Officer claims she didn't see Fiorentini get hit!

LATEST UPDATE - TWO CASES OF APPARENT PERJURY!

Abilene P.D. Officer Aron Bryan (female whose face injury is pictured) in court transcripts claims that she hit Fiorentini only in the kidney but didn't see or hear Officers Corntey Bailey or Officer Long ever strike Fiorentini.

Bailey alone claimed to have struck Fiorentini 7-10 times, but it was Officer Long that reportedly did the most damage to Fiorentini's face.

FIRST CASE OF APPARENT AGGRAVATED PERJURY

Court Transcripts - May 12, 2009 -Pg. 139, lines 8 -15: Attorney Sam MeHaffey questioning Officer Aron Bryan:

Q: Which part of his body were you hitting?

A: His right kidney area

Q: Did you ever hit any other part of his body besides his right kidney area?

A: No

Q: Did you see other officers striking Mr. Fiorentini?

A: I couldn't see.

Q: Is that a no?

A: That's a no.

Is our communtiy expected to believe that Officer Bryan isn't trying to coverup for fellow officers Bailey and Long? It appears to me from listening to the audio of the arrest and reading 195 pages of court transcripts and testimony, that this isn't the only case of aggravated perjury by officers testifying against Fiorentini.

In addition, court transcripts show that APD officers were told by Mrs. Fiorentini that Victor Fiorentini hadn't threatened her or her son physically, she simply reported that she was concerned that her husband was going to cut up her property with a chainsaw, which he never actually did. She asked police to standby while she and her son gathered some personal belongings.

The rumors that the police were called to a domestic and violent dispute are simply not true. This was simply meant to be a police standby while one resident gathered some personal property.

SECOND CASE OF APPARENT AGGRAVATED PERJURY

Officer Cortney Bailey testifying that she saw Victor Fiorentini strike Officer Aron Bryan. Court transcripts from May 12, pg 38, lines 20-25 and pg.39, lines 1-25 and pg.40, lines 1-3.

Q. And you saw that he hit her somewhere in the hairline?
A: Yes.
Q: Which --
A. I knew at that point that he hit her on the side of the head. It wasn't until later when there was injury, I mean, she had a knot, that we knew exactly where.
Q: But you could tell -- you saw the punch close enough that you could tell the general area that it impacted; right?
A: Yes...
Q: And you saw that punch, didn't you?
A: Yes.
Q. Because the punch is from right over here and you're right over here, and a hundred percent of your attention is on Mr. Fiorentini?
A. Actually by the time the punch happened, I was within probably I would say 5 to 7 feet because I began moving when he got up.
Q: Did he hit her with his right hand?
A: Yes, which was on my side.

Court transcripts - May 13, 2009 -Pg. 139, lines 8 -15: Attorney Sam MeHaffey questioning Officer Cortney Bailey after pointing out that Bailey has just contradicted her own account of the events, which was captured on audio the night of the arrest.

Q: Okay. A man says: Did he whap her pretty hard? And you say: I didn't see the actual hit. I didn't see him go up on her, but I mean, I knew -- I mean, I saw her try to get out of the way.

A: Uh-huh.

Q: Is that what you said?

A: I mean, it's pretty staticky, but that sounds about right. That's what I stated yesterday.

Q: So, you didn't say that he hit her --Mr. Fiorentini hit Officer Bryan with a closed fist?

A: He punched her. Unless there -- I mean, that, no, I did not see the actual fist. I said that yesterday. I didn't see the fist make contact with her head, but she had a knot, a knot right here in her hair.

Q: But you didn't see the closed fist actually make contact with her?

A: No, sir.

Q: And that's your testimony?

A: Yes, sir.

On May 12, Officer Bailey testifies that she saw Fiorentini strike Officer Bryan with his right hand but then reverses herself on May 13 when confronted with an audio of her admitting to never having seen Fiorentini strike Officer Bailey.

If Officer Bryan isn't perjuring herself, then she should be let go from the Abilene P.D. for being blind. How she could have not witnessed the beating of Victor Fiorentini is beyond me. By claiming she did not see the beating, she avoids being questioned on the witness stand about the details of Fiorentini's beating.

In my estimation, Officer Bailey's case is the most obvious case of aggravated perjury in that she clearly contradicts her testimony.

