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| America | Mapping Sharia in America Project - David Yerushalmi explains Mapping Shari'a to Michael Savage Intelligence sources, both public (i.e., “open”) sources and clandestine ones, inform us that al Qaeda and many related, affiliated or kindred Muslim terrorist organizations and operational cells are located in the United States. Some are actively planning and preparing for the next major wave of terrorism on our Homeland. Others are “sleeper” cells, biding time and waiting for the right opportunity and command instructions from overseas. What we also know from our intelligence sources, and again much of this is public information, is that the ideological infrastructure is already in place for the Islamic assault on American from within America. This includes Islamic mosques, day schools, and social clubs and other organizations openly teaching historical, traditional and authoritative Islamic law or Shari’a. Islamic law is the source of the command for faithful Muslims to war against the infidel. Sometimes this “Jihad” is taught as a personal introspective battle against the Muslim’s own demons, but just as often this Jihad is taught as a war against non-Muslims and Muslims who have gone astray. Jihad, or Islamic holy war, can be waged peacefully through persuasion and even democratically (i.e., lobbying for electoral results), through coercion and threats, and of course through death and destruction. Many Islamic organizations in America appear to adhere to a peaceful Jihad. Some in fact do adhere to legal and non-violent Jihad to persuade Americans to embrace Islam as a religion and even as a political ideology. Many Islamic groups operate “underground” and explicitly advocate violence and Islamic holy war against America as the Great Satan.
Study: 3 in 4 U.S. mosques preach anti-West extremism
World Net Daily
(February 23, 2008) Rising Prices: Food Slammed on all Sides Steve Quayle (April 30, 2008)
Global Paradigm Shift: From Free Market Capitalism to State Controlled Socialism McAlvany Weekly Commentary (April 30, 2008)
| NewWorldOrder | Economic Crisis |
EU warns
Russia against boosting troops in Georgian breakaway regions
EU Observer
(April 30, 2008) - In a sharp
escalation of tensions in the South Caucasus, Russia has claimed
that Georgia is set to invade its breakaway region of Abkhazia and
is increasing the number of Russian troops there and in South
Ossetia in response. The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana,
has warned Russia against such a move. "Even if the increase in
peacekeepers is within limits, if we want to diminish the perception
of tensions, I don't think it is a wise measure to increase now," EU
foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday (29 April),
adding that the union continues to defend the territorial integrity
of Georgia. The statement came only hours after Russia had accused
Georgia, a part of the Soviet Union between 1922 and 1991, of
attempting to invade Abkhazia, something that Tbillisi denies. "If
Georgia puts in place the threat it has made on a number of
occasions about the use of force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, we
would be forced to take retaliatory measures to protect the lives of
our citizens," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told press,
after talking to his European counterparts in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
The Russian foreign ministry has accused Georgia of sending 1,500 of
its own troops and police in the upper Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia,
which is still under Tblisi's control. "A bridgehead is being
prepared for the start of military operations against Abkhazia,"
reads a ministry statement. Georgia has denied any plans or troop
build-up, and regarded the Russian move and accusations as
provocative. Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze said: "From now on, we
consider every [Russian] soldier or any unit of military equipment
coming in [to Abkhazia and South Ossetia] as illegal, potential
aggressors and potential generators of destabilisation." "We
consider this to be an utterly irresponsible step. We think this
step will utterly destabilise this region," he added. Meanwhile,
according to AFP, Georgian interior minster Shota Utiashvili said:
""This is not acceptable to us ... [Russia] cannot increase the
number any further." "It is the Russians who are taking provocative
actions, not Georgia," he added. "Deploying additional troops is
certainly a very provocative move." "There has been no increase in
forces from the Georgian side, nothing at all. The Russian statement
is simply not true," he continued.
Iran completely stops conducting oil transactions in US dollars
USA Today
(April 30, 2008) - A top Oil Ministry
official says Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer, has completely
stopped conducting all its oil transactions in U.S. dollars. Iran
has dramatically reduced dependence on the dollar over the past year
in the face of increasing U.S. pressure on its financial system and
the fall in the value of the American currency. Oil is priced in
U.S. dollars on the world market and the currency's depreciation has
concerned producers because it has contributed to rising crude
prices and eroded the value of their dollar reserves. Iran has
already said it was shifting its oil sales out of the dollar into
other currencies. Oil Ministry official Hojjatollah Ghanimifard said
Wednesday all oil transactions are now being carried out in euros
and yen.
Palestinian factions agree to truce with Israel: MENA
Reuters
(April 30, 2008) - Palestinian factions
meeting in Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials have
agreed to an Egyptian proposal for a truce with Israel starting in
the Gaza Strip, state news agency MENA said on Wednesday. But a
number of factions were equivocal in their support for the truce,
and some said they reserved the right to retaliate against Israeli
attacks. "All the Palestinian factions have agreed to the Egyptian
proposal on a truce with Israel," MENA said, citing an unnamed
high-level Egyptian official. The official said the proposal
included a "comprehensive, reciprocal and simultaneous truce,
implemented in a graduated framework starting in the Gaza Strip and
then subsequently moving to the West Bank," MENA added. MENA said
the proposal was part of a broader plan eventually leading to the
lifting of the blockade which Israel, with Egyptian help, has
imposed on Gaza since last June. The plan includes attempts to
reconcile the two biggest Palestinian factions -- the Hamas
Islamists who control the Gaza Strip and the Fatah group which
controls the Palestinian Authority from its base in the West Bank.
