Since then, both countries have had another presidential turn, and Russia has taken a newly assertive role on the world stage. In 2008, a violent military conflict between Russia and the Georgian territory of South Ossetia highlighted a growing rift in U.S.-Russian relations. Their growing dispute escalated when Russia accused the United States of meddling in international affairs, and for trying to push political and economic changes in Russia. The United States and the members of NATO, which consist of Germany, Poland and Bulgaria, invited new nations (former Soviet Union nations) to join their alliance, despite Russia’s constant opposition. “The long standing source of tension is that both nations are leading nuclear powers,” explained French Teacher, Matt Ozolnieks. “Right now we are working cooperatively as leaders in nuclear technology and security but some degree of tension is inevitable. This explains some of the reasons we are so interested in their elections.”

In their first meeting in 2009, during a meeting in London, U.S. President Obama and Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev, vowed a “fresh start” in relations. They announced their intention to cooperate on a variety of issues, beginning with negotiations on a new arms control treaty. During their 70-minute conversation, the two presidents were reported to have struck a friendly tone.

As reported by the New York Times, by Helene Cooper, in April 2009, Mr. Obama conceded that there were still issues. “What we’re seeing today is the beginning of new progress in the U.S.-Russian relations,” Mr. Obama said. “And I think that President Medvedev’s leadership is, and has been, critical in allowing that progress to take place.”

“Things seemed to be improving,” said History Secondary Teacher, Steve Mayo. “President Obama and President Medvedev (Putin approved) reached a historical agreement in 2010 on reducing the number of nuclear war heads in each country by a third as long as the U.S. revised its European missile defense program. This was a great start for Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, and it helped relations tremendously.”

However, the recent Russian elections have significantly strained relations. Clinton had criticized last week’s elections (Parliamentary Elections) for being “neither fair, nor free” and hinting at many “irregularities.” Putin (the current Prime Minister) and others have been outraged at the charge. They also accuse the U.S. of encouraging demonstrations of protest.

“Demonstrations have sprung up in over 60 Russian cities and other major cities outside of Russia,” explained Mr. Mayo, who points out that this is also happening in London and in other parts of the world. “Clinton claimed that she does understand the significance of the relationship between the U.S. and Russia, but must maintain the status of the U.S. as an advocate for democracy across the globe. This comes on the back of wiki leaks releases that have had commentary and expressed opinion about U.S.-Russia economic interests. It should be interesting to see what happens.”

Meanwhile, back in Russia, a new kind of political uprising is emerging. People with different ideas are looking to reform a new political party, which intends to regain their top position as a world power. This raises the question: will there be drastic changes in the relationship between the two countries after the 2012 elections in both countries?

“In comparison to the United States model, Russia’s political system is top heavy with more executive power,” said World Geography and American Government Teacher, Ms. Laura Torres. “The fear then, with  “irregular” or media biased elections, is that the government could become powerful enough to ignore the needs or best interests of their own citizens, which is something the United States has a history of protecting. In addition, their executive branch has relatively unchecked military control. So, however unlikely the current situation may be, there’s the possibility of a military dictatorship. In light of their nuclear capabilities, we would be wise to keep an eye on Russia.”

While President Medvedev and Prime-Minister Putin are basically in agreement about the advisability of the, so called “reset” of the Russian-U.S. relations that has taken place over the last three years, the much bigger question mark is: what is going to happen in the U.S. elections? If Barak Obama is reelected, then, his administration will basically continue the policy. The Republican administration is a much bigger question mark.

Unlike their more liberal political counterparts, they won’t bow to a country that does not affirm its ideas. Republicans know that Russia is not what it used to be. Its military is now a shadow of its former self. However, they also know that Russia has a friend: China. And China is a totalitarian country that does not share U.S. values and has little respect for the governing policies of other great powers of the world.

What’s more, China supports Iran. They need to protect an economic partner that supplies billions of dollars worth of oil every year. Iran wants to bomb Israel and the rest of the Jewish/Christian world. This could be World War III, and Republicans know that China welcomes it. Simply because they want to dominate at all costs and are not opposed to unleashing hell on earth.