Question, why didn't the D.A.'s office charge Bailey with aggravated perjury when she reversed her fabricated story of seeing Fiorentini punch Officer Bryan with his right fist?

Was this police officer given a haymaker concussion by Victor Fiorentini?

This is the picture of one of the alleged injuries sustained by APD officer Aron Bryan, which according to her resulted in a concussion. The other injury she reported was a sprained ankle (no picture available).

Officer Cortney Bailey testified that she was only five to seven feet away from Bryan when she saw Fiorentini strike her with his fist.
This appears to contradict Bailey's statement to a correctional officer when he asked, "Pop her pretty hard?"

If it is Bailey on the audio, she apparently said, "I didn't see the actual hit. I mean, I didn't (see) him go up on her...but I mean...I knew...I mean I saw her trying to grab his (arm and) he was fightin'."

According to Fiorentini, he was convicted of only twisting Bailey's ankle and not striking her. Fiorentini denies he attacked her ankle.

Was this Veteran beaten by police on Veteran's Day?

Here is a picture of Victor Fiorentini who claims to have been beaten by members of the Abilene Police Dept. His skull was fractured and two molars broken. I will have more on this story later.

Fiorentini claims to never have struck Officer Bryan nor to have sprained her ankle. Is it possible she sprained it on Fiorentini when kicking him?

In testimony, Officer Cortney Bailey testified that she was about seven feet from Officer Bryan when Bailey saw her get punched with a fist.

This is apparently a contradiction to the audio that was made unbeknownst to Officer Bailey, a conversation she had with a Taylor County correctional officer, where she states that she actually never saw Fiorentini punch Officer Bryan. I will be making the audio available when I figure out how to do it.

Being that the Taylor County Citizens' Review Board is still in formation, I will give my personal view of the events:

Several police officers escorted Mrs. Fiorentini and her son to pick up their personal effects at the Fiorentini home, where she no longer lived at the time (they are back together and have a 17 month old baby). Victor Fiorentini ordered the police off his property nine times in a verbally aggressive
manner, which was for the most part professionally handled by Officer Bryan, except for some minor taunting on her part.

It would have been wise for the officers to have explained the law with regard to what they were wanting to do and what the rights of Mrs. Fiorentini were at the time, being that she was also a property owner.

When Fiorentini started seeing his son taking the home computer, Fiorentini tried to enter his home after throwing a lit cigar toward Byron (big mistake) but didn't hit her. He also called her a "cunt" (bigger mistake) and used other profanity.

Bryan physically kept Fiorentini from entering his own home by grabbing his arm, which he told her to remove. I am not a legal expert here, but due to Fiorentini's threatening tone, it appears to me that Byron's actions were for the most part warranted up to this point. Her and another officer's taunting a man under the influence of alcohol was not wise and aiding the son in taking the home computer may even have been illegal.

At this point there was a scuffle and Fiorentini ended up with a broken skull and two broken molars. Bryan's claims to have been hit in the head by Fiorentini may be true, but the picture of her doesn't show any apparent swelling. Officer Bailey's testimony of seeing Fiorentini hit Bryan contradicts the audio purported to be her, where she denies having seen the hit.

In addition, after reading the court transcripts, I don't understand how Fiorentini could have grabbed hold of Bryan's foot to twist in when both of his arms were being controlled by two other officers with Fiorentini laying on his left side pressed into the ground. Does Fiorentini have a third hand? The officers should have either cuffed Fiorentini rather than beat his face repeatedly, as the court transcipts of the officers claim...or they should not have beat his face repeatedly while Fiorentini was in handcuffs.

The fact that this part of the audio of the arrest was not made available smacks of coverup. Fiorentini claimed he was screaming for help at this point. WHERE IS THE AUDIO?

I believe Fiorentini should not have spoken in a threatening manner and should not have used profanity. I think the police should not have allowed the Fiorentini's son to take the home computer for that was a civil manner, they should have only been allowed to pick up their personal effects, such as clothes.

After reading the court transcripts and listening to an audio allegedly provided by the APD of the arrest (which appears to be severely edited), it is my personal conclusion that far more than legal and necessary force was used to arrest Fiorentini. Only one side of his face appears to be beaten and his claim to have been beaten while in handcuffs with his face pressed into the ground should be investigated.

