| 1. Where is the United States in Prophecy? American Power Is on the Wane
As the world stumbles from the truly horrible year of 2008 into the very scary year of 2009, there seems, on the face of it, many reasons for the foes of America to think that the world's number one power will take heavier hits than most other big nations. Those reasons will be outlined below. But let's start by noting that curious trait of human beings who, in pain themselves, seem to enjoy the fact that others are hurting even more badly. So while today's Russia, China, Latin America, Japan and the Middle East may be suffering setbacks, the biggest loser is understood to be Uncle Sam. For the rest of the world, that is the grand consolation! By what logic, though, should America lose more ground in the years to come than other nations, except on the vague proposition that the taller you stand, the further you fall? The first reason, surely, is the U.S.'s truly exceptional budgetary and trade deficits. There is nothing else in the world like them in absolute measures and, even when calculated in proportion to national income, the percentages look closer to those you might expect from Iceland or some poorly run Third World economy. To my mind, the projected U.S. fiscal deficits for 2009 and beyond are scary, and I am amazed that so few congressmen recognize the fact as they collectively stampede towards the door entitled "fiscal stimulus.". .................. read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece Myths & Facts about the Gaza War
This article will debunk the following 10 myths:
1. Israel broke the cease-fire with Hamas.
2. Israel has responded to Hamas rocket fire with "disproportionate force."
3. Palestinians in Gaza are innocent victims.
4. Israel's operation in Gaza will only embitter Palestinians and make them seek revenge rather than peace.
5. Israel should negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas.
6. Hamas targets military objectives.
7. Hamas fears Israel's military might.
8. At the end of this war, Israel will have to negotiate with Hamas.
9. Israel deliberately attacked a UN school.
10. Media coverage of the Gaza war is fair and accurate. . .................... read more Gaza - What could have been
In the advertising business, clients pay us to dream. To dream means not to be too imbedded with reality, to be unshackled from any inconvenient fact that might interfere with the dreaming process, to be, like they say in self-help seminars, appropriately unreasonable. The price you pay for dreaming is to expose yourself to abuse and ridicule. In a tough world, you never want to be accused of being naive. The expression, "Are you dreaming?" didn't develop by accident. What you can gain by dreaming, though, is significant. Dreaming is only limited by your imagination, so it can lead you to wild and breakthrough ideas. At the very least, it can give you a new way of looking at old problems. Why am I telling you all this? Because the other day, as my mind was numb from yet another report from the Gaza war zone, I saw something that made me go off on a wild dream. It started with the sight of two Israeli soldiers as they drove into Gaza in an armored personnel carrier, and as I watched the soldiers, I recalled how much Israelis love to go to the beach. As if I was hallucinating, I then imagined the same two soldiers in their beach clothes, in a convertible roadster, with a surf board sticking out and the music blasting, and instead of going to war, they were going to meet their buddies for a day of partying on the beach. They were going to the jetsetters' newest fun spot: the Gaza Riviera..................... read more 94% of Israeli public support operation
The Israeli military operation against Hamas in Gaza enjoys the overwhelming support of Israeli Jews despite the loss of civilian life in the Hamas-run territory, a survey released Wednesday showed. The poll found that 92% of Israeli Jews justify the air force's attacks in Gaza despite the suffering of the civilian population in the Strip and the damage they cause to infrastructure. Seventy percent of the Israeli public said that the ground operation, which got under way on January 3, was a necessary move, the survey found. Despite ongoing international calls for an immediate cease-fire and a flurry of diplomatic activity to reach a cease-fire by week's end, the survey found that 90% of Israelis believed that Israel should continue with the operation until all its objectives were achieved. The survey found that 70% of the public believe the operation had high or moderately high chances of achieving all its objectives, with a whopping 93% approving of the IDF's fighting capability. About 80% of the Israeli public oppose the cease-fire with Hamas unless it includes the release of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit seized by Hamas in a cross-border raid two and half years ago, the survey found. The poll also found that the public was much more supportive of the country's military leadership than its political leaders. A total of 85% of respondents voiced confidence in the IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, compared to 62% for Defense Minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres, and 53% for Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Likud opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert bottomed out the list with a 44% confidence rating. ...................... read more Israel’s Fight For Survival Goes Much Deeper Than Gaza
