News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Arab airline hijacks kids of 'South Park'
Carrier based in UAE uses hauntingly familiar images
Posted: April 19, 2006
8:26 p.m. Eastern

By Joe Kovacs
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com


Air Arabia's cartoon characters have uncanny resemblance to kids from "South Park"

An Arab airline has hijacked the look of the cartoon kids from television's "South Park" to market its flights throughout the Middle East.

Air Arabia, a discount carrier based in the United Arab Emirates, features on its website the images of animated children who bear a striking resemblance to characters such as Stan, Kyle and Eric from the Comedy Central hit.


When users return to the airline's homepage or simply click refresh on their browser, they're treated to several different characters.

The imagery and facial expressions are similar to the boys from "South Park," but the kids are adorned in Arab-themed clothing and headgear, and thus, are not an exact match.

While no one from Air Arabia responded to WorldNetDaily's requests for comment, it appears the campaign began at some point in 2005.


Tony Fox, executive vice president of corporate communications at the Comedy Central network, said he was completely unaware of the purloined look until informed by WND.

"While I'm not a copyright expert," he said, "I don't know how we could have legal recourse for something that looks a lot like a 'South Park' character but actually isn't."

"South Park" has made its mark on society by poking fun at countless people and topics, and Fox noted there are certain liberties people can take to skewer others.

"As satirists we can do that," he said. "Satire is protected by the First Amendment."

Fox added he'd bring the matter to the attention of Comedy Central's legal department for its opinion about the airline's use of similar characters to market itself.

The cartoon comedy has been making major headlines recently.

As WND reported, Comedy Central barred the program from showing an image of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in an episode last week, but did allow a scene in which an image of Jesus Christ defecates on President Bush and the American flag.

The network issued a statement in connection with that, saying: "In light of recent world events, we feel we made the right decision."


But "South Park" actually depicted Muhammad, without protest, in a 2001 episode.

Last month, outspoken Scientologist Isaac Hayes, an Oscar-winning soul singer heard by millions in recent years as the "Chef" character on the show quit the cartoon four months after an episode spoofing Scientology.

The episode mocked Scientologists such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and included the continuous punchline of "Tom Cruise won't come out of the closet." (Click here to view the Scientology episode.)

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the 63-year-old Hayes said in a statement.

"Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored," he continued, never mentioning the Scientology episode, but citing the global controversy over cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad. "As a civil-rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

The creators, whose show recently won a prestigious Peabody Award, struck back with an episode in which Chef appeared to be killed and then have his brains scrambled by the "Super Adventure Club," which turns members into pedophiles.

[Shammu]

Protester to China leader:
'Your days are numbered'
Woman tries to interrupt President Hu's speech
as Bush stands by on White House South Lawn
Posted: April 20, 2006
11:54 a.m. Eastern


© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

As demonstrators gathered outside the White House to protest Beijing's abuse of human rights today, a woman who managed to get into the press area on the South Lawn shouted during Chinese President Hu Jintao's speech, warning him his "days are numbered."

The two leaders, who ignored the woman, began talks today focused on Iran and the United States' $202 billion trade deficit with China.

Video can be seen here via Michelle Malkin's weblog.


The woman shouted for several minutes before being escorted away by secret service officers.

"President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong!" she said in English, referring to the spiritual movement banned by China as an "evil" cult.

In Chinese, the woman shouted, "President Hu, your days are numbered."

On television in China, the screen went black as the yells of protesters became audible, according to the Drudge Report. The feed returned but once again went black when the woman's voice was heard.

The woman also said, "No more time for China's ruling party" and unfurled a yellow Falun Gong banner.

She had a temporary pass with a big 'T' on it, according to Drudge.

Earlier, Bush welcomed Hu, saying "the United states and China are two nations divided by a vast ocean yet connected through a global economy that is creating opportunities for both our people."

But Bush took aim at China's tightly controlled currency, saying he would move "toward a flexible market exchange rate."

He also called for greater cooperation on stopping nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea.

Hu arrived in the nation's capital last night after two days with business leaders in Washington state.

In Seattle, Falun Gang protesters demonstrated around the clock at Hu's hotel and were seen at other venues, including an intersection near Bill Gates' lakeside mansion.

Beijing has arrested and imprisoned hundreds of Falun Gong members since outlawing the movement in 1999.

