Technology turns against us.

Tom's Journal.http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/tschuckman@aol.com

I tried to post another story about how the Gov't/ and Pentagon are trying to push for a hike/ co-pay for Veterans in the TRICARE area-- just what disenfranchised combat Veterans need, right? I must have stroked the wrong key and whack-- I lost the whole article that I worked hard on. Oh well....maybe it will return.

I love Jan Markell, and she is 'back in the saddle again' [that's an old Gene Autry song...] after her serious surgery thing. Seems like ALL my friends are going under the knife, lately.

I am thinking, that we Christians are walking a tight rope, or 'walking POINT in RVN in the jungle/ bush', and we have got to be ready at any time to change and react! Scripture tells the Christian to 'STAY ALERT' and survive until the Lord comes to snatch us up in the Rapture! The Internet is a powerful and great tool to spread the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ, far and wide! Yet, anything that was made for a good purpose WILL be twisted, corrupted, changed into an instrument of wickedness and evil. With corrupt Gov't leaders in control [aided and abetted by unclean, wicked spirit forces of the 'father of the lie'- Satan], it's only a matter of time before our great Internet will be turned against us. Then we shall have to move into some other medium of mass communication, or return to snail mail, or what ever. Sad...

Remember, You prob heard it here first on: TOM'S JOURNAL. I would love to see my readership expand-- but I know in the end that the Gov't will shut me down or ban me because I speak the truth of the Gospel [and the entire Bible].

Pray for our brothers and sisters in the South and East Coast who are not used to this cold, icy weather-- and drive safe. My good buddy, Mark Eisenhower, in AZ says that the weather is in the 60's, sunny and great. Maybe I ought to rent a Winter home there... lol.
I just received 2 more copies of Randy Alcorn's: SAFELY HOME, book, that tells about the severe, harsh persecution of our brothers and sisters in China-- and some experts say that there may be over 100 MILLION biblical, Saved Christians there underground! It seems like those who have the least on earth may have the most in heaven. I try to help them a little bit by contributing to 2 fine orgs: OPEN DOORS, and VOM-- VOICE OF THE MARTYRS. I think and pray about those brothers often. I encourage all my readers and friends to at least check out these two orgs, please.

Tom Schuckman

When Technology Turns Against Us by Jan Markell January 12, 2011 We all know we are heading into a full-blown surveillance society. The U.K. probably heads the world in this effort, but the U.S. is nipping at its heels. The Obama administration is assuring that. Newsmax online is reporting the fact that Obama is eyeing the Internet to ID all Americans. This was preceded by the Net Neutrality Act which was the first phase of the government monitoring the Internet. White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt says, "This is the perfect spot in the U.S. government to centralize efforts toward creating an 'identity ecosystem' for the Internet." Privacy groups are alerting that this is an absolute infringement on Americans' rights. The Department of Homeland Security will also help implement this. Keep in mind the power of the Internet and computer technology. The Stuxnet computer worm was reportedly more effective in setting back Iran's nuclear plans a couple years than anything else, including an air strike. Stuxnet's complexity has stunned the computer security industry. It was certainly affiliated with a government -- likely Israel, possibly with U.S. help. The worm had Iran's name on it and specifically their nuclear computers. Why have we not heard more about this? It may be the technological story of 2010. But is Stuxnet an argument for a supra-national government body to regulate cyberspace? The Obama administration has back-up support from a U.N. office in Geneva where officials from 18 countries voted to staff a working group on the future of something called Internet Governance Forum. Since it's the U.N., there is already reason to be concerned. The plan was supported by China and, not without surprise, Iran. So, it has global impact, not just Obama impact. For good or bad, technology is taking center stage. It has for 25 years or more. Time magazine's man of the year is Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook. This communication tool has taken the world by storm. Zuckerberg is worth about $50 billion as a result of a device that helps people communicate with one another. People are eager to make friends even if some of them could be suspect. It helps them feel connected and not isolated, something essential in our 21st century impersonal world. Enter Antichrist. Is he waiting in the wings? Perhaps. Technology will drive the final generation. In a sense, it already is. Everything in Revelation 13 depends on technology: The electronic money system, electronic control of the media, electronic control of commerce and even electronic control of the one-world religion. When "Mr. Fix-it" enters the scene, the technology infrastructure must be in place. His empire is limited -- seven years. The equally-popular Twitter could also be abused. The Iranian youth revolution of a couple years ago was coordinated heavily by the young people tweeting one another. If untrained youth can run a revolution -- admittedly unsuccessful due to Iran's president and her mullahs -- how could Antichrist use it against the world? Whether it's net neutrality, an effort to use the Internet to ID all Americans, Facebook, Twitter, or an all-new scheme to come down the pike to use the magic of modern-day technology to limit freedoms, stay on guard. We may not be able to stem the tide of intrusiveness and even an ID effort. The Bible talks too much about such themes as privacy loss under the rule of Antichrist, but please don't fall under the spell of "it's predicted, we can't fight it, let's surrender." As Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing." But the end-time technological infrastructure is being put in place as I write this. It could take weeks or it could take years for complete implementation. This is a reminder to stay tuned and to spot the efforts as they are introduced by snoopy governments and the U.N. Please speak up when you can and let it be known that some freedom-loving people will protest until the end, even if, in the end, evil triumphs. Remember to read the last chapter. Evil triumphs only temporarily. The King of kings will return to right all these wrongs and abominations! Jack Kinsella and I talk about this issue, including expanding on the Stuxnet worm affecting Iran's computers, in a current radio program now posted to "Radio Archives." To better understand this, visit our Web category of The New World Order found here. This is not strange conspiracy talk. This is reality. There are forces trying to monitor and regulate everything, leaving world citizens with little privacy. Suggesting there is a "shadow government" is no longer a "fringe" issue. Note: We cannot reply to each e-mail but everyone is read. To unsubscribe, scroll to the bottom and click "safe unsubscribe." Get acquainted with "Understanding the Times" radio now heard on 415 stations across the country and around the world on the Internet. To see all our airing outlets, visit this link. To listen online, visit "Radio Archives." If you are interested in podcasting via iTunes, visit this link. Our Saturday programming out of our two home stations in Minneapolis/St. Paul, AM980 KKMS and AM1280 "the Patriot" is posted to "Radio Archives" late Sunday. We air 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday CST on both stations. The program is repeated Sunday, 12 Noon to 2 p.m. and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. respectively. You can always "listen live" at any these airings. Awaiting His return, Jan Markell You may pass on these items or have people sign up on our Web site. We update Headlines twice a day and you can access our radio programming from the last three years on Radio Archives. Also see the Web site for other options to catch to program, "Understanding the Times." Please report e-mail address changes. Also, we truly appreciate those who remember us prayerfully and financially. Donate on our Web site (gifts are tax-deductible with receipts sent out in January). Olive Tree Ministries, Inc. Box 1452 Maple Grove, MN 55311 763-493-3010 or 763-210-8291

