News, Prophecy and other

[Soldier4Christ]

Concerning Hekmatyar (RR: this is Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Islamic Party, a faction that vied for control of Afghanistan before the Taliban victory and has been tied to continued insurgent attacks) I delivered him your letter and his reply was positive for "they are our brothers" (RR: Fazlur Rahman apparently delivered a note from the VP of Iraq to Hekmatyar). But in this case the news from Hekmatyar is that he still has contacts against us so how can we have trust between each other (RR: probably how can the Afghani factions unite). We wish to see Afghanistan as an independent country. We will basically agree with them and later the details will come after Afghanistan is under our control. His (Hekmatyar) answer was positive and he thanks Iraq for its role in this matter (RR: probably for helping as intermediary between him and the Taliban).

Vice-President: Afghanistan has a domestic issue but now we have some insight about it and we feel pain for what is happening. Iraq is the first country which objected to Russia's entering Afghanistan with a "liberating" message, and is this the way you (Russians) are going to deal with the countries you have a friendship agreement with? The Russians were not happy about the message we sent them. Most important is that the situation settles in Afghanistan and that the bleeding between brothers stops. It is better that Afghanistan solves his own problems and not depend on foreign countries.

(Probably Rahman) I support that Afghanistan and the Taliban, from a religious stand point, do not hand over bin Laden

(Probably the VP) The agreement between Afghani parties should not be delayed because the US policy is to keep the world in trouble.

(At the end of page 21, right side)

Fazlur Rahman: One more time concerning Afghanistan I have a suggestion that a delegation should visit Kandahar and a schedule should be set concerning this issue

Vice-President: We will study this in the future.

(Page 21 left side, top.)

Vice-President: Last time you saw Mullah Omar?

Fazlur Rahman: Last July and I proposed to him the subject that I was assigned to and I wanted to meet Mr. President (Saddam Hussein).

Vice-President: I gave Mr. President an overview about Afghanistan and its issues.

End Translation

Analysis:

This document appears to provide evidence that in 1999 the Taliban welcomed "Islamic relations with Iraq" to mediate between the Taliban, the Northern Alliance and Russia. It seems to provide evidence that the Taliban invited Iraqi officials to Afghanistan. According to this notebook, the Taliban did this via Maulana Fazlur Rahman. The notebook later mentions that another man, Fazlur Rahman Khalil, was visiting Iraq as well, although no transcript of that meeting is provided.

There is another document in the Saddam archive that mentions the relationship of Fazlur Rahman to the Taliban and Saddam. It was captured in Afghanistan and used by the U.S. Army in a report about Al Qaeda. The document is posted under the identifying Harmony number AFGP-2002-601693 at the West Point Combating Terrorism Center. The posted translation is described as a July 26, 2002 four-page typed letter from Abu Mus'ab to Abu Mohammed (apparently Al Qaeda or Taliban operatives) in reply to his inquiry about the status of jihad, or holy war, in Afghanistan:

After my release I found that people came from the Sudan and everywhere, and began fighting alongside the Taliban movement, which for Pakistan was a substitute for Hikmatyar. Everyone, even children in the streets knew that they were created and controlled by Pakistan. Their leader Fadhlurahman is a friend of Banazeer, Saddam and Qaddafi. They comprise of the veteran sheikhs (religious scholars) from the schools of Mujaddidi and Mohammed Nabi such as Sheikh Mohammed ‘Omar the movement leader

(Translator "Sammi" note: Fazlur can also be translated as Fadhlur)

This second source emphasizes the connection of Fazlur Rahman to Mullah Omar, which is a long-established friendship. Therefore, we believe the West Point document is referring to Maulana Fazlur Rahman instead of Fazlur Rahman Khalil.

So what is the relationship between Maulana Fazlur Rahman and the Taliban and Al Qaeda? Rahman often is described in news articles as the father or godfather of the Taliban. It seems clear that Rahman was close to Al Qaeda through his friend Mullah Omar, who sheltered Usama bin Laden prior to the allied invasion of Afghanistan. A leading news Web site in India has a 2003 article entitled Beware the Maulana! . It gives an extensive history of Rahman and explains how he helped to organize the men that would later become the Taliban under his friend Mullah Omar. It also describes links to Al Qaeda:

Since 9/11, US suspicions of the Maulana have worsened because of the active role played by the HUM [Translator's note: Harakat ul-Mujahidin] under the name HUM (Al Alami International) and the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami in the terrorist strikes against French and American nationals in Karachi and Islamabad. There were reports before the U.S. invasion of Iraq that HUM had sent its cadres to Saudi Arabia under the cover of Haj pilgrims and that they were to infiltrate into Iraq to start a jihad against US troops. When an injured bin Laden escaped into Pakistan from Afghanistan in early 2002, Mufti Shamzai, Fazlur Rahman's protégé, gave him shelter at the Binori madrasa in Karachi till last August.

