Swedish
Pastor Acquitted After
Anti-Gay
SermonFriday, February 11,
2005
STOCKHOLM,
Sweden — A Swedish
pastor convicted of hate
crimes for a sermon denouncing
homosexuals as a
"cancer" was
acquitted Friday by an appeals
court that said he was
protected by the country's
free speech laws.
The
Goeta Appeals Court said that
while Aake Green's (search)
views of gays can be
"strongly
questioned," it was not
illegal to offer a personal
interpretation of the Bible
and urge others to follow it.
"The
purpose of making agitation
against gays punishable is not
to prevent arguments or
discussions about
homosexuality, not in churches
or in other parts of
society," the
court said.
Green,
63, was the first clergyman
convicted under Sweden's tough
hate crimes (search)
laws, which make it a crime to
make inflammatory remarks
against racial, religious or
national groups. The laws were
ratified in 2003 to include
homosexuals.
Green
gave his sermon the same year,
telling a congregation on the
small southeastern island of
Oeland that homosexuals were "a
deep cancer tumor on all of
society." He
warned congregants that Sweden
risked a natural disaster
because of its leniency toward
gays.
"Homosexuality
is something sick,"
Green said. He compared it
with pedophilia and
bestiality, saying gays were
more likely to rape children
and animals.
He
was convicted in June and
sentenced to 30 days in jail.
In
an interview Thursday with The
Associated Press, Green said
it was not the month in prison
he's worried about, but "the
freedom to preach God's
word."
The
appeals court shared that
concern, saying statements
during sermons rarely qualify
as racial agitation.
Green's
acquittal brought a sigh of
relief from some ministers who
saw the case as a challenge to
freedom of religion and
expression.
"This
indicates that the justice
system works, and that it
gives a certain amount of
protection to us who preach
God's word," said
Ralph Toerner, a priest from
the Swedish branch of the
British-based Holy Catholic
Church (search).
"But
at the same time, I think this
should be a warning signal to
preachers overall, that they
shouldn't use such coarse
language when talking about
something sensitive. The
Christian faith is not about
judging people."
Prosecutor
Kjell Yngvesson argued that
Green — who invited several
newspapers to hear the sermon
— "expressed disdain
for the homosexuals as a
group. He compared the sermon
to a racist shouting out the
Nazi salute "Sieg Heil."
Johanna
Nystroem, a spokeswoman for
RFSU, the Swedish Association
for Sexuality Education (search),
had hoped Green's sentence
would be upheld.
"To
say these things in a public
setting is to call for action
(against gays)," said
Nystroem. "It's one thing
to be against homosexuality,
but when you're urging people
to take action in the way he
did, it's a completely
different matter."
Not
all religious leaders support
Green. Swedish Archbishop Karl
Gustav Hammar has denounced
his sermon, calling it "a
miserable theology," and
said the case should not be
seen as a threat to religious
freedom.
"It's
not a question of the freedom
of the pulpit," Hammar
said. "The sermon was
evidently sent out to the
media to create a
reaction."
Britain
Ready to Expel Radical Clerics
Under Extremism Law
Thursday,
August 25, 2005
LONDON — Britain
(search)
is ready to act within days
against "a number" of
people to either deport them or
bar them from the country under
new anti-terrorism measures
aimed at extremists, the
government said Wednesday.
Foreigners
who "seek to create
fear, distrust and
division" will no
longer be welcome, Home
Secretary Charles Clarke
(search)
said after publishing
new criteria he will use
to decide who will be
targeted.
The
measures, adopted in
response to last month's
transit bombings, are
expected to be directed
primarily against
radical Islamic clerics
and extremists who come
to Britain and preach
hatred.
The
identities of those who
could face action was
not revealed, but among
those who might make the
list are firebrand
Palestinian cleric Abu
Qatada (search),
who has been called
Usama bin Laden's (search)
spiritual ambassador in
Europe, and Saad al-Faqih
(search),
a Saudi who has been
accused of providing
support to bin Laden's
Al Qaeda (search)
terror network.
The
new criteria covers
those who foment,
justify or glorify
terrorist violence; seek
to provoke terrorist
acts or crimes; or
promote hatred between
communities.
"By
publishing the list
today, I make it
absolutely clear that
these are unacceptable
behaviors, and will be
the grounds for
deporting and excluding
such individuals from
the U.K.," Clarke
said.
"We
have a number of names
that we are considering
at the moment," he
said, noting that action
would be taken in some
cases "very quickly
— within a few
days."
Senior
Brazilian officials,
meanwhile, met with the
police watchdog group
investigating the
killing of a Brazilian
wrongly identified as a
terrorist last month —
when London was on high
alert.
The
Independent Police
Complaints Commission's
(search)
chairman, Nick Hardwick,
said after the meeting
he believed his
investigators had all
the information they
needed to conduct their
inquiry into Jean
Charles de Menezes' (search)
killing — including
some crucial video from
the Tube station where
the 27-year-old
electrician was shot.
Police
fired seven times into
Menezes' head at close
range after tailing him
into a subway car July
22, the day after failed
bombing attacks on the
British capital's
transit system. Those
attacks came exactly two
weeks after the July 7
suicide bombings, which
killed 52 commuters.
"A
Brazilian citizen was
killed, and we believe
that someone should be
considered guilty,"
said Manoel Gomes
Pereira (search)
of Brazil's Foreign
Ministry, who came to
London as part of the
three-member delegation.
"This case creates
a situation in which the
government and the
family in Brazil must
deserve some
answers."
Hardwick
appealed for patience to
let his team investigate
why Menezes was mistaken
for a suicide bomber.
"I
still don't know the
truth of what
happened," Hardwick
said. "When I know
what happened, I'll tell
the public."
But
he said: "I believe
that I have all the
information that I
need" to complete
the investigation.
The
IPCC has said it would
have a report ready by
the end of the year, but
its publication might be
delayed if any criminal
or disciplinary
proceedings against the
officers involved were
under way.
Meanwhile,
Clarke said the new
criteria to expel or ban
people from Britain were
necessary to meet a
"real and
significant threat"
of terrorism. He won
support from opposition
parties, but was slammed
by members of Britain's
1.8 million-strong
Muslim community and
human rights activists.
"The
idea that foreign
preachers who don't
speak English are
radicalizing British
youth who speak nothing
but English is
absurd," said
Massoud Shadjareh,
chairman of the Islamic
Human Rights Commission.
(search)
Critics
also expressed concern
about the fate of those
deported. Britain won an
agreement from Jordan to
honor the human rights
of anyone deported
there. Jordan is seeking
the extradition of
Qatada, who was
convicted in absentia in
1998 and again in 2000
for involvement in a
series of explosions and
terror plots.
London
is seeking similar
pledges from other North
African and Middle
Eastern states, many of
which are widely
believed to use torture.
Britain
needs those pledges
because as a signatory
to the European
Convention on Human
Rights (search),
it cannot expel anyone
to a country where the
suspect is likely to be
tortured.
"Certainly,
the human rights of
people who are
criminals, they have to
be looked after,"
Clarke told ITV
television. "But
more important in my
view are the human
rights of the people
against whom the
criminals commit their
acts."
James
Welch, legal director of
the human rights group,
Liberty, said he was
concerned by the
government's new
attitude. "What has
always separated us from
terrorists is that we do
not torture people or
send them to be
tortured," he said.
"That is the
standard we need to
maintain."
Before
the publication of the
new criteria, one of
Britain's most reviled
firebrand preachers,
Omar Bakri Mohammed,
left his London home for
Lebanon last month. The
government later
declared that Bakri, who
had lived in London for
20 years, would be
barred from returning.
