Amazing news!
What a comforting thought. I will be/burn in Hell for only a short time and not eternity. Of course I will atone, who wouldn't. We all get to go to heaven eventually. Neat
Wow, what a load off of my mind. But, if I want to move up the levels of Heaven, I had better divorce my Catholic husband (if he doesn't convert) and find myself a good Mormon man. I wonder how many sister wives I will have? Bummer, I just realized I'm too old to safely produce perfect Mormon children. No one will have me. Maybe a 60 year old Mormon will. There might be hope for me after all ;?
The spirit world? Another astounding revelation. Just today there were two obits stating quite clearly that the deceased have gone straight into Christ's arms. Wrong! Silly people
Cnn reporting....
The sect's sudden openness appears an attempt to reunite mothers and children. However, the stakes may be higher, said Walsh, who explained that FLDS members believe polygamy and ably caring for many children are essential to reaching the highest tier of heaven.
According to FLDS beliefs, you must be free from sin -- as with most Christian religions -- to get to heaven. Those deemed "wicked" go to hell until they atone for their sins, said Walsh, a mainstream Mormon doing post-doctorate studies at the University of St. Thomas-Houston in Texas.
Those who aren't deemed wicked go to the "spirit world" to await the final judgment that dictates in which of the three levels of heaven they will reside for eternity. Everyone will eventually go to one level of heaven, Walsh explained, but to ascend to the highest tier, you must first learn certain lessons -- how to be a good parent and spouse among them.
"To really enjoy heaven, you have to be married and you have to have your kids with you," Walsh said. "Everything experienced on Earth will be in its more perfected form in heaven."
Apr 28, 2008
Apr 27, 2008
Atheist soldier
Army Spc. Jeremy Hall sues U.S. for religious discrimination
JUNCTION CITY, Kansas (AP) -- Like hundreds of young men joining the Army in recent years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while it fights terrorism.
Spc. Jeremy Hall says the pressure to believe in God is so strong, "I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist."
But the short and soft-spoken specialist is at the center of a legal controversy. He has filed a lawsuit alleging that he's been harassed and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn't believe in God. The suit names Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
"I'm not in it for cash," Hall said. "I want no one else to go what I went through."
Known as "the atheist guy," Hall has been called immoral, a devil worshipper and -- just as severe to some soldiers -- gay, none of which, he says, is true. Hall even drove fellow soldiers to church in Iraq and paused while they prayed before meals.
"I see a name and rank and United States flag on their shoulder. That's what I believe everyone else should see," he said.
Hall, 23, was raised in a Protestant family in North Carolina and dropped out of school. It wasn't until he joined the Army that he began questioning religion, eventually deciding that he couldn't follow any faith.
But he feared how that would look to other soldiers.
"I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist," Hall said.
It eventually came out in Iraq in 2007, when he was in a firefight. Hall was a gunner on a Humvee, which took several bullets in its protective shield. Afterward, his commander asked whether he believed in God, Hall said.
"I said, 'No, but I believe in Plexiglas,' " Hall said. "I've never believed I was going to a happy place. You get one life. When I die, I'm worm food."
The issue came to a head when, according to Hall, a superior officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, threatened to bring charges against him for trying to hold a meeting of atheists in Iraq. Welborn has denied Hall's allegations.
Hall said he had had enough but feared that he wouldn't get support from Welborn's superiors. He turned to Mikey Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
Weinstein is the foundation's president and a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate. He had sued the Air Force for acts he said illegally imposed Christianity on students at the academy, though that case was dismissed. He calls Hall a hero.
"The average American doesn't have enough intestinal fortitude to tell someone to shut up if they are talking in a movie theater," Weinstein said. "You know how hard it is to take on your chain of command? This isn't the shift manager at KFC."
Hall was in Qatar when the lawsuit was filed September 18 in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas. Other soldiers learned of it, and he feared for his own safety. Once, Hall said, a group of soldiers followed him, harassing him, but no one did anything to make it stop.
The Army told him it couldn't protect him and sent him back to Fort Riley. He resumed duties with a military police battalion. He believes that his promotion to sergeant has been blocked because of his lawsuit, but he is a team leader responsible for two junior enlisted soldiers.
