CHRISTIAN MEDIA
WORLDWATCH

JANUARY 25, 2012

Barak slams EU oil embargo's delay to July ... Israel's hand ever near trigger

The new round of sanctions will not stop Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon, said Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak in a radio interview Tuesday, January 24, stressing that Israel's hand was always near the trigger. His comments aimed at cooling the optimistic notes emanating from Washington, Europe and some Israeli circles Monday after the European Union foreign ministers approved an oil embargo against Iran from July 1 and froze its central bank's assets. The US then applied sanctions to Iran's third biggest bank, Bank Tejerat.
Barak said that because Iran had not stopped developing a nuclear weapon Israel had not removed any options from the table. We say this "very seriously," he stressed.
Monday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu greeted the European sanctions by saying that they were positive but would not stop or interrupt Iran's drive for a nuclear weapon.
The defense minister agreed that the Europeans had started out in the right direction. But he saw no reason to hold off until July before the oil embargo went into effect or to delay a boycott on transactions by Iran's central bank. Oil shortfalls can be made up within weeks, Barak pointed out - from Saudi Arabia's huge reserves; from the oil produced by Libya; and from expanded Iraqi production.
DEBKAfile's sources report that, seen from Israel, [the] Obama administration and the European Union are holding sanctions off until summer to give US, European and Iranian back-channel emissaries using Turkey's good offices enough space to get nuclear negotiations resumed.
Iran is being offered [a] chance to repeat the old tricks, say Israeli sources, after repeatedly and successfully pulling them off in the last seven years, of sitting the world powers down for talks while carrying on blithely with plans for the first Shiite Muslim nuke. The extra six months will be a useful grace time for Iran to secrete its nuclear facilities in fortified underground bunkers.
According to the same old scenario, when July comes around, the US and European powers will seek to postpone sanctions so as not to jeopardize the talks with Iran.
Barak's words about the sanctions not being tough enough and "too far off" reflected his government's belief that the oil embargo cannot gain enough momentum by July to seriously upset the Iranian economy; another six months would be needed, so taking the new sanctions drive up to early 2013.
The Netanyahu government was also disappointed by President Barack Obama imposing sanctions on Iran's third largest bank – not its central bank. This left Tehran with enough leeway to activate bilateral financial mechanisms for dodging the oil embargo and financial penalties in conjunction with the governments which have opted out of the US-EU sanctions and continue to trade with Iran.
Sunday, DEBKAfile reported exclusively that Tehran, New Delhi, Moscow, Beijing and Ankara were already transacting oil deals through those mechanisms.
In another part of his interview, the Israeli defense minister said Iran had climbed down over its first threat to shut the Strait of Hormuz to US aircraft carriers. Heeding the US pledge to use its might to guarantee free passage through the strait, Tehran let the USS Abraham Lincoln escorted by British and French warships pass through January 22 without incident.
Barak was convinced the Iranians would not make good on their current threat to close the strait if its oil transactions were embargoed. And if they tried, it would not be for long because American and European fleets would reopen Hormuz so that one-fifth of the oil shipped to world markets would leave for its destinations.
In the defense minister's view, therefore, Iran is in no position to hold the world's oil markets to ransom. [no further content]

Source:     debka.com  LINK

Note: see these related items:

Iran Says Sanctions To Fail ... Repeats Hormuz Threat  LINK

Commentary: Tehran Pushes To Ditch The U.S. Dollar - Report: India and Iran are hammering out a deal to trade oil for gold  LINK

