What Holly Thinks: The 70th Week of Daniel
http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/commentary/what-holly-thinks-the-70th-week-of-daniel/
You will see a lot on this site about something called the “70th Week of Daniel.” What is it?
It’s simply a biblical term for the last seven years of world history – when all the end-time prophecies will be fulfilled. It comes from the book of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27).
Background
In 605 B.C., the Jewish people were taken captive by the Babylonians, who, in turn, were conquered by the Medo-Persians. One day, the Jewish prophet Daniel, who was among the captives, was reading a prophecy given by the prophet Jeremiah and realized that his people’s captivity was about to end (Jeremiah 25:11-12). So, Daniel prayed to God about the future of Israel (Daniel 9:1-19). In response to his prayer, God sent the angel Gabriel to him with a message (9:20-23).
Gabriel told Daniel that “70 weeks” had been decreed for the Jewish people until their nation, Israel, was established as God’s final kingdom (verse 24). Gabriel then broke down the 70 weeks into time increments. He said that “69 weeks” would pass from the time the Jewish people were released from captivity and rebuilt Jerusalem until their Messiah came (verse 25). After 69 weeks, the Messiah would be “cut off” and Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. This would be followed by a gap of time characterized by wars and desolations (verse 26).
Then the “prince who is to come” (the Antichrist) would strengthen a covenant with many nations, including Israel, for “one week” (the 70th week). But halfway through the week he would break the covenant and end Jewish sacrifices. He would cause great desolation until God destroyed him (verse 27).
Interpretation
Many Bible scholars interpret the “70 weeks” as symbolic language for 490 years, with each week symbolizing a period of seven years. So, according to the prophecy Daniel was given, 483 years (69 weeks) would pass from the time the Jewish people were released from captivity and rebuilt Jerusalem until the Messiah came. And that’s exactly what happened.
Then, in A.D. 33, Christ was crucified and, in A.D. 70, the temple was sacked by the Romans. Since then, we’ve entered the time gap. The 70th Week will begin when the Antichrist strengthens a covenant for seven years.
Significance
So, the gap between the 69th Week and the 70th Week – known as the “church age” – started when the Jewish temple was destroyed and, according to many Christians, continues today. But if the theory of this Web site is correct, then it’s possible the 70th Week started Jan. 1, 2007, when the New European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) went into force for a seven-year time period. Learn about the ENP at http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/page/overview/. And, if this is true, then the time left until Christ’s return is very short.
Candidates Target Evangelical Voters
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/395162.aspx
CBNNews.com -- TAYLOR, Mich. -- Could Barack Obama's views on abortion be a deal breaker with Christian voters?
The Democratic Presidential candidate tells CBN News while that may be the case, he still believes there's enough common ground to appeal to evangelicals across the country.
Evangelicals. They pray together, worship together and in many cases, vote together. In recent elections, they've flocked to the Republican Party. Sen. Barack Obama and his campaign want to change that.
How? By opening the door to Christian leaders in a way not normally or at least, recently chosen by Democrats.
"The truth of the matter is that I've been in a conversation with pastors since I moved to Chicago," Obama said. "I think they are a force for good and can do great things in the community. Not all the changes we need in this country are going to be brought about because of a government program."
Obama's Issues
His outreach team is targeting young evangelical and Catholic voters from across the political spectrum. And the presumptive nominee met face to face with religious leaders including Franklin Graham and Max Lucado.
"I opened up the meeting by quoting Ronald Reagan which was saying, I know you can't endorse me, but I endorse you," Obama said. "I endorse the good works that are being done, the wonderful ministries that are taking place all across the country and my goal here is just to have a dialogue to listen, to learn, to share my faith journey and I think people came out of it, not necessarily agreeing with me on every issue, but I think that they recognized that I respected them."
Some of those issues could cause problems come November. On abortion, Obama is pro-choice. He is in favor of civil unions and his association with his former pastor the Reverend Jeremiah Wright hit a negative note.
"I think on some issues I would be considered left of the spectrum, there's no doubt. That's something, that for some, and I respect this, is a deal breaker," Obama said.
"None of these folks may vote for me, but I want them to know that there's a possibility of me working with them to advance common goals, like reducing teen pregnancies, or making sure that we're dealing with the homeless population or dealing with the tragedy of Darfur," he daid.
McCain's Issues
And that's the plan -- find common ground, listen and boost evangelical turnout.
Could that hurt senator John McCain? The so-called "maverick" Republican appears to be working to attract Independents. Yet McCain's top advisor tells CBN News McCain is there for evangelicals.
"He has met with a lot of evangelical leaders and groups and continues to reach out to them. I think a lot of the leadership of the very diverse evangelical organizations is now fully supporting him," Charlie Black said.
McCain has a proven track record on issues like the war on terror, and abortion. But trying to appeal to both groups of voters is a delicate balancing act.
"I think he says to evangelicals and other conservatives, I might not be with you on every single issue, but when he tells them something - they can believe it," black said.
But McCain has some negatives that don't sit well with evangelical voters. He doesn't support a federal marriage amendment. He is in favor of federal funded embryonic stem cell research and he hasn't openly shared his faith walk with voters.
McCain recently turned down an invitation to appear at the Southern Baptist Convention and that coupled with the Pastor John Hagee controversy have some evangelicals scratching their heads. It's a new religious landscape and both sides know it.
Obama Campaign Scrambling in Wake of Evangelist Questioning if He is Really a Christian
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07304.shtml
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, (christiansunite.com) -- Senator Barack Obama's campaign team is scrambling to do damage control in the wake of the national story two weeks ago when the world's leading Internet evangelist Bill Keller of Liveprayer, questioned in a widely distributed Op-ed article, YouTube video, and Daily Devotional to his 2.4 million subscribers whether Senator Obama was really a Christian.
Keller questioned the authenticity of Senator Obama's faith in Christ due to the fact he has stated there are "many paths to God" when orthodox Christianity clearly teaches that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved, in addition to his support of killing babies, gay marriage, and giving away part of Israel to the Palestinians, all contrary to Christian teachings according to the Bible.
In response to Keller's assertions, the Obama campaign has launched the Joshua Generation Project, concentrating on young Christian rather than older Christians who are unlikely to support someone who advocates killing babies and gay marriage. Also, last week Senator Obama had a private meeting in Chicago with a handpicked selection of evangelicals who were allowed to ask him any question, but were forbidden to share his answers with the press or in any public forum.
Lastly, was the launch of a new campaign website designed to counter the rumors and false information being spread on the Internet. On that website, he again reaffirms his claim to be a Christian, but fails to address ANY of the questions about his statements and actions Keller raised which calls into question whether he really is a Christian or not.
Keller stated, "I have asked the Senator to sit down with me on camera and answer these important questions that have made people doubt if he really is a Christian. Despite repeated calls, emails, and letters to his campaign office, they have not even had the decency to respond. It is evident that Senator Obama will not sit down with someone who will ask him the right questions which require simple yes and no answers, opting instead to continue to hide in forums where he can market himself a Christian and not be held accountable for his beliefs and actions."
Day Gardner, National Black Pro-Life Union Comments on TD Jakes and Barack Obama
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07301.shtml
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- A few days ago Bishop TD Jakes released a statement in which he said that he got "visible goose bumps" upon hearing that Senator Barack Obama would be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.
He got goose bumps; I got nauseous! As a black woman, I can certainly appreciate the historic implications of the Democratic Party's nomination of an African American as well as cheer some of Mr. Obama's accomplishments. The fact remains that Barack Obama is NOT a man that I can proudly--nor will ever "proudly" call "Mr. President."
