus.

Hollywood has a mixed history over the past decade with religious epics. While Mel Gibson?s ?The Passion of the Christ? (2004) was a blockbuster, a 2006 take on the tale of Christmas, ?The Nativity Story,? starring Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary, was dubbed a financial disappointment and received mixed reviews.
But if a Bible-based film is a box-office bust, it doesn?t sting as much as when a superhero flick fails to soar. Unlike with superhero movies or literary adaptations, filmmakers don?t have to pay for rights to portray Bible characters since they?re officially in the public domain.

With a recent Pew Research Center poll revealing that one-fifth of the US public is religiously unaffiliated ? the highest percentage ever ? what is Hollywood thinking? Paul Schneider, chairman of the film and television department at Boston University, says the Bible movie boom is more a result of the subject being seen as fresh fodder, rather than because of an attempt to appeal to religious moviegoers.

The Bible has ?this great material with great characters,? he says. In other words, bigger-than-life story lines with a lot of natural disasters thrown in to keep people on the edge of their seats until the good guys win.

Filming scenes of huge waves threatening Noah?s ark or Moses parting the Red Sea is simply the next step in a trend started by movies such as the ?Lord of the Rings? trilogy, says Mr. Schneider. Directors want to create spectacle, and audiences want to watch it, too.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/qWc889oOVj8/Hollywood-gets-back-to-biblical

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Ohio jury convicts teenager of Craigslist murders

AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - A jury convicted 17-year-old Brogan Rafferty of murder on Tuesday in the deaths of three men, two of whom were lured to Ohio by a Craigslist ad promising work on a farm.

Rafferty and Richard Beasley, 53, were charged with murder in the deaths of the three men. Two men answered a social media ad for a $300-a-week job as a caretaker on a farm about 100 miles south of Cleveland.

Although prosecutors said Beasley pulled the trigger, they accused Rafferty of assisting in the crimes and the attempted murder of a fourth man, Scott Davis.

Rafferty was 16 when he was arrested in November 2011, but was tried as an adult. He faces up to life in prison in the killing of David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Virginia; Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron, Ohio; and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, Ohio.

Rafferty did not react as the multiple guilty verdicts were read by Judge Lynne Callahan, but his mother dropped her head and sobbed.

Kern's father cried when the guilty verdict in his son's murder was read. After all of the verdicts, he gave a thumbs up.

The Summit County, Ohio, jury of seven women and five men took 20 hours to reach a verdict.

During the trial, Rafferty testified that he feared for his life after watching Beasley, a man he considered a father figure and spiritual leader, shoot Geiger in the head execution style.

Rafferty admitted he dug two holes that he said were meant to be graves. He told jurors that he felt trapped into doing what Beasley said because he was "terrified" of the older man.

But prosecutors called Rafferty an apt pupil of Beasley and said the teen had ample opportunities to turn the older man in and protect himself and his family.

After the trial concluded, some of the jurors spoke to reporters about the verdict.

"It was a tough one. He was a child and he is a child, and it was very difficult to make a decision," juror Michele Lewis said.

A male juror who asked not to be identified said the jury did not believe Rafferty's story that he was so afraid of Beasley that he cooperated in the murders.

"This was not one man intimidating another," he added.

Beasley, a friend of the Rafferty family, is scheduled to stand trial in January. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Rafferty's sentencing is scheduled for November 5.

The Ohio crimes are among a growing number of incidents involving Craigslist and other social media, including other attacks on people responding to advertisements.

In 2009, a former medical student was accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist. In February, two men in Tennessee were accused of killing a man and a woman for "unfriending" the daughter of one of the suspects on Facebook.

(Editing by Greg McCune and James B. Kelleher; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-jury-convicts-teenager-craigslist-murders-013916249.html

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