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TRICARE FEE TO GO UP FOR VETS.

Tom's Journal.http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/tschuckman@aol.com

Thugs, robbers, and predators in the wild always look for the easiest prey-- the weaker ones, the disabled older ones, etc. It's no different now days with the Gov't looking to "save" money by trying to 'butcher the sacred cow', the Veterans-- the Ones who gave so much and have the least! Yes, Robert Gates, Sec of Defense, who pushed for Gays to enter the Military is pushing the new TRICARE Fee Increases agenda. Tricare is the entity that insures our precious Veterans and their health care.

It would be smart and advantageous for 'civilians' to learn about TRICARE... because Obama-care -- another Gov't controlled health care insurance entity will soon be knocking at our national door! My many Veteran friends and I KNOW what it's like in TRICARE... long lines, indifferent care givers, many who are only there for the paycheck. Anyone who has followed my humble Blog/ Journal knows how things run at the VA. Sometimes it's almost like a 'crap- shoot'. you never know what you will get when you get there! And there are many decorated, honorable Combat Veterans who refuse to even go to a VA hospital-- for the shabby way they were treated the FIRST time they were jerked around, back in the early 1970's! The true stories never seem to diminish... lol. Sorry, Read 'em and weep.
Hungry lions always go after the weak and infirm in the wild--- and I see many similarities every time I go to the VA hospital. That is one reason I support and stay current with the VVA-- the Vietnam Veterans Association, who look after the Veteran homeless and support Pro-Veteran legislation, etc. Still, in times of harsh economic stress--- the Libby-Left Congress will always try to tap the Vets FIRST! I can't wait for the Rapture! Come, Lord Jesus.

Two other good orgs I try to support are: VOM- Voice of the Martyrs, and Open Doors -- support of persecuted, starving Christians in other lands who continue to hold on to the Faith of true biblical Christianity.

That's just my personal opinion.

Tom Schuckman

Pentagon Pushes for TRICARE Fee Increases

January 07, 2011

Stars and Stripes|by Leo Shane III

WASHINGTON -- End strength cuts and the demise of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program dominated the headlines of the this week's defense budget conversations, but the financial projections also call for another controversial cost-saving measure: increases in TRICARE fees for military retirees.

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the military's future health care costs "unaffordable" and said the department could save up to $7 billion over the next five years with modest increases in TRICARE fees for working-age retirees. Active-duty troops and their families would not be affected by the plan.

Let your legislator know how you feel about the proposed TRICARE increases.

"The current TRICARE enrollment fee was set in 1995 at $460 a year for the basic family plan and has not been raised since," Gates told reporters. "During this time, insurance premiums paid by the private sector and other government workers have risen dramatically. For example, the fees for a comparable health insurance program for federal workers cost roughly $5,000 per year."

As a result, he said, many of those retirees forgo their employer's health plan to remain with TRICARE, creating a heavy burden on the defense budget.

But lawmakers have rejected that idea multiple times in the past decade, including three straight years during President George W. Bush's tenure in office. And in 2009, veterans groups lashed out at the White House when officials there resurrected the idea.

That year, as part of the fiscal 2010 defense budget, lawmakers passed nonbinding language warning Pentagon officials not to punish military veterans through health care hikes in order to balance the budget.

But Gates insisted that the changes will "better align the department with the rest of the country," and strengthen the military health care system in the long run. The new TRICARE fees are expected to be included in the fiscal 2012 defense budget proposal, to be unveiled next month.

Photo: DoD

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