It is someday going to be obvious to ordinary Americans that Russia is the new enemy as she becomes more and more aggressive in dealing with Europe. But the government won’t warn Americans or even speak ill of Russia until Russia’s hostile intentions and rearmament are too far advanced to counter.
Here are three major stories just this week showing how the Russians are beginning in earnest to divest themselves of the “fallen Soviet” reputation.
Bruce Pannier of Radio Free Europe writes, “Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has outlined plans for military reform and rearmament that would see the Russian government spending 23 trillion rubles (some $770 billion) over a 10-year period.”Naturally Putin couched his remarks in defensive terms, just like Hitler.
"It’s obvious we cannot strengthen our international position, develop the economy and democratic institutions if we are not able to defend Russia."“ The Russian prime minister complained that up until recently there have been military units that require up to five days to fully assemble. In the article he said that ground forces have ‘more than 100 regular and special brigades’ that should be able to fully assemble in ‘one hour and be deployed to potential combat theaters within 24 hours.’
“To support these forces, Putin said money will be spent to build ‘more than 400 modern intercontinental ballistic missiles’ for ground and sea forces [while the US is heading for 300 warheads], 28 submarines armed with nuclear missiles, more than 50 military surface vessels, and more than 600 modern warplanes, as well as a broad deployment of the new S-400 antiaircraft system and Vityaz anti-missile system.“
Putin also wrote about reforms for servicemen saying that the armed forces would have approximately 1 million members by 2017 and 700,000 of these would be ‘professional’ soldiers as opposed to conscripted troops. Putin said by 2020 only 145,000 of the 1-million man armed forces would be conscripts. Currently, Russia still heavily relies on a conscripted army [and will always have to due to the awful reputation of Russian army life for the common soldier].”
Bloomberg News picked up this tidbit, which belies the tale that the “Oligarchs” are the enemy of Putin. “Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he owed a debt of gratitude to oil companies TNK and OAO Surgutneftegas for providing the cash needed to keep Russia’s seaborne nuclear forces in the Pacific afloat in 2002.“
Then-President Putin asked the non-state companies [owned initially by former Communist leaders, who were given state “loans” to buy the wealth and assets of Russia. These became the Oligarchs, living in foreign luxury, who Putin claims are the enemy of Russians] to provide the funding needed to keep the Vilyuchinsk base on the Kamchatka Peninsula operating after the military proposed to stop funding and close the facility, Putin said in an article published in the government’s official Rossiiskaya Gazeta today.
But the really dangerous weapons Russia is building (for which the US has no effective anti-missile response) are the new generation of ICBMs [with manuevering warheads]: Ria Novosti reports: “Russia’s armed forces will receive over 400 modern intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), more than 100 military spacecraft and over 2,300 new tanks within the next ten years, Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin said [If he is admitting to 400, you can bet the real number is much more. Communists always understate their military potential in public].
“Earlier media voiced fears that by 2020, Russia’s ICBM arsenal could reduce by more than half as over 400 missiles would go beyond their maximum service life without timely replacement [They been extending the life of their biggest SS-18 missiles for decades, despite having promised to dismantle them].
“Within the next decade, the armed forces will receive more than 400 modern ground- and sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, eight ballistic missile submarines, about 20 general purpose attack submarines, over 50 surface ships and some 100 military-purpose spacecraft,” “Putin said the number will also include “over 600 modern aircraft, including fifth-generation fighters, more than a thousand helicopters, 28 regimental sets of S-400 [SA-21 Growler] surface-to-air missile systems, 38 division sets of Vityaz air defense systems, 10 brigade sets of Iskander-M (SS-26 Stone) tactical missile systems, more than 2,300 modern tanks, some 2,000 self-propelled artillery systems and guns, as well as more than 17,000 military vehicles.”
I have always believed that one of the key signs of Russian aggression will be justified by a“defense of Russians in former Soviet states, now part of NATO.”
Itar-Tass writes that, “Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin believes that only economic and diplomatic ways are not enough to counteract to the growth of conflicts near Russian borders. In his article devoted to the problems of national security and published in the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily on Monday, the prime minister recalled about the growth of regional and local conflicts, the emergence of zones of instability and ‘an artificially fueled, controlled chaos.’”
This is right out of Hitler’s playbook—blame the unrest on Western influences and agents to justify military intervention. It’s several years off, but Putin is already laying the groundwork:“Deliberate attempts are obvious to provoke such conflicts in the immediately proximity from the borders of Russia and our allies,” Putin noted. “We witness the basic principles of international law were devaluated and disrupted, particularly in international security,” he pointed out.
Now, here’s the military justification: “The Armed Forces, security services and other power-wielding agencies should be ready for a quick and efficient response to new challenges,”he said. “This is a compulsory condition for Russia to feel safely, and the arguments of the country will be taken by its partners in various international formats,” Putin said.
Anti-Americanism is becoming the key to Putin’s presidential campaign. Ever since our attack on the civilian infrastructure of Serbia during the Kosovo war, ordinary Russians dislike the American government. Vlad Isachendov of the AP reports, “It’s a mantra of Vladimir Putin’s presidential campaign: The US is working to weaken Russia and push it back into the chaos that followed the Soviet collapse. In a wave of anti-Americanism reminiscent of the Cold War, the prime minister has cast his opponents as US lackeys and the new American ambassador has found himself under unprecedented attack, including being targeted in an offensive.
‘The current campaign is laden with anti-Americanism,’ said Sergei Oznobishchev, head of the Institute of Strategic Assessments, a Moscow think tank.”
China too: I’m the only analyst predicting a Russia/China joint attack on the West, but the growing evidence of Chinese aggressive military development back my theory.
Bill Gertz of the Washington Times reported this week that, “Adm. Locklear admitted what U.S. security officials have been saying privately for years. That is, China is engaged in pervasive warfare preparation against the United States through a combination of cyber and traditional military development.
“A more nefarious objective for the Chinese military's cyberwarriors is the planting of electronic‘Sleeper Agents’ - difficult to detect software that rarely communicates with China but can be activated to sabotage the U.S. military during a crisis.”
The Chinese are also expanding their nuclear forces. Army Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr., said in recent Senate testimony the current [Chinese] long-range missile arsenal that could deliver a nuclear warhead to the United States is ‘fewer than 50 ICBMs.’“
Gen. Burgess said the strategic missile force ‘will probably be double that number by 2025.’
Gen. Burgess also said China is modernizing its nuclear missiles forces by adding harder-to-hit road-mobile missiles and enhancing silo-based missiles. It is also building up nuclear-missile submarines.”
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
Nuclear Inspectors Say Their Mission to Iran Has Failed
By DAVID E. SANGER and ALAN COWELL
A visit by international nuclear inspectors to Iran ended in failure Tuesday. Tehran not only blocked access to a site the inspectors believe could have been used for tests on how to produce a nuclear weapon, they reported, but it also refused to agree to a process for resolving questions about other “possible military dimensions” to its nuclear program. The announcement came in a terse press release from the International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations agency, which said its inspection team had left the country.
The agency is expected to release its latest report on the status of Iran’s program in the next week.
The inspectors’ previous visit to Iran ended several weeks ago with no agreement other than to meet this week. Iran’s refusal to deal with the inspectors’ questions is likely to increase tension, at a moment of heightened sanctions and after the assassination of nuclear scientists in Iran and suspected retaliation against Israeli diplomats.
Iran struck an increasingly bellicose tone on Tuesday, with an Iranian official warning that the country would take pre-emptive action against perceived foes if it felt its national interests were threatened. The country also laid down new conditions for oil sales. Iran also indicated in recent days, however, that it was willing to resume negotiations over its nuclear program, but it was unclear under what terms.
In the statement Tuesday, the nuclear agency said its team had “requested access to the military site at Parchin,” where there was evidence of a facility that could be used in weapons-related testing.
“Iran did not grant permission for this visit to take place,” the statement said. In the past, Iran had said the team of inspectors could visit any nuclear-related location, but it has recently maintained that Parchin was a military base and off limits. Access to the Parchin site may prove a litmus test of whether Iran will ever allow the kind of intrusive inspections that most Western officials say are necessary to establish whether Iran has conducted research on “weaponization.”
The last report by the agency said Iran had gone beyond theoretical studies about how to detonate a nuclear device, building a large containment vessel at its Parchin military base for testing the feasibility of explosive compression. It called such tests “strong indicators of possible weapon development.”
The I.A.E.A. statement also said Iran and the agency could not agree “on a document facilitating the clarification of unresolved issues in connection with Iran’s nuclear program, particularly those relating to possible military dimensions.” The director general of the agency, Yukiya Amano, said in the statement that “it is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin during the first or second meetings,” insisting his group had “engaged in a constructive spirit.”
The latest warnings from Iran on Tuesday included a further extension of a dispute with the European Union over an oil embargo due to come into force on July 1, with Iran outlining what were termed conditions for future sales to European customers. Iran said Sunday that it had cut off sales to Britain and France, and warned Monday that it might extend the ban to other members of the 27-nation European Union.
Growing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program have provoked speculation that Israel may be contemplating a military strike against nuclear facilities, which Iran says are for peaceful purposes but which the West suspects are inching toward the capability to produce weapons.
Without mentioning Israel directly, Mohammad Hejazi, the deputy armed forces head, said Tuesday, “Our strategy now is that if we feel our enemies want to endanger Iran’s national interests, and want to decide to do that, we will act without waiting for their actions.”
Divisions in Iran’s leadership make it hard to interpret the government’s intentions, but the statement showed a new level of aggressiveness.
A visit by international nuclear inspectors to Iran ended in failure Tuesday. Tehran not only blocked access to a site the inspectors believe could have been used for tests on how to produce a nuclear weapon, they reported, but it also refused to agree to a process for resolving questions about other “possible military dimensions” to its nuclear program. The announcement came in a terse press release from the International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations agency, which said its inspection team had left the country.
The agency is expected to release its latest report on the status of Iran’s program in the next week.
The inspectors’ previous visit to Iran ended several weeks ago with no agreement other than to meet this week. Iran’s refusal to deal with the inspectors’ questions is likely to increase tension, at a moment of heightened sanctions and after the assassination of nuclear scientists in Iran and suspected retaliation against Israeli diplomats.
Iran struck an increasingly bellicose tone on Tuesday, with an Iranian official warning that the country would take pre-emptive action against perceived foes if it felt its national interests were threatened. The country also laid down new conditions for oil sales. Iran also indicated in recent days, however, that it was willing to resume negotiations over its nuclear program, but it was unclear under what terms.
In the statement Tuesday, the nuclear agency said its team had “requested access to the military site at Parchin,” where there was evidence of a facility that could be used in weapons-related testing.
“Iran did not grant permission for this visit to take place,” the statement said. In the past, Iran had said the team of inspectors could visit any nuclear-related location, but it has recently maintained that Parchin was a military base and off limits. Access to the Parchin site may prove a litmus test of whether Iran will ever allow the kind of intrusive inspections that most Western officials say are necessary to establish whether Iran has conducted research on “weaponization.”
The last report by the agency said Iran had gone beyond theoretical studies about how to detonate a nuclear device, building a large containment vessel at its Parchin military base for testing the feasibility of explosive compression. It called such tests “strong indicators of possible weapon development.”
The I.A.E.A. statement also said Iran and the agency could not agree “on a document facilitating the clarification of unresolved issues in connection with Iran’s nuclear program, particularly those relating to possible military dimensions.” The director general of the agency, Yukiya Amano, said in the statement that “it is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin during the first or second meetings,” insisting his group had “engaged in a constructive spirit.”
The latest warnings from Iran on Tuesday included a further extension of a dispute with the European Union over an oil embargo due to come into force on July 1, with Iran outlining what were termed conditions for future sales to European customers. Iran said Sunday that it had cut off sales to Britain and France, and warned Monday that it might extend the ban to other members of the 27-nation European Union.
Growing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program have provoked speculation that Israel may be contemplating a military strike against nuclear facilities, which Iran says are for peaceful purposes but which the West suspects are inching toward the capability to produce weapons.
Without mentioning Israel directly, Mohammad Hejazi, the deputy armed forces head, said Tuesday, “Our strategy now is that if we feel our enemies want to endanger Iran’s national interests, and want to decide to do that, we will act without waiting for their actions.”
Divisions in Iran’s leadership make it hard to interpret the government’s intentions, but the statement showed a new level of aggressiveness.
NIGEL FARAGE ON HERMAN VAN ROMPUY
I hope my friend Rober Muir will enjoy this as much as I did.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage addresses Herman van Rompuy.
Many UK citizens are seriously considering voting for Farage in the future. He is certainly not afraid to voice his opinions and those of his constituents.
Interestingly friends of mine requested an info pack from UKIP and it was posted to them twice but never arrived. The envelope has the UKIP logo on it.
When my friends finally rang and requested the info pack be sent in a plain envelope guess what? It arrived next day.
Someone out there doesn't like UKIP and is apparently stopping their mail getting through in some areas.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage addresses Herman van Rompuy.
Many UK citizens are seriously considering voting for Farage in the future. He is certainly not afraid to voice his opinions and those of his constituents.
Interestingly friends of mine requested an info pack from UKIP and it was posted to them twice but never arrived. The envelope has the UKIP logo on it.
When my friends finally rang and requested the info pack be sent in a plain envelope guess what? It arrived next day.
Someone out there doesn't like UKIP and is apparently stopping their mail getting through in some areas.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
RUSSIA WARNS ISRAEL NOT TO ATTACK IRAN: Prophetic implications?
– Joel C, Rosenberg –www.flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Is Putin the biblical figure known as "Gog"? Make no mistake: the Russian-Iranian strategic alliance that I’ve been writing about for the last several years has deepened to the point where Moscow is now unequivocally and quite openly backing the mullahs in Iran. “Russia warned Israel on Wednesday that attacking Iran would be a disastrous and played down the failure of a U.N. nuclear agency mission to Tehran, saying there is still a chance for new talks over the Iranian atomic programme,” reports Reuters. “‘Of course any possible military scenario against Iran will be catastrophic for the region and for the whole system of international relations,’ Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a news conference. It was one of Russia’s starkest warnings against resorting to force, an option Israel and the United States have not ruled out if they conclude that diplomacy and increasing sanctions will not stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. ’I hope Israel understands all these consequences … and they should also consider the consequences of such action for themselves,’ Gatilov said. ‘I hope a realistic approach will prevail, along with a sensible assessment.’”
