News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Fisherman Nets Ancient Statue in Greece

2 hours, 47 minutes ago

ATHENS, Greece - A Greek fisherman has handed over to authorities a large section of an ancient bronze statue brought up in his nets in the Aegean Sea, officials said on Monday.
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The male torso was located last week near the eastern Aegean island of Kalymnos, the Culture Ministry said in an announcement.

The one-meter (3-foot) high find belonged to a statue of a horseback soldier, and would have been part of the cargo of an ancient ship that sank in the area. It was taken to Athens to be cleaned and dated.

Together with the torso, the fisherman brought up two small bronze pieces believed to belong to the statue, and a wine-jar from the ancient city of Knidos — in what is now Turkey — dating from the first century B.C, the ministry said.

The seas around Kalymnos are rich in ancient wrecks and have yielded several impressive finds in recent years, including a large female statue now exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The fisherman who netted it in 1995 earned a euro440,000 (US$558,000) reward from the Culture Ministry.

Other scattered pieces of bronze statues found in the area include a head, legs and arms, but it is unclear whether these could match the horseman's torso.

Fisherman Nets Ancient Statue in Greece

[Shammu]

Archeologists Excavate 2,000-Year-Old Road

By MARIE ZARKA, Associated Press Writer Sat May 6, 8:02 AM ET

PARIS - Deep beneath pavement pounded by tourists on Paris' Left Bank lies an ancient path — a 2,000-year-old Roman road recently excavated during construction work.

Remnants of private houses rigged with baths and ingeniously heated floors were among the findings, now on view in a stunning dig. Over the next few weeks, however, archaeologists will rip up the ruins to make way for a research center.

The archeologists gradually remove every layer of ruins until they reach the geological stratum — the original ground — and eventually draw a chronological diagram.

"Excavating is destroying. We dig into historic layer after historic layer," said Didier Busson, scientific supervisor of the archaeological site.

The discovery, during construction work on the Pierre and Marie Curie University near the famed Sorbonne, offers a window onto one of the many layers of history underpinning this bustling capital.

Archaeologists said it was the first such site discovered in the city — known as Lutetia in pre-Roman and Roman Gaul — from the reign of Roman emperor Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.).

Items from daily life such as flowerpots, ceramics, bronze chains and drawer handles were dug out and will soon be exhibited in museums.

"We are trying to find out about the foundation and founders of the city," Busson said, adding, "It is exceptional that a Parisian site be so well-preserved."

Archeologists are divided over the background of this neighborhood's builders. Most contend that a Gallic aristocracy, recruited by the Roman army to fight in their civil wars, probably came back from the battlefield and settled in the area.

The Romanized returnees built the city according to Roman norms, but used local materials. They were wealthy enough to own a private Roman bath — the jacuzzi of the era — found in one of the houses discovered beneath the university.

The archaeologists identified the various historical layers they uncovered according to the various types of houses they excavated. The first houses were made of clay and straw. Masonry appeared only later and so did tiled roofs — "a major chronological milestone," according to Busson.

This urban compound was built in the first decade of the 1st century, at the end of emperor Augustus's reign, away from the administrative center of the Roman city.

The neighborhood stands on the old "cardo maximus," the Roman main street, which was originally paved for the Romans to cross the nearby Seine River and is today the Rue St. Jacques in Paris' chic 5th arrondissement, or district.

Every excavated layer corresponds to a historic period.

"Paradoxically, a conservation of the sites would prevent us from learning more about ancient Paris," Busson said.

Remnants of the Convent of the Visitation, built on the site in 1632, and a 20th century sewer were found before the Roman ruins were reached, indicating that the site was abandoned between Roman times and the 17th century.

"It's like a mille-feuilles cake," said Francois Renel, Busson's assistant and an archaeologist specialized in antiquities, referring to a pastry with many layers.

The National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research, known by its French acronym INRAP, has been watching out for construction work in the neighborhood since they realized some 25 years ago that the Roman city of Lutetia was much larger than earlier believed.