No one with Fort Riley, the Army or that Defense Department would comment about Hall or the lawsuit. Each issued statements saying that discrimination will not be tolerated regardless of race, religion or gender.
"The department respects [and supports by its policy] the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs," said Eileen Lainez, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense.
All three organizations said existing systems help soldiers "address and resolve any perceived unfair treatment."
Lt. Col. David Shurtleff, a Fort Riley chaplain, declined to discuss Hall's case but said chaplains accommodate all faiths as best they can. In most cases, religious issues can be worked out without jeopardizing military operations.
"When you're in Afghanistan and an IED blows up a Humvee, they aren't asking about a wounded soldier's faith," Shurtleff said.
Hall said he enjoys being a team leader but has been told that having faith would make him a better leader.
"I will take care of my soldiers. Nowhere does it say I have to pray with my soldiers, but I do have to make sure my soldiers' religious needs are met," he said.
"Religion brings comfort to a lot of people," he said. "Personally, I don't want it or need it. But I'm not going to get down on anybody else for it."
Hall leaves the Army in April 2009. He would like to find work with the National Park Service or Environmental Protection Agency, anything outdoors.
"I hope this doesn't define me," Hall said of his lawsuit. "It's just about time somebody said something."
JUNCTION CITY, Kansas (AP) -- Like hundreds of young men joining the Army in recent years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while it fights terrorism.
Spc. Jeremy Hall says the pressure to believe in God is so strong, "I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist."
But the short and soft-spoken specialist is at the center of a legal controversy. He has filed a lawsuit alleging that he's been harassed and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn't believe in God. The suit names Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
"I'm not in it for cash," Hall said. "I want no one else to go what I went through."
Known as "the atheist guy," Hall has been called immoral, a devil worshipper and -- just as severe to some soldiers -- gay, none of which, he says, is true. Hall even drove fellow soldiers to church in Iraq and paused while they prayed before meals.
"I see a name and rank and United States flag on their shoulder. That's what I believe everyone else should see," he said.
Hall, 23, was raised in a Protestant family in North Carolina and dropped out of school. It wasn't until he joined the Army that he began questioning religion, eventually deciding that he couldn't follow any faith.
But he feared how that would look to other soldiers.
"I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist," Hall said.
It eventually came out in Iraq in 2007, when he was in a firefight. Hall was a gunner on a Humvee, which took several bullets in its protective shield. Afterward, his commander asked whether he believed in God, Hall said.
"I said, 'No, but I believe in Plexiglas,' " Hall said. "I've never believed I was going to a happy place. You get one life. When I die, I'm worm food."
The issue came to a head when, according to Hall, a superior officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, threatened to bring charges against him for trying to hold a meeting of atheists in Iraq. Welborn has denied Hall's allegations.
Hall said he had had enough but feared that he wouldn't get support from Welborn's superiors. He turned to Mikey Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
Weinstein is the foundation's president and a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate. He had sued the Air Force for acts he said illegally imposed Christianity on students at the academy, though that case was dismissed. He calls Hall a hero.
"The average American doesn't have enough intestinal fortitude to tell someone to shut up if they are talking in a movie theater," Weinstein said. "You know how hard it is to take on your chain of command? This isn't the shift manager at KFC."
Hall was in Qatar when the lawsuit was filed September 18 in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas. Other soldiers learned of it, and he feared for his own safety. Once, Hall said, a group of soldiers followed him, harassing him, but no one did anything to make it stop.
The Army told him it couldn't protect him and sent him back to Fort Riley. He resumed duties with a military police battalion. He believes that his promotion to sergeant has been blocked because of his lawsuit, but he is a team leader responsible for two junior enlisted soldiers.
No one with Fort Riley, the Army or that Defense Department would comment about Hall or the lawsuit. Each issued statements saying that discrimination will not be tolerated regardless of race, religion or gender.
"The department respects [and supports by its policy] the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs," said Eileen Lainez, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense.
All three organizations said existing systems help soldiers "address and resolve any perceived unfair treatment."
Lt. Col. David Shurtleff, a Fort Riley chaplain, declined to discuss Hall's case but said chaplains accommodate all faiths as best they can. In most cases, religious issues can be worked out without jeopardizing military operations.
