Conservatives: Jindal Thumbs up as McCain VP
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/_Jindal_mccain_vp/2008/05/28/99448.html
Conservative leaders are rallying around Bobby Jindal, the 36-year-old Republican governor of Louisiana, as a possible vice presidential running mate for presumptive nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Jindal met with McCain in Sedona, Arizona, last week but says he wants to keep his job as governor for now.
"Bobby Jindal is a great American," Grover Norquist, president of the conservative group Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), told Cybercast News Service. "He is great on guns, great on taxes, a Roman Catholic, a Southerner and an Indian-American. Bobby Jindal would be great for the GOP and perfect for McCain."
"Bobby Jindal is one of the more outstanding shining lights of the Republican Party," said Bill Donohue, president of the conservative Catholic League. "Everything we have learned about him so far is very positive."
"Bobby Jindal is a rising star in the Republican Party -- he is an outstanding governor," stated Ralph Reed, a political strategist and former president of the conservative Christian Coalition. "He has moved swiftly to recover from [Hurricane] Katrina and also usher in a new era of ethics and standards in Louisiana."
Jindal is the youngest serving governor of any state and would be the second-youngest vice president in the history of the United States if chosen by McCain and if Republicans win the November presidential race. (Jindal turns 37 in June; the youngest vice president in U.S. history was John Cabell Breckinridge who, at 36, served under President James Buchanan from 1857 to 1861.)
Speculation that Jindal could be chosen as a GOP running mate started in February after popular talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh mentioned on his show that Jindal would be a good choice. Jindal is "the next Ronald Reagan," said Limbaugh.
Morton Blackwell, president of the conservative Leadership Institute, said that the reforms Jindal has already made in his home state show that he could be an excellent choice for vice president.
"Jindal has already been a remarkable benefit to the conservative movement. I wish we could produce hundreds of people of his philosophy, talent and character," said Blackwell. "I would be happy enough to select him as a vice presidential candidate."
But in response to Limbaugh's "Reagan" comment, Blackwell noted that while Jindal is charismatic, he is no Ronald Reagan.
"Ronald Reagan was a movie star," Blackwell stated. "Bobbie Jindal is not a movie star, but he has a winning personality. When people get to know him, they empathize with him strongly. He inspires people towards confidence with his remarkable personality."
Donohue also expressed concern that Jindal's age could weaken McCain's argument that Obama is too young to be president. "That argument would be at risk of imploding," said Donohue.
But Blackwell said age could actually work to Jindal's advantage. "Jindal does not have long years of political battles that would make it easy for the left and the media to 'villianize' him," said Blackwell. "He is squeaky clean."
Blackwell added that it matters to conservatives who McCain chooses as his running mate. "I think McCain's choice of a veep running mate is the single most important thing in demonstrating what kind of an administration he would have," he said.
"I think if McCain wants to unite the conservative base behind him, it is very important that he have a strong conservative running mate who will inspire confidence in the coalition that is necessary to elect him," Blackwell stated.
Jindal, meanwhile, said that while he is flattered by the praise, he doesn't want the job of vice president.
"First of all, like anybody whose name has been put on such a list, it's certainly flattering," Jindal said at the National Press Club in Washington on May 3rd. "I've said it before ... I'll say it again. I've got the job I want."
Lieberman Says He'll Speak at Hagee Meeting
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/lieberman_hagee/2008/05/28/99560.html
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Joe Lieberman says he'll speak at a July conference hosted by Rev. John Hagee, whose endorsement was recently rejected by Republican John McCain because of Hagee's controversial remarks about religion.
Lieberman, one of presumed GOP presidential nominee McCain's strongest supporters, said Wednesday while Hagee's comments were unacceptable and hurtful, he will judge him on his life work fighting anti-Semitism and building bridges between Christians and Jews.
Lieberman, I-Conn., will speak at Hagee's "Christians United for Israel" summit in Washington.
McCain last week repudiated the months-old endorsement by the preacher after an audio recording surfaced in which Hagee said God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land.
Obama Dogged By Praise From America’s Foes
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/28/obama-dogged-by-praise-from-americas-foes/
In a presidential race in which unwanted, damaging endorsements seem far more plentiful than endorsements that actually could help, Barack Obama has had the unfortunate distinction of being a magnet for such well-wishers.
The latest unsought praise for the Democratic front-runner came from Fidel Castro, who wrote in a column for Cuba’s Granma newspaper Monday that Obama is “the most progressive candidate to the U.S. presidency.”
Never mind that the column was used to criticize Obama for wanting to uphold the U.S. trade embargo. The Florida GOP seized on it, posting an article about it on their Web site and blasting out an e-mail titled, “Fidel Castro Endorses Obama.”
The reaction underscored the problems Obama continues to face as he talks up his desire to hold high-levels discussions with leaders of diplomatically black-listed countries, without preconditions.
His critics argue that the friendlier foreign policies he’s proposing toward countries like Iran and Cuba are in turn inviting kudos from those countries’ leaders or allies.
“That’s really the question we’re posing to the voters: In an era where we’re actively engaged in fighting the global war on terror, why is he receiving these compliments from groups who are against everything we stand for?” said Florida GOP spokeswoman Katie Gordon.
“He’s agreed to meet with Ahmadinejad with no preconditions. He’s also agreed to meet with Castro. … It hits home for a lot of people here.”
Few can argue a hearty thumbs-up from a Castro is good for poll numbers. Even Castro acknowledged this in his column, writing “Were I to defend (Obama), I would do his adversaries an enormous favor.”
But in calling Obama “progressive,” and praising his “great intelligence” and “debating skills” and “work ethic,” Castro gave those adversaries more fodder.
Here’s a rundown of the latest comments from the world stage that have caused or could cause problems for Obama, if he becomes the Democratic nominee:
– In mid-April, Hamas adviser Ahmed Yousef told WorldNetDaily that “We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the elections.
“I hope Mr. Obama and the Democrats will change the political discourse,” he said. “I do believe [Obama] is like John Kennedy, a great man with a great principle.”
The John McCain campaign had much fun with the published remark.
A spokesman said the apparent Hamas support is a “legitimate issue” for voters to think about, and even referenced the comments in a fundraising letter. The campaign said Hamas was clearly opening up to Obama because of his willingness to meet with Iran.
McCain proudly stated Hamas would never support him and that he would be “Hamas’ worst nightmare.”
The Obama campaign responded that it already had rejected Hamas’ legitimacy. Obama has said he would not negotiate with Hamas unless the group renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel’s right to exist and holds to other agreements.
– On March 25, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told foreign correspondents that relations with Washington, D.C, would worsen if McCain were elected.
“Sometimes one says, ‘worse than Bush is impossible,’ but we don’t know,” Chavez said, according to an article in Reuters. “McCain also seems to be a man of war.”
He did not mention either Obama or Hillary Clinton but seemed to indicate that he pined for the days when a Democrat was in the White House.
“Independently of who wins the elections, we are hopeful and it is within our plans to enter an era of better relations with the U.S. government,” he said. “At the least one would hope for the level of relations we had with ex-President Clinton.”
– Also in March, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Spain’s El Pais newspaper he didn’t believe Obama would be elected, but that he wouldn’t have a problem meeting with him if he were. “For us, there is no difference in who wins,” Ahmadinejad told the newspaper. Tehran-based PressTV reported that Ahmadinejad afterward insisted he “never voiced support for Barack Obama.”
But that didn’t matter in the blogosphere. A headline linking to a posting about the story on Digg.com declared: “Barack Obama Gets Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Coveted Endorsement.”
Obama also has struggled to shake off positive words from the New Black Panther Party and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Those controversies popped and fizzled during the Democratic primary. But Obama is moving ever closer to clinching the Democratic nomination, and several Democratic strategists have said these controversies, like the one over Obama’s former pastor Jeremiah Wright Jr., would be used against him more vigorously in a general election than a primary.
Gordon said her local party would not hesitate to “push that point” with voters if Obama continues to receive “accolades” from Castro.
But Democratic strategist Dan Gerstein, an Obama supporter, said when it comes to unsought compliments from far away, the damage is negligible.
“There’s a very small universe of people that are going to be swayed by whether someone in Cuba said something nice about him,” he said, adding that those voters probably wouldn’t vote for Obama anyway.
Still, Gerstein said the campaign will need to push back hard against attempts to exploit compliments or endorsements that could speak to his broader judgment.
“In a vacuum, the Wright controversy and some of these other things can take a toll if there’s not a competing and truer narrative the Obama campaign puts out,” he said. “I’m confident they will (fight back).”
Democrats also historically don’t discount the ability of foreign factors to sway domestic elections.
Former Democratic nominee John Kerry privately complained after his 2004 loss to President Bush that the Usama bin Laden video that surfaced days before cost him the election.
In the video, bin Laden told Americans “your security is not in the hands of Kerry of Bush or Al Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands.”
It revived a security issue that Bush tried to make his strong suit.
Obama, of course, is not the only candidate batting back endorsements. McCain and Texas pastor John Hagee recently parted ways after the GOP candidate was dogged for weeks by stories about Hagee’s anti-Catholic remarks. McCain finally rejected Hagee’s endorsement after a report surfaced that he once said the Holocaust was part of God’s plan to expedite the re-establishment of the Jewish state of Israel.