[Shammu]

University rebuffs 'gay' profs, warns librarian not to retaliate
Christian staffer called 'sexual harasser' for recommending 'Marketing of Evil'
Posted: April 20, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

Warning him that "retaliation in any form is prohibited," Ohio State University yesterday officially informed a Christian librarian that charges of sexual harassment leveled at him by two homosexual professors – just for recommending "The Marketing of Evil" to the freshman class – were without merit.

In what has been widely reported as one of the most bizarre cases of campus mistreatment of Christians, Scott Savage was condemned by a 21-0 faculty vote (with nine abstentions) on March 13 to be formally investigated for sexual harassment. Several professors had become extremely upset over Savage's nomination of David Kupelian's acclaimed but controversial best-seller, which includes a chapter exposing the marketing strategies and tactics of the "gay rights" movement.

Savage is a pious Quaker who, like the Amish, rides a horse and buggy to the university where he works as head of Reference and Instructional Services at the Bromfield Library on Ohio State University's Mansfield campus.

In a March 9 inter-faculty e-mail, Buckley, one of the accusing professors, had reacted this way to Savage's recommendation that "The Marketing of Evil" be required reading for incoming freshmen: "As a gay man I have long ago realized that the world is full of homophobic, hate-mongers who, of course, say that they are not. So I am not shocked, only deeply saddened – and THREATENED – that such mindless folks are on this great campus. ... You have made me fearful and uneasy being a gay man on this campus. I am, in fact, notifying the OSU-M campus, and Ohio State University in general, that I no longer feel safe doing my job. I am being harassed."

However, in a letter dated April 6 – but mysteriously not postmarked until April 18, and received by Savage yesterday – the university informed Scott Savage that the faculty had overstepped their bounds:

Dear Mr. Savage:

On March 16, 2006, Gary Kennedy, Associate Professor and Faculty President, filed an allegation of discrimination/harassment complaint on behalf of Norman Jones, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English and James Buckley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, all of whom are faculty members of The Ohio State University Mansfield regional campus, against you.

Based on the statements, interviews and documentary evidence provided into this inquiry, it is determined there is no finding of discrimination/harassment on your part.

However well intentioned the actions of Professors Jones and Buckley, the fact remains their claims of discrimination and/or harassment based on your suggestion of a book does not meet established university policy criteria for filing such a claim. …

If the complaint violated "established university policy criteria," why did the entire faculty vote in favor of the claim?

"I'd say it's for the same reason about a third of the faculty completely abstained from voting," commented Kupelian. "Those nine faculty members knew the charges of sexual harassment against this poor librarian were ridiculous and that they couldn't vote yes. But they also didn't want to be accused by the rest of the faculty of being homophobes and bigots. So they didn't vote. The entire faculty – those who voted yes, and those who abstained from voting – wanted to be certain they were not tarred as haters and Neanderthals."

"Those nine abstentions are just one more proof that the OSU Mansfield campus is a place of fear and intimidation, not one of openness, robust inquiry and free speech as the faculty members imagine," Kupelian added.

"What boggles my mind," said David French, lead attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, which has taken up Savage's case, "is that nobody voted against accusing a librarian of sexual harassment for recommending a book."

After informing Savage the allegations were unfounded, the letter suggested a new round of anti-discrimination and harassment training was in order.

"What colleges normally do in this situation," explained French, "is to first do what is necessary to defuse the immediate crisis. Then they go into the 're-education process,' where they bring in the experts to discuss how hurtful and painful it is when people discuss Judeo-Christian morality on campus."

Indeed, among the letter's "Recommendations" was this:

Promote frank, open and respectful discussion among faculty and library staff, in particular and among all staff in general. Dr. Jones had indicated that maybe he could be a liaison person to spearhead this effort.

Ironically, Jones – who had just falsely accused Savage of sexual harassment, and strongly attacked Kupelian's book – was being suggested as the point man responsible for leading the faculty in "open and respectful discussion" of differences.

More ominously, the letter to Savage – signed by T. Glenn Hill of the university's Office of Human Resources – appears to end with a warning to the party who had been falsely accused:

… keep in mind that retaliation in any form is prohibited, per university, state and federal law.

But as WorldNetDaily reported, attorney French says the damage to his client's reputation and career has been done. In fact, Savage has already filed a complaint against the three professors for false accusations of harassment, and he is discussing with ADF a more "substantial" response – including possible litigation.

"Ohio State University allowed its resources to be used in a campaign of slander and defamation," said French, adding Savage "wants to do something substantial to deter any future tyranny or bullying of others."

