News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

World Hates Bush, Not 'Ordinary' Americans; Media Delighted

Friday, June 16, 2006
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor

The New York Times' international sister publication, the French-based International Herald Tribune, could scarcely conceal its glee with the results of a new Pew poll that indicates the global media effort to destroy America's image abroad is bearing much fruit. It appears that more people hate America than ever before.

Deep in the heart of the report was the red meat that the New York Times' was reluctant to admit openly -- that's why it operates the International Herald Tribune to begin with. As a somewhat feeble attempt to disguise its political bias by using the IHT as a front.

Noted the IHT, "Many respondents distinguished between their largely negative feelings about President George W. Bush and their feelings about ordinary Americans." Why, do you think that is?

Why would Frenchmen with no understanding of American politics feel the need to distinguish between George Bush and 'ordinary' Americans?

Who, pray tell, would 'ordinary' Americans be? The voters? Evidently not.

To liberals, 'ordinary Americans' are the minority that did NOT vote for George Bush. 'Ordinary' Americans are guys like Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

Clinton-Gore -- guys so likeable that even though both are proven serial liars, they can distinguish from that minor detail and justify their hate for George Bush because he 'lied' to 'ordinary Americans' in order to get the US into war.

If he hadn't, then the minority of 'ordinary Americans' would NEVER had allowed the, um, non-ordinary Americans (who voted for George Bush) to continue in their blustery, non-liberal, warmongering ways.

And everything would be just fine. Saddam would still be in power in Iraq, while jihadi warriors would have safe passage from Syria through Iraq and Iran all the way to Afghanistan.

Iran's nuclear-mad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would not be looking nervously over his shoulder at the US forces on his western border in addition to those already in position on his eastern border.

If Bush had listened to the 'ordinary Americans' -- those that oppose their national leadership, Saddam Hussein would now be, ummm, doing what, do you think? It is obvious that the IHT is speaking American liberal thinking.

Remember that just yesterday, Howard Dean was lamenting that averting a scandal at the highest levels of the US government, due to lack of evidence (not lack of trying) was BAD for America.

According to the Pew pollster's investigation into the success enjoyed by the anti-American global liberal media establishment, (which includes the NYTimes), our close friends like Britain and Japan like 'ordinary' Americans, but the number falls sharply when they express their opinion of George Bush.

Does that make Bush the representative anti-ordinary American? Or is there merely a whole nation full of 'ordinary' Americans of which George Bush is the aberration (and choice of a majority of voters).

How do 'ordinary' Japanese, British, French, Spanish and Turks differ from 'ordinary' Indians and Nigerians?

There are two significant ways. The first is that the Nigerians and Indians don't differentiate between 'ordinary' Americans and George Bush -- they have a favorable opinion of both.

Secondly, ordinary Nigerians and Indians aren't really big consumers of Western newspapers like the New York Times or International Herald Tribune.

Since nobody has told them what they are supposed to think, they foolishly have confidence in America's leadership, and therefore, in America.

They haven't been deeply enough indoctrinated to believe America is being run by a small cadre of illegitimately-elected neo-conservative lunatics bent on destroying the world.

Which might be one reason so few al-Qaeda terrorists are Indians or Nigerians.

Might there be a clue in there, somewhere?

[Shammu]

Anti-Americanism Has Reached A New Low

June 15, 2006: Anti-Americanism has reached a new low. FIFA, the international sports organization for football (soccer to Americans) refused to allow U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (and warships at sea) to view any of the current World Cup games being played in Germany. The U.S. AFN (Armed Forces Network) has no budget for sports programming, and usually gets a free feed for major sporting events, in the same spirit that movie studios and TV networks provide free access to their product for troops in combat zones. FIFA demanded money, and would not budge on that. While soccer is not a major sport in the United States, it's estimated that a quarter or more of the troops are fans, and would enjoy seeing some of the World Cup matches. However, once this situation became known, several wealthy Americans stepped forward to correct the situation. The first one to make a move was media magnate Robert Murdoch, who ordered his Fox Network to make arrangements, and pay whatever FIFA was demanding, to get the soccer games to the troops, as soon as possible. This was accomplished in 24 hours.