Lack of News Coverage for Washington, DC Conference and Protest to Call Attention to Failed Justice Dept. Obscenity Law Enforcement Policies is Further Evidence that in America We Have 'No Free Press'
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07231.shtml
NEW YORK, (christiansunite.com) -- On Monday, May 19, representatives of an interfaith coalition of organizations addressed an audience of more than 100 individuals at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to call attention to U.S. Justice Department and FBI obscenity law enforcement policies that undermine Government's ability to strengthen the family, protect children from pornography and curb sexual exploitation of children and sexual trafficking. The Conference was followed by an orderly two-hour demonstration at the U.S. Justice Department. The news media were invited to both events but only the religious media chose to cover them.
The following groups participated in the event: American Decency Association, American Family Association, Athletes & Business For Kids, CatholicVote.org, Christian Film & TV Commission, Citizens for Community Values, Concerned Women for America, CP80 Foundation, Family Leader Network, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, Girls Against Pornography, Liberty Counsel, Lighted Candle Society, Marriage Savers, Maryland Coalition Against Pornography, Morality in Media, Rabbinical Alliance of America and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. & Canada.
Robert Peters, President of Morality in Media had the following comments:
"Somehow, I find it extremely difficult to believe that were the American people to elect Barak Obama as their next President, and were Mr. Obama to shock his very 'liberal' supporters by ordering the Justice Department to vigorously enforce federal obscenity laws, and were the ACLU, People for the American Way and other prominent 'liberal' organizations to then organize a conference at the National Press Club to protest this crackdown, followed by a demonstration (protest) at the Justice Department, that our nation's secular news media would totally ignore these events.
"But when prominent pro-decency and pro-family organizations that expected great things from President Bush in the war against obscenity gather together at the National Press Club to protest the failure of the Justice Department to vigorously enforce federal obscenity laws, followed by a demonstration at the Department, the secular media ignore these events. How can this be??
"Coincidentally, one of the organizers of the May 19 Conference was Brad Curl, founder of Athletes & Business for Kids and author of a just published book, 'No Free Press.' The primary point of Mr. Curl's book is that increasingly our nation's secular news media are controlled by a very small number of corporations (e.g., AOL/Time Warner, News Corporation, Viacom, Disney, Hearst, General Electric/NBC, and Gannett) and that this secular news media cannot be trusted to fully and fairly cover news which conflicts with the financial interests or ideological views of the parent corporations.
"For example, should we realistically expect the news arms of Time Warner and News Corporation to provide full and fair news coverage of organizations that work for enforcement of federal obscenity laws, when both companies peddle hardcore pornography on their cable and satellite TV systems?
"With all the evidence that the explosion of obscenity is, among other things, corrupting children, destroying marriages, costing people their jobs, and contributing to sexual abuse of children and to trafficking in women and children, it is extremely difficult to understand how the secular news media could consider efforts to promote vigorous enforcement of federal obscenity laws a 'non-issue.'
"The press release announcing the event also noted that the leading Presidential candidates had been asked to make their views about vigorous enforcement of obscenity laws known. One would think the secular press would be interested in knowing which of the three had responded and how."
Bolton: Little Alternative to Iran Strike
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Bolton_iran/2008/05/28/99682.html
Military action against Iran would be a last resort but the United States and its allies have not done enough to promote the alternative, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Wednesday.
John Bolton, who was a leading hawk in President George W. Bush's administration, told an audience at the Hay literary Festival that five years of "failed" negotiation with Iran over its nuclear program had left just two options for dealing with the issue -- regime change and use of force.
"The use of military force is an extremely unattractive option and only to be used as a last resort," he said, adding he would favor regime change.
Bolton said the elements for regime change were present in Iran -- the economy was in difficulties, young Iranians could see the possibility of a different life and there were ethnic tensions within the country.
But he added that the United Nations and its allies had not done enough to bring about the required change.
"I wish that we had had a much more vigorous policy five years ago," he said.
Bolton, in Hay to promote his book "Surrender is not an Option," said the insistence of Britain, France and Germany on trying to negotiate a solution with Iran and U.S. acquiescence in this policy had failed.
"Today Iran is five years closer to having a nuclear weapons capability," he said.
Western leaders fear Iran aims to build atomic weapons and the United Nations has hit Tehran with three rounds of sanctions since 2006, demanding it cease nuclear enrichment activities. Tehran has refused, saying its nuclear program is peaceful.
Bolton, who was also Under-Secretary of State under Colin Powell at the time of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, was jeered by protesters shouting "war criminal" as he left the stage.
Revived warning of al Qaeda’s intention to use WMD against Americans
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5301
FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told ABC News Wednesday, May 27: Although there have been similar messages in the past, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have no intelligence of any specific plot or indication of a threat to the US.” The FBI has sent a bulletin to 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country “out of an abundance of caution.”
A group that monitors terrorist messages on the Web described the video entitled Nuclear Jihad, the Ultimate Terror,” as a jihadi supporter video compilation of old footage and not from an official group.
The most serious threat of a WMD attack was reported by DEBKAfile in August 2007, and triggered a high alert. Our monitors of terrorist Web sites connected messages which spelled out an al Qaeda threat mentioning New York, Los Angeles and Miami as targets of attacks “by means of trucks loaded with radioactive material.”
NY police posted radiological sensors on vehicles, boats and helicopters and set up vehicle checkpoints in Wall Street, lower Manhattan’s financial district, and at bridges and tunnels.
DEBKAfile’s terror experts confirm indications that al Qaeda may have acquired some form of dirty bomb, possibly a primitive one. One US official told Reuters: There is no sign that al Qaeda has acquired the capability to use WMD, “But it’s clearly their intention and it’s something we need to be aware of and concerned about.” Our experts also note that Osama bin Laden’s threats may be long-term – often a year or two into the future.
Major Setback for Prosecutors in Chessani Court Martial; Military Judge Finds Evidence of Unlawful Command Influence
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07232.shtml
ANN ARBOR, MI (christiansunite.com) - Prosecutors yesterday hit a major speed bump in their rush to convict Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani when the Military Judge ruled that he found evidence of unlawful command influence. Courts consider unlawful command influence the "mortal enemy of military justice."
Although the case is far from over, yesterday's ruling now forces prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that: (1) the facts upon which the unlawful command influence is based are untrue; (2) those facts do not constitute unlawful command influence; or (3) the unlawful command influence will not affect the proceedings.
The Unlawful Command Influence motion (click here for Motion) was brought before Military Judge, Colonel Steven Folsom, by the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Law Center attorneys Robert Muise and Brian Rooney, both former Marines, wrote and argued the Unlawful Command Influence motion on which yesterday's decision is based.
Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, "Considering the politically charged nature of this case - and particularly this motion - Colonel Folsom made a courageous decision."
Thompson went on to say, "The taint of unlawful command influence started from the inception of the investigation, when high-ranking Pentagon officials decided to make LtCol Chessani a political scapegoat to appease a liberal anti-war press and politicians. This ill-conceived prosecution has resulted in the removal of one of America's most effective combat commanders in Iraq by the Marine Corps' own standards. Although nothing can undo the harm caused to our Nation and to LtCol Chessani and his family, this ruling gives us hope that the military justice system will rise above the politics that fomented this prosecution and allow LtCol Chessani, who devoted more than 20 years to the Marine Corps and to the defense of our Nation, to get on with his life."
Colonel Folsom found that the defense met its burden of presenting "some evidence" of actual and apparent unlawful command influence. His decision was based upon the evidence that the Generals who controlled the disposition of the case were apparently or actually impermissibly influenced by Marine lawyer Colonel John Ewers, who was permitted to attend numerous, closed-session meetings in which LtCol Chessani's case was discussed.
Colonel Ewers was one of the investigators of the Haditha incident from the beginning. He is a witness that the prosecutors plan to call in its case against LtCol Chessani. Consequently, he should not have been involved in any of the meetings in which the disposition of the Haditha cases was discussed with the Generals who convened the court martial. During the hearing, the defense called Col Ewers as a witness. Col Ewers admitted that he was present during at least 25 meetings in which LtCol Chessani's case and the other Haditha cases were discussed with the Generals and other legal advisors.
The criminal charges against LtCol Chessani stem from a house-to-house, room-by-room battle four of his enlisted Marines engaged in on November 19, 2005, after being ambushed by insurgents in the town of Haditha, Iraq. Even though LtCol Chessani promptly reported the events of that day to his superiors, including the deaths of 15 noncombatant civilians caught in the battle, nobody in LtCol Chessani's chain of command believed there was any wrongdoing on behalf of the Marines.
However, months later, a Time magazine story planted by an insurgent propaganda agent, caused Pentagon officials to order the largest investigation in the history of the Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS). As a result, LtCol Chessani, one of America's most effective combat commanders in Iraq, now faces dismissal (an officer's equivalent of a dishonorable discharge), loss of retirement, and imprisonment of up to 3 years.
Thus far, after 30 months of investigation costing millions of dollars, the cases against three of the four enlisted men charged for their part in the Haditha incident have been dismissed.
The Law Center, along with two detailed Marine lawyers, LtCol Jon Shelburne and Captain Jeffrey King, is defending LtCol Chessani, the highest ranking military officer charged in the November 19, 2005, Haditha incident.
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit their website at www.thomasmore.org.
Family Prays, Woman Survives Unthinkable
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/382830.aspx
CBNNews.com - Doctors are calling a West Virginia woman a medical miracle, after she lived through the unthinkable.
"There are things that physicians and nurses...can't always explain. And I think this (was) one of those cases," Dr. Kevin Eggleston of the Charleston Area Medical Center said.
