I've been out sick for the last few days and I'm still not feeling quite up to snuff but I'll try and catch up with the news. There's been an awful lot of it lately and I'm not making any promises as to whether or not I can find something that you all haven't heard yet but here goes.
Uncensored News Reports From Across The Middle EastIsraeli children sign their missiles ‘with love’Looking at the Bright Side of World War IIIFor them, every rocket that flies into Israel and every bridge that is blown up in Lebanon just brings us one step closer to the end of the world, which is a good thing. They made me realize that it was un-Christian of me to be thinking only of the innocent Israelis, Lebanese and Palestinians caught in the middle of the fighting instead of the Rapture that awaits those of us who are saved. Where others see only tragedy, we saved Christians see the fulfillment of prophesy. Instead of seeing the silver lining in every storm cloud, to us the storm clouds are the silver linings.
God to Revoke Holy Land Status - All Agree It's Time to "Pull It"IRS warns churches to avoid campaigningThe Internal Revenue Service has been warning churches and nonprofit organizations that improper campaigning in the upcoming political season could endanger their tax-exempt status.
In notices to more than 15,000 tax-exempt organizations, numerous church denominations and tax preparers, the agency has detailed its new enforcement program, called the Political Activity Compliance Initiative, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Under the initiative, the IRS plans to expedite investigations into claims of improper campaigning, no longer waiting for an annual tax return to be filed or the tax year to end before launching a probe. A three-member committee will make an initial review of complaints and then vote on whether to pursue the investigation in detail.
"While the vast majority of charities and churches do not engage in politicking, an increasing number did take part in prohibited activities in the 2004 election cycle," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said in a statement. "The rule against political campaign intervention by charities and churches is long established. We are stepping up our efforts to enforce it."
"They were actually encouraged to do so by the Bush campaign and then were rewarded with large contracts under his faith based initiatives...This couldn't be a warning to left leaning churches could it? - Nobody
Bush Rewards & Persecutes Churches Based On Fealty to His AgendaTwo months ago, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California's largest and most liberal churches that it is
at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon." The attempt to quiet any religious-based criticism of the war was shrouded in a supposed desire to uphold laws preventing religious and political activities from mixing. But now, two months later, the New York Times reports that this Sunday, the Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II - "a maverick black minister who took to his pulpit in Philadelphia in 2000 and pledged his support for a Bush presidency" - has "offered his
church in Philadelphia as the site for a major political rally intended to whip up support for the president's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr.
"So let's get this straight - a religious institution is at risk of losing its tax exempt status if its leader advocates ending wars. But if its leader comes out and overtly endorses George W. Bush for president and then uses church facilities to advocate confirming Bush's Supreme Court nominees, there's no tax issue. In fact, as the New York Times notes, the latter gets rewarded with "a $1 million grant through the president's new religion-based initiative."
Pregnancy centers mislead girls, says congressmanAdvisers working at some federally funded pregnancy resource centers mislead pregnant teens about the risks of abortion, falsely telling callers it raises the risk of breast cancer, infertility and mental illness, a U.S. congressman said on Monday.
Democratic staff on the House of Representatives Government Reform Committee who called up some faith-based pregnancy resource centers said they received incorrect advice aimed at discouraging abortion.
"Twenty of the 23 centers reached by the investigators (87 percent) provided false or misleading information about the health effects of abortion," California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman said in a statement.
Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the committee, asked staff to check on pregnancy crisis centers, which were given $24 million in federal funding between 2001 and 2005.
"Pregnancy resource centers are virtually always pro-life organizations whose goal is to persuade teen-agers and women with unplanned pregnancies to choose motherhood or adoption."
"I think that's a clear example of using tax payer money to promote a political ageanda if I've ever seen one...Congress shall make no laws respecting the establishment of Religion..Sounds to me like there very much is a "prefered" US government approved religion to me." - Nobody
Pro-Life Advocates Now Buying Abortion Centers to Close Them DownIn years past, when pro-life advocates were opposed to having an abortion center in their town, they normally looked to protests, legislation or zoning board requirements to help them place restrictions on abortion centers or make it difficult for them to do business. Now they're trying a more direct tactic -- buying them.
Abortion business have been purchased in states such as Kansas, Florida, Tennessee and Nebraska.
In one of the first cases the Pro-Life Majority Coalition of Chattanooga outbid a Tennessee abortion business for the right to own a local facility that had long been the sole place in town where abortions were done.