Commentary: U.S.: Drowning In Hypocrisy  LINK

Iran to U.S.: Bring it on

WASHINGTON -- High-ranking Iranian military officials are rattling sabers again, this time by issuing a warning that Iranian submarines “can ambush and destroy enemy vessels especially U.S. aircraft carriers” should they return to the Persian Gulf – even as the first has returned, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri, of the Iranian army’s self-sufficiency jihad, claimed that the United States is especially focused on Iran’s “astonishing subsurface capabilities.”
Iran is known to have a number of diesel-run submarines, some purchased from Russia years ago, but the nation also has developed an indigenous submarine production.
The submarines not only can fire missiles off of their decks when surfaced but they are assessed by various reliable sources to have the Russian export version of the Shkval, a high-speed super-cavitating rocket-propelled torpedo designed to be a rapid-reaction defense against other submarines and surface vessels.
It also can be used as a counter-measure to an incoming torpedo. Because the Shkval can travel at speeds of 250 miles per hour, the U.S. Navy has no known defense against it.
The Russians also have developed a “super” Shkval, which can be guided. It cannot be ruled out that the Russians may have provided the super Shkval to the Iranians.
Amiri not only pointed to the Iranian navy’s arms and equipment but also to “tactical issues,” apparently referring to the capability that the Iranian submarines can sit quietly on the Persian Gulf’s seafloor.
“It would be the worst threat to the enemy,” Amiri said. “That is one of the U.S. concerns since Iranian submarines are noiseless and can easily evade detection as they are equipped with the sonar-evading technology and can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously.
When the submarine sits on the seabed it can easily target and hit an aircraft carrier traversing in the nearby regions.” According to reliable sources, sonar on U.S. warships to detect the submarines may not pick up the Iranian submarines, especially the smaller submarines in Iran’s inventory, since U.S. equipment is so powerful and designed to work in deep waters. [no further content, emphasis added]

Source:    wnd.com  LINK

Iran preparing now for Armageddon
Select fighters being described as 'Soldiers of Imam Mahdi'

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has held several secret meetings with his economic and military advisers in recent days to prepare for the possibility of war with the United States.
Sources report the preparations are to include the execution of those Iranians who oppose the regime.
Khamenei has been heard to say that the coming of the last Islamic Messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, is near and that specific actions need to be taken to protect the Islamic regime for upcoming events.
Mahdi, according to Shiite belief, will reappear at the time of Armageddon.
Selected forces within the Revolutionary Guards and Basij reportedly have been trained under a task force called “Soldiers of Imam Mahdi” and they will bear the responsibility of security and protecting the regime against uprisings. Many in the Guards and Basij have been told that the 12th Imam is on earth, facilitated the victory of Hezbollah over Israel in the 2006 war and soon will announce publicly his presence after the needed environment is created.
According to Sepah Online, sources within the Vali’eh Amr, the revolutionary forces in charge of the supreme leader’s protection, report that Khamenei held several meetings in recent days at which the leader instructed his advisers to tighten the grip on anyone who opposes or might oppose the regime in case of war.
These actions include investigations of every person or group that was pro-regime but now hold opinions contrary to regime policies. Also being created is a list, to be presented to Khamenei, to decide the fate of any opponents. [Sounds like a parallel to Obama and the NDAA! - Ed.]
It also was decided that those political prisoners who will not repent will be executed, the sources said . . . .
Journalists, writers and publishers who are deemed to be against the regime would be arrested and punished. Even high religious authorities who do not fully support Khamenei will be put under surveillance and dealt with if they become outspoken about the direction of the country.
Several journalists already have been arrested in the past week. In a recent speech, Khamenei hinted [at] a warlike environment and warned those clerics who might doubt his direction of the country that their survival is tied to the survival of the Islamic regime. Many Iranians who resent the regime resent the religion it promotes, so even opposition clerics might not fare well should the regime fall.
The plan by the leader calls for total control of Tehran, the capital, where the presence of the Basij and Hezbollah militias would be quite visible so that no one would dare to challenge the regime.
This news comes in light of the formation of the “Removal Committee,” which secretly would eliminate all deemed as opponents, even within the military and the government.
Khamenei’s extraordinary measures are based either on an understanding that war could be imminent or that the regime has decided to announce it has nuclear capability and is getting ready for a possible reaction from Israel or America.
Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, an influential cleric and a radical “Twelver,” previously had stated that Khamenei ascends to the sky every year to take direction from Imam Mahdi, and sources close to the cleric have disclosed that Khamenei has been ordered by Imam Mahdi to continue with the nuclear program despite worldwide objection as it will facilitate his coming.
Last March, a Iranian secret documentary, “The Coming Is Upon Us,” was revealed to depict Khamenei as the mythical figure who creates the environment for the reappearance of Mahdi by leading Iran to destroy Israel. [emphasis added]

Source:     wnd.com  MORE

Lawmakers at March for Life Tell Obama Administration: 'Abortion Is Not an American Value'

