MAY-JUNE 2004 WORLD NEWS

MAY-JUNE 2004 WORLD NEWS

June 30, 2004

• New Presbyterian Moderator Supports Gays in Ministry - June 28, 2004
A layman who supports the inclusion of gays in the ministry was elected to lead the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the next two years.

• The Lost Patriots of Hollywood - June 23, 2004
Once upon a time, there were people in Hollywood who loved America. And when America came under attack from enemies abroad, these actors, producers, screenwriters and directors put aside their partisan differences and created movies that made all moviegoers proud to be Americans.

• Colo. Court Rules Against School Vouchers - June 28, 2004
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state's school voucher program is unconstitutional because it strips local school boards of control over education.

• Scans Uncover Secrets of the Womb - June 28, 2004
A new type of ultrasound scan has produced vivid pictures of even 12 week-old fetuses "walking", yawning and sucking their thumbs in the womb. [Many pictures available.]

• Religion 'Very Important' To Most Americans - June 25, 2004
The survey found that six out of 10 Americans said religion is "very important" to them in daily life. Sixty-one percent said religion can solve "all or most of today's problems," while just 24 percent said faith was "old- fashioned and out of date."

• Same Sex Marriage Beats Challenge - June 29, 2004
A federal appeals court Tuesday rejected an attempt by conservative groups and state lawmakers to stop same sex marriage in Massachusetts.

• US to Impose Sanctions on Sudan Militias - June 27, 2004
The United States will slap punitive sanctions on members of pro-Khartoum militias operating in Sudan`s crisis-wracked western region of Darfur and might also apply penalties to Sudanese officials found to be complicit in atrocities there.

• Senate OKs Higher Fines For Indecent Programming - June 23, 2004
Faced with public ire over racy language, explicit scenes and skin-baring outfits, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed Tuesday to fine radio and TV broadcasters and personalities as much as $3 million a day for airing indecent entertainment.

CITIZENS MUST GIVE NAME, SUPREME COURT RULES

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that citizens who are stopped by police under reasonably suspicious circumstances may be prosecuted if they refuse to give their names when asked. While law enforcement advocates say the decision will help officers perform their jobs, privacy rights advocates are concerned that the law encroaches on personal privacy, and they fear where the decision could lead in the future.

The case involved a Nevada cattle rancher named Larry "Dudley" Hiibel who refused to give his name to a police officer after having been asked 11 times. In May 2000, Deputy Sheriff Lee Dove responded to a call that people were fighting in a pickup truck on the shoulder of the highway. The driver, Hiibel, appeared to be intoxicated and Dove suspected he might have hit his grown daughter in the passenger seat. Dove repeatedly asked Hiibel his name, but Hiibel refused to give it, arguing that he had broken no laws. In the end, Dove arrested him for obstructing an investigation and resisting a police officer. Hiibel was convicted and fined $250 for refusing to identify himself. He then appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court, which upheld his conviction.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Nevada court's ruling in a 5-4 decision last week, with the majority arguing that the Nevada law made it possible for police to fully perform their duties, and the dissenters arguing that the law violated civil rights. All nine justices agreed that Dove was free to ask Hiibel his name. However, the disagreement that caused the 5-4 split was over whether Hiibel could be prosecuted for refusing to answer.

The question came down to whether the Nevada law violated the 4th Amendment. Did demanding Hiibel give his name violate his 4th Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures? The majority decided that it did not, looking back on a 1968 court ruling that legalized "Terry Stops". In 1968, the Supreme Court ruled that police could briefly detain and frisk people suspected of having committed - or of being ready to commit - a crime, based on "reasonable suspicion." The court decided that police could not always be expected to obtain a warrant in time-sensitive situations in order to frisk crime suspects, and the frisk subjects were losing minimal liberty. In this related ruling, the Court decided that giving one's name certainly was not as intrusive as being patted down.

Justice Stevens also objected that the law could potentially violate a suspect's 5th Amendment rights against self-incrimination. However, the majority argued that while in a very rare case giving one's name to a police officer might be automatically incriminating - "I'm Jack the Ripper" - this wasn't the situation in most cases like Hiibel's.

The majority argued that knowing a suspect's identity enabled the police to do their jobs better. Officers can evaluate more quickly whether or not they have the right suspect and more quickly release those questioned. Being able to run background checks on suspects helps protect police and law-abiding citizens by making officers aware when suspects have a history of violence. Justice groups argued that had the ruling gone the other way, it would have encouraged people to resist cooperating with the police and would have protected terrorists and criminals.

However, civil rights advocates fear that this case sets a precedent for further invasions of privacy - asking suspects for their addresses, for instance. Also, because today's world is so computerized, a person's name gives the police access to all kinds of information about him.

While the majority agreed that a suspect could be prosecuted for refusing to give his name to a police officer, all nine justices also agreed that police were still bound by certain restrictions;

Officers may not randomly ask citizens their names, but must have suspicion of some specific wrongdoing, a suspicion that can be articulated clearly if challenged in court.

Officers may not demand identification like driver's licenses. "Show me your papers, Comrade."

The following states have laws similar to the Nevada statute: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

June 28, 2004

Israeli-Palestinian violence flares anew

Palestinian strikes turn up heat in Gaza debate

Israel among 7 countries offered NATO 'partnership'

Iraq Formally Returns to Self-Rule Two Days Early

Another step toward world government

U.S. lawmakers: Don't use Israel bullets

Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake Strikes Midwest

Tropical Storm Hits Guam, Spurs Mudslides

Celestial Dragon: Draco, an Ancient Guardian

Scans uncover secrets of the womb

Clergymen take religion to a nightclub!

June 24, 2004

Sharon: Arafat will die in compound

Israeli troops move into Nablus

IDF's Gaza pullout plan codenamed 'Radiant Sky'

Yesha Council Rabbis: Torah forbids settlement uprooting

Intel chief: Palestinians still want Israel destroyed

U.N.:Desperate' need for political solution to Middle East conflict

More than 80 killed in series of attacks in Iraq

Army halts medallions due to Bible reference

New Bible translation promotes fornication

Former Communist Countries Struggle for Religious Freedom - By Gailon Totheroh

CBN.com – MINSK, BELARUS - Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus stretch from the Baltic Sea to the edge of Russia, home of their former communist masters. Their 16 million inhabitants are still battling to find their place in the world, yet church leaders there have seen progress under liberty. But there are still daunting challenges for believers to overcome. A dozen nations escaped the Soviet Union in 1991, and the years of oppression left countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus with a huge vacuum in Christian leadership -- in church, in politics, everywhere.

