The Scriptorium

Europe and the U.N. are crying foul today because President Bush refused to sign the Beijing Declaration on Women’s Rights. A London Guardian article whines, “America Urges U.N. to renounce abortion rights”. The piece goes on to include the usual anti-Christian comment. A lefty article wouldn’t be complete without it.

several officials accused the US of igniting the controversy – and sabotaging the conference – to try to score points with Bush supporters on the Christian right

The headline is exagerated as usual, and the article focuses on one very minor part of the declaration. I completely agree with Bush in his belief that we should never sign away our sovereignty or trash our constitution in favor of the U.N.’s declaration on human rights, and abortion law should be settled by our elected government, not the U.N. But, there’s a lot more to this story than the London Guardian is telling us. Let’s look at the Beijing Declaration.

In addition to the few articles of the declaration promoting abortion rights, we find the following:

Article 28 Take positive steps to ensure peace for the advancement of women and,recognizing the leading role that women have played in the peace movement,work actively towards general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control, and support negotiations on the conclusion,without delay, of a universal and multilaterally and effectively verifiable comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty which contributes to nuclear disarmament and the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons in all its aspects;

Could it be that Bush didn’t want to sign up for the complete disarmament of the United States to include nuclear disarmament, particularly when Iran will soon have nukes?

Article 33 – Ensure respect for international law, including humanitarian law, in order to protect women and girls in particular;

Just a guess, but most thinking Americans aren’t eager to surrender their sovereignty to international law.

Article 36 – We are deeply convinced that economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development,which is the framework for our efforts to achieve a higher quality of life for all people.

Environmental protection and sustainable development are code words for “ruin the American economy by forcing insane environmental laws on them (Law of the Sea Treaty & Kyoto) and create more biospheres that are nothing more than land grabs”.

success of the Platform for Action will also require……new and additional resources to the developing countries from all available funding mechanisms, including multilateral, bilateral and private sources for the advancement of women; financial resources to strengthen the capacity of national, subregional, regional and international institutions.

Can you say redistribution of wealth? Since the U.S. already pays most of the bills at the U.N., we all know where this financial support will come from. We also know that Kofi and Co. are not to be trusted with large sums of money, especially in the form of foreign aid programs.

From the Platform for Action

Article 10 – The World Conference on Human Rights reaffirmed the solemn commitment of all States to fulfill their obligations to promote universal respect for, and observance and protection of, all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, other instruments related to human rights and international law. The universal nature of these rights and freedoms is beyond question.

Every declaration, treaty, or recommendation that comes out of the U.N. asks participating states to submit to the U.N. Charter and International Law. We have a constitution, thank you. We’re not signing. Get over it.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

Full and effective implementation of the Platform for Action, including the relevant commitments made at previous United Nations summits and conferences, will require a political commitment to make available human and financial resources for the empowerment of women.

Adequate financial resources should be committed at the international level for the implementation of the Platform for Action in the developing countries, particularly in Africa and the least developed countries. Strengthening national capacities in developing countries to implement the Platform for Action will require striving for the fulfillment of the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of the gross national product of developed countries for overall official development assistance as soon as possible, as well as increasing the share of funding for activities designed to implement the Platform for Action.

Translation: The end of the Oil for Food program took away our slush fund and we need a new scam that generates a lot of money and will require said money to change hands several times. Also, demanding a percentage of select nation’s GNP really zings the U.S., and it’s a sneaky way of saying “redistribution of wealth”.

Article 326 – The Secretary-General is requested to assume responsibility for coordination of policy within the United Nations for the implementation of the Platform for Action and for the mainstreaming of a system-wide gender perspective in all activities of the United Nations, taking into account the mandates of the bodies concerned. The Secretary-General should consider specific measures for ensuring effective coordination in the implementation of these objectives. To this end, the Secretary-General is invited to establish a high-level post in the office of the Secretary-General, using existing human and financial resources, to act as the Secretary-General’s adviser on gender issues and to help ensure system-wide implementation of the Platform for Action in close cooperation with the Division for the Advancement of Women.

Benon Sevan has a new job! He can come out of retirement and use his expertise gained from running the Oil for Food program to further line the pockets of Kofi’s son.

I just can’t understand why Bush wouldn’t sign on to this declaration. It must be the Christians.

This is good news, if it actually happens. Since obscenity laws were passed, including laws on porn spam, I haven’t noticed much being done to enforce them. The problem certainly isn’t getting any better, and too often cases that do make it into court are dismissed, or deemed “free speech” by a liberal judge. Seattle’s Attorney General’s office told the Seattle Times a few months ago that their office is overwhelmed with complaints about porn spam. Someone should let them know that, if they were to actually enforced the laws and prosecuted some of the perverts sending this garbage, they might get fewer complaints. Gonzales deserves a chance to prove he means what he says, but I’m not hopeful. We’re captives to judicial tyranny on most moral issues right now.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday he would move aggressively to prosecute obscenity cases, and he laid out a broader agenda much like that of his predecessor, John Ashcroft.

In his first lengthy address since becoming attorney general in early February, Gonzales said people who distribute obscene materials do not enjoy constitutional guarantees of free speech.

“I am committed to prosecuting these crimes aggressively,” he said to a Washington meeting of the California-based Hoover Institution.

The Justice Department is appealing the dismissal of an obscenity case in Pittsburgh in which a federal judge said prosecutors went too far in trying to block the sale of pornographic movies over the Internet and through the mail. The case initially was prosecuted under Ashcroft.

Gonzales, the son of Mexican immigrants, said the Justice Department also would continue its recent stepped-up activity in human trafficking investigations and prosecutions. “Its victims are usually aliens, many of them women and children who are smuggled into our country and held in bondage,” he said.

The Justice Department also is sending teams of federal agents to five more cities struggling with violent crime, Gonzales said, extending a program begun last year in 15 cities. Investigators focus on prosecuting people for firearms violations, which often accompany gang activity, illegal drug organizations and organized crime groups. . . . . . .

Associated Press Article

Fox News is reporting that Osama Bin Laden has been communicating with Zarqawi in Iraq, and has instructed him to stop attacks in Iraq and begin launching attacks within the United States. I have yet to see anything in print on this and only have the Fox News alert to go on, but will post links as the story gets reported. According to Fox their information comes from top officials in Washington.

UPDATED:

Fox News Article

It appears Zarqawi may have hands full running from the U.S. right now, and likely wouldn’t be able to pull of an attack in the U.S. if he wanted to. U.S. officials also raise the point that Al Qaeda may be reaching out to Zarqawi because they are under significant pressure.

The entire pro-Syrian government in Lebanon stepped down today following the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri, while thousands of flag waving protesters screamed “Syria Out!” in the streets outside Parliament. Protesters and the opposition party are now calling for Syria to pull it’s troops out of Lebananon. Syrian president Assad is responding in typical Arab fashion. He’s attempting to tie the situation back into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by stipulating that he will not end the occupation of Lebanon until a peace agreement is reached with Israel. Of course, he’s counting on Syria’s Islamic Jihad to never let that happen.

Bush deserves some credit here, but likely won’t get it. The Dominoes just continue to fall in the Middle East. Cover your ears liberals, but Bush may be right again. Freedom just may be on the march.

Not all analysts, however, are optimistic. Dr. Walid Phares, Lebanese expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, told WND today’s resignation will “force the Syrian regime to make a crucial choice.”

“Either they can unleash their forces against the opposition, bring back the civil war or try to push Hezbollah to engage Israel,” Phares said. “They do have one chance to save their face now and say they will accept what the new government would ask them, but we don’t expect Assad to give up without a fight.”

Most opinions seem to support the position that, while Abbas is dumb, he’s not that dumb. Under pressure from the U.S. and the U.N., and with mounting evidence pointing to Syria’s terrorist activities in Iraq and elsewhere, taking any one of these actions would be unwise. It will be interesting to see whether Bush’s call for the spread of democracy and freedom sees more success in the middle east. Hopefully, we won’t see more bloodshed in the process.

Breaking 29 years of Syrian domination, Lebanon’s pro-Damascus government fell today after two weeks of protests and political maneuvers in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami announced the resignation of his government during a parliamentary debate.

“I am keen that the government will not be a hurdle in front of those who want the good for this country. I declare the resignation of the government that I had the honor to head. May God preserve Lebanon,” Karami said.

Syria has been blamed by many Lebanese for the killing of Hariri, which prompted massive protests calling on Damascus to withdraw its 15,000 troops.

The dramatic announcement came after the parliament held a previously scheduled session regarding the Hariri assassination. . . . .

