Biblical News

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Border Patrol agent held in solitary confinement

Border Patrol agent held in solitary confinement
'They act like he's Charles Manson,' father-in-law tells WND
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Posted: January 23, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Imprisoned former Border Patrol agent Ignacio Ramos not only is being held in prison for trying to halt a fleeing drug smuggler, he's being held in solitary confinement treated as if he were Charles Manson, a relative told WND in an exclusive interview.

Joe Loya, Ramos' father-in-law, told WND that Ramos is being held in conditions usually reserved for extraordinarily dangerous or trouble-making inmates.

"They have Ignacio in a 6 foot by 12 foot cell," Loya told WND in a telephone interview from El Paso. "There are no bars, just a steel door, and no window. He has no television and nothing to do. He is fed in his cell and let out only for one hour after 23 hours in the cell. He is then taken to a room with a television where he is allowed to watch the TV for an hour before he is returned to solitary confinement."

Loya said his daughter met with her husband for an hour on Friday.

"Ignacio was heavily shackled," Loya said, "and he could barely hold the telephone to speak."

Loya explained that his daughter met with her husband in the prison in a room where they were separated by a glass barrier.

"It was just like Ignacio was Charlie Manson," Loya explained. "My daughter couldn't believe how her husband was being treated."

Loya told WND that the family believes that the federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, introduced into the trial inaccurate or incomplete testimony provided by the drug dealer, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, as well as from other Border Patrol agents who the federal prosecutors had pressured prior to the trial.

"I can't believe how Ignacio is being treated," Loya told WND. "He has been a federal agent for years and he has been involved in many drug busts. I am convinced that the U.S. attorney has a grudge against my son-in-law and I cannot believe how mean and determined Johnny Sutton has been to see my son imprisoned for doing nothing more than trying to stop a drug smuggler he and Jose Compean believed was armed and dangerous."

Cruise 'is Christ' of Scientology

Cruise 'is Christ' of Scientology

By EMILY SMITH
US Editor
January 23, 2007

TOM Cruise is the new “Christ” of Scientology, according to leaders of the cult-like religion.

The Mission: Impossible star has been told he has been “chosen” to spread the word of his faith throughout the world.

And leader David Miscavige believes that in future, Cruise, 44, will be worshipped like Jesus for his work to raise awareness of the religion.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Super Bowl coaches Dungy, Smith known for Christian testimony

Super Bowl coaches Dungy, Smith known for Christian testimony

Jan 22, 2007
By Art Stricklin
Baptist Press

MIAMI (BP)--Super Bowl XLI will feature two teams making their first super game appearance in two-plus decades, two Midwestern teams separated by only a couple hundred miles, but most importantly two coaches who are strong believers in Jesus Christ.

Head coaches Tony Dungy of Indianapolis and close friend and fellow Christian Lovie Smith of Chicago gave credit to God following their respective teams' victories in the conference championships Jan. 21.

“The Lord set this up in a way that no one would believe it,” Dungy said following the Colts' win over New England. “The Lord tested us a lot this year, but He set this up to get all the glory.”

The news that two witnesses for their personal faith in Jesus Christ would have a two-week international spotlight for their beliefs thrilled Christian leader William Pugh, executive director of sports ministry Athletes in Action, a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ.

“We are so excited to see the Bears and Colts in the Super Bowl,” Pugh, a close friend of both head coaches, said. “We could not have picked two better coaches to represent all that is good about sports.”

LIFE DIGEST: Bush policy may be seen as turning point in stem cell research, columnist says; pro-life students win

LIFE DIGEST: Bush policy may be seen as turning point in stem cell research, columnist says; pro-life students win

Jan 22, 2007
By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (BP)--A federal government official recently criticized President Bush’s restrictive policy on funding destructive embryonic stem cell research, but a physician-turned-columnist said the chief executive’s rule may be viewed one day as a decision that led to the most significant breakthrough for such experimentation.

Story Landis of the National Institutes of Health told a Senate committee Jan. 19 the president’s stem cell policy has caused researchers to miss “out on possible breakthroughs,” Reuters News Service reported.

Since August 2001, Bush has barred federal funds for research that requires the destruction of embryos. His policy permits grants for experiments on embryonic stem cell lines already in existence when his rule was announced.

Despite legislative action in its last session, Congress was unable to achieve a two-thirds majority to override Bush’s veto.

There is a “compelling need to pursue both embryonic and non-embryonic stem cell research,” said Landis, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Science works best when scientists can pursue all avenues of research. If the cure for Parkinson’s disease or juvenile diabetes lay behind one of four doors, wouldn’t you want the option to open all four doors at once instead of one door?”

Charles Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist with a medical degree, said in a Jan. 12 commentary Bush may deserve the gratitude of future generations for his stand.

They “may nonetheless thank Bush for standing athwart history, if only for a few years,” wrote Krauthammer, who favors liberalizing the president’s policy. “It gave technology enough time to catch up and rescue us from the moral dilemmas of embryo destruction.”

The recent discovery of versatile stem cells in amniotic fluid may make all the difference in such research, said Krauthammer, a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics.

Stem cells in amniotic fluid not only are uncontroversial, because they do not require a donor’s destruction, but they are vast and may prove more useful than embryonic cells, he said. Embryonic stem cell research has been plagued by the development of tumors in laboratory animals.

“If it is proved that these are the Goldilocks of stem cells, history will record the amniotic breakthrough as the turning point in the evolution of stem cell research from a narrow, difficult, delicate and morally dubious enterprise into an uncontroversial one with raw material produced unproblematically every day,” Krauthammer wrote.

“It will have turned out that Bush’s unpopular policy held the line, however arbitrary and temporary, against the wanton trampling of the human embryo just long enough for a morally neutral alternative to emerge,” he wrote. “And it did force the country to at least ponder the moral cost of turning one potential human being into replacement parts for another.”

Pro-life advocates consider the embryo, which is normally less than a week old when it is destroyed for the harvesting of stem cells, to be a human being, not a “potential human being.”

The Senate is expected to vote in February on a bill to liberalize Bush’s stem cell funding rule. On Jan. 11, the House of Representatives voted 253-174 for a measure to provide funds for research using stem cells extracted from embryos stored at in vitro fertilization clinics.

The House vote was a gain from its last effort but still well short of that needed to override a veto. A veto override would require 290 votes to succeed if all House members vote. In July 2006, the House voted 235-193 in an unsuccessful effort to overturn Bush’s only veto so far.

China Denies Intent to Militarize Space

China Denies Intent to Militarize Space

Jan 22 3:04 PM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chinese Foreign ministry officials have told a visiting U.S. diplomat that China's successful test of an anti-satellite weapon should not be seen as a threat and does not signal the beginning of a race to militarize space, the State Department said Monday.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill raised the issue with Chinese officials over the weekend in Beijing. China has not made a public announcement of the Jan. 11 test, in which it shot down one of its own old weather satellites, but officials acknowledged it during their meeting with Hill, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Hill, who heads the State Department's East Asia bureau, told the Chinese they should be more forthcoming about their military activities and their defense budget. These issues have been a long- running concern of the United States, and McCormack said the Chinese have taken only "baby steps" thus far toward more openness.

McCormack said the United States seeks "greater understanding of exactly what their intent was" in testing the anti-satellite weapon. He said Hill also asked for details of the test and what plans China may have for future tests.

Iran Bars 38 U.N. IAEA Inspectors

Jan 22, 11:41 AM (ET)
By NASSER KARIMI

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran said Monday it has barred 38 members of a U.N. nuclear inspection team from entering the country, in what appeared to be retaliation for sanctions imposed last month.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said some inspectors were admitted, but maintained that Iran could decide who should be turned away.

Poland silent on U.S. anti-missile shield deal

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland said on Sunday it was still in talks with the United States about the possibility of allowing it to base an anti-missile system on its soil, and had no comment on a report a final deal had been agreed upon.

Washington is investing $10 billion a year in developing the system, which would use rockets to shoot down hostile missiles.

Diplomats say Poland is considered one of the best potential locations for rocket batteries. The Czech government said on Saturday the United States had asked permission to build a radar base on its territory that would form part of the defense system.

A State Department spokesman said basing missile defense assets in Europe would help protect allies and the United States from the evolving threat of ballistic missiles from the Middle East.

"Toward this defensive goal, the United States, Poland and the Czech Republic have agreed to conduct detailed discussions regarding the possible basing of missile defenses in their countries," said the spokesman, Edgar Vasquez.

