Ave, María, grátia plena,
Dóminus tecum.
Benedicta tu in muliéribus,
et benedíctus fructus ventris
tui, Iesus.
Sancta María, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.

House Democrats release new Epstein emails referencing Trump​

The publication of the emails comes on the same day that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is scheduled to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who won a special election last month.

Once sworn in, Grijalva is expected to provide the final signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on a House bill that would compel the Department of Justice to release the government's full investigative files on Epstein.

stevevw said:

But your trying to explain this in scientific material terms which defeats the whole idea of alternative knowledge to the scientific paradigm.

The best way I can relate it to consciousness and phenomenal experiences like belief and material sciences. They belong in different paradigms or the lens by which someone sees fundemental reality. Whether its something transcedent or the causal closure of the phycial is all there is to understanding the world and reality.

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The lens by which someone sees a fundamental reality is ultimately the lense in our eyes. If it cannot be shown to exist, its effects cannot be observed or reproduced by experiment, if it has no tangible effect on the material world then science will not be able to come to a conclusion about it.

You are talking about "knowledge" that is, human ideas. The only way we can be aware of these ideas is by human action. Human action expresses those ideas in a tangible way accessible to science.

stevevw said:

Some theories in Quantum Consciousness posit that Mind is fundemental and actually creates the objective world we see. So obvious there are two ways to see the evidence. One measures the physical and the other the Mind or the phenomena beyond the mind.

Already we see a major difference where science could not even measure the transcedent aspect of reality. Therefore if there is a transcedent aspect then this must connect with the objective aspect fundementally. Thus being immersed in the transcedent or spirit gives a deeper knowledge behind what we see. Thus being able to manipulate or transcend the material world.

Its from this basis that I think ancient knowledge could be more advanced because its more aligned with fundemental reality. We can see how modern physics is now toying with the idea that Mind or consciousness is fundemental and could unlock the physical world.

But remember this is spectualtion and an hypothesis. I am not saying this is exactly the case. I don't know. I am just attempting to explain a possibility.

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You don't know, but you are sure that the Egyptians used this ancient knowledge instead of their own technology, even though you don't know what this ancient knowledge was or even very much about what Egyptian technology was capable of. OK.

Aldebaran said:

Um, why are the democrats in the Senate trying to stop poor people AND all the federal employees from getting anything? Think about that before answering.

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You misplaced an effect for a cause. The intention, the purpose, the cause was to force Republicans to address healthcare. But Republicans were too obstinate and the shutdown happened. It was Republicans who used it to get what they wanted. And they did.

Postvieww said:

Those are already tilted to the Democrats. My point is there is little left for them to change.

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That's more true of those vast tracts of red you mentioned.

You could fit nearly 100 Rhode Islands into Wyoming, but Wyoming only has one representative (and RI has 2). You can't gerrymander a state with only one district.

essentialsaltes said:

Colombian president says US military struck Colombian boat, killed his citizens​

White House called the allegation "baseless."

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To influence Trump on Colombia, Sen. Bernie Moreno brought a fake image of the country's president in a prison jumpsuit​

Two days before the lunch, Trump, at odds with Petro for months, posted on social media that Petro was “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs” in Colombia. Trump said he was stopping all U.S. aid to the country and told reporters he would soon announce new tariffs on Colombia.

Moreno wanted to encourage Trump to take a more targeted approach — directly aimed at Petro. To do so, the senator brought along a document titled “The Trump Doctrine For Colombia and the Western Hemisphere.” In addition to five policy ideas, the one-page outline featured large images of Petro and Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, in orange prison jumpsuits.

Three days after the lunch with senators, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against Petro, his family and a government official over allegations of involvement in the global drug trade, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying in a statement that Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.” Petro has strongly denied involvement with the drug trade and has said he will fight the sanctions in U.S. courts.

On Sunday, the publication Cambio Colombia first reported on the existence of the document when it discovered that the White House had posted a photo from the Oct. 21 event showing James Blair, a deputy chief of staff, holding Moreno’s memo.

Petro posted on X that he was recalling the Colombian ambassador to the U.S. for the second time in a month and demanding to know why he is being portrayed “as if I were a prisoner,” calling the print-out “a brutal disrespect” to his supporters and nation.

Speak loudly and carry a banger meme.

AI is increasingly being used for scams.

Fortunately there are some who are using AI to fight back, although it remains to be seen how effective they will be.

Apate.ai, a spin-out from Macquarie University, uses conversational, realistic, multilingual AI bots to keep scammers on long fake calls, diverting them away from the many victims who lose money to global cybercriminals every day.

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Hans Blaster said:

He also rejects mine as he obnoxiously ties science to his religion. I can't stand either Lennox or Peterson. (What's an Oxford Don? SOunds like a mafia boss.)

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It's just what they call their tenured faculty.

eclipsenow said:

I was with you until you projected past the New Testament era. The REALITY amongst theologians that matter is Daniel's 4 kingdoms are REALLY complex to interpret - but that it's past. It's either fulfilled by Rome or not - and the complicated apocalyptic symbolism around the end of this sequence is pointing to Jesus. Or not. It's very, very tricky.