Whenever construction work in central Paris is planned, archaeologists review the building permits and ask for INRAP's opinion if the site is of interest. An excavation permit is then issued.

Busson's INRAP team started digging at the beginning of March and must be finished by June 30, when the construction work on a new research building starts again.

Archeologists Excavate 2,000-Year-Old Road

[Shammu]

 Estonia ratifies EU constitution
Estonia has become the 15th country in the European Union to complete the parliamentary stage of ratifying the draft European Constitution.

The text was approved by 73 votes in favour, with one vote against in the 101-seat parliament.

Estonia had planned to hold the vote to coincide with Europe Day to send out a message of support for the project.

The vote comes as debate about what to do with the text begins to heat up in the run-up to an EU summit in June.

France and the Netherlands rejected the treaty in referendums last year, but some EU states, including Estonia, think it can be salvaged.

Finland is also expected to ratify the text, designed to streamline EU institutions and improve decision-making in the enlarged 25-member bloc, in the next few weeks.

The EU constitutional treaty has to be endorsed by all 25 members of the enlarged bloc before it comes into force.

Of the 14 states that have finished the parliamentary stage of ratification, 12 have also gone the last step by signing the instruments of ratification.

Two countries, Spain and Luxembourg, have held successful referendums.

Other countries that have promised voters a chance to have their say on the constitution as part of the ratification procedure include two of the most Eurosceptic member states, Denmark and the UK.

Ending the impasse

On Wednesday, the European Commission is to adopt a paper containing its own suggestions for ending the impasse.

Among other things, it will suggest boosting EU-wide co-operation in the fight against terrorism, in order to show citizens that Europe can help solve problems central to citizens' lives.

The EU is divided between countries that think the constitution can be revived in something like its original form, and those that think it is dead.

Leaders agreed in June last year on a "period of reflection" to help soothe tensions.

The debate due at a summit in Brussels this June will be the first serious attempt to discuss possible next steps.

Most observers expect little progress to be made resolving these differences until Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the EU, in the first half of 2007.

The two countries which rejected the constitution, France and the Netherlands, will also have elections next year.

Estonia ratifies EU constitution

[Soldier4Christ]

Osama's exploits south of border
Al-Qaida in league with Mexican radicals in plot to penetrate U.S., says MI6 report

LONDON – Britain's secret intelligence service, MI6, has established the first proof al-Qaida is playing a major role in the new Cold War between North and South America – with Osama bin Laden's terror network seeing itself in league with Mexican subversives in infiltrating the U.S. border.

The evidence emerged as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez swash-buckled into London after scoring a win in yet another venomous battle with Washington for influence and economic advantage across the Latin American continent.

Chavez is in London to meet the capital's anti-Bush mayor, Ken Livingstone, and other prominent British opponents of the war in Iraq. His arrival coincides with the downward spiral politically of Prime Minister Tony Blair – largely over his continued support for Bush.

Downing Street will monitor the Chavez visit closely – not least because he controls the western hemisphere's largest supply of oil reserves. As oil prices soar, Chavez has used the extra profits to reinforce his position with his electorate. He said last week he would seek "indefinite" re-election beyond the constitutional limit of 2014.

Chavez, a 51 year-old paratrooper, descended on London this week and was boosted by the knowledge that his rapidly expanding clout in Southern America could soon see a dramatic shift of power after elections in Peru, Nicaragua and Mexico.

This would result in a standoff between Western oil companies worried about rising oil prices and South American oil producers' new-found enthusiasm for threatening foreign companies with a further hike.

In the words of a MI6 memo, the situation "is a new and dangerous threat to stability that is also being exploited by al-Qaida."

Details of al-Qaeda's penetration into Latin America emerged from documents discovered during recent anti-terrorist operations in Pakistan to try and locate Osama bin Laden.