"When you're in Afghanistan and an IED blows up a Humvee, they aren't asking about a wounded soldier's faith," Shurtleff said.
Hall said he enjoys being a team leader but has been told that having faith would make him a better leader.
"I will take care of my soldiers. Nowhere does it say I have to pray with my soldiers, but I do have to make sure my soldiers' religious needs are met," he said.
"Religion brings comfort to a lot of people," he said. "Personally, I don't want it or need it. But I'm not going to get down on anybody else for it."
Hall leaves the Army in April 2009. He would like to find work with the National Park Service or Environmental Protection Agency, anything outdoors.
"I hope this doesn't define me," Hall said of his lawsuit. "It's just about time somebody said something."
Apr 26, 2008
The Great Flood
I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face. In my cubicle at work! I won't do that again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LtiyefHCe4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LtiyefHCe4
Uda is Unbelievable
Again, I am sure this old lady means well, but she drives me nuts (not angry) . And the Helena IR prints her silly stuff every Saturday. This weekend, she claims to have saved a baby girl through prayer. I think its insane to continue letting people go on like this in public. Of course she/God didn't save the baby. Its ridiculous! This to me is the height of audacity to be so wrapped up in your love for God one completely loses any sense of reality.
People would say, be nice and leave her alone she is not hurting anyone. But, letting this slide is part of the problem with America's so called tolerance for religion. Don't get me wrong, she can believe whatever she wants, but to promote such ideas through the press and supporting such warped mental thinking as a good thing is not healthy. But, if I don't show respect for this woman and criticize her beliefs I'm bad? I used to not want to hurt any ones feelings but, well someone has to do it.
Just recently a couple let their 11 year old daughter die from a curable disease. They prayed instead of taking her to the hospital.
Below you get a sense Joan was a hysterical mess when she got to the hospital. And because she prayed so very very hard and out loud, she saved the baby. CRAYZZEY
Her article removed per her request
People would say, be nice and leave her alone she is not hurting anyone. But, letting this slide is part of the problem with America's so called tolerance for religion. Don't get me wrong, she can believe whatever she wants, but to promote such ideas through the press and supporting such warped mental thinking as a good thing is not healthy. But, if I don't show respect for this woman and criticize her beliefs I'm bad? I used to not want to hurt any ones feelings but, well someone has to do it.
Just recently a couple let their 11 year old daughter die from a curable disease. They prayed instead of taking her to the hospital.
Below you get a sense Joan was a hysterical mess when she got to the hospital. And because she prayed so very very hard and out loud, she saved the baby. CRAYZZEY
Her article removed per her request
Apr 22, 2008
Master gunny and I
Master gunny wrote on Apr 22, 2008 2:38 PM:
“By using the Iwo Jima flag raising photo to promote the cause of global warming, Time magazine has committed sacrilege and, dishonored the memory of the thousands of Marines who sacrificed their lives for this hallowed ground. Some companies will do anything to sell their agenda!. "
My reponse (online Helena IR)
mastergunnery,
How is this sacrilege? Consecrated by whom? Is this statue holy?
I too am a veteran and even though the Time magazine picture may have been in bad taste and obviously offensive to some conservative vets like you, I do not think it was meant to dishonor anyone.
Go Navy!
“By using the Iwo Jima flag raising photo to promote the cause of global warming, Time magazine has committed sacrilege and, dishonored the memory of the thousands of Marines who sacrificed their lives for this hallowed ground. Some companies will do anything to sell their agenda!. "
My reponse (online Helena IR)
mastergunnery,
How is this sacrilege? Consecrated by whom? Is this statue holy?
I too am a veteran and even though the Time magazine picture may have been in bad taste and obviously offensive to some conservative vets like you, I do not think it was meant to dishonor anyone.
Go Navy!
Jerry upset over Time Mag Cover
Powerful images
By Jerry Hutch, USAF 1958-1962, 1111 East State St. - 04/22/08
The icon of Christ on the Cross: the images of destruction and the aftermath at the World Trade Center and the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima.
To have so distorted the Pulitzer Prize winning image captured by Joe Rosenthal of our nation’s flag raising over Iwo Jima, Time Magazine has shown a total lack of respect to those who have served our country and have sacrificed their lives in the defense of freedom.
