3.6.08
Watchman Report 6/3/08
McCain: "Israel is not alone"
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2466
“Israel is not alone. The people of Israel reserve a special respect for courage. The State of Israel was created to offer escape from antisemitic persecutions like the Holocaust. The threats to Israel's security are large and growing. Israel's enemies are too numerous, its margin of error too small, and our shared interests and values too great for us to follow any other policy than making certain Israel maintains its qualitative military edge. Tehran's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons poses an unacceptable risk, a danger we cannot allow. An Iranian nuclear bomb would pose an existential threat to the people of Israel.”
These were some of the sentiments communicated by Republican presidential candidate John McCain to delegates attending an AIPAC conference in Arlington, VA Monday.
For the full speech go here http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/Speeches/Read.aspx?guid=97b08426-d9ad-4046-9c05-1ded14fc0b8a
McCain is to be followed to the podium in the coming hours by both contenders for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
While widely understood to be a "panderfest" for the Jewish vote - as Fox News called it, the presidential hopefuls are all expected to deliver important foreign policy speeches to the conference.
In his 15 minute speech McCain hit all the right buttons - Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon - earning applause every time he did so.
But even as he stressed the "everlasting alliance" between the United States and Israel," the senator made it clear that, as president, he will expect Israel to toe the line on the Washington-directed land-for-peace process that is so detrimental to Israel's security in both the short term and the long.
As such McCain has put himself firmly in the camp of virtually all Israel's "true supporters" in the world: Israel's "friendly foes."
Recent US administrations have made it clear that there is a price to be paid for maintaining the alliance: Israel's willingness to take "risks for peace."
McCain Supports International League Idea
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385300.aspx
CBNNews.com - Sen. John McCain is supporting a proposal for an international league of democracies to achieve what the United Nation sometimes cannot.
More than 100 democratic countries could be members of the organization.
McCain says the countries belonging to such an organization could advance their shared views and act where the U.N.fails to act, with or without the approval of non-democratic countries like Russia or China. He says the league could impose sanctions on Iran, relieve suffering in Darfur, and also deal with environmental problems.
Sen. Barack Obama has not commented on the idea. But one of his policy advisors has supported it.
McCain Chastises Obama
Meanwhile, McCain criticized the Illinois senator for saying he would be willing to hold talks with the leaders of Iran and other enemies of the U.S. without preconditions.
McCain argues Obama is naïve and inexperienced at foreign relations to actually think such a meeting would yield any results.
"It's hard to see what such a summit with President Ahmadinejad would actually gain, except an earful of anti-Semitic rants, and a worldwide audience for a man who denies one Holocaust and talks before frenzied crowds about starting another," McCain told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
McCain said the Clinton administration in particular tried to engage Iran for two years, even lifting some sanctions, to no avail.
"Even so, we hear talk of a meeting with the Iranian leadership offered up as if it were some sudden inspiration, a bold new idea that somehow nobody has ever thought of before," McCain said as dozens in the audience laughed.
McCain's campaign said he was referring to Obama's comments during an interview in May with Fox News: "Iran is stronger now than when George Bush took office. And the fact that we have not talked to them means that they have been developing nuclear weapons, funding Hamas, funding Hezbollah. We have had no impact whatsoever as we pursue our policies."
Obama's campaign said Monday that McCain supports an Iraq war that has made the U.S. and Israel less secure.
"He promises to continue a war in Iraq that has emboldened Iran and strengthened its hand," an Obama spokesman said. "He promises sanctions that the Bush administration has been unable to persuade the Security Council to deliver."
Obama continues to try to reassure Jewish voters about his candidacy.
"I welcome the Muslim world's accurate perception that I am interested in opening up dialogue and interested in moving away from the unilateral policies of George Bush, but nobody should mistake that for a softer stance when it comes to terrorism or when it comes to protecting Israel's security or making sure that the alliance is strong and firm," Obama said in an interview last month with The Atlantic magazine. "You will not see, under my presidency, any slackening in commitment to Israel's security."
McCain Criticizes Obama on Iran
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/mccain/2008/06/02/100783.html
WASHINGTON -- Republican John McCain raised the specter of a nuclear Iran in a speech to a pro-Israel group, once again chastising Democrat Barack Obama for his willingness to meet with leaders of Iran and other U.S. foes.
McCain has criticized Obama for saying in a debate last year that he would meet leaders of Iran and other U.S. foes without preconditions. The Arizona senator argues Obama is naive and inexperienced to think that such a meeting would yield progress.
"It's hard to see what such a summit with President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad would actually gain, except an earful of anti-Semitic rants, and a worldwide audience for a man who denies one Holocaust and talks before frenzied crowds about starting another," McCain told the American Israel Political Action Committee.
He criticized Obama for seeming to suggest that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear program because the U.S. refuses to engage in presidential-level talks. McCain said the Clinton administration in particular tried to engage Iran for two years, even lifting some sanctions, to no avail.
"Even so, we hear talk of a meeting with the Iranian leadership offered up as if it were some sudden inspiration, a bold new idea that somehow nobody has ever thought of before," McCain said as dozens in the audience laughed.
In his speech, McCain called for measures aimed at increasing pressure on Iran, such as severely limiting Iranian imports of gasoline, targeted sanctions such as denying visas and freezing assets and a worldwide campaign to divest from companies doing business with Iran.
McCain called for financial sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, which he said aids in terrorism and weapons proliferation, and he criticized Obama for opposing a measure to impose those sanctions.
McCain has warm relations with the group, which is influential in the Jewish community. His call for sanctions against gasoline imports is a priority that AIPAC's members plan to lobby for on Capitol Hill later in the week.
In contrast, Obama has worked to reassure Jewish voters who have expressed some unease about his candidacy.
"I welcome the Muslim world's accurate perception that I am interested in opening up dialogue and interested in moving away from the unilateral policies of George Bush, but nobody should mistake that for a softer stance when it comes to terrorism or when it comes to protecting Israel's security or making sure that the alliance is strong and firm," Obama said in an interview last month with The Atlantic magazine. "You will not see, under my presidency, any slackening in commitment to Israel's security."
Koch: McCain Wrong to Spurn Rev. Hagee
http://www.newsmax.com/koch/mccain_hagee/2008/06/02/100795.html
Sen. John McCain was wrong to reject the endorsement of Texas evangelist Rev. John Hagee.
Several years ago the Rev. Hagee delivered a sermon that was caught on tape in which he preached, "Then God sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun, and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter. How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said, 'My top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel."
Anyone hearing the tape would conclude that Hagee is hostile to the Jews, but nothing could be further from the truth. He and his congregants are among Israel's strongest supporters. For religious reasons, they want Israel to rule supreme over all of the lands that made up the ancient Jewish kingdoms of Israel and Judea.
Evangelicals believe that the Messiah — Jesus Christ — cannot return to the earth until the Jews return to the land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael), they having been expelled by the Romans in 70 AD after the Second Temple, the one built by Herod, was destroyed.
Christian fundamentalists believe that every word of the Old and New Testaments represents the will of God. Other Christians believe that the words were inspired by God, but written by humans, and therefore are fallible.
Still others believe that the Bible, while sacred, is comprised of ancient myths and allegories and is intended to teach.
Hagee, being a fundamentalist, believes that each word is the word of God, and that everything that occurs on Earth happens as a result of God's direction. Events caused by people like Hitler, for some fundamentalists, are explained as a punishment visited by God on Jews who had fallen away from the faith and did not follow all of God's mandates.
Other fundamentalists would not accept that view, believing instead that while God makes it possible for one to do evil, He is angry when such evil is committed. The evildoer cannot be excused by saying, “God made me do it,” because human beings have free will. Finally, as a friend and scholar said, “We don’t know why God does what he does. Look at a rug on the reverse side and you see inexplicable knots of wool, while on the front, there is a beautiful pattern.”
Hagee apparently believes that Hitler was used by God to bring the Jews back to the promised land.
After enormous pressure from those comparing Hagee to Sen. Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, John McCain rejected Hagee’s endorsement, stating that Hagee’s views as expressed in the years-old sermon being distributed on the Web are "crazy." McCain also said, "Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them."
Hagee was not praising Hitler the monster, he was simply offering the fundamentalist opinion that Hitler was used by God to cause the creation of a Jewish state to which the Jews of the world would return.
Hagee's followers have supported the state of Israel in many tangible ways. Evangelicals continue to visit Israel as tourists even during the most dangerous times, which is more than can be said for some Diaspora Jews.
It has become fashionable among liberals, including Jews, to ridicule and denounce Hagee and other fundamentalists. I do not. I appreciate their support of the state of Israel and thank them for their enormous contributions to the Jewish state.
This is not to say that I agree with Hagee’s view of Hitler or his other views. For example, I strongly disagree with Rev. Hagee's statement that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for homosexual sin in New Orleans. I also deplore his reference to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore," for which he has since apologized.
In this dangerous world, Christians and Jews must come together to fight or common enemies. I've been working for years to strengthen the Christian-Jewish alliance, and I intend to continue to do so.
Hillary Clinton's Assassination Motive for Staying in Race Suspected by Pro-Life Webcaster Early On
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07246.shtml
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Before Senator Hillary Clinton made her explosive suggestion that Senator Barack Obama may be assassinated before Democrats choose their nominee at the convention, webcaster and blogger Paul Schenck told anchorwoman Day Gardner on the Daily Life News Show that he believed Clinton has stayed in the race because she suspects Obama will be assassinated.
Paul Schenck, who battled the Clintons right up through the US Supreme Court and won, made the statement on the NPLR.NET news show, Tuesday, May 20.
In his blog for Saturday, May 24 Schenck wrote:
"Last week on NPLR.NET's Daily Life News program, at the very end of the analysis segment that I do with anchor Day Gardner, with literally one minute to go, she brought up the unending contest between Senators Obama and Clinton. The question of the day was the same as every other day: why was Hillary Clinton still in the race? Well, I mentioned the usual things that have been repeated too many times so I won't rehearse them again. But, the last thing I said was, "I have a very dark suspicion why Hillary Clinton remains in the race;" which surprised even Day (who knows me very well by now). I said, "I think she believes that Obama has a high risk of being assassinated, and she plans on being the next in line to be picked."
The show containing the reference to Obama's assassination was broadcast on NPLR.Net and on WCAR Detroit on May 20.
Read Paul Schenck's blog at www.paulschenck.com and listen to the May 20 broadcast at www.nplr.net.
Is There a Shocking Michelle Obama Recording?
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Michelle_obama_tape/2008/06/02/100888.html
An untold story lies behind Hillary Clinton’s determination to remain in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination — the possible revelation of a shocking recording of rival Barack Obama’s wife Michelle.
That’s the word from longtime political analyst Roger J. Stone Jr., who writes on his The StoneZONE Web site that the recording purportedly documents Michelle Obama making racist comments in a speech.
According to Stone, Hillary aides are in a race with Republicans to get their hands on the offensive recording.
“On the heels of Michelle Obama’s quote that she ‘has never been proud of her country’ until now, the new controversy could turn the contest upside down, but it more likely” to benefit “John McCain than to boost Hillary Clinton to the nomination — if the alleged recording exists,” Stone writes.
He also asserts that Mark Penn, Clinton’s former chief campaign strategist, has told sources that the bombshell “could come this week.”
Obama’s Ex-Church Has Won $15M in Federal Grant Money
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/02/obamas-ex-church-has-won-15m-in-federal-grant-money/
Across America seven days a week, parents drop their kids at day care centers, which are supported by funding from the federal government.
But what makes one facility noteworthy in inner city Chicago is that it’s run by Trinity United Church of Christ. It’s the same church whose former head pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, drew widespread scrutiny after he cursed the U.S. government for its treatment of African-Americans.
FOX News has learned that over the last 15 years, Trinity has received at least $15 million in grants from the federal government — in other words, taxpayer money.
Records show this money supported a variety of outreach: everything from low income housing to nutritional programs for needy kids to money for HIV/AIDS education. Wright blames the government for intentionally infecting the African-American community with that deadly virus.
DePaul University journalism professor Laura Washington, who specializes in race and politics, said Wright is a hypocrite for taking money from the government.
“On the one hand, he says, ‘God damn America’ and he says America is responsible for all the ills in the black community. On the other hand, he’s taking money from the same community he’s crucifying,” Washington said.