Former Time Magazine senior journalist David Aikman, a devout Christian, says, "They need to be given the tools that will enable them to guide large groups of believers in all kinds of settings."

Aikman says those three nations desire those tools, and still need committed partners from abroad.

To help meet that need, Bruce Anderson, a Virginia pastor, has taught seminars, preached and led groups to the region numerous times. He sees the promises of Isaiah 60 overcoming Baltic darkness: "But the Lord has risen upon you, His glory has appeared upon you. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn."

That dawning can be seen in Latvia, where the New Generation Church network is active in TV political commentary, producing Gospel concerts and dynamic Christian videos.

Another part of that dawning is facing the darkness of the past, like the Holocaust of the Jews. CBN News stepped into that darkness by joining Anderson at Lithuania's Nazi death camp, Ninth Fort.

At Ninth Fort, 40,000 Jews were murdered, while the three countries lost more than a million Jews (Lithuania, 200,000; Latvia, 80,000; Belarus, 800,000), falling victim to Hitler's "Final Solution."

So, the churches in the region have called for repentance over the past atrocities against the Jews, and healing for all those who have suffered so much.

And there is more suffering. World War II, Josef Stalin, the Soviet butcher, and the communist regimes over the years, have all taken their toll on the Baltic region.

For example, in Lithuania, an estimated one million citizens are gone from their homeland or dead. In Belarus, the population today is still less than it was in 1941. And in Latvia, the Soviets moved so many Russians there, that they make up nearly 40 percent of the population.

The resulting ethnic conflicts threaten to tear the nation apart. But Pastor Alexey Ledyayev, leader of the New Generation Churches and a Russian by origin, says the Holy Spirit is keeping Latvia together.

Anderson, who has seen a spiritual boldness there, says, "In Latvia, they operate in real high faith, very aggressive powerful movement, a lot of excellence, and real impact. They're already quite engaged."

That includes politics. Three years ago, Bible-believing Christians formed a new political faction, Latvia's First Party. In the 2002 parliamentary elections, the LFP shocked the nation by grabbing 10 percent of the vote, and in the current governing coalition, they hold nearly half (6 of 13) of the ministerial posts, including the economy, transportation, education, and family.

That Christian influence has brought legislation: Non-denominational Bibles for all the schools of Latvia, and blank covers required on all pornography sold in stores, encouraging the purchase of decent publications rather than smut.

But in Belarus, Bible-based political efforts are tougher to pursue.

Soviet repression dates back to 1918, and in 1994, the communist Lukashenko became virtual dictator.

The founding Soviet communist tyrant, Vladimir Lenin, would be pleased to see that collective and statues of himself still abound in Belarus. Following Lenin's atheism, the Belarus regime, in 2003, saddled the churches with legislation even more restrictive than the previous controls on Evangelicals, Charismatics, Pentecostals and other Christians.

But not to worry. Those very same groups have united to learn and apply Biblical principles to every sphere of life, translating Reformation-oriented books like "Liberating the Nations" and "Watchmen on the Walls." They have published a brochure encouraging reformation, and printed a poster citing their roots in the Protestant Reformation going back 450 years.

A musical drama performed in Belarus is stirring up those roots and claiming them for the future. You see, in the late 1500's, the Biblical Christians of Belarus and Lithuania so heavily influenced their societies that even non-Christians call that era the Golden Age of the region.

But ignoring that Golden Age and its benefits for today, the government in Belarus has forced one congregation outside the capital city of Minsk into a house. The persecution hurts.

However, Anderson comments, "Yet they are so organized, they are so forward moving, aggressive in the faith, a very sweet spirit, real humility."

How do they manage church? Four packed services, with a bus traveling constantly to pick up and drop off parishioners from all over Minsk.

Meanwhile, Christians in Lithuania are applauding the new ground their nation has broken for representative government, achieving something the U.S. has never done -- tossing out an impeached president.

Aikman says, "The notion that nobody is above the law is a tremendously important notion for a successful democracy. So, I'm delighted by what happened."

And Christians there are now lobbying their representatives, something we take for granted, but for them, it is new and effective. They have already kept religious liberty from being squelched.

With all these diverse elements, what is the common thread among believers in these formerly communist states?

Anderson says, "A serious passion for the Lord, a serious commitment to seeing people born again and churches planted, but beyond that, a serious commitment to God's Word and His promises for their nations to be transformed, the whole nation."

June 23, 2004

SENATE PASSES HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION

Last week, the U.S. Senate again passed a bill that seeks to add "sexual orientation, gender, and disabilities" to existing legislation against hate crimes. Senator Edward Kennedy has worked for years to push his "Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act" through, and the Senate voted 65/33 to add it to the defense spending bill for next year. Unfortunately, this hate crimes bill threatens the equal rights of all Americans.

A majority of states have some form of hate crimes legislation in place to protect people from violent crimes based on bigotry or prejudice. However, this legislation seeks to make hate crimes a federal issue, forcing on all the states the potential for federal interference in local criminal matters. The bill also forces the judicial system to prosecute criminals for potential "hate crime" motives, and not simply for the crime itself. The result is a form of "thought police" - which goes against the philosophical foundation on which America was built.

In seeking to add "sexual orientation, gender, and disabilities" to the list of protected people, Kennedy and co-sponsor Gordon Smith (R-OR) seek to elevate what are often life-style decisions to a position of special protection. While persons with disabilities generally cannot help the position they are in, people can decide whether or not to participate in the homosexual lifestyle. The use of the term "gender" rather than the biological term "sex" also implies choice, as it covers the category of "transgendered," which includes transsexuals and transvestites.

Human beings are valuable, regardless of any characteristics that cause people to perceive them as "different" or "less than". Every person has been uniquely created by God, and God put such great worth on human beings that He sent His Son to die for them. Committing crimes against other people out of prejudicial hatred is always reprehensible.