Five Pakistani jihadi organizations are members of bin Laden's International Islamic Front — HUM, HUJI, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Of these, HUM, HUJI, JEM and LEJ are close to the Maulana. (Note RR - the HUM leader is/was Fazlur Rahman Khalil and it is/was part of a coalition led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman.)

The Institute for Afghan Studies has on its Web site a report of a Deobandi conference held in April, 2001, in Pakistan, organized by Maulana Fazlur Rahman. It states: "The highlight of the three-day conference near Peshawar from April 8 to April 11 was the prominence given to the messages of Qadhafi (RR: Muammar al Qaddafi), the Taleban leader Mullah Omar and the international terrorist, Usama bin Laden." The report indicates the conference "concluded after adopting resolutions challenging the hegemony of the U.S. and its allies in world; demanding an end to U.N. sanctions against Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, and early withdrawal of U.S.-led Western troops from Arab lands."

As mentioned previously, the notebooks mentions Fazlur Rahman Khalil as a visitor to Baghdad. A good description of Fazlur Rahman Khalil can be found at the Terrorism Knowledge Base.

Fazlur Rehman Khalil, former leader of Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM), is one of the most important and prominent terrorists in Pakistan. A student of the radical Binori madrassah in Karachi, Khalil has strong ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. He is one of five signatories of Usama bin Laden's 1998 fatwa which attempted to induce Muslims worldwide to kill Americans whenever the opportunity arose. He is a mentor to many members of the Taliban. This mentorship is the result of the extensive network of Al Qaeda-associated training camps which he has established throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Kashmir.

When the HUM came under Pakistani scrutiny, Khalil re-named it Jamiat ul-Ansar, which matches the annotation in the notebook, "Leader of the Ansar Movement." Khalil was named as the recruiter of two Al Qaeda suspects arrested in California last year.

As the terrorism Knowledge Base Web site mentions, Khalil also was a signatory of the notorious 1998 bin Laden fatwa that declared war against all Americans:

On that basis, and in compliance with Allah's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims: The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies — civilians and military — is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it

The fatwa was signed by five men:

Shaykh Usamah bin-Muhammad bin-Ladin
Ayman al-Zawahiri, amir of the Jihad Group in Egypt
Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha, Egyptian Islamic Group
Shaykh Mir Hamzah, secretary of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Pakistan
Fazlur Rahman, amir of the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh (Note RR: this is widely accepted to be Khalil, though he did not sign with the third name.)

cont'd

[Soldier4Christ]

Two captured documents — this notebook and the West Point document — seem to provide evidence of the same link between Maulana Fazlur Rahman and the Saddam regime, one captured in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan. The document captured in Afghanistan was used in a Combating Terrorism Center at West Point study about Al Qaeda indicating high confidence in its authenticity. The fact that two private communications captured in different countries with different authors make the same point is a good indicator that each is genuine. It thus lends creditability to the notebook that also indicates an Usama bin Laden associate was scheduled to visit Iraq.

Why would the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda turn to secular Saddam for help? Many commentators have stated that collusion between the two was impossible because of diametric religious and political beliefs. But if you examine the historical context of this document, a clear picture of a desperate Taliban comes through.

This meeting appears to have taken place a few weeks after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf took over the Pakistani government in a coup that threatened to remove Pakistan's key support for the Taliban. Russia and Iran were supporting the Northern Alliance at war with the Taliban in Afghanistan. At this time it also was widely reported in Pakistan that US forces were about to attack Afghanistan to get Usama. The U.N. and even Arab conferences were making clear their grievances with the Taliban. This is a time when the Taliban and its associates (like both Fazlurs) in the North West Frontier province of Pakistan had few friends.

This series of threats may have spurred the Taliban to seek out Saddam, a mutual enemy of the U.S. and friend of the Russians, if a prior relationship between Saddam and the Taliban did not already exist. Thus, it seems Maulana Fazlur Rahman is a lynch-pin of the relationship between the Saddam regime, the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

The strong ties between Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and their joint responsibility for terrorism, are clear and well documented. This translated notebook segment provides possible evidence that the Saddam regime and the Taliban were planning diplomatic and possibly operational ties with each other. Independent research indicates Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Fazlur Rahman Khalil were both close to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The Maulana asked the Saddam regime to mediate with the Taliban's enemies to take off some of the pressure. A fair question is what would Saddam have wanted in return? One possible answer is the only thing the Taliban had left to offer: Islamic Jihad and extremists operating for his interests from outside Iraq. Other translations from this notebook appear to expose a commitment between the Saddam regime and the Taliban that goes beyond mediation in order to increase support among Islamic Jihad groups for Iraq via a secret intelligence relationship with the Taliban.