Rosenthal’s photo immortalized one moment in time, the five Marines and one Navy corpsmen raising the United States flag at the peak of Mt. Suribachi. The photo symbolizes the hard, long, but in the end, victorious struggle of the men and women of our military and the citizens at home who stood behind them.
To use this image for such a false premise as global warming and world climate change alarmism shows the total distain that this publication in particular and the media in general have for the military.
May God, in His wisdom and mercy, protect our nation and the world from those who worship at the false alter of radical environmentalism.
My response:
Jerry,
You mean a false god? Right? There is no mention of 'false alters' in the bible other than when God demanded the total destruction of alters to false gods.
You probably meant to claim 'radical environmentalism' is a religion.
A false comparison
How does one worship a god or gods of a movement? Where is the alter of Mother Nature?
Did the suffrage movement have a God?
Did the civil rights movement have a God?
No
By Jerry Hutch, USAF 1958-1962, 1111 East State St. - 04/22/08
The icon of Christ on the Cross: the images of destruction and the aftermath at the World Trade Center and the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima.
To have so distorted the Pulitzer Prize winning image captured by Joe Rosenthal of our nation’s flag raising over Iwo Jima, Time Magazine has shown a total lack of respect to those who have served our country and have sacrificed their lives in the defense of freedom.
Rosenthal’s photo immortalized one moment in time, the five Marines and one Navy corpsmen raising the United States flag at the peak of Mt. Suribachi. The photo symbolizes the hard, long, but in the end, victorious struggle of the men and women of our military and the citizens at home who stood behind them.
To use this image for such a false premise as global warming and world climate change alarmism shows the total distain that this publication in particular and the media in general have for the military.
May God, in His wisdom and mercy, protect our nation and the world from those who worship at the false alter of radical environmentalism.
My response:
Jerry,
You mean a false god? Right? There is no mention of 'false alters' in the bible other than when God demanded the total destruction of alters to false gods.
You probably meant to claim 'radical environmentalism' is a religion.
A false comparison
How does one worship a god or gods of a movement? Where is the alter of Mother Nature?
Did the suffrage movement have a God?
Did the civil rights movement have a God?
No
Apr 21, 2008
Atheists compared to Stalin
Most all Communists may be atheists, but that does not mean all atheists are Communists!!! Especially here in the U.S.
I have yet to meet a Communist.
An Atheist is a person who is not a theist. It's that simple. Atheists come in all types and sizes.
No one has ever killed in the name of Atheism. Not Stalin, not Pol Pot, not Hitler. They were men corrupted by power.
Stalin was a thug, Pol Pot was anti-intellectual, and Hilter hated the Jews.
It makes me ill to hear that even the Pope defames non-believers in this way. He is either willfully ignorant or a liar.
American atheists point out theistic thugs, are often accused of being intellectual elitists and don't blame the Jews for killing Christ. (he didn't exist in the 1st place)
This is why we must continue to educate the public that we are not the bad guys. We support the freedom of religion and really do not care if your a Baptist, a Catholic, a Jew or a Muslim.
We only ask that our lawmakers defend the Bill of Rights and "make no law respecting an establishment of religion...' There is a good reason why it's first and foremost in the Bill of Rights.
Historically religion corrupts government and government corrupts religion.
I have yet to meet a Communist.
An Atheist is a person who is not a theist. It's that simple. Atheists come in all types and sizes.
No one has ever killed in the name of Atheism. Not Stalin, not Pol Pot, not Hitler. They were men corrupted by power.
Stalin was a thug, Pol Pot was anti-intellectual, and Hilter hated the Jews.
It makes me ill to hear that even the Pope defames non-believers in this way. He is either willfully ignorant or a liar.
American atheists point out theistic thugs, are often accused of being intellectual elitists and don't blame the Jews for killing Christ. (he didn't exist in the 1st place)
This is why we must continue to educate the public that we are not the bad guys. We support the freedom of religion and really do not care if your a Baptist, a Catholic, a Jew or a Muslim.
We only ask that our lawmakers defend the Bill of Rights and "make no law respecting an establishment of religion...' There is a good reason why it's first and foremost in the Bill of Rights.
