THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH BANS INTELLIGENT DESIGN INFORMATION
(Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2016,www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The very liberal United Methodist Church has banned the Discovery Institute from sponsoring an information table at its upcoming General Conference. The Discovery Institute promotes the intelligent design position. Dr. John West, Vice President of the Discovery Institute, observes, “Preventing United Methodist leaders from even hearing about intelligent design isn’t open-minded. It’s intolerant and exclusionary. Maybe United Methodist officials should change their slogan to ‘Closed Hearts, Closed Minds, Closed Doors’”(“United Methodist Church Displays Intolerance,”Evolution News & Views, Jan. 18, 2016). In 2004, the United Methodist Church passed a resolution stating that it “opposed the introduction of any faith-based theories such as Creationism or Intelligent Design into the science curriculum of our public schools.” Of this statement, the Bible says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). _________________________________________________
Psalms 94:20-"Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?" 2 Corinthians 6:14-"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." 1 John 1:3-"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Colossians 2:12-"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Romans 4:5-"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
Romans 4:14-"For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect" Romans 5:1-"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
The following is by Matt Costella, Fundamental Evangelistic Association, Jan. 26, 2016:
“Baptismal regeneration--the belief that one becomes a member of the body of Christ through baptism rather than through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ--is a false gospel embraced by many of the major ‘Christian’ denominations.
Pope Francis recently stated that Christian baptism not only brings salvation to the sinner, but it is the key to unity with all Christians--Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. In his general audience during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the pope declared that ‘the mercy of God, which works in baptism, is stronger than our divisions’ (Catholic News Agency, ‘Pope Francis: For Christians, Baptism Is Stronger Than Differences,’ Jan. 20, 2016). According to the pope, baptism creates ‘an indissoluble bond between us Christians, such that, by virtue of baptism, we can consider ourselves truly brothers.’ The CNA report described how the pope pointed to a 12th century baptismal font in the Lutheran Cathedral of Riga in Latvia and said the font signals the origin of faith recognized by all Christians which ‘is our common baptism.’ The culprit for disunity, according to the pope, is ‘egoism, which plants seeds of division, closure, and contempt in our minds and hearts.’ Christians today need to understand--especially as evangelicals continue to laud the pope and strive for unity with Rome--that the false gospel of baptismal regeneration embraced and propagated by the Roman Catholic Church is truly a damnable heresy. Baptism is simply an ordinance to be practiced by those who have already trusted in Christ as Savior--an outward testimony of one’s relationship with God. And it should be noted that ‘egoism’ does not create division in the church--false doctrine does! God’s Word commands believers to not only separate from false doctrine and those who practice it, but it commands Christians to ‘earnestly contend’ for the faith and warn about the ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ who attempt to destroy the flock and draw away disciples after themselves.”
EXCERPTS:Referring to the Second Vatican Council document “Unitatis
redintegratio”, the Pope affirmed that baptism “establishes a sacramental
bond of unity which links all who have been reborn by it.” By restarting from our baptism, Christians again “plunge into the source of mercy and hope,
from which no one is excluded,” he said.
This experience of shared grace creates “an indissoluble bond between us Christians, such that, by virtue of baptism, we can consider ourselves truly brothers,” he said, adding that the more we welcome this grace and mercy, the more we belong to the one, Holy People of God.
OBAMA A PUPPET OF THE POPE; OR THE POPE A PUPPET OF OBAMA?
Obama Calls Upon Muslims, Christians to ‘Build Bridges’: ‘We’re All Descendants of Abraham’
BALTIMORE, Md. — During his first trip to an Islamic mosque during his presidency, Barack Obama called upon Christians to “build bridges” with Muslims and vice versa, urging greater tolerance for the Islamic religion, which he contended “has always been a part of America.”
As previously reported, Obama’s visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore on Wednesday was to serve as a gesture to “celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life.” His 40-minute speech sought to portray Muslims as being an integral part of the fabric of the nation, and to call upon Americans to speak more positively of the Islamic religion.
“For a thousand years, people have been drawn to Islam’s message of peace,” Obama said. “The very word Islam comes from ‘Salam’—peace,” he said. “The standard greeting is ‘As-Salaam-Alaikum’—‘Peace be upon you.’”
“Like so many faiths, Islam is rooted in a commitment to compassion and mercy and justice and charity,” he continued. “Whoever wants to enter paradise, the prophet Mohammad taught, let him treat people the way he would love to be treated. For Christians like myself, I’m assuming that sounds familiar.”