Since WorldNetDaily broke the story Saturday, it has been reported by Sean Hannity, MSNBC, Fox News, the New York Post, Human Events, and dozens of bloggers and talk show hosts.


Released in August, "The Marketing of Evil" has been widely praised by Dr. Laura, David Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, D. James Kennedy and many others and garnered over 100 five-star reader reviews on Amazon.com.

As a direct consequence of being "banned" as "hate literature" and "homophobic tripe" by the OSU faculty, "The Marketing of Evil" has become one of the hottest-selling books in the country, topping Amazon.com's "Current Events" bestseller chart for the past three days.

[Shammu]

Muslim students 'being taught to despise unbelievers as filth'
By Sean O'Neill
Pupils protest as college linked to Iran puts fundamentalist text on curriculum, reports our correspondent
MUSLIM students training to be imams at a British college with strong Iranian links have complained that they are being taught fundamentalist doctrines which describe nonMuslims as “filth”.

The Times has obtained extracts from medieval texts taught to the students in which unbelievers are likened to pigs and dogs. The texts are taught at the Hawza Ilmiyya of London, a religious school, which has a sister institution, the Islamic College for Advanced Studies (ICAS), which offers a degree validated by Middlesex University.

The students, who have asked to remain anonymous, study their religious courses alongside the university-backed BA in Islamic studies. They spend two days a week as religious students and three days on their university course.

The Hawza Ilmiyya and the ICAS are in the same building at Willesden High Road, northwest London — a former Church of England primary school — and share many of the same teaching staff.

They have a single fundraising arm, the Irshad Trust, one of the managing trustees of which is Abdolhossein Moezi, an Iranian cleric and a personal representative of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme religious leader.

Mr Moezi is also the director of the Islamic Centre of England in Maida Vale, a large mosque and community centre that is a registered charity. Its memorandum of association, lodged with the Charity Commission, says that: “At all times at least one of the trustees shall be a representative of the Supreme Spiritual Leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Both the Irshad Trust and the Islamic Centre of England Ltd (ICEL) were established in 1996. Mr Moezi’s predecessor as Ayatollah Khamenei’s representative, another cleric called Mohsen Araki, was a founding trustee of both charities.

In their first annual accounts, lodged with the Charity Commission in 1997, the charities revealed substantial donations. The Irshad Trust received gifts of £1,367,439 and the ICEL accepted an “exceptional item” of £1.2 million.

Around the same time, the ICEL bought a former cinema in Maida Vale without a mortgage. Since then it has received between £1 million and £1.7 million in donations each year which, it says, come from British and overseas donors. The centre declined to say if any of its money came from Iran.

Since 2000, its accountants have recorded in their auditors’ report on the charity’s accounts that they have limited evidence about the source of donations.

The links between the two charities and Iran are strong. The final three years of the eight-year Hawza Ilmiyya course are spent studying in colleges in the holy city of Qom, the power base of Iran’s religious leaders.

The text that has upset some students is the core work in their Introduction to Islamic Law class and was written by Muhaqqiq al-Hilli, a 13thcentury scholar. The Hawza Ilmiyya website states that “the module aims to familiarise the student with the basic rules of Islamic law as structured by al-Hilli”.

Besides likening unbelievers to filth, the al-Hilli text includes a chapter on jihad, setting down the conditions under which Muslims are supposed to fight Jews and Christians.

The text is one of a number of books that some students say they find “disturbing” and “very worrying”. Their spokesman told The Times: “They are being exposed to very literalist interpretations of the Koran. These are interpretations that would not be recognised by

80 or 90 per cent of Muslims, but they are being taught in this school.

“A lot of people in the Muslim community are very concerned about this. We need to urgently re-examine the kind of material that is being taught here and in other colleges in Britain.”

Mohammed Saeed Bahmanpour, who teaches in both the Hawza and the ICAS, confirmed that al-Hilli text was used, but denied that it was taught as doctrine. He said that, although the book was a key work in the jurisprudence class, its prescriptions were not taught as law. When he taught from it, he omitted the impurity chapter, he said.

Dr Bahmanpour said: “We just read the text and translate for them, but as I said I do not deal with the book on purity. We have left that to the discretion of the teacher whether he wants to teach it or not.

“The idea is not to teach them jurisprudence because most of the fatwas of Muhaqiq are not actually conforming with the fatwa of our modern jurists. The idea is that they would be able to read classical texts and that is all.”