The documents included evidence that al-Qaida has established links with the Colombian terror group, FARC, and the Shining Path, SL, in Peru. They also reveal al-Qaida's links with thousands of Muslim students in the Dominican Republic.

Another Pakistani document shows the links between al-Qaida and Mexico's Popular Revolutionary Army, EPR. The documents reveal that al-Qaida sees EPR as collaborators in attacks in Mexico on foreign targets – "especially those of the United States and Britain." It also says that EPR can play a key role in allowing al-Qaida operatives to enter the United States through the busiest land crossing in the world – Tijuana.

Another document reveals that along Peru's border with Chile "a large Arab community is providing substantial sums of money for al-Qaida."

But the closest links al-Qaida has are with Venezuela. Exploiting Chavez's latest tirade against the Bush administration, al-Qaida is firmly entrenched in the country.

Before flying to London, Chavez said: "The axis of evil is Washington and its allies around the world who go about threatening, invading and murdering. We are forming the axis of good."

The godfather of that axis is Fidel Castro, Cuba's leader for 45 years. But in support is Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia who last week promised: "I am going to be a nightmare for Washington."

In coming presidential elections the candidates are Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Peru's Ollanta Humala and Andres Lopez of Mexico. The Mexican populist likes to see himself as a mirror image of Chavez and has labelled the country's outgoing president, Vincente Fox, "a puppy of Bush."

The documents discovered in Pakistan have become of prime concern to MI6 – given Britain's substantial holdings in Latin America. These could be seriously damaged by what one MI6 officer called "Chavez and his rogue's gallery of sinister wannabees and corrupt opportunists."

Chavez has so far spectacularly avoided Washington's efforts to curb his ambitions. He has warned Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, "I sting those who rattle me."

It is over threats like that MI6 analysts try to decipher how far Chavez will allow al-Qaida to be his sting master.

Already MI6 say that Venezuela is now one of the main conduits for trafficking drugs to Europe – and al-Qaida is a major player.

From Venezuela the drugs are taken by high-speed ocean-going boats to Africa's West Sahara. The cargoes are run ashore north of the town of Dakhia and trucked overland through Morocco into southern Spain. From there they are smuggled into France, Germany and Britain.

Deep inside their headquarters overlooking the River Thames, the MI6 analysts work in a room that is accessed by a swipe card, the codes of which change regularly.

The room houses the Terrorist Attack Assessment Center. Inside its computer-lined walls and state-of-the-art communications, analysts sit at workstations around the clock. TAAC is directly linked to the Pentagon and the CIA. Both have their versions of TAAC.

The MI6 department regularly updates its director general, John Scarlett. He is the quintessential English spymaster. In his customized suits and hand-stitched cotton shirts, he has a touch of the James Bond about his sartorial elegance.

He is taking a close interest in the documents that indicate how al-Qaida sees Latin America as a continent where it can expand its activities.

MI6 analysts have established that the documents are the work of Ayman al-Zawahiri, a founder member of al-Qaida and accepted by Western intelligence services as its prime strategist next to bin Laden.

Al-Zawahiri studied in Paris and London to become a recognized authority in behavioral psychology. After graduating from Cairo University he traveled widely.

An MI6 file confirms a Mossad profile of the heavily bearded psychiatrist – that he is arrogant and takes an obsessive pleasure watching film of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 – when he first emerged from the shadows to sit alongside bin Laden.

Both MI6 and Mossad believe al-Zawahiri made several visits to Latin America during the last decade.

As Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin first reported in 2003, Pentagon officials have confirmed human smuggling rings in Latin America are attempting to sneak al-Qaida operatives into the U.S.

Before the U.S.-led coalition attacked Iraq, the U.S. State Department offered congressional testimony that both al-Qaida and the Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah were taking firm hold in "America's backyard."

Mark F. Wong, the State Department's acting coordinator for counterterrorism, told the House International Relations Committee about the threat posed by both groups in Latin America.