Obama then asserted that Islam is a part of American history.
“Islam has always been a part of America,” he contended, stating that many of the slaves that came from Africa were Muslim, and that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams possessed copies of the Koran. “So this is not a new thing. Generations of Muslims helped to build our nation.”
Obama also pointed to the historicity of American mosques dating back to the 1800’s, and said that some thought Thomas Jefferson was a Muslim, so Obama is not the first president to be accused of following Islam.
“It’s true. Look it up,” he stated. “I’m in good company.”
During his speech, Obama also called upon the various religions to find common ground and asserted that Christianity and Islam share a common history.
“We are all God’s children. We are all born equal with inherent dignity. And so often we focus on our outward differences and forget how much we share. Christians, Jews, Muslims—We’re all under our faiths descendants of Abraham,” he contended.
“So mere tolerance of different religions is not enough,” Obama said. “Our faiths summon us to embrace our common humanity. … All of us have the task of expressing our religious faith in a way that seeks to build bridges rather than divide.”
He stated that Christians and Muslims should speak out against violent acts committed against one another.
“If we’re serious about freedom of religion—and I’m speaking now to my fellow Christians, who remain the majority in this country—we have to understand, an attack on one faith is an attack on all our faiths,” he said. “And when any religious group is targeted, we all have a responsibility to speak up.”
“[J]ust as faith leaders, including Muslims, must speak out when Christians are persecuted around the world or when anti-semitism is on the rise,” he stated, “because the fact is that there are Christians who are targeted now in the middle east despite having been there for centuries, and there are Jews who have lived in places like France for centuries who now feel obliged to leave because they feel themselves under assault—sometimes by Muslims.”
The president called upon Americans to resist profiling Muslims.
“Recently, we’ve heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim Americans that has no place in our country,” Obama said. “We have to reject a politics that seeks to manipulate prejudice or bias, and targets people because of religion.”
“We can’t be bystanders to bigotry,” he also stated. “Together, we’ve got to show that America truly protects all faiths. As we protect our country from terrorism, we should not reinforce the ideas and the rhetoric of the terrorists themselves.”
His speech also called for greater representation of Muslims in American life.
“Our television shows should have some [Muslim] characters that are unrelated to national security,” he said. “There was a time when there were no black people on television.”
Obama has asserted on several occasions during his presidency that terrorist groups are not representative of the Islamic religion, which he claims is by and large peaceful.
The President Speaks at the Islamic Society of Baltimore; No Rebuke or Scolding of Muslims Here Like He's Done To Christians
Obama Slams Christians At Easter Breakfast Prayer
Published on Apr 8, 2015
“On Easter, I do reflect on the fact that as a Christian, I’m supposed to love, and I have to say that sometimes when I listen to less-than-loving expressions by Christians, I get concerned,” Obama told his audience of Christian leaders. “But that’s a topic for another day.”
Obama seemed to have made the statement off-the-cuff because it didn’t really fit into the rest of his speech about Jesus Christ, which didn’t allude to current events for the most part. http://www.infowars.com/obama-critici...
The Washington Post hailed the junior senator from Florida “for being the Trump-slayer” and declared “the Iowa results put Rubio in a strong position to break away from the crowded establishment pack and claim the mantle of alternative to Cruz and Trump,” in other words the preferred favorite of the establishment. http://www.infowars.com/the-establish...
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes
Going into New Hampshire the establishment will rally behind the third place winner in Iowa, Marco Rubio.
The Washington Post, the neocon standard, the National Review, and much of the rest of the corporate media are touting Rubio’s 23.1% and seven delegates, right behind Trump’s 24.3% with the same number of delegates.
Iowa weeded out the crowded Republican field. Carson, Bush, Fiorina and the rest remained in the single digits. The former Arkansas Baptist Convention president Mike Hukabee threw in the towel Monday night. Ben Carson’s campaign said he would travel home and “get a fresh set of clothes.”
The Washington Post hailed the junior senator from Florida “for being the Trump-slayer” and declared “the Iowa results put Rubio in a strong position to break away from the crowded establishment pack and claim the mantle of alternative to Cruz and Trump,” in other words the preferred favorite of the establishment.
