Florida House Rep. Frank Artiles stepped into hot-water Wednesday after he shared a Facebook photo from a fellow conservative that questions President Barack Obama’s Christian faith.
The post which was posted on a pro Benjamin Netanyahu Facebook group was then shared by Artiles.
The photo uses five examples of what the world looks like “According to Liberal America”. There are references to Caitlyn Jenner, Rachel Dolezal and the #IStandWithAhmed movement.
But the most controversial photo is the first one. It is a photo that first circulated during the 2008 Democratic Primary campaign and it shows Obama dressed as a Somali Elder during his visit to Kenya in 2006. Obama campaign staffers blamed the Clinton campaign for the photo’s publication in the Drudge Report.
“According to Liberal America… This is a Christian,” the caption says of Obama.
Here is a better version of the photo in question:
Obama is a Christian and has spoken at length about the importance of his faith.
Artiles is a Republican who represents parts of Miami in the Florida House of Representatives. He came to prominence earlier this year after filing legislation to ban transgender people from public bathrooms.
A message sent to Artiles’ private Facebook page was not answered by publication of this piece. A spokesperson in Artiles’ Tallahassee office said she would pass along Rise News‘ inquiry to Artiles.
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Cover Photo Credit: Screenshot (Rep. Frank Artiles Facebook)
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NO BRIBE ZONE: Indonesia Wants To Have Crocodiles Guard Death Row Inmates Because “They Can’t Be Bribed”
So file this one to the strange but true category.
The Indonesian government has been struggling to combat the rampant illegal drug trade and as a result is turning to some jungle style justice.
The government wants to put its worst drug trafficking offenders (who are on death row) on a special island that is surrounded by a swarm of crocodiles.
According to AFP, the proposed project is the brainchild of the government’s anti-drug point person Budi Waseso.
“We will place as many crocodiles as we can there. I will search for the most ferocious type of crocodile,” Waseso told a local news website called Tempo.
While it may sound like a crazy idea that has no place in modern society, it is getting surprising support from the nation’s progressive leader Joko Widodo.
Quartz points out that 14 people have already been executed for drug offenses in the country this year.
The country is well known for its strict anti drug policy.
“Indonesia already has some of the toughest anti-narcotics laws in the world, including death by firing squad for traffickers, and sparked international uproar in April when it put to death seven foreign drug convicts.
But President Joko Widodo has insisted that drug dealers must face death as the country is fighting a “national emergency” due to rising narcotics use.
Despite the harsh laws, Indonesia’s corrupt prison system is awash with drugs, and inmates and jail officials are regularly arrested for narcotics offences.”
So if you like drugs, you probably shouldn’t get anywhere near Indonesia or crocodiles. But hopefully you already prevent run ins with the latter.
Like this piece? Rise News just launched a few weeks ago and is only getting started. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with global news. Have a news tip? (No matter how big or small!) Send it to us- [email protected].
Cover Photo Credit: Adam Jones/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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The Infamous Borgia Family Is Still Around And More Important Than You May Think
By Nate Nkumbu
Popes by natures are supposed to be holy men, ordained by God and the church to lead the Catholic faith.
Not every pope however follows those church rules.
One pope that was infamous for breaking rules was Pope Alexander VI.
Born Roderic Borgia, Pope Alexander VI was the leader of the papacy from 1492 to his death in 1503.
A controversial pope who had fathered children with many mistresses, Alexander VI’s name is now a stand in for all of the vice and nepotism that was once associated with the Catholic church.
He embraced the temporal role of the church and his family wielded real power in the affairs of war and politics.
Not exactly a Pope Peter lookalike.
One of Rome’s few memorials of the first Borgia pope, Calixtus III, from the tail end of the fifteenth century. Photo Credit: Anthony Majanlahti/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
According to Lawrence Cunningham, a Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, while Alexander VI might have been a bad Pope to the Catholic Church, he was beloved and respected by people during his time.
“He was great patronage of the arts during the renaissance and commissioned the likes of Michelangelo and Raphael to work for the vatican and for him,” Cunningham said in an interview with RISE NEWS. “He was important to the new world as he corresponded with the Spanish crown about confirming the discovery.”
Interestingly enough, while often thought as a family only found in a history book, the Borgia’s are still around today.
Borgia’s children that he sired with his mistresses left a legacy of their own.
One of his children’s descendants, Rodrigo Borja Cevallos became president of Ecuador in 1988 at a time when Ecuador was suffering one it’s worst economic crisis.
There was not much Cevallos could do to fix the situation and he was ousted within four years.
But still. How cool is that?
The Borgia family legacy isn’t just held to a descendant becoming president of Ecuador.
Cunningham said that his direct line had influenced The Renaissance and the rise of political realism in a major way.
“Pope Alexander’s daughter Lucrezia would become source for Machiavelli’s The Prince,” Cunningham said. “The Borgia family would have people become dukes, lords and so on. So Pope Alexander VI’s influence still exists to this day.”
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Sharat Ganapati/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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If House And Senate Don’t Agree, Could There Be A Government Shutdown Over Syrian Refugee Program Changes?
The unfortunate recent terror attacks in Paris have led to more than half-31 to be precise of the nation’s governors to declare that they will refuse entry to Syrian refugees into their states.
Florida’s governor, Rick Scott among others had gone so far as to request House Republicans push a bill through Congress to prevent Syrian refugees from entering his state.
On Nov. 19th, the governors’ wishes was granted. The House passed the SAFE Act, with an overwhelming 289-137 vote, enough to override a veto, which President Obama has already said he would do if the bill were to pass the Senate.
The SAFE act wouldn’t stop Syrian refugees from entering the United States, however, it could place a very long pause on the current Syrian refugee program.
The act would add an extra screening process in the already extensive, 18-24 months, vetting procedure refugees must go through before placement in the country by requiring the directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and Director of National Intelligence personally sign off on each refugee granted entry.
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are also offering their own alternative to the SAFE Act, which would place limitations on the visa waiver program by refusing eligibility to individuals who have traveled to Syria or Iraq in the past five years, the real question is whether the Senate will be able to block the House’s bill from passing before their alternative can get off the ground.
It’s also possible the House and Senate and the bipartisan coalitions in each will reach a stalemate. If you keep in mind the fact the next government budget deadline is Dec. 11th, then it wouldn’t be completely out of place for House Republicans, (with perhaps some Democratic support) to threaten another government shutdown in order to pass the SAFE Act. In fact, it is entirely possible.
Cover Photo Credit: Freedom House/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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