May 22 10:06 AM US/Eastern
By ALAN FRAM
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - One in four younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances, though most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly reject the tactic and are critical of Islamic extremism and al-Qaida, a poll says.
The survey by the Pew Research Center, one of the most exhaustive ever of the country's Muslims, revealed a community that in many ways blends comfortably into society. Its largely mainstream members express nearly as much happiness with their lives and communities as the general public does, show a broad willingness to adopt American customs, and have income and education levels similar to others in the U.S.
Even so, the survey revealed noteworthy pockets of discontent.
While nearly 80 percent of U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam can not be justified, 13 percent say they can be, at least rarely.
That sentiment is strongest among those younger than 30. Two percent of them say it can often be justified, 13 percent say sometimes and 11 percent say rarely.
"It is a hair-raising number," said Radwan Masmoudi, president of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, which promotes the compatibility of Islam with democracy.
He said most supporters of the attacks likely assumed the context was a fight against occupation—a term Muslims often use to describe the conflict with Israel.
U.S. Muslims have growing Internet and television access to extreme ideologies, he said, adding: "People, especially younger people, are susceptible to these ideas."
Federal officials have warned that the U.S. must be on guard against homegrown terrorism, as the British suffered with the London transit bombings of 2005.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
'Have sex, do drugs,' speaker tells students
'Have sex, do drugs,' speaker tells students
'Men with men, women and women, whatever combination you would like'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A guest speaker at an assembly at Boulder High School in Colorado has told students as young as 14 to go have sex and use drugs, prompting school officials to say they will investigate.
The instructions came from Joel Becker, an associate clinical professor of psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles.
"I am going to encourage you to have sex and encourage you to use drugs appropriately," Becker said during his appearance at the school as part of a recent panel sponsored by the University of Colorado's Conference on World Affairs.
"Why I am going to take that position is because you are going to do it anyway," he continued. "I think as a psychologist and health educator, it is more important to educate you in a direction that you might actually stick to. So, I am going to stay mostly on with the sex side because that is the area I know more about. I want to encourage you to all have healthy, sexual behavior."
WND also has reported on similar assemblies that have been used by schools to promote homosexuality, including one where parents were banned from the event, and a second where WND reported school officials ordered their 14-year-old freshman class into a "gay" indoctrination seminar after having them sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to tell their parents.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
'Men with men, women and women, whatever combination you would like'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A guest speaker at an assembly at Boulder High School in Colorado has told students as young as 14 to go have sex and use drugs, prompting school officials to say they will investigate.
The instructions came from Joel Becker, an associate clinical professor of psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles.
"I am going to encourage you to have sex and encourage you to use drugs appropriately," Becker said during his appearance at the school as part of a recent panel sponsored by the University of Colorado's Conference on World Affairs.
"Why I am going to take that position is because you are going to do it anyway," he continued. "I think as a psychologist and health educator, it is more important to educate you in a direction that you might actually stick to. So, I am going to stay mostly on with the sex side because that is the area I know more about. I want to encourage you to all have healthy, sexual behavior."
WND also has reported on similar assemblies that have been used by schools to promote homosexuality, including one where parents were banned from the event, and a second where WND reported school officials ordered their 14-year-old freshman class into a "gay" indoctrination seminar after having them sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to tell their parents.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
MOVIE SCUM GLORIFY SEX WITH HORSES; CANNES CROWD AGOG
Bestiality flick shocks Cannes
22/05/2007 12:42 - (SA)
Cannes - A semi-documentary about a group of US men who had sex with horses has taken the title as the most shocking movie at the Cannes film festival.
But while Zoo has drawn big, curious crowds at its screenings, the real unsettling quality about the movie is its approach: it depicts the men in a sympathetic light, one that tries to push the viewers to understanding their sexual perversion.
The documentary - in which actors recreate non-explicit scenes under audio interviews with some of the men involved - centres on a true-life incident.