Eggleston and his colleagues watched 59-year-old Velma Thomas' heart stop not one, but three times.
She had suffered two heart attacks and had no brain activity for more than 17 hours. With no pulse and rigor mortis setting in, doctors were ready to take her off life support.
"There were really no signs she had neurological function," Eggleston said.
But Thomas' family began to pray.
"I said, 'God show me something,"' her nephew Daniel Pence said.
Ten minutes after doctors removed her tubes, the woman woke up and started talking. Thomas says she and her family believe the Lord granted them a miracle.
"I'm feeling wonderful compared to the way I was feeling a few days ago," she said.
Doctors at the clinic say Thomas has no blockage and will be just fine. Her family believes she was meant to be alive.
CA Case Threatens Religious Rights
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/382548.aspx
CBNNews.com - California's Supreme Court will soon decide whether doctors have the right to refuse services based on their religious beliefs.
Lesbian Guadalupe Benitez sued two Christian doctors in San Diego eight years ago because she believes they discriminated against by refusing to artificially inseminate her.
Benitez sued the North Coast Women's Medical Group after Dr. Doug Fenton and Dr. Christine Brody refused to help her get pregnant because of their beliefs.
Benitez won, but the ruling was reversed by an appeals court.
"If a doctor in good conscience can't provide good medical care, that doctor should not be in that field," she said. "If a person isn't willing to provide the care the person needs, they shouldn't be wearing the lab coat."
In the High Court's Hands
Now the case is in the hands of the California Supreme Court.
With the court's recent landmark ruling giving gay couples in the state the right to marry, some civil rights groups are concerned over how the California justices could be leaning in this case.
"You're telling me that freedom of religion should trump statutory regulations?" Justice Carol A. Corrigan asked Wednesday during oral arguments.
Corrigan made comparisons to racism and other discriminations, asking if it were fair to tell a patient "I am not going to do it for you because of who you are."
"I don't think you give up religion because it results in hard decisions," she said. "Seems to me we have a business decision, not a religious one."
But attorneys for the doctors say the couples claim that the physicians had a duty to inseminate would be more convincing if the disputed procedure were a lifesaving measure instead of an elective one.
"Here, the doctors are being asked to create life," Attorney Robert Tyler said. "Why shouldn't they be allowed to let their faith be an important part of their decision-making?
Matters of Conscience
Benitez and her partner of 18 years now have three children by in-vitro fertilization. The couple says they spent thousands of dollars seeing doctors outside of those covered by their insurance.
She said they felt "dumped" after the North Coast facility, which is within their insurance network, "promised" to provide them with services and did not.
North Coast does perform artificial insemination for other women, but Dr. Brody said she makes it very clear she does not perform the procedure on single women.
Tyler says both doctors tried to help Benitez as much as they could. They even offered to pay the extra costs she might incur by going back to a fertility specialist.
Many believe a ruling in favor of Benitez would be dangerous.
"If you have a genuine moral issue raised, as in this case, you have to recognize the rights of both parties," Peter Ferrara, general counsel for the American Civil Rights Union, said.
Ferrara filed a friend-in-court brief in support of Dr. Fenton and Dr. Brody.
He added that requiring doctors to act in violation of their beliefs "is a discriminatory resolution, and it discriminates against Christians."
The ruling has the potential to affect similar cases involving "conscience clauses," which give doctors the right to refuse abortions and the sell of birth control.
Kline Asks KS Supreme Court to Let Judge Testify about Planned Parenthood Records Falsification
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07233.shtml
OLATHE, Kans., (christiansunite.com) -- District Attorney Phill Kline has filed a motion this morning with the Kansas Supreme Court asking them to lift their gag order on Judge Richard Anderson and allow him to testify in Kline's criminal prosecution of Planned Parenthood. Later in the morning, Judge Stephen Tatum agreed to delay the criminal case's preliminary hearing until July 21, to allow the Kansas Supreme Court time to rule on the issue that could determine if the criminal case will be able to continue.
On January 16, 2008, Judge Anderson testified before District Court Judge Stephen Tatum that he had reason to believe that "it appears someone has manufactured" part of certain records. Anderson said, "In context (this) could mean that somebody committed a felony in an attempt to cover up a misdemeanor." He further stated that "there is evidence of crimes in those records that needs to be evaluated."
This evidence is central to Kline's 107 criminal charges against Planned Parenthood, which is charged with committing illegal late-term abortions and other crimes. Without Anderson's documents and testimony, Kline's charges would lack the evidence necessary for convictions.
In February, Attorney General Stephen Six asked the Kansas Supreme Court that to allow him to pursue a secret lawsuit against Judge Anderson filed by his predecessor, Paul Morrison in an effort to block Anderson from releasing the incriminating evidence to Kline. In response to Six's efforts, on April 4, the Supreme Court ordered Anderson not to comply with Kline's subpoenas or testify at any hearings.
"Planned Parenthood got caught doing abortions past the legal limit and other crimes, then cooked the books to look like they didn't," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
"At risk is over $300 million in Federal funding annually. In order to qualify for those funds, Planned Parenthood must be able to show their organizations all comply with the law. Planned Parenthood gives millions back to pro-abortion candidates in order to protect their abortion empire" explained Newman. "That is a lot of incentive to enlist political operatives like Gov. Sebelius and Attorney General Six to make sure that Kline's case fails. Over a billion dollars is at stake in this case both for Planned Parenthood and the Democratic Party. There is no doubt that political corruption is at work here. If Sebelius and her cohorts are successful at blocking the prosecution of Planned Parenthood, then she could very well become the next Vice President of the United States."
About Operation Rescue
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.
Governor: N.Y. to Recognize Out-of-State Gay Marriage
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359547,00.html
NEW YORK — Same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere will be recognized in New York in response to a state court ruling this year, Gov. David Paterson's spokeswoman said Wednesday.
State agencies, including those governing insurance and health care, must immediately change policies and regulations to make sure "spouse," "husband" and "wife" are clearly understood to include gay couples, according to a memo sent earlier this month from the governor's counsel.
Gay marriage is not legal in New York, and the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, has said it can only be legalized by the Legislature. But the memo, based on a Feb. 1 New York Appellate Division court ruling, would recognize the marriages of New Yorkers who are legally wed elsewhere.
The appellate judges determined that there is no legal impediment in New York to the recognition of a same-sex marriage. The state Legislature "may decide to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized abroad," the ruling said. "Until it does so, however, such marriages are entitled to recognition in New York."
Massachusetts is currently the only U.S. state that recognizes same-sex marriage, but its residency requirements would bar New Yorkers from marrying there.
New York residents could instead flock to California, where gay couples will be able to wed beginning June 17 — unless that state's Supreme Court decides to stay its own ruling. Upon their return home, in the eyes of the state, their unions would be no different from those of their heterosexual neighbors.
Gay couples could also travel outside the country to marry in Canada, for example.
Paterson spokeswoman Erin Duggan said the May 14 memo is intended to guide the actions of state agencies. Agencies have until June 30 to report back to the governor's counsel on how, specifically, the directive will change existing state benefits and services for gay couples.
The memo states that failure to include gay marriages in the dispensing of state services such as health care benefits could violate state human rights law. The agencies could face sanctions for any violations, the memo warns.
The agency changes can be instituted through internal memos or changes in regulations and would not require legislative action, Paterson counsel David Nocenti said in the memo, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The February appellate decision involved the case of a woman whose female partner was denied health benefits by her employer even though she had been legally married in Canada.
Gay rights advocates have sought recognition for gay marriages so couples could share family health care plans, receive tax breaks by filing jointly, enjoy stronger adoption rights, and inherit property. Most of these advocates rejected civil unions, thought to be a compromise, because the unions lacked the legal protections of marriage.
Belief in an Age of Skepticism
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/325681.aspx
CBNNews.com - There's something of a spiritual awakening going on in New York City among the most unlikely group of people - Manhattan's cultural elites.
They're responding in a surprising way to the preaching of Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
Tim Keller is not a household name in the Evangelical world. He doesn't have a radio or TV ministry and rarely gives interviews.
But what began in 1989 as a handful of believers has grown to 5,000 people gathering each Sunday in places like a college auditorium on Manhattan's upper east side.
The worship service and the surroundings are rather low key.
So is Keller's speaking style.
"The average person, when they think of mega church, thinks of a style, a polish, either a very slick person.an actor or a person who's deliberately in jeans and goatee and little granny glasses who's trying to be hip," Keller said. "And they don't get either of those things with me."
What they do get are biblical insights on things like the suffering of Job.
"God allows Satan to bring just so much suffering into Job's life that it absolutely accomplishes the opposite of what Satan wanted," Keller preached.
"They're getting the solid Gospel message but put in the language of sophisticated Manhattanites who read The New York Times Book Review before they come to church," explained New York City native and author, Eric Metaxas.
Metaxas is one of Keller's long-time friends and is delighted with Keller's new book.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism reflects Keller's ability to address the doubts people have about God.
"Keller claims that people who reject Christianity do so because of seven basic objections, and you don't have to travel far in this city to discover he's right," Metaxas said.
Keller said that's one of the lessons we can learn from the book of Job.
"The Bible is not the record of people following the rules and grabbing the blessing," he said. "The Bible is a record of grace breaking into people's lives, usually in the form of suffering, who otherwise would never have been able to overcome their own corruption and brokenness."