Unfortunately, in the zeal to protect people from hatred, there has been a failure to hold an equal standard among all Americans when applying hate crimes laws in the past. White, Black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian forms of prejudice are all wrong and should be dealt with equally. But, in racially divided America, white people are far more likely to be prosecuted for hate crimes than are people from 'minority' groups. Racially motivated attacks against black people are more likely to receive media attention than racially motivated attacks against white people. So, while hate crimes legislation makes an effort to condemn racism and other forms of prejudice, there is in reality a prejudice in the very justice system purporting to condemn prejudice.

As efforts are made to add gender and sexual orientation to the list protected by Hate Crimes legislation, there is already guaranteed to be a lack of even-handedness in the prosecution and media portrayal of hate crimes in these areas as well. For instance, men who beat women are much easier to prosecute than women who hate and attack men. Everybody has heard of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was beaten to death. However, few have heard of Jeffrey Curley, a 10-year-old boy murdered by two gay men after rejecting their sexual advances. Jeffrey's father, Robert Curley, found little support from community leaders after the death of his son.

Beyond these questions, there is a problem in trying to separate 'hate crimes' from other crimes. If a disabled person is beaten and robbed, what efforts will the jury have to go through to determine whether the attack was based on prejudice or not? The assault should be prosecuted severely, whether or not the criminal "hates" disabled people.

Violent crime is punishable under current legislation, and all such crimes can be considered "hate" crimes. Even without federal hate crimes legislation in place, Matthew Shepard's murderers were given back-to-back life sentences. To designate certain crimes as worse than others because they are motivated by a specific type of hate opens up a world of confusion and of abuse of the system. It also devalues the loss and damage done to people who are simply the victims of 'normal' violent crimes. If a man is attacked, humiliated and beaten by a person of his own race, gender, or religious affiliation, his attackers are just as guilty of a hate crime as those who would have attacked him for legally defined hatefulness.

Justice is supposed to be blind and impartial, weighing each case without consideration of whether the criminals or victims are wealthy or poor, black or white, educated or not. While this may not be reality, we should strive to encourage legislation that truly is impartial and unbiased, that treats every human being equally under the law - and avoid legislation that continues to divide our nation along racial or ethnic or gender lines.

June 23, 2004

• Iraqi Officer in Al Qaeda, Papers Show - June 21, 2004
"There is at least one officer of Saddam's Fedayeen, a lieutenant colonel, who was a very prominent member of al Qaeda," said September 11 commission member and former Navy Secretary John Lehman.

• Frist Meets With Iraq's New Leader - June 09, 2004
U.S. Sen. Bill Frist went to Baghdad in early June hoping to secure peace of mind about the June 30 transfer of sovereignty to a new Iraqi government. The Senate majority leader was impressed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a former neurologist.

• 2nd Temple Pool Found - June 09, 2004
The Pool of Siloam was uncovered last week by chance at the southern end of the City of David – in what today is Silwan – while the city was carrying out infrastructure work for a new sewage pipe.

• Scientists Make Teleportation Breakthrough - June 17, 2004
It is not quite the "beam me up Scotty" teleportation of Star Trek, but teams of scientists said on Wednesday they had made properties jump from one atom to another without using any physical link.

• Insurgency Boils Up in Thailand - June 22, 2004
Over 200 people have been killed in southern Thailand where Islamic militants have burned dozens of secular government schools, murdered Buddhist monks and attacked police posts. Authorities fear that Muslim extremists want to use the area as a base from which to launch a holy war.

• The Global View of Gay Marriage - June 22, 2004
While the United States is engaged in debate on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, around the world, countries are coming to terms with how to treat homosexual couples. In some countries gay marriages are already common, while in others homosexuality is still illegal or even considered a mental illness.

• Pro-Life Group Documents Another Planned Parenthood-Girl Scout Tie - June 22, 2004
Since March, STOPP International has been conducting research to determine how many of the 315 Girl Scout councils in the United States have some sort of relationship with Planned Parenthood. As of today, 25 of the 108 councils STOPP has classified (23 percent) do have a relationship with Planned Parenthood.

• Slain South Korean Was Devout Christian - June 23, 2004
The Arabic interpreter and devout Christian who dreamed of missionary work in the Arab world knelt silently and impassively before his Muslim militant captors beheaded him.

THE E.U. AGREES TO A CONSTITUTION

"[British Prime Minister Tony Blair]'s waving a piece of paper saying: 'It's OK, I've only given away a little bit of our sovereignty.' When in fact this is the beginning of the end of Britain as a nation state governing itself." - Robert Kilroy-Silk, leader of the U.K. Independence Party.

After years of haggling, the 25 countries of the European Union have come to agreement on an EU Constitution. The document will act as the foundational law for the cooperation of all the nations in the Union, with the purpose of streamlining institutions and promoting economic and political integration. It creates the post of an EU president as well as a foreign minister to represent the EU in foreign affairs. One of the most difficult issues - the voting system - was successfully resolved. At least 15 countries, representing 65 percent of the EU population, will need to vote for measures in order for them to pass. This gives a position of strength to the larger countries while ensuring that the voices of the smaller countries get heard.

The occasion comes as a great relief and victory for those who want to further the EU, and as a "harrumph" to those who see in the Constitution the destruction of their own nations' sovereignty. The combined strength of all 450 million people and their money and ideas would create a world power that could provide heavy competition for the U.S. However, the struggle to maintain individual national identities free from EU interference still presents itself as an obstacle to complete EU integration and cooperation.

While the EU Constitution has received a thumbs-up from the leaders of the various nations involved, it still has a long fight ahead for ratification. All 25 countries will need to ratify the document, and some groups, like the British, are extremely skeptical about what the EU has to offer them.

According to The Daily Telegraph, "Mr. Blair has made perhaps the most serious blunder of his premiership. He should have rejected this mind-numbing, 260-page document on principle. It is the capstone of a federal state, and gives the EU a foreign minister, a criminal court, a European prosecutor and a police force. We face a net loss of vetoes in about 40 areas and the constitution sets in stone an outdated, over-regulated economic model just at the moment that it is failing."

An editorial in The Sunday Telegraph even compares the situation to Napolean's defeat at Waterloo on June 18, 1815, when the British and Prussians forcibly ended his dream of a French-dominated Europe. The editorial suggests that on June 18, 2004, the battle went the other way.

