News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Karzai Criticizes U.S.-Led Coalition
Afghan President Karzai Criticizes U.S.-Led Coalition, Decrying Hundreds of Afghan Deaths
By TINI TRAN
The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai criticized the U.S.-led coalition's anti-terror campaign Thursday, deploring the deaths of hundreds of Afghans and appealing for more financial help for his government.

Karzai's sharp assessment came as Osama bin Laden's deputy urged Afghans to revolt against coalition forces, and four more U.S. soldiers were killed.

More than four years after U.S.-led forces toppled the extremist Taliban government, Afghanistan is gripped by its deadliest spate of post-invasion violence. To try curb the bloodshed, more than 10,000 coalition forces have launched a major offensive against militants across southern Afghanistan. More than 600 people, mainly militants, have been killed since May.

But Karzai, who has previously scorned large-scale anti-militant campaigns, rejected the continued spilling of Afghan blood in military operations.

"It is not acceptable for us that in all this fighting, Afghans are dying. In the last three to four weeks, 500 to 600 Afghans were killed. (Even) if they are Taliban, they are sons of this land," a clearly frustrated Karzai told reporters in Kabul.

On Thursday, Afghan and coalition forces raided a Taliban compound northwest of Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province, killing eight militants, the coalition said. Six others were captured.

Karzai said the current focus on hunting militants didn't address terrorism's root causes. "We must engage strategically in disarming terrorism by stopping their sources of supply of money, training, equipment and motivation," he said.

He also said the war on terror needs to be broadened beyond Afghan borders.

"We are concerned about the increase of attacks in our country," he said. "Some of the reasons are the internal weakness of administration in our country, but most of the factors are foreign factors, terrorism and organized attacks."

He did not elaborate on which "foreign factors" were involved, but many Afghan officials have accused neighboring Pakistan of doing too little to catch Taliban militants planning attacks. Islamabad denies the claims.

Karzai said Afghanistan has received considerable help in reconstruction but has been given inadequate assistance to strengthen its police force, army and government administration.

"This is one of the reasons for the unhappiness between us and the international community," he said. "We did not get the assistance and cooperation that is necessary for a strategy for counterterrorism."

A February donors conference in London pledged $10.5 billion in aid for Afghanistan, most for improving security. About 37,000 new soldiers and more than 50,000 police have been trained but many more are needed.

Hours before Karzai's comments, al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri released a new videotape, his sixth this year, calling on Afghans to rise up against coalition forces.

"I am calling upon the Muslims in Kabul in particular and in all Afghanistan in general and for the sake of God to stand up in an honest stand in the face of the infidel forces that are invading Muslim lands," said al-Zawahri, wearing a white turban with an automatic rifle next to him.

The 3 1/2-minute tape, entitled "American Crimes in Kabul," was apparently made the day after a May 29 accident in which a U.S. military truck crashed into traffic in the Afghan capital, killing up to five people. The incident sparked anti-foreigner riots that left about 20 people dead, the bloodiest unrest here since the Taliban's 2001 ouster.

"I direct my speech today to my Muslim brothers in Kabul who lived the bitter events yesterday and saw by their own eyes a new proof of the criminal acts of the American forces against the Afghani people," al-Zawahri said on the tape, posted on an Islamist Web site.

Unlike al-Zawahri's previous messages, which appeared aimed at Americans, the latest video had no English subtitles. He spoke in Arabic, and Web sites carried translations in Pashtun and Dari, languages widely spoken here.

Asked about the tape, Karzai blamed al-Zawahri for Afghanistan's suffering before and after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and vowed to arrest him.

"He is first the enemy of the Afghan people, and then the enemy of the rest of the world," Karzai said. "He killed Afghans for years thousands and then he went to America and destroyed the twin towers."

Also, four U.S. soldiers were killed and another wounded Wednesday while trying to block the movement of militant forces in the eastern Nuristan province, the military announced in a statement Thursday.

Ground troops and attack planes were called in to continue the assault through the night. It was unclear if there were enemy casualties.

Afghan and coalition forces have targeted al-Qaida and Taliban militants along the Pakistan border since mid-April. Al-Zawahri and bin Laden are believed to be hiding in the rugged frontier.

Karzai Criticizes U.S.-Led Coalition

[Shammu]

Bombing at Iraq mosque kills 9
U.S. military: Top al Qaeda operative captured

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A bomb detonated Friday outside a Sunni mosque near Baquba, north of Baghdad, killing nine civilians and wounding 15 others, police said.

The explosion took place in Hibhib, the Diyala provincial town north of Baquba where U.S. aircraft on June 7 bombed a terrorist safe house, killing al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

People were leaving the weekly Friday prayer session at the mosque when the explosive -- hidden in nearby trash -- went off, police said.