Israel’s fight for survival is not only against Hamas, Hezbollah, and their state sponsors Syria and Iran. Equally formidable, if more insidious, are those in the West whose virulent hatred of Israel imperils her existence. This antipathy among Western academics, commentators, and reporters is itself a reflection of the larger moral and intellectual corruption that endangers not just Israel but Western civilization. The media coverage of the current Israeli offensive against Hamas and its rockets in Gaza bears all the signs of this irrational and incoherent hatred of the only country in the Middle East in which the rule of law, human rights, and political freedom––all the boons we Westerners take for granted––are respected in ways impossible to duplicate in any Muslim Arab country. Just as with the Lebanon offensive of 2006, the Western media report events in terms of a prefabricated narrative shorn of historical fact and context. In this mythic paradigm, Israel is the neo-colonial, neo-imperialist minion of late capitalism, an outpost of Western aggression and exploitation of the dark-skinned Third-World “other” whose land has been stolen and whose people have been displaced. All the dysfunctions of the West, so this tale goes, such as racism and xenophobia, are expressed in Israel’s treatment of her victims. Hence the mechanisms of Zionist “apartheid” such as checkpoints, walls, restrictions on movement, “refugee” camps, “displaced” persons, and the brutal indifference and “disproportionate” response of Israel’s U.S.-financed military machine. Muslim “terrorism” is explained away as the understandable response on the part of those subjected to this oppression and lacking the resources to fight back. Thus they can be forgiven for being caught up in the “cycle of violence” whose prime mover is Israel........................ read more
3. A Revived Roman Empire? EU to launch biometric passports by summer
MEPs on Wednesday backed new rules on the introduction of biometric passports throughout the EU later this year, while exempting children under 12 years from having fingerprints included in their passports. The rules were approved at a first reading by an overwhelming majority of MEPs – 594 against 51, while 37 abstained. The parliamentarians underlined the need to improve document security in the EU by introducing "more reliable biometric data, namely fingerprints," and highlighted the different criteria member states currently apply when checking the passport applicants' identity. The new rules stipulate that all EU countries, as well as in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, should start issuing passports containing biometric elements - such as facial images and fingerprints - as of 29 June this year. States have until 2012 to fully implement the rules and current passports will remain valid for travelling for most countries until then. Some MEPs expressed concerns about the biometric passports, however. Latvian Green MEP Tatjana Zdanok pointed to the dangers linked to "the extensive use of biometrics." "We strongly believe that biometrics in passports should only be used for verifying the authenticity of the document or the identity of the holder… We cannot agree that everyone holding a European passport should be thought of as a potential suspect, whose fingerprints are to be stored," she added. .................. read more Britain 'must set population limit to safeguard national security' say experts
Britain must set a maximum population level if it is to avoid destroying the environment and putting national security at risk, say experts. The Optimum Population Trust has written to ministers calling for a policy of 'zero net migration' - matching numbers allowed into Britain each year to numbers leaving. The UK's population is projected to increase from 60 to 70million over the next 20 years, and to 85million by 2081. Experts are demanding a Royal Commission to establish 'an environmentally sustainable level of population The trust, a panel of academics and environmentalists, says achieving zero net migration would cut Britain's population in 2081 to 57million. Mass immigration 'feeds through into rising greenhouse gas emissions' and more congestion, the experts say. The trust warns that because Britain can produce only 30 per cent of the food, energy and other goods that it needs, it will become increasingly vulnerable to 'resource nationalism' as foreign powers hoard their own scarce resources. 'This imperils future national security as well as destroying the environment,' it says. The trust is demanding a Royal Commission to establish 'an environmentally sustainable level of population'. The Home Office said its new points-based immigration system would help manage immigration, 'which will contribute to future population projections and control'. .................. read more Blair reappears on shortlist to head EU
Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister, is re-emerging as a possible choice to be the European Union’s first full-time president after four momentous crises reinforced the argument for having a high-profile international personality in the job. According to EU officials and diplomats, the impressive performance of Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s president, during his six-month spell in charge of the EU last year has strengthened the hand of those who say a big name should guide the 27-nation bloc. In one sense, the discussions are premature. The full-time president will take office next year only if the EU’s Lisbon institutional reform treaty, which creates the position, is ratified by all member-states – notably, Ireland, which is expected to hold a second referendum on the treaty between September and December. But the sheer scale of the challenges facing the EU – from last August’s Russia-Georgia war and the global financial meltdown to the Gaza conflict and the shutdown of Russian gas deliveries to Europe – is redefining the debate. Whereas last year Germany and other countries looked favourably on candidates such as Jean-Claude Juncker, the long-serving prime minister of Luxembourg, more policymakers now feel the EU presidency demands an occupant from a much bigger member-state. “Sarkozy concentrated minds,” said an EU diplomat. “He made a lot of us think, ‘When the going gets rough, you’ve just got to have a big person in this job.’” At present the EU presidency – held since January 1 by the Czech Republic – rotates every six months. However, the balance of EU opinion is now in favour of not letting the vital task of representing the EU to big powers such as the US, China and Russia pass from one capital to another every six months................... read more EU Approves Resolution to Force Homosexual “Marriage” Acceptance, in All Member States