Fox News has relentlessly pushed Rubio. The Cruz and Trump lead “doesn’t matter much now,” Fox said on Tuesday. “It’s actually more important to take note of how well Marco Rubio did on Monday evening.” He “obviously won voters over with his argument that he’s electable,” according to Fox, and “Rubio has a compelling vision for the future of this nation. He is strong on national security and the most adept speaker.”
“As Rubio said Monday night in his speech after the results came in, people told him he had to wait his turn, but his turn is now. And with movement in New Hampshire in his favor, we could very well be starting to see the ascension of the GOP nominee.”
Gambler Ladbrokes said in an e-mailed statement Rubio is the new favorite to win the election. “This could be the first sign that the Trump bubble is about to burst,” said Matthew Shaddick, head of political odds. “The betting is now firmly pointing toward a Clinton-Rubio showdown in November.” Ladbroke and online gamblers often do a better job of predicting election results than pollsters and the media.
The first national primary in New Hampshire next Tuesday will provide the establishment and its propaganda media ample opportunity to push Rubio and Hillary Clinton on the Democrat side. It will thin the crowded Republican field and focus attention on Rubio, Cruz and Trump.
Thank heavens Donald Trump opened so many eyes to the lies, corruption and total lack of accountability that come so naturally to the permanent political class. And Sen. Ted Cruz was spot on when he once noted that "millions of Americans are asking for accountability and truth." Which is why it's so curious - and saddens us - this lack of accountability with the lies of Cruz's own campaign.
Cruz...http://www.infowars.com/palin-slams-c...
Rand Paul Suspends Presidential Race
Published on Feb 4, 2016
Senator Rand Paul has suspended his Presidential campaign. A statement released by Paul this morning confirmed that following a fifth place finish in Iowa, Paul is facing up to the reality that he does not have the numbers to carry on in the race.
EXCERPTS: There will be U.S. military fighter jets and helicopters flying overhead in San Francisco during Super Bowl 50, and helicopter transportation could be the only means for the teams to get to and from Levi's Stadium,according to CBS Reporter Hannah Albarazi. In the past couple months, federal, state and local K-9 teams have conducted helicopter training at the Coast Guard Air Station in San Francisco to prepare for all the security measures for Super Bowl 50. There will be no-fly zones implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the Super Bowl, and the U.S. Air Force and California Air National Guard will enforce them. F-15 pilots of the California Air National Guard will be standing by on Super Bowl Sunday and will be flying drills in preparation at Oakland International Airport on Feb. 3, according to Albarazi. On Feb. 7, game day, general aviation operations will be prohibited within a 10-nautical mile radius of Levi's Stadium.
"SHOWTIME" THEATRICS
DHS TO "PROTECT" SUPER BOWL GAME
WITH F-15 WARPLANES
& BLACKHAWK HELICOPTERS
Published on Feb 4, 2016
For years America has witnessed an incremental ramp-up of security at the Super Bowl, this year the media has been hyping the inclusion of F-15 fighter jets in the security layout, of course domestically our airspace is protected by NORAD so the media blitz over these fighter jets is not as much about security as it is about acclimating the public.
More than 120 people braved the snow and ice Monday to rally in front of the Missoula County Courthouse, protesting an effort by the Obama administration and its army of community organizers to plant foreign “refugees” into small cities in western Montana.
One of the speakers was a woman who moved recently to Montana from Amarillo, Texas, which has been inundated with thousands of refugees over the past 15 years.
“Amarillo is overrun with refugees,” said Karen Sherman, who stood and spoke to the crowd amid blowing wind and falling snowflakes. Sherman just moved to Missoula, a college town that serves as home to the University of Montana.
It’s a far cry from Amarillo, which she described as a city of rampant crime and cracking social fabric, thanks to the heavy influx of refugees sent there by the U.S. State Department in cooperation with the United Nations.
“Our city is failing because of the refugees. We have 22 different languages spoken in our schools. We’ve got 42 languages being fielded by our 9-1-1 call centers, and crime is just through the roof. We need to exercise caution, especially for the sake of our children,” she said.
The protesters carried signs that read, “Christian Refugees 2 Christian Nations, Muslim Refugees 2 Muslim Nations, That’s Only Fair,” and “Refugee Resettlement Means Big $$$$$ – No Accountability.”
Read more
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2016 Obama plans to take America down DINESH D'SOUZA'S 2013 PREDICTIONS
Published on Nov 28, 2013
Political commentator Dinesh D'Souza made some startling predictions about the second term of Barack Obama -- and now he has released a fresh, eight-minute addition to the film revealing how the president plans to "take America down a notch.