Also Friday, the U.S. military announced that American-led coalition forces captured a senior member of al Qaeda in Iraq in the Baquba area.

The military didn't identify the man who was captured Monday, two days after another senior member of the network -- Mansur Sulayman Mansur Khalif, also known as Sheikh Mansur -- was killed in a coalition airstrike.

The suspect, detained with three other suspected terrorists, reportedly is "a senior al Qaeda cell leader throughout central Iraq, north of Baghdad," a military statement said.

"He is known to be involved in facilitating foreign terrorists throughout central Iraq, and is suspected of having ties to previous attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces."

The military said the raid also turned up an AK-47 and other ammunition that coalition forces destroyed on-site.

Women and children at the sites returned safely to their homes after forces determined the area was secured, the statement said.

The Pentagon on Thursday released video of the June 16 airstrike that killed Sheikh Mansur. Described as one of al Qaeda in Iraq's top five operatives, he was believed to have been attempting to reorganize the group's operations after al-Zarqawi's death.

[Shammu]

June 22, 2006

Our Mother Jesus . . . a sermon by US church's new head
By Ruth Gledhill and James Bone

THE Episcopal Church in America descended into chaos last night after leading bishops on both the liberal and conservative wings dissassociated themselves from a last-gasp effort to avert a schism with the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Just hours after its newly elected woman head preached a sermon in praise of “our mother Jesus”, the Episcopal Church agreed to “exercise restraint” in appointing any more gay bishops after a tense day of debate and argument.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, welcomed the resolution with gratitude and what appeared to be relief, but he also made clear his reservations.

He welcomed the “exceptional seriousness” with which the Episcopal Church had treated the calls for it to repent and to impose moratoriums on same-sex blessings and the consecration of any more gay bishops. He said that actions by bishops and laity of the Episcopal Church yesterday showed “how strong is their concern to seek reconciliation and conversation with the rest of the Communion.”

But he continued: “It is not yet clear how far the resolutions passed this week and today represent the adoption by the Episcopal Church of all the proposals set out in the Windsor report. The wider Communion will therefore need to reflect carefully on the significance of what has been decided before we respond more fully.”

But this fragile consensus was immediately shattered by leading bishops on both sides.

Thirty liberal bishops issued a statement of dissent, saying that they could not abide by the new resolution. Bishop John Chane of Washington, a prominent church liberal who officiates at the National Cathedral in American capital, said that he would not agree to block the ordination of any gay bishop. “I will defy the resolution by consenting after prayer and careful consideration to any person duly elected by a diocese in this church,” he said.

On the other side, five conservative bishops accused the General Convention of “misleading the rest of the Communion by giving a false perception that they intend actually to comply with the recommendations of the Windsor Report”. They continued: “We therefore disassociate ourselves from those acts of this Convention that do not fully comply with the Windsor Report.”

They said that they repudiated the actions of the convention and committed themselves to providing pastoral care to worshippers and parishes on the orthodox wing, so placing themselves also in potential breach of Windsor because this would entail crossing diocesan and parochial boundaries.

The resolution was agreed after panicked bishops summoned the rare joint session of the whole Church at its three-yearly convention. The session was held the day after the 800-strong House of Deputies resoundingly rejected the Anglican hierarchy’s demand for a moratorium on the consecration of gay bishops.

Delegates, many wearing pink “It’s a girl” badges in celebration of the Right Rev Katharine Schori’s election as the new presiding bishop, were warned by the current primate of the Episcopal Church, Frank Griswold, that if they did not at least make an attempt to comply with demands for a moratorium on the consecration of any more gay bishops, they would risk exclusion from key bodies of the Anglican Church.

A proposal put forward by Bishop Griswold committing the Church to “exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate for the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider Church and will lead to further strains” sailed through the 300-member House of Bishops on a show of hands and was approved 75-34 by clergy delegations and 72-32 by lay delegations in the House of Deputies.

Earlier, at the morning Eucharist at the convention in Columbus, Ohio, Dr Schori signalled her feminist credentials in a sermon that drew on the writings of the 14th-century Julian of Norwich. She said: “Mother Jesus gives birth to a new creation — and you and I are His children. If we’re going to keep on growing into Christ images for the world around us, we’re going to have to give up fear.”

Liberals in Britain and America defended her sermon as being in a long tradition of writings by women theologians that use the metaphor of Jesus as mother.

Our Mother Jesus . . . a sermon by US church's new head

[Shammu]

U.S., Japan Expand Missile-Defense Plan
U.S., Japan Expand Cooperation on Missile-Defense Plan Amid Concerns About North Korea
By JOSEPH COLEMAN
The Associated Press

TOKYO - Japan and the United States agreed Friday to expand their cooperation on a ballistic missile defense shield, moving to protect themselves amid concerns that North Korea could test-fire a long-range missile.