The big question now is this: Will Vladimir Putin win his bid for become Russia’s President again during the March 4 elections, and would Putin then directly threaten Israel with retaliation for an attack on Iran? So far, Russia hasn’t gone so far as to threaten a military response, but it’s not out of the question. The latest poll shows Putin in a commanding lead to regain the presidency, with 58.6% support, compared to Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Communist Party, who has 14.8% support. And Putin in recent years seems itching to rebuild the Russian military (something he promised again just this week – he’s called for a $770 billion upgrade of Russia’s military), strengthen his alliances throughout the Islamic world, and give the West a black eye. He’s explicitly running his campaign on anti-Americanism, for example. He’s close to the Iranians. He’s defending the Bashar al-Assad, the butcher in Damascus. He’s growing closer to the Turks, as they become hostile to Israel. Putin hasn’t directly threatened Israel, but he’s backing all of Israel’s worst enemies and could find himself drawn into a war to prove his alpha-dog machismo.
Another question I’m getting asked these days: Is Putin “Gog,” the evil leader described in the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39? It came up during my recent speaking tour in Florida, and in a talk I gave to a group on Capitol Hill last week? Thus far, my answer remains the same — Putin is certainly “Gog-esque,” but it is too early to speculate on whether he is actually the biblical figure that will rise to power in Russia (known in Ezekiel’s prophecy as “Magog”) in the last days and build an alliance with Iran (“Persia”), Sudan (“Cush”), Turkey (“Gomer”), Libya and Algeria (“Put”), the countries of Central Asia (“Beth Togarmah”) to attack the State of Israel from “the north” (probably via Lebanon and Syria). That said, it is fair to say that geopolitical events over the past decade — and certainly over the past year or so — have been moving on a trajectory consistent with the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. That doesn’t necessarily mean we will see the prophecies come to complete fulfillment in our lifetime or soon, but we cannot rule out the possibility.
For the moment, the major need is to keep mobilizing people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and to keep asking that the Lord to help us get ready for the next war that comes, be that a really bad geopolitical war (ie, an Israeli first strike on Iran, or vice versa), or a prophetic war (ie, the War of Gog and Magog). One way or the other, it would seem that war is coming. The handwriting seems to be on the wall. Dare we allow ourselves to be unprepared?
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Is Putin the biblical figure known as "Gog"? Make no mistake: the Russian-Iranian strategic alliance that I’ve been writing about for the last several years has deepened to the point where Moscow is now unequivocally and quite openly backing the mullahs in Iran. “Russia warned Israel on Wednesday that attacking Iran would be a disastrous and played down the failure of a U.N. nuclear agency mission to Tehran, saying there is still a chance for new talks over the Iranian atomic programme,” reports Reuters. “‘Of course any possible military scenario against Iran will be catastrophic for the region and for the whole system of international relations,’ Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a news conference. It was one of Russia’s starkest warnings against resorting to force, an option Israel and the United States have not ruled out if they conclude that diplomacy and increasing sanctions will not stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. ’I hope Israel understands all these consequences … and they should also consider the consequences of such action for themselves,’ Gatilov said. ‘I hope a realistic approach will prevail, along with a sensible assessment.’”
The big question now is this: Will Vladimir Putin win his bid for become Russia’s President again during the March 4 elections, and would Putin then directly threaten Israel with retaliation for an attack on Iran? So far, Russia hasn’t gone so far as to threaten a military response, but it’s not out of the question. The latest poll shows Putin in a commanding lead to regain the presidency, with 58.6% support, compared to Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Communist Party, who has 14.8% support. And Putin in recent years seems itching to rebuild the Russian military (something he promised again just this week – he’s called for a $770 billion upgrade of Russia’s military), strengthen his alliances throughout the Islamic world, and give the West a black eye. He’s explicitly running his campaign on anti-Americanism, for example. He’s close to the Iranians. He’s defending the Bashar al-Assad, the butcher in Damascus. He’s growing closer to the Turks, as they become hostile to Israel. Putin hasn’t directly threatened Israel, but he’s backing all of Israel’s worst enemies and could find himself drawn into a war to prove his alpha-dog machismo.
Another question I’m getting asked these days: Is Putin “Gog,” the evil leader described in the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39? It came up during my recent speaking tour in Florida, and in a talk I gave to a group on Capitol Hill last week? Thus far, my answer remains the same — Putin is certainly “Gog-esque,” but it is too early to speculate on whether he is actually the biblical figure that will rise to power in Russia (known in Ezekiel’s prophecy as “Magog”) in the last days and build an alliance with Iran (“Persia”), Sudan (“Cush”), Turkey (“Gomer”), Libya and Algeria (“Put”), the countries of Central Asia (“Beth Togarmah”) to attack the State of Israel from “the north” (probably via Lebanon and Syria). That said, it is fair to say that geopolitical events over the past decade — and certainly over the past year or so — have been moving on a trajectory consistent with the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. That doesn’t necessarily mean we will see the prophecies come to complete fulfillment in our lifetime or soon, but we cannot rule out the possibility.
For the moment, the major need is to keep mobilizing people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and to keep asking that the Lord to help us get ready for the next war that comes, be that a really bad geopolitical war (ie, an Israeli first strike on Iran, or vice versa), or a prophetic war (ie, the War of Gog and Magog). One way or the other, it would seem that war is coming. The handwriting seems to be on the wall. Dare we allow ourselves to be unprepared?
Saturday, 18 February 2012
New Bible yanks 'Father,' Jesus as 'Son of God'
WND EXCLUSIVE
Islam-sensitive project ignites controversy, online petition.
By Joel Richardson
In the world of questionable and sometimes downright silly Bible translations, one would think that it couldn’t get any worse.
After all, we’ve seen the “In da beginnin’ Big Daddy created da heaven an’ da earth” Ebonics Bible, as well as the “Apostle’s Log” Star Trek English paraphrase Bible. In a more serious effort, the New Oxford Annotated Bible was created in part by pro-”gay” and feminist scholars in order to set forth a more “gay” revisionist interpretation of Scripture.
But now there is a major controversy developing as the latest altered Bibles are being created by organizations that most would think of as being more conservative and reasonable. At the forefront of the controversy are the Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Frontiers, all of which are producing Bible translations that remove or modify terms which they have deemed offensive to Muslims.
That’s right: Muslim-friendly Bibles.
Included in the controversial development is the removal of any references to God as “Father,” to Jesus as the “Son” or “the Son of God.” One example of such a change can be seen in an Arabic version of the Gospel of Matthew produced and promoted by Frontiers and SIL. It changes Matthew 28:19 from this:“baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”to this:“cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiah and his Holy Spirit.”
A large number of such Muslim-sensitive translations already are published and well-circulated in several Muslim-majority nations such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.According to Joshua Lingel of i2 Ministries, “Even more dramatic a change is the Arabic and Bangla (Bangladesh) translations. In Arabic, Bible translations err by translating ‘Father’ as ‘Lord.’ ‘Guardian.’ ‘Most High’ and ‘God.” In Bangla, ‘Son of God’ is mistranslated ‘Messiah of God’ consistent with the Quran’s Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah), which references the merely human Jesus.”
In response to these translations, many within the evangelical missions movement as well as many former Muslim converts and indigenous Christians from countries where these translations are being used, are indignant. After numerous appeals have been rejected, a petition has been launched to call for the end to the translations.
More than 3,000 already have signed up.While the organizations that are promoting these translations are adamant that replacing such terms as Father with Lord or Master best conveys the inspired meaning of the text, many of the indigenous Christian leaders from the countries where these translations are being promoted are broadly rejecting the translations.
The indigenous believers see the introduction of these American-made translations with which they so strongly disagree as a form of American cultural imperialism or colonialism.
According to Turkish pastor Fikret Böcek, such new translations are, “an all-American idea with absolutely no respect for the sacredness of Scripture, or even of the growing Turkish church.”
According to the testimony of one leader from a church in Bangladesh, one of the most problematic aspects of this development is that it gives fuel to the often-heard Muslim claim that Christians are liars who change their Bibles to deceive Muslims. Once a Bible translation is well established within any country, the introduction of such radically different translations reinforces the Muslim charge and undermines trust in the Christian community.
According to Lingel, who can be contacted at info@i2ministries.org, the crisis in translation methodology is largely due to “a postmodern literary bias” that has crept into some translation circles in recent decades. Such translations would seem to demand that the divine author of the Bible change rather than the Muslim reader.
“But Jesus demanded that many of his listeners change,” says Lingel, explaining that instead of demanding that Muslim readers change their understanding of God, these translations seem to convey that God must accommodate the religious prejudices of Muslims.
Lingel is also the co-editor of a new book, “Chrislam: How Missionaries Are Promoting an Islamized Gospel,” which represents the first major response against Muslim-sensitive translations as well as the larger movement often referred to as the “Insider Movement” or “Chrislam.”
According to reports, of the roughly 200 translation projects Wycliffe/SIL linguists have undertaken in Muslim contexts, about 30 or 40 remove the terms father and son with reference to God and Jesus.
Lingel’s response is quite direct, “These projects need to be defunded.”
Yet according to a recent Forbes “200 Largest U.S. Charities” report, the Orlando-based Wycliffe Bible Translators USA is the third most well-funded religious charity in the states.
Proponents of the Insider Movement claim that this method of reaching Muslims is bearing great fruit. Opponents, however, point out that the so-called converts within the Insider Movement remain “hidden” within their Muslim culture, continue to attend mosque, pray like a Muslim, acknowledge Muhammad as a prophet, the Quran as inspired, and make the Muslim credal confession, known as the “shahada.”
Some now claim that there are as many as 300,000-1.2 million new “Insider believers” in Bangladesh. But one former Insider who left the movement and speaks out in Lingel’s Chrislam book reports that the number of insiders couldn’t be more than 10,000. According to this source, many of the claims are greatly exaggerated so as to bring in more funding from wealthy American missionary organizations.
"Other former Insiders have reported publicly that many Insiders are really Muslims who will do whatever it takes for the jobs and money they are offered by pro-IM ministries to feed their families,” Lingel says.
Further questioning the funding and support of well-known Christian organizations of this movement, Lingel recounts, “I have consulted with the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention on missions and evangelism among Muslims at various times… [Who] stated that there are tens of thousands of Isa al-masih jamaats, or ‘Jesus congregations,’ in northern Africa.
But the members of these jamaats call themselves Muslims, do not believe in the Trinity and believe Muhammad is a prophet of God. Are they Christians or Muslims? Why talk about them in terms of missionary success?”
In response to what many Christians see as a heretical movement based on deception, Lingel’s i2 Ministries is in the process of completing a video-based university called Mission Muslims World University, with 40 of the most experienced professors from around the world teaching courses in Muslim ministries, Islamic Studies, apologetics, evangelism and discipleship.
Islam-sensitive project ignites controversy, online petition.
By Joel Richardson
In the world of questionable and sometimes downright silly Bible translations, one would think that it couldn’t get any worse.
After all, we’ve seen the “In da beginnin’ Big Daddy created da heaven an’ da earth” Ebonics Bible, as well as the “Apostle’s Log” Star Trek English paraphrase Bible. In a more serious effort, the New Oxford Annotated Bible was created in part by pro-”gay” and feminist scholars in order to set forth a more “gay” revisionist interpretation of Scripture.
But now there is a major controversy developing as the latest altered Bibles are being created by organizations that most would think of as being more conservative and reasonable. At the forefront of the controversy are the Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Frontiers, all of which are producing Bible translations that remove or modify terms which they have deemed offensive to Muslims.
That’s right: Muslim-friendly Bibles.
Included in the controversial development is the removal of any references to God as “Father,” to Jesus as the “Son” or “the Son of God.” One example of such a change can be seen in an Arabic version of the Gospel of Matthew produced and promoted by Frontiers and SIL. It changes Matthew 28:19 from this:“baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”to this:“cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiah and his Holy Spirit.”
A large number of such Muslim-sensitive translations already are published and well-circulated in several Muslim-majority nations such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.According to Joshua Lingel of i2 Ministries, “Even more dramatic a change is the Arabic and Bangla (Bangladesh) translations. In Arabic, Bible translations err by translating ‘Father’ as ‘Lord.’ ‘Guardian.’ ‘Most High’ and ‘God.” In Bangla, ‘Son of God’ is mistranslated ‘Messiah of God’ consistent with the Quran’s Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah), which references the merely human Jesus.”
In response to these translations, many within the evangelical missions movement as well as many former Muslim converts and indigenous Christians from countries where these translations are being used, are indignant. After numerous appeals have been rejected, a petition has been launched to call for the end to the translations.
More than 3,000 already have signed up.While the organizations that are promoting these translations are adamant that replacing such terms as Father with Lord or Master best conveys the inspired meaning of the text, many of the indigenous Christian leaders from the countries where these translations are being promoted are broadly rejecting the translations.
The indigenous believers see the introduction of these American-made translations with which they so strongly disagree as a form of American cultural imperialism or colonialism.
According to Turkish pastor Fikret Böcek, such new translations are, “an all-American idea with absolutely no respect for the sacredness of Scripture, or even of the growing Turkish church.”
According to the testimony of one leader from a church in Bangladesh, one of the most problematic aspects of this development is that it gives fuel to the often-heard Muslim claim that Christians are liars who change their Bibles to deceive Muslims. Once a Bible translation is well established within any country, the introduction of such radically different translations reinforces the Muslim charge and undermines trust in the Christian community.
According to Lingel, who can be contacted at info@i2ministries.org, the crisis in translation methodology is largely due to “a postmodern literary bias” that has crept into some translation circles in recent decades. Such translations would seem to demand that the divine author of the Bible change rather than the Muslim reader.
“But Jesus demanded that many of his listeners change,” says Lingel, explaining that instead of demanding that Muslim readers change their understanding of God, these translations seem to convey that God must accommodate the religious prejudices of Muslims.
Lingel is also the co-editor of a new book, “Chrislam: How Missionaries Are Promoting an Islamized Gospel,” which represents the first major response against Muslim-sensitive translations as well as the larger movement often referred to as the “Insider Movement” or “Chrislam.”
According to reports, of the roughly 200 translation projects Wycliffe/SIL linguists have undertaken in Muslim contexts, about 30 or 40 remove the terms father and son with reference to God and Jesus.