Plans to deploy the anti-missile shield on Polish soil have met with strong criticism from Russia, which sees the move as an attempt by the United States to destabilize the balance of power in central Europe.

Moscow has warned it will take unspecified measures against Poland, a member of the Russian-dominated "Warsaw Pact" military alliance until the fall of communism in the early 1990s, if it accepts the defense system.

Russia sees threat from US plan for missiles in eastern Europe

Jan 22 12:19 PM US/Eastern

A top Russian general warned that a missile defense system that the United States wants to deploy in eastern Europe would pose a "clear threat" to his country.

The United States confirmed it would soon begin formal talks on deploying the system in the Czech Republic and Poland, aimed at warding off rocket attacks from North Korea or Iran.

But General Vladimir Popovkin, who commands Russia's space forces, said that "our analysis shows that the location of the US base would be a clear threat to Russia."

The system would include 10 interceptor missiles and a radar which could be split between the Czech Republic and Poland.

"It's doubtful that Iranian or North Korean rockets would go across Poland or the Czech Republic," the general was quoted as saying by Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency.

"The radar in the Czech Republic would be able to monitor rocket installations in central Russia and the Northern Fleet."

The US embassy in Prague said in a statement that the United States had contacted the Czech and Polish governments "and will begin negotiations on the possible deployment of US missile defense assets on Czech and Polish territory."

"No final decision has been made and no timetable for negotiations has been established; however, the United States and the Czech Republic expect that these negotiations will begin soon."

Czech and Polish leaders rejected Russia's fears as groundless.

Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova retorted that "the Russian Federation is perfectly aware that it is not threatened by this system."

She said the statements coming out of Moscow smacked of "political propaganda."

Docs in Iraq reveal plan for attack in U.S.

Details Emerge About Possible Terror Threat

By PIERRE THOMAS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2007 — Mimicking the hijackers who executed the Sept. 11 attacks, insurgents reportedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq considered using student visas to slip terrorists into the United States to orchestrate a new attack on American soil.

Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago "revealed [AQI] was planning terrorist operations in the U.S."

At the time, Maples offered little additional insight into the possible terror plot. ABC News, however, has learned new details of what remains a classified incident that has been dealt with at the highest levels of government.

Watch Pierre Thomas' full report tonight on "World News with Charles Gibson."

Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.

U.S. officials now require universities to closely track foreign nationals who use student visas to study in the United States. University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly.

In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University. The students were ultimately apprehended.

Still, despite the heightened precautions, some security analysts fear that skilled terrorists — handpicked because of their clean records and because they are carefully trained — could still slip through an academic setting.

The plot was discovered six months ago, roughly the same time that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by coalition forces. Sources tell ABC News that the suspects involved in the effort to launch the U.S. attack were closely associated with Zarqawi.

Al-Qaida No. 2 mocks Bush strategy

Jan 22 5:22 PM US/Eastern

By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD
Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al-Qaida's deputy leader mocked President Bush's plan to send 21,000 more troops to Iraq, challenging him to send "the entire army" and vowing insurgents will defeat them, according to a new videotape released Monday by a U.S. group that tracks al-Qaida messages.

The Washington-based SITE Institute said it had intercepted the video from Ayman al-Zawahri, which had not yet been posted on Islamic militant Web sites, where his messages are usually posted. SITE did not elaborate on how it received the message.

Al-Zawahri said the U.S. strategy for Iraq, outlined by Bush in a Jan. 9 speech, was doomed to fail.

"I ask him, why send 20,000 (troops) only _ why not send 50 or 100 thousand? Aren't you aware that the dogs of Iraq are pining for your troops' dead bodies?" said al-Zawahri in the footage released by SITE, which assesses and analyzes intelligence related to terrorism.

"So send your entire army to be annihilated at the hands of the mujahideen (holy warriors) to free the world from your evil," he said, "because Iraq, land of the Caliphate and Jihad, is able to bury ten armies like yours, with Allah's help and power."

New Muslim congressman called for terrorist's release

New Muslim congressman called for terrorist's release
Ellison spoke at fund-raiser for woman from group that tried to kill Feinstein
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7:00 p.m. Eastern

By Jay Baggett
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Minnesota freshman Rep. Keith Ellison for his recent swearing-in ceremony, the controversy over his taking the oath of office on the Quran overshadowed his earlier role in supporting a terrorist whose group tried to kill policemen and allegedly twice tried to murder Pelosi's fellow San Francisco lawmaker Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The dilemma of a deadly disease: patients may be forcibly detained

The dilemma of a deadly disease: patients may be forcibly detained

Doctors fear TB strain could cause a global pandemic if it is not controlled

Chris McGreal in Johannesburg and Sarah Boseley, health editor
Tuesday January 23, 2007
The Guardian

South Africa is considering forcibly detaining people who carry a deadly strain of tuberculosis that has already claimed hundreds of lives. The strain threatens to cause a global pandemic, but the planned move pits public protection against human rights.

The country's health department says it has discussed with the World Health Organisation and South Africa's leading medical organisations the possibility of placing carriers of extreme drug resistant TB or XDR-TB under guard in isolation wards until they die, but has yet to reach a decision.

Pressure to take action has been growing since a woman diagnosed with the disease discharged herself from a hospital last September and probably spread the infection before she was finally coaxed back when she was threatened with a court order.
More than 300 cases of the highly infectious disease, which is spread by airborne droplets and kills 98% of those infected within about two weeks, have been identified in South Africa.

But doctors believe there have been hundreds, possibly thousands, more and the numbers are growing among the millions of people with HIV, who are particularly vulnerable to the disease. Their fear is that patients with XDR-TB, told that there is little that can be done for them, will leave the isolation wards and go home to die. But while they are still walking around they risk spreading the infection.

Now a group of doctors has warned in a medical journal that if enforced isolation is not introduced XDR-TB could swamp South Africa and spread far beyond its borders. Regular TB is already the single largest killer of people with Aids in South Africa.

Jews flee homes after Muslim death threats

Jews flee homes after Muslim death threats
Accused of 'serving global Zionism,' paid special taxes for protection
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Posted: January 22, 2007
10:05 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Many of Yemen's Jews this weekend fled their homes for a hotel after receiving death threats from Islamic militants accusing the country's tiny Jewish community of serving as agents for "global Zionism."
The Jews said they feared for their lives. It was disclosed they had been forced to pay special taxes that Islam imposes on Jews and Christians in return for protection and security.

About 45 Jews left their village in Sa'ada county in Yemen after Dawoud Yousuf Mousa, one of the heads of the local Jewish community, was warned Jan. 10 if the Jews don't leave within 10 days they would be exposed to killings, abductions and looting.

Four masked militants approached Mousa and delivered a letter to him warning the Jewish community had been under Islamic surveillance.

"After accurate surveillance over the Jews residing in Al Haid, it has become clear to us that they were doing things which serve mainly global Zionism, which seeks to corrupt the people and distance them from their principles, their values, their morals, and their religion," the letter stated.

"Islam calls upon us to fight against the disseminators of decay," the letter said.

The threats have been attributed to disciples of Shiite religious leader Hossein Bader a-Din al-Khouty.

Mousa reportedly told local authorities the militants told him if the Jews don't flee within 10 days "the Jewish community would bear the consequences."

According to a recent Yemeni immigrant to Israel with contacts in Sa'ada, the Jewish community there received another letter Friday warning, "whoever remains at his home, will be killed or his children will be taken away."

Sa'ada's Jewish community had lived in the village for generations.

They were forced to evacuate their homes and leave some of their possessions with local sheiks.

Secret talks handing West Bank to Abbas

Secret talks handing West Bank to Abbas

Top diplomatic sources tell WND
'historic changes' coming in weeks
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Posted: January 22, 2007
5:19 p.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Israel and the Palestinians have been conducting behind-the-scene negotiations regarding handing over most of the West Bank to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to top Egyptian and European diplomatic sources who told WND they were directly involved with the talks.

The West Bank borders Jerusalem and is within rocket-firing range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport.

The Egyptian and European sources told WND the negotiations for an Israeli withdrawal were mediated by Egypt and the European Union, with U.S. input. The sources said major changes in Israeli-Palestinian affairs are expected within a few weeks to two months.

According to an aid to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, speaking on condition of anonymity, there will be a "historic political evolution and movement in negotiations in the next few weeks and few months, unseen since the Camp David peace talks in 2000."

