December 25^th is Jesus Birthday

William G. McIntosh

Nowadays plenty of people  believe that someone invented Christmas just telling everybody that Christ was born on December 25^th when   nobody really knew. Others say the pagans in Rome had a feast on Christmas so Christians  just decided to make up the idea that Jesus was born on the same day to get their minds off of pagan customs. I think both ideas are false. 

Since most of us have no problem with celebrating wedding anniversaries and birthdays. What's the big deal in celebrating Christ's birthday?  Some will say that the day Christ was born isn't mentioned in the Bible. But where  does the Bible say that it is the only source of knowledge about Jesus?

You're going to hear another version now. When St. Peter died he was replaced by other popes. In the year 337 the 35^th replacement of St. Peter was a man  named Pope Julius I. A religious leader of the time named Cyril of Jerusalem asked Pope Julius I to check the Roman census records to discover the day Christ was born.  This happened, according to the historian John of Nikiu in the middle of the 4^th century. In Rome evidence for Dec. 25^th is found in the Philocalian Calendar, com-posed  in 354 by a scribe and antiquarian not long after Pope  St. Julius I death in 352, which contains three important entries. In the civil calendar 25 December is marked "Natalis Invicti" or birth of the unconquered sun. In the list of consuls are four entries: the birth and death days of Christ, the entry into Rome, and martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. The significant entry is "Chr. Cæsare et Paulo sat. XIII. hoc. cons. Dns. ihs. XPC natus est VIII Kal. ian. d. ven. luna XV," i.e. during the consulship of (Augustus) Cæsar and Paulus Our Lord Jesus Christ was born on the eighth before the calends of January (25 December), a Friday, the fourteenth day of the moon.

Now some will question the authenticity of these claims but we do see that St. John Chrysostom asserts in a sermon ,delivered approximately in the year 386, dealing with Dec. 25^th date as the date of Christmas,  that he knows that the census papers of the Holy Family were still there.

Saint John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom  proclaimed: " But Our Lord, too, is born in the month of December . . . the eight before the calends of January [25 December]." Evidence that Christ was born on December 25^th (and that this day was not just picked since no one knew the real date)  can also be found in the recorded writings of the Christian Cyprian: "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born . . . Christ should be born." Both these proponents of celebrating the Nativity on Dec. the 25^th seem quite emphatic that Christ was actually born on the date.

Now to people of faith the idea that Almighty God should allow that  something secular or even pagan to be the starting point for revealing something  sacred is no surprise. St Paul at the Areopagus in Greece makes reference to the pagan altar dedicated to an "unknown god" when he launches into his discourse to evangelize the Athenians present.

During World War II archaeo-logical excavations were carried out below St. Peter's Basilica.  The successful discovery of St. Peter's tomb enabled the world to see that when Christ proclaimed to Peter that he was rock and upon this rock he would build his Church Our Lord was not making a symbolic and empty claim. I'm told that a lead weight attached to a string and dropped from the center of the great dome at St. Peter's Basilica  (designed by Michaelangelo) would eventually intersect directly on top of the actual discovered site of the very tomb of St. Peter the Apostle and first Pope.

Concerning the true date of Christmas, modern science makes things interesting. John Mosely an astronomer of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, CA stated in a monograph in that organization’s publication the Griffith Observer, Dec., 1980 concerning the Star of Bethlehem which is believed to be Jupiter and other planets aligned in conjunction with it:

 "“On Dec. 25^th, 2 B.C., Jupiter indeed stopped against the background of stars and began its retrograde motion[ceasing to move westward]. The Magi would have seen Jupiter ‘stopped at an elevation of 68 degrees, almost directly over Bethlehem, five miles to the south, as they made their routine predawn observations of the skies.” This occurred on a Friday just as the Philocalian calendar reported concerning the day Christ was born!

Assuming that the Magi's visit to bring gifts to the King of the Jews fell most appropriately on the very birthday of the Savior (if Herod had a  party on his birthday, why not Jesus?) then maybe the investigation of Pope St. Julius I was not so far fetched nor did the  celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25^th begin with a merely shrewd and  handy decision made by some priests.  Also, too, Psalm 18 seems to jive beautifully with the Gospel account of the Star:

  “The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hands.”

In conclusion, settling on the date of  December 25^th for Christmas seems more like a discovery of  divine wisdom (thanks to some ancient Roman census record checking) than  a clever solution by evil priests trying to manipulate Christians. So the next time someone says that no one really knows the date of Christ's birthday they need to have your help in putting them back in touch with early Christian history.