The agreement, signed by Foreign Minister Taro Aso and U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer, commits the two countries to jointly produce interceptor missiles, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.

Officials said the agreement had been previously negotiated and was not triggered by fears that North Korea is preparing to test a missile.

But the timing of the announcement underscored the determined cooperation between the United States and its top Asian ally to protect themselves against the threat of Pyongyang's missile program.

North Korea's 1998 test-firing of a missile over northern Japan was Tokyo's primary impetus for signing on to the idea of joint missile defense.

The agreement allows the transfer of ballistic missile defense technology from Japan to the United States, a touchy issue in Japan, which has long adhered to a self-imposed ban on arms exports in line with its pacifist constitution.

The announcement came hours after Japanese officials said a high-resolution radar that can detect incoming missiles had been deployed at a base in northern Japan.

The so-called X-Band radar was transferred from the U.S. military's Misawa Air Base in Misawa to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force's Shariki base in Tsugaru, about 360 miles northeast of Tokyo, Japan's Defense Agency said.

The radar is expected to begin monitoring airspace this summer for ballistic missiles, a Defense Agency said on condition of anonymity citing policy. The radar is solely to monitor missiles and not fitted with a missile interceptor, she said.

Foreign Minister official Saori Nagahara said Japan and the U.S. have not decided when to begin production of interceptor missiles, but the development phase was expected to take about nine years. The agreement updates a November 1983 pact on arms transfers and a December 2004 missile defense cooperation arrangement.

South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, meanwhile, warned the North that firing a missile would not force the United States to make concessions.

The North has offered to talk to Washington about its missile concerns, in line with its long-held desire for direct discussions with the U.S. The Bush administration has rejected the offer and insists it will only meet with the North in six-nation talks over the communist country's nuclear program.

"It seems clear that even if North Korea fires a missile, the United States would not make a compromise," Lee told a parliamentary committee in Seoul.

U.S. officials say a Taepodong-2 missile believed capable of reaching the United States is possibly being fueled at the North's launch site on its northeastern coast.

Intelligence reports say fuel tanks have been seen around the missile, but officials say it's difficult to determine from satellite photos if a rocket is being fueled.

Lee said a "series of activities by North Korea" were consistent with a missile launch. "North Korea should immediately halt moves of its missile launch," he said.

U.S. officials have warned North Korea will face unspecified penalties if it goes ahead with the launch. China and Russia the North's last major allies, have also expressed alarm.

"We still hope that they recognize that launching that missile would only isolate them further, and that they will make the right decision and not launch the missile," U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow told The Associated Press on Friday.

The Bush administration said it was committed to seeking a diplomatic solution to the problem.

Vice President Dick Cheney told CNN on Thursday that North Korea's missile capabilities "are fairly rudimentary" and expressed skepticism the missile could reach U.S. territory. He rebuffed suggestions that Washington launch a pre-emptive strike.

U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, briefing reporters during a visit by President Bush to Hungary, expressed reservations that the United States could intercept and destroy such a missile, saying the U.S. missile defense system was still in a developmental stage.

"We think diplomacy is the right answer and that is what we are pursuing," Hadley said. "The way out of this is for North Korea to decide not to test this missile."

U.S. forces, meanwhile wrapped up their largest military exercise in the Pacific since the Vietnam War, showing North Korea and others its ability to quickly assemble massive combat power.

The five days of war games brought together three aircraft carriers along with 22,000 troops and 280 warplanes off the island of Guam in the western Pacific.

The exercise "was a demonstration of the U.S. Pacific Command's ability to quickly amass a force in a joint combat environment and project peace, power and presence in the region," Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula told The Associated Press.

Associated Press Writers Burt Herman, Jae-soon Chang and Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul, Eric Talmadge in Andersen Air Force Base, Guam and Chisaki Watanabe in Tokyo contributed to this report.

U.S., Japan Expand Missile-Defense Plan

[Shammu]

June 23, 2006
Qassams continue as Olmert vows to keep up assassinations


Palestinians continued firing Qassam rockets on southern Israel on Friday, a
day after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged to continue assassinating
rocket-launching cells despite growing numbers of Palestinian civilian
casualties.

On Friday noon a mortar shell landed near the Kerem Shalom community on the
southern Gaza Strip border, Israel Radio reported. No casualties or damage
were reported.

Earlier, Gaza militants fired three Qassam rockets at the Sderot area,
causing no injuries.

Olmert apologized "from the depths of my being" for civilian deaths in
recent airstrikes in Gaza, but said in his closing speech at the Caesarea
economic conference in Jerusalem on Thursday that "pinpoint preventions" of
terror attacks would continue anyway.