The buying of the building forced the abortion center to close and the site now houses the National Memorial for the Unborn, a memorial for all of the babies who died at the abortion center over the years.
Reed Hopes Voters Keep Faith, Forget AbramoffHis foe in Georgia's GOP primary criticizes the PR work he did for his lobbyist friend.
For former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed to succeed in his first bid for public office, he's going to have to pray for the help of voters like Norma Saunders.
Saunders, 83, has heard about Reed's ties to Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Washington lobbyist. But, she said, she still plans to vote for Reed in today's Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor.
"I have read about Ralph Reed through all of his troubles and triumphs, and I'm going to vote for him," Saunders assured a group of campaign volunteers who knocked on her door Friday. "I think he's articulate and capable."
For years, Reed has been the clean-cut, boyish face of the conservative Christian movement — a behind-the-scenes whiz whom many credit with helping the GOP solidify power in Washington. Now, however, it appears he will need every ounce of that talent to survive his bid for the powerful post of lieutenant governor.
"Ralph Reed...Dominionist...Need I say more?" - Nobody
Gay rights group: Dobson manipulated dataMembers of a group supporting parental rights for gays and lesbians accused Focus on the Family founder James Dobson of manipulating research data to say gays and lesbians are not good parents, and began a 65-mile march Monday to confront him at his Colorado Springs headquarters.
A Focus on the Family official denied the allegation.
Soulforce Executive Director Jeff Lutes said Dobson's statements have brought rejection and ridicule on gay and lesbian parents, and the group wants him to stop.
"That misinformation has real tragic results. It makes living for families like ours much more difficult. We are rejected sometimes by loved ones, we are shunned by churches and we are discriminated against in every state in this country," Lutes said at a rally before the march.
"See part of dominionist theology is that it's ok to lie, cheat, steal and even kill if you're doing it to bring about the return of Jesus..." - Nobody
Florida's Fear of History: New Law Undermines Critical ThinkingOne way to measure the fears of people in power is by the intensity of their quest for certainty and control over knowledge.
By that standard, the members of the Florida Legislature marked themselves as the folks most terrified of history in the United States when last month they took bold action to become the first state to outlaw historical interpretation in public schools. In other words, Florida has officially replaced the study of history with the imposition of dogma and effectively outlawed critical thinking.
Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2006 Congressional CandidatesThe AIPAC Trial was delayed again.Senators initiate resolution supporting Israel, condemning HezbollahThe Senate is likely to pass a resolution, as early as Tuesday, condemning Hezbollah and expressing support of Israel's actions in Lebanon.
According to the resolution, the Senate "supports Israel's right of self defense and Israel's right to take appropriate action to deter aggression... calls for immediate and unconditional release of Israeli soldiers... condemns the governments of Iran and Syria ... responsible for the acts of aggression carried out by Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel...
"The Senate resolution urges the President to use all "political and diplomatic means" including sanctions to help end the support by Iran and Syria to Hezbollah and Hamas, and calls upon the Lebanese government to fulfill its responsibility to disarm Hezbollah.The resolution also urges the UN to demand compliance with Security Council resolution 1559, and to condemn the "unprovoked acts" of Hezbollah.
Israel Makes Its 'Clean Break'Many in America oppose the U.S. knee-jerk, unquestioning support for Israel. Many more worry that the Israeli lobby is unusually influential in Washington, while remaining hidden and unaccountable to average Americans. Still others are alarmed that Israel’s constant war mentality has become our new American model, and that Iraq and our own borders have become our own occupied territories, teeming with terror and constituting a never-ending threat to our lives, prosperity and value system.
Israel Takes a Stupid PillApparently not content to let the US do a self-immolation act in the Middle East by itself, Israel decided to set itself on fire by invading Lebanon. Burn baby burn? Like George Bush, Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, never served in a combat unit and launched military operations without thinking the matter through. In fact, Olmert reportedly never even served in the military. I raise this because there is one simple question Israel cannot answer about the current operations-what is their strategic military objective. Olmert has somehow persuaded the Israeli military to ignore strategy, think tactically, and in the process become really stupid. The events in the next several weeks will expose as myth the canard that you can secure a nation by killing terrorists. No you can't.
FLASHBACK: Sharon's war crimes in Lebanon: the recordIn 1982 , Sharon and Begin assigned their agent , Abu Nidal , to assassinate Israeli Ambassador to the UK , Shlomo Argov. Argov survived but the false flag terror incident became the pretext for the 1982 invasion of Lebanon which turned out to be a debacle of massive proportions.
