Abolish the 'Death Tax'
If there were a prize for the most destructive tax, the death tax surely would be a prohibitive favorite. Known to policy wonks as the estate tax, this levy is a punitive form of double taxation that penalizes people for trying to create a nest egg for their children.

Earth Day, 2009: The More You Know, the Less You Care
What on Earth is going on in Washington? The public believes less and less that human beings are responsible for global warming, surface temperature shows no net change in over a decade, and there's still a bill about to be debated in the House that will require the average American in 2050 to have a "carbon footprint" no larger than it was for the average American in 1867. The politics of global warming are becoming increasingly disconnected from the people. Day after day, hour after hour, telescreens shout, "Go Green! Go Green!" Fewer and fewer people care.

Earmarks: Don’t Mend Them, End Them
What should be done about earmarks? Some Republicans and Democrats call for reform. I propose total elimination of this political cancer. It is sickening the body politic by damaging its moral culture, destroying the good faith in government that is required for a just and effective rule of law.

Free Trade Promotes a Cleaner Environment
Rather than using trade policy as a weapon, America should keep markets open. Policymakers--regardless of the shape of any final climate bill--should maintain the integrity and freedom of global markets as a means to transfer clean technologies, keep international investment flowing, and promote economic growth and prosperity in the U.S. and around the world.

Socialist in Senate
Self proclaimed Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders wants Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) to start naming names.” So reports Politico’s Glenn Thrush. He was referring to the “usually soft-spoken” senior Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, who had told a Birmingham reporter that there are 17 “socialists” in Congress. Only one senator has voted entirely in sync with Sanders: Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. But due to his severe illness, he has voted only eight times, so we will not count him in the following tabulations. Over one-third of the Senate — 35 senators, all of them Democrats — have voted the Sanders line 90 percent of the time or more. Since that’s more than twice the number we need to fill out Bachus’s list, let’s restrict membership in the “Sanders Socialist Society” to just those senators voting with him at least 95 percent of the time. They number 15: Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), John Kerry (D., Mass.), Jack Reed (D., R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.), Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), Tom Harkin (D., Ia.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), Richard Durbin (D., Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.), Ben Cardin (D., Md.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.), Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.), Roland Burris (D., Ill.), and Ted Kaufman (D., Del.). Falling just shy of the cut-off — at 94 percent agreement with Sanders — are Sens. Daniel Akaka (D., Hawaii.), Chris Dodd (D., Conn.), Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii), Carl Levin (D., Mich.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.), Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), and Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), along with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.). Republican senators who toe the Sanders line most often are (can you guess?) Maine’s Olympia Snowe (61 percent) and Susan Collins (56), followed by Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter (53).

Democrats Supported CIA's 'Enhanced Interrogation' Techniques
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the “enhanced interrogation” techniques used on terror suspects--described in declassified Justice Department memos released by the Obama administration last week--had approval from congressional leaders in both parties.

Barney Frank: Marijuana, Internet Gambling O.K. for Americans, but not ‘Total Freedom’ in Financial Matters
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) told CNSNews.com Thursday that, if it were up to him, Americans would be completely free to smoke marijuana and gamble on the Internet -- but they shouldn’t be allowed “total freedom” in their financial decisions because those risky decisions might adversely affect others.

Public Outcry Leads Defense Department to Reverse Spent Ammo Directive
The U.S. Department of Defense has reversed a directive that would have prohibited U.S. ammunition retailers from purchasing used brass shell casings from the government -- and at least one ammo maker credits public outcry for the change of heart. “It just restores my faith that the system works,” Curtis Shipley, owner of Georgia Arms, told CNSNews.com. “If enough people are motivated and say ‘Hey, that is wrong,’ the system does still work.” Shipley said thousands of calls, letters and e-mails went to the DOD and to lawmakers to protest the now-rescinded order, which would have made the brass available only as useless scrap metal to be sold to China and other countries.

New FDA policy could help cover up cases of statutory rape, pro-life group says
Reacting to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement that it would allow 17-year-olds to purchase the “morning after” birth control pill without a doctor’s prescription or parental knowledge, Students for Life of America has charged that the policy would help cover up cases of rape. In October 2008, SFLA released a video showing Planned Parenthood clinics in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, North Carolina covering up the putative statutory rape of two young girls.

Cardinal says police need a 'solid faith'
During his homily at a Mass on Thursday for members of the Vatican public security service, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone encouraged them to carry out their duties “with dedication and love, with equity and balance, with a sense of responsibility and concern for the common good.” Cardinal Bertone stressed that in today’s nihilistic culture which encourages often “illegal and illicit” forms of human behavior, it is necessary that all military and police forces also have “a solid faith” in order to “take a position before God.”