During the Camp David talks, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered late-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

According to the top diplomatic sources speaking to WND, Israel has agreed in principal to hand over most of the West Bank in deal with Abbas.

The sources said Israel is studying the transfer of responsibility in the central and southern West Bank to Abbas' security forces, which reportedly are receiving aid, weapons and training from the U.S.

Their Government: Shocking Egypt Police Video Stirs Debate

By MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- The footage is shocking: A man lies screaming on the floor of a police station as officers sodomize him with a wooden pole.

Compounding the shock, it turns out that it was the police who made the film, and that they then transmitted it to the cell phones of the victim's friends in order to humiliate him.

For Egypt, the ordeal of 21-year-old Emad el-Kabir has been something of a Rodney King moment _ a sudden, stark glimpse of a reality which authorities routinely deny, but which human rights groups say is part of a pattern of police brutality.

But unlike the tape of the Los Angeles police beating up King in 1991, which was aired almost immediately, the attack on el-Kabir happened a year ago, and has only became public months later after an Egyptian blogger posted it on his site and it reached YouTube.

A newspaper, al-Fagr, then published a story about it, and appealed to el-Kabir to come forward. He did, giving a TV interview and filing a complaint against the police officers with the state prosecutor.

That's where the Rodney King analogy ends. Few people in this nation of 74 million have Internet access, and no TV station has shown anything of the offending footage. There have been no demonstrations or riots or high-profile lawsuits. The only person so far to be sentenced is the victim himself, who police say injured an officer with a broken bottle. On Jan. 9, he was jailed for three months.

Human rights activists say police brutality is deeply entrenched in Egyptian life.

Female Muslim cop refuses to shake chief's hand

I cannot shake your hand, sir. I'm a Muslim and you're a man
'How the heck is she going to make an arrest if she refuses to touch men?'

By MARTIN SMITH

A Muslim woman police officer has sparked a new debate by refusing to shake hands with Britain's most senior police chief for religious reasons.

The incident happened at a passing-out parade where Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair was inspecting a line-up of 200 recruits.

In addition to refusing a traditional congratulatory handshake from Sir Ian, the WPC - who wore a traditional Muslim hijab headscarf - also declined to be photographed with him as she did not want the picture used for 'propaganda purposes'.

The woman had earlier insisted that it was contrary to her religious teaching for her to touch a man.

Now The Mail on Sunday has learned that her gesture has sparked top-level discussions at Scotland Yard.

Some officers argue that her attitude towards men might impede her ability to detain offenders.

However, it is clear that she is happy to come into contact with men, just not shake their hand or kiss them.

An inquiry has now been launched and the unidentified WPC - described as 'a non-Asian Muslim' - could face the sack if it is considered that her strict religious beliefs prevent her performing as an effective police officer.

However, senior commanders are worried that dismissing her would deepen the atmosphere of mistrust between the police and the Muslim community.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Christian believers executed in North Korea

Christian believers executed in North Korea
Refusal to worship Kim Jong-il, being caught worshiping God brings harsh penalty
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Posted: January 21, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Michael Ireland
© 2007 Assist News Service

Reports about four Christians being executed for their faith in North Korea are circulating in the Christian media.

According to Mark Kelly of Baptist Press: "The Democratic People's Republic of North Korea is well-known as a country where Christians are persecuted for their faith. Because the government there keeps a tight lid on communication, however, only rarely does specific information leak out."

Quoting the World Bible Translation Center's Gary Bishop in a conversation with Mission Network News, Kelly reports that one man who worked as an evangelist was executed after being caught with two Korean New Testaments in his possession.

Bishop says North Korean Christians are becoming increasingly uneasy about possessing a Bible.

He said: "A man that's known to be an evangelist. He's probably not an evangelist to anyone other than his family members, but he was caught with two of our Korean New Testaments in his possession and he was executed for that."

Kelly writes that Bishop also told Mission Network News: "A woman and her grandmother were washing clothes when a New Testament fell out of the woman's clothing. Somebody reported it, and both she and her grandmother were quickly executed. And an army general who had become a believer was caught evangelizing men in his unit and was executed by a fellow officer."

Kelly says Bishop told MNN that despite the oppression – or perhaps because of it – God seems to be working.

Bishop said: "In response to a very, very oppressive government (and) human injustices, people are looking for an answer other than their own government. And, I believe that's awakening the resilience of believers in North Korea to say, 'We have another answer. There is another way to believe.'"

MNN reports that thousands of North Korean Christians have been killed for their faith. Many more are in work camps.

According to Bishop, there's no sign of the persecution easing any. "What you have is a leader who is proclaiming himself to be god. It's prescribed that they daily worship him. And, refusal to do that and being caught worshiping God just brings that kind of governmental response. And, as best we can tell, the tempo of that is not lessening."

Bishop says it's obvious what that increasing pressure on Christians is doing to Bible smuggling. "It becomes more and more difficult to get a person to risk their life to carry those in to North Korea." With rivers frozen, it's a prefect time to smuggle Bibles into the country.

While persecution continues, World Bible Translation Center has no intention of stopping the flow of Bibles into the country. "We do need to begin reprinting and get text ready as God enables people to take those in."

Iran Plans 3 Days of Missile War Games

Iran Plans 3 Days of Missile War Games
Jan 21 1:30 PM US/Eastern

By NASSER KARIMI
Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran plans three days of military maneuvers, including short-range missile tests, beginning Sunday _ its first since the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions against it in late December, state-run television said.

"The elite Revolutionary Guards plans to begin a three-day missile maneuver on Sunday near Garmsar city," said the broadcast. The city is located in northern Iran on the edge of Kavir desert, about 60 miles southeast of Tehran.

"Zalzal and Fajr-5 missiles will be test fired in the war game," the television quoted an unnamed commander of the guards, as saying. Both are considered short-range missiles.

Iran conducted three large-scale military exercises last year as tensions with the West and the United States rose.

In November, for example, it test-fired dozens of missiles, including the Shahab-3 that can reach Israel, in military maneuvers that it said were aimed at putting a stop to the role of world powers in the Persian Gulf region.

Sunday's maneuvers are to be the first by Iran since the U.N. Security Council imposed limited sanctions on the country on Dec. 23, banning selling materials and technology that could be used in Iran's nuclear and missile programs and freezing assets abroad of 10 Iranian companies and individuals.

Iran regularly holds large maneuvers, often using them to test weapons developed by its arms industry.

The latest Iranian maneuvers also come just days after the U.S. announced it would deploy a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf, the USS Stennis.

That appeared to have alarmed some in Iran's hard-line leadership. A prominent member of a powerful cleric-run body this week warned that the U.S. plans to attack Iran in the coming months, possibly by striking its nuclear facilities.

The United States has said it is focusing on diplomacy but will not rule out other options.

Washington has accused Iran of backing militants fueling Iraq's violence and has tried to rally its Arab allies in isolating Tehran.

Last year, Iran held three large-scale military exercises. In April, Iran tested what it called an "ultra-horizon" missile, fired from helicopters and jet fighters, and the Fajr-3 missile, which can reportedly evade radar and use multiple warheads to hit several targets simultaneously.

While U.S. officials have suggested that Iran is exaggerating the capabilities of its newly developed weapons, Washington and its allies have been watching the country's progress in missile technology with concern.

Mom, meet your (unborn) child!

Mom, meet your (unborn) child!
Pregnancy centers use ultrasounds to give women opportunity to bond
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Posted: January 21, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Pro-life advocates are adopting a new tactic to reduce the demand for abortion, and it has proven so successful it already is being credited with saving tens of thousands of lives: They just introduce the mother to her child.

They do it with an ultrasound machine, which can provide a real-time video image of the unborn child throughout the pregnancy, and the simple medical procedure could reduce the demand by mothers for abortion to a fraction of its current level, according to Kim Conroy, director of sanctity of human life issues for the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family.

That group about three years ago launched its national Option Ultrasound program which helps provide the expensive machines to pregnancy centers, helps train people to accurately run the procedures, and helps advance the status of the centers from counseling offices to medical clinics.

The first goal of the ultrasound is to confirm a pregnancy, something abortion clinics use the same technology to reveal (although standard abortion clinic policy is to prevent the mother from seeing the image under any circumstance), but then something else happens in a pregnancy crisis center.

"In the course of that, this miraculous thing that happens is this woman comes face to face with her unborn child," Conroy told WND. "Before it was theoretical information, but now it's 'This is not a blob of tissue, it's not some undefined mass,'" she said. "We want women to have all the facts that they need to make a good healthy decision for themselves and their baby.