WND Article

Reuters Article

Fox News

Wow! This ceasefire agreement is working out great. The terrorist palestinians tried to blow up a settlement today that is scheduled to be evacuated (translation Jews will be kicked out of their homes). They couldn’t wait for the Jews to be moved and the land handed over to them. Doing so would waste a good opportunity to kill hundreds of Israelis. Thank God for the IDF, who foiled the Islamic Jihad plot and safely destroyed the bomb. Speaking of Islamic Jihad, LGF has pictures of Islamic Jihad terrorists finally celebrating in the streets over their suicide bomb attack last Friday. It’ll be a little hard to blame it on Hezbollah now.

A major truck-bomb attack that could have killed hundreds of civilians was thwarted today by the IDF and the General Security Service (GSS), who have been prepared for such an attack for a few days.

According to an IDF announcement, the Islamic Jihad terror group in Tul Karem was responsible for the intended attack. The statement also reiterated the claim that followed Friday night’s deadly attack in Tel Aviv, that the terror group is directed from its headquarters in Syria.

This afternoon, IDF forces uncovered a commercial vehicle rigged with a large amount of explosives near the village of Arabeh, near Jenin – an area slated for evacuation and handover to the PA under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan.

The rigged vehicle, which was in the final stages of readiness for the attack, was uncovered with a long cable protruding from it. The cable was attached to a battery and a video camera, intended for the documentation of the terrorist attack.

The truck-bomb was detonated in a controlled manner by IDF sappers.

A similar attack killed 125 people and wounded scores more in central Iraq today. . . .

Arutz Sheva Article

The Bible prophecies a war of Gog and Magog that will involve several Islamic countries and Russia (before you e-mail me, I know there are other theories and they’re on our website). When ever I read an article on Russia transferring arms to Iran and other Islamic countries (this happens more often lately), I wonder if we’re getting closer to that war against Israel that will likely lead to a 7 year peace agreement and the tribulation.

Russia and Iran signed a deal Sunday that would deliver nuclear fuel to the Middle East country for the startup of its first reactor – a project the United States had for years pushed Moscow to drop, claiming Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb.

Iranian Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh and Russian Atomic Energy Agency chief Alexander Rumyantsev signed the agreement at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The signing, which was delayed by a day, came after the two senior officials toured the $800 million complex.

“Today, a very important development occurred, and that was the protocol on returning nuclear fuel, which we signed together. In the next few weeks many Russian technicians will arrive in Bushehr” to finish the plant, Rumyantsev said after the signing.

Both officials refused to discuss the details of shipping the nuclear fuel to Iran and the spent fuel back to Russia, but insisted that the agreement conforms to international nuclear regulations. . . . .

If their following international nuclear regulations so carefully, then why not be open and transparent about the deal? I think we all know why.

On a related note, Pakistan, who has helped Iran gain nuclear technology in the past, pointed out today that, should the U.S. launch a war against Iran, Iran would be forced to surrender within weeks. Perhaps Pakistan is trying to talk some sense into their fellow Arabs. They don’t like the thought of a rather large parking lot next door.

Senator McCain may have a good idea for a change as well.

AP Article

Fox News Article

A commenter at Daniel Pipes website describes the Islamification of students in the public schools of Arizona. You probably haven’t heard about this because the left has no problem with prayer in school, or religious indoctrination as long as it’s not Christian. It’s amazing to me that schools are getting away with spending weeks on Islamic instruction, requiring students to learn how to use a Muslim prayer mat, and telling them to write papers on the teachings of Muhammad. Parents who speak up face an uphill battle, as liberals can never see their own hypocrisy, but we must speak up none the less. Can you immagine the uproar if teachers required students to write about Jesus, recite the Lord’s prayer, and dress up like Christians? You can read the commenter’s full post here.

My child is in the 7th grade in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school’s officially adopted social studies textbook is titled Across the Centuries and is published by Houghton Mifflin. However, Across the Centuries has been shelved and the school is piloting a brand new book from Teacher’s Curriculum Institute, aka TCI, titled History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond (this book is not permitted to go home). In my opinion, this book is highly biased towards Islam, historically incorrect and also includes fake history along with Islamic religious proselytizing and indoctrination techniques.

The school has spent approximately 5 weeks of the third quarter grading period teaching Islam to 12 and 13 year olds. The children had to write a full biography on the life of Muhammad, using the information from the textbook – an extremely indoctrinating exercise. This biography will be a large portion of their grade for the 8 week period. Michael H. Hart’s top 100 list of the most influential people in the history of the world was presented to teach that Muhammad was #1, Sir Isaac Newton was #2 and Jesus was #3. The school hosted two professional Muslim speakers, from the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona, to speak to all 7th grade social studies classes. This took one whole day. The Muslim speakers brought prayer rugs and taught the children to pray the Muslim way. I also believe that there were recitations from the Koran and possibly an Islamic “fashion show”. . . . . .

Here’s an excellent article on the E.U.’s current path, it’s 511 page constitution, and it’s unsustainable immigration numbers. It’ll make you re-think any ideas you had about the E.U. becoming a super power just yet.

A week ago, the conventional wisdom was that George W. Bush had seen the error of his unilateral cowboy ways and was setting off to Europe to mend fences with America’s ”allies.”

I think not. Lester Pearson, the late Canadian prime minister, used to say that diplomacy is the art of letting the other fellow have your way. All week long President Bush offered a hilariously parodic reductio of Pearson’s bon mot, wandering from one European Union gabfest to another insisting how much he loves his good buddy Jacques and his good buddy Gerhard and how Europe and America share — what’s the standard formulation? — ”common values.” Care to pin down an actual specific value or two that we share? Well, you know, ”freedom,” that sort of thing, abstract nouns mostly. Love to list a few more common values, but gotta run. . . .

Sun Times Article

Germany is now experiencing the effects of mass Muslim immigration. How long before the U.S. starts seeing these kinds of mercy killings? We may already be seeing them, but the media will never report them as such. CAIR will make sure of that. This article is for all those who write us and tell us that Islam teaches respect for women (against the Qu’ran’s instruction – Surah 4:34).

Shortly before nine o’clock one Monday evening earlier this month, Hatin Sürücü left her five-year-old son asleep in their small apartment in the Tempelhof district of Berlin and made her way to a bus stop in the main Oberlandgarten Strasse.

Minutes later, a volley of pistol shots rang out but no one came to help Mrs Sürücü, 23, who was of Turkish origin. A bus driver discovered her body, with multiple wounds to the head and chest, about 40 minutes later and called the police.

Last week, Mrs Sürücü’s three brothers, aged 18 to 25, who were arrested six days after the attack, were formally charged with the murder. They have pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody.

Police are investigating whether Mrs Sürücü was the victim of a so-called “honour killing” after she made the decision to leave the cousin with whom she had been forced into an arranged marriage eight years earlier.

The police said that Mrs Sürücü had frequently complained of being threatened by her brothers.

If they are found guilty, Mrs Sürücü’s murder will be the sixth “honour killing” within Berlin’s 200,000-strong Muslim community in four months. Shocking as that is, the reactions of some Turkish immigrant children at a school whose main gates are yards from the scene of the shooting has caused even graver concern.

Asked by teachers what they thought of the murder, several 13-year-old pupils are said to have implied that they thought Mrs Sürücü had “earned” her death. “Well, she lived like a German, didn’t she?” remarked one. Mrs Sürücü got married in Turkey at the age of 15 but returned with her son to her birthplace, Berlin, more than five years ago.

She broke with her family, refused to wear the Muslim headscarf and lived with her child in a hostel.

She had recently completed training as an electrical engineer and friends said that she simply “wanted to live her own life”.

The murder has shocked politicians, police and community leaders, and prompted criticism that successive German governments have ignored ritual injustices within immigrant communities for decades. “How many more women have to die before this society wakes up?” asked Necla Kelek, the author of a controversial book on arranged marriages. . . . .

London Telegraph Article

A Republican in Maine has proposed legislation that would ban the abortion of gay fetuses. I was perplexed by the headline at first because no gay gene has yet been found for homosexuality (and won’t if scientists are honest), and there is no way to test for such a gene even if there were one. After reading the article, it’s obvious this law maker is trying to make a point. For those who support gay rights (aka gay special rights), it will be a tough decision. Do they ban people from aborting babies simply because they’re found to be gay, or do they continue to vote against any attempt to save the life of an unborn baby. Obviously, since this procedure isn’t even available to mothers at this point in time, it likely won’t pass. But, should scientists ever claim to be able to identify gay fetuses, liberals will be between a rock and a hard place. If they want women to be able to murder their babies in all cases and under any circumstances, they can’t tell some women they have no right to choose when the baby is possibly gay. It’s either morally acceptable to choose death for an unborn baby or it’s not.