Quake series stresses Reno-area residents
USA Today
(April 30, 2008) - Residents here are
being shaken, literally, by an ongoing series of earthquakes, which
experts warn could be a precursor to a major seismic event. Since
late February, hundreds of earthquakes have rattled parts of west
Reno. The strongest quake — with a magnitude of 4.7 — hit shortly
before midnight last Friday, cracking walls and breaking windows,
according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory. More than 200
additional small quakes have followed, the lab reported, including
two Monday evening and some small earthquakes Tuesday. "My nerves
are shot. I can't do it anymore," said Cindy Thomas of Mogul, a
community west of Reno. She and husband Larry moved to a relative's
house in the southern part of Reno, away from where the quakes have
clustered. She plans to stay away "as long as it takes." Scientists
at the seismological laboratory — who met with Nevada Gov. Jim
Gibbons on Tuesday — say the Reno earthquake swarm is unusual.
That's because a primary earthquake usually is followed by
aftershocks diminishing in strength. These quakes started out small
and the general trend shows them building in strength. A magnitude-6
quake hitting Reno "wouldn't be a scientific surprise," said John
Anderson, the lab's director. Any earthquake measuring above a
magnitude of 6 is considered a strong earthquake, according to the
U.S. Geological Survey. Reno-area police and fire agencies have
plans in place to respond to a major earthquake, and the state is
ready to jump to the aid of Washoe County should one occur, said
Gary Derks, operations officer for the Nevada Division of Emergency
Management. Aaron Kenneston, emergency manager for Washoe County, is
encouraging residents to prepare for a serious quake by stocking up
on food, batteries, flashlights, first-aid supplies and at least 1
gallon of water per family member. Joe Bernardo spent last Friday
night sweeping up broken glass inside his home, only to be jolted
awake by another quake about 4:30 a.m. Monday. "Sleep-deprived?
Yeah, you could say that," said Bernardo, 63. Sandy Jung and her
husband are sleeping in a motor home for safety. Previously a
California resident, Jung said she's accustomed to earthquakes, and
has experienced bigger ones than are occurring in Reno. "But not
swarms of them. Not day after day after day," Jung said. "It's
getting very tiresome."
U.N. and World Bank say to tackle Food Crisis
Reuters
(April 29, 2008) - U.N. agencies and
the World Bank pledged on Tuesday to set up a task force to tackle
an unprecedented rise in global food prices that is threatening to
spread social unrest. The international bodies called on countries
not to restrict exports of food to secure supplies at home, warning
that could make the problem worse. "We consider that the dramatic
escalation in food prices worldwide has evolved into an
unprecedented challenge of global proportions," the United Nations
said in a statement. This had become a crisis for the world's most
vulnerable people, including the urban poor, it said after a meeting
of 27 international agency heads in the Swiss capital, Berne, to
chart a solution to food price rises that have caused hunger, riots
and hoarding in poor countries. "Though we have seen wheat prices
fall over the last few days, rice and corn prices are likely to
remain high, and wheat relatively so," World Bank President Robert
Zoellick told a joint news conference. Higher costs of wheat, rice,
and other staples have put extreme pressure on aid providers such as
the World Food Programme (WFP), a U.N. agency aiming to feed 73
million people this year. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called
on the international community to provide the WFP all of the $755
million in emergency funds it needs for the crisis. "Without full
funding of these emergency requirements, we risk again the spectre
of widespread hunger, malnutrition, and social unrest on an
unprecedented scale," Ban said. Concern about soaring food costs and
limited supplies have toppled Haiti's government and caused riots in
parts of Africa. The task force, bringing together the heads of U.N.
agencies, funds and programmes, the IMF and the World Bank under the
leadership of Ban, will set priorities for a plan of action and make
sure it is carried out. more...
Virginia residents inspect twister damage
Associated Press
(April 29, 2008) - Weary residents and
business owners, some awakening in emergency shelters, braced
themselves to see what was left of their homes and livelihoods
Tuesday after three tornadoes smashed houses, piled cars on each
other and injured more than 200 people. One twister in this city
outside Norfolk cut a zigzagging path 25 miles long through
residential areas, obliterating some homes in sprays of splintered
lumber while leaving others just a few feet away untouched. Search
teams with dogs found no sign of deaths or any additional injured
victims, Suffolk City Fire Chief Mark Outlaw said. Several roads
were closed Tuesday morning, and traffic was backed up leading into
downtown Suffolk, a city of approximately 80,000 outside Norfolk. Of
the 200 injured, only six were listed in critical condition and six
were listed as serious. Officials listed 125 Suffolk homes and 15
buildings as uninhabitable. The National Weather Service confirmed
that tornadoes struck Suffolk, Brunswick County, about 60 miles
west, and Colonial Heights, about 60 miles northwest. Meteorologist
Bryan Jackson described Suffolk’s as a “major tornado.” The
Brunswick County tornado was estimated at 86 mph to 110 mph, and cut
a 300-yard path, Jackson said. It struck first, at about 1 p.m.,
said Mike Rusnak, a weather service meteorologist in Wakefield. The
second struck Colonial Heights around 3:40 p.m., he said. The
tornado believed to have caused damage over a 25-mile path from
Suffolk to Norfolk touched down repeatedly between 4:30 and 5 p.m.,
Rusnak said. more...
