McCain Calls for Respectful Campaign
http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain/2008/04/05/85775.html
PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Sen. John McCain called Saturday for a presidential campaign that is more like a respectful argument among friends than a bitter clash of enemies, and said he is better able than either of his Democratic rivals to govern across party lines.
"We have nothing to fear from each other," the Arizona senator said as he wrapped up a weeklong trip designed to broaden his appeal beyond the voters who cast ballots in last winter's Republican primaries.
"We are arguing over the means to better secure our freedom, promote the general welfare and defend our ideals."
After a series of stops earlier in the week that emphasized his military service, McCain spoke on the steps of the Yavapai County Courthouse. The late Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona, the father of the modern conservative Republican party, launched his Senate campaigns as well as his 1964 bid for the White House from the same spot overlooking the town square of what was once the state's territorial capital.
McCain looked out at his largest crowd of the week as he recalled his early lessons in political bipartisanship. He described Goldwater and the late Arizona Rep. Mo Udall, a liberal Democrat, as close friends despite many political disagreements.
McCain recalled also that shortly after his own election to Congress in 1982, Udall took him under his wing. "I intend to wage this campaign and to govern this country in a way that they would be proud of me," he said of Goldwater and Udall.
And yet, he said, there are important differences to be settled in the fall on issues such as energy, the housing crisis, health care, the struggle with terrorists, and Medicare and other federal spending programs.
"It is more than appropriate, it is necessary that even in times of crisis, we fight among ourselves for the things we believe in," McCain said. "It is not just our right, but our civic and moral obligation."
"Let us exercise our responsibilities as free people. But let us remember we are not enemies," he added.
McCain also said that if elected, he would attempt to govern in the same spirit, and sharpened that theme in a news conference shortly after his speech.
"I have a record unmatched by either Senator Hillary (Rodham) Clinton or Senator (Barack) Obama of reaching across the aisle," he said. He said his record demonstrates "the environment for working together is clearly there."
McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination a month ago, and his weeklong trip down a sort of personal memory lane marked a new phase in his campaign.
In a series of speeches that recalled his education at the Naval Academy, his time spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and his post-war military career, he repeatedly urged Americans to support a cause bigger than themselves.
The speeches touched only glancingly on issues likely to dominate the campaign, including the war in Iraq, which he supports, and the economy.
That will begin to change in the coming weeks, aides say, as McCain begins laying out a series of domestic proposals on taxes, health care, trade and other topics.
Jesusland Author Calls Hillary a Liar - Evangelical author is tired of mincing words.
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07041.shtml
What might seem as harsh words by a Christian, according to David Jeffers, author of Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland. "Jesus had no problem in calling the Pharisees a liar." Jesusland is looking for plain- spokenness from its candidates.
Jeffers' latest article at the New Media Journal is titled "Hillary is a Liar" and Jeffers outlines just a few of Senator Clinton's lies that she tries to explain away as misspeaking.
"Jesusland needs to hold its candidates and elected officials to the highest moral standards and it starts with calling a lie a lie" Jeffers says.
Jeffers further states, "If Jesusland is going to be the 'salt and light' of the world, then its inhabitants need to identify and denounce lying from our public officials."
David Jeffers is a lay preacher, retired Army Master Sergeant and author of Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Liberty University where he received his degree in Biblical Studies, Mr. Jeffers frequently comments on the Evangelical perspective of current affairs in the media. Mr. Jeffers has published numerous articles on The New Media Journal and appears regularly on talk radio shows around the country.
IRN USA Radio News Merger Gives Listeners 2500+ Air Waves of Fluff-free Radio: 'The Truth Listeners Crave'
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07043.shtml
MEMPHIS -- "Most journalists simply don't have a clue." And the recent merger of Memphis- based Information Radio Network and Dallas-based USA Radio Network - it is hoped - will help to remedy the situation, say corporate officials.
"Audiences are not getting the truth from the current uninformed, controlled media who perpetrate a kind of intellectual incest on listeners," says Dr. Larry Bates, CEO of the Information Radio Network.