Lingel’s response is quite direct, “These projects need to be defunded.”
Yet according to a recent Forbes “200 Largest U.S. Charities” report, the Orlando-based Wycliffe Bible Translators USA is the third most well-funded religious charity in the states.
Proponents of the Insider Movement claim that this method of reaching Muslims is bearing great fruit. Opponents, however, point out that the so-called converts within the Insider Movement remain “hidden” within their Muslim culture, continue to attend mosque, pray like a Muslim, acknowledge Muhammad as a prophet, the Quran as inspired, and make the Muslim credal confession, known as the “shahada.”
Some now claim that there are as many as 300,000-1.2 million new “Insider believers” in Bangladesh. But one former Insider who left the movement and speaks out in Lingel’s Chrislam book reports that the number of insiders couldn’t be more than 10,000. According to this source, many of the claims are greatly exaggerated so as to bring in more funding from wealthy American missionary organizations.
"Other former Insiders have reported publicly that many Insiders are really Muslims who will do whatever it takes for the jobs and money they are offered by pro-IM ministries to feed their families,” Lingel says.
Further questioning the funding and support of well-known Christian organizations of this movement, Lingel recounts, “I have consulted with the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention on missions and evangelism among Muslims at various times… [Who] stated that there are tens of thousands of Isa al-masih jamaats, or ‘Jesus congregations,’ in northern Africa.
But the members of these jamaats call themselves Muslims, do not believe in the Trinity and believe Muhammad is a prophet of God. Are they Christians or Muslims? Why talk about them in terms of missionary success?”
In response to what many Christians see as a heretical movement based on deception, Lingel’s i2 Ministries is in the process of completing a video-based university called Mission Muslims World University, with 40 of the most experienced professors from around the world teaching courses in Muslim ministries, Islamic Studies, apologetics, evangelism and discipleship.
Friday, 17 February 2012
Iranian naval ships enter Mediterranean via Suez
ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Two Iranian naval ships have sailed through
Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, in a move likely to be keenly watched by Israel.
"Two Iranian ships crossed through the Suez Canal (on Thursday) following permission from the Egyptian armed forces," a source in the canal authority said Friday.
The destroyer and a supply ship could be on their way to the Syrian coast,
the source added. Iran and Syria agreed to cooperate on naval training a year ago, and Tehran has no naval agreement with any other country in the region.
Two Iranian warships sailed along the strategic waterway on February 17 last year, in a move that Israel called a "provocation."
Syria and Iran are hostile to Israel.
Egypt's military, which has a close defense ties with the United States, has
been governing the country since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak a year ago.
The Suez Canal cuts through Egypt and allows shipping to pass from the Middle East to Europe and vice versa, without going around southern Africa.
(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Marwa Awad; Editing by
Andrew
Roche)
Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, in a move likely to be keenly watched by Israel.
"Two Iranian ships crossed through the Suez Canal (on Thursday) following permission from the Egyptian armed forces," a source in the canal authority said Friday.
The destroyer and a supply ship could be on their way to the Syrian coast,
the source added. Iran and Syria agreed to cooperate on naval training a year ago, and Tehran has no naval agreement with any other country in the region.
Two Iranian warships sailed along the strategic waterway on February 17 last year, in a move that Israel called a "provocation."
Syria and Iran are hostile to Israel.
Egypt's military, which has a close defense ties with the United States, has
been governing the country since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak a year ago.
The Suez Canal cuts through Egypt and allows shipping to pass from the Middle East to Europe and vice versa, without going around southern Africa.
(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Marwa Awad; Editing by
Andrew
Roche)
GREEK BAILOUT HERALDS BETRAYAL OF SOVEREIGNTY
Everyone keeps talking about making sure no EU nation defaults. But Greece is already in default. That’s what all this credit bailout and debt forgiveness is all about. How is forcing investors and banks to take a huge haircut not a default? Just because arms are twisted and agreements legalizing losses are made, that doesn’t mean they are voluntary. It’s like the bankruptcy attorneys in the US calling up creditors and threatening that they will take their client into bankruptcy if the creditor doesn’t forgive half the debt. Some choice.
The UK guardian reports “Greece crisis reaches boiling point as Athens asks if it can stay in the euro... Riot police clashed with protesters on the streets of Athens, and five ministers resigned in protest at the scale of the spending cuts demanded in return for a new €130bn bailout.”
A lot of Greeks want out of the restrictions and austerity measures demanded by the European Community. I’m in favor of austerity, no matter how much it hurts. Austerity is the only solution to too much socialism that always bankrupts a country eventually. But the violence in Greece proves my long-held position that once a majority of voters becomes corrupted by benefits, they will never relinquish them with a vote.
“In Germany, Angela Merkel [ever the globalist] was reported to have warned her centre-right MPs [members of the Greek parliament] of ‘uncontrollable consequences’ [the sky is falling] for the 17 countries of the single currency should Greece become the first euro nation to declare sovereign default on its soaring debt. Her finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, told the same MPs, according to reports in Berlin, that Athens' latest pledges over spending cuts fell well short of what was needed.” Incredibly, Greece was expected to sign away its sovereignty in the accord: “EU ministers demanded that the three party leaders of the caretaker coalition under Papademos deliver signed pledges on the program, making them binding and irreversible regardless of who wins an early general election expected in April.”
Obviously, the EU PTB are anticipating that the current temporary Greek government will get ousted in April. While the Greek Parliament finally agreed to all the austerity measures the people are determined to have the final say. Mish Shedlock comments: “The latest Greek deal is unraveling in multiple places already. The EMU wants to hold it together but can't. Cracks are wide, deep, and widening. Sunday’s explosion of street violence in Athens underlines the danger that political disorder may undercut Greece’s attempt to implement the economic reforms required to avert a debt default, according to Greek politicians and economists.
“Although parliament passed the measures, the rebellion and the urban violence raise the prospect that the next Greek government, which will take office after elections set for April, will lack the authority and determination to hold firm to the austerity course."
According to opinion polls, the election’s most likely outcome is a victory for the centre-right New Democracy, but without an overall majority [the PTB control the opposition too]. Antonis Samaras, leader of New Democracy and the likely next prime minister, and Evangelos Venizelos, finance minister and one of Pasok’s senior figures, are both pledged to the austerity plan dictated by Greece’s European and International Monetary Fund creditors.
Unless and until all political parties agree to the terms Germany will not OK the plan. Yet, how can anyone agree to what they cannot control? Election outcomes are not cast in stone.”
Meanwhile the noose tightens: “Moody’s Investors Service cut the debt ratings of six European countries including Italy, Spain and Portugal and revised its outlook on the U.K.’s and France’s top Aaa ratings to ‘negative,’ citing Europe’s debt crisis,” said Bloomberg.
The UK guardian reports “Greece crisis reaches boiling point as Athens asks if it can stay in the euro... Riot police clashed with protesters on the streets of Athens, and five ministers resigned in protest at the scale of the spending cuts demanded in return for a new €130bn bailout.”
A lot of Greeks want out of the restrictions and austerity measures demanded by the European Community. I’m in favor of austerity, no matter how much it hurts. Austerity is the only solution to too much socialism that always bankrupts a country eventually. But the violence in Greece proves my long-held position that once a majority of voters becomes corrupted by benefits, they will never relinquish them with a vote.
“In Germany, Angela Merkel [ever the globalist] was reported to have warned her centre-right MPs [members of the Greek parliament] of ‘uncontrollable consequences’ [the sky is falling] for the 17 countries of the single currency should Greece become the first euro nation to declare sovereign default on its soaring debt. Her finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, told the same MPs, according to reports in Berlin, that Athens' latest pledges over spending cuts fell well short of what was needed.” Incredibly, Greece was expected to sign away its sovereignty in the accord: “EU ministers demanded that the three party leaders of the caretaker coalition under Papademos deliver signed pledges on the program, making them binding and irreversible regardless of who wins an early general election expected in April.”
Obviously, the EU PTB are anticipating that the current temporary Greek government will get ousted in April. While the Greek Parliament finally agreed to all the austerity measures the people are determined to have the final say. Mish Shedlock comments: “The latest Greek deal is unraveling in multiple places already. The EMU wants to hold it together but can't. Cracks are wide, deep, and widening. Sunday’s explosion of street violence in Athens underlines the danger that political disorder may undercut Greece’s attempt to implement the economic reforms required to avert a debt default, according to Greek politicians and economists.
“Although parliament passed the measures, the rebellion and the urban violence raise the prospect that the next Greek government, which will take office after elections set for April, will lack the authority and determination to hold firm to the austerity course."
According to opinion polls, the election’s most likely outcome is a victory for the centre-right New Democracy, but without an overall majority [the PTB control the opposition too]. Antonis Samaras, leader of New Democracy and the likely next prime minister, and Evangelos Venizelos, finance minister and one of Pasok’s senior figures, are both pledged to the austerity plan dictated by Greece’s European and International Monetary Fund creditors.
Unless and until all political parties agree to the terms Germany will not OK the plan. Yet, how can anyone agree to what they cannot control? Election outcomes are not cast in stone.”
Meanwhile the noose tightens: “Moody’s Investors Service cut the debt ratings of six European countries including Italy, Spain and Portugal and revised its outlook on the U.K.’s and France’s top Aaa ratings to ‘negative,’ citing Europe’s debt crisis,” said Bloomberg.
Mossad Thwarts Assassination Attempt On Barak
Kuwait daily "Al Jarida" reports that the Mossad and Singapore authorities thwarted an assassination attempt against Minister of Defense Ehud Barak during his visit to the 2012 Singapore Air Show now underway. The paper cites "high ranking Israeli defense officials" as its source. "Al Jarida" said that the Mossad provided Singapore authorities with what it called classified information about a joint Iranian-Hizbullah cell that was planning to assassinate the defense minister during his visit to Singapore.
The paper said that the cell had accurate information about Barak's visit, and that it planned to put him under surveillance and kill him at his hotel. "Al Jarida" said that the Mossad warned the Singapore authorities about the cell before Barak's arrival, and that this information resulted in the arrest of three suspects in a covert operation.
The paper claims that the Mossad is participating in the suspects' interrogation to obtain information about other terrorist cells planning attacks against Israeli targets in various countries. The paper quotes Israeli officials as saying that Iran and Hizbullah are behind these cells.
At today's press conference in Nicosia to mark the signing of a search and rescue agreement with Cyprus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters, "I cannot share with you any information about the attempted assassination." Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com
The paper said that the cell had accurate information about Barak's visit, and that it planned to put him under surveillance and kill him at his hotel. "Al Jarida" said that the Mossad warned the Singapore authorities about the cell before Barak's arrival, and that this information resulted in the arrest of three suspects in a covert operation.
The paper claims that the Mossad is participating in the suspects' interrogation to obtain information about other terrorist cells planning attacks against Israeli targets in various countries. The paper quotes Israeli officials as saying that Iran and Hizbullah are behind these cells.
At today's press conference in Nicosia to mark the signing of a search and rescue agreement with Cyprus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters, "I cannot share with you any information about the attempted assassination." Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com
US to cut nuclear arsenal by 80 percent but Russia ready to use nukes
16.02.2012 Source:Pravda.Ru
The US administration plans to cut the nuclear arsenal by 80 percent. This move corresponds to Barack Obama's program, who propagated nuclear disarmament in 2009. However, the decision will undoubtedly cause outrage among the Republicans during the year of the presidential election.The final decision has not been made yet. However, the US administration considers at least three variants to cut the total amount of strategic nuclear arms: to 1,000-1,100, to 700-800 and to 300-400 units.At the same time, the United States plans to increase the spending on the nuclear field by nearly $500 million in 2013, in accordance with the draft budget for the current year ($11.5 billion).=============================================================
Russia ready to use nuclear arms, if necessary
16.02.2012 Source:Pravda.Ru
Nikolai Makarov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, stated that Russia would use force to defend its territorial integrity, if such necessity comes up. Russia would be ready to use strategic nuclear arms for this purpose as well, the official added.Makarov also said that Russia was not going to conduct military actions against NATO. However, he added, the military leadership of the country would act in accordance with doctrines to counter a possible threat.The general added that Russia was a neighbor to several "unstable" countries, where the use of nuclear arms was not required in case of conflicts, Arguments.ru website said. http://english.pravda.ru/news/russia/16-02-2012/120530-russia_nato-0/
The US administration plans to cut the nuclear arsenal by 80 percent. This move corresponds to Barack Obama's program, who propagated nuclear disarmament in 2009. However, the decision will undoubtedly cause outrage among the Republicans during the year of the presidential election.The final decision has not been made yet. However, the US administration considers at least three variants to cut the total amount of strategic nuclear arms: to 1,000-1,100, to 700-800 and to 300-400 units.At the same time, the United States plans to increase the spending on the nuclear field by nearly $500 million in 2013, in accordance with the draft budget for the current year ($11.5 billion).=============================================================
Russia ready to use nuclear arms, if necessary
16.02.2012 Source:Pravda.Ru
Nikolai Makarov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, stated that Russia would use force to defend its territorial integrity, if such necessity comes up. Russia would be ready to use strategic nuclear arms for this purpose as well, the official added.Makarov also said that Russia was not going to conduct military actions against NATO. However, he added, the military leadership of the country would act in accordance with doctrines to counter a possible threat.The general added that Russia was a neighbor to several "unstable" countries, where the use of nuclear arms was not required in case of conflicts, Arguments.ru website said. http://english.pravda.ru/news/russia/16-02-2012/120530-russia_nato-0/
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Fundamentally Freund: The end of Palestine
I never thought I would say this, but those of us on the Israeli Right owe a debt of gratitude to Mahmoud Abbas.By forging a unity agreement with Hamas earlier this month in Doha, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority president has inadvertently corroborated one of the central tenets of our political philosophy: the Palestinians cannot and must not be granted a state.
Ever since the signing of the Oslo Accords in September 1993, we have warned against the establishment of a Palestinian entity alongside Israel. Historical, military and geopolitical arguments have been made, numerous articles and papers have been written, and countless rallies and protests were organized, all with the aim of demonstrating just how foolhardy such a step would be.
Repeatedly, we have pleaded with the public to recognize the dangers inherent in dividing the land of Israel and placing the heart of the country within our foes’ artillery range. Time after time, we have insisted that an independent Palestine would be swept up by the rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism and become an outpost for Iranian-style extremism.