Former CIA chief Goss: I can’t believe what a shameless liar Pelosi is
Today, I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as “waterboarding” were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience. Let me be clear. It is my recollection that: The chairs and the ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, known as the Gang of Four, were briefed that the CIA was holding and interrogating high-value terrorists. We understood what the CIA was doing. We gave the CIA our bipartisan support. We gave the CIA funding to carry out its activities. On a bipartisan basis, we asked if the CIA needed more support from Congress to carry out its mission against al-Qaeda. I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues.

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Talent will leave Britain Due to High Taxes
I am 61 years old. I have lived and worked in Britain all my life. Not even in the dark days of penal Labor taxation in the Seventies did I have any intention of leaving the country of my birth. Despite a rumor put around some years back, I have never contemplated leaving Britain for tax reasons. But in the 40-plus years I have been lucky enough to work here, I've seen a bit. So I must draw your attention to what is really proposed in this Budget. Here's the truth. The proposed top rate of income tax is not 50 per cent. It is 50 per cent plus 1.5 per cent national insurance paid by employees plus 13.3 per cent paid by employers. That's not 50 per cent. Two years from now, Britain will have the highest tax rate on earned income of any developed country. I write this article because I fear the inevitable exodus of the talent that can dig us out of the hole we find ourselves in. It is inevitable, given that other countries are bidding for entrepreneurs. The Government must modify its proposals.

Prince of Fool
Prince Charles is being accused of hypocrisy after it was revealed that he is chartering a luxury private jet for a five-day tour of Europe to promote environmental issues. The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall, plus ten Clarence House staff, will fly from London to Rome this evening. Then they will fly on to Venice and Berlin, before returning to Britain. Clarence House aides stress that the trip is at the request of the Government to promote its climate change policies. Each member of Charles's party will leave a carbon footprint of 4.41 tons - 13 times more than if they had used a scheduled flight on the same type of plane, which can carry up to 156 passengers.

Pence signs NoClimateTax.com Pledge!
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence has signed our NoClimateTax.com pledge! We applaud him for signing the pledge and for his leadership on this issue. We need your help to get more members to sign! Go to www.NoClimateTax.com for more information! Cap-and-trade is a tax on coal, oil, and natural gas but instead of being a specific tax rate, the total level of use is capped and companies are forced to pay the government for emissions permits. They bid against each other to stay in business, and nobody knows how much the tax will be until they hold the auctions. There is one simple way to put members of Congress on the record and figure out if this is about the environmental at all, or just an excuse to hide a big tax increase: Ask them to sign the pledge.

100 days in office, coronated Messiah
On his 100th day in office, President Obama will be "crowned" in messianic imagery at New York City's Union Square. Artist Michael D'Antuono's painting "The Truth" featuring Obama with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns upon his head will be unveiled on April 29 at the Square's South Plaza. According to a statement released about the portrait, "The 30" x 54" acrylic painting on canvas depicts President Obama appearing much like Jesus Christ on the Cross: atop his head, a crown of thorns; behind him, the dark veil being lifted (or lowered) on the Presidential Seal. But is he revealing or concealing, and is he being crucified or glorified?"

Sebelius veto of partial-birth abortion law brings HHS nomination into question
Kansas Governor and HHS Secretary nominee Kathleen Sebelius has vetoed a bill that would change a state law further regulating late-term abortions. The veto prompted much protest from pro-life leaders as Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said her nomination should be withdrawn if questions about her stand on abortion are not answered. The bill, S. 218, would have required late-term abortionists to report additional information on the killing procedures to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. It also would have allowed women or girls who later believed their abortions to be illegal to sue the abortionist.

Archbishop Speaks Out Against Sebelius Veto of Abortion Law
Today Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed SB 218, legislation approved by large majorities in the Kansas Legislature that would significantly aid the enforcement of existing late-term abortion law. Today was the last day for the governor to sign or veto the bill, otherwise it would have become law. The governor waited until the very last minute, perhaps in the hope that the United States Senate would confirm her nomination to be secretary of Health & Human Services, thus relieving her of the obligation to act on this legislation. When it became clear that the Senate would not vote on her nomination by today, the governor did the expected – she sided with the abortion industry against the unborn, and against the women who are routinely provided misleading information by that industry. We hope that the US Senate will closely scrutinize this latest action by the governor, and view it in the context of a long, consistent, and unmistakably clear record of support for the most extreme elements of the abortion industry. Kansas, despite having one of the strictest late-term abortion laws in the country, is internationally known as a haven for the practice of particularly barbaric late-term abortion procedures – the kind most abortionists will not do. And no one has done more to ensure that Kansas retains its status as sanctuary for the likes of George Tiller than Governor Sebelius. Kansas law only permits abortions on viable babies in circumstances of grave danger to the mother. Yet every time the life of an unborn child past the point of viability (often well past that point) is ended without any attempt to meet the demands of the law, the will of the people is flouted. Every time a woman is told that a baby with arms, legs, brainwaves, and a beating heart is just a piece of tissue, the abortion industry puts more money in the bank, and politicians like the governor collect another campaign check. This situation is a moral catastrophe, and utterly out of tune with the values of the people of this state. We are again Bloody Kansas, only now it’s to our shame.

