April 17, 2007

Gunman kills 32 in Virginia Tech rampage (April 17, 2007) - A gunman massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history Monday, cutting down his victims in two attacks two hours apart before the university could grasp what was happening and warn students. The bloodbath ended with the gunman committing suicide, bringing the death toll to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy, perhaps forever. Investigators gave no motive for the attack. The gunman's name was not immediately released, and it was not known whether he was a student. "Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified." But he was also faced with difficult questions about the university's handling of the emergency and whether it did enough to warn students and protect them after the first burst of gunfire. Some students bitterly complained they got no warning from the university until an e-mail that arrived more than two hours after the first shots rang out. Wielding two handguns and carrying multiple clips of ammunition, the killer opened fire about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston, a high-rise coed dormitory, then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building a half-mile away on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus. Some of the doors at Norris Hall were found chained from the inside, apparently by the gunman. Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 others were killed in Norris Hall, including the gunman, who put a bullet in his head. At least 15 people were hurt, some seriously. Students jumped from windows in panic. more...
| Signs of the Times |

Ismail Ax? (April 17, 2007) - The Virginia Tech shooter had a history of odd behavior, and his professors had gone so far as to recommend him for counseling, the Chicago Tribune reports this morning. Seung-hui Cho left behind a note that blamed the "debauchery" of "rich kids" for his shooting spree, and had the words "Ismail Ax" written on his forearm when he died:

The suspected gunman in the Virginia Tech shooting rampage, Cho Seung-Hui, was a troubled 23-year-old senior from South Korea who investigators believe left an invective-filled note in his dorm room, sources say.

The note included a rambling list of grievances, according to sources. They said Cho also died with the words "Ismail Ax" in red ink on the inside of one of his arms.

Cho had shown recent signs of violent, aberrant behavior, according to an investigative source, including setting a fire in a dorm room and allegedly stalking some women.

A note believed to have been written by Cho was found in his dorm room that railed against "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus.

Cho was an English major whose creative writing was so disturbing that he was referred to the school's counseling service, the Associated Press reported.

No one is sure as of yet what the phrase "Ismail Ax" means. It appears to be a reference to Abraham/Ibrahim, in which Ismail and Abraham take an axe to the idols of a temple as part of his conversion to monotheism. Is this a cryptic reference to Islamist or Christian radicalism? It certainly suggests one of the two. Hot Air has a more compelling theory -- a reference to James Fennimore Cooper's "The Prairie", which makes sense, given that Cho majored in English. more...

Fair Tax - The FairTax Plan is a nonpartisan national grassroots campaign to replace the federal income tax system with a progressive national retail sales tax. It provides a "prebate" to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue replacement and, through companion legislation, repeal of the 16th Amendment.

Ahmadinejad to announce new N-breakthroughs (April 17, 2007) - Iran will announce unspecified new “nuclear achievements” if the United Nations takes fresh steps against it over its disputed atomic programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday. “If they (the United Nations) pass another resolution against Iran, our nation will reveal new nuclear achievements,” Ahmadinejad told a rally in the central province of Fars, the official Irna news agency reported. Defying a UN demand to halt uranium enrichment, Iran said last week it was capable of industrial-scale enrichment, a process the West fears Tehran will use for bomb-making. The announcement prompted the United States to say it was likely the UN Security Council would impose further penalties against Tehran. In Iran’s first public reaction to the US warning, Ahmadinejad had earlier accused world powers of using international organisations like the UN for their own ends and said Iran would not give up its right to N-technology.
| Iran | Islam |

Syria threatens violence over Arab plan (April 17, 2007) - Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal threatened on Monday evening to return the Golan Heights to Syrian hands "by way of resistance if Israel [rejects] the Arab peace initiative." Bilal did not elaborate, but some analysts raised the possibility of either a full scale conventional war or a terror campaign in the Golan as one of the means to undertake a mukawama ("resistance" in Arabic). After saying that "Syria wishes to revive the peace process with Israel with the help of US and Russian mediators," Bilal immediately added a threat, saying that "if Israel [rejects] the Arab peace initiative, the only way to get the Golan Heights back would be the way of resistance." Bilal, speaking at a press conference in Damascus, was referring to the Arab peace initiative of 2002.
| Israel | Islam |

The Javier Solana Story by Constance Cumbey - as of April 17, 2007, this 7-part series focuses in on Javier Solana and just what he has been up to and how that is lining up with Bible prophecy.
| Solana |