Bishop Jakes spoke of a torch that was lit by our forefathers and thanked Senator Obama for proudly carrying it through the darkness of our struggles, trials and tribulations. Due to his ruthless support of abortion it becomes more and more clear that Barack Obama is only leading the blind through total darkness--into an even darker abyss called Hell.
Even though the Bible makes it clear--children are a "gift" and a "reward," Barack Obama supports the mutilation and ultimate death of pre-born children. Therefore, his outrageous support of abortion throughout the entire pregnancy is a slap in GOD's face.
Barack Obama wants all of us to believe that he cares about racial discrimination and the black family, yet the man who wants to be President will not talk about the racism of abortion. He stands by silent--unusually mute--as abortion facilities are stealthily planted in black neighborhoods to kill black children.
Mr. Obama has never poured out one eloquent word to shield the body of even one of the 1500 black babies who are violently and gruesomely dismembered and killed by abortion each and every day. More than 15 million black children since 1973 have been targeted--slaughtered by abortion and this ghastly practice has become the number one killer of black people in the United States.
The sad thing is that we expect our church leaders to lead us --through the fire if necessary, to stand for biblical morality no matter what, yet, Bishop TD Jakes praises Obama stating that his win is "not just a victory for African Americans, but a victory for democracy." We should state for the record that Barack Obama's win is also a victory for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers whose main business is killing our children. I prayerfully ask Bishop Jakes to... "open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto GOD, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" Acts 26:18. True democracy will never be achieved as long as we continue the killing innocent children--we must pray that the scales must be removed from Mr. Obama's eyes and apparently from eyes of our clergy also.
Day Gardner is president of National Black Pro-Life Union, www.nationalblackprolifeunion.com and anchors The Daily Life News with Day Gardner for National Pro- Life Radio Online at NPLR.net
Analysis: Obama Chose Winning Over His Word
http://www.newsmax.com/politics/obama_money_analysis/2008/06/19/105988.html
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama chose winning over his word.
The Democrat once made a conditional agreement to accept taxpayer money from the public financing system, and accompanying spending limits, if his Republican opponent did, too.
No more.
The chance to financially swamp John McCain _ and maneuver for an enormous general election advantage _ proved too great an allure.
Obama, a record-shattering fundraiser, reversed course Thursday and decided to forgo more than $80 million so he could raise unlimited amounts of money and spend as much as he wants.
"It's not an easy decision, and especially because I support a robust system of public financing of elections," Obama said in announcing that despite his previous commitment, he would rely only on private donations because "the public financing of presidential elections as it exists today is broken."
And with that, the first-term Illinois senator tarnished his carefully honed image as a different kind of politician _ one who means what he says and says what he means _ while undercutting his call for "a new kind of politics."
McCain, for his part, painted the issue as a character test, saying: "This election is about a lot of things. It's also about trust. It's about keeping your word."
Not that the Arizona senator has much room to talk. He, too, has cast himself as a reformer who tells it like it is but his words and actions sometimes conflict with that identity.
Overall, the race between Obama and McCain amounts to an authenticity contest.
Voters are craving change from typical Washington ways and each candidate is claiming he offers a new brand of politics that transcends poisonous partisanship. Yet, each candidate, in what he says versus what he does, also is undermining his own promises not to become the politics of usual.
McCain, for instance, opposed President Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. Now, as a White House hopeful in 2008, he supports them; he says doing otherwise would amount to a tax increase. He also long advocated an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants. Then, while in the GOP primary, he emphasized securing the borders first; he says he listened to the public outcry and a defeated Senate bill.
The Republican also rails against special interests, yet he has faced criticism for having former lobbyists at his campaign's helm. And, just this week, McCain assailed Obama for proposing a windfall profits tax on oil, despite saying last month he would consider the same proposal.
"McCain's a four-star flip-flopper," said Chris Kofinis, a Democratic operative who worked for John Edwards in the primary. "The John McCain of 2000 wouldn't vote for the John McCain of 2008."
True or not, Republicans were quick to pound Obama over his money announcement.
"'Change We Can Believe In' has been thrown overboard for 'Political Expediency I Can Win With,'" said Todd Harris, a Republican analyst and aide to former presidential candidate Fred Thompson in the primary. "Every time Obama's change rhetoric meets his actual change record it evaporates in a cloud of hypocrisy."
Last year, as Obama competed against fundraising behemoth Hillary Rodham Clinton and before his fundraising prowess was evident, Obama proposed that both major party general election nominees agree to stay in the public financing system.
Then, Obama raised enormous sums _ and he started backing away from that position.
McCain, however, had indicated he would go along with the proposal and, since clinching the GOP nomination, has been trying to hold Obama to his commitment. Obama "said he would stick to his word. He didn't," McCain complained Thursday.
Obama made his announcement as McCain was in the Democrat's hometown of Chicago _ where McCain had come to raise money.
Obama's decision also came one day before the candidates were required to report their May fundraising totals.
The move could be the death-knell for the post-Watergate federal financing system designed to lessen the large donors' influence and reduce corruption.
It certainly will give Obama an extraordinary advantage over McCain and Republicans who have struggled to match Democratic fundraising this election cycle. Within hours, Obama showed his financial might by rolling out a 60-second television ad in 18 states, including several that have been reliable GOP strongholds.
Obama made the money announcement in a video message to supporters _ and sought to empower them to give more.
"You've fueled this campaign with donations of $5, $10, $20, whatever you can afford," Obama said in an appeal seeking donations from $25 to $2,300 and beyond.
"Let's build the first general election campaign that's truly funded by the American people," Obama said _ ignoring the fact that the system he's opting out of is paid for by taxpayers who donate $3 to the fund when they file their tax returns.
Obama blamed his decision in part on McCain and "the smears and attacks from his allies running so-called 527 groups." But he failed to mention that the only outside groups running ads in earnest so far are those aligned with Obama _ and running commercials against McCain.
So much for being a straight shooter.
Al Gore's Epic Hypocrisy
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369084,00.html
Al Gore imagines that future poets will be singing his praises 1,000 years from now. In the meantime back on Planet Earth, he may have to settle for the slings and arrows that he deserves for his epic hypocrisy.
A year after the Tennessee Center for Policy Research exposed Gore’s prodigious personal use of electricity at his Nashville mansion (20 times the national average), the center reported this week that Gore’s personal electricity consumption during the past year actually increased by 10 percent.
So while he campaigns for Americans to curtail their electricity use — you should take cold showers, forego air conditioning and dry your clothes on a clothesline — Gore is plugging in and turning on more than ever.
He tried to defend himself by stating that his family "has taken numerous steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their private residence, including signing up for 100 percent green power …, installing solar panels and using compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy-saving technology."
But aside from increased energy use not being consistent with Gore’s preaching about downsizing our lifestyles, it’s worth noting that his personal energy use increased despite using energy saving devices and solar power.
During a time of an alleged crisis, the profile of his personal power consumption is more akin to "greed" than "green"; moreover, the environmental impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s "green power" program from which Gore buys high-priced energy are murky, if not downright trivial.
Only 0.05 percent of TVA’s power is "green" and TVA acknowledges its green power program still produces greenhouse gases. All Gore really knows about any alleged benefits is that he pays an extra $4 for every 150-kilowatt hours of "green power" purchased.
He also says he has purchased "carbon offsets to offset the family’s carbon footprint." It’s not at all clear, however, that carbon offsets actually offset anything. Carbon offsets and the industry that sells them are so dubious that Congress and the Federal Trade Commission launched investigations of them last year.
