Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial
By Todd Starnes
Shown here is the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Republican lawmakers and conservative activists are expressing outrage after the Obama administration announced its objection to adding President Franklin Roosevelt's D-Day prayer to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The objection was noted during a congressional hearing on Rep. Bill Johnson's, R-Ohio, bill -- the "World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011."
"It is unconscionable that the Obama administration would stand in the way of honoring our nation's distinguished World War II veterans," Johnson said. "President Roosevelt's prayer gave solace, comfort and strength to our nation and our brave warriors as we fought against tyranny and oppression."
Roosevelt asked the nation to join him in prayer as U.S. and allied troops launched the invasion that led to the defeat of Nazi Germany. He asked God to give the allied troops courage and faith, saying, "With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy."
But Robert Abbey, the director of the Bureau of Land Management, said any plaque or inscription of the prayer would "dilute" the memorial's central message and therefore "should not be altered."
"It is not a judgment as to the merit of this new commemoration, simply that altering the Memorial in this way, as proposed in HR 2070, will necessarily dilute this elegant memorials central message and its ability to clearly convey that message to move, educate, and inspire its many visitors," Abbey said in written testimony.
Abbey explained to lawmakers that altering the memorial would be contrary to the Commemorative Works Act -- a law that prohibits "encroachment by a new commemoration on a existing one." It also respects the design of the "completed work of civic art without alteration or addition of new elements."
Johnson told Fox News that the administration's objection should "give all Americans a great deal of concern."
"For there to be objections to demonstrating a faith in God at critical points in our nation's history -- particularly D-Day -- boggles my mind," Johnson said. "I was very surprised they were going to object."
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council said it's not all that surprising.
"This is further evidence that the administration has created an environment that is hostile towards American history -- but in particular towards Christianity," Perkins told Fox News. "I hope America wakes up and realizes what this administration is doing to this country and how they want to radically and fundamentally change America."
"They want to erase every aspect of America's heritage," Perkins said of Obama's administration. "Any president, any official in history that has embraced Christianity, is no longer welcome in this administration. That's the environment they are creating."
Johnson's bill, which had bipartisan support, is expected to pass a committee vote and he anticipates the full House will support the legislation.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/04/obama-administration-opposes-fdr-prayer-at-wwii-memorial/?cmpid=NL_FNTopHeadlines_20111104#ixzz1csbz4cuf
Update on our asteroid
Huge asteroid headed for close encounter with Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuters) - A huge asteroid will pass closer to Earth than the moon Tuesday, giving scientists a rare chance for study without having to go through the time and expense of launching a probe, officials said.
Earth's close encounter with Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will occur at 6:28 p.m. EST (2328 GMT) Tuesday, as the space rock sails about 201,000 miles from the planet.
"It is the first time since 1976 that an object of this size has passed this closely to the Earth. It gives us a great -- and rare -- chance to study a near-Earth object like this," astronomer Scott Fisher, a program director with the National Science Foundation, said Thursday during a Web chat with reporters.
The orbit and position of the asteroid, which is about 1,312 feet in diameter, is well known, added senior research scientist Don Yeomans, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
"There is no chance that this object will collide with the Earth or moon," Yeomans said.
Thousands of amateur and professional astronomers are expected to track YU 55's approach, which will be visible from the planet's northern hemisphere. It will be too dim to be seen with the naked eye, however, and it will be moving too fast for viewing by the Hubble Space Telescope.
"The best time to observe it would be in the early evening on November 8 from the East Coast of the United States," Yeomans said. "It is going to be very faint, even at its closest approach. You will need a decent-sized telescope to be able to actually see the object as it flies by."
Scientists suspect YU 55 has been visiting Earth for thousands of years, but because gravitational tugs from the planets occasionally tweak its path, they cannot tell for sure how long the asteroid has been in its present orbit.
"These sorts of events have been happening for most of the lifetime of the Earth, about 4.5 billion years," Fisher said.
Computer models showing the asteroid's path for the next 100 years show there is no chance it will hit Earth during that time, added Yeomans.
"We do not think that it will ever impact the Earth or moon (but) we only have its orbit calculated for the next 100 years," he said.
Previous studies show the asteroid, which is blacker than charcoal, is what is called a C-type asteroid that is likely made of carbon-based materials and some silicate rock.
More information about its composition and structure are expected from radar images and chemical studies of its light as the asteroid passes by the planet.
"I've read that we will be able to see details down to a size of about 15 feet across on the surface of the asteroid," Fisher said.
NASA is working on a mission to return soil samples from an asteroid known as 1999 RQ36 in 2020, followed by a human mission to another asteroid in the mid-2020s.
Japan also plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission in 2018.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/huge-asteroid-headed-close-encounter-earth-185047555.html
With Winter coming be the first on your block to own a snowball crossbow
Crossbow Snow Launcher goes one up in 'cold war' arms race
With winter fast approaching in the northern hemisphere and snowbound hostilities due to recommence in neighborhoods across the globe it might be worth updating your arsenal with this Crossbow Snow Launcher from The Sharper Image. With the ability to shoot snowballs distances of up to 60 feet (18 m) the device is sure to give you the upper hand in any Hoth-like conflict without the risk of tearing a rotator cuff.
To prime the device, simply place a ball in the front, pull back the lever until it locks and you're ready to aim and fire. An included snowball press that churns out three perfectly sized snowballs at a time ensures you'll have a nice stockpile of ammo, while the ergonomic design and improved launching mechanism means your trigger finger will just be getting warmed up while your adversary's arms are tiring. It also comes with a vinyl target to let you get your eye in before entering into target-rich environments.
Despite the image on The Sharper Image website appearing to be only a computer render, the device is apparently available now for US$39.99.
http://www.gizmag.com/crossbow-snow-launcher/20306/
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