USA Radio Network, Inc., a privately held company, merged with the Information Radio Network on March 3, 2008, to form IRN USA Radio News. "Our whole mission is to raise up wisdom in a generation that lacks wisdom," says Bates. "If you have real knowledge, then you have an understanding of what's going on. From there you can assess how things will impact your everyday life."
According to Nielsen Media Research, the merger has created one of the largest news networks in America - a union the new organization promises will be a powerful voice for accurate information around the globe.
Bates just returned from Singapore where IRN USA Radio News is expanding its operations in the Asia- Pacific region.
"There is an enormous amount of activity in Asia today," says Chee Kang Seng, IRN USA Radio News' Singapore bureau chief. "With the upcoming Olympics, the economic problems, and the political unrest in parts of the region such as China, the Asia- Pacific region has become a news-rich environment that cannot be ignored. We will provide IRN USA Radio News listeners with up-to-date reports on how the unrest in this part of the world affects the United States, particularly in terms of the economic turmoil America is currently experiencing."
With the combined global reach of Information Radio Network and USA Radio Network, the newly formed IRN USA Radio News organization will be able to provide timely and relevant news and information to an affiliate base of over 2500 AM/FM radio stations across America.
"We're thrilled at the opportunity to join forces with such a well respected news organization," says Tim Maddoux, vice president of the USA Radio Network. "With our combined resources, the potential for growth is astounding."
USA was founded in 1985 by Marlin Maddoux who pioneered conservative talk radio in 1972 with Point of View out of Dallas. The network originally identified the need for a national news service for radio stations not served by major networks. In 2007, Maddoux was inducted into the NRB Hall of Fame, and USA received the NRB award for Best News Format that same year.
At the forefront of radio news for over a dozen years, IRN has news bureaus around the world. The IRN and USA business merger combines the strengths of both networks, making the new IRN USA Radio News a powerful mega radio network with over two hundred and fifty years of broadcast news experience.
"We have compatible corporate cultures, and everyone at the helm and in the trenches carries the same mission in their hearts - to provide truth and information to the listening public everyday," says Bates.
Offering all the programming previously available on both networks, IRN USA Radio News is broadcast from five satellites at its new base of operations - a state-of-the-art control room in Memphis. In addition to several former USA staff, IRN USA Radio News anchors continue to report the news from a lengthy roster of longstanding popular programs.
IRN USA Radio News flagship programs include News and Views. This confrontational show focuses on economics, politics, and religion, and connects the dots on how these sectors of society affect the culture. The thirty-six-year-old Point of View - another flagship program - defends a biblical worldview, and proclaims Godly solutions for America's problems. The Matthew Hill Show brings youth to the airways in a newly syndicated talk show hosted by 29-year-old Tennessee state legislator, Matthew Hill. And Treehouse One is the only live call-in talk show in the nation for children.
"All of our people are cross-trained and carry full journalist credentials," says Bates. "In other words, the brass is in the newsroom and in the trenches along with everyone else, with their sleeves rolled up, busy working in whatever capacity they are needed in order to get the truth out to listeners around the world."
Officers at IRN USA Radio News are Dr. Larry Bates, CEO; Chuck Bates, executive vice-president and news director; Mark Maddoux, vice-president of finance; Tim Maddoux, vice-president of operations; David Maddoux, vice-president / chief technology officer; Robert Jimenez, national manager of affiliate sales; Tiffany Forney, national sales director; John Clemens, Dallas bureau chief; Chee Kang Seng, Singapore bureau chief; and Connie Lawn, White House bureau chief.
"We have seen a lot of other networks become tabloid news rather than hard-hitting news," explains Bates. "At IRN USA Radio News you're going to hear news that will make a difference.
"People aren't really interested in what Britney Spears is wearing or not wearing, or what professional athletes or actors are doing in their private lives. This kind of information really doesn't affect peoples' daily lives. We think there are more important things going on in the world."
