Ken Blackwell - Columnist for the New York Sun on Obama
http://www.australia.to/story/0,25197,23040466-957,00,00.html
It's an amazing time to be alive in America. We're in a year of firsts in this presidential election: the first viable woman candidate; the first viable African-American candidate; and, a candidate who is the first frontrunning freedom fighter over 70. The next president of America will be a first.
We won't truly be in an election of firsts, however, until we judge every candidate by where they stand. We won't arrive where we should be until we no longer talk about skin color or gender. Now that Barack Obama steps to the front of the Democratic field, we need to stop talking about his race, and start talking about his policies and his politics.
The reality is this: Though the Democrats will not have a nominee until August, unless Hillary Clinton drops out, Mr. Obama is now the frontrunner, and its time America takes a closer and deeper look at him.
Some pundits are calling him the next John F. Kennedy. He's not. He's the next George McGovern. And it's time people learned the facts.
Because the truth is that Mr. Obama is the single most liberal senator in the entire U.S. Senate. He is more liberal than Ted Kennedy, Bernie Sanders, or Mrs. Clinton. Never in my life have I seen a presidential frontrunner whose rhetoric is so far removed from his record. Walter Mondale promised to raise our taxes, and he lost. George McGovern promised military weakness, and he lost. Michael Dukakis promised a liberal domestic agenda, and he lost.
Yet Mr. Obama is promising all those things, and he's not behind in the polls. Why? Because the press has dealt with him as if he were in a beauty pageant.
Mr. Obama talks about getting past party, getting past red and blue, to lead the United States of America. But let's look at the more defined strokes of who he is underneath this superficial "beauty."
Start with national security, since the president's most important duties are as commander-in-chief. Over the summer, Mr. Obama talked about invading Pakistan, a nation armed with nuclear weapons; meeting without preconditions with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who vows to destroy Israel and create another Holocaust; and Kim Jong II, who is murdering and starving his people, but emphasized that the nuclear option was off the table against terrorists - something no president has ever taken off the table since we created nuclear weapons in the 1940s. Even Democrats who have worked in national security condemned all of those remarks. Mr. Obama is a foreign-policy novice who would put our national security at risk.
Next, consider economic policy. For all its faults, our health care system is the strongest in the world. And free trade agreements, created by Bill Clinton as well as President Bush, have made more goods more affordable so that even people of modest means can live a life that no one imagined a generation ago. Yet Mr. Obama promises to raise taxes on "the rich." How to fix Social Security? Raise taxes. How to fix Medicare? Raise taxes. Prescription drugs? Raise taxes. Free college? Raise taxes. Socialize medicine? Raise taxes. His solution to everything is to have government take it over. Big Brother on steroids, funded by your paycheck.
Finally, look at the social issues. Mr. Obama had the audacity to open a stadium rally by saying, "All praise and glory to God!" but says that Christian leaders speaking for life and marriage have "hijacked" - hijacked - Christianity. He is pro-partial birth abortion, and promises to appoint Supreme Court justices who will rule any restriction on it unconstitutional. He espouses the abortion views of Margaret Sanger, one of the early advocates of racial cleansing. His spiritual leaders endorse homosexual marriage, and he is moving in that direction. In Illinois, he refused to vote against a statewide ban - ban - on all handguns in the state. These are radical left, Hollywood, and San Francisco values, not Middle America values.
The real Mr. Obama is an easy target for the general election. Mrs. Clinton is a far tougher opponent. But Mr. Obama could win if people don't start looking behind his veneer and flowery speeches. His vision of "bringing America together" means saying that those who disagree with his agenda for America are hijackers or warmongers. Uniting the country means adopting his liberal agenda and abandoning any conflicting beliefs.
But right now everyone is talking about how eloquent of a speaker he is and - yes - they're talking about his race. Those should never be the factors on which we base our choice for president. Mr. Obama's radical agenda sets him far outside the American mainstream, to the left of Mrs. Clinton.
It's time to talk about the real Barack Obama. In an election of firsts, let's first make sure we elect the person who is qualified to be our president in a nuclear age during a global civilizational war.
People need to remember when they are electing a President that they need to look at what he truly believes in and stands for, not what he is saying to get elected. I think there is enough evidence out there that none of the "big three" stand for anything more than more of the same, more social programs, more spending, more attacks on your standard of living and much higher taxes. Let's not let this happen by accepting what the major parties are trying to shove down our throats. Do something to help change the outcome by letting people know there is an alternative and spread the word about my campaign for President.
Great Britain Has Lost Its Humanity, Creating and Killing Human-Animal Embryos
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07054.shtml
SAN DIEGO -- Biblical Family Advocates condemns the recent morally bankrupt acts of scientists in Great Britain who have boasted in making human-animal embryos. According to Timesonline, "A team at Newcastle University announced yesterday that it had successfully generated "admixed embryos" by adding human DNA to empty cow eggs in the first experiment of its kind in Britain."
Phil Magnan, President of Biblical Family Advocates had this to say regarding the bizarre experimentation. "I can understand the need for finding cures for debilitating diseases, but creating a predominantly human embryo to be destroyed on the altar of finding cures is unconscionable. There are already many cures derived from using adult stem cells, why do we need to lower ourselves to the lowest common denominator by harvesting cells from pre born children made in the image of God? We were all embryos at one time."
The article went on to say that these human-animal hybrids would not be implanted in humans or grown beyond 6 days, possibly stating this to quell the fears of growing something that we are uncomfortable with, a human-animal child.
Magnan continued, "But shouldn't we in fact protect these embryos as they are according to the article, 99.9% human? We are morally obligated to protect these children regardless of their stage of development, instead of killing them for their parts. It appears that Great Britain, like the United States has lost their sense of humanity and dignity.
"It is apparent that morality has been thrown out the window in the interest of making a new discovery. It is our belief that when science no longer has a moral compass it forfeits its credibility to be of benefit to society and is in fact on the road to create scientific genocide."
Happy Birthday Israel
http://www.stangoodenough.com/?p=128
As a Christian minister, living in America, I recognize the great civil, moral, spiritual, and material debt I owe to the Jewish people and Israel. There is no way I can ever repay this debt. I can only show my gratitude by loving and serving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, speaking out against anti-Semitism and standing in solidarity with the people of Israel.
The LORD called Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob to be His redemptive people on the earth. This is the highest possible calling and honor. The Jewish people gave the world the Word of God; they gave witness to His existence, nature and character and will ultimately bring redemption to the world. Jews have suffered greatly because of their unique role, and we can certainly understand why some wish that the Almighty would choose someone else for a change. Those of us who are non-Jews can only say “thank you” and show our love and support when needed, even when it is not wanted nor sought.
Because the LORD chose the Jewish people for His redemptive purposes, they have been the primary targets of evil from those who have an ancient hatred of them and their God. They have been hated and persecuted with an irrational and relentless fervor that can only be understood as unnatural in its origin. They were falsely accused of killing Jesus, savagely butchered by the Crusaders (the scum bags of Europe pretending to be Christians), charged with ritual murder at Passover, forced to wear degrading clothing, blamed for the black death of Europe, accused of poisoning the drinking water, tortured and murdered during the Inquisition, starved during the Russian pogroms and gassed and burned by the Nazis.
The age old anti-Semitism is now disguised as anti-Israel or anti-Zionism. Israel is in the news everyday. Her enemies are rewriting her history, turning the world against her and threatening to destroy her. God warned of this special hatred against the Jewish people and promised to bless those who bless them and curse those who curse them. As we look back in time, we see that the LORD has blessed nations, people groups and individuals who have assisted the Jewish people in their time of need. Likewise, the Almighty has and will judge those who harm them. Nations that put Israel at risk do so to their own peril. Does anybody know how many Jews equal a barrel of oil?