Israelis are dying: it must be an escalationdistortion of news priorities has real costs that can be measured in lives -- in the days and weeks to come, hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives in both Israel and Lebanon. As long as Israel is portrayed by our major broadcasters as the one under attack, its deaths alone as significant, then the slide to a regional war -- a war of choice being waged by the Israeli government and army -- is likely to become inevitable."
US military is now blocking web sites reporting on the mideast crisisPro-war extremist Blog makes excuses for rape of 14 year old IraqiGonzales: Bush blocked eavesdropping probeAttorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an internal probe of the warrantless eavesdropping program that monitors Americans' international calls and e-mails when terrorism is suspected.
The department's Office of Professional Responsibility announced earlier this year it could not pursue an investigation into the role of Justice lawyers in crafting the program, under which the National Security Agency intercepts some telephone calls and e-mail without court approval.
At the time, the office said it could not obtain security clearance to examine the classified program.Under sharp questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter, Gonzales said that Bush would not grant the access needed to allow the probe to move forward.
Hezbollah website hosted by a US defense subcontractor? Staffers at Santa Barbara Paper Join Large ProtestThe protest was the latest public display of newsroom tension that began when staff accused the daily's owner of meddling in news coverage. Six top editors and two writers have resigned, and a copy editor quit Friday.
New York Times covers up brutal settler attack on PalestinianPoliticians and Media Selling America's Soul for an Israeli Shekel Most of you are either unwilling or careless to learn about the history of the Israeli Palestinian conflict and how a Jewish state for Europe's victims was forced violently and with terrorism expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their home with the deliberate erasing of over 400 Palestinian villages (Read Ben Gurion and Dayan's own writings; or Benny Morris's: Palestinian Refugee Problem). Massacres, rapes, terrorism (first MidEast bomb was by Begin's group, first hijacking of a plane was by Israel) were inflicted on the British, Palestinians, and U.N. envoys. Your myths about Israel as a "democracy" defies the logic that this solely a “Jewish state" where Christians and Muslims are unwanted. Mosques and churches have been burned and destroyed.
Bolton: Civilian deaths don't count"I think it would be a mistake to ascribe moral equivalence to civilians who die as the direct result of malicious terrorist acts," he added, while defending as "self-defense" Israel's military action, which has had "the tragic and unfortunate consequence of civilian deaths".
CNN: We're not allowed to comment on dead civilians"At least, we really know where you stand, o Nation Magazine"So the criterion and the term of reference is always what is good for Israeli Jews; the rest are a footnote to the narrative. A sideshow, really. So the Nation would really support massive bombings and massacres of Arab civilians IF it is in Israel's interest. This is the crux of the Nation magazine's position.
What's Wrong With This Picture? 7-16-06, NO-IMAGES-OF-DEAD-ISRAELIS.I do not dispute that rockets were fired - I only question whether, based on the images presented, they caused the deaths attributed to them by Israelis.
Photos of War taken by Lebanese PeopleAll in a day's work for America's allyWhen civilians become targets: The Israeli destruction of Lebanon and Gazan the last two weeks, Israel has sent a chilling message to the Palestinian and Lebanese people: civilians and infrastructure are legitimate targets in their war of aggression. The Geneva Conventions have been fragrantly violated and humanitarian law has been thrown into the garbage can. The Israeli government would have us believe that the killing of civilians is the "necessary consequence" of holding one Israeli prisoner in Gaza and two Israeli prisoners in Lebanon.
Lebanese PM pleads for cease-fireLebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has pleaded for the international community to organise an immediate cease-fire, accusing Israel of massacres and wanting to blast his country "back 50 years".
In a statement, he "implored the international community and Arab countries to work towards installing an immediate cease-fire" to end Israel's week-old offensive against Lebanon.
Israel, he said, was "committing massacres against Lebanese civilians and working to destroy everything that allows Lebanon to stay alive.
"The intensifying aggression in this barbaric way proves that Israel has decided to push Lebanon back 50 years."
Israeli Attacks on Educational Institutions in the Gaza Strip Violate International LawArticle 56 of the Hague Regulations, which reflect customary international law, states that institutions dedicated to education, "even when State property, shall be treated as private property" and that, "All seizure of, destruction or wilful damage done to institutions of this character ... is forbidden." Both the Islamic University and the Dar al-Arqam School are institutions dedicated to education. Therefore, the wilful damage done to them was in clear violation of international humanitarian law.