I believe Fiorentini to have been the victim of a vicious beating at the hands of certain members of the Abilene P.D. The fact that Fiorentini's request for an internal investigation was denied by then Assistant Chief Stan Standridge is problematic to me as well.

When contacting Standridge for comment and asking for the officers' side of the story, Standridge said he would not comment on the case itself and would not allow the officer's to give their version, so I have to rely on court transcripts and police audio.

I will add that Chief Standridge was a consummate professional in dealing with me, and even though he strongly disagrees with my tactics, he communicated clearly, patiently and helped me to see why allowing the police officers to contact me and give their side of the story wasn't in the best interests of the Abilene P.D.

Had Fiorentini stayed in his seat, none of this would have happened. Had the APD not allowed Fiorenti's son to take the home computer, none of this would have happened. There were bad mistake made on both sides and I don't think a fractured skull and broken molars should have been part of the equation.

More to come on this when I learn how to post the audio and the PDF files of the court transcripts.

If anyone believes I don't have my facts straight, that someone has falsified the court transcripts or court audio, or that I am missing something, please do not hesitate to contact me at Lance@TheLanceReports.com. I will be happy to air any other eyewitness account, whether it be a citizen's or a law enforcement officer's.

Additionally, I intend to have a Taylor County Citizens' Review Board website independent of TheLanceReports.com, I just need to find the time to get it online.

Alleged Beatings At the Taylor County Jail

Picture of inmate who claims he was

held down by guards and kicked in

the ribs. Click on photo to enlarge.

Lance Hunter Voorhees
xxxxx
Abilene, TX 79606

September 8, 2006
The Honorable Greg Abbott
Attorney General
State of Texas
PO Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548

Dear Mr. Attorney General:

As a chaplain for Taylor County Detention Ministries, the majority of my service is spent volunteering at our Juvenile Detention Center but I also serve at the Taylor County Jail. Over a period of approximately three years I have received various complaints about jail personnel from inmates both past and present, their relatives, county employees and medical personnel.

While some of these complaints appear to be without merit, some reported incidents ring true; incidents that violate the Texas Administrative Code’s Minimum Jail Standards. I am requesting your office investigate the veracity of these purported violations.

Prohibited sanctions allegedly violated under TITLE 37, PART 9, CHAPTER 283 §RULE 283.1, SUBSECTION (4) are as follows: (B) corporal punishment, (C) administration of disciplinary action by inmates, (D) deprivation of clothing, (F) deprivation of items necessary to maintain an acceptable level of personal hygiene and (H) deprivation of physical recreation or exercise.

§RULE 283.3 may also have been violated according to SUBSECTIONS: (1) lack of access to a grievance board of more than one person, (2) not providing details on what constitutes grounds for initiation of a grievance and (7) not providing a documented appeals process when requested.

The most serious types of complaints I’ve received about jailers (designated by number instead of name) are as follows: JAILER #1 kicking inmate Wesley Freeman while he was restrained on the floor by other jailers, JAILER #1 elbowing an inmate in a specialized restraining chair equipped with straps, JAILER #2 encouraging an inmate to hang himself, exposing inmates restrained in the chair to the sun for long stretches of time, subjecting an inmate to multiple dog bites, allowing the beating of inmate Juan Manuel Albarado (a juvenile certified as an adult) by a known adult adversary, prescription drugs stolen by staff, drugs sold to inmates by staff, the taunting of a 100% disabled veteran and former Air Force Captain (who will testify by affidavit) to crawl across the concrete floor for his withheld asthma medication, the pepper spraying of asthmatic inmate David Jefferson by JAILER #3 for defiantly knocking his bowl off the table, several claims of pepper spray being used for corporal punishment (mostly by JAILER #3) including: the spraying of toilet paper thus making it harder to clean up, putting sprayed inmates in a drunk tank or “rubber room” for long periods of time (up to a full night) without a change of clothing and no water to wash off the debilitating spray (Sheriff Dieken says this is done for a maximum of fifteen minutes), jailers purposefully spraying up into inmates’ nostrils and mouths plus in one case restraining the head and pulling back the eyebrows so that an inmate’s eyelids opened wider to expose his eyeballs to a more direct spray.

It has been reported to me that pictures of inmate injuries are missing or not taken at all. Complaints that some inmate grievances not followed up on by staff are common. Sheriff Jack Dieken admits that grievances used to get thrown in the trash and destroyed before taking office but claims he put an end to this practice and ended the beatings he admits occurred prior to 1993.