Sorry no link beause of advertisment on the last two posts.

[Shammu]

U.S. Must Play Role In World, Rice Says
Religious Group Applauds Speech

By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 15, 2006; Page A06

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, addressing 12,000 evangelicals who represent the core of the Bush administration's political base, yesterday sought to counter the stirrings of isolationism in the nation, declaring that the "United States must remain engaged as a leader in events beyond our borders."

"Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the choice before our country, before us as Americans," Rice told the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Greensboro, N.C. "Will we lead in the world or will we withdraw? Will we rise to the challenges of our time or will we shrink from them?"

President Bush first raised concerns about isolationism in his State of the Union address this year. Since then, the outrage over the potential sale of U.S. port operations to a Dubai-based company and the drive to build a wall along the border with Mexico have added to the worries of administration officials. They fear that it could result in demands even from the president's strongest traditional supporters to pull out troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The venue for Rice's speech -- a religious group meeting in a huge convention hall -- was unusual for a secretary of state. Generally, on domestic trips, the chief diplomat speaks to foreign policy associations or universities. Rice's speech included highly personal references to her faith and religious upbringing, and the crowd broke into a spontaneous singing of "God Bless America" after she spoke.

Rice, a Presbyterian who said she prays every day, noted that she "was born on a Sunday morning" and that for the first three years of her life her family "literally lived in the back of the church in two little rooms where my father preached" and which her grandfather had founded. Her speech was interrupted repeatedly by applause, including seven standing ovations.

Rice did not specifically refer to "isolationism," but her inference was clear as she tried to link Southern Baptist work overseas "digging wells and building dams and strengthening communities" with the administration's goal of promoting democracy overseas. She said the nation could not ignore tyranny and persecution overseas or else it will come back to haunt Americans.

"These are tragedies, but they are also threats in the making," Rice said. "For in today's world, we have learned that whenever freedom and tolerance are on the march, we are secure. But when those ideals are in retreat, we are vulnerable."

Appealing to the evangelicals, Rice asked rhetorically: "If not for America," would issues such as religious liberty, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS prevention and violence in Sudan even be addressed?

Evangelical groups have played a major role in shaping the administration's agenda in many of these issues, such as promoting the "ABC" approach to AIDS prevention, which stands for "Abstain from sex; Be faithful; as a last resort, use a Condom." The administration has targeted prostitution as a key factor in the trade in human beings, and it has launched a diplomatic effort to resolve the conflict in Sudan in part because of Christians living in the south of that country.

Rice said that Bush has made religious liberty a key factor in whether the United States has good relations with another country. "We're mindful that too many people of faith can only whisper to God in the silent sanctuaries of their conscience," she said, citing China as an example of where "you cannot help but marvel at their faith and courage."

Addressing Iraq, Rice conceded the difficulties the administration has faced in prosecuting the war there, but she said "the goal of democracy in Iraq is worth the cost and worth the sacrifice."

"The mission has been extremely difficult," Rice said. "I know it's been far more difficult than many of us imagined it would be. And I realize how hard it can be to remain hopeful when we hear of death squads and beheadings and sectarian strife."

In an interview with the Greensboro News & Record before her speech, Rice ducked a question about her views on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage -- which Southern Baptists strongly support -- but urged that the debate be respectful.

"When we get into difficult debates about social policy, we get into difficult debates that touch people's lives, the only thing that I ask is that Americans do it with a kind of sensitivity that real individuals and real human beings are involved here," Rice said.

U.S. Must Play Role In World, Rice Says

[Shammu]

Friday, 16 June 2006, 17:38 GMT 18:38 UK
EU endorses Palestinian aid plan
Palestinian boy with the words "I'm hungry" in a protest against the cutting of aid EU heads in Brussels have backed a plan to resume aid for Palestinians, frozen since a Hamas government took power.

It provides funding for healthcare, power supplies and support for poor families, while maintaining a funding freeze on the Hamas-led government.

EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said it was considering an initial 100m euros (£86m), and wanted to have the funding mechanism operating by early July.

A Hamas official dismissed the plan, saying it ignored democratic realities.

Information Minister Youssef Rizqa said a funding plan that bypassed the Hamas government would widen the gap between the people, the Hamas government and the Palestinian presidency, led by the Fatah faction.

The EU and other donors froze direct aid after Hamas came to power earlier this year.

The group has refused to renounce violence or recognise Israel, and has been branded a terrorist organisation by the EU and US.

"We Europeans are determined to play our part in preventing a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories"
Benita Ferrero-Waldner
EU External Relations Commissioner

In a statement on the aid plan, the 25-member EU said it would contribute a "substantial amount" via an international mechanism bypassing Hamas.

The EU statement said the plan was drawn up in consultation with other members of the "Quartet" of Middle East peace brokers - the US, Russia and the UN.

Ms Udwin said she expected final approval from the Quartet and other donors "within days".

Wages unpaid

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said: "We Europeans are determined to play our part in preventing a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories."

Ms Ferrero-Waldner will visit the region on Monday and Tuesday next week for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The EU has been the biggest aid donor to the Palestinians, giving some 500 million euros a year.

"We welcome the European decision -any aid to the Palestinian people is welcome"
Saeb Erekat
Aide to Palestinian president

About 165,000 government employees - including teachers, health workers and security personnel - have not been paid for three months as a result of the aid freeze.

There was no mention in the statement of the payment of salaries to Palestinian government workers, which is opposed by Israel, but it did refer to "social allowances" which would allow payments to health workers and families in need.

The fund will be managed by the World Bank and the EU, working with the office of Mr Abbas, whose Fatah movement is the main political rival of Hamas.

EU leaders insisted there would be no contact with Hamas unless it renounced violence, recognised Israel and respected existing peace agreements.

"There can be no business as usual with a government that has not yet accepted the fundamental principle of peace," Ms Ferrero-Waldner said.

Hamas welcome

The EU urged Israel to resume the transfer of more than $50m (£27m) in monthly tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians, a move "essential in averting a crisis in the Palestinian territories". It said the revenues could be channelled through the new mechanism.

In its statement, the EU urged other donors, including Arab states, to "consider early and substantial contributions".

"We consider this a step in the right direction even though we know this money will not reach the government of Hamas"
Salah al-Bardawil
Hamas parliamentary spokesman

A close aide of Mr Abbas, Saeb Erakat, told the AFP news agency: "We welcome the European decision. Any aid to the Palestinian people is welcome."

But he added: "We call on them to review their boycott of the government and resume aid payments according to the customary means."

Hamas also welcomed the move.

"We consider this a step in the right direction even though we know this money will not reach the government of Hamas," said Hamas parliamentary spokesman Salah al-Bardawil.

He added: "It would be better for the EU to deal with the democratically elected government directly because that would indicate respect for democracy."

EU endorses Palestinian aid plan

[Shammu]

U.S. within range of new N. Korea missile

By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - North Korea is accelerating preparations for testing a missile that has the potential to strike the United States, a U.S. government official said Friday. A test of the Taepodong-2 long-range missile may be imminent, the official said.

The official agreed to speak but only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

The official said the Bush administration is very concerned about activities that point toward a test, but declined to elaborate.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that any missile launch by the North Koreans would be a provocation and would violate their 1999 commitment not to carry out such tests.

He had no comment on reports that a North Korea test launch may be in the offing.

Japanese and South Korean officials also have expressed concern in recent days about the reported North Korean missile launch activities. Kyodo News agency in Japan reported that an additional rocket section had arrived at a North Korean launch site within the past two days.

In Tokyo, the Japanese government responded to news reports about a possible test by warning that any such step would jeopardize the country's security.

The reports of a possible launch come after a prolonged hiatus in six-party nuclear disarmament talks designed to create a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

Persistent efforts by the United States and other members of the group to persuade North Korea to resume the discussions have not been successful. There have been no discussions since last November.