Epilogue:

In researching this article a version of the translation was originally posted at Ray Robison's personal Web site on the morning of March, 28, 2006. According to the Italian news Web site adnki.com, on the night of March 28, 2006, a few hours after the translation was posted, Fazlur Rahman Khalil was kidnapped, beaten and left for dead near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Commentators on this incident indicate that Khalil had a security detail and only a high level and trusted source could have had access to him.

The author welcomes your comment on the translation and analysis of this document. You can contact Ray Robison by emailing him at: saddamdossier@gmail.com.

Glossary:

Maulana — Islamic religious title

Maulana Fazlur Rahman (alternate spellings: Fadl Ur, Fadlur for Fazlur; Rehman for Rahman) — a Pakistani cleric and politician, and the head of a group of Islamic political parties. He is the subject of the meeting. It is widely claimed that he helped create the Taliban and is good friends with Mullah Omar. He seems to be more of a political operative involved with securing state support for madrassas (religious schools), Jihad camps, and the Taliban. He was a Pakistan Foreign Office official and diplomat.

Fazlur Rahman Khalil (alternate spellings Fadl Ur, Fadlur for Fazlur; Rehman for Rahman) — is a Pakistani cleric directly involved with the operations of madrassas in Pakistan, recruiting terrorists, a known bin Laden associate and cosigner of the 1998 fatwa against the U.S. He seems to be more of a hands-on terrorist trainer, unlike the other Rahman, who is a diplomat. He controlled one of the political parties that were grouped together under the Maulana Rahman. His meeting is not recorded but he is noted for a visit to Iraq. He is close enough to Al Qaeda to be considered an Al Qaeda operative. Two men arrested in California claim to be Al Qaeda recruited by Rahman.

Taha Yassin Ramadan — one of two of Saddam's vice presidents, noted for his ruthless enforcement of Saddam's orders, and for suspicion of meeting with Ayman al Zawahri in 1998.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — Mujahideen leader helped to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan, then vied for control with the Taliban.

At the time of this writing, the authors of this article have not identified the other men annotated in this meeting or the author of the notebook other than by name.

[Soldier4Christ]

 War Rages Between Fatah and Hamas


 Hundreds of Arab militia men loyal to Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas went on a shooting rampage against the Hamas-led government Monday night, showering the parliament and Cabinet buildings in Ramallah with bullets. Fatah members destroyed the windows of the parliament building and then invaded the Cabinet building, where they smashed computers and furniture, and disheveled documents.

No casualities are being reported in what is being called an act of revenge against Hamas gunmen who attacked Fatah members in Gaza. Abbas troops loyal to him on full alert.

In southern Gaza, an Arab passerby was shot and killed in an exchange of fire on Monday between Hamas and Fatah members.

[Soldier4Christ]

Dubai mum on ports transfer
No reported progress on promise to sell U.S. operation

Dubai Ports World – the United Arab Emirates-owned company at the center of a national security controversy earlier this year – has not yet kept its promise to sell its operations in the U.S. to an American company.

No announcements have been made by DP World identifying potential purchasers, and the company's spokesmen have no comment when pressed for details of any divestiture transactions that may be under consideration.

In March, with Congress moving to overrule the White House, DP World announced it would give up its management stake in a deal to operate some of the terminals at U.S. ports and transfer it to an American entity.

On March 9, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., announced on the Senate Floor that the divestiture would proceed in an "orderly fashion" so as not to suffer "economic loss."

On March 15, a publicist for DP World's U.S. subsidiary P&O Ports of North America, Christy Moran, indicated the firm would be operated separately from DP World in accordance with the agreement announced to Congress.

However, Moran told WND Friday the divestiture had not yet taken place.

"DP World is still on track with the March 15 announcement that it would take four to six months to complete the sales process," she said.

WND asked Moran about press speculation that DP World would not sell the U.S. ports operations of P&O but would form a separate subsidiary and continue to own the U.S. operations.

"There are many options on the table," Moran said, "but that is just pure speculation."

When pressed if the option to form a subsidiary was still on the table, Moran responded, "There's no comment on that."

WND also asked Moran if DP World would sell the units at a loss if that were the only viable option within the six-month time period, ending in mid-September.

"DP World still feels the U.S. ports operation is an attractive business," Moran answered, "and the number of parties that have already expressed interest is significant."

Moran stressed DP World continues to believe the company will receive a good offer and the U.S. ports operation will be sold in the time frame required.

Moran refused to reveal any of the companies that might bid, though she said there was interest from a broad range of U.S. buyers.

