Traditional Christmas Bible Verses: 20 Great Quotes

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 25, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS, WONDERFUL FRIENDS. GOD BLESS YOU EACH AND EVERY ONE.

By Pam on October 7, 2011 · 6 comments ·  Print ·  Email

 

Christmas is not a word that you will not find in the Bible. However, you will find the birth of Jesus and all that it represents in the Bible. Two New Testament books mention the conception of Jesus, but only one New Testament book gives details of that first Christmas. Matthew, chapter 1, lists the genealogy of Jesus tracing it all the way back to Abraham.

Did you know that we can also see the foretelling of the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, all throughout the Bible, even in the Old Testament? Old and New Testament scriptures line up to tell us the meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is a memorial to the time when Jesus stepped down to earth to be born as a baby and then willingly give His life to deliver us from the wages of sin. God gave us Jesus because He is merciful and gracious. 

Here are twenty great quotes from the Bible about Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ; the promised Deliverer.

Christmas in the Bible

Old Testament – Prophesied	New Testament – Fulfilled
Born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.	Luke 2:4-7 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn
Jesus, The Son of God
Proverbs 30:4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!	Luke 1:31-33 “…And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Jesus, Name Above All Names
Isaiah 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.	Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus, The Anointed One
Daniel 9:25-26 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.	Matthew 2:1,16 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem … Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
Jesus, The Seed of a Woman to Destroy Satan
Genesis 3:15 “…I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”	1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Jesus, Born of a Virgin
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.	Matthew 1:21-23 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:  ”Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Jesus, Seed of Abraham
Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”	Matthew 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Jesus, Seed of Isaac
Genesis 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.	Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
Kings Bow Down to Jesus
Psalms 72:10-11 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!	Matthew 2:9-11 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Born to Die and Rise On the Third Day
Jonah 1:17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.	Matthew 12:40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

A Savior Who is Christ the Lord: Christmas in Matthew 1:23

By Jeremy Myers on December 6, 2011 in Christmas with 0 Comments

 

Click the image above for more Scriptures on Christmas.

One of the most famous Scriptures on Christmas is Matthew 1:23, which speaks volumes about the birth of Jesus and why He came. The Scripture says this:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

This is actually a quote from Isaiah 7:14, and the verse in that context meant something different than the way that Matthew is using it here. But this is okay, because Jesus ads more meaning and significance not only to all things in life, but to Scripture and it’s fulfillment as well.
This Scriptures reminds us that God cares about us, and even though we have rebelled against Him, He took the initiative to restore the relationship, and return to us.
In the context of Isaiah 7, King Ahaz is getting some very bad news, the the enemy nation of Assyria is coming down upon them, and will destroy them. But God tells King Ahaz through Isaiah that a remnant will be rescued (Isaiah 9:3), and that even in the midst of defeat and judgment, God is with His people.
When we are going through times of hardship and trial, we can remember that God has sent to us Jesus Christ, Immanuel, which reminds us that God is with us, and He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).

One of the real travesties is that, while Ilario Pantano has been twice exonerated (once in a military proceeding, and more recently via an exhumation of the remains of the two Iraqi Islamic radicals and a scientific forensic study) the local North Carolina media still hold the story hostage, perpetuating a lie by the sin of omission. I called a Pat Gannon, who covers this beat for the Star-News, and asked him why this major story has not been reported. He said he was holding it for use closer to the election. Why? This is not about politics. It's about truth and honor. It is pure yellow journalism.and cruel in the extreme. Pat is an honorable man. Who is pressuring him to do this?   He should ashamed. Verne Strickland.    

New policy will allow hijabs, turbans in JROTC. Oh, and gold lapel pins with the Cross of Jesus would be nice too.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 23, 2011

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has announced that the Department of Defense (DOD) will begin allowing Muslim and Sikh to wear an Islamic head scarf (hijab) or a turban as they participate in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC).

In October, the Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization wrote to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta after a 14-year-old Muslim student at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tenn., was forced to transfer out of a JROTC class when her commanding officers told her she could not wear hijab while marching in the September homecoming parade.