It has often been an uphill battle, as much of the media and the international community has prodded and pressed to give the Palestinians a state of their own, seemingly without regard for the consequences. But earlier this month, Abbas delivered decisive and irrefutable corroboration of everything the Right has been saying for nearly 20 years.
When he sat down with Hamas thug Khaled Mashaal and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on February 6, smiled for the cameras and then formally agreed to joint Fatah-Hamas rule, Abbas validated the worst fears of every Israeli.
He embraced a terrorist movement committed to Israel’s destruction, legitimized them by welcoming Hamas into the Palestinian political mainstream, and laid the groundwork for their possible takeover of the Palestinian Authority. Under the terms of the deal, Abbas will head a unity government that will oversee Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections in Judea, Samaria and Gaza later this year.
And so, in one fell swoop, he has breathed new life into the Palestinian jihadist movement, raising their hopes to eventually seize the reins of power in Ramallah, just as they did in Gaza City. From a security point of view, this is a nightmare in the making.
Should Hamas prevail, it would mean that the same organization that has been busy firing rockets into southern Israel would suddenly gain a political and institutional foothold just 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem. And Hamas’ Iranian backers would enjoy a clear and unmistakable boost by further tightening their ring of encirclement around the Jewish state.
Lest anyone doubt the significance that Hamas attaches to the deal, they should consider what Mashaal declared its primary goal as being: “to resist the enemy [Israel] and achieve our national goal.”
Qatar’s role in forging the Palestinian unity deal should not be underestimated.
The tiny Gulf state has played a significant part over the past year in helping to strengthen various Islamist forces throughout the region, from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the Islamist Party Ennahda which came to power in Tunisia. The Qataris are now obviously trying to shepherd Hamas to power as well in order to further their own interests, and they will surely make a concerted effort to see that come to pass.
However dangerous this development might be on the ground, it does present a significant opportunity in terms of Israel’s public diplomacy. Simply put, Abbas’s embrace of Hamas should be used to make a strong case against the prevailing notion that a “two-state solution” can bring about peace.
After all, the mirage of moderation surrounding Fatah and the Palestinian Authority is now unambiguously on display as little more than a figment of the Left’s imagination.
We must make the case that this is the end of Palestine, the death knell of the delusion that the Palestinian leadership was interested in reconciliation, compromise and peace. For if Abbas and his cohorts truly wished to see an end to the conflict, they would not have joined hands with those who advocate endless confrontation. By affixing his signature to the unity deal, Abbas has therefore settled the argument once and for all.
Faced with a choice, he discarded the possibility of an armistice with Israel, thereby closing the door on any chance of a resolution. Abbas chose Hamas over harmony. Now we must make sure he pays a price for doing so.
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
A Warning Sign For The World
February 15, 2012
By Michael Snyder
BlacklistedNews.com
Any financial system that is based on debt is doomed to fail. Today, we are living in the greatest debt bubble that the world has ever seen, and if all of a sudden people could not use credit to buy things our economy would immediately ground to a halt. Unfortunately, no debt bubble can last forever. When this current debt bubble finally bursts, faith in the financial system is going to disappear, credit is going to freeze up and there is going to be a massive wave of bank failures. Right now, Greece is a warning sign for the world. Nobody wants to lend money to Greece, the Greek banking system is dying, one out of every four businesses has already shut down, unemployment is soaring and the Greek economy has now been in recession for five years in a row. Sadly, the economic implosion in Greece is rapidly accelerating. The Greek economy shrunk at a 7 percent annual rate during the 4th quarter of 2011. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Things were supposed to be getting better in Greece by now. But instead the Greek depression is getting even worse, and very soon the rest of the world is going to be going through what Greece is currently experiencing.
Unfortunately, most in the mainstream media are treating what is happening in Greece as an “isolated incident” rather than as a very serious warning sign for the world.
Thankfully, there are at least a few reporters out there that are realizing the gravity of the situation. The following is how one reporter from the New York Times recently described what life is like in Greece now….
By many indicators, Greece is devolving into something unprecedented in modern Western experience. A quarter of all Greek companies have gone out of business since 2009, and half of all small businesses in the country say they are unable to meet payroll. The suicide rate increased by 40 percent in the first half of 2011. A barter economy has sprung up, as people try to work around a broken financial system. Nearly half the population under 25 is unemployed. Last September, organizers of a government-sponsored seminar on emigrating to Australia, an event that drew 42 people a year earlier, were overwhelmed when 12,000 people signed up. Greek bankers told me that people had taken about one-third of their money out of their accounts; many, it seems, were keeping what savings they had under their beds or buried in their backyards. One banker, part of whose job these days is persuading people to keep their money in the bank, said to me, “Who would trust a Greek bank?”
Can you imagine?
Greece is experiencing a full-blown economic collapse and nobody can see a light at the end of the tunnel at this point.
As I have written about previously, the overall rate of unemployment in Greece has now risen above 20 percent and the youth unemployment rate in Greece has soared to an astounding 48 percent.
Deleveraging can be an extremely painful process. Greece has been forced to try to reduce the size of its budget deficit, but every time it cuts government spending that causes economic activity (and thus government revenues) to slow down as well.
Now the EU and the IMF are demanding that even more very painful austerity measures be implemented in Greece even though Greece is already experiencing a full-blown depression.
The EU and the IMF are demanding that Greece fire 15,000 more government workers immediately and a total of 150,000 government workers by 2015.
The EU and the IMF are demanding that wages for government workers be cut by another 20 percent.
The EU and the IMF are demanding that the minimum wage be slashed by more than 20 percent.
The EU and the IMF are also demanding significant reductions in unemployment benefits and pension benefits.
Of course all of those cuts are going to make the short-term economic conditions in Greece even worse.
The rioting, looting and burning of buildings that we are witnessing right now in Greece is likely to continue for quite some time as exasperated citizens attempt to express their frustrations to politicians that simply do not seem to care.
According to the National Confederation of Greek Commerce, recent rioting resulted in damage to 153 businesses in Athens. 45 of those businesses were totally destroyed.
You can view some stunning footage of the current rioting in Greece right here.
Despite all of the austerity measures that have already been implemented, the truth is that Greece is very likely to default soon anyway.
There is a very good chance that the new austerity agreement that the Greek parliament just approved will never be implemented. There are new elections scheduled for April and the current party in power is polling in the single digits.
The new Greek government is likely to look much different from the current one, and nobody knows for sure if the new government will follow through on any of the promises being made by the current government.
In addition, the German parliament must approve this new deal with Greece, and the German parliament is not scheduled to vote on it until February 27th. Considering the mood in Germany right now, approval is not guaranteed.
So there are all kinds of things that could go wrong with the “deals” that are currently being discussed. The truth is that a Greek default in the coming months seems to become more likely by the day.
Some in the financial world almost seem eager for a Greek default. The following is what Jon Moulton, the chairman of Better Capital, recently told CNBC….
“If I was Greek, I wouldn’t be going for these measures, I’d be going for default and getting it over with. Would you like two to three years of pain or 20?”
But a disorderly Greek default would not be a pleasant thing for the global economy at all. A recent article in the Guardian detailed what some of the consequences of a Greek default and exit from the eurozone might be….
But default and “re-drachmatisation” would be a costly and chaotic process. In the long term the euro might be strengthened if some of its weaker members headed for the door. But in the short term banks across the eurozone might have to be closed to prevent a run on the single currency as investors speculated about which country might be next. A new wave of bank nationalisations would be likely to follow as lenders counted their losses on now worthless Greek debt.
Capital controls would have to be imposed and borders shut to stop money flooding out of Greece. Portugal, Italy and Spain would come under intense pressure from investors wary about the risk of another victim. Banks everywhere, already reluctant to lend, would cut back hard, nervous about their exposure to the bonds of all Europe’s crisis-hit states.
And the financial crisis in Europe is going to continue to spread well beyond Greece. Moody’s Investors Service just downgraded the credit ratings of six European nations. The following is how Bloomberg described the downgrades….
Spain was downgraded to A3 from A1 with a negative outlook, Italy was downgraded to A3 from A2 with a negative outlook and Portugal was downgraded to Ba3 from Ba2 with a negative outlook, Moody’s said. It also reduced the ratings of Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta.
Countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Hungary are heading down the exact same road that Greece has gone. Greece was the first one to experience a full-blown depression, but soon Greece will have a lot of company.
Greece is most definitely a warning sign for the world. If you keep recklessly piling up debt, eventually a day of reckoning comes. It is inevitable.
But Barack Obama does not seem to understand this. He continues to pile another 150 million dollars on to our national debt every single hour. He knows that cutting spending significantly right now would hurt the economy and that would significantly hurt his chances for another term.
Needless to say, Barack Obama is not likely to do anything that is going to significantly hurt his chances for another four years in the White House.
So we continue to roll on toward disaster.
The U.S. financial system is like a car with no brakes that is heading straight toward a 5,000 foot drop at 100 miles an hour.
It is all going to seem like fun and games to some people until we hit the canyon floor.
Once that happens, nobody will be laughing.
By Michael Snyder
BlacklistedNews.com
Any financial system that is based on debt is doomed to fail. Today, we are living in the greatest debt bubble that the world has ever seen, and if all of a sudden people could not use credit to buy things our economy would immediately ground to a halt. Unfortunately, no debt bubble can last forever. When this current debt bubble finally bursts, faith in the financial system is going to disappear, credit is going to freeze up and there is going to be a massive wave of bank failures. Right now, Greece is a warning sign for the world. Nobody wants to lend money to Greece, the Greek banking system is dying, one out of every four businesses has already shut down, unemployment is soaring and the Greek economy has now been in recession for five years in a row. Sadly, the economic implosion in Greece is rapidly accelerating. The Greek economy shrunk at a 7 percent annual rate during the 4th quarter of 2011. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Things were supposed to be getting better in Greece by now. But instead the Greek depression is getting even worse, and very soon the rest of the world is going to be going through what Greece is currently experiencing.
Unfortunately, most in the mainstream media are treating what is happening in Greece as an “isolated incident” rather than as a very serious warning sign for the world.
Thankfully, there are at least a few reporters out there that are realizing the gravity of the situation. The following is how one reporter from the New York Times recently described what life is like in Greece now….
By many indicators, Greece is devolving into something unprecedented in modern Western experience. A quarter of all Greek companies have gone out of business since 2009, and half of all small businesses in the country say they are unable to meet payroll. The suicide rate increased by 40 percent in the first half of 2011. A barter economy has sprung up, as people try to work around a broken financial system. Nearly half the population under 25 is unemployed. Last September, organizers of a government-sponsored seminar on emigrating to Australia, an event that drew 42 people a year earlier, were overwhelmed when 12,000 people signed up. Greek bankers told me that people had taken about one-third of their money out of their accounts; many, it seems, were keeping what savings they had under their beds or buried in their backyards. One banker, part of whose job these days is persuading people to keep their money in the bank, said to me, “Who would trust a Greek bank?”
Can you imagine?
Greece is experiencing a full-blown economic collapse and nobody can see a light at the end of the tunnel at this point.
As I have written about previously, the overall rate of unemployment in Greece has now risen above 20 percent and the youth unemployment rate in Greece has soared to an astounding 48 percent.
Deleveraging can be an extremely painful process. Greece has been forced to try to reduce the size of its budget deficit, but every time it cuts government spending that causes economic activity (and thus government revenues) to slow down as well.
Now the EU and the IMF are demanding that even more very painful austerity measures be implemented in Greece even though Greece is already experiencing a full-blown depression.
The EU and the IMF are demanding that Greece fire 15,000 more government workers immediately and a total of 150,000 government workers by 2015.
The EU and the IMF are demanding that wages for government workers be cut by another 20 percent.
The EU and the IMF are demanding that the minimum wage be slashed by more than 20 percent.
The EU and the IMF are also demanding significant reductions in unemployment benefits and pension benefits.
Of course all of those cuts are going to make the short-term economic conditions in Greece even worse.
The rioting, looting and burning of buildings that we are witnessing right now in Greece is likely to continue for quite some time as exasperated citizens attempt to express their frustrations to politicians that simply do not seem to care.
According to the National Confederation of Greek Commerce, recent rioting resulted in damage to 153 businesses in Athens. 45 of those businesses were totally destroyed.
You can view some stunning footage of the current rioting in Greece right here.
Despite all of the austerity measures that have already been implemented, the truth is that Greece is very likely to default soon anyway.
There is a very good chance that the new austerity agreement that the Greek parliament just approved will never be implemented. There are new elections scheduled for April and the current party in power is polling in the single digits.
The new Greek government is likely to look much different from the current one, and nobody knows for sure if the new government will follow through on any of the promises being made by the current government.
In addition, the German parliament must approve this new deal with Greece, and the German parliament is not scheduled to vote on it until February 27th. Considering the mood in Germany right now, approval is not guaranteed.
So there are all kinds of things that could go wrong with the “deals” that are currently being discussed. The truth is that a Greek default in the coming months seems to become more likely by the day.
Some in the financial world almost seem eager for a Greek default. The following is what Jon Moulton, the chairman of Better Capital, recently told CNBC….
“If I was Greek, I wouldn’t be going for these measures, I’d be going for default and getting it over with. Would you like two to three years of pain or 20?”
But a disorderly Greek default would not be a pleasant thing for the global economy at all. A recent article in the Guardian detailed what some of the consequences of a Greek default and exit from the eurozone might be….
But default and “re-drachmatisation” would be a costly and chaotic process. In the long term the euro might be strengthened if some of its weaker members headed for the door. But in the short term banks across the eurozone might have to be closed to prevent a run on the single currency as investors speculated about which country might be next. A new wave of bank nationalisations would be likely to follow as lenders counted their losses on now worthless Greek debt.
Capital controls would have to be imposed and borders shut to stop money flooding out of Greece. Portugal, Italy and Spain would come under intense pressure from investors wary about the risk of another victim. Banks everywhere, already reluctant to lend, would cut back hard, nervous about their exposure to the bonds of all Europe’s crisis-hit states.
And the financial crisis in Europe is going to continue to spread well beyond Greece. Moody’s Investors Service just downgraded the credit ratings of six European nations. The following is how Bloomberg described the downgrades….