The author made  use of data contained in the article "The Reality of the Star of Bethlehem" by Paul Fisher and from the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia and expresses his gratitude to all those, living or deceased especially his lovely wife,  the late Maria Eugenia McIntosh, who made this work available to all.

Protagonist & Outline of Rough Skies 

Subject Larry Wansley is a veritable Forrest Gump type character. Grew up relatively poor and joined the Marine Corps very young where he was an up and coming boxer until a contender sent him sailing out of the ring and into work as a factory worker, mailman, street cop and eventual FBI undercover agent where he successfully busted dozens of criminal organizations in high profile cases from White Supremacists, Mafia players and fraudsters to kiddy porn producers. Later his FBI experience enabled subject to work in airline security. One episode of his storied career involved the crash of a jet in South America with large loss of life and the guerrilla rifling the pockets of the dead and dying. Subject had front row seat on 9/11 as Director of Security when two of his planes were hijacked. Later he was involved with the Richard Reid shoe bomber case. Eventually transitioned to work for a pro football team working as agent and Managing Director of Security.

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Sugar in cereal, fruit drinks and...cigarettes?

In THE CASE AGAINST SUGAR, Gary Taubes delves into America’s history with sugar with common sense, straight talk, impeccable research and practical science. He shows how Big Sugar money co-opted university scientists and, by extension, the FDA to “prove” that sugar was harmless. Big Sugar then funded massive public relations campaigns to point the finger at... fat! or salt! or any cause other than its product. 

From the best-selling author of Why We Get Fat, a groundbreaking, eye-opening exposé that makes the convincing case that sugar is the tobacco of the new millennium: backed by powerful lobbies, entrenched in our lives, and making us very sick. 

Yep, believe it or not, there is sugar in cigarettes. Kids breakfast cereal is primarily sugar. Crackers and snacks are loaded with sugar. High fructose corn syrup is an additive in practically every bottled drink. Taubes makes the case that the cumulative use of sugar over a lifetime may well be the primary causative factor in some forms of cancer and dementia.

Interview Opportunity: Gary Taubes 

OCASOMEDIA ocasomedia@gmail.com

THE CASE AGAINST SUGAR is compelling history, painstaking research, and an enlightened look at what we eat, and how we might save ourselves - and restore our personal and national health.

GARY TAUBES is the author of Why We Get Fat and Good Calories, Bad Calories. He is a former staff writer for Discover and has received three Science in Society Journalism Awards from the National Association of Science Writers.

Interview Opportunity: 

Gary Taubes OCASOMEDIA ocasomedia@gmail.com

HOLLYWOOD AND IT’S FAILURES

This is a transcript for this video.

Once again we are reminded that Hollywood still remains a fundamentally dysfunctional, and morally bankrupt industry. The current state of Hollywood sex abuse scandals shouldn’t come as shock to anyone, it’s always been this way, and, without public intervention, it will stay this way for a long time to come. To better understand the Hollywood of today, we should take a step back to examine it through the lens of history.

In the 1930s Hollywood experienced a similar moral backlash , after they consistently produced films that conflicted with the moral norms of middle America.

So this push and pull between Hollywood and middle America is nothing new. This moral revolt of the public led to Hollywood enacting the Hays Code, also known as the Motion Picture Production Code. 

This internally authored document gave guidelines to film makers on how to produce content that was considered too inflammatory or provocative for that day and age. Although abandoned in the 1950s due to competition from Television and merging foreign film markets, the Hays Code did lead to the M.P.A.A. film rating system we observe today.

Regardless of how we might feel about this as it relates to censorship and artistic expression, it does objectively illustrate that Hollywood realized it had a problem on its hands, and needed to respond to the public’s  displeasure.

Now at this point, detractors from the far left or the third wave of feminism, will likely assert that I’m being hyper hyperbolic or overblown. While I maintain that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, I will assert, that these latest revelations are only the beginning of the Hollywood facade unraveling. I have no doubt that in the upcoming days, weeks and months, more and more victims will come forward and more  perpetrators will be named.

All this brings me to the next historically entrenched institution, that really sheds light on Hollywood, the proverbial casting couch. THAT is a term more than 100 years old-yes you heard that correctly, more than 100 years! The casting couch refers, of course, to couches in offices that could be used for sexual activity between casting directors or film producers and aspiring actors and especially actresses. 

Of course this sexual activity wasn’t consensual, but coerced, and the industry titans of Hollywood used the threat of black listing actors and aspiring starlets as the leverage to commit these sex crimes. Furthermore these same powerful individuals made it well known that anyone caught talking about these activities in public or to the press, would also suffer the professional consequences of black listing, and or a tidal wave of law suits and litigation.