SEE: JROTC's Head Scarf Rule Keeps Tenn. Girl from Parade
http://tinyurl.com/3ckva3x
JROTC Examines Rules After Headscarf Complaint
http://tinyurl.com/6msmfsf
Video: Tenn. Muslim Student Not Allowed to Wear Hijab in JROTC (CAIR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3PTFCBUf1k
CAIR requested constitutionally-protected religious accommodations for the girl and for future Muslim JROTC participants.
SEE: CAIR Letter to DOD
http://tinyurl.com/lettertodod

In a December 19 letter sent to CAIR, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Larry Stubblefield wrote:
"I have been asked to respond on behalf of the Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta to your October 13, 2011 letter concerning Miss Demin Zawity's request to wear a religious head covering (hijab) while participating in an Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) event at Ravenwood High School.

"Based on your concerns, the Army has reviewed its JROTC uniform policy and will develop appropriate procedures to provide Cadets the opportunity to request the wear of religious head dress, such as the turban and hijab. This change will allow Miss Zawity and other students the chance to fully participate in the JROTC program.

Additionally, a representative from the U.S. Army Cadet Command will contact Miss Zawity and provide her the opportunity to rejoin the Ravenwood High School JROTC unit.

"The Army prides itself in being a diverse organization, comprised of individuals from many faiths and religions. We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention."

"We welcome the fact that Muslim and Sikh students nationwide will now be able to participate fully in JROTC leadership activities while maintaining their religious beliefs and practices," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

CAIR press release, 22 December 2011

Poverty scandal -- NC 10th poorest state. Robeson poorest county in state. This is McIntyre country.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 23, 2011

STARTLING STATS: NC 1Oth POOREST STATE, ROBESON POOREST COUNTY. MIKE WORKS FOR YOU.

First Posted: 9/15/11 02:24 PM ET   Updated: 9/15/11 02:47 PM ET

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released two pieces of widely followed data  — one on poverty and the other on median income for 2010. The most interesting findings in this release were the state-by-state figures, especially when compared to national averages. 

A closer look at the statistics shows that a relatively small number of states suffer such widespread levels of low income and poverty that they skew the national numbers downward.

The national poverty rate last year was 15.1%. That is up from 11.3% in 2000 and is the highest it has been since 1993. Over 46 million people lived below the poverty line in 2010. The cut-off for that line is households of four people who made under $22,314.

The other troubling news was that median income per household nationwide was an inflation-adjusted $49,445. This is about the same as in 1989 and down 2.3% from 2009. Economists fear that Americans are not consumers. It is easy to tell why when their real income has been frozen in place for more than two decades.

The problems of poverty and low income are as much local as national. The poverty rate is 21% in Mississippi. The state also has the lowest median income at $36,850. Mississippi is among the states with the worst education systems, highest obesity levels, highest unemployment, and lowest rates of health insurance coverage.

The state is an economic black hole, and it shows in the way people suffer there. And, as is true with black holes, it is nearly impossible for the residents of Mississippi to escape their difficult financial situations. There is a dearth of federal programs that target specific states and cities based on local economic need.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed census data from all 50 states on median income, poverty rates, unemployment, and lack of health insurance. We then identified the ten states that have the lowest median income. We also looked at why low-income households are concentrated in these states and what, in some cases, has been done to reverse the difficult situations.

These are the poorest states in America, according to 24/7 Wall St.:

10. North Carolina in Top Ten -- in poverty! Are we proud or what?

Median income: $43,275

Poverty rate: 16.1% (tied for 9th highest)
Without health insurance: 16.7% (13th highest)
Unemployment: 10.1% (9th highest)

North Carolina has one of the lowest median incomes in the country. It does not perform much better on other metrics related to poverty. There have been a number of programs implemented to help combat poverty in the state recently. One example is the No Kid Hungry program which aims to end childhood hunger in North Carolina by 2015. According to information from the program, "more than 1 in 4 children in North Carolina do not get sufficient food."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/15/americas-poorest-states-_n_964058.html?icid=maing-grid7|maing6|dl1|sec1_lnk3|96106 

America's Poor , America's Poorest Cities , America's Poorest States , US Poverty , Census Poverty , Joblessness , Slidepollajax , Us-Poverty-Rate , Business News From 24/7 Wall St.:

WHAT ARE THE 5 POOREST NC COUNTIES?