Most will feel unsettled, some will flee in a vain act to deteriorate the thought of such an image, or such a sin, convincing themselves that sexual exploitation, demonic possession and obliterated dreams are distant concepts, but not reality. Few will see the first image, for the image of the baby crying, is the image God sees when He sees his sin stained son or daughter.

Over 4000 years in spiritual darkness and decay, 330,000,000 worshipped gods, and over 1.2 billion people inhabit the emptiness of life and hope India has to offer. It is said that if one is to forget history, history tends to repeat itself. So is the case with India and the ancient city of Nineveh. The two cities had and have qualities that mimic each other.

“Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, for you are vile.” Nahum 1:14. Nineveh was a pagan city. It is also referred to as the bloody city (Nahum 3:1) due to its fascination and obedience to the god of war who was Ashur. Temple prostitution or harlotry was also a sickening deficient in Nineveh. Due to the worship of the fertility god Ishtar, Ninevites justified the act of temple prostitution and considered it a sacred religious act.

In modern day India, slavery, disease and demons oppress the various cities. In an interview with Pastor Mike Leger who lived in India for a year himself says “It’s the most spiritual oppression I’ve ever felt…I’ve never been anywhere where I sensed it that way, I felt like I didn’t belong.” Pastor Mike went on to describe in vivid memory the results of Satan’s torturous harassment on the people there, especially in a city called Varnassi, where the Ganges River flows through. “If you die in the city Varnassi… and you are wealthy enough to pay a priest to burn your body in one of the Hindu temples and scatter your ashes into the river, you break the reincarnation cycle.” He says the Ganges River is so filthy that “You can’t see an inch past the water.”

Pastor Mike also told of poorer families who weren’t able to pay for a priest to burn their loved ones’ bodies. As a substitution, they weigh the body down and toss it into the river in an attempt to break the reincarnation cycle. The people consider this water sacred and holy and bring  disease upon“Religion rather than politics permeates everything in India… religion is going to effect the social system.”

Emphasizes history teacher, Steve Mayo, who also described the political fragmentation India was founded on, because of this religion fills all of the holes in Indian society. India is responsible for originating three popular world religions; Buddhism, Hinduism and Janeism, however the most permeated religion throughout India today is Hinduism, which encompasses 330,000,000 gods. Indians worship these deities in various ways, similar to Nineveh, Indian beliefs include temple prostitution.

“If my child had been a girl, I would have killed her.” Said Rukmini a fifteen-year-old davadasi and mother as reported on servantsofthegoddess.com “Really, I would have strangled her at birth. She would have become a devadasi, like me. Her life would have been full of pain and sorrow, like mine; I wouldn’t have been able to bear seeing that happen to my child.” Women dubbed as devadasi’s are forced to work as ritual dancers, servants, and prostitutes in the temple in order to serve the goddess Yellamma, who is depicted as the goddess of the fallen.

Most Devadasi’s are Dalits, who must resort to temple prostitution because of poverty. The devadasi system and practice has been attempting governmental abolition since the 1930’s, however over 450,000 devadasi’s still endure exploitation today. The girls incorporation into the system usually begins at a pre-pubertal age, in some cases the girls are younger than eight. When they reach puberty, they are expected and encouraged to begin their temple vocation of prostitution.

Imagine in the pit falls, depths and trenches of fallacy, tragedy, slander, immorality, disgust, heartache and guilt, minutely emerges a glitter, a glint, of a temporary reprieve and as one starts to ponder that distant hope it begins to emerge, in an onerous and exasperating plight, the glimmer begins to augment and in a herculean victory the light expounds and floods the archaic detritus elating in triumph, for what was once hopeless has become the essence of hope. This imagery is necessary in the restoration of India. Jesus must permeate a culture, His healing must soak into these people in order for them to live abundantly.
Pastor Mike says, “I get repots of tens of thousands of Indian people being saved every day.” Revival is a glimmer now, truth is finally relieving those bound in the outlook of a torturous world. Jesus’ crimson is becoming their mission. When we realize we are nothing, Jesus becomes our everything, Christ is moving in India, after 4,000 years His tear-stained child is coming to the father.