'Question Mark' Killer Quietly Seethed With Rage (April 17, 2007) - Cho Seung-Hui, the gunman who apparently killed 32 people and himself Monday morning at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., seems to have been a shy, quiet type seething with rage at unspecified tormentors. Virginia Tech police on Tuesday morning identified Cho, 23, as the man whose body had been found in Norris Hall, site of the worst shooting spree in American history, lying next to two semi-automatic pistols. He apparently had scrawled the words "ISMAIL AX" on the inside of one arm, according to the Chicago Tribune, which may be a reference to the Islamic account of the Biblical sacrifice of Abraham. A rambling note left in Cho's dorm room reportedly railed for several pages against "rich kids" and "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus, and at one point states, "You caused me to do this." An English professor said Cho's creative-writing work was so disturbing that he had been referred to on-campus counseling services. In one class, he refused to speak and signed his name using a question mark. Fellow pupils called him "The Question Mark Kid." There were also reports that Cho, a senior majoring in English from Centreville, Va., had been taking medication for depression, and had also recently set fire to a dorm room and stalked women. Identification was delayed nearly 24 hours after the end of the rampage because Cho was carrying no ID, had no police record and had severely damaged his own face when he killed himself. A positive match was finally made with fingerprints on immigration records. "He was a loner, and we're having difficulty finding information about him," Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said Tuesday morning. Cho was born in South Korea on Jan. 18, 1984 and entered the United States in 1992 as a child of 8. He was a permanent resident alien, a "green card" holder entitled to most of the legal rights held by U.S. citizens.
| Islam? | America |

Riots in Malmö continue (April 16, 2007) - Jihad Watch reader Ted has kindly sent along this English summary of this Swedish article about ongoing Muslim riots in the city of Malmö:

Rosengård, an area with a very high immigrant population, is yet again on the frontpage as the riots from Saturday continue. On Sunday, several storage facilities were set ablaze. But the most disturbing thing was that a 17-year-old boy was brutally assaulted by a group of 6 "youths" (as the newspaper described them). They beat him so severely that he is now treated in intesive care in Lund Hospital. The assault took place at 20:30, when two boys were on their way home from soccer practice. The gang concentrated on the 17-year-old; his friend got away to alert the police. When the police arrived at the scene, they found the boy lying on the ground with wounds to his head. According to the friend who got away, the attackers were unknown to them -- which indicates that this was a random, unprovoked act of violence. The boy, in critical condition, is sedated and is on life support with a respirator. The police have made no arrests and the motive is unknown.

Fjordman, the great Norwegian essayist, kindly sends in this background material:

Malmö is Sweden's third largest city and by far the worst city in Scandinavia when it comes to Muslim aggression. Here are some of my older posts about Malmö. Keep in mind when you read this that Swedes pay the highest tax rates of any (supposedly) free nation. I read recently that an Arab girl interviewed in Malmö said that she liked it so much there, it felt almost like an Arab city: http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2007/01/sweden-country-that-sacrifices-its.html Two local Liberal Party politicians in Malmö have proposed a ban on the use of languages other than Swedish in school classrooms. "This is a local proposal. In Malmö we have a very unique situation: we are close to the point where a majority of pupils have a foreign background, which is to say that either they or their parents come from a country outside Sweden." Widman explains that some schools in Malmö have as few as 5 percent ethnic Swedes in their classrooms.
| Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |

EU: Hezbollah may be ready to become political movement (April 16, 2007) - Hezbollah would be ready to transform its armed resistance into a political movement, if all occupied Lebanese territories were freed, a Spanish representative to the European parliament said on Sunday. "One of the positive elements of our meetings with Hezbollah was that they declare that they would like to become a political movement ... when the occupation of Lebanese land ends," David Hammerstein told reporters at the end of a three-day visit by an EU delegation to Lebanon. "When asked when the occupation ends, they said clearly the 'Shebaa Farms'," Hammerstein added. "We all clearly support such an idea of placing Shebaa under the temporary jurisdiction of the United Nations and urge Syria and Israel to cooperate with this idea which will end the tension on the borders between Lebanon and Israel." Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has requested United States and European Union help in pressuring Israel to withdraw from Shebaa, but so far no action has been taken. This inactivity is putting pressure on the government, as UN Security Council Resolution 1559 calls for the disarmament of all armed Lebanese groups, including Hezbollah. The disputed Shebaa territory is a 25-square-kilometer region the mountainous region between Lebanon, Syria and Israel. While Lebanon lays claim to the territory, the UN supports Israel's contention that it withdrew fully from Lebanon in 2000, and that the territory is part of the Golan Heights.
| Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |

Russia Warns Israel Against Syria War (April 16, 2007) - Russian National Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, during a visit to Israel, has warned Israel to be wary of conflict with Syria. Ivanov said last week that the tense cease-fire between Tel-Aviv and Damascus might escalate into war if the two parties mutually miscalculate their strength; the Haaretz daily reported. Ivanov, responding to Israeli National Security Council Head Ilan Mizrahi's claim that Russia was supplying Syria with modern weapons and missiles, said Russia was supplying both Iran and Syria with defensive weapon systems only. He went on to tell the Israeli officials that the Syrian President Bashar Assad was genuinely interested in negotiating a peace agreement with Israel. "As I told you in November, you will find a partner in Assad," he said, adding that Russia supported the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. As for the Iranian nuclear program, Ivanov said diplomatic talks to resolve the crisis revolving the Iranian nuclear effort have not been exhausted, and that there was "still much to be done in that respect." Ivanov also relayed Russia's apprehensions regarding a possible joint American-Israeli military strike against Iran.
| Gog/Magog | Israel |

Olmert says ready for talks based on Saudi plan (April 16, 2007) - Israel said on Monday it was ready to start talks based on a Saudi Arabian land-for-peace initiative but made clear it wanted Riyadh and other Arab League members with no formal ties to the Jewish state to take part. "I'm ready to sit with them on the basis of the Saudi plan. And I'm ready to listen very carefully to their proposal on the basis of this plan and to see how we can work together to ultimately find common ground," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in an interview. The comments came ahead of a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday of an Arab League committee expected to set up several working groups to promote the 2002 peace initiative, including one that would hold contacts with Israel. Under U.S. pressure, Olmert signalled this week that Israel would be prepared to take part in talks with the working group, which was expected to include countries like Egypt and Jordan that already have formal relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia was not expected to join directly. Diplomats have sent mixed messages about whether this working group could be charged with negotiating with Israel over the details of the initiative, which offers normal relations to the Jewish state in return for land occupied since 1967. Egypt's foreign minister said at the weekend the working groups were not "mandated to negotiate", but other diplomats in the region said initial contacts could lead to direct negotiations. Olmert signalled his support for the talks when he told his cabinet on Sunday that he was "willing to hold a dialogue with any grouping of Arab states about their ideas". But Israeli officials made clear that they want the Arab League to include a wider range of countries, including those like Saudi Arabia that do not have formal ties with Israel, in any future talks. Olmert said Saudi Arabia could play a central role. Even though the kingdom does not have formal relations with the Jewish state, Olmert strongly hinted that unofficial contacts have already taken place. The Saudis have rejected Olmert's call for a regional conference that would include them and other Arab states. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, speaking in Paris, said the broader Arab world will not agree to normalise relations with Israel before a peace deal is reached. "We can come to a solution through negotiations," Mubarak said. "But it's not possible to normalise and then start talks." The land-for-peace initiative, relaunched at an Arab League summit in Riyadh, offers Israel normal ties with all Arab states in return for a full withdrawal from the lands it seized in the 1967 Middle East war, creation of a Palestinian state and a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees.
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | 1st Seal |

Moderate quake jolts Japan's southern island (April 16, 2007) - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 shook a small island south of Tokyo, but there was no danger of a tsunami, the Meteorological Agency said Monday. The quake struck at 9:59 a.m. (0059 GMT) and was centered near Chichijima, about 960 kilometers (600 miles) south of Tokyo, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) underground, according to the agency. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages, said Kenichi Mochida of the local town office. On Sunday, a magnitude 5.4 quake jolted Mie, in central Japan, injuring several people and damaging houses and a 400-year-old castle. Mie is about 320 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Tokyo. In March, a magnitude 6.9 quake in northwestern Japan killed one and injured more than 200 people. Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
| Earth Changes |

Syria threatens to take Golan Heights by force (April 16, 2007) - "Syria wishes to revive the peace process with Israel with the help of US and Russian mediators," the Syrian Information Minister was quoted as saying by Israel Radio, Monday. The minister immediately added a threat that "If Israel rejects the Arab peace initiatives, the only way to get the Golan Heights back would be the way of resistance." The minister was speaking at a press conference in Damascus. Last week, a Syrian-born American businessman, Abe Suleiman, promised the Foreign Affairs and Defense committee of the Knesset that "peace with Syria could be achieved within six months." Syria said Suleiman was speaking on his own behalf and was in no way affiliated with the Syrian leadership.
| Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Pelosi Accused of Violating U.S. Law on Syria Trip (April 15, 2007) - Calls are being sounded in the United States for charges to be filed against U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her trip to Syria last week - in which she is said to have violated the Logan Act, which prohibits members of Congress from meeting with representatives of enemy states without permission from the Executive Branch. If Pelosi were to be charged and convicted under the Logan Act, which is a felony, she could be imprisoned for up to 10 years. Pelosi has been roundly criticized by Republicans, including U.S. President George W. Bush, for meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad last week in Damascus. Bush told reporters in Washington that Pelosi's trip could undermine U.S. foreign policy. He also reiterated charges that Syria was facilitating the movement of foreign fighters into Iraq and failing to rein in Hamas and Hizbullah. Pelosi said that the trip was not intended to give aid and comfort to Assad or to terrorists. "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," she said, commenting on the criticism.
| Islam | America |