A Republican lawmaker in Maine has introduced a bill to prohibit abortions based on the sexual orientation of the unborn baby.

State Rep. Brian Duprey wants the Legislature to forbid a woman from ending a pregnancy because the fetus is homosexual.

He said the bill looks into the future in case scientists find what he described as a “homosexual gene.”

“I have heard from women who told me that if they found out that they were carrying a child with the gay gene, then they would abort. I think this is wrong,” said Duprey, who got the idea while listening to the Rush Limbaugh Show.

But some lawmakers say Duprey is neither interested in creating new policy to protect gays and lesbians nor seriously discussing the issue of abortion. The bill, they say, is a way of forcing some lawmakers to choose between abortion rights and gay rights.

“It will be seen as some kind of political gamesmanship,” said House Majority Leader Glenn Cummings, D-Portland. . . . . .

WND Article

Here we go again. This is why handing things over to the U.N. in Iraq, as John Kerry and his ilk suggested, would be the biggest mistake we could make there. Anywhere the U.N. gets involved, chaos reigns. Funny how most of the MSM will ignore these growing problems around the world and instead cover every negative they can find in Iraq. The coalition in Iraq has seen more successes than the U.N. has in all it’s “peacekeeping” missions around the world put together.

Dozens of protesters burned tires and threw rocks at U.N. peacekeepers in a Port-au-Prince slum Friday, accusing them of standing by while Haitian police shot dead at least two men and left their bodies in a nearby street. U.N. troops said they did not know how the men died.

They were the latest among 10 victims shot and killed in escalating violence in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Brazilian troops in jeeps and light armored vehicles drove up and down a major street in Bel Air, a slum filled with supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, with M-16s and rotating machine guns at the ready.

“No more U.N.! No more U.N.!” protesters screamed as they hurled rocks and then ran behind parked cars. The crowd also called for the return of Aristide.

“No Aristide, no peace,” chanted Florette Pierre, 25, as others joined in. “Only Aristide can help us.”

Haiti’s first freely elected president was toppled Feb. 29 after a three-week rebellion led by former soldiers and a street gang, but remains the most popular politician in the Caribbean nation of 8 million.

Witnesses said Haitian police, flanked by U.N. troops, came into the neighborhood and opened fire indiscriminately.

“The police just started shooting everywhere and we all started running,” said Woody Charles, 34.

Haitians in Port-au-Prince say scores of people have been killed in this manner since September, when Aristide militants stepped up protests and blocked streets to demand his return from exile in South Africa.

U.N. troops and an interim government installed after Aristide’s have struggled to control escalating violence. At least 270 people, including 25 police officers, have been killed in clashes in the capital.

Aristide supporters say the interim government of Prime Minister Gerard Latortue has persecuted officials and supporters of Aristide, detaining dozens who are being held without charge.

Sioux City Journal

As I said in a previous blog, things are going to continue to get worse for the corrupt U.N. Judging by the U.N.’s record, however, I doubt they will ever get better. We’ve been hearing reports of these kind of sex scandals for quite some time, yet we hear little of what’s being done about it. Instead we hear more reports of rape and abuse in U.N. missions around the world. U.N. officials are now saying they’re going to do something about it. Those countries who refuse to prosecute the U.N. troops involved in the abuse will be asked to leave. My question is, why hasn’t this already been done. If they’ve known for quite some time that U.N. troops were gang raping and abusing women and children in Congo and elsewhere, why is the U.N. just now telling countries to do something about it. This is one of the many problems with the U.N. Corruption is never dealt with unless it starts to affect those at the top. This is not a government body that cares about the welfare and human rights of the people it claims to protect. They only care about their own careers and expense accounts.

U.N. officials fear the sex-abuse scandal among peacekeepers in Africa is far more widespread and appears to be a problem in each of the global body’s 16 missions around the world.

As the world body seeks to crack down on the abuse, it could bar countries from missions if they fail to prosecute offenders, even though the U.N. is hard-pressed to find contributing nations, the officials said yesterday.

Rocked by widespread abuse of women and girls, including gang rape, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations also has found sexual exploitation cases in at least four other missions — in Burundi, Liberia, Ivory Coast — as well as more recently in Haiti, they added.

”We think this will look worse before it begins to look better,” Jane Holl Lute, assistant secretary general for peacekeeping operations, told reporters. ”We expect that more information will come from every mission on allegations. We are prepared for that.” The undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, said that up to now the U.N. had avoided identifying countries that were slow to court-martial their troops but that he had demanded action within weeks in some cases.

”They are aware of a very direct threat which is that if they don’t get their act together we are going to tell them to get out of their mission,” Guehenno said, referring to all of the peacekeeping mission and not just the Congo.

There are nearly 11,000 military personnel in the Congo to help keep the peace after a civil war. The force is the largest among the more than 60,000 soldiers in U.N. peacekeeping operations around the world.

Deepikaglobal.com

It appears the BTK serial killer has finally been apprehended. DNA evidence linking BTK to several murders was compared to a blood sample from the arrested man’s daughter proving that it was in fact the the wanted serial killer. He was arrested after his daughter, believing her father might be BTK, contacted police. I can’t imagine the pain of realizing your father is a mass murderer – that is unless she’s known this for years and is just now coming forward, in which case I would have little sympathy for her.

Police said Saturday they have arrested a suspect they believe is the notorious BTK serial killer who terrorized Wichita throughout the 1970s and then resurfaced about a year ago after 25 years of silence.

“The bottom line: BTK is arrested,” Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams said at a news conference in Wichita with some of the victims’ family members.

Police arrested Dennis Rader, a 59-year-old animal control officer, after his daughter, Kerri Rader, alerted authorities two weeks ago of her suspicion that her father was the BTK killer — a self-coined nickname that stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill.” . . . . .

Fox News Article

So much for a ceasefire. The “Palestinians” are back to blowing up night clubs and killing teenagers and innocent civilians. Pulling out of Gaza is having a wonderful affect isn’t it Sharon? Not. The new tactic is for the terrorists to keep their mouth shut instead of taking credit for the bombing thereby allowing them to claim their still honoring the ceasefire. I wondered when they’d figure that one out.

A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of young Israelis waiting outside a nightclub near Tel Aviv’s beachfront promenade just before midnight Friday, killing up to five people, wounding dozens and shattering an informal Mideast truce.

About 20 to 30 people were waiting to get into the Stage club on Herbert Samuel street, close to the promenade. “I was near the club. There were about 20 people outside. Suddenly, there was an enormous explosion,” said a witness, identified only as Tsahi.

There were conflicting reports of who was behind the attack. Israeli media said the militant group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. But one of the group’s leaders in the Gaza Strip, Nafez Azzam, said it was continuing to honor the cease-fire.

Palestinian security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah orchestrated the blast. They said they had tracked recent communications between Hezbollah militant Kais Obeid and an unidentified Palestinian who they believed was the attacker. . . . .

Associated Press

No wonder we haven’t captured UBL yet. With allies like these, who needs enemies.

Washington: Pakistan has issued new rules of engagement permitting its Army to fire at US forces that cross the border from Afghanistan without coordinating first, according to a report contributed to the magazine ‘American Conservative’ by a former CIA officer.

Philip Giraldi, now an international security consultant and writer of intelligence matters, writes in the February 28 issue of the magazine’s ‘Deep Background’ column that “President Musharraf has been receiving angry reports from his military that US forces have been engaging in hot pursuit across the border in violation of bilateral agreements. . . .

Pakistan Daily Times

Take a look at this pathetic Washington Post article analyzing Condi Rice’s clothes. Condi was wearing what I thought was a very stylish and attractive outfit when she arrived at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield on Wednesday. Apparently the Old Media didn’t have enough fun attacking her character, integrity, and intelligence during the confirmation hearings, so they now feel it important to tear down the way she dresses. Take this quote from the article for example:

Rice’s coat and boots speak of sex and power — such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal.

Do you think these sexist pigs had anything similar to say when Kerry was photographed wearing spandex biker shorts? Of course not. Even Condi’s attire becomes a scandal to the left. It’s got to be another Rovian plot!

The article goes on,

It is as though sex and power can only co-exist in a fantasy. When a woman combines them in the real world, stubborn stereotypes have her power devolving into a form that is purely sexual.