Historically religion corrupts government and government corrupts religion.
Apr 18, 2008
Church Victims & the Pope
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/18/church.victims/index.html
While in the U.S.
Benedict said (to the/his victims)
"No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention."
given loving pastoral attention? HaHaHa Ha..... that was the problem in the first place!!!
And if these victims are still Catholic, I do not pity them.
While in the U.S.
Benedict said (to the/his victims)
"No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention."
given loving pastoral attention? HaHaHa Ha..... that was the problem in the first place!!!
And if these victims are still Catholic, I do not pity them.
Apr 17, 2008
An 8 year old bride
This is for those xtains who complain I only pick on xtians.
I admit most of the Mormon polygamists are a little better than this.
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- A Yemeni judge dissolved the marriage of an 8-year-old girl to a man nearly four times her age, and the girl's lawyer said Wednesday that the court also ordered the youngster removed from the control of the father who forced her into the wedding.
The lawyer, Shatha Ali Nasser, said the girl is just one of thousands of under aged girls who have been forced into marriages in this poor tribal country at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
The girl's story has drawn headlines in Yemen because she took the unusual step of seeking out a judge on her own to file for divorce.
She recounted her ordeal to reporters Wednesday, a day after the judge in San'a ended the two-month marriage. Judge Mohammed al-Qady said he had been moved by the girl's plight from the start.
The girl said her father forced her to marry a 30-year-old man she identified as Faiz Ali Thamer. She charged that her husband constantly beat her and forced her to have sex.
"I used to run from room to room to escape from him. But he would catch up with me," the girl said, her tiny frame swallowed in an over sized robe and head scarf, standing with her lawyer.
In issuing his ruling Tuesday, the judge said he was terminating the marriage because the girl "had not reached puberty."
A provision in Yemeni law allows parents to sign marriage contracts for children younger than 15. However, the article states that a husband can only consummate the marriage when the wife reaches puberty.
"We know that this is not what happened" in the girl's case, her lawyer said.
There are no provisions for any punishment for a husband in such cases.
The girl's name isn't disclosed in line with Associated Press policy on sexually related cases.
She said that when she told her parents of the abuse, they refused to help her. Her parents testified they ignored her complaints about the marriage.
The girl's family was ordered to pay $250 as "compensation" to Thamer, although the judge did not specify the reason.
I admit most of the Mormon polygamists are a little better than this.
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- A Yemeni judge dissolved the marriage of an 8-year-old girl to a man nearly four times her age, and the girl's lawyer said Wednesday that the court also ordered the youngster removed from the control of the father who forced her into the wedding.
The lawyer, Shatha Ali Nasser, said the girl is just one of thousands of under aged girls who have been forced into marriages in this poor tribal country at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
The girl's story has drawn headlines in Yemen because she took the unusual step of seeking out a judge on her own to file for divorce.
She recounted her ordeal to reporters Wednesday, a day after the judge in San'a ended the two-month marriage. Judge Mohammed al-Qady said he had been moved by the girl's plight from the start.
The girl said her father forced her to marry a 30-year-old man she identified as Faiz Ali Thamer. She charged that her husband constantly beat her and forced her to have sex.
"I used to run from room to room to escape from him. But he would catch up with me," the girl said, her tiny frame swallowed in an over sized robe and head scarf, standing with her lawyer.
In issuing his ruling Tuesday, the judge said he was terminating the marriage because the girl "had not reached puberty."
A provision in Yemeni law allows parents to sign marriage contracts for children younger than 15. However, the article states that a husband can only consummate the marriage when the wife reaches puberty.
"We know that this is not what happened" in the girl's case, her lawyer said.
There are no provisions for any punishment for a husband in such cases.
The girl's name isn't disclosed in line with Associated Press policy on sexually related cases.
She said that when she told her parents of the abuse, they refused to help her. Her parents testified they ignored her complaints about the marriage.
The girl's family was ordered to pay $250 as "compensation" to Thamer, although the judge did not specify the reason.
Apr 15, 2008
Study Suspect & Scewed
So its true, Focus on The Family and other special interest groups like them don't really care about the poor. They hate seeing how much money is spent on these lazy, slutty unwed mommies and their bastard children. They are also pissed about losing tax revenue cause the daddy is in prison and mom is on the couch watching Oprah.