I’m told you can put about forty Israel’s in Texas. I also understand a pilot can fly his F15 over Israel from north to south in 14.5 minutes and east to west in 45 seconds. While there are 22 countries in the Arab League of states with a population of over 200 million, the population of Israel is about 6 million. The territories of the Arab League states are more than 500 times the size of Israel, more than a third larger than Europe and more than 50% larger than the United States.
Although only about the size of New Jersey, her Arab neighbors and the nations of the world, blame Israel, particularly those fanatical settlers (the ordinary men and women who left the creature comforts of the Diaspora to build houses, plant gardens, raise their children, make the desert bloom, worship their God, help their neighbors and contribute to their country), for all the problems in world.
The outrageous resolutions passed against Israel by the United Nations (stands for Usually Nothing) and the accusations from the blind hatred of Israel by her Arab neighbors would fill volumes of books written about Middle East Myths. No matter what the latest international tragedy or incident, Israel is seen as the culprit responsible for all of mankind’s suffering.
To name a few, Egyptian “intellectuals” have written that the Jewish Matza at Passover is made from Arab blood (sound familiar). Yasser Arafat’s widow (the poor woman who lives in luxury in Paris while her people suffer) accused Israel of poisoning the Arab wells (sound familiar). When Faisal Husseini, grandson of Haj Amin al-Husseini, the notorious Arab Fuhrer who murdered thousands of Jews, died of a heart attack, Israel was accused of foul play. When Arafat was dying in Paris, Arab newspapers accused Israel of poisoning him. Hamas and Hizballah want to destroy Israel and Iran threatens to annihilate Israel. Not to be outdone, anti-Semites in Russia are bring up the old “Jewish Matza at Passover” lie.
Israel is blamed for the poor living conditions of the Arabs while the corrupt murdering thugs who ran the Palestinian Authority stashed away millions of dollars that was to be used to help the people. Instead of releasing this huge amount of money to help their people, these corrupt leaders continue to “wine about” being broke and beg the rest of the world to give them money to buy more weapons. Israel is blamed for the “refuge camps” but it is the Arab countries that keep the people in poverty and use their human suffering to fan the flames of hatred against Israel.
These are minor accusations compared to the charge that, somehow, the Israelis managed to recruit all those Saudi terrorists to hijack US planes and crash them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Furthermore, we have very reliable sources in the Arab world that tell us the devastating tsunami in Asia was probably caused by a nuclear experiment conducted by India with the help of Israel and the United States.
While Israel is continually vilified as the source of suffering of all mankind, her contributions to the betterment of the world are ignored. The world has been blessed beyond measure through the Jewish people in the Diaspora and the people of Israel. Not only have the Jewish people blessed the world with moral and spiritual truths and values, they have also dramatically improved the quality of life for all mankind.
Israel is the one of the 100 smallest countries in the world with less than 1/1000th of the world’s population. Yet her contributions to make the world a better place far exceed her numbers and resources. I have listed some of her more significant achievements below along with achievements by Jews living outside of Israel.
In spite of their few numbers, Jews have received 126 Nobel Prizes, including 43 for medicine. This represents over 20% of all awards worldwide during the 20th century. (As a young boy growing up in the 40’s and 50’s, I am especially grateful to the Jewish doctor Jonas Salk who gave me and the world a polio vaccine that immunized us from this terrible disease.)
In chemistry, Jews have been honored with 28 Nobel Prizes, which is 19% of the world total and 28% of the U. S. total.
In economics, Jews have received 21 Nobel Prizes, which is 38% of the world total and 53% of the US total.
In literature, Jews have received 12 Nobel Prizes, which is 12% of the world total and 27% of the U.S. total.
In physiology and medicine, Jews have received 52 Nobel Prizes, which is 29% of the world total and 42% of the U.S. total.
In contributions to world peace, Jews have received 9 Nobel Prizes, which is 10% of the world total and 11% of the U.S. total.
In physics, Jews have received 45 Nobel Prizes, which is 26% of the world total and 30% of the U.S. total.
Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce with 145 per 10,000, as compared to 85 per 10,000 in the United States, 70 per 10,000 in Japan and less that 60 per 10,000 in Germany.
Israel leads the world with over 25% of its workforce employed in technical professions.
In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world and the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world outside of Silicon Valley. (On a recent vacation, my wife and I joined a small group that hooked themselves to a cable and “zipped” high above the trees across the jungle. One of my “zipping partners” worked for a venture capital firm in Boston that specializes in investments in Israel. Now imagine zipping high in the air across the jungle (don’t look down) while discussing your latest trips to Israel).
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola-Israel.
Intel researchers in Israel recently announced a new computer chip technology that will speed up the flow of data to the speed of light which will revolutionize computing and telecommunications.
Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.
The Pentium MMX Chip, the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were designed, developed and produced by Intel in Israel.
The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
Israel’s Weizmann Institute recently announced the world’s smallest computer to diagnose cancer. It is made up entirely of biological molecules and is about a trillionth the size of a drop of water.
Israel’s $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
Israel has the highest living standards in the Middle East with per capita far exceeding her Arab neighbors.
Twenty-four percent of Israel’s workforce holds university degrees, ranking third after the U.S. and Holland.
Israel has the world’s second highest per capita of new books and more museums per capita than any other country.
Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computer per capita.
Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation —109 per 10,000 people.
Israel has one of the highest per capita of patents filed.
Israel has the world’s second highest per capita of new books.
Israel had developed many products in the medical field such as instrumentation to detect breast cancer, proper administration of medicine, the first ingestible video camera, a new device that helps the heart pump blood, etc., etc., etc.
Israel’s development of drip irrigation and biotechnology has aided agricultural development in arid regions of the world.
Israel has found ways to make the desert bloom. She raises fish in the desert, ships flowers to the Netherlands and exports food to her neighbors.
In spite of all these incredible accomplishments, the French Ambassador in England says that “Israel is nothing but a #*&*# little country.”
At a recent address to Nefesh B’ Nefesh, the organization that helps Jews from America to make aliyah, Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the new immigrants their choice to make aliyah was a harbinger of change for the entire Zionist enterprise. “You will witness in your lifetimes a monumental shift,” he said, “not seen since biblical times and the days of the Second Temple; the majority of Jews will live in the Jewish state.”
Noting the prevalence of intermarriage in the Diaspora and the general erosion of Jewish identity there, Netanyah added, “For half a century, the survival and future of Israel depended on aliyah. In the next half-century, however the survival and future of the Jewish people will depend on the State of Israel.”
Am Yisrael Chai!
Bush to use 60th birthday bash to hold 'Annapolis II?'
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2412
Until now, United States President George W. Bush was ostensibly coming to Israel in May to celebrate with the Jewish people the 60th anniversary of the rebirth of their national homeland.
Late night news reports Tuesday suggested, however, that the American leader hopes to 'seize the moment' and, while here, host a follow-up to last November's Annapolis Summit which he convened to facilitate the creation of an Arab state called Palestine on the historical and biblical Jewish Land called Israel.
The media quoted Oslo-architect and Israeli extreme-leftist Yossi Beilin as saying Bush plans for the next round to be held in Egypt's Sharm e-Sheikh resort, hosted by Egyptian dictator and US-ally Hosni Mubarak.
Senior PLO representatives reportedly confirmed Beilin's assertion, going so far as to say dates were already being looked at, with May 17 or 18 the most likely.
On the Gregorian calendar the 60th anniversary falls on May 15, which would mean that Bush would go from rejoicing with the Jews on the unprecedented resurrection of their national home, to pushing them into risking its continued existence a day or two later.
Not unusually, a Tel-Aviv US Embassy official [Washington refuses to base its embassy in Jerusalem, Israel's capital – Ed] was quoted as saying he saw "no indications whatsoever" of plans being laid for such an event.