Others
who could find
themselves targeted are
Abu Hamza Al-Masri, an
Egyptian-born preacher
awaiting trial on
charges of encouraging
the murder of Jews and
non-Muslims; and
Mohammed al-Massari, a
Saudi dissident who runs
a Web site that posts
videos of suicide
bombings in Israel and
Iraq and anti-Western
and pro-al-Qaida
propaganda.
Separately,
London's Evening
Standard (search)
reported Wednesday that
suspected suicide bomber
Hasib Hussain tried to
call the other three
attackers from his cell
phone just before
detonating his bomb on a
double-decker bus July
7. Citing security
sources, the newspaper
said that Hussain
apparently made the
calls after service was
suspended on the subway
system, forcing him to
take bus No. 30.
The
other three didn't
answer, and seconds
later, Hussain allegedly
detonated his bomb on
the bus, which The
Evening Standard said
police now speculate had
not been an initial
target. Scotland Yard (search)
refused to comment.
Maverick
Canadian Anglican Church Ordered
Closed
Tuesday,
December 23,
2003
TORONTO
— An Anglican
bishop in British Columbia has
ordered a church closed after it
refused to support same-sex
unions and declared itself
independent, Canada's National
Post newspaper said Tuesday.
Despite
the decision
by Bishop
Michael Ingham
(search) to
close the Holy
Cross Church
in Abbotsford,
the Rev. James
Wagner said
his
congregation
would
celebrate Mass
on Christmas
as planned.
"As
far as the
diocese is
concerned, we
do not exist.
We are a
non-entity,"
Wagner was
quoted as
saying,
"but I
will not
abandon these
people. I will
continue to
pastor and
pray for them
in the midst
of this
crisis."
He
said Ingham's
decision to
close the
church was a
surprise
because
"it's so
close to
Christmas."
Ronald
Harrison,
executive
archdeacon of
the Diocese
of New
Westminster (search),
was quoted as
saying Holy
Cross brought
the closure
upon itself by
seeking
episcopal
oversight from
another
bishop.
By
declaring
itself
"independent,"
the church
lost its
funding from
the
archdiocese
and eventually
Ingham had to
close it,
Harrison said.
Ingham's
decision to
sanction
same-sex
unions and
related issues
involving
homosexuality
have caused
deep divisions
in the
worldwide Anglican
Communion (search).
Two
months ago
Anglican
leaders met in
London at a
crisis
conference
called largely
because of
dissension
over the
choice of an
openly gay
bishop in New
Hampshire and
Ingham's
approval of
same-sex
unions.
Nigerian
Bishop: Episcopalians Must
Repent
Tuesday,
October 19, 2004
LONDON
— A leader of
African Anglicans who have
been outraged by the
appointment of a gay
bishop in the United
States blasted a church
report on the dispute,
saying Tuesday that it
should have pushed for
U.S. Episcopalians to
repent.
Archbishop
Peter Akinola (search)
of Nigeria, in a
statement
released in
London, said it
was the U.S.
Episcopal Church
and the Canadian
diocese of New
Westminster that
pushed the
worldwide
Anglican
Communion (search)
"to the
breaking
point."
"Why,
throughout the
document, is
there such a
marked contrast
between the
language used
against those
who are
subverting the
faith and that
used against
those of us,
from the global
south, who are
trying to bring
the church back
to the
Bible?" he
said.
"Where
is the language
of rebuke for
those who are
promoting sexual
sins as holy and
acceptable
behavior? The
imbalance is
bewildering,"
he said. He
added that it
was suprising
that "the
primary
recommendation
of the report is
'greater
sensitivity'
instead of
heartfelt
repentance."
The
commission,
headed by Irish
Archbishop Robin
Eames, was
created last
year following
the consecration
of V. Gene
Robinson (search)
— who is
living openly
with a male
partner — as
bishop of New
Hampshire.
In
its report
released Monday,
the commission
called for
apologies from
both sides, and
for a long-term
process of
reconciliation
and defining the
relationship
among the
world's Anglican
churches.
It
urged the
Episcopal Church
(search)
not to elect any
more gay bishops
and for
conservative
African bishops
to stop meddling
in the affairs
of other
dioceses.
That
point outraged
Akinola, who
earlier this
month visited
the United
States to
explore the
possibility of
serving as an
alternative
bishop to
disaffected
Episcopalians.
"We
have been asked
to express
regret for our
actions and
'affirm our
desire to remain
in the
communion.' How
patronizing!"
Akinola said in
the statement.
"We
will not be
intimidated."
The
Episcopal
Church's
presiding
bishop, Frank T.
Griswold, has
been equally
unyielding. On
Monday he
expressed regret
for the turmoil
in the Anglican
Communion but
reaffirmed his
belief that the
church was right
to promote
Robinson.
Akinola
praised the
report's call
for the
Episcopal church
to halt to
further
promotions of
gay clergy to
bishoprics. It
also called for
Episcopal
congregations
and churches in
the New
Westminster
diocese of
Canada to stop
sanctioning
blessings of gay
partnerships.
"If
they do not
repent and
return to the
fold, they will
find that they
are all
alone,"
Akinola said.
"They will
have broken the
Anglican
Communion."
Akinola's
sharp reaction
contrasted to
that of another
conservative
leader,
Archbishop
Drexel Gomez (search)
of the West
Indies, who was
one of the 16
people who
served with
Eames in writing
the unanimous
report.
"The
tone of our
report
represents an
intentional
offering from
the members of
the communion to
facilitate
healing and
reconciliation,"
Gomez said
Monday,
appearing with
Eames at a news
conference
launching the
report.
Eames'
commission was
not asked to
explore the
rights and
wrongs of
homosexuality,
and it refrained
from any
comment.
However,
it sharply
criticized the
Episcopal Church
and the Canadian
dioceses for
going moving
ahead on the
issue without
full
consultations
among the 38
national
churches which
constitute the
global
communion.
According
to the report,
"neither
the diocese of
New Westminster
nor the
Episcopal Church
has made a
serious attempt
to offer an
explanation to,
or consult
meaningfully
with, the
communion as a
whole about the
significant
development of
theology which
alone could
justify the
recent
moves"
African
Anglicans Rebuff
Episcopalians on
Gays
Friday,
April 16, 2004
Kenya — Anglican
archbishops from
Africa said
Thursday they
would reject
donations from
any diocese that
recognizes gay
clergy and
recommended
giving the
Episcopal Church
(search)
in the United
States three
months to repent
for ordaining an
openly gay
bishop.
The
archbishops also
said they will
refuse
cooperation with
any missionary
who supports
ordaining gay
priests. They
said the
Episcopalians
— the American
branch of
Anglicanism (search)
— should be
disciplined for
the election
last year of V.
Gene Robinson (search)
as bishop of New
Hampshire.
Robinson has
lived openly
with his male
partner for
years.
"If
we suffer for a
while to gain
our independence
and our freedom
and to build
ourselves up, I
think it will be
a good thing for
the church in
Africa,"
Archbishop Peter
Akinola (search)
of Nigeria told
journalists.
"And we
will not, on the
altar of money,
mortgage our
conscience,
mortgage our
faith, mortgage
our
salvation."
He
spoke at a
meeting of
African Anglican
archbishops and
their
counterparts
from Asia, the
Caribbean and
Latin America.
The other
regions planned
to issue a
statement
Friday.
Akinola
is also chairman
of the Council
of Anglican
Provinces of
Africa (search),
which represents
12 national and
regional
churches plus
the diocese of
Egypt. Africans
comprise about
half of the 77
million members
of the global
Anglican
Communion (search),
and African
churches are the
fastest-growing
in the world.
Robinson's
election has
created deep
divisions within
the worldwide
Anglican
Communion, a
confederation of
provinces that
each govern
themselves. All
Anglican
provinces in
Africa —
except for
Southern Africa
— have opposed
ordaining
homosexuals, and
several have
severed ties
with the U.S.
Diocese of New
Hampshire.