Didn't Christ say there will always be the poor.
It's more about economics not supposed loose morality.
The minute I saw the sponsors of this so called marriage study, I knew the cost estimate was skewed.
Yes there is a problem, but making people go to religious based marriage counseling is unconstitutional.
I suspect the next step for these fundies is banning divorce outright or making it much more difficult. Besides, marriage and divorce in the bible was more about keeping the women in line and ensuring the children were legit.
Family.www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/04/15/fragmented.families.ap/index.html
NEW YORK (AP) -- Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing cost U.S. taxpayers more than $112 billion a year, according to a study commissioned by four groups advocating more government action to bolster marriages.
Sponsors say the study is the first of its kind and hope it will prompt lawmakers to invest more money in programs aimed at strengthening marriages. Two experts not connected to the study said such programs are of dubious merit and suggested that other investments -- notably job creation -- would be more effective in aiding all types of needy families.
There have been previous attempts to calculate the cost of divorce in America. But the sponsors of the new study, being released Tuesday, said theirs is the first to gauge the broader cost of "family fragmentation" -- both divorce and unwed childbearing.
The study was conducted by Georgia State University economist Ben Scafidi. His work was sponsored by four groups who consider themselves part of a nationwide "marriage movement" -- the New York-based Institute for American Values, the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, Families Northwest of Redmond, Washington, and the Georgia Family Council, an ally of the conservative ministry Focus on the Family.
Didn't Christ say there will always be the poor.
It's more about economics not supposed loose morality.
The minute I saw the sponsors of this so called marriage study, I knew the cost estimate was skewed.
Yes there is a problem, but making people go to religious based marriage counseling is unconstitutional.
I suspect the next step for these fundies is banning divorce outright or making it much more difficult. Besides, marriage and divorce in the bible was more about keeping the women in line and ensuring the children were legit.
Family.www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/04/15/fragmented.families.ap/index.html
NEW YORK (AP) -- Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing cost U.S. taxpayers more than $112 billion a year, according to a study commissioned by four groups advocating more government action to bolster marriages.
Sponsors say the study is the first of its kind and hope it will prompt lawmakers to invest more money in programs aimed at strengthening marriages. Two experts not connected to the study said such programs are of dubious merit and suggested that other investments -- notably job creation -- would be more effective in aiding all types of needy families.
There have been previous attempts to calculate the cost of divorce in America. But the sponsors of the new study, being released Tuesday, said theirs is the first to gauge the broader cost of "family fragmentation" -- both divorce and unwed childbearing.
The study was conducted by Georgia State University economist Ben Scafidi. His work was sponsored by four groups who consider themselves part of a nationwide "marriage movement" -- the New York-based Institute for American Values, the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, Families Northwest of Redmond, Washington, and the Georgia Family Council, an ally of the conservative ministry Focus on the Family.
Apr 7, 2008
Livingston Church of God
Former minister sentenced on rape, sexual assault charges
By The Associated Press - 04/07/08
LIVINGSTON (AP) — A former Livingston minister has been sentenced to 45 years with the Montana Department of Corrections for the sexual assault and rape of two young sisters.In December, a jury convicted Terrence Passmore, 49, of four felony sex crimes — one charge of sexual intercourse without consent and three charges of sexual assault — for events that happened in 1998 when the sisters were 12 and 14. At the time of the assaults, the sisters and their family attended the Livingston Church of God, where Passmore was a pastor.On Friday, District Judge E. Wayne Phillips sentenced Passmore to 35 years with five years suspended for sexual intercourse without consent; and 10 years with five suspended for each count of sexual assault.Since the sentences will run concurrently, the most time Passmore will spend behind bars is 30 years, the Livingston Enterprise reported. He could be eligible for parole after seven and a half years if he completes sex-offender treatment.The judge also required Passmore to pay for counseling for each of the two victims.Jim Simonich of the Montana Department of Corrections, who conducted the pre-sentence investigation, had suggested 50 years in prison on each count.