Mississippi River Flooding Dooms Farmers
Associated Press
(April 28, 2008) - 855,750 acres are
under water, the worst since 1973. Farmers here are experiencing
water torture as they wait for the flooded Mississippi River to
recede and give them a chance to salvage what's left of what might
have been the best season in memory. The muddy Mississippi is at
levels not seen in more than three decades, putting hundreds of
thousands of acres of farmland under water. It's impossible to gauge
overall agricultural losses at this point, federal and state
officials say, but most agree the cost will be expensive and the
damage extensive. At Pig Willie's barbecue joint, a cinderblock and
cement floor affair attached to a gas station along Highway 61 as
the blacktop begins its long, flat run through the Delta,
independent farmers recently gathered for lunch and to share their
blues. "Right here in this room it will cost over $1 million,"
Karsten Simrall said of the difficulties facing farmers. They are
wagering potential profits offered by some of the richest soil in
the country against the whims of the mercurial Mississippi. "It'll
take us five years to get out of this. It's going to put people out
of business," Simrall said. "There's no telling what's going to
happen." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a total of 855,750
acres are under either Mississippi floodwater or backwater from the
Yazoo River, which drains much of the board-flat Mississippi Delta
into the Mississippi River. About 273,000 of those flooded acres are
cleared for wheat, cotton, soybeans, corn and other crops. Simrall
recently knocked a hole in a levee his family built more than a
century ago to protect their land north of Vicksburg. After failing
to keep water out, he feared it will keep in receding floodwaters.
The flood hit just as farmers were preparing to harvest wheat and
plant corn, soybeans and cotton. Some, like farmer Brad Bradway,
were forced to watch as water crept inch by inch over his 110 acres
of wheat until his fields sat under 8 feet of water. more...
Iran tells Russia of plan to solve world problems
Brietbart.com
(April 28, 2008) - Iran's top national
security official on Monday held talks with his Russian counterpart
about a new Iranian package aimed at solving world problems,
including the nuclear standoff with the West. "The package is about
the great questions of the world and the nuclear question could be
the subject of discussion," Iran's top national security official
Saeed Jalili said after talks with Russia's Valentin Sobolev. Jalili
gave no further details over the contents of the package, which
appears to be an all-embracing attempt to solve the problems of the
world rather than a specific offer to end the nuclear crisis. "Our
approach could be a good basis for negotiation between the
influential powers of the world," he said. The package appears to
emphasise what Iran sees as its growing power in the world and the
supposed decline of the great world powers such as Britain and the
United States. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said in
recent weeks that Iran is the most powerful nation in the world and
capitalist superpowers are on the verge of collapse. Ahmadinejad
appointed his close ally Jalili as secretary of the Supreme National
Security Council in a surprise move last year, replacing the more
moderate Ali Larijani. "The world is no longer unilateral," Jalili
told a news conference alongside Sobolev, who is the acting head of
Russia's security council. "There are different powers in the world.
Decisions should be made taking into account these different powers
and the capacity and power of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the
world," said Jalili. He added that the package would not yet be made
public. It would be a major surprise if the package contained any
concession from Iran to break the deadlock in the nuclear standoff
as Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said Tehran will not cede an inch in
the dispute. more...
EU Condemns Israel, Hamas
Israel National News
(April 28, 2008) - The European Union
condemned Israel on Sunday for restricting the supply of fuel
delivered to Hamas-controlled Gaza. In a response to rumors of a
critical fuel shortage, the EU’s message called on Israel to
partially re-open Gaza crossings and resume regular deliveries of
fuel. Regular deliveries have been stopped due to frequent terrorist
attacks on the crossings, but emergency fuel supplies have been let
through. The EU also condemned Hamas, saying terrorist groups in
Gaza “have their share in aggravating the humanitarian situation” by
their attacks on Israeli crossings, “which only lead to further
suffering of the population.” Foreign Ministry officials expressed
satisfaction with the message, pointing out that the EU rarely
criticizes Hamas by name. The message shows that the EU took
terrorist attacks into consideration when distributing blame for
Gaza’s problems, they said.