Dr Bahmanpour said that Mr Moezi had no educational role at either the ICAS or Hawza Ilmiyya. Mr Moezi has been the representative in Britain of Ayatollah Khamenei since 2004 when he also succeeded Mr Araki in the role and as a trustee of the ICEL and the Irshad Trust.

The Islamic centre’s website reports Ayatollah Khamenei’s speeches and activities prominently and one of the first sites listed under its links section is the supreme leader’s homepage.

A spokeswoman for the ICEL also confirmed its links with the Iran’s spiritual leadership but said the centre was a purely religious organisation.

Middlesex University, which accredits the ICAS course but not the Hawza Ilmiyya, said: “The BA in Islamic studies offered by the Islamic College of Advanced Studies is validated by Middlesex University.

“This means that Middlesex ensures that the academic standards of this particular programme are appropriate, the curriculum delivers to the required standards, learning and teaching methods allow achievement of standards.”

THE DOCTRINE

‘The water left over in the container after any type of animal has drunk from it is considered clean and pure apart from the left over of a dog, a pig, and a disbeliever’

‘There are ten types of filth and impurities: urine, faeces, semen, carrion, blood of carrion, dogs, pigs, disbelievers’

‘When a dog, a pig, or a disbeliever touches or comes in contact with the clothes or body [of a Muslim] while he [the disbeliever] is wet, it becomes obligatory- compulsory upon him [the Muslim] to wash and clean that part which came in contact with the disbeliever’

Because of advertisment, I can post the link.

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[Soldier4Christ]

China 'selling prisoners' organs'

Top British transplant surgeons have accused China of harvesting the organs of thousands of executed prisoners every year to sell for transplants.

In a statement, the British Transplantation Society condemned the practice as unacceptable and a breach of human rights.

The move comes less than a week after Chinese officials publicly denied the practice took place.

In March, China said it would ban the sale of human organs from July.

'Selection'

The British Transplantation Society says an accumulating weight of evidence suggests the organs of thousands of executed prisoners in China are being removed for transplants without consent.

Professor Stephen Wigmore, who chairs the society's ethics committee, told the BBC that the speed of matching donors and patients, sometimes as little as a week, implied prisoners were being selected before execution.

Chinese officials deny the allegations.

Just last week a Chinese health official said publicly that organs from executed prisoners were sometimes used, but only with prior permission and in a very few cases.

But widespread allegations have persisted for several years - including from international human rights groups.

Transplant tourism

Professor Wigmore said: "The weight of evidence has accumulated to a point over the last few months where it's really incontrovertible in our opinion.

"We feel that it's the right time to take a stance against this practice."

The emergence of transplant tourism has made the sale of health organs even more lucrative.

Patients increasingly come from Western countries, including the UK, as well as Japan and South Korea.

Professor Wigmore described this as quite widespread and growing. He and his colleagues, he said, had all seen cases of British patients who had considered going to China for transplants. He really hoped, he added, that people would think very hard about whether they should.

Secrecy surrounding executions in China has always made it difficult to gather facts.

The Chinese authorities recently announced steps to tighten regulations. From July, selling organs will be illegal and all donors must give written permission.

But the practice is lucrative and critics say much will depend on how well those rules are implemented.

[Soldier4Christ]

Iran scoffs at US military threat

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran scoffed at the idea of U.S. military action to halt its nuclear program and gave no hint of compromise on Thursday before a visit by U.N. inspectors to assess Iranian compliance with Security Council demands.

The International Atomic Energy Agency will report to the top world body on April 28 on whether Tehran has halted uranium enrichment and answered IAEA questions about its nuclear activities in line with a 30-day deadline set by the council.

President Bush has vowed to stop Iran from getting atomic weapons and has refused to rule out military options, including nuclear strikes, if diplomacy fails.

"The United States has been threatening Iran for 27 years and this is not new for us. Therefore we are never afraid of U.S. threats," Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told reporters during a visit to neighboring Azerbaijan.

"If you take into account the fact that they are not doing anything, this shows it is just talk," he said.

Najjar said Iran was ready to negotiate, but would deal with any challenge confronting it.

Senior IAEA inspectors were due in Iran on Friday to gauge Iranian compliance for the report that Mohamed ElBaradei, the U.N. watchdog's director, is preparing for the Security Council.

Worries about the nuclear standoff have helped drive oil prices to record highs, with Brent crude trading above $74 a barrel on Thursday after a steep drop in U.S. gasoline stocks.