Now fast forward to today and not only has Hollywood still turned a blind eye to these crimes against mostly women and children, they also adopted a strong sense of moral superiority to complement their already well nurtured contempt for middle America.

This Hollywood vs. America divide was clearly illustrated when confessed child molester Roman Polanski won an Academy Award for best director for the film The Pianist, and yet got a standing ovation in absentia from a vast majority of the actors academy at the Oscars. 

Of course Roman could not attend the Oscars personally because he was busy hiding under a rock in France in order to evade jail time for the crimes he pleaded to committing! Add to that moral turpitude  the mind blowing arrogance of Meryl Streep as she lecture middle America because they didn’t vote for the presidential candidate she wanted to win. Meryl’s  political horse  was a  person who, by definition, was arguably the most flawed and morally reprobate candidate to ever run for the presidency. But wait, it gets even worse. Who can forget to mention Meryl’s reference to Harvey Weinstein as God. Yep, can we believe this, America?  

However those facts, when recounted, will fall on Meryl Streep’s deaf ears because she’ll never even be able to listen to them thanks to the strident din of her own cognitive dissonance. After all, when was the last time someone said to Meryl, ”No”, “I don’t agree” or “You’re WRONG!”?

Have you noticed, I’ve yet to get to the staggering sexual misconduct allegations against Woody Allen, Bill Cosby , Harvey Weinstein and more likely than not, Kevin Spacey as well? But you get the point. These self proclaimed elite have looked down their noses at the very people that made them famous and financially successful in the first place. It’s high time that everyday Americans return the favor. 

America’s payback should not be merely for being the object of Hollywood’s utter disdain. No. Tinseltown is in no small crisis artistically. The entire industry has gotten so lazy in entertainment production, script writing, and overall originality, while creating an ever growing litany of weaker and weaker products  that are propped up with state of the art technology and jaw dropping special effects.

So I’d argue that Hollywood has failed to change itself for the better, and the industry’s incessant moral grandstanding and over inflated sense of self importance, has made Hollywood far worse than ever before. These Hollywood  failures impact our society because entertainment influences culture and culture influences politics and politics codifies all of it into law and powerful pressure to conform. Thus don’t be surprised that everything in our world seems so upside down and has the political establishment and the courts, that depend on that establishment, enshrine the worst of culture, depravity and bad behavior into being regarded as sacred right. Hormone blockers, anyone?

Fortunately, it seems,  middle America has had enough. However, our push back should not come from just registering our protest on social media or even YouTube videos, we need to start pulling the levers of the free market and vote with our dollars instead.

This is why competition in the alternative media and new entertainment offerings is so important. If we want to fight the ever growing moral grandstanding, from a hypocritical Hollywood elite, that lacks any sense of self reflection, we need to hit them were it hurts, right in their wallet.

If we want to change anything in our world, no matter what, we should be prepared to make a sacrifice of some kind. In this case the deprivation is minimal. Call it a first world sacrifice, after all, folks,  it’s just saying no to watching a movie. You just need to ask yourself , do you want your hard earned dollars to support an industry that is rampant with sex crimes carried out, mostly, against women and children? If your moral compass isn’t telling you that supporting an industry notorious for such activities isn’t completely wrong then it’s time to take out that compass to get it repaired, replaced or borrow someone elses!

So, in the end, Hollywood will not change on it’s own.  Nor will the media. Any doubt? Just watch the White House correspondence dinners of the past and it quickly becomes obvious that our politicians are not going to take a stand either. However, I suppose it may be better that way because I personally don’t like the idea of Washington trying to legislate morality for the sake of elevating our culture. Hollywood must change, and we must change it, change it using the power of the free market and take our money elsewhere and just stop the enabling , support alternative media and new entertainment that shows merit. 

If we fail more people will get abused, more lives will get destroyed and the destruction will only replicate itself and propagate as victims become victimizers with a massive and supine public of consumers  ever corrupted by the sordid details of their idolized stars serial sex abuse that the tabloids feverishly record, recount and replay. Hollywood A listers  no longer deserve their huge stage much less colossal audience. It all must stop and stop now.

Is the NFL ready for a Las Vegas style attack?

Former US Navy SEAL Officer Matt Bracken asks that question and provides suggestions to NFL teams and police. The Las Vegas Massacre has shown us that billion-dollar corporations like MGM, as well as the Las Vegas police, were woefully unprepared to deal with a sniper standing in the window of a hotel overlooking an open-air concert. Should we assume that the NFL is any better prepared to deal with a stadium sniper? Not a sniper who is inside the stadium, but one located up to a mile away. Perimeter security measures taken to prevent firearms from being smuggled into a stadium will do nothing to deter a distant sniper using the plunging area-fire tactic.