North Korea is demanding that the United States revoke sanctions that Washington imposed several months ago in response to alleged North Korean counterfeiting of U.S. dollars and other currency violations.

McCormack reaffirmed on Friday that the United State strongly supports a resumption of the six-party talks.

U.S. within range of new N. Korea missile

[Shammu]

Protestant rally draws 3 million in Brazil

By ALAN CLENDENNING, Associated Press Writer Thu Jun 15, 9:34 PM ET

SAO PAULO, Brazil - About 3 million evangelical Protestants staged a huge rally Thursday in the heart of Brazil's biggest city, demonstrating their growing influence in the world's largest Roman Catholic country.

Crowding next to sound trucks blasting religious music, marchers wore T-shirts in the green and yellow colors of Brazil's flag advertising their annual "March for Jesus."

The hymn-singing evangelicals walked to skyscraper-lined Agenda Palest, Brazil's version of Wall Street, then gathered around a stage to hear bands play.

Sao Paulo police estimated the crowd swelled to 3 million, double last year's estimate.

The march is held each year on the same day the Catholic Church celebrates the Corpus Christi holiday, which is not observed by evangelical Protestants but is a national holiday in Brazil.

But the march may not be such a high-profile event next year. Sao Paulo Mayor Gilbert Cassaba announced it won't be held on Agenda Palest next year because of complaints from merchants and residents that it is too big, too loud and hurts commerce, according to the Web site of Flora de S. Paulo, Brazil's largest newspaper.

Evangelical churches like Reborn in Christ and the Universal Kingdom of God have seen their Brazilian flocks grow rapidly in recent decades, with millions in the country of more than 180 million attracted by their dynamic services and promises that divine intervention will improve their lives despite grinding poverty affecting tens of millions.

From 1991 to 2000, the number of Brazil evangelicals grew annually by 8 percent, while the number of Catholics grew by 0.3 percent.

Brazil was nearly 100 percent Roman Catholic a century ago, but the percentage dropped to 84 percent in 1995 and is 74 percent today.

Protestant rally draws 3 million in Brazil

[Shammu]

 'Danish Editor burnt alive'

The editor of the Danish newspaper ‘Jyllands Posten’ was burnt to death when a fire mysteriously broke out in his bedroom, a Saudi newspaper claims.

According to the newspaper, the editor was sleeping in his bedroom when the fire ravaged his bedroom. He and his newspaper became controversial when it had published blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The paper claims that the Danish govt is trying to cover up the news of the death. He was hit by divine retribution, the paper added. Muslims, all over the world, strongly denounced this blasphemous act and massive protests were held in all Muslim countries including Pakistan. Text messages and emails that claim that the editor or the cartoonist has been burnt alive have also been circulating since Tuesday, lending support to this report. The paper named the editor as Elliot Back. However, Back is merely a senior in Computer Science at Cornell University, who had published the caricatures on his website. Name of the culture editor of Jyllands Posten, who commissioned the caricatures, is Flemming Rose. Jens Julius is the name of one of the cartoonists that drew the images. There were 12 cartoonists in all, who according to the BBC have gone into hiding.

'Danish Editor burnt alive'

[Shammu]

Bush Says Moving Embassy to Jerusalem Too Dangerous
06:21 Jun 16, '06 / 20 Sivan 5766

(IsraelNN.com) American President George W. Bush Thursday delayed for another six months his promise to move the American embassy to Jerusalem in order "to protect the national security interests" of the U.S. He did not elaborate.

President Bush added that his government "remains committed to beginning the process of moving" the embassy to the capital. The promise dates back several years, and he did not detail when it would be fulfilled.

Bush Says Moving Embassy to Jerusalem Too Dangerous

[Shammu]

"I'm convinced I'm no abomination!"

Back in February, the Boston Globe indicated openly gay Episcopal bishop Eugene Robinson of New Hampshire had sent an e-mail to fellow clergymen declaring, "I am writing to you from an alcohol treatment center where on Feb. 1, with the encouragement and support of my partner, daughters and colleagues, I checked myself in to deal with my increasing dependence on alcohol."