The primary locations of congregation are Wall Street and Washington D.C. and protesters select their occupying city based on their view of which organization fuels the plummet in the economy. The idea of protest was sparked from the revolts North Africa and Middle East called the “Arab Spring.” However, these foreign uprisings are due to autocratic leaders who were harming and controlling the inhabiting people. Protesters are targeting the major companies particularly that have or are receiving bailouts. Bailout companies include Bank of America, Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac, GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

From the mentioned names, as much as 567.2 billion dollars since 2008 have been given by the government for assistance to the prevention of these companies crashing. (propublica.org) In Washington D.C. protesters collaborate in opposition against the government’s debt crisis and insufficient utilization of money.

It is no secret that Americans are in a fight for jobs. Due to the deficiency in government income, citizens are getting laid off and job opportunities are becoming scarce. Due to the lack of jobs, young adults freshly out of college are not able to find a vocation in order to pay off their college loans. This is putting American citizens in debt, which adds to the stress the nation is feeling.

Protesters, dub themselves the 99 percent, and are naming primary Wall Street companies the 1 percent; representing that 99 percent of Americans are common citizens. They argue that America is a democracy and they (the common people) should have more say in what the government does with its money. However, OWS’s, are doing this in a highly unorganized and immature fashion. Legislation has civilized ways to make a request and petition, however the protesters refuse to align themselves with any political personal saying that they “Don’t need politicians to build a better society,” as reported on www.occupywallst.org.

These citizens fail to have a plan for revision and improvement of the economy.  Government Teacher, Ms. Laura Torres says, “The biggest problem with Occupy Wall Street is that they can’t reach a consensus at all; they can’t figure out what they’re upset about or what to target first or how to go about it, all they’re doing is non-violent protest…there’s too many issues they can’t reach agreement and they don’t have any plan for results at all.”

Mr. Gary Smith agrees, expands on that thought. “The problem with no government regulation is you have a people no longer of virtue so there is a tendency towards corruption. If you have a people of virtue they don’t need to be regulated.” One of the major factors with the issues of this country is that we no longer contain a virtuous and united people. These protesters are asking for the government to intervene and make everything better however, “It was never the government’s job to fix the economy,” said Ms. Torres.

The government’s job has always been to establish orderly systems in which to govern and protect the people. The desire for government to step in and become more involved with the lives of American citizens is a highly legalistic ideal which is continuing the process of veering away from our original conservative foundation. America is no longer the country it was when it was founded on Christian morals and ethics. As a result, the America in which we live today, is a country where jobs are scarce, and where corruption is common.

Perhaps, if the American people would vote for politicians who truly believe the words, “In God we Trust,” or place the Bible back in the classrooms and in all the court rooms across our great nation, perhaps then God would bless America and the fight of the 99% would be clear, and their voices would be heard—not only in Wall Street, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Miami, and Seattle—but all over the globe.

“When you take an online class, Florida Virtual School for example, they say ‘any time, any place, any path, any pace.’  With our traditional schooling, we don’t really have those options. We go to school thirty-five or more hours a week, and take the courses we’re given,” said freshmen, Mariah McConnell.

When you take an online course, your “teacher” is always available to answer or re-answer your questions as many times as you want. Students also have a wider variety of classes that are available for them. Through Florida Virtual School, the course list includes classes not offered at CCA including, “Chinese 1” or “Driver Education, and Traffic Safety.”  The classes are also free to Florida residents.

While it may seem easier to take an online class because students have the option of mobility, it takes tenacity to make it work. “Online classes can be effective, but the student must be diligent, full of integrity, and responsible, because it’s their choice to do it right,” said McConnell, who raises the possibility of students who find the temptation to find the answer to a test question in Google too hard to resist.

Online classes may be flexible, but like any other class, students need to be on task to finish well. According to Flvs.net, Florida Virtual School’s website, the traditional pace is 3-5 hours a week, per class over 16-18 weeks per half credit, but the student can move as fast or slow as he or she wants.