(CNS News) -- Braving frigid temperatures and freezing rain, thousands of pro-life activists gathered at the National Mall on Monday to mark the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized abortion nationwide and to hear members of Congress, who waited in line for their turn to criticize the Obama administration for its numerous anti-life policies.
The 39th annual March for Life ended at the steps of the Supreme Court where Roe v. Wade was decided on January 22, 1973 – a ruling that has resulted in more than 50 million American children being killed by abortion.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), chairman of the House pro-life caucus, said that President Barack Obama will talk about returning to American values during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“Mr. President, the violent destruction of children in the womb - killing babies - is not an American value,” Smith said.
Smith called the fight to end abortion on demand “the greatest human rights movement on earth” and said “abortion is not – and never will be – an American value.”
Rep. Daniel Lipinksi (D-Illinois) said it was time to “conquer the culture of death and spread the culture of life” in America.
Marchers carrying signs that featured photographs of tiny newborns under slogans like “Life Counts” and “Abortion Kills,” cheered members of Congress who spoke out against the Obama administration’s decision to finalize a rule in Obamacare that will force health professionals and individuals to . . . pay for health plans and services that violate their religious beliefs . . . .
“Mr. President, stop violating conscience rights,” Smith said. “Stop violating religious freedom. That is not an American value.”
Under the Bush administration, health professionals and institutions were protected under the Health and Human Services’ “conscience clause,” which protected them from promoting or providing services that they were morally opposed to, including abortion and prescription drugs that cause abortion.
“By removing the conscience clause, this administration is now forcing us to choose between our right to be the person we want to be,” Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) said at the event. “We will now have to choose between [our] core beliefs – our religious beliefs – and, in some cases, our job.”

Source:     cnsnews.com  MORE

Note: see also Rev. Luke Robinson: 'They Want Us To Be Silent' On Abortion 'Because The President Is A Black Man' - “The call has been made for us to keep silent, to be quiet on this issue of abortion,” said Rev. Robinson ... “How can we turn back when there are, when 60 percent of all African-American pregnancies in New York City ended in abortion? ... How can we be silent when 40 percent of the pregnancies in the Hispanic community in New York City was aborted?”  LINK

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Iranians Renew Threats to Close Key Oil Route After EU Embargo Decision

(CNS News) -- Just days after Iran appeared to be backing away from a warning that it would close a strategic Persian Gulf waterway, two senior Iranian lawmakers renewed the threat, following a European Union decision Monday to impose an oil embargo on the Islamic republic . . . Mohammad Kowsari, deputy chairman of the parliament’s security and foreign policy committee, said Iran would “definitely” close the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz should the sale of Iranian crude oil be disrupted. In the event of any resulting U.S. “military adventurism” in the strait, state-funded Press TV quoted him as warning, Iran would respond in a way that would make the entire world unsafe for Americans. Another senior lawmaker, Heshmatollah Falahapisheh, was quoted by the Mehr news agency as saying closure of Hormuz was an Iranian right in the case of threat, and was looking increasingly possible.  MORE

Note: see also Iran Embargo May Speed Refinery Closures - “Asian countries not applying the embargo could buy the Iranian oil at a discount and sell cheap refined products back to us ... Italy already risks the closure of five refineries and at a European level we’re talking about 70 possible shut downs”  LINK

UK ready to send more warships into Gulf in 'clear signal' to Tehran

Britain could send military reinforcements to the Gulf in the escalating confrontation with Iran, the Defence Secretary said yesterday as the Tehran regime declared it would "defend the nation" against the threat posed by an EU oil embargo. Philip Hammond said contingency plans were in place to send extra warships, aircraft and troops to the region if it became necessary. He said the decision to send a flotilla led by the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln through the Strait of Hormuz – which Iran had threatened to block – sent "a clear signal about the resolve of the international community to defend the right of free passage through international waters." A British frigate, HMS Argyll, and a French warship were part of the convoy, which sailed within a few miles of the Iranian coast. The UK has about 1,500 naval personnel in the Indian Ocean serving on four minesweepers, two frigates, three support ships, a survey vessel and a hunter-killer submarine. A Response Force Task Group of Royal Marines, helicopters and naval vessels set up last year could also be deployed at short notice.  MORE

Netanyahu: World must stop Iran from conducting second holocaust

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the international community Tuesday to take steps against Iran's nuclear program and "not sit idly by" during any attempt to carry out another Holocaust. "This is a day when the world needs to commit not to allow another genocide and to act so that weapons of mass destruction don't reach the hands of Iran's ayatollahs. Only a combination of crippling sanctions and putting all the options on the table can make Iran stop," Netanyahu told the Knesset, which was marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. "We can't stick our heads in the sand. The Iranian regime's emissaries, Hamas and Hezbollah, have already fired thousands of missiles at us, but when there are those who try to belittle or deny those who are warning of the danger, they apparently haven't learned their lesson. The lesson is that the countries of the world must be roused to act against the threat while there is still time."  MORE