While not opposed to the Constitution in concept, the Pope also lamented the final results of the document. The preamble to the EU Constitution contains no reference to Christianity, in spite of Europe's Christian heritage, but relies on "inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe." In disappointment on Sunday, the Pope said, "One does not cut the roots to one's birthright."

June 22, 2004

Why Gaza withdrawal is significant

PA militants strongly oppose Egypt's Gaza role

Syria wants to torpedo Egypt's Gaza plan

Former French PM: Israel's creation a "historic mistake"

Israel, Turkey mulling joint military storage

U.S. to Give 'Legal' Custody of Saddam to Iraqis

World ignoring genocide in Sudan

Hail the size of baseball pounds Texas Panhandle

Microchips tidy up the Vatican library

June 21, 2004

Northern border on high alert following IAF attack

Israeli PM to face dual test in parliament

9-11 panel discovers Saddam-Osama link

Deadly Sars virus found in tears

Japanese boy writes apology in blood

June 17, 2004

Israel goes ahead with expansion of settlements

Israel detains Palestinian activists

Suicide Bomber Kills 35, Wounds 138 at Iraq Base

Enlarged EU shoots for first-ever constitution

June 16, 2004

'UNDER GOD' TO REMAIN IN PLEDGE - FOR NOW

Fifty years to the day after Congress added the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to allow the words to remain. However, the Court did not address the fundamental issue of whether or not the Pledge is constitutional, but overturned the Ninth Circuit Court's earlier decision based on a technicality. The justices ruled that Michael Newdow, the atheist who brought the case, did not have custody of his daughter and therefore did not have a right to bring the case on her behalf.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lit an emotional fire in June 2002 when it ruled the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because it includes the words "under God". Citizens across the nation protested the ruling and spoke out in favor of the current wording of the Pledge. Congress and the White House both stood in support of the Pledge. In October of 2003, the Center for Reclaiming America delivered more than 205,000 petitions to the Supreme Court justices in support of the Pledge, and other organizations made similar drives to demonstrate the overwhelming national opinion that the Pledge was just fine "as is".

Sandra Banning is one woman included among the millions who support the Pledge - an important fact since she is the mother of Michael Newdow's daughter and has sole legal custody of the girl. A born again Christian, Banning told the Court she supported her daughter's saying the Pledge in school.

Therefore, the Supreme Court was offered an "easy way out". Rather than dealing with the bottom line issue of the case, the Court simply ruled that Newdow had no legal grounds to challenge the Pledge on his daughter's behalf. This leaves the issue unresolved and keeps the door open for others to challenge the Pledge wording in the future.

Three of the Supreme Court justices, William H. Renquist, Clarence Thomas, and Sandra Day O'Connor, did express the opinion that the Pledge is indeed constitutional with the words "under God" included. Justice Antonin Scalia recused himself from the case, but most believe he would have also taken this position. However, the other five Justices simply ruled that Newdow was not in a position to bring the case.

Many on both sides of the case are disappointed with the temporary Band-Aid decision.

"The Supreme Court does not emerge from this case the defender of America's moral and Christian heritage - in fact, it showed a lack of principle that is truly appalling," said Focus On The Family chairman Dr. James Dobson in reaction to the ruling.

John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, also expressed his disappointment, saying, "We had hoped that the Court would set the record straight once and for all. America's founders recognized that our rights, as the Declaration of Independence states, are 'endowed by the Creator.' In fact, [our founders] staked their lives, fortune, and honor on that truth."

In the time between the next Pledge challenge, Michael Newdow is working to fight the custodial laws that were used against him.

MODERN SLAVERY: HUMAN TRAFFICKING

While slavery was banned in America during the Lincoln presidency, underground slave trades still exist in America and around the world. Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented the 2004 State Department Report on Trafficking in Persons to President Bush and to Congress, addressing the commercial exploitation of human beings - from those who are made to do compulsory labor, to women and children forced into prostitution, to children who are pressed into battle as child soldiers.

Every year, families in poor nations are tricked into giving their children and young women up to traffickers, who promise to offer them better lives. Instead, the victims are often taken into the cities or across borders into other countries to serve as sex slaves in brothels. They are not allowed to leave and are given little physical care. In other situations, children are sold as war slaves or as camel jockeys or domestic laborers.

The U.S. State Department has considered sanctioning ten different countries that are not making strong enough efforts to stop human trafficking. Bangladesh, Burma, Cuba, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, North Korea, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Venezuela have all shown too little interest in stopping the abhorrent practices of slavery and human trade in their countries. However, human trafficking is a significant problem throughout much of the rest of the world as well -Europe and Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Even in the U.S., migrant workers can be found forced into slave labor. In Tampa, Florida, a task force was created last week to deal with the exploitation of men, women, and children immigrants who are brought into the area by traffickers. Migrant workers are being treated in the same manner as slaves were 150 years ago. "There was no way for them to escape from the situation. They were being watched by guards 24 hours a day. They were being held by force and earning little or no money," one young lady explained through a translator.

"Often, the traffickers go to the families and say, 'Pay us money and we'll bring your daughter to America. We have husbands who can offer her a better life,'" said assistant attorney general Alex Acosta. The horror of the prostitution rings is unimaginable, with young girls and children among those who are used every day for commercial sex. One 14-year-old girl recently rescued from prostitution in central Florida showed how extreme the exploitation can be. "This girl was forced to have sex with up to 30 men per day, day after day," Acosta said.

While it is difficult to determine exact numbers, officials believe about 15,000 people are brought into America each year to serve as slaves. The State Department estimates that more than 600,000 people are trafficked around the world each year. The task force in Tampa is working to raise awareness about the problem in their area and to make it clear to victims that it is safe to seek help; their exploiters will be prosecuted.

"Trafficking is linked to international crime syndicates that peddle drugs, guns and false documents as well as people," reported Secretary of State Powell on Monday. "Trafficking is a global public health threat that helps spreads HIV/AIDs and other terrible diseases. And trafficking is a global security threat, because the profits from trafficking finance still more crime and violence.