Bush Praises NATO's Expansion
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/352045.aspx
Read below for this week's presidential radio address.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I'm speaking to you from Europe, where I attended the NATO summit and witnessed the hopeful progress of the continent's youngest democracies.
The summit was held in Romania, one of the 10 liberated nations that have joined the ranks of NATO since the end of the Cold War. After decades of tyranny and oppression, today Romania is an important member of an international alliance dedicated to liberty, and it is setting a bold example for other former communist nations that desire to live in peace and freedom.
One of those nations is Croatia, which I'm also visiting on my trip. Croatia is a very different place than it was just a decade ago. Since they attained their independence, the Croatian people have shown the world the potential of human freedom. They've overcome war and hardship to build peaceful relations with their neighbors, and they have built a maturing democracy on the rubble of a dictatorship.
This week NATO invited Croatia, as well as the nation of Albania, to join the NATO Alliance. These countries have made extraordinary progress on the road to freedom, prosperity, and peace. The invitation to join NATO represents the Alliance's confidence that they will continue to make necessary reforms and that they will become strong contributors to NATO's mission of collective defense.
I regret that NATO was not able to extend an invitation to a third nation, Macedonia, at this week's summit. Like Croatia and Albania, Macedonia has met all the criteria for NATO membership. Unfortunately, its invitation was delayed because of a dispute over its name. I made clear that the name issue should be resolved quickly, that NATO should intensify its engagement with Macedonia, and that we look forward to the day when this young democracy takes its place among the members of the NATO Alliance.
After a century when the great wars of Europe threatened destruction throughout the world, the continent has now entered into a promising new era. Less than two decades ago, Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia suffered under the yolk of communist oppression. The people in these countries know what the gift of liberty means, because they know what it is like to have their liberty denied. They know the death and destruction that can be caused by the followers of radical ideologies who kill the innocent in pursuit of political power. And these lessons have led them to work alongside America in the war on terror.
Today, soldiers from Croatia, Albania, and Macedonia are serving bravely in Afghanistan, helping the Afghan people defeat terrorists and secure a future of liberty. And forces from Albania and Macedonia are also serving in Iraq, where they're helping the Iraqi people build a society that rejects terror and lives in freedom. These nations have displayed the ultimate devotion to the principle of liberty -- sacrificing to provide it for others.
Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia are not alone in discarding the change to their past and embracing the promise of freedom. Another burgeoning democracy is Ukraine. Earlier this week I traveled to Kyiv to express America's support for beginning the process of bringing both Ukraine and Georgia into NATO. In recent years, both of these nations have seen tens of thousands take to the streets to peacefully demand their God-given liberty. The people of Ukraine and Georgia are an inspiration to the world and I was pleased that this week NATO declared that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of NATO.
Nearly seven years ago I came to Europe and spoke to the students and faculty at Warsaw University in Poland. On that day I declared that all of Europe's new democracies -- from the Baltic to the Black Sea -- should have the same chance for security and freedom and the same chance to join the institutions of Europe. Seven years later we have made good progress toward fulfilling this vision, and more work remains.
In many parts of the world, freedom is still a distant aspiration -- but in the ancient cities and villages of Europe, it is at the center of a new era of hope.
Thank you for listening.
White House Drops Missile Defense Talks
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/351993.aspx
SOCHI, Russia - President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin opened suspenseful farewell talks Saturday as the White House dropped hopes they would resolve differences on U.S. missile defense plans, one of the most contentious issues in a long list of security disputes.
They opened their meeting with a warm handshake and smiles at Putin's heavily wooded retreat on the Black Sea. Putin took Bush to the second floor of his guesthouse to show off a tabletop display of the 2014 Winter Olympics that will be held here. "This is your yacht," he joked to Bush, pointing at a 3-inch white ship on a blue patch representing the water. Bush chuckled.
In a speech in Croatia before arriving, Bush raised a sensitive point by praising the spread of Western-style democracy across Eastern Europe to Russia's borders. It is matter of considerable concern to the Kremlin as it watches the rapidly growing NATO military alliance push against its door.