In July 2005, a 45-year-old man died of internal bleeding after being anally penetrated by an Arabian stallion during a bestiality weekend in the US state of Washington.
The victim, a Boeing engineer working on top-secret defence projects named Kenneth Pinyan, suffered a perforated colon.
The ensuing investigation led police - and eventually much of the national media - to the farm where the interaction took place, outing the other members of the group.
Independent filmmaker Robinson Devor shies away from prurient imagery, instead enveloping the story in rich photography that gives it a dreamlike beauty overwhelming the sordidness of the subject matter.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
22/05/2007 12:42 - (SA)
Cannes - A semi-documentary about a group of US men who had sex with horses has taken the title as the most shocking movie at the Cannes film festival.
But while Zoo has drawn big, curious crowds at its screenings, the real unsettling quality about the movie is its approach: it depicts the men in a sympathetic light, one that tries to push the viewers to understanding their sexual perversion.
The documentary - in which actors recreate non-explicit scenes under audio interviews with some of the men involved - centres on a true-life incident.
In July 2005, a 45-year-old man died of internal bleeding after being anally penetrated by an Arabian stallion during a bestiality weekend in the US state of Washington.
The victim, a Boeing engineer working on top-secret defence projects named Kenneth Pinyan, suffered a perforated colon.
The ensuing investigation led police - and eventually much of the national media - to the farm where the interaction took place, outing the other members of the group.
Independent filmmaker Robinson Devor shies away from prurient imagery, instead enveloping the story in rich photography that gives it a dreamlike beauty overwhelming the sordidness of the subject matter.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Pictures of students doing drugs in yearbook spark outrage
JEFFERSON COUNTY - There are a number of things Karen Marshall does not like about her daughter's Conifer High School yearbook. Three pages in particular; pages 13, 33 and 71.
"On page 13, they have students smoking pot and using drug paraphernalia," she said. "I just don't want to see any more people get hurt or die and this book is actually helping towards the delinquency of minors."
It was just over a week ago that two Conifer students died when their Jeep rolled off the road.
The Colorado State Patrol believes drugs may have played a role in that crash.
Monday, the yearbook advisor, Amy McTague released a statement apologizing to the students, staff and community for the controversial images and quotes.
She says she discussed the photos at length with her editor and they agreed that some of the elements are completely inappropriate. She goes on to say "these issues detract from the many wonderful things that are included in the book."
Photos on three pages of the book show teens smoking marijuana, drinking and proudly displaying their minor in possession citations.
"There are some things in the yearbook I don't feel like I can defend," Conifer High Principal Pat Termin said, adding some parts of the book crossed the line.
"We didn't do the right thing in some of the activities we portrayed," she said. "I'm certainly not oblivious to messages here that we have this section in the yearbook that some students believe it was important for them to illuminate. I think it's an issue the community needs to examine."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
"On page 13, they have students smoking pot and using drug paraphernalia," she said. "I just don't want to see any more people get hurt or die and this book is actually helping towards the delinquency of minors."
It was just over a week ago that two Conifer students died when their Jeep rolled off the road.
The Colorado State Patrol believes drugs may have played a role in that crash.
Monday, the yearbook advisor, Amy McTague released a statement apologizing to the students, staff and community for the controversial images and quotes.
She says she discussed the photos at length with her editor and they agreed that some of the elements are completely inappropriate. She goes on to say "these issues detract from the many wonderful things that are included in the book."
Photos on three pages of the book show teens smoking marijuana, drinking and proudly displaying their minor in possession citations.
"There are some things in the yearbook I don't feel like I can defend," Conifer High Principal Pat Termin said, adding some parts of the book crossed the line.