Name Deleted, (a juvenile sentenced to twenty years for manslaughter) was reportedly a victim of trumped up or exaggerated internal write-ups that were eventually used against him in the sentencing phase of his trial. The supervisor that reportedly wrote some of them has since been fired. With regard to that case, Assistant District Attorney Harriet Haag is being investigated by The Board of Disciplinary Appeals for violating Rule(s) 3.03 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.

It is interesting to note that all but one inmate I’ve spoken with say they are well fed and none claim to be the target of racial slurs by jailers. Although some “feel” discriminated against, none have provided evidence and all but one state that only a fraction of jailers are committing said violations. If an inmate is simply going to lie, why doesn’t he or she lie about being the victim of racial slurs or food deprivation? The consistent details add credibility to accusations by inmates.

Although Sheriff Jack Dieken has publicly stated that he is open to hearing complaints, my experience with him is less than satisfactory. When I inquired into the civil rights of inmates he told me that “I don’t need you. You’re nothing. You’re nothing. You’re a citizen.” With regard to my inquiries, Sheriff Dieken demanded that I “Leave it alone.” When I responded “I can’t do that, Sir” he then retorted, “Then you’re a sorry Republican. You’re a damn liberal Democrat.” As a direct result, I am no longer allowed to counsel adult inmates face to face or see them at all without special permission.

The above conversation happened the Monday after I requested an investigation into Wesley Freeman’s claim of being kicked by a jailer. The Sheriff’s response to me was “Wesley Freeman is a piece of crap. He is a little piece of putty.” He is “not worth my time.” He referred to inmate Juan Manuel Albarado in similar terms when I brought up his beating at the hands of another inmate.

I can’t be certain which claims are valid but neither can the Sheriff, who reportedly hasn’t even spoken with Freeman or Jefferson regarding their claims. Nevertheless, since speaking with the Sheriff it has been made public that one jailer resigned after being confronted about punching an inmate and two others were reprimanded for taking heavy-handed “liberties” with another inmate. The story was published on 8/29/06 in the Abilene Reporter News (http://www.reporternews.com/).

As a chaplain, I am not in a position to investigate these claims. Although I did contact our Chief of Police, the District Attorney and a Texas Ranger about the matter, no investigation has been initiated that I am aware of. That is why I am asking the Attorney General’s Office to interview related prisoners, county employees and medical personnel. Please investigate these claims and find out how much money is spent on pepper spray. Are these allocated funds in align with the 36 pepper spray incidents that have been documented this year?

I don’t want to give the impression that I don’t appreciate what jailers do; I am very pro-law enforcement. My mother and stepfather both served as police officers and my stepbrother currently serves as a police detective. Like my family, I realize jailers provide a valuable service for relatively low pay. Nevertheless, jailers that systematically violate Minimum Jail Standards cast a dark shadow on the majority who perform their jobs with integrity. Law-breaking jailers are simply criminals with pepper spray and a badge. Nobody should be above the law.

Sincerely,
Lance Hunter Voorhees
Chaplain – Taylor County Detention Ministries

http://reporternews.com/news/2006/aug/29/jailer-quits-2-others-written-up/

Iraqi Uranium Not An Urban Legend

To all those who have been whining for years that there was no yellowcake uranium in Iraq and therefore no danger of Saddam Hussein reconstituting his nuclear weapons program at the time, try this one on for size.

In a recently announced 3-month secret mission, the U.S. military removed 550 metric tons of yellowcake from the defunct Tuwaitha nuclear complex just 12 miles south of Baghdad. The U.S. brokered a sale of the uranium (worth tens of millions of dollars) on behalf of the Iraqi government to Canada for their nuclear power program.

Yellowcake is concentrated natural uranium that can be transmuted into nuclear weapons grade material through an enrichment process in gas centrifuges. In 2003, the CIA recovered two large barrels of parts and blueprints for the same type of centrifuges from an Iraqi rose garden owned by nuclear scientist Dr. Mahdi Obeidi.

These documents included information on how to conceal evidence of Iraq’s nuclear weapons program from U.N. inspectors and others. Obeidi, who was one of many scientists ordered by Saddam to hide such materials, has since been quoted as saying that the Iraqi dictator could have restarted his nuclear weapons program “at the snap of a finger.”