Bracken proposes the following:
"At a minimum, stadium events need a police helicopter with counter-snipers ready to launch on a moment's notice. Acoustic gunshot detection systems must be installed around these venues to immediately locate a distant sniper’s approximate location. Vectored to the area by the acoustic system, the helicopter’s onboard FLIR can rapidly find the sniper, and the airborne police counter-snipers can do the rest. Stopping an active sniper after just a few minutes is a far better outcome than allowing him ten or more minutes of uninterrupted carnage, as happened in Las Vegas. Bear in mind that Stephen Paddock ceased shooting for his own reasons. The police did not stop him."

"The necessary elements (SWAT counter-snipers and police choppers) are typically already located in close proximity to these outdoor events. These elements need to be staged together, ready to fly, and able to detect gunshot locations as well as the FLIR signatures of open or broken-out windows in line-of-sight buildings, muzzle flashes, and humans hiding in unoccupied structures.
 
"The deadly fiasco of Desert One in 1980 resulted from a lack of coordination and practice between the disparate elements of the ad-hoc Iranian hostage rescue mission. In the aftermath, the U.S. military created the Joint Special Operations Command. Similarly, American law enforcement needs to rethink and revamp its approach to providing security for large outdoor events before a predictable tragedy occurs. The personnel and equipment are already on hand, or in the case of the acoustic systems, they are readily available. What is required is a new mindset, with an airborne-capable quick reaction team ready to put an active sniper down as rapidly as possible."

Matt Bracken’s first novel, Enemies Foreign and Domestic, published in 2003, begins with a distant sniper firing into a packed football stadium, precipitating a stadium-wide panic stampede that results in over a thousand deaths. The first chapter of Enemies Foreign and Domestic can be read here.  A longer and more detailed version of this essay appeared under the title of “Is the NFL ready for a stadium attack on a Las Vegas scale?” 

Matt Bracken was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1957 and graduated from the University of Virginia in 1979 with a degree in Russian Studies. He was commissioned in the US Navy through the NROTC program at the University of Virginia, and then graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training class 105 in Coronado California. He served on east coast UDT and SEAL teams, leading a Naval Special Warfare detachment to Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. In 1993 Mr. Bracken finished building a 48-foot steel sailing cutter of his own design, on which he has done extensive ocean cruising, including a 9,000-mile solo voyage from Panama to Guam and two Panama Canal transits. Bracken’s five best-selling novels have garnered nearly 3,000 Amazon reviews with an average 4.7 star rating. The Red Cliffs of Zerhoun is his masterpiece that required years to complete. His other titles include Enemies Foreign and Domestic, Domestic Enemies, Foreign Enemies And Traitors, and Castigo Cay, the first Dan Kilmer novel. His new counter-jihad thriller The Red Cliffs of Zerhoun has earned over 250 Amazon reviews in its first two months, with an astounding average review rating of 4.9 stars.. His website is . enemiesforeignanddomestic.com 

Why was US Navy Submariner Kristian 

Saucier's life destroyed while Hillary 

Clinton prospered?

SEE Kristian's website HERE-to see how you can help

Are there two Systems of Justice or just ONE for everyone,  America?

Former US Navy Petty Officer, Kristian Saucier, now released from jail, appeared on Varney & Company recently and accepted his punishment of nearly a year in Federal prison for snapping a few cell phone pictures in a restricted area of a 40 year old submarine. While he recognized his mistake, wishing to have some keepsake pictures of where he worked on his submarine, he contrasted his offense with Hillary Clinton, John Podesta and Clinton aide Huma Abedin-none of whom who have been prosecuted over an illegal private server scandal that rendered highly classified and even top secret communication subject to easy interception by our enemies. 

"...you have people like Hillary Clinton, John Podesta and Huma Abedin who committed far more egregious acts you know I'm not trying to minimize what I did, I made a mistake ..the photos I took were of Confidential which is the lowest tier of classification . whereas the information they mishandled was Top Secret SCI....". He added." But what I think the issue here is that the punishment isnt doled out evenly across the board .."

Kristian Saucier was serving on the nuclear powered attack submarine USS Alexandria in 2009 when it was in port in Groton, Connecticut. While there he took six cell phone pictures for his family to illustrate the work he did in an area that was restricted from photo taking. Others on his ship had done the same either without punishment or with a reprimand and, in some cases a small fine or reduction in pay grade. Years later this cell phone was found and the photos discovered. Kristian, who had served honorably with high praise from his superiors as an important and skilled member of the US Nuclear Navy's elite submariners corp working as a machinist's mate, was imprisoned nearly a year.  Hillary Clinton, despite top secret communication that was easily hackable via an illegal private server that she had set up, was  given a slap on the wrist and allowed to run for president unhindered; sign a million dollar book deal and could afford to purchase a second house in upscale Chappaqua, NY. Meanwhile consider the ordeal Kristian Saucier and his family had to endure. 