Israel's path to total warGideon Levy in the liberal Israeli paper Haaretz has put it cogently: "In Gaza, a soldier is abducted from the army of a state that frequently abducts civilians from their homes and locks them up for years with or without a trial - but only we're allowed to do that. And only we're allowed to bomb civilian population centers."
Israel acts according to a ready scriptThe parallels between Israel's military assaults on Lebanon and Gaza are striking. It is not so much the unconvincing claim by Israel that both attacks were triggered by the capture of its soldiers as the similarities in the nature and goals of each response. What is presented as righteous Israeli indignation on two fronts is more truthfully war-mongering according to a prepared script.
For every Qassam and Katyusha strike, Israel is raining down a barrage of its latest military hardware, wrecking civilian infrastructure and human lives. This is not only "disproportionate," in the mealy-mouthed words of Western governments, it is collective punishment and - as if it needs repeating - a war crime. But we should expect no more from an army that talks about "bombing Gaza into the Stone Age" and "turning the clock back 20 years in Lebanon."
What Does Israel Want?In 1948, the Palestinians opted for a very low intensity conflict when the UN imposed on them a deal which wrested from their hand half of their homeland and gave it to a community of newcomers and settlers, most of whom arrived after 1945. The Zionist leaders waited for long time for that opportunity and launched an ethnic cleansing operation that expelled half of the land’s native population, destroyed half of its villages and dragged the Arab world into unnecessary conflict with the West, whose powers were already on the way out with the demise of colonialism. The two designs are interconnected: the wider Israel’s military might expands, the easier it is to complete the unfinished business of the 1948: the total de-Arabization of Palestine.
It is not too late to stop the Israeli designs from creating a new and terrible reality on the ground. But the window of opportunity is very narrow and the world needs to take action before it is too late
"WAR" IN MIDDLE EAST: IT'S NOT WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD. . . .Israel plans Lebanon buffer zone - Amid renewed cross-border fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces, Israel said Monday that it intends to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to stop rocket attacks from the militant group.
"We intend to complete this operation. We have no intention of allowing anyone to stop us before we complete the creation of a buffer zone," Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said.
"Isn't this the exact tactic that they used to take over the gaza strip?" - Nobody
One Giant Gaza StripIsrael has justified the carnage by pointing to the 2 soldiers who were captured by members of the Lebanese resistance organization, Hezbollah. But Israel’s defense is hopelessly flawed.
What if relatives or friends of the many US detainees who’ve been illegally imprisoned at Guantanamo, decided to use F-16s and laser-guided missiles to attack the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sears Tower, New York City’s electrical grid, and vast swathes of the highway system? Would that be equally justifiable? Or, more to the point, what if Hezbollah decided to blow up major parts of Israel’s infrastructure in retaliation for the hundreds of Lebanese prisoners languishing in Israeli prisons without any legal recourse? Would that be okay?
ISRAEL PLANNED CAPTURE OF PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT LONG BEFORE ALLEGED KIDNAPPING"The detention of Hamas parliamentarians in the early hours of Thursday morning had been planned several weeks ago and received approval from Mazuz on Wednesday. "
Video: Israel kills Lebanese soldiersNine Lebanese soldiers were killed when Israeli war planes attacked a Lebanese Army post.
"I thought this was supposed to be about Hezbollah and not the Lebanese army...Actions speak louder that words..." - Nobody
It's war by any other nameIt all started on July 12 when Israel troops were ambushed on Lebanon's side of the border with Israel. Hezbollah, which commands the Lebanese south, immediately seized on their crossing. They arrested two Israeli soldiers, killed eight Israelis and wounded over 20 in attacks inside Israeli territory.
Israel’s Attack on Lebanon“Disproportionate” is the term often employed to describe Israel’s attack on Lebanon. Illegal and immoral are much more accurate.
US Charging Evacuees to Get Out of Lebanon The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need.
U.S. sends cruise ship for Lebanon evacueesSyria offers safe haven to US nationals fleeing LebanonA Beautiful Friendship?The bottom line: "Israel's enemies get weakened or overthrown, Israel gets a free hand with the Palestinians, and the United States does most of the fighting, dying, rebuilding and paying."
A sweet deal for Israel, in other words, but a very bad one for America.