As polls
narrow, Irish PM warns of 'disaster' if EU treaty defeated
EU Observer
(April 28, 2008) - Irish Prime Minister
Bertie Ahern has issued a stark warning on the consequences of
rejecting the EU treaty as the latest poll shows a narrowing gap
between the yes and no side. A no vote would have "repercussions
that would do immense damage to Ireland," and would be a "disaster
for the country," he said on Sunday (27 April), according to the
Irish Times. His words were in reaction to a poll published by the
Sunday Business Post that showed that 35 percent were in favour of
the treaty, 31 percent said they were against and 34 percent remain
undecided. The results represent a decrease for the Yes side of
eight percentage points, an increase for the No side of seven
percentage points and an increase of one point for the undecided
category when compared with a similar polls taken two months ago.
The high percentage of those who do not know how they will vote, as
well as stronger showing for the no camp, comes just six weeks ahead
of the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, set for 12 June. The
government is increasingly concerned that farmers may exercise their
anger about current world trade negotiations during the treaty vote.
The leader of the Irish Farmers Association, Padraig Walshe, has
repeatedly connected the two issues. Addressing a rally of around
10,000 farmers in Dublin earlier this month - the biggest in recent
years, Mr Walshe said: "Sell us out and we will have our say on the
12th of June." He was referring to negotiations being conducted by
EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson on behalf of the European
Union, on a world deal on liberalising trade. Part of securing a
deal with developing countries is set to involve concessions by the
EU on its farm subsidies regime. Mr Ahern addressed farmers
specifically on Sunday, pointing out how much the farming community
had gained from the EU. "The biggest beneficiaries [of the European
Union] are the agricultural communities and they should be the ones
leading this campaign for it," he told RTE, the state radio. He
added that the trade talks will be resolved and that he hoped that
the "agricultural community quickly turn around their attitude to
get behind the Lisbon agenda. It's in their interest more than any
other interest or any other section in this country." All member
states need to approve the treaty for it to come into force. So far
11 of the 27 have done so. Ireland is the only country having a
referendum on the document, with a no vote likely to put the treaty
on hold for good. This means the country is under extreme pressure
to secure a yes vote, with much of high politics in Brussels on hold
until after 12 June. A series of senior politicians have visited
Ireland to try and woo voters, including German Chancellor Angela
Merkel and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The
referendum comes at a time of change in Irish politics, with the
long-serving Mr Ahern due to step down on 6 May to be replaced by
current deputy prime minister Brian Cowen, as well as general
uncertainty amid signs of a slowdown in the Irish economy.
Israel: UNIFIL is hiding information about Hezbollah from Security
Council
Haaretz
(April 28, 2008) - The United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is intentionally concealing
information about Hezbollah activities south of the Litani River in
Lebanon to avoid conflict with the group, senior sources in
Jerusalem have said. In the last six months there have been at least
four cases in which UNIFIL soldiers identified armed Hezbollah
operatives, but did nothing and did not submit full reports on the
incidents to the UN Security Council. The Israel Defense Forces and
the Foreign Ministry are reportedly very angry about UNIFIL's
actions in recent months, especially about the fact that its
commander, Major General Claudio Graziano, is said to be leniently
interpreting his mission, as assigned by Security Council Resolution
1701, passed at the end of the Second Lebanon War. Senior IDF
officials said recently behind closed doors that Graziano is
"presenting half-truths so as to avoid embarrassment and conflict
with Hezbollah," and that Resolution 1701 has been increasingly
eroded in recent months. A senior government source in Jerusalem
said that, "There is an attempt by various factors in the UN to
mislead the Security Council and whitewash everything having to do
with the strengthening of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon." The source
also said, "The policy of cover-ups and whitewashing will not last
long and, hopefully, now that the concealing of information has been
revealed, things will change." Israeli anger reached boiling point
over a week ago after the release of a new report by UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with regard to another Lebanon-related
Security Council resolution, 1559. The report briefly mentioned an
incident at the beginning of March in which UNIFIL soldiers
encountered unidentified armed men, and included no additional
details. Officials in Israel, familiar with the incident, reportedly
were aware that the Security Council had not been apprised of
numerous details of the incident. A day after the release of the
report, Haaretz revealed that the incident described in the report
had actually been a clash between UNIFIL and armed Hezbollah
activists. The latter, driving a truck full of explosives,
threatened the Italian UNIFIL battalion with weapons. Instead of
using force as required by their mandate, the UN soldiers abandoned
the site. A diplomatic source at the UN told Haaretz that senior
officials in UNIFIL and in the UN Secretariat brought heavy pressure
to bear to have the incident erased from the report or at least to
blur it. When the incident was made public, UNIFIL was forced to
admit that it had indeed occurred and to request Lebanon's
assistance in investigating it. UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmina Bouziane
said that during the incident, which took place near the city of
Tyre in southern Lebanon, five armed men had threatened UNIFIL
troops. more...