Arab efforts to stem Syrian bloodshed in turmoil

BEIRUT -- With Arab pressure mounting to end 10 months of bloodshed, the Syrian regime has vowed to solve its own problems even if "half the universe" is conspiring against it. The Tuesday remarks signaled that Arab League efforts to stem the violence are collapsing - something that could pave the way for the U.N. Security Council to step in, even though Russia is firmly opposed to punitive measures against its longtime ally. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem brushed off the threat of referring the issue to the Security Council - a move that could lead to tougher sanctions - rather than trying to resolve it regionally. The prospect of U.N. involvement has raised fears in Syria that an international intervention could be next. "If they go to (U.N. headquarters in) New York or the moon, as long as we don't pay their tickets, this is their business," al-Moallem said at a news conference in Damascus. He was reacting to an appeal by the Gulf Cooperation Council for the U.N. Security Council to take all "necessary measures" to force Syria to implement an Arab League's ambitious peace plan announced Sunday to create a national unity government in two months. Damascus has rejected the plan as a violation of national sovereignty.  MORE

Note: see these related stories:

Gulf States Pull Observers Out Of Syria  LINK

News Update: Syria Agrees To Extend Arab Observer Mission  LINK

Europeans and Arabs seek U.N. vote on Syria next week

UNITED NATIONS -- European and Arab nations want a UN Security Council vote next week on a resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on protests and hinting at sanctions, diplomats said Tuesday. Britain, France, Germany and Arab nations are working on the resolution which could face Russian opposition because of a call on all states to follow Arab League sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad. Russia and China vetoed a previous European attempt in October to get a resolution passed condemning Assad for the violence in which the UN says more than 5,400 people have been killed. The western allies hope to build on growing Arab League demands for UN action on the Syria crisis, however. The United Nations has received a letter from Arab League secretary general Nabil al-Arabi seeking a meeting with UN leader Ban Ki-moon, a UN spokesman said.  MORE

Note: see also Russia Against Sanctions, Open To Dialogue On Syria  LINK

Syria seethes as Arabs urge Assad to quit

BEIRUT -- Syria rebuffed as a “conspiracy” Monday an Arab League call for President Bashar Assad to step down in favor of a unity government to calm a 10-month-old revolt in which thousands of Syrians have been killed. But a day after Arab ministers urged Assad to step aside, a senior Russian lawmaker said that Moscow could do little more to support the 46-year-old leader, opening the door to a policy shift by one of Syria’s few remaining powerful allies. Mikhail Margelov said Russia’s veto last year, alongside China’s, of a Western-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Assad’s crackdown on months of protests was the “last instrument” Russia could use to support Assad. “This veto has exhausted our arsenal of such resources,” Margelov was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass news agency.  MORE

PLO to Pursue U.N. Recognition ... But U.S. Says 'No Shortcut' to Statehood

(CNS News) -- Undeterred by last year’s failure, Palestinian leaders plan to push ahead with their bid for U.N. recognition in 2012, but the U.S. government believes that its chances are, if anything, reduced by the new makeup of the U.N. Security Council . . . Five of the Security Council’s 10 non-permanent members leave each year. On January 1, newcomers Pakistan, Morocco, Togo, Guatemala, and Azerbaijan replaced Lebanon, Nigeria, Gabon, Brazil and Bosnia.  MORE

Israel jails Palestinian parliament speaker without trial
Aziz Dweik's six-month imprisonment is an attempt by Israel to thwart reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, says his office