On March 10, DP World chairman Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem told the Gulf Times that as many as 100 companies have expressed an interest in buying the U.S. ports operations business.

"There are bids from everywhere, we are analyzing them," he asserted, although he declined to name the firms supposedly making these bids. The U.S. ports operations of the P&O assets are estimated to be worth $700 million.

In recent interviews, Mohammed Sharaf, the director-general of DP World characterized the congressional upset over the purchase of P&O as a "temporary setback."

Without specifying why he believes new legislation in the U.S. Congress will change the situation, Sharaf remains confident DP World will operate in the U.S.

"Once the process is changed and new legislation comes in, then we are ready to go back," he told Agence France-Presse last month. "It all depends on the Americans, what sort of legislation they come up with. … This is the world's largest economy. How can you just ignore it?"

[Soldier4Christ]

Cuba Cuts Off Power to U.S. Mission

The Cuban government cut off electricity to the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana a week ago, and U.S. requests for power to be restored have gone unanswered, the State Department said Monday.

The facility has been operating with generator power.

Work at the mission continues, including interviews of refugees and outreach programs for the Cuban people, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"I would just say that the bullying tactics of the Castro regime aren't going to work," he added.

He said Cuban authorities also reduce the availability of water to the mission from time to time.

McCormack said he suspects that the decision to cut the power was in response to efforts by the mission to provide information to the Cuban people.

"That, of course, is not something that the Castro regime takes kindly to," he said.

In January, President Fidel Castro complained about use of the U.S. mission to carry human rights messages to passersby on outdoor electronic signs.

Castro called the signs provocations.

[Soldier4Christ]

Kerry to introduce Iraq withdrawal plan

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will this week introduce legislation to pull the majority of U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of 2006, his office announced.

Kerry will offer an amendment to the 2007 defense authorization bill.

The recent trend in Iraq has been to increase rather than decrease American troops. Earlier this month the U.S. military announced that 3,500 troops -- two battalions of a brigade that was being held in Kuwait as a back up force -- had been deployed to Anbar province, the heart of the insurgency. Those battalions joined another that had already been called forward to Baghdad.

Kerry's amendment would hinge on establishing a schedule with the Iraqi government.

"This will legitimize the new Iraqi government, enable the Iraqis to become more self-reliant, and undermine support for the insurgency," the announcement from his office said.

Under Kerry's plan, not all U.S. troops would leave Iraq. Those "essential to completing the mission of standing up Iraqi security forces would remain," the announcement said.

The United States would maintain presence in the region "to prosecute the war on terror and protect regional security interests."

Finally, his amendment will call on President George W. Bush to convene a summit including the new Iraqi government, leaders of the governments of each country bordering Iraq, representatives of the Arab League, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, representatives of the European Union, and leaders of the governments of each permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to reach reach an agreement on Iraq's fundamental political challenges -- whether and how the country will be federalized along geographic lines, how oil revenues are to be divided, what to do about sectarian militias, security guarantees, reconstruction, economic assistance and border security, Kerry's office said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Iran welcome in China's new sphere
Rowan Callick, China correspondent



IRAN'S controversial President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is flying to Shanghai tomorrow to take part in a summit that will seal China's plans to lead an Asian rival to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation - whose meeting has forced the shutdown of much of the city this week - is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and is preparing to expand its membership well beyond the present China, Russia and four strategic central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui refused at a briefing yesterday to disclose the countries that wished to become observers or full members, beyond saying: "A lot of countries in Asia and other continents have applied, demonstrating the SCO is broadening its influence."

Other leaders who will attend the summit include the presidents of Pakistan and Mongolia - formal observer states, like Iran and India - and Afghanistan.

Most of the members share a huge potential - and, in China's case, an appetite - for increased energy production. India is sending its Oil and Gas Minister.

In the past, they have also shared a focus on combating Islamist terror. But Iran's participation in this summit and its eagerness to become a full member appear to point the organisation in a different direction: a corral of countries capable of countering Western influence.

Mr Li, while claiming the organisation was "very transparent", was unable to disclose items on the agenda. He said he had not been briefed on whether China, Russia and Iran would discuss separately the current international controversy over Iran's nuclear ambitions. "To China, this is one of the most important diplomatic events of this year. The organisation is developing and getting stronger," he said.

President Hu Jintao will chair the summit.

The group's foreign and defence ministers and parliamentary speakers have already held meetings this year, as the pace of enmeshment accelerates. The organisation's members have begun holding joint military exercises, most recently in March in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and next year in Russia.

Such exercises are "crucial for combat against the three evil forces", said Mr Li - separatism, terrorism and extremism.

Last week SCO secretary-general Zhang Deguang told journalists in Beijing, when questioned about the participation of Iran: "We cannot abide other countries calling our observer nations sponsors of terror. We would not have invited them if we believed they sponsored terror."