Report: Hezbollah man says new attack on Israel is question of
'when, not if'
Haaretz
(April 27, 2008) - Two years after the
Second Lebanon War, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah organization has
bolstered its recruitment efforts at an unprecedented rate in
preparation for a fresh war with Israel, The Guardian reported
Sunday. The report quoted an unnamed Hezbollah fighter as saying:
"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah [Hezbollah chief] commands us" to attack. According to the
report, the Islamist group has of late been sending "hundreds, if
not thousands" of recruits to training camps in Lebanon, Syria and
Iran in ancticipation of conflict with Israel. "The villages in the
south are empty of men," an international official was quoted as
saying. "They are all gone, training in Bekaa, Syria and Iran."
Israel and the Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in the summer of 2006,
sparked by the militant group's cross-border raid and abduction of
two Israel Defense Forces reservists. more...
Earthquake rattles Mexico City
CNN
(April 27, 2008) - A moderate
earthquake of 5.8 magnitude struck southwestern Mexico on Sunday
night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Rafael Abreau of the
USGS said there were no reports of damage from the earthquake, which
was centered about 54.5 miles (87.7 kilometers) below ground, and
about 100 miles (161 kilometers) south-southwest of Mexico City.
Abreau said the USGS had received reports that the earthquake had
been felt in the country's capital. Because of the depth of the
earthquake, Abreau said, "we may see some minor damage." "Yes, it
scared us," Julio Lara, 38, a parking attendant in downtown Mexico
City told The Associated Press. "It was strong." The earthquake
struck at 7:06 p.m. local time (8:06 p.m. ET). Glenn Beck Interviews Joel Rosenberg about the End Times 0:42:05
Euro dives as wheels fly off eurozone economy
Telegraph UK
(April 26, 2008) - The euro has
suffered its sharpest drop in four years as a blizzard of weak data from
Germany, Belgium, France, and Spain spark fears that economic contagion
may be spreading from the Anglo-Saxon world to Europe. Spain's business
federation warned that Spanish unemployment will rise by 500,000 by the
summer unless the government takes "valiant measures" to offset the
housing and construction crash. "For every dwelling not built, two
workers will lose their jobs," said the group's president, Gerardo Diaz
Ferran. The country's credit group ASNEF said the volume of personal
loans had dropped 30pc in the first quarter, the worst performance since
the country's financial crisis in the early 1990s. Troubling data in
Spain has been building for months, but investors have tended to focus
on Germany as a proxy for the whole eurozone. A shock drop in Germany's
IFO business confidence index yesterday caused an abrupt change of mood
in the currency markets. The euro plunged to $1.5646 against the dollar,
down from its all-time peak of $1.6018 on Tuesday. It is still 27pc
above its level two years ago. The German data follows a slide in the
Belgian index, which captures crucial port activity in Antwerp. The
headline confidence figure fell to -7.4 in April from plus 1.2 in March,
with a dramatic slump in the export order books to -14. This is flashing
near-recession warnings. David Owen, an economist at Dresdner Kleinwort,
said Europe would soon be engulfed by the twin effects of a "collapse in
export volumes" and a slow motion credit squeeze. "The wheels are coming
off the eurozone economy," he said. BNP Paribas warned clients yesterday
that the "decoupling story" was no longer credible. "We see Europe in
the early stage of a credit crunch, and if we are right credit supply
will shut down," it said. Key governors of the European Central Bank
began to back away from their hawkish stance of recent weeks, clearly
disturbed by the market perception that they are mulling a rate rise to
choke off price rises. Inflation has reached a post-EMU high of 3.6pc on
surging oil and food costs. Jean-Claude Trichet, ECB president, went out
of his way yesterday to brief journalists that "sharp" currency moves
had "possible implications for financial and economic stability", a
coded threat of co-ordinated intervention by world central banks.
more...
Bush backs peace deal as Hamas offers truce
Euro News
(April 25, 2008) - With the clock
ticking down on his administration, President Bush says he remains
committed to securing a Middle East peace deal. He's held talks with
his Palestinian counterpart in Washington ahead of his trip to the
region in mid-May. Negotiations have stalled since Bush pledged to
achieve an agreement by the end of this year. Bush said: "I assured
[President Abbas] that a Palestinian state's a high priority, for me
and my adminsitration, a viable state, a state that doesn't look
like Swiss cheese, a state that provides hope." But one of the
biggest holes in the plan has been the rise of Abbas's political
rivals Hamas, who captured the Gaza strip last June. They too are
pushing for peace - at least temporarily. Former foreign minister
Mahmoud al-Zahar offered Israel a six-month truce in Gaza with an
option to extend it to the West bank. In return they want end to the
Israeli blockade of the territory. Israel's UN ambassador dismissed
the deal. Menawhile Gaza is at breaking point. The UN has had to
suspend its aid operations in the Strip after an emergency fuel
shipment was blocked by petrol-hungry farmers. Israel says it has
cut shipments of fuel and other supplies in response to cross border
rocket attacks by Hamas militants. The EU sent a shipment of diesel
to Gaza's only power station after engineers warned it was about to
shut down. They say the generators will grind to a halt on Sunday if
no more fuel is allowed through.