Archbishop
of Canterbury
Rowan Williams,
the spiritual
leader of the
world's
Anglicans, has
appointed a
commission to
explore ways of
holding the
communion
together, or
perhaps managing
a split.
The
financial impact
of the African
bishops' stance
is unclear.
U.S.
dioceses and
parishes have
partnerships
with churches in
Africa and give
money directly
to them.
However,
dioceses also
provide funds
for the
donations that
the U.S.
national church
sends to Africa,
said Canon
Patrick Mauney,
director of
Anglican and
Global Relations
for the U.S.
Episcopal
Church.
Mauney
didn't know
whether the
African leaders
were aware of
this.
"It's
hard to parse
this statement
and to figure
out are there
any loopholes
here or
what," said
Jim Naughton, a
spokesman for
the Archdiocese
of Washington.
Several
church leaders
expressed doubt
that the very
poor African
provinces would
reject all U.S.
church funding.
Mauney
said that eight
of the 10
African
provinces that
receive an
annual donation
from the
Episcopal Church
have taken the
money so far.
Mauney added
that no
missionaries had
been rejected in
the year that
the dispute has
raged over
Robinson.
"I
suspect they're
looking for a
symbolic way to
say we're
unhappy,"
Mauney said of
the African
leaders.
But
Kenyan
Archbishop
Benjamin Nzimbi
indicated that
the Africans
were committed
to giving up
significant
sources of
funding.
Nzimbi
said links with
Trinity Wall
Street in New
York had to be
severed, for
example. The
prominent parish
distributes
grants in the
millions of
dollars
worldwide and
supports many
projects in
Africa. A
spokesman for
Trinity's grant
program was
traveling and
could not be
reached for
comment
Thursday.
Black
Clergymen Come Out Against
Gay Marriage
Tuesday,
March 23,
2004
ATLANTA:
More than two
dozen black
pastors added
their voice to
the critics
of same-sex
marriage (search),
attempting to
distance
the civil
rights (search) struggle
from the gay
rights movement
and defending
marriage as a
union between a
man and a woman.
"When
the homosexual
compares himself
to the black
community, he
doesn't know
what suffering
is," said
the Rev.
Clarence James,
an
African-American
studies
professor
at Temple
University (search).
Jones
and 29 pastors
rallied late
Monday with
their supporters
at an
Atlanta-area
church where
they signed a
declaration
outlining their
beliefs on
marriage and
religion.
The
declaration is
meant to
pressure state
representatives
to approve a
constitutional
ban on gay
marriages, which
will be
considered again
by the Georgia
House as soon as
this week.
The
declaration, to
be presented to
state leaders
Wednesday or
Thursday, says
same-sex
marriage is not
a civil right,
and marriage
between a man
and a woman is
important
because it's
necessary for
the upbringing
of children.
"To
equate a
lifestyle choice
to racism
demeans the work
of the entire
civil rights
movement,"
the statement
said.
"People are
free in our
nation to pursue
relationships as
they choose. To
redefine
marriage,
however, to suit
the preference
of those
choosing
alternative
lifestyles is
wrong."
Same-sex
marriage is
already illegal
in Georgia, but
supporters of
the ban say the
constitution
needs to be
changed to make
sure a judge
does not direct
Georgia to
recognize gay
marriages
performed in
other states.
"It
is a threat to
who we are and
what we stand
for," said
Bishop William
Shields of
Hopewell Baptist
Church. "If
nothing else
gets us out of
the pews, this
ought to."
But
the Rev. Paul
Turner, a gay
pastor from
Atlanta who
helped organize
a pro-gay
marriage rally
last month
outside the
Georgia Capitol,
disagreed:
"How do
they figure that
it's not a civil
rights
issue?"
"This
is just a way
for those
conservative
leadership in
the black
community to
say, 'Look, this
isn't a matter
of civil rights
because we're
black and we
didn't have a
choice in being
black.' And they
think gays do,
and that's not
true,"
Turner said.
Elsewhere
Monday:
—
In Oregon, the
county that was
poised to become
the state's
second to allow
gay marriage
backed off until
courts
intervene.
Commissioners in
Benton County,
home to Oregon
State University
and the liberal
city of
Corvallis,
decided to stop
issuing all
marriage
licenses until
there is a court
ruling on
whether gay
marriage is
legal in Oregon.
—
In St. Paul,
Minn.,
supporters of a
constitutional
amendment to ban
gay marriage
gathered by the
thousands in one
of the largest
Capitol rallies
in memory,
waving hundreds
of signs on the
Capitol steps
and spilling
over onto the
lawn and parking
lot. The House
is expected to
pass the bill
Wednesday, with
a Senate
committee
planning to take
up the measure
later in the
week.
—
In New York, two
Unitarian
Universalist
ministers facing
criminal counts
for officiating
at same-sex
weddings pleaded
innocent. Kay
Greenleaf and
Dawn Sangrey
were charged
after marrying
13 gay couples
during a public
ceremony in New
Paltz, but the
district
attorney has
said he does not
expect to seek
jail time.
—
In North
Carolina's
Durham County, a
gay couple filed
a lawsuit after
being denied a
marriage
license. State
law invalidates
any claim of
marriage between
people of the
same sex.
Register of
Deeds Willie
Covington said
the law gave him
no choice.
Brought to you by: VOICE
OF THE MARTYRS
Jiang
Zongziu
When
34-year old Jiang
Zongxiu went to her
neighboring market
last June in
Guizhou Province
,
China
. Along with her
mother-in-law, Jiang
went through the
marketplace, taking
opportunities to
hand out Bibles and
Christian literature
and telling people
about Jesus. Only
this day they had an
encounter with the
Chinese police.
The
two Christian women
were handcuffed
together and brought
to the police
station. They were
interrogated
throughout the
evening of the 17th.
The next morning
they were sentenced
by the Public
Security Bureau (PSB)
to 15 days
incarceration for "suspected
spreading of rumor
and disturbing the
social order."
Jiang
and her
mother-in-law knew
the risk of
spreading Christian
literature in
communist
China
. Both had been
active in their
church for more than
10 years and dared
to go forth. Even
when they were
arrested,
interrogated and
sentenced to serve
15 days, they were
willing to accept
the consequences of
their actions-all
from a government
that claims to have
"freedom of
religion."
But
it was not enough
for the PSB to
arrest and beat
these two Christian
women for the crime
of passing our
Christian
literature. In the
afternoon of June 18th,
Mrs. Jiang Zongziu
was pronounced dead
by the PSB office of
Tongzi
County
. They claimed she
died of
"natural
causes." The
fact is she was
beaten to death.
The
Voice of the Martyrs
has received video
testimony from the
surviving family,
photos of Jiang body
showing her bruised
body, and a copy of
the actual arrest
document. All of
this had to be
smuggled out of
China
as the authorities
continue to attempt
to hide their
systematic
persecution of
Christians. An
international
campaign is now
under way on behalf
of the surviving
family.
Much
of the world would
like you to believe
Christians are no
longer persecuted.
Sister Jiang's
family would
disagree. Now you
can stay informed of
what is really
happening to your
Christian brothers
and sisters in
countries like
China
and even discover
practical ways to
help, with a FREE
subscription to The
Voice of the Martyrs
monthly newsletter.
Don't turn your back
on today's
persecuted church.
Subscribe today.
PAT
ROBERTSON SAYS
RADICAL
MUSLIMS ARE SATANIC
Television
evangelist Pat Robertson
said Monday on his live
news-and-talk program
"The 700 Club"
that Islam is not a
religion of peace, and
that radical Muslims are
"satanic."
Robertson's
comments came after he
watched a news story on
his Christian Broadcasting
Network about Muslim
protests in
Europe
over the cartoon drawings
of the Prophet Muhammad.