While I don't like to cast stones as I am a lowly sinner saved only by the grace of God myself, I reasoned to myself at that time, based on yet another obstacle arising in the case of Eugene Robinson that should prevent him from holding his office, that the Episcopal Church would take a look at what was already a pitiful decision on its part and say, "Enough!" I was wrong. As such, the good bishop Eugene Robinson, an abandoner of his wife and children, an apostate, and an alcoholic continues to make a mockery of the Word of God while feigning as a representative of the Christian faith.

With February now four whole months behind him, Robinson is in the news once again, spouting off in favor of adultery and sexual misconduct. As I have in the past and will continue to as long as this man holds the position he does, I'm going to take his pro-homosexual rhetoric to task, demonstrating the deceitful manner in which he deals with the Word of God.

Robinson's latest apostate statement comes as the Episcopal Church is presently holding its General Convention. According to a Telegraph article, Robinson said, before a packed church hearing held at the convention, "I'm convinced I'm not an abomination in the eyes of God. Please, let us say our prayers and stand up for right." Notice what Robinson said because it's manipulative of what Scripture teaches on the topic of homosexuality, hardly an example of "standing up for right!"

Robinson says he is convinced that he "is not an abomination in the eyes of God." Robinson's comments are typical of the propaganda those who practice the sin of homosexuality utilize whenever the issue of their desire to live outside the will of God is addressed by those who adhere to the teachings of Scripture.

They strive, almost exclusively, to make the sin of homosexuality one with their person, as opposed to addressing the matter of their sin itself. The two are not one and the same, contrary to what Robinson would have us to believe.

While Eugene Robinson is correct in stating that he is not an abomination in the eyes of God, his sin, on the other hand, is most definitely an abomination in the eyes of God, as revealed in Scripture!

Leviticus 18:22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

The Word of God says thou (the portion of this Scripture that addresses all people) shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind! That means that no one is to engage in the practice of homosexuality.

Why is one not to lie with mankind as with womankind? Because it ("it" being the practice of homosexuality) is abomination. It - the sin of homosexuality - is an abomination in the eyes of God!

Bishop Robinson, as the Telegraph article indicates, is doing everything within his power to prevent the Episcopal church from banning homosexuals from the office of bishop, even temporarily. The future of the Anglican Church's association with the US Episcopal Church may well hang in the balance, based on the decision the Episcopal Church's General Convention, which currently remains in session, ultimately reaches. Robinson and those who support his homosexualization of the priesthood could care less!

What is left to be said of bishop Eugene Robinson that hasn't been said here before? He isn't a minister of God's Word, but a minister of his own personal take on God's Word! Unfortunately for bishop Robinson, his personal spin on God's Word doesn't change his accountability to it (or anyone else's) in the least!

Proverbs 14:12: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Matthew 17:15-20: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

In closing, to anyone who would believe a word from the blasphemous mouth of Eugene Robinson concerning spiritual things, consider yourself forewarned that he is a crafty and manipulative deceiver - one who cleverly plays on words. By Eugene Robinson's fruits, however, his underlying nature is clearly shown.

So slick are some who possess the gentle mannerisms of Eugene Robinson it's hard to see the evil that exists just below the surface of their outward appearances. Men of his type are a warning concerning the lateness of the hour we're living in - one I hope all my site's readers will make note of and take a public stand against. Why? Because his deceptions threaten the eternal souls of all those who believe him and continue to live in rebellion against the will of God, of course!

Mark 13:22: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

Keep looking up!

[Soldier4Christ]

Somali Islamic Leader Blasts U.S.

The leader of the Islamic militants who captured the Somali capital earlier this month said 300 Ethiopian troops entered the country on Saturday and accused the United States of supporting the incursion.

The Ethiopian troops entered Somalia through the border town of Dolow in the southwestern region of Gedo at 8 a.m., Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, told journalists.