Hamas Offers Israel Six-Months ''Calm''
Bridges For Peace
(April 25, 2008) - “The movement agrees
to a truce in the Gaza Strip…fixed at six months, during which
period Egypt will work to extend the truce to the West Bank [Judea
and Samaria], said former Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud
al-Zahar reading from a prepared Hamas statement. Speaking from
Cairo after meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman
he insisted the truce bring an end to the Israeli blockade of the
coastal strip. “The truce must be mutual and simultaneous and the
blockade must be lifted and the crossing points opened, including
the Rafah crossing point (between Gaza and Egypt),” he demanded. A
meeting will be called on April 29–30 with terrorist groups
including the Islamic Jihad to ensure Palestinian consensus to the
proposal. Suleiman will host those meetings before making a formal
proposal of peace to Israel. While Israel would appreciate peace on
the border, officials are wary of the Hamas proposal. Spokesman for
the Prime Minister, Mark Regev said, “We can’t have a period of
quiet that will just be the quiet before the storm.” Israeli
officials said they are not negotiating a truce with Hamas but there
would be no reason to take military action into the Palestinian
territories if violence from the region ceased. Meanwhile
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas [Abu Mazen] is in
Washington meeting with President George W. Bush. He is telling the
President that all efforts must be made to establish the proposed
Palestinian state before his presidential term ends in eight months.
Abbas, whose popularity within the West Bank has deteriorated
dramatically, will warn the President that if the peace agreement
does not proceed rapidly, the situation in the region will
“deteriorate.”
Israeli envoy to UN calls Carter 'a bigot' for meeting Meshal
Haaretz
(April 25, 2008) - Israel's ambassador
to the United Nations on Thursday called former President Jimmy
Carter "a bigot" for meeting with the leader of the militant Hamas
movement in Syria. Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, "went to the
region with soiled hands and came back with bloody hands after
shaking the hand of Khaled Meshal, the leader of Hamas," Ambassador
Dan Gillerman told a luncheon briefing for reporters. The diplomat
was questioned about problems facing his country during a
wide-ranging discussion with reporters lasting more than an hour.
The briefing was sponsored by The Israel Project, a
Washington-based, media-oriented advocacy group. The ambassador's
harsh words for Carter came days after the ex-president met with
Meshal for seven hours in Damascus to negotiate a cease-fire with
Gaza's Hamas rulers. Carter then called Meshal on Monday to try to
get him to agree to a one-month truce without conditions, but the
Hamas leader rejected the idea. The ambassador called last weekend's
encounter "a very sad episode in American history." He said it was
"a shame" to see Carter, who had done "good things" as a former
president, "turn into what I believe to be a bigot." Reacting to the
ambassador's comments, former Meretz chairman MK Yossi Beilin on
Friday urged the state to recall Gillerman from his post. Telephone
calls by The Associated Press to two Atlanta numbers for Carter were
not immediately returned Thursday. During Carter's visit, Gillerman
said, Hamas "was shelling our cities and maiming and injuring and
wounding Israeli babies and Israeli children." The ambassador
noted that Hamas is armed and trained by Iran, whose president once
called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." "The real danger,
the real problem is not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the real
threat is Iran," he said. ... Gillerman called Syria a
"destabilizing influence" in the Middle East. "You see Syria's
hosting, very hospitably and warmly, over 10 terror organizations in
Damascus," the ambassador said, adding that the country also
supports Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli Shiite group in Lebanon with
close ties to Iran and Syria. "Basically, Syria and Iran, together
with Hamas and Hezbollah, are the main axes of terror and evil in
the world," the Israeli ambassador said. more...
At Expense of All Others, Putin Picks a Church The New York Times (April 24, 2008) - It was not long after a Methodist church put down roots here that the troubles began. First came visits from agents of the F.S.B., a successor to the K.G.B., who evidently saw a threat in a few dozen searching souls who liked to huddle in cramped apartments to read the Bible and, perhaps, drink a little tea. Local officials then labeled the church a “sect.” Finally, last month, they shut it down. There was a time after the fall of Communism when small Protestant congregations blossomed here in southwestern Russia, when a church was almost as easy to set up as a general store. Today, this industrial region has become emblematic of the suppression of religious freedom under President Vladimir V. Putin. Just as the government has tightened control over political life, so, too, has it intruded in matters of faith. The Kremlin’s surrogates in many areas have turned the Russian Orthodox Church into a de facto official religion, warding off other Christian denominations that seem to offer the most significant competition for worshipers. They have all but banned proselytizing by Protestants and discouraged Protestant worship through a variety of harassing measures, according to dozens of interviews with government officials and religious leaders across Russia. This close alliance between the government and the Russian Orthodox Church has become a defining characteristic of Mr. Putin’s tenure, a mutually reinforcing choreography that is usually described here as working “in symphony.” Mr. Putin makes frequent appearances with the church’s leader, Patriarch Aleksei II, on the Kremlin-controlled national television networks. Last week, Mr. Putin was shown prominently accepting an invitation from Aleksei II to attend services for Russian Orthodox Easter, which is this Sunday. The relationship is grounded in part in a common nationalistic ideology dedicated to restoring Russia’s might after the disarray that followed the end of the Soviet Union. The church’s hostility toward Protestant groups, many of which are based in the United States or have large followings there, is tinged with the same anti-Western sentiment often voiced by Mr. Putin and other senior officials. The government’s antipathy also seems to stem in part from the Kremlin’s wariness toward independent organizations that are not allied with the government. more...