In the twilight of their presidencies, Bush and Putin met in hopes of reversing a years-long slide in relations and leaving their successors a broad strategy for more cooperation and less confrontation. The list of grievances between the two sides is formidable.
Bush and Putin and their wives met Saturday evening for an informal dinner. Bush had stripped off his necktie and Putin wore a turtleneck and casual jacket. Dmitry Medvedev, who takes over May 7 as Putin's hand-picked successor, also joined in the meal, which lasted three hours. Bush and Putin will hold their final business meeting Sunday, scheduled for an hour, and then Bush and Medvedev will sit down for a half hour.
Bush and Putin will announce the results of their discussions at a climactic news conference promising a preview of the future of U.S.-Russia relations.
Known for their blunt talk and candor, the two leaders have never been afraid to hide their differences. Their meeting will close a seven-year relationship that got off to a strong start and was strengthen by cooperation after the Sept. 11 attacks, but then turned rocky on differences ranging from the Iraq war to Kosovo's independence. Putin has bristled at Bush's admonishment that Russia has retreated from democracy.
U.S. plans to build a long-range missile defense system in Europe won endorsement at NATO's summit this week, and the White House had hoped Putin would reluctantly accept it, recognizing that he could not stop it. The United States has offered a series of concessions to make it more palatable to Moscow. But apparently not enough.
"We're going to have to do more work after Sochi," White House press secretary Dana Perino said on Air Force One as Bush flew here from Croatia, one of NATO's two new members. Asked about prospects for a deal, she said, "That would be premature."
"No one has said that everything would be finalized and everyone would be satisfied with all the preparations because we haven't even started to work on the technical aspects of the system," she said. "But we think the dialogue is headed in the right direction and that this meeting will be able to push that along even further."
Bush and Putin are expected to sign a "strategic framework" to guide future relations, and U.S. officials hope the Russians, in the broad context of that statement, will say they are willing to cooperate on missile defense. That would be short of a Russian embrace of U.S. missile defense plans, but it appears to be the best the administration thinks it can achieve now.
Perino said the framework would deal with security cooperation, nonproliferation issues, counterterrorism and economic matters, and that the language would be broad. "I don't expect a lot of details," she said.
Before coming to Russia, Bush stopped in Croatia to celebrate NATO's expansion eastward in Europe. Croatia and Albania were invited to join NATO, while Macedonia's bid was put off. The two newest members will boost NATO's ranks to 28 nations committed to helping defend each other.
"Henceforth, should any danger threaten your people, America and the NATO alliance will stand with you and no one will be able to take your freedom away," Bush said to cheers from thousands packed into St. Mark's Square. The area has been used for the inauguration of every Croatian leader for the past 700 years and is considered the center of Croatian politics.
The U.S. desire to see NATO admit Ukraine and Georgia - and to keep the door open for others - angers Moscow. In a victory for Putin, the two former Soviet republics were turned away from NATO membership this week. But Bush and his aides have been quick to point out that alliance leaders vowed to eventually open the path to joining, possibly as early as December. Putin's victory, they say, may be short-lived.
Bush pointed out the success of U.S.-supported democratization in the volatile Balkans, where the effects of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia still roil relations between Washington and Moscow. Most recently, the United States and many of its European allies rallied around independence for the Serbian province of Kosovo. Russia, supporting Serbia, strongly opposed that, too.
Bush also discussed the importance of security and stability in the Balkans, noting that at their summit in Romania, NATO leaders offered "intensified dialogue" to Bosnia and Montenegro, two other states once part of Yugoslavia.
"The NATO alliance is open to all countries in the region," he said. "We hope that, soon, a free and prosperous Serbia will find its rightful place in the family of Europe and live at peace with its neighbors. With the changes under way in this region, Europe stands on the threshold of a new and hopeful history."
