KILLINGS BY POLICE-CONGRESS
US Capitol staffers raise their hands for Ferguson
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of congressional staffers and Capitol employees have protested the killing of unarmed black men by police.
About 200 workers and a few members of Congress stood on the House steps Thursday and silently raised their arms in the “don’t shoot” gesture used to protest the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
They stood, heads bowed, as Senate Chaplain Barry Black prayed, “Forgive us when we have failed to lift our voices for those who couldn’t speak or breathe for themselves.” He emphasized “breathe” in a reference to Eric Garner of New York, who died after a police chokehold.
Afterward, Black said the workers were exercising their free speech rights to seek a larger conversation about the issue, which has sparked demonstrations across the country.
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282-w-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black)–Dozens of congressional staffers and Capitol employees have protested the killing of unarmed black men by police. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (11 Dec 2014)
< 241-a-22-(Dr. Barry Black, chaplain, U.S. Senate, during protest outside the Capitol against police-involved killings)-“speak or breathe”-Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black prays for strength for the demonstrators. ((note length of cut)) Updated: 12/11/2014-05:36:01 PM ET (11 Dec 2014) < 240-a-12-(Dr. Barry Black, chaplain, U.S. Senate, during protest outside the Capitol against police-involved killings)-“to promptly act”-Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black, in prayer, asks for people to stand up and become a voice for the victims of injustice. (11 Dec 2014) < 239-r-11-(Sound of a group of Capitol staffers and some lawmakers, chanting outside the Capitol during protest of police-involved killings)–Sound of a group of Capitol staffers and some lawmakers, chanting outside the Capitol during protest of police-involved killings. (11 Dec 2014) < EXODUS-AARON PAUL “Exodus” actor is Baptist minister’s son NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Paul, who plays Joshua in the new movie “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” says he knows the story better than most actors. Paul is the son of a Southern Baptist minister, and says he’s known the story of Moses from childhood. Paul says unlike most actors, he’s read the entire Bible. He says it’s “a really intense book,” and he’s proud to “tell a small piece of it and to be Joshua.” The role of Joshua is a minor one in the film, as it also was in the Bible’s Book of Exodus. The Bible’s book of Joshua recounts his subsequent leadership of the Israelites in conquering the Promised Land after the death of Moses. Paul says his father was excited that his son landed a role in the biblical epic. Sound: 333-a-05-(Aaron Paul, actor who plays Joshua in “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, in AP interview)-“Southern Baptist minister”-Actor Aaron Paul, who plays Joshua in “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” says it’s a story he’s known since childhood. (11 Dec 2014) < 334-a-17-(Aaron Paul, actor who plays Joshua in “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, in AP interview)-“to be Joshua”-Actor Aaron Paul, who plays Joshua in “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” says his father was a Southern Baptist minister. (11 Dec 2014) < NOAH’S ARK PARK Noah’s Ark builders may fight Kentucky tax break rejection PETERSBURG, Ky. (AP) — A Christian group building a massive wooden ark in Kentucky inspired by the biblical account of Noah is considering going to court to fight the state’s rejection of the project’s tax incentives. President Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis says losing the tourism tax rebate would be costly, but construction of the Ark Encounter theme park will continue. Ham says in a statement that two public interest law firms would represent the group if legal action is taken. He says no decision has been made yet. Kentucky’s tourism secretary said Wednesday that the project isn’t eligible for tax incentives because employees would be screened on the basis of religion and the project would be used for what the secretary calls “religious indoctrination.” Ham says federal and state laws support the group’s right to share its message and base hiring on applicants’ religious preferences. Sound 245-a-11-(Dylan Lovan, AP correspondent)-“in their hiring”-AP correspondent Dylan Lovan reports that Kentucky officials have told developers of the Ark Encounter that it won’t be eligible for tax rebates. (11 Dec 2014) < 244-a-11-(Dylan Lovan, AP correspondent)-“in the Bible”-AP correspondent Dylan Lovan reports that a Christian group may go to court over the rejection of tax incentives for its tourist attraction. (11 Dec 2014) < 246-a-07-(Dylan Lovan, AP correspondent)-“call religious indoctrination”-AP correspondent Dylan Lovan reports that a letter from Kentucky tourism officials expressed concern that the Ark Encounter would be a Christian ministry. (11 Dec 2014) < 247-a-13-(Dylan Lovan, AP correspondent)-“options right now”-AP correspondent Dylan Lovan reports that the Ark Encounter is being developed by Answers in Genesis, which operates the Creation Museum. (11 Dec 2014) < BOB JONES INVESTIGATION Bob Jones releases report on handling