But another scholar who specializes in religion and politics says Wright never swore off government funding like ultra-nationalist Black Muslims have.
Andrew Walsh, associate director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life with Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., said Wright’s practices fall in line with his preaching.
“Wright believes things like the government-funded programs are a necessary compensation for the legacy of white racism, part of what’s necessary to heal the wounds inflicted over four centuries on blacks. His niche is even more specialized– he does this sort of work in the context of white denominational mainline Protestantism, which, on the whole has welcomed both him and his message.”
So, how did Trinity, given Wright’s controversial criticism of the government, get millions of dollars in handouts from Washington over the years?
Democratic presidential candidate and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama says the grants didn’t come with any of his help, despite 20 years of membership at Trinity.
In fact, after the Obama campaign learned FOX News was working on this report, it released a statement saying, “Barack Obama did not work to secure grant money for Trinity United Church of Christ while serving in the Illinois state Legislature or Congress.”
But Jay Shafritz, an author and professor emeritus of public administration from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, says at some level, politics invariably influences how government grant money is awarded.
“This is very much a sophisticated operation of convincing the people in government that you are the most deserving person, because these grants are very often competitive,” he said.
“It’s very much like good old fashioned patronage. In the old days, political machines had jobs to give their constituents. Nowadays, they offer them grants,” Shafritz continued.
Shafritz examined the grant documents provided by FOX News and found no wrongdoing.
Yet, he said there’s no way to know exactly how Trinity spent its millions in taxpayer money, since grant awards usually afford some latitude for discretionary use. He stressed that it’s clear the grants have helped Wright grow his once tiny ministry into a massive empire.
“Before he embarrassed himself on national television with his rantings, he was a very, very sophisticated guy in terms of growing organizations. He knew how the game was played and he played it very well. But he’s not unique,” he said.
Nationwide, African-American churches have used this kind of funding to pump investment into inner-city neighborhoods as a means of growing support — religious scholars say largely so under the Bush administration, when faith based grants increased significantly.
“For these organizations, federal funding for things like senior centers or drug treatment programs or affordable housing helps them get where they want to go,” Walsh said.
Trinity United refused comment on this story. But Wright, who officially retired on Monday, has long defended the legacy of community outreach provided by Trinity, which he founded 36 years ago.
But Washington says if Wright felt it was OK to get resources from the government, the church shouldn’t preach against it.
“It’s a dangerous thing to do because there’s a reason that the government gives that kind of support to the church. If the church bites the hand that feeds them, maybe that support is going to end.”
Barack Obama Is Not a Christian
http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/06/02/barack-obama-is-not-a-christian/
Religion is a topic that makes most journalists uncomfortable, unless they can expose hypocrisy — as in preachers who speak of virtue while carrying on an affair — or outrage such as Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the doings at Barack Obama’s now former church in Chicago. Most journalists think taking religion seriously might require them to study the claims of various faiths and too many of them have already decided this might lead them to a faith higher than themselves or politics and they don’t wish to take such a journey of personal discovery.
That is too bad, because such an attitude exposes one of the main gaps between most Americans — who believe in God — and most journalists, who don’t.
An exception is Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cathleen Falsani, who interviewed Obama in 2004 for her book, “The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People “and asked him specific questions about his religious beliefs.
“I’m rooted in the Christian tradition,” said Obama, who has declared himself a Christian. But then he adds something that most Christians will see as universalism: “I believe there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.”
Falsani correctly brings up John 14:6 (and how many journalists would know such a verse, much less ask a question based on it?) in which Jesus says of Himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That sounds pretty exclusive, but Obama says it depends on how this verse is heard. According to Falsani, Obama thinks that “all people of faith — Christians, Jews, Muslims, animists, everyone — know the same God.” (her words)
If that is so, Jesus wasted his time coming to Earth and he certainly did not have to suffer the pain of rejection and crucifixion if there are ways to God other than through Himself.
Here’s Obama telling Falsani, “The difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and proselytize. There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that if people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior, they’re going to hell.” Falsani adds, “Obama doesn’t believe he, or anyone else, will go to hell. But he’s not sure he’ll be going to heaven, either.”
Here’s Obama again: “I don’t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. When I tuck in my daughters at night and I feel like I’ve been a good father to them, and I see that I am transferring values that I got from my mother and that they’re kind people and that they’re honest people, and they’re curious people, that’s a little piece of heaven.”
Any first-year seminary student could deconstruct such “works salvation” and wishful thinking. Obama either hasn’t read the Bible, or if he has, doesn’t believe it if he embraces such thin theological gruel.
Obama can call himself anything he likes, but there is a clear requirement for one to qualify as a Christian and Obama doesn’t meet that requirement. One cannot deny central tenets of the Christian faith, including the deity and uniqueness of Christ as the sole mediator between God and Man and be a Christian. Such people do have a label applied to them in Scripture. They are called a “false prophet.”
I hope some national journalist or commentator with knowledge of such things asks Obama about this and doesn’t let him get away with re-writing Scripture to suit his political ends.
Obama’s Loyalty to Liberation Theology
http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/06/02/obamas-loyalty-to-liberation-theology/
You would think Senator Obama’s letter of resignation from Trinity United Church was a good move.
That is, unless you have read the letter. And from what I’m witnessing, it seems nobody has—or perhaps they have read it with only an eye for politics.
The left is cheering the senator’s decision to leave the church as courageous. The right is questioning why it took so long.
But has anyone read the letter’s content for what it says about Senator Obama, the man?
In one paragraph—in one line—in an otherwise official-sounding communiqué, Senator Obama gives us insight into what he really thinks about what’s going on at Trinity. I consider it by far the most telling piece of information yet about whether his pastor problems have anything to do with his readiness to be the President of the United States of America.
But first, let’s recall: When the original videos of Rev. Wright made their rounds, Senator Obama assured the press this was not the man he knows; it was out of context and an unjust caricature of a very good and learned person, his friend and spiritual guide. But Rev. Wright kept talking. He made his way to the National Press Club and spewed out more venom, including continued praise of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and the communist Sandinista regime of Nicaragua; his theory that the U.S. government created the HIV virus to get rid of racial minorities; a demand for the U.S. government to apologize for slavery. Of most note, however, was his claim that the only reason Senator Obama had distanced himself from Rev. Wright was because he wants to get elected. “He didn’t distance himself,” Wright announced, “He had to distance himself, because he’s a politician, from what the media was saying I had said, which was anti-American.” You would think a spiritual mentor of twenty years would know the mind and heart of his disciple. Who knows?
In any case, Senator Obama was now forced to make a definitive break. Curiously, he broke only from Rev. Wright and maintained his membership in Trinity. He explained his decision by pointing to Rev. Wright’s pending retirement and the new leadership of Rev. Otis Moss, whom he then identified as “a wonderful young pastor” whom he knew and trusted. — Loyalty was what came to mind.
Then comes ”Pastorgate II”. A new video recording is released showing Roman Catholic priest, Michael Pfleger, giving a racist, sexist, crude and demeaning sermon, a stinging defense of Senator Obama against “white entitlement”. It quickly came to light that Fr. Pfleger has been twice a major recipient of earmark funds from Senator Obama’s political advocacy, and more importantly, he is another one of his longtime “spiritual guides” (Rev. Obama’s own words). Was his relationship with Fr. Pfleger part of the “context” which Senator Obama said was needed in order to understand Rev. Wright’s inflammatory words? Should we understand Senator Obama’s religious convictions by looking at his other spiritual role models? In 2004 Senator Obama told The Chicago Sun-Times that Fr. Pfleger helped him “keep his moral compass straight.”
For those of us who knew of Fr. Pfleger’s long history of controversy in the South Side of Chicago, we’re saddened, but not surprised by the show. He is a social activist inspired by liberation theology who for many years has watched his step closely so as not to break canon law (Church law) and thus give his local bishop legal grounds to remove him from ministry.
What was more surprising than the content of his sermon, however, was its locale and timing. The sermon was given at Trinity church last week and under the new leadership and at the explicit request of that “wonderful young pastor”, Rev. Otis Moss.
Now, let’s not be too quick to judge. We know sometimes guests say some unwelcome things. I was hoping this had been the case here. It wasn’t.
At the end of Fr. Pfleger’s despicable tirade, and to the sound of feral applause, Rev. Otis—Senator Obama’s new pastor—had this to say: “we thank God for the message and we thank God for the messenger”. If Senator Obama was waiting for good reason to resign his membership from Trinity, there it was, staring, yelling at us all.
Rev. Wright’s replacement—a man whom Senator Obama knew well and praised for his leadership just weeks before—was acting like Rev. Wright and even inviting another one of Senator Obama’s spiritual guides to come and act like Rev. Wright, too.
It all sounds so implausible. Could it be that a party’s presidential nominee could get it so wrong, so many times?
But as I said, none of this history comes close to the importance of the content of Senator Obama’s letter of resignation. As I said, one line in it was the single most telling piece of information yet about whether Senator Obama’s pastor problems have anything to say about his readiness to be president.
In their letter Barack and Michelle Obama direct themselves to Rev. Otis Moss, the man who just one week before thanked God “for the message and the messenger”: Fr. Michael Pfleger.
Their thoughts about the type of leadership the new pastor is giving? “We also have come to appreciate your ministry and both think you have been, and will be, a wonderful pastor for years to come.”
I’ll let others decide if Senator Obama’s letter of resignation from Trinity was a good political move. To me, on a very different level, it spoke volumes.
God bless, Father Jonathan
P.S. In reference to Fr. Pfleger, I spoke of “liberation theology.” For more information on this theological trend as it relates to Senator Obama’s own background, you may want to look at my column from last week, you can find it here . Here is also a link to my comments on this subject on yesterday’s edition of FOX & Friends.
Bush Warns Against Senate Climate Change Bill
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361704,00.html
WASHINGTON — President Bush weighed in Monday against a Senate bill that would require dramatic cuts in climate-changing greenhouse pollution, cautioning senators "to be very careful about running up enormous costs for future generations of Americans."
The Senate climate bill expected to be debated much of this week would cut emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels and other greenhouse gases by about 70 percent over the next four decades. The bill targets power plants, refineries, factories and transportation.
Supporters argue that the shift away from fossil fuels can be made without significant economic damage and that failure to address global warming itself would produce greater economic harm later this century.
Bush, during a White House event that focused on keeping taxes low, said the Senate bill "would impose roughly $6 trillion in new costs on the American economy." The president in the past has expressed opposition to mandatory limits on carbon dioxide and other pollution linked to global warming.
"There's a much better way to address the environment than imposing these costs ... which will ultimately have to be borne by American consumers," said Bush, who has favored voluntary efforts and technology innovation to address global warming.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush would veto the bill as it stands, but said it seems unlikely the legislation would clear the Senate anyway.
Bush, meanwhile, did not say how the $6 trillion figure he cited was arrived at.
No one is sure what greenhouse emission reductions would cost the U.S. economy. Computer model-based studies have provided a wide range, from a modest rollback in annual economic growth to an annual economic loss of as much as $4.6 trillion by 2030. The wide range is based on different assumptions as to the success of shifting away from fossil fuels toward alternatives and increased energy efficiency and conservation.
The Senate bill assumes getting $6.7 trillion over the next four decades from the sale and trading of carbon emissions allowances in order to meet the imposed emissions caps. Under the bill, the money would be used to help industries comply with the carbon reductions and to help people pay for higher energy costs.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a chief sponsor of the legislation, said the bill, as a result of the proceeds from emission allowances, "will give us the resources to help consumers with energy costs, without increasing the (federal) deficit." About $800 billion over 40 years would be earmarked for tax breaks to help people pay energy costs.
Meanwhile, environmentalists maintain that the debate should include the cost of not addressing climate change.
"These costs (of doing nothing) dwarf the kind of costs that people are talking about from taking serious initiatives to do something about climate change," said Frank Ackerman, a Tufts University economist and co-author of a recent report on the potential economic impacts of global warming. He predicted huge annual economic costs by the end of this century from climate change, including water shortages in the West, sea level rise, increasingly intense hurricanes, and higher energy costs.
While the Senate is expected to debate the climate legislation extensively and consider a string of amendments — some weakening and others strengthening the bill — the legislation's chances of passing the Senate are viewed as slim. Supporters are not expected to muster the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster threat, likely leaving the issue for next year and a new president.