Iran, the world's fourth-biggest oil exporter, says it wants only nuclear-generated electricity, not bombs.

But its declaration last week that it had successfully enriched uranium and would now pursue large-scale production heightened international suspicions about its intentions.

SANCTIONS

The United States, Britain and France want the Security Council to approve targeted sanctions on Iran, such as travel bans and asset freezes, if it refuses to back down.

But China and Russia, the council's other two veto-holders, doubt punitive measures will work. Big-power talks in Moscow this week failed to produce a consensus on future action.

European diplomats on Thursday dismissed as unacceptable a suggestion that Iran take a brief "technical pause" from nuclear enrichment to revive collapsed negotiations with the EU.

They told Reuters Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), discussed this idea with Iranian officials in Tehran last week.

"A full suspension is the only way to resolve this and the Iranians have given no indication they are willing to do that," a senior EU diplomat told Reuters.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday the world was mobilized to deny Iran nuclear weapons.

"We are prepared to use measures at our disposal -- political, economic, others, to dissuade Iran," she said.

Russia, however, rejected a call from the United States, which has long maintained its own trade embargo on Iran, to halt work on the Islamic Republic's Bushehr nuclear power station.

Russia's state atomic energy agency is contracted to help Iran build the $1 billion reactor. A senior U.S. official said on Wednesday that a Russian withdrawal would help persuade Iran to abandon its separate uranium enrichment program.

"Every country has the right to decide for itself with whom and in what way it cooperates with other states," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said, adding that only the U.N. Security Council could override this principle.

Speaking in Moscow, UnderSecretary of State Nicholas Burns had also repeated Washington's view that Moscow should cancel the planned sale to Iran of Tor tactical surface-to-air missiles. Moscow and Tehran say they are for defensive purposes.

Kamynin's statement did not mention the missile sales.

Iranian nuclear negotiators were in Moscow on Thursday but there was no word on what they were doing. They met officials of Britain, France and Germany late on Wednesday, but a British diplomat said there had been no breakthrough.

Bush, meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao in Washington on Thursday, did not appear to have persuaded him to allow tougher steps in the U.N. Security Council. Hu repeated Beijing's calls for a solution through "diplomatic negotiations".

In Seoul, a senior European Union official called on Iran to comply with IAEA demands that it suspend all enrichment and reprocessing activities to allow a return to negotiations.

"We remain committed to a diplomatic solution," EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told a news conference.

[Shammu]

Hamas Appoints Head of New Security Force

By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer Thu Apr 20, 7:37 PM ET

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The Hamas government on Thursday named a Palestinian whose group has attacked
Israel and was blamed for bombing a U.S. convoy to head a new security force made up of Islamic militants.

The move is a direct challenge to the authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, and was quickly denounced by Israel and the United States.

Hamas Interior Minister Said Siyam issued a decree appointing Jamal Abu Samhadana, the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, as director general of his ministry.

Samhadana, a former security officer who was dismissed for refusing to report for duty during the uprising against Israel, was given the rank of colonel.

His group is responsible for many of the homemade rockets launched at Israel in recent weeks. It also is suspected by some of involvement in the attack on a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza that killed three Marine security guards in October 2003.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said Siyam would form a new security branch — answerable only to him — to bring law and order to the Palestinian streets.

"This force is going to include the elite of our sons from the freedom fighters and the holy warriors and the best men we have," he said. "It's going to include members of all the resistance branches."

Abbas' office had no immediate response.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack criticized the move. He said it showed "the true nature and the true tactics of this particular Hamas-led government," and the U.S. would still hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for stopping terror attacks.

Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir echoed that.

"If someone needed proof about the connection between the Hamas rule and Palestinian terror, this appointment is the ultimate proof," he told The Associated Press.

Abu Hilal said officials have begun recruiting for the new force, but they could not say how it would be structured or how big it would be. He also did not know whether the new force would be paid by the Interior Ministry or serve as volunteers, paid by their militant groups.

After Hamas' Jan. 25 election victory over Abbas' Fatah Party, the Islamic group's leaders said they planned to incorporate some of their militants into the security forces. But the announcement of a new force made up of militants appeared to be an effort to counter Abbas' moves to take control of all other security branches.

Soon after the Hamas-led Cabinet was sworn in late last month, Abbas appointed a longtime ally, Rashid Abu Shbak, to head the three security services that were supposed to fall under Hamas command. Abbas also controls several other security services.