But Beilin was "sure" this is in the works, although he disparaged holding another "hollow" summit, describing it as "an idiotic idea" and calling for Israel to negotiate with Hamas.
Israelis make concessions, ‘Palestinians’ make terror
http://www.stangoodenough.com/?p=129
Less than 48 hours after Israel permitted more than a hundred trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and bring relief to the Arabs living there, those Arabs sent out a squad of killers Wednesday to take Israeli lives.
Two Israeli civilians were killed and two were wounded when the terrorists entered a fuel depot on Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Also, days after Israel removed 50 anti-terrorism roadblocks in Samaria and Judea at the personal prompting of Condoleezza Rice, Israel had to lock down first Tel Aviv, then Jerusalem (April 9) after receiving intelligence that terrorists were on their way to carry out attacks in those cities.
This is the Arab response to Israel’s goodwill gestures, which Muslims only interpret as signs of weakness.
According to reports, about 128 trucks of humanitarian aid and supplies were transferred into the Gaza Strip April 7 via the Kerem Shalom, Sufa and Karni Crossings.
Transferred through the crossings were 56 trucks containing: salt, tea, garlic, sugar, carrot, apples, dairy products, meat, fish, reproductive eggs, animal vitamins; 40 trucks containing: wheat, cumin, sesame, coriander, barley; and 32 trucks containing: soy, yeast, salt, cleaning products, toilet paper, soap, hair shampoo & conditioner.
On April 9, four terrorists were sent out of Gaza by the Palestine Islamic Jihd, Al-Aqsa Brigades and Popular Resistance Committees. They shot and killed two Israelis in their 30s and wounded two others.
Earlier, on March 30, the visiting United States Secretary of State pressured Israel into removing 50 roadblocks that had been erected in Samaria and Judea to try and limit the number of terrorists getting through.
Within hours of dismantling the first checkpoint, an Arab was able to get through and attack Jews with the intention of stabbing them to death. He was killed instead.
And as mentioned above, the ensuing days saw terrorists, now unhindered, try to get through to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem where they planned to carry out attacks. They failed - thank God - but more will come, and some will get through.
Such are the results of the US-pushed appeasement policies Israelis are left to live - and die - with.
Two Israeli civilians slain by terrorists from Gaza
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2408
Four Palestinian Arabs from the Gaza Strip crossed the "border" "into Israel" Wednesday and opened fire on Israeli civilians at a gas station near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, in the south of the country.
Two more Israelis were wounded in the attack before Israeli security forces shot and killed two of the terrorists.
Credit for the murders was jointly claimed by Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees.
They had successfully executed a "unique and complicated operation" details of which would be released later, PIJ spokesman Abu Ahmad told the press.
According to reports, the killers crossed "into Israel" at the Karmi Crossing, just 48 hours after Israel had allowed 128 trucks carrying humanitarian aid including fuel into Gaza.
Mortar fire was rained down on the area from Gaza shortly before the shootings, eyewinesses said.
Other witnesses in Gaza reported IDF tanks crossed into the Strip after the attack.
"We are surrounded by tanks. It's a war out there," Arab farmer Munther Rhami said, according to Ha'aretz.
IDF soldier killed in Gaza ambush
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2409
A 21-year-old soldier in an elite IDF unit was killed Wednesday in a "Palestinian" ambush in southern Gaza while carrying out counter-terrorism operations.
Bisan Sayef was part of a team searching out terrorist infrastructure near the Gaza-Sinai border - an area that has become a superhighway for smuggling weapons and explosives into the "Palestinian"-controlled Strip.
In what was described as a well-planned ambush, Arabs fired on the soldiers using rifles and anti-tank missiles, killing Sayef and lightly wounding two others.
One of the attackers was taken out and at least four others were wounded in return fire from the Israeli force, according to "Palestinian" sources.
The ambush took place a day after tank-supported Golani Brigade soldiers killed three Palestinian Arabs in the northern part of Gaza.
Jerusalem raises, lowers terror alert
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2411
Police sirens sounded across Jerusalem Wednesday morning after Israel's security forces learned that a "Palestinian" terrorist was trying to infiltrate the capital to carry out an attack.
Blue and red lights flashing, cars and vans raced through the city heading for the "border" checkpoints at Bethlehem in the south and in the direction of Ramallah in the north as a red alert was declared in Jerusalem and its environs.
According to The Jerusalem Post, police were carrying out spot-checks on cars in Jerusalem, and those wanting to enter, tying up traffic in and around the city.
After three hours the alert was lowered and police announced they had captured a number of men suspected of planning an attack.
One week ago the city of Tel Aviv underwent a similar lock down upon news a terrorist was out to enter the Mediterranean metropolis.
The terrorist organizations that constitute the "Palestinian" leadership have long been vying with each other to carry out the deadliest act of terrorism after months of intense and overwhelmingly successful anti-terrorism operations by Israels' police and military forces have helped to keep the lid on such attacks.
Arab attempts to kill Jews were given a boost after Israel succumbed to pressure from visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month to remove 50 anti-terrorism IDF roadblocks from Samaria and Judea.
IDF 'relieving' Samaria's Jews of weapons
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2413
In what some worry could turn out to be 'Step 1 of Disengagement 2' - IDF forces have reportedly recently been confiscating hundreds of weapons and other military equipment from Jewish communities in Samaria.
While the army insists that it is only impounding military-issue guns, and that no personal weapons have been taken, some security personnel in the affected communities expressed concern that they will be left with little defense at the same time that the government has ordered the removal of dozens of roadblocks and blockades designed to restrict travel by Arab terrorists, reports Israel National News.
Something even more sinister could be behind the move.
Samaria is the larger, northern chunk of what anti-Israel forces call the "West Bank" but which is historically part of the biblical heartland of Israel.
It houses hundreds of thousands of Israel-hating Palestinian Arabs in five main population centers.
Along with the southern section, Judea, and the Gaza Strip, the land is slated by the international community - and against the wishes of most Jews and Israel-supporters - for the creation of a never-before-existing State of Palestine.
The Arabs who would be given this national home at Israel's expense are committed - according to the teaching of their religion and the results of numerous surveys conducted among them - to the ultimate destruction of what would be left of the Jewish state.
Despite this, Israel's government under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has committed itself - after decades of international pressure - to lending a hand to the creation of "Palestine."
Like the Sharon government before it, the current administration is believed to be gearing up for what is widely anticipated to be the eventual massive forced removal from their homes and towns of Judea and Samaria's hundreds of thousands of Jews.
The threatened Israelis, the majority of whom are God-fearing Jews, are internationally hated and disparaged as "settlers" whose existence in these areas constitute the primary "obstacle to peace."
Recent reports have indicated that efforts will first be made to entice these people to leave with monetary incentives.
Those who resist this blackmail will be made to leave, by force if necessary.
Since the 2005 Gaza "Disengagement," which saw the forced removal and turning into refugees of 9,000 Jews, leftist Israeli politicians and journalists have demonized the residents of Samaria-Judea, suggesting that they would resort to violence and even a possible civil war to prevent a similar expulsion from their homes. This despite the overwhelmingly non-violent resistance demonstrated by Gaza's Jews.
Israel Holds Its Largest Emergency Drill
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/353963.aspx
After battles in recent years with Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel is getting ready in case there's another war in its future.
This week, Israel is conducting the largest nationwide emergency drill in its history.
Israel faces threats on nearly every border, and the past few days, much of the country practiced taking cover under the authority of Israel's Home Front command.
As part of the Home Front exercise, officials sounded the siren throughout the country. The aim of the siren is to prepare Israelis for an incoming missile attack.
The sirens sounded in cities and the countryside, but authorities paid special attention to the schools.
Children were evacuated to shelters, and some hit the floor.