The west must recognise that Israel's agenda is in conflict with its ownNo one quibbles with Israel's right to defend itself, but doesn't it understand how irresponsible and immoral it is to deliberately escalate the conflict in this way?
Israel Violates US Law With Attack on Lebanon Israel is in violation of U.S. arms-control laws for deploying U.S.-made fighter planes, combat helicopters, and missiles to kill civilians and destroy Lebanon's infrastructure in the ongoing six-day devastation of that militarily weak country.
"Section 4 of the [U.S.] Arms Export Control Act requires that military items transferred to foreign governments by the United States be used solely for internal security and legitimate self-defense," says Stephen Zunes, professor of politics at the University of San Francisco.
US gives Israel a blank check to wage warThe Bush administration has given Israel a carte blanche to wage war against Lebanon, bombing and killing as it sees fit. American diplomacy in the crisis precipitated by Israeli aggression first against Gaza and then against its neighbor to the north is concentrated on blocking any move for a ceasefire and concocting a pretext for future military action against Syria and Iran.
Will We Go to War for Israel? What Israel wants is what they have always wanted: to use American power, American tax dollars, and American lives to advance their own expansionist agenda. Twenty-five thousand Americans are in Lebanon at the present moment, all of them at risk from Israeli bombs – but that didn't factor into Tel Aviv's calculations, any more than Lebanese or Palestinian lives matter one whit to them. The Israelis put Israel first – and so does Washington. If all 25,000 American tourists and others have to perish in the flames of Israeli air strikes, then so be it. No sacrifice is too great – just as long as our Israel-centric foreign policy remains firmly in place.
Russia May Send Navy Ships to LebanonLavrov warned that the fighting between Israel and Lebanese guerrillas could ignite a wider conflict, and said the international community had to use all means possible to end the violence immediately.
US forces won't go to LebanonTHE US military is unlikely to enter the widening conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a senior State Department official said Saturday.
"We don't expect that would happen," David Welch, US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, told CNN when asked at what point US troops would get involved.'
US warships head for Lebanon, thousands flee bombingThe United States ordered five military ships to head for Lebanon on Tuesday in its first major evacuation of Americans as thousands of foreigners packed their bags to flee Israeli air strikes pounding the country.
Americans frustrated by evacuation pace Europeans and Lebanese with foreign passports fled Lebanon by the thousands, while Americans expressed frustration at the slow pace of U.S. evacuation efforts Tuesday as a cruise ship chugged toward the country to pick them up.
A Greek cruise ship carrying about 700 French citizens and others — many women and children — out of Lebanon arrived in Cyprus' port of Larnaca, while scores of people waited to board the Hual Transporter, a Swedish chartered ship docked at Beirut's port.
Haakon Svane, an official with the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, said the ship was expected to carry about 1,000 passengers, including Swedes, Finns, Norwegians and a few Americans.
An American man and his wife boarding the Swedish chartered ship expressed anger at how long the process to evacuate U.S. citizens was taking as fighting between the Israelis and Hezbollah guerrillas entered its seventh day.
ISRAEL'S NEW FEARIsrael never squandered the lives of its soldiers. It couldn't afford to.
Report: Israeli aircraft brought down in BeirutIsrael softens conditions for cease-fireAustralian FM says Israel rejects ceasefire appealIsrael has rejected an Australian appeal for a short ceasefire in Lebanon to allow a safe evacuation of its nationals, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
Downer said Israel had also refused to guarantee safe passage for foreign nationals trying to escape southern Lebanon, which has been pounded by Israeli bombing raids for days.
Italy slams Israel 'excess' ITALY'S Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema accused Israel of provoking hatred in the region by going too far with its military response in the Gaza strip and voiced concern over the future of Lebanon.
Mr D'Alema also criticised Washington's "failed politics" in Iraq saying the war had heightened regional risks and anti-Western fundamentalism. Italy's new centre-left government, which has shifted its foreign policy away from Washington since taking power in April elections, has announced plans to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year.
"It's clear that the political risk of Lebanon's collapse would not reinforce Israel's security," he said
Israel opposes putting international forces in South LebanonOlmert doesn't think international forces will help the situation in Lebanon, and instead wants Lebanese forces to take control of the area of the border with Israel and wants the Hezbollah militia disarmed, senior officials close to Olmert said.