Yet, then the matter seems to have been dropped – perhaps for diplomatic reasons, perhaps for political reasons.

cont'd

[Soldier4Christ]

But in 2003, G2 Bulletin reported authorities in Silvio Pettirosi International Airport in Asuncion, the Paraguayan capital, reported the arrival of a growing number of visitors carrying European passports, but undoubtedly appearing to be more Middle Eastern than anything else.

Some of these "Europeans" could not even speak the language of their so-called mother land.

There was very little doubt most of these visitors went on to find their way to the triple border region where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. This region, often described as a lawless area, is nicknamed by some intelligence station agents as "The Muslim Triangle meeting zone."

Intelligence experts have been warning since the late 1990s they had noticed a tendency among Islamic terrorists to operate from Paraguay, a landlocked country in the heart of South America, with a territory slightly smaller than California, and with geographic extremes perfect for hiding illegal activities.

G2 Bulletin reported in 2003 the terrorists using Argentina are organized in active cells around the country with safe houses in neighboring Paraguay. An Argentinean document seen by G2B describes part of the drug-smuggling trail, as well as that of weapons and people. These elaborate trails run through a web of border crossings pointing also to the complex cooperation between various "smuggling experts." These belong to jihadi organizations such as al-Qaida, joining forces with local drug lords, developing and oiling their smuggling mechanism all the way to Mexico aiming ultimately to hit the U.S.

The Argentinean intelligence service assessment, privy among others, to European and Middle Eastern agencies, has reached a significant and grave conclusion, according to G2 Bulletin. It claims since 9/11 and the partial success in the war against terrorism, mainly in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Central Asia, the jihadi pendulum is tilting more and more toward South America. The reason terrorist cells in Paraguay, whether active or dormant, can continue to grow and flourish, is because of widespread corruption in South America.

The lawlessness and disorder in Paraguay, enabled operatives of such terrorist groups as al-Qaida, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas to feel safe, even in the heart of Asuncion. These organizations, and probably more, turned Paraguay into a logistical base, as one local journalist told G2 Bulletin: "It's easy. At this stage our country is not engulfed in a civil war or guerrilla campaign and, therefore, security forces are more prone to financial kickbacks."

The terrorists even get some official support in Latin America, according to some sources. As WorldNetDaily reported, a Venezuelan military defector claims Venezuela's Chavez developed ties to terrorist groups such as al-Qaida – even providing it with $1 million in cash after Sept. 11, 2001.

Air Force Maj. Juan Diaz Castillo, who was Chavez's pilot, told WorldNetDaily through an interpreter that "the American people should awaken and be aware of the enemy they have just three hours' flight from the United States."

Diaz said he was part of an operation in which Chavez gave $1 million to al-Qaida for relocation costs, shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

[nChrist]

Here is the content of that letter brother............

         That might be arranged shortly. It sure would be nice of him to call a terrorist convention and have a bunch of them in the same place.

[Shammu]

        That might be arranged shortly. It sure would be nice of him to call a terrorist convention and have a bunch of them in the same place.

You mean like this brother.............................

[nChrist]

      Dreamweaver, that would be the perfect scenario if there was an auditorium full of their main henchmen and ALL of the world's most wanted terrorists. I think that 20 to 30 thousand special invitations would do it. That was a good cartoon and I had to add it to my collection.

[Shammu]

The Muslim world's new martyrs

By Richard Z. Chesnoff

   
 It's one of today's most compelling news stories, yet it's all but ignored by most of the international media. I'm talking about the growing persecution of Christian minorities in the Islamic world.


It briefly made headlines last month when machete-armed Egyptian fanatics attacked worshipers in three Coptic churches in Alexandria and murdered one aged man at prayer. Then of course, there was March — when an Afghan man escaped a death sentence for the "crime" of converting to Christianity. But how many people heard about the recent arrest and jailing in Saudi Arabia of a group of Filipino guest workers for holding Christian prayer services in the privacy of their home? Or who knows about the three Sunday School teachers charged in Indonesia last year with the crime of "Christianization" and summarily sentenced to three years in prison?