A resolution has been passed today at the European Union that proposes to standardise among all member states the legal status of same-sex relationships. Pro-life and pro-family leaders have called for a strong Christian response to the move that that will force EU member states to adopt same-sex “marriage” or civil unions and bring legalised abortion, even in countries who uphold legal protections for the unborn and in which only natural marriage is legally recognised. The resolution, authored by Giusto Catania, an Italian Communist MEP, calls upon EU member-states to guarantee access to “sexual and reproductive health and rights,” terms universally accepted as including abortion and sterilisation as well as the recognition of same-sex unions. The resolution represents the next step in the work of European homosexualist activists who started last year with a declaration saying that same-sex “marriage” and civil union laws should be standardised across the EU to facilitate freedom of movement. Anthony Ozimic, political secretary of SPUC, said that despite the fact that not one international treaty or human rights court has recognised any such right, the resolution calls for abortion to be declared a right. “Religious leaders and pro-life groups throughout Europe must shake off their complacency about the EU and mobilise religious believers for pro-life action,” Ozimic said. “The message everyone must hear is that the right to life is the most important political issue, because the right to life is the indispensable foundation of all other rights. Failure to act will mean that countless millions of unborn children will die because of the EU's promotion of abortion both inside and outside Europe.”. .................. read more
4. The Gog/Magog War Turkey's drift away from the West
A decade ago, Western and Israeli leaders could count on Turkey as an ally. A solid NATO member, Ankara took decisions based on pragmatic calculations of interest - and erred on the side of caution if at all. But under the rule of the Islamic conservative AKP, this has changed. In the face of Hamas rockets, Israel could have expected more understanding from a country long suffering from aggressive PKK terrorism. The vehemence with which Turkish leaders attacked Israel, and their apparent willingness to convey Hamas' position to the United Nations, came as a surprise to many. Some of this may be explained by pandering to the Islamic conservative AKP's hard-core base. But Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's words - that Israel's actions will be punished by God and help lead it to self-destruction - are too significant to be taken lightly. Indeed, they are part of the trend of a Turkish government guided more by Islamic solidarity and anti-Western sentiment than by pragmatic calculations of interest. Indeed, Turkey's international behavior suggests that its attachment to the West is tenuous at best - and eroding. ................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity Setting the foundation for America in 2009 - Gay Bishop to offer non-Christian opening prayer at inauguration ceremony
US president-elect Barack Obama has invited the world's first openly gay Anglican bishop to offer the prayer that will mark the beginning of the inauguration festivities. In an email sent to a US blog yesterday the Right Rev Gene Robinson, of New Hampshire, said it would be an "enormous honour" to offer prayers for the country and its new president at the Lincoln Memorial. Robinson said he had not received any time constraints or direction from Obama's office, but added: "It won't be overtly Christian. I want the prayer to be for all people," he said. Robinson's selection follows criticism from gay rights groups over Obama's decision to have Rick Warren give the invocation at the official inauguration ceremony next Tuesday. The founder and senior pastor of an evangelical megachurch, Warren supported Proposition 8 - eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry in his home state of California. Robinson, who entered into a civil union last June with Mark Andrew, his partner for 20 years, initially described the choice as a "slap in the face". Robinson has been the scourge of conservative evangelicals since his consecration in 2003. A divorced, non-celibate homosexual cleric, his appointment led traditionalists from the US Episcopal Church to warn of a schism in the Anglican communion. It is a prophecy that has largely been fulfilled thanks to a mass boycott of last year's Lambeth conference, the 10-yearly gathering of the world's Anglican bishops, and the formation of a body intended to replace the US wing of the Anglican communion. ................. read more Cafeteria Christians pick and choose what they believe
American individualism has made its imprint on Christianity. A sizable majority of the country's faithful no longer hew closely to orthodox teachings, and look more to themselves than to churches or denominations to define their religious convictions, according to two recent surveys. More than half of all Christians also believe that some non-Christians can get into heaven. "Growing numbers of people now serve as their own theologian-in-residence," said George Barna, president of Barna Group, on releasing findings of one of the polls on Jan. 12. In the Barna survey, 71 percent of American adults say they are more likely to develop their own set of religious beliefs than to accept a defined set of teachings from a particular church. Even among born-again Christians, 61 percent pick and choose from the beliefs of different denominations. For people under the age of 25, the number rises to 82 percent. Many "cafeteria Christians" go beyond the teachings of Christian denominations