Christian Recording Companies

Arlington Cemetery's mishandling of remains prompts FBI criminal probe

The Justice Department is investigating the mishandling of remains at Arlington National Cemetery in a broad criminal inquiry that is also seeking evidence of possible contracting fraud and falsification of records, people familiar with the investigation said Tuesday.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria has been subpoenaing witnesses and records relating to the scandal at the nation’s most venerated military burial ground, sources said. The investigation, conducted by the FBI and the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, has been underway for at least six months, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The Justice Department’s investigation significantly escalates the level of scrutiny faced by the cemetery, and the probe joins several ongoing inquiries by Congress , which last year passed a law mandating that the cemetery verify that remains are properly accounted for at every one of its 330,000 graves. The law also requires the Government Accountability Office to look into the cemetery’s contract management procedures, and whether the Army-run cemetery should be turned over to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which oversees 131 national cemeteries.

In a report released last June, the Army inspector general found widespread problems at the cemetery: a dysfunctional management system; millions wasted on information technology contracts that produced useless results; misplaced and misidentified remains; and at least four cases in which crematory urns had been dug up and dumped in a dirt pile.

As a result, the cemetery’s top officials — Superintendent John C. Metzler Jr. and Deputy Superintendent Thurman Higginbotham — were forced out, though they remained eligible for full retirement benefits. The cemetery has been under new management for a year, but officials have continued to discover burial problems, including a mass grave that held eight sets of cremated remains .

Peter Carr, a spokesman for Neil H. MacBride, the U.S. attorney in Alexandria, declined to comment on the probe, as did an FBI spokeswoman. No charges are imminent, according to people familiar with the investigation, and it is unclear whether any will be filed.

Investigators are said to be seeking information about who knew about the cemetery’s burial problems and whether fraud or falsification of records was involved.

Music is the soul of life: Spanish Christian Music

Similar to Spanish folklore, Spanish Christian music is an expression of the various emotions and values that a person holds dear in life or the knowledge and beliefs that a person has. Even the Spanish Zarzuela that is a drama-musical combining dialogues and music can be acknowledged as having paved the way for Christian music, as most of its themes touches on religious beliefs. The popularity of Spanish Christian music is presently on the rise, and is attributed to the growth in Christian music worldwide. Historically, Gospel music, in whatever language, was distributed for sale on a regional basis only. Nowadays, there is a clamor for the availability of Christian music translated into Spanish and/or original Spanish Christian music in the United States. Based on 2000 data by the Federal Census, 12% of the United States' population is Hispanic or approximately 35.3 million people. Given the purchasing power of the Latin music lover translating to at least one CD a week, recording companies are busy producing with Spanish music that glorifies God and contains religious themes. Alongside the demand for Spanish Christian music is the birth of a number of Latin Christian artists. These artists are Spanish singers, composers, songwriters and record producers. The appeal of the Spanish Christian artists is broad in scope, attracting Hispanics and non-Hispanic listeners who appreciate what Spanish music has to offer. The message remains -- Christian values and faith. Given the success of a number of Spanish Christian talents, the Spanish recording companies do effectively compete with its US counterparts in terms of product standards. There is a need to maintain this momentum in order to gain further ground in the arena of Christian music. This poses a challenge to the Hispanics to continually develop their spiritual musical skills. Spanish Christian music is definitely here to stay for everyone to appreciate.

Christian Hip Hop Record Labels, Gotee Records, Uprok Records, Reach Records, Grapetree Records, Cross Movement Records, Deepspace5 Records

The Artist's Guide to Christian Music

High fidelity

Religion and popular culture in America

SPIN