Don’t stare at Muslims says advice to schools (April 15, 2007) - PUPILS and teachers have been told by an official body not to stare at Muslims for fear of causing offence. A document intended to educate against religious intolerance and sectarianism urges teachers to “make pupils aware of the various forms of Islamophobia, ie stares, verbal abuse, physical abuse”. But Learning Teaching Scotland (LTS), which issued the advice to schools north of the border, has been criticised by politicians and Muslim leaders for going “over the top”. The document states: “Some Muslims may choose to wear clothing or display their faith in a way that makes them visible. For example, women may be wearing a headscarf, and men might be wearing a skullcap. Staring or looking is a form of discrimination as it makes the other person feel uncomfortable, or as though they are not normal.” Osama Saeed, a spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, accused officials of going too far. “There are far more serious elements of Islamophobia. People look at all sorts of things — that can just be a glance. A glance and a stare are two different things — glances happen naturally when all sorts of things catch your eye whereas a stare is probably gawking at something. “Personally I have not encountered much of a problem with people staring. I don’t know how you legislate for that.” Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said: “In a multicultural society like ours there are people with all different forms of dress and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect children in particular to look at those who are differently dressed from them. To describe this as a form of discrimination seems to go completely over the top.” Meanwhile, a survey of London’s Muslims shows that more of them identify with Britain than do the majority population. The Gallup poll, which is part of the biggest global survey of Muslims, shows 57% of Muslims identified with Britain as their home, compared with 48% of the rest of the population. more...
| Islam | EU/UN | 4th Kingdom |

Attacks Against Jews Double In 2006 Report Reveals (April 15, 2007) - The number of anti-Semitic acts around the world, especially in Europe, registered a large increase during 2006. According to a report, 590 acts of vandalism and violence were committed during 2006 against Jewish people, property and institutes such as synagogues and cemeteries. The number of physical attacks against Jews, including children and adolescents, doubled compared to 2005. This information was published Sunday morning in a report compiled by the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism in Tel Aviv University together with the World Jewish Congress. The report was released for the Holocaust Memorial Day, on Monday. The report stated that the attacks were mostly random, making it very difficult to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. In reality, many of the attacks were committed by Muslim immigrants and far-right groups. A total of 324 violent incidents was registered in Europe, higher than in other regions of the world. The highest number of anti-Semitic acts commited in the UK in the last 20 years was registered. The statistics in France and Belgium also show an increase in anti-Semitism. Germany remained steady but high, holding the record for desecrating cemeteries and Holocaust-memorial monuments. Anti-Semitism rears its ugly head not only in Europe. Australia, Canada (especially in the French speaking regions) and South Africa have registered alarming increases in anti-Semitic incitends. In the US, however, anti-Semitic acts dropped by 12 percent, although some of the cases reported were severe, like premeditated murder. A concentration of incidents was recorded during the Second Lebanon War and immediately after it. The writers of the report explained: "There is no doubt that the war and the hostile mood surrounding it brought violence by Muslim extremists and far-right groups against Jews to escalate worldwide." more...
| Israel | Islam | Signs of the Times |

EU official: 'New momentum' in the Mideast peace (April 14, 2007) - There is "new momentum" in the Middle East peace process, a high-ranking European Union official said after meeting the UN secretary-general. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner pointed to the recent Arab League peace initiative, the formation of a Palestinian national unity government including Hamas and Fatah, and regular meetings between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. "I think the recent developments ... have brought indeed a new momentum to this peace process," she said Friday. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Ferrero-Waldner discussed these developments and the next meeting of the Quartet, the international group comprising the UN, the US, the EU and Russia that produced the stalled roadmap to Israeli-Palestinian peace culminating with statehood for the Palestinians.
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN | 4th Kingdom | Solana | 1st Seal |

Turkish daily: Pelosi to be welcomed in Iran (April 14, 2007) - A Turkish daily said Saturday that Iran would welcome the Democratic Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi if she wanted to visit Tehran. "We are ready to meet Mrs. Pelosi," the Saturday edition of daily Radical quoted deputy head of Iran's Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad-Nabi Roudaki as saying. Radical said exchange of meetings at the parliamentary level would help the two sides arrange dialogue on current problems, lead to closer ties among people of Iran, the US and Europe and clarify Iran's peaceful nuclear program.
| Iran | Islam | America |