The story is similar wherever Sharia — orthodox Islamic law — reigns supreme. From Pakistan to Darfur, Christians have become regular targets for Islamic gangs who shoot at worshipers, then torch their houses of worship.


Even in Islamic countries not strictly run by Sharia law, pressures mount on local Christians to leave the homes they've known for centuries. Iraq's Christian sects, among the oldest Christian communities anywhere in the world, have been directly targeted by terrorist bombs, and Christians are now high on the list of those fleeing Iraq's sectarian strife. Thirty years ago, Lebanon was 60% Christian. Since then, an estimated 3.5 million Christians have emigrated, reducing the country's Christian population percentage to barely 25%. And in the Palestinian territories, direct and indirect pressures have also led to an increasing Christian exodus. One striking result: Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and once a predominantly Christian Arab community now has an overwhelming Muslim majority.


Few people seem prepared to connect the dots. Some American evangelical groups like the Washington-based International Christian Concern try to raise the alarm. And America's Copts, especially those based in the New York area, actively lobby against the legal and social discrimination that face their Egyptian co-religionists. Yet most mainstream church groups seem to ignore the threat.


During certain periods, Islamic countries did allow "the peoples of the book" to live in relative peace among them. But the rise of Islamic extremism is silencing even voices of limited tolerance. More than 800,000 Jews were forced to flee the Islamic world between 1948 and 1955. Unless there is an outcry against the new wave of discrimination now facing Christians, these ancient communities are also doomed to disappear.

The Muslim world's new martyrs

[Shammu]

Scientists warn of solar storm threat

Updated Thu. May. 4 2006 10:19 AM ET

Valerie Iancovich , DiscoveryChannel.ca

"The heavens assumed an almost blood red appearance, while here and there long streaks of light shot up from the horizon to the zenith," The New York Herald reported after the solar storm of 1859. Scientists say in less than a decade, it will likely happen again on a more devastating scale.

As the world scrambles to prepare for hurricanes and earthquakes of unprecedented strength, some scientists say the sun poses an equal threat, with predictions calling for a 2012 sun storm of immense proportions.

If the idea of a solar storm sounds too much like the stuff of sci-fi, consider this: a single large solar flare has a million times more energy than the largest earthquake, according to Space.com.

The vast space between the Earth and the Sun is filled with electrically-charged particles, radiation, magnetic fields, and electromagnetic energy that could play havoc with Earth in the event of elevated solar output.

The last great solar super storm was 145 years ago. But, this event provides little context given our very recently-adopted dependence on satellite-based technologies.

Last month, experts convened in Colorado during Space Weather Week (April 25-28) to discuss the issues surrounding the approaching 2012 event. If the storm turns out to be at the same scale as the one in 1859, economic disaster would ensue, with immediate costs around the $20 billion mark.

Sten Odenwald of the QSS Corp., based at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt predicts that in the 2012 storm will kill only the oldest of the 300 geosynchronous Earth-orbiting (GEO) satellites. However the storm would likely reduce the life of all the other satellites by five to 10 years.

These longer-term problems would add tens of billions of dollars more over the years, Odenwald says. The GEO satellites alone generate about $97 billion US in revenue each year.

A solar superstorm could also:

· force about 100 low Earth-orbiting spacecraft to undergo earlier-than-normal reentry

· disrupt Global Positioning Systems the world over

· force the International Space Station to lose altitude

Scientists warn of solar storm threat

[Shammu]

Israel responsible for PA collapse

Scathing report issued by Phycisians for Human Rights organization says Palestinian healthcare system collapsing because of aid cuts, Israel curfews; report warns Israel will be held responsible for collapse by international community
Ali Waked

The Palestinian health system is facing meltdown as a result of international aid cuts and the curfew imposed by Israel on the Palestinian Authority, part of its effort to boycott the Hamas government.