Samhadana is high on Israel's wanted list and has been the target of at least one assassination attempt.

It was unclear whether Samhadana or Abu Shbak would retain ultimate control of the security forces, though any dispute would be resolved in the National Security Council, headed by Abbas.

Abbas directly controls the presidential security unit, the border police and the various intelligence services. The preventive security, which is in charge criminal intelligence, the civil defense, which deals with disasters, and the police fall under the Interior Ministry.

Speaking at a mosque in Gaza City, Siyam pledged a major crackdown on crime throughout the Palestinian areas.

"We are going to beat with an iron fist all the people and the groups who are acting illegally," Siyam said. He said he was referring to crime, not armed resistance against Israel.

Israel, the U.S. and European Union have cut off much of the funding that has kept the Palestinian Authority afloat, labeling Hamas a terror organization and refusing to deal with the new government. Hamas has sent dozens of suicide bombers into Israel, and while it has largely observed a truce over the past year, Hamas officials defended a suicide bombing by another group on Monday that killed nine people in Tel Aviv.

The financial crunch is being felt keenly by 165,000 salaried public sector workers, who have not been paid for last month. Palestinian Finance Minister Omar Abdel Razek told the AP he doesn't know where the money will come from or when.

In the two months between the election and Hamas' assumption of power, the outgoing government of the defeated Fatah Party hired 9,000 more employees, he said. The number of security officers has risen to 80,000, from the 60,000 reported by the last government, he said.

The Palestinian Authority needs about $160 million every month — $118 million for the payroll and $40 million in operating costs, he said. The government has about $30 million in monthly income, but that money is being spent on the most crucial ministries — health and social welfare.

Syria's foreign minister said Thursday that his country will expand its support to the Hamas government by setting April 30 as a national day for donating money to the Palestinians. Syria also will accept travelers carrying Palestinian Authority passports, and establish direct phone links with the Palestinian territories, he said.

Hamas Appoints Head of New Security Force

[Bronzesnake]

Hamas has really alienated themselves from any legitimate world government or official, so this latest move isn't surprising Bob.
They lost a lot of funding throughout the world when they publically praised the homicide bomber a few days back for killing 11 innocent victims in Israel.

Our new Conservative government, here in Canada took office recently, and immediately withdrew all funding to the Palestinian government, and for once I applaud this government!
It took watching this Hamas government applauding a senseless homicide bombing for many other governments to do the same. Gee, did they honestly think Hamas would change their evil ways once they became "politicians"?

John

[Shammu]

Hamas has really alienated themselves from any legitimate world government or official, so this latest move isn't surprising Bob.

No it isn't a suprise brother, I'm not suprised that the muslim world has taken to funding these terrorist either. You know the saying, "Birds of a feather, flock together."

Our new Conservative government, here in Canada took office recently, and immediately withdrew all funding to the Palestinian government, and for once I applaud this government!

AMEN, I'm glad to hear it John!!

It took watching this Hamas government applauding a senseless homicide bombing for many other governments to do the same. Gee, did they honestly think Hamas would change their evil ways once they became "politicians"?

John

Politicians in their own cause, is called terrorism in the rest of the world.

[Shammu]

Nepal's unrest poses obstacles for a ministry.
April 21, 2006
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Nepal (MNN)--The international community is urging Nepal's king to restore democracy and peace.

Security forces opened fire as at least 100,000 people defied a curfew to protest against the absolute rule of King Gyanendra. The king took direct rule two months ago, citing the Maoist insurrection as the reason.

The rebels vow not to give up their fight until they are in power. But, Interserve's Doug VanBronkhorst says their concern stems not from what the Maoists are against, so much as what they support.

Very little is known about their intent should they gain the upperhand, which means the Maoists present a dangerous scenario. Vanbronkhorst explains that, "They have announced a desire to get rid of all foreign influence in the country. That, of course, would apply to Non-Government workers (NGOs), and aid workers, and Christians from outside the country."

Their attitude is not surprising. Vanbronkhorst goes on to say that, "The Maoists are not friends of religion, in general, Christianity, in particular, so I don't think this is necessarily good for the church. But at this point, Christians have not been specifically targeted."

Naturally, ministry in this time can be a challenge, so Vanbronkhorst urges prayer. "There are roads that are blocked, and so they're very much more careful about where they go and when they go there, and feel much more restricted to their local area, so that's difficult."