He
remarked that the
outpouring of rage
elicited by cartoons
"just shows the kind
of people we're dealing
with. These people are
crazed fanatics, and I
want to say it now: I
believe it's motivated by
demonic power. It is
satanic and it's time we
recognize what we're
dealing with."
Robertson
also said that "the
goal of Islam, ladies and
gentlemen, whether you
like it or not, is world
domination."
In
a statement later Monday,
Robertson said he was
referring specifically to
terrorists who want to
bomb innocent people as
being motivated by Satan.
In the news story, he
noted, radical Muslims
were shown screaming:
"May Allah bomb you!
May Osama bin Laden bomb
you!
Angell
Watts, a Robertson
spokeswoman, said in a
telephone interview that
the news segment also
included comments from a
moderate Muslim in the
United Kingdom saying
radicals don't represent
most Muslims in that
country.
Robertson's
Virginia Beach-based
network did not include
his remarks when it posted
the program on its Web
site, however. That
decision was made out of
concern Robertson's
remarks could be
misinterpreted if viewed
out of context,
Watts
said.
Monday's
comments were similar to
remarks he made on his
program in 2002, when he
said Islam "is not a
peaceful religion that
wants to coexist. They
want to coexist until they
can control, dominate and
then, if need be,
destroy."
Robertson
has come under intense
criticism in recent months
for comments suggesting
that American agents
should assassinate
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez and that Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's stroke was divine
retribution for
Israel
's pullout from the Gaza
Strip.
Robertson
recently told ABC's
"Good Morning
America" that he
comments off the cuff
after watching news
segments. He later told
the Christian magazine
World that he's being more
careful and reviewing news
stories before going on
the air.
The
Rev. Barry W. Lynn,
executive director of
Americans United for
Separation of Church and
State, called Robertson's
new comments "grossly
irresponsible."
"At
a time when
inter-religious tensions
around the world are at an
all-time high, Robertson
seems determined to throw
gasoline on the
fire,"
Lynn
said in a statement.
©
2006 Associated Press.
VICENTE
FOX REPORTS HUGE OIL FIND
Mexico
has discovered a huge new
oil reserve that will
increase its production
capacity by nearly 50
percent, President Vicente
Fox said Monday night -
explaining that he intends
to discuss how he'll use
his new oil bonanza when
he meets with President
Bush in two weeks.
"We
have excellent news that
we will be announcing in a
couple of weeks from
now," Fox told
MSNBC's "Rita Cosby
Live and Direct."
He
described the find as
"a huge new reserve
of oil and natural gas in
the Gulf of Mexico that
belongs to Mexicans"
and noted that in his
upcoming meeting with
Bush, "energy is a
key for our
discussions."
Fox
said his country's largest
oil reserve is Cantarell,
which is rapidly
depleting. "This new
reserve that we just have
found will totally replace
Cantarell with even more
quantity then what
originally Cantarell
had," he told Cosby.
The
White House announced over
the weekend that Bush, Fox
and Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper
will hold an economic and
security summit in
Cancun
on March 30 and 31. Among
the items on the agenda:
"our common
prosperity."
Fox
said the oil find would
help both the
U.S.
and
Mexico
deal with their respective
"migration"
problems.
"We
see that migration is not
only moving from
Mexico
to
United States
," he explained.
"Last year we had to
hold over 200,000 Central
Americans that cross the
border with
Mexico
, and of course they had
plans to work in
Mexico
for a time and then try to
move to
United States
."
Fox
said Mexico's expanding
oil industry would help
build job opportunities in
both his country and
Central America, which
will ultimately benefit
the U.S. "It will
help all three of us, that
is part of what we're
discussing, how can we
remain competitive, how we
can have plenty of energy
and how we use energy to
the benefit of
people," he told
Cosby.
Fox
is an unapologetic
advocate of illegal
immigration, saying it
helps both the
U.S.
and
Mexico
. Earlier this year he
objected to
U.S.
plans to build a security
fence along the Mexican
border.
Mexico
has discovered a huge new
oil reserve that will
increase its production
capacity by nearly 50
percent, President Vicente
Fox said Monday night -
explaining that he intends
to discuss how he'll use
his new oil bonanza when
he meets with President
Bush in two weeks.
"We
have excellent news that
we will be announcing in a
couple of weeks from
now," Fox told
MSNBC's "Rita Cosby
Live and Direct."
He
described the find as
"a huge new reserve
of oil and natural gas in
the Gulf of Mexico that
belongs to Mexicans"
and noted that in his
upcoming meeting with
Bush, "energy is a
key for our
discussions."
Fox
said his country's largest
oil reserve is Cantarell,
which is rapidly
depleting. "This new
reserve that we just have
found will totally replace
Cantarell with even more
quantity then what
originally Cantarell
had," he told Cosby.
The
White House announced over
the weekend that Bush, Fox
and Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper
will hold an economic and
security summit in
Cancun
on March 30 and 31. Among
the items on the agenda:
"our common
prosperity."
Fox
said the oil find would
help both the
U.S.
and
Mexico
deal with their respective
"migration"
problems.
"We
see that migration is not
only moving from
Mexico
to
United States
," he explained.
"Last year we had to
hold over 200,000 Central
Americans that cross the
border with
Mexico
, and of course they had
plans to work in
Mexico
for a time and then try to
move to
United States
."
Fox
said Mexico's expanding
oil industry would help
build job opportunities in
both his country and
Central America, which
will ultimately benefit
the U.S. "It will
help all three of us, that
is part of what we're
discussing, how can we
remain competitive, how we
can have plenty of energy
and how we use energy to
the benefit of
people," he told
Cosby.
Fox
is an unapologetic
advocate of illegal
immigration, saying it
helps both the
U.S.
and
Mexico
. Earlier this year he
objected to
U.S.
plans to build a security
fence along the Mexican
border.
War
With
Iran
'Inevitable,'
Former
Israeli Defense Chief Says
TEL
AVIV,
Israel
-- Kenneth R. Timmerman,
NewsMax.com
Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006
War
between
Iran
and
Israel
is "inevitable," a
former deputy defense minister
retired Maj. Gen. Efraim Sneh
told NewsMax in an exclusive
interview from his home near
Tel Aviv.
Sneh,
who ran Israel's defense
ministry under Labor Party
Prime Minister Ehud Barak when
Israel pulled out of Lebanon
in May 2000, was spending time
with his family before
rejoining his paratroop unit
on the Lebanese border.
"At
62, I am a retired general,
but I felt so strongly about
this war that I volunteered to
rejoin my paratrooper
unit," he said. A medical
doctor by profession, Sneh
commanded his unit's medical
corps during the toughest
battle of the 1973 war.
Sneh
has been warning about the
Hezbollah buildup in south
Lebanon
for many years, and opposed
his government's withdrawal
from
Lebanon
in 2000, even though he was
then in charge of the Defense
Ministry.

"I
warned six years ago that
unilateral Israeli withdrawal
from
Lebanon
would bring Hezbollah to our
border, with all their
military capability," he
said. "I was a lonely
voice when the choir of
Israeli politics said 'let's
get out of the
Lebanon
mud.' I said, 'The mud will
run after you.'"
Warning
about Hezbollah while serving
in the government put him in
an awkward position.
"Because Barak was prime
minister as well as defense
minister, as his deputy I was
actually running the defense
ministry," Sneh told
NewsMax.
He
said he felt vindicated –
not only by what is happening
in
Lebanon
, but because he has been
warning about the threat from
Iran
.
"Since
1993 I have been warning that
Iran
is the only enemy that poses
an existential threat to
Israel
," he said.
The
current war in
Lebanon
was actually a war by
Iran
against
Israel
, he believes.
"I
don't have any doubt that
after this round is over,
there will be another round,
because the war with
Iran
is not over. When you have the
president of the world's
fourth largest oil supplier
preaching repeatedly that
Israel
should be wiped off the map, a
collision is
unavoidable."