Two years ago, the terrorist group Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israel during the second Lebanon war. Now, Hezbollah has a rebuilt arsenal of 20,000 rockets. And its leaders have threatened to strike back at Israel for the February killing of terrorist mastermind Imad Mughniyeh.
"We can get into war, and we need to be prepared. So, it's necessary, this drill," a high school boy said.
"Unfortunately, we live in a country where anything can happen. This just gives the feeling of-so the people can imagine at least what they are supposed to do," said one woman.
Hospitals and firefighters also took part in the exercise, rehearsing for a possible chemical or biological attack.
Even those who didn't take part could learn what to do by watching public service announcements on how to take shelter.
Some of Israel's enemies have warned that the drill is a signal that Israel is about to go to war. But for Israelis, the exercise is one more step to protect themselves from foes who have shown they can and will attack.
After Israeli drill, Syrian says it, too, will hold emergency exercise
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2414
Syria's government declared Wednesday plans to hold a nationwide emergency drill in the coming days, purportedly to prepare for a natural disaster.
The announcement, which was made by Prime Minister Mohammed Naji al-Otari, comes as Israel winds down its biggest national emergency drill in years - a drill Damascus earlier slammed as threatening regional stability.
According to Ynetnews, Syrian Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani stressed the drill would serve to facilitate coordination between the various emergency authorities, helping them "all work together in times of crisis, to ease their subsequent damage as much as possible."
While Syrian's armed forces would be involved, their role would be simply to "assist" the civilian authorities.
Israel is likely to monitor the drill as closely, if not more so, than Syria monitored Israel's.
Tensions have been running high for weeks between the Jewish state and its northern Arab neighbors, at times igniting rumors of imminent war.
Petreaus: Iran is the Primary Problem
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,348532,00.html
WASHINGTON — Iran has emerged "a winner" as a result of fighting in Iraq, a lawmaker said Wednesday during a hearing featuring President Bush's top deputies in Iraq.
"The most disturbing strategic development of the war is that Iran, the most dangerous state in the region, so far has emerged as the winner," said Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"Their enemy Saddam is gone, and in his place is a government seemingly very open to Iranian friendship and influence," said Berman, D-Calif. The hearing was the last of four since Tuesday where Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker were delivering their report on political and military progress in Iraq.
Throughout their testimony, Petraeus and Crocker have been unequivocal in their belief that Iran has been fueling fighting, supplying mortars that rain down on the international Green Zone in Baghdad as well as arming so-called "special groups" that were behind recent fighting in Basra.
In response to a question from Rep. Terry Everett, R-Ala., on Wednesday in an earlier hearing, Crocker said Iran is involved on multiple levels of destabilization.
"As one looks at Iraq's neighbors, the primary problem is with Iran, which, as both the general and I have said, is providing training, equipment, arms, ammunition, and explosives to radical militia elements that they effectively control," Crocker said.
"These are groups that target coalition forces, Iraqi forces, and Iraqi civilians. And it is destabilizing to Iraq," Crocker said.
But Crocker also repeated a refrain he has used earlier in the hearings: that Iran's stable state should, in his opinion, be to ally with Iraq.
"Iran has stated (publicly) that its policy is to support the Iraqi government. And in my view, if you take sort of an objective analysis of the Iran-Iraq relationship, that is what Iran should be doing, supporting the central government, because the truth is no people suffered more from Saddam Hussein's regime in Baghdad than the Iranian people, with the sole exception of the Iraqis themselves," Crocker said.
Earlier, Petraeus deflected more questions about when more troops will come home from Iraq, but said he is unlikely to boost troop levels again. He said that adding more troops in Iraq would be considered a last resort in part because of the strain it would place on the Army.
He said he would first reallocate existing troops and rely more on Iraqi forces, which are improving in numbers and in their capability.
"That would be a pretty remote thought in my mind," he said of reinstating last year's influx of troops.
Tuesday, and again Wednesday, Petraeus told lawmakers that he has recommended a 45-day hold on troop level changes once the last unit that is part of President Bush's year-long surge comes back in July. The pause will allow military officials to further assess the situation in Iraq, and any new troop deployment recommendations would follow that period.
He and Crocker said the situation there is better than it was when they testified in September, but the gains from the troop surge begun a year ago are "fragile" and "reversible."
The surge sent another 30,000 U.S. troops into Iraq. Military officials expect troop levels to hold at about 140,000 when troop drawdowns begun last fall end this summer.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton was unsuccessful in getting Petraeus to give a specific time frame on when further troop reductions might be announced, or to describe what shape they might take.
"At what point do we start to make recommendations to start going into the 15 brigades" that will remain in July, asked Skelton, D-Mo.
"As the conditions are then met, and we look at the security and local governance conditions that allow us to thin out our forces and thereby redeploy additional elements," Petraeus said, adding that they are assessing certain geographic areas where military units can be removed.
Skelton tried again: "Do you have a judgment as to how many brigades of that 15 as you look at those certain areas can be redeployed?"
Petraeus: "Sir, I'm not sure I — again, what we're doing is looking at these different areas. Over time, I think all of them are going to — Again, the question is at what pace that will take place."
In his opening remarks Wednesday, Skelton said the surge hasn't done what it was supposed to do.
"The objective of the surge was to create the political space for the Iraqis to reconcile. Our troops have created that space, but the Iraqis have yet to step up," said Skelton, D-Mo. "There have been some local gains and some legislative accomplishments, but those mostly haven’t been implemented.
"So we don’t know if those will really help or not. And, real reconciliation, based on a sharing of resources, a guarantee of political participation, equal treatment under the law, and protection from violence regardless of sect, simply hasn’t happened."
Skelton also said the fighting in Iraq is leaving the United States vulnerable to other threats.
"When looking at the needs in Afghanistan, the effort in Iraq — however important — is putting at risk our ability to decisively defeat those most likely to attack us," Skelton said. "Iraq is also preventing us from effectively preparing for the next conflict."
The top Republican on the Armed Services Committee disagreed in his opening remarks, was more positive on the outcome of the troop surge so far, but had his own questions.
Petraeus and Crocker have "made enormous advances and improvements since this last hearing that we held" seven months ago," Rep. Duncan Hunter, D-Calif., said, but said he wants to hear more on the efforts to build Iraq security forces.
"I would hope that today you could give us your unvarnished opinion on the standup of the Iraqi military because in my estimation, a reliable Iraqi military is a key to the United States leaving Iraq in victory," Hunter said.
In his opening statement remarks — which were nearly identical to those from a day before — Petraeus said, "Iraqi Forces have grown significantly since September, and over 540,000 individuals now serve in the Iraqi Security Forces."
But noting a recent outbreak of fighting in the southern port city Basra — where a rapid deployment of Iraqi forces ended up needing U.S. reinforcement — Petraeus said they're not yet where they need to be.
"While improved, Iraqi Security Forces are not yet ready to defend Iraq or maintain security throughout the country on their own," Petraeus said.
He said "Recent operations in Basra highlight improvements in the ability of the Iraqi Security Forces" to move troops and supplies quickly, but "recent operations also underscored the considerable work still to be done in the areas of expeditionary logistics, force enablers, staff development, and command and control."
The White House signaled Wednesday — as Bush has for weeks — that it was likely the president would embrace recommendations of Petraeus and his generals in the field. White House press secretary Dana Perino said it is "within the realm of possibility" that Bush would discuss in his Thursday speech the length of soldiers' tours of duty in Iraq. The administration is expected to announce this week that tours would be reduced from the current 15 months to 12 months.
Perino would not discuss specifics of Bush's remarks, citing the ongoing testimony on Capitol Hill by the United States' top figures in Iraq and a White House meeting Wednesday afternoon between the president and congressional leaders of both parties. But she left no doubt that the shape of the decision is all but done, and essentially ruled out that anything lawmakers say could change his mind.