That message rang true for Ellie Ellsworth. She admits she didn't understand Christians or particularly care for them.
"I thought they were not thinking people," she said. "I thought their intellect was dulled."
Ellsworth became successful in New York's entertainment industry, but said there was an emptiness in her life that she tried, in vain, to fill.
"For me, became a sexual appetite that wouldn't really stop and became necessary to have," she said. " to be adored by men as often as possible."
When one of those men invited her to attend a worship service at Redeemer, Ellsworth said she went just to please him.
"There was this man on the stage preaching and I began to hear what he was saying," she said. "I came to understand that what I was fighting and what was bothering me was sin."
Ellsworth said understanding the Gospel changed her life.
"One way to put the Gospel in a nutshell is this: You are more wicked than ever dared believe and yet, you are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than you ever dared hope," Keller said.
Today Ellsworth is an active member of Redeemer, one of many skeptical New Yorkers God has reached through Keller's ministry.
Slowly, Keller is gaining a reputation in New York and across the country.
The White House asked him to speak at the memorial service marking the the fifth anniversary of 9/11.
He loves the city and its culture and his goal is to add hundreds of churches to the nearly 20 that Redeemer has already planted there.
"My idea is that in every single neighborhood you've got churches that are not simply evangelizing tribally, not caring about the city and only trying to build up their own numbers," Keller said. "Churches that are calling people to conversion and seeking the welfare of the city in every single neighborhood.That's going to change the city, in a good way."
An Answer to 'The New Atheism'
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/382053.aspx
CBNNews.com - It's been called "the new atheism."
It's a new movement against faith and it's led by some best selling authors who believe God is a problem.
Polls indicate that atheists make up just 3 percent of the population in the U.S. but have one of the highest disapproval ratings.
But in the last few years, books about atheism have been very influential. Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell, Samual Harris's Letter to a Christian Nation and Christopher Hitchens' God is Not Great, How Religion Poisons Everything were all best sellers.
Now, former Time magazine correspondent David Aikman, has written a response to the atheist books called The Delusion of Disbelief, Why the New Atheism Is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness.
Creation Museum Celebrates First Year
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/382736.aspx
CBNNews.com - Northern Kentucky's Creation Museum is celebrating its first year of operation.
It is also planning to expand its current offering of exhibits with interactive displays geared for children.
Founder Ken Ham of the group Answers in Genesis says the planned additions include an outdoor playground and kiosks to be located throughout the facility.
The group aims to educate the public directly rather than challenge public school boards to add creationism to their schools curricula.
The museum supports the literal interpretation of the Bible, that God created not only all life on Planet Earth, but everything else in the universe.
More than 400,000 people have visited the museum since it opened in 2007.
Because of its new found popularity, the museum has already added some extra exhibits, such as more walking trails, a petting zoo and theater performances for children.
Ham said the museum's popularity has brought requests from other religious groups for him to build similar museums in their cities.
While he has no immediate plans to build other museums, he said the museum is consulting with churches throughout the country to build one-room displays that will serve as mini-Creation Museums.
British University-College lecturers urged to boycott Israel
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5303
The UCU meeting in Manchester, northern England, passed a motion to boycott Israeli academic institutions - without admitting it as such.
Members were urged to “reflect on whether it is appropriate to maintain their links with Israeli institutions” in the light of “the humanitarian catastrophe imposed on Gaza by Israel.”
The eminent Jewish physicist and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg cancelled plans to visit England in protest of the measure. The Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor denounced the move as counter to academic principles.
Around 30 delegates of the 250 attending the union’s annual congress opposed the motion, which passes to the national executive committee for approval.
Churches easing Iraqi Christian resettlement in Sweden
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/churches.easing.iraqi.christian.resettlement.in.sweden/19088.htm
In Sweden, churches play a leading role in the resettlement of Iraqi Christians, providing a bridge to the new culture while connecting this persecuted group to its past.
Newly arrived Iraqi Christians in Sweden, which has taken in the most Iraqi Christian refugees in Europe – depend on churches to help them navigate the legal process and bring together the Iraqi Christian community.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Isam Kalka, an Iraqi who moved to Sweden in 1991, said, "When they come to Sweden, the first thing many Christian Iraqis do is go to the church.
“Some do it because they are strong believers, but also because they want to meet other people, get help in dealing with the Swedish administration, understand society, and find work."
Kalka, who has ties to the large Christian Iraqi community south of Stockholm, noted, “The church has a role to play beyond the spiritual one: to integrate people in society.”
There are 30,000 Iraqi Christians in Sweden out of a total of 70,000 in Europe, according to the European Syriac Union. And last year, Sweden took in the most Iraqi refugees in Europe.
Soedertaelje – a small town with a large Iraqi Christian community – took in some 4,000 Iraqi refugees in 2006 and 2007. It expects to receive another 1,000 in 2008, according to AFP.
Benyamin Atas, the Turkish Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Soedertaelje, highlighted that the church “is the only thing they know” when they first arrive in Sweden.
“When they need something, some advice, they turn to the church” where the doors are almost always open, Atas said.
But much of the church help comes from individuals rather than an organised church group.
Johannes Chaldean Church in Soedertaelje, which has no formal refugee programme, is said to actively support newly arrived Iraqi Christians through informal and spontaneous assistance from members.
Besides connecting Iraqi Christians with Sweden, the church is the key institution in helping Iraqi Christians stay connected to their past. The refugees use the church as the foundation for their social network where they discuss current events in Iraq as well as their concerns for remaining relatives.
"My family has the same problems as all Christians. They don't have a good life over there,” said Nabil Radif, who attends the Syriac Orthodox Sankt Mikael's Church in Soedertaelje.
“They keep wondering when they're going to die," said the Iraqi engineer who has lived in Sweden since 1992. He regularly calls family members in Iraq to provide support.
There were some 1.2 million Christians in Iraq prior to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Now there are only about 600,000 remaining in the country.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has sounded the alarm on the grossly disproportionate percentage of Christians fleeing the country. According to the UNHCR, nearly half of the refugees exiting Iraq are Christians, even though this religious group composes less than five per cent of the country’s population.
Germany ratifies EU treaty
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3994350.ece
All but one of Germany's 16 states voted to ratify the European Union's Reform Treaty today but Berlin was forced to abstain due to a disagreement in its coalition government.
The passing of the treaty in the upper house means it now needs only the formality of a signature from President Horst Koller.
Berlin, whose coalition government is led by the pro-treaty Social Democrats, was unable to vote because the Left Party, its coalition partner, opposes the charter.
Germany's vote has tipped the scales - fourteen EU countries have now ratified the treaty, which means it needs the votes of a further thirteen before it passes into law.
Ireland is the only country constitutionally obliged to hold a referendum on the treaty, currently set for 12 June. The only party in the Dail (lower house) that opposes the treaty is Sinn Fein, with just four seats, but polls suggest that it will be close.
A poll carried out by Ireland's Sunday Business Post in April found that 35% of the electorate planned to vote Yes and 31% to vote No while 34% remained undecided.
Meanwhile, Germany's only Eurovision Song Contest winner, Nicole, has suggested the country pull out ahead of this weekend's competition due to a perceived Eurovision "Cold War" that saw last year's Eastern European competitors bolstered by other "Eastern bloc" votes.
EU's upcoming presidency trio outline priorities
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1211903235.62
(PRAGUE) - France, the Czech Republic and Sweden, who will successively fill the EU's rotating presidency from July, unveiled Tuesday a 75-page outline for their shared priorities in piloting the 27-nation bloc.
Energy and climate, institutional reforms stemming from the Lisbon Treaty, competition and immigration policy figure among the challenges picked by the trio during for their 18-month stint, according to a joint statement.
"After nine months of work, we now have a large and beautiful baby ... the priorities are climate change and energy security, putting into effect the new treaty, the development of a foreign policy and European defence," French Secretary of State for European affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, told a news conference.
Finding a balance between the Mediterranean Union backed by Paris and stronger ties with the EU's Eastern neighbours, proposed this week by Warsaw and Stockholm, is also on the agenda, Czech European Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra said.
The trio's term "is coming at a time which is complicated and exciting," his Swedish counterpart, Cecilia Malstroem, said adding that "it will need great efforts from France, the Czech Republic and Sweden."
France will take over the EU's presidency in the wake of the current holder, Slovenia, to be followed by the Czech Republic in the first half of 2009 and Sweden during the closing six months of 2009.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Paris would approach its EU presidency "with modesty" and "in a spirit of responsibility, dialogue and preparedness to listen."
The trio's plans have been hampered by uncertainty about when the EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty will be ratified by all 27 members, allowing it to take effect.
"No one knows what will happen after the rotating presidency," Kouchner said, referring to the practice of each country taking turns to lead the EU's Council of Ministers for six months.
"Already the functioning with 12 and 15 members was complicated, but with 27, one could say that it is a miracle that it functions...just giving everyone around the table a chance to speak requires three or four hours if everyone is to have a say," he added.
Changes swept in by the Lisbon Treaty should include appointing a president of the council of ministers and a new high representative for foreign affairs.
"We must put in place the Union's foreign service" and define "where they will come from and who will pay them," Kouchner added at the closing stages of a forum entitled "Visions of Europe."
Forum chairman, former Czech president Vaclav Havel, appealed for the EU to find a new language and spirit.
