Idaho Independent LDS Gubernatorial Candidate Rex Rammell Explains Why He Only Invited Mormon Elders To His "White Horse Prophecy" Campaign Tour

Idaho independent gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who's been under fire since it was publicly revealed that he had organized a campaign tour to discuss the "White Horse Prophecy" and had invited only active LDS elders to attend, conducted a press conference to explain his reasoning. Rammell's official campaign website is available HERE. Accompanying media story in the Idaho Statesman.

During the press conference, Rammell explained that he only invited LDS elders to this series of lectures because he believed that only LDS elders would be interested in exploring this issue in depth. He said he intends to conduct other campaign events which will be open to all citizens. But Rammell scoffs at the notion of a so-called "separation of church and state", saying that this nation could not have won its independence and survived the War Between The States without God's help.

Part of the press conference was captured on video by a blogger named ChinoBlanco, and is embedded below:



After the storm initially broke, the LDS Church issued a statement reaffirming its political neutrality. Rammell has no problem with that attitude, stressing that he is not running as a Mormon, but as a citizen of Idaho. Nonetheless, many people are over-reacting to Rammell's statements, which shows why it is purposeless to cast pearls before swine. It was prophesied that in the latter days, there would be scoffers walking after their own lusts, and when a patriot like Rex Rammell is denigrated and caricatured because of his overt patriotism, it shows the prescience of those issuing the prophecy.

Rex Rammell is to be commended for holding firm to his ideals and refusing to roll over under pressure to the forces of political correctness. He's demonstrated the same backbone displayed by Utah State Senator Chris Buttars when Buttars was witch-hunted by the NAACP nearly two years ago. And lvtsg.com comes out in vigorous defense of Rex Rammell's freedom of speech:

After all – all he did was...let’s see...

1. He admitted to being dependent upon his God
2. He gave him credit where he felt credit was due
3. He is not afraid to ask his God for assistance in a time of need
4. He wanted to discuss the prophecies of his God with others of a like mind

Just WHEN did that become illegal?

When has that become something that is considered crazy or ridiculous?

Is it that he has brought “God” into his speeches – or the fact that he is a Mormon?

IMHO – we need MORE people of faith, people who are not afraid of admitting that they have faith – and that they practice it. People who have a faith, a deep seeded belief – NOT JUST on the day that they go to church, temple or what ever – but every day of the week! If people can’t stand up for what they believe in – then they are only paying it lip service- and shouldn’t be trusted with running our governments.

The Foundation for Apologetic Research & Information (FAIR) minimizes the significance of the White Horse prophecy, saying that it is not to be considered canon or scripture. It was never corroborated by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and he never confirmed that the text correctly transmitted what he said or intended. By the time the two individuals who allegedly heard it shared it with the public, Joseph Smith had been dead for ten years. But just because it is not "canon" doesn't necessarily mean it is apostate. It is still a valid subject for theological discussion.

Nationalist Party Of America Presidential Candidate Billy Roper Foreshadows The Breakup Of America On The Nolan Chart Libertarian Website

As of this date, the Barack Obama Administration is not even a year old, yet frustrations over his election and administration have metastasized to the point where there is not only a new political party being established, but its founder has already declared himself to be a candidate for President of the United States in 2012.

Billy Roper, better known by some as the Chairman of the White Revolution organization based in Russellville, Arkansas, has launched the Nationalist Party of America (NPA), and has declared himself its presidential candidate. Although Roper himself is a proponent of racial nationalism, the NPA platform is actually a hybrid mix of racial populism, libertarianism, and constitutionalism. One of the more unique aspects of his platform is his advocacy of reforming the concept of intellectual property; he is the only candidate I've seen who wants to accomplish the genuine copyright reform necessary to promote the most vigorous and unfettered exchange of ideas possible. He even proposes to abolish the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 (Senator Orrin Hatch is a notorious proponent of DMCA).