"We have had incredible results reported back, both anecdotally, where centers have told us 'We have had this most phenomenal experience,' and statistically," Conroy said. "Eighty-seven percent of the women who are at risk for abortion who undergo both counseling within the centers and ultrasounds are changing their minds and making a statement of their intention to carry their babies."

"This is just a huge response," she said. "We're projecting that up to this date, 31,000 babies may have received life because of these centers' intervention."

And that's with 281 ultrasound units installed through the program so far. The program's goal is to have 650 operating by the year 2010.

"Women deserve factual information regarding their pregnancy. There are significant health risks with abortion, and at the very least they have a right to know the truth regarding this risky procedure from professionals who will not benefit financially from their decision. They also need to know there are positive alternatives for them and their babies," Conroy said

"Women have been fed a lie by abortionists," she said. "Those who are considering an abortion need to know the emotional and physical toll this procedure could have on them – and they deserve the chance to see their baby face to face before they make this life-changing decision."

Planned Parenthood access to public purse in jeopardy

Planned Parenthood access to public purse in jeopardy

Rapists protected when rules ignored –
grounds for clinics to lose Title X money
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Posted: January 21, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Al Capone, one of the biggest influences in the annals of American crime, was brought down by the paperwork requirements of the federal tax system. Now pro-life activists believe the nation's abortion industry could face a similar collapse, all because of the paper trail that they believe shows the industry has failed to follow the rules and file the proper reports.

"It's a simple audit function," Mark Crutcher, the chief of Life Dynamics, told WND. "All you have to do is go into a state … and look at Title X applications and service reports. Look for all the girls they provided treatment to – pregnancy tests, STD treatments, abortion or birth control. If they provided one of those services to a girl beneath the state's age of consent, that triggers a report."

"Then go to the … Department of Child Protective services (and look at reports). If those numbers don't match, you've got a violation," he said.

He said his research shows that the abortion industry "services" provided to underage girls across the nation outnumber the "reports" of suspicion of assault on a child by 11-1 – under the best of circumstances. "And most reports are not by providers; they're made by pediatricians and emergency room physicians," he said.

So what's the big deal with the numbers aligning – or not? Money, money and more money. Millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars. And the Title X funding mechanism for the nation's abortion industry that requires industry members to follow state laws, including those pesky reporting requirements – or lose the money.

Crutcher, in a Life Dynamics report, said the information about the reports comes from government sources, medical journals, independent researchers and the abortion industry itself.

"The fact that these family planning facilities are in clear violation of child abuse or statutory rape reporting requirements creates an environment for us to demand that their funding be immediately cut off," Crutcher said. "Given their heavy reliance on state and federal tax dollars, losing that money would be nothing less than a financial catastrophe for these organizations.

"Better yet, their failure to adhere to state and federal law means that funds allocated in past years were obtained fraudulently. Because of that, we may be able to force a return of those funds. Needless to say that could literally cripple the entire abortion industry," he concluded.

That means, according to Crutcher and Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, if the report numbers don't line up, the abortion industry could be liable to return hundreds of millions of dollars in past and current payments.

"In all 50 states, sexual activity with underage children is illegal. Also, every state mandates that if a healthcare worker has reason to suspect that an underage girl is being sexually abused, they are required by law to report that information to a designated law enforcement or child protective services agency. That agency is then responsible to investigate the possibility that the child may be the victim of sexual abuse or statutory rape," according to Life Dynamics.

A pregnancy in an underage girl is evidence of sexual abuse, and "any healthcare worker who has contact with a pregnant underage girl has an obligation to initiate a report to the state," the report said.

Abortion industry lawyers repeatedly have claimed that their clients follow the law, including a special case in Kansas recently where a local prosecutor held a news conference to say late-term abortionist George Tiller had followed those reporting requirements, even though a case that had been brought against him didn't make that accusation.

Government budgets show that in 2004 alone U.S. taxpayers allocated more than $280 million for birth control functions, focusing mostly on abortion services, including an estimate of between $50 million and $60 million just for Planned Parenthood, the industry's biggest chain of businesses.

"If you're not following state law, you're not entitled to Title X funds," Newman told WND. "As soon as you defund abortion clinics, they dry up and blow away."

The U.S. "is funding the nation's largest perpetrators of child-murder-by-abortion, Planned Parenthood (report murdering over 200,000 unborn children annually by surgical abortion alone), through both Medicaid (Title XIX) and Title X, with over $50 million per year through each program," said Steve Lefemine, who was the Constitution Party's candidate for Congress in South Carolina's 2nd District.

Exodus Int'l says 'hate crimes' bill a threat to religious speech

By Jim Brown and Jody Brown
OneNewsNow.com

The largest Christian referral network dealing with homosexual issues is voicing opposition to a federal "hate crimes" bill introduced in the House. The legislation, says Exodus International, threatens religious freedom.

The bill introduced by Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas earlier this month would create additional penalties for felonies committed because of the victims' "perceived or actual" identity, such as sexual orientation, gender, or disability. It expands the scope of current federal hate crime law -- which addresses crimes that prevent an individual from engaging in federally protected rights (voting, for example) -- to include any violent crime, regardless whether it affects the victim's ability to exercise a federally protected right.

In a CNSNews.com report, a spokesman for the National Prayer Network describes the bill as "the most dangerous legislation ever to come before Congress" that "sets us on a slippery slope" toward limiting speech that is offensive to the protected groups.

Randy Thomas, executive vice president of Exodus International, agrees. He says the bill would jeopardize his group's ability to express its opinions on homosexuality from a biblical viewpoint, and to spread the message that there is freedom from homosexuality through Christ.

"In America, in this day and age, where [we have] freedom and speech and freedom of religion -- as well as freedom of assembly -- we have the right to have our support group meetings; we have the right to express our opinions that people can and do overcome homosexuality," says the Exodus spokesman. "If those are deemed criminal, they could close down our groups."

In 2004, for example, 11 volunteers with the Christian ministry Repent America were arrested and jailed for preaching the gospel at a homosexual pride event in Philadelphia. The Exodus International website also notes other examples from around the world where hate crime law has been used to punish, fine, and even imprison pastors for speaking out against "protected" persons or quoting Scripture verses about homosexuality.

VOM initiative getting Bibles into hostile lands, hungry hands

By Allie Martin
OneNewsNow.com

Voice of the Martyrs is making it possible for American Christians -- without leaving their homes -- to get the Word of God into the hands of fellow believers in persecuted nations. Just a few "mouse clicks" and a few dollars a month make it all possible.

For nearly a year now, Voice of the Martyrs has made it possible for Christians to get Bibles to other nations through its "Bibles Unbound" program. Those who take part receive five or more New Testaments each month, along with the addresses of Christians in other countries who are in need of Bibles. Supporters can participate in an "operation" in one of four countries where believers are gathering names and addresses from their community.

VOM spokesman Todd Nettleton says the initiative makes it easy to get God's Word into the hands of believers in persecuted countries -- and the program appears to be achieving its objective.

"As of right now, we've mailed over a 100,000 New Testaments into restricted nations like China, like Egypt, like Columbia and Indonesia," says Nettleton. "At this point, we have more than 17,000 New Testaments being mailed every single month."

For a monthly donation of $30, Bibles Unbound sends participants five New Testaments each month, along with everything needed for getting the Word to Christians in persecuted nations. "The Voice of the Martyrs provides the New Testaments, the envelopes, the shipping labels -- and all the postage [for mailing to the restricted nation] is included," he explains. The packages prepared by the donors are then returned to a "re-mail" center for transport to their final destination.

Unequally Yoked, but Already Married?

Semper Reformanda
By: Pastor Gary Fox

How does a Christian woman handle a situation wherein her husband is not a believer, does not know God and because of that is unable to pray? Or what does a women do if her husband has backslidden away from the Lord and is not serving Him? Thirdly, is a Christian women expected to submit to her husband if he is an irresponsible, foolish, man? We have already explained that wives are not commanded to or expected to submit to abuse. So, for the purposes of this article we are going to work with the assumption that physical and emotional abuse is not in the equation.