I was lucky enough to have a Professor of Old Testament at my church for years - and even he says it's very, very tricky.
There are debates about how it might unfold around Antiochus - or up to Jesus. The years don't work as years either way - but might work as chunks - as rough fractions of time in a symbolic sense.

And Revelation borrows from this imagery, but John does his own thing with it. The 4 beasts are amalgamated into one - representing ALL God's enemies.

Trying to get literal with calendars just makes me yawn.
It's just. Not. True!

That's the way of endless disputes amongst various tribes of futurist - and is why I leave this forum for 6 months at a time.

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When were you “with me.” You just disputed everything I said. None of which was futurism.
It’s only complicated when people try to make the Bible’s prophecy about the end of the world.

Pommer said:

Suddenly, social-Darwinism is cool.

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Yeah, and it always did seem odd to me that religious groups most likely to reject biological evolution should be so aggressively social Darwinist.

Valletta said:

There's already an obvious Constitutional violation,

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Is there though? Prosecutors requested a subpoena, got one based on showing probable cause, and collected the information that the subpoena allowed them to. Your disagreement with the prosecution's argument doesn't make it unconstitutional.

Nithavela said:

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/10/trump-proposes-50-year-mortgage-but-homeowner-savings-could-be-minimal.html

I think this is a wonderful idea. You get to save some money per month, and when you die halfway into paying back your mortgage, your legacy lives on.

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I understand my kind of conservatism no longer exist today.

But back then when my kind of conservatism existed , we used to think should not intervene in matters between individual citizens and banks.

Stopped_lurking said:

None, I would say a little sloppily because I think I get what you mean. My only objection is that your example is underspecified (perhaps mine was too, I should have said when a fluid flows over an airfoil) Automobiles don't all have the property of motion, but if we add some conditions I'm sure we could identify that as an emergent property as well. To me it only means it sometimes is meaningful to talk about phenomena at different levels of granularity.

Perhaps I stepped into a discussion without a good grasp of what was discussed.

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I agree that things emerge, but simply saying that doesn't explain anything. If my young son asked me "Daddy, how does a car move?", I could give him an actual explanation - all about the engine, the transmission, the axle, etc., etc. But if I just say to him "the car's motion is an emergent property", I'd be telling the truth, but not really telling him anything worth saying.

It's the same with the video that brought this topic up. The fellow says that human free will is an emergent property, but doesn't actually explain how it emerged.

Hans Blaster said:

Did you emerge from a jar of honey, or are you a regular human like the rest of us. Your confusion on the topic of where humans come from is baffling.

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Do you not understand the meaning of the word "ultimately"?

Hans Blaster said:

Why should morality depend on what a god is made of?

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What better option do you have?

Hans Blaster said:

I must conclude that there is no discussion available with you. You have made it clear that you hold that morality is a brute fact of reality because your god exists and because that is why morality exists, morality must be objective (as your god has no apparent mind to which morality is subject) and perhaps absolute. You will not even discuss with in any other possible framework or consider even a divinely imposed subjective (to the god) morality.

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Sure, but you hold that morality is sheer subjective opinion and expect that to be taken seriously. So what hope was there for discussion to begin with?

A2SG said:

That's all I asked at the outset. I simply found it curious when you stopped short of criticizing Abbott for his actions, but not Newsom, when the latter at least allowed the voters to weigh in before taking action.


Understood. I don't live in either state myself. But if the issue is the act of gerrymandering, surely one isn't required to be a resident of a particular state to voice an opinion.

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I suppose, but it's more of an issue if you actually live in one of the gerrymandered districts since it's directly affecting your representation.

A2SG said:

What did he spend those "outlandish sums" on, exactly?

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Ads where he claimed it was about having fair elections.

A2SG said:

Yeah, yeah, I've heard that bit before. Another pithy quote: "Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." (Winston Churchill)

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I'm not as sold as Churchill. I don't see the value in letting people who have no idea what the issues are hold popularity contests.

A2SG said:

But, if you don't like democracy as practiced in this country, you do realize that you're free to find a preferable form of governance if you so choose, right? Just a friendly reminder, nothing more.

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I've never found this argument very compelling..."If you don't like the government, move!"

A2SG said:

Well, morality is a subjective thing, while laws are objective. You can view his actions as immoral if you so choose, but that's only according to your personal moral framework. Others may view the morality differently, and their views are no less valid than your own. Given that, Newsom reacted to an unfair attempt to increase GOP representation in Texas, at the behest of Donald Trump, and asked the voters if they agreed with his plan to counter that. They did. Whether or not that shows integrity or a lack of it depends on individual opinion, I guess.

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I disagree about morality being subjective. And he didn't exactly tell the truth to the voters in the ad campaign he ran, so I wouldn't exactly call it asking the voters to approve of his plan. And that is, of course, not even dealing with the whole vote was asking voters to take away the voting efficacy of a group of voters which is literally one of the main complaints against democracy(where 51% of the voters get to take away the rights of the 49%).