Spain was downgraded to A3 from A1 with a negative outlook, Italy was downgraded to A3 from A2 with a negative outlook and Portugal was downgraded to Ba3 from Ba2 with a negative outlook, Moody’s said. It also reduced the ratings of Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta.
Countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Hungary are heading down the exact same road that Greece has gone. Greece was the first one to experience a full-blown depression, but soon Greece will have a lot of company.
Greece is most definitely a warning sign for the world. If you keep recklessly piling up debt, eventually a day of reckoning comes. It is inevitable.
But Barack Obama does not seem to understand this. He continues to pile another 150 million dollars on to our national debt every single hour. He knows that cutting spending significantly right now would hurt the economy and that would significantly hurt his chances for another term.
Needless to say, Barack Obama is not likely to do anything that is going to significantly hurt his chances for another four years in the White House.
So we continue to roll on toward disaster.
The U.S. financial system is like a car with no brakes that is heading straight toward a 5,000 foot drop at 100 miles an hour.
It is all going to seem like fun and games to some people until we hit the canyon floor.
Once that happens, nobody will be laughing.
Farage On Greek Chaos: "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"
February 15, 2012
Source: ZeroHedge
Outspoken and oracular MEP Nigel Farage bombards his fellow unelected officials with 'you can't handle the truth' comments as he points out the total contradiction that is the European Parliament's (and 'Puppet Papademos') view of how things are going in their democracy relative to the reality of a TROIKA-ordered coup forced on the man in the street.
Greece is being driven further and further into chaos and as he implores his peers: "If they don't get the Drachma back, you will be responsible for something truly, truly horrible!"
Source: ZeroHedge
Outspoken and oracular MEP Nigel Farage bombards his fellow unelected officials with 'you can't handle the truth' comments as he points out the total contradiction that is the European Parliament's (and 'Puppet Papademos') view of how things are going in their democracy relative to the reality of a TROIKA-ordered coup forced on the man in the street.
Greece is being driven further and further into chaos and as he implores his peers: "If they don't get the Drachma back, you will be responsible for something truly, truly horrible!"
Messianic Leaders on Christ at the Checkpoint and Palestinian Liberation Theology - Thanks Richard Harvey.
By Jacob Prasch
As was not unexpected, the Israeli and Jewish media has picked up on "Messianic Jewish Leaders" joining forces with anti zionists cum anti Semites at the biased and distorted "Christ at the The Checkpoint" conference.
At this conference the fact that Israel has the best human rights record, the best women's rights record, and the best Christian Rights record in The Middle East will be virtually overlooked most assuredly.
The brutal plight of Arab and other Middle Eastern Chrtistians fromEgypt, to Iran, to Saudi Arabia and the worse plight of Evangelicals suffering for the Name of Christ will be likewise overlooked with attention focused on Israel instead in order to divert Christian attention away from the genocidal dilemma faced by the Body of Christ in The Middle East.
Israel's absorption of thousands of Lebanese Christians driven out of their homes by Hizbollah in Lebannon and Israel's absorption of tens of thousands of Moslem refugees from Darfur denied asylum by Islamic countries will also be ignored as one liar and Jew hating bigot after another takes turns attempting to turn anti Zionism into a Christian cause.
Above all we may rest absolutely assured that none of the pro Zionist Arab Christian voices such as Joseph Farra, Brigette Gabrielle, Walid Shoebat, or Kamal Saleem will be heard and neither will the voices of former Moslems turned to Christ such as Dr. Patrick Sookedho appealing for the rights of the Christians being persecuted in The Middle East be heard.
It is easier to kick Israel than to deal with the real issue.
We have seen supposed Evangelicals from Stephen Sizer, who is a slandering liar (which I can prove in court if he wishes to sue me in the USA where this statement will be web served from on USA website protected under the First Amendment) to the bible smuggler turned hypocrite Brother Andrew and the wife of the deceiver Bill Hybels who had a moslem cleric preaching in his church in Chicago all party to this hideous charade.
Now we have supposed Messianic Jewish participation. Richard Harvey, who has been described as a "liberal Evangelical" who has twice addressed Sizer's church among them. Over the years I have watched Richard Harvey compromise with everyone from theological liberals such as Ron Lewis to de facto anti Semites. Now the Jewish community knows it.
The damage being done to our witness and testimony for Yeshua to Israel and The Jewish people is obvious. Richard Harvey has no witness and no testimony to Israel or The Jews and I publicly denounce his shameful actions as reprehensible.
It is my conviction that the Messianic community and the cause of Jewish evangelism should disassociate from this traitor to his people and to the persecuted Body of Christ crying out for help while facing massacre at the hands of radical Islam while Richard Harvey does his phony religious theocratic two step with the enemies of Israel.
Neither I nor our ministry Moriel agree with all of the policies of The Israeli government towards Arabs or towards Christians, but we thank God at least one country in The Middle East, Israel, guarantees their human rights despite the warped demands of some ultra orthodox Jewish organisations to curtail them.
We also affirm our belief in the clear and unambiguous teaching of Jesus that The Jews must return to Israel & Jerusalem to set the stage for His return (Luke 21:24, Matthew 23: 37-39, Zecheriah 12: 1-10).
J. Jacob PraschMoriel Ministres (USA)
As was not unexpected, the Israeli and Jewish media has picked up on "Messianic Jewish Leaders" joining forces with anti zionists cum anti Semites at the biased and distorted "Christ at the The Checkpoint" conference.
At this conference the fact that Israel has the best human rights record, the best women's rights record, and the best Christian Rights record in The Middle East will be virtually overlooked most assuredly.
The brutal plight of Arab and other Middle Eastern Chrtistians fromEgypt, to Iran, to Saudi Arabia and the worse plight of Evangelicals suffering for the Name of Christ will be likewise overlooked with attention focused on Israel instead in order to divert Christian attention away from the genocidal dilemma faced by the Body of Christ in The Middle East.
Israel's absorption of thousands of Lebanese Christians driven out of their homes by Hizbollah in Lebannon and Israel's absorption of tens of thousands of Moslem refugees from Darfur denied asylum by Islamic countries will also be ignored as one liar and Jew hating bigot after another takes turns attempting to turn anti Zionism into a Christian cause.
Above all we may rest absolutely assured that none of the pro Zionist Arab Christian voices such as Joseph Farra, Brigette Gabrielle, Walid Shoebat, or Kamal Saleem will be heard and neither will the voices of former Moslems turned to Christ such as Dr. Patrick Sookedho appealing for the rights of the Christians being persecuted in The Middle East be heard.
It is easier to kick Israel than to deal with the real issue.
We have seen supposed Evangelicals from Stephen Sizer, who is a slandering liar (which I can prove in court if he wishes to sue me in the USA where this statement will be web served from on USA website protected under the First Amendment) to the bible smuggler turned hypocrite Brother Andrew and the wife of the deceiver Bill Hybels who had a moslem cleric preaching in his church in Chicago all party to this hideous charade.
Now we have supposed Messianic Jewish participation. Richard Harvey, who has been described as a "liberal Evangelical" who has twice addressed Sizer's church among them. Over the years I have watched Richard Harvey compromise with everyone from theological liberals such as Ron Lewis to de facto anti Semites. Now the Jewish community knows it.
The damage being done to our witness and testimony for Yeshua to Israel and The Jewish people is obvious. Richard Harvey has no witness and no testimony to Israel or The Jews and I publicly denounce his shameful actions as reprehensible.
It is my conviction that the Messianic community and the cause of Jewish evangelism should disassociate from this traitor to his people and to the persecuted Body of Christ crying out for help while facing massacre at the hands of radical Islam while Richard Harvey does his phony religious theocratic two step with the enemies of Israel.
Neither I nor our ministry Moriel agree with all of the policies of The Israeli government towards Arabs or towards Christians, but we thank God at least one country in The Middle East, Israel, guarantees their human rights despite the warped demands of some ultra orthodox Jewish organisations to curtail them.
We also affirm our belief in the clear and unambiguous teaching of Jesus that The Jews must return to Israel & Jerusalem to set the stage for His return (Luke 21:24, Matthew 23: 37-39, Zecheriah 12: 1-10).
J. Jacob PraschMoriel Ministres (USA)
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
New Iran fear as it warns West: We've made a major breakthrough
Have they now got nukes?
By Christopher Leake and Damien Gayle
12th February 2012
Iran's leader issued a new threat to the West yesterday – warning that his country would soon unveil ‘big new nuclear achievements’.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not elaborate on the announcement – but insisted Iran would never give up its uranium enrichment process.
Western powers, including Britain and the United States, suspect the country’s nuclear programme is aimed at producing atomic weapons.
Iran insists it is designed for peaceful purposes only, such as energy production.
Addressing a rally of tens of thousands of Iranians in Tehran yesterday, Ahmadinejad said: ‘Within the next few days the world will witness the inauguration of several big new achievements in the nuclear field.’
He said Iran was prepared to stage fresh talks over its nuclear programme, but added that Tehran ‘will never enter talks if enemies behave arrogantly’.
The president’s remarks were made to a rally marking the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the pro-Western monarchy and brought Islamic clerics to power.
They will do little to encourage the revival of talks with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Four rounds of UN sanctions and recent tough financial penalties by the US and EU have failed to persuade Iran to halt aspects of atomic work that could provide a possible pathway to weapons
production.
Ahmadinejad told the crowd in Tehran’s Azadi Square that Iran had been forced to manufacture nuclear fuel rods – which provide fuel for reactors – on its own as international sanctions ban it from buying them on foreign markets.
Apart from progress on the rods, the upcoming announcement could be about Iran's underground enrichment facility at Fordo or upgraded centrifuges, which are expected to be installed in the central town of Natanz.
Iran has also said it would inaugurate the Russian-built nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr in 2012.
Iran's unchecked pursuit of its nuclear programme scuppered negotiations a year ago but Iranian officials last month proposed a return to the talks with the five permanent UN Security Council
members plus Germany.
'Iran is ready for talks within the framework of equality and justice,' Ahmadinejad repeated yesterday.
But he warned that Tehran 'will never enter talks if enemies behave arrogantly'.
In the past, Iran has angered Western officials by appearing to buy time through opening talks and weighing proposals even while pressing ahead with the nuclear research.
President Ahmadinejad, was joined by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who also spoke to hail the Iranian revolution and denounce Israel'
Washington recently levied new sanctions aimed at limiting Iran's ability to sell oil, which accounts for 80 percent of its foreign revenue.
The European Union has also adopted its own toughest measures yet on Iran, including an oil embargo and freeze of the country's central bank assets.
Israel is worried Iran could be on the brink of an atomic bomb and many Israeli officials believe sanctions only give Tehran time to move its nuclear sites underground, out of reach of Israeli military strikes.
The U.S. and its allies argue that Israel should hold off on any military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities to allow more time for sanctions to work.
Before Ahmadinejad spoke, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas prime minister from Gaza, addressed the crowd.
He congratulated Iranians on the 1979 anniversary of their revolution and vowed that his militant Palestinian group would never recognize Iran's and Hamas' arch-enemy, Israel.
Also at the rally, Iran displayed a full-size model of the U.S. drone RQ-170 Sentinel, captured in December near the border with Afghanistan.
Iran has touted the drone's capture as one of its successes against the West.
State television called the drone a 'symbol of power' of the Iranian armed forces 'against the global arrogance' of the U.S.
The report broadcast footage of other rallies around Iran, saying millions participated in the anniversary celebrations, many under heavy snowfall.
There was no response from the Foreign Office to yesterday’s developments in Iran.
By Christopher Leake and Damien Gayle
12th February 2012
Iran's leader issued a new threat to the West yesterday – warning that his country would soon unveil ‘big new nuclear achievements’.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not elaborate on the announcement – but insisted Iran would never give up its uranium enrichment process.
Western powers, including Britain and the United States, suspect the country’s nuclear programme is aimed at producing atomic weapons.
Iran insists it is designed for peaceful purposes only, such as energy production.
Addressing a rally of tens of thousands of Iranians in Tehran yesterday, Ahmadinejad said: ‘Within the next few days the world will witness the inauguration of several big new achievements in the nuclear field.’
He said Iran was prepared to stage fresh talks over its nuclear programme, but added that Tehran ‘will never enter talks if enemies behave arrogantly’.
The president’s remarks were made to a rally marking the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the pro-Western monarchy and brought Islamic clerics to power.
They will do little to encourage the revival of talks with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Four rounds of UN sanctions and recent tough financial penalties by the US and EU have failed to persuade Iran to halt aspects of atomic work that could provide a possible pathway to weapons
production.
Ahmadinejad told the crowd in Tehran’s Azadi Square that Iran had been forced to manufacture nuclear fuel rods – which provide fuel for reactors – on its own as international sanctions ban it from buying them on foreign markets.
Apart from progress on the rods, the upcoming announcement could be about Iran's underground enrichment facility at Fordo or upgraded centrifuges, which are expected to be installed in the central town of Natanz.
Iran has also said it would inaugurate the Russian-built nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr in 2012.
Iran's unchecked pursuit of its nuclear programme scuppered negotiations a year ago but Iranian officials last month proposed a return to the talks with the five permanent UN Security Council
members plus Germany.
'Iran is ready for talks within the framework of equality and justice,' Ahmadinejad repeated yesterday.
But he warned that Tehran 'will never enter talks if enemies behave arrogantly'.
In the past, Iran has angered Western officials by appearing to buy time through opening talks and weighing proposals even while pressing ahead with the nuclear research.
President Ahmadinejad, was joined by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who also spoke to hail the Iranian revolution and denounce Israel'
Washington recently levied new sanctions aimed at limiting Iran's ability to sell oil, which accounts for 80 percent of its foreign revenue.
The European Union has also adopted its own toughest measures yet on Iran, including an oil embargo and freeze of the country's central bank assets.
Israel is worried Iran could be on the brink of an atomic bomb and many Israeli officials believe sanctions only give Tehran time to move its nuclear sites underground, out of reach of Israeli military strikes.
The U.S. and its allies argue that Israel should hold off on any military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities to allow more time for sanctions to work.
Before Ahmadinejad spoke, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas prime minister from Gaza, addressed the crowd.
He congratulated Iranians on the 1979 anniversary of their revolution and vowed that his militant Palestinian group would never recognize Iran's and Hamas' arch-enemy, Israel.