Strong Earthquake Rocks Mexico (April 13, 2007) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 rocked Mexico early Friday, striking 60 miles north of Acapulco on the country's Pacific coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake - which hit about 1 a.m. local time - was strongly felt by residents in Acapulco - where tourists in hotels rushed out of their rooms and huddled together, fearing aftershocks. The quake was also felt in parts of Mexico City, where power was knocked out. There has been no word on injuries or damage. In Mexico City, the quake sent people out into the streets. It lasted less than a minute but was strongly felt by residents. Police patrolled streets while families waited out on the streets in their pajamas, fearing aftershocks.
| Earth Changes |

Crops Worldwide Threatened by New Wheat Fungus (April 13, 2007) - Warning that a virulent new wheat-killing fungus called wheat stem rust could destroy harvests across the globe, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today said that it has partnered with other organizations to fight the spread of the dangerous strain. Warning that a virulent new wheat-killing fungus called wheat stem rust could destroy harvests across the globe, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today said that it has partnered with other organizations to fight the spread of the dangerous strain. Also known as wheat black rust, the fungus, which first emerged in Uganda in 1999, has spread from East Africa to Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. Approximately 80 per cent of all varieties of wheat in Asia and Africa are vulnerable to this new strain which spreads rapidly and is transmitted by the wind across continents and over long distances. “Global wheat yields could be at risk if the stem rust spreads to major wheat producing countries,” cautioned FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said. Destruction of wheat crops, causing billions dollars worth of losses, “could lead to increased wheat prices and local or regional food shortages,” he said. This could have dire implications for developing countries, he added, since they rely heavily on wheat and do not have access to wheat varieties resistant to the fungus. FAO has joined forces with the Global Rust Initiative – an international group lead by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center – which receives most of its funding from Canada, the United States and India. The partnership will assist efforts to develop wheat varieties resistant to the fungus, bolstering plant protection and developing contingency plans in the event of crop infection.
| 3rd Seal? |

Don't underestimate Syria's military (April 12, 2007) - While the Knesset heard about potential scenarios for reaching peace with Damascus on Thursday, senior defense officials warned of an unprecedented military buildup in Syria and said that prevailing in a war with Israel's northeastern neighbor would not be as simple as some might have been led to believe. Following the Second Lebanon War, IDF Military Intelligence noticed a change within the Syrian military. Syria feels empowered by Hizbullah's surprising success last summer and Damascus now believes it can use Hizbullah-like tactics in a future confrontation with Israel and possibly even defeat the once-thought-to-be invincible IDF. "For years we thought that the IDF had a clear upper hand over Syria's military," a top official told The Jerusalem Post. "After the war in Lebanon we now know that this assumption was not accurate." Syria has emphasized missile development in recent months. According to Western sources, Syria has the ability to independently manufacture Scud missiles, and it has 300 of them deployed just north of the demilitarized zone in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights. A division of some 10,000 troops is responsible for operating the missiles, which include an small number of Scud D's with a range of 700 kilometers and said to be capable of carrying nonconventional warheads. Syria has close to 30 launchers for its Scud missiles, according to foreign sources. Syria keeps the projectiles in bunkers at several locations; most are in a valley near Hama, where it has built a missile electronic and assembly facility. Syria has a massive military divided into 12 divisions and totaling close to 400,000 soldiers at full mobilization. One of the divisions is made up of 10,000 elite commandos, a formidable force that would serve as Syria's first line in an offensive against the IDF. Since the Second Lebanon War, Syria has established new commando units and is said to have increased urban and guerrilla warfare training. "Syria saw the difficulty the IDF had during the fighting inside the southern Lebanese villages and now the military there wants to draw us - in the event of a war - into battles in built-up areas where they think they will have the upper hand," explained a source in the IDF Northern Command. more...
| Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 |