"A host of international covenants and national laws already condemn and outlaw trafficking, and that is good. But agreements and laws must be honored and enforced, fairly and consistently, if they are to matter. As we know from the campaigns of the past against piracy and the African slave trade, new norms take root only when the power of enforcement stands behind them."

• Israel Seeks to Preserve Masada - June 14, 2004
After withstanding a Roman assault two millennia ago, the Masada desert mountain — where Jewish rebels chose suicide over capture — has begun crumbling under a harsh attack by Mother Nature.

• Little Brothers Like IP Cameras - June 07, 2004
New surveillance cameras allow anyone with a broadband Internet connection to keep a 24-hour watch on nearly anything from anywhere.

• Israel To Give Up East Jerusalem? - June 10, 2004
"No matter what platform they are elected on, Israeli leaders eventually discover the lure of unilateral concessions," said Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum. "Hope springs eternal that concessions bring about great benefits. In fact, every time tried during these last 12 years, it has brought disaster."

• G8 Mulls Expansion Plans - June 09, 2004
Faced with the growing importance of developing countries, the rich club of G8 nations mulled different ideas for holding regular talks with countries like China and India.

• G8 Wants World Peacekeeping Force - June 09, 2004
The Group of Eight industrial nations intends to help create a global peacekeeping force of more than 50,000 people over the next five to six years, senior U.S. officials say.

• Text of remarks by Michael Reagan at Friday's Burial Service - June 12, 2004
"...When he closed his eyes, that's when I realized the gift that he gave to me, the gift that he was going to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He had, back in 1988 on a flight from Washington, D.C. to Point Mugu, told me about his love of God, his love of Christ as his Savior. I didn't know then what it all meant. But I certainly, certainly know now..."

• Iran Massing Troops on Iraq Border - June 15, 2004
Iran reportedly is readying troops to move into Iraq if U.S. troops pull out, leaving a security vacuum.

• Australian Euthanasia Activist Promotes New 'Suicide Pill' - June 12, 2004
Euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke, the founder of Exit Australia, says he has come up with a recipe for a pill that provides "peaceful suicide."

• Debate Over Faith's Role In Healing Grows Strong - June 13, 2004
In the past decade or so, attempts to measure scientifically the effect of prayer on medical outcomes have become increasingly common, with attendant controversy. Meanwhile, dozens of medical schools now offer future physicians training in how to address patients' religious needs.

June 15, 2004

Report: Syria to cancel prohibition on recognizing Israel

'Black box' cam for total recall

Bush: No to 'Gay Pride Month'

Man tortured for preaching Christianity

Khobar terror chief boasts of killing Christians

June 14, 2004

The Vice Of Peace—U.S., Others Put Squeeze On Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon paid a huge price in passing the so-called "disengagement plan," and the U.S. intends to tighten the vice of peace around the covenant land of Israel in the process. A series of meetings were held this week where U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer intended to hold Sharon's feet to the fire for promises made in securing America's blessing.

The commitments included freezing construction in the settlements, evacuating unauthorized outposts and easing the freedom of movement of Palestinians. In addition, diplomatic sources said that Kurtzer asked that Israel delay completion of the security fence surrounding Jerusalem so as not to aggravate the Palestinians.

Insider's Take: The Bush Administration continues to tell Israel how they are to conduct their business when it comes to the covenant land of Israel. Surprisingly, the Bush Administration wants Israel to begin withdrawals from settlements prior to the election. This could be politically dangerous even if they are unauthorized. Accordingly, Sharon answers to President Bush and to a lesser degree the pro-Israel lobby in the United States. Who comes out on the short-end initially? The settlers. Who loses out in the long run? President Bush, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the U.N. Security Council members and any other world leader that forces Israel to divide God's covenant land. No world leader has the right to force Jews out of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Can you imagine God's covenant land being given to terrorists and enemies of the Jewish people bent on the destruction of the nation of Israel? Judgment will fall (Joel 3:2, and Genesis 12:3).

Sharon Sacrifices Settlers' Biblical Homeland For Elusive Peace Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon abandoned the Biblical view of Israeli covenant land for a shot at a practical peace, while buckling under world pressure and selling out his most ardent supporters. Sharon, once the champion of the some 200,000 settlers in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, sacrificed settler loyalty in an attempt to grasp an elusive peace with the Palestinian terrorists.

The betrayal was a work of art. Mr. Sharon, knowing he had only one last shot at spearheading his disengagement plan through, counted every possible path to success. He determined to lessen the risk of failure by firing the ministers in his cabinet who he knew would vote against him. He then gambled that opponents would be forced to compromise. Sharon's decisive political mastery paid big, cooling the heat applied by the U.S. and an aggressive Jewish American political lobby. Nevertheless, the pro-Israel lobby left nothing to chance, sending a message to Sharon and his warring government ministers: expect problems in U.S.-Israel relations if you can't approve a comprehensive Gaza withdrawal plan.

Yes, the disengagement plan found approval, but unity may have been fleeting as many sources say the Jewish community is more divided now than ever, especially those betrayed settlers in Gaza, Judea and Samaria.

Insider's Take: The pro-Jewish and replacement theology Christians look at the land in question as a practical and sensible solution to an ancient problem. Fundamental Christians and Orthodox Jews say the land of His Israel is not to be traded for promises of peace and security. History says there will be repercussions.

Again the devil's schemes divide people. Today we have the U.S. President, the UN, the EU, Russia, the Vatican, the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches and a majority of the Jewish population calling on the Israeli settlers to leave Judea and Samaria. Incredible!

My friend, Sondra Oster Baras, Director, Israel Office, Christian Friends of Israel said Sharon must understand that sacrificing the land and the settlers will only whet the appetites of the nations as they clamber for more, additional withdrawals. Sharon would be wise to take courage in the promises of God recorded in the Bible thousands of years ago--the words of the prophets that remind us of the everlasting right to this land. And the world leaders must know that it is their job to support Israel, not thwart her development. "On that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. . . And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12:8-9)

June 10, 2004

Q & A: Why is Israel so important in the world and in biblical prophecy?

Dr. John Ankerberg: A lot of people, Jimmy, are wondering why, when we talk about biblical prophecy and world events, we would even focus on the land of Israel. You are right there in Jerusalem. What is the connection between biblical prophecy, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and why are we starting with the nation of Israel?

