Make SnyderTalk® Your “Go To” Place and Consider Making It Your Homepage

It’s better than a newspaper and it’s free so share it with your friends.

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“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Thomas Jefferson

“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”

Thomas Jefferson

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Facebook Group His Name is Yahweh

I use the Facebook group His Name is Yahweh to notify people when a new SnyderTalk has been posted.  If you are not already a fan, you should consider signing up.  Click here to visit the site.  Eventually, this may be unnecessary, but for the time being it seems to be an effective way to distribute information.

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For Your Information and Enjoyment

Business: Charles Schwab, Fidelity Funds, Google Finance, Precious Metals Prices, Vanguard Funds, Yahoo Finance

Debt Clock: The Debt Clock

Email: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail

Entertainment: TV Guide, Yahoo Movies

Israel: About Israel, The Israel Project, Tourist Information, the Holocaust, Israel map, Israel’s War of Independence, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the First Intifada, the Second Intifada, Arab-Israel conflict, and anti-Semitism

Maps: Google Maps, MapQuest

Networking: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube

Search: Bing, Google, Yahoo

Shopping: Amazon, BizRate, Google Product Search, Yahoo Shopping

Sports: College Football Polls, ESPN, Yahoo Sports

Weather: The Weather Channel, Yahoo Weather

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Today’s Feature

Yahweh is a wonderful Father, and He knows how to give wonderful gifts.  He wants us to know that we have been forgiven already, that we are safe with Him.  God wants us to understand that He paid the price for our sins, all the sins we will ever commit, and cloaked us with His righteousness.  Then we are free to love Him the way He loves us.  Doubt and uncertainty are removed, and we are truly free to love Him.

In Isaiah 45: 21-24, Yahweh explained it this way: “There is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me.  Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.  I have sworn by Myself, the Word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.  They will say of Me, ‘Only in Yahweh are righteousness and strength.’  Men will come to Him, and all who are angry at Him shall be put to shame.”

Now look at Isaiah 61: 10—“I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Clearly, righteousness is Yahweh’s gift to us.  We could never earn it.  In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul explained it this way: “There was a time when we too were ignorant, disobedient and misled and enslaved by different passions and dissipations; we lived then in wickedness and malice, hating each other and hateful ourselves.  But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour for humanity were revealed, it was not because of any upright actions we had done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own faithful love that he saved us….so that, justified by his grace (unmerited favor), we should become heirs in hope of eternal life.  This is doctrine that you can rely on.” (Titus 3: 3-8, The New Jerusalem Bible )

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SnyderTalk® Commentary

A Free Press is Essential

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Thomas Jefferson

Starting today, the Thomas Jefferson quote above will appear in every SnyderTalk post.  In Jefferson’s time, people kept up with what was going on in their country.  You need to read no farther than The Federalist Papers to get an appreciation for the kinds of issues they discussed and the depth in which those issues were debated.  It’s fair to say that average citizens back then were well-informed.  Opinion leaders did their best to educate the public.  They had to.  It was crucial for success.  Leaders in those days understood that an educated and informed general public was indispensable in building a prosperous nation.

Things are very different today.  I’m sure you’ve watched “Man on the Street” interviews.  I’m amazed by the answers some Americans give to easy questions.  When I watch them, I grimace as I think about the fact that those people are helping to decide our fate.  I have included three examples below that should amuse you if you haven’t seen them already.  Even if you have seen them before, I think you’ll enjoy watching them again.

Video—Kellie Picker: is Europe a country?

Video—Miss Teen USA 2007

Video—why we believe Americans are stupid

There is No Substitute for Being Informed

A few years ago, a research report concluded that 75% of Americans got all of their news from people like Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, and other celebrity TV show hosts.  Today, I would guess that a very large percentage of our fellow citizens get all of their news, or a healthy chunk of it anyway, from emails that conclude with this plea: Pass this on to everyone you know.  It’s obvious that things have changed dramatically since Jefferson’s day.  If you have any doubts, read The Federalist Papers and understand that they were written for ordinary people like you and me.

The cost of ignorance is high.  At this time in our history, we can’t afford to be uninformed.  Issues ranging from climate change to global governance to healthcare delivery are being discussed.  The decisions we make over the next several months will have dramatic and irreversible effects on the United States and the world as we know them.  SnyderTalk’s mission is to provide you with factually correct information and rational perspectives that help to inform your thinking.  My goal isn’t to tell you what to think.  My goal is to make sure you have enough good information to make an informed choice.  Please take your role seriously; stay informed; and help others by informing them.  All of us have important jobs to do, so let’s get on with it.  The cost of failure is too high to contemplate.