An Israeli military court has ordered the speaker of the Palestinian legislative body to be jailed for six months without trial after he was arrested at a checkpoint last week. Aziz Dweik, a member of Hamas and a senior elected politician, was imprisoned "without charge or legal justification", a statement from his office said. It claimed Israel was attempting to thwart moves towards reconciliation between the rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. Dweik was arrested at a checkpoint near Ramallah last Thursday. According to reports, he was handcuffed and blindfolded by Israeli soldiers, who said he was being detained for "involvement in terrorist activities". Dweik has been the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) since elections six years ago. However the PLC has not sat since the summer of 2007, when Hamas – which had won elections the previous year – took control of Gaza in a bloody battle with Fatah. The order to imprison Dweik was made the day after two Hamas politicians were arrested by Israeli police inside the east Jerusalem compound of the Red Cross, where they had sought refuge 18 months ago after being threatened with expulsion from the city. Police said they arrested Mohammed Totah, a member of the PLC, and Khaled Abu Arafeh, a former Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, on Monday for "Hamas activity in Jerusalem". Hamas is banned by Israel in the city . . . Hanan Ashrawi, a veteran Palestinian politician, said Israel was "flagrantly violating international conventions and practices" with regard to the immunity of elected officials, and was using "calculated means of coercion and power politics to interfere in Palestinian domestic affairs and to undermine democratic institutions in Palestine".  MORE

Note: see also 'Israel Has Declared War On Hamas In West Bank' - Palestinians say arrest of 5 Hamas legislators a ploy to sabotage Palestinian reconciliation, hurt Hamas in elections  LINK

witnesses: Qaeda gunmen pull out of Yemen town

ADEN -- Al-Qaeda gunmen have withdrawn completely from the central Yemen town of Rada, which they overran nine days ago, tribal sources and witnesses said on Wednesday. "They have left the town," located 130 kilometres (85 miles) southeast of Sanaa, one tribal source said hours after a senior military official said there had been mediation to convince them to withdraw. "Tribal mediation carried out by Sheikh Hashed Fadhl al-Qawsi succeeded, after three days of talks, to convince the armed al-Qaeda men to leave Rada," a senior official had told AFP late on Tuesday. As news of the extremists' withdrawal spread, Rada residents took to the streets in celebration, firing gunshots in the air. "Our town is celebrating this event as war and chaos have been avoided," said one resident, Faisal al-Riashi, reached by telephone. The military official had said that al-Qaeda members began evacuating public buildings they had occupied after taking the town on January 16. "They are leaving the location without resistance," he added.  MORE

Judge orders woman to give up password to hard drive

In the future, your hard drive may not be your hard drive: A federal judge has ruled that a Colorado woman, charged in a mortgage scam case, must turn over the password needed to decrypt her hard drive so that police can view the files on it. Ramona Fricosu was given until February 21 to comply with the order by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Blackburn. The judge said Fricosu's defense - the Fifth Amendment's right against self-incrimination - did not apply in the case, in which she is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering . . . [The] U.S. Attorney's Office said in court documents that if Fricosu wasn't ordered to unlock her computer, it would result in a "concession to her and potential criminals (be it in child exploitation, national security, terrorism, financial crimes or drug trafficking cases) that encrypting all inculpatory digital evidence will serve to defeat the efforts of law enforcement officers to obtain such evidence through judicially authorized search warrants, and thus make their prosecution impossible.” As CNET's Declan McCullagh wrote, "The question of whether a criminal defendant can be legally compelled to cough up his encryption pass-phrase remains an unsettled one, with law review articles for at least the last 15 years arguing the merits of either approach."  MORE

Flights rerouted as massive solar storm slams Earth

WASHINGTON -- Solar radiation from a massive sun storm - the largest in nearly a decade - collided with the Earth's atmosphere on Tuesday, prompting an airline to reroute flights and skywatchers to seek out spectacular light displays. US carrier Delta Air Lines said it had adjusted flight routes for transpolar journeys between Asia and the United States to avoid problems caused by the radiation storm, a spokesman said. NASA confirmed the coronal mass ejection (CME) began colliding with Earth's magnetic field around 10:00 AM (1500 GMT) Tuesday, adding that the storm was now being considered the largest since October 2003. Radiation storms are not harmful to humans, on Earth at least, according to the US space agency. They can, however, affect satellite operations and short wave radio. The storm's radiation, likely to continue bombarding Earth's atmosphere through Wednesday, and its possible disruption to satellite communications in the polar regions prompted the flight rerouting, airline officials said.  MORE