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes
The FBI conducted more gun-related background checks this January than in any other January since the system was created.
With 2,545,802 checks processed through the National Instant Background Check System, January 2016 beat the previous record, set in January 2013, by 50,326 checks. Though January’s number represents a drop from the all-time single month record set in December 2015, it is also marks the ninth month in a row that has set a record. It is also the third month in a row with more than two million background checks.
The number of background checks conducted by the FBI is widely considered the most reliable estimate for gun sales in the country since all sales conducted through federally licensed gun dealers and some sales conducted by private parties are required by law to obtain a check.
However, the number is not a one-to-one representation of gun sales. Many private sales are not included in the system. Also, in some cases a single background check can apply to the sale of multiple guns. Some states use background checks for their gun carry permitting process, which does not involve the sale of a gun.
The new record comes in the wake of President Obama’s executive action targeting gun sales. The White House had signaled that those selling even one firearm in their lifetime could be subject to federal licensing requirements, though it was later revealed that the written guidance issued by the ATF was at odds with the administration’s public comments.
A steady stream of comments supportive of gun control by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton may also have contributed to record sales.
A move by Virginia Democrats to unilaterally eliminate gun carry reciprocity agreements with 25 states also received national attention in January. The policy was instituted by the state’s attorney general after the party failed to recapture the state Senate despite millions from gun control advocates. The backlash to the plan was strong enough that the state’s Democratic governor reversed it in a deal with Republicans.
The Second Amendment Foundation said the continued spike in gun sales was in line with other indicators from around the country.
“The Boston Globe reported last week that tens of thousands of new gun licenses were issued in Massachusetts last year,” Alan Gottlieb, the group’s founder, said in a statement. “In New Jersey, with tough gun laws, applications for gun purchases last year nearly tripled over what they were in 2005. One Missouri county reported a three-month back-up in processing permit applications. A county sheriff in North Carolina is so overwhelmed, he’s asking that citizens make appointments.”
“Add to this the fact that scores of sheriffs and police chiefs have encouraged citizens to arm themselves. Suddenly, gun ownership sounds like a very good idea to people concerned about personal safety,” Gottlieb said.
Government oversight officials informed Congress on Wednesday that the Transportation Security Administration continues to operate in disarray, failing to record basic security details for thousands of employees and not tracking official IDs and badges that allow access to the most sensitive areas of an airport.
Lawmakers described the security agency as operating “in chaos” and expressed frustration with Obama administration officials as they informed the House Oversight Committee about a range of security shortfalls that continue to endanger the nation’s 450 commercial airports.
TSA’s inability to properly screen and track employees has been well documented for years. However, the administration has failed to enact multiple reforms aimed at tightening security and making it more efficient, lawmakers said.
TSA still cannot verify their employees’ criminal histories and immigration statuses, according to disclosures made by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general.
“Even 15 years” since the 9/11 terror attacks, “we still see a system that has not complied with the laws we have passed multiple times … and we see failures,” said Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.), chair of the House Transportation Subcommittee.
Following the discovery last year of 73 aviation employees who also were listed on the nation’s terror watch list, TSA has struggled to implement reforms aimed to remedy these security gaps, Mica said.
“TSA employees are not properly vetted,” he said. “We’ve found that tens of thousands of incomplete records are even lacking full names. They [TSA] had 14,000 immigrants listed in the database that did not have alien registration numbers and 75,000 of these records lacked passport numbers. This is not acceptable.”
Officials additionally could not account for “hundreds and thousands of IDs” that had gone missing, including TSA security badges, airport identity badges, and officer identification.
“Everything you can imagine stolen, or missing, or unaccounted for,” Mica said. “Here we are in 2016, 15 years after 9/11, and we don’t know who’s going in and who’s going out. There’s no way to ensure it.”
John Roth, the Department of Homeland Security inspector general, provided a list of security flaws and inefficiencies in the TSA’s employee screening process.
In addition to still not having full access to the U.S. terror watch list, TSA is incapable of verifying employees’ criminal records.
“TSA is considerably challenged when it comes to verifying workers’ criminal histories and immigration status,” Roth said. “TSA does not recurrently vet airport workers’ criminal histories after they are initially cleared to work, but rely on individuals to self-report disqualifying crimes.”
Most employees do not follow this policy, he said.