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Today’s Events Shaping Our World

U.S. and Western Hemisphere

• Rush was duped: Obama thesis hoax
• GOP’s new lightning rod
• Polling polls: Americans independent and irate
• Creators healthcare delusions: left and right
• In Virginia, a done Deeds?
• White House situation room monitored wayward plane

Video—the Dash Poem

• Fact check: health insurer profits not so fat
• Gene therapy experiment restores sight in a few
• Public option is close to gaining votes
• Lawmakers split on timing of Afghan decision

Video—executive pay cuts and the public option

• Senate likely to cut employer mandate
• Harvard: lab workers poisoned by tainted coffee
• Climate rallies worldwide mark No. 350
• Chamber of Commerce alleges White House campaign of invectives
• Republicans stand firm on public option resistance despite emergence of compromise plans
• Hate crimes are different
• Senate’s climate bill a bit more ambitious

Video—Green Room: Afghanistan worse than Vietnam?

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Israel and Middle East

“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent.  You who remind Yahweh, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

Isaiah 62: 6-7

The Old City

• Muslims riot atop the Temple Mount, 3 Israelis hurt
• Hamas: war will settle Jerusalem disputes, not talks
• Palestinian woman stabs Israeli guard at West Bank checkpoint
• J Street convenes in Washington, but can it take on AIPAC?
• Swedish paper behind IDF organ theft claims warns against Muslim threat
• Palestinian discord serving Israel

Sunset in Herzliya

• IAEA inspectors visit second Iran nuclear site
• Expect more trickery from Iran in nuclear talks
• The nuclear fuel deal with Iran: losing sight of the broader picture?
• Time to accept a nuclear Iran
• U.S., France, Russia maintain unity on Iran
• IDF troops who waved pro-settler banner expelled from brigade
• Middle East peace process in danger of collapse

So-called “Palestinians” Won’t Believe This Place Belongs to Israel Until Yahweh Tells Them Himself

• Peace process or war process?
• The Goldstone travesty
• U.S. Congress rejects Goldstone Report, want Obama to do the same
• Twin suicide car bombs in Baghdad kill 147

On Mount Sodom (Sdom in Hebrew) Looking Toward the Dead Sea Works

• Peres assures West that Netanyahu is no longer right-wing
• Palestinians: of course we torture prisoners
• Water buffalo behind Egyptian train crash
• Egyptians conflicted over preserving Jewish past
• Saudi female journalist gets lashes for sex show

Video—car bombs kill dozens in Baghdad

• Headlines in Aljazeera
• Headlines in Gulf News
• Headlines in Tehran Times
• Headlines in Arab News

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China, Russia, India, and Asia-Pacific

• Pakistan army claims more advances in offensive
• Opposition activist killed in southern Russia
• Karzai questions U.S. reliability as partner
• Medvedev defends vote that helped Kremlin
• Concerns over Taiwan press freedom amid China thaw
• India to China: Dalai Lama an honored guest
• Leaders of 16 Asian nations meet in Thailand
• ASEAN Summit turns to widening free trade
• Chinese ship collides with Belgian cargo vessel
• Polygamy club draws criticism in Indonesia

Leaders at ASEAN Summit

• Headlines in The Moscow Times
• Headlines in Voice of Russia
• Headlines in Xinhua News
• Headlines in The Times of India
• Headlines in The Asahi Shimbun

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Europe and Africa

• Scottish police review Lockerbie case
• Vatican aims to reintegrate traditionalists
• German trial over stabbing death of Muslim woman
• Rights groups press Nigerian government to arrest Beshir
• Nigeria rebel group MEND declare ceasefire
• Madonna returns to Malawi to launch girls school
• South Sudan parties to continue parliament boycott
• Egypt urges south Sudan to chose unity

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir

• Headlines in the BBC
• Headlines in The Times of London
• Headlines in Der Spiegel
• Headlines in Deutsche Welle-World

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Statistical Information for SnyderTalk

• 51,254 hits from June 24 through July 31, 2009
• 59,814 hits in August 2009; 2009 total: 111,068
• 111,213 hits in September 2009; 2009 total: 222,281

There is a wealth of material available for free download on www.hisnameisyahweh.org including the book His Name is Yahweh.  His Name is Yahweh is also available at Amazon on Kindle for just $5.  If you haven’t read His Name is Yahweh, you should.  The importance of Yahweh’s Name is becoming more apparent with each passing day.

Available on Amazon Kindle and it can be downloaded at www.hisnameisyahweh.org