But what's of particular interest in this post is a series of articles Billy Roper (pictured at left) has published on The Nolan Chart, a website dedicated to libertarian discourse. A complete list of Roper's articles is available HERE. Among them are, as of this date, three posts in which he foresees the breakup and alteration of the United States beginning as early as the 2010 decade. The three posts addressing this scenario are (in chronological order):

-- Future News. Published December 30th, 2009; New Years Eve news broadcast ten years from now. Part 1.
-- New Years Day 2020. Published January 1st, 2010; a fictional conjecture of what a news broadcast ten years from now might contain. Part 2.
-- Future News Part 3. Published January 4th, 2010; January 2020 News broadcast, speculative fiction.

Because the articles are copyrighted, they cannot be cross-posted here without permission, although they can be excerpted and summarized under Fair Use criteria.

Scenario: Sometime during this decade, the stability of the United States becomes strained to the breaking point because of mass immigration, excessive diversity, and catastrophic debt. While these problems pre-date the Obama Administration, his policies are exacerbating these problems. As a result of the breakdown, a new United States begins to coalesce, while the destruction of American influence abroad triggers conflicts between other countries. The southwest (and southern Florida) will become a Republic of Aztlan, recognized by other Latin American countries. The southeast will become a Republic of New Africa. The Northeast will fall under a U.N. protectorate, while the West Coast and Alaska will fall under a Chinese protectorate (most likely because the U.S. will be unable to pay its debts to China). A Nationalist government will take power in the United States to preserve independence for the rest of the country; it will unite the Canadian prairie provinces with the U.S. and recognize Quebecois independence in exchange for their help in getting Ontario into the union.

Attorney Mike Lee, Son Of Former BYU President Rex Lee, Jumps Into Republican Race Against Utah U.S. Senator Bob Bennett

On Tuesday January 5th, 2010, Mike Lee formally confirmed his widely-anticipated intention to challenge Utah's incumbent U.S. Senator Bob Bennett for the Republican nomination. This now brings the total number of Republicans in the race back up to five once again, as he joins Bennett, Cherilyn Eagar, Tim Bridgewater, and James Williams. Sam Granato is the lone Democrat in the race so far. Cody Robert Judy is also a declared candidate. Salt Lake Crawlmeister Glen Warchol provides the first media report of Lee's press conference; a new Deseret News story, a new Salt Lake Tribune story, and a KCPW story now available.

Lee's official related campaign websites are available at the following links:

http://www.mikelee2010.com/

http://twitter.com/mikelee2010

http://www.youtube.com/mikelee2010

Lee notes that there is widespread dissatisfaction with the size and role of the federal government, as it has grown too big, too expensive, and too oppressive. Instead of focusing on tasks that the Constitution assigns to them, Congress has been babysitting everything from automobile manufacturers to banks, and are now moving on to doctors, insurance companies, and school teachers. He believes the growth of government is not a problem inherent in government itself, but rather a symptom of those who run it. In his opinion, the proper role of Congress is to:

* Keep government spending to a minimum (allowing personal wealth to grow).
* Safeguard life and property.
* Limit the size and reach of the federal government so that States and individuals can better govern themselves.

Lee says he does not plan on running an "anti-Bennett" campaign. Read the rest of Mike Lee's platform HERE. Note that he takes a firm stance against illegal immigration. Videos of the press conference are now posted on Lee's YouTube channel:

-- Part 1: Introductory remarks by Jim Hansen and Norm Bangerter
-- Part 2: Mike Lee speaks
-- Part 3: Mike Lee takes questions

Lee, a prominent Salt Lake City attorney who lives in Alpine, had been holding a series of town hall-style meetings throughout Utah where he spoke about the U.S. Constitution and threats to the founding document. At a gathering of conservative activists in December 2009, he first announced plans to challenge Bennett for the seat.