"Israel will continue to carry out targeted attacks against terrorists and
those who try to harm Israeli citizens," Olmert said. "I value the lives and
the welfare of the residents of Sderot as much as, if not more than, those
of the residents of Gaza."

After two Palestinian civilians were killed and 14 others wounded Wednesday
night, the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff ordered a thorough
investigation of the string of recent Gaza air strikes in which Palestinian
civilians were killed.

The dead and wounded - all members of the same family - were hit in an
Israel Air Force strike in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the chief of the air force told Haaretz that air strikes are
nearly the only military option in Gaza.

The attack comes a day after three children were killed in an IAF strike in
Gaza City that targeted members of Fatah's military wing. Wednesday's strike
was the fourth incident in one month that IAF strikes in Gaza have resulted
in civilian fatalities, and brings the total of Palestinian civilian deaths
to 14.

Olmert, in his first, informal face-to-face meeting with Abbas at a
conference in Jordan on Thursday said he felt "regret" over the civilian
deaths, a source in the Prime Minister's Office said.

The prime minister nevertheless defended the air strikes. "I feel a deep
regret over the death of innocents, but there is no moral equivalence
between Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel and Israeli army operations,
because the army does not intend to hurt innocents," the source quoted him
as telling Abbas.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Wednesday that the IDF has clear
instructions to call off an attack if there is a chance that innocent people
would be endangered.

IDF Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz, ordered IAF Commander Major General Elyezer
Shkedy to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the string of recent
failed strikes.

An initial probe of Wednesday's attack revealed that it was caused either by
human or technical error.

Peretz said Wednesday that the IDF has clear instructions to call off an
attack if there is a chance that innocent people would be endangered.

Shkedy told Haaretz that the IAF has not found a common denominator among
the four incidents in which Palestinian civilians were killed. Initial
findings suggest a combination of human error and technical failures, he
added.

In Wednesday night's incident, the road chosen for the attack was relatively
isolated, but the point against which the missiles were fired was
problematic, because it was not possible to maintain eye contact between the
air vehicle and the target. It is also possible that there was a programming
malfunction in the missiles.

"We carry out attacks in the Gaza Strip daily," Shkedy said. "The air
operations are nearly the only way to operate in Gaza. The other option is a
land operation, and we must do everything possible to avoid that."

"Every strike on civilians is very bad," the air force chief said. "It is
troubling on an ethical level, and it also makes it difficult for us to
maintain pressure on the terrorist organizations."

Shkedy said that the militants have changed their mode of action, and have
begun launching rockets within residential areas to make air attacks against
them more difficult.

"Fighting against them (the militants) is becoming more complicated every
day," Shkedy said. "But we will continue fighting terror, and that includes
air attacks. That is our duty."

The air force chief said that he authorized a small number of senior
officers to act as "controllers" in the aerial attacks.

"These are people I trust completely," Shkedy said. "They have enormous
experience in such attacks, and we rely on their judgment, even if it turns
out that sometimes errors are made."

Three children were among the wounded in Wednesday's strike. Medical
personnel in Gaza said the injuries were caused by shrapnel and that some of
the wounded were in critical condition.

The 37-year-old woman killed in the strike, Fatima El-Barbarwi, was seven
months pregnant. The other casualty was her brother, a 45-year-old doctor
named Zakariya Ahmed residing in Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed was visiting his sister in Gaza and the family had settled down for
the evening meal when they were hit by the missile. A pool of blood marked
the floor in their kitchen.

Doctors tried to save the woman's seven-month-old fetus, but failed, they
said.

Palestinian witnesses said the apparent target of the IAF strike had been a
jeep carrying members of the Popular Resistance Commmittees but the missile
struck the house instead. A witness said the vehicle carrying the
Palestinian militants passed by the house as the explosion occurred. The men
inside jumped out of the car and ran into a nearby field.

A spokeswoman expressed regret at the death of El-Barbarwi. The Israel Air
Force had fired the missile as the car travelled in a relatively unpopulated
area on the outskirts of Khan Yunis, to avoid civilian death as had happened
in previous attacks,

A statement from Abbas' office harshly condemned the Israeli attacks.

"The increased frequency of women and children falling victims to Israeli
missiles, in an age of very precise electronic warfare, indicates a
deliberate intention on the Israeli part to target every Palestinian and to
cause maximum human, physical, and psychological damage," it said.

Qassams continue as Olmert vows to keep up assassinations  Please remember that this is out of a Iranian newspaper.

[Shammu]

 Unbalanced US Extradition Treaty `radicalizing' British Muslims
London, June 23, IRNA

UK-Muslims-US
The British Government's handling of the case of Babar Ahmad and its `lopsided' extradition arrangements with the U.S. has succeeded in "radicalizing a new generation of British Muslims," according to evidence compiled in a new report Friday.