First, what if a women’s husband is not saved? Well, Saint Peter the Apostle gave fairly straight forward instruction, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his first general epistle to the Church. “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” 1 Peter 3:1-2 niv. The Bible is filled with examples of God leading unbelievers to accomplish his will. Look at the brothers of Joseph, they were not aware of it, but God was using them to accomplish His will. Judas Iscariot is another example. So also would be Pontius Pilate. We could go on and on about how God uses even the unbeliever to accomplish his will. So the logic that: 1. my husband is not a believer, therefore 2. he can not hear from God, therefore 3. I do not need to submit to him because he can not hear from God, is a faulty line of reasoning. Unbelievers can be and are led by God without their knowledge…a mystery of His sovereign rule of His universe…a topic for another day! Saint Peter plainly commands the wives within the Church to be submissive (which is not an action but a “heart condition”) to their unbelieving husbands. Even while their husbands are not believers they as wives must trust that God will protect them and will guide their husbands in the leading of the family. And that is what this entire issue boils down to anyway, trust…not in a husband…but in God. Saint Peter then explains that God might use the testimony of a Godly, loving and submissive wife in the life of her husband as a means to draw him to faith. Of course, Saint Peters line of reasoning is flawless…why would any man submit to Christ if his own wife who claims to submit to Christ is confrontational, argumentative, sarcastic, manipulative, inflexible, cold, irreverent and unsubmissive to him as he leads the family?

The same line of reasoning ought to be used with a backslidden husband.

What of the women who is married to a fool? How do we advice the women who is married to an irresponsible or lazy man? I know a situation wherein a woman was married to the same man for over thirty five years…and the man had many more jobs than they had years of marriage. In the five or six years I knew the couple the man had about ten jobs or more. Each time he was fired or let go it would take him two or three weeks to get a new job…and then a week or two before his first pay check. So once or twice a year he would go a month or so with no income. They went bankrupt more than once during that time…twice in about six years…and then lost their home to foreclosure. You see, not only was the man not able to hold down a job (something that was always a problem for the first thirty years of their marriage. It suddenly became an epidemic the last five or six years of the marriage) but he also enjoyed spending money…especially at random times for random things…which kept his wife in a constant state of fear and anxiety. It led as I said to ruin. What was this woman to do? Their children were all grown. He was active in the church. He was not a carouser. He was not an adulterer. He was not a drunkard or gambler. He did not beat his wife and I don’t think he was particularly mean or disrespectful in the way he spoke with her, I’m sure all husbands and wives are short and disrespectful at times, but I don’t think that issue was a stand out defect in him. He was just so foolish that he wrecked the financial stability of their home.

She divorced him. I was against it…I saw it as a desperate move by a desperate women, decisions like that ought not be made while in desperation. But she would not listen to me, she divorced him.

Media watchdog says 'Wife Swap' insulted Christians

By Ed Thomas
OneNewsNow.com

The President of the Michigan-based American Decency Association (ADA) says despite the appearance of good intentions in including a Christian family on the popular ABC program Wife Swap, network television once again took the opportunity to try to cast a negative light on Christians and their belief system.

Christians should not be fooled by the notion that the January 8 episode of Wife Swap presented an opposing but equally respectful view of wives from Christian and atheist families, and their beliefs, the ADA's Bill Johnson warns. He says the show, which "swapped" mothers between the believing and atheist families, portrayed the Christian mom as oppressive and narrow-minded and the atheist mom as normal, rational, and open-minded.

Despite some letters the ADA received from Christians who saw positives about their beliefs on the show, Johnson feels more mockery than respect for those beliefs was depicted. "For every positive portrayal of Christianity there were many negative misrepresentations of our faith," he says. "For every time the Bible was referred to as God's word, it was shown being beaten on, thrown in the trash, and mocked."

Pro-Israel ministry objects to Muslim named Ambassador to UN

By Chad Groening
OneNewsNow.com

Pro-Israel activist Jan Markell says she cannot understand why there is has been virtually no coverage of President Bush's recent announcement that he is appointing a Muslim to the be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Markell, founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries, says she had to scour the Internet to learn anything about the man Bush is entrusting with one of the most important diplomatic jobs in the U.S. -- Zalmay Khalilzad, a native of Afghanistan who previously served as America's ambassador to Iraq.

"What it always goes back to is who do we trust in the Islamic world," the ministry leader contends. "How do we know that they will put the American flag and the U.S. Constitution ahead of the Koran?" By definition, she asserts, a true believer in Islam "cannot put national self-interest above the duty of the worldwide cause of Islam and remain faithful to the Koran. If one is a good Muslim, one cannot represent interests contrary to the interests of worldwide Islam."

EDITORIAL: Choosing life is the right choice

EDITORIAL: Choosing life is the right choice

By Will Hall
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Take a good look at Jacob Barker Hall. Whether in person or by photo it’s hard not to see his bright eyes and engaging smile and not know the joy and the zest that define this 9-year-old’s life. His speech and his physical awkwardness give glimpses of his Down Syndrome, but any signs of motor or mental difficulty are overshadowed by the special person he is as a child of God.

Jacob is a great name for my youngest son. Roughly translated into “supplanter,” a more practical definition for his personality would be “steals the show,” but not in a bad way. He showers others with love and encouragement, likely to say “good job” loudly to the choir or the pastor (along with a visible “thumbs up”) -- without concern for when he says it during the service (I finally figured out it’s his way of saying “amen”).

He runs to give hugs to old and young alike, but he especially delights in carefully approaching a baby, gently cupping his hands along the child’s jawline and slowly, tenderly stroking forward until the heels of his palms meet at the baby’s chin.

His affection is authentic and so are his prayers, and he’s likely to pray anytime, anywhere.

One of the most memorable times was during his first trip to see someone at a hospital, an older lady from church. He was six, and not sure about where he was, or what “ministry” meant or “hospital visitation.” But as soon as he saw his “friend” lying in bed, he grabbed her hand and everyone else joined the circle. Jacob has delayed speech, and no one could discern the jumbled words he was trying to say ... yet everyone understood his prayer.

‘Memorial to the Missing’ gathers pennies to remember abortion’s toll on innocent life

‘Memorial to the Missing’ gathers pennies to remember abortion’s toll on innocent life

By Gregory Tomlin
Baptist Press

EDITORS’ NOTE: Sunday, Jan. 21, is Sanctity of Life Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention.

JACKSON, Miss. (BP)--Alone, the penny is the least of U.S. currency. Few things, if any, can be bought with it. The U.S. government has proposed no longer producing it, feeling it insignificant and often unused.

But Baptists all over the state of Mississippi now pay attention to pennies even on the sidewalk or in a parking lot, knowing that each one has value.

These Mississippi Baptists don’t pocket the pennies for themselves. They have been bagging the pennies and shipping them in bulk to the Baptist Building in Jackson. Or they may even tape a few pennies to a piece of paper and send them through the mail. Each penny will go to a special place because it represents something -– rather, someone -– special.

However they are shipped, the pennies will find their home among millions of others at a special “Memorial to the Missing,” the Baptist convention’s tribute to the nearly 50 million children aborted in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.

To date, Baptists in the state have contributed more than 26 million pennies to the project toward the goal of 50 million. Dropping the pennies in the 12-by-16-foot covered, bullet-proof glass enclosure that makes up the memorial is their way of showing the world that no life is insignificant.

“It’s not the 50 million pennies that are important,” said Jimmy Porter, executive director of the convention’s Christian Action Commission. “It’s the 50 million children.”

And though the number of abortions has declined annually in recent years, it is almost impossible to keep up with them. “There is an abortion in this country every 20 to 22 seconds,” Porter said.

The effects of abortion on children are well-known. But since the Supreme Court legalized the practice in all 50 states, it has also wrecked the lives of countless women who have had them and their extended families as well, said Jim Futral, the state convention’s executive director-treasurer.

Iraqi Christians May Face Extinction

Iraqi Christians May Face Extinction
By Wendy Griffith
CWN News

CWNews.com – Look into their faces and you can see one of the world's oldest Christian communities searching for hope in the midst of desolation.

Iraq's Christians are wounded, killed, and grieving in the violence that's shaking their country. But this isn't just fallout from the fighting between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Christians in Iraq are deliberately targeted.

"It is too dangerous for Christians in Baghdad we didn't go to church because we were afraid they would blow it up,” said Nadua Khamwa.

More than 15 churches have been attacked since the fall of Saddam in 2003 and hundreds of Christians have been killed. In the past six months alone, seven priests have been kidnapped and two of them murdered.

To understand the significance you must look at the history.

The bloodlines of about 70 percent of Iraq's 750,000 Christians reach back to the Chaldeans or Assyrians, prominent peoples in the Old Testament. Their ancestors began worshipping in Iraq more than 500 years before the birth of Mohammed and Islam.