The victims and their family addressed the judge before sentencing, asking him to send Passmore to prison for his actions, which they said had devastated the family.Defense attorney Chuck Watson argued that two psychological evaluations had found Passmore would be a good candidate for treatment without incarceration. But the judge said he believed Passmore was still in denial about committing the crimes, which would make it difficult to treat him successfully outside prison walls.Passmore and his lawyers maintained his innocence, and his wife, Erica, pleaded with the judge to release her husband until a hearing can be held on his appeal. She said she needed her husband’s help getting the family’s affairs in order, especially since they had filed for bankruptcy.The judge denied her request.Passmore, a native of South Africa who now lives in Virginia, has four young children. He was operating a computer business prior to the trial in December.
By The Associated Press - 04/07/08
LIVINGSTON (AP) — A former Livingston minister has been sentenced to 45 years with the Montana Department of Corrections for the sexual assault and rape of two young sisters.In December, a jury convicted Terrence Passmore, 49, of four felony sex crimes — one charge of sexual intercourse without consent and three charges of sexual assault — for events that happened in 1998 when the sisters were 12 and 14. At the time of the assaults, the sisters and their family attended the Livingston Church of God, where Passmore was a pastor.On Friday, District Judge E. Wayne Phillips sentenced Passmore to 35 years with five years suspended for sexual intercourse without consent; and 10 years with five suspended for each count of sexual assault.Since the sentences will run concurrently, the most time Passmore will spend behind bars is 30 years, the Livingston Enterprise reported. He could be eligible for parole after seven and a half years if he completes sex-offender treatment.The judge also required Passmore to pay for counseling for each of the two victims.Jim Simonich of the Montana Department of Corrections, who conducted the pre-sentence investigation, had suggested 50 years in prison on each count.
The victims and their family addressed the judge before sentencing, asking him to send Passmore to prison for his actions, which they said had devastated the family.Defense attorney Chuck Watson argued that two psychological evaluations had found Passmore would be a good candidate for treatment without incarceration. But the judge said he believed Passmore was still in denial about committing the crimes, which would make it difficult to treat him successfully outside prison walls.Passmore and his lawyers maintained his innocence, and his wife, Erica, pleaded with the judge to release her husband until a hearing can be held on his appeal. She said she needed her husband’s help getting the family’s affairs in order, especially since they had filed for bankruptcy.The judge denied her request.Passmore, a native of South Africa who now lives in Virginia, has four young children. He was operating a computer business prior to the trial in December.
Apr 3, 2008
Our Lady of the Rockies
laDivided Supreme Court rules against Our Lady of the Rockies nonprofitBy MIKE DENNISON
By IR State Bureau - 04/03/08
In a long-awaited decision, the Montana Supreme Court says Our Lady of the Rockies doesn’t have the right to develop a road to a proposed tramway to its 90-foot-high statue overlooking Butte.
The 4-3 decision, issued Tuesday, reversed lower-court rulings in favor of Our Lady of the Rockies, which planned to build a paved road through private property to a tramway station at the foot of the Continental Divide, east of Butte.
Justice James Nelson, writing for the Supreme Court majority, said the District Court incorrectly relied on an 1893 mineral survey to say a partially paved and dirt road through the area is a public road.
The decision is a victory for a half-dozen landowners who live or own homes near the proposed tramway site, and who had appealed the lower-court ruling more than three years ago.
Nelson said the surveyor’s field notes that identified a road on a mining claim do not show that the federal government intended to establish a public road through the property.
“Past, present and future generations of Montana landowners have the right to be secure in the knowledge that they will not wake up one morning to find that a community or organization has decided to build a 60-foot-wide public highway through their back yards, based on nothing more than a surveyor’s notation of a 6-foot-wide dirt road on a 115-year-old mineral survey,” Nelson wrote.
Attorneys representing Our Lady of the Rockies could not be reached for comment.
Our Lady of the Rockies, the nonprofit organization that owns the statue of the Virgin Mary, has planned for years to build a tramway to the statue that sits 8,510 feet above sea level on the East Ridge, overlooking Butte.
The road sought by Our Lady of the Rockies would lead to a tramway station, parking lot, carousel, associated amusement park rides and other “tourism-related improvements,” according to the court record.
Our Lady of the Rockies controls two parcels of undeveloped land that adjoin the Cobban Placer, an 1892 mining claim that has since been subdivided into lots owned by several landowners.