Dr. Jimmy DeYoung: Well, Israel is God's timepiece, and we can understand exactly where God is in His prophetic scenario that is laid out for us in the Word of God by simply looking at Israel. The key to understanding all of prophecy is found in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 9 and verse 24, where He said, in effect, "I have a special plan for a special people in a special place." Those special people were Jewish people; that special place is the city of Jerusalem. As you focus on those two entities, the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish people, you will understand what God is doing and uniquely in this time in which we're living, God, who said He had a plan for Israel, is starting to bring that into fulfillment.

You know, I see in Ezekiel 37, John, that when He gave us the story of the valley of dry bones and then He explains what He was talking about when He was saying the bones are going to come together; the bones will have flesh upon them and then these flesh-covered bones will be filled with the breath of life. And He said, now, if you want to know what I'm talking about, the next verse, He said, "Those bones are the whole house of Israel." They'll be gathered. And out of 108 nations of the world, they have been gathered.

Since I've lived in Jerusalem as my full-time residency since 1991, we've seen 750,000 Soviet Jews immigrate, make hegira, to the land of Israel. Jeremiah 16, Jeremiah 23, Jeremiah 31, Zechariah 2 all said at the time of the end—we'll not talk about the exodus out of Egypt anymore, but instead we'll talk about the exodus out of the North, and that's when I'm gathering nations from all nations of the world.

Let me just tell one little story. May 24, 1991, as a journalist living in Jerusalem, I would monitor other news gathering organizations. That afternoon I was listening to the BBC. As I was listening, I heard somebody give a report about "Operation Solomon." I wasn't exactly sure what that was, but I got on the line to some of my unnamed sources, and I found out exactly, possibly at least, what it was talking about. So I made an educated guess and reported over a news network here in the United States, beating ABC, NBC, CBS, all of them by about two and a half hours. "Operation Solomon." Forty-two aircraft took off on a Friday. Now, airplanes don't fly in Israel on Friday. That's sabbat, that's the Sabbath. They took off; they flew to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Meanwhile, one of the most unbelievable logistics situations I've ever seen in my life—15,000 Ethiopian Jews were making their way towards the airport. Twenty-eight aircraft in the air at one time with the greatest airlift in 24 hours that the world has ever seen—15,000 Ethiopian Jews were transported to Israel.

By the way, interesting little story. One 747 that normally carries about 500 people taking up every seat. They had 1,087 people on the airplane, and while the flight was in the air from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Ben Gurion Airport, seven babies were born in the air. But as I saw this and as my wife and I went to greet these Ethiopian Jews making their way into the country, as we were talking to them, as we were endeavoring to help to feed them because they didn't know how to open a yogurt container or to crack a boiled egg, we were feeding them. Tears started to come in my eyes as I thought about Zephaniah 3:10 where it seems to allude at the time of the end God will reach into Ethiopia and bring His prize back to His land, back to Jerusalem. That's what we're seeing unfold right now in the city of Jerusalem and throughout all of Israel.

June 9, 2004

"Kurds' plight grips Scotland"

INSIGHT FROM THE FRONT LINES

[The following are quotes taken from a recent conversation the K-House eNews team had with an Army Specialist currently stationed in Baghdad. We asked him to describe the spiritual climate in Iraq:]

"There's a spiritual darkness in this country that's so thick. This kind of presence, this kind of air, it affects the way Christians talk to each other. It's hard to talk about God here. I know that God is here, and I know that God is protecting me. I can feel His presence with me, but the presence of evil just permeates this place. I know some people think that Allah and God are the same, but if Allah were this great, wonderful person, then this place wouldn't suck so bad.

"I recognize the depression people get here as spiritual. Satan doesn't want us to succeed, because if we did, then Christianity could get into this place. And yet, I know that God is protecting us. I know it. The fact that these mortar rounds don't hit us is a miracle every time. Sometimes they hit things, but nearly always they fall short.

"Every time I have to go out into the streets, I pray, 'God, will you please go with me and protect me,' and He does. I can feel His presence with me, and that's great. It takes away the fear and I know I'm going to be fine. I'm not afraid to die, but I want to live my life for God. I want to leave a legacy and bear fruit. I want to be able to help these people know Jesus.

"Pray that God reveals himself to [the Iraqi people], to let them know He exists and that He loves them. That's what these people need. Pray that God comes here and establishes Himself. Because the people of Iraq are scared - they're scared that when the Americans leave, the whole country will go to pieces.

"Iraq is never going to be what we want it to be until these people find Jesus."

PRAY FOR IRAQI CHRISTIANS

Iraq has a long history as a spiritual battlefield. In the earliest chapters of the Bible we find the people rebelling against God at Babel. In Daniel 10, we learn that it took three weeks for an angel to fight through spiritual enemies to give his message to Daniel at the Tigris ("Hiddekel") River. Throughout the Bible, the great city of Babylon is seen as a place of spiritual turmoil, full of wickedness. "And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints…" (Rev 18:24).

And yet, the area has not been a total loss. God called Jonah to preach to the people of Ninevah - now the town of Mosul in northern Iraq - and that wicked city repented. Hundreds of years later, Ninevah became the base for one of the largest group of Christians in the Middle East. These "Assyrian Christians" once spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the Middle East and into the Orient.

Now, however, as the July 1, 2004 deadline approaches for the Coalition to hand over power to the new Iraqi caretaker government, many members of the Assyrian church are packing up to leave Iraq. Many are fearful that with the new government in place, they will face increasingly heavier persecution from the extremist Muslims around them.

"In recent days nearly 400 families as far as we can tell have filled out baptismal forms to leave the country. Our community is being decimated," said one church deacon.

The most immediate concern the Christians have is Iraq's temporary constitution, which declares that Islam is "the Official Religion of the State." They also note with apprehension that not one position on the Executive Council was given to a Christian. The one ministry post to be filled by a Christian is the "The Ministry of Emigration", which many see as an ominous message to Christians to "get out."

Unfortunately, America. - in its respect for the Islamic nature of the region - has failed to do enough to protect the non-Muslim minorities. The U.S. has worked to make sure that the temporary constitution includes a "bill of rights" that would guarantee religious freedom, but the U.S.-funded television station still offers only Muslim programming, and no Christian priests were invited to the inauguration of the new government. The Iraqi Christians fear that the new government will not promote religious freedom in reality.