 Answers.com > Wiki Answers > Categories > Travel & Places > Countries States and Cities > US States Cities and Territories > North Carolina > What are the 5 poorest counties in North Carolina?

Answer:

 

The five poorest counties in North Carolina are (by poverty rate):

1. Robeson (23.8%)
2. Tyrrell (23.5%)
3. Halifax (23.2%)
4. Warren (21.8%)
5. Edgecombe (21.5%)

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_5_poorest_counties_in_North_Carolina

BROKE? HUNGRY? JOBLESS? WONDERING WHERE TO TURN? GO HERE FIRST:
 
 www.MikeWorksforMe.com

And as your Seventh District NC Congressman, he has been working for you since 1997, give or take a few evictions, foreclosures, crop failures, and trips to the local soup kitchen. Do you hope the day will come soon when he's not working for you anymore?

        Mike McIntyre

              From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mike McIntyre
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1997

A smear that lingered for far too long: Liberal media won't let Ilario Pantano off the hook. That's criminal.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster/ December 22, 2011

** NOTE: Thanks for conservative activist Jude Eden for bringing this story to my attention.

Last Updated: 10:57 PM, December 19, 2011

Posted: 10:43 PM, December 19, 2011

More Print

Arthur Herman

Five years late, Ilario Pantano has been fully vindicated. Now where does he go to get his reputation back?

A dogged NCIS investigator has proven that Pantano, then a Marine lieutenant, should never have been put up on war-crimes charges back in 2004-5. But that doesn’t wipe away the endless smears thrown at him since.

Maybe the media and the bloggers hated him so much because he lived the classic American success story.
Born to a poor family in Hell’s Kitchen, Pantano showed the smarts to get a half-scholarship to the elite Horace Mann School — then put off college to join the Marines in the first Gulf War.

Pantano: Now fully vindicated by NCIS.

After that tour, he came back and worked nights to finish college, then landed a job at Goldman Sachs — until he re-enlisted shortly after 9/11.

In April 2004, 2nd Lt. Pantano was leading his squad in Iraq’s deadly Sunni Triangle when they stopped two Iraqis fleeing in a car from what turned out to be an insurgent ammo dump. Pantano ordered the pair to search their own vehicle to make sure it wasn’t booby-trapped.

When they charged at him instead, he opened fire. But one Marine, a disgruntled sergeant Pantano had disciplined more than once, claimed the two men had been kneeling and that Pantano shot them from behind.

All other testimony contradicted him, yet that was the witness the Judge Advocate General’s investigating officer chose to believe when he charged Pantano with murder.

Since the witness kept changing his story and no evidence backed him up, the charges were dismissed in May 2005. But Pantano’s career as a Marine was over — and his nightmare was just beginning.

It was the crazy season after Abu Ghraib — a time when Rep. Jack Murtha was accusing Marines of murder in Haditha and Sen. Dick Durbin was comparing military personnel at Gitmo to Nazis and Pol Pot.

For the media, it was the charge against Pantano, not the verdict, that mattered. New York Magazine pilloried him on its May 21, 2005 cover — sneering at his rags-to-riches story and using his “post 9/11 fervor” to portray him as a trigger-happy nut. Pantano received death threats from a jihadist Web site, and two retired Marines felt obliged to maintain a security watch around Pantano’s house.

Eventually, it all helped with his decision to leave New York. But he still wanted to serve his country. Last year, he won the endorsement of Tea Party groups to run for Congress in North Carolina. Liberal bloggers immediately went into high gear. Slate’s Matt Yglesias said it proved that “Love of violence and brutality is deeply engrained in the conservative world view.” Other bloggers labeled him a Jack Bauer Republican, implying that he was a ruthless renegade who believes that the end justifies the means.

Pantano lost in the general election, and might have faded into oblivion — except for William Rodriguez of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, who’d always been bothered by the “lynch mob” atmosphere, as he put it, surrounding Pantano’s trial, as well as the fact that there’d been no autopsy of the two Iraqis.

After five years of trying, Rodriguez finally convinced the Marines to exhume the bodies, and this last month proved that the two men had indeed been shot from the front, not the behind.