Although most of the students at CCA haven’t taken an online course, they still use technology in their daily academic pursuits. Students are eager to whip out their Bible apps in chapel, chat with their teachers on Edmodo and check their latest grades on Net Classroom. CCA high school students are immersed in technology. “I would definitely be eager to just accessorize my learning with some technology because it is a faster way to access definitions, references, biographies, and other information that students use daily,” said McConnell.

In an increasingly technology focused world, students need to adapt to new learning methods. From earning credits online to using iPads for homework, students have endless tools available at their fingertips. No matter what technology students use to do their work, they must remember what Paul says in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Miss Laura Torres, World Geography and American Government teacher at Calvary Christian Academy, shares her view on the importance of young people voting. “We are blessed to live in a country that has established a federal republic where the legitimacy of the government ultimately lies with the people and those people have an opportunity to be involved in their government.” She continued,  “If we do not take advantage of our right to vote, among other forms of civic involvement, we ignore an opportunity that our founding fathers, suffragists and many people around the world have been, and still are, willing to die to secure for those that will come after them. Are we really so apathetic to the sacrifice of those whom have gone before us?”  The first step to continue to honor the heroes that have paved a pathway for freedom, is by registering to vote. A voter can register at  http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voter-registration/voter-reg.shtml.

“It is important to become educated on the issues and essential ideology of each party,” explained Miss Torres. “Read up on some articles, check out resources, government websites, and campaign pages.” The process is as easy as getting on Facebook. All one needs to do is check out websites such as http://rockthevote.com, http://www.votesmart.org, and http://www.whitehouse.gov.

Since Faith plays a role in all aspects of a Christian’s life, it most certainly plays a role in the voting scene. Miss Torres states, “We need to be in prayer first and foremost. When looking for wisdom and discernment in politics we need it, our leaders need it and our country as a whole needs it. We need to defend our position that God has an opinion on these things and truth and morality are absolute and eternal.”

Who Can Register to Vote? 

(An excerpt from the Florida Division of Elections’ Website: www.election.dos.state.fl.us)

In order to register to vote in Florida, you must:

1. Be a Citizen of the United States of America (a lawful permanent resident is not a U.S. citizen);
2. Be a Florida resident;
3. Be 18 years old (you may pre-register to vote if you are 16 years old, but you cannot vote until you are 18 years old).
4. Not now be adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having the right to vote restored;
5. Not have been convicted of a felony without your civil rights having been restored; and
6. Provide your current and valid Florida driver’s license number or Florida identification card number. If you do not have a Florida driver’s license number or a Florida identification card number then you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security Number. If you do not have any of these items, you must write “none” in the box or field.

In a new Pew Research Center report on war and sacrifice released on Friday, October 7, which marked the 10th anniversary of America’s longest war, “half of post-9/11 veterans said the Afghanistan war has been worth fighting, as it was direct retribution for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Only 44% felt that way about Iraq, and one-third said both wars were worth the costs.”

As we look at the sacrifices members of the U.S. military have made, we also wonder if the end of this war will ever really come. Throughout the spring of 2011 many attacks of the Taliban were targeted at the government officials and buildings. The Afghanistan  government is also failing to make negotiations with the Taliban, but experts say that does not matter because the Taliban will not agree to any negotiations until the outside forces leave their country.

This two-way disagreement is affecting Afghanistan’s ability to rebuild their country even though billions of dollars have been given to them. The constant violence in the cities continues to be a threat to its people.  “Despite improvements in the quality of life for a certain sector over the past decade, the security situation in many areas of the country remains alarming,” the head of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Asia, Jacques de Maio, said in a statement for CNN’s iReport on Monday, October 11.

The Afghanistan War has not only caused major struggles for Afghans with the death count of 10,732 civilians. It also has been a major struggle for Americans loosing 2,700 American soldiers. “ Since the conflict began, the number of casualties has risen by the year, with a significant jump from 2008 to 2009. At least 296 coalition troops died in 2008,” CNN reported.

“It nearly doubled in 2009 when 517 coalition troops were killed. That year, President Barack Obama authorized a surge of 33,000 U.S. forces to Afghanistan to combat the violence. Two years later, the United States outlined its plan to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, beginning with pulling the 33,000 surge troops by the end of 2012 and the remaining 68,000 by the end of 2014.”