Rice challenges expectations and assumptions. There is undeniable authority in her long black jacket with its severe details and menacing silhouette. The darkness lends an air of mystery and foreboding. Black is the color of intellectualism, of abstinence, of penitence.

How many times have you seen male politicians wearing black suits? Yet I don’t remember a Washington Post article speaking of their menacing silhouette, or an air of foreboding.

It wasn’t just the black jacket though, the high heels also provide fodder for commentary by the sexist Washington Post.

Countless essays and books have been written about the erotic nature of high heels. There is no need to reiterate in detail the reasons why so many women swear by uncomfortable three-inch heels and why so many men are happy that they do. Heels change the way a woman walks, forcing her hips to sway. They alter her posture in myriad enticing ways, all of which are politically incorrect to discuss.

You haven’t been too politically correct thus far. What’s stopping you now?

But the sexual frisson in Rice’s look also comes from the tension of a woman dressed in vaguely masculine attire — that is, the long, military-inspired jacket.

Rice’s clothing suddenly goes from erotic and sexy to masculine. That’s it!! She’s gay!!! The DUmmies at Democratic Underground have a new Bush cabinet member to accuse of being homosexual. Last week it was Bush himself along with Rush Limbaugh. This week, Dr. Rice. The author of this article probably feels that if any woman is intelligent and successful, she must be trying to be a man.

Doesn’t Condi know that women in politics are supposed to look frumpy, weak, and fragile? Perhaps the MSM would rather she wore a burkah.

Washington Post Article
David Limbaugh

Terri Schiavo’s life is in the courts hands again, and her “husband” continues to fight for her death by starvation and dehydration. The history of how this man has treated his wife is proof that he does not love or care for her and definitely doesn’t want her to get better. He stands to inherit over a million dollars if she dies and will then be able to marry the woman he’s been living with for the last 10 years. How can anyone believe he has his wife’s best interests in mind. Following is a list of the demands and limitations Terri’s pseudo-husband has put on her care:

# Has not allowed therapy or rehabilitation since 1992, despite medical records indicating Terri is responsive.

# Has prevented swallowing tests or swallowing therapy since 1993, despite medical testimony Terri can be taught to eat.

# Ordered caretakers not to clean Terri’s teeth since 1995, resulting in removal of five teeth in April 2004.

# Placed Terri in hospice in 2000, despite the fact she is not terminally ill.

# Refuses to allow Terri to leave her room. She has not been outside since 2000.

# Has refused to fix her wheelchair since 2000.

# Refuses to allow Terri to practice her Catholic faith by attending weekly mass.

# Ordered Terri’s shades down at all times.

# Ordered doctors not to treat Terri when she had a life threatening infection in 1993 and 1995.

# Removes family pictures from Terri’s room, denies flowers from family and friends, denies certain CDs to be played for Terri, and refuses to allow her to listen to music with headphones.

# Refuses to release medical information to parents since 1993 despite court order requiring him to do so.

# Has limited the visitors list, requiring they must first be approved by him and removes visitors at own discretion. Schiavo removed the Schindlers from the visitors list a total of eight months between 2001 and 2004.

# Denies all requests for Terri to attend nursing home functions and refuses to allow therapeutic animals to visit with her, knowing that she is an animal lover.

This is not a man who cares for his wife. He is an abuser and a subhuman pig. If the courts are allowed to starve this woman, or she continues to be abused in this way, severely disabled people in this country will be in danger of death by guardians who don’t want to deal with them anymore. The sad thing is that Terri’s parents are willing to pay for her care, make sure she gets therapy, and if she gets better, take her home where she can be with her family. In my opinion, Terri’s husband is afraid Terri will talk and it will be discovered that her condition was caused by him. Why else would he petition the judge to rule that her body be cremated immediately upon death? What’s he trying to hide?

WND Article

One of the differences between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives can disagree with their party leaders without feeling the need to create a new reality and lie when their politicians do something stupid. With that said, Bush is being stupid. While he has asked our military to give life and limb in a war, he’s cutting veteran’s benefits at home. The White House can say they’ve actually increased spending on Veteran’s benefits by 2.2% all they want, but they are also making veterans pay more and suffer under new cut backs in care.

Ben is a disabled vet, but he’s one of the lucky ones. He has outside insurance and an employer who is willing to make accommodations for his disability. It’s a good thing he doesn’t work for President Bush.

For many, paying an extra $1,000.00 for their medical care won’t be possible. For others, their nursing home care will be taken away. And, for all veterans VA health care will get worse (if that’s possible). At the Seattle VA, many vets wait a year before they’re even assigned a primary care doctor. Expensive medications are often forbidden from being prescribed, even when they would be the best course of treatment. And, much needed medical procedures are put off for years while the patient suffers. These problems will now get worse instead of better.

Veterans were promised by our government that their sacrifice would not continue to cost them for the rest of their lives. The government promised to take care of those who serve and fight for this country. As usual our government lied. While money is being spent on things like researching why the African dung beetle rolls it’s dung, and the mating habits of the three toed sloth, it’s veteran’s benefits that will be cut. It’s similar to the Social Security lie. “The government will save all that money they take out of your paycheck to be used for your retirement”. Yeah, right. Don’t send money to Washington if you ever want to see it again. President Bush needs to get his priorities straight, and I hope his supporters let him know that.

More than 10,000 Washington state veterans could face a $1,000-a-year increase for their medical care under a Bush administration budget proposal, a veterans advocacy group says.

And state officials warn that the White House spending plan could force out roughly half of the 600 residents at Washington’s three veterans homes, possibly resulting in the closure of one of them.

“It’s almost hopeless for the average vet to get taken care of,” said John Kenny, who fought as a machine gunner in the Philippines and New Guinea during World War II. “It’s a scandal.”

The administration has proposed charging some veterans a $250 annual fee for access to medical services provided by the Veterans Administration and more than doubling the copayment for prescription drugs from $7 to $15. The new fees would apply to single veterans making more than $26,000 annually and married veterans making about $30,000 annually.

In addition, the Bush administration budget would significantly reduce federal support for state-operated veterans homes and impose new limitations on who can be admitted.

“This is a Draconian change at time when demand is growing,” said John King, a Vietnam veteran and director of the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs. “The baby boomers are right on the doorstep.”

At a series of hearings on Capitol Hill last week, administration officials defended their veterans budget, saying it would increase spending by $880 million, or 2.2 percent, even as the federal deficit mounts. And it would refocus services on the most financially needy and seriously injured vets.

“This is a fair, thorough and doable budget which reflects this administration’s priority for vets,” said Jim Nicholson, secretary of veterans affairs, said under questioning from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Seattle).

In asking some veterans to shoulder the cost of the new fees, Nicholson said it would ensure “sufficient resources for the care of those who need us most.”

Murray, however, berated Nicholson and, at a subsequent hearing, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. She said they are reneging on a commitment to take care of all veterans, regardless of whether they had served in combat or had been seriously wounded. . . . .

For those of you who choose to believe the lie that the President isn’t cutting veteran’s benefits, talk to a veteran who depends on the promises made to him by his country before you support Bush’s plan just because you voted for him.

Tacoma News Tribune Article

Ward Churchill, the terrorist supporting University professor who believes the victims of 9/11 deserved to die, is on tape supporting terrorist attacks by Americans. Michelle Malkin’s blog reports on recently revealed tapes that record Churchill speaking to a crowd of liberals in Seattle. On the tapes Churchill tells the moonbat gathering that the terrorist attacks on 9/11 should have been carried out by liberals a long time ago. Read Michelle’s blog for the transcript. I believe one day we will pay for the anti-American, brainwashed, animals we’re pumping out of our public schools. The terrorists are living among us, and they aren’t all Arabs.

I’m tired of the World Council of Churches giving Christians a bad name. This clearly antisemitic, terrorist supporting group claims to represent Christian churches (and it does in fact boast a rather large membership list of denominations and churches). Yet, they obviously have no clue what the Bible has to say about Israel and the Jewish people. After reading through several articles in Israeli newspapers in response to the WCC’s call for a divestment from Israel, I was disappointed to see Christians in general being lumped in with this evil and immoral ecumenical council. The WCC is referred to in most articles as the “main global body uniting non-Catholic Christians”, or some similar description. Along with the Presbyterian church who imposed a similar boycott, Christians must speak out against this kind of biased, antisemitic garbage or we will be considered a part of it.