Israel calls Venezuelan diplomat for consultationLast July 15th, the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a communiqué entitled "Venezuela condemns the attacks of the State of Israel against the peoples of Palestine and Lebanon" endorsing Chávez remarks on July 14th, when the Venezuelan ruler labeled the Israeli attacks as "insanity with atomic bombs."
"Where will this madness is going to? Behind this madness there is the US empire lust for domination. Their lust for domination knows no bounds and could lead the world to the holocaust. God save us!," Chávez exclaimed.
In its communiqué, the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry added: "We have clearly told the (Venezuelan) Chargé d'Affaires that Israel is shocked as the Venezuelan President's words lack balance."
We're Being Set Up for Wider War in the Middle EastThe old adage, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" does not apply to Americans, who have shown that they can be endlessly fooled.
Israel – just testing the waters?There would seem to be two possible explanations:
1. The attack on Lebanon is a prelude to a wider war, possibly with Syria being the next target
2. The attack on Lebanon is a horrendous diversion from the failure of the Gaza bloodbath to achieve its stated objective, the complete destruction of what was left of the Palestinian administration, enabling it to complete its total annexation of the West Bank.
Obviously there is a great deal of overlap between the two and there is no doubt that the 'Greater Israel’ objective, the total incorporation of the Occupied Territories, that includes parts of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon into Israel, is still the major concern of the Zionist state.
Wildly Disproportionate Attack on Lebanon Seems Like Pretext to Confront IranIs it really Iran that is pushing for war? Think about it. Why would Iran want to provoke a war with Israel and the U.S. — both heavily armed nuclear powers — when it has no nuclear weapons itself?
The U.S. and Israel, on the other hand, are very keen to attack Iran. In a recent series of articles in New Yorker magazine, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has detailed Washington's plans to attack Iran. Israel has called Iran a "major threat" that "must be stopped" from developing nuclear weapons.
But the U.S. and Israel don't want to look like aggressors. They insist their intentions are purely defensive. Recall that Washington also claimed its invasion of Iraq was purely defensive — to protect itself from Iraq's arsenal of deadly weapons, which, it turned out, didn't exist.
Israel capable of air strike on IranIsrael is in the best position militarily in its history to mount air strikes against Iran, after a decade of buying U.S.-produced long-range aircraft, penetrating bombs and aerial refueling tankers.
"paid for by the US taxpayer while people go with out medical care in their own country" - Nobody
Israel Prepares to Invade SyriaAs to be expected, the story about a Hezbollah drone hitting an Israeli warship was tweaked this morning to fit the emerging agenda. “Senior Israeli army officers said Saturday that the rocket which hit an Israeli missile boat off the Lebanese coast Friday night was an Iranian-built radar-guided C-802,” reports the Bangkok Post.
How Israel mistook an “aircraft rigged with explosives” for a missile, as the Associated Press reports, is not explained. However, blaming Iran certainly fits the picture, as both Israel and the United States are trying to drag Iran and Syria into Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and thus widen the conflict, as planned.
All quiet on the Syrian front"The Israelis wouldn't be stupid enough, would they? If they hit Syria, that's World War III," he added.
Syria poised to strike backAir force on high alert; government issues warning
"Any aggression against Syria will be met with a firm and direct response whose timing and methods are unlimited," Bilal was quoted as saying by Syria's official news agency, SANA.
Iran Warns Israel Of 'Unimaginable Losses' If Syria Hit"We have no Guards there. It is not true that we have sent missiles. Hezbollah is capable enough. The Zionist regime is under pressure," Asefi said, repeating Iran's denial of any connection to the attack.
Military leaders foresee Iraq exit in 2016Human Rights Situation in Iraq Grave, UN Report ShowsA new report on the human rights situation in Iraq paints a grave picture of abuses while pointing to the possibility for positive change with the establishment of a Government there.
In its bimonthly human rights report for May – June 2006, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq expressed the hope that there are "unique opportunities with a new Government of national unity announced on 22 May and its firm commitment to address forcefully urgent human rights concerns so as to establish the rule of law in the country.
"At the same time, the report notes a grave situation of human rights in Iraq that the new Government must address.
While welcoming recent positive steps by the Government to promote national reconciliation, the report raises alarm at the growing number of casualties among the civilian population killed or wounded during indiscriminate or targeted attacks by terrorists and insurgents, as well as militias and criminal groups.