War experts do not agree with President Obama’s plans. They say that transition is not departure. The military will not take their leave when the Afghans take the lead. To worsen matters, the planned withdrawal has raised a number of questions about the stability of Afghanistan, which has been hit by high-profile attacks in recent months, jeopardizing any chance of peace negotiations.

Once viewed by a majority of American’s as necessary, the war in Afghanistan has become unpopular, raising many questions as concerns have shifted to the sagging economy and job losses around our country. Still, there are some people who believe that the war, even though costly, is justified. They argue that the United States has always been in the forefront of bringing about world peace, and more recently—putting an end to terrorism, and defending the interest of the world’s oppressed and exploited masses.

With that mission in mind, after a decade in Afghanistan, our U.S. soldiers continue to defend our country. There are those who are fighting in a war for which, now ten years later, they have begun to have mixed feelings. Some soldiers think the war should have been limited to what they initially were going to do: hunt down bin Landen and the architects of the attacks. Then, get out. Now that it’s been done, what then? Which leads us to our last question: Will there ever be peace in the Middle East?

“I’m kind of disappointed. It gets me angry that they could just rip us off like that!” Asked what he would say to Frito-Lay, the manufacturer, if given the chance, he said, “I would say, ‘You need to get your act together, and start being straight with your customers.”

I contacted Frito-Lay, who was happy to be ‘straight’ with us. “There are two ways food companies compensate for rising costs: raising the price or charging the same amount and putting less in the package, which we call “downsizing.” This is done to keep the price in the same range that is familiar to consumers.”

Rising costs is something we all understand in this economy. “Please be assured that raising our prices is always a last resort. We’re all feeling pinched, both in the grocery store and at the pump. In order to deliver the high quality that you expect from Frito-Lay, price increases are necessary to cover the rising costs of corn, potatoes, cooking oil and fuel. Our business also supports thousands of employees who make and distribute our snacks throughout the country, as well as the farmers who grow our fresh ingredients.”

People all over the world are upset by the decrease in the number of Doritos in the same-priced bags, but it looks like Frito-Lay won’t be stopping downsizing any time soon. So be prepared for fewer chips in your bag a little while longer!

For years, the country of China has been rising to power, expanding their government, education, and economy to high levels of societal strength. The contry is experiencing economic growth with every tactical decision they make, whether it be political, governmental, or social. For exmaple, in China, students have

In China, they have 14-hour school days instead of the seven hours of school American students partake. So, this raises a few questions: can American teenagers compete with them? And if we did, how could we achieve that?

Imagine a fourteen- to fifteen-hour day filled with nothing but school work. This would leave no time for spiritual nor social growth. It would remarkably produce a successful nation, but at what cost? And how would you rate that success?

While Chinese students are focusing all their energy and lives on academics, on becoming the global force they already claim to be (90% of the products our country consumes are made in China, and we owe a great deal to them), where is the freedom in that?

Religion in China is also a major part of their advancement and it impacts the next generation, who according to Ms. Torres, are not as free as they may think they are. “China’s government will allow you to have a church, but will aslo monitor what type of things you preach. They will allow a church to exist. However, if the government doesn’t like what the church is saying to the people, if it gets very large, or has strong influence on the community, they start pressuring the church leaders.”

Even though America, as a country, has turned away from the godly principles on which it was founded—taking God out of the classrooms and courtrooms—there are still certain freedoms that allow its teens to think for themselves, to follow their faith, to have fun building friendships and still have time to work hard, as they plan for a career that will bring them success. How each individual goes about it, that’s a matter of choice.

As American teens look to the future seeing how Chinese power and influence is inevitable, perhaps the question that needs to be asked is not so much how we can compete with our Chinese friends; but rather, how we can make a difference in the world, and in their lives. What do you think?

Send  us your comments to: MessengerEditor@ccaeagles.org. 

While World War 2 (WWII) veterans were loved and respected by the public and were greeted with parades, Vietnam veterans were looked down upon, and were even spat at and called “baby killers.” Although many people still might not accept some of these veterans into society, or into their communities, they are still trying to do their best by using the skills they learned while on the field, back to the common communities and homes of America, such as construction and “blue-collar” work. They do this while facing various personal obstacles, such as war injuries and related illnesses.