The bill would require an 18 percent reduction of greenhouse gases below 2005 levels by 2020 and about 70 percent below that level by 2050. Some sources would not be covered, so the overall U.S. emission reductions would be by about two-thirds by 2050.
The bill recently picked up support from a dozen unions, the nation's mayors, a number of governors and religious groups. General Electric Co., Alcoa Inc., and Exelon Corp, the country's biggest operator of nuclear power plants, are expected Monday at a news conference with Boxer and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., another chief sponsor, to support the legislation.
But many business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have criticized the measure as too costly. The charge against the bill has been lead by those that would be most affected including the oil and coal industries.
Cavuto: It Takes Green to Go Green
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/cavuto-costs-green-green/
I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE COUNTRY GOING GREEN.
JUST NOT WHEN ITS CITIZENS ARE SEEING RED.
BECAUSE HERE'S THE DEAL:
AS MUCH AS WE ALL WANT A CLEANER WORLD, THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE WANT TO CLEAN OUT OUR WALLETS TO PAY FOR IT.
...BECAUSE WHILE THEY SAY THIS CONGRESSIONAL BILL IS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, IT'S GOING TO COST A LOT MORE THAN POCKET CHANGE.
WE WILL ALL END UP PAYING A LOT MORE TO CLEAR THE AIR "IN" THE WORLD, JUST TO CLEAR THE AIR "WITH" THE WORLD.
MAYBE WE WANT EVERYONE TO LIKE US AGAIN, SO WE'LL HAPPILY PICK UP THE TAB AGAIN.
BUT LET ME BE VERY CLEAR HERE, IT WILL BE A HEFTY TAB.
I'M NOT SAYING GAS CLIMBS TO EIGHT BUCKS A GALLON AS A RESULT OF THIS...BUT IT WILL GET THERE FASTER BECAUSE OF THIS.
AND ALL IN AN EFFORT TO GET US DRIVING MORE FUEL EFFICIENT VEHICLES.
THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH ENCOURAGING THAT.
THERE'S EVERYTHING WRONG WITH DEMANDING THAT.
HIGH GAS PRICES WILL GET AUTOMAKERS TO CHANGE THEIR WAYS.
HIGH-HANDED POLITICIANS WILL NOT.
NOW IF CHINA OR INDIA WERE SIMILARLY BENT ON MAKING THIS WORLD CLEANER, I MIGHT MAKE A CLEAN BREAK FROM THOSE WHO SAY "NO" TO ANY ENVIRONMENTAL ACCORD.
BUT THIS BILL ISN'T SO CLEAN. OR SO SIMPLE.
AT A TIME WHEN OUR ECONOMY IS HURTING, MANDATING EVERYTHING IN THIS CLIMATE CHANGE BILL WILL NOT CHANGE THE ONE THING WE SHOULD ALL FEAR.
A MORE INTRUSIVE GOVERNMENT. BECAUSE REMEMBER THIS, MORE RULES, MORE REGULATIONS, IT'S MORE GOVERNMENT.
LOOK, WE ALL WANT A GREENER PLANET.
BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE LEFT TO US PAYING ALL THE GREEN.
BUSINESSES HAVE A WAY OF REMARKABLY ADJUSTING TO GREEN TRENDS THEY SEE A POPULATION DESIRING...NOT A GOVERNMENT DEMANDING.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. AND A COST.
SBA List Candidate Fund Endorses Sarah Steelman for Governor
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07248.shtml
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Today the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, a national pro-life Political Action Committee, announced their endorsement of Sarah Steelman, Republican candidate for Missouri Governor.
Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser commented on the endorsement:
"The Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund is proud to endorse Sarah Steelman for Missouri Governor. >From her pro-life leadership in the State Senate to her Life is Precious Initiative today, Sarah Steelman is truly dedicated to representing all Missouri citizens, born and unborn. Sarah is a passionate advocate for women and unborn children and we are pleased to support her candidacy for Missouri Governor."
Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund endorsements are posted on the website, www.sba-listcf.org, which allows Susan B. Anthony List members to bundle contributions for endorsed candidates, access political updates about key political races, register to vote and engage in pro-life advocacy efforts. The SBA List Candidate Fund supports pro-life female candidates, as well as pro-life male candidates who run against pro-choice female candidates.
"Susan B. Anthony List members are eager to support dedicated pro-life heroines when they need it most," said Dannenfelser. "The consequences of disengagement are dire. The lives of women and their unborn babies are on the line, and the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund is ready to defend them at the ballot box in Missouri and across the country."
As a Missouri State Senator, Sarah Steelman co- sponsored legislation to ban partial-birth abortion, sponsored the Adoption Awareness Law and sponsored legislation to create the Missouri Respect Life license plate. Her recently announced Life is Precious Initiative calls for a special session of the Missouri legislature to consider legislation to ban coercive abortion in Missouri. The initiative also calls for bans on sex-selection abortions and the abortions of unborn disabled children.
Sarah Steelman is a Republican candidate in the race to replace retiring Governor Matt Blunt (R). She will face Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R) in the Republican gubernatorial primary on August 5, 2008. The winner of the Republican primary will go on to face Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon, who supports abortion rights, in the November general election.
The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of over 145,000 Americans, residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.
States Urge Delay in Gay Marriage Ruling
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385353.aspx
CBNNews.com - Marriage protection amendments may be the biggest item on the ballots in several states apart from the presidential election come November.
The attorneys general of 10 states are asking the California Supreme Court to delay finalizing its ruling to legalize same-sex marriages until after the November election.
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday, the AG from Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah all say they'd rather have voters decide in the general election on whether or not to accept same-sex marriage.
"Redefining marriage will affect the entire nation, not just California," Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com said.
His organization is leading the effort to put an amendment on the November 2008 ballot that would define marriage as the union of one man and woman.
"Issuing licenses to same-sex couples will cause nationwide legal chaos, and the attorneys general of these states recognize that fact," he said. "It is our hope that the justices will grant the request for a stay, so that the voters can have the opportunity to express their will with regard to affirming marriage."
Project Marriage is comprised of pro-family organizations, churches and others in support of changing California's constitution to protect the definition and sanctity of marriage
As of April 2008, the group had collected 1.1 million voter signatures for their cause.
"The people's overwhelming support to protect the longstanding meaning of marriage as between a man and a woman has been staggering," Prentice said.
If the petition is not granted, each state would need to determine whether they should recognize the marriages of gay residents who were married in California.
AL Mayor Says 'No' to Gay Pride
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385230.aspx
CBNNews.com - The mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, has refused to sign a proclamation for an annual gay pride celebration in the city.
Mayor Larry Langford has also denied the group a parade permit, The Birmingham News reports.
Langford says he turned down the requests, because it's inappropriate for government to endorse a lifestyle.
"I don't think I'm intolerant, I just don't condone the lifestyle," Langford told The Birmingham News. "Your personal lifestyle should be nobody's issue but yours. It's not a civil rights issue; it's a personal issue."
Back in April, Langford called on Birmingham residents to turn to God and to seek peace when the city's murder rate soared.
More than a thousand people turned out for the mayor's family summit where every one received a free Bible.
Kairos Outreach Supports Prisoners, Families
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07247.shtml
ORLANDO, (christiansunite.com) -- The Kairos Prison Ministry program, headquartered in Winter Park, FL, provides faith-based Christian programs for prisoners and their families across the nation and Overseas. The ministry, which got its start in 1976, is made up of three programs: Kairos Inside for Incarcerated Men and Women; Kairos Torch for Youthful Offenders; and Kairos Outside for female family and friends.
Kairos Inside for Incarcerated Men and Women
Kairos is a Christian outreach to imprisoned men and women. Well-organized and highly trained volunteer teams of men and women conduct an introductory three-day weekend retreat inside the prison. Kairos volunteers and leaders work with prison officials and the prison chaplain to identify inmate participants, usually incarcerated men and women seen as leaders among the prison population.
This short course in Christianity is conducted through education, meditation, group discussion and self- examination. After the initial three-day retreat, Kairos volunteers return to the prison for follow-up sessions with the Kairos program graduates. The graduates are also encouraged to meet in small groups together inside the prison on a weekly basis to continue their personal and spiritual growth.
Kairos Torch
The fastest growing Kairos program is its program for juvenile offenders called Torch. The goals of Torch are to provide a safe place for juvenile offenders to explore their spirituality; to offer unconditional love and acceptance in a Christian setting; to encourage the sharing of life journeys and help the youthful offender to move forward with his/her life in a more positive way; and to foster spiritual growth through a long-term mentoring program.
Torch follows a similar format as the adult outreach program with a two-day weekend retreat followed up by continuing ministry that includes weekly, one-to- one mentoring by adult Kairos volunteers. Torch offers a significant potential to impact individual lives and the overall criminal justice system and prison population as a whole.
Kairos Outside
Kairos Outside is a program designed to support the female loved ones of men and women who are or have been incarcerated. Relatives/friends "do time" right along with their imprisoned loved ones. The Kairos Outside program is a special weekend retreat where participants share with others how the incarceration of a loved one is affecting family life. Weekend retreats become a safe place where participants can share their experiences, share their faith and find comfort and support.
The goal of this Christian ministry is to bring about healing, forgiveness and spiritual growth in participants. Through small groups, outside participants find the strength and support for the unique challenges they face.
For more information visit the Kairos website at www.kairosprisonministry.org.
Rick Warren appointed advisor to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation
http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/commentary/what-holly-thinks-rick-warren-appointed-advisor-t/
In his bestselling book, The Purpose Driven Life, megachurch pastor Rick Warren said studying end-times prophecy distracts Christians from fulfilling the missions God has given each of them. In context, their missions should focus primarily on spreading the gospel, according to Warren (see pages 285-286).
He said, “If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy. It is easy to get distracted and sidetracked from your mission because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith. He will let you do all kinds of good things as long as you don’t take anyone to heaven with you.”
Yet, if Warren had studied prophecy, he’d know better than serving on the advisory council of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
The foundation’s stated purpose is to harness “faith as a force for good” in the world, by getting people of different faiths to work together to tackle global poverty and conflict. It was launched Friday in New York at an event moderated by Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent. Read about it at http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN3030921720080530?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10112.
While Blair’s interfaith movement may sound good, those who know Bible prophecies know that it fits perfectly with a global, interfaith movement that will arise to support the Antichrist (Rev. 13:11-18).
In a statement on the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Web site, Warren says, “The Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s potential for doing good is staggering.” Apparently, Warren has failed to heed his own warning that Satan will distract Christians by letting them “do all kinds of good things as long as [they] don’t take anyone to heaven with [them].”
To be fair, Warren’s five-part “P.E.A.C.E. Plan” includes sharing the gospel along with tackling social ills. Read about it at http://www.thepeaceplan.com/. Yet, because of his ignorance of prophecy, Warren is now going to lead many evangelicals into joining ranks with a global religious movement the Bible warned about.
Warren isn’t the only evangelical leader to serve on the 12-member advisory council. Others include David Coffey (president of the Baptist World Alliance) and Joel Edwards (general director of the Evangelical Alliance). See the full list at http://tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/about-us/who-we-are/advisory-council.html. And if we’re as far along in the prophecies as FP suspects, then we should expect to see more of our Christian leaders signing onto this interfaith movement.
Blair unfazed by Mideast peace obstacles
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/434438
Tony Blair was driven out of office primarily for being a "Bush poodle," especially on Iraq.
In the year since, he has taken on two seemingly hopeless assignments: working on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, at the urging of George W. Bush, and trying to reconcile Islam, Christianity and Judaism as part of an ambitious bid to promote religion as a force of good.
He was in Toronto Thursday on the eve of his Friday announcement in New York about his Faith Foundation. Over breakfast, he spoke of his twin current quests, saying that neither is quixotic.
He is one of the most engaging public figures around, certain of subject matter and sure of words.
As special envoy of the Quartet – the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia – his job in the Middle East is not to negotiate (despite his known skills, demonstrated in taming the IRA).
Rather, it is to prepare the ground for peace – upgrading the capability of the Palestinian Authority on security for Israel, convincing Israel to ease its iron grip on the Palestinians, and improving their economic and social conditions.
Blair has held a donor conference, where $7.7 billion was pledged, and an investors' meeting.
But several countervailing forces, outside his control, are at work.
Since the peace conference in Annapolis, Md., in November, Israel has added 30 checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank and at Gaza crossings. They now total 580, according to the United Nations.