A2SG said:

Actually, California voters do agree with his actions, as evidenced by the measure passing. Sure, not everyone voted for it, but that's how democracy works. You don't have to like that, but I'd suggest it's a better, more fair way to govern than by fiat, as evidenced by Abbott in Texas.

-- A2SG, and Donald Trump, let's not forget he gave the marching orders....

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A portion of voters who were lied to with extensive ad campaigns were convinced to take away the efficacy of another group of voters votes...that's literally one of the biggest knocks on democracy, and here you're holding it up as if it is in the favor of the system.

Couldn't help but think of these two songs:

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Phil G said:

Once again, please give me a rational explanation for where satellite tv signals come from if not from satellites in geostationary orbit over the earth. And explain to me clearly in a way that fits the facts why it is so.

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If Tartaria could receive signals from the Ionosphere, why couldn't we do today, after all the Elite knew all about Tartaria and it's free energy from the Ionosphere.

What they have done is just use Tesla's knowledge on the subject & have just put a cash meter on it.

HARK! said:

None of them were. Most were directed at the Ger Toshav.

They all are

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Nonsense. None of them were. As I stated and posted most of the epistles are addressed at Christian churches NOT at Jewish congregations.

HARK! said:

Irrelevant.

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How so? It is totally relevant.

HARK! said:

Mistranslation. The word translates to assembly. I have already proven that. Repeating the mistranslation again, does not legitimize it.

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Nope, You can’t just hone on one possible translation. The context is against you. I doubt that Paul would address those at a Jewish congregation as saints and then proceed to exhort the gospel and Christ work on the cross. Israel in general rejected the messiah do they are not even in the equation until they accept Christ. There is only one way to the Father and Israel us yet to repent.

HARK! said:

Again

And again

and again

and again

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Nope.

HARK! said:

Yes, the Greek word is ekklesia; and as I have proven, it means assembly.

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You have not proven that at all. Assembly is only one possible definition but the context negates your assertion.

ἐκκλησία ekklēsía, ek-klay-see'-ah; from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):—assembly, church.

While it could be an assembly it could just as well be a Christian community or church. In the context of the epistles the context is clearly that of a church.

“to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Glory in the church and in Christ. This could never apply to a Jewish congregation since the Jews in general rejected Christ.

HARK! said:

The believers in Yahshua are the assembly of Israel.

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Nope. Accept Jesus as the Messiah first until then they have no way to the Father. They need to repent because the kingdom of Gd is indeed imminent.

HARK! said:

Again Yahshua was commissioned for none but Israel. That is what Yahshua said himself.

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And then they sent Him to be crucified. In fact they chose the thief over Him.

““Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Israel will see Him no more until they come to Jesus. They have to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

HARK! said:

The renewed covenant is with Israel. That is what YHWH himself said himself.

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The old covenant is dead. There is no renewal.

HARK! said:

I'll thrust them over you unsubstantiated opinion.

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I proved it many times over. Your opinion does not count.

HARK! said:

All of Israel accepts Messiah. If they don't accept Messiah; they are not part of Israel, no matter what they claim.

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“Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘A stone which the builders rejected, This has become the chief cornerstone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21‬:‭42‬-‭44‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Israel rejected the stone that became the cornerstone and the Kingdom of God was taken away from them.

You have no way to prove your assertion.

HARK! said:

Again, the renewed covenant is with Israel.

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Again, nope.

It would have been pointless trying to teach it the bagpipes - it would have thought it was another octopus.

Kjelete said:

Poeple been violent a couple of times also because I don`t travel, I think, I find that a little unfair also, even though I find the violence exciting.

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I want to see if you meant this - people have been violent - against you? Because you don't travel?

This extract on Habakkuk is from "The Collegeville Bible Commentary" which is a Catholic publication.

Date

The prophecy is to be dated sometime after the Babylonians became an active threat against Judah but before their destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. Habukkuk's serious complaints about violent injustice among the people in Judah suggests sometimes in the reign of Jehoiakim (609-597 BCE), a king despised by Jeremiah for his abuse of power at the cost of much suffering by the poor and defenseless. Jeremiah declares that he will be given the "burial of an ass" (Jer 22:12-19); (see also 2 Kgs 23:37). Certainly chapter 3 qualifies Habbukuk to be numbered among the "cult prophets", who functioned at the temple; chapters 1-2 may leave some clues for a liturgical ceremony.

Themes

Several major religious motifs thread their way through the prophecy: God's absolute trustworthiness; God's control of the universe; our inability to understand adequately the mysterious ways of God; our failure to fathom the mysteries fo the universe and the colossal struggles of nature and politics; God's detemination not to tolerate violence, begotten by pride

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I've highlighted "our inability to understand ... " since more trouble was to come. Habbukuk expressed his faith in God's overall justice, but not long after he gave his prophecy, he would most likely have witnessed the sack of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the beginning of the 70 years of captivity. His faith would have been put to the test.