On St George's Day, EU wipes England off map
Telegraph UK
(April 24, 2008) -
Concerns mount ahead of US briefing on IAF strike in Syria
The Jerusalem Post
(April 23, 2008) - US Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates said Wednesday that the American public would
"soon" learn the details of North Korea's nuclear involvement with
Syria, despite fears in Jerusalem that such revelations could push
Syria to attack Israel. Israel has registered its opposition to
releasing details connected to the IAF's September 6 strike on what
foreign media reports have said was likely a nuclear reactor being
built in northeastern Syria with the help of North Korea. But
members of Congress have been clamoring for briefings on what the
administration knows about the incident and what it means for North
Korean nuclear proliferation amid concerns over US concessions to
the East Asian country in exchange for ending its nuclear program.
Select congressional panels, including the Senate and House
intelligence committees, are set to receive closed briefings
Thursday on what the administration knows about North Korean-Syrian
nuclear ties. Top defense officials expressed concern Wednesday that
the details revealed in the congressional hearing would "embarrass"
Syrian President Bashar Assad - who has refused to confirm reports
on the nature of the site - and might create pressure from within
his regime to respond militarily against Israel. "Syria thinks it
owes us for what happened in September," a senior Israeli defense
official said, adding that the congressional hearing could also
force Assad to reject peace talks with Israel to show leadership in
the face of growing internal criticism. Since the air strike, Israel
has refused to publicly reveal details on the site, and the military
censor has imposed tight restrictions on what details the Israeli
press is allowed to publish. The Wall Street Journal reported on
Tuesday that US intelligence officials would tell the US legislators
that North Korea was helping Syria to build a plutonium-fueled
reactor. Following the September 6 air strike, the Syrians razed the
site. At a press briefing on Wednesday morning, Gates would not
elaborate on the nature or timing of the revelations to be made
public, beyond his statement that they would come "soon," and
neither would spokesmen from the State Department and White House
when asked later in the day about his comments. There has been
speculation, however, that members of the media will be given
information following the closed congressional briefings. The United
States recently has stepped back from its push for a detailed
declaration addressing the North's alleged secret uranium enrichment
program and nuclear cooperation with Syria. Now, the United States
says it wants the North to simply acknowledge the American concerns
and then set up a system to verify that the country does not
continue such activity. more... Europe's role in the Middle East: Model or mediator? The Jerusalem Post (April 23, 2008) - Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU). He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent members of the Western European Union in November 1999. Solana is a physicist who later became a politician, serving as a minister in Spain for 13 years under Felipe González before serving as Secretary General of NATO from 1995 to 1999. Since October 1999, Javier Solana has served as the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. In 2004, Solana had been designated to become the EU's Minister for Foreign Affairs for when the European Constitution was to come into force in 2009, but it was not ratified and his position has been renamed under the Treaty of Lisbon. Here are Solana's e-mail responses to questions sent to him by this columnist: The EU (in its early version as a common market) came about as an attempt to bring a halt to hostilities among European countries, especially France and Germany. [Note how the free-trade process is now working for a North American Union] How relevant is this experience for the current Middle East situation, and what role could the EU play in facilitating similar developments?
How could the EU help Israeli and Arab companies pursue business joint ventures through the auspices of the European Union?
Do you believe there is interest from Arab business sectors in different countries to strengthen economic ties with Israel?
Do you as EU High Representative see it as part of your agenda to promote a Free Trade Area or other economic cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors?
The EU could afford to concentrate on first economic matters and then deeper integration thanks to the defense umbrella provided by the US during the cold war. Could the EU play a similar role today for the Middle East?