Nigeria neglecting persecuted Christians

A Christian leader in Nigeria believes the murder of more than 80 Christians is just the beginning of a campaign of religious cleansing in the North. Boko Haram, a jihadist terrorist organization, is taking credit for killing the Christians and for murdering moderate Muslims. Jonathan Racho of International Christian Concern (ICC) tells One News Now Pastor Ayo, who serves as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, is calling on the government to take strong measures to protect Christians in the predominantly Muslim North. "The church leader also pointed out that there are people within the Nigerian government, the Nigerian security, who have collaborated with Boko Haram, and that makes it very hard for the government to protect its own population," Racho laments. Though the Nigerian government has promised Christians they will be protected, the ICC spokesman says those promises have proved empty in the past. "That has created a situation where Christians don't trust the government anymore for their protection and their property, and the church. So the church leader actually in Nigeria called upon Christians to defend themselves from the ongoing pogrom," he explains. In fact, there are now incidents in the predominantly Christian South, in which Christians have attacked mosques and Muslims. [no further content]  LINK

Prayer needed as pastor awaits delayed verdict (Iran)

An Iranian pastor under a possible death penalty remains jailed while he awaits word on a verdict that was supposed to be delivered in mid-December. The decision has been tossed around in the courts, and the case was handed to a top religious official for review. But the sentence has not been formally delivered to the pastor. Jason DeMars of Present Truth Ministries tells One News Now Youcef Nadarkhani, who has been tortured, is waiting patiently. "He's currently doing well," DeMars accounts. "He's strong in spirit, strong in mind, and strong in faith, and I truly believe that's been the prayers of Christians all around the world holding him up and the Holy Spirit working through that." But the Present Truth Ministries spokesman reports that Nadarkhani is still being pressured to convert to the Muslim faith. "They certainly are continuing their efforts to get him to acknowledge the superiority of Islam and to come back to Islam," he says. "I believe that is their ultimate goal, and that's what they have stated." DeMars also tells One News Now the pastor has not had a Bible in the two years and three months he has been in prison, and he has no access to a computer or the outside world, other than meeting with his wife and family. So the ministry spokesman is encouraging believers to continue praying, as that may be the only thing that saves him. [no further content]  LINK

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MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY
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Note: Views expressed in the commentaries on this website are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of Christian Media Daily or our host - Christian Media Network. Quotes are obviously the opinion of the source. A quote is just a quote and these are offered without comment. Use of a news story or commentary is not an endorsement of the source website.

Commentary: Sanctions Against Iran Grow Tighter ... but What's the Next Step? (Helene Cooper)

Excerpt:
. . . . In debates at the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon, administration officials say they have gamed out several possibilities, including an alarming one: that tougher sanctions and increased global isolation might compel Iran to decide that the only way to get the West off its back is to speed up its program and become a nuclear power. That could leave the West with no choice but to back off, lest it provoke a nuclear confrontation.

Source:     nytimes.com  MORE

Commentary: WARVANGELICALS (Coach Dave Daubenmire)

. . . . Somewhere along the line somebody figured out that there were a lot of dollars to be made in war. Bullets and bombs were needed for war and a sinister group of warmongers figured out a way to make millions by performing their “civic duty” by supplying the ammo ... often to both sides.
Christian/conservative Republicans are the greatest promoters of this perpetual-state-of-war. They serve the Prince of Peace by cheering, and voting, for war.
Someone coined the term "Warvangelicals." They are determined to evangelize the world through the barrel of a rifle. Jesus warned us to be careful … those who live by the sword shall die by the sword . . . .

How did war become a Christian/Conservative value?
Christians are soooo confused. Willfully ignorant might be a more appropriate description. Flag-waving Christians are the most ardent supporters of military intervention. Sadly, they know nothing of the theory of just war. [see source website for 6 principles of Just War]
. . . America has not fought a “just war” since WWII . . . .

Much of the reason we are such interventionalists in the Middle East is the position held by most Evangelicals that we have a religious obligation to defend Israel. To say otherwise is to be called “anti-Semitic,” “anti-Israel,” or “un-Biblical.” Listen to how often the Republican candidates mention the word “Israel.” This a Pavlovian trick that makes Evangelicals mouth’s water.
I am not anti-Israel nor anti-Semitic. I am pro-America. If we don’t return to an America-first policy we won’t be able to defend ourselves, let alone our friends in the Middle East.
America has spent a generation arming Israel. Estimates are that Israel is currently in possession of as many as 400 nuclear warheads. American foreign aid to Israel paid for most of their weaponry. They are far and away the most powerful, well armed military in the Middle East.
I understand that God has an “everlasting covenant” with Israel. I understand that those who “bless Israel” will be blessed. I understand that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. But I can not find one Biblical admonition to "protect" Israel. I do find the Lord asking us to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Do we “bless Israel” by sending foreign aid to her enemies?
Is it the obligation of the US Government to defend the nation of Israel? The Covenant was a Covenant between God and Israel. God will keep His promise. Why do Christians see it as our obligation to do for Israel what God has promised He will do? A broken, financially bankrupt America cannot protect Israel. Only God can do that . . . .