"The fury, bitterness and ominous threats, heaped on the British Government and western establishments, leave no doubt that British Muslims are being pushed towards extremism by the Government's failure to listen to their pleas and their blind persistence with an unjust and dangerous extradition policy," the report warned.

Ahmad, who has been in jail for nearly two years, is appealing against a decision to extradite him to the US to face charges of running `terrorist' websites.

The appeal is due to be heard on July 11 and scheduled to run for four days.

In a forward to the report, Labor MP Sadiq Khan said the US can make extradition requests to the UK "without having to provide prima facie evidence about the case," but he added "the same is not true in reverse, and this signifies an inequity in the extradition law." "It is noteworthy that the British Police and Crown Prosecution Service have decided that there is no basis for Babar to be charged for any criminal offenses here in the UK," said Khan, who is also a human rights lawyer.

The report, the result of a four-month study by the Free Babar Campaign, provides excerpts from emails, letters, weblogs, poetry and statements by leading figures to underline the counter-productive effects of his treatment and the `one-sided' US Extradition Treaty.

"British Muslims are outraged that a law-abiding citizen of the UK and a valued member of their community can be detained without charge for nearly two years, abused and tortured, and possibly extradited to a country that is proven to have no regard for the human rights of Muslim `suspects,' it said.

This was "despite the fact that no evidence has been presented to this day, all for the sake of a one-sided alliance," the campaign group said.

The report found that there was an "unfairness" of the 2003 UK-US Extradition Treaty, which makes British citizens "subservient to US law."
It "has confirmed without doubt in the minds of British Muslims that this government has turned Britain into a second-class state and a `pillion passenger' in America's war on terror," it said.

The campaign group warned that the treatment of Ahmed, a 32-year- old UK-born Muslim from London, along with Britain's foreign policy, has meant that the current government has "irrevocably lost the trust of British Muslims."
Judging by the increasing level of public interest in this case, it also said it would be "dangerously naive to assume that this matter will quietly fade away if Babar Ahmad is eventually extradited to the US."

Unbalanced US Extradition Treaty `radicalizing' British Muslims

[Shammu]

 Maoist Chief says India brought Nepal's SPA, Maoists together
New Delhi, June 23, IRNA

India-Nepal-Maoists
For the first time, Maoist leader Prachanda has said that without India's "encouragement" in bringing the rebels and Nepal's major political parties' alliance together, the popular uprising against the King would not have been possible.

"With the positive help from India, the 12-point agreement between the Seven-Party Alliance and the Maoists was made possible", Prachanda said in an interview published in the weekly magazine `Nepal'.

"The joint movement would not have been possible if foreign powers, especially India, had not encouraged him to do something" against the King's rule, he said referring to the mass movement against King Gyanendra forcing him to reinstate the dissolved Parliament and hand over executive power to the Seven-Party Alliance.

Earlier, contrary to media reports, Maoists said that India had no role to play in bringing them and the alliance together in reaching the 12-point understanding.

"King Gyanendra also had a role, a negative role, in bringing the Maoists and the parties together. The negative attitude of the Monarch pushed the two sides to come together," he claimed.

However, he said, there will be an "October Revolution" by the Maoists if the talks finally fail.

Prachanda also alleged that international power centers were conspiring against the government and Maoist talks.

"I don't think that international power centers are in favor of giving a forward looking outlet to the crisis by successfully concluding the talks", he said, without naming any country.

Also, "after the royal palace massacre of June 1, 2001, there is no relevance of the King and the Monarchy", he said.

He also did not favor a parliamentary republic prevalent in other democratic countries.

Maoist Chief says India brought Nepal's SPA, Maoists together

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 India pledges USD 2 million to UN Peace-building Commission Fund
New Delhi, June 23, IRNA

India-UN-Fund
India has decided to make an initial commitment of two million US dollars to the Peace-Building Fund proposed to be set up under the newly-established Peace-Building Commission (PBC) at the United Nations.

India had welcomed the proposal contained in the 2005 World Summit Document to establish a Peace-building Commission at the UN as an inter-governmental advisory body to help countries in the process of post-conflict peace-building, recovery, reconstruction and development, official sources said here Friday.

As part of its composite engagement with other member states on issues related to the UN reform, India has been constructively involved in discussions to set up and operationalise the PBC.

While the PBC was established in December, 2005, the process of forming its Organizational Committee was completed in May, 2006.

The UN Secretary General has scheduled the first meeting of the Organizational Committee at the UN in New York.

India has been selected as a member of the Organizational Committee of the PBC under the category of the top five providers of military personnel and civilian police to the UN peace-keeping operations.