"We love the Americans!" said one young man. "We are so grateful for them removing Saddam and giving us back our freedom. We do not want their effort to be a failure if the dictatorship of Saddam is replaced by the dictatorship of Islam."

"We are having to take care of daily cases of harassment of Assyrians by Muslims," said one priest. "Our women are accosted on the street and intimidated to start dressing according to Islamic tradition, our business are being burned, and the constant harassment is because of the attitude of appeasement toward Muslims," he continued.

Moderate Muslims are also intimidated by the extremists around them, fearful about going against the religious leaders who exercise so much influence. A 34 –year-old Muslim translator named Zainab criticized the extremists:

"You see, this is the problem! This is our enemy! It is this 'black mind' that is the cause of all our troubles. It is not the Americans. They have come, they have given of their lives. We see them every day, working so hard with us to make things better. It is the 'black mind' that wants to destroy everything!

"It is the religious leaders that create this 'black mind'," she continued. "As you can see they are crazy! Can you imagine any religious leaders that would teach you to kill your son if he does not believe like you? Can you imagine any religious leader that would say a woman is worth only a 10th of a man? Can you imagine any religious leader that would ignore all Saddam did for 35 years of terror and condemn those who came to liberate us?

"Maybe 30% of the people are either those connected with Saddam and these with the 'black mind'. It comes from Islam. The vast majority of the people, of course do not think like this, but the 'black mind' intimidates them so they are afraid to say the truth."

"I am a Muslim but somebody must speak the truth."

Please continue to pray for the people of Iraq. Pray for the Christians, who are working to establish a network of "safe houses" in their community for those who stay. Pray that the power of God would enable them to be bold for the Good News of Jesus Christ in a land that desperately needs to hear it. Pray for the Muslims who are willing to seek a better way than dictatorial Islam. Pray for the soldiers, especially those who do know Christ, that they would be able to be a light to the common people of the land. Iraq is still a spiritual battleground, and the battle is not yet over.

• 'Thousands Starving in Darfur' - June 04, 2004
Some 300,000 people will starve, even if emergency aid is delivered immediately, according to the head of USAid. Some 10,000 people have died and a million made homeless in the conflict between Arab militias and oppressed rebels in Sudan.

• Bilderberg: The Ultimate Conspiracy Theory - June 03, 2004
On Thursday the Bilderberg group marked its 50th anniversary with the start of its yearly meeting. For four days some of the West's chief political movers, business leaders, bankers, industrialists and strategic thinkers hunkered down in a five-star hotel in northern Italy to talk about global issues.

• Humans Once Lived Right Past The Polar Circle - June 08, 2004
At some point in Earth's history, northern climates used to be warm and living conditions were remarkably beneficial. The conjectures in this article are very close to several Creationists' theories on what the earth was like before the Flood of Noah.

• Mobs Attack Four Churches Near Indonesian Capital - June 08, 2004
Mobs armed with sticks attacked four churches close to the Indonesian capital, injuring a minister and damaging pews and windows, police said on Monday.

• More Girls Push Retailers to Sell Modest Clothing - June 03, 2004
Many youngsters are frustrated by the profusion of racy teenage clothing, according to Buzz Marketing, a New Jersey-based firm that compiles feedback from teen advisers. Some have written to complain about the excess of tight, immodest clothes, and the clothing companies are listening.

June 8, 2004

Israel warns Lebanon after raid

Hizbollah Attacks Israeli Positions in Shebaa Farms

Arafat Says He Accepts Egypt's Security Demands

Palestinians glorify child 'martyrs'

Al Qaeda Warns of Attacks on Western Airlines

Thousands Flee as Indonesian Volcano Rumbles

UFO Sighting Alerts Portuguese Air Force

Crop circles as oracles

June 7, 2004

Over 172 Tornadoes Rip At The Heart Of America In Seven Days

· Sunday, May 23,2004: More than 80 tornadoes hammered the northern U.S. Plains and Midwest as a weather front stalled over the area. Unseasonably warm, humid air from the south collided with waves of low pressure on the front, said Oliver Lucia, meteorologist with Meteorlogix weather service. "That's just perfect ingredients to set things off," Lucia said.

· Sunday, May 30, 2004: The Midwest endured 92 tornadoes Saturday that killed three people and the weather onslaught continued Sunday with more deadly storms in Indiana. CNN reported that damage was light from the 92 tornadoes Saturday that struck a seven-state area -- Nebraska, Kansas, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Missouri and Mississippi.

Insider's Take: During a week of intense negotiations over the heart land of Israel between Sharon and the pro-settlement Cabinet members, and pressure from the White House; America experienced just 172-plus tornadoes over a seven-day period. The last major record-setting tornado outbreak was from May 1 to May 10, 2003, when 412 tornadoes devastated the Mid Western U.S. right after the Quartet (U.S., UN, the EU and Russia) delivered their Road Map to the Israelis and the Palestinians which was followed by a week of intense high-level negotiations. Followed by the largest terror event against U.S. property since 9-11 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May12 as Colin Powell was within hours of a meeting with Crown Prince Abdullah to update him on the status of the Road Map talks with the Israelis and the Palestinians the week before.
China Rethinking Military Composition After Seeing U.S. Roll Over Iraq

The eyes of China are watching as the most populous country in the world tries to solve the puzzle of how to take on the military might of the United States in a head-to-head conflict. And intelligence community operatives are saying the reds have learned a lot from the speed and agility U.S. ground forces demonstrated by toppling the Saddam Hussein regime in such short order.

An annual Defense Department report to Congress on Chinese military power indicated "The speed of coalition ground force advances and the role of special forces in (Iraq) have caused the People's Liberation Army theorists to rethink their assumptions about the value of long-range precision strikes, independent of ground forces, in any Taiwan conflict scenario."

Insider's Take: China is interested in dominating Southeast Asia not the world. If a nation attempts to interfere with that plan they will draw China's ire. China seriously perceives the U.S. relationship with Taiwan as internal interference. China reminded the United States in 1999 that Los Angeles would be considered a fair target for nuclear missiles if the U.S. interferes with China regarding Taiwan (The CIA has estimated China has 20 nuclear missiles, with 13 pointed at the United States). Since the Kosovo war in 1999, Russia and China have been cooperating militarily to offset U.S. military dominance. Russia is preparing silent submarines for China that are capable of disabling major naval carriers, which they believe will be needed in the event of a skirmish with the U.S. over Taiwan.