"We want the whole world to know what's going on. The United States is encouraging Ethiopia to take over the area. Ethiopia has crossed our borders and are heading for us. They are supporting the transitional federal government," Ahmed said.

"They have deployed a lot of soldiers around the border towns, which is why we have been saying that Ethiopia is going to send in troops to Somalia," the cleric said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Dozens dead in Sri Lankan naval clash

Escalating violence in Sri Lanka hit the troubled nation's shoreline today. Government forces and rebels clashed in a deadly sea and land battle. In a separate incident, three suspected Tamil Tiger frogmen were seized on a beach near the capital's airport. All were arrested but two took cyanide capsules and had to be taken to hospital.

Both sides claimed victory in the naval clash off the northwest coast. The military said around 25 Tigers were killed. The rebels say they killed 12 sailors. Violence has claimed hundreds of lives in Sri Lanka since April, as a ceasefire signed in 2002 fades.

The government is stepping up security amid rising tension following Thursday's bus attack, blamed on rebels, that killed 64 people. Security forces have been striking out at Tiger positions. The separatists deny responsibility for the bus blast.
   

[Soldier4Christ]

North Korea loads booster rockets onto missile launch pad

North Korea loaded booster rockets onto a launch pad in preparation to test-fire a long-range missile that could reach as far as the U.S. mainland, with the launch expected as early as Sunday, South Korean and Japanese media reports said.

The reports follows warnings by the U.S. government that the communist state is accelerating preparations for testing a Taepodong-2 missile. A U.S. government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, said Friday that a test may be imminent.

South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities had made an assessment based on recent satellite images that the North had loaded booster rockets onto a launch pad and moved about 10 large tanks of liquid fuel close by.

The Taepodong-2 is a three-stage missile, but the warhead section hasn't been loaded yet, the paper said, quoting an unnamed high-level South Korean government official. It wasn't clear if the fuel had been unloaded, it said.

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho couldn't confirm the report.

Japan's mainstream conservative Sankei Shimbun, also citing unnamed government sources, said the North could test the missile as early as Sunday.

Japan has dispatched two Aegis destroyers to the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, the paper said. Hidetsugu Iwamasa, a Japanese naval official, said he could not comment on the reported Aegis deployment.

The Sankei also said the U.S. military has deployed a RC-135S electronic surveillance plane and a WC135W weather reconnaissance plane, which could detect nuclear weapon tests, around Okinawa, Japan's southernmost island.

The North's missile program has been a major security concern in the region, adding to worries about its pursuit of nuclear bombs.

North Korea sent shock waves through the region when it test-fired a ballistic missile over northern Japan in 1998.

On Friday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that any missile launch by the North Koreans would be a provocation and would violate their 1999 moratorium on long-range missile tests.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe also said Friday that a launch would threaten Japanese security.

"If North Korea launches the reported ballistic missile, which will directly affect Japan's security, it would be a violation of the Japan-Pyongyang Declaration," Abe said.

The declaration was signed in 2002 at a Japan-North Korea summit in Pyongyang, and reaffirmed by the two nations in 2004, he said.

South Korea said earlier this week that it conveyed "grave concern" to North Korea last month when signs first emerged that the North was preparing to test-fire a missile.

North Korea has been under a self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile tests since 1999. Still, it has since test-fired short-range missiles many times, including two in March.

On Saturday, North Korea accused the United States of repeatedly flying reconnaissance planes to spy on "strategic targets" along its east coast, where the missile launch site is located.

The reports of a possible launch come after a prolonged hiatus in six-party nuclear disarmament talks designed to create a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

Persistent efforts by the United States and other members of the group to persuade North Korea to resume the discussions have not been successful. There have been no discussions since November.

North Korea is demanding that the United States revoke sanctions that Washington imposed several months ago in response to alleged North Korean counterfeiting of U.S. dollars and other currency violations.

[Shammu]

17/06/2006            
Abbas says Hamas never broke its truce with Israel
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service, and Agencies

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas vowed to continue a 16-month-old cease-fire with Israel and denied Hamas ever broke it, after meeting Saturday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"Hamas did not break the truce, although some violations have happened, due to the killing of the family (on a Gaza beach on June 9)," he told reporters.