Five years too late, Ilario Pantano has finally found justice — as have those Marines accused in the Haditha case, who had the charges against them dropped over time, as well.

But two nagging questions remain. When will the media quit treating every war incident involving Americans as if it were My Lai? And when will our military justice system stop second-guessing our troops on the battlefield and let them do their job?

Arthur Herman is an American Enterprise Institute visiting scholar.
 

Have a comment on this PostOpinion column? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/smear_that_prospered_far_too_long_TRpBphwm8VFHIiel7BXqcM#.TvB_KRhxynw.facebook

Mike McIntyre blasted in NRCC robocalls on tax vote. He sure needs the publicity.

Posted: Dec 21, 2011 9:03 AM EST Updated: Dec 21, 2011 9:03 AM EST

 Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 21, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WECT) - Politico is reporting Wednesday morning that Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-NC) is one of thirteen Democratic incumbents being criticized in robocalls from the National Republican Congressional Committee over his vote on the payroll tax.

McIntyre sent out a statement Tuesday, explaining why he voted in support of the plan to extend the tax breaks two months.  House Republicans were in the majority in rejecting the proposal.  They want the cuts to extend for a full year.

"Raising taxes on American families is simply the wrong thing to do," the extremely incumbent Democrat said. "That's why I voted for the bi-partisan bill which has already passed the Senate with 89% of the vote.  This bill will extend the payroll tax cut to help working families, ensure Medicare patients can still see their doctor, help those who are unemployed, protect our hospitals, and provide a quick decision on the Keystone pipeline that will help with energy independence and job creation.

"This is a bill that is fully paid for, and will not add to the deficit.  It is time for the bickering and finger pointing to stop – the American people are demanding it and our nation needs it," Congressman Mike McIntyre said in an emailed statement."

Politico reports that McIntyre, along with Jason Altmire (PA-4), Lois Capps (CA-24), Ben Chandler (KY-6), Jim Costa (CA-21), Mark Critz (PA-12), John Garamendi (CA-3), Larry Kissell (NC-8), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Brad Miller (NC-13), Collin Peterson (MN-7), Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Betty Sutton (OH-13), will be the subject of targeted messages to voters.

This is the proposed script released to Politico:

"Hello, I'm calling from the National Republican Congressional Committee with an important alert. If you're as fed up with Congress as everyone else is, wait til you hear what your (Congressman's name) did. Not only did (Congressman's name) vote last week pave the way for a tax increase for you and every other American middle class family, but he/she is now stubbornly standing by his/her position that could raise your taxes by over a thousand dollars starting on January 1^st. 

Even House Republicans and President Obama agree that we should find an immediate long-term solution for middle class Americans. Why doesn't (Congressman's name) want to give American families the same stability over the holidays? 

Call (Congressman's name) at (office number). Ask him/her to stop being the typical Washington politician and for once, try to work in a bipartisan manner to help lower taxes for middle class families struggling with a harsh economy."

Copyright 2011 WECT.  All rights reserved.

Ancient document sheds new light on The Three Wise Men. Very inspiring.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 21, 2011

First Posted: 21/12/11 11:32 GMT Updated: 21/12/11 20:39 GMT

 Christmas , Three Wise Men , University Of Oklahoma ,
Brent Landau , Uk Books , Vatican , Religion News

share this story

Get Religion Alerts

Sign Up
 

Three Wise Men following a star across the desert clutching their gifts for baby Jesus is one of the best-known images from the Nativity.

Now, an ancient document found in the Vatican has revealed a different and more in depth version of the Magi's journey.

The mysterious 'Revelation of the Magi' document has been held at the Vatican for 250 years and has only now been translated from ancient Syriac by a university professor.

Brent Landau - an expert in religious studies from the University of Oklahoma - spent two years poring over the frail pages of the 8th-century manuscript. The document itsself is merely a copy of a text first written down almost half a millennium earlier.

The additional details and differences from the traditional story of the Three Wise Men based on the Gospel of Matthew are:

• Rather than being Persians, the travelers came from the semi-mythical land of Shir which is now associated with ancient China - making their journey even longer.
• The document claims there were 'scores' of Magi rather than just three, suggesting that several men visited baby Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew doesn't specify an amount - the idea that it was three men arose from the number of gifts they are supposed to have delivered.
• The wise men are described a descendants of Seth, the third son of Adam.
• They belong to a sect that believed in silent prayer.
 