The SCO's charter speaks of creating "a new international political and economic order".

David Wall, a research associate for Cambridge University's East Asia Institute, wrote recently in The Japan Times that the SCO states' "only common denominators are a communist past or present, and autocratic to ruthless dictatorial governments". He said it had become "an important multilateral institution of global geopolitical significance". At last year's summit, Beijing and Moscow initiated discussion about the fate of American bases in central Asia. The resulting statement said: "As the active military phase in the anti-terror operation in Afghanistan is nearing completion, it is time to decide on the deadline for the use of temporary infrastructure and for their military contingents' presence" in member countries.

Uzbekistan has since asked the US military to leave but Kyrgyzstan continues to host a base.

Through the SCO, China has developed connections that will ensure at least some of the massive oil and gas reserves in central Asia flow east and not west. It has extended loans and made growing investments in the "-stan" economies, as part of its careful cultivation of the region, and is stepping up its purchases of Iranian oil, this year reaching 13per cent of all its oil imports.

Mr Hu and President Saparmurat Niazov of Turkmenistan, a country not yet in the SCO, recently signed an agreement on a pipeline to take gas to China via Uzbekistan.

A gas pipeline is also being built from Kazakhstan to China. And China is building a railway linking Uzbekistan to its own western Xinjiang province, passing through Kyrgyzstan.

[Soldier4Christ]

North Korea threatens to "punish" US over spy flights

 North Korea's Air Force Command has threatened to "punish" the United States for its spy flights over the communist state, recalling the fate of a US Navy plane it shot down 37 years ago.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the air force said that a US RC-135 reconnaissance plane had made flights over its territorial waters on June 6, 8 and 10.

 Describing the alleged US espionage flights as "openly crying out for a preemptive attack" on the communist state, the command warned of a possible repeat of 1969, when it shot down another US Navy plane, killing all 31 crew.

"The (North Korean) Air Force seriously warns the US imperialists that it will sternly punish the aggressors if their planes continue illegally intruding into the sky ... on espionage missions," it said.

"They had better not forget the miserable end EC-121 met in the 1960s."

North Korean fighters shot the reconnaissance plane down off the country's east coast in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in April 1969.

Another US-North Korean incident occurred when North Korea fired missiles at an SR-71 spy plane in August 1981. The "Blackbird" jet was undamaged.

North Korea has been sensitive to US spy flights, with its media citing military sources as issuing a monthly report on US aerial espionage. Sunday's statement was rare in that it was issued in the name of the Air Force Command.

North Korea has claimed the United States is preparing to invade the communist country despite repeated US denials.

The two sides are locked in a standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

During six-way talks in September, North Korea agreed in principle to dismantle its weapons program in exchange for diplomatic and economic benefits and security guarantees.

But North Korea has boycotted the talks since November when it said US financial sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over allegations of money laundering were blocking progress.

Pyongyang has said it would return to talks -- which involve both Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- only after the sanctions are lifted.

[Soldier4Christ]

Globalists back China in auto exports to U.S.
Soros, Strong to invest hundreds of millions in American dump of cheap 'Cherys' next year

George Soros, the billionaire who bankrolled Moveon.org, and Maurice Strong, a major backer of the United Nations and environmentalist causes, are considering pouring hundreds of millions into a Chinese state automaker with plans to begin dumping cheap exports on the U.S. market next year, WND has learned.

The "Chery" is a knockoff of the South Korean Spark, sold in the U.S. in partnership with General Motors. GM filed a lawsuit against Chery Automobile Co. for piracy of the car developed by its South Korean affiliate Daewoo.

The lawsuit, launched in the name of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. Ltd, contends Chery's QQ copied the design of Daewoo's Matiz, while Chery claims it developed the QQ on its own. GM's investigation results showed the two vehicles "shared remarkably identical body structure, exterior design, interior design and key components."

Meanwhile, the Chery QQ sells in China for $3,600.Chery sold about 50,000 of these last year in China and is planning to begin exporting cars to the end of 2007. Some auto industry analysts suggest the low price on the Chery is the partly the result of the "borrowed" technology and design.

Until now, Chery has focused on exports to 10 other countries, including Iran, Iraq, Bangladesh, Cuba, Syria and Malaysia. But now, with the help of at least two prominent mega-investors – Soros and Strong – China is making big plans for a major push into the North American market.

The marketing genius behind the push is Malcolm Bricklin, best known for the failed 1980s effort to promote the Yugo in America. The list price on the Chery is expected to be around $20,000 in the U.S.

The plan is to sell 250,000 Cherys in the U.S. in the first year through 250 dealerships, with a target of 1 million by 2010.