"We didn't do the right thing in some of the activities we portrayed," she said. "I'm certainly not oblivious to messages here that we have this section in the yearbook that some students believe it was important for them to illuminate. I think it's an issue the community needs to examine."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Ex-KGB Agent Accused in Litvinenko Death
Ex-KGB Agent Accused in Litvinenko Death
May 22 08:45 AM US/Eastern
By TARIQ PANJA
Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) - Prosecutors accused a former KGB agent Tuesday of murder in the radioactive poisoning of fellow ex-operative Alexander Litvinenko and sought his extradition from Russia. The case is sure to challenge already-tense relations between London and Moscow.
Andrei Lugovoi had met with Litvinenko at a London hotel hours before the former agent turned Kremlin critic fell ill with polonium-210 poisoning. Lugovoi has repeatedly denied any involvement in interviews with the police and media.
A top deputy to Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett summoned the Russian ambassador to seek Moscow's cooperation in the case, but the Russian prosecutor-general's office said it will not turn over Lugovoi to British authorities.
"In accordance with Russian law, citizens of Russia cannot be turned over to foreign states," spokeswoman Marina Gridneva said in remarks broadcast on the NTV television channel. "A citizen of Russia, committing a crime on the territory of a foreign state, can, upon presentation of material by this state, can be brought to criminal responsibility, but only in Russia."
The politically charged case has driven relations between London and Moscow to post-Cold War lows. Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said Britain had an extradition agreement with Moscow.
"Murder is murder; this is a very serious case," Blair's spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. "The manner of the murder was also very serious because of the risks to public health."
Litvinenko, 43, died Nov. 23 after ingesting the rare radioactive isotope. On his deathbed, he accused President Vladimir Putin of being behind his killing. The Russian government denies involvement.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
May 22 08:45 AM US/Eastern
By TARIQ PANJA
Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) - Prosecutors accused a former KGB agent Tuesday of murder in the radioactive poisoning of fellow ex-operative Alexander Litvinenko and sought his extradition from Russia. The case is sure to challenge already-tense relations between London and Moscow.
Andrei Lugovoi had met with Litvinenko at a London hotel hours before the former agent turned Kremlin critic fell ill with polonium-210 poisoning. Lugovoi has repeatedly denied any involvement in interviews with the police and media.
A top deputy to Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett summoned the Russian ambassador to seek Moscow's cooperation in the case, but the Russian prosecutor-general's office said it will not turn over Lugovoi to British authorities.
"In accordance with Russian law, citizens of Russia cannot be turned over to foreign states," spokeswoman Marina Gridneva said in remarks broadcast on the NTV television channel. "A citizen of Russia, committing a crime on the territory of a foreign state, can, upon presentation of material by this state, can be brought to criminal responsibility, but only in Russia."
The politically charged case has driven relations between London and Moscow to post-Cold War lows. Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said Britain had an extradition agreement with Moscow.
"Murder is murder; this is a very serious case," Blair's spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. "The manner of the murder was also very serious because of the risks to public health."
Litvinenko, 43, died Nov. 23 after ingesting the rare radioactive isotope. On his deathbed, he accused President Vladimir Putin of being behind his killing. The Russian government denies involvement.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Christian college claims discrimination in state grants
Christian college claims discrimination in state grants
Generic awards given to students attending anywhere but this school
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 22, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A court ruling that a generic state college grant isn't available if you go to a particular Christian college will be appealed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the school said.
Former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong, R-Colo., now president of Colorado Christian University, said the decision from federal district court that the school is "pervasively sectarian" so students do not qualify for state grant programs is just wrong.
"This is blatant religious discrimination," Armstrong told WND, as well as a violation of the 1st and 14th Amendments.
U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Krieger has ruled that the state constitution forbids the use of state funds to support religious schools, declaring the ban imposed on CCU by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education "is narrowly tailored to accomplish the state's compelling interest in complying with the anti-establishment clause of its own constitution."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Generic awards given to students attending anywhere but this school
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 22, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A court ruling that a generic state college grant isn't available if you go to a particular Christian college will be appealed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the school said.