While contingency plans are in place in case of an emergency evacuation, Vanbrokhorst says, "They're committed to being there. They have jobs to do, meaningful things to do in the country and feel like the church needs their support."

I can't post the link because of advertisment.

[Shammu]

Ninth Circuit strikes again: Christian message on student t-shirt impermissible



Contact:  Cindy Roberts, 662-844-5036
American Family Association
P.O. Drawer 2440
Tupelo, MS 38803
1-662-680-3886

For Immediate Release:  4/20/2006

Pasadena, CA - In a 2-1 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today upheld a lower court ruling denying relief to a high school student who had been told by his principal he could not wear a t-shirt bearing the words ?Be Ashamed, Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned? handwritten on the front, and ?Homosexuality Is Shameful? on the back. Judge Alex Kozinski dissented.

The case arose when Tyler Harper, a sophomore at Poway High School, responded in opposition to the ?Day of Silence,? a school-sanctioned event promoted by a radical homosexual group and designed to advance the homosexual agenda. Harper?s peaceful opposition was expressed by means of his t-shirt, which he wore on the 2004 Day of Silence without incident. He also wore the shirt the next day, however, and was confronted by school officials and ordered to remove the shirt. He refused, and this lawsuit ensued.

Writing for the court, Judge Stephen Reinhardt held that the school did not violate Harper?s constitutional rights because the message on his shirt was offensive to gay and lesbian students.

Commenting on the ruling, American Family Association Center for Law & Policy senior trial attorney Brian Fahling described Reinhardt?s opinion ?as extraordinary for all the wrong reasons.? ?Judge Reinhardt views disagreement with homosexuality as morally equivalent to being racist or anti-Semitic, and he wants to impose his view on the rest of the nation,? continued Fahling.

Stephen Crampton, CLP chief counsel described the opinion by Judge Reinhardt as ?the quintessential example of judicial activism.? ?To read the opinion gives one an eerie sense of what it must have been like to live in Stalin?s Russia or Hitler?s Germany?dissenting voices simply will not be tolerated,? added Crampton.

Ninth Circuit strikes again: Christian message on student t-shirt impermissible

[Shammu]

Christian Group Denied Recognition By Law School
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Mike Sugerman
Reporting

(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO At San Francisco's Hastings Law School, students belong to lots of clubs.

There's Middle Eastern Law Students Association. There's a Poker Club. And there's the Christian Legal Society.

They can all use classrooms for their meetings.

Most get to use the seal of Hastings in their correspondence and get cash from the school to help run the group.

The Christian Legal Society can not. So they took on Hastings.

The fought the law school and the law school won.

"It's the best case for public higher education," said Elise Traynum of the Hastings General Council. "Equal access is preserved."

The Christian Legal Society only wants members who reflect their orthodox, Christian beliefs.
No gays, no Jews, no Muslims.

The Christian Legal Society argued it was being discriminated against. That members' religious liberty was being denied.

But they didn't tell CBS 5 that. One club member said he didn't want to discuss it. Attorneys around the country couldn't be reached.

"It seems fairly clear from what they've said that this is part of the larger culture wars that we're going through now," said Ethan Schulman of the Hastings Legal Team. "That they view American society as immoral, as unduly secular, and this was an attempt to bring back religion into the public marketplace."

The orthodox Christians maintained their free speech was being denied by Hastings. They argue that it's their fundamental right to associate with people of like minds.

They can have their club, just not paid for by a public institution like Hastings.

The judge ruled in favor of the law school, based in part by arguments presented by the Gay and Lesbian Club on campus. "Students who come to Hastings need to know that they can engage, that they can be part of an educational facility that does not encourage this sort of discriminatory behavior," said Michael Flynn of the Hastings Outlaw Club.

Orthodox campus Christians can ban together under the institutions banner on a handful of other campuses around the country where the school chose not to fight a lawsuit.

The Christian Legal Society may appeal the ruling, which could affect a similar lawsuit against the California State University system.

Christian Group Denied Recognition By Law School

[Shammu]

Christian Civic League challenges advertising restrictions

April 19, 2006

AUGUSTA, Maine --Arguments will be heard next week in Washington, D.C., in a lawsuit brought by the Christian Civic League of Maine that claims campaign finance laws run afoul of the First Amendment.
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The civic league is suing the Federal Election Commission over limits placed on advertising around the June primary elections.

The league wants to air ads encouraging people to contact U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and tell them to support the federal Marriage Protection Amendment, which could come up for debate in the Senate this spring or summer.