Gore’s electric bill is outpaced only by his amped-up rhetoric and chutzpah. In his new slideshow, a sort of "Son of An Inconvenient Truth," Gore ironically chides those who "talk the talk" but don’t "walk the walk" when it comes to saving the planet.
In observing that religion is about behavior rather than belief and citing Gandhi’s "you must become the change that you wish to see in the world," Gore says, "… the outcome about which we wish to be optimistic is not going to be created by the belief alone except to the extent the belief brings about new behavior."
Well, we’ve seen Gore’s behavior with respect to his personal energy consumption and it certainly doesn’t match up with the alleged beliefs he continually broadcasts through a gullible media to a gullible public. Gore’s new slideshow goes on to expand the definition of behavior.
"As important as it is to change the light bulbs, it is more important to change the laws," he says.
Here’s where it gets more interesting. The laws that Gore is referring to, of course, are those that would provide subsidies to and mandates for the alternative energy industry. Gore spotlights a number of these companies, including Smart Car; Amyris Biotechnologies; Altra Biofuels; Mascoma (cellulosic ethanol); Great Point Energy (biomass-to-gas and carbon capture technology); Altarock Energy (geothermal energy); Bloomenergy (fuel cells); Missole (solar technology); and Ausra (solar technology).
As the companies; corporate logos flash on the screen, Gore states: "Here are just a few of the investments that I personally think make sense. I have a stake in these."
Putting aside the questionable legality of Gore’s promotion of his investments — conduct that could very well be contrary to federal and state securities laws that forbid an unlicensed individual from promoting unregistered securities to the public — it seems that it’s important to change the laws so that Gore can expand the $100 million-plus fortune he’s already accumulated since leaving public service in 2001.
Without laws that either mandate the adoption of alternative energies or subsidize their use, society has little use for these inefficient and not-ready-for-prime-time alternative energy technologies. While showing an image of the founding fathers signing the Declaration of Independence, Gore calls for a new "hero generation" to save us from the "planetary emergency."
He apparently sees himself as a 21st century Ben Franklin. But while the founding fathers risked their lives and fortunes in the pursuit of political freedom and self-government, Gore risks just a small part of his vast fortune in pursuit of potentially huge profits that will come at the expense of our pocketbooks and freedoms.
He can hardly be called heroic. Even more grandiosely, Gore sums up his slideshow by stating, "I think we ought to approach this challenge with a sense of profound joy and gratitude that we are the generation about which a thousand years from now, philharmonic orchestras and poets and singers will celebrate by saying 'they were the ones that found it within themselves to solve this crisis and lay the basis for a bright and optimistic human future.'"
Move over, Achilles and Hector. Make room for Gore-acles, the hero of the future epic "The Iliad (Global Warming Edition)."
U.S. Military Nuclear Weapon Parts Lost, But Not Missing
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,368926,00.html
The U.S. military misplaced hundreds of sensitive nuclear missile components, but they weren't lost -- they just weren't where they were supposed to be, a Navy source told FOX News on Thursday.
The Navy source close to Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that Gates ordered Adm. Kirkland Donald to investigate the nation's nuclear security in the wake of the military's accidental shipment of nuclear cones to Taiwan. The investigation called on the Air Force, Navy and Defense Logistics Agency to inventory all of their nuclear components.
Gates said the Pentagon would take inventory of every piece of nuclear weapon-related parts "to re-establish positive control of these sensitive, classified components," according to Thursday's Financial Times.
The investigation discovered "the gradual erosion of nuclear standards and a lack of effective oversight by air force leadership," Gates said.
The Financial Times reported that the U.S. Air Force did not know the whereabouts of the nuclear missile components or other nuclear parts. One official said the number of missing components was more than 1,000.
The Defense Logistics agency also could not account for a variety of nuclear components, as paperwork was not done from an inventory perspective. However, the Navy source told FOX News the components were not "lost," but were found in other secure classified locations.
Navy officials came back with 100 percent compliance, accounting for all of the service's nuclear components, the source said.
A senior defense official told the newspaper that the investigation did not mean that missing nuclear parts were in the hands of countries that should not have taken receipt of them.
"[It] identified issues about record keeping," he said.
Gordon Johndroe, National Security Council spokesman, declined to comment on the disclosure about the unaccounted components. But, Johndroe said, "The White House has confidence that Secretary Gates through his actions with the Air Force is addressing all of these issues."
Both the Air Force chief of staff and secretary, the military and civilian chiefs of the service, were asked to resign recently after the investigation's findings were revealed.
California Study Denying Abortion-Cancer Link is Fraudulent, Says Scientist
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07311.shtml
MEDIA ADVISORY, (christiansunite.com) -- The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer notes the publication of the study, DeLellis Henderson et al. 2008, in the journal Contraception, which purports to examine the abortion- breast cancer (ABC) link.
"This fraudulent study provides further strong evidence of the continuing, willful misrepresentation by prominent scientists of the well-established link between abortion and breast cancer," said Joel Brind, Ph.D., president of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute.
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is providing a commentary discussing the study's serious flaws which caused an underestimation of the risk including:
1) Nearly one in five women with breast cancer in the study were counted as not having breast cancer;
2) Researchers pretended to have evidence of the lack of a loss of the protective effect of a full term pregnancy among aborted women, but, by using the wrong comparison group (i.e., comparing childless women with abortion to those who had never been pregnant), they did not show any evidence of such an effect;
3) They included an outright lie about the study, Howe et al. 1989; and
4) They omitted raw data showing how many controls had induced abortions, but not cancer.
Dr. Leslie Bernstein, a senior author in the study, told CancerPage.com in 2003 why she has a deep-seated dislike for the ABC link. She said, "The biggest bang for the buck is the first birth, and the younger you are, the better off you are. I would never be a proponent of going around and telling them that having babies is the way to reduce your risk. I don't want the issue relating to induced abortion to breast cancer risk to be part of the mix of the discussion of induced abortion, its legality, its continued availability."
"DeLellis Henderson and her colleagues need to either learn how to do a proper study or get a conscience and stop playing politics with women's lives," asserted Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer. "Protecting Big Abortion from a tsunami of medical malpractice lawsuits isn't a priority."
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women's organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer.
US 'pro-life pharmacies' defend religious, moral objections
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/us.prolife.pharmacies.defend.religious.moral.objections/19663.htm
In 2002, Neil Noesen, a Wisconsin pharmacist and devout Roman Catholic, faced a nightmare after he was slapped with $20,000 (around £10,000) in court fines and restrictions on his license for refusing to hand a patient prescription that could be used for an abortion.
That case, like dozens of other similar cases that have dotted the US, have spurred the development of a growing number of new “pro-life pharmacies” that cater specifically to guarding the religious objections of pharmacists opposed to contraceptives and abortion drugs.
Karen Brauer, president of Pharmacists for Life, said that the new pharmacies – now over a dozen and growing – were an important milestone. Pro-life pharmacists could take solace in knowing that their constitutional right to defend life would be protected in the workplace, she said.
"This allows a pharmacist who does not wish to be involved in stopping a human life in any way to practice in a way that feels comfortable," she explained, according to The Washington Post.
Although pro-life and family groups have been uniform in their praise of the rise of new pharmacies that defend the rights of the unborn, opponents say that the pharmacies would hurt women who may be turned away during times when they find themselves badly in need of contraception.
"Contraception is essential for women's health. A pharmacy like this is walling off an essential part of health care. That could endanger women's health,” said Marcia Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center.
The Family Research Council, however, disagreed.
“On the contrary, what endangers women's health is the propaganda by Planned Parenthood and others that insists ‘emergency contraception’ is safe, when it can and has caused serious side effects,” the group said in a statement.