Croatia's former nationalism once made Washington wary, and it drew Bush administration ire by opposing the U.S.-led war in Iraq and refusing to allow U.S. soldiers exemption from war crimes prosecution. But Croatia's emergence as a stable nation in the turbulent region, the pro-Western government it elected in 2000 and its contribution to the fight in Afghanistan more recently has earned it U.S. support.
Christian Priest Killed in Baghdad Shooting
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/351994.aspx
BAGHDAD - An Assyrian Orthodox priest was killed in a drive-by shooting Saturday in Baghdad, police and an assistant said, the latest attack against Iraq's Christian minority.
The priest, Youssef Adel, was shot by gunmen who drove up in a car and opened fire as he was opening the gate of his house near the St. Peter and Paul church where he presided, an assistant said.
Christians have frequently been caught up in the violence or been targeted in this predominantly Muslim country.
The body of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, one of Iraq's most senior Chaldean Catholic clerics, was found on March 13, about two weeks after he was seized by gunmen in the volatile northwestern city of Mosul.
Adel's assistant, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, said the attack occurred about 11:30 a.m. and the gunmen fled the area in a car after the shooting.
He said the priest was in his early 40s and was married but had no children.
Adel was an engineer but became a priest about six years ago. He previously served in a church in the predominantly Sunni area of Dora in southern Baghdad but moved to the central primarily Shiite district of Karradah after a series of attacks in the former insurgent stronghold.
The assistant said Adel was a compassionate man who preached about love and peace and was heavily involved in helping orphans and widows in his church.
"We are paying the price of the insecurity hitting this country," he said.
Elsewhere in Baghdad, a bomb exploded on a minibus carrying morning commuters on the busy Palestine Street, killing at least four passengers and wounding 15, police said.
The victims were primarily workers and vendors from the Sadr City district who were on their way to commercial areas elsewhere in the capital.
The killings underscored the dangers that continue to face Iraqis in Baghdad and elsewhere as attacks persist despite a sharp decline in violence over recent months amid a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown.
The Iraqi government, meanwhile, eased security measures in two Baghdad neighborhoods that are strongholds of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia - Sadr City and Shula - amid complaints of food shortages nearly a week after the radical Shiite cleric issued a cease-fire order.
Trucks carrying maintenance teams, food, oil products and ambulances are now allowed to get into the areas, according to a statement issued by Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's chief Iraqi military spokesman.
The areas - including Sadr City, which is home to some 2.5 million Shiites and the militia's largest base - have suffered as a vehicle ban remained effect despite the lifting of a curfew elsewhere in the capital earlier this week.
Despite an order by al-Sadr to end to large-scale fighting that broke out over a government crackdown in the southern city of Basra, clashes have continued between his fighters and Iraqi security forces.
Sporadic gunfire was heard in Basra, although it was relatively calm as aid workers delivered humanitarian assistance to the beleaguered residents.
Associated Press Television News footage showed neighbors in the Hayaniyah area examining the rubble of a house they said was destroyed in an airstrike Friday evening in the militia stronghold.
Police said five people were killed in the strike, acknowledging they included an unspecified number of militants who had fired a mortar at Iraqi security forces.
British military spokesman Maj. Tom Holloway said an attack helicopter hit a position from which militants were firing at Iraqi forces in Hayaniyah, but he gave no information about casualties and did not specify whether the aircraft was U.S. or British.
A series of airstrikes have struck suspected militant positions since the fighting erupted on March 25, drawing American and British forces into the battle and casting further doubt on the ability of Iraqi forces to take over their own security.
The White House has conditioned further U.S. troop withdrawals on the readiness of the Iraqi military and police.
Al-Maliki had suggested he planned similar crackdowns in Sadr City and Shula earlier this week, but instead he ordered a nationwide freeze on Iraqi raids against Shiite militants on Friday.
The reversal came after al-Sadr hinted at retaliation if Iraqi security forces continue to arrest his followers.
Taliban Accuses French President of Breaking Promise
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-06-voa5.cfm
The Taliban's leadership council has accused French President Nicolas Sarkozy of breaking a campaign promise by pledging this week to send 700 more French troops to Afghanistan.