'Pagan morality' on way to becoming law (April 11, 2007) - A legislative plan to "eliminate attitudes" opposing homosexuality is moving forward in Oregon, even though opponents claim it threatens churches and establishes pagan morality as a benchmark for their operations. Senate Bill 2, already endorsed by the state Senate and favored by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat, now heads to the floor of the state House following a 5-1 committee endorsement. It is expected to be voted on within the next week. In the House Rules Committee, an amendment was offered that would have provided an exemption for Christian churches and Christian groups in the proposal to grant broad new powers to the homosexual community by designating them as members of a protected minority class. However, the amendment was rejected in favor of a plan to continue to allow homosexuals to demand Christian churches hire them when there are job openings – among other issues. "This is still an intrusion of the state into religious liberty, and makes [Christian organizations] subject to state control," David Crowe, of Restore America, told WND. "It favors the homosexual community and puts the church in a defensive posture, having to defend itself and its beliefs, policies, doctrines and employment," he said. The Oregon Family Council had proposed an amendment derived from similar legislative plans in other states where homosexual community members have been granted special rights, but it was rejected. "This is very objectionable. It reveals that this is an agenda. They couldn't care less about what the people of Oregon think," said Crowe. His organization's petition to encourage legislators to oppose the plan already has 6,000 signatures and is growing at the rate of about 1,000 per day. "We're going to tell the world what is being dictated (to Christians and Christian churches) in Oregon," Crowe said. He said the attitude on the part of lawmakers was typified by a comment from state Rep. Peter Buckley, from Ashland, who didn't want to provide "more exemptions," likening the situation to "past racist employment motives." It used to be signs that said "No Irish need apply," he suggested. "Only now it's like, 'No gays or lesbians need apply for jobs.'" Buckley insists the church must employ homosexuals, said Crowe. "He has no regard, no understanding whatsoever of the religious community at all, and certainly no respect for the U.S. Constitution," Crowe explained. "He says he's going to summarily override anything in the Constitution. He believes we ought to be forced to hire homosexuals. They come to the door, we ought to hire them." He said the homosexual-rights promoters are becoming self-righteous in their attitudes, saying, "We're against any kind of discrimination and certainly this kind as well." Churches, meanwhile, are being portrayed as impeding "what is really good." The entire issue, however, is built on false pretenses, Crowe said, because the need for such legislation can only be substantiated if there is a significant problem with discrimination against homosexuals. more...
| America | Signs of the Times |

Queen Nancy The Worst (April 11, 2007) - Representative Tom Lantos, who accompanied House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to meet Syrian President Bashar Al Assad against strong White House objections, said he thought Pelosi might also be willing to make a trip to Tehran. “Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning,” Lantos said at a press conference in San Francisco Tuesday, the Chronicle reported on its website. “Because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Ahmadinejad’s) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him,” Lantos said. “Speaking for myself, I’m ready to go — and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be.” Nancy Pelosi defended her recent visits to Israel and Syria, during which she conveyed messages from both governments that each government later denied. After visiting Ehud Olmert in Israel, Madame Speaker went to Syria in defiance of numerous White House requests to pay a visit to Bashar Assad. The White House has been attempting to isolate Syria to pressure Damascus into distancing itself from sponsoring terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. (All three organizations are listed by name in the Damascus telephone book) Instead, Pelosi went to Syria, where she delivered a message from Ehud Olmert to the effect that Israel was ready to negotiate. Afterward, she gave a press conference in which she announced that Bashar Assad was also prepared to negotiate with Israel. Bingo! In one trip, Nancy Pelosi had resolved the Arab-Israeli conflict that has confounded successive US administrations since 1948. Quite an accomplishment, Madame Speaker! Unfortunately for the Pelosi Peace Plan, when Ehud Olmert heard her announcement, he denied giving her any such message. Assad held a press conference to deny she was carrying any message from him. In response, Pelosi dismissed both leaders as liars, (a proven tactic in liberal politics, but considered extremely bad form in diplomatic circles). Addressing the denial from Olmert, Pelosi snapped, "There was absolutely no confusion." "The message that we carried from Prime Minister Olmert was the exact message that he gave us," she told NPR's "All Things Considered." See? Olmert must be lying. more...
| Islam | America |

Spirituality Influences Health, Most U.S. Doctors Say (April 11, 2007) - The majority of American doctors think that religion and spirituality play an important role in influencing patients' health, a new review found. And the more religious a doctor was, the more likely he or she was to have a positive view of the impact of religion and spirituality on health, according to the study by researchers at the University of Chicago. "This study helps explain the phenomenon that, despite many studies that examine the relationship between religion and health, there is an entrenched debate and disagreement about whether there is any such relationship," said lead author Dr. Farr A. Curlin, an assistant professor of medicine. "A big reason why this debate won't go away is because the debate is not just about the data, it's about the frames of mind people bring to the data," Curlin said. The majority of U.S. doctors -- 56 percent -- believes that religion and spirituality influence patient's health, Curlin said. "The influence mostly helps patients cope with illness and gives them a positive state of mind," he added. A minority of doctors -- 7 percent -- believes that religion and spirituality can have a negative influence, Curlin said. "Sometimes, these beliefs can lead patients to refuse or not go along with medically recommended therapies," he said. Curlin noted that "most doctors don't believe that religion has an influence on hard medical outcomes -- like heart attacks, infections, etcetera. The influence is more on helping get through and cope with an illness." In the study, published in the April 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, Curlin and his colleagues sent a survey to 1,820 doctors, and 1,144 -- 63 percent -- of them responded. Included in the survey were questions about the doctors' religious beliefs and attitudes about the positive and negative influence of religion and spirituality. The researchers found that two-thirds of the doctors believed that illness often or always increases patients' awareness of religion and spirituality. In addition, 56 percent thought religion and spirituality had a significant influence on health. Also, 54 percent believed that, sometimes, a supernatural being intervenes in care. Most doctors -- 85 percent -- thought that religion and spirituality was generally a positive influence, but only 6 percent thought that religion and spirituality changed medical outcomes, Curlin's team found.