“The lack of contraception isn't killing any woman. Sexual promiscuity, on the other hand, is. We commend these drugstores for creating a safe environment for employees and consumers of moral and religious conviction,” the FRC added.
Pro-life pharmacies, the FRC stressed, would be identical to any other pharmacy, except for the absence of contraceptives and drugs that could be used for an abortion like the so-called “morning after” pill.
“Although some decry the pharmacies as discriminatory, it is well within the proprietors' rights to adhere to a higher moral code than political correctness. If customers don't like it, they are free to take their business elsewhere,” the FRC said.
At present, there are only nine states that have passed legislation protecting the moral objections of pharmacists who refuse to hand out contraceptives, highlighting the importance of pro-life pharmacies nationally.
Georgia Case is Latest Example that Abortion is Often Coerced, Not Chosen, Say 'Silent No More' Leaders
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07308.shtml
STATEN ISLAND, Ny., (christiansunite.com) -- The recent case of a Georgia woman who pressured her teenage son's girlfriend into having an abortion illustrates that the procedures are often not chosen, but coerced, say leaders of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign (SNMAC), the world's largest network of individuals harmed by abortion.
"The claim of the pro-abortion lobby that terminating a child's life is 'a choice between a woman and her doctor or her God' is empty rhetoric to the countless women I know who were intimidated or threatened by boyfriends, husbands, or relatives," said Janet Morana, co-founder of SNMAC. "This Georgia case shows just how far reaching the pressure to abort can be."
The case in question involved a woman who, court records show, insisted that her 16-year-old son's pregnant girlfriend not give birth. The woman confessed to pretending to be the girl's mother and illegally signing the girl's parental notification for abortion form. She was sentenced to one year in jail. The girl's actual parents were not told about the abortion until after it was performed.
"Abortion clinics will not voluntarily ask girls or women if they're being coerced into ending their children's lives," added Georgette Forney, another co-founder of SNMAC. "Abortion clinics are in business to make money and the more abortions they perform, the richer everyone involved becomes; everyone, that is, except the woman who's just had her life shattered and the baby who's just had his life ended."
Since the launching of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign in 2003, 2,326 women and men have shared their testimonies publicly at over 200 gatherings in 44 states and six countries where more than 15,000 spectators have heard the truth about abortion's negative aftereffects. More than 4,100 people are registered to be Silent No More. Raising awareness about the hurtful aftermath of abortion and the help that is available to cope with the pain are two of the Campaign's goals.
The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is a joint project of Anglicans for Life and Priests for Life. For more information, please visit www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org
La. Bill Allows Challenge to Evolution
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/395523.aspx
CBNNews.com - Louisiana's evolution education could see an overhaul soon, after lawmakers passed a bill protecting the rights of teachers who challenge the theory.
The Louisiana Science Education Act breezed through the state senate June 16 with a 36-0 vote, after being approved by the house the week before.
The landmark bill allows an "open and objective discussion of scientific theories" including "evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning." Teachers will also be allowed to use outside textbooks and references to further dissect the topics.
"Not all DNA and fossil evidence support a Darwinian view of life. This bill gives teeth to the freedom of a public school science teacher to ask their students to objectively analyze the scientific data," Wade Warren, professor of Biology at Louisiana College, said.
Gov. Bobby Jindal is expected to sign the bill into law. But opponents say that the law would bring religion into the classroom.
The Louisiana Coalition for Science denounced the bill in a letter sent to Gov. Jindal shortly after the bill received the okay Monday,
"Creationism, which includes both young-earth creationism and [intelligent design], is not science but a sectarian view based on the Bible..." the letter stated. "Since you hold a biology degree from Brown University... You also surely understand that there is no scientific controversy over the fact of evolution. The current controversy is a political one."
The American Civil Liberties Union also stepped out in opposition of the legislation, threatening to sue even before the bill hit the state's senate.
"It is the ACLU's position that we intend to do whatever is necessary to keep religion out of our science classrooms," said Marjorie Esman, ACLU New Orleans executive director.
Sen. Ben Nevers, a Democrat, sponsored the bill.
"I just believe that it is important that supplemental scientific information be able to be brought into the school system," he said, adding that he didn't think lawsuits would be filed because of the legislation.
Mexican Cartel Hit List Targets Americans Inside U.S.
http://www.newsmax.com/us/drug_cartels_target_US/2008/06/19/106068.html
EL PASO, Texas -- More than dozen people living in New Mexico and Texas are named in what appears to be a hit list from a Mexican drug cartel, law enforcement officials said.
At least one police officer from southern New Mexico is among the 15 to 20 people named in the threat, said Arturo Baeza, a sheriff's captain in that state's Luna County.
The list, thought to be a threat from one of Mexico's powerful and warring drug cartels, was provided June 12 to local authorities by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, Baeza said.
Drug cartels are waging a bloody fight for control in Ciudad Juarez, a sprawling city across the Rio Grande from El Paso, and Palomas, a village across the border from Columbus, N.M. More than a dozen police officers were among more than 400 people killed in Ciudad Juarez this year.
Hit lists naming Mexican police officers have become somewhat common in the cartel fight.
"We have been concerned for quite some time that this thing will spill over here," Baeza said.
The list included threats against people living in southern New Mexico and Albuquerque, as well as current and former residents of El Paso, Baeza said. His office has been told federal officials were contacting the people on the list, he said, but he would not identify any of them.
Luna County Sheriff Raymond Cobos also confirmed the existence of the list in an interview with the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Leticia Zamarripa, an ICE spokeswoman in El Paso, said she could not comment on Baeza's report of the hit list.
Officer Chris Mears, an El Paso Police Department spokesman, said his agency had "no credible information suggesting that violence in Ciudad Juarez will spread into El Paso."
World Congress of Families Decries Brazilian President's Call to Criminalize Opposition to Homosexuality
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07312.shtml
MEDIA ADVISORY, (christiansunite.com) -- Responding to Brazilian President Luiz Lula's description of opposition to homosexuality as "perhaps the most perverse disease impregnated in the human head," World Congress of Families Global Coordinator Larry Jacobs said the comment is "so inane as to leave one breathless."
"Lula has gone further than any other head of state to align himself with the most radical elements of the international homosexual movement," Jacobs observed. "Now he's saying that opposition to perversion is worse than racism, anti-Semitism or the totalitarian impulse."
Lula's comments came at the First National Conference of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals" in Brasilia, on June 5.
Besides labeling opposition to the radical homosexual agenda a mental disorder, Lula called for the criminalization of said dissent. The Brazilian President assured the audience that he is "going to do all that is possible so that the criminalization of homophobia and the civil union may be approved."
Jacobs observed, "This has always been the ultimate goal of the international homosexual movement: to make opposition to homosexuality a crime -- to suppress free speech and criminalize dissent."
Jacobs called Lula's pronouncement "a direct assault on religion and the family," which, he promised, "pro- family forces around the world will resist."
World Congress of Families recently garnered the support of 110 pro-family leaders from 23 countries for a petition in support of Romania's pending move to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
For more information on World Congress of Families, go to www.worldcongress.org. To schedule an interview with Larry Jacobs, contact Don Feder at (508) 405-1337.
Joan Veon Tells 'Institute on the Constitution' Group Christian Faith Must be Used to Fight United Nations 'Sustainable Feudalism' Ideas
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07307.shtml
MEDIA ADVISORY, (christiansunite.com) -- Speaking to a packed house at "Institution On The Constitution's" monthly "First Friday" lecture series, Joan Veon urged her audience to reject fear and instead walk in Christian faith to fight plans by the United Nations and others to control our lives. Veon is Executive Director of "The Women's International Media Group, Inc." Her Web site is www.womensgroup.org. She has attended more than 100 U.N. meetings all over the world. She spoke on June 6, 2008.