Most Americans are familiar with the name Soros because of his involvement in U.S. presidential politics in 2004. Less familiar to them is Canadian Maurice Strong.

He served as secretary-general of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit conference. He also served as special adviser to the U.N. secretary-general on reform years before the oil-for-food scandal.

Strong made his fortune in oil and utilities, but is a self-described socialist. he once said that for humanity to survive, it may be necessary "for industrial civilization to collapse."

Strong has close connections with numerous influential leaders in business and government around the world – including the United States – and is considered a possibility to fill the post of secretary general of the U.N. when the position again becomes open. In his U.N. role, Strong has floated the idea of eliminating single-family houses, air conditioning and convenience foods as a way to conserve energy and save the environment.

He may be best known for his promotion of the Earth Charter, along with Mikhail Gorbachev. The document has been described as an effort to create a new "16 Commandments" to serve as the foundation for a new global religion.

Both Soros and Strong are known as major proponents of global government and rabid environmentalists – ironic, perhaps, given Cherys' plans to export into the U.S. and elsewhere gas-guzzling SUVs among other smaller vehicles.

Soros spent $23 million in a failed attempt to prevent President Bush's re-election. During the presidential race, Soros told reporters if Bush were to be re-elected, he planned to go away to "some kind of monastery to reflect on what is wrong with us."

[Shammu]

 Chinese arms exports 'fuelling civil wars'
By Richard Spencer in Beijing
(Filed: 12/06/2006)

Covert arms exports by China are fuelling repression, civil wars around the world and even street crime, Amnesty International claims in a report today which demands that the country joins international control efforts.

China's engagement with repressive regimes such as Sudan is helping them inflict human rights abuses on their people, according to the report.

Among the weapons thought to have been sold to Sudan are helicopters, guns and ammunition, which have been used in the civil war in Darfur and also in rebel incursions into neighbouring Chad.

The report also traces routes by which Chinese-made handguns are believed to come into the possession of criminals from Australia to South Africa. "China is fast emerging as one of the world's biggest, most secretive and irresponsible arms exporters," Amnesty said.

China pursues a foreign policy that promotes government-to-government links largely without reference to internal policies.

This has led to accusations that it is befriending pariah regimes such as Sudan, Zimbabwe and Iran, particularly those which can provide it with oil and minerals.

The value of its arms exports is unknown since China stopped contributing to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms in 1997, but is put by Amnesty at more than $1 billion.

Among recent deals were 200 military lorries sold to Sudan last year, which were fitted with American-made engines.

It also exported 400 such lorries to Burma, whose regime is accused of waging civil wars with extreme violence and internal repression. At a time when other countries were stopping arms exports to Nepal, after King Gyanendra declared martial law, China supplied it with 25,000 rifles and 18,000 grenades.

The main targets of the Nepalese forces are a Marxist guerrilla group which claims to be inspired by China's former leader, Chairman Mao Tse-tung.

The report, China: Sustaining conflict and human rights abuses, focuses on conventional weapons, though China has also been linked to nuclear weapons proliferation, particularly via Pakistan.

It also says hand-guns made by Norinco, one of two giant arms companies linked to the People's Liberation Army, are increasingly being used in gun crime in South Africa.

It quotes a report from Thailand describing how hand-guns are exported by Norinco and another Chinese arms firm, Poly Technology, in crates that claim to have come from South Korea.

The report also says China is the only major arms exporter not to sign up to any multinational agreement on arms export control.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said last night that the government had yet to formulate a response to the report.

Last year it described its exports of conventional arms as "cautious and responsible".

Chinese arms exports 'fuelling civil wars'

[Shammu]

Pornography "One of the Most Pervasive and Destructive Problems in Our Society"

by Hilary White
 
Cardinal Justin Rigali, writing in the Catholic Standard and Times, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said that the modern media’s obsession with pornography is “one of the most pervasive and destructive problems in our society.”
 
“Our society," the Cardinal wrote, “is inundated with sex and sensuality largely from the media. Films, television programs, and advertisements are loaded with sexual reference as well as the promotion of sexual promiscuity.”
 
The all-pervasiveness of sexual imagery in the media has led to the vast proliferation of pornography on the internet where it is accessible to anyone who can use a keyboard. It is also increasingly frustrating for law enforcement officials around the world that sexual predators have begun using the internet to target children.
 
In November, 2004, a US Senate hearing discussing the dangers of addiction heard evidence that addiction to pornography has ruined lives and destroyed families. Virginia Tech, professor James B. Weaver said studies show that extended exposure to pornography creates "sexual callousness, the erosion of family values and diminished sexual satisfaction."
 