 Professor Landau told The Times: "Somebody was really fascinated by the wise men to have created this big, long story and tell it from their perspective. A great deal of thought and imagination has gone into it. 

"There are many details of strange rituals, praying and silence. There is a description of a sacred mountain and purification at a sacred spring. 

"The detail is so great I wonder if it is the community's actual practices that are being described. Nobody knows where Matthew got the story from so along with Matthew's Gospel this is as close as you can get to the Magi."  

The Revelation of the Magi by Brent Landau is published by HarperOne.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/12/21/ancient-document-three-wise-men_n_1162489.html?ir=Religion

 

Mannequin Maker Undresses the Commander-in-Chief to help sell Khakis

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 21, 2011

THE KING HAS NO CLOTHES!

By Andrew Liszewski

December 17, 2011

Gizmodo



You know that feeling when try on a pair of new pants at home only to find they don't make you look as presidential as you thought they did in store?

That's probably because they were modeled by Obama himself. Or at least, a close facsimile of the 44th president of the United States.

According to Las Vegas Mannequins there was so much demand for him that they went ahead and created a fiberglass version of Barack Obama, ready to model khakis, polos, or whatever, with a surprisingly buff and sculpted body.

If you don't need—or can't afford—the full body mannequin, you also have the option of ordering just his disembodied head. Which gives me an uneasy feeling that they'll be more popular for anti-democratic protests, than for modeling the latest fashions at your local GAP. [Las Vegas Mannequins via The Daily Mail]

http://www.wect.com/category/224248/syndicated-content-vertical-acuity?vaid=62edd4e8263282e0047b77ad3afc85ae

Bev tries -- but fails -- to bring rancid 'Solyndra' politics to North Carolina.

 

 Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 20, 2011

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Brian Balfour in Corruption & Ethics, Economy, Environment

Tweet Share Print Email PDF 

Documents obtained by the Civitas Institute suggest Gov. Bev Perdue is attempting to strong-arm North Carolina’s three major utility companies into supplying more expensive energy to their customers in the northeastern part of the state.

In a political power-play to reward big business reminiscent of the handling of the Solyndra debacle that embarrassed the Obama administration, Perdue is urging for special treatment that would secure a $200 million federal government subsidy for a multi-billion dollar Spanish company.

 UPDATE (12/15/11): According to a report in the Charlotte Business Journal, Iberdrola has announced they will not begin construction on the Desert Wind Power Project in Elizabeth City due to their inability to come to a purchase agreement with a major utility provider.  

 Perdue recently sent a letter to the heads of Duke, Dominion, and Progress Energy stressing the importance of the proposed Desert Wind Power Project in Elizabeth City to be built by Iberdrola Renewables (to see copies of the letters, click the links below). The Project involves the development of a 300 megawatt wind energy farm.


In her letter, Perdue stated: “I urge you to give serious consideration to partnering with Iberdrola Renewables to make the Project a reality.” Perdue also added that it is urgent that a major utility provider agree to purchase power from the wind farm in order for it to be a “long-term success.”

Small problem: North Carolina’s major utility companies already said no to purchasing electricity from the wind power project because the rates Iberdrola were demanding are so much more expensive than the conventional energy currently being used by the utilities.

As quoted in a recent Raleigh News & Observer article, Duke spokeswoman Betsy Alley Conway said, “What we are looking for is wind energy at a price that is cost-effective for the company and our customers. If we receive a proposal from developers that is a good value for our customers and our company, we would execute the contract.”
 
Translation: Iberdrola’s expensive wind energy would force us to hike rates on our consumers too much – so no thanks.

Perdue’s urging utility companies to provide even more expensive energy to consumers appears particularly out-of-touch in light of recent protests of a moderate rate increase approved by Duke Energy. State Attorney General Roy Cooper also publicly denounced Duke’s rate increase in a press release, declaring: “Now is not the time to ask North Carolina consumers to pay significantly more for electricity.”

Iberdrola Renewables is the U.S. arm of the Spanish “renewable energy” corporation, Iberdrola, S.A., a massive company with a presence in more than 40 countries and global revenue exceeding $40 billion.