Veon said that according to the U.N.'s "sustainable feudalism" ideas, "you and I are responsible for pollution. We are subordinate to the earth and all other living creatures. All of this is a perversion of God's Word and our Constitutional principles."
To fight "sustainable feudalism," Veon said: "We must move to sustainable faith - God's sustainable faith. That is the only way to live today on planet earth. The Lord is God. He created the heavens and the earth...That is Who the real Lord of the earth is. We must understand this."
In her talk, Veon also included important research information regarding: The components of feudalism; the control of money; the nation-state before 1945; the U.S. Constitution vs. the U.N. Charter; international bankers; the British royal family; environmentalism.
"Institute on the Constitution" (IOC) is an educational effort sponsored by the Law Office of Peroutka and Peroutka of Pasadena, Maryland. It is neither an instrument of, nor an advocate for, any particular political party. "IOC" advocates the restoration of our Constitutional Republic by offering classes, lectures, and products designed to re-acquaint the American people with our history, our heritage, and our Constitution, which is the very foundation of our Republic. You will not find smoke, mirrors, or political correctness filters at "IOC" presentations -- just real American history, the way it was, the way it ought to be taught.
Those who are interested in purchasing a DVD of Joan Veon's talk should contact "Institute On The Constitution" at 410-760-9068. The "IOC's" Web site address is www.iotconline.com.
EU ministers meet after Irish treaty shock
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iAz1w-0SbHnpfWnv5QbfO2Q29JTQ
LUXEMBOURG (AFP) — European foreign ministers gather Monday at the start of a crucial week for the EU's reform plans after the project suffered a stunning blow at the hands of Irish voters.
The ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, will grill Irish counterpart Micheal Martin to see if his government believes something can be done to convince the people to vote again on their cherished Lisbon Treaty.
They will also be looking for fresh assurances from EU heavyweight Britain and the Czech Republic's eurosceptic leaders that they will push on with ratifying the treaty, as 18 nations have already done.
The results of the talks will top the agenda of a two-day EU summit in Brussels starting Thursday, which is shaping up as a crisis meeting since Irish voters last week rejected the reform treaty by 53.4 percent to 46.6 percent.
But the way ahead is far from clear.
"A 'no' vote does send us into some uncharted territory and we have to now try and chart that territory and see what way forward we can achieve," Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen told RTE state radio Sunday.
That vote was the third referendum blow in three years to EU plans to make its bureaucracy function smoothly with 27 members.
It could leave the bloc limping along with the Nice Treaty; the inadequate rule book that was signed in 2001 so that the EU could grow but which contained no deeper reform to streamline the system once it had.
As the ministers gather, a series of bilateral meetings will be going on.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country takes up the EU's rotating presidency at an extremely tricky time on July 1, meets Czech leaders Monday.
The aim will be to see if "they are committed to follow up on their ratification process," a senior EU diplomat said, after Czech President Vaclav Klaus said the reform treaty was finished.
"You can count on the president not to leave Europe malfunctioning," French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, said in an interview Sunday.
He stressed that Paris was counting on a political deal at this week's EU summit which would give the French EU presidency "all means possible for implementing essential policies for Europe."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will also discuss the crisis with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Since the results of Thursday's Irish referendum were announced, most EU leaders have insisted that ratification should continue in the eight nations that have not yet endorsed the treaty.
Doing so would put enormous pressure on Ireland to hold a fresh referendum.
The Lisbon Treaty, signed last December in Portugal, would give the EU more majority voting rather than the difficult-to-achieve unanimity required now.
It would also introduce a European Council president for a two-and-a-half year term and a new stronger foreign policy supremo.
But as EU leaders lean toward moving ahead with Lisbon, not for the first time they risk being accused of ignoring their citizens, who are already riled by rising fuel and food prices.
In other items on Monday's agenda, the foreign ministers will study a Spanish proposal to definitively lift sanctions against Cuba.
They will also discuss plans to strengthen ties with Israel, amid concern the move could be badly received in Arab countries and provide a pretext for leaders to boycott a Mediterranean summit in Paris on July 13.
Bosnia is also set to sign a key rapprochement accord seen as the first step down the long road toward joining the EU.
Ireland to get until October to find solution to EU treaty impasse
http://euobserver.com/9/26357
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Irish prime minister Brian Cowen is set to win four months reprieve from EU leaders later today in order to work out "how to react" to Ireland's No to the Lisbon Treaty
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has already thrown his weight behind the idea. "I will fully endorse it," he said after speaking to Mr Cowen ahead of the EU leaders' summit.
Mr Barroso said the October summit under the French EU presidency - which will kick in next month - is the "proper" time to re-visit the thorny topic.
In addition, he once again said that ratification of the new EU treaty should continue.
"The decision of the Irish people must be respected," the commission president said referring to the shock No vote one week ago. But he added that "the right of other member states to reach their own position on the treaty should also be respected."
Over dinner with his counterparts from the 26 other member states this evening, Mr Cowen is to present his government's detailed analysis of the situation that led to the rejection of the treaty.
But he stressed that "it is far too early to put forward proposals."
"I fully accept we will be working intensively to find what ways forward could be available to Ireland."
However, one potential exit strategy currently being floated – to maintain one commissioner for each member state in the future – was shot down by Mr Barroso.
He said it would be "extremely difficult to achieve any change of the Lisbon Treaty."
Under the Lisbon Treaty, the number of commissioners would be reduced to 18 in 2014 with equal rotation between member states for the commissioner-less periods.
The potential loss of an Irish commissioner featured in Ireland's debate before the treaty referendum.
News Analysis: EU summit to brainstorm over reform treaty
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/19/content_8401506.htm
BRUSSELS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The two-day European Union summit starting here later Thursday is sure to brainstorm over solutions to save the Lisbon Treaty that was recently rejected in the Irish referendum, but observers here believe no "fast-fix" can be made.
The summit ought to be dominated by soaring oil and food prices if the Irish people endorsed the reform treaty, a revised version of the aborted EU Constitutional treaty, in their June 12 referendum.
The unfortunate result in Ireland, the only nation putting the treaty to referendum, has thrown the 27-bloc into anxiety and uncertainty as there is not much time left before implementation.
The Irish rejection would almost certainly delay the entry-into-force of the treaty, which is foreseen by EU leaders on Jan. 1, 2009, time for new elections of the European Parliament.
The summit is expected to convey such a message that the treaty, meant to simplify decision-making procedures and streamline organizations of the EU, was not dead and the ratification process should be continue.
It is a product of hard work and negotiations among leaders of EU member states, which had made relentless effort to end the constitutional crisis resulted from the rejection by France and the Netherlands of the constitutional treaty in 2005.
Furthermore, it has already been ratified by nearly 20 nations, more than two thirds of the number of EU members, and EU leaders and officials have formed a unified front on the continuation of its ratification process.
Right after the result of the Irish referendum, European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso responded that the process would continue.
"The ratification process is made up of 27 national processes, 18 member states have already approved the treaty, and the European Commission believes that the remaining ratifications should continue to take their course," he said.
Barroso called for joint efforts to tackle the difficult situation." The European Council meets next week - and that is the place where joint decisions should be taken on issues that con cernus all," he said.
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said "we will discuss the situation and look for ways to move forward" at the summit.
German and French leaders also urged other EU nations to continue the ratification process despite the Irish rejection.
As a strong signal of support, Britain ratified the treaty Wednesday night, only one day before the summit to take place in Brussels.