The liberal media has long raked President Bush over the coals for “lying” about Saddam’s pursuit of yellowcake uranium mined in Niger to build nuclear weapons. The accusations center on 16 fateful words spoken at Bush’s January 28, 2003 State of the Union address:

“The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” Two months later, we went to war.

While some of the evidence pointing to collusion between Saddam and the government of Niger was forged, the bogus evidence didn’t prove to be the only evidence. The clear evidence being made public, President Bush has now been vindicated in that his assessment of Saddam’s nuclear intentions was not only reasonable, but accurate.

Had we not invaded Iraq two months later on March 19, 2003, what would Saddam now be doing with all that yellowcake uranium? If we hadn’t stayed the course after Saddam was deposed, would insurgents now be selling tons of yellowcake on the black market to interested parties that don’t have U.S. interests in mind?

President Bush should be applauded for not giving the weapons inspection dodging Saddam Hussein the benefit of the doubt.

I think the biggest mistake Bush made was not asking Congress for a formal Declaration of War the way the Constitution mandates. The result is that he opened himself up to accusations of warmongering by a critical Congress who acted like rabid dogs who have smelled blood. This has been no small matter and voters should hold any and all turncoat politicians accountable.

The U.S. operation to remove the deadly yellowcake was also no small matter either. The secret operation included transport by ship and two weeks of airlifts. The secrecy was due to concerns that those transporting the yellowcake would be vulnerable to insurgents and we could not risk taking the chance of uranium falling into the wrong hands.

So here we are, again involved in a civil war clear around the other side of the world. While that has made us look bad to some of our allies, such as the French, it doesn’t take much to realize that the oft-repeated mantram that this war is all about oil doesn’t have any teeth.

This war is not just about our economic security; it is about the physical security of the United States and our allies, including the French who are now experiencing their own epidemic of Islamic extremism.

Yes, the 4116 American lives that have been lost to date in Iraq is a painful price to pay, but as wars go, the loss of life has been minimal.

In comparison, in one day we lost 4,498 at Pearl Harbor and another 4,900 on D-Day. While the war in Iraq has seemed to drag-on for over five years, our U.S. military should be congratulated for a job well done, not castigated for allowing American blood to be spilled overseas in defense of our interests. Just wars are almost always about economic and physical security.

In contrast, our war at home against drunk drivers has cost over 13,000 American casualties per year. This doesn’t get nearly as much play in the media because it is easier to exploit the deaths of American soldiers and the insurgents disguised as innocent non-combatants that kill them — just blame it on the commander in chief.

Some will surely dig their naive peace activist heels into the ground and argue that Saddam didn’t have the resources to build a nuclear weapon. To those I would say this. Utilizing 1945 technology and resources, the U.S. created and dropped two atomic bombs — one on Hiroshima and the other on Nagasaki. Approximately 67,000 people died the first day and an additional 36,000 died over the next four months.

Now imagine what Saddam or the insurgent terrorists could have done with 550 metric tons of yellowcake uranium at their disposal. Imagine the modern nuclear technologies and resources anyone controlling billions of dollars in Iraqi oil revenue could purchase.

Had it not been for George W. Bush, we could have found ourselves in the middle of a disaster far greater than the one experienced on September 11th and maybe even greater than the 100,000 deaths in Japan. Thank God that was a risk President Bush wasn’t willing to take.

It is important to not only show support for our troops, but to also know why you support them.

Lance Hunter Voorhees is a political columnist and former radio co-host of “A.M. Big Country.” Feel free to email Lance@TheLanceReports.com or visit his new Blog at www.TheLanceReports.com © 2008 Lance Hunter Voorhees

Jihadist Prison Ministries

Right On Target
with Lance Hunter Voorhees

You’ve heard their names: Al–Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Taliban and Islamic Jihad. What most haven’t heard is that these terrorist organizations are setting up shop in U.S. and Latin American prisons under the guise of ministry.

Counterfeit chaplains are converting prisoners to an extreme form of Islam with an eye to cultivate terroristic saboteurs and martyrs willing to wrap themselves in explosives and detonate on Main Street U.S.A. Their endgame is even more diabolical, which is to cause death and disease of biblical proportions to usher in the end of the world and their Messiah, the Al-Imam al-Mahdi, better known as the Anti-Christ.