"I think the president has gotten a lot of advice," she said. "I think he's pretty far down the path of what he's going to say tomorrow."
After appearing before before Skelton's committee, Petraeus and Crocker were to head later in the day they to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif.
Unlike Tuesday, Petraeus and Crocker will not face anyone who is likely to become the next U.S. president. Between the two panels, the men were quizzed Tuesday by Sens. John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
All three used the platform to reinforce their stance on the war — McCain supportive of continued troop presence, Clinton and Obama looking to bring troops home.
In an interview late Tuesday with National Public Radio, Clinton said she believed Tuesday's testimony "actually supports my position" calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
"This testimony once again speaks about progress, points to small baby steps that are blown into great advances without much evidence of that," Clinton said, according to NPR. "The sad truth is the point of the surge - which was to give the Iraqi government the space and time to do what it should do — has not created that outcome at all."
Meantime, Senate Democrats are expected to introduce legislation that would force the Iraqi government to spend its own surplus in oil revenues to rebuild the country, sparing U.S. dollars.
Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said pausing troop reductions would signal to the Iraqis that the United States was committed to the war indefinitely.
"Rather, we need to put continuous and increasing pressure on the Iraqis to settle their political differences, to pay for their own reconstruction with their oil windfalls, and to take the lead in conducting military operations," said Levin, D-Mich.
On Thursday Bush will make a speech about the war, now in its sixth year, and his decision about troop levels.
Mike Baker: Petraeus, Crocker 's Comments on Iraq
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,348309,00.html
It’s official, the PWB’s game of Stuff We’ve Learned This Past Week is now sweeping the nation. The mailbag was stuffed full of responses from across the country proving that either we Americans are an inquisitive bunch, or possibly that we just didn’t know much prior to last week.
Either way, Interns #2 and #3 spent several hours combing through reader submissions, silently moving their lips as they read the big words. Next year, the entire staff is getting Hooked on Phonics. Does that count as a product placement?
Something I learned this week that I didn’t know last week is that we apparently need to remind people that driving and texting on their phone at the same time is hazardous.
I would’ve thought this would be one of those intuitive things. Something that anyone smart enough to acquire both a drivers license and a mobile phone would understand. I was wrong… idiocy knows no bounds.
Of course, ever since the invention of the automobile, people, in particular American people, have been busy coming up with things they can do while driving. Early on, before the invention of makeup, fast food or in-car audio systems, folks would engage in folksy distractions behind the wheel…singing out loud, whittling or perhaps picking a tune on the banjo. It was all good…back then there wasn’t much traffic and you pretty much knew the other five or six people in the county that owned an automobile.
Later, after man invented the highway system, 8 track players and eyeliner… and after God’s divine intervention created the Egg McMuffin, things got more dangerous. High speeds, a bunch more cars on the road and 98 ounce big gulps (which according to federal regulations require two hands to drink) dramatically increased the need for all of us to pay more for auto insurance.
And then came the mobile phone with texting capability.
You’ll note I’ve skipped the epoch during which talking on the phone while driving took hold, the period of time known as the Phoneozoic Era. I’ve gone straight to what paleontologists now call the Textomoronic stage of human development. Long after we’re all dead, scientists will note that during this period of time the human brain shrunk noticeably, thumbs became larger and triple jointed while the ability to speak and write diminished.
The reason I know this now is that just the other morning, while driving with my teenage daughter along a local scenic highway, the car in front veered wildly into the lane on the left. This of course was of concern to the car that was occupying that particular space, which proceeded to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
The car in the left lane narrowly missed crashing into the guard rail, while the idiot in front of me, apparently unaware that lives were in danger, steered back into the right lane. All the above took place at approximately 50 miles per hour.
Peering up ahead into the idiot’s SUV, I could see the driver holding up a Blackberry (I do not have an endorsement deal with the makers of Blackberry but am willing to discuss such an arrangement, possibly as a sponsor for the summer tour…give it some thought), working the keyboard with her right hand while negotiating the parkway at high speeds with her left hand and an occasional glance upwards at the road.
I do not know this for sure, but suspect there was a skinny mocha latte in the cup holder and some bad music blaring out through the stereo. The driver’s lips were fairly active, indicating that either she was singing loudly or silently mouthing the words as she typed out a text message.
We followed behind for another couple of miles and I’m pleased to announce that although she swerved twice more into the left lane and almost sideswiped a minivan filled to the brim with eager young soccer players, she was unable to injure or kill anyone during that stretch of road.
Not once did she put her phone down.
As we came to our exit, and the grim reaper continued down the highway, I wondered if God would send her a text just before her vehicle flew off the road. And if so, would he use those irritating abbreviations or type out full words?
Something like “Hey nmbnts ur vrng off brdg…c u soon.”
The God I pray to has a sense of humor, so I’m guessing he’d add one of those irritating emoticons, maybe a frowny face. It’s not that I wish anyone ill, but if you’re going to do something crazy ass stupid, don’t risk the safety of others.
Moving on to today’s topic, you’ll be happy to know that while typing away, I’ve been watching the televised testimony of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker to the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. I will admit that the sound is turned down, and by down I mean off. This is how I prefer to watch many of the proceedings on Capitol Hill.
Fortunately I’m an expert lip reader, having been taught the skill during CIA tradecraft training. The lip reading coursework usually follows the segment on steaming open envelopes and right before the section on coloring inside the lines.
Anyway, with the sound down, I was still able to follow the dialogue as various Senators with seriously furrowed brows played to the cameras and acted as if their interest in General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker’s comments on the situation in Iraq had nothing to do with politics.
If you weren’t able to watch the proceedings I’ve taken the liberty of including below the most relevant bits:
Interior Senate Armed Service Committee Hearing Room:
General Petraeus, addressing the Senators (hundreds of whom were recent presidential candidates), is finishing his statement…“And so, in conclusion, the situation is what it is.” The General takes a sip of water and waits for the inevitable crap from the grandstanding politicians.
First up, Senator Levin…“General, you say we’re going to have a period of assessment…evaluate the current situation following the surge and determine how best to begin any drawdown of troops… how long is that going to take?”
The General leans in to the microphone in order to repeat what he’s already said in his previous comments. “Sir, we’ll evaluate, make an assessment based on the findings and determine the most practical timetable.”
Senator Levin… “So, that’ll take, what… a month?”
The General, looking slightly perplexed… “Could be a month, could be less.”
“Could it be more?” asks Senator Levin.
“Yes, it could be more.”
“Ah…could it be two months, three months?” prods the Senator.
“Perhaps… two months, maybe three months…it depends on the evaluation and what is determined to be the most secure and practical timetable,” responds the General.
Senator Levin, almost out of time but clearly in his element… “Four months. How about four months?”
The General, and here I did look away from the television for a moment so I might not have caught this correctly, leans in and says… “Senator, how’s three weeks from this Tuesday? That work for you? I’ll just pencil that in…should we say 4pm Baghdad time? Hope that answers your question.”
Next up to the camera was Senator McCain.
Clearly he had no interest in playing politics, although his lapel pin saying “Don’t blame me I voted for Gore” was an interesting touch.
“General, is Al Qaeda still a threat in Iraq?”
“Senator, Al Qaeda is still a threat although not to the degree they were in the past,” answers the General.
“Right, good enough. So…still a threat,” nods Senator McCain. “Thanks very much. I’ll donate my leftover question time to any of the other presidential candidates who might not have any military experience and need a few extra minutes to figure this out. ”
Senator Clinton takes the floor…
“General, since I myself am currently engaged in a brutal fight with no clear exit strategy, I believe I’m uniquely positioned to assess the Iraq situation. I remember the last time I visited… having to jump out of the cargo plane after we took a rocket up the tailpipe…who knew I could survive a fall of several thousand feet. Lucky I had universal health coverage. And thank God I was able to pick up a dropped weapon and lay down some cover for the press corps before charging up the hill and taking out that pillbox. Although the fellas who made that pillbox lost their jobs, so we’ll need to sort that out.”