The blockade of Gaza continues – "one of the greatest human rights crimes on Earth," said Jimmy Carter last week. He urged the European Union to break with American-Israeli policy. "To see Europe go along with this is embarrassing." (It is more so for Canada, given our tradition of neutrality.)
Hopes for peace are dwindling. Ehud Olmert, negotiating directly with Mahmoud Abbas and indirectly with Syria, may be forced out over a bribery scandal.
"Yes, that does complicate the issue – sure," Blair conceded. "Prime Minister Olmert does have a serious vision of peace."
But Blair soldiers on, being scrupulously even-handed, conscious of the Palestinian humanitarian crisis and the Israeli security crisis.
"When the Palestinians say the occupation is a nightmare and deeply oppressive, that is true.
"But when the Israelis say they have a major security issue, that is also true. How do you work your way on the ground in a way that opens up political space for negotiations?"
Thus his work in the West Bank and parallel efforts to see that "Gaza is calmed and the people helped.
"At present, you won't resolve the politics of Gaza but it is important that Gaza is not in such a state that it overwhelms any positive aspect of anything else that's happening.
"If all those things are done simultaneously, the political process may have a chance. If you try the political negotiations in the abstract, away from the reality on the ground, it will fail."
Blair's predecessor, James Wolfensohn, quit in 2006, unable to make progress. Is Blair hopeful with his incrementalism and reciprocity? "I'm still hopeful."
On the faith initiative, he said that religion, rather than being dead, is very much alive, even in the West. If we don't grasp that, we won't be able to tackle civilizational clashes.
Globalization is pulling people together and religion is tearing them apart. He hopes to reconcile the two. Moderate religious voices must be strengthened to take on the extremist ones, especially in the Middle East.
His foundation won't be "a talk shop for pleasant but inconsequential conversation." It won't touch doctrinal issues. It would, instead, deliver "products," working, say, with Bill Clinton's global initiative on projects across religious divides.
In Canada, he met Belinda Stronach, who has been helping to eradicate AIDS and malaria in Africa.
He has conferred with the Aga Khan, who is building a Pluralism Centre in Ottawa to showcase Canadian multiculturalism. He would look for ways to co-operate.
Whatever one thought of Blair's politics, one can only wish him well in his new ventures.
Is Ireland on Brink of Rejecting EU Treaty?
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,556401,00.html
With two weeks to go until the Lisbon Treaty referendum, Irish voters are slowly making their minds up on how to vote. Worryingly for Brussels it is the 'No' campaign that is steadily gaining support, as it plays on fears relating to neutrality, taxation and abortion.
When their entry Dustin the Turkey crashed out of the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest last week, some in Ireland could have been forgiven for thinking it was final proof that their country was losing influence in Europe.
Opposition leader Enda Kenny looked on the bright side, saying Dustin may have been "gobbled up" by the opposition but Ireland just needed to vote 'Yes' to the Lisbon Treaty to ensure it had a presence at the heart of Europe. The question now is whether Irish voters are quite so enthusiastic for Europe or are on the verge of giving the EU Reform Treaty nul points in two weeks time.
The future of the European Union now hangs on how the voters in this small country on the far western edge of Europe vote on June 12. And with less than two weeks to go to polling day, the referendum debate has been hijacked by issues that have little to do with the Lisbon Treaty. While many have accused the campaign against the treaty of being aggressive, populist and misleading, the reality is that it has also been pretty successful.
The latest opinion poll has the 'Yes' camp inching ahead, but only a bit. A poll published in Ireland's Sunday Business Post showed that 41 percent were now planning to vote for the treaty, up 3 points from the previous poll. However, the 'No' side had seen a bigger increase, jumping 5 percent to 33 percent. With a full quarter of the electorate undecided, the spectre of a repeat of France and the Netherlands' rejection of the European Constitution in 2005 is looming.
In the end the Lisbon Treaty, which replaced that constitution and which is designed to make the workings of the EU more efficient and coherent, could fall victim to the prevailing economic uncertainty that has now begun to touch Ireland.
The Irish "Celtic Tiger" is losing its teeth as the global financial crisis begins to eat away at job security and leaves many people shouldering the burden of huge mortgages and worrying about their financial future. In addition Irish farmers are riled at EU plans to open up Europe markets to global trade, so much so that many farmers are threatening to reject Lisbon.
No More Checks from Brussels
Ireland, the only country that is legally required to hold a referendum on the treaty has long been regarded as one of the main beneficiaries of EU membership. For years hand outs from Brussels helped Ireland build up its infrastructure. This combined with high investment in education and Ireland's attractiveness to American companies as a low-tax, English-speaking base paved the way for the economic boom that lasted from the mid-1990s until recently.
But the checks are no longer coming from Europe and Ireland's love affair with the EU may have waned. After all this is the country that rejected the Nice Treaty, the agreement that essentially paved the way for enlargement back in 2001. The referendum had to be held a second time before the treaty passed. "That showed a lack of respect for the will of the people," says Peadar Ó Broin of the Dublin based Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), a think tank. It seemed to many a "cynical rejection of democracy."
This time around many issues are muddying the waters. From Ireland's political neutrality, to its ban on abortion, to its low corporate tax rates, the 'No' campaign seems to have successfully focused on what Ireland might lose, while the pro-Europe campaign has found it more difficult to argue what is specifically to be gained from the treaty.
The only mainstream political party to oppose the treaty, Sinn Féin, has been raising fears that Lisbon could somehow open the door to tax harmonization, forcing Ireland to give up its low corporate tax rate that has lured so many foreign companies to the country. EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was forced to rush to Dublin in April on a mission to convince voters that Ireland would still have a veto on tax issues.
"Now is the time to play on the fears of a vulnerable electorate," says Ó Broin of the IIEA. He points to the prevailing fears of an economic slowdown in Ireland. "There is a negative atmosphere now that the boom is over. The Celtic Tiger is gone," and people don't want to do anything that will change the status quo.
Brendan Butler of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) told SPIEGEL ONLINE that the 'No' side is casting doubts with "red herrings and myths." "The issues are quite murky. People can't really get a clear sense of what the treaty is about."
Butler points to the example of pamphlets that claimed that Brussels would be able to decide how many children people can have or the fear that abortion would be made legal. Abortion is banned in this predominantly Catholic country, except in cases where the mother's life is in danger. Ireland was given a guarantee way back in 1991 when it signed the Maastricht Treaty that this ban would be secure. That didn’t stop a Catholic newspaper recently featuring an ad pleading for devout voters to reject the treaty on the grounds that it would "create a new European identity based on radical secularism and atheistic philosophies."
On Thursday Ireland's bishops tried to quell these fears and condemned those introducing "extraneous factors" into the debate. Archbishop of Dublin Dr. Diarmuid Martin told reporters: "I do not believe that this treaty changes the current position" on abortion. He also called on the country's political community to show "stronger leadership," and to explain and ensure that citizens have enough knowledge to help them decide "in favor of the common good of Europe."
Part 2: 'The Larger States Have Made the Greater Concessions'
Admittedly the Lisbon Treaty is a complex and often convoluted work, really a series of amendments to existing treaties. Ireland's current EU commissioner, Charlie McGreevy, recently quipped that "no sane person" would read it. However, the Referendum Commission, an independent statutory body set up to provide impartial information in advance of any referendum, has taken a stab at explaining it to the electorate. Its easy-to-read guide to the salient points of the treaty landed in the post box of every household and the commission has already explained that Lisbon will not affect Ireland's neutrality or taxation.
Although the vast majority of establishment Ireland is backing the treaty, including business leaders and trade unions, the 'Yes' campaign still hardly made things easy for themselves. A row between the various parties blew up last weekend with Brian Cowen, Ireland's somewhat abrasive new prime minister, lashing out at opposition parties for not been pulling their weight in the campaign.
'Turkey's Voting for Christmas'
John McGuirk, of Libertas, a group campaigning against the referendum, says the 'Yes' campaign has tried to present the treaty as a "bland soft package that doesn’t affect anyone." Libertas is focusing its campaign on the so-called "democratic deficit" in Europe, which McGuirk argues will actually be deepened and entrenched by Lisbon. "The president and commissioners represent 500 million people and never have to ask anyone for a vote," he told SPIEGEL ONLINE. He said the increase in policy areas where majority voting will apply as well as the loss of a permanent commissioner would not be "a good deal" for Ireland. "It is like Turkeys voting for Christmas," he said.
Libertas activists believe the treaty leaves the big countries firmly in the driving seat. "France and Germany along with two other states could block any legislation. That is not good for smaller countries." IBEC's Butler disagrees. "We knew we had to reduce the number of commissioners … It's more important to have decent portfolios than every country having a commissioner." And he argues the new voting procedures are actually weighted in favor of smaller nations like Ireland. "The larger states have made the greater concessions."
While Libertas may argue Ireland could renegotiate a better deal, the tone coming out of Brussels is very different. The message is: there is no Plan B. On Monday Barrosso warned that if Ireland rejects the treaty: "We will all pay a price for it."
The irony would be that the process of further integration that began with the European Constitution that was hammered out during Ireland's 2004 EU Presidency, would see its downsized version -- the Lisbon Treaty -- perish at the hands of the Irish.
The Farmers' Wrath
One group of voters that could make a big difference in the June 12 vote are farmers. This group, normally very pro-European, is accusing EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson of trying to destroy the Irish agricultural industry. The World Trade Organization wants to remove many of the long-standing restrictions on international commerce in agriculture, and Madelson is expected to try to reach a compromise deal at the next WTO ministerial meeting at the end of June. The Irish farming community is vehemently opposed to his proposals to open up Europe to more agricultural imports.
Irish Farmer's Association spokesperson Niall Madigan told SPIEGEL ONLINE: "The proposals will wipe out our livestock sector. By our analysis, 50,000 farmers will be out of business and another 50,000 jobs in the food processing industry will be lost." Madigan claims Mandelson is essentially going to tear up the Common Agricultural Policy that governs farm production in Europe. "One arm of the EU is urging us to vote yes (to Lisbon), and the other, the commissioner, is trying to wipe out what we have."
While these resentments might have little to do with the Lisbon Treaty, they could still jeopardize it. According to an opinion poll released Thursday, four out of every 10 farmers are planning to vote 'No' while only two in 10 are voting 'Yes,' the rest are still undecided.
This is significant. The IFA is heeded not only by farmers but also rural constituencies and what Ó Broin describes as the "newly urbanized who have sympathies with farming communities." Butler warns the farmers against the making the mistake of rejecting Lisbon ahead of the ministerial talks. He says IBEC also has concerns about the WTO meeting but says: "Our people will stand a better chance with the warm wind of the 'yes' vote at their backs, than the cold and rocky turbulence of a 'No' vote."
EU accused of 'step back' in transparency
http://euobserver.com/9/26250
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The EU's transparency watchdog will today strongly criticise the European Commission's commitment to openness, saying its recent proposals on document access represent a "step backwards."
At a hearing in parliament on Monday afternoon (2 June) to discuss the proposed overhaul of public access to document rules, EU ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros will say: "The commission's proposals would mean access to fewer, not more, documents" and that the new code "ignores the lessons of the past."
The ombudsman, who oversees EU citizens' relations with the European institutions, has not been able to "identify any of the commission's proposals that would result in more documents being accessible than at present."
The criticism comes a month after the commission unveiled proposals to update a 2001 law on document transparency that has been subject to strong criticism by MEPs and NGOs for being too restrictive.
But according to the ombudsman, while some proposals would make "fewer documents accessible," others are based on "contestable understandings of [EU] case law" and some entirely new proposals "are difficult to reconcile with a genuine commitment to ensuring the widest possible access to documents."
The proposal to change the definition of a document - so that only papers that have been formally sent to people or otherwise registered could be said to be a "document" - means that the commission will effectively decide what documents are covered by the new law.
In addition, the commission has proposed that documents containing information about "natural or legal persons" that are part of an investigation should never be available to the public - a move that goes beyond the current situation.
Betrayal of promises to citizens
The third main proposal in the commission's transparency regulation is also condemned by Mr Diamandouros. The commission is proposing that all documents - currently it is only internal documents - involved in the period before a formal commission decision is made be exempted from public scrutiny.
The effect of this would be to "give the commission discretion to share documents informally with a limited number of favoured external recipients of its choice" without risk that these documents will later be legally available to the public.