“TSA cannot systematically determine whether individuals have been convicted of disqualifying crimes,” Roth said, noting that commercial airports also do not hold onto these records. “Due to the large workload involved, this inspection process looked at as few as one percent of all aviation workers applications.”
Additionally, the records TSA uses for vetting individuals is “not reliable, as it contains incomplete or inaccurate data,” Roth said.
At least 87,000 active aviation workers, or 10 percent of the total workforce, do not have social security numbers listed in their records, according to Roth.
An additional 75,000 active employee credentials listed the worker as a non-U.S. citizen but did not include passport numbers. Of that number, 14,000 workers also did not list an alien registration number, meaning they could potentially be undocumented.
“TSA did not have appropriate checks in place to reject records from such vetting,” Roth said. “Without complete and accurate info TSA risked credentialing and providing unescorted access to secure airport areas for a worker who could potentially harm the nation’s air transportation system.”
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes
The spokesman for the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon was shot nine times by the FBI.
It should be no surprise the FBI would shoot an unarmed man nine times.This is often their modus operandi, especially with individuals the national police state agency considers political enemies—and the band of constitutionalists at Malheur, no matter how misdirected or naive, were certainly considered enemies of the state. Now it comes out that the gun the FBI said they retrieved from Finnicum’s body—a body so bullet-riddled it necessitated a closed coffin—was in fact stolen. The Pacific Patriots Network did a search of the weapon’s serial number and discovered it was stolen, although this crucial fact is not being reported by an establishment media that has consistently portrayed Finnicum and the other activists at the refuge as dangerous terrorists. The over the top murder of Finnicum and a subsequent video released by the FBI are intended to send a message to the patriot movement and constitutionalists. The message: if you go up against the federal government, if you question its dictatorial and unconstitutional policies and if you actively resist or engage in behavior to draw attention to its pathological criminality, you will be executed, particularly if you provide the FBI with an opportunity, as Finnicum did when he traveled to a meeting unarmed to resolve the standoff. _______________________________________________________
Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum was “murdered” by law enforcement agents, says the Finicum family, in the obituary posted to the mortuary chapel website announcing his funeral arrangements, which are scheduled for Friday, February 5.
“Robert LaVoy Finicum was born on January 27, 1961 in Kanab, UT and was murdered the day before his 55th birthday on January 26, 2016,” the obituary states. “LaVoy was born to David and Nelda Finicum and had six siblings, Sherre, Guy, Jody, Jill, Misty, and Tadi. LaVoy was married to Dorthea Jeanette Finicum on February 18, 1994 and together they have eleven children, Thara, Belle, Tell, Tawny, Arianna, Brittney, Mitch, Thomas, Challice, Danielle, and Tean. Combined they have 19 grandchildren with three more on the way.”
The obituary goes on to detail some of his personal history: schooling, ranching, involvement in LDS church activities. After receiving LaVoy Finicum’s body, the family had it examined by an independent examiner, a close family friend told The New American. However, they have not yet released any details of that examination.
Another witness, Shawna Cox, one of the four passengers in the pickup truck driven by Finicum when he was shot, has come forth, giving several radio interviews in which she says he was “murdered” while presenting no threat to law enforcement. Cox, 59, a close friend of the families of both LaVoy Finicum and Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, was released from custody on Friday, January 30. She was the only woman among 11 defendants under a federal conspiracy charge for taking over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, in protest over the imprisonment of local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond and federal management of public lands. Cox’s testimony parallels that of Victoria Sharp, 18, who has said Finicum was killed while holding his hands up. She, like Cox, also says that the police fired over 100 shots into the pickup, while none of the passengers fired a shot, and, in fact, were trying to surrender.
LaVoy Finicum Family Statement
A statement from the Finicum family, released on January 29, acknowledges that “there are always at least two sides to every story,” and that they do not have all the facts in the case yet. However, the family is convinced that the video of the shooting released by the FBI falls far short of vindicating the FBI/Oregon State Police version of the fatal event, and can just as easily be viewed to substantiate the version put forth by witnesses Sharp and Cox. This is an important point made by The New American, in our initial analysis of the FBI aerial video.
“We know that there are always at least two sides to every story,” says the Finicum family statement. “We also know and recognize that the FBI and law enforcement agencies involved will do everything in their power to make it appear as if the needless death of our husband, father, grandfather, brother and son, LaVoy Finicum, was justified.”