Regardless of their obstacles, veterans in America continue to help the government and war forces by becoming leaders in their communities, vocalizing and explaining the things that are key to protecting this country, and making it a stronger, safer place. They have the ability to do this because at one point they were the ones fighting for and protecting this land, our home.

The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), is a dynamic, non-partisan nonprofit company working at the forefront of our nation’s civic life. Last year, they awarded the 2010 HOOAH Award, to Derek Blumke. Derek is a Technical Sergeant in the Air National Guard, an Afghanistan war veteran, and co-founder and past president of Student Veterans of America. This award recognizes the contributions of a citizen soldier who exemplifies service to country both in uniform and beyond.

In 2009, this award was presented to Eric Greitens, CEO of The Mission Continues, an organization that helps wounded and disabled veterans continue service in their civilian life. As reported on the NCoc website, Greitens has released a new book about the importance of service called “The Heart and the Fist,” which chronicles his story of leadership through humanitarian outreach and military duty.

The Mission Continues is a good example of how some American organizations are at the forefront of changing how we welcome home veterans. “After World War II, we figured out how to welcome home a generation of warriors. Veterans came home to create a good peace, and they rebuilt the country we have today,” said Mr. Greitens in an interview with the Civic Innovators Forum, found on www.ncoc.net/HeartAndFist.  “After Vietnam, we failed. We did not do enough to empower them or address their needs (including PTSD). Today, we have an opportunity to welcome home a new generation of veterans returning from the Global War on Terrorism.”

If you meet a war vet, make sure that you thank them and appreciate them for not only making America a safer place, but also for leading our country every day.

As the world watched in amazement, the tragedy began when an American Airlines plane – Flight11 – crashed into one of the two Twin Towers at 8:46am. No one knew at that time that this was a terrorist attack. Many thought that this plane crash was an accident; that the pilot lost control of the plane. It wasn’t until the United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the second twin tower, that people started to realize that America was under attack.

“I didn’t know the nature of the attack,” said World History Teacher, Mr. Steven Mayo. “I was just in shock, like everyone else. I was a little scared, too. I didn’t know if there were more attacks coming, closer to home.”

With both buildings collapsing within two hours of each other (around the time of 10:28 am), it also caused surrounding buildings to be severely damaged, along with about 3,000 deaths and over 6,000 injuries. Among those deaths, there were approximately 343 firefighters and 60 New York police officers that died in this national tragedy.

People never realize the impact a tragedy like this may have on them, as people and as a community, until they hear someone close to them has died as well.  “I have a friend who’s from New York, and his uncle passed away on that day,” said Mr. Mayo, who was in the city on the 5^th anniversary of the tragedy at a special commemoration. “They read the names of everyone [who died in 911]. And I actually heard his uncle’s name. That’s the kind thing that hits close to home. When you know someone who was affected somehow. That was the first time it really impacted me,” Mr. Mayo said.

Today, ten years later, and the closer we get to that date, 9/11, we can’t seem to stop talking about it. But not just how it impacted us, but how people faced adversity together, some even sacrificed their lives to save others. In the YouTube video, “Red Bandana Man,” which remembers the life of Welles Crowther, a man who led over 12 people to safety after terrorists struck the World Trade Center, we see the good side of humanity.

“I think we’re totally different as a country,” states Mr. Mayo.  “You have to live life, but I don’t think we will ever be as trusting again.”  The memory of this event will forever be in our minds and even though we can’t forget the past, we can’t allow ourselves to not recover from this. Mr. Mayo shared, “I think we will [recover]. I think we have to. I think Jesus is the key to that. Because, if your live life knowing that any day could be your last, no matter what. But if you have faith in Jesus, you know those events are the times when you – not necessarily show off – but show your faith in Christ. And if you should perish, then you’ll be with Jesus.”

Perhaps that was Mr. Crowthell’s hope, as he marched up the stairs to the 78th floor to rescue more people, sacrificing his life in the process.