India is among the longest serving and largest troop contributors to UN peace-keeping activities.

More than 85,000 Indian troops, military observers and civilian police officers have participated in 42 out of the 60 peace-keeping missions established since the inception of the UN.

As many as 116 Indian soldiers were killed while serving in UN peace-keeping operations and have been awarded the Dag Hammarksjold Medals.

The spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry said that besides continuing its active contribution to the UN peace-keeping operations, India also attaches high importance to the issues related to peace- building, on which the PBC will be rendering advice and assistance at the request of prospective recipient countries.

India looks forward to making positive contribution to PBC's functioning, especially in areas of capacity building.

India pledges USD 2 million to UN Peace-building Commission Fund

[Shammu]

Petition Signers Against Same-Sex Marriage Exposed

POSTED: 9:40 am EDT June 23, 2006
UPDATED: 12:29 pm EDT June 23, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Westside church is defending its Web site publishing of a list of Floridians who signed a petition against same-sex marriage, according to a WJXT-TV report.

The Christ Church of Peace is publishing the names and addresses of the 400,000 people who support a ban on same-sex marriage, the report said.

The church's pastor, who backs gay marriage, said he wants to add a new Christian voice to the debate about lifestyle his church believes should be legal.

The debate about gay marriage is a private one for many people, but those who signed a petition against the unions have been exposed.

"I think it's a right of privacy. If you want it on (the Web site) you should put it on, not somebody else, " said Beverly Hughes.

The posting was an eyeopener for Michelle Chance-Sangthong, according to the WJXT-TV report. She committed to her partner, Toy, surrounded by more than 200 guests -- people she thought supported their union.

"We were shocked and saddened to find the very same names that were the first on our guest book were also signatures on this petition that could prevent us from having equal rights," Chance-Sangthong said.

The publication started a debate for Chance-Sangthong, which one group hopes other people will have.

"By desiring dialogue with other folk and by supporting all families, straight and gay," said the Rev. Gary Debusk of the Christ Church of Peace.

The amendment up for discussion reads that marriage is,"The legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife," and that, "No other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

Currently, nearly half a million people have signed the petition and many have been vocal about the issue over the last few months.

"The same-sex marriage would subject our children to a vast, untested social experiment," said Bishop Victor Galeone of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

The Christ Church of Peace said it wants to be the Christian voice supporting gay marriages -- a voice some of the church's members said isn't as loud, but just as important, WJXT-TV reported.

"I would at least like the option to become part of his family and him to become part of mine," said legal-gay-marriage advocate Andrew Grayot.

Supporters of the new amendment said they need about 100,000 more signatures to get the amendment on the ballot in 2008.

Petition Signers Against Same-Sex Marriage Exposed

[Shammu]

Weather improving for N. Korea missile test, sources say
Possible U.S. interception plan spelled out

From Barbara Starr
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Weather conditions would be favorable for North Korea to test its long-range ballistic missile this weekend, several military sources said Friday.

The sources, who are not authorized to speak publicly, also said U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has signed an order that spells out how the United States would launch an interceptor missile if the North Korean missile appeared to be on a trajectory toward any U.S. territory or interests.

Clouds covered the missile's launch site for much of this week, possibly delaying any launch plans, but the U.S. military sources said clear weather and favorable upper atmospheric conditions were forecast for the weekend.

Fears have grown in recent weeks following reports of activity at a site in northeastern North Korea where U.S. officials say a Taepodong-2 missile -- believed capable of reaching parts of the United States -- is possibly being fueled.

One official said Friday that North Korea is continuing activities "indicating a launch," although he emphasized no new indicators have been seen in the past couple of days.

The United States, Japan and other countries are concerned about North Korea's reported preparations for a long-range missile test. The North Koreans fired a Taepodong-1 missile over Japan in 1998, but declared a moratorium on future tests in 1999.

In the past week, however, North Korean officials have said they no longer feel bound to that moratorium because they are not engaged in direct negotiations with the United States.

President Bush warned North Korea on Wednesday it would face further isolation if it violated agreements by test launching the missile.

"The North Koreans have made agreements with us in the past, and we expect them to keep their agreements," Bush said during a news conference at the end of a European Union summit.

"It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes, that have announced that they've got nuclear warheads, fire missiles," Bush said. "This is not the way you conduct business in the world. This is not the way that peaceful nations conduct their affairs."

If there is a launch by North Korea, the United States is facing three options, officials said: do nothing; fire an interceptor missile to destroy the North Korean missile; fire and miss.

Word of any North Korean launch is expected to come quickly from Asia, and the Bush administration would plan to make a statement to the world within an hour of launch, one official said.