Many Assyrian Christians still speak and worship in Aramaic-the ancient language of Jesus.

But today fear is widespread throughout the traditional Iraqi church. Last Christmas, Chaldean and Assyrian clergy urged their members to stay home and avoid public celebrations for fear of reprisals.

And it's not just in Baghdad. Even in northern Iraq churches are on edge.

British Airways to let workers wear crosses

British Airways to let workers wear crosses
Woman had been suspended for refusing to take off Christian necklace
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1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

British Airways, which had banned employees from wearing crosses on necklaces but had endorsed hijabs and turbans for Muslims, is changing its policies to allow those tiny emblems of Christianity, according to a report.

The report from the BBC said the airline had considered allowing the crosses only on lapel pins, but ultimately decided that wouldn't be satisfactory.

The issue arose last year when Nadia Eweida, a check-in worker at Heathrow Airport, challenged a company rule against wearing a cross necklace that was visible. The changed policy now will allow religious symbols on items such as lapel pins and will include "some flexibility for individuals to wear a symbol of faith on a chain," according to the report.

British Airways said earlier that the Muslim garb could be visible since those items could not be worn underneath clothing, but that argument was condemned by both politicians and bishops in the United Kingdom.

It even attracted the attention of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who told airline officials that they should "do the sensible thing."

Eweida has been on unpaid leave since September because she wouldn't stop wearing her cross, and she told the BBC that she's going to return to work as she always worked.

"My dignity has been restored. I've suffered for my faith," she told the network.

Modern Pagans Honor Zeus in Athens

Modern Pagans Honor Zeus in Athens
Jan 21 1:12 PM US/Eastern

By PARIS AYIOMAMITIS
Associated Press Writer

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- A clutch of modern pagans honored Zeus at a 1,800-year-old temple in the heart of Athens on Sunday _ the first known ceremony of its kind held there since the ancient Greek religion was outlawed by the Roman empire in the late 4th century.

Watched by curious onlookers, some 20 worshippers gathered next to the ruins of the temple for a celebration organized by Ellinais, a year- old Athens-based group that is campaigning to revive old religious practices from the era when Greece was a fount of education and philosophy.

The group ignored a ban by the Culture Ministry, which declared the site off limits to any kind of organized activity to protect the monument. But participants did not try to enter the temple itself, which is closed to everyone, and no officials sought to stop the ceremony.

Dressed in ancient costumes, worshippers standing near the temple's imposing Corinthian columns recited hymns calling on the Olympian Zeus, "King of the gods and the mover of things," to bring peace to the world.

"Our message is world peace and an ecological way of life in which everyone has the right to education," said Kostas Stathopoulos, one of three "high priests" overseeing the event, which celebrated the nuptials of Zeus and Hera, the goddess of love and marriage.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Controversial Senate ethics bill SB-1 on hold...

By Jim Brown
OneNewsNow.com
January 18, 2007

An attempt by Democrats to push through ethics reform legislation that some warn would label churches and other non-profits as "grass roots lobbying firms" has been temporarily stalled.

Wednesday night a vote on the controversial grassroots lobbying bill SB-1 was delayed after Democrats came nine votes short of the 60 they needed to end debate and vote on the measure. The bill could come up again for a vote either Thursday or Friday. A companion piece of legislation is expected to be introduced in the House next week.

American Center for Law and Justice Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow has mounted a campaign against the legislation, arguing it would restrict the work of Christian TV and radio ministries and pro-family groups. He remains hopeful an amendment stripping the grassroots prohibitions will pass.

Congress preparing to criminalize critics?

Congress preparing to criminalize critics?

Senate bill would 'create most expansive
intrusion on First Amendment rights ever'
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5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

The Senate is considering legislation that would regulate grassroots communications, with penalties for critics of Congress.

"In what sounds like a comedy sketch from Jon Stewart's Daily Show, but isn't, the U. S. Senate would impose criminal penalties, even jail time, on grassroots causes and citizens who criticize Congress," says Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of

Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress, as lobbyists are required.

"Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever," Viguerie said.

For the first time in history, he stated, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself.

"The bill would require reporting of 'paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying,' but defines 'paid' merely as communications to 500 or more members of the public, with no other qualifiers," Viguerie said.

The Senate passed an amendment on the bill Jan. 9 to create criminal penalties, including up to one year in jail, if someone "knowingly and willingly fails to file or report."

Viguerie said the legislation regulates small, legitimate nonprofits, bloggers, and individuals, but creates loopholes for corporations, unions, and large membership organizations that would be able to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, yet not report.

"Congress is trying to blame the grassroots, which are American citizens engaging in their First Amendment rights, for Washington's internal corruption problems," he said.

Christian leader James Dobson -- along with Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer and Don Wildmon -- spoke out about the provision on a recent

Muslim group threatens boycott of Northwest Airlines

By Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — A group of Detroit residents is threatening to lead a boycott of Northwest Airlines over what they say is a pattern of profiling against Muslim passengers.

Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini, head of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich., was in a group of about 40 pilgrims who were prevented from boarding a connecting flight in Germany to Detroit on Jan. 7 while returning from a trip to holy cities in Saudi Arabia. The Muslim group, most of whom are Lebanese-American Shiites, held a news conference Tuesday at the Dearborn mosque to describe what they say happened to them. They called for Northwest to apologize, compensate them, and discipline the employees they said profiled them.

"Otherwise," Al-Qazwini said, "if Northwest will not do that, then probably we have to call all Muslim organizations to encourage Muslims from not flying on Northwest."

With tens of thousands of Muslim customers, Northwest could be hurt financially by such a boycott, Al-Qazwini suggested, adding that "I hope Northwest will be wiser."

But Northwest officials defended their actions Tuesday, repeating that the 40 or so pilgrims were unable to board because they weren't at the gate in time.

"They showed up at the gate late," said Dean Breest, a spokesman for Northwest Airlines. "All customers need to be on time."

Northwest Airlines requires passengers to check in for international flights at least 60 minutes prior to departure and to be on board the aircraft at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time, according to a statement it issued.

3,000 Christians added daily in China

3,000 Christians added daily in China
Faithful undefeated by beatings, arrests, confiscations and destruction of churches
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Posted: January 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Worship services are being broken up by baton-wielding police officers, participants arrested, Bibles confiscated and Christian church buildings demolished. But still, an estimated 3,000 people every day come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ in China.

The report comes from Voice of the Martyrs, a U.S.-based Christian group that works specifically to help those members of the persecuted Christian church worldwide.

The most recent arrests happened just a few days ago, when a house church meeting in Henan province was broken up and 11 people arrested, the organization said.

"Police from Yongfeng township police station in Xiuwu county, Henan province, raided a Christian meeting in a home in Chencun village. Eleven Christians were arrested, two were released the next day and nine remain in jail," the report said.

"Police broke in and proclaimed the gathering a cultic and illegal activity," the report said.

Legal and financial help is being provided to those people during their detention.

However, VOM said that a more than 50-year campaign to eradicate Christianity from China has left that nation with the equivalent of a new mega-church being added each day.

"Chairman Mao Zedong declared the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 and quickly sought to purge society of anything religious, causing China's people to endure great hardship ever since," a VOM analysis of the nation said. "Mao's Great Leap Forward in the late '50s and the Cultural Revolution in the '60s and '70s left millions of his countrymen dead or victimized.

"Today, with its policies of forced abortion and sterilization, China's human rights record is one of the worst in the world. Authorities reportedly sell the organs of executed prisoners to meet the demand for transplants. It system of 're-education through labor' detains hundreds of thousands each year in work camps without even a court hearing. China's 'strike-hard' policy, presented as a crackdown on criminals, is hardest on Christians, putting more believers in prison or under detention than in any other country. The confiscation of church property and Bibles continues – even Bibles officially printed by the government," the report said.

"Yet the church grows: an estimated 3,000 Chinese come to Christ each day. China's house church movement, which comprises approximately 90 percent of China's Christians, endures unimaginable persecution, yet stands on its commitment to preach the gospel no matter the cost."

Pelosi Turns Up Heat On Global Warming

Jan 18, 2007 11:34 am US/Central

Pelosi Turns Up Heat On Global Warming
Speaker Ignoring House Traditions To Force Legislative Action On Climate Change

(AP) WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, intent on putting global warming atop the Democratic agenda, is shaking up traditional committee fiefdoms dominated by some of Congress' oldest and most powerful members.