Because they mention Snowe's name, they're forbidden during the critical time this spring and summer, the league said.

Federal campaign finance laws ban corporations or interest groups from airing broadcast ads that name candidates within 30 days of an election. The primary election counts even though Snowe is unopposed for the GOP nomination for re-election.

The lawsuit was filed earlier this month by James Bopp Jr., an Indiana lawyer who also does work for James Dobson's Focus on the Family. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for April 24 in U.S. District Court.

Christian Civic League challenges advertising restrictions

[Soldier4Christ]

5 Kan. Students Arrested in Alleged Plot

Five teenage boys fully intended to go on a shooting spree at their high school but were stopped after one of them discussed the plot on a Web site, law enforcement and school officials said.

The boys, ranging in age from 16 to 18, were arrested Thursday, the anniversary of the Columbine massacre, just hours before they planned to shoot fellow students and school employees, authorities said.

"What the resounding theme is: They were actually going to do this," Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Norman said.

The teens planned to wear black trench coats and disable the school's camera system before starting the attack between noon and 1 p.m. Thursday, Norman said. Sheriff's deputies found guns, ammunition, knives and coded messages in the bedroom of one suspect and documents about firearms and references to Armageddon in two suspects' school lockers.
   
   

Apparently, they had been plotting since the beginning of the school year. Norman said school officials began investigating Tuesday after learning a threatening message had been posted on MySpace.com.

"The message, it was brief, but it stated that there was going to be a shooting at the Riverton school and that people should wear bulletproof vests and flak jackets," Norman said.

It also discussed the significance of April 20 as Adolf Hitler's birthday and the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School attack in Colorado, in which two students wearing trench coats killed 13 people before committing suicide.

School officials identified the student who posted the message and talked to several of his friends, he said.

But Riverton school district Superintendent David Walters said the significance of the threat did not become clear until Wednesday night, after a woman in North Carolina who had chatted with one of the suspects on Myspace.com notified authorities there would be about a dozen potential victims, at least one of them a staff member.

Riverton student Michaela Ferneau said Friday she had heard she was one of the targets.

Back in January, one of the teen suspects had talked about Columbine, but "we thought he was joking because he was always joking about stuff like that," Ferneau told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday.

"I guess I told on them, apparently, when I didn't know I did," she said. "It's kind of scary to know that people from a little town like this would even try anything like that."

Ferneau and other students described the teen as a class clown who was often in trouble with the teachers.

He was an "oddball," student Trenton Berry told ABC. "Everybody picked on him and everything."

Norman also mentioned bullying and said investigators had learned the suspects liked violent video games.

Four of the suspects were arrested at their homes Thursday; the fifth was taken into custody at the school.

The suspects, who were not immediately identified, were expected to appear in court Friday, when charges are likely to be announced, said Attorney General Phill Kline, whose office took over the prosecution at the request of the county attorney.

The four younger than 18 were being held Thursday at a juvenile detention center in Girard. The 18-year-old was in the Cherokee County Jail. No decision has been made on whether to charge the four juveniles as adults, Kline said.

Officials assured the community that the 270 or so students at Riverton High School were safe and school would continue as normal Friday.

MySpace.com - a social networking hub with more 72 million members - released a statement declining to discuss the case because of the investigation, adding that it has provided users with mechanisms to report inappropriate content.

Barbara Gibson, a 17-year-old junior at the high school, said her classmates didn't seem too bothered by the threat.

"A lot of people just talked about it," she said. "But there wasn't much reaction."

Riverton is a small community of about 600 people along what once was the famed Route 66 in southeast Kansas, near the Oklahoma and Missouri borders.

[Soldier4Christ]

Ga. Student Indicted on Terrorism Charge

A 21-year-old college student has been indicted on suspicion of giving material support of terrorism, a federal prosecutor said Thursday.

Syed Haris Ahmed, a naturalized citizen who attends Georgia Tech, is being held at an undisclosed location, U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said. He was arrested March 23 and has waived his right to arraignment.

It is unclear what Ahmed is accused of doing because the indictment is sealed and authorities provided few details. The charge carries a maximum 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"The whole story of this case is going to come out where it should - in a court of law," Nahmias said.
   
   

FBI agent Gregory Jones said the bureau was never aware of any immediate danger posed by the suspect to the Atlanta area.

Ahmed's court-appointed attorney, Jack Martin, did not return messages left Thursday.