Despite such massive revenue, in order for the new Desert Wind Power Project to be a “long-term success,” Iberdrola is counting on a $200 million federal subsidy to help finance the $600 million project. In order to be eligible for this handout, Iberdrola needs to begin work on the project before the end of this calendar year.

Without an agreement from a large utility company to purchase the energy generated by the wind farm, however, Iberdrola will not proceed with construction.

In short, Perdue’s letter is meant to apply political pressure on the utilities to purchase expensive energy from the wind farm. As a result, the highly profitable foreign energy company would collect nearly a quarter billion of taxpayer dollars and impose more expensive energy bills onto northeastern North Carolina homeowners and businesses.

According to North Carolina Secretary of State records, Iberdrola has three active registered lobbyists in the state, two of whom registered earlier this year. No doubt, these agents have spent countless hours applying pressure on state lawmakers and the Governor to gain support for the Elizabeth City wind farm.

In Perdue, it appears they found another politician willing to use her political power to further enrich a highly-profitable, giant corporation at the expense of average taxpayers and ratepayers. With these letters, Gov. Perdue yet again shows her true crony capitalist colors.

Time and again, she uses political power to benefit politically-connected corporations – at the expense of taxpayers, small businesses and in this case, energy consumers. Anytime she attempts to position herself as being in favor of “the little guy,” remember the case of Iberdrola.

Perdue will gladly throw the little guy under the bus if it means an opportunity to shower deep-pocketed corporations with more taxpayer money. Making matters worse in this instance, her actions would also force up the bills of struggling energy consumers.

When asked via email if Perdue’s actions indicate her disagreement with Cooper’s stance that “now is a bad time to raise rates on energy consumers”, the Governor’s office did not respond. Her silence speaks volumes.


PERDUE’S LETTER TO UTILITY COMPANIES:
http://www.nccivitas.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/RogersJim-Duke-Project.pdf
http://www.nccivitas.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/JohnsonBill-Progress-Project.pdf
http://www.nccivitas.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FarrellThomas-Dominion-Project.pdf

http://www.nccivitas.org/2011/perdue-bringing-solyndra-politics-to-north-carolina/

Death of North Korean Leader Kim Jongo-il reported on state-run television

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / December 18, 2011 


18 December 2011 Last updated at 23:26 ET

The announcer, wearing black, made the emotional announcement on state-run television

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Obituary: Kim Jong-il
• Profile: Kim Jong-un
• Q&A: North Korea nuclear talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has died at the age of 69, state-run television has announced.

Mr Kim, who has led the communist nation since the death of his father in 1994, died on a train while visiting an area outside the capital, the announcement said.



He suffered a stroke in 2008 and was absent from public view for months.
His designated successor is believed to be his third son, Kim Jong-un, who is thought to be in his late 20s.
North Korea's state-run news agency, KCNA, urged people to unite behind the younger Kim.
"All party members, military men and the public should faithfully follow the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un and protect and further strengthen the unified front of the party, military and the public," the news agency said.

Continue reading the main story

• In pictures: Kim Jong-il

A funeral for Kim Jong-il will be held in Pyongyang on 28 December and Kim Jong-un will head the funeral committee, KCNA said. A period of national mourning has been declared from 17 to 29 December.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul says Mr Kim's death will cause huge shock waves across North Korea, an impoverished, nuclear-armed nation with few allies.
The announcement came in an emotional statement read out on national television.
The announcer, wearing black, said he had died of physical and mental over-work. A later report from KCNA said Mr Kim had had a heart attack.
South Korea's military has been put on alert following the announcement and its National Security Council is convening for an emergency meeting, Yonhap news agency reports. The White House said it was "closely monitoring" reports of the death.
Asian stock markets fell after the news was announced.
Mr Kim had been making preparations to further install his son as his successor - a process that many had expected to see significant consolidation in 2012.
Professor Lee Jung-hoon, professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul, told the BBC that with the transition of power from father to son incomplete, Mr Kim's death could herald "very unstable times" in North Korea.
"We have to be very worried because whenever there is domestic instability North Korea likes to find an external situation to divert the attention away from that - including indulging in provocation."