In a statement Saturday, the Taliban said it freed two kidnapped French nationals based on Mr. Sarkozy's earlier promise to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan.
The statement said other NATO leaders have also made, what it called, "baseless promises" to Afghanistan.
A Taliban spokesman read the statement to media over the phone.
During his campaign last year, Mr. Sarkozy said, if elected, he would consider pulling France's troops out of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan. He said it was useful for France to have sent troops to Afghanistan given the war on terrorism, but that there is little reason for a long-term presence.
Mr. Sarkozy made the pledge to send more troops to Afghanistan during a NATO summit this week in Romania.
France has about 1,100 troops in Afghanistan as part of the 35,000 strong NATO-led operation
13 house church leaders detained in Sichuan Province
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/13.house.church.leaders.detained.in.sichuan.province/17705.htm
China Aid Association (CAA) has learned that thirteen house church leaders were detained at Qu county, Sichuan province in China on March 30.
According to an eyewitness within the church there, at around 3pm on March 29, a house church service in Qu county was attacked during a praise and worship service.
Seven believers were taken by a group of people who claimed to be from the local religious affairs bureau, community administration and national security. Their names are Wang Qingxiu, Zhou Yanmei, Zhang Mingxiu, Luo Qinghua, Wan Huabi, Wang Zhenping, and Yan XX. Wan Huabi and Wang Zhengping were released after the interrogation.
On March 30, nine sisters and four children were taken by policemen after their Sunday school service was let out. Another sister who was working in the cloth market was taken at the same time. All children and two elderly believers were released after the interrogation. Seven of them are still in the detention centre, and one sister is missing, CAA said.
According to three copies of official criminal detention notices obtained by CAA, which were issued to family members of Ms Wan Huabi, Ms Wang Qingxiu and Ms Lei Shibi on March 30, 2008 by the PSB of Qu County, Sichuan province, these arrested leaders were accused of being "suspected of using an evil cult to obstruct the enforcement of the law". Ms Li Xianbi, 59, who was the host of the Sunday worship at her house on March 30, received five days administrative detention for "illegal gathering for evil cult activities".
"We are deeply concerned about the welfare of these detained Christian leaders, " said Rev Bob Fu, President of CAA. " Their arbitrary detention totally contradicts the spirit of rule of law. It is another step backward toward improving the religious freedom record in China as the Chinese Government promised both before and after the 2008 Olympics was awarded to Beijing."
2 Held for Alleged LAX China Smuggling
http://www.newsmax.com/us/airport_arrests/2008/04/05/85751.html
LOS ANGELES -- Federal officials say two men are under arrest in Los Angeles for trying to take infrared cameras with potential military use to China without a license.
Commerce Department official Rick Weir says the men were stopped early Saturday while preparing to board an airliner at Los Angeles International Airport.
He says the men had 10 sensitive thermal imaging cameras in their luggage.
Weir says the cameras have both commercial and military use and cannot be exported without special licenses. He says the cameras are valued at about $5,000 each.
One of the men is described as a Chinese citizen and the other as a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Religious Liberty Organizations Call for Global Prayer for China
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07040.shtml
ZURICH - 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, have 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.
"The call for prayer is rooted in the fact that the RLP felt it was time to acknowledge some progress in China's attitude toward religious liberty and also the part Christians play at all levels of Chinese society," stated Mervyn Thomas, CEO of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, UK, and Chairman of the RLP leadership team. "There is still a very long way to go and religious freedom is something very alien to many Christians in China. However Christians all over the world have been praying for their Chinese family for many years and I believe we are beginning to see the impact of those prayers today."
"What a change we have seen in the nearly 30 years since my first visit to China," said Johan Compajen of Open Doors International in Holland and a member of the RLP leadership team. "In spite of many obstacles, the Church in China has multiplied. What seemed impossible in the past has happened because around the world we joined the Chinese Christians in prayer and our Chinese brothers and sisters have been willing to pay the price for following Jesus. If we continue to pray, we may be surprised by what God will do in the coming 30 years."
The Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) is a collaborative effort of Christian organizations focused on religious liberty. The RLP seeks to more intentionally work together in addressing advocacy and in raising the awareness of religious persecution globally. The current membership of the RLP is listed on the Zurich Statement.
World Evangelical Alliance (WEA): World Evangelical Alliance is made up of 128 national evangelical alliances located in 7 regions and 104 associate member organizations. The vision of WEA is to extend the Kingdom of God by making disciples of all nations and by Christ-centered transformation within society. WEA exists to foster Christian unity, to provide an identity, voice and platform for the 420 million evangelical Christians worldwide.
International Organizations Call for Religious Freedom and Global Prayer for China
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07039.shtml
ZURICH, (christiansunite.com) -- 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 China Aid Association, Open Doors International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the Voice of the Martyrs (Canada), and the Religious Liberty Commission of World Evangelical Alliance, have 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.
"This historic statement reaffirms the solidarity of the international Christian community with the Chinese faithful especially the persecuted House Church," said Bob Fu who represents China Aid at the Zurich meeting, "We pray the true religious freedom in China will finally be realized soon."
"The call for prayer is rooted in the fact that the RLP felt it was time to acknowledge some progress in China's attitude toward religious liberty and also the part Christians play at all levels of Chinese society," stated Mervyn Thomas, CEO of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, UK, and Chairman of the RLP leadership team. "There is still a very long way to go and religious freedom is something very alien to many Christians in China. However Christians all over the world have been praying for their Chinese family for many years and I believe we are beginning to see the impact of those prayers today."
"What a change we have seen in the nearly 30 years since my first visit to China," said Johan Compajen of Open Doors International in Holland and a member of the RLP leadership team. "In spite of many obstacles, the Church in China has multiplied. What seemed impossible in the past has happened because around the world we joined the Chinese Christians in prayer and our Chinese brothers and sisters have been willing to pay the price for following Jesus. If we continue to pray, we may be surprised by what God will do in the coming 30 years."
The Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) is a collaborative effort of Christian organizations focused on religious liberty. The RLP seeks to more intentionally work together in addressing advocacy and in raising the awareness of religious persecution globally. The current membership of the RLP is listed on the Zurich Statement.
Arizona Governor Vetoes Two Abortion Bills
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,346613,00.html
PHOENIX — Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has vetoed two more abortion bills.
The bills vetoed Friday include one to generally prohibit certain late-term procedures that abortion opponents call "partial birth abortions." That bill would have had changed state law to largely track a federal ban upheld last year by the U.S. Supreme Court as constitutional.
The other vetoed bill would have spelled out in state law what criteria judges should consider when juveniles ask them for an exception from parental consent requirements.
Napolitano is a Democrat who supports abortion rights and has vetoed numerous abortion bills passed by the Republican-led Legislature.
Planned Parenthood: Annual Budget Surpasses $1 Billion; More Preborn Children Killed
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07042.shtml
FRONT ROYAL, Va. -- "If the current trend continues, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. (PPFA) will command a budget of more than $1 billion in three years," warned Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI), in 2006. But PPFA's Annual Report for 2006-2007 shows that Scott was two years off the mark.
"Planned Parenthood surpassed the $1 billion mark in the very fiscal year immediately following my 2006 comment," Scott said. "This is shocking and more than a little frightening."
PPFA generated $1.0179 billion in Fiscal Year 2006- 2007, which is an increase of nearly 11 percent over the previous reporting period. In Fiscal Year 2005- 2006, PPFA's budget rose just 2.4 percent over the previous Fiscal Year. One year earlier (2004-2005) that figure was 8.4 percent.
PPFA's massive budget has skyrocketed in part due to a $31.4 million increase in the amount the abortion- committing goliath gets from American taxpayers. In Fiscal Year 2005-2006, government funding increased by nearly 10.8 percent. In Fiscal Year 2006- 2007, taxpayers gave another 10.3 percent, bringing the one year total to $336.7 million. The most recent figures show that 33.1 percent of PPFA's annual revenue comes from taxpayers. In Fiscal Year 2005- 2006 that figure was 33.8 percent.