In the event of a launch, the U.S. military would have just a few minutes to make a recommendation to Bush about a course of action.

And U.S. military response would come only if it is determined through multiple technological means that the missile is on an attack trajectory.

The missile could be determined to be on a trajectory indicating a satellite launch, in which case, it would not be deemed a threat.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Vice President Dick Cheney said the missile has a third stage, which is an indication it is configured for a satellite trajectory, even though this test missile may only be carrying an instrumentation package.

The initial "boost" phase of the North Korean missile would last perhaps three to five minutes, according to a Pentagon official.

The U.S. system is designed to try to hit the attacking missile in the 20-minute 'mid-course' phase so any decision to strike would have to be made within minutes.

Under the order signed by Rumsfeld, all available information would be continuously shared so the president could make a decision whether to fire.

Officials say that in an extreme emergency there are other high-level officials -- whom they would not specify -- who could order a U.S. retaliatory strike, but realistically, they say, the decision would most likely be made by President Bush.

Weather improving for N. Korea missile test, sources say

[Shammu]

Latvian Parliament Withstands EU Pressure on Homosexuality
By Samantha Singson
MichNews.com
Jun 23, 2006

   

(NEW YORK — C-FAM) The Latvian Parliament has decided to exclude a ban on sexual orientation discrimination from its Anti-Discrimination Bill, despite a directive from the European Union. Although implementation of the legislation was a condition for Latvia's accession to the Union in 2004, Latvian lawmakers have rejected it.

The Anti-Discrimination Bill was first introduced in March 2004 with the aim of fulfilling EU-mandated requirements for race and employment equality, which include an explicit ban on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Several members of Latvia's ruling Christian Democratic party called for the deletion of the sexual orientation clause, calling homosexuality "sinful" and "degenerate".

Latvia is the only EU member state without legislation specifically outlawing discrimination at work and in housing on the grounds of sexual orientation.

This latest move by the Latvian parliament has again raised the ire of homosexual activists. In December 2005, the parliament passed a constitutional amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage with an overwhelming majority. Same-sex "marriage" was already illegal according to the Latvian civil law code, but the constitutional amendment now explicitly states that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman.

Representatives from the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) are demanding that the EU reassess Latvia's membership and said it hoped that the European Commission would take legal action to ensure the law was implemented in full. ILGA-Europe Executive Director, Patricia Prendiville said, "As an EU member state, Latvia is acting contradictory and disrespectfully to the principles of equality and non-discrimination agreed and confirmed by various EU treaties." Riccardo Gottardi, Co-Chair of ILGA – Europe Executive Board said, "We believe it is now the time to take very concrete and serious actions to make it clear to everyone in the European Union that homophobia and other forms of discriminations are not accepted and will be dealt with in the most serious manner." ILGA has repeatedly been rejected by the UN for NGO accreditation for allowing pedophile groups in their membership. UN NGO guidelines also forbid NGOs from "politically motivated" attacks on UN Member States. ILGFA's attacks on Latvia will likely be seen as a violation.

One day prior to the Latvian parliamentary decision, the European Union passed a resolution to combat homophobia which would see sentences handed down for homophobic, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic offences. Despite the pressure from homosexual activists and the EU, members of the Latvian parliament have speculated that it is unlikely that the ban on sexual orientation discrimination with be reinstated or supported.

The Latvian Anti-Discrimination Bill will have its second reading in the fall.

Latvian Parliament Withstands EU Pressure on Homosexuality

[Shammu]

U.S. Spurns Idea To Hit N. Korea First

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2006(CBS/AP) The United States suggested Thursday it has limited ability to shoot a North Korean missile out of the sky and spurned suggestions of a pre-emptive strike on the ground. Still, it warned the Koreans would pay a cost for a missile launch.

The nation's missile defense system, which now includes about a dozen interceptor missiles in Alaska and California and on some Navy ships, has suffered multiple test failures since President Bush ordered the Reagan-era program accelerated in early 2001.

Missile defense experts disagree on current U.S. ability to destroy a long-range missile once it is fired. But they seemed in agreement that shooting at it — and missing — would be a huge embarrassment.

A better solution, said Mr. Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, was for the North to "give it up and not launch" the missile that the U.S. believes is being fueled and prepared. "We think diplomacy is the right answer and that is what we are pursuing," Hadley said.

Tensions persisted over North Korea's apparent preparations to test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile amid disagreements over U.S. military options for responding. The missile, with a believed range of up to 9,300 miles, is potentially capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Pentagon officials said they were prepared to use the nation's missile defense system if needed.

Defense Secretary Rumsfeld said Thursday the decision to fire would be up to President Bush, CBS News correspondent David Martin reports. "The President would make a decision with respect to the nature of the launch, whether it was threatening to the territory of the United States or not," Rumsfeld said.