Cleaver Gets $350,000 of Pork for a Garden
Kansas City is one of the largest U.S. cities without its own botanical garden. But if U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has his way, that will change. Cleaver on Friday talked about $350,000 in funding for a plan to develop a Climate Sustainability Center, not far from Gates Bar-B-Q on Cleaver Boulevard. The center would provide opportunities for education, “green” job training, research on climate change — and a cutting-edge garden with a wide variety of native plants.

Liberty Memorial Tea Party
This video was taken during the first hour of the Tea Party at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri on Tax Day, April 15, 2009. Courtesy of the Kansas Meadowlark.

Video of the Overland Park Tea Party. Courtesy of the Kansas Meadowlark.

St. Agnes School Mathletics winners
Students in grades 4, 5, 6, and 7 at St. Agnes Catholic Grade School in Roeland Park recently participated in the Johnson County Catholic Schools Mathletics Group 1 Competition and received a first place, a second place and two third place awards. The winning students are: 4th graders Peter Fontaine, Audrey Parra and Molly Winkler won first place ribbons. 5th graders Thomas Christianson, Halle Connelly and Andrew Jezak placed third in the competition. 6th graders Sagin Churchman, Quinn Kernell and Mark Lopez placed third in the competition. 7th graders Luke Juarez, Danny Murga and Joe Sittenhauer won second place ribbons.

Best Eats in Kansas Chosen
There is nostalgia and a hint of diversity in the taste buds of Kansans. The eateries under consideration for 8 Wonders of Kansas cuisine serve everything from Rocky Mountain oysters, barbecue and country pan-fried chicken to Russian, Cajun and Mexican food. The 24 finalists were unveiled Thursday by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

“I would let people gamble on the Internet. I would let adults smoke marijuana; I would let adults do a lot of things, if they choose. But allowing them total freedom to take on economic obligations that spill over into the broader society, or have a house in a neighborhood which when they go bankrupt becomes a fire hazard for their neighbors we're well beyond, the impact goes well beyond the individual."

- House Taxation Chairman, Rep. Barney Frank D-MA

From Proverbs 16:7
“When the LORD is pleased with a man's ways, he makes even his enemies be at peace with him.”

Gospel of Luke 24:35-48

35 And they told what things were done in the way; and how they knew him in the breaking of the bread.
36 Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them, and saith to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not.
37 But they being troubled and frightened, supposed that they saw a spirit.
38 And he said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 See my hands and feet, that it is I myself; handle, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have.
40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.
41 But while they yet believed not, and wondered for joy, he said: Have you any thing to eat?
42 And they offered him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb.
43 And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains, he gave to them.
44 And he said to them: These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.
46 And he said to them: Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, the third day:
47 And that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, unto all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And you are witnesses of these things.

Pure Fashion Gives Young Women Another Direction in Dress

Pure Fashion is an international faith based program designed for girls 14-18 to help young women re-discover and re-affirm their innate value and authentic femininity. The program is a character formation program that enhances not only a young woman's external appearance, but more importantly, her interior beauty and balanced self confidence.

Pure Fashion’s goal is to emphasize a young woman's inherent dignity and therefore create in her a desire to dress and act in accordance with that dignity. We understand that many young women today are losing their sense of innocence at a very young age, and Pure Fashion aims to reverse this trend by offering a fun, exciting and effective virtue formation program that can impress the hearts and minds of young girls at a very critical stage in their lives.

In our modern culture, which sometimes promotes an "all about me," "look at me" mentality, Pure Fashion promotes balanced self confidence with a desire to love, serve and respect others. The Models are also given opportunities to love and serve others through outreach and mission projects, which cultivate the virtues of love and generosity of spirit. In addition, the young women will be taught how to sit, stand, and walk with grace and elegance as we realize that sometimes our actions speak louder than our words.

And finally, they will be taught to think critically about the choices they make, the merchandise they buy, and the overall way in which they present themselves to the world.

It’s a new day in fashion, Ladies. Be the incredible gift that God created - Woman.

To learn more about Pure Models, you can visit there website at http://www.purefashion.com/