(Note: my gaze was distracted during the Senator’s statement so I may not have picked up everything.)
In an unusual display of camaraderie, Senator Obama interrupts to prevent any further reminiscing by Senator Clinton.
“General,” Obama begins, “did you happen to catch my speech the other week on race? Good wasn’t it? Wrote it myself… I could recite a bit of it now since the cameras are rolling… how about it?”
“Sir?”
“Right… Iraq… good point. Well, unlike these other candidates, I voted against the war. And I want the troops out. Unless that would be messy… then we should leave some in. But for now, it sounds better to say we’ll get them out. What do you think?”
Unfortunately I had to switch off the television at this point and was unable to catch anymore of the testimony. I’ve got to drive to a meeting across town. Lucky for me, I’ve just had a television installed in my car so I should be able to catch a bit more of the proceedings on the way. If anything good happens, I’ll text you.
In the meantime, keep asking yourself what you’ve learned and don’t forget to send any thoughts, comments or insults to peoplesweeklybrief@hotmail.com. We don’t get to reply to every email, but we do in fact read each one.
Till next week, stay safe.
State Department: Carter to Visit Syria
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,348989,00.html
NEW YORK — The State Department confirmed Wednesday that former President Jimmy Carter is planning to visit Syria on an unsanctioned diplomatic trip in mid-April.
A State Department official in Israel told FOX News that Carter is scheduled to arrive in Israel on April 12, and is expected to visit Syria and Saudi Arabia while in the region.
Meanwhile, a State Department spokesman in Washington, D.C., told FOXNews.com that the department is aware that Carter is planning a stay in the region, but would not disclose details of the trip.
That spokesman noted, however, that “the State Department has expressed our concerns and advised President Carter that past engagement with the Syrian regime has not produced positive results.”
FOXNews.com first reported Tuesday on an item in the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat that said Carter was preparing an unprecedented meeting on April 18 with with Khaled Meshal, the exiled head of the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
The State Department official in Israel did not confirm whether President Carter planned to meet Meshal during his time in Syria. FOXNews.com tried numerous times to reach the Carter Center for comment, but calls and e-mails were not returned.
However, the Al-Hayat story said unnamed senior Hamas officials were aware of Carter's plans.
World Net Daily also reported late Wednesday that Hamas officials have confirmed the meeting is in the works, though no specific date has been set.
Ahmed Yousuf, Hamas’ top political adviser in Gaza, earlier told World Net Daily that he was not aware of the meeting.
The State Department has designated Hamas a “foreign terrorist organization.” Chief spokesman Sean McCormack once said of the prospect of meeting with Meshal, “That’s not something that we could possibly conceive of.”
Meshal, who lives in Syria to avoid being arrested by the Israeli government, leads Hamas from his seat in Damascus, where he is a guest of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Should Carter meet with the Hamas chief, he would be the first Western leader of his stature to do so. Though Meshal met with Clinton officials in the 1990s, the Bush administration has sought to isolate Hamas, enforcing rigid sanctions on its government in Gaza and refusing to meet with its leaders unless it recognizes Israel and abandons terror.
The two founders of Hamas, the cleric Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, were killed by Israeli air strikes in 2004.
Top Al Qaeda Leader Abu Ubaida al-Masri Confirmed Dead in Pakistan
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,348668,00.html
Abu Ubaida al-Masri, one of Al Qaeda's top operatives and the mastermind behind a plot to use liquid explosives to blow British passenger jets out of the sky, is dead, a U.S. official confirmed to FOX News Wednesday.
The unidentified official said it is believed that al-Masri died of natural causes, possibly hepatitis, in Pakistan, and are staying away from a report that he was killed in a January CIA predator strike.
At the time of his death, the Egyptian-born al-Masri was responsible for the terror organization’s external operations, focusing on plotting attacks outside the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Al-Masri is tied to two major terrorist plots.
The first being the July 7, 2005, London subway bombing, in which al-Masri recruited, trained and directed four homicide bombers in a coordinated attack on London's transportation system. In the attack, known as the 7/7 Bombings, three bombs exploded during morning rush-hour within 50 seconds of each other on three London Underground trains. A fourth bomb exploded on a bus nearly an hour later. The attack left 52 commuters dead, and more than 700 injured. It was the largest and deadliest terror attack on London in its history.
The second plot, in August, 2006, involved the use of liquid explosives smuggled aboard several airliners traveling from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports to major cities in the U.S. and Canada with the intention of detonating the bombs in midair, destroying at least 10 aircraft.
British intelligence foiled that plot, arresting 24 suspects in and around London. Eight of the original suspects currently are on trial in London, charged with conspiring to murder and destroy aircraft.
U.S. officials say al-Masri probably has been dead for several months, with no explanation as to why news of his death was not released sooner.
Few have heard of al-Masri outside a select circle of anti-terrorism officials and Islamic militants, the Los Angeles Times reported last week.
"Abu Ubaida al Masri" is an alias, and officials have yet to learn the mysterious operative's real name, the Times reported.
"He is considered capable and dangerous," an unidentified British official told the newspaper. "He is not at the very top of Al Qaeda, but has been part of the core circle for a long time. He is someone who has emerged and grabbed our attention as others were caught or eliminated in the last couple of years. Perhaps he rose faster than he would have otherwise."
Al-Masri was in his mid-40s according to a German investigative file obtained by the Times. His alias means "The Egyptian Father of Ubaida." Little is known about his youth other than that he belonged to a generation of Egyptians who have dominated Al Qaeda since the terror group fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1970s and '80s, the Times reported.
Al-Masri fought in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the early 1990s, went on to Chechnya and lost two fingers in combat — leading to the nickname "Three-Fingered Egyptian" — the investigative file cites. He surfaced in Germany in 1995 requesting asylum, which was rejected in 1999. He was jailed pending deportation, but was then released for unknown reasons, the newspaper reported.
An associate of al-Masri in Germany included a Moroccan computer science student who married the daughter of Ayman Zawahiri, Usama bin Laden's deputy, the newspaper reported. By 2000 al-Masri was back in Afghanistan serving as an explosives instructor at a training camp near Kabul.
During the U.S.-led military operation in Afghanistan in late 2001, Masri fought in a paramilitary unit that took heavy casualties covering bin Laden's escape into Pakistan, Rohan Gunaratna, author of "Inside Al Qaeda," told the newspaper.
When the self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was captured in 2003, al-Masri joined a group of chiefs responsible for external operations, the Times reported.
"He's considered a player," a U.S. anti-terrorism official told the newspaper.
The Religious Liberty Partnership Calls for Prayer for China
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07058.shtml
In a historic move, key organizations that work with the persecuted church around the world launched a global campaign calling for prayer for China.
In what is called "The Zurich Statement," the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP), with member organizations that include Open Doors International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, The Voice of the Martyrs (Canada), and the Religious Liberty Commission of World Evangelical Alliance, has called the worldwide Christian community to pray for China during this Summer Olympics year.
The Zurich Statement acknowledges some important progress made in China over the past few decades and raises the hope that this will translate into the removal of remaining obstacles to the full expression of faith and an end to serious violations of religious freedom.
In addition, the Statement recognizes potential of the Chinese nation as a significant political and economic force for the furtherance of regional and global peace.
To download a copy of The Zurich Statement, go to www.persecution.net/news/zurich_statement.pdf.
House Criticizes China for 'Extreme' Response to Tibetan Protests
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,348909,00.html
WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday criticized China for its "disproportionate and extreme" response to protests in Tibet, and urged the Beijing government to hold direct, unconditional talks with the Dalai Lama on the future of Tibet.