"Ninety percent of European discussions concern material questions such as quotas or customs duties...but that can not be an end in itself: the time has come for Europe to be an inspirational space," Havel said.
EU-GCC Joint Council praises UAE initiatives on clean energy
http://www.uaeinteract.com/docs/EU-GCC_Joint_Council_praises_UAE_initiatives_on_clean_energy/30312.htm
The 18th Session of the EU-GCC Joint Council concluded in Brussels on Monday with a note of commendation for the UAE's initiatives on clean energy, notably the Masdar City project. In a joint communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the EU and the GCC expressed concern at the lack of progress towards resolution of the territorial conflict between the United Arab Emirates and Iran over Abu Musa and the Tunbs Islands.
"The EU and the GCC support a peaceful solution to the conflict in accordance with internationa1law, either through direct negotiations or by referring the issues to the international Court of Justice", said the communiqué. The Joint Council agreed that both sides need to take active steps to work thoroughly towards the implementation of the 1988 Cooperation Agreement in all areas covered. The EU and the GCC look forward to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in 2009 and expressed determination to work towards a new global, comprehensive and ambitious climate change agreement to be agreed in Copenhagen.
Both sides agreed to take forward the cooperation on energy by facilitating the work of the identification study for a future EU-GCC energy cooperation project.
The Joint Council reviewed the progress made on the negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement and encouraged negotiators from both sides to further intensify their efforts to reach a mutually agreed text before the end of July 2008 and undertake to prepare the agreement for initialling before the end of 2008.
On regional issues, the EU and the GCC reiterated their determination to develop and advance this political dialogue on the basis of mutual respect in order to seek common solutions to the common challenges facing their respective regions and peoples, fully respecting international law and the UNSC resolutions.
On developments in the Middle East, the EU and the GCC confirmed their shared positions not to recognise any change to the pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by both parties. They expressed their full support to the Annapolis process and called on Israelis and Palestinians to pursue constructive negotiations Including on all final status issues, with a view to concluding a peace agreement before the end of 2008. The GCC and EU recalled their support for the Arab Peace Initiative as reaffirmed in the declarations of the Arab League Summits of 29 March 2007 in Riyadh and of 30th March 2008 in Damascus.
The EU and the GCC stated that peace in the Middle East requires a comprehensive solution through a lasting and just settlement of the conflict in all its tracks based on the principles of land for peace, the relevant UNSC resolutions, the Road Map, and previous agreements reached between the parties.
The EU and the GCC expressed their full support for "Doha Agreement that ended the Lebanese crisis and welcomed the election of Michel Sleimane as president of Lebanon.
On Iraq, the EU and the GCC reaffirmed their commitment to support all initiatives aiming at strengthening dialogue, co-operation and stability in and around Iraq. They reaffirmed that national reconciliation is the key to the solution of Iraq's problems and reiterated their call on the Iraqi government to do its utmost for the establishment of 'a safe, stable, independent, prosperous and democratic Iraq that upholds international law and human rights.
With respect to Iran, the EU and the GCC expressed their concern at the Iranian nuclear programme and their commitment to a diplomatic solution. They reaffirmed the importance of reaching a negotiated solution to the crisis and in this regard urged for full compliance with the requirements set forth by the IAEA and the UNSC. The EU and the GCC underlined that the international community is united and determined to uphold the authority of the IAEA and the UNSC. They emphasized their commitment to fully implement all relevant UNSC resolutions.
The EU and the GCC reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their commitment to the further development of international standards for counter-terrorism within the framework of the UN.
They also agreed to continue to work towards conclusion of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, including a legal definition of terrorist acts.
The GCC and the EU reiterated their shared objective to pursue the establishment of a zone free of WMD and their means of delivery in the Middle East, including the Gulf region, inter alia through facilitating discussions on this issue among government officials and academics.
Taking note of the great interest of countries in the region in resorting to nuclear energy, for exclusively peaceful purposes, the GCC and the ED underlined that when countries make the choice of nuclear energy, the nuclear energy programme shall be developed in accordance with the highest standards of safety, security and non-proliferation. The EU therefore welcomes the GCC's intention to closely co-operate with the IAEA in accordance with the international standards and regularisations in developing a joint programme for the region.
The EU and the GCC reaffirmed their respect for universal human rights and democratic principles and agreed on the continued need to focus on and to promote values of tolerance and moderation. They reiterated their support to the Alliance of Civilisation (AOC) initiative as an important tool to build bridges between different cultures and to counter stereotypes and misconceptions of cross cultural nature.
The EU and the GCC reiterated their shared commitment to support Yemen's development as a stable and prosperous state. They welcomed the fact that the recent Qatari led mediation effort achieved a pause in the fighting in the Sa'ada region. The 19th meeting of the Joint Council will be held in the GCC in 2009. – Emirates News Agency, WAM
Barak appeals to Olmert’s Kadima party to replace him as prime minister, but no ultimatum
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5302
In a tensely awaited statement, defense minister Ehud Barak said: “Considering the situation and the weighty challenges facing the country – Hamas, Hizballah, Syria, Iran and the peace process – Ehud Olmert cannot be considered fit to manage affairs of state and I call upon him to withdraw as prime minister - whether by resigning, taking leave or suspending himself.
Should Kadima, the party headed by Olmert, prove unable to choose an alternative prime minister, Labor, which Barak heads, will seek an early general election on an agreed date. “We are not waiting for Kadima with a stop watch, but would hope they move quickly,” he said.
DEBKAfile’s political sources note that the Barak announcement disappointed his own party, the political establishment and the population at large, who expected him too take Labor out of the government coalition and schedule a general election.
The defense minister was responding to the corruption case pending against the prime minister, which was strengthened Tuesday, May 27, by the pre-trial testimony of American businessman Morris Talansky at the Jerusalem District Court. Talansky’s affirmation that he handed the prime minister $150,000 in envelopes and unpaid loans over a 15-year period, caused widespread popular outrage and demands for Olmert to step down or otherwise remove himself by taking leave of absence.
A year ago, the defense minister went back on his pledge to quit if the Winograd panel rules against Olmert’s management of the Lebanon War.
Four members of Olmert’s own Kadima have called on him to step down.
DEBKAfile’s political sources note that the prosecution and police investigation of the case against the prime minister has turned up more of the prime minister’s past funding sources in addition to the businessman Talanaksy. The case against him is therefore far from complete.
61 MKs back bill against Golan withdrawal
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1211434114874&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
A multi-party bill designed to make it harder for the government to cede the Golan Heights to Syria received an initial promise of 61 signatures Monday even before it was filed by MK Eliyahu Gabbi (NU-NRP).
Sixty of those parliamentarians, including coalition minister and Shas party leader Eli Yishai, have already signed a petition in support of the bill on Monday. The 61st MK has promised to sign it Tuesday morning, at which point Gabbi intends to submit it to the Knesset.
While 61 signatures are required to pass the bill, Gabbi did not need that many names to file the legislation.
But he gathered them nonetheless as a show of strength both in support of the legislation and against any governmental steps to return the Golan to Syria.
The proposed law would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority - 80 MKs - in order to approve any concessions on the Golan Heights. At present, the Golan could be given away with only a majority of votes.
Among those who have signed the anti-Golan withdrawal bill are Labor MK Yoram Marciano, Kadima MKs Ronit Tirosh, David Tal, Marina Solodkin, Tzahi Hanegbi, Otniel Schneller and Ze'ev Elkin. In addition, members of Likud, Shas, Israel Beiteinu, the National Union-National Religious Party and the Gil Pensioners Party, as well as its breakaway faction, have signed on.
To emphasize their opposition to the Golan withdrawal, almost 30 parliamentarians attended the first meeting of the newly convened pro-Golan lobby, which was held in the Knesset.
The vast majority of those present were members of right-wing opposition parties, including Likud party leader Binyamin Netanyahu.
But the meeting drew a number of coalition members such as Marciano, the lone Labor signer on Gabbai's proposed bill.
"I came here to support the Golan. I signed onto [Gabbi's] bill," said Marciano. "I have signed onto your fight. I say "no" to returning the Golan."
Elkin, who lives in the West Bank and is among the more right-wing members of his party, said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert lacks Kadima support for the measure. "There is no support for territorial concessions in the Golan, not in [Olmert's] party, not in the government and not in this Knesset."
He said giving up the Golan is not part of the Kadima party platform and so there is no mandate to act on it.
During the last elections, Kadima promised the people in the Golan to support them and secured many votes there as a result, including in Katzrin in the Golan, where Kadima won a majority of support.
He called on Olmert to reveal what he has really said during the negations with the Syrians or to step down.
"Kadima has no place for a leader that wants to give back the Golan," Elkin said. "I will work to take him down if he pursues this course."
MK Effi Eitam (NU-NRP), said all those parliamentarians who truly love the Golan should put their money where their mouth was and vote for a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
"And we'll see who votes," Eitam said, adding that it was impossible to support the Golan and the government at the same time
.
His comments drew a retort from Shas MKs, who noted that one could oppose a Golan pullout without toppling the government.
Eitam, a Golan resident and long-time advocate on its behalf, warned that Olmert and other proponents of a Golan pullout would manipulate three points in their campaign: security, peace and US policy.
The government would say that it is in Israel's security interest to withdraw, he said, but most security experts believe it is impossible to defend Israel against Syria without the Golan.
The government had promised that Israelis would be able to eat hummus in Damascus, but after 30 years of peace with Egypt, he said, they still can't have hummus in Cairo - far from pressuring Israel to make peace with Syria, the US is opposed to the talks.