sex abuse complaints GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — An independent report on how Bob Jones University has dealt with sexual abuse over several decades concluded that university employees weren’t properly trained to handle such cases and victims seem to have been blamed. The 300-page report, released Thursday, suggested the conservative Christian university take what it called “personnel action” against Chancellor Bob Jones III, the university’s president from 1971 through 2005 and grandson of the university’s founder. The report was compiled by the group GRACE, or Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, hired two years ago by the university. The report spans approximately four decades and included dozens of interviews with school personnel as well as students and former students, some of whom are abuse victims. The school’s current president, Steve Pettit, issued an apology to abuse victims, saying “We failed to uphold and honor our own core values.” RADIO HOST-CHILD PORN 40 years to ex-Christian radio host for child porn GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A former Christian radio host in Michigan has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation and child pornography. Grand Rapids federal Judge Robert Holmes Bell sentenced 34-year-old John Balyo on Thursday, calling his acts “repulsive.” Investigators found a storage unit with child pornography and a bondage kit. Separately, Balyo recently was sentenced to at least 25 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a boy in Calhoun County. The state and federal sentences will run together. Balyo was arrested in June at a Christian music festival in northern Michigan. He’s a former morning host at WCSG, a popular Christian station in Grand Rapids that’s heard throughout western Michigan. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa Hessmiller said Balyo did volunteer work with children but “was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” CHURCH COMPLAINTS Church members indicted for abusing gay man SPINDALE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina grand jury has indicted five members of a Rutherford County church for allegedly kidnapping and beating a man because he’s gay. The five belong to Word of Faith in Spindale — a controversial church that has been accused for years of enforcing extensive control over its congregation. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office says the grand jury returned the indictment this week. Telephone messages left for church leaders were not immediately returned. Matthew Fenner said Thursday he was beaten last year in the church after a service. He says it was part of the church’s way of trying to cure him of being gay. Word of Faith was investigated twice in the late 1990s for its treatment of children but was cleared of any wrongdoing. VATICAN-DALAI LAMA Pope won’t meet Dalai Lama out of China concerns VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis won’t meet with the Dalai Lama during his visit to Rome, apparently to avoid antagonizing China. But he’s sending a greeting to Nobel Peace Prize laureates meeting in the city for their annual summit. The Dalai Lama said Thursday that Vatican authorities had nixed a meeting with him “because it might create inconveniences.” The Tibetan Buddhist leader added that he’s an admirer of Pope Francis. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said he couldn’t confirm that an audience had been refused. But he said a papal greeting would be sent. Francis has followed the line of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI in trying to improve relations with Beijing, which were severed in 1951 after the officially atheistic Communist Party took power and set up its own church outside the pope’s authority. WALKER-MOLOTOV Walker says ‘molotov’ in Hanukkah letter was typo MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker has said he doesn’t remember sending a letter about a menorah that is signed, “Thank you and Molotov.” “My guess is it was a typo,” Walker said Wednesday when asked about the slip-up by reporters at the governor’s mansion. A Molotov Cocktail is a homemade firebomb. Walker presumably meant to write “mazel tov” in the undated letter that was addressed to prominent Milwaukee attorney Franklyn Gimbel. The letter was written when Walker was Milwaukee County executive and was first reported on Wednesday by the Cap Times. Walker said he suspects the letter was written around 2003 but he doesn’t remember it. The governor, the son of a Baptist preacher, was re-elected to a second term last month and is considering running for president in 2016. OCCULT TEEN-SLAIN Texas teen convicted of capital murder in occult killing HOUSTON (AP) — A jury has convicted a Houston-area teenager of capital murder for a girl’s slaying that prosecutors said was part of a satanic ritual. Jurors found 18-year-old Jose E. Reyes guilty on Thursday in the February death of 15-year-old Corriann Cervantes in a vacant apartment southeast of Houston. Reyes will receive an automatic life sentence. The Houston Chronicle reports that during closing arguments, prosecutor Martina Longoria told jurors Reyes committed “so many horrible, heinous and inhumane things.” The trial began Monday. Jurors saw graphic photos of injuries, including an upside down cross carved on Cervantes’ stomach. The case against another teen accused in the killing is pending.