2007 a prophetic year? (April 11, 2007) - In Genesis, God flooded the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and 40 days after the mountaintops became visible, Noah opened the ark's window and sent out a bird. Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca, and his son Esau was 40 years old when he married Judith. The judge Eli presided over the people of Israel for 40 years. Their first king, Saul, reigned for 40 years; their second king, David, reigned for 40 years; and their third king, Solomon, reigned for 40 years. The number 40 is used a lot in the Bible, and it is sometimes – but not always – connected with punishment. Israel was made to wait 40 years in the desert to enter the Promised Land and was given a 40-year judgment under the Philistines for its misdeeds. Egypt had a 40-year sentence to serve under Babylon's Nebuchadnezzar. When Moses was given the Ten Commandments, he stayed on the mountain with God for 40 days. He died after living 40 years as a prince, 40 years as an exile, and 40 years as a prophet leading his people to the Promised Land. When they first arrived, he sent 40-year-old Joshua to spy out the land. That mission took – you guessed it – 40 days. According to the New Testament, Jesus began his ministry with a 40-day fast in the wilderness and ended it with a 40-day reunion with his followers. Fast-forward to June 1967. In the Six-Day War, Israel retook East Jerusalem, propelling the Temple Mount back into Jewish hands for the first time in 19 centuries. Then, in what may have been the first de facto land-for-peace tradeoff in Israeli history, defense minister and acclaimed war hero Moshe Dayan turned custody of the Mount right back over to the defeated Jordanian enemy. "It was evident that if we did not prevent Jews from praying in what was now a mosque compound," he later wrote, "matters would get out of hand and lead to a religious clash." However, Dayan had attached two conditions to the transfer: 1) a ban on rabble-rousing sermons against the Jews, and 2) freedom of access without limitation or payment. These conditions were never enforced by the Israeli government. Some observers blame the transfer on Dayan's secular worldview. "In his biography, Dayan clearly stated that the last thing he wanted was the Beit Hamikdash (Temple building) rebuilt," one commentator wrote. "So Dayan 'gave' the Temple Mount back to the Arabs because he wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be a third Temple. There was nothing that Prime Minister Eshkol could do about it. After all, Dayan had just become one of the biggest heroes in Israeli history. One of our biggest heroes may go down in history as one of our biggest screw-ups." Dayan's heroism notwithstanding, Scripture speaks loudly against the giving away of Israel's land to her enemies. Although official title to the Mount was not surrendered, guardianship of it and access to it were, and quite voluntarily so. This year, 2007, commemorates the 40-year anniversary of the giveaway of the Temple Mount. Now as before, Israel's enemies surround the city and beat their plowshares into swords. The ancient plateau still stands where old Abraham went to offer Isaac, where King David dreamed of the Temple his son Solomon would build, where12-year-old Jesus amazed the doctors of the law with his understanding. But now it is populated with monuments to a god the ancient Hebrews never knew, and the 40-year cycle has come around again. Will the merciful God of Israel grant His people a pass on what some might consider one leader's lapse in judgment? Has the biblical 40-year phenomenon drawn to a close at this late date? Or will 2007 be another prophetic year?
| Temple Mount |

U.S. Christians Ignorant of Europe's Spiritual State, Says Mission Group Spokesman (April 8, 2007) - American Christians mistakenly believe that Europe has the same perception of the Church and Christian faith as in the United States, said a Europe mission group spokesman. “It is questionable whether Europeans ever had a fundamental grasp of the grace of Jesus Christ,” said Bill Bennett, director of communications for Greater Europe Mission, to The Christian Post in a recent interview. Bennett explained that the church to Europeans is seen as an economic and political power representing the religion of the rich world. Europeans have a more formal, ritualistic view of Christianity partially because in its history, a person’s landlord decided whether he would be Catholic or Protestant rather than any personal conviction. “In America we assume that they have the same church that we have but our church experience is vastly different than that of Europe,” emphasized Bennett. “They didn’t come to believe in Christ and then start coming to church like we do.” He added, “We in the United States project our Christianity to Europe which is not accurate because their history is different than ours.” As many know, Christianity is declining in Europe to the extent that it has been described as the “least evangelized spot on earth” when looking at all of Europe’s population. Less than four percent of the total population in Europe is evangelical and in most European countries the percentage falls to less than one percent. In Europe, it is not unusual for a person to describe themself as a Catholic-Atheist, or someone born and raised in a Catholic family but who does not personally believe in God. Typically, the person would be baptized, married, and have their funeral held in a church, but would not be able to explain the meaning of Easter. Bennett’s description is reflected in a recent Easter survey conducted in England - a country typically seen as a Christian nation. The survey found that one out of every six people in England aged 16-24 did not know the meaning of Good Friday and about 10 percent of participants did not know that Easter Sunday commemorated the resurrection of Jesus. European governments have been partially blamed for the decline of Christianity, being accused of restricting religious activities and hindering the expansion of faith groups. For example, in the democratic country of France, a church requesting permit to expand its church building or buy property may never receive permission, according to Bennett.