"What we have with Egypt is quiet, but we also have that in the Golan," Eitam said. "We have to stop the virtual expectations that won't come to fruition."
He said he was not opposed to negotiations with Syria, as long as they did not lead a withdrawal.
What is dangerous in this case, he said, is that withdrawal is the starting point for the negotiations rather then the end of the process. "Negotiations mean that we have agreed to return the Golan."
Israeli DM: Olmert Must Step Down
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/382512.aspx
CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Israeli Defense Minister and Labor party chairman Ehud Barak said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cannot run the government and his personal affairs at this time.
"The prime minister must detach himself from the daily management of the government," Barak said. "He can do so in a variety of ways, which will not be determined by us," he said.
Earlier Wednesday, following a meeting of the National Security Cabinet, the prime minister summoned Barak to his office. The two met for about an hour, after which Barak held a press conference, which was broadcast live on Israeli television.
"In the wake of the current situation and considering the challenges Israel faces, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, the kidnapped soldiers and the peace process, the prime minister cannot lead the government and conduct his personal affairs at the same time," the defense minister said.
"Out of consideration for the good of the country and the accepted norms, I believe the prime minister must detach himself from the day-to-day leadership of the country," he said.
Barak said it was the prime minister's decision whether to suspend himself from office or to resign.
"We're not coming to Kadima with a stop watch, but this has to happen soon, and I mean soon," Barak said, adding that if the prime minister doesn't step down, "we will move toward early elections."
Earlier Wednesday morning, Tal Zilberstein, the prime minister's strategic advisor, told Army Radio that Olmert would not step down from office before clearing his name.
"Olmert has made a firm decision to continue serving as prime minister," Zilberstein said. "I say this on the basis of a conversation I had with him a short time ago," he said.
"He has no intention of suspending himself or making any sort of announcement, neither at this juncture nor at any stage while he is in the process of proving his innocence," Zilberstein said.
"He doesn't have any intention to resign or to step down temporarily, even if Barak asks him to," he said.
While politicians across the political spectrum called on Olmert to step down, government spokesman, Mark Regev said the prime minister would continue with his daily schedule.
"It's business as usual," Regev said.
Olmert responds to Barak: I have no intention of resigning
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1211872839382&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed Wednesday not to quit after Defense Minister Ehud Barak called on him to "detach himself from the day-to-day leadership of the country" in light of the Morris Talansky affair.
Olmert called Kadima ministers and MKs after Barak's press conference in Jerusalem, and pleaded with them to give him the benefit of the doubt that he did not commit any crime when he accepted cash from the American financier. He said he would give his side of the story in the coming days to try to persuade the public as well.
"I will continue to function as prime minister," Olmert told southern mayors in his first public comments after Barak's press conference. "There are those who believe that every opening of an investigation requires a resignation. I don't think so, and I do not intend to resign."
In closed conversations with Kadima MKs, Olmert lashed out at Barak, who he said did not really want him to quit but was forced to demand his resignation to quell internal pressure in his Labor Party.
Olmert's associates went further, calling the press conference "amateurish and stupid" and accusing Barak of learning nothing from the mistakes of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
Sources close to Olmert said Livni had harmed herself politically when she called for Olmert to resign after the release of the interim Winograd Report on the Second Lebanon War and that the same would happen to Barak now. Olmert's associates expressed doubt that anyone in Kadima would take any action against him.
The candidates to replace Olmert in Kadima declined to comment after Barak's press conference. A source close to Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said he "would not act according to Barak's dictates." An associate of another candidate said there was no reason to hurry, and an aide to a third said of Barak's press conference that "saying is not doing."
While Barak did not set a deadline for Kadima to replace Olmert, Labor secretary-general Eitan Cabel said he would ensure that an election date was set by the time the Knesset adjourned its summer session at the end of July. Barak allowed Cabel to submit a bill to dissolve the Knesset.
A similar bill, drafted by Likud MK Silvan Shalom, could be brought to a Knesset vote in as early as two weeks after Olmert returns from a planned trip to Washington. Shas chairman Eli Yishai told Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that he preferred setting an election date to forming a new government with the current Knesset led by a new prime minister from Kadima.
Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said Olmert planned to fly to Washington on Monday evening - as scheduled - for two days, during which he will address the annual AIPAC policy conference and meet with US President George W. Bush.
The official said Olmert was continuing to carry on with the business of the state, having held a security cabinet meeting Wednesday morning, followed by an appearance in the Knesset, a meeting with Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, and meetings on economic issues, security and with mayors of communities near the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, Olmert is scheduled to meet with visiting Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and in the evening he will get together with internal security ministers from around the world here for a conference.
"The prime minister is convinced that as the investigation continues, his innocence of any wrongdoing will be proven," one official said. "The question is whether the investigation will continue, or will politics trump that."
The official said the investigation had just begun, and that Morris Talansky had not even been cross-examined. "Nothing has really changed, and there is no reason for the current media storm."
Olmert had no intention of quitting or of calling for an early election, because he believed he was innocent and that in the end the truth would come out. He said Olmert believed he could ride this out.
"He is not a quitter," the official said.
"Some people in this office have a sense of deja-vu," the official went on, referring to speculation after the Second Lebanon War, and then again after the release of both the interim and final Winograd reports, that the prime minister would have to step down.
Cabel, who quit the cabinet following the interim Winograd Report, defended Barak, saying that his statement was "not pareve," but was significant and would lead to an early election, most likely in November.
But Labor MK Yoram Marciano said Barak's comments "lacked sufficient strength."
"If he wanted to do something dramatic, he would have quit the coalition, but he didn't," Marciano said. "Barak made two mistakes - he didn't set a deadline and he gave the ball back to Kadima instead of letting Labor decide."
An official Likud statement issued following Barak's remarks said, "Stop playing political games. The big challenges ahead of the state obligate elections and a new government. Likud calls on all the factions to get together and set a date for elections."
MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union-National Religious Party) voiced concern that Barak would "repeat the false promises he made at Kibbutz Sdot Yam at his infamous press conference in June 2007," referring to Barak's pledge to step down from his post as defense minister after the release of the Winograd Report.
"Barak will continue to fail to keep his promises," Orlev said. "Instead of taking a serious step to end Olmert's government and advance elections, Barak chose an unclear statement with no timetable."
If Olmert is toast, so is Bush bid to broker peace deal
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/05/28/ap5056933.html
WASHINGTON - If Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is toast in a corruption scandal, so is President Bush's effort to broker a Mideast peace deal by the time he leaves office.
Time and patience were running short for U.S.-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians before Olmert's simmering political troubles boiled over this week. If Olmert is forced out, there will be little time and perhaps even less appetite among all sides to start over.
Israel's powerful defense minister, Ehud Barak, who is presumed to want Olmert's job, said Wednesday the prime minister should step aside because of his political or legal distractions. Barak threatened to bring down the government if Olmert doesn't comply.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refused comment to Wednesday on the unfolding political drama, and the State Department put on a game face.
"We firmly believe and are fully committed to helping the Israelis and Palestinians achieve a peace agreement by the end of the year," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said. "We have committed to supporting their efforts. They have committed to reaching that agreement. That is where we were yesterday, that's where we were today, and I expect that's where we'll be tomorrow."
Students of previous, failed negotiations said Olmert's precarious position could let the Bush administration off the hook if the current talks go nowhere.
"If Israeli politics are in meltdown, that's certainly not the time to lock in an agreement that breaks new ground," said Jonathan Alterman, Mideast scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Israeli prosecutors are looking into tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions that Olmert collected from American donors in the years before he became prime minister in 2006.
Pressure for Olmert to resign, or at least "go on vacation," as Barak put it, grew louder after a key witness, U.S. businessman Morris Talansky, testified this week that he had given $150,000 to Olmert. Talansky said the payments, often cash-stuffed envelopes, helped fund Olmert's expensive lifestyle that included luxury hotels and first-class travel.
Olmert has denied any wrongdoing and promised to resign if indicted.
Olmert's government was built on the premise that cutting a deal with the Palestinians is in Israel's best long-term interest. If Barak carries out his threat, new elections could bring a government opposed to those high-level negotiations as well as new, low-level talks with Syria.
Even if there were a deep bench of peace-minded politicians behind him, Olmert's personal relationship with his Palestinian counterpart and his direct involvement in talks would be difficult to replicate quickly.
Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet regularly, shake hands warmly and act as billboard advertising for closed-door talks that both men say are confronting the toughest issues in the six-decade Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. negotiator and author of a recent history of U.S. peace efforts, "The Much Too Promised Land," likens the current talks to a car with three flat tires. The Palestinian Authority is still a mess, Olmert's in trouble and the U.S. doesn't seem reconciled to the kind of arduous diplomacy and hard political choices that a successful U.S.-brokered settlement would require, Miller said.
"The fourth tire is the only one with any air, and that's Abbas and Olmert. They like each other," and seem to work well together, Miller said. "But the car can't really go where it needs to go."
Olmert and Abbas inaugurated the negotiations last fall, after seven years of violence, with the goal of sketching a separate Palestinian state before Bush's term ends in January 2009. The talks have produced no clear public accomplishments.
Rice had been pushing both sides to demonstrate some progress, perhaps through the drawing of a new West Bank border, to give Israelis and Palestinians confidence that the talks are getting somewhere.