Also, the heads of state and government will expect Ireland to evaluate the current situation and come up with a proposal at the summit.
Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen will explain the reasons behind his country's rejection of the treaty and what his country will propose.
The meeting provides a platform for discussion and proposals but can not come up with a final solution.
Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said it would be "risky" for EU nations to save the treaty "when we are facing a blockade."
"We came to an understanding that in order to understand the (Irish) referendum well, we need to take some time to reflect on it," Rupel said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.
"We need to take some time for analysis, for consultations and for studying this problem."
Though in uncertainty, the EU is reluctant to admit that it is in crisis again.
"The EU is not in crisis," Rupel said, "I am convinced that sooner or later these reforms will see the light of day."
Barroso stressed that the Irish "no" vote was not against the EU as Ireland has benefited a lot from its EU membership.
Members of Mideast Quartet to meet in Berlin next week
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/19/europe/EU-GEN-Germany-Mideast-Quartet.php
BERLIN: Members of the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers will meet in Berlin next week when they attend a conference aimed at strengthening the Palestinian police and judicial system, a German official said Thursday.
The quartet — made up of Russia, the United States, the U.N. and the European Union — plans to meet next Tuesday, according to a German diplomat who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana are among officials expected to attend.
At the Palestinian conference earlier Tuesday, the diplomat said, hopes are that donors will commit US$183.6 million (€118.5 million) over three years to help strengthen the police force and court system of the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank. Of the total, US$56 million (€36.1 million) is intended to go to the judicial system.
The head of the European Union police mission to the Palestinians, Colin Smith, said earlier this week that the bulk of the funding was expected to come out of the US$7.4 billion (€4.8 billion) promised at a donors' conference in Paris last year.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, international Mideast envoy Tony Blair and officials from Arab countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — but not Syria — are expected at the conference, the diplomat said.
Solana hopes Israel-Hamas truce will hold
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1412179.php/Solana_hopes_Israel-Hamas_truce_will_hold
Brussels - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he hoped the truce that came into effect on Thursday between Israel and Palestinian militant movements in the Gaza Strip could hold.
And he said it was too early to say whether the EU could begin holding direct talks with Hamas, which the bloc considers a terrorist organization.
'I welcome very much (the truce). I know there has been a long negotiation with Egypt, and I hope very much that the truce will hold,' Solana said in Brussels.
Solana also expressed hope that the opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt could go according to plan.
Asked whether the EU was now ready to hold talks with Hamas, Solana said that while the bloc's policy had not changed, the truce could create 'a dynamic that will allow political dialogue to continue.'
'Our main concern is about how the truce will hold,' he said.
Brokered by Egypt after months of violence, the six-month-long ceasefire came into effect at 6 am (0300 GMT) Thursday.
The first stage of the three-phase ceasefire entails a mutual end of hostilities.
The second stage is to begin after progress in talks on a prisoner exchange which would see the release of an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas in Gaza for the past two years.
As part of this stage, the Egypt-Gaza border crossing of Rafah would open for one or two days a week and Israel would allow more goods into the Gaza Strip.
When a deal is reached on the soldier's release, stage three will begin, including the daily reopening of the Rafah crossing and a complete lifting of Israel's economic blockade of Gaza.
Olmert government accused of cheating kidnapped soldier’s family
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5360
Noam Shalit fights for his son's release from Hamas
Noam Shalit plans to sue the Olmert government for failing to include his son, Gilead Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas two years ago, in the Gaza ceasefire accord with Hamas mediated by Egypt. He accuses prime minister Ehud Olmert and other officials of breaking explicit pledges to the Shalit family.
The ceasefire goes into effect Thursday, June 19, at 0600 hours. Noam Shalit further charges that Israel’s consent to the reopening of the Gaza crossings, including the Rafah crossing to Sinai, endangers his son’s life because it will enable his abductors to smuggle him out to an unknown destination. He pointed to the fate of the Israeli navigator Ron Arad who disappeared without trace from Lebanon 19 years ago and was probably spirited to Iran.
Shalit told TV Channel 2 Wednesday night: “The government cheated me. To this moment we have had no word from any official quarter on what his happening.” He said he had instructed his lawyers to write a letter to the prime minister, defense minister and foreign minister, giving them 48 hours to incorporate his son’s release in the truce accord with Hamas – otherwise he will petition the High Court to annul the ceasefire agreement.
Christian Schools Attacked in Gaza
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07305.shtml
(christiansunite.com) - Armed attackers broke into El-Manara Christian School in Gaza City at approximately 2:00 a.m. on May 31, according to a June 4 report from Compass Direct. The assailants tied down two school guards and beat them before stealing a bus belonging to the Palestinian Bible Society.
A Palestinian Christian leader who requested anonymity for security reasons said that police had reportedly arrested one of the assailants but claimed it was too early to confirm who was behind the attack. This was the second attack in the area in a series of weeks as a bomb was detonated outsi de of the Zahwa Rosary School on May 16.
Pray that Christians in Gaza will exhibit the love, grace and forgiveness of Christ. Ask God to give them wisdom and grace as they follow Christ through adversity (James 1:5).
For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Gaza, go to www.persecution.net/country/palestine.htm.
Israel-Hamas 'Truce' in Effect
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/395149.aspx
CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - At 6:00 a.m. Thursday, the Egyptian-brokered tahadiyeh (temporary calm) between Israel and the Gaza-based Hamas terror organization went into effect.
The six-month truce calls for a complete cessation of terror attacks emanating from Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including, but not limited to, rocket and mortar shell attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will halt its counter-terrorism operations inside Gaza so long as there are no overt terror attacks.
"We need a total cease-fire -- all inclusive," Major General Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Military Bureau told YNet news.
"If tomorrow morning one single rocket is fired, it will be a violation of the agreement. There is no room for interpretation, and no mediating body is needed. We will not accept the firing of even one Kassam," said Gilad, who has represented Israel in the negotiations.
"Egypt, on its side, has committed to preventing the smuggling activity from Gaza. It's simple. Egypt has a border with Gaza, through which weapons and terrorists are smuggled. Smuggling is a serious violation of the terms [of the cease-fire]. Any such infraction will lead to a change in Israel's stance from the way in which it was presented to the Egyptians," Gilad said.
If the calm lasts three days, Israel will begin easing the economic blockade imposed on Gaza by allowing non-essential raw materials and merchandise to be delivered.
Contrary to most media reports, Israel has never stopped the flow of humanitarian aid into the Strip.
The blockade entailed reducing non-essentials, such as construction material and fuel, to underscore that as long as Israelis in western Negev communities lived under the daily threat of rocket and mortar shell attacks, it should not be "business as usual" for Gaza residents.
The Release of Corporal Shalit
In the same timeframe -- three days of calm -- when Israel begins to lift the blockade, Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman has committed to focusing on the release of IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit, kidnapped on June 25, 2006, in a cross-border attack on the army outpost near the Kerem Shalom crossing.
While Israel made it clear from the beginning that Shalit's release must be part of any truce, Hamas has maintained that releasing Corporal Shalit is unrelated to a cease-fire.
"The enemy tried…to merge the issue of Gilad Shalit with the truce. We rejected this and in the final Egyptian offer, the two issues are not linked," exiled Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal said from Damascus Tuesday.
"The Gilad Shalit issue is linked to an exchange deal, whereas the truce involves a bilateral cease-fire, lifting the blockade and opening the crossings," he said.
But if Shalit is not released, Israel will not agree to open the Rafah border crossing, which links the Egyptian Sinai with the Gaza Strip.