"This 'not-for-profit' behemoth ends every fiscal year with millions of dollars in 'excess revenue over expenses,'" Scott said, "which is known to regular people as 'profit.'" The 'excess' for 2004-2005 alone was $63 million. In 2005-2006 alone, the excess was $55.8 million. In 2006-2007 alone, the amount was a staggering $114.8 million.
On June 30, 2007, PPFA had net assets valued at $951.8 million, of which $383.1 million was unrestricted and another $160.0 million was temporarily restricted. "This is essentially a savings account," Scott explained. "The money is sitting in a bank and drawing interest that will further advance Planned Parenthood's deadly agenda. Despite these huge sums, the corporation's hierarchy incessantly claims to need more and more tax dollars," Scott said.
The most proficient abortion machine in the United States, PPFA admits to killing 289,750 preborn human beings in 2006 alone (up nearly 9.4 percent from 2005), generating an estimated $125 million. A scant 2,410 Planned Parenthood customers were referred to adoption agencies.
PPFA claims to prevent the "need" for abortion while simultaneously working to increase its share of the abortion market. In 1984, PPFA committed just over 5.5 percent of all abortions in the United States. By 2004 that figure had risen to nearly 20 percent. And its share of the lucrative market continues to increase.
PPFA sold 1,436,846 "emergency" birth control kits in 2006 (nearly 18.0 percent more than in 2005). Every PPFA "clinic" dispenses "emergency" birth control. Most prescribe it over the phone and accept orders over the Internet, without an exam. In the vast majority of cases, "emergency" birth control causes an abortion, but Planned Parenthood wrongly and intentionally claims the drugs are "contraception."
"Some of my colleagues are claiming victory over Planned Parenthood because a few of its local facilities have closed," Scott said. "But the number of affiliates and local 'clinics' has changed very little over the past several years. What we are seeing is merely a calculated reorganization."
"While it is possible for two people to look at the same statistics and come to different conclusions, I just don't see how anyone could reasonably conclude that the Pro-Life Movement is winning against Planned Parenthood," Scott said. "I understand the desire to give pro-life Americans a reason to celebrate--a reason to think positive, but I don't think we should put a positive spin on such devastating statistics. Doing so only serves to mislead and give a false sense of success." Scott called on pro-life/pro-family leaders to give their fellow pro-life advocates the truth and remind them that "we are called to be faithful, even when doing so is difficult."
"Nobody would like to be able to say we are putting Planned Parenthood out of business more than me, but we need to acknowledge that we are failing-- miserably. But this does not mean a successful strategy does not exist."
"If the Pro-Life Movement is ever going to offering a serious challenge to Planned Parenthood's deadly agenda, we need to come together in mind and spirit," Scott said. "It's time we joined in prayer because we need God's help in developing a strategy that will have the kind of impact that is needed. I have faith that God will lead, but we need to actively seek Him and be open to His call. It is also time we joined in deed to advance a new strategy."
An affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), PPFA describes itself as the world's oldest and largest "reproductive health care" business. Founded in 1916 by elitist and eugenics advocate Margaret Higgins Sanger, it began as the nation's first birth control facility.
PPFA argues that "everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child..." It pushes for laws and constitutional amendments that guarantee "reproductive freedom," a phrase encompassing unlimited birth control and abortion for everyone, no matter how young.
LDI will publish an analysis of PPFA's Annual Report in the March-April 2008 edition of its newsletter, The Caleb Report, which should be released within the next 15 days.
Life Decisions International (LDI) is dedicated to challenging the Culture of Death, concentrating on exposing and fighting the agenda of Planned Parenthood. LDI's chief project is a boycott of corporations that fund the abortion-committing giant. To learn more about Planned Parenthood, please visit: www.fightpp.org
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