The House resolution, sponsored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called on China to end its crackdown on nonviolent protests in Tibet, release Tibetans imprisoned in peaceful demonstrations, and allow international monitors and journalists unfettered access to the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas of China. It passed 413 to 1.
In the Senate, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., introduced a similar resolution. Like the House measure, it states that the opening of further Chinese diplomatic missions in the United States should be contingent on Beijing allowing the United States to establish an office in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
The congressional vote came amid attempts around the world to link China's poor human rights record to the staging of the summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Demonstrations over Tibet have been held along the path of the Olympic torch in Paris, London and San Francisco and several international leaders have suggested a possible boycott of the opening ceremonies.
Pelosi and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are among those lawmakers calling on President Bush to consider staying away from the opening ceremonies.
"Most insulting of all," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in House debate Tuesday evening, "is that China insists that the torch go through Tibet ... The world should not allow that to happen."
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu, in a statement posted on the ministry's web site, condemned the House resolution, saying it "chooses to remain silent on the violence involved in beating, smashing up properties, looting and arson in Lhasa and the Dalai clique who premeditated and organized the criminal act of violence."
She said China was willing to continue contacts with the Dalai Lama if he stops "plotting and inciting criminal act(s) of violence in Tibet and other areas and disrupting the Beijing Olympics" and recognizes Tibet and Taiwan as inseparable parts of Chinese territory.
The Dalai Lama, who fled from Tibet after a failed uprising in 1959 but remains the religious and cultural leader of many Tibetans, has said that he wants greater autonomy for the remote mountain region but is not seeking independence.
The House resolution cited growing resentment in Tibet against Chinese laws and policies that have "severely eroded the ability of Tibetans to preserve their distinctive language, culture and religious identity."
Bush is also being urged to boycott the opening ceremonies for the Olympic games unless China takes stronger action to end the violence in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., was seeking support for a resolution stating this policy in talks Wednesday with House colleagues.
Meanwhile, Bush on Wednesday again exhorted Beijing to reach out to the Dalai Lama to find a solution.
"It would stand the Chinese government in good stead if they would begin a dialogue with the representatives for the Dalai Lama," he said during a photo opportunity while holding talks with Singapore's senior minister, Goh Chok Tong.
Violent clashes in Tibet are threatening to overshadow China's hosting role of the Summer Olympics in August.
Bush said that if China's leaders ever were to reach out to Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, "they'd find him to be a really fine man, a peaceful man."
Bush has previously appealed directly to Chinese President Hu Jintao on the matter.
Prison Groups Get Boost from the Capitol
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/354223.aspx
Faith-based prison groups providing help and support for ex-inmates and their families can get some extra help from the government.
On Wednesday, President Bush signed the Second Chance Act of 2007, which will award $362 million in prison outreach grants.
The bill, which was passed unanimously in the Senate, will provide grants to faith-based groups that mentor former inmates and help them adjust back into society.
It's passage comes after a recent report that one in 100 adults are currently in jail and costing U.S. taxpayers more than $55 billion a year.
The Christian ministry Prison Fellowship helped pass the Second Chance Act through Congress. The ministry is the world's largest prison outreach group.
"These grants allow churches and community groups to recruit, train and match returning inmates with mentors," said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship. "Pairing returning inmates with loving mentors from local churches is the best way to help them stay on the straight and narrow."
President Bush said results of the bill are promising. He talked about how he was the product of a faith-based program earlier in life.
"I quit drinking, and it wasn't because of a government program," he said. "It required a little more powerful force than a government program in my case."
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, some 700,000 inmates will be released from prison this year.
But Prison Fellowship Vice President Pat Nolan said little is being done to help them.
"As a result, more than half end up back in prison within three years," he said.
Google Accused of Unfairly Rejecting Anti-Abortion Ad
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,348869,00.html
A Christian group in Britain is suing Google over the search engine's alleged refusal to place an ad related to abortion.
According to the Christian Institute, the text ad would have popped up on the right side of a user's screen whenever the word "abortion" was searched for or prominently appeared.
It would have read: "UK abortion law: Key views and news on abortion law from The Christian Institute. www.christian.org.uk".
The Christian Institute, Britain's leading conservative Christian nonprofit organization, has been criticized for being overtly political. It has taken stands against gay marriage, euthanasia and abortion.
Google rejected the ad with the statement, "Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain 'abortion and religion-related content,'" according to the Christian Institute's press release.
The Christian Institute counters that "Google is happy to allow adverts for non-religious sites with views on abortion," and is taking the Internet giant to court on grounds of religious discrimination.
"It does seem to me to be the most appalling and blatant case of religious discrimination," Conservative Party politician Ann Widdecombe said, according to the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph.
Neither newspaper appeared to have contacted Google for comment.
Searches for "abortion" on both the American and British Google Web sites bring up ads for abortion providers, but none to political, advocacy or religious groups on either side of the issue.
Both Google sites, however, include an ad for StandUpGirl.com, a Web site aimed at talking teenage girls out of having abortions.
Second Head Rolls in Kansas Corruption Scandal as Director of Medical Board Resigns
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07057.shtml
WICHITA, Kansas -- The Executive Director of the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, Larry Buening, resigned today amid increasing calls for his ouster. Buening tendered his resignation, effective July 1, at a special meeting of the Board that was called to address concerns of ineptitude in handling high profile cases. The Board has been rated as one of the worst in the nation for handling patient complaints.
KSBHA foot-dragging first came to light when Operation Rescue accused the Board of covering up for criminal conduct by late-term abortionist George Tiller in the third-trimester abortion death of Christin Gilbert.
Buening was questioned extensively by a joint legislative committee last fall for failing to enforce the Board's own guidelines when it came to Tiller. He came under further scrutiny when it became public that the Board refused to act for four years to discipline the owner of a "pill mill" in Wichita, which was accused of misprescribing medication that resulted in over 50 deaths.
"As the people of Kansas become more aware of corrupt abortion politics, heads are beginning to roll. First, we had the resignation of former Attorney General Paul Morrison, who was exposed for attempting to use an illicit sexual relationship to illegally influence criminal cases against Tiller and Planned Parenthood. Now we have Buening's resignation, who, more than anyone, has covered up for Tiller indiscretions over the years," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
"We believe this that this trail of corruption winds its way though the current Attorney General's office, the Kansas Supreme Court, and ends at the governor's office. As more of the corruption is exposed, we expect more resignations in the future," said Newman.
There are currently two open complaints against Tiller on file with the KSBHA. One complaint filed in October, 2006, involved illegal late-term abortions and violations of the unaffiliated second physician requirement for post- viability abortions. Tiller has since been criminally charged with 19 counts of that same charge, but the Board, while saying their case is progressing, has yet to act. The second complaint involves a coerced, illegal late-term abortion. That complaint has yet to leave the "investigation" stage.
"We call on Buening's replacement to be appointed by the Legislature rather than by the Gov. Sebelius, who is a radical abortion supporter, or we risk getting someone even worse," said Newman.
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.
Planned Parenthood Continues to Crack: New Video Outs More Racism
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07056.shtml
LOS ANGELES -- The Advocate, a UCLA student publication, releases another video in its Planned Parenthood series exposing the organization's racist vision. Posing as a donor, law student James O'Keefe calls clinics in Oklahoma and New Mexico and asks to make a donation specifically to be used for a black baby. The clinics are more than happy to accommodate his request. See the video here: youtube.com/watch?v=zwif0VMW3c4.
The Advocate released its first video four weeks ago exposing Autumn Kersey, Director of Development at Planned Parenthood in Idaho. Ms. Kersey was caught on audio getting "excited" for a donation by an explicitly racist caller by phone. The students also exposed an Ohio clinic for gladly accepting donations, no matter what they may be used for. Video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LJVPVh5TWo.