Also at the rally, Iran displayed a full-size model of the U.S. drone RQ-170 Sentinel, captured in December near the border with Afghanistan.
Iran has touted the drone's capture as one of its successes against the West.
State television called the drone a 'symbol of power' of the Iranian armed forces 'against the global arrogance' of the U.S.
The report broadcast footage of other rallies around Iran, saying millions participated in the anniversary celebrations, many under heavy snowfall.
There was no response from the Foreign Office to yesterday’s developments in Iran.
GOD'S SAVING POWER IS STILL AVAILABLE TODAY
Hi friends,
With all the doom gloom and scandle I thought it would be a good idea to post a testimony of God's saving power.
Please copy this and share with loved ones.
With all the doom gloom and scandle I thought it would be a good idea to post a testimony of God's saving power.
Please copy this and share with loved ones.
Paul Crouch’s Granddaughter Exposes Corruption at TBN
Trinity Broadcasting Network’s president and founder Paul Crouch Sr.’s policy of putting family members in positions of power at the largest “Christian” TV network in the world may have come back to bite him. His granddaughter, Brittany Crouch Koper (above), who served as TBN’s chief financial officer, is accusing TBN “of unlawfully distributing charitable assets worth more than $50 million to the company’s directors.”
Koper filed a federal lawsuit against two TBN lawyers, Douglass S. Davert and David C. Loe, who reportedly instructed her to “shut up” about what she discovered in her position as financial officer. The complaint says that the lawyers intimidated Ms. Koper into returning her own perks which included her house, car, jewelry, life insurance and home furnishings. Failure to do so would result in jail time for her, the attorneys allegedly threatened. According to Koper, a false lawsuit had been filed against her and her husband Michael, also a TBN employee, charging them with misappropriation of funds, in October, 2011, in an attempt to stop her whistle blowing. That case was closed by the plaintiffs after she complied with the demands.
Coincidentally, that same month Koper’s father, Paul Crouch Jr, resigned his position from TBN as Chief of Staff, to “pursue other ministry opportunities.” His hasty retreat baffled many people. Why would he leave TBN as second in command next to hid dad to take a position at a small minority-owned network?
“Observers have often wondered how the Crouches can afford multiple mansions on both coasts, a $50 million jet and chauffeurs,” said Koper’s attorney, Tymothy MacLeod to the Orange County Register who broke the story of Koper’s lawsuit on February 9, 2012. That same day, Paul Crouch Sr. and his younger son Matthew Crouch made veiled threats at anyone who would try to come against TBN.
“There have been a few attempts in the TBN history to upset TBN, to stop TBN,” said Matt Crouch to his father on Behind the Scenes. “You know, there have been a few fools in the 39-year history...and you know what - any attempt at stopping TBN -- they have no idea who they’re actually pushing into the corner. You and mom get pushed in a corner - God help you. That’s a lesson I’ve learned from you, seriously.”
“God help anyone who would try to get in the way of TBN, which was God’s plan,” Paul Crouch responded. “I have attended the funeral of at least two people who tried.”
That threat should be taken seriously when you consider Brittany Koper’s allegations in her complaint that her Uncle Matthew brandished a firearm to threaten her. Matthew Crouch “began tapping the firearm he had brought to the meeting and asked Ms. Koper what she thought would happen when she wrote a memo to the board critical of Matthew Crouch’s financial improprieties. Matthew Crouch continued tapping the gun he was holding to ensure that Ms. Koper recognized the lethal threat being made.”
Several years ago, someone who was suing TBN for plagiarism told this reporter that after filing suit against them, her brake lines were cut on her car and she was being tailed wherever she went. If these allegations are true, then TBN cannot point the finger at God for their protection. They seem to be taking matters into their own hands.
Lewdness at TBN
Another strange twist to this story is the accusation that defendant David Loe sexually harassed Koper on more than one occasion when she was working with him. The complaint says,“Defendant Loe touched Ms. Koper in an overtly sexual manner repeatedly, told Ms. Koper that he was sexually aroused, made lewd and derogatory comments about engaging in sexual acts with Ms. Koper, and offered illegal drugs to Ms. Koper, who was defendant Loe’s client in that matter and others. In a business meeting, Mr. Loe made repeated remarks about Ms. Koper’s breast enhancement surgery, reached across the table in front of witnesses, and grabbed Ms. Koper’s breasts to (as Mr. Loe put it) ‘see if they feel real.’
After Ms. Koper repeatedly refused defendant Loe’s sexual advances, defendant Loe became cruel, vindictive, and malicious toward Ms. Koper.”
The Register reported “ that Koper is readying documentation regarding her charges and will submit a package to the Internal Revenue Service for its review.” Time will tell if Koper will follow up on this brave act or succumb to the intimidation that, she says in her complaint, has made her physically ill with “loss of appetite, physical weakness, nausea, headaches, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, stomach and digestive problems, malnutrition, hair loss, severe insomnia, and suicidal thoughts requiring counseling and medication.”
This is not the first time TBN has been rocked with scandal.
In 2004, Paul Crouch Sr. settled out of court, paying out nearly half a million dollars, to keep another former employee quiet regarding an alleged 1996 homosexual fling between the two of them.
The Koper case has the potential of bringing even more disgrace, not only to TBN, but to the name of Christianity in the eyes of the onlooking world. It makes the PTL scandal look like a Sunday School picnic.
Brittany Koper could not be reached for comment and the defendants did not return messages left at their law offices. [Further information on TBN and the Crouch lifestyle can be found in the book, The Fleecing of Christianity, by Jackie Alnor.]
Sunday, 12 February 2012
WHITNEY HOUSTON SHORT TESTIMONY
Whitney Houston for all her problems and weaknesses gives a short testimony during a live performance in Brazil.
I pray this will cause many to turn to Christ in these days.
The last live song she sang was a few nights ago when she sang "Yes Jesus loves me" ...see below the following video.
It now seems she simply fell asleep in the bath and drowned.
Please pray for her family especially her 18 year old daughter who has been taken to hospital with extreme stress. She had to be held back by police as she attempted to get into the hotel suite to her mother.
I pray this will cause many to turn to Christ in these days.
The last live song she sang was a few nights ago when she sang "Yes Jesus loves me" ...see below the following video.
It now seems she simply fell asleep in the bath and drowned.
Please pray for her family especially her 18 year old daughter who has been taken to hospital with extreme stress. She had to be held back by police as she attempted to get into the hotel suite to her mother.
WHITNEY HOUSTON ANOTHER LOST SOUL?
Today we heard the sad news that singer Whitney Houston was discovered dead in her hotel suite in L.A. at the age of 48.
Whitney was a unique singer with an amazing voice but sadly she was also a slave to drugs in the past and had, as Simon Cowell said, "issues".
In recent years it was rumoured she had made a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and had beaten her addictions with God's help. No one knows for sure.
Tragically, whatever the cause of her passing the rumours of drugs will no doubt be raised.
She was I guess another victim of this world's clamouring for success and stardom and the relentless pressure put upon performers to get out there and be the best.
At present it looks as if she drowned in her bath. That is all we are told.
Over the years we have seen James Dean, Marylin Monroe, Jimmy Hendix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and more pass away before their time. Victims of the business they were caught up in.
You take uppers to stay awake on tour and downers to get to sleep at night along with a cocktail of whatever else helps you escape the pressure of trying to stay on top of your game.
You may ask why, with all the news of looming financial disaster, Middle East or World War on our doorstep am I writing this?
Simple.
Out there away from churchianity is a lost generation searching for the meaning of life.
Young people, especially, lured by the promise of fame and money and success without being told of the overwhelming pressure that comes with that "prize".
We by God's grace have been entrusted with the real answer to that search. His name is Jesus.
May the death of yet another pop world "idol" spur us on to reach out to our generation with this good news as the door of salvation remains open for the time being. It will not always be open.
I watched the following clip of Whitney and was really moved. Did someone reach her with the good news? May the song perhaps cause us believers in the Lord Jesus to be the best we can be and with God's help snatch souls like lost Whitney Housten from the false promises of this world and into the real truth found in Jesus Christ. The coming days are days when the destiny of millions will be as always in the balance. May God grant us with those we contact "One Moment In Time" to reach them. AMEN
Whitney was a unique singer with an amazing voice but sadly she was also a slave to drugs in the past and had, as Simon Cowell said, "issues".
In recent years it was rumoured she had made a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and had beaten her addictions with God's help. No one knows for sure.
Tragically, whatever the cause of her passing the rumours of drugs will no doubt be raised.
She was I guess another victim of this world's clamouring for success and stardom and the relentless pressure put upon performers to get out there and be the best.
At present it looks as if she drowned in her bath. That is all we are told.
Over the years we have seen James Dean, Marylin Monroe, Jimmy Hendix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and more pass away before their time. Victims of the business they were caught up in.
You take uppers to stay awake on tour and downers to get to sleep at night along with a cocktail of whatever else helps you escape the pressure of trying to stay on top of your game.
You may ask why, with all the news of looming financial disaster, Middle East or World War on our doorstep am I writing this?
Simple.
Out there away from churchianity is a lost generation searching for the meaning of life.
Young people, especially, lured by the promise of fame and money and success without being told of the overwhelming pressure that comes with that "prize".
We by God's grace have been entrusted with the real answer to that search. His name is Jesus.
May the death of yet another pop world "idol" spur us on to reach out to our generation with this good news as the door of salvation remains open for the time being. It will not always be open.
I watched the following clip of Whitney and was really moved. Did someone reach her with the good news? May the song perhaps cause us believers in the Lord Jesus to be the best we can be and with God's help snatch souls like lost Whitney Housten from the false promises of this world and into the real truth found in Jesus Christ. The coming days are days when the destiny of millions will be as always in the balance. May God grant us with those we contact "One Moment In Time" to reach them. AMEN
Saturday, 11 February 2012
PAKISTAN SIDES WITH NUCLEAR IRAN
The Pakistani High Commissioner to Britain has reiterated his country’s support for the Islamic Republic of Iran in case of an Israeli regime’s attack.
Wajid Shamsul Hasan told the British The Sun newspaper that “Pakistan would be left with no option but to support Iran if Israel attacks it”.
“We wouldn’t like to be seen as part of Israel’s campaign against any country. If Israel attacks Iran, it will have an impact on Pakistan as well”, said the Pakistani High Commissioner to Britain.“
We will have to safeguard our own interests. We also have a Shia population in Pakistan who will not take it lying down”, he stressed.
The Pakistani official warned Britain to help stop the U.S. “Drone Wars” that are slaughtering hundreds of its innocent civilians.Wajid Shamsul Hasan said that his country’s relations with America are at their lowest ebb.
“Patience is definitely reaching exhaustion levels”, he said.
Hasan said Pakistan backs the War on Terror waged by Britain and the US.
But, he urged British Prime Minister David Cameron to condemn US drone attacks on his country dubbing them as “war crimes” and “little more than state executions”.
“We know the damage – destroyed schools, communities, hospitals. They are civilians – children, women, families. Our losses are enormous,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.“
I think time is running out until the Pakistan government can take a stand. They will have to at some stage take punitive actions to stop them. They have got means to take such actions to defend their own frontier and territories,” Hasan further added.
Hasan urged the British Prime Minister to convince the US that the drone attacks were counter-productive, making the American “the most hated people in the minds of the people in Pakistan.”
Wajid Shamsul Hasan told the British The Sun newspaper that “Pakistan would be left with no option but to support Iran if Israel attacks it”.
“We wouldn’t like to be seen as part of Israel’s campaign against any country. If Israel attacks Iran, it will have an impact on Pakistan as well”, said the Pakistani High Commissioner to Britain.“
We will have to safeguard our own interests. We also have a Shia population in Pakistan who will not take it lying down”, he stressed.
The Pakistani official warned Britain to help stop the U.S. “Drone Wars” that are slaughtering hundreds of its innocent civilians.Wajid Shamsul Hasan said that his country’s relations with America are at their lowest ebb.
“Patience is definitely reaching exhaustion levels”, he said.
Hasan said Pakistan backs the War on Terror waged by Britain and the US.
But, he urged British Prime Minister David Cameron to condemn US drone attacks on his country dubbing them as “war crimes” and “little more than state executions”.
“We know the damage – destroyed schools, communities, hospitals. They are civilians – children, women, families. Our losses are enormous,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.“
I think time is running out until the Pakistan government can take a stand. They will have to at some stage take punitive actions to stop them. They have got means to take such actions to defend their own frontier and territories,” Hasan further added.
Hasan urged the British Prime Minister to convince the US that the drone attacks were counter-productive, making the American “the most hated people in the minds of the people in Pakistan.”
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Water temperature rising in No. 2 reactor at Fukushima nuclear plant
NationalFeb. 07, 2012 - 11:39AM JST TOKYO —
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Monday that the water temperature in the No. 2 reactor at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has risen from 45 degrees on Jan 27 to 69.2 degrees on Monday.
One of three thermometers in the reactor has shown that the temperature has risen by 20 degrees in the last four days, NTV reported. TEPCO said it is continuing to pump more water into the troubled reactor to cool it down, but so far, the utility has not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the rising temperature.
A TEPCO official told a news conference that the replacement of a water pipe might have caused a change in the water circulation and that the temperature might be rising in areas where the water flow isn’t smooth, NTV reported. Melted fuel may also have spilled over from the containment vessel into the water, the TEPCO official said. TEPCO said it was injecting 9.5 tons of water into the reactor, compared to the usual one ton per hour.
The latest development calls into question Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s announcement last December that the Fukushima Daiichi plant had achieved a stable state of cold shutdown—which was intended to reassure the nation that significant progress had been made in the nine months since the March 11 tsunami sent three reactors into meltdowns.
Japan Today
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Monday that the water temperature in the No. 2 reactor at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has risen from 45 degrees on Jan 27 to 69.2 degrees on Monday.
One of three thermometers in the reactor has shown that the temperature has risen by 20 degrees in the last four days, NTV reported. TEPCO said it is continuing to pump more water into the troubled reactor to cool it down, but so far, the utility has not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the rising temperature.
A TEPCO official told a news conference that the replacement of a water pipe might have caused a change in the water circulation and that the temperature might be rising in areas where the water flow isn’t smooth, NTV reported. Melted fuel may also have spilled over from the containment vessel into the water, the TEPCO official said. TEPCO said it was injecting 9.5 tons of water into the reactor, compared to the usual one ton per hour.