Both Kris Saucier and his family were subjected to extremely harsh treatment. Among these trials:

• His family home was raided & ransacked by TEN US Federal agents & police bearing AR 15's in an absurd, humiliating  and needless show of force with a minor daughter present
• SIX Local TV News Channels camped outside their home for three days
• Kris was subjected to lengthy FBI interrogations and without benefit of counsel-UNLIKE Hillary Clinton
• His wife Sadie, with a high risk pregnancy, had to drive two hours to post Kris's bail
• Legal fees crushed his family financially & their savings were wiped out

• The Saucier home went into foreclosure
• The Saucier's lost their  vehicles
• Kris received an other than honorable discharge from the Navy
• Kris Saucier was threatened with being prevented from being present during the birth of his daughter
• His security clearance was lost making obtaining a good job difficult 

SEE Kristian's website HERE-to see 
how you can help

Are there two Systems of Justice in our 

country or ONE,  America?

Why was US Navy Submariner Kristian 

Saucier's life destroyed while Hillary 

Clinton escaped scot free?

Kris & Sadie Saucier with their daughter 

Are there two Systems of Justice or ONE,  America?

Former US Navy Petty Officer, Kristian Saucier, now released from jail, appeared on Varney & Company recently and accepted his punishment of nearly a year in Federal prison for snapping a few cell phone pictures in a restricted area of a 40 year old submarine. While he recognized his mistake, wishing to have some keepsake pictures of where he worked on his submarine, he contrasted his offense with Hillary Clinton, John Podesta and Clinton aide Huma Abedin:

"...you have people like Hillary Clinton, John Podesta and Huma Abedin who committed far more egregious acts you know I'm not trying to minimize what I did, I made a mistake ..the photos I took were of Confidential which is the lowest tier of classification . whereas the information they mishandled was Top Secret SCI....". He added." But what I think the issue here is that the punishment isnt doled out evenly across the board .."

Kristian Saucier was a US Naval Machinist Mate who was serving on the nuclear powered attack submarine USS Alexandria in 2009 when it was in port in Groton, Connecticut. While there he took six cell phone pictures for his family to illustrate the work he did in an area that was restricted from photo taking. Years later this cell phone was found and the photos discovered. Aside from this somewhat common infraction often punished by being demoted to a lower pay grade and rank, Kristian had served honorably with high praise from his superiors as an important and skilled member of the US Nuclear Navy's elite submariners corp.

SEE Kristian's website HERE-Please SIGN the petition for a Presidential Pardon and please offer a donation that you can afford

Both Kris Saucier and his family were subjected to extremely harsh treatment and a long and costly ordeal, Among these trials:

• His family home was raided & ransacked by TEN US Federal agents & police bearing AR 15's in an absurd, humiliating  and needless show of force with a minor daughter present
• SIX Local TV News Channels camped outside their home for three days
• Kris was subjected to lengthy FBI interrogations and without benefit of counsel-UNLIKE Hillary Clinton
• His wife Sadie, with a high risk pregnancy, had to drive two hours to post Kris's bail
• Legal fees crushed his family financially & their savings were wiped out

• The Saucier home went into foreclosure
• The Saucier's lost their  vehicles
• Kris received an other than honorable discharge from the Navy
• Kris Saucier was threatened with being prevented from being present during the birth of his daughter
• His security clearance was lost making obtaining a good job difficult 

SEE Kristian's website HERE-Please SIGN the petition for a Presidential Pardon  & please make a Donation that you can afford

During the 2016 presidential campaign the civilian court decision to sentence Kristian to nearly a year in prison became a national topic when Donald Trump contrasted Saucier's harsh punishment to the non punishment that Hillary Clinton enjoyed after having even beyond top secret communications and dozens of classified ones on her private (and highly hackable) server accessible with her cell phones.  Kristian now faces life without an honorable discharge; the likelihood that he will never be given security clearance and has suffered vehicle re-possessions and foreclosure on his home. The Clinton's meanwhile, could afford to purchase a second house in tony Chappaqua, New York and Hillary Clinton could freely look forward to becoming President enjoying access to the most top secret and sensitive communications imaginable. Kristian Saucier is now outfitted with an ankle monitor, which he must wear for 7 months.