Does that sound any more farfetched than Jihadist highjackers flying into the World Trade Center on their way to an eternal date with seventy-two virgins? Read on.

Dr. J. Michael Waller, Annenberg Professor of International Communication for the Institute of World Politics, warns of the inroads that radical Muslim chaplains are making in American prisons — North, Central and South America included.

Testifying before the Senate’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, Dr. Waller stated that Muslim chaplaincies are “one of several avenues of infiltration, recruitment, training and operation” for terrorist organizations who are backed by foreign governments like Iran and Syria, who want to gain a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.

What begins as a religious conversion may be adulterated into the cultish fervor that is prevalent in many Middle Eastern mosques and madrassas (Islamic schools & seminaries) radicalizing prisoners into a cadre of militant Muslims who will be soldiers in the ultimate Jihad, or Holy War. Prisoners are pressed into service by threat, or more effectively by bribe.

They are promised financial assistance upon release and the financial deep pockets of radical Islam have more than enough to make good on its promises.

Various U.S. intelligence sources, including the Israeli Mossad, warn that terror cells are being based throughout Latin America; the highest concentration being in the tri-bordered area of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, known as “The Muslim Triangle,” the Western Hemisphere’s terrorist-central.

From here, highly funded terror-brokers are systematically seeding almost eight million square miles of fertile recruiting ground. As this budding crop of trained terrorists are harvested, their goal will be to mix-in with the three to four million illegals that yearly cross our 1952-mile backdoor - the Mexican border.

Mark F. Wong, the State Department’s Acting Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, testified before the House Committee On International Relations about the specific threat that Latin American Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah cells pose in “America’s Backyard.” These terrorist organizations are not only pooling resources among themselves but also building alliances with prison gangs, smuggling rings and drug cartels.

Afghanistan alone produces 92% of the worlds opium and 80% of the heroin, giving the Taliban great influence south of our border. Unfortunately, U.S. troops are restricted from destroying poppy fields for fear of alienating poppy farmers and workers who provide ground intelligence.

Army Gen. Dan K. McNeil, the American NATO commander in Afghanistan, was quoted in the Financial Times as saying that “Eradication done improperly is counterintuitive to running the counterinsurgency because it will alienate people and you may have more insurgent people appearing than you had before.

The result is that the U.S. is trying to fight a war with their hands tied by political correctness, which has allowed Afghanistan’s opium harvest to more than double since 2002, the proceeds of which are often used to purchase weapons that in turn kill U.S. troops.

For terrorist organizers, the millions of poor, hungry and uneducated common folk of Latin America are the new recruiting targets of choice. Latin Americans are especially susceptible to Islamist conversion because Spain was a Muslim country for over 700 years. Because of Latin America’s shared common ancestry with Spain, radical Islam can be made more appealing by marketing it as the religion of their ancestors. “Islam is in your blood.”

The problem of militant Islam has also become a hornet’s nest in U.S. federal prisons, where 9% of inmates request Islamic services, most of whom are African American. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is one of two officially recognized certifiers of Muslim chaplains and the only organization that has been authorized to endorse Muslim chaplains to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. This is the same ISNA that was named in a U.S. District Court in Dallas, TX as an un-indicted co-conspirator with the Holy Land Foundation for raising money for the terrorist group Hamas.

While the Clinton Administration turned a politically correct blind eye to the problem of radical prison chaplains, President Bush has put a hold the ISNA’s ability to endorse Muslim chaplains for services. While that is a good first step, it has also reduced the number of moderate Muslim chaplains who move on and are not replaced.

The vacuum has created more inmate led services called “Prison Islam” that moderate Muslim chaplains are warning us about. Prison Islam, is an undirected form of extreme Islam that is influenced by prison gangs who pressure prisoners to come under it’s wing of protection through the use of threats.

The FBI warns that many prisoners are now leaving prison “with extreme Islamist views.” While they may not be converted to actual terrorists while in prison, the danger is that they will seek out extremist mosques upon release and be vulnerable to further radicalization. Being that history is known to repeat itself, we could soon experience our own wave of ex-con and illegal alien suicide bombings.