The latest humanitarian alarm was sounded on Tuesday in a report by the Physicians for Human Rights organization – a non-profit organization whose goal is to safeguard health-related rights of people living in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The report said the Palestinian Health Ministry is supplying only 64 percent of the total services to Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. PA hospitals are dealing with 77 percent of emergency treatments and 76 percent of medical treatments for women.

The Palestinian medical care system also lacks the means to treat life threatening illnesses like cancer, the report said. Cancer patients are deprived of proper diagnosis and operations to remove cancer tumors in the eye and the uterus.

Cardiology is the most hit branch of medicine hit by the financial crisis in the PA as breast operations, heart operations for children, angioplasties and other cardiological procedures are unavailable.

The report said, however, that a large majority of Palestinian children are immunized in Israel. Dozens of Palestinian children suffering from various illnesses were treat at the Sheba Medical Center last year, costing the Palestinian Authority NIS 3 million (USD 666,666). Last year the PA paid NIS 30 million (USD 6.6 million) in hospital bills to Israeli medical centers.

The report warned that the collapse of the PA Health Ministry could spell disaster for many Palestinian patients.

The organization noted that the transfer of the ministry's responsibility to the World Health Organization and non-profit humanitarian organizations is impossible in the short term.

"In the short term, Israel will bear direct responsibly for the repercussions of the collapse of the social system in general and the health system in particular," the organization said.

The body said that under the Oslo agreement Israel is responsible for the Palestinian health system, as it control water supplies to Palestinian areas and has the power to limit the freedom of movement of the Palestinians.

The report said the should the Palestinian health system collapse due to Israel's decision to halt the transfer of customs revenues to the PA and pressuring foreign donors to curb aid, the Jewish state will have to fund health care costs of 3.5 million Palestinians.

Why is my cancer-ridden son a security threat?

The latest sufferer of Israel's policies is cancer patient Ahmad Hinawi, 26, of Gaza. Hinawi was diagnosed with throat cancer half a year ago and has been receiving chemotherapy treatment at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital until he was banned entry to Israel this month.

His father Akram told Ynet: "At the beginning the Israelis were very courteous, at the IDF District Coordination Office (DCO) and at Ichilov they treated us with utmost respect and we thanked them from our hearts for the treatment which kept my son alive.

A coupe of weeks ago the DCO reused Ahmad entry to Israel.

"Has my son become a security threat overnight as to refuse him entry to Israel? We are victims of Israel policy to put pressure on Hamas. After all we are people in need of medical treatment," Akram said.

In yet another sign of the worsening humanitarian situation in the territories, the Shifa hospital in Gaza reported that three dialysis patients died this week due to drug shortages.

Dr. Ibrahim al-Habash, the hospital's manager, told Ynet that the situation will worsen if the aid boycott remains in place. "There isn't enough equipment and there is no money to buy medicine. As a result the curfew pressure on our hospital is mounting as a lot of patients have been referred for external treatment," he said.

Israel responsible for PA collapse

[Shammu]

U.S. to Give Medical Aid to Palestinians Through U.N., Aid Groups
Tuesday, May 09, 2006

UNITED NATIONS — The United States bowed to pressure from its allies on Tuesday and agreed to support a new program to temporarily funnel additional humanitarian aid directly to the Palestinian people.

A statement by Mideast peacemakers, issued after a day of closed-door diplomatic meetings, did not suggest precisely how much or what kind of aid they would provide. But the agreement seemed to underscore a concern that months of withholding most aid from the Palestinians, part of an effort to pressure the new Hamas-led government toward a more accommodating stance with Israel, was harming the Palestinian people.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the European Union would take the lead in the new effort. The United Nations and Russia, the other partners in the Quartet peacemaking group along with the U.S., also endorsed the program.

"The thrust of this is the international community is still trying to respond to the needs of the Palestinian people," Rice said.

The U.S. and European Union have cut off much of the aid that had flowed in the past to Palestinian programs to prevent any of it from helping Hamas, the militant Islamic group that has conducted numerous terrorist attacks.