to embrace parts of other world religions. Half of Americans also believe that Christianity is now just one of many faith options people can choose from (44 percent disagree with that perception). Residents of the Northeast and West were more likely than those in the South and Midwest to say Christianity has lost its status as the favored American religion. Christians expressed a variety of unorthodox beliefs in the poll. Nearly half of those interviewed do not believe in the existence of Satan, one-third believe Jesus sinned while on earth, and two-fifths say they don't have a responsibility to share their faith with others. The most striking divergence from orthodoxy, however, was first revealed in the 2007 US Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. That comprehensive survey of 35,000 Americans found a majority of Christians saying that people of other religions can find salvation and eternal life. ................. read more Prosperity Gospel on Skid Row
Some of the high-flying icons of the prosperity gospel—the belief that God rewards signs of faith with wealth, health, and happiness—have run into financial turbulence. Not all of their troubles can be blamed on the nation's economic crisis, say critics of the name-it-and-claim-it theology found in some charismatic churches. "I believe the charismatic movement, of which I am a part, is in the midst of a dramatic overhaul," said J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine. "God is shaking us." Grady predicts the movement will look much different in a few years as it refocuses on evangelism and overcoming what he calls the distraction of "materialism, flashy self-promotion, and foolish carnality." But Scott Thumma, a Hartford Seminary sociologist who studies megachurches, is not so certain. "Most clergy who preach a prosperity gospel would interpret for their congregation any conflict, scrutiny, or questioning as an attack of the Devil and proof that they are following God," he said.. ................. read more
6. The Rise of Islam Saudi Arabia's senior Muslim cleric says it's OK for girls as young as 10 to marry
Saudi Arabia's most senior cleric was quoted Wednesday as saying it is permissible for 10-year-old girls to marry and those who think they're too young are doing the girls an injustice. The mufti's comments showed the conservative clergy's opposition to a drive by Saudi rights groups, including government ones, to define the age of marriage and put an end to the phenomenon of child marriages. "It is wrong to say it's not permitted to marry off girls who are 15 and younger," Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al Sheikh, the country's grand mufti, was quoted as saying. "A female who is 10 or 12 is marriageable and those who think she's too young are wrong and are being unfair to her," he said during a Monday lecture, according to the pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper. Al Sheikh's comments come at a time when Saudi human rights groups have been pushing the government to put an end to marriages involving the very young and to define a minimum age for marriage. In the past few months, Saudi newspapers have highlighted several cases in which young girls were married off to much older men or very young boys. Though the mufti's pronouncements are respected and provide guidance, the government is not legally bound by them. On Sunday, the government-run Human Rights Commission condemned marriages of minor girls, saying such marriages are an "inhumane violation" and rob children of their rights. The commission's statement followed a ruling by a court in Oneiza in central Saudi Arabia last month that dismissed a divorce petition by the mother of an eight-year-old girl whose father married her off to a man in his 50s. Newspaper reports said the court argued that the mother did not have the right to file such a case on behalf of her daughter and said that the petition should be filed by the girl when she reaches puberty. Responding to a question about parents who force their underage daughters to marry, the mufti said: "We hear a lot about the marriage of underage girls in the media, and we should know that Islamic law has not brought injustice to women.". ................. read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies World’s first flying car prepares for take-off
Is it a car? Is it a plane? Actually it’s both. The first flying automobile, equally at home in the sky or on the road, is scheduled to take to the air next month. If it survives its first test flight, the Terrafugia Transition, which can transform itself from a two-seater road car to a plane in 15 seconds, is expected to land in showrooms in about 18 months’ time. Its manufacturer says it is easy to keep and run since it uses normal unleaded fuel and will fit into a garage. Carl Dietrich, who runs the Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, said: “This is the first really integrated design where the wings fold up automatically and all the parts are in one vehicle.” The Transition, developed by former Nasa engineers, is powered by the same 100bhp engine on the ground and in the air. Terrafugia claims it will be able to fly up to 500 miles on a single tank of petrol at a cruising speed of 115mph. Up to now, however, it has been tested only on roads at up to 90mph. Dietrich said he had already received 40 orders, despite an expected retail price of $200,000 (£132,000). “For an airplane that’s very reasonable, but for a car that’s very much at the high end,” he conceded. There are still one or two drawbacks. Getting insurance may be a little tricky and finding somewhere to take off may not be straightforward: the only place in the US in which it is legal to take off from a road is Alaska. Dietrich is optimistic. He said: “In the long term we have the potential to make air travel practical for individuals at a price that would meet or beat driving, with huge time savings.” .......................... read more Invisibility cloak moving closer into view?