Rice was visibly rattled by questions about Olmert's political future during a visit to Jerusalem this month, and his fortunes were a hot topic during her private meetings with both Israelis and Palestinians. As she often does, Rice also met with Barak on that trip.
Olmert, a master political survivor, has weathered repeated scandals throughout his three-decade political career. The new police investigation is the fifth opened into his affairs since he was elected, and he was widely seen to have botched Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon.
He could hang on, but would probably be a diminished figure with less political capital to spend selling the unpopular concessions that would be required of Israel under a real land-for-peace settlement.
"Our goal here is not to achieve an agreement based on the personalities of President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert," Casey said. "Our goal here is to achieve an agreement that serves the interests of the Palestinian people and of the Israeli people."
U.S. Vows to Help Israel, Palestine Reach Peace Deal
http://english.cri.cn/2947/2008/05/29/176@363055.htm
The United States vowed Wednesday to help the Israelis and Palestinians clinch a peace agreement by the end of this year despite the stalled Middle East peace process.
"We firmly believe and are fully committed to helping the Israelis and Palestinians achieve a peace agreement by the end of the year. We have committed to supporting their efforts. They have committed to reaching that agreement," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.
"That is where we were yesterday, that's where we were today, and I expect that's where we'll be tomorrow," Casey said.
The United States has tried its efforts to push forward the Middle East peace process by hosing an international conference on the Middle East peace in Annapolis, Maryland last year. However, the Middle East peace has made little progress since then.
Ancient Egyptian City Unearthed in Sinai
http://www.newsmax.com/international/egypt_ancient_city/2008/05/28/99594.html
CAIRO, Egypt -- Archaeologists exploring an old military road in the Sinai have unearthed 3,000-year-old remains from an ancient fortified city, the largest yet found in Egypt, antiquities authorities announced Wednesday.
Among the discoveries at the site was a relief of King Thutmose II (1516-1504 B.C.), thought to be the first such royal monument discovered in Sinai, said Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. It indicates that Thutmose II may have built a fort near the ancient city, located about two miles northeast of present day Qantara and known historically as Tharu.
A 550-by-275-yard mud brick fort with several 13-foot-high towers dating to King Ramses II (1304-1237 B.C.) was unearthed in the same area, he said.
Hawass said early studies suggested the fort had been Egypt's military headquarters from the New Kingdom (1569-1081 B.C.) until the Ptolemaic era, a period of about 1500 years.
The ancient military road, known as "Way of Horus," once connected Egypt to Palestine and is close to present-day Rafah, which borders the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Archaeologist Mohammed Abdel-Maqsoud, chief of the excavation team, said the discovery was part of a joint project with the Culture Ministry that started in 1986 to find fortresses along that military road.
Abdel-Maqsoud said the mission also located the first ever New Kingdom temple to be found in northern Sinai, which earlier studies indicated was built on top of an 18th Dynasty fort (1569-1315 B.C.).
A collection of reliefs belonging to King Ramses II and King Seti I (1314-1304 B.C.) were also unearthed with rows of warehouses used by the ancient Egyptian army during the New Kingdom era to store wheat and weapons, he said.
Abdel-Maqsoud said the new discoveries corresponded to the inscriptions of the Way of Horus found on the walls of the Karnak Temple in Luxor which illustrated the features of 11 military fortresses that protected Egypt's eastern borders. Only five of them have been discovered to date.
Iran Aiding, Arming Hezbollah and Hamas, Says Israel
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,358743,00.html
JERUSALEM — Rockets and weapons bearing signs of Iranian paint, lettering and serial numbers are making their way into the Gaza Strip and Lebanon — helping Tehran cement its powerful role within militant movements on Israel's northern and southern flanks, senior Israeli security officials say.
The weapons, including an 18-inch fragment of a Grad-type Katyusha rocket seen by The Associated Press, are believed to be reaching blockaded Gaza through a clandestine network: by sea from Sudan to Egypt's Red Sea ports and then by land through the Sinai desert to tunnels that cross into the coastal strip, according to the officials.
Trucks and airplanes also carry Iranian-made rockets across the Syrian-Lebanese border, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity under military restrictions.
Hezbollah guerrillas bombarded Israel with nearly 4,000 rockets in their 2006 war. After recent clashes across Lebanon killed at least 67 people, Hezbollah forced the weakened Lebanese government into concessions that could free the guerrilla group to bring in even more rockets.
The Israeli claims — although expressed privately by security authorities — have not been backed up by a public display of evidence, leading some analysts to question the extent of Iranian involvement on Israel's borders. Iran, Hezbollah and Palestinian militants all deny an Iranian arms connection, though some Hezbollah militants privately acknowledge getting arms from Tehran.
But it's clear Iran has sharply increased its regional profile after the fall of archrival Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the rise of a Shiite-led government in Baghdad with close ties to Tehran.
The Israel connection isn't new. Six years ago, Israeli naval commandos captured a ship in the Red Sea, the Karine A, that Israel said was carrying 50 tons of missiles, mortars, rifles and ammunition from Iran to the Palestinians.
Egypt has publicly denounced suspected Iranian involvement in the conflict. Its foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, accused Iran of being behind Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza nearly a year ago.
Experts think Iran's wider aim is to indirectly pressure Israel. Establishing proxies on Israel's borders raises the price of any possible Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and makes it tougher for Israelis and Palestinians to forge a peace pact, they say.
Israel has not explained why it hasn't publicly released serial numbers and other rocket markings to prove Iranian interference. Some analysts suggest Israel is making unsubstantiated claims to keep up world pressure on Iran to trim its nuclear ambitions.
Hamas and other militant factions in Gaza have been firing crude projectiles into southern Israel for years. Israel's high-tech military hasn't been able to stop the rockets, which are increasingly striking closer to Israel's heartland.
Israeli military ballistics experts have identified Iranian origins from paint, toolwork and Latin lettering on weapon fragments, senior Israeli security officials said. Similar rockets produced in eastern Europe look different, they said.
The Grad fragments seen by the AP had threading indicating it was made in Iran, a security officer said. Hezbollah fired similar rockets at Israel during the 2006 war, he added.
Longer-range missiles have hit the town of Ashkelon in recent months, strengthening the suspicion that they are being supplied by Iran.
"Iran is, unfortunately, very much involved in supporting the buildup of the Hamas military machine in Gaza, whether it's in training Hamas operatives in different areas of technical know-how, whether it's in just funding them, whether it's supplying them with munitions, whether it's giving them capabilities to upgrade indigenous defense capabilities," government spokesman Mark Regev said.
The arsenal of Iranian-made weapons improved after Hamas militants blew open the border fence between Gaza and Egypt in January, allowing more arms to enter. Some of the new rockets can travel 25 miles — just 12 miles short of Tel Aviv, the Israelis say.
One rocket that recently slammed into Israel carried a 170mm warhead, officials said. Previous rockets carried 120mm warheads.
An April report by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an Israeli think tank with close ties to the defense establishment, pointed to a number of recent findings it claimed were examples of Iranian technology used by Gaza militants.
Rockets fired into southern Israel during a recent flare-up in fighting had engines divided into four 20-inch parts "to make it easier for the terrorist organizations to smuggle the rockets into the Gaza Strip by dismantling the sections," the report said.
Iranian weaponry "would seriously increase the risk to Israel," said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
"You then no longer require or are relying on a technician in Gaza to pull the rocket together from indigenous supplies, but actually are getting the entire rocket in, which would mean a more professionally prepared and put-together weapon," Riedel said.
Abu Obeida, a Hamas military leader in Gaza, says Israel is claiming the Iranian connection to mobilize international support for an attack on Gaza.
"The Gaza Strip was always capable of manufacturing the tools it needs for its resistance," added Hamas' deputy leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk, in a telephone interview from his base in Damascus, Syria.
Iranian officials did not respond to calls seeking comment. In the past, Iran has acknowledged giving millions of dollars to Hamas but denied supplying arms.
Experts are divided on whether Iran is directly providing weapons to Hamas.
John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, an Alexandria. Va.-based defense research firm, said he "would not need a great deal of convincing," given Iran's history of support for Palestinian militants.
But David Hartwell, Middle East and North Africa editor at Jane's Country Risk, a London publication, said that while Israel's claims "are not outside the realm of possibility ... without any evidence to back it up, it's very difficult to substantiate any of the Israeli allegations."
Meir Javedanfar, an Iran expert based in Israel, thinks Iran is more likely financing the purchase of the more sophisticated weapons Israel has seen.
"We haven't seen any kind of evidence by Israel, like serial numbers of weapons, or any traces, to prove they are Iranian-made," he said. "Money — I think that's the highest probability."
Tehran is thought to have pledged at least $300 million to Hamas, but it is not clear how much money has been delivered. Israeli security officials cite different numbers, ranging to tens of millions of dollars.
Israel, like many of its Western allies, does not believe Iran's assertions that its nuclear program is meant only to produce energy. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has heightened Israel's alarm with repeated calls to destroy the Jewish state.
Iran needs a deterrent to an Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities, said Menashe Amir, director of Israel Radio's Farsi service. "So it built Hezbollah on (Israel's) northern border, and is now cultivating Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza."
One senior Israeli security official said Iran tightened its ties with Hamas and Islamic Jihad after the Lebanon war because the Iranians "understood that Hezbollah cannot be activated as frequently as they want."