Rigali called pornography “a cancer upon contemporary culture.” “Addictive in nature, many have been entangled in its lure and have caused great psychological and emotional harm to themselves and even to spouses and other family members.”
 
At the same senate committee hearing in 2004, US lawmakers heard evidence that corroborates the Cardinal’s assertion. University of Pennsylvania sexual trauma program co-director Mary Anne Layden said pornography addiction has similar effects on the brain as heroin or crack cocaine addiction.
 
The Cardinal writes, “Violence, sexual abuse, psychological trauma and ruptured relationships are the fruit of pornography, which, astonishingly, is a multi-billion dollar industry.”

Pornography "One of the Most Pervasive and Destructive Problems in Our Society"

[Shammu]

Another website to list gay-marriage foes
Mass. critic assails tactic's use in Florida

By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff  |  June 12, 2006

A controversial campaign to identify supporters of a constitutional ban of gay marriage in Massachusetts plans to launch a similar website in Florida today.

KnowThyNeighbor.org, a website that contains a searchable database of the names of Massachusetts residents who have signed a petition for a constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage, has helped a church in Jacksonville, Fla., build a similar database of Floridians who have signed a ``marriage protection" ballot initiative in their state. The Florida names will be available on KnowThyNeighbor.org or through a link on the church's website, christchurchofpeace.org .

The website's creators say its purpose is twofold -- to root out signature fraud and to provide public information that gay marriage supporters can use to identify petition signers they know and engage them in ``open and meaningful dialogue." But opponents of the site say its real purpose is to intimidate.

Kris Mineau , the president of The Massachusetts Family Institute , a sponsor of the amendment banning gay marriage, said Massachusetts' latest export was meant to scare Floridians away from the petition.

``If what you say is true, obviously their intent is to intimidate voters in Florida, as well as Massachusetts," he said.

But Rob Henry , cochair of the Freedom to Marry Coalition of Massachusetts, said yesterday the site can provoke constructive debate as long as it provokes ``friendly, nonconfrontational" discussion.

That is precisely how it is meant to be used, said Tom Lang , an antiques dealer from Manchester-by-the-Sea who cofounded KnowThy***.org.

``We need to do this nationwide," Lang said. ``The way we're using it is having conversations with people we know, and that to me is a very important thing."

KnowThy****.org's expansion underscores how, two years after it became the first state in the country to legalize gay marriage, Massachusetts continues to be the epicenter of the issue. Last week, the US Senate defeated a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage pushed by President Bush. Bush invoked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in arguing for protecting what he called the ``most fundamental institution of civilization." Thirteen states had constitutional amendment questions pending as of last month, according to the website of the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights advocacy group.

The proposed Florida amendment defines marriage as ``the legal union of one man and one woman" and prohibits the recognition of any other union that would be its ``substantial equivalent." Proponents had hoped to put it on the ballot this November, but they gathered only about 466,000 of the 611,000 signatures required, according to John Stemberger , state chairman of Florida4****.org , the coalition leading the drive. Because the signatures are valid for four years, however, he said they are almost certain to reach their goal by 2008.

Michael Schumpert , a cofounder of the Christ Church of Peace , said he e-mailed Lang after reading about his website in The Advocate , a national gay and lesbian magazine. He wanted to see if his church could build a similar site for the Florida petition. In April, the church board voted unanimously in favor of the idea, and volunteers began gathering signatures of those who had signed the antigay marriage petition from each county across Florida.

KnowThy***.org helped the church create a database of roughly 300,000 signatures . The church is still trying to get the rest of the names in digital format, Schumpert said. Lang said the site is prepared to handle several million visitors; the Massachusetts site had more than 2 million in its first 36 hours of operation .

The Rev. Gary DeBusk , pastor of Christ Church of Peace, said his congregation wanted to add a pro-gay, Christian voice to the debate, whose loudest opponents are more conservative Christian churches. While he said he wants people to use the site to have discussions with signers, he said those conversations are critical.

``We're trying to say you cannot just take away people's rights without being held accountable for that," he said.

The effect KnowThy****.org has had in Massachusetts remains unclear. Mineau points out that amendment proponents gathered a record 170,000 signatures . But Lang said the site helped uncover numerous fraud claims, and that gay and straight people have praised the site for helping people ``stand up for their rights."

KnowThy****.org's success depends upon a degree of peer pressure. And Stemberger said the Web site might backfire in Florida.

When he publicly complained that a police officer recently tried to prevent him from collecting signatures at a Promise Keepers rally, he said the media coverage provoked an outrage.

``We got hundreds of letters and e-mails from people saying, `Fight the fight,"' he said. ``It really energized people."

But he added that most Floridians probably wouldn't even be aware of the site ``unless they do massive TV ads or begin to really harass people in specific ways."