In the WCC’s divestment proposal, Palestinian terrorism and the Israeli death toll is ignored. The attacks that led to Israel’s security barrier are never mentioned and Israel is portrayed as the sole aggressor. In the WCC’s opinion Israel is in violation of international law, while the Palestinians are under occupation and only defending themselves.

The WCC also sets the borders of Israel as those of the 1949 armistice — knowing full well that even the Palestinian Authority accepts the borders of Israel as the 1967 cease-fire line. And then they have the temerity to pay lip service to Israel’s “serious and legitimate security concerns.”

It’s curious that this call for Christian churches to punish Israel comes at a time when the peace process has seen some positive movement and Israel is withdrawing from the Gaza strip. Are they afraid things are going too well and the Palestinians may not destroy Israel after all? If they’d read their Bibles they’d know God will protect Israel no matter what they do.

This quote from the committee selecting possible divestment targets, demonstrates the one sided, pro-terrorist nature of the WCC.

The occupation “is at the center of the cycle of violence in the region, whether it is suicide bombings or the displacement caused by the occupation… and impedes a peaceful solution to that conflict.”

I’m sure the WCC also believes that Al Qaeda is innocent and the U.S. and Israel are the cause of all terrorism around the world. Do they not realize that claiming to be Christian puts them on the very same terrorist list of targets for destruction? Their hatred of Jews doesn’t change that fact.

If you attend one of these churches or a church that is part of one of the organizations listed, you might want to reconsider your membership. The Bible is clear that those who condemn Israel will also be condemned. The WCC is on the wrong side morally, politically, and spiritually.

Israeli Insider Article

Haaretz Article

CNS Article

Arutz Sheva Article

This AP article focuses on the negative in its title, as usual. A survey by the National Study of Youth and Religion points to some problems in some of our churches. Young people aren’t learning enough about their faith to be able to express it well. My guess is, churches are falling into the the PC trap and are toning down their message in hopes of not offending anyone. Kids today are also faced with ridicule not just from fellow students but from teachers and administrators as well. I’m sure the PC brainwashing and tolerance mantra also makes them hesitant to be vocal about their faith. It’s up to our churches and parents to teach them not to be ashamed of the gospel.

The rest of the survey, however, revealed something we already knew. Christian students do better in school, engage in less risky behavior, and are more emotionally well balanced. This is a duh finding for most of us, and even the schools and our government know this to be true. So, why are public schools trying so hard to ban religion from school? While religious children are doing better in school and at home, our schools are suspending students for praying or reading their Bibles, and banning anything and everything religious. This is just more proof that the goal of our schools is not to educate, it’s to dumb our kids down and mold them into little secularists who will follow blindly.

The majority of American teens believe in God and worship in conventional congregations, but their religious knowledge is remarkably shallow and they have a tough time expressing the difference that faith makes in their lives, a new survey says.

Still, the notably comprehensive National of Study of Youth and Religion concluded that “religion really does matter” to teens.

The research found that devout teens hold more traditional sexual and other values than their nonreligious counterparts and are better off in emotional health, academic success, community involvement, concern for others, trust of adults and avoidance of risky behavior.

The four-year effort was conducted by 133 researchers and consultants led by sociologist Christian Smith of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Smith reports the full results in the new book “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers” (Oxford University Press), written with doctoral student Melinda Lundquist Denton. The book will be published next week.

Smith says the material “is not just about teenagers. It speaks more broadly about the direction of American religion.” . . . . .

This survey must be a disappointment to those educators who hope they are having an affect by trying to reprogram students who are raised in religious homes. I think that’s funny.

AP Article

In response to the conservative blogs and the Fox News Channel’s coverage of the Oil for Food Program, the United Nations has started it’s own blog. The “U.N. Dispatch” serves to promote the immense need for a strong United Nations, and as a platform to launch the occasional attack on Fox for covering their scandals. Mixed with links to global warming scare articles, it’s quite the propaganda site. I wonder if they’ll cover the new sex scandal coming out of Haiti, or continuing revelations into the incompetence of Annan? Interestingly, John Kerry aides are running the blog for them. How smart is that to hire the losers from the last U.S. election to try and save your reputation. If only Annan could claim to be a Vietnam hero. You can take a look at their blog here. Somehow I don’t think a blog will save Kofi or the U.N.’s reputation. New scandals would have to stop making news daily for this to do any good.

More rape allegations at the United Nations. This time U.N. workers are raping women in Haiti. The fact that rapes are still occurring while investigations are being conducted in other parts of the world points to the impotence of the current U.N. leadership. If nothing changes, the rapes and corruption will continue.

The United Nations is investigating a woman’s allegations that she was raped by three U.N. peacekeepers from Pakistan, a U.N. official said Tuesday. The men claim they paid to have sex.

The 23-year-old woman made the report to the police over the weekend, said Damian Onses-Cardona, a spokesman for the 7,400-member U.N. force.

The men, whose names were not released, said the woman was a prostitute and they paid to have sex with her, he said.

The latest rape allegations come as the United Nations investigates sexual abuse allegations in a handful of countries around the world, most notably in Congo. . . . .

Associated Press

The media has a fresh, new “scandal” involving President George W. Bush — the “Bush tapes.” The tapes consist of tape-recorded phone conversations between then-Governor Bush and family “friend” Doug Wead between 1998 and 2000. Why did Wead betray his friend like this? By his own admission – a book deal! So the money-hungry “friend” of the Bush’s released some of the tapes to a publisher, and the New York Times (long a bastion for unbiased reporting…yeah, right) gets wind of the tapes and goes to press.

A few Democrats find the information in the tapes so damaging that they’re ebullient at this “scandal” hitting their favorite nemesis. So exactly what are the damaging contents in this tapes? Let’s look at what the shocking tapes reveal.

On one tape, Mr. Bush explains that he told one prominent evangelical that he would not “kick gays, because I’m a sinner. How can I differentiate sin?”

GASP!! The Democrats believe this quote will hurt President Bush’ reputation among his base. They believe all conservatives want him to “kick gays.” They don’t understand there’s a difference between not catering to the homosexual agenda and beatin’ down the gays. President Bush has long held that a federal marriage amendment should be a last resort, but he would sign one into law if it was sent to him. What this quote reveals is that President Bush holds no special antipathy for one group of sinners. Note that the quote DOES reveal that Bush believes homosexuality to be a sin. Hmm… this quote is going nowhere. So what else do we have?

Mr. Bush has some tough words for his Democratic rivals, calling Al Gore “pathologically a liar” and saying President Clinton had “disgraced the nation.”

Hmm… this is definitely earth-shattering. Perhaps we should string him up for believing the earth is round as well! Next!

Mr. Bush also criticizes then-Vice President Gore for admitting marijuana use and explains why he would not do the same.

“I wouldn’t answer the marijuana questions,” he said, according to the Times. “You know why? Because I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.”

Democrats and the MSM have interpreted this as Bush “all but admitting prior drug use.” Even if this interpretation is correct, it’s not exactly news. President Bush has previously admitted living a wild life as a youth that is known to have included drug use. That’s why his acceptance of Christ was such a life-changing event for him. Many have decried the President’s former alcohol and drug abuse, as well as his involvement in Skull and Bones. What they fail to allow is that this all occurred before he became born again. God changes lives. Do these people reject the concept of repentance and forgiveness? Apparently so. Anything else?

But he also described “the five turning points in my life. Accepting Christ. Marrying my wife. Having children. Running for governor. And listening to my mother.”

The scum!! What terrible things to have done! Accepting Christ, getting married, having children, running for Governor, and listening to his mother should have done NOTHING to change his life!

While some Democrats are making hay out of this, most are not. Even those in the tinfoil hat brigade (AKA Democraticunderground.com), are not seeing this tapes as being any big deal. This came as a terrible disappointment to me, who wanted to see their paranoid rants on this. However, I was not totally disappointed, as some believe these tapes were actually released by the White House’s Karl Rove in an attempt to distract the media. One poster on DU found allies to support his belief that…

This “revelation” is a Rovian distraction from the real issue: someone in the White House got his rent-a-boyfriend Gannon/Guckert past security on a daily basis for almost TWO years.

Well, there is one point on which the bulk of the DU’ers and I agree — these tapes are a non-issue to ANYONE outside the MSM. While I too am bored with the Michael Jackson trial analysis, this story just doesn’t have the legs to supplant that.

Worldnet Daily jumps the gun sometimes on these stories, but I’ve seen this speculation elsewhere, and quite a few political analysts see Condi as a good candidate for the Republican party in 2008. I agree with their analysis. Condi is an eloquent speaker, one of the most intelligent people we’ve had in government in a long time, and she would basically eliminate any chances for a Hillary run. Having Rice serve as Vice President would solve the problem of Condi’s lack of experience in an elected office, even though she would be chosen by the President for the position, and it would give her even greater exposure as a leader in the Republican party.