She's moving to create a special committee to recommend legislation for cutting greenhouse gases, most likely to be chaired by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a Democratic leadership aide said Wednesday.

Markey has advocated raising mileage standards for cars, trucks and SUVs and is one of the House's biggest critics of oil companies and U.S. automakers,

Pelosi has discussed the proposal with at least two Democratic committee chairmen: fellow Californian Henry Waxman of Oversight and Government Reform, and West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall, who heads the Natural Resources panel. Pelosi intends to announce the move this week, said the leadership aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because not all of the details have been worked out.

The move, to some degree, would sidestep two of the House's most powerful Democratic committee bosses, in shaping what's expected to be at least a yearlong debate on global warming:

# Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell of Michigan, a defender of the auto industry and at 80 the longest serving member of the House.

# New York Rep. Charles Rangel, who as the 76-year-old chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, would have to clear any tax on carbon-based fuels like coal, oil or natural gas, which have been blamed for warming the atmosphere. A chief advocate of such a tax is former Democratic Vice President Al Gore.

Rahall said he had spoken with Pelosi about the idea of a new select committee. Rahall's panel oversees energy development on public lands, including coal, oil and natural gas as well as cleaner, non-carbon sources such as geothermal and windmills.

"I've been assured that no legislative jurisdiction would be taken away from any committee," Rahall said. "No legislative responsibility would be shifted from any committee."

Iraqi PM: 400 Shiite Fighters Detained

Jan 18, 8:38 AM (ET)

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said 400 fighters from a key backer of the Shiite-led government have been arrested, and a government spokesman said Thursday the U.S. is not giving Iraqi security forces enough money for training and equipment. Al-Maliki's claim sought to address doubts about his willingness to take on the Shiite militiamen, especially the Mahdi army that is loyal to his key supporter, the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Many of the militiamen are believed responsible for much of the sectarian violence in Baghdad in the past year.

In Baghdad on Thursday, bombers and gunmen killed at least 19 more people in a series of morning attacks as the capital faces a surge in violence ahead of a planned U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown.

The Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that al-Maliki was deeply critical of President Bush during a briefing with a small group of reporters.

"The situation would be much better if the United States had immediately sent our security forces more adequate weapons and equipment. If they had committed themselves more and with greater speed we would have had a lot fewer deaths among Iraqi civilians and American soldiers," the newspaper quoted al-Maliki as saying.

However, the premier stopped short of openly criticizing Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to join the estimated 130,000 already there.

"We have to see how the situation in the field will go," he said. "We cannot rule out that the situation will drastically improve, allowing U.S. troops to leave the country in great numbers in three to six months."

The newspaper quoted the embattled Iraqi leader as saying Bush had capitulated to domestic pressure when he criticized the hanging of former leader Saddam Hussein. Al-Maliki further struck back at comments by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that suggested he was in a weak position and on borrowed time.

He said such remarks were giving aid and comfort to militants fighting to drive out U.S. troops and unseat his government.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi military budget this year is $8 billion, but it needs more for proper training, recruiting and equipment.

"We feel Iraqi needs for equipment (are) more than that money," he said, speaking in English. "We are expecting also assistance and help from the multinational forces in order to have proper training and manning as well as arming the Iraqi force."

Al-Dabbagh also said coalition troops could start withdrawing from Iraq by the end of the year as more security control is handed over to the Iraqis.

"We can say in 2007 the Iraqis will have more control on the troops, and the decision will be Iraqi, and this will entitle (us) to reduce the multinational force," he said.

Democrat chairman flips on Iraq policy: Recommended troop surge, then opposed when Bush proposed it

Inside the Beltway
By John McCaslin
January 18, 2007

Tough month
On Dec. 5, Newsweek magazine touted an interview with then-incoming House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes as an "exclusive." And for good reason.

"In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq," the story began, Mr. Reyes "said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a 'stepped up effort to dismantle the militias.' "

"We have to consider the need for additional troops to be in Iraq, to take out the militias and stabilize Iraq," the Texas Democrat said to the surprise of many, "I would say 20,000 to 30,000."

Then came President Bush's expected announcement last week, virtually matching Mr. Reyes' recommendation and argument word-for-word -- albeit the president proposed only 21,500 troops.

Wouldn't you know, hours after Mr. Bush announced his proposal, Mr. Reyes told the El Paso Times that such a troop buildup was unthinkable.

"We don't have the capability to escalate even to this minimum level," he said.

The chairman's "double-talk" did not go unnoticed. Among others, Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, says such blatant "hypocrisy" undermines both national security and the war on terrorism.

Gates, Commanders Ready Buildup in Gulf

Jan 18, 10:51 AM (ET)

By ROBERT BURNS

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with senior U.S. and coalition naval commanders Thursday to plan operations in the Persian Gulf, including the arrival next month of another U.S. aircraft carrier and more Patriot missiles meant in part as a warning to Iran. This tiny state in the northern Gulf is headquarters to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and Central Command's naval staff.

Gates also flew to nearby Qatar for a private meeting and lunch with that nation's leader, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Later he was visiting an air base that hosts a high-tech war room that is the nerve center of all U.S. and coalition air operations throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. Under ground rules imposed by U.S. officials, reporters traveling with Gates were prohibited from identifying the base or the country in which it is located.

In Bahrain, a British Royal Navy officer who is the No. 2 commander for coalition naval forces in the Central Command area of responsibility told reporters that the exact role and missions of the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis, which is due to arrive in the Gulf area next month, have not yet been worked out.

British Commodore Keith Winstanley said the Stennis deployment should not be seen entirely as a move aimed at Iran, but he added, "I'm sure there's a message there for Iran."

He said Iranian naval operations have not changed in any significant way since President Bush announced last week that he was sending a second carrier to the Gulf, and Winstanley said at-sea contacts with the Iranian navy have been "extremely cordial."

Earlier, Gates spoke of possibly sending more troops to Afghanistan, where there are now about 24,000 U.S. troops. But the question is how many more can be contributed at a time when Bush is ramping up U.S. firepower in Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

Gates said that he wants to ensure that gains made against extremism in Afghanistan since the U.S. invaded to topple the Taliban regime in October 2001 are not lost as the Taliban re-emerges.

"I think it is important that we not let this success here in Afghanistan slip away from us and that we keep the initiative," he told reporters at Bagram Air Base, the main U.S. military air hub in Afghanistan. "There's no reason to sit back and let the Taliban regroup."

Congress in no hurry for border fence

Congress in no hurry for border fence
The Associated Press

A law to erect hundreds of miles of fence on the U.S.-Mexico border is on the books and money to start it has been OK'd, but Republicans are nervous that now that they've lost control of Congress, they'll never see it built.

The law passed last year says Congress, now in control of Democrats who generally oppose the fence, doesn't have to release money to build it until lawmakers approve how the fence will be built.

Based on the comments of some Democrats, there's no rush to make that happen.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, House Homeland Security Committee chairman, said he wants to see a plan for securing the northern and southern borders from the Department of Homeland Security and hold a hearing on those plans instead of focusing only on fence construction and funding.

"My preference is to delay the construction of a fence until we have a plan," said Thompson, D-Ga.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said this week Democrats still want to secure the border but want "the best possible way to do it."

Hoyer voted against the fence last year, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Thompson and 128 other Democrats in the House. In the Senate, 26 Democrats voted for the fence law, including Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who chairs the Appropriations Committee. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada voted against the fence.

7 Texas border mayors say no to fence

7 Texas border mayors' message on the wall: No
Capitol Hill policymakers told fence would harm trade and relations

By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Texas border mayors carried a clear message Wednesday to federal policymakers: Walling off the United States from Mexico is a costly, foolish idea that will harm commerce, travel and foreign relations.

The seven mayors, representing cities that stretch from El Paso to Brownsville, raced from meeting to meeting on Capitol Hill, urging Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and lawmakers to abandon Congress' mandate to build 700 miles of fence and instead rely on other border security measures.

"It's a united front: No to the wall," said Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas. "It's just money misspent."

Call for sensors, lights

Instead of fencing off more than 300 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, the mayors recommended that Chertoff and Congress improve border security by using technology such as motion detection sensors and lighting as a "virtual" fence, or by adding more Border Patrol manpower.

Special counsel sought for imprisoned border agents

Special counsel sought for imprisoned border agents
Head of union wants probe of case against 'innocent men doing their job'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

The head of a union representing most Border Patrol agents is calling on President Bush and Congress to appoint a special counsel to investigate the case of agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, who began prison sentences yesterday for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler.

TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents 60 percent of the nation's agents, called the convictions an outrage.

"This case involves two innocent men doing their job, trying to secure our borders," he told WND. "They were defending themselves against an armed drug smuggler, and yet they end up in prison. How is that possible?"

On Tuesday, federal Judge Kathleen Cardone of El Paso, Texas, denied Ramos' and Compean's contention they were not a flight risk and rejected their motion to stay out of prison on bond while they appeal their case to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Bonner told WND the agents' imprisonment will have a detrimental effect on the willingness of Border Patrol agents to go out and enforce immigration laws.

"The Bush administration is sending a message to all law enforcement officers," Bonner told WND, "that it is to be 'hands off the border, leave it wide open, don't you dare do your jobs or you too will end up in federal prison.' "After this travesty of justice," he continued, "why would any Border Patrol agent stick their neck out trying to apprehend a Mexican drug smuggler, especially when you realize that you could be the one who ends up behind bars?"

The Bush administration continues to argue on background that Ramos and Compean lied to Border Patrol officials and covered up evidence, asserting the Mexican drug smuggler was not armed and had attempted to surrender peacefully.

Bonner disagrees, arguing there were "only three people who saw what happened on the other side of that levee – Agent Ramos, Agent Compean, and the Mexican drug smuggler, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila."

"The agents testified that the drug smuggler did not have his hands up, that he was running away, and that he pointed an object at them that they believed to be a gun. So, the agents opened fire," Bonner said. "Essentially, what the White House is saying is that they believe the word of a drug smuggler over the word of two sworn federal agents."

Israel urges silence on U.S. weapons to Palestinians

Israel urges silence on U.S. weapons to Palestinians
Defense officials fear American arms, equipment will be used to attack Jewish state
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

TEL AVIV – Israeli leaders are pressuring senior officials in the Israeli Defense Forces to put aside reservations regarding U.S. plans to train, finance and arm militias associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, WND has learned.
The senior IDF officials fear some of the American aid, weapons and equipment slated to be provided to the Palestinians will be used to attack the Jewish state, according to defense sources.

The Israeli army officials have petitioned to make their objections public in conversations with American and European diplomats, defense sources said.

"We are being pressured from the (Israeli) political echelon not to interfere with American plans to provide weapons and equipment to Fatah," said a senior IDF source. "The concerns are that the weapons and equipment will be shared with elements of Fatah that regularly attack Israeli troops and plan attacks against Israeli civilians."

"We've been told this (American aid) is a decision for the prime minister and minister of Defense and that our public objections are inappropriate," the IDF source told WND.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week told reporters the U.S. is working with Fatah to create a unified Palestinian security force, which she said would combine Fatah factions and afford more control over the distribution of American aid and weapons.

The Bush administration reportedly will grant $86.4 million to strengthen the Fatah forces, including Force 17, Abbas' security detail, which also serves as de facto police units in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Perspectives: A Christian Response to Death Penalty Issues

By Rev. Mark Creech
OneNewsNow.com
January 18, 2007

In a day when crime is largely blamed on Freudian and secularist concepts of evil, the biblical doctrine of retribution has fallen on hard times. Yet God has ordained it that when humanity chooses, for whatever reason, to violate His law, a just penalty must be exacted.

Within the next three weeks, North Carolina is scheduled to execute three death-row inmates on three successive Fridays. According to Associated Press: "Scheduling three deaths so close together irks execution opponents who plan to keep pushing during the coming legislative session for a death penalty moratorium. Perhaps three executions so close together will at least help them teach more people about the flaws in the state's judicial system, they said." [1]

Despite the fact that death-row inmates receive super due process of law that accounts for an average of 12 years of appeals, and that there exists no solid evidence of even one innocent nationwide being executed in over a hundred years, moratorium proponents, who are largely anti-death penalty advocates, have gained enough momentum in the Tar Heel State to cause Speaker Jim Black to establish a House Select Committee on Capital Punishment. That Committee held a public hearing two weeks ago; and out of 15 speakers who testified, only two -- one of which was me -- spoke against the proposed moratorium.

Certainly the most striking moment of the public hearing was when Shirley Burns spoke. Burns currently has a son on death-row scheduled for execution in North Carolina on January 26. She informed lawmakers she had lived on both sides of the issue of capital punishment. Not only did she have a son scheduled for execution within a matter of days, but eight months earlier another one of her sons had been murdered. Her situation was definitely and most unfortunately unique and garnered the sympathy of what was almost exclusively an anti-death penalty audience, except maybe for some of the lawmakers present.

Burns was also obviously very displeased with my remarks, which had preceded hers, characterizing them in this fashion: "I listen to the minister as he talked, but it seems to be an idea of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth -- How can I as a Christian ask for another person's life? I believe the Word of God when it says, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' I also believe when it says, 'Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.'" The end of her speech was met with considerable applause.

Although Burns' circumstances warrant understanding and pity, her position on the death penalty is neither Christian nor compassionate.

The primary purpose of the death-penalty is not revenge. It is retribution. In On Capital Punishment, William H. Baker notes: "Retribution is properly a satisfaction or, according to the ancient figure of justice and her scales, a restoration of a disturbed equilibrium. As such it is a proper, legitimate and moral concept. Scripture makes a clear line of distinction between this doctrine and feelings of personal hatred by forbidding such feelings and the actions to which they would lead. Capital punishment as a form of retribution is a dictate of the moral nature, which demands that there should be a just portion between the offense and the penalty." [2]

In fact, Jesus' quote in Matthew 5:38 of the Hebrew lex talinois, which is found in Exodus 21:23-25, was a statement of proper retribution by civil authorities. Its intention was to protect offenders from excessive penalties that didn't fit the crime. Unfortunately, however, some in Christ's day were using it as a justification for personal retaliation. In other words, when Christ spoke of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," He wasn't repudiating government's responsibility to maintain order, but correcting an illegitimate use of the text and advocating the way His followers should personally respond to offenses.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia properly makes this distinction when in God's Justice and Ours, he writes: "The death penalty is undoubtedly wrong unless one accords to the state a scope of moral action that goes beyond what is permitted to the individual. In my view, the major impetus behind the modern aversion to the death penalty is the equation of private morality with governmental morality." [3]

In a day when crime is largely blamed on Freudian and secularist concepts of evil, the biblical doctrine of retribution has fallen on hard times. Yet God has ordained it that when humanity chooses, for whatever reason, to violate His law, a just penalty must be exacted. A holy and just God requires that a broken order in the Universe be restored. Thus, Christ's death for the sinner was based on the need for retributive justice to satisfy the legal demands of God's law, which says: "[T]he wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). In fact, without the substitutionary death of Christ on the Cross there could be no forgiveness or compassion from God.

According to Christian thought, no one has the right for any reason to harbor malice, anger or bitterness toward someone on a personal level -- personal vengeance is denied. This is what Christ was preaching in Matthew 5:38-45 and what Paul advocated when he wrote: "Recompense to no man evil for evil -- avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:17, 19). Still Christ affirmed retributive justice by His own death on the Cross and Paul said the government bears the sword as "the minister of God" for good and is an "avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil" (Romans 13:4).

For compassion and its proper application on both a personal and social level to be genuinely experienced, an understanding of the biblical doctrine of retributive justice is an absolute necessity. For instance, no person can ever experience soul salvation until he or she realizes their offense to God in the violations of His law and that such actions are deserving of eternal retribution. God has demonstrated His compassion in that the requirements of retribution are met in Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. He died and suffered in one's place. Personal peace comes only through this understanding. Moreover, social peace comes only when compassion is directed toward the victims of crime and not its perpetrators. Retribution is the primary purpose of law and not the rehabilitation of the criminal or deterrence to criminal acts. Only when this is realized can the public be properly protected by the government and society's tranquility maintained.

While anti-death penalty proponents from the faith community like Shirley Burns push for abolition and a moratorium on capital punishment in North Carolina, calling for citizens to forgive, they seem to forget that the persons with the greatest reason to forgive cannot because they've been murdered. Moreover, family members like Janice Hunter, whose 27-year-old daughter, Adrien, was brutally stabbed to death by serial killer Nathaniel White, can easily identify with her statement: "I have to go to the cemetery to see my daughter. Nathaniel White' s mother goes to jail to see him and I don't think it's fair." [4] Indeed it isn't right in either the first or the latter circumstances and that's why God's Word in Genesis 9:6 declares to governments of all eras: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Monday, January 22, 2007

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Thursday, January 18, 2007

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