That cloaking device we've been dreaming of appears to be one step closer to actual cloakdom, so start pondering the mischievous possibilities. Scientists from Duke University have improved on their earlier efforts at producing an invisibility cloak, coming up with a new type of device they say is significantly more sophisticated at cloaking an object (and eventually a person?) from visible light. The device is made from a light-bending composite material that can detour electromagnetic waves around an object and reconnect them on the other side. That creates an effect similar to a distant mirage you'd see hovering above a road on a hot day. ......................... read more How Technology May Fulfill Bible Prophecy
Some scholars believe 'John the Revelator' actually beheld future technologies, and that he simply referred to them in terms he understood; i.e. a military helicopter was perceived as a giant locust whose wings sounded like "many horses running to battle" (Rev. 9:9). A report by Jim Wilson in Popular Mechanics presents evidence supporting this interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Consider these scenarios from Popular Mechanics: Alan H. Epstein, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), recently described....GPS-guided MAVs landing on structurally critical points along bridges deep in enemy territory. Each MAV would carry a small piece of shaped-charge plastique. Responding to a command transmitted from half a world away, the MAVs would explode in sequence, bringing down the bridge with only one-hundredth of the amount of explosives required by a pinpoint-accurate smart bomb. Some military strategists envision swarms of robot flies fluttering onto battlefields. Scout flies, equipped with miniature cameras, would do the work of reconnaissance teams by eavesdropping on tactical communications and sending back real-time videos of enemy positions. Sniper flies would seek out field commanders, recognizing them by the iris patterns of their eyes....Then, they would become the 21st century incarnation of the tribesman's poison dart as they hurled themselves into the carotid arteries of their targets. Meanwhile, titanium-tipped robot flies too small to register on radar screens would gather in the weeds at the end of enemy runways. Then, rising as a swarm, they would allow themselves to be sucked into jet engine air intakes. The MAVs' titanium bodies would fracture the whirling turbine blades and send a rain of red-hot fragments through thousands of pounds of jet fuel and ammunition. While such stratagems obviously appeal to the highest levels of US military intelligence, theologians will be troubled by glaring similarities between MAV technology and fundamentalists predictions of an end-time spiral by mankind into a cataclysmic war where locust-sized weapons are "given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power" (Rev. 9:3).. ......................... read more Face scanners at school gates
A futuristic facial recognition system is being offered to schools to improve security and recognise pupils as they buy lunches and borrow library books. The technology goes beyond systems that British schools have already adopted for the same purpose, which have included ID cards, radio transponder chips embedded in school uniforms, finger-print scanners and iris-scanners. Aurora, a biometric company, will exhibit its “intelligent new face recognition software” for the first time at the Bett education technology show at London’s Olympia, which starts on Wednesday. It is due to begin its first trial of the system at a UK school next week. Students can stand up to a metre away from the device, which could be attached to a wall or balanced on a desk, and have their face scanned with an invisible infra-red light. Aurora said its systems can verify a person in 1.5 seconds, and are more accurate than a human. The device, only 28cm high, is aimed at schools, “for ultra-fast student registration, easy cashless catering and secure access control”.. ......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues Most Protestant Churchgoers Open to Other Denominations
Protestant churchgoers are no more loyal to their denomination than they are to brands of toothpaste or bathroom tissue, reports one research firm. Results from the latest Ellison Research survey, released Monday, show that 16 percent of Protestants are exclusively loyal to their denomination and will only consider attending a church within their current denomination if they were placed in a situation where they had to leave their current church. The rest are open to considering other denominations. Fifty-one percent said they prefer one denomination but are open to others and 33 percent said they do not have any preference for one specific denomination. Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, believes many Protestants are open to other denominations because there are many groups under the Protestant faith, unlike the Roman Catholic tradition. "On the Protestant side, there are scores of different denominations, with some of them fairly similar in practice and theology," he noted. "The story of this research is that many Protestants may not see a lot of difference among some of these denominations. It may not be lack of loyalty so much as it is the presence of so many options that is causing Protestants to be about as loyal to a brand of toothpaste or bathroom tissue as they are to their church denomination." He added, "Protestant denominations are simply facing what most companies face as they try to develop brand loyalty – consumers with many different options who may not perceive strong differences among those options................... read more Christians prepare for evangelism in the new frontier - Cyberspace