The program is a downscaled land-and-sea version of a global defense network first proposed by Reagan that was dubbed "Star Wars" by critics. Interceptor missiles — linked to a network of satellites, radar, computers and command centers — are designed to strike and destroy incoming ballistic missiles.

Shooting such a missile down in the air would be a mild reaction compared to what some experts call for, Martin reports. Former Defense Secretary William Perry and one of his top aides, Ashton Carter, are among those calling for destroying the missile while it's still on the launch pad. "It's a big, stationary, conspicuous, and very vulnerable target," Carter said, "and we would simply destroy it with one or two, for example, submarine-launched cruise missiles ... it would be a form of pre-emptive strike."

The Pentagon says the rudimentary system is capable of defending against a limited number of missiles in an emergency — such as a North Korean attack. More than $100 billion has been spent on the program since 1983, including $7.8 billion authorized for the current fiscal year.

In the most recent test, a Navy ship late last month successfully shot down a long-range missile in its final seconds of flight. Before a successful test in the Pacific in December 2005, interceptor tests had failed five of 11 times.

In other developments:

# Vice President Dick Cheney said North Korea's "missile capabilities are fairly rudimentary" but that developments were being closely monitored. In an interview with CNN, Cheney rejected Perry's suggestion for a pre-emptive strike. "I think the issue is being addressed appropriately," the vice president said.

# Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said Pyongyang risks unspecified retaliation in proceeding. "If such a launch takes place, we would seek to impose some cost on North Korea," Rodman told the House Armed Services Committee.

Loren Thompson, a defense consultant at the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., said there are "two basic problems" with trying to shoot down a Korean missile in the air. "Our system is barely operational. And the impact on Korean perceptions if we miss could be counterproductive."

Said Ivo Daalder, a former Clinton national security aide now at the Brookings Institution: "Either it won't work, in which case you've just undermined the rationale for the system. Or if it does work, you have created an even bigger international crisis."

Hadley, the president's national security adviser, brushed aside Perry's suggestion for a strike against the missile on the launch pad. Instead, he said, "We hope it (North Korea) would come back to the table, and we hope it would be a little sobered by the unanimous message that the international community has sent."

International talks to persuade North Korea to restrict its nuclear program have not been held since last November. The five other nations in the talks — the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea — have all strongly urged the North not to launch the missile.

Hadley, who briefed reporters in Budapest, Hungary, during a Bush visit, expressed some reservations about the ability of the United States to intercept and destroy such a missile, noting that the U.S. system was still in an early stage.

"It is a research development and testing capability that has some limited operational capability," Hadley said.

"If the North Koreans fire the missile and the president chooses to launch an interceptor, the administration has an odd set of options," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the private Arms Control Association.

"If it hits the missile, will the North Koreans consider that an act of war? And if the interceptor misses the North Korean test missile, it would simply illustrate the fact that we spent tens of billions of dollars for a system that's not effective — even against one missile from one known launch point."

U.S. Spurns Idea To Hit N. Korea First

[Shammu]

Japan will back US on Iran sanctions: report
Sat. 24 Jun 2006

HONG KONG, June 24, 2006 (AFP) - Japan has told the United States it was prepared to freeze Iranian bank accounts as part of a US-led plan to impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The Financial Times said officials had told the paper that Japan would support the sanctions if Iran did not suspend uranium enrichment and accept a package of incentives from the international community.

"Japanese officials were reluctant to be pinned down on the timing or trigger for any possible move," the report said.

But it cited one unnamed official saying that Japan could use its foreign exchange powers to freeze foreign assets in an emergency.

The paper said Japan expected Iran to respond by suspending loan repayments to Tokyo but was "betting" that the Islamic republic would not cut off supplies of oil.

The five permanent UN Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany have offered Iran a package of incentives and multilateral talks if it agrees to halt uranium enrichment.

That work is at the centre of fears the hardline regime could acquire nuclear weapons, though Tehran insists it is only to provide fuel for nuclear energy.

US President George W. Bush has warned of UN Security Council action, which could mean sanctions, if Iran does not comply.

Japan will back US on Iran sanctions: report

[Soldier4Christ]

U.S. Spurns Idea To Hit N. Korea First

No this is not a good idea. We should wait and see if they are aiming it at a specific country. We can always take it out in mid flight.  We have the capability of doing that. Then if it is aimed at someone specific they would be the aggressers and not us. We would then have the right to go after them.

[Shammu]

No this is not a good idea. We should wait and see if they are aiming it at a specific country. We can always take it out in mid flight.  We have the capability of doing that. Then if it is aimed at someone specific they would be the aggressers and not us. We would then have the right to go after them.

Yup, yup your right....