The Palestinian leader vowed to uphold the cease-fire "in order to have people living in peace."

After Palestinians blamed Israel for an explosion that killed seven members of a family eight days ago, Hamas' military wing declared an end to the cease-fire and took responsibility for dozens of subsequent Qassam rocket attacks on western Israel over the past week.

Israel warned Hamas that it would attack the group's leaders unless the rocket fire was halted, and Palestinian sources told Haaretz that as a result, Hamas instructed its operatives Monday night to stop firing Qassams at Israel. However, Hamas later denied the Haaretz report.

On Friday afternoon, Hamas militants again distanced themselves from the cease-fire plan, while other armed groups also spurned the proposal.

"We are not interested in making any offers or proposals," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said.

"When the occupation stops its killings and crimes against our people then the factions may look into the issue in accordance with the interests of our people," he said.

Abu Zuhri said the cease-fire offer announced by cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad in an interview with Israel Radio represented the government, and not the militant group itself.

Justice Minister Haim Ramon reiterated on Friday that Israel would ratchet up its military reaction to Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip unless the Palestinians work to halt the attacks.

"If the residents of the Gaza Strip don't act and don't understand that the biggest threat to their security is the Qassam fire, then we will have to intensify our response and take steps that we have not yet taken," he told Israel Radio. He did not specify which steps were being considered.

However, "If it is quiet, we will answer that with quiet," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev Friday.

Two Islamic Jihad men killed in IAF strike in Gaza
Two senior Islamic Jihad militants were killed and two others were seriously wounded in an Israel Air Force strike in the Gaza Strip on Friday night, hours after Hamas stepped back from a Palestinian government offer to renew a ceasefire with Israel.

One of the militants was identified as Imad Yassin, who an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said was responsible for launching Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip into the western Negev.

Habeb Ashour, also an Islamic Jihad operative who was wounded in the strike, succumbed to his injuries a short time later.

Palestinian medics said several civilian bystanders were injured in the strike, the latest in a series of several Israel has launched against militants launching rockets in the past week.

Dozens of Palestinians rushed into a morgue, carrying one of the dead militants wrapped in a white sheet and shouting "Allahu Akbar" - "God is greatest" in Arabic.

Lieberman calls for Knesset session in Sderot
MK Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, held a faction meeting Friday in the Negev town of Sderot, which has been a frequent target of rocket fire. He said the next Knesset plenum session should also be held in Sderot.

Lieberman also called on the Israel Defense Forces on Friday to announce that it will target Hamas leaders' homes in response to Qassam rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported.

A Qassam rocket hit a moshav in the western Negev on Friday, causing some damage, Israel Radio reported. Palestinians fired six other Qassams at Israel on Thursday night and Friday. There were no injuries.

Sderot residents, meanwhile, are holding a hunger strike in the town, near Defense Minister Amir Peretz's home.

Protesters said the IDF needs to do more to prevent the Palestinians from firing rockets at Israel.

But Ramon said the IDF was already attacking Qassam-launching cells in the Gaza Strip.

"Everyone who fires Qassams today knows that he is betting his life and that at the end of the day he will pay the full price," he said.

Abbas says Hamas never broke its truce with Israel

[Shammu]

Proposal for UN Standing Army Would See UN Head Trumping Security Council

By Peter J. Smith

UNITED NATIONS, New York - June 16, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A book launched at the United Nations headquarters today proposes a permanent standing UN army with "rapid reaction capability" under the sole direct command of the UN. The proposals stem from A United Nations Emergency Peace Service to Prevent Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, envisioning a standing UN army that would "take action to prevent war and dire threats to human security and human rights" within 48 hours of UN authorization.