U.S. to Give Medical Aid to Palestinians Through U.N., Aid Groups

[Soldier4Christ]

MSM Says Ahmadinejad Seeking To Bond With Bush


I was trying to ignore the idiotic letter from Iran’s president, but it looks like the story has legs about 18 pages long.

    The document gives rare insight into a man who has largely been a mystery to the West, showing him as fixated on a long list of grievances against the United States and seeking to build on a shared faith in God…
    On Tuesday, Ahmadinejad called his letter “words and opinions of the Iranian nation” aimed at finding a “way out of problems” facing humanity, according to the official Iranian news agency.
    Yet its only proposal is an invitation, over the letter’s last several pages, to join in with those believers who adhere to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism, and human dignity. Ahmadinejad quotes the Quran throughout, reminding Bush that everyone will someday face God for judgment…
    In places, he strikes a soft, almost fatherly stance. On its first page, Ahmadinejad strikes a tone of a man who is troubled by a friend’s actions and decides to sit down and give him a little advice.

All I have to say is that the American people know better than to take this madman’s words at face value. It is sad that the MSM doesn’t. You can always count on someone in the media to cuddle up to those that hate America.

Rightwing Nuthouse notices the liberal talking points in the letter.

    There is very little commentary on the left so far about not only what the letter means but what’s in it. This is hardly surprising. When an American hater like Ahmadinejad starts sounding exactly like the President’s opponents, it pays not to advertise that fact for reasons of electoral survival.

    But if I were a lefty, I wouldn’t worry. After all, most of the media has your back on this issue and will be extraordinarily careful in not mentioning the similarities between you and a deadly enemy of the United States.

[Soldier4Christ]

Mass Re-Enlistment Counters MSM/DNC Memes


In a story so far unreported outside of Colorado, soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, a unit that has borne the brunt of fighting and suffered heavy casualties in Iraq, participated in a mass re-enlistment ceremony last Friday.

From the Denver Post:

    Fort Carson - A year ago, as Iraqi fighters detonated a bomb that shattered his convoy, Army Sgt. Gene Braxton led survivors scrambling out of their Humvees in the hot dusty haze to hunt for the triggermen.

    Five months later, a bigger roadside bomb rocked the armored vehicle Braxton was in. Reeling from a concussion, he dragged a wounded buddy to safety.

    Back in Colorado, Braxton has re-enlisted and will undergo parachute jump training in preparation for a possible third stint of combat duty in Iraq.

    The 26-year-old is among 640 Colorado-based 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment soldiers who, in an unusually large mass re-enlistment, have extended their military service. Hundreds participated in a re-enlistment ceremony Friday, standing bolt straight on the shiny wood floor in a Fort Carson gym, raising their right hands and swearing they’d do anything to support and defend the United States.

Of course, this story can’t be “real” because Brian Williams hasn’t reported it on the Nightly News (note heavy sarcism here).

[Soldier4Christ]

Will U.S. Embassy in Iran become 'Great Satan Park'?
Top commander wants new chapter for 'former American Den of Spies'


Tourists and thrillseekers in Iran could have a new attraction in downtown Tehran: the former United States Embassy being converted into a "Great Satan Park."

A top Iranian commander is calling for the creation of such a theme park at the one-time location U.S. facility, which has seen a troubled history dating back to the Carter administration of the 1970s.

"We would be able to nicely show off the American crimes to citizens strolling in the park," General Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. "The former American Den of Spies should become the park of Great Satan."

Bagherzadeh is in charge of the Sacred Defense Foundation, a propaganda organ originally created to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

The property is perhaps best known from 1979 news footage, when in the wake of Iran's Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah, the embassy was taken over by Islamist students, with 52 staffmembers taken hostage for 444 days.

The downtown location is now used for military training by Iran's ideological army, the Revolutionary Guards, while the main building also serves as a museum to display the "documents of American espionage and crimes against the Islamic Republic of Iran.