Mike Lee is the son of Rex Lee, who was solicitor general under President Ronald Reagan and later president of Brigham Young University. A member of the law firm Howrey, LLP, he has represented EnergySolutions and in August 2009, filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Utah counties challenging Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's suspension of 77 oil and gas leases. Previously he served as general counsel to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., where he led the state's legal challenge to Private Fuel Storage's plans to store high-level nuclear waste on an American Indian reservation in Utah. He left to clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Lee also served as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Reaction: Mike Lee already has the support of former Governor Norm Bangerter, former Congressman James Hansen, and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. He is perceived as being clean as a hound's tooth; what little criticism directed towards him is based upon his status as an attorney and his representation of Energy Solutions, which has sought to import nuclear waste into Utah. Bob Bennett welcomed Lee into the Senate race, saying that his decision to run was neither surprising, nor will it affect his campaign strategy. "We are focused on running our campaign regardless of who the challenger is going to be," Bennett said. Lee "has good credentials, but he is getting off to a late start. We'll see how credible he is."

As for the impact on the Republican primary race, opinions are mixed. Holly On The Hill thinks Mike Lee could actually defeat Bob Bennett outright at the state convention, precluding the need for a primary fight. Glen Warchol also thinks Lee is the most credible alternative to Bob Bennett. But while Lee's vision, background and integrity instantly push him ahead of Bridgewater and Williams on the Republican depth charts, he still has Cherilyn Eagar to contend with, and she's been in the race for six months. Eagar's core constituency is the "Palinbots", and they are passionate and loyal about their candidate. Over 100 comments already posted to this early KSL story.

The question is, how much will Mike Lee and Cherilyn Eagar carve into each other as well as into Bob Bennett. I still think there will be a primary fight, but who will be the opponent of Bennett? Bennett still appears too strong to be knocked out altogether at the state convention. Watch the Utah media continue to subtly tilt in favor of Lee over Eagar.

Ret. USAF General Thomas McInerney Proposes Strip-Searching Young Muslim Men At U.S. Airports, But Whole-Body Scanners Are A Valid Substitute

In the wake of the partially-unsuccessful bombing of a Delta airliner in Detroit on Christmas Day by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian who allegedly received al-Qaeda training in Yemen, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney has proposed strip-searching Muslim men from 18-28 years of age at American airports. Original story from Fox News; also picked up by Iran's PressTV, by Raw Story, by Digital Journal, and by Newsnet14.

General McInerney, who is also identified as a member of the Iran Policy Committee, put forth the proposal during an appearance on Fox News on January 2nd, 2010. “If you are an 18 to 28-year-old Muslim man then you should be strip searched. And if we don’t do that there’s a very high probability we’re going to lose an airline,” he said. The retired general went on to say that US officials should profile all Muslims. “We have to use profiling. And I mean be very serious and harsh about the profiling.” McInerney believes one of these men will succeed in blowing up an airplane in the coming days, and thinks there is a “danger of high probability” of a terrorist attack within the next 30 to 120 days.

The video clip is embedded below:



The general's remarks come just before the Transportation Security Administration announced new, enhanced screening tactics at U.S. airports, with a renewed focus on foreign travelers. All passengers flying into the United States from abroad will be subject to random screening or so-called "threat-based" screens.

General McInerney failed to mention how he proposed to distinguish Muslims from other travelers. Would we require all travelers inbound to the United States to identify their religious preference in advance? And not all Muslims dress in Arabic-style robes. Furthermore, it can be sometimes difficult to distinguish between Arabic faces, Sephardic Jewish faces, and Hispanic faces. Any terrorist organization could attempt to defeat this profiling by instructing its operatives to dress like CEOs or hippies. It creates more questions than answers.

A less intrusive way to accomplish this goal is through the increased deployment of whole-body scanners. Suspects could be re-directed to walk through a scanner, and then strip-searched only if the scanner revealed an anomaly. The problem is that there is some high-profile opposition to the use of these scanners, most notably from Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz. In a CNN Commentary on December 31st, Chaffetz reiterated his opposition to whole-body scanners, and continues to promote legislation banning their use.

But strip-searching someone will be perceived as a degrading process, no matter how professional the screeners act. Thus it would be in the public interest to minimize the need to perform strip-searching of passengers. Whole-body scanners offer sufficient protection in most cases. It's time Congressman Chaffetz re-think his position against whole-body scanners.