According to the book, the need for a UN Emergency Peace service stems from "the international community's failure to stop genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and to avert 'ethnic cleansing' occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan." The book hinges the need for this independent UN army on the claim that the UN has "no capacity to avert such catastrophes", even though UN forces on the ground in Rwanda were ordered not to interfere in the 1994 genocide, despite the pleadings of Gen. Romeo D'Allaire to intervene in the massacres.

Unlike previous proposals for a UN army, these latest proposals call for an army consisting of troops that would not be accountable to any nation or state, but completely remain under the auspices of the United Nations in order to increase response time to humanitarian crises such as "genocide" or "gross violations of human rights". The UN force would consist of 12,000 to 15,000 "civilian, police, judicial, military, and relief professionals" composed of "individually recruited" volunteers from many countries, which means that this army "within a single command structure" would have direct loyalty to the UN, "avoiding divided loyalties."

These forces would have to incorporate "gender sensitivities" and "gender training" in compliance with UN resolution 1325. This UN force would be in the payroll of the UN like UN civil servants, and estimates for the project's startup are 2 billion dollars with an estimated annual cost of 900 million dollars. According to the report, "the UN Emergency Peace Service would, for the first time in history, offer a rapid, comprehensive, internationally legitimate response to crisis."

The book emphasizes that the Security Council would be the most likely group to authorize this UN army, followed next by the UN General Assembly, or "a regional international organization." In one proposal for a more rapid response, in order to bypass a veto, the Secretary General could authorize the intervention of the UN Emergency Peace Service in a region without the deliberation of the Security Council or the General Assembly. In this scenario, the Security Council could only revoke the deployment of the UN army by passing a resolution according to normal procedures, meaning a veto would continue the deployment of UN troops.

The creation of an independent UN force would give the UN an unprecedented amount of muscle to act in the international arena. According to the book, if the United Nations determined that a state had violated "accountability to its people", the "UN charter", or was not in "compliance with human rights agreements", then the UN could intervene with this rapid response force on the principle of enforcing the "people's sovereignty." Among the six principles for intervention, one of the conditions advocates the pre-emptive use of the UN force when "there is an immediate and evident threat of gross violations of international humanitarian and human rights law."

Pro-life observers are concerned that UN definitions of "human rights" are more and more including abortion as a human right.  Recent proposals by Amnesty International in this direction provide evidence of the trend.  Moreover, non-acceptance of homosexuality is also often a violation of human rights.  Recently the European Union has condemned Poland for violating human rights for the country's refusal to pass laws legitimizing such behaviour.

The book, A United Nations Emergency Peace Service to Prevent Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, has the endorsement of Global Action to Prevent War, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and had the collaboration of representatives from Human Rights Watch, the Simons Centre for Peace and Disarmament Studies, the International Coalition for the International Criminal Court, the Global Policy Forum, the World Federalist Movement, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the Ford Foundation, the United Nations Association of the United States of America and others.

Proposal for UN Standing Army Would See UN Head Trumping Security Council

[Soldier4Christ]

Syria interested in buying Iranian arms

Syria has expressed interest in purchasing weapons from Iran, including scud and anti-aircraft missiles, rocket launchers, Russian T-27 tanks, and even fighter planes. Meanwhile, Syrian Defense Minister Gen. Hassan Turkemani signed a mutual cooperation deal on Thursday with his Iranian counterpart General Mustafa Muhammad Najar.

"The two countries' armed forces must be prepared to face the common enemy that has been working to undermine stability and cause regional tension," Turkemani said.

Among his visits in the Islamic Republic, he met with the Iranian chief of staff and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and toured a local aircraft factory.

Syrian sources told the London-based Al Hayat that the understandings were of a strictly defensive nature. They indicated that both countries have been targeted recently [by Western powers].

After a meeting between the two senior officials, the Iranian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that Teheran was interested in strengthening cooperation against "American and Israeli threats." It also noted that the two countries should struggle to bring peace and stability in the region and disarm it from weapons of mass destruction.

For several months, Iran has been denying that it was developing nuclear weapons, claiming that its nuclear program was solely for peaceful purposes, however Najar said on Thursday that his country would "use nuclear defense as a potential" if "threatened by any power."