Kidnapping of individuals and groups, for ransom or political purposes also continued to surge, according to the report, which commends the release of over 3,000 detainees but expressed concern at new evidence of torture in detention centres administered by the Ministry of Interior.
Iraq holy city bombing kills 45Armed robbers hit Baghdad bank
At least 45 people were killed and 60 others wounded Tuesday morning when a suicide car bomber detonated in a busy Kufa marketplace where day laborers gather, Iraqi police said.
Violence in Iraq spinning out of controlA Sunni driver lures Shiites into a van by promising jobs - then blows it up, killing 53 people. Sunni gunmen spray bullets and grenades at shoppers, not caring that they include women and children. Shiite death squads roam Baghdad streets, singling out and slaughtering Sunnis.
The new unity government of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds was supposed to bring Iraqis together. Instead, sectarian bloodletting is spiraling out of control.
In the last two days alone, more than 120 people were killed in two spectacular examples of Sunni-Shiite violence - 53 in the suicide van bombing Tuesday in Kufa and 50 in the massacre Monday in the market in Mahmoudiya.
Nearly every day, police find corpses in Baghdad streets and vacant lots, victims of death squads that hunt down members of the rival sect. The bodies often show signs of horrific torture, including holes drilled into their eyes or skulls.
U.N.: 14,000 Iraqis killed in 2006More than 14,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq in the first half of this year, an ominous figure reflecting the fact that "killings, kidnappings and torture remain widespread" in the war-torn country, a United Nations report says.
Killings of civilians are on "an upward trend," with more than 5,800 deaths and more than 5,700 injuries reported in May and June alone, it says.The report, a bimonthly document produced by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, covers May and June, and includes chilling casualty figures and ugly anecdotes from the insurgent and sectarian warfare that continues to rage despite the establishment of a national unity government and a security crackdown in Baghdad.
Turkey signals it's prepared to enter IraqTurkish officials signaled Tuesday they are prepared to send the army into northern Iraq if U.S. and Iraqi forces do not take steps to combat Turkish Kurdish guerrillas there — a move that could put Turkey on a collision course with the United States.
Medically retired soldier concludes: "We are pawns" in IraqAt what price would you take a job that included scraping human flesh off ambushed Humvees?
Dodge the Impending US Military Draft - Say NO to ConscriptionI Know I Won't Fight . . . But How Do I Prove it?"just in case..." - Nobody
Americans Want U.S. Out of Mid-East WarMany adults in the United States believe their government should not become involved in the current dispute between Israel and its neighbours, according to a poll by SurveyUSA. 55 per cent of respondents think the U.S. should not attempt to negotiate a ceasefire, and 84 per cent reject a military intervention.
Counter-protest the JUFAmerican Muslims angry at US stance on Mideast conflict
American Muslims chafe at the US government's hands-off approach to Israeli reprisals and worry about countless relatives and friends trapped by violence in Lebanon.
US officials say Israel "has the right to defend itself," since its incursion into Gaza three weeks ago and air raids on Lebanon, but President George W. Bush's stance offends Americans who are Muslims or of Arab descent.
Early last week, a coalition of 11 major Muslim organizations publicly called on Bush to forcefully condemn the attacks on Gaza and to designate as "war crimes" the destruction of Palestinian civilian infrastructure.
After the Israeli bombing of Lebanon, the appeals for denouncing Israel have multiplied.
"Once again America's image and interests worldwide are being harmed by one-sided support for Israeli actions," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest US Muslim rights group.
"We're urging Muslims in America and other people of conscience to contact their elected officials to tell them that we have to have balanced foreign policy for the Middle East, one that is driven by American interests, not Israeli interests."
"Sorry guys but I'm afraid that the leaders of this country have already been paid." - Nobody
Fury as Karzai plans return of Taliban's religious policeThe Afghan government has alarmed human rights groups by approving a plan to reintroduce a Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the body which the Taliban used to enforce its extreme religious doctrine.
Taleban 'take south Afghan town'Taliban Captures Two Southern Afghan TownsForces Will Try to Retake Afghan TownsU.S.-led forces will launch "decisive operations" to reclaim two southern towns captured in recent days by the Taliban, the military said Tuesday. Scores of Taliban militants chased police out of the two towns near the Pakistani border."The Taliban extremists have taken control of the areas of Garmser and Naway-i-Barakzayi, however, coalition forces do have them under observation," military spokesman Col. Tom Collins told reporters in Kabul."Decisive operations will begin soon," he added without saying when.