"If Gilad Shalit is not released, [the] Rafah [border] crossing does not open," Gilad said, adding that "the cease-fire is the only way we may be able to bring about Shalit's release."
"During the last discussion [with Egyptian mediators], we set aside a third of the time allotted to speak about Shalit, and we were adamant in demanding that his release be part of the agreement," Gilad said.
"The idea is to try to focus our efforts on releasing the soldier. My feeling is that a cease-fire would promote the release," he said. "This was the policy declared by the Cabinet, and I spoke about this to the Egyptians. Shalit is part of the cease-fire agreement," he said.
Hamas is clamoring for the opening of the Rafah crossing, which has been the main entry for arms smuggling into the Strip.
"This is a complex and difficult issue," Gilad said."The opening of Rafah was an issue that came up during the agreement that was decided upon between the Palestinian Authority [PA] and Israel, the US and the EU, which sent its inspectors. Thus, this is a complicated process conditioned on progress being made in the Shalit deal," Gilad said.
Netanyahu Slams Decision
Opposition leader and Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu slammed the government's decision to accept a truce with Hamas.
"I would like to know what did we achieve here, exactly?" Netanyahu asked. "Hamas will not stop rearming. [Hamas chief] Khaled Mashaal said they wouldn't, and the defense establishment already said the truce will be fragile," he said.
"We didn't get Shalit back. We got nothing. The government is allowing Hamas to go about rearming before the next round of terror attacks," said Netanyahu.
"What can this artificial truce possibly achieve? Will Hamas dismantle its lathes? It will only use this time to bring more Kassam rockets and Grad [Katyusha] rockets into the Strip. There's no doubt about it," he said.
Vice Premier Haim Ramon said the cease-fire will serve to strengthen Hamas and weaken PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
"The tahadiyeh is [a] recognition of Hamas and a very serious blow to the Palestinian Authority and its leaders, who will negotiate to establish a joint government with Hamas," Ramon said, calling the cease-fire "a victory for radical Islam."
"In the end, there will be a [large-scale military] operation, but it will extract a much higher price," he said.
Hamas: a Terrorist Entity
On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Tom Casey summed up the Bush administration's reaction to the cease-fire.
"Even if this is a true report, I think unfortunately it hardly takes Hamas out of the terrorism business," Casey said.
Hamas to this day denies Israel's right to exist.
"Hamas is a violent entity, a terrorist entity, which has taken upon itself to destroy the State of Israel. We know this, and they know this," General Gilad said.
"I am a realistic man and so I won't talk about my feelings regarding the agreement on a lull. I recognize Hamas as a strategic threat to Israel," he said.
Meanwhile, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi told Knesset (parliament) members Tuesday that the IDF must prepare for a major incursion in the Gaza Strip, while giving the cease-fire a chance.
Ashkenazi also said the IDF will continue its counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
Exclusive: Iran hails Gaza ceasefire for tightening noose around Israel
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5361
DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources report that Iran’s top leaders held a special meeting in Tehran Thursday, June 19, hours after the Gaza ceasefire went into force. They congratulated themselves for achieving their second base on a Mediterranean shore after winning control of Lebanon through Hizballah’s takeover of Beirut and its government. Hamas was acclaimed for having tightened its grip on the Gaza Strip and using the Egyptian-brokered six-month truce accord with Israel for its next leap to power on the West Bank.
Iran has tightened its noose around Israel as well as Egypt.
The meeting, our sources report, was attended by supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, defense minister Mostafa Najar, Revolutionary Guards commander Gen. Qassam Solemeini, and the Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, the supreme ruler’s senior strategic adviser.
Iran’s ambassador in Damascus, Ahmed Moussawi, was called home for urgent consultations after he tossed out his bombshell offer to share Iran’s “nuclear experience” with Syria Tuesday, June 17. The nuclear transfer will begin as soon as July 7 when officials of the two countries hold their first meeting.
DEBKAfile’s sources report that the three-hour long, top-level Iranian conference went on to discuss Tehran’s next steps in the region in the light of deepening ties with the Damascus-based Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal and the Israeli chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi’s comment Tuesday to the Knesset foreign affairs and defense committee. Ashkenazi said: "Beside the actions and sanctions against Iran, it is important we remain ready for any options."
Iran regards his words as a clear threat that an Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities is close at hand.
Tehran offers to share its “nuclear experience” with Syria
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5359
The offer came from Iran’s ambassador to Syria, Sayyed Ahmed Moussavi, who stressed in an interview that to boost Iranian-Syrian relations Iran will pass on its “experiences with nuclear power” to Syria. He cited July 7 as the date for their officials to meet.
DEBKAfile’s military sources say Iran’s willingness to defy its obligations under the non-proliferation treaty by offering a nuclear capability to Syria across the border from Israel brings Tehran’s threat to wipe Israel off the map much closer to home. It is a mark of contempt for Washington and the US-led Western sanctions which failed to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment and nuclear missile warhead projects.
DEBKAfile’s military sources describe this as an extremely menacing security development for Israel and a painful body blow for America’s policies and standing.
The menace posed to Israel by Iran’s nuclear weapons project and its leaders’ threats has increased manifold. Tehran’s offer would integrate Israel’s hostile neighbor in its uranium enrichment and nuclear missile warhead projects.
Moussavi said: As part of boosting our bilateral relations, Iran will pass on its experiences with nuclear power to Syria. “Islam has taught us to pass on our knowledge and we can pass our experience to Syria if it wants it,” he said.
Our Middle East sources report that Syrian president Bashar Assad was forewarned of the ambassador’s earthshaking statement before he set off Tuesday for a five-day visit to India. They attribute Iran’s nuclear generosity to two causes:
1. The weekend discussions between Presidents George W. Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on ways of detaching Assad from his ties with Tehran.
2. Syria’s indirect peace talks with Israel via Turkey and he prospect of Israeli concessions.
Seeing what was going on, Tehran decided enough was enough and it was time to tighten the leash on the Syrian president in case he was tempted to start thinking about quitting the Iranian orbit.
EU's Solana: no reply yet from Iran on incentives
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3557765,00.html
Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief said on Thursday he had received no formal reply from Iran yet to a package of incentives put forward by major powers seeking to persuade it to curb nuclear work.
"For the moment there has not been any reply," Solana, who delivered the offer of incentives to Tehran on Saturday, told reporters in Brussels.
Afghans start anti-Taliban drive in south
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/afghans.start.antitaliban.drive.in.south/19635.htm
The Afghan army launched an operation on Wednesday to drive Taliban insurgents from villages on the outskirts of Kandahar city in the south , the defence ministry said, but gave no details.
NATO and Afghan forces had massed troops and beefed up air power in Kandahar this week, readying for a showdown with the hundreds of militants dug in on the city's northern outskirts.
Some 600 Taliban insurgents took over the villages in Arghandab district on Monday, days after freeing hundreds of inmates in a bold attack on the main jail in Kandahar city.
On Tuesday, a Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said militants had set their sights on Kandahar itself, the movement's birthplace, which lies about 20 km (12 miles) from Arghandab.
Thousands of families have fled Arghandab since Monday, when NATO warned that an operation would be staged to flush out the Taliban from the district, said Agha Lalai, a member of Kandahar's provincial council and a tribal chief of Arghandab.
Colonel Jamie Cade, deputy commander of Task Force Kandahar, was quoted in a NATO statement as saying there were no obvious signs of insurgent activity in Kandahar city and "it is clear that Kandahar city remains firmly under the control of the Afghan government and its people".
Witnesses said checkpoints had been set up on many key roads leading into the city. They said reconnaissance flights headed for Arghandab could be heard for much of Tuesday night.