The ombudsman's has some praise for the fact that the commission's proposal will cover citizens everywhere and no longer just in the EU and that Brussels is calling for clearer procedural rules in all institutions on making documents available.
But overall, he says they betray "promises to citizens, civil society and representative associations made in the Treaty of Lisbon."
Mounting up
This is not the only criticism the new proposals have received. UK civil liberties organisation Statewatch last month called aspects of the reforms "highly retrogressive."
The ombudsman is calling on MEPs to play "an active role" in shaping the new legislation.
However, the European Parliament's own standing on transparency took a blow earlier this year when MEPs voted down a proposal to make auditors' reports public as a matter of principle.
A recent auditor's report, unavailable to the public, revealed cases of MEPs abusing their monthly staff allowances.
Lebanese paper reports Hizballah holds more Israeli soldiers’ remains
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5315
The claim appears to Al-Sapir .
The German Der Spiegel reports that a German agent has brokered a two-stage prisoner swap deal which awaits Israel’s decision. DEBKAfile’s sources comment that the deal outlines Hizballah’s demands which Israel has been rejecting for two years.
According to the German paper, Israel will receive the kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, “whose death is regarded as a fact,” in the first stage and hand over Samir Kuntar, the terrorist sentenced to life for murdering four Israelis in Nahariya in 1979, plus four Hizballah militiamen, the bodies of 10 Lebanese combatants, fresh information on the long missing navigator, Ron Arad, and maps of minefields in south Lebanon.
In the second stage Israel must release a large number of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Arabs plotted to kidnap, kill, and trade IDF soldier
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2468
Three Israeli Arabs [that's right, three Arabs enjoying all the privileges of Israeli citizenship] were recently arrested for plotting to kidnap and murder an IDF soldier, and use his body to trade for Palestinian prisoners.
The suspects are believed to have taken a page out of the Hamas and Hizb'allah training manuals; both those terrorist organizations have successfully implemented this strategy, more than once.
A knife and a gun were to be used kill the soldier, who would be videotaped before being buried in secret, according to the indictment.
The victim's identification card would then be given to an unknown accomplice.
According to Ha'aretz, citing the Shin Bet Internal Security Service, the three men are all residents of Lod, near Ben Gurion International Airport. They are all activists in the Islamic Movement, and one is a student of Islamic shari'a law in a Jordan university.
Further details in the courtroom brief reveal that the three men held a secret meeting in the Great Mosque in Lod during a Muslim holiday last December, where one of them declared that every Muslim has the duty to uphold the precept of jihad against the "infidels."
Terror group revels in victory
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2471
The criminals making up the Lebanese Hizb'allah organization - just last week dubbed the world's A-Team of terrorism - were Sunday relishing yet another victory over their hated Jewish neighbors, bragging that Israel handed back one of their spies in exchange for a coffin-load of Israeli body parts.
Cries of 'Allahu akhber' ('Allah is greater') and a ceremonial crowd including top terroritst leaders greeted Nissim Nasser after he was driven across the coastal crossing from Israel into Lebanon.
"We will receive him with a great celebration, out of our loyalty to those who were loyal to the homeland and resistance," a Hizb'allah official was quoted as saying shortly before Nasser arrived.
"Our heart is open to these resistance heroes. This is a victory for every Lebanese citizen."
According to reports in Israel, the spy's handover is part of a deal that will culminate in the release of notorious Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, in exchange for the return of kidnapped Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
Hizb'allah has already benefitted greatly from their snatching of the two men in a 2006 cross-border raid. The abduction triggered the Second Lebanon War which saw, at least from the Arab perspective, Hizb'allah score a major victory over the mighty Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took his country to war vowing its main goal was to secure the freedom of the two men.
Israel's failure to achieve that objective forced it to negotiate indirectly with Hizb'allah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has already announced his success and Israel's surrender to the demand for Kuntar.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday Hizb'allah had also scored an "achievement" in the last month when, through the use of violence inside Lebanon, it had helped force far-reaching constitutional changes in that country.
Inspired by Hizb'allah's glowing track record, Arabs are reportedly flocking to sign up, and Iranian and other support is flowing in, feeding the Muslim monster.
Last week the chief of US Homeland Security warned the world that Hizb'allah was the most dangerous terrorist group around.
In comparison to the Lebanese organization, said Michael Chertoff, Usama bin-Laden's Al-Qaeda is playing in the "minor leagues."
Remains received from Hizballah identified as belonging to five fallen Israeli soldiers
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5316
The IDF notified five bereaved families June 2 that remains handed to Israel by Hizballah on June 1 had been identified as belonging to soldiers who had died in the 2006 Lebanon War and were buried.
They are the four crew members of the Yasur helicopter shot down by Hizballah on August 13, 2006:
Major Nissan Shalev, 36, from Kibbutz Evron;
Capt. Daniel Gomez, 25, from Nahalim;
Master Sgt. Ron Mashiah, 33, from Gedera. His ID tag was handed to his parents;
Major Sammy Ben-Naim, 39, from Rehovot;
and Sgt. Gilead Sussman, 26, from Eili, elilte unit combatant, who died in battle at Debel village.
The box of tissue and bone fragments wrapped in plastic bags and tinfoil arrived without warning on June 1 after the handover to Lebanon of a Hizballah spy at the end of his six years in prison. Full identification of all the fragments is expected to take some weeks.
Israel has refused to included body parts in prisoner negotiations.
Before he's even freed, terrorist vows to murder more Jews
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2470
Samir Kuntar, the Lebanese terrorist imprisoned in Israel for the cold-blooded murder of four Jews three decades ago, and whose release in exchange for IDF prisoners held in Lebanon is believed imminent, is already planning to kill again.
According to Israel National News Monday, Kuntar pledged in a letter recently written to Hizb'allah chief Hassan Nasrallah that he fully intends to continue down the path that led him to be locked up in 1979.
The Palestinian Media Watch translated a letter Kuntar wrote to Nasrallah last February pledged his allegiance:
"May peace be unto you, Hajj Imad. My oath and pledge is that my place will be at the battlefront, which is soaked in the sweat of your giving, and the blood of the most beloved among men (a reference to "shahids," Arabic for "martyrs" – a reference to terrorists who give up their lives for the cause) and that I shall continue down the path until complete victory," he wrote. "I give to you, Sir Abu Hadi (a reference to Hassan Nasrallah) and to all the Jihad Fighters, my congratulations and renewed loyalty."
Reports INN: Kuntar was responsible for the murders of four Israelis during an attack he led on Nahariyah in 1979. The brutality of the attack inspired the judge to sentence the terrorist to one of the longest prison sentences ever handed down in the Jewish State. Kuntar, who belonged at the time to the Palestine Liberation Front terrorist group, first murdered 28-year-old Dani Haran, then crushed his 4-year-old daughter Eynat's skull with his rifle butt. He then killed two police officers. Eynat's 2-year-old sister Yael also died in the attack, accidentally suffocated to death by her terrified mother while hiding during the deadly attack.
Despite his total lack of contrition and the very real danger this committed killer poses to more Jews, the Olmert government is reportedly finalizing the deal that will see him set free and welcomed as a hero in the entire Islamic world.
Israel has a history of releasing terrorists in demonstrations of its good will, only to see many return to their killing ways.
Israel's Olmert Calls 'Time Out'
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385094.aspx
CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert departs Monday evening for a week in the United States in what some analysts are calling a "time out" for the beleaguered head of state under criminal investigation.
At a meeting Sunday with members of his Kadima party, Olmert played down last week's calls for his resignation by Defense Minister and Labor party chairman Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, among others.
Sources close to the prime minister said he has no intention of spearheading a move for general elections in November and prefers to let his political rivals duke it out among themselves while his attorneys prepare their cross examination of American financier Morris Talansky in two weeks.
Meanwhile, he'll spend a week meeting with US heads of state and affluent Jewish American leaders.
On Sunday, Olmert's colleagues, including Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, criticized Barak and Livni for consulting strategist Reuven Adler, who also advised former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"Barak and Livni are Reuven Adler's marionettes and they are ready to play this role because they are interested in gaining power," Mofaz said. Mofaz is also interested in being the next leader of Kadima, with an eye toward the premiership.
According to Mofaz, Barak's call for Olmert to step down stems from problems within Labor.
"Because of his problems in the Labor party, he tried to interfere with what is happening in Kadima, but he failed," Mofaz said.
"He did the wrong thing by trying to dictate timetables to us," he said. "Tzipi Livni also made a mistake, and I hope she doesn't repeat it," said Mofaz.
While Mofaz would like to see Kadima hold its first primary in early September, he said he wants to give Olmert time "to prove his innocence."
But Kadima leaders say it is highly unlikely that Olmert will be ousted as chairman due to the party's statutes.
In a related matter, National Fraud Unit detectives will travel to the United States this week to track down the money trail of other American donors.
"They're going to check who is behind the big money that Talansky raised," said former Israel Police chief investigator Cmdr. (ret.) Moshe Mizrahi.
"Talansky acted as fundraiser, funneling other people's funds to Olmert. The police need to identify those other donors and find out what interests they represented," he said.
"They will look at why these donors wanted Olmert to intervene for them," he said, adding that police "still do not know who they are."
Mizrachi said police are on the verge of recommending that Olmert be indicted for violation of public trust, while investigation of bribery charges will take longer.
Meanwhile, some Israelis see Olmert's trip to the States as a further embarrassment for Israel, adding to the nation's disgrace, and providing fodder for the international media.
While the prime minister will try to appear statesmanlike before the press this week, most of his constituency would like to see him sidelined.
But Olmert loves the limelight, preferring to postpone what many believe is his inevitable departure from office.
What might have been a semi-graceful departure may evolve into an extended toxic quest for personal political survival.
Olmert, Abbas make progress on permanent borders
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3551061,00.html
Just hours before leaving for Washington Israeli PM meets Palestinian leader meet in Jerusalem, reiterate commitment to reaching peace deal by end of 2008. Sources say Palestinians complained against continued settlement construction
Israeli officials said that during Monday's meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem progress was made on the issue of the permanent borders of a future Palestinian state and the security arrangements a peace agreement would entail.
The preliminary meeting was also attended by the heads of the negotiation teams - Foreign Minster Tzipi Livni and Ahmed Qureia – as well as by Olmert aides Yoram Turbovitch and Shalom Turgeman. Olmert and Abbas later held a one-on-one meeting.
According to Israeli sources familiar with the talks, both sides reiterated their commitment to reaching an agreement by the end of 2008.
During the meeting Olmert expressed his discontent over the letters sent by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to the European Union and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) claiming that European-Israeli ties should not be boosted in light of Israel's settlement policy in the West Bank
'Abbas backs Israel-Syria talks'
Israel is looking to become a member of both the EU and the OECD.
"We do not accept the use of this rhetoric, which does not reflect the current relationship between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Olmert said during the meeting.
The Palestinians on their part protested the continued construction of settlements. The Israeli PM said in response that the construction in east Jerusalem's Jewish neighborhoods would continue, as will construction in areas that are expected to remain in Israeli hands after an agreement is reached.
The Palestinian negotiators asked that Israel consider releasing more prisoners and demanded added Palestinian police presence in the West Bank.
Olmert also updated Abbas on the Egyptian-mediated talks on a possible ceasefire with terror groups in Gaza and said no agreement has been reached as of yet. Sources in the PM's office said Abbas expressed his support for the renewed peace negotiations between Israel and Syria.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Salam Fayyad said he was deeply pessimistic about a peace deal with Israel, saying Israel's accelerated settlement construction largely strips the negotiations on the terms of Palestinian statehood of meaning.
Israel's Olmert seeks to reassure Abbas on talks
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/06/02/africa/OUKWD-UK-PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL.php
JERUSALEM: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas protested Jewish settlement growth near Jerusalem in talks on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who sought to show it was business-as-usual despite a corruption probe.
"Differences were deep and strong in this area," Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said of the settlement issue, which has dogged U.S.-sponsored peace talks since they were launched in November.
Abbas's prime minister, Salam Fayyad, stepped up the pressure, calling on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in a letter to deny Israel membership over building on occupied land, a Palestinian official said.
Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said Fayyad's lobbying efforts with the OECD were "simply unproductive" and that the prime minister raised the issue during his two-hour meeting with Abbas in Jerusalem. Olmert will fly later on Monday to Washington, where he will meet President George W. Bush.