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Solana | 1st Seal |
2012: TEOTWAWKI The Omega Letter (April 8, 2008) - If you are a Christian, and you believe that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled in this generation, then you are probably the oddball in your church. In fact, scratch 'probably'. It is pretty much a dead-bang certainty that you are. It is fascinating to me that a person can be pro-choice, anti-Israel, pro-gay marriage, and be labeled a 'Christian progressive'. But if you believe that God not only knows the future, but recorded it for us in advance, well, then you're a nut. Most Christians are ok with the idea that God created the universe. Whether or not they accept it as a literal 'creation' or some kind of modified evolutionary scheme notwithstanding, few Christians would argue that creation is beyond God's power. For reasons nobody has ever been able to logically articulate to me, Christians have no problem agreeing that the First Advent of Jesus Christ was prophesied. But prophecies pointing to His Second Advent are merely symbolic and not to be taken literally. If YOU do, then you are a nut. There are some churches, on the other hand, that are wholly given over to the study of Bible prophecy for the last days. If you are a member of a church like that, not only are YOU a nut, but you probably belong to a cult. If you wanted to draw a cartoon in which you wanted one of the characters to be instantly recognized as being a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic, the most recognizable way would be to draw a guy with a long beard wearing a burnoose and brandishing a sign saying, "Repent! The end is near!" And that's just the way the subject is treated by other Christians. To the world, if you study Bible prophecy, you are probably not just crazy, but dangerous. If you believe Nostradamus knew the future, you're a harmless eccentric, if you believe the Mayans calculated The End of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) you are an historian. If you believe St Malachy, you are a Catholic theologian. But if you believe that the God of the Universe has a Divine Plan that culminates with the judgment of mankind during the Tribulation Period, based entirely on a literal reading of His Word, then there's something wrong with you. The Mayan Indians, whose culture died out 1400 years ago, developed a complex calendar system that continues to fascinate scientists to this day. The Mayan Calendar divides the history of man into five distinct 'ages' and this present age is scheduled to end exactly at 11:11 am (Greenwich Mean Time), on 24 December, 2012. The Mayans believed that on that date and time, the world as we know it will end with the final destruction of mankind on the earth. Nostradamus is credited with having predicted the 9/11 attacks as kicking off the end of days. According to one celebrated 'quatrain' a King of Terror wearing a blue turban will attack 'the "Great City", etc., etc. Although his most famous quatrain makes reference to the 'King of Terror' "in the seventh month of 1999" and the 9/11 attacks took place in the 9th month of 2000, for Nostradamus fans, that was close enough. An 12th-century Irish priest recorded a prophecy in which he allegedly named the rest of the Popes in human history, from Celestine II (1143-1144) to the last pope at the end of the world. According to St. Malachy, there would be exactly 112 Popes. Malachy predicted the second last Pope would be called 'a Benedictine.' I wrote about St Malachy's 'Benedictine prophecy' in April, 2005, as the new Pope was being selected. Cardinal Ratzinger chose, as his papal name, "Pope Benedict the XVI". According to St Malachy, the Benedictine's reign will be short, (Ratzinger is in his 80's) and he will be succeeded by the last Pope, "Peter the Great." The various adherents of the Mayans, Nostradamus, St Malachy (and there are others) all share the same basic worldview that could be paraphrased thusly: let every man be true and God a liar. All the various secular 'prophets' prove is that Satan knows his time is short. There is a singular difference between secular prophecies and Bible prophecy that reveals the source of the information. Secular prophecies can only 'predict' events, not outcomes. Bible prophecy tells how they turn out.
Satan is the universe's master deceiver. His ultimate goal is to be received as God. Only God is capable of prophecy. But Satan has a counterfeit plan of his own, and he has had six thousand years to develop it. Since he knows what he has planned, it is no trick to reveal the plan to some secular 'prophet'. Satan doesn't know how his plan will turn out, any more than any other created being, but he DOES know what he has in mind. From our dimension of time, it seems like prophecy. Remove the element of time, and what seem now to be prophecy would no more than the outline of a plan. Extra-Biblical prophecies, are part of that overall plan to counterfeit the miracles of God, so that, one day, " he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2nd Thessalonians 2:4) If one examines the extra-Biblical prophecies for the truth they contain, rather than looking for the sensational, what what learns is that it isn't just prophecy nuts who believe in Bible prophecy. Satan believes it, too, or he wouldn't be trying to counterfeit it. What it DOES establish is that even Satan has an idea of the time of the end -- and Satan thinks it will be some time around 2012. We know that, of the day and hour, no man knoweth, but we are told we WILL know that it is 'near, even at the doors.' And from that time, Jesus tells us, "Verily I say unto thee, this generation shall not pass, until ALL these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:34) TEOTWAWKI on December 24, 2012? I don't think so. But soon? No doubt about it. |
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England
has been wiped off a map of Europe drawn up by Brussels bureaucrats
as part of a scheme that the Tories claim threatens to undermine the
country's national identity. The new European plan splits England
into three zones that are joined with areas in other countries. The
"Manche" region covers part of southern England and northern France
while the Atlantic region includes western parts of England,
Portugal, Spain and Wales. The North Sea region includes eastern
England, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and parts of Germany. A
copy of the map, which makes no reference to England or Britain, has
even renamed the English Channel the "Channel Sea". Each zone will
have a "transnational regional assembly", although they will not
have extensive powers. However, the zones are regarded as
symbolically important by other countries. German ministers claimed
that the plan was about "underlying the goal of a united Europe" to
"permanently overcome old borders" at a time when the "Constitution
for Europe needs to regain momentum". The Tories are drawing
attention to the plan today, St George's Day. Eric Pickles, the
shadow secretary of state for communities and local government,
said: "We already knew that Gordon Brown had hoisted the white flag
of surrender to the European constitution. "Now the Labour
government has been caught red-handed, conspiring with European
bureaucrats to create a European super-state via the back door." The
disclosure of the European map comes as a YouGov poll commissioned
by The Daily Telegraph showed that one third of people want England
to have its own parliament. Twenty per cent want England to be an
independent country and for Britain to be broken up.
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