It is not popular to say it in Evangelical circles, but Christians should not rejoice in the killing of innocent Muslim women and children. Each one is a potential child of the Living God and Christians should be more interested in flooding the Middle East with Bibles rather than bombs . . . Currently, they are more interested in “spreading democracy” than they are in spreading the Gospel.

God is judging America, not because we are turning our backs on Israel, but because we are a decadent, insolent, greedy, blood-thirsty nation that winks at the shedding of innocent blood in the womb, while we “high-five” the killing of innocent children in other parts of the world. We have rejected God. Our works are "continuously evil in His sight" and our hands are stained with innocent blood.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. [Deuteronomy 30:19]
America is dying because we have chosen death and Warvangelicals are the varsity cheerleaders of the War Party.

Source:     newswithviews.com  MORE

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ADDITIONAL NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Syrian troops shell central city  LINK

Gaddafi supporters seize control of Libyan town  LINK
Accounts from the town of Bani Walid, about 200 km (120 miles) from Tripoli, described armed Gaddafi supporters attacking the barracks of the pro-government militia in the town and then forcing them to fall back

Libya says will strike back if Kadhafi men behind unrest  LINK
Confusion ruled Tuesday as to who was behind the unrest
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Azerbaijan foils Iranian-Hizballah terror strike against Israel targets and Habad  LINK
This was the first joint Iranian-Hizballah terrorist attack ever discovered

U.S. military raid in Somalia frees American, Dane  LINK

U.N.: Aircraft bomb South Sudan refugee camp  LINK

Fresh attack on police in troubled Nigeria's Kano city  LINK

Interview with Senator Rand Paul  LINK
"Two separate people told me that there are random bells and whistles going off in the screening process that the local screeners are not aware of, but are part of random pat-downs"

Ron Paul Campaign Statement Concerning TSA Abuses  LINK
The TSA “gropes and grabs our children, our seniors, and our loved ones and neighbors with disabilities … while doing nothing to keep us safe”

Ed Meese: House Should Pass Resolution Condemning Obama for Unconstitutional Act  LINK

Google announces privacy changes across products ... users can't opt out  LINK

[analysis]: U.S. steps outside the law as the war on terror drones on  LINK

Is The NYPD Experimenting With Drones Over The City? ... Evidence Points To Yes  LINK
Miami, cities in Texas also said to be trying this new way to be eye in the sky

[analysis]: America Has Become the World's Arms Dealer ... But at What Cost to Ourselves and the World?  LINK
Last year saw the U.S. on pace to deliver more than $46 billion in foreign arms sales ... Who says America isn’t number one anymore?

Under Obama, Price of Gas Has Jumped 83 Percent, Ground Beef 24 Percent, Bacon 22 Percent  LINK

IMF Slashes Its Global Economic Growth Forecast  LINK

[analysis]: My fight against the 'smart meter' (8-15-11)  LINK
"Reports from those who have had meters installed include heart palpitations, dizziness, inability to fall asleep, memory problems and cognitive disturbances, flu-like symptoms, worsening of existing health problems, abrupt depression, agitation, headaches, hearing problems"

 Note: see also Update: My Fight Against The 'Smart' Meter - All this 'dirty energy' is killing us and that's not hyperbole  LINK

Chile struck by 6.2-magnitude earthquake  LINK

Jailed creationist [Kent Hovind] appeals after 5 years  LINK

[Washington] state set to back gay marriage  LINK

HEALTH HIGHLIGHTS: Join the Sound Body Yahoo group (part of the Christian Media ministry) to receive regular health eblasts  LINK

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And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?
Matthew 26:51-53 KJV
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From the Editor: This newspage is currently operating on a reduced schedule.

Please put our address in your address book:    CMediaNews@yahoo.com

Worldwatch was edited today by Editor Robert Ellis, with help from Claire Mason.

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BROADCAST NOTES
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(Video) Christian Media's CMRI Television Network runs 24/7 video streams (accessible via CMRI.tv or ChristianMedia.tv). The network features unique TV programs focusing on Bible Prophecy and Remnant Christian doctrine.