In
speeches and writings over the
past six years, Sneh predicted
in detail the scenario that
has played itself out between
Hezbollah and
Israel
over the past four weeks.
"But
I don't know the scenario for
round 2 or round 3," he
said. "I just know that
they will come."
Asked
how the current round of
fighting in
Lebanon
would end, he replied:
"slow and tough."
Sneh
has traveled repeatedly to
Washington
over the past 13 years with
other Knesset members from
different parties, to warn
about
Iran
's threat to
Israel
and
America
.
He
believes
Iran
would use nuclear weapons if
it acquired them.
"That
is the assumption we have to
make," he said.
"When they say they want
to wipe
Israel
off the map, why shouldn't I
take their word seriously? I
don't have the privilege not
to do so."
N.Y.
Times Retaliates Against
Cheney, Rumsfeld
Beware
of travel feature stories
posing as invitations to
terror.
"The
New York Times points cranks,
radicals, al-Qaida operatives
and would-be assassins to the
summer homes of [V.P. Dick]
Cheney and [Defense Secretary
Donald] Rumsfeld" writes
FrontPage Magazine's David
Horowitz, who sees the June 30
Times feature article as an
apparent retaliation for
administration "criticism
of the Times' disclosure of
classified intelligence to
America's enemies."
In
the "Escapes"
section of the June 30
edition, the N.Y. Times
printed huge color photos of
the vacation residences of
Cheney and Rumsfeld,
"identifying the small
Maryland town where they live,
showing their front driveways
and, in Rumsfeld's case,
actually pointing out the
hidden security camera in case
any hostile intruders should
get careless," Horowitz
writes.
Times
Travel section writer Peter
Kilborn even makes sure
enemies of the two men will
know such details as where
Mrs. Rumsfeld shops in the
eastern shore town of St.
Michaels, Md. where the two
administration officials have
weekend retreats.
He
even lets the curious know
what street the Cheneys and
Rumsfelds have to use to get
to their own road.
It's
all part of the war against
President Bush, Horowitz
charges.
"Make
no mistake about it, there is
a war going on in this
country," Horowitz
advises, noting that the
aggressors in this war
"are Democrats, liberals
and leftists who began a
scorched earth campaign
against President Bush before
the initiation of hostilities
in Iraq."
One
of the most prevalent weapons
in this war, according to
Horowitz, is the New York
Times.
DEATH
PENALTY FOR PERVERTS
WHO
RAPE CHILDREN!
Oklahoma
on Friday became the fifth
state to allow the death
penalty for certain sex
crimes, although legal
scholars questioned the
constitutionality of the new
state law.
Under
the measure signed by Gov.
Brad Henry, anyone convicted
twice for rape, sodomy or lewd
molestation involving children
under 14 can face the death
penalty.
South
Carolina's governor signed a
similar law on Thursday
allowing the death penalty for
offenders convicted twice of
raping children younger than
11.
Louisiana
,
Florida
and
Montana
also have laws allowing the
death penalty for certain sex
crimes.
Defense
attorneys and death penalty
experts said the laws defy
recent U.S. Supreme Court
decisions that have scaled
back the death penalty's
application.
Barbara
Bergman, president of the
Washington-based National
Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers, said Supreme
Court decisions have made it
clear that the death penalty
is reserved for someone who
has taken another life.
"I'm
not saying that raping a child
is not a horrible crime, but
no one has died," said
Bergman, who was part of the
defense team that avoided the
death penalty for
Oklahoma City
bombing conspirator Terry
Nichols following his 2004
conviction on 161 murder
counts.
David
Brook, a law professor at
Washington
and
Lee
University
in
Lexington
,
Va.
, said the measure might
actually put a child rape
victim's life at risk.
"The
last message you want to give
an offender who has the life
of a child in his hands is you
might as well kill the child
because he's already got the
death penalty," said
Brook, who runs the Virginia
Capital Case Clearing House,
which assists lawyers in death
penalty cases. "This is a
very stupid message."
No
one convicted of a sex offense
has been executed since the
U.S. Supreme Court reinstated
capital punishment 30 years
ago, though one inmate is on
death row in
Louisiana
following his 2003 conviction
for raping an 8-year-old girl.
South
Carolina
's
new law is named for
9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, a
Florida
girl who was kidnapped, raped
and suffocated last year by a
registered sex offender.
"Jessie's
Law is about sending a very
clear message that there are
some lines you do not cross,
and that if those lines are
crossed the penalties will be
severe," said South
Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
John
Stossel: Not Afraid to
Tell the Truth
By
Ed Sigall
Veteran ABC newsman
John Stossel won 19
Emmys exposing
scammers and con
artists and came to a
chilling conclusion --
the biggest threat to
our well-being is
often our own
government.
The
"20/20"
co-anchor made a
dramatic about-face
when he realized that
"less government
is good
government." He
abandoned his liberal
perspective, became a
libertarian -- and
paid a heavy price, he
recently told NewsMax
in an exclusive
interview.
When
Stossel changed his
political stripes,
suddenly the awards
stopped coming,
once-friendly
producers shunned him
and the liberal
establishment struck
back with a vengeance.
But now he's coming
out swinging harder
than ever at
"monster
government." His
eye-opening new book,
"Myths, Lies, and
Downright
Stupidity," has
recently been released
has become a New York
Times bestseller.
As
a young reporter
crusading on behalf of
consumers, Stossel
says he embraced the
liberal mantra that
"people should be
pretty free to live
their own lives but
that wise government
should tax people to
make their lives
better -- and it
should especially tax
rich people to make
poor people's lives
better. That would end
poverty and do all
kinds of wonderful
things."
The
deeper Stossel dug
into these complex
issues, however, the
more he saw that the
regulators and
bureaucrats who were
supposed to solve
problems were often at
their very root.
"I
had an unusual
ringside seat on the
regulatory state as a
television consumer
reporter," he
explained. "I'm a
little embarrassed
about how long it took
me to see the folly of
most government
intervention. It was
probably 15 years
before I really woke
up to the fact that
almost everything
government attempts to
do, it makes
worse," Stossel
confesses.
"Top-down
central planning is
never as effective as
free individuals
making their own
choices, because free
individuals will adapt
to reality every
second, but the
central planners can
adapt only when they
get together to
vote."
Stossel,
a
Princeton
graduate, credits his
own reporting and
reading for his
enlightenment, but
says no single
incident turned on the
light.
"It
was really a slow
epiphany," he
admits. One factor
"was watching The
New York Times
endlessly prescribe
solutions and then
watching them
fail."
The
mainstream media did
not take kindly to
Stossel's political
conversion, which
occurred about 20
years ago.
"They
like me less," he
says with his familiar
deadpan humor, adding,
"Once I started
applying the same
skepticism to
government, I stopped
winning awards."
He
remembers how one news
show ambushed him.
"The
CNN program ?Reliable
Sources' had me on
after I did my first
special [in 1994],
'Are We Scaring
Ourselves to Death?'
When I got there, I
found that they had
titled the program,
?Objectivity in
Journalism -- Does
John Stossel Practice
Either?'"
Stossel's
political awakening
triggered mixed
reactions from his ABC
colleagues --
including
"bewilderment and
lack of interest. I
had to fight hard to
get certain stories on
the air."
But
others approached his
transformation with an
open mind. "Hugh
Downs was
supportive," he
reveals.
Barbara
Walters was better
than most of my
colleagues. When a
correspondent said in
a meeting, ?We've got
to have a law to stop
that,' Barbara said,
'Well, we can't have
laws for everything.'
So instinctively she
gets some of these
ideas. She is very
smart."
Stossel
encountered most of
his opposition behind
the scenes.