While I agree that Condi would be a great candidate, I’m still undecided about her positions on social issues. Rice is a Christian who would likely support most of the family values issues important to Christians, but I’ve seen mixed reports on her views on things like abortion. If there is a movement to position Condi for a run in 2008, we’ll likely see her begin to define herself on those issues. I’ll be watching with much interest. Wouldn’t it be entertaining to watch the Democrats try to rework their race baiting tactic if Republicans are the first party to nominate a black woman as a presidential candidate? The racism we saw coming from the left upon Condi’s nomination for Secretary of State would pale in comparison.

Vice President Dick Cheney likely will step down next year due to health reasons and be replaced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, according to a report by geopolitical expert Jack Wheeler.

On his website, To the Point, Wheeler reports there’s a “red-breasted rumor bird” flying around Capitol Hill that has whispered the same thing to most congressional committee chairmen.

“We all know that Dick Cheney has been the best vice president of modern times, perhaps in American history,” one such chairman told Wheeler. “And we know that he absolutely will not run for president in 2008. Further, he has an unfortunate history of heart trouble. So let’s just say none of us will be surprised if, sometime next year, he will step down from the vice presidency due to his health.”

Continued the source: “Should this happen, President Bush would need to appoint his replacement, just as Richard Nixon chose Gerald Ford to replace Spiro Agnew. It is quite clear to us whom the president would choose should he need to: Condoleezza Rice.”

Wheeler goes on to analyze what such a scenario would mean for the 2008 presidential election.

Writes Wheeler: “Being a sitting vice president places Condi in an impregnable position for the GOP nomination in 2008 and sucks every breath of wind from Hillary’s sails. Historically, it’s hard for a party to keep the White House after they’ve had it for eight years. This is George Bush and Dick Cheney’s way to buck history – and make it.” . . . . . . . .

WND Article

I love it when a whole made up area of evolution comes crashing down around the scientists who “discovered” it. No worry though. Evolution isn’t based on many facts anyway. When carbon dating is found to be bogus in one area, you just take the story in another direction. All you need is a little piece of skull that produces the right carbon dating and you’re on your way. Fill in the enormous gaps with whatever you need to in order to get to the next level of the evolutionary ladder. Phony carbon dating results, and a plagiarizing, lying professor are just a bump in the road for evolutionists. It does have entertainment value, though.

A flamboyant anthropology professor, whose work had been cited as evidence Neanderthal man once lived in Northern Europe, has resigned after a German university panel ruled he fabricated data and plagiarized the works of his colleagues.

Reiner Protsch von Zieten, a Frankfurt university panel ruled, lied about the age of human skulls, dating them tens of thousands of years old, even though they were much younger, reports Deutsche Welle.

“The commission finds that Prof. Protsch has forged and manipulated scientific facts over the past 30 years,” the university said of the widely recognized expert in carbon data in a prepared statement.

Protsch’s work first came under suspicion last year during a routine investigation of German prehistoric remains by two other anthropologists.

“We had decided to subject many of these finds to modern techniques to check their authenticity so we sent them to Oxford [University] for testing,” one of the researchers told The Sunday Telegraph. “It was a routine examination and in no way an attempt to discredit Prof. von Zieten.” In their report, they called Protsch’s 30 years of work a “dating disaster.”

Among their findings was an age of only 3,300 years for the female “Bischof-Speyer” skeleton, found with unusually good teeth in Northern Germany, that Protsch dated to 21,300 years. . . . . .

WND Article

And some people think we’re not better off with this demon in jail?

The “Butcher of Baghdad” is reportedly relying on the devil to pull him through his trial.

Canada Free Press reports the long-time follower of the occult studies tealeaves to divine the outcome of his crimes-against-humanity case, while adding a prominent international attorney nicknamed “the Devil’s Advocate” to his legal dream team.

Satan may not disappoint Saddam, according to his former comrade, Lt. Col. Ali Mazhar.

After defecting to Kuwait, Mazhar shared a “bizarre” photo with the Weekly World News that purportedly shows Saddam with a horned figure. Mazhar believes Saddam signed a “sinister pact” with the devil. . . . . . . . .

WND Article

This is good news. You have to wonder about those who think the U.N. is a good thing, though. Maybe now would be a good time to stop sinking billions into an anti-American, antisemitic, debating club. I am surprised, however, that the somewhat low number of people who believe nations like France apposed the war because they were making a killing on the Oil for Food program. It could have something to do with the fact that Fox News is the only news source to really cover the scandal in depth.

Americans’ opinion of the United Nations is sinking, with just 37 percent polled saying they are favorably inclined to the global body.

According to a poll by Rassmussen Reports, the favorability rate has declined from 44 percent in a November survey.

The poll also shows 37 percent of Americans believe U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should resign. Just 26 percent said he should not resign and another 37 percent are undecided.

Among those polled who follow news coverage of Annan’s troubles “very” or “somewhat” closely, which was 54 percent, 63 percent say Annan should call it quits. Twenty-eight percent say he should not.

Regarding the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, 39 percent polled believe some nations opposed the invasion of Iraq because they were bribed by Hussein, while 42 percent believe the ex-dictator used the program to bribe nations such as France and Russia.

Rassmussen Reports noted the current survey is not directly comparable to last November’s results, because the current poll sampled American adults, whereas November’s survey interviewed likely voters.

WND Article

Bill Maher, in an interview on MSNBC, said that Christians have a neurological disorder that stops us from thinking. We’re just a bunch of brainwashed dumb folk. I kant think less Ime told wut to beleeve. Ime just a retardud fundie.

So where’s the outrage? Where are the people demanding that Maher be fired from his job at HBO. *crickets chirping* You won’t hear any outrage, because trashing Christians is a popular past time these days. We could let it bother us, or we could just remember that Christians are the majority in this country and the Left’s intolerance and bigotry serves only to keep them out of power. I think most people will recognize that the true insanity is coming from the left. In their mental state after losing the election, they’ve completely dropped the tolerant, inclusive, “party of the people” meme, and are resorting to lashing out at the people they say they need to win over. Keep talking guys. There will be even more red states in 2008.

Television personality Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” says Christians and others who are religious suffer from a neurological disorder that “stops people from thinking.”

Appearing as a guest on MSNBC’s “Scarborough County” this week, Maher told host Joe Scarborough:

“We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder. If you look at it logically, it’s something that was drilled into your head when you were a small child. It certainly was drilled into mine at that age. And you really can’t be responsible when you are a kid for what adults put into your head.”

The former host of “Politically Incorrect” said the lack of enlightenment of so many Americans means the nation actually has more in common with its enemies than one might think.

There ya go. Equate Christians to the terrorists that murder innocent civilians around the world. You’re winning us over by the thousands as you speak.

Said Maher: “When you look at beliefs in such things as, do you go to heaven, is there a devil, we have more in common with Turkey and Iran and Syria than we do with European nations and Canada and nations that, yes, I would consider more enlightened than us.”

Maher explained that he was not singling out evangelicals, but was targeting all “religious” people.

Aren’t the “enlightened”, left-wing, peaceniks of Europe and Canada supposed to love all religions equally? Isn’t tolerance the key to enlightened, compassionate thinking? How does that fit into “targeting all religious people”?

[snip]

Said Maher: “When people say to me, ‘You hate America,’ I don’t hate America. I love America. I am just embarrassed that it has been taken over by people like evangelicals, by people who do not believe in science and rationality. It is the 21st century. And I will tell you, my friend. The future does not belong to the evangelicals. The future does not belong to religion.”

Guess what Bill. The next four years do belong to the embarrassing religious right. Keep EMBARRASSING your party and the next 20 years will belong to us as well. All your elections are belong to us!!

Later in the interview, Maher returned to the childhood-religion theme, comparing fairy tales to Bible stories:

“When you were a kid and they were telling you whatever you believe in religion, do you think if they had switched the fairy tales that they read to you in bed with the Bible, you would know the difference?

“Do you think if it was the fairy tale about a man who lived inside of a whale and it was religion that Jack built a beanstalk today, you would know the difference? Why do you believe in one fairy tale and not the other? Just because adults told you it was true and they scared you into believing it, at pain of death, at pain of burning in hell.”

Won’t he be surprised. I pity him.

WND Article

It just keeps getting worse for the Catholic church. Not only will this scandal not go away, it continues to grow.