One possible brake on any future Hezbollah action against Israel would be a successful conclusion of newly resumed Syrian-Israeli peace talks. Hezbollah also enjoys support from Damascus, and a peace deal between Israel and Syria could reduce Syrian backing for Hamas as well.
In the meantime, indirect cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas have been dragging on for months — increasing the prospect that Israel would launch a threatened major military operation there.
A report in March by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cited Israeli claims that Hezbollah now commands 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 shorter-range ones. Other Israeli officials have said the number is much higher. Before the 2006 conflict, Israel estimates, Hezbollah had 14,000 rockets.
But it's not just a matter of numbers, says Israel's military intelligence chief, Amos Yadlin. He told the Haaretz newspaper in an interview published last week that Hezbollah now has weapons that "cover large areas of Israel."
Senior Israeli defense officials say Hezbollah's new Iranian rockets can fly 185 miles. In 2006, the farthest any flew was 45 miles inside Israel.
If another war were to break out, Israel "will face a stronger Hezbollah," Yadlin said.
Ahmadinejad Rival Gets Powerful Post in Iran
http://www.newsmax.com/international/iran_nuclear/2008/05/28/99655.html
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's lawmakers overwhelmingly picked conservative Ali Larijani as parliament speaker Wednesday, sending another strong message of discontent with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's leadership by boosting one of his likely challengers in elections next year.
Larijani, the country's former top nuclear negotiator, has said he wants a less confrontational approach to the West and brings wide international experience to the influential speaker's post.
His selection was the latest sign of dissatisfaction with the president's handling of Iran's economy _ flush with oil revenue but still stumbling _ and worries about the diplomatic impasse over Iran's program to develop nuclear technology.
The speaker's seat also carries a significant political profile.
Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani served as speaker during much of the 1980s as Iran emerged from the 1979 Islamic Revolution and fought a devastating war with Iraq. Mehdi Karroubi, who had the post from 2000-2004, sought to open new channels with Washington under reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
Conservatives _ who dominate parliament _ were already deeply divided between supporters and opponents of Ahmadinejad. His conservative critics, including Larijani, have promised to tame Iran's inflation and tackle other economic problems.
Larijani is considered a more moderate force than Ahmadinejad, though he belongs to the same hardline conservative camp.
For now, both Ahmadinejad and Larijani are both enjoying the support of the country's ruling clerics. But a key question is who the theocracy will support if they face each other for the presidency next year.
Larijani quit as Iran's top nuclear negotiator last year over differences with Ahmadinejad, saying he wanted a less confrontational approach with the West.
But _ just moments after being chosen parliament speaker _ Larijani said Iran could impose new limits on its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Larijani called a critical new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency "deplorable." The unusually strongly worded report issued Monday said Iran may be withholding information needed to establish whether it tried to make nuclear weapons.
"This parliament won't allow such deception," Larijani told an open session of parliament broadcast live on state-run radio.
The council has imposed three sets of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to halt enriching uranium _ a process that can be used to generate electricity or nuclear arms.
"Should this behavior continue, the parliament ... will set new limits on cooperation with the IAEA," Larijani said.
His comments drew chants of "God is great" and "Death to America" from the chamber.
Larijani didn't specify what measures the parliament would take, but it could include further scaling back cooperation by not responding to questions originating from Western intelligence agencies.
The tone of the IAEA report suggesting Tehran continues to stonewall the U.N. nuclear monitor revealed a glimpse of the frustration felt by agency investigators stymied in their attempts to gain full answers to suspicious aspects of Iran's past nuclear activities.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Iran has "a lot of explaining to do about the IAEA report."
"The major question on my mind today is how the Iranians are going to answer the quite serious charges of non-cooperation," said Rice, speaking to reporters aboard her plane en route to an international conference on Iraq in Sweden.
Iran has previously described its cooperation with the agency's probe as positive, suggesting it was providing information requested by agency officials.
In the past, Iran had extensive voluntary cooperation with the IAEA beyond its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, including allowing IAEA inspectors to visit its military sites as a goodwill gesture to build trust.
But Tehran ended all voluntary cooperation with the IAEA, including allowing snap inspections of its nuclear facilities, in February 2006 after being reported to the U.N. Security Council.
Ever since, Iran has limited its cooperation to only its obligations under the nonproliferation treaty. The treaty does not require Iran to allow short-notice intrusive inspections of its facilities.
Muslims equate Christians with terrorists
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=65447
Police raid homes, seize literature, arrest converts and deport missionaries.
Christian missionaries are "as dangerous as terrorist activities or the illegal drug trade," Islamic theologians in Uzbekistan declared.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports a new documentary called "In the Clutches of Ignorance," featuring Uzbek experts, state officials and representatives of Orthodox and Catholic churches in Uzbekistan, claims missionaries pose a serious threat to the Islamic republic.
The Uzbek state film criticized Jehovah's Witnesses, the Christian Gospel Church and Blagodat (evangelical charity), saying they cause a "global problem, along with religious dogmatism, fundamentalism, terrorism, and drug addiction."
Jasur Najmiddinov, one of many religious experts interviewed, accused Protestants of being a "political tool" and a "part of geopolitical games," RFE/RL reported.
"Their center or place of origin traces back to the United States," Najmiddinov said. "They have even gone so far as meddling in politics. We all know representatives of the Protestant movement played a significant role in the Orange Revolution in Ukraine."
The Uzbek theologian said missionary activities disrupt society because Uzbek families do not tolerate relatives who convert from Islam.
The May 16 documentary featured clips of people praying and claimed Uzbek Christians, who have turned their backs on Islam, could effortlessly betray their country.
Uzbekistan bans missionary activity, religions that are not registered with the government and printing of faith-based literature without state consent.
Norway's Forum 18, an organization defending religious freedom, reports intolerance of religion is steadily growing in Uzbekistan as police invade private homes, seize Christian literature, arrest converts and deport missionaries.
The new state documentary warns, Christian missionaries seek out "those with low political awareness and weak-willed young people, as well as minors," and it said they "get funds abroad" to destabilize Islam.
Although the government says its official stance of "religious toleration" is part of its policy, persecution of a wide variety of religious groups is common in Uzbekistan. Human rights organizations say the government incarcerates Muslims for worshipping outside state institutions and calls them extremists determined to bring down the government.
Uzbek imam Obidkhon Qori Nazarov blames the strict government for putting so much pressure on Muslims that it often separates them from Islam, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reported.
"People are being fired from their jobs or expelled from universities for merely growing a beard or wearing head scarves," he said. "Some people are even sent to prison. People are afraid of following the most basic Islamic requirements."
Nazarov claims terrified parents refuse to let their children pray or go to mosques because they fear the government, as it controls all religious activities and even appoints imams.
"It's like Soviet times," Nazarov said. "In the Soviet days, we also had mosques and churches everywhere. But in reality, they all operated under the tightest government control."
A Prominent House Church Leader Detained in China
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07234.shtml
(christiansunite.com) - Pastor Lou Yuanqi, a prominent house church leader in the town of Qingshuihe, Xinjiang province was detained at approximately 1:00 p.m. on May 16, according to a May 19 report from China Aid Association.
After being interrogated for an hour in the township police station, Yuanqi was transferred to a detention centre and charged with "inciting separatism." The pastor has been previously arrested several times. This is the first instance, however, of him being placed under criminal detention which means that he will likely face a serious indictment in court.
Pray for Pastor Yuanqi to experience the joy and peace of Christ while he suffers (Acts 5:41). Pray for Chinese house church leaders to stand in God's grace as they continue to face pressure from the authorities.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in China, go to www.persecution.net/country/china.htm.
House Church Members Detained in Guizhou Province
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07230.shtml
GUIZHOU PROVINCE, China, (christiansunite.com) -- CAA has learned that on March 15, 2008, several house church members were gathered at the home of Wu Yao Hua in Erli Village, Xishui County, Guizhou Province, when several police officials disrupted their meeting and ordered the members to stop their activities. The officials confiscated hymn books and leaflets from the house church.
Police officials disrupted the church meeting again on March 29. One of the house church members, Wu Guang Qing, began to argue the legality of the gathering by reading to the officials the law and regulations regarding citizen's rights of Religious freedom. The officials ignored his remarks and confiscated Bibles, flashlights, and the book of law and regulations that Wu had read from.
Two of the church members, Wu Xin Quan and Wu Guang Qing were summoned to the Erli Police Station. Two more members, Li Shi Zhen and Zhang Shao Lin were taken by force in the afternoon of the same day. The members were detained and charged with "participation in an evil cult". Family members of those detained were informed of the charge and told to take legal action if they so desired. Police officials failed to give proper documentation concerning the arrest and detentions. According to sources the names of those involved are: Wu Guang Qing, Li Shi Xue, Zhang Shao Lin, Wu Xin Quan
This case is yet another incident revealing the pretentiousness of this Government's policy for tolerance and religious freedom. In no way were these church members afforded fair or adequate treatment concerning proper legal procedure which is a constitutional right afforded to all Chinese citizens. CAA and its supporters call for the members of the Erli house church to be adequately and fairly recompensed for the injustices done to them by corrupt Government Officials.
CAA has also learned that Government officials have turned away house church members who have volunteered to help those who have been affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province. These actions are comparable to the recent events in Myanmar, where the ruling Junta refused free aid while thousands of victims suffered without food or shelter. Such biased behavior is a reminder of the irrational prejudice the CPC holds against house church members who want nothing more than to have true religious freedom and help their fellow countrymen in this hour of need.
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