"The
on-air people are not
really in a position
to stop me or
encourage me. It's
producers who do
that." And almost
all of the producers
have a liberal bent,
he reveals. "Some
were hostile. A few
were curious."
And
most, he says, were
skeptical of his
ideas.
"After
the airing of my first
special, two freelance
producers quit,
saying, 'This isn't
journalism -- it's
dogma!'" That led
to a meeting with Paul
Friedman, the
executive in charge at
the time. Stossel
recalls Friedman
saying, "Well, I
don't agree with you,
but it is an
interesting
intellectual argument
that deserves to be
made." Stossel
says, "I give ABC
News credit for
that."
Like
a political Robinson
Crusoe, Stossel
inhabits his own
island of intellectual
thought. Rather than
trying to please any
one political camp, he
assails the weak
points on all sides of
the spectrum. And he
has a lot to say about
the initiatives of
President Bush.
"What
the Republicans in the
administration have
done is to increase
spending more than
ever. And I don't
pretend to be a
foreign policy expert,
but I am very
skeptical of nation
building. I also think
the drug war is a huge
mistake."
Stossel
cherishes personal
freedom -- but some
feel he goes to
extremes. "I
don't think religion
should be a part of
government, and I
think you ought to be
able to burn a
flag," he says.
"I think
homosexuality is not
unnatural and not
something that should
be legislated
against."
The
outspoken journalist
says conservatives
impress him with their
willingness to still
invite him to
conferences. "But
the liberals just say,
?He's icky,' and don't
want to have anything
to do with me,"
he says.
"Liberals
have been so dominant
in the mainstream
media that they have
grown fat, lazy and
intolerant.
Conservatives are
happy to have someone
in the mainstream
media who will at
least consider their
ideas," the
newsman adds.
Stossel
reduces many sacred
cows to hamburger
meat. His new book is
a powerful broadside
fired across the bow
of liberal thought and
is bound to draw as
much return fire as
his previous book,
"Give Me a
Break."
Confronting
the notion that drug
companies are evil
price gougers, he
explains that the
higher the price of
medicines, the more
good medicines we get.
While
unions rail against
the outsourcing of
jobs, Stossel insists,
"Outsourcing
creates American
jobs."
The
take-no-prisoners
journalist has enraged
teachers by declaring
that part of the
problem with our
schools is that they
are run by "a
union-dominated
monopoly." Five
hundred teachers
recently demonstrated
outside of ABC in
New York City
and challenged him to
teach for a week.
Stossel
revealed to NewsMax he
will take them up on
the challenge. (For
more, see his
accompanying column.)
In
his new book, the
59-year-old reporter
cleverly marshals
experts, statistics
and fascinating
anecdotes to make his
points in a lively and
entertaining manner.
To
drive home how
well-intended
government regulation
can boomerang, Stossel
focuses on the
pesticide DDT. Once
widely used, it gained
the reputation of
being a "killer
chemical," partly
because of what he
sees as media
hysteria.
The
real problem, he says,
was that DDT was used
indiscriminately and
far too much was
sprayed. But because
of its demonization,
DDT is rarely used
anymore to fight
malaria -- despite its
effectiveness and
safety when used in
tiny amounts.
And
that's outrageous, he
writes, because
"malaria will
kill more than 1,000
children before you
finish reading this
book."
With
so many misconceptions
and poor policies
afflicting
America
, what are the first
actions that a
President Stossel
would take?
"I
would pass the Stossel
Rule -- for every new
law they pass, they
have to repeal two old
ones. I would get rid
of farm subsidies and
the Education
Department. That's a
start," he says.
While
the controversial
newsman clearly
recognizes the need
for government, he
defines its proper
role as
"limited."
"It
should keep the peace
and protect the
environment within
reason, run the
courts, ensure a
common defense and
create a safety net,
which competes with
private charity, but
doesn't exclude it.
Otherwise," he
says, "it should
butt out of our
lives."
My
name is Tracey
Bunn and my
husband is
former Atlanta
Police Officer
Raymond Bunn.
I gave birth
to our fifth
child -- a
baby boy --
just a few
months ago.
But
Ray wasn’t
allowed to go
to the
hospital with
me. Because
the Fulton
County
District
Attorney was
holding him in
jail that
night -- and
is trying to
put Ray in
prison for the
rest of his
life!
More than
three years
ago, on
July 14, 2002
, Ray and his
partner were
patrolling the
Buckhead bar
district area
of
Atlanta
. It was about
3:00am
when they
heard the
sound of
breaking glass
and a car
alarm go off
-- and saw a
man jump out
of the
shattered
passenger
window of
nearby car.
Ray
and his
partner began
shouting over
and over: “Police!
Stop! Police!
Stop!” But
the man
ignored them
and jumped
into the back
seat of a
nearby Chevy
Tahoe SUV.
Both Ray and
his partner
drew their
weapons and
slowly
advanced
towards the
SUV. Suddenly
the driver of
the SUV, a man
named Corey
Ward, punched
the gas pedal
and started
driving
straight at my
husband.
Ray was
trapped
between the
right front of
his cruiser
and the
oncoming car.
With the SUV
just a few
feet away from
him, Ray had
no choice. He
fired off two
shots from his
service
revolver and
tried to jump
out of the
way. But he
didn’t make
it. The SUV
struck his
knee.
And the
worst was
still yet to
come.
Corey Ward,
the driver of
the SUV, died
at the scene
from the
gunshot wound
to his head.
Ray was
devastated --
it was the
first time in
his police
career that my
husband had
ever been
forced to kill
a man. But he
knows that he
did the right
thing.
Police are
trained to use
force if they
feel their
lives are in
danger. Which
Ray’s life
clearly was.
But
anti-police
activists in
Atlanta
didn’t
agree.You see,
Corey Ward was
a young black
man. Radicals
in the black
community
accused my
husband of
being a rogue,
racist cop.
They held
demonstrations
in front of
the police
station
calling for a murder
indictment
against Ray.
Even Johnny
Cochran -- the
notorious
attorney who
defended O.J.
Simpson --
showed up in
Atlanta
to stage a
protest!
Ray and his
fellow police
officers --
both black and
white --
couldn’t
believe it, as
my husband was
being labeled
a “racist”
for defending
himself in the
line of duty!
Then, after
everything we’d
just been
through, Ray’s
National Guard
unit, he is a
sergeant, was
called up for
deployment to
Iraq
.
It about broke
my heart to
say good-bye
to him. But
God brought
Ray home
safely after a
year-long tour
of duty. Our
family was
finally all
back together.
And we were
all so excited
when I found
out I was
expecting our
fifth child!
Then without
warning, the
Fulton County
District
Attorney
announced that
he was
indicting Ray
for the murder
of Corey Ward.
That’s right
-- three
and a half
years
after my
husband was
nearly killed
by Corey Ward’s
SUV, and
after a year
long tour in
Iraq
, the DA
finally bowed
to pressure
from local
activists and indicted
Ray.
If convicted,
Ray could be
imprisoned for
the rest of
life -- just
for doing his
job!
My oldest
daughter is
scared to
death that she’s
going to lose
her dad. My
sons try to be
strong -- but
I can see how
frightened
they are, too.
And every time
I see Ray rock
the baby to
sleep, or just
walk the kids
to the bus
stop, I can’t
help but think
that these are
sweetest
moments of our
lives -- the
moments we’ll
lose forever
if Ray is sent
to prison!
I’m trying
to have
hope.But the
deck is
stacked
against us.
Remember, it
took three
years for
the
Fulton
County
D.A.
to decide to
indict Ray. It
shows you just
how powerful
the local
radicals
really are
that the D.A.
caved in to
their
political
pressure.
The local news
stories never
mention
that police
found cocaine,
marijuana, a
large knife,
and two stolen
cell phones
in Ward’s
SUV.
Or the fact
that Corey
Ward drove his
three-ton
vehicle right
at my husband!