Former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong, R-Colo., now president of Colorado Christian University, said the decision from federal district court that the school is "pervasively sectarian" so students do not qualify for state grant programs is just wrong.
"This is blatant religious discrimination," Armstrong told WND, as well as a violation of the 1st and 14th Amendments.
U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Krieger has ruled that the state constitution forbids the use of state funds to support religious schools, declaring the ban imposed on CCU by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education "is narrowly tailored to accomplish the state's compelling interest in complying with the anti-establishment clause of its own constitution."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
'Anti-war vet' charged with fraud
'Anti-war vet' charged with fraud
Claimed he 'slaughtered' hundreds of civilians in Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 22, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A man who claimed in an anti-war video to have "slaughtered" hundreds of civilians while serving with the Army Rangers in Iraq faces federal charges of falsifying his record.
Jesse MacBeth, 23, alleged in a 20-minute production by a 1970s antiwar activist he personally killed 200 civilians, many of them at close range, while on patrols with the Army Rangers during 16 months in Iraq before being discharged due to wounds.
But MacBeth's discharge form contradicted his claims, showing he never went to Iraq and was kicked out of the Army after six weeks at Fort Benning, Ga., because of his "entry level performance and conduct."
The complaint in U.S. District Court in Seattle charges him with one count of using or possessing a forged or altered military discharge certificate, and one count of making false statements in seeking benefits from the Veterans Administration, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Claimed he 'slaughtered' hundreds of civilians in Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 22, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A man who claimed in an anti-war video to have "slaughtered" hundreds of civilians while serving with the Army Rangers in Iraq faces federal charges of falsifying his record.
Jesse MacBeth, 23, alleged in a 20-minute production by a 1970s antiwar activist he personally killed 200 civilians, many of them at close range, while on patrols with the Army Rangers during 16 months in Iraq before being discharged due to wounds.
But MacBeth's discharge form contradicted his claims, showing he never went to Iraq and was kicked out of the Army after six weeks at Fort Benning, Ga., because of his "entry level performance and conduct."
The complaint in U.S. District Court in Seattle charges him with one count of using or possessing a forged or altered military discharge certificate, and one count of making false statements in seeking benefits from the Veterans Administration, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
U.S. OKs talks with Syria, Gives green light to Israel to negotiate Golan Heights withdrawal
Report: U.S. OKs talks with Syria
Gives green light to Israel to negotiate Golan Heights withdrawal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 22, 2007
1:19 p.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – The U.S. has given Prime Minister Ehud Olmert the green light to negotiate with Syria regarding an Israeli retreat from the Golan Heights, according to diplomatic sources quoted today by Israel's Haaretz daily newspaper.
The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on Israeli and Syrian population centers twice used by Damascus to launch ground invasions into the Jewish state.
According to Haaretz, the Bush administration granted Israel permission to discuss vacating the Golan, but Washington reportedly stipulated Olmert must not agree to any negotiations, even indirectly, regarding a change in the U.S. position toward Syria.
The U.S. largely has attempted to isolate Damascus, which is accused of aiding the insurgency against U.S. troops in Iraq and generating instability in Lebanon.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Gives green light to Israel to negotiate Golan Heights withdrawal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 22, 2007
1:19 p.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – The U.S. has given Prime Minister Ehud Olmert the green light to negotiate with Syria regarding an Israeli retreat from the Golan Heights, according to diplomatic sources quoted today by Israel's Haaretz daily newspaper.
The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on Israeli and Syrian population centers twice used by Damascus to launch ground invasions into the Jewish state.
According to Haaretz, the Bush administration granted Israel permission to discuss vacating the Golan, but Washington reportedly stipulated Olmert must not agree to any negotiations, even indirectly, regarding a change in the U.S. position toward Syria.
The U.S. largely has attempted to isolate Damascus, which is accused of aiding the insurgency against U.S. troops in Iraq and generating instability in Lebanon.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