Olmert has so far rebuffed calls that he leave office over allegations he took envelopes stuffed with cash from a Jewish-American businessman. Olmert and the businessman have denied wrongdoing.
Officials said Olmert's strategy was to push ahead with the negotiations with the Palestinians, as well as indirect talks with Syria, as if nothing has changed in hope the police investigation does not end in charges against him.
"This process will continue," Regev said of the talks with the Palestinians, adding that Olmert recommitted himself during the meeting to trying to reach a deal on Palestinian statehood by the end of the year.
"We're hopeful, still, that it will be possible to reach such an agreement," Regev said. "I can say unequivocally that there was progress reached in this meeting today."
He gave no details.
The political crisis enveloping Olmert could trigger an early election and derail the peace talks, Israeli, Palestinian and Western officials say. Olmert says he will resign if indicted.
SETTLEMENTS
On the eve of the Olmert-Abbas meeting, Israel announced plans to build nearly 900 homes in areas of the occupied West Bank that the Israeli government considers part of Jerusalem, despite U.S. and Palestinian calls to stop settlement expansion.
"If Israel does not halt these activities, it will be difficult to reach the political settlement," Abbas said at a news conference earlier in the day with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Erekat urged Washington to step up pressure on Israel to stop the building.
Israeli officials said Olmert's plight may have spurred his backing of the new tenders, which include an additional 763 housing units in Pisgat Zeev and 121 housing units in Har Homa, an area Palestinians refer to as Jabal Abu Ghneim.
The new building could help Olmert shore up support from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a key member of his coalition government opposed to major concessions to the Palestinians on Jerusalem, the officials said.
The 2003 peace "road map" requires a halt to all settlement activity on occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said there were tensions on both sides, citing the settlement issue as well as concerns that the Palestinians were not moving fast enough on their security obligations under the road map.
"So it's a two-way street," she said.
UN's Ban Says Israeli Building Plans Violate International Law
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-06-02-voa56.cfm
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has criticized Israel's plan to build new homes in disputed east Jerusalem as a violation of international law.
Mr. Ban's office issued a statement Monday saying the Israeli housing projects also violate Israel's commitments under the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan.
Israeli authorities issued tenders Sunday for hundreds of units in two east Jerusalem neighborhoods, Har Homa and Pisgat Ze'ev, built on land that Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas protested the building plans during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem Monday. Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
Mr. Olmert said later that Israel will maintain sovereignty over what he described as "sacred Jerusalem" forever. He said Israel's desire for peace does not contradict what he called the Israeli people's loyalty to Jerusalem as the heart of the Jewish people.
Mr. Olmert was speaking at a ceremony to mark the 41st anniversary of Israel's capture and annexation of east Jerusalem, a move not recognized internationally. He left Israel after the ceremony for a three-day visit to Washington, where he will meet U.S. President George Bush on Wednesday.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the Bush administration does not believe Israel should build any more settlements. She said the moves exacerbate tension in peace talks with Palestinians.
The road map peace plan requires Israel to freeze all settlement activity. Israel says it never agreed to freeze construction in Jerusalem, and says neighborhoods in the city have a different status from settlements in the occupied West Bank.
At Ammunition Hill, Peres, Olmert pledge unity and peace for Jerusalem
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1212041460344
Israel is still grappling with the results of the 1967 Six Day War, President Shimon Peres said at a ceremony at Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill battle site on Monday, and it will continue to do so until peace is achieved.
"Israel, which saw Jerusalem torn to shreds, will know how to act in order to keep her united, open to all prayers and immune to all methods of terror," Peres said on the 41st anniversary of the unification of the capital.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has advocated ceding Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem to the Palestinians as part of a final peace treaty, addressed the crowd and sought to draw a fine line between his oft-repeated pledges to keep the city united and his proposed territorial concession in the capital.
"I believe there is no contradiction between the people of Israel's total allegiance to Jerusalem and its unity and our ambitions to create peace within it," he said.
The hour-long event began on a mild Jerusalem evening under a crystalline blue sky with the lowering of the Israeli flag to half-mast, and the recital of the Kaddish by a bereaved father.
At the end of the august event, which included musical interludes, two male participants scuffled with Shin Bet security guards after refusing to exit via a side door, with each side claiming the other threw the first punch, said police.
Meanwhile, thousands of flag-waving Israelis marched to the Western Wall on Monday in commemoration of the reunification of the capital.
Jerusalem police arrested four Arab teens suspected of pelting stones at the marchers in the Old City. There were no injuries reported in the attack.
Another annual parade, including the traditional colorful agricultural floats, is slated to take place on Tuesday afternoon from the city's Sacher Park to the Teddy Stadium, where a gala musical concert is planned, the city said.
Separately, a new working paper by the veteran Ha'aretz writer Nadav Shragai, published in Hebrew by a Jerusalem think tank, outlines the dangers of a future division of Jerusalem as part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
The work, "Jerusalem: Dangers of Division," which was put out by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, calls for dealing with continued Jewish emigration from the city as a solution to the much-touted "demographic" problem, instead of withdrawing from Arab neighborhoods of the city.
Some 300,000 Jewish residents have left the city over the past 20 years, primarily in search of affordable housing and job opportunities.
"Dozens of government decisions, Jerusalem ministerial committees and experts have proposed various ways to attract [Jewish] population to the city and to prevent the emigration of [Jewish] residents... [yet] only a few of these decisions have been implemented and most have remained on paper," the study states.
Shragai writes that a division of Jerusalem along the lines proposed by former US President Bill Clinton in 2000 - which was rejected by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and accepted by then-prime minister Ehud Barak - whereby Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem would fall under Palestinian control while Jewish areas of the city would remain under Israeli control - would again turn Jerusalem into a "peripheral" city with serious security and economic repercussions.
Israel celebrates Jerusalem 41
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2467
Tens of thousands of visitors came up to Jerusalem Sunday and Monday to participate in celebrations marking 41 years since the capital was reunified and restored to Jewish sovereignty millennia after it was lost to them.
Parades, concerts, flag dances and fireworks shows are among the numerous events taking place around the city through this week as "Jerusalem 40" - the special year of commemorations since the age-old daily Amidah prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem to the Jews was finally answered - draws to a close.
The 40th Anniversary of Jerusalem's Reunification coincides with the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Jewish State, celebrations of which have been underway for weeks, bringing thousands of well-wishers to the land.
Sunday also saw massive rallies in celebration of the 60 years taking place in New York and Washington DC as Americans joined their hearts with Israelis for this special occasion.
The resurrection of the Jewish nation in their homeland, and their return to rule in Jerusalem, was all foretold in the Bible - in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.
Millions of Bible-believing Christians therefore rejoiced when Jerusalem was returned to Jewish rule, remembering the words of Jesus Christ - who about 30 years before the Romans destroyed the city and its Temple in AD70 said that one day, after being trodden underfoot by gentile powers for a long period of time, during which the Jewish people would suffer unending persecution, Jerusalem would finally be restored to its rightful owners.
When it happened, in 1967, this restoration was seen as a miracle in and of itself as in just six days Israel demolished Arab armies amassed to destroy the Jewish state.
Forty-one years later, as the song "Jerusalem of Gold" made famous after that victory echoes up from the Sultan's Pool down below the Old City walls, an unrelenting international effort continues to wrest the holiest parts of this sacred city away from the Jews once more.
Most sought after is Israel's holiest site, the Temple Mount, which is earmarked to become part of the Arab State of Palestine, when it is created.
An exclusive report at the top of the WorldNetDaily website Monday was headlined, "Temple Mount '100 percent Islamic' and quoted PLO chief and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas' chief of staff as warning that "any Israeli action that 'offends' the Mount will be answered by 1.5 billion Muslims."
The State of Israel at 60 Years Old
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385301.aspx
CBNNews.com - Israel is celebrating its 60th birthday this year.
On May 14, 1948, the modern state of Israel was born, and for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, the Jewish people had a land of their own.
When you look at Israel today, you see a country the size of New Jersey and home to just seven million people.
But look closer and you find a thriving democracy, a renowned military force and a world leader in technology and agriculture.
It has given the world the cell phone, computer processors and voice mail.
Israelis have also made the barren desert bloom again, planting forests and exporting fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Journalist Donna Rosenthal has written about the country and its people in her book, "The Israelis - Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land."
PLO PM: Israel's fault no progress towards peace
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2469
According to PLO "prime minister" Salam Fayyad, Israel is trampling all over the peace process and will be to blame for the failure to reach a deal before the end of the year.
Fayyad did not mention - according to a Ynetnews report of an interview he gave to the Associated Press - the impact the ongoing "Palestinian" rocket fire and other terrorist attacks are having on this "peace process."
Instead, he said that Israel's "accelerated settlement construction" largely strips the negotiations on the terms of Palestinian statehood of their "meaning."
The AP reporter appeared unblushingly sympathetic to Fayyad's complaints.
While the US-trained economist had implemented all sorts of positive reforms since being appointed to his post a year ago, the reporter opined, "Hamas remains entrenched in Gaza, while Abbas' increasingly disgruntled Fatah movement is becoming more vocal in demands to be included in Fayyad's government of independents and experts. Israel balks at easing movement restrictions — a prerequisite for the recovery of the Palestinian economy — and Israeli soldiers continue to carry out raids in cities where Fayyad's forces are trying to establish control."
In fact, it is Israel that has assisted Fayyad first hand with the establishment, equipping and even deployment of the PLO's so-called security forces.
Egyptian Christians, Muslims clash, killing one
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/egyptian.christians.muslims.clash.killing.one/19192.htm
One Egyptian Muslim was killed and four Christians were wounded and on Saturday in a clash over disputed land near a Christian monastery in central Egypt, security sources said.
Muslim Khalil Mohammed, 39, was killed by gunfire, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. At least two of the wounded Christians were monks at the monastery, the sources added.
The groups exchanged fire after Christians in the town of Mallawy, about 300 km (190 miles) south of Cairo, began constructing a wall around disputed land near the Abu Fana monastery, the sources said.
Muslims who believed the agricultural land belonged to them objected, triggering the exchange of fire.
Christians account for up to 10 percent of the population of Egypt and relations between them and the Muslim majority are usually harmonious. Disputes, most commonly over land, religious buildings or young women, sometimes lead to violence.
Fifteen people were injured and 35 detained last year in a nearby monastery in Minya province that also began over a land dispute.
Syria's Assad wants US to sponsor Israel peace talks
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080602/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictsyriaisraelus_080602200745
ABU DHABI (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday that indirect peace talks with Israel would eventually need "international sponsorship" from the United States.
"The success of these negotiations is dependent on Israeli intentions and political changes in the world," he was quoted as saying by the United Arab Emirates's official WAM news agency while on a visit to Abu Dhabi.
"During later stages, the negotiations will need international sponsorship, particularly that of the United States in their role as a superpower with strong and special relations with Israel."
He said the current Turkish-brokered indirect talks were at a "preliminary stage."
Israel and Syria confirmed last month that they had resumed peace negotiations after an eight-year break. Israel said that they began through Turkish go-betweens in February 2007.
The last round of peace talks broke down in 2000 over the fate of the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community.
Those talks were hosted by the United States.
Assad was in Abu Dhabi on a two-nation tour that will also take him to Kuwait on Tuesday.
Nuclear Weapon Investigators to Enter Syria
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385450.aspx
CBNNews.com - U.N. inspectors will be allowed to enter Syria this month for what many hope will be more than a feeble attempt to investigate possible nuclear development in the country.
The inspectors will be allowed in nearly a year after an Israeli air strike in the country aroused world suspicions of Syria's nuclear weapons capabilities.
"We would of course encourage them not only to let the inspectors in but to cooperate fully with the inspectors, allow them to do their job ... in order to produce an authoritative report," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
"Let's hope that the Syrian efforts haven't been too effective in covering up what it is they are trying to cover up: the nuclear facility reactor," he added.
The Israel Air Force carried out a top-secret mission last September in Syria, bombing what was believed to be the site of a nuclear reactor. Israel and the U.S. believe the country built the suspected reactor with the help of North Korea.
Though Syria has since claimed that the air strike hit one of their military bases, an official in the country previously admitted the attack involved a nuclear build.
"The IDF attacked a nuclear facility and not an agricultural building for soils research, as has been stated thus far," Bashar al-Jaafari, Syria's U.N. ambassador, told the U.N. last year.