The nation’s Roman Catholic (search) bishops said Friday that over the last year they received 1,092 new allegations of sexual abuse against at least 756 Catholic priests and deacons.

Half of the accused priests over the past year had been previously accused of abuse, said Kathleen McChesney, executive director of the bishops’ Office of Child and Youth Protection (search).

Most of the alleged incidents occurred decades ago: 72 percent of the priests were either dead, defrocked or removed from public ministry before the newest allegations were received, McChesney said. . . . .

That means 212 priests accused over the last year were still active in their roles as leaders of the church, and were likely still abusing children. When those children become adults, they will likely come forward as well.

The article goes on to say that 95% of the diocese have now done what is necessary to protect children. If 212 priests, who are now accused of child molestation, were still actively serving in the church as recently as last year, I have a hard time believing children are now protected in the Catholic church.

Fox News Article

It’s no longer just speech that condemns homosexuality that can be labeled hate speech in California. Now, any mention of family values or morals is considered offensive and a form of harassment against homosexuals. A federal court in Oakland has ruled that promoting family values in the workplace is a form of homophobia and therefore can be legally banned by employers. This Oakland court is saying that, while homosexual employee associations within the workplace are protected by our constitution, groups of a religious nature, or groups that promote values offensive to the homosexual lobby are not protected, even if homosexuality is not mentioned in the groups purpose for organizing. So, morals and family values are unconstitutional in California. It explains a lot doesn’t it? No wonder that state is a cesspool.

A federal court ruled the city of Oakland had a right to bar two employees from posting a flier promoting traditional family values on an office bulletin board.

Employees Regina Rederford and Robin Christy posted the flier in response to an e-mail to city employees announcing formation of a gay and lesbian employee association. The two responded with a promotion of their own — the start of an informal group that respects “the natural family, marriage and family values.”

But supervisors Robert Bobb, then city manager, and Joyce Hicks, then deputy director of the Community and Economic Development Agency, ordered removal of the flier, stating it contained “statements of a homophobic nature” and promoted “sexual-orientation-based harassment,” even though it made no mention of homosexuality.

A July 2003 lawsuit by Rederford and Christy claimed the city’s anti-discrimination policy “promotes homosexuality” and “openly denounces Christian values.”

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker dismissed the case Tuesday, ruling the two women did not have their First Amendment rights violated. . . . . .

WND Article

No one should really be surprised that Abbas has no control over Palestinian security. There is no peaceful answer to Islamic terrorists. Typical of the AP, however, while pointing out that Palestinian police sympathize with the terrorists and refuse to stop attacks on Jewish civilians, they still blame Israel for provoking the attacks and turning the poor Palestinian police against them. As if Muslims weren’t determined to push Israel into the sea before Israel’s military defended itself.

This statement sums up Abbas’ promises to clamp down on terrorist attacks on Israel.

“They can’t stop anything or anyone right now,” said Bassam Qannan, 42, in Khan Younis. “It’s all for show. They’re useless.”

Palestinian policemen, who have been given the task of restraining militants, say they can’t or won’t do the job. Interviewed at their front-line positions, some say they feel sympathy for the gunmen, while others fear getting shot at by Israeli troops.

The shortcomings of Palestinian police were evident last week when officers stood by as Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets and mortar rounds at Jewish settlements in Gaza. Officers also did nothing when gunmen broke into Gaza’s central jail, killing two inmates and abducting a third who was later slain.

“This is all part of the state of chaos we have been living in,” said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ security adviser, Jibril Rajoub.

The poor performance is a result of years of rampant corruption, rivalries among commanders of numerous police forces set up by the late Yasser Arafat and a lack of discipline and training. After the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in 2000, the deterioration accelerated when many policemen joined the battle and Israel targeted security installations in Gaza, leaving the security forces in tatters.

Abbas must now depend largely on the good will of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups to uphold a fragile truce with Israel. . . . . . . .

AP Article

The Temple Institute is moving forward on their plans to rebuild the Temple. I find it interesting that the re-established Sanhedrin is considering the possibility that the Temple location may not be directly under the Dome of the Rock, making it possible to rebuild the temple without the removal of what Muslims consider their third holiest mosque.

Two remarkable developments took place recently that are extremely relevant to students of Bible prophecy.

For the first time in 1,600 years, the Israeli Sanhedrin was re-established. It occurred in Tiberius, the site of the Sanhedrin’s last meeting in AD 425.

On Jan. 20, IsraelNN.com reported:

A unique ceremony – probably only the second of its kind in the past 1,600 years – is taking place in Tiberius today: The launching of a Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish-legal tribunal in the land of Israel.

The Sanhedrin, a religious assembly that convened in one of the Holy Temple chambers in Jerusalem [before AD 70], comprised 71 sages and existed during the Tannaitic period, from several decades before the Common Era until roughly 425 C.E.

Details of today’s ceremony are still sketchy, but the organizers’ announced their intention to convene 71 rabbis who have received special rabbinic ordination as specified by Maimonides.

These religious authorities believe it was necessary to re-establish the Sanhedrin because only this properly ordained body of sages can authenticate a Messiah when he comes. There is a growing expectation of the long-awaited Messiah to appear among devout Jews. The rebirth of the Jewish state and recapture of Jerusalem has increasingly influenced this conviction. . . . . . . .

WND Article

Jews and Christians who visit the Temple Mount can be arrested for bowing their head, or giving the appearance that they might be praying. That’s right. Praying on the Temple Mount is illegal for anyone but a Muslim. Even more disturbing, the Sharon government has agreed to this law. Can you imagine the uproar (and the intifada) that would ensue if Muslims were banned from praying at their most holy site in Mecca? Or, how about arresting Arabs for possessing anything with Arab writing while in Mecca? Sounds far fetched? Non-Muslims who visit the Temple Mount can also be arrested if they possess any literature containing Hebrew writing.

If people were banned from simply praying silently or even bowing their heads anywhere else in the world (excluding Arab and Communist countries), it would never be tolerated and would be condemned as religious persecution and a disgusting abuse of human rights. Yet, it’s accepted and ignored when Muslims impose these kinds of vile laws on Jews and Christians. This is what terrorism leads to. Death, terror, and wars are only part of the consequences of the rise of Islamic terrorism. So afraid are the leaders of this world, they will allow the arrest and persecution of a religious people for thought crimes in order to appease terrorists and murderers.

Judaism considers it the holiest place on earth. Muslims say it’s the third holiest. Christianity reveres the spot as being of great historic importance. But if someone prays there, if he or she is not Muslim, the worshiper will be immediately arrested. Welcome to the Temple Mount.

The Temple Mount is the large area directly behind the Western Wall in Jerusalem. It is the site of Judaism’s first and second Temples, the primary area of worship for the Jewish faith and the location in which Gods “shekhina,” or presence, is thought by Jews to reside. The area is about the size of 15 football stadiums.

King Solomon built the First Temple at the Mount almost 3,000 years ago, but it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. and 70 years later rebuilt by the Israelites returning from exile. It was later refashioned by King Herod at the same site.

Although is not mentioned by name in the Quran, the Temple Mount is also commonly identified by Muslims as the “furthermost sanctuary,” the site from which the Prophet Muhammad, accompanied by the Angel Gabriel, made the Night Journey to the Throne of God. . . . .

WND Article

Praise God! A right-thinking judge actually understands that even speech that isn’t politically correct is protected under our constitution. In light of this judge’s ruling, I would hope that the Philly police department would inform their officers of the rights people have under our constitution.

In what is being hailed as a victory for free speech, a judge in Philadelphia today dismissed all criminal charges against four Christians who were arrested for evangelizing at an outdoor homosexual event.

Judge Pamela Dembe of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas dismissed the charges, saying that she found no basis whatsoever for any of them.

“We are one of the very few countries that protects unpopular speech,” Dembe said after viewing a videotape of the arrests.

As WorldNetDaily reported, on Oct. 10, a group of 11 Christians was “preaching God’s Word” to a crowd of people attending the Philadelphia “OutFest” event and displaying banners with biblical messages.

After a confrontation with a group called the Pink Angels, described by protesters as “a militant mob of homosexuals,” the Christians were arrested and spent a night in jail.

Eight charges were filed: criminal conspiracy, possession of instruments of crime, reckless endangerment of another person, ethnic intimidation, riot, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and obstructing highways.

None of the Pink Angels was cited or arrested.