Saddam Hussein personally invested over $10 million U.S. dollars in bounties for the families of “successful suicide bombers” with awards ranging from $25,000 to $40,000. Imagine what would happen if we prematurely pulled out of Iraq and let insurgents control the world’s third largest oil reserves.

The billions of dollars terrorists would control could not only pay suicide bomber bounties, but also pay for a higher class of weapons, including nuclear and dirty bomb materials. Once smuggled into the U.S., the loss of life could be staggering and our economy would easily be brought to it’s knees before the altar of radical Islam, which fits comfortably within Mahdistic theology, the messianic doctrine of militant Islam, which also drives Iran’s current foreign policy, and probably its nuclear policy as well.

The Al-Imam al-Mahdi is the prophesized messiah of both the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. While the Sunni’s believe the Mahdi has yet to appear, the Shiites believe that he appeared in past history and will again be revealed at his glorious advent.

In a nutshell, this apocalyptic branch of theology teaches: “The world will not come to an end until a man from the descendants of Husayn takes charge of the affairs of the world.” The Mahdi will “defend Islam" and first rule “over the Arabs” before becoming the global ruler.

“When the Master of the Age appears,” he will “rule for seven years” just before “The Day of Resurrection” and “will offer the religion of Islam to the Jews and the Christians; if they accept it they will be spared, otherwise they will be killed.” To assure that other nations do not become an obstacle, he will negotiate “a Treaty of Non-interference with the Rulers.”

While a growing number suspect that Barrack Hussein Obama is the descendent of Husayn spoken of here, I don’t agree. My various theological reasons for this are touched on in our Community Forum under the blog line “Is Obama the antichrist?”

One doesn’t have to be a biblical scholar to recognize the numerous and ominous parallels between Christian and Mahdistic theology. Most striking is the Christian belief in an Anti-Christ that reigns during Israel’s seven year tribulation and the Mahdi, which is also to rule seven years and bring tribulation upon Israel for its unbelief in Mohammed.

If Jihadist Islamists are successful at converting Latino and Black martyrs through Mahdistic theology, a race war could ignite within America’s borders that would make the days of segregation pale in comparison.

The U.S. waited for the tragedy of 9/11 before installing bullet-proof cockpit doors to help secure the cockpits of America’s airplanes. What tragedy awaits the U.S. before she is forced to truly secure America’s borders and federal prisons?

Lance Hunter Voorhees is a political columnist and former radio co-host of “A.M. Big Country.” Feel free to email Lance@TheLanceReports.com or visit his new Blog at http://www.thelancereports.com/ © 2008 Lance Hunter Voorhees

Gay Marriage Isn't Fabulous?

Gay Marriage Isn't Fabulous?

What does Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres have in common?

They plan on marrying this year, but not each other.

The two gay celebrities intend to tie the knot with their same-sex partners thanks to four California Supreme Court judges who overruled over 4 million voters that passed Proposition 22, a referendum which defined legal marriage as only between a man and a woman.

The court upheld San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer’s ruling that California statutes banning same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. Kramer added that “no rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this state to opposite sex partners.”

Logical reasons exist on both sides of most arguments from abortion to zoophilia. To imply no rational reasons exist for preserving the traditional institution of marriage exposes Kramer’s lack of objectivity and bias. Judge Kramer is guilty of legislating from the bench — one more in a line of justices that have come out of the gay rights closet wearing pink colored glasses though which the view the law.

While the average citizen isn’t in the position to reason with a judge on these issues, we are capable of presenting reasonable positions to our friends and associates. When attempting to do so, it’s good to remember that religion over reason isn’t usually your best bet.

Quoting the homosexual prohibitions in 1 Corinthians 6:9 or Romans 1:27 could lead to a debate over whether you believe planting “a field with two kinds of seed” violates the decree of God (Lev 19:19) or whether you support stoning children who curse their parents (Lev 20:9). The adage that “the Bible says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” just won’t cut it in today’s culture war.

People whose arguments rely on cultural catch phrases like, “it’s wrong to discriminate” and “you can’t legislate morality” are relatively easy to handle if they’re open minded. They forget that laws by their very nature are designed to discriminate.

Laws against nudism — a victimless crime — discriminate against people who prefer to hang out in their birthday suits. Most would support laws that force the school crossing guard to wear more than a hand-held stop sign. Laws against necrophiliacs and cannibals also discriminate, defining through legislation as to what is and is not moral for our culture.