The nuclear inspectors will visit the site from June 22-24, International Atomic Energy Agecy Chief Mohamed El Baradei said Monday.
"I should emphasize that Syria... has an obligation to report the planning and construction of any nuclear facility to the agency," he said. "We are therefore treating this information with the seriousness it deserves and have been in discussions with the Syrian authorities since this information was provided."
In April, the Bush administration provided detailed pictures of the site that supported claims of nuclear activity. The images, said to be taken just days after the attack, showed the area had been wiped clean. Some say that's clear evidence of guilt.
"There were people, surely, who worked on that reactor and who have intimate knowledge and can provide the IAEA important information and let's hope that those people not only are made available to the IAEA but are entirely forthcoming," McCormack said.
Though North Korean officials have traveled extensively to Syria, they maintain that they have not provided Syria with nuclear material or expertise.
Ahmadinejad: Israel has reached its end
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2472
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday Israel's time has run out and the Jewish state will soon disappear.
"You should know that the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime which has 60 years of plundering, aggression and crimes in its file has reached the end of its work and will soon disappear off the geographical scene," he told guests attending a ceremony in memory of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution.
Ahmadinejad, whose nation is working hard to acquire nuclear weapons, regularly vows Israel's destruction, but is barely taken at his word by the world.
The international response to his genocidal ranting and preparations to perpetrate another holocaust have been limited to talk of applying economic pressure and the imposition of a few sanctions.
Worldwide inaction to this talk has been compared to global apathy that permitted Hitler to re-arm Germany and bring about the Second World War and its Holocaust of more than six million Jews.
Alarmed nuclear watchdog board meets on Iranian nuclear bomb work
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5314
The 35-member Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board is discussing the latest report from its director Mohammed ElBaradei which asserts that Iran is hiding work with possible military nuclear dimensions - “a matter of serious concern” which should be explained without delay.
The meeting started in Vienna Monday, June 2, amid deep concern over intelligence gathered by 10 different countries that Iran may have been looking into high explosives of the sort used in implosion-type nuclear bombs, and exploring modifications to missiles consistent with making them capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. This is in defiance of three rounds of UN sanctions.
DEBKAfile reports that US intelligence presented 18 documents confirming this finding, drawing on materials contained in a laptop stolen from one of the heads of Iran’s nuclear program in Tehran in late 2006 by Iranian dissidents.
Citing the new IAEA report, the Financial Times quoted scientists and analysts as predicting that during next year, Iran is likely to build up a stockpile of enriched uranium that could be turned into enough fissile material for a bomb in a matter of months. Iran is twice as effective in enriching uranium as before.
Yet, according to DEBKAfile’s political sources, the Israeli government – in disarray over corruption disclosures against prime minister Ehud Olmert - is in no condition for clear action in the face of Iran’s progress towards a nuclear bomb capability. By the time Israel sorts out its political crisis, whether by an early election or the formation of a new government, several months will have elapsed , time for Iran to have moved beyond the point of no-return on nuclear weaponization.
An official connected to the watchdog disclosed that since December, the Iranians have processed close to 150 kilograms, double the amount produced in the same period 18 months ago.
The ElBaradei report describes Iran’s installation of new IR-2 and IR-3 centrifuges for enriching uranium at the Natanz site as “significant” - yet not communicated to his agency. IAEA inspectors on a visit in April were denied access to the sites where the centrifuges are manufactured and the scientists involved.
Some of the production, the report states, comes under Iran’s “military” (a reference to the Revolutionary Guards corps which is in charge of Iran’s nuclear weapons industry).
The board is to spend between three and five days on this report and expected to reach tough conclusions. Nonetheless, the European Union’s senior diplomat Javier Solana is trying to hand over an incentives package developed by France, Germany, Britain, the US, Russia and China that is supposed to entice Tehran to give up its nuclear program.
Exclusive: Limited US attack on Iranian Revolutionary Guards bases in sight
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5313
Our Washington sources report that president George W. Bush is closer than ever before to ordering a limited missile-air bombardment of the IRGC-al Qods Brigade’s installations in Iran. It is planned to target training camps and the munitions factories pumping fighters, missiles and roadside bombs to the Iraqi insurgency, Lebanese Hizballah and Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza.
Iran is geared up for counteraction.
US intelligence estimates that Tehran’s counteraction will likewise be on a limited scale and therefore any US-Iranian military encounter will not be allowed to explode into a major confrontation. Because this US assault is not planned to extend to Iran’s nuclear installations, Tehran is not expected to hit back at distant American targets in the Persian Gulf or at Israel.
DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources report, however, that Iran’s military preparations for countering an American attack are far broader than envisaged in Washington. Tehran would view a US attack on the IRGC bases as a casus belli and might react in ways and on a scale unanticipated in Washington.
Two days ago, Iran’s defense minister Gen. Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar warned: “Iran’s Armed Forces are fully prepared to counter any military attack with any intensity and to make the enemy regret initiating any such incursions.”
According to DEBKAfile’s Iranian and military sources, the IRGC had by mid-May completed their preparations for a US missile, air or commando assault on their command centers and bases in reprisal for Iranian intervention in Iraq.
These preparations encompass al Qods’ arms, most of them undercover, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan. At home, the Revolutionary Guards have evacuated their key bases together with manpower and equipment to regular army sites or temporary quarters in villages located in remote corners of eastern and northern Iran. Their main headquarters and central training center at the Imam Ali University in northern Tehran are deserted except for sentries on the gates.
Indoctrination seminaries and dormitories hosting fighting strength in the holy town of Qom are empty, as is the Manzariyah training center east of the capital.
Deserted too is the main training camp near Isfahan for insurgents and terrorists from Iraq, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. It is here that they take courses from friendly al Qods training staff on how to sabotage strategic targets such as routes, bridges and military installations, and the activation of the extra-powerful roadside bombs (EFPs) which have had such a deadly effect on American troops in Iraq.
Iraq Violence at Lowest Level in Years
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385241.aspx
CBNNews.com - Violence in Iraq is at the lowest level in four years.
The U.S. military says attacks are down 70 percent since President Bush ordered the troop surge. This month has been the least deadly month of the entire war for us troops.
U.S. officials credit the Iraqi soldiers who are taking over more patrols.
Sgt. Michael Singleton said of the Iraqis, "Their confidence level has gone up, they're able to complete 90 percent of the missions on their own with very little coaching."
"I think one thing that's become clear about Iraq is that you can't take any monthly total or even half year total and assume you've turned the corner," said Kathleen Hicks of the International Security Program.
The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, says al-Qaeda in Iraq has, "never been closer to defeat than they are now."
Army Private Receives Medal of Honor
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385299.aspx
CBNNews.com - A U.S. soldier who sacrificed himself to save four of his comrades in Iraq received the Medal of Honor posthumously in a ceremony at the White House Monday.
President Bush presented the nation's highest military honor to the the family of U.S. Army Private First Class Ross McGinnis.
The honored Pfc. McGinnis, "gave all for his country," the President said somberly.
On Dec. 4, 2006, McGinnis was patrolling Baghdad when an insurgent threw a grenade into his humvee. The 19-year-old shouted a warning to his fellow soldiers and jumped on the grenade. The blast killed him instantly.
"By that split-second decision, Private McGinnis lost his own life, and he saved his comrades," Bush said.
"No Greater Love"
"No one outside this man's family can know the true weight of their loss. But in words spoken long ago, we are told how to measure the kind of devotion that Ross McGinnis showed on his last day: 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," President Bush told the assembled crowd in the White House's East Room.
Also in attendance were Vice President Dick Cheney, prior recipients of the Medal of Honor, military leaders, McGinnis' parents, Tom and Romayne, and his two sisters, Becky and Katie. The four soldiers whose lives were probably spared by McGinnis' actions were also there to honor their fallen comrade.
McGinnis was a native of Knox, Pa. He enlisted in the Army after some difficulties in school. Friends and family say they were watching him transform into a man.
Bush called him a regular guy, a dependable friend with a big heart and a carefree spirit. He also had a robust sense of humor, as was known as the only one in boot camp who could make his drill sergeant laugh, the president said.
The president said it was a high privilege for him to present the Medal of Honor, recognizing valor beyond anything that duty could require.
"May the deep respect of our whole nation be a comfort to the family of this fallen soldier," Bush said. "May God always watch over the country he served, and keep us ever grateful for the life of Ross Andrew McGinnis."
Three other U.S. service members who gave their lives in the Iraq War have also received the Medal of Honor.
U.S. Hits Australian Charge of Abused Iraq Intel
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Australia_iraq_intel/2008/06/02/100788.html
WASHINGTON — The White House Monday rejected Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's charges of "abuse" of pre-war intelligence on Iraq, saying "the entire world" agreed on the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.
"We acted on the intelligence that we had, and that the entire world had," spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters after Rudd alleged "abuse of intelligence information" on the regime in Baghdad.
"No-one else in the world, no other government, had different information and so we acted based on what was the threat that was presented to us. When the intelligence community presents you with their concerns, you'd better take them seriously," said Perino.
Australia, under Rudd's predecessor John Howard, was a staunch backer of the March 2003 US-led invasion to oust Saddam, whom Washington accused of having stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ties to terrorists.
"Since then we, of course, learned that there was not WMD in Iraq, and then the president took action to make sure that the intelligence community would be reformed," said Perino.
"Intelligence is not a perfect science, but they certainly do their best," added Perino, who said she had not seen Rudd's comments and was therefore "not going to speak directly back to the prime minister."
Rudd told Australia's parliament earlier that all the arguments Australia used to justify sending troops to fight in Iraq proved to be wrong as he fulfilled an election-campaign pledge to bring them home.
Rudd, who ousted long-term conservative leader Howard last November, was fiercely critical of the process that took Australia into the war.
Rudd said he was particularly concerned about how the decision to go to war had been made, citing "the abuse of intelligence information."
He said there had been a "failure to disclose to the Australian people the qualified nature of the intelligence -- for example, the pre-war warning that an attack on Iraq would increase the terrorist threat, not decrease it."
Pastor Moves an Atheistic Hungary
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/383817.aspx
BUDAPEST, Hungary- Pastor Sandor Nemeth knows what it's like to live under an atheistic communist regime.
In the 80s, communist authorities tried repeatedly to destroy his congregation.
Today he leads one of the largest and fastest growing churches in Europe.
It began in a small house with a handful of people meeting in a Budapest suburb. The year was 1979.
"It was extremely difficult. We were in the middle of the communist dictatorship in Hungary," Nemeth said. "Young people started coming to the house and the spirit of God was moving in a powerful way and this raised the eyebrows of the authorities."
Organized religion in Hungary was banned by the state. Believers like Nemeth were forced underground.
"Christians were considered sub-human, second-class citizens. Many times the communist police tried to destroy the house. They wanted to bulldoze the place. The whole church was deemed a dead end street of history," he explained.
Thirty years later, that small underground house fellowship has transformed into the mega church called Faith Church, 50,000 members strong, with some 250 Faith Church branches meeting every Sunday across Hungary.
"I never imagined this and all I can say is that this is a miracle!" Nemeth proclaimed.
On a recent Sunday morning, CBN News arrived at the church around 8:30am only to find a sea of humanity already making their way to Faith Church on the outskirts of Budapest.
It was bumper-to-bumper traffic. The service officially starts at 10am. But by 9am, thousands had already lined-up inside waiting for the doors to open.
By 10:30 the main hall was packed and the band was just getting started. The balconies were full and so too the overflow area.
The people came from rural villages and far-away towns to be a part of what Pastor Nemeth believes are winds of change blowing through this former communist nation.
"I want Hungary and the neighboring countries to experience a true and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ," he said. "I want people to know the God of the Bible and to become born-again Christians.
Pastor Nemeth says there's not a Sunday that goes by without people walking forward to accept Christ or to receive healing.
"I was on the verge of suicide, but God rescued me. I found a place of restoration here at Faith Church," a church member said.
Many we interviewed spoke about what God had done for them through Pastor Nemeth's ministry. Take the Sava family for instance.
"When people heard the Sava name they were terrified," a Sava brother said. "There was fear because we were notorious."
The Sava brothers were once Hungary's most notorious crime family. Today, with the help of the church's prison ministry, many Sava family members have become born-again Christians.
"Since our repentance, when people say the name Sava, they are not scared anymore," the brother added. "That's because we have all changed and God is doing a new thing in our lives!"