Buoyant Teheran warns of further kidnappings (April 8, 2007) - Hardliners in the Iranian regime have warned that the seizure of British naval personnel demonstrates that they can make trouble for the West whenever they want to and do so with impunity. The bullish reaction from Teheran will reinforce the fears of western diplomats and military officials that more kidnap attempts may be planned. The British handling of the crisis has been regarded with some concern in Washington, and a Pentagon defence official told The Sunday Telegraph: "The fear now is that this could be the first of many. If the Brits don't change their rules of engagement, the Iranians could take more hostages almost at will. "Iran has come out of this looking reasonable. If I were the Iranians, I would keep playing the same game. They have very successfully muddied the waters and bought themselves some more time. And in parts of the Middle East they will be seen as the good guys. They could do it time and again if they wanted to." Americans also expressed dismay that the British had suspended boarding operations in the Gulf while its tactics are reassessed. "Iran has got what it wants. They have secured free passage for smuggling weapons into Iraq without a fight," one US defence department official said. It is also clear that the Iranian government believes that the outcome has strengthened its position over such contentious issues as its nuclear programme. Hardliners within the regime have been lining up to crow about Britain's humiliation, and indicated that the operation was planned. Conservative parliamentarian Amir Hassankhani, a former member of the country's Revolutionary Guard and supporter of the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the country's semi-official Fars news agency: "The arrest and release of the British sailors proved that if Iran's issues and demands are overlooked at the international level, the Islamic republic can create different challenges for the other side." However, a British Government official familiar with the negotiations said that while the abductions had provided Ahmadinejad with a platform from which to humiliate the West, such behaviour would have undermined Iran's ambitions for its nuclear programme. Countries which might otherwise have supported Iran would now be questioning whether a regime that took hostages could be trusted with sensitive nuclear technology. "Ahmadinejad may have got some short-term PR bounce out of this, but the more cerebral members of the regime may be quite alarmed that they have squandered their perceived right to be treated as a country that should be trusted with a nuclear enrichment programme," he said. "In the long term, they may have lost out."
| Iran | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |

Quake lifts Solomons island out of the sea (April 7, 2007) - The seismic jolt that unleashed the deadly Solomons tsunami this week lifted an entire island metres out of the sea, destroying some of the world's most pristine coral reefs. In an instant, the grinding of the Earth's tectonic plates in the 8.0 magnitude earthquake Monday forced the island of Ranongga up three metres (10 foot). Submerged reefs that once attracted scuba divers from around the globe lie exposed and dying after the quake raised the mountainous landmass, which is 32-kilometres (20-miles) long and 8-kilometres (5-miles) wide. Corals that used to form an underwater wonderland of iridescent blues, greens and reds now bleach under the sun, transforming into a barren moonscape surrounding the island. The stench of rotting fish and other marine life stranded on the reefs when the seas receded is overwhelming and the once vibrant coral is dry and crunches underfoot. Dazed villagers stand on the shoreline, still coming to terms with the cataclysmic shift that changed the geography of their island forever, pushing the shoreline out to sea by up to 70 metres. Aid agencies have yet to reach Ranongga after the quake and tsunami that killed at least 34 people in the Pacific archipelago but an AFP reporter and photographer on a chartered boat witnessed the destruction first hand. At Pienuna, on Ranongga's east coast, locals said much of their harbour had disappeared, leaving only a narrow inlet lined by jagged exposed coral reefs either side. Villager Harison Gago said there were huge earthquake fissures which had almost split the island in half, gesturing with his hands that some of the cracks were 50 centimetres (20 inches) wide. Further north at Niu Barae, fisherman Hendrik Kegala had just finished exploring the new underwater landscape of the island with a snorkel when contacted by the AFP team. He said a huge submerged chasm had opened up, running at least 500 metres (550 yards) parallel to the coast. On the beach at Niu Barae, the earthquake has revealed a sunken vessel that locals believe is a Japanese patrol boat, a remnant of the fierce fighting between Allied forces and the Japanese in WWII. more...
| Earth Changes |

News for April 17, 2007