"This new video demonstrates a disturbing trend of racism at Planned Parenthood," said Lila Rose, editor of The Advocate. "Planned Parenthood has no shame in accepting donations to purposely abort minority populations. People have forgotten the organization was founded on these principles and has continued to operate under these same racist views for decades."
Irene Gray of Planned Parenthood in Albuquerque, New Mexico took the call from O'Keefe last summer when he wanted to make a donation to abort a black baby. In sympathetic tones, Gray replied "yes, yes, it's a strange time for sure" to the donor's rant about affirmative action and how there is a need for less black people because they compete with whites for admission to schools.
When asked if the organization takes donations specifically to abort black babies, another Planned Parenthood staffer from Tulsa Susan Riggs answered, "We can definitely designate it for an African-American."
"Clearly, Planned Parenthood has absolutely no shame in using funds to target and abort black children from racist donors. It's a jolting reminder that abortion is a big business, regardless of what the politicians and the special interest groups say and given that Planned Parenthood receives over $300 million in federal funding every year, it's time Congress investigate these extremely disturbing business practices," continued Rose. "Planned Parenthood must be held accountable for their actions. No one is calling them out - including supposedly minority civil rights groups like the ACLU and NAACP - for their despicable actions."
Campaign Launched to Equip Churches for National Volunteer Month
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07055.shtml
ChristianVolunteering.org has launched a campaign and website www.christianvolunteering.org/churchvolunteer.jsp to equip churches for national volunteer month this April and volunteer week on April 27-May 3. The campaign site provides a searchable directory of nearly 3,000 volunteer opportunities in 1,800 organizations to equip churches to volunteer in their communities.
The site also provides a complete toolkit for churches wanting to launch a community volunteer program including the following sections:
Directory of over 40 sermon outlines, bible studies and small group materials on the importance of service and Christian social justice
Group volunteer opportunity search for churches and small groups that want to volunteer together
Church volunteer toolkit and Wiki encyclopedia on church volunteering
Webcast presentations to train volunteers and volunteer coordinators
Multimedia directory of thousands of sermons, workshops, videos and MP3s on justice topics
Short term missions directory with opportunities across the world
The goal of the website is to enable churches to launch volunteer campaigns. Pastors can find ideas for sermons on service and justice in the sermon outline directory. Then they can have their church small groups do Bible studies on the importance of service and justice. They can use the volunteer opportunity search to find volunteer opportunities in their local area where small groups can volunteer. Then after volunteering, they can have follow-up sermons and Bible studies to reflect on their experience.
According to the United States Department of Labor, faith-based volunteers are the largest pool of volunteers, representing over 34.8% of volunteers. The value of the time donated by faith-based volunteers is $51.8 billion each year in the United States alone (Corporation for National and Community Service and Department of Labor). The challenge is that very little of this volunteering happens outside the walls of the church. According to Lester Salamon of the Institute for Policy Studies of Johns Hopkins University, only 7-15% of volunteering through churches helps the larger community.
The purpose of this campaign is to get more volunteers from churches serving out in the community with the goal placing over 1 million volunteers in the next ten years. ChristianVolunteering.org's partners include the Salvation Army, World Vision, Gospel Communications, the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, the Christian Community Development Association, Campus Crusade's Here's Life Inner City, YouthPartnersNet (formerly Compassion USA) and the Urban Youth Worker's Institute. ChristianVolunteering.org is a program of TechMission. For more information visit: www.christianvolunteering.org/churchvolunteer.jsp
IMF slashes world growth forecast
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7338326.stm
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the world economy will grow much more slowly in the next two years as a result of the credit crunch.
In its latest economic forecast, the IMF says that world economic growth will slow to 3.7% in 2008 and 2009, 1.25% lower than growth in 2007.
The downturn will be led by the US, which the IMF believes will go into a "mild recession" this year.
Growth in the UK will slow sharply to 1.6% in both 2008 and 2009.
It said that the UK economy would be affected by a weakening housing market, the contraction of the financial sector, and the impact on UK exports of weaker growth in the US and Europe.
Its UK forecast is substantially below the Treasury forecast of around 2% growth this year and 2.5% next year made at the time of the March Budget.
'Worst since Great Depression'
The IMF admits that the global downturn might be still more severe than it is currently predicting, and says that there is a one in four chance of a "global recession" when world growth falls below 3%.
"The financial market crisis that erupted in August 2007 has developed into the largest financial shock since the Great Depression," the report says.
The world downturn will be led by problems in the US housing market, but the IMF warns that excessive house price inflation in some European countries, including Spain, Ireland and the UK, has made them more vulnerable to a slowdown.
House prices have already fallen by around 10% in the US by some measures, and the IMF says that they may be over-valued by more than 20% in the UK, Ireland and Spain.
It is forecasting further falls in US house prices of 14% to 20% this year.
The head of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said that crisis required measures to protect workers from the downturn.
"We need to find a better balance between the democratic voice of society, the productive dynamic of the market and the regulatory function of the state", ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said in a statement to the IMF meeting.
US recession
The IMF forecasts that the US economy will grow by just 0.5% during 2008 and will actually contract in the first half of the year.
Its recovery will be slow, with growth of only 0.6% forecast in 2009.
"The US economy will tip into a mild recession in 2008 as a result of mutually reinforcing housing and financial market cycles, with only a gradual recovery in 2009, reflecting the time needed to resolve underlying balance sheet strains," the report notes.
It says that, comparing the US economy year-on-year from the four quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008. it will be 0.7% smaller, as the recession bites in the first half of this year.
And it warns that with the scale of the credit losses to the financial sector approaching $1 trillion (£500bn), there is a risk that the crisis could get worse.
"The greatest risk comes from the still-unfolding events in financial markets," it says, warning that the current credit squeeze could "mutate into a full-blown credit crunch".
The IMF says that losses are spreading from sub-prime mortgage assets to other sectors, such as commercial property, consumer credit, and company debt.
The IMF also says that given the potential severity of the problems, "additional initiatives to support the US housing market, including the use of the public balance sheet, could help reduce uncertainties about the evolution of the US financial system" although it warned that "care would be needed to avoid undue moral hazard".
The US Congress and the Bush administration are currently deadlocked over plans for further aid to the housing sector, with Democrats in both branches of Congress proposing an expansion of financial support for home owners facing foreclosure.
European impact
The biggest impact of the US slowdown is likely to felt in Europe, which is the biggest trading partner with the US.
"Activity in the other advanced economies will be sluggish in both 2008 and 2009 in the face of trade and financial spillovers," the IMF says.
It is predicting growth in the eurozone of just 1.4% in 2008 and 1.2% in 2009, with Europe's largest economy, Germany, growing by just 1% in 2009, a sharp revision of its forecast just three months ago.
2008 GROWTH FORECASTS
United States: 0.5%
Eurozone: 1.4%
United Kingdom: 1.6%
Source: IMF
And it says that in light of the slowdown, the European Central Bank - which has kept interest rates unchanged due to concern about inflation - "can afford some easing of its policy stance".
And it suggests that in future, central banks should take more account of rising house prices when setting interest rates, in effect "leaning against the wind" to prevent house prices moving out of "normal valuation ranges".
This is an implicit criticism of the US Federal Reserve which kept interest rates at 1% for several years under former chairman Alan Greenspan.
Worldwide impact
The IMF says that the big emerging market countries like China and India which are growing rapidly will be less affected by the slowdown, although they will be affected by a slowdown in trade among the rich countries.
The rate of growth of imports into rich countries is expected to slow sharply, leading to a cut in the rate of growth of exports by developing countries.
And it warns that the spillover will more severe in Latin America or in countries linked to the dollar, which has declined sharply on world currency markets.
No comments:
Post a Comment