Dozens of churches around the world are planning to participate in a special missions trip that involves bringing Christ and His message to a huge community where the Gospel is not the most popular subject. So far, nearly 2,000 teens have signed up for the “Online Missions Trip” to bombard popular social networking sites with stories about God. “This is a two-week opportunity for all of us to bombard Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, whatever social places you go to online, with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” explains Tim Schomoyer, the organizer of the missions trip and youth pastor at Alexandria Covenant Church in Minnesota, in the missions trip’s promotional video. From Feb. 1-14, students from the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Bermuda and elsewhere will use the power of the internet to share Christ with people not only on the other side of the world but across the street and with friends in their school. Pre-“trip” training on how to effectively get messages about Christ out using social networks begins on Jan. 11 and will continue until Jan. 31. During the “trip,” participants will upload videos and photos, post links, and use status updates to share what God is doing in their lives. Participants will also write notes, send messages, post blogs, create invitations to their youth group, and do other things that will help bring God up in a conversation online................ read more Christians Fear Hate Crimes May Become Reality In 2009
A federal "hate crimes" bill that officially is to enhance punishments for "violence motivated by bias that is a relic of slavery" but is feared by Christians as a potential bludgeon against basic biblical teachings has been returned to the congressional agenda by Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas. The proposal had been stymied during the Bush administration by the president's threat of a veto but President-elect Barack Obama's own website has promised an expansion of federal "hate crimes" laws. The bill, the "David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009," has been pending in Congress in one form or another since at least 2007 but never was advanced into law because of stated opposition from President Bush, who found it unneeded and probably unconstitutional. However, the plan by Jackson-Lee, who has advocated for the special protections for those with issues involving "gender identity," already has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary for the 2009 Congress. Many states already have "hate crimes" legislation. A couple running a photography studio in New Mexico has faced thousands of dollars in fines for their decision not to provide photography services to a pair of lesbians because of the Christian beliefs of the studio owners. In Pennsylvania, a 75-year-old grandmother was threatened with prison for advocating a biblical perspective of homosexuality. Former White House insider Chuck Colson, in his Breakpoint commentary, has called such proposals "Thought Crimes" plans. "This bill is not about hate. It's not even about crime. It's about outlawing peaceful speech – speech that asserts that homosexual behavior is morally wrong," he said. .................. read more
9. Other Events To Watch U.S. military report warns 'sudden collapse' of Mexico is possible
Mexico is one of two countries that "bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse," according to a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats. The command's "Joint Operating Environment (JOE 2008)" report, which contains projections of global threats and potential next wars, puts Pakistan on the same level as Mexico. "In terms of worse-case scenarios for the Joint Force and indeed the world, two large and important states bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse: Pakistan and Mexico. "The Mexican possibility may seem less likely, but the government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and press by criminal gangs and drug cartels. How that internal conflict turns out over the next several years will have a major impact on the stability of the Mexican state. Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone." The report is one in a series focusing on Mexico's internal security problems, mostly stemming from drug violence and drug corruption. In recent weeks, the Department of Homeland Security and former U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey issued similar alerts about Mexico....................... read more |
Posts