On any given Sunday, you'll find prominent politicians, famous Hungarian artists, Messianic Jews, wealthy stock brokers and people from all other walks of life worshipping together.
In 2001, Nemeth went live on Hungarian television broadcasting the weekly Sunday service across the country.
"And this is having a tremendous impact on the society. We get so many positive letters from people who say their perception of Christianity has changed since we started broadcasting the Sunday service," Pastor Nemeth said.
And when he's not preaching, Nemeth is busy writing books, overseeing a political newspaper, or helping his wife run the church's own elementary and secondary schools.
He is currently drawing up plans for a new Christian university.
Absolutely stunning pictures of Budapest on all these postcards but also a stark reminder of the impact that 40 years of communism has had on this nation. Pastor Nemeth speaks of a spirit of cynicism as well as mistrust that's pervasive across this country.
"Communism destroyed our system of values. Families were disrupted, friendships were destroyed. The extensive network of secret spies forced people not to trust each other," Nemeth said. "What we are trying to do is to change all that. We want people to know there is freedom and forgiveness in the message of the Gospel. We want to set people free from the past."
But the past continues to trouble the church.
"Well, where the work of God is present there are spies, there are always informers, those who watch from the sidelines," he said. "I cannot imagine it any other way, especially here in this region. But I don't care if they are here. I just want them not to lie but to tell the truth."
The church has been repeatedly investigated by the Hungarian internal revenue service-- but has found no financial wrongdoing.
"Jesus was also under inspection so we also have to get used to such scrutiny," the pastor explained. "But nothing is going to stop us from preaching the message of Jesus Christ."
Its 4 p.m., some six hours after the service began, and Pastor Nemeth is finally bringing the service to a close.
On this Sunday, he urges his members to dedicate themselves to changing the spiritual landscape of their nation with the hope that one day, the message of Jesus Christ will be heard throughout the land.
"We want to see Hungary come out of its economic and moral crisis," Nemeth said. "In the future...we want to see committed Christians take up positions of influence so that they can help their fellow man and change the society."
Hindu Militants Attack Bible School Students in Karnataka, India
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07250.shtml
(christiansunite.com) - Fifteen Indian students at Timothy Theological College in Bellary, Karnataka state were beaten by Hindu militants on May 24, according to a May 26 report from the Global Council of Indian Christians. Two lecturers at the Bible college, Dr. Isaac Namadevu and Rev. Jayaprakash, were also beaten in the attack.
The report indicated that the attack took place at approximately 12:30 p.m. when 20 members of a Hindu militant group barged into the college accusing Rev. Jayaprakash of "forced conversions." The students and lecturers sustained various injuries in the attack. The militants also tore up Bibles, smashed windows, and destroyed the furniture in the facility. After the college filed a complaint, 11 militants were arrested and remain detained in a police station.
Pray for the healing of the students and the lecturers of the Bible college. Ask God to strengthen believers in India to continue to spread the Gospel despite opposition from Hindu militant groups.
For more information on the persecution facing Christians in India, go to www.persecution.net/country/india.htm.
Suspicious Ending in Trial Concerning Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07249.shtml
XINJIANG, China, (christiansunite.com) -- CAA has learned that, the trial for Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti commenced on May 27 at 10am. The trial lasted for 6 hours and 30 minutes. The court recessed from 1pm to 4pm before resuming. Mr. Yimiti was allowed legal representation from two lawyers who were permitted to be present during the trial. Mr. Yimiti's wife, Nuergul, however was prohibited from entering the courtroom as were members of the media due to the Government's claims of the sensitivity of the case. At 7:30pm the court reached a verdict that the case was sent back to the original PSB prosecutors due to "insufficient evidence" against the accused.
On Monday in Beijing a US delegation led by assistant Secretary of State, David Kramer reinstated human rights dialogue with the Chinese Government. Mr. Yimiti's case will be one that will be raised to the Government officials. In an interview this morning with CAA's President Bob Fu, Mr. Yimiti's wife, Nuergul, restated her husband's innocence due to the fact that he is an agricultural worker and has no access to state secrets, nor was he engaging in separatist activities. She pleaded for the early release of her husband. She also relayed to Mr. Fu that her two year old daughter points to her father's picture everyday and tells visitors that her dad is busy buying toy cars for her and will return soon. Nuergul thanked the many people around the world for their continual support and prayers which have continued to strengthen her faith through this difficult time.
CAA has also learned from two independent sources that the Ministry of Public Security has received funding from the Chinese Central Government to increase their campaign of eradicating House Churches throughout China. While the amount of funds allocated for this campaign is unknown, the steady increase of persecution against house churches continues to rise substantially across China. On Sunday May 25, the Beijing Gospel Church, home to more than 1000 members was raided by PSB Officials. Pastor Gao Zhen was detained and interrogated before being released at 6:00pm.
In a separate incidence, a house church Seminary in Weifang City, Shandong Province was also raided by more than 30 PSB and RAB Officials. The seminary is occupied by 48 students and staffed by 3 teachers. All 48 students were told to return to their home-towns immediately. Officials detained the staff members and confiscated Bibles, computers, printers and the seminary's mini-van. Authorities labeled the school and its members as followers of Falun Gong.
China's Christians Reach Out to Devastated
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385400.aspx
CBNNews.com - XIANGYANG VILLAGE, China - Trying to describe the extent of the devastation here in China is so difficult to put in words.
While the Chinese government has done a really good job in mobilizing its forces to help those in need, Chinese Christians have also gotten involved in a small way.
Recently, a group of them gathered together from around the country and headed to some of the devastated regions.
Dr Guo Ai Ping is some 900 miles away from her home in Beijing. For the next several weeks, this small village tucked in a corner of China's devastated earthquake zone, will be here home away from home.
"There is not a single Chinese person who has not been touched by the magnitude of this disaster," Dr. Ping said. "We are here to help our countrymen in their time of need. We also want them to know that Jesus cares for them."
With the permission of local authorities, Ping and a group of Christian doctors from around China started this makeshift medical center to help meet the needs of this hurting community.
"The people here are poor they don't have money to travel to the big hospitals in the cities," Dr. Wang Shao Hong said. "So we provide them free medical attention."
But healing their physical scars is not their only objective.
"Yesterday we had a mother who sustained a very serious injury and they brought her here. She was so frightened--- any tiny sound made her jump," Dr. Hong said. "Many kids are also experiencing similar problems. There is a lot of psychological trauma here. We sing to them, we encourage them, we pray with them."
In China, where the government's relationship with religion remains strained, these Christian volunteers say they just want to be here to help their nation in this time of need.
Their medical center is called Christian Love Help Station.
"Our goal is to create an atmosphere that when people leave here they will feel cared and loved for," Hong said. "We want them to feel the joy of Christ. We have chosen to live here among the people. We just don't drop off our medical supplies and leave them."
A few miles up the road, on a separate mission of mercy, another group of Christian volunteers has just reached the quake-zone after completing a tough two-day, cross-country journey.
"What we have gone through to get here is nothing in comparison to what these survivors have experienced," Christian volunteer Li Lee said. "Look around you, look at their lives, their homes, it looks hopeless. But we are here to tell them that there is hope."
The team joined a relief group as they distributed water, tents, cooking oil, rice and other supplies to the villagers. They also took time to just talk to the victims and pray with them.
"We want them to know that Jesus loves them," Lee said. "We are here to be an extension of the Lord's physical and spiritual healing hands."
Across this country, Christians -- those officially registered with the Chinese government, as well as members of the unregistered house church -- are mobilizing to help survivors begin the hard task of rebuilding their lives.
They gather daily to pray for the victims of the earthquake.
"Our hope is that our faith will be a testimony to these hurting people that there is indeed a God," said John Chao, pastor with Mianyang Three Self Church. "Today the believers from this church are out on the streets staying with these refugees, encouraging them, giving them food, clothes and sharing the love of Jesus with them."
The earthquake was a devastating tragedy for China.
But the tragedy has become a rallying point as Chinese people from all walks of life, religious and non-religious, band together in all out effort to show sympathy, care and love for the millions of earthquake victims.
OB Provides School for Quake Victims
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/385115.aspx
CBNNews.com - In China, Operation Blessing is donating all of the funding for a brand new school and dormitory.
The school will replace one that collapsed due to the recent earthquake.
Three-hundred of the students were killed. The surviving 600 will live in the dorm and attend the new school.
Life Goes On
College entrance exams are just a few weeks away, so students from the Hanwang secondary school are preparing for a test that traditionally determines the course of young lives in China
But these students have already survived a far tougher challenge ---the earthquake that collapsed their school three weeks ago
Now, their classes are held in makeshift tents, where the rain has to be swept out the door,
They live a few feet away in other tents, pitched on a borrowed basketball court.
Balanced between trauma and uncertainty, the students try to have normal lives. But they remember what happened on May 12, and they still talk about it
"I looked out the classroom window. I saw all other buildings close to us were collapsed. I felt very horrible. There were still aftershocks. Many of classmates started crying," one student recounted.
"The teaching buildings were also destroyed," the student added. "But some teachers climbed out from the rubble and came to help us get out of the classroom,"
Ming and Mei Ching, along with 600 of their classmates, have been marking time in this temporary camp, unsure what would happen next.
Operation Blessing to the Rescue
Last week word came that they're getting a new school, paid for by Operation Blessing
In a couple of weeks the girls will be moving to a new school complex that's being built on the site of an abandoned roadway. It's more than one thousand square meters in total area - including classrooms, dormitories and kitchens.
Operation Blessing is providing 100 percent funding for the school, the first of its kind in China, and the first step
"This is the first of 200 schools that will be built between now and August 1," OB President Bill Horan said.
The need is great, because hundreds of poorly-constructed schools collapsed in the earthquake. These new schools will be well-built, and will serve the students for several years until permanent facilities are designed.
Right now the priority is giving children a place to learn. Tents are not the answer. But in the coming weeks more and more students will learn that they have a new school, the girls hold hands and walk - and a place to resume their lives.
Algeria Muslim body slams Christian evangelists
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/algeria.muslim.body.slams.christian.evangelists/19194.htm
Algeria hit back on Saturday at foreign accusations minority Christians are harassed, saying Protestant evangelicals were secretly trying to divide Algerians to colonise the mainly Muslim north African country.
Abu Amrane Chikh, head of the government-appointed Higher Islamic Council, said uproar in the West over a recent prosecution of an Algerian woman on a charge of practising Christianity was being fomented for the benefit of foreigners.
"There are some church evangelists and reformist journalists who want to sow discord among brothers, and their long-term political goal is to create a Christian minority coupled with some foreign institutions," he said in an interview with the website of the El Khabar daily newspaper.
"This is a new form of colonisation that is hidden behind freedom of worship," said Chikh, whose body regulates religious practice in the former French colony.
"The evangelist movement is characterised by a secret activity that violates the Koran and the Sunna in one way or another," he said, referring to Islam's holy book and Islamic practice based on words and deeds of the Prophet.
CHURCH CLOSURES
Christian groups overseas accused the overwhelmingly Muslim Mediterranean country of religious repression after a Muslim woman in her mid-30s appeared in court this month accused of "practising a non-Muslim religion without authorisation".
Critics, including some of Algeria's liberal French-language dailies, said the woman, Habiba Kouider, was breaking no law simply by practising her religion and added that the constitution guaranteed individual religious freedom.
The state prosecutor demanded she be jailed for three years.
The case, which continues, follows state-ordered closures of several churches under a law passed in 2006 that limits non-Muslim worship to specific buildings approved by the state.
Algeria is almost totally Muslim. According to officials, less than 10,000 Christians, including expatriates, live in the country of 33 million. Most of its Christian colonial settler population fled shortly after independence from France in 1962.
Secular liberals suspect tightening curbs on Christian activity is a headline-grabbing tactic to pander to Islamists and divert attention from a worsening economic situation.
But Chikh said in the case of Kouider Algeria was concerned to ensure respect for a provision in the 2006 law that forbids non-Muslims from seeking to convert Muslims.
"This law requires that Christians and Muslims are to exercise their religious rites in full transparency in a place reserved for that purpose and belonging to an accredited religious institution," Chikh added.
"There is no movement opposed to Christians as alleged by some tendentious minds. It is only about respecting Islam in a Muslim country, just as one must respect the Christian religion in a Christian State."
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