After a preliminary hearing in December, Judge William Austin Meehan ordered four of the Christians to stand trial on three felony and five misdemeanor charges. If convicted, each could have received a maximum of 47 years in prison. One female teenage protester faces charges in the juvenile justice system, but those charges likely will be dropped tomorrow.

“The judge saw this case for what it is,” Joe Infranco, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said in a statement. “This was the right response to an outrageous abuse of power to silence speech that some people didn’t like.

“What took place here was a government crackdown on disfavored speech. The OutFest participants staged a national coming-out day on a public street using public funds, and then they tried to say it’s a private event. That didn’t make any sense, and neither did the actions of the police. …”

Dembe is the judge who last month removed the bail requirement that the defendants stay at least 100 feet away from any homosexual gathering.

WND Article

Fox News Article

David Limbaugh has a great article posted on the Left’s pitiful new tactic of claiming to be the true Christians. Many liberals, including a few in Congress have trouble even saying the word Christian. I’m amused when they try to tell us what Jesus really taught, as if they actually read the Bible. Remember the uproar from liberals when Bush spoke about Jesus in a presidential debate? It was offensive, stupid, a violation of separation of church and state, and proof that Bush was out to create a theocracy. My how opinions change.

When you pass laws to ban Bibles in schools, remove anything remotely Christian from public view, label the Bible hate speech when it condemns homosexuality, and frequently refer to Christians as fundies or Christian Taliban, it looks pretty stupid to suddenly start preaching from the Good Book. It’s always entertaining to watch them try to remake themselves. You know their desperate when they try to embrace the very thing they hate the most.

The Democratic leadership has a funny way of showing its commitment to “values.” Perhaps it should first decide whether it wants to adopt Christian values, redefine them or just cynically mock them.

When liberals were cockier about their political fortunes, they were quick to demean certain Christians as “largely poor, uneducated and easy to command” or the “American Taliban.”

Don’t get me wrong. The Left is still making fun of Christians, but they’ve gotten a little cagier. Now they’re claiming a slice of the pie for themselves, saying they are the true Christians and decrying Republicans for trying to assert a monopoly on Christianity. Well, I guess we’re making some progress. . . . .

Remember the deplorable treatment Condi Rice received in her confirmation hearings – the Aunt Jamima comments, the interrogations from Barbra Boxer, and John Kerry insulting her intelligence and calling her a liar. This was just one of many liberal attack campaigns on anything and everything Bush over the past four years. So, when I see the Democrats pulling out the old tired “evil right-wing attack” card, I have to laugh. So much like children, they are. Their tantrum even draws a comparison between Abu Ghraib and the Bush administration. The poor Dems are probably being forced to wear panties on their heads during Senate sessions.

Senate Democrats demanded Thursday that President Bush order a halt to personal attacks on the party’s leader, Sen. Harry Reid, and expressed regret that they had failed to mount a stronger defense for his defeated predecessor.

“This is a new Democratic Party,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a news conference called to release a letter telling Bush to muzzle his “political operatives.”

“It says to the president, `You will not intimidate us’,” said Schumer, who likened the attacks on Reid to political knee-cappings.

The letter itself was written in milder terms. “We urge you to keep your word about being a uniter and publicly halt these counterproductive attacks so that we are able to work together in a bipartisan manner and debate issues on the merits,” it says.

Bush and the White House have denied responsibility for the attacks.

But Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate after Reid, ridiculed that assertion, as Reid did earlier in the week.

“This is the Abu Ghraib defense, that a few renegade soldiers are responsible for their own behavior and the commanders are not accountable,” said Durbin. His remarks referred to claims by military officials that a few low-ranking enlisted personnel were responsible for the shocking abuses at a U.S.-run prison in Iraq. . . .

CNN Aricle

Liberals have long looked for a way to either eliminate a parents right to home school, or legislate their way into controlling homeschooled children’s education. Their latest attempt to gain back control of the minds they can no longer indoctrinate into secular humanism, is to point to an abuse case as proof that homeschooling is evil, and the state must have a guardianship role over our children. Let’s go with that logic. Recently, there have been a rash of abuse cases involving teachers in public schools molesting their students. Perhaps we should rethink Public School. Children just might be safer with their parents.

After the arrest of a man accused of abusing a daughter who had not been in school in five years, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said she plans to examine the state’s laws on homeschooling.

The Tucson man, who’s name has been withheld to protect the daughter’s identity, was arrested Tuesday and accused of sexually abusing his 14-year-old daughter while holding her captive in his home for more than a year.

KGUN-TV in Tucson, an ABC affiliate, notes the popularity of homeschooling in Arizona, which legally requires only filling out a simple affadavit

“With no accountability and irresponsible parents, it’s easy to see how children can get ‘lost,’” said a report by the station.

Napolitano said of the case: “The homeschooling aspect is really one of the many aspects I think we need to go back … how could this happen in our town? How could this happen in our state?” . . . .

WND Article

A State Representative in Alabama is offering $5,000 to anyone who can prove that the Bible says marriage is between one woman and one man. My first response is, what happened to separation of church and state? I guess it’s okay as long as you’re introducing religion into government for the sole purpose of calling Christians religious fanatics. As Representative Holmes so aptly points out, anyone can get the interpretation they want out of scripture (especially if you’re unwilling to accept what the Bible clearly says). My guess is, his interpretation will make certain that he gets to keep his $5,000. It’s ironic that while criticizing legislation that he deems intolerant and offensive, he then includes the following in his opposition to the measure:

“If these people connected with the Christian Coalition and these right-wing religious fanatics, if they are not stopped now, your children, your grandchildren will hang their heads in shame.”

Can you imagine the outrage we would see from Mr. Holmes if someone said homosexuals, if not stopped, will make our children hang their head in shame?

An Alabama lawmaker reportedly is offering $5,000 to anyone who can show him proof from the Bible indicating marriage is between a man and a woman.

The amount was increased by more than seven-fold by state Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, after he originally took to the House floor this week to declare, “I’ve got $700 here, and I will give anyone this $700 if they come up and show me in this Bible where it says that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

The announcement came amid debate over a constitutional amendment on same-sex marriages in the Cotton State. . . . . .

WND Article

Fox News began reporting late last night that a U.N. weapons inspector who worked on the Duelfer Report has revealed weapons labs in Iraq were being used as recently as March, 2003 to produce Sarin in spray form. Pictures show perfume bottles made to mimic different brand names of perfume, presumably to be used in department stores in the U.S. and Europe. Remember the panic that ensued after the anthrax scare? If people around the country were spraying perfume on themselves and dying within 10 minutes, you could multiply that panic and damage to the economy by 10.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, Fox News is the only news source reporting this besides a few blogs and Free Republic. The Fox News article and TV interviews are part of a new special on the Oil for Food scandal. The special due to air Sunday at 9:00 PM EST will reveal that Saddam’s sarin project was funded by money skimmed off the Oil for Food program.

But, have no fear. Saddam was not a threat, we are not safer with him gone, and he was not producing WMD with the probable intent of handing it over to terrorists in the U.S. and Europe. Give it a few more days and the media will come up with a plan to minimize this news and, if possible, blame it on the U.S. or Haliburton. There is also the possibility that this is a Rovian plot concocted by the Bush campaign.

The Iraqi Survey Group also found that supposed “humanitarian” imports under Oil-for-Food gave Saddam the ability to restart his biological and chemical warfare programs at a moment’s notice. Spertzel said what scared him the most in Iraq was the discovery of secret labs to make deadly weapons like the nerve agent, sarin, and the biological poison, ricin, in spray form.

“If that were released in a closed [area], such as Madison Square Garden or, even some, some of your smaller closed malls, shopping malls, it would have a devastating effect … killing hundreds or thousands,” Spertzel said.

But Spertzel believes Saddam was cooking up an even more sinister plan — putting the poisons on department store shelves across the United States and Europe. He said that plan was “actively pursued” as late as March 2003. And that plan was at least, in part, funded by Saddam’s corrupt Oil-for-Food activities.

“Some of the photographs that were obtained from this same laboratory had multiple different shapes of glass spray bottles, perfume spray bottles — presumably to mimic different brand names,” Spertzel said. “Can you imagine somebody going into Macy’s department store and spray a little bit of a perfume to see whether they like the scent, only instead of perfume they’re getting a face full of sarin?

“That would kill within, within a few minutes. If this were to appear at a couple different locations, imagine the economic impact in the U.S. — people would be afraid to buy anything.”

Spertzel said the United Nations and the secretary-general could have done more to stop Saddam from acquiring deadly weapons and to oversee the program more efficiently. . . . .

Fox News Article 1
Fox News Article 2