Or the fact
that in the
police report,
one of the
passengers in
Corey Ward’s
SUV said “he
saw a man get
out of the
vehicle and
yell police,
police, stop,
stop!” The
passenger went
on to say “I
knew the guy
telling him to
stop was a
police officer
because of the
chain he wore
around his
neck displayed
an Atlanta
Police
Department
badge”!!
I feel like we
are barely
treading
water. And
even if Ray
wins in court,
the trial will
destroy us
financially.
The
International
Brotherhood of
Police
Organizations
and the Police
Benevolent
Association in
Georgia
are both
standing
behind Ray.
And the
rank-and-file
of the Atlanta
Police
Department
support him,
too.
I can’t stop
my mind from
racing. Will
my husband
have to rot in
prison for the
rest of his
life for a
crime he did
not commit?
Will our
little baby
boy ever see
his daddy
outside of a
jail cell?
And if Ray
survives the
trial, how on
earth will we
ever pay our
legal bills?
Right now we
are clinging
to one hope:
The Law
Enforcement
Legal Defense
Fund (LELDF).
LELDF is an answered
prayer to
innocent
officers like
Ray. Former
Attorney
General Ed
Meese is on their
board.
When the
Chairman of
LELDF heard
about Ray’s
case, he
called and
said he would
do whatever he
could to help
us.
Now they are
trying to
raise money on
Ray’s behalf
-- to pay for
attorneys,
expert
witnesses, and
legal
research.
Ray and I aren’t
wealthy
people. With
five children,
including a
newborn baby,
it’s all we
can do to make
ends meet.
That’s why I’m
about to ask
you the
hardest
question I’ve
ever asked
anyone in my
life:
Will
you please
consider
sending a gift
to LELDF today
to help Ray’s
case?
LELDF is a
non-profit
organization,
so your
contribution
is
tax-deductible.
The
prosecutors
have unlimited
funds, thanks
to your tax
dollars,
to stack the
deck against
Ray in court.
But Ray and I
must rely only
on the
generous
hearts of
people like
you.
When I look at
Ray, I see the
man who risked
his life to
protect the
streets of
Atlanta
for 7 years. I
see the man
who risked his
life for a
year in
Iraq
to defend our
nation.
And I see a
husband so
precious and a
father so
loving I can’t
believe God
blessed me
with him!
I vowed on my
wedding day to
stand by Ray
in the good
times and bad.
But the
only way I
know how to
honor that vow
today is by
asking for
your help.
Thank you so
much for
reading my
letter. And
thank you on
behalf of
every wife and
every child of
an American
police
officer.
I
pray that no
one in your
family ever
has to go
through a
nightmare like
ours.
Yours
truly,
Mrs. Tracey
Bunn
DICK
MORRIS: ‘PRESIDENT’S
SPEECH GREAT!
Arguably
America’s
most prominent American
political consultant, Dick
Morris tells NewsMax that
President Bush’s key
national address on
immigration reform Monday
night was "a great
speech.”
"It
included all the elements it
had to,” said Morris, who
noted the president is living
through record low approval
ratings.
But
Morris conjectures Bush’s
border plan may help lay the
ground work for a comeback.
Morris
is almost universally credited
with piloting Bill Clinton’s
stunning comeback re-election
victory in 1996 after the
Democrats lost Congress to the
Republicans two years before.
The
presidential plan to beef up
the southern border fence in
both real and virtual terms is
both the "key to securing
the border and securing the
president's base,” Morris
opined.
As
to Bush’s vital guest worker
proposal, Morris sees it as
"the key to keeping the
GOP competitive with Hispanic
voters.”
And
leaving open paths to
citizenship for those already
in the country, albeit
illegally, will serve to make
"Latinos a GOP
stronghold,” Morris advised.
Morris
has warned that the
Republicans risk losing its
dominance in the near future
if it doesn’t grab a larger
share of Hispanic voters.
Hispanics are rapidly growing
in the U.S., especially in
states like Florida, Texas,
and other states once
considered strongly GOP.
As
Morris has written in the
past:
"By
moving away from English-only
policies and reaching out to
Hispanics, Bush has closed the
gap among Latino voters. Gore
carried them by 30 points, but
Kerry only won among them by
10. But the border backlash
may be undoing all this good
work.
"The
obvious answer is to couple a
fence with a good guest-worker
program, with a citizenship
track predicated on good
behavior.”
Morris
further advised at the time
that if the Republican Party
allows the enforcement-heavy
House bill to become law - a
fence with no guest-worker
program - it will antagonize
the vital Latino vote and the
GOP would consign itself to
permanent minority
status.
Unrestricted
Warfare:
China's Master Plan to Destroy
America
By Colonels Qiao Liang and
Wang Xiangsui
Introduction by Al Santoli
As incredible as it may be to
believe, three years before
the Sept. 11 bombing of the
World Trade Center a Chinese
military manual titled
Unrestricted Warfare touted
such an attack – suggesting
it would be difficult for the
U.S. military to cope with.
Here is an excerpt from
Unrestricted Warfare:
“Whether it be the
intrusions of hackers, a major
explosion at the World Trade
Center, or a bombing attack by
bin Laden, all of these
greatly exceed the frequency
bandwidths understood by the
American military...”
Surprisingly, Osama bin Laden
is mentioned frequently in
this book.
Now NewsMax.com is making the
CIA translation of this
shocking book available to all
Americans.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Americans
and the world witnessed one of
the most horrific acts ever to
take place on American soil.
Our media and government were
quick to declare the acts of
that day as simply terrorism
by a nationless group known as
al-Qaeda.
In reading China’s military
manual Unrestricted Warfare,
you will learn that the events
of Sept. 11 were not a random
act perpetrated by independent
agents.
Instead, Chinese military
planners believe that
terrorism is just one of the
many tools at the hands of
nations and their terrorist
allies to wage total war
against the United States.
You will be surprised to
learn:
* The two PLA colonels who
authored Unrestricted Warfare
have been hailed as heroes in
China since Sept. 11
* The Chinese state-run
propaganda machine is cashing
in on the terror attacks ...
producing books, films and
video games glorifying the
strikes as a humbling blow
against an arrogant nation.
* Chinese Communist Party
officials are saying that
President Jiang Zemin has
obsessively and gleefully
watched and re-watched
pictures of the aircraft
crashing into the World Trade
Center.
* The CIA’s own translation
agency reported that this book
identifies the U.S. as China’s
main enemy, and details how a
weak nation can destroy
America using unorthodox
attacks – like the 9-11
attacks.
* China is preparing itself
and encouraging others to
engage the U.S. in total war.
The book is chock full of
plans and strategies, from
using computers, to smuggling
illegal immigrants, to
manipulating the stock
markets, to influencing the
U.S. media, to using weapons
of mass destruction – all to
destroy America.
Recent press reports indicate
that China has assisted and
continues to assist militarily
and economically the Taliban
and al-Qaeda – even after
Sept. 11.
The doctrine of total war
outlined in Unrestricted
Warfare clearly demonstrates
that the People’s Republic
of China is preparing to
confront the United States and
our allies by conducting “asymmetrical”
or multidimensional attacks on
almost every aspect of our
social, economic and political
life.
The media and Congress are
keeping a lid on this book
because of the implications of
U.S.-China economic and trade
relations.
But now you can bypass them by
getting a copy yourself!
Here’s what others say about
Unrestricted Warfare:
“You need to read
Unrestricted Warfare because
it reveals China’s game plan
in its coming war with
America.. ... China thinks it
can destroy America by using
these tactics.”
Adm. Thomas Moorer
Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs
of Staff
“The 9-11 attacks may just
be the beginning. Many
terrorist nations and groups
will try to imitate this
operation … and China’s
war book Unrestricted Warfare
will be their text.”