Several key roads leading to major government installations were blocked and a group of NATO soldiers stationed in Kandahar's sports stadium, witnesses said.
The defence ministry have flown in a battalion from Kabul to join Afghan troops and units from NATO's International Security Assistance Force ahead of the operation, Afghan officials say.
CANADIAN ROLE
Captain Mike Finney, chief public affairs officer for ISAF in Kabul, said Canadian soldiers were backing the offensive.
Finney said no air support had been used so far in the operation and troops had yet to sight large numbers of Taliban fighters. "There have been only small engagements with a small number of insurgents so far," he said.
The defence ministry says that at least eight villages had been taken by the Taliban who, according to some escapees, had planted land mines to deter attempts to expel them.
Capture of the villages is part of the militants' latest show of power in Afghanistan, which is suffering its worst spell of violence since 2001 when the Taliban were ousted from power.
The austere Islamist movement emerged from religious schools on the Pakistani border in Kandahar in the early 1990s and began their takeover of the country from the province, where they enjoy support.
The militants, who suffered heavy casualties in conventional past battles, have switched recently to operating in small groups, according to analysts.
The latest flare-up comes despite the presence in Afghanistan of more than 60,000 foreign troops under the command of the U.S. military and NATO, as well as about 150,000 Afghan soldiers.
Indian Scientists, Firmly Secular But No Conflict with God
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07306.shtml
MEDIA ADVISORY, (christiansunite.com) -- The largest-ever nationwide survey of Indian scientists shows that many are as comfortable with seeking the blessings of the resident Hindu God at Tirupati before a space rocket launch as they are with embracing stem cell research and the theory of evolution.
The study, "Worldviews and Opinions of Scientists in India," which was released at the United Nations in New York on June 5, was conducted by Professors Ariela Keysar and Barry A. Kosmin of the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC) of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S., with assistance from the Centre for Inquiry India. It sampled 1,100 participants from 130 universities and research institutes in India between July 2007 and January 2008. It is believed to be the first major study of the beliefs of scientists from outside the Judeo-Christian Western tradition.
The respondents, all of whom hold doctorates, are representative of the burgeoning elite among India's more than 4 million science, medical and technology professionals. Professor Kosmin explained that "India was chosen because of its increasing scientific and economic importance on the global scene."
Only 8% of the scientists said they would refuse to work on stem cell research because of moral or religious beliefs, yet, 41% approved "strongly" or "somewhat" seeking the blessing of Lord Venkateswara at Tirupati before launching a rocket and satellite in 2005.
The survey found that many Indian scientists appear to compartmentalize their views on science and religion-refusing. Some 23% of the Indian scientists who were surveyed said they would not criticize and confront religious practices if they contradicted accepted scientific theories. In contrast, 44% of the scientists in the sample were willing to criticize and confront religious practices, and 33% said they would do so on occasion.
Likewise, although most of the Indian scientists in the survey described themselves as "secular," few understood the term to mean irreligious. Some 83% of respondents interpreted secularism as "separation of religion from state and government" and 93% regarded it as "tolerance for religions and philosophies." Only 20% considered that secularism means atheism.
The ISSSC survey also covered Reasons for Becoming a Scientist, Status of Women, Scientific Literacy in India, Ethical Constraints on Science, Belief in God, Belief in Miracles, and Spirituality. A copy of the full report may be downloaded from www.trincoll.edu/secularisminstitute
Report on Crackdown on Chinese Christians Launched at Two Month Olympic Countdown Mark
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MEDIA ADVISORY, (christiansunite.com) -- With exactly two months to go until the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, a fresh report detailing the persecution of Christians in China is launched today.
The report, "China: Persecution of Protestant Christians in the Approach to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games", highlights the current government crackdown on China's unregistered Christians.
Also covered in the report is the disturbing news that Christians have been arrested and fined for seeking to help the victims of the tragic earthquake in Sichuan Province.
As the Olympics draw closer, sources have recently reported that the Ministry of Public Security has received funding from the Chinese Central Government to increase its campaign of eradicating house churches throughout China. Among the tactics used to restrict religious believers is the targeting of multiple well-established churches in Beijing last month, directives to landlords to refrain from renting to those engaging in religious activities and controls to prevent those engaged in "illegal" religious activities from participating in or attending the Games.
Alongside these specific measures, the report highlights the disturbing trend of increasing persecution of China's unregistered Christians in the run up to the Olympics, including the use of separatism charges against Christians in Xinjiang, a level of expulsion of foreign Christians not seen since the 1950s, the largest mass sentencing of house church leaders in 25 years and targeted repression of the Chinese House Church Alliance.
The report is produced by Christian Solidarity Worldwide in association with China Aid Association (CAA), an organization at the forefront of documenting religious persecution against China's Christians. CAA President, Bob Fu, is currently visiting Brussels, Belgium, where he will be briefing key diplomats of EU member states, leaders of the European Union Commission and European Parliament including the Vice-President of the EU Parliament Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, on the recent deteriorating situation of religious persecution in China and will urge the EU nations to continue to stand firmly on the issue of human rights.
Mr. Fu will also be in London speaking on Wednesday 11 June at the Foreign Press Association, where he will show footage of firsthand testimony from persecuted Chinese Christians. Joining Bob Fu will be Chun Ki Won, an activist who has been imprisoned in China for helping North Korean refugees, who was involved in the escapes covered in the BBC documentary broadcast last week, Korea: Out of the North. Excerpts of the footage will also be shown. CSW's National Director Stuart Windsor will also speak, providing a brief overview of China's domestic and international human rights violations.
Mervyn Thomas, Christian Solidarity Worldwide's Chief Executive, said: "As we mark the two month countdown to the Beijing Olympics today it is truly disturbing to report the deteriorating picture for China's unregistered Christians. As China takes her place in the spotlight for the Olympic Games it is important to highlight that she must play by international rules, including her binding international obligations on human rights."
Sudan Coalition Fights for Compliance from Islamist Government
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WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- A coalition representing all of the Sudan's marginalized groups called today for the United States to work for a whole Sudan solution and to hold the Islamist government in Khartoum accountable for its actions.
Sudan's Islamist regime is refusing to abide by the decisions of a boundary commission that sought to re- establish the traditional boundary lines between north and south. Sudanese advocates are joining with aid groups and legislators to bring this failure to public attention, chronicling both a pattern of ignoring established agreements and systematic efforts to depopulate disputed border areas of their indigenous populations.
Reportedly, the Khartoum government is now attempting to repopulate the region with those who are in sympathy with their agenda. According to Dinka elders, the Arabs who are being resettled into the Abyei boundary region are no other than the same Janjaweed of Darfur.
The coalition includes the Institute on Religion & Democracy, Hudson Institute, ENOUGH Project, Damanga Coalition for Freedom & Democracy, Southern Sudanese Voice for Freedom and International Christian Concern.
IRD Director of Religious Liberty Programs Faith McDonnell commented,
"We have lost count how many times the National Congress Party, formerly known as the National Islamic Front, has fooled us in the West. Shame on us for not holding the National Islamic Front accountable for their actions throughout Sudan.
"Khartoum has never paid a price for its violations, but our friends in Sudan - from South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains, from Darfur, from Nubia, from eastern Sudan - all of them have paid with their land, their culture, and their lives.
"Khartoum has used the promise of conceding to the West's requests for U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur as a bargaining chip to both figuratively and literally get away with murder. We have continued to make agreements with Khartoum that they have no intention and no basis to keep.
"Violations, violence, displacement, and replacement - Khartoum's pattern with all of the marginalized people of Sudan. And far too frequently, the U.S. pattern has been to never hold Khartoum accountable."
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