The statement continues:
Like almost everyone else, we were not there, so we don’t know exactly what happened. Like most others, we have no choice but to rely on other sources of information. One of those sources of information is the account of Victoria Sharp. Another piece of information is the video recently released by the FBI, along with the FBI’s chosen narrative of what happened. In response to this information, we would like to make a few observations.
The first observation is that from what we understand, the occupation was on track toward a peaceful resolution. LaVoy and those he was with were en route to a public meeting in an adjoining county when they were stopped in something far different than a “routine traffic stop,” as has been portrayed by the media. Unfortunately, the powers that be were not interested in being patient enough for the occupation to come to a peaceful end. Some had called for LaVoy and those he was with to simply be gunned down, just as he was, with no due process. Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, was putting pressure on the FBI to end it sooner rather than later. The Harney County Sheriff’s Department working in conjunction with the FBI tried to do everything they could to emphasize how disruptive the occupation was to the local community, when in reality it appears to have been their own reaction that was causing most of the disruption. And it was the FBI that chose to escalate the situation to force a confrontation, and violent ending.
“With respect to the actual facts and circumstances surrounding LaVoy’s death, the video really speaks for itself,” the family statement notes. “People will interpret it according to their own views. As the FBI’s own narrative stated, LaVoy was not wielding a firearm or any other weapon when he was killed. His hands were obviously in the air. Knowing LaVoy, it is our view that he was moving away from the vehicle in an attempt to draw any hostility or violence away from the others. Unfortunately, we don’t know what he was saying, and what was being said to him. He appears to have been gesturing, or trying to keep his balance while moving in the deep snow. Although he may have been animated, he does not appear to have been threatening or posing any real threat or danger to anyone. The FBI claims that LaVoy had a loaded firearm in an inside pocket of his coat. After re-reviewing the extended video, at this point we are not accepting at face value the FBI’s statement that LaVoy was actually armed. But even if he was, as far as we can see, that firearm posed no more danger to anyone than it would have if he had stayed in the vehicle, with his hands on the steering wheel. Contrary to what has been stated by some sources, LaVoy was not ‘charging’ anyone. He appears to have been shot in the back, with his hands in the air."
Use of Deadly Force
"It is our understanding, says the statement, "that according to applicable law, the use of deadly force is justified only if there is a genuine threat of death or serious bodily injury. It is our understanding and position that deadly force should only be used as a last resort. In LaVoy’s case it appears that they were determined to go straight to the last resort.”
The Finicum Family statement goes on:
It is our understanding that the U.S. Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Court of appeals have ruled as follows:
“The reasonableness of [officers’] actions depends both on whether the officers were in danger at the precise moment that they used force and on whether [the officers’] own reckless or deliberate conduct during the seizure unreasonably created the need to use such force.”
“[W]here an officer intentionally or recklessly provokes a violent confrontation ... he may be held liable for his otherwise defensive use of deadly force.” Although officers may claim self-defense, they may still be liable for using excessive force if their reckless and unconstitutional actions create the need to use excessive force.
It is our understanding that in addition to shooting LaVoy multiple times, after he was left lying harmlessly on the ground the officers also fired upon his truck and the passengers in it, putting them all at risk, despite the fact that they were posing no threat to anyone. The video clearly shows one of the windows being blown out. It has been gut-wrenching for our family to view the video of LaVoy being shot, and then left to lie in the snow while a whole army of so-called “public servants” terrorized the others. We can only hope their families never have to watch such a thing. We will be interested to inspect the vehicle. We will also be interested to see the autopsy report.
“At this point we will await the outcome of any investigation,” says the family, “but based on the information currently available to us, we do not believe that LaVoy’s shooting death was justified. We likewise can’t see any justification for the force and risk of serious injury or death that was exerted against the others in the truck, who posed no threat.”
Demonizing a “Squeaky Clean” Victim
“We know that under such circumstances law enforcement typically makes every attempt to cast such shooting victims in the worst possible light,” reads the family statement. “In that regard, we also want to observe and emphasize that LaVoy had a squeaky clean record, and had never had so much as a speeding ticket. In addition to raising his own eleven children, he had also been entrusted with the care of at least 50 foster children over the course of approximately 10 years.”
A friend of the Finicum family told The New American that LaVoy and Jeanette Finicum had rescued “some of the worst of the worst” kids, whom “everyone else had given up on and were headed to juvenile prison.” They “taught those kids to be good, hard-working, God-fearing, and, thanks to the Finicums, many of those delinquents are now responsible, adult citizens, part of their extended family.”