The latest development calls into question Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s announcement last December that the Fukushima Daiichi plant had achieved a stable state of cold shutdown—which was intended to reassure the nation that significant progress had been made in the nine months since the March 11 tsunami sent three reactors into meltdowns.
Japan Today
Monday, 6 February 2012
Ayatollah: Kill all Jews, annihilate Israel
WND EXCLUSIVE
Ayatollah: Kill all Jews, annihilate Israel
Iran lays out legal case for genocidal attack against 'cancerous tumor'
Published: 15 hours agoBy Reza Kahlili
The Iranian government, through a website proxy, has laid out the legal and religious justification for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of its people.The doctrine includes wiping out Israeli assets and Jewish people worldwide.
Calling Israel a danger to Islam, the conservative website Alef, with ties to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the opportunity must not be lost to remove “this corrupting material. It is a “‘jurisprudential justification” to kill all the Jews and annihilate Israel, and in that, the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.”
The article, written by Alireza Forghani, an analyst and a strategy specialist in Khamenei’s camp, now is being run on most state-owned conservative sites, including the Revolutionary Guards’ Fars News Agency, showing that the regime endorses this doctrine.
Read the previous report from WND, when Iran warned about a coming great event.
Because Israel is going to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iran is justified in launching a pre-emptive, cataclysmic attack against the Jewish state, the doctrine argues.
On Friday, in a major speech at prayers, Khamenei announced that Iran will support any nation or group that attacks the “cancerous tumor” of Israel. Though his statement was seen by some in the West as fluff, there is substance behind it.
Iran’s Defense Ministry announced this weekend that it test-fired an advanced two-stage, solid-fuel ballistic missile and boasted about successfully putting a new satellite into orbit, reminding the West that its engineers have mastered the technology for intercontinental ballistic missiles even as the Islamic state pushes its nuclear weapons program.
The commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Brig. Gen. Seyyed Mehdi Farahi, stated in August that the Safir missile, which is capable of transporting a satellite into space, can easily be launched parallel to the earth’s orbit, which will transform it into an intercontinental ballistic missile. Western analysts didn’t believe this would happen until 2015.
Historically, orbiting a satellite is the criterion for crediting a nation with ICBM capability.
Forghani details the Islamic duty of jihad as laid out in the Quran for the sake of Allah and states that “primary jihad,” according to some Shiite jurists, can only occur when the Hidden Imam, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, returns. Shiites believe Mahdi’’s return will usher in Armageddon.
In the absence of the hidden Imam, Forghani says, “defensive jihad” could certainly take place when Islam is threatened, and Muslims must defend Islam and kill their enemies. To justify such action, Alef quotes the Shiites’ first imam, Ali, who stated “Waging war against the enemies with whom war is inevitable and there is a strong possibility that in near future they will attack Muslims is a must and the duty of Muslims.”
In this regard, Ayatollah Khamenei has issued a fatwa in which he has even authorized carrying out primary jihad in the age of the absence of the Hidden imam under the authorization of Vali Faghih.
The article then quotes the Quran (Albaghara 2:191-193): “And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers] … and fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah.”
It is the duty for all Muslims to participate in this defensive jihad, Forghani says. A fatwa by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini made it clear that any political domination by infidels over Muslims authorizes Muslims to defend Islam by all means. Iran now has the ICBM means to deliver destruction on Israel and soon will have nuclear warheads for those missiles.
In order to attack Iran, the article says, Israel needs the approval and assistance of America, and under the current passive climate in the United States, the opportunity must not be lost to wipe out Israel before it attacks Iran.Under this pre-emptive defensive doctrine, several Ground Zero points of Israel must be destroyed and its people annihilated.
Forghani cites the last census by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics that shows Israel has a population of 7.5 million citizens of which a majority of 5.7 million are Jewish. Then it breaks down the districts with the highest concentration of Jewish people, indicating that three cities, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, contain over 60 percent of the Jewish population that Iran could target with its Shahab 3 ballistic missiles, killing all its inhabitants.
Forghani suggests that Iran’s Sejil missile, which is a two-stage rocket with a trajectory and speed that make it impossible to intercept, should target such Israeli facilities as: the Rafael nuclear plant, which is the main nuclear engineering center of Israel; the Eilun nuclear plant; another Israeli reactor in Nebrin; and the Dimona reactor in the nuclear research center in Neqeb, the most critical nuclear reactor in Israel because it produces 90 percent enriched uranium for Israel’s nuclear weapons.
Other targets, according to the article, include airports and air force bases such as the Sedot Mikha Air Base, which contains Jericho ballistic missiles and is located southwest of the Tel Nof Air Base, where aircraft equipped with nuclear weapons are based. Secondary targets include power plants, sewage treatment facilities, energy resources, and transportation and communication infrastructures.
Finally, Forghani says, Shahab 3 and Ghadr missiles can target urban settlements until the Israelis are wiped out.
Forghani claims that Israel could be destroyed in less than nine minutes and that Khamenei, as utmost authority, the Velayete Faghih (Islamic Jurist), also believes that Israel and America not only must be defeated but annihilated.
The radicals ruling Iran today not only posses over 1,000 ballistic missiles but are on the verge of ICBM delivery and have sufficient enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs even as they continue to highly enrich uranium despite four sets of U.N. sanctions.
WND previously reported when Iran was warning of a coming great event.
The Iranian secret documentary “The Coming Is Upon Us” clearly indicates that these radicals believe the destruction of Israel will trigger the coming of the last Islamic Messiah and that even Jesus Christ, who will convert to Islam, will act as Mahdi’s deputy, praying to Allah as he stands behind the 12th Imam.
See the video:
Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and author of the award-winning book, “A Time to Betray.” He is a senior fellow with EMPact America and teaches at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy.
Ayatollah: Kill all Jews, annihilate Israel
Iran lays out legal case for genocidal attack against 'cancerous tumor'
Published: 15 hours agoBy Reza Kahlili
The Iranian government, through a website proxy, has laid out the legal and religious justification for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of its people.The doctrine includes wiping out Israeli assets and Jewish people worldwide.
Calling Israel a danger to Islam, the conservative website Alef, with ties to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the opportunity must not be lost to remove “this corrupting material. It is a “‘jurisprudential justification” to kill all the Jews and annihilate Israel, and in that, the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.”
The article, written by Alireza Forghani, an analyst and a strategy specialist in Khamenei’s camp, now is being run on most state-owned conservative sites, including the Revolutionary Guards’ Fars News Agency, showing that the regime endorses this doctrine.
Read the previous report from WND, when Iran warned about a coming great event.
Because Israel is going to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iran is justified in launching a pre-emptive, cataclysmic attack against the Jewish state, the doctrine argues.
On Friday, in a major speech at prayers, Khamenei announced that Iran will support any nation or group that attacks the “cancerous tumor” of Israel. Though his statement was seen by some in the West as fluff, there is substance behind it.
Iran’s Defense Ministry announced this weekend that it test-fired an advanced two-stage, solid-fuel ballistic missile and boasted about successfully putting a new satellite into orbit, reminding the West that its engineers have mastered the technology for intercontinental ballistic missiles even as the Islamic state pushes its nuclear weapons program.
The commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Brig. Gen. Seyyed Mehdi Farahi, stated in August that the Safir missile, which is capable of transporting a satellite into space, can easily be launched parallel to the earth’s orbit, which will transform it into an intercontinental ballistic missile. Western analysts didn’t believe this would happen until 2015.
Historically, orbiting a satellite is the criterion for crediting a nation with ICBM capability.
Forghani details the Islamic duty of jihad as laid out in the Quran for the sake of Allah and states that “primary jihad,” according to some Shiite jurists, can only occur when the Hidden Imam, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, returns. Shiites believe Mahdi’’s return will usher in Armageddon.
In the absence of the hidden Imam, Forghani says, “defensive jihad” could certainly take place when Islam is threatened, and Muslims must defend Islam and kill their enemies. To justify such action, Alef quotes the Shiites’ first imam, Ali, who stated “Waging war against the enemies with whom war is inevitable and there is a strong possibility that in near future they will attack Muslims is a must and the duty of Muslims.”
In this regard, Ayatollah Khamenei has issued a fatwa in which he has even authorized carrying out primary jihad in the age of the absence of the Hidden imam under the authorization of Vali Faghih.
The article then quotes the Quran (Albaghara 2:191-193): “And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers] … and fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah.”
It is the duty for all Muslims to participate in this defensive jihad, Forghani says. A fatwa by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini made it clear that any political domination by infidels over Muslims authorizes Muslims to defend Islam by all means. Iran now has the ICBM means to deliver destruction on Israel and soon will have nuclear warheads for those missiles.
In order to attack Iran, the article says, Israel needs the approval and assistance of America, and under the current passive climate in the United States, the opportunity must not be lost to wipe out Israel before it attacks Iran.Under this pre-emptive defensive doctrine, several Ground Zero points of Israel must be destroyed and its people annihilated.
Forghani cites the last census by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics that shows Israel has a population of 7.5 million citizens of which a majority of 5.7 million are Jewish. Then it breaks down the districts with the highest concentration of Jewish people, indicating that three cities, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, contain over 60 percent of the Jewish population that Iran could target with its Shahab 3 ballistic missiles, killing all its inhabitants.
Forghani suggests that Iran’s Sejil missile, which is a two-stage rocket with a trajectory and speed that make it impossible to intercept, should target such Israeli facilities as: the Rafael nuclear plant, which is the main nuclear engineering center of Israel; the Eilun nuclear plant; another Israeli reactor in Nebrin; and the Dimona reactor in the nuclear research center in Neqeb, the most critical nuclear reactor in Israel because it produces 90 percent enriched uranium for Israel’s nuclear weapons.
Other targets, according to the article, include airports and air force bases such as the Sedot Mikha Air Base, which contains Jericho ballistic missiles and is located southwest of the Tel Nof Air Base, where aircraft equipped with nuclear weapons are based. Secondary targets include power plants, sewage treatment facilities, energy resources, and transportation and communication infrastructures.
Finally, Forghani says, Shahab 3 and Ghadr missiles can target urban settlements until the Israelis are wiped out.
Forghani claims that Israel could be destroyed in less than nine minutes and that Khamenei, as utmost authority, the Velayete Faghih (Islamic Jurist), also believes that Israel and America not only must be defeated but annihilated.
The radicals ruling Iran today not only posses over 1,000 ballistic missiles but are on the verge of ICBM delivery and have sufficient enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs even as they continue to highly enrich uranium despite four sets of U.N. sanctions.
WND previously reported when Iran was warning of a coming great event.
The Iranian secret documentary “The Coming Is Upon Us” clearly indicates that these radicals believe the destruction of Israel will trigger the coming of the last Islamic Messiah and that even Jesus Christ, who will convert to Islam, will act as Mahdi’s deputy, praying to Allah as he stands behind the 12th Imam.
See the video:
Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and author of the award-winning book, “A Time to Betray.” He is a senior fellow with EMPact America and teaches at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy.
WATCH THIS VIDEO AS SEEN BY NYPD
Please watch this incredible video.
It is a video used by the NYPD but was censored by the NY Times.
The film reveals what viewers are unlikely to see on the evening news: What terrorists, radical preachers and Islamists are saying in their own words, in their own mosques and media, to their followers."
It is a video used by the NYPD but was censored by the NY Times.
The film reveals what viewers are unlikely to see on the evening news: What terrorists, radical preachers and Islamists are saying in their own words, in their own mosques and media, to their followers."
"The film exposes how radicals employ the dual strategies of “violent Jihad,” along with a ‘cultural Jihad,’ through which Islamist groups use coercion and non-violent means to gradually expand their influence over Western society."Now, Mayor Bloomberg, The New York Times and others want to bar law enforcement officers from seeing the film. The question is, why?
The Third Jahid from Tim Hands on Vimeo.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
SLOW PREPARATIONS FOR WAR WITH IRAN
By Joel Skousen
According to Tony Cartalucci the US Intel Director, James Clapper, Jr. admitted in a Brookings Institution symposium that US officials have long been considering the use of false flag attacks to goad Iran into attacking US troops or Israel, and thus justify the war the US wants.He quotes the Intel Director as saying “It would be far more preferable if the United States could cite an Iranian provocation as justification for the airstrikes before launching them.
Clearly, the more outrageous, the more deadly, and the more unprovoked [appearing] the Iranian action, the better off the United States would be. Of course, it would be very difficult for the United States to goad Iran into such a provocation without the rest of the world recognizing this game, which would then undermine it.”
I’m sure the National Director didn’t intend for this statement to circulate, since Brookings is a shill for government and globalism. But his statement adds to the evidence that the US has long sought an excuse to attack Iran. While the US is temporarily drawing down troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, one source claims that almost 100,000 troops are being reassigned to smaller bases surrounding Iran.
I don’t think the number is that large, nor that the US intends to invade or occupy Iran.
Mac Slavo reports that “The Pentagon has been quietly massing troops and armaments on two islands located just south of the Strait of Hormuz, and within easy striking distance of Iran. In addition to some 50,000 U.S. troops currently in the region [Kuwait] waiting for orders....
President Barack Obama is deploying an additional 50,000 soldiers to be ready for ‘any contingency’ by March: “President Barack Obama is reported exclusively by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military and Washington sources [all government sources, so Debka often gets taken in by disinformation.
However, in this case, I think he is right] to have secretly ordered US air, naval and marine forces to build up heavy concentrations on two strategic islands –Socotra, which is part of a Yemeni archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and the Omani island of Masirah at the southern exit of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Since 2010, the US has been quietly building giant [hardly gigantic] air force and naval bases on Socotra with facilities for submarines, intelligence command centers and take-off pads for flying stealth drones, as part of a linked chain of strategic US military facilities in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.
“The Socotra facilities are so secret that they are never mentioned in any catalogue listing US military facilities in this part of the world [easy to do because there is already a large base there which the US has paid lots of money to occupy], which include Jebel Ali and Al Dahfra in the United Arab Emirates; Arifjan in Kuwait; and Al Udeid in Qatar – all within short flying distances from Iran.
“Additional US forces are also being poured into Camp Justice on the barren, 70-kilometer long Omani island of Masirah, just south of the Hormuz entry point to the Gulf of Oman from the Arabian Sea.”
