Bishop Eddie Long ( Part 2 ) September 26, 2010

Eddie Lee Long (born May 12, 1953) is the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lithonia, GA. When Long started as pastor for New Birth in 1987, there were 300 church members. Since his installation, membership has grown to 25,000. In September 2010, four young men filed civil complaints against Pastor Long, alleging that he coerced them into sexual activity. Through a spokesman, Long called the charges false. On September 21 and 22, 2010, Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg, and Jamal Parris filed separate lawsuits in DeKalb County Superior Court alleging that Long is a sexual predator who used his pastoral influence to coerce them into a sexual relationship with him when they were teenagers. On September 24, Spencer LeGrande, a member of a New Birth satellite church in Charlotte, North Carolina, filed a similar suit, making him the fourth man to file a lawsuit claiming sexual misconduct by Long. These alleged acts by Long are not considered criminal since the age of consent in Georgia is 16^\
The plaintiffs state that Long placed the men on the church’s payroll, bought them cars and other gifts, and took them separately on trips to desinations such as Kenya, South Africa, Turks and Caicos Islands, Trinidad, Honduras, New Zealand, and New York City. The lawsuits read "Long would discuss the Holy Scripture to justify and support the sexual activity." Flagg's suit claims that Long presided over a "covenant" ceremony between the two of them. Flagg's attorney said "it was essentially a marriage ceremony, with candles, exchange of jewelry, and biblical quotes."
Long has denied the allegations through his attorneys and spokesman, and said, "I have devoted my life to helping others and these false allegations hurt me deeply," he said. "But my faith is strong and the truth will emerge. All is ask is for your patience as we continue to categorically deny each and every one of these ugly charges."



Above I posted a video of Bishop Eddie Long addressing his congregation and the media about these serious allegations. I personally do not know what to think about these allegations I guess I will just wait until the trial and give him the benefit of the doubt of being innocent until proven guilty. What do you guys think of these allegations do you think he did it or do you think its a couple of people trying to take advantage of him and just trying to get some money?

Senate fails in attempt to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'

Senator John McCain lost the 2008 presidential election but prevailed on September 21 on the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Senate Republicans dealt a severe and potentially fatal blow Tuesday to efforts this year to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bans gay men and women from serving openly in the armed forces. Democrats were unable to sway a single Republican to begin debate on a defense authorization bill that included the repeal. The failure to repeal the law, despite White House backing and majorities in Congress, marked a low point in the more than decade-long effort to rid a policy begun under President Bill Clinton. Democrats thought this was their best chance to undo the 17-year-old measure after President Obama had won the support of Defense Secretary Robert M.Gates and other military leaders to get rid of it. "The Democrats have been against 'don't ask, don't tell' for more than a decade and why we allowed this law to remain in effect for another two years is beyond me," said Richard Soccarides, who served as an adviser to Clinton on gay rights. "The Washington-based gay rights groups made a decision early on that they were better off going along with the president's timeline and that right now that looks like a serious miscalculation." Repeal advocates have pushed since the ban was put into effect in 1993, saying it unfairly discriminates against gays, who have to hide their sexual identity while serving in uniform, and keeps thousands of potential recruits from enlisting. This was one of the first times in a long time that many people felt like the dont't ask, don't tell policy would finally be repealed. Unfortunately, the Republicans won again and the the policy still stands.

A message from Lady Gaga to the Senate Sept 16 2010

Hey everyone this is a message from Lady Gaga about the Dont Ask, Don't Tell Act. She is an advocate for abolishing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that discharges people from the military for being openly gay. I personally agree with Lady Gaga viewpoints on these issue and I do hope that one day this policy is abolished.

My question is what do you guys think of Lady Gaga's message and do you agree with her or not?

Texas evangelist says '100 percent' that Quran-burning is off Saturday

A Texas evangelist working with the Rev. Terry Jones on Friday gave assurances that no Qurans will be set ablaze today, even though there had been no contact with the New York City imam planning to build a mosque near the site of the 9-11 attacks. Jones' plan to desecrate the Islamic holy text in a bonfire on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks ignited protests around the world and rained condemnation on the obscure pastor from international political, military and religious leaders, who implored him to call it off. The plan to burn the books sparked protests Friday in Afghanistan, where at least 11 people were injured. Police in the northern province of Badakhshan say several hundred demonstrators ran toward a NATO compound where four attackers and five police were injured in clashes. Protesters also burned an American flag at a mosque after Friday prayers. In western Farah province, police said two people were injured in another protest. There were protests near Jones' church, too. Fifteen people gathered across the street to oppose the book-burning, including Dave Schneider, 20, a University of Florida political-science student and graduate of Timber Creek High School in Orlando. Schneider yelled into a bullhorn: "Being a Muslim is not a crime." Others held signs, including, "Drop the hate at the gate" and "Bad men, funny moustaches," with a caricature of Jones with his distinctive white moustache and of Adolf Hitler. President Obama also disagreed with the Rev. Terry Jones viewpoints about burning the Quran. President Obama said Friday that the idea that "we would burn the sacred texts of someone else's religion is contrary to what this country stands for." A Texas evangelist finally was able to convince Jones not to go through with the Quran burning based on three reasons. His reasons included the sacred regard of the Quran held by more than a billion believers around the world; a concern that the act would endanger Christian missionaries, nuns and others working in humanitarian efforts internationally; and the fear that it would needlessly imperil U.S. military forces.

 I personally do not agree with Rev. Terry Jones viewpoints and feel as though his reasons behind doing it are completely absurd. Everyone who studies Islam is not a terrorist and by doing this it would probably cause chaos around the world and as a result cause many to want to burn the Bible as retaliation or worse. I understand that everyone has the right to do what they want and has the right to freedom of speech, but wonder what everyone else thinks? Do you think he went too far or do you think this whole quran-burning has been blown out of proportion?

http://www.latimes.com/news/os-florida-quran-burning-cancelled-20100910,0,850913.story

Obama's Economic Plan, Too Little Too Late

President Obama unveiled a plan on Monday to to spend $50 billion on infrastructure in a fresh bid to fire up sluggish economic growth. The Obama administration believe that this new plan will stimulate the economy and create more jobs.The proposals, which are not expected to pass through Congress quickly, include an estimated $200 billion in tax breaks for businesses that invest in new plants and equipment, a $100 billion extension of the business tax credit for research and development and $50 billion over the next decade to improve roads, rails and other infrastructure. These plans come on top of existing administration proposals to extend tax cuts to households earning less than $250,000 a year, and provide $30 billion to spark an increase in lending to small businesses. However, many economists feel that the plan is too little, too late to reverse dowards trend of our economy.

My question is what do you guys think do you think that Obama's new plan will work or that it should be passed through Congress? I personally am not sure if this is a good idea I agree with the tax cuts for households earning less than $250,000 a year, but I'm unsure about the rest of Obama's plans and how quickly this will be able to jumpstart the economy?