Consider the case of the Rotenburg Cannibal, Armin Meiwes, who advertised on his “Cannibal Café” website for a gay man willing “to be slaughtered and then consumed.” His victim was arguably not a victim, folks, he was a “volunteer” who allowed the entire process to be captured on video.

While this is an extreme example, it can be argued that laws against this breed of behavior violate the gay and civil rights of consenting adults. If you support laws against voluntary cannibalism then you, my friend, believe in legislating morality as do most Americans. We live in a democratic republic where society resolves what is legally immoral, it doesn’t mean our collective views are valid for every culture.

When I worked in Hollywood’s entertainment industry, I made many gay friends. They were some of the most compassionate, fun and intelligent people I have ever met. The gay couple that lived next door consisted of an executive who worked for Playboy (he said about 25% of the men at Playboy are gay) and his boyfriend who would sometimes dress like a woman and sing show tunes.

The couple often took care of one of their nephews and were attentive, warm and encouraging to the youngster. While I don’t hold that gay people can’t make even better parents than many heterosexual couples, I just don’t believe these types of marriages are best for our society as a whole.

My experience is that children raised by both biological parents have advantages over their counterparts. These children historically have higher self-esteem, do better in school and stay out of jail at a higher rate. Nuclear families are a dying breed thanks to high divorce rates and out of wedlock births. Approximately 21% of U.S. households are traditional nuclear families, which is down from the 1970 statistic of 40%. It’s simply in our best interest to support and promote the traditional family model.

Allowing gay marriage or forcing counties or states to recognize such marriages promotes the gay agenda, further chipping away at the traditional family. Youngsters that are beginning to mold their sexual identities are no longer that surprised when they see the openly lesbian couple in school, or that Danny has two daddies. Children who are on the fence sexually are more likely to experiment with same-sex relationships if they are told by educators and entertainers that this is normal and natural.

When I was in Jr. High, my friends and I wanted to model The Fonz on the “family friendly” show Happy Days by making out with any girl who was willing and then divulge the details to our chums — that was how to prove we were real men. Today’s teens have even more extreme examples of masculinity to follow.

The late night Girls Gone Wild infomercials are perfect examples of an entertainment centered culture that graphically pushes teen promiscuity, lesbianism and overall drunken debauchery. Today’s example of Superman bedding Lois Lane and fostering a child out of wedlock is considered mild in comparison. Can you imagine Ward and June Cleaver getting away with something like that on Leave It To Beaver?

Today’s TV shows and movies lower the bar every year. Cross-dressers and gay characters passionately kissing are the new norm; an in your face trend which is championed by a swelling list of rock stars and Hollywood celebrities — remember Brittany Spears and Madonna?

The gay lifestyle is a physically and emotionally dangerous lifestyle, especially for children. In one study, 47% of teens that identified as gay or lesbian have seriously considered suicide and 36% have made suicide attempts. Certain sexually transmitted diseases are especially rampant in the gay teen community, such as HIV and AIDS.

The Advocate, probably the most well known gay publication, published the following admission:
“Our community, the gay and lesbian community – and I particularly fault gay men here – has done nothing to try to help our youth. Gay men view these boys as recreational toys to be used. I have heard many stories of HIV-positive men having sex with boys. They don’t think it matters.”

If gay marriage becomes the norm, adolescent males could look at experimenting with an adult male the same way they would look at expermienting with an adult female — “just another sexual experience.” The thing is, there are not a lot of adult women knocking on the doors of more than willing, hormone driven boys looking for such an experience.

Those that truly believe the law has no right to interfere with same-sex marriages should be consistent in their beliefs and support the rights of polygamists who desire multiple wives and women who prefer to marry man’s best friend over the man — I’m talking Rover here.

By resisting efforts to legalize gay marriage, you are protecting not just the institution of marriage, but you’re also sheilding our youth from getting caught up in the pro-gay media blitz — a purposeful campagin that seeks to destroy the institution of tradional marriage, which will in the end reduce the chances of future generations from experiencing a tradional family of their own.

Lance Hunter Voorhees is a political columnist and former radio co-host of “A.M. Big Country.” Feel free to email Lance@TheLanceReports.com or visit his new Blog at www.TheLanceReports.com © 2008 Lance Hunter Voorhees