Another website to list gay-marriage foes

I edited all the above website, cause they all asked for donations.

[nChrist]

WOW! - The last two articles are sickening but TRUE. The devil is desperate and working overtime. We already knew that the devil was taking over some churches, and we already know that the devil is using mass spam to hook people on the filth of pornography. The devil would just love to turn churches into places of sexual deviance and debauchery, and it appears that the devil is succeeding in some cases.

I think that we should reverse the devil's gay marriage campaign and vote anyone out of office who doesn't stand up for traditional marriage. That would certainly include quite a few spineless politicians who helped to defeat the latest attempt in Congress. They shouldn't be afraid of losing gay votes, they should KNOW they will lose straight votes. The whole country should know who is supporting gay marriage, and a database of those pushing for and paying for gay marriage should also be published. That sounds like an excellent idea. If they are hooked to business, put them out of business. If they are in politics, vote them out. Christians shouldn't be doing business or voting for anyone who supports gay marriage. It really should be just as simple as that. The exact situation should be true for anyone pushing pornography. If they sell the filth anywhere in the book store, grocery store, etc. we shouldn't be doing business with them.

Christians really need to stand up and send all of our representatives a message. If they wish to stand for deviants, deviants will be their only supporters. It's really far past time for a house and senate CLEANING! It's obvious that our representatives are refusing to represent us, so it may even be time for a third party. Regardless, the gay marriage supporters need to be voted out with no second chance. Christians need web sites all over the country to inform us about who needs to be out of office. We can and should be supporting candidates all over the country who have the spine to stand up for decency.

Love In Christ,
Tom

P.S. The devil and his minions should be the only ones supporting those WHO CALL EVIL GOOD!

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen brother, a list of gay-marriage proponents would be an excellant idea. This is the reason why the next car I get will not be a Ford as Ford Motor Co is now supporting a number of homosexual organizations and when confronted on it their response was that will continue to do so even if it means less business for them. 

[Soldier4Christ]

Bush makes surprise visit to Iraq
President’s trip expected to last 5 hours, includes meeting with PM

BAGHDAD, Iraq - President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq on Tuesday to meet newly named Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and discuss the next steps in the troubled, 3-year-old war.

“Good to see you,” exclaimed al-Maliki, who didn’t know Bush was in Baghdad until five minutes before they met at a palace once used by Saddam Hussein.

“Thanks for having me,” Bush responded. They smiled broadly and gave each other a two-handed handshake in the high-domed marble room. The former palace now serves temporarily as the U.S. Embassy.

The first report of Bush’s visit came via Iraqi state television, and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad confirmed the visit with NBC News.

Dramatic move
The prime minister had been invited to the embassy on the pretense of taking part in a video conference with Bush, supposedly at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountins. The videoconference was to go on as scheduled, but with Bush appearing alongside al-Maliki.

It was a dramatic move by Bush, traveling to violence-rattled Baghdad less than a week after the death of terror chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a bombing attack. The administration hoped the elimination of Zarqawi and the completion of al-Maliki’s cabinet would make war-weary Americans look at Iraq in a more positive light.

Aside from al-Maliki and his cabinet, Bush was to see Jalal Talibani, Iraq’s largely ceremonial president. Bush also was to meet with the speaker of the parliament, national political leaders and U.S. troops during his five-hour visit.

Bush flew here secretly from talks at Camp David, Maryland with senior national security advisers who gathered Monday to review how to bolster Iraq’s fledgling government and its capacity to handle the country’s defense.

A risky helicopter ride, more violence
Air Force One landed in hazy daylight at Baghdad Airport, where the temperature was above 100 degrees.

Then, Bush transferred to a helicopter for a six-minute ride into the heavily fortified Green Zone. White House officials said the helicopter ride posed the greatest risk for the president.

Another day of violence marked Bush’s visit — dozens of people were killed or wounded Tuesday in explosions in the northern oil city of Kirkuk, and eight bodies were found in western Baghdad. Al-Maliki pledged “no mercy” in a crackdown against insurgents.

Maliki has won U.S. admiration by promising to crack down on militias and sectarian violence, promote national reconciliation and accelerate reconstruction efforts and restore essential services such as electricity.

Hushed planning
It was Bush’s second trip to Baghdad in less than three years.  He visited American troops at Thanksgiving, 2003, in a visit confined to the airport and limited to several hours. That trip also was kept secret.

After a day of meetings at Camp David, Bush had dinner with his aides and Cabinet members and then returned to his cabin. After darkness, he boarded his helicopter and slipped away, flying to Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington for the 11-hour flight to Baghdad.

The trip was known only to a handful of aides and a small number of reporters sworn to secrecy because of obvious security threats for Bush and members of his entourage.