“US air transports are described as making almost daily landings on Socotra and Masirah. They fly in from the US naval base of Diego Garcia, one of America’s biggest military facilities, just over 3,000 kilometers away. The US military presence in the region will further expand in the first week of March when three US aircraft carriers and their strike groups plus a French carrier arrive in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea: They are the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Carl Vinson, [USS Stennis], and the Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. A fourth US carrier [USS Enterprise] will be standing by in the Pacific Ocean, a few days’ sailing time from the water off Iran’s coast.”
My sources dispute the 100,000 men claim of Debka. They say it is more like half that. There are 15,000 troops in Kuwait, not 50,000 as implied. Still, the US is not going to depend on invasion troops. I contend this is going to be an air, sea and missile attack only—not a ground invasion or occupation, which would be very unpopular.
The US and Israel will simple bomb Iran into submission. The anti-US feeling is already high in Tehran, and this will cement the US reputation as the bully of the world—which accrues to Russia and China’s favor when they finally unleash their planned nuclear attacks against the West.
The US Navy just announced the aircraft carrier Enterprise is officially being assigned to the Gulf for its final deployment prior to decommissioning. That is only done as a prelude to a major war.
2 carrier task forces is deterrence. Three or four are for attack. That doesn’t mean the attack is imminent, however. I still maintain that the US won’t attack until Ron Paul is out of the way as a presidential nominee.
Another perceived war of aggression/intervention could bring on a burst of anti-war sentiment that would only accrue to Ron Paul’s favor. Meanwhile, the US continues to claim it is against an Israeli strike. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey even went so far as tell Israeli leaders Jan. 20 that the United States would not participate in a war against Iran begun by Israel without prior agreement from Washington.
His statement technically is not a contradiction in what the US has planned since permission has already been granted. In fact, the US has been pushing Israel to do this strike for years now.
Although this little piece of political theater by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was done on orders of the White House, Dempsey was most likely unaware that there is a back channel of communication between US and Israel that is saying just the opposition of what he said in public.
According to Tony Cartalucci the US Intel Director, James Clapper, Jr. admitted in a Brookings Institution symposium that US officials have long been considering the use of false flag attacks to goad Iran into attacking US troops or Israel, and thus justify the war the US wants.He quotes the Intel Director as saying “It would be far more preferable if the United States could cite an Iranian provocation as justification for the airstrikes before launching them.
Clearly, the more outrageous, the more deadly, and the more unprovoked [appearing] the Iranian action, the better off the United States would be. Of course, it would be very difficult for the United States to goad Iran into such a provocation without the rest of the world recognizing this game, which would then undermine it.”
I’m sure the National Director didn’t intend for this statement to circulate, since Brookings is a shill for government and globalism. But his statement adds to the evidence that the US has long sought an excuse to attack Iran. While the US is temporarily drawing down troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, one source claims that almost 100,000 troops are being reassigned to smaller bases surrounding Iran.
I don’t think the number is that large, nor that the US intends to invade or occupy Iran.
Mac Slavo reports that “The Pentagon has been quietly massing troops and armaments on two islands located just south of the Strait of Hormuz, and within easy striking distance of Iran. In addition to some 50,000 U.S. troops currently in the region [Kuwait] waiting for orders....
President Barack Obama is deploying an additional 50,000 soldiers to be ready for ‘any contingency’ by March: “President Barack Obama is reported exclusively by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military and Washington sources [all government sources, so Debka often gets taken in by disinformation.
However, in this case, I think he is right] to have secretly ordered US air, naval and marine forces to build up heavy concentrations on two strategic islands –Socotra, which is part of a Yemeni archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and the Omani island of Masirah at the southern exit of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Since 2010, the US has been quietly building giant [hardly gigantic] air force and naval bases on Socotra with facilities for submarines, intelligence command centers and take-off pads for flying stealth drones, as part of a linked chain of strategic US military facilities in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.
“The Socotra facilities are so secret that they are never mentioned in any catalogue listing US military facilities in this part of the world [easy to do because there is already a large base there which the US has paid lots of money to occupy], which include Jebel Ali and Al Dahfra in the United Arab Emirates; Arifjan in Kuwait; and Al Udeid in Qatar – all within short flying distances from Iran.
“Additional US forces are also being poured into Camp Justice on the barren, 70-kilometer long Omani island of Masirah, just south of the Hormuz entry point to the Gulf of Oman from the Arabian Sea.”
“US air transports are described as making almost daily landings on Socotra and Masirah. They fly in from the US naval base of Diego Garcia, one of America’s biggest military facilities, just over 3,000 kilometers away. The US military presence in the region will further expand in the first week of March when three US aircraft carriers and their strike groups plus a French carrier arrive in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea: They are the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Carl Vinson, [USS Stennis], and the Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. A fourth US carrier [USS Enterprise] will be standing by in the Pacific Ocean, a few days’ sailing time from the water off Iran’s coast.”
My sources dispute the 100,000 men claim of Debka. They say it is more like half that. There are 15,000 troops in Kuwait, not 50,000 as implied. Still, the US is not going to depend on invasion troops. I contend this is going to be an air, sea and missile attack only—not a ground invasion or occupation, which would be very unpopular.
The US and Israel will simple bomb Iran into submission. The anti-US feeling is already high in Tehran, and this will cement the US reputation as the bully of the world—which accrues to Russia and China’s favor when they finally unleash their planned nuclear attacks against the West.
The US Navy just announced the aircraft carrier Enterprise is officially being assigned to the Gulf for its final deployment prior to decommissioning. That is only done as a prelude to a major war.
2 carrier task forces is deterrence. Three or four are for attack. That doesn’t mean the attack is imminent, however. I still maintain that the US won’t attack until Ron Paul is out of the way as a presidential nominee.
Another perceived war of aggression/intervention could bring on a burst of anti-war sentiment that would only accrue to Ron Paul’s favor. Meanwhile, the US continues to claim it is against an Israeli strike. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey even went so far as tell Israeli leaders Jan. 20 that the United States would not participate in a war against Iran begun by Israel without prior agreement from Washington.
His statement technically is not a contradiction in what the US has planned since permission has already been granted. In fact, the US has been pushing Israel to do this strike for years now.
Although this little piece of political theater by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was done on orders of the White House, Dempsey was most likely unaware that there is a back channel of communication between US and Israel that is saying just the opposition of what he said in public.
Friday, 3 February 2012
IS ISRAEL PREPARING TO ATTACK IRAN?
By Joel Rosenberg:
Washington, foreign capitals, and the media are suddenly abuzz this week with rumors of impending war between Israel and Iran.
Senior U.S. and Israeli officials are speaking with rare candor about the growing possibility of Israeli airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities. A major New York Times Sunday magazine story this week indicates the Israelis are readying to hit Iran in 2012. A Washington Post story now reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes the Israelis are considering massive airstrikes against Iran as early as April, May or June of this year.
At Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany this morning, Panetta wouldn’t back away from the Post report, effectively confirming the story. Since October, the administration has been pressuring Israel not to even consider such strikes. The fact that Panetta is talking openly about an Israeli first strike suggests the White House is deeply worried the epicenter is about to be engulfed in war and are preparing the nation — and the world — for such eventualities.
Is war imminent? I believe the concerns are very valid and that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are, in fact, finalizing their war plans and their civil defense preparations. They may not have made a final decision, but they see the U.S. or international community moving too slowly and indecisively. They fear Iran will have operable nuclear weapons by the end of the year, and even though Iran may not yet be able to attach those to high-speed ballistic missiles — yet being the operative word — they fear a second Holocaust if they don’t act soon.
That said, not everyone is convinced an Israeli-Iranian war will break out in 2012.
This week, I had a long lunch with former CIA Director Porter Goss. We discussed the rising tensions in the epicenter, where they might lead, and the Shia End Times theology driving the current regime in Tehran. Goss and I first met several years ago when I was doing research on Mideast issues. I was surprised but intrigued to learn that he had read Epicenter several times and had become curious about Bible prophecy and its relevance to current events. He recently read The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative.
We had a great conversation covering a wide range of issues and I wish you could have been with me. While he and I don’t see completely eye to eye on every issue (one might be on how fast events are moving), I deeply respect his wisdom, experience and analysis and wanted to share his vantage point and his insights with you.
Q: How do you assess the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran in 2012?
GOSS: The regime in Tehran has already declared they want to push Israel into the sea. Most observers agree that present Iranian leadership lacks the capability, but not the intent to destroy Israel. Despite the open hostility and the behind-the-scenes maneuvers being conducted by both sides, I believe it unlikely open warfare will break out in 2012. I would look for increasing provocation, more intense covert action, extended psychological warfare and heightened international attention about nuclear proliferation.
Q: How serious a threat do you regard a nuclear-armed Iran to U.S. national security, aside from Israeli security?
GOSS: I rate a nuclear weapon capability in the hands of the present Iranian regime in the top four or five national security concerns of the United States. Principally, providing radical extremist terrorists and state-sponsored terrorist organizations like Hezbollah access to weapons of mass destruction constitutes a clear and present danger. It is a game-changer for our country which we will have to address forcefully and timely. Secondly, opening the gateway to nuclear proliferation follows on the heels of a Persian nuke. Other countries in a region already seething with instability and despair will look to their own safety by acquiring nukes; continuing U.S. hesitation to forcefully address the Iranian situation will be a boon to illegal proliferation activity.
Q: Given all you know about the Iranian regime, do you believe they could be effectively contained, or deterred from using a nuclear weapon? And how much do you worry about the Shia eschatology espoused by Khamenei and Ahmadinejad?
GOSS: The critical question for Israel – and the United States – is the rationality of the current regime in Iran. Is their misplaced radicalism so great that they will accept certain destruction if they first strike with the Persian nuke? Notwithstanding the passionate and hateful rhetoric of Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, the Assembly of Experts and others, I assess they would probably use the nuclear capability for bargaining leverage rather than first strike, at least for the near future. Khamenei’s actions seem to add up to self-survival rather than martyrdom by nuclear vaporization. That makes me think he rationally utilizes “irrationality” as a useful negotiating weapon. The references to the Twelfth Imam fit nicely into the regime’s pattern of keeping Iran watchers off balance. Khamenei is deadly serious about maintaining power on earth. Hopefully, Ahmadinejad does not realize he is expendable before he is expended . Otherwise, he might be tempted by martyrdom.
Q: Thanks, Porter. I really appreciate your insights. God bless you.
Washington, foreign capitals, and the media are suddenly abuzz this week with rumors of impending war between Israel and Iran.
Senior U.S. and Israeli officials are speaking with rare candor about the growing possibility of Israeli airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities. A major New York Times Sunday magazine story this week indicates the Israelis are readying to hit Iran in 2012. A Washington Post story now reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes the Israelis are considering massive airstrikes against Iran as early as April, May or June of this year.
At Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany this morning, Panetta wouldn’t back away from the Post report, effectively confirming the story. Since October, the administration has been pressuring Israel not to even consider such strikes. The fact that Panetta is talking openly about an Israeli first strike suggests the White House is deeply worried the epicenter is about to be engulfed in war and are preparing the nation — and the world — for such eventualities.
Is war imminent? I believe the concerns are very valid and that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are, in fact, finalizing their war plans and their civil defense preparations. They may not have made a final decision, but they see the U.S. or international community moving too slowly and indecisively. They fear Iran will have operable nuclear weapons by the end of the year, and even though Iran may not yet be able to attach those to high-speed ballistic missiles — yet being the operative word — they fear a second Holocaust if they don’t act soon.
That said, not everyone is convinced an Israeli-Iranian war will break out in 2012.
This week, I had a long lunch with former CIA Director Porter Goss. We discussed the rising tensions in the epicenter, where they might lead, and the Shia End Times theology driving the current regime in Tehran. Goss and I first met several years ago when I was doing research on Mideast issues. I was surprised but intrigued to learn that he had read Epicenter several times and had become curious about Bible prophecy and its relevance to current events. He recently read The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative.
We had a great conversation covering a wide range of issues and I wish you could have been with me. While he and I don’t see completely eye to eye on every issue (one might be on how fast events are moving), I deeply respect his wisdom, experience and analysis and wanted to share his vantage point and his insights with you.
Q: How do you assess the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran in 2012?
GOSS: The regime in Tehran has already declared they want to push Israel into the sea. Most observers agree that present Iranian leadership lacks the capability, but not the intent to destroy Israel. Despite the open hostility and the behind-the-scenes maneuvers being conducted by both sides, I believe it unlikely open warfare will break out in 2012. I would look for increasing provocation, more intense covert action, extended psychological warfare and heightened international attention about nuclear proliferation.
Q: How serious a threat do you regard a nuclear-armed Iran to U.S. national security, aside from Israeli security?
GOSS: I rate a nuclear weapon capability in the hands of the present Iranian regime in the top four or five national security concerns of the United States. Principally, providing radical extremist terrorists and state-sponsored terrorist organizations like Hezbollah access to weapons of mass destruction constitutes a clear and present danger. It is a game-changer for our country which we will have to address forcefully and timely. Secondly, opening the gateway to nuclear proliferation follows on the heels of a Persian nuke. Other countries in a region already seething with instability and despair will look to their own safety by acquiring nukes; continuing U.S. hesitation to forcefully address the Iranian situation will be a boon to illegal proliferation activity.
Q: Given all you know about the Iranian regime, do you believe they could be effectively contained, or deterred from using a nuclear weapon? And how much do you worry about the Shia eschatology espoused by Khamenei and Ahmadinejad?
GOSS: The critical question for Israel – and the United States – is the rationality of the current regime in Iran. Is their misplaced radicalism so great that they will accept certain destruction if they first strike with the Persian nuke? Notwithstanding the passionate and hateful rhetoric of Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, the Assembly of Experts and others, I assess they would probably use the nuclear capability for bargaining leverage rather than first strike, at least for the near future. Khamenei’s actions seem to add up to self-survival rather than martyrdom by nuclear vaporization. That makes me think he rationally utilizes “irrationality” as a useful negotiating weapon. The references to the Twelfth Imam fit nicely into the regime’s pattern of keeping Iran watchers off balance. Khamenei is deadly serious about maintaining power on earth. Hopefully, Ahmadinejad does not realize he is expendable before he is expended . Otherwise, he might be tempted by martyrdom.
Q: Thanks, Porter. I really appreciate your insights. God bless you.
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