A street 6 to 12 feet wide crosses the Cobban Placer and part of the Our Lady of the Rockies property. Our Lady of the Rockies argued that the road is a public road; the landowners said part of it is a private driveway, with gates across it.
Justice Brian Morris, writing for the high court’s three-member minority in the decision, said the road existed in the “public domain” when William Cobban and William Lewis used the 1872 Mining Law to stake a mining claim on the land in 1892.
An earlier mining law from 1866 “preserved rights-of-way already in existence on the public domain,” Morris said.
The 1893 mineral survey that noted the road also “put all future purchasers of the Cobban Placer on notice of the public easement created by the road,” he added.
Yet Nelson adamantly dismissed Morris’s arguments, saying the District Court itself rejected Our Lady of the Rockies’ arguments on the 1866 law. That ruling wasn’t appealed by either party, Nelson said.
“The dissent inserts into this appeal a number of factual matters that are irrelevant, unproven, disputed by the parties or contradicted by the record,” Nelson said.
Justice Patricia Cotter and Jim Rice and District Judge Blair Jones of Columbus, substitution for Chief Justice Karla Gray, joined Nelson in the majority.
Justices William Leaphart and John Warner joined Morris in his dissent.
By IR State Bureau - 04/03/08
In a long-awaited decision, the Montana Supreme Court says Our Lady of the Rockies doesn’t have the right to develop a road to a proposed tramway to its 90-foot-high statue overlooking Butte.
The 4-3 decision, issued Tuesday, reversed lower-court rulings in favor of Our Lady of the Rockies, which planned to build a paved road through private property to a tramway station at the foot of the Continental Divide, east of Butte.
Justice James Nelson, writing for the Supreme Court majority, said the District Court incorrectly relied on an 1893 mineral survey to say a partially paved and dirt road through the area is a public road.
The decision is a victory for a half-dozen landowners who live or own homes near the proposed tramway site, and who had appealed the lower-court ruling more than three years ago.
Nelson said the surveyor’s field notes that identified a road on a mining claim do not show that the federal government intended to establish a public road through the property.
“Past, present and future generations of Montana landowners have the right to be secure in the knowledge that they will not wake up one morning to find that a community or organization has decided to build a 60-foot-wide public highway through their back yards, based on nothing more than a surveyor’s notation of a 6-foot-wide dirt road on a 115-year-old mineral survey,” Nelson wrote.
Attorneys representing Our Lady of the Rockies could not be reached for comment.
Our Lady of the Rockies, the nonprofit organization that owns the statue of the Virgin Mary, has planned for years to build a tramway to the statue that sits 8,510 feet above sea level on the East Ridge, overlooking Butte.
The road sought by Our Lady of the Rockies would lead to a tramway station, parking lot, carousel, associated amusement park rides and other “tourism-related improvements,” according to the court record.
Our Lady of the Rockies controls two parcels of undeveloped land that adjoin the Cobban Placer, an 1892 mining claim that has since been subdivided into lots owned by several landowners.
A street 6 to 12 feet wide crosses the Cobban Placer and part of the Our Lady of the Rockies property. Our Lady of the Rockies argued that the road is a public road; the landowners said part of it is a private driveway, with gates across it.
Justice Brian Morris, writing for the high court’s three-member minority in the decision, said the road existed in the “public domain” when William Cobban and William Lewis used the 1872 Mining Law to stake a mining claim on the land in 1892.
An earlier mining law from 1866 “preserved rights-of-way already in existence on the public domain,” Morris said.
The 1893 mineral survey that noted the road also “put all future purchasers of the Cobban Placer on notice of the public easement created by the road,” he added.
Yet Nelson adamantly dismissed Morris’s arguments, saying the District Court itself rejected Our Lady of the Rockies’ arguments on the 1866 law. That ruling wasn’t appealed by either party, Nelson said.
“The dissent inserts into this appeal a number of factual matters that are irrelevant, unproven, disputed by the parties or contradicted by the record,” Nelson said.
Justice Patricia Cotter and Jim Rice and District Judge Blair Jones of Columbus, substitution for Chief Justice Karla Gray, joined Nelson in the majority.
Justices William Leaphart and John Warner joined Morris in his dissent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