Maj. Gen. John K. Singlaub
Former Chief of Staff,
US Forces Korea
“Unrestricted Warfare is
evidence linking China to
9-11. It is also their plan
for global operations against
America.”
Wilson C. Lucom
Endwar.com
Mel Gibson's
Apology Not Enough
for ADL
James Hirsen, NewsMax.com
Monday, July 31,
2006
It is a maxim: Bigotry is
wrong.
It is an evil whether it
is expressed by world
leaders or inebriated
actors.
Unlike some who have made
untoward statements
without regret, the day
after his arrest in Malibu
on suspicion of DUI Mel
Gibson issued what
amounted to a
comprehensive and humble
apology.
Predictably the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
deemed insufficient
Gibson's sorrowful and
blanket apology.
With the apparent ability
to peer into the human
soul, National Director of
the (ADL) Abraham Foxman
proclaimed the following:
"His [Gibson's]
tirade finally reveals his
true self and shows that
his protestations during
the debate over his film
"The Passion of the
Christ," that he is
such a tolerant, loving
person, were a sham."
The ADL is apparently
trying to use the incident
to alter the results of
its past failed effort to
characterize Gibson's film
"The Passion of the
Christ" as bigoted.
It appears as though some
apologies are more equal
than others. Demands for
another, and another, and
another more remorseful
apology invariably keep on
coming when it comes to
those whom the Left
disdains.
Remember when on the
occasion of the late Sen.
Strom Thurmond's 100th
birthday Republican Sen.
Trent Lott made some
regrettable remarks?
Lott's words were
construed as meaning that
the nation would have been
better off if a
segregationist's
presidential campaign had
been successful.
Eight days after making
the remarks Lott
apologized, saying,
"A poor choice of
words conveyed to some the
impression that I embraced
the discarded policies of
the past. ... Nothing
could be further from the
truth, and I apologize to
anyone who was offended by
my statement."
Lott's critics on the Left
claimed the apology was
inadequate. Lott proceeded
to issue apology after
apology, each time
expressing more and more
contrition. But no matter
how sorrowful Lott's
expressions were, they
were never good enough for
his critics. Ultimately,
he stepped down from his
position as Senate
majority Leader.
At the time one of Lott's
most outspoken critics was
Democratic Sen.
Christopher Dodd. Dodd
said, "If a
Democratic leader had made
[Lott's] statements, we
would have to call for his
stepping aside, without
any question
whatsoever."
Fast forward to April
2004. Dodd took to the
senate floor to praise the
work of Democratic Sen.
Robert Byrd, saying,
"I do not think it is
an exaggeration at all to
say to my friend from West
Virginia that he would
have been a great senator
at any moment. Some were
right for the time. Robert
C. Byrd, in my view, would
have been right at any
time.... I cannot think of
a single moment in this
nation's 220-plus year
history where [Robert
Byrd] would not have been
a valuable asset to this
country."
This is the same Byrd who
once donned the white
sheets and hood of the KKK,
voted against the 1964
Civil Rights Act and as
recently as March 2001
used the "N"
word on national
television. Absent were
myriad calls for a more
contrite version after
Dodd issued a generic
apology.
When he ran for president
as a Democrat in 1984, the
Rev. Jesse Jackson
referred to Jews as "Hymies"
and to New York City as
"Hymietown." One
apology for the foul
verbiage sufficed.
In June 2005 Democratic
Sen. Dick Durbin
intentionally placed the
following into the
Congressional Record:
"If I read this to
you and did not tell you
that it was an FBI agent
describing what Americans
had done to prisoners in
their control, you would
most certainly believe
this must have been done
by Nazis, Soviets in their
gulags, or some mad regime
-- Pol Pot or others --
that had no concern for
human beings. Sadly, that
is not the case. This was
the action of Americans in
the treatment of their
prisoners."
After initially refusing
to do so, Durbin offered
an apology of sorts for
his Nazi, Soviet and Pol
Pot comparisons. However,
his office did not
classify his expression as
an apology but rather
referred to it as a
"Statement of
Regret." The senator
was not required to show
further regret.
Democratic Sen. Joseph
Biden recently said,
"You cannot go to a
7-Eleven or Dunkin Donuts
unless you have a slight
Indian accent. I'm not
joking." Biden did
not apologize for his
remarks but instead
claimed that he was
misconstrued. Calls for
clarification were scant
as were cries for an
apology. A statement
issued by the ADL's Foxman
labeled Gibson's recent
apology as
"unremorseful and
insufficient."
What did Gibson say in his
public apology that was
lacking in contrition or
fullness?
Gibson described his
actions as "very
wrong and for which I am
ashamed."
Saying that one is ashamed
is a clear expression of
remorse but Gibson did not
stop there. He stated that
when arrested he
"acted like a person
completely out of
control."
Regarding his statements,
Gibson acknowledged,
"I said things that I
do not believe to be true
and which are
despicable."
Referring to one's
statements as despicable
is strong, unequivocal
language. Still, Gibson
went even further.
Adding to his expression
of sorrow over his
outbursts, he said that he
was "deeply ashamed
of everything" he had
said and categorically
apologized to anyone who
was offended.
He summed things up by
saying, "I disgraced
myself and my family with
my behavior and for that I
am truly sorry."
According to the Left's
parameters, Gibson has
exceeded that which is
expected. According to
human standards, he has
exceeded that which is
sufferable.
No further apologies
needed.
Lutherans
Rebuff Same-Sex Marriage
Proposal
Fla. -
A national
meeting of the
Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (search)
voted Friday to rebuff
what many saw as an
attempt to push the
denomination toward
approval of blessing
ceremonies for
same-sex couples.
On
a day when the
weeklong meeting
focused on gays' role
in the church,
delegates stripped
language from a
same-sex blessings
measure that many
Lutherans thought
would give local
pastors leeway in
deciding whether to
conduct the
ceremonies.
Once
the language was
removed, the proposal
then became an
affirmation of current
church practice, which
bans such blessings
and expresses
"trust" in
pastors ministering to
gays and lesbians. It
was approved
overwhelmingly.
Earlier
in the day, delegates
voted 851-127 to keep
the church unified
despite serious
differences over
homosexuality.
The
issue that was
expected to be the
most contentious still
hadn't been decided
— whether to allow
ordination for
partnered gays.
A
proposal before the
assembly would affirm
the church ban on
ordaining sexually
active gays and
lesbians, but allow
bishops and church
districts called
synods to seek an
exception for a
particular candidate
if that person is in a
committed relationship
and meets other
conditions.
Discussion
on that measure began
late Friday afternoon.
All
the proposals — the
product of three
years' work by a
special church task
force — were meant
as a compromise that
will satisfy both
those who support gay
clergy and those who
regard gay sex as
sinful.
Disagreement
over what the Bible
says about
homosexuality has torn
at Protestant
denominations for
years. The Episcopal
Church (search)
consecrated its first
openly gay bishop two
years ago, and
Anglicans worldwide
are now struggling to
remain unified —
something conservative
Lutherans noted in
handouts to voters
Friday.
Conservatives
say the ordination
proposal would
effectively overturn
prohibitions against
non-celibate gays in
the Lutheran ministry
and advocates for gays
aren't satisfied,
either. They say the
measure would create a
second-class roster
for homosexual clergy
in the church.
Opponents
worry that easing the
rules also would
strain relations with
other Christian
denominations and with
the many conservative
Lutherans overseas.
And they said any
change would unravel
church teaching on
sexual ethics and
marriage.
Gay-rights
advocates, meanwhile,
contend that nothing
in Christian teaching
supports the current
stand of the 4.9
million-member
denomination. The Rev.
Patrick Gahagen (search)
of Detroit spoke on
the assembly floor
about one of his gay
congregants who was
"ostracized by
family, criticized by
friends and demonized
by the
president," yet
could find safe haven
in church.