GEO TV – Our 2nd TV network, GEO TV presently broadcasts 12 hours per day - from 10 AM to 10 PM Pacific. GEO emphasizes Patriot, Preaching, and Alternative Health arenas as well as our 30 minute TV news program with stories derived from this very website. The Stream was sharply improved in September, check it out at GEOtelevision.net.

(Audio) The Christian Media Network broadcasts 24/7 on multiple audio streams, and features prophecy and Christian doctrinal material. To listen, use the links at the top of the page, or go to ChristianMediaNetwork.com for the program schedule.

Our 2nd radio network is GEO, heard at GEOmedianetwork.com on a 24/7 basis. GEO runs Patriot, Alternative Health, and a variety of preaching programs.

Our 3rd radio network is called The V Channel. It features the Paranormal, the Exotic, and the Unusual. Topics are wide open on V, with plenty of coverage of UFO’s, the Nephilim, and the Supernatural. V is heard on the net at Vchannel.us on a 24/7 basis.

The Shining James Lloyd has produced a powerful 2 hour audio study examining the idea the Antichrist will be a Moslem leader. This CD shows how the clash between Islam and Israel will deceive a huge number of believers and how the Islamic Antichrist scenario is a Spiritual ruse, designed to deflect attention from the real Antichrist power. Details Here! The Day of Visitation This latest DVD shows there are two types of "visitations" - one that is connected to judgement, and one that is associated with the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. James Lloyd goes from Genesis to Revelation showing Scriptural evidence for a universal reckoning which occures between God and all men. He also finds proof the LORD will always provide a Visitation of Life that precedes the arrival of the "Angel of Death". This study also points to the very real fact that we have very little time left to turn to the blessed salvation found in Christ. Details Here! The Triuniverse - Book 2 James's sequel breaks new ground through his connecting of the doctrin of the Trinity as the inverse of the two-fold nature of evil, Book 2 opens up new horizons in our perspective of the nature of the LORD. The mysterious fashion in which the LORD conquers the dual nature of sin is related to crucial prophetic componants such as the Two Witnesses, the Two Testaments, Male and Female, and much more. Details Here! The 6,7,8 Cycle - Book In essence, the "cycle" being addressed is a repetitious pattern which affects history, nations, Spiritual developments, politics, economy, and even Heaven and Hell. The crux of the formula is found in Revelation's enigmatic "the eigth is of the seven" sequence, and James is uniquely qualified to be the vessel allowed to bring forth this particular data. Details Here! They Will Not Hear Thee This is an autobiographical book from James Lloyd in which he recalls the developement of the Christian Media prophetic ministry, including anecdotal accounts of his early clashes with the Rapture Cult. Along the way, James details the various componants of prophetic revelations that have cumulatively been integrated into the Remnant theology of our time. Details Here! Junkyard Set in America in which tribulation survivors meet, a former Rapturist pastor encounters an individual who had followed his teaching concerning the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine, and then found himself completely unprepared for what occured as the tribulation exploded unexpectedly. This DVD pairs another program from the same producer/creator entitled The Gathering. It features interviews with pastoral teachers, each espousing various positions concerning the Rapture. Details Here! The White Rose Francis Steffan In 1942, six German students formed an underground group to protest the Nazis. It was known as The White Rose. As the country descended into insanity in the grip of the Third Reich, and at the risk of certain death, they distributed pamphlets telling the truth of what was occuring. An inspiring lesson from the past. Details Here! Secret Sixes 2nd Season Volume 3 Volume 3's season finale feature a 2 part look at the hugely popular Law & Order TV program where we found so many triple 6 subliminal imbeds we were able to draw most of the clips from just a few seasons of the long running series! Childrens TV shows and foreign films, verbally implanted using another language and much more are included for a very entertaining 2 hours of prophetically significant video. Details Here!

What Is
THE BLAST?

The Reckoning

His Reward Is With Him

Online Essay refuting the Sacred Name System

Preparations For The Coming Plague?
88 Dead Microbiologists

April 2006 Update!

AOL Caught Again blocking Net Addresses Of Opponents - Are You Still With Antichrist On Line?

Real Life Tragedy:

Puppies Killed As AOL Blocks Rescue

Corporate Power Run Amok:

- The Menace Of AOL's Monopolistic Practices

- Earthlink Rips Off Christian Ministry