Is God In Or Out Of The European Union Constitution?

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." -- Hebrews 4:12

The European Union is finding out that embracing secularism is divisive and revealing of the thoughts and intents of the heart just as the Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews, especially when debating whether to acknowledge God in its new Constitution. The issue of whether the most ambitious document in European Union history should include a reference to the Continent's Christian heritage has become an emotional, theological wrangle over the meaning of culture, history and faith.

Last Friday, the foreign ministers of seven of the 25 European Union member countries, including two old members (Italy and Portugal) and five new ones (Poland, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and the Czech Republic), sent a brief letter to Ireland, the current holder of the European Union presidency, urging "a reference to the Christian roots of Europe," adding in less than perfect English: "The amendment we ask for is aimed to recognize a historical truth. We do not want to disregard neither the secular nature of the European institutions nor the respect of any other religious or philosophical belief."

Apparently in a gesture to Europe's Muslims and Jews, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain warned at the Brussels meeting on Monday against singling out religious tradition. "If we were to go down the road of making specific reference to one religious tradition, we have to bear in mind other religious traditions and reference to them as well within Europe," he told reporters.

Insider's Take: The E.U. is dangling on the balance beam of Constitutional politics as it attempts to mix secular demands with the Judeo-Christian heritage of member nations. Adding to the balancing act is the appeasement factor for the growing Muslim population and the need for Europe to kiss up to Arab oil producing nations. Ginger are the steps of the Euro-politicians who know that the Muslim population lingers in the shadows of any definition of "good and evil" in the E.U. Constitution.

Muslims first establish their base, they populate through immigration and childbirth. They work into the local systems and then when there are enough of them they go for control through disruptive and intimidating methods. Their "divide and conquer mentality" exists wherever they live and it will eventually be implemented throughout Europe. A total of about 23 million Muslims lived in Europe as of the year 2000--just over 3.5 per cent of its total population. There are over 7 million Muslims who live in Western Europe - some 2 per cent of the region's total population. As of 2000 there is an estimated 5 million Muslims living in France, 2 million living in Britain, and 2.5 million living in Germany. They are establishing their base and will continue to usurp more power and influence through craftiness and intimidation.

June 4, 2004

Sharon Sacks Two Cabinet Foes to Pass Gaza Plan

Arafat won't surrender security forces

Police bolster forces in Jerusalem due to terror threats

Pakistan tests ballistic missile

Russia poised to become oil king

Guess who's at super-secret Bilderberg meeting today

Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory

'Gay Pride' in holy city

June 3, 2004

Compromise in Works on Sharon's Gaza Pullout Plan

Israel tries to ease Gaza restrictions

Gay Parade in Jerusalem Thursday

OPEC Agrees to Output Increase to Ease Oil Price

Small quake shakes northern California

Storms Wreak Havoc Across South, East U.S.

Officials try to break up baptism

June 2, 2004

• Mossad Web Site Swamped in 1st Days - May 28, 2004
The new Mossad Web site launched this week has drawn not only an enormous amount of interest and applicants, but officials said the Mossad has been swamped with "tips" by the public willing to help the Israeli spy agency.

• Faith on the Front Lines - May 28, 2004
Journalist Sara Horn, with the help of former Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, has put together a book called A Greater Freedom. It tells stories of faith and courage during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Pharmacist in New York Refuses To Give Customer 'Morning After' Pill - May 21, 2004
Another pharmacist at an Eckerd drug store is coming under fire for his refusal to fill a prescription for a customer seeking the so-called 'morning after' pill. Three Eckerd pharmacists in Texas were fired in February when they refused to fill a similar order.

• Egypt Tells Arafat: Reform or be Removed - May 31, 2004
The Egyptian Intelligence Chief has reportedly warned Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to relax his grip on the reins of Palestinian power or face the possibility that Egypt and the US will cease to block Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from carrying out his threat to "remove" the chairman.

• Frustrated Palestinians Say Arafat Out Of Control - March 11, 2004
Recently, a growing number of Palestinian Arabs have spoken out against corruption, anarchy and lawlessness within the Palestinian Authority. While it is a less publicized phenomenon, some observers say it represents a significant development within Palestinian society.

June 2, 2004

PRAYER IN TWO CITIES

For Muslims in a small enclave in Detroit, it is the best of times. A local mosque will be using its loudspeakers to call all Muslims in the community to prayer - with the approval of the City Council. However, the City Council of a Pennsylvania town may soon forgo its opening spoken prayer in favor of a minute of silent prayer. While apparently unrelated, these two examples represent a mentality in America that encourages respect for diverse minority religions while seeking to silence Christianity. It is a double standard that is greatly tearing at America's highly valued freedom of religion.

In Coatesville, Pennsylvania, the City Council has long opened with a prayer and a salute to the flag. Recently, it was suggested that because Coatesville is a religiously diverse community, the council should open with a silent prayer. "Personally, I believe in spoken prayer," Councilwoman Carmen Green said in response to the suggestion. "But I know that my religious beliefs may not be the same as someone else's." She said she was willing to change her position if spoken prayer offended any of the town's residents. Even though each of the council members take turns writing the prayers, which are to be kept "universal" and non-denominational, some were concerned that agnostics or atheists could be offended by any spoken prayer at all.

Until last year, the Coatsville Area School Board opened with the Lord's Prayer, but their new president had it changed to a silent prayer for the benefit of those with different faiths.

Only a few states away, in Hamtramck, Michigan, the City Council agreed to allow the local al-Islah mosque to broadcast its call to prayer over loudspeakers. The council simply voted to alter Hamtramck's noise ordinance so that the call to prayer, normally made 5 times a day, would be considered legal. At least 630 residents signed a petition opposing the amendment to the noise ordinance, arguing that they did not want to hear the Muslim declaration of faith every day for a variety of reasons. The petition has stopped the amendment to the noise ordinance from being finalized and the issue will come before the people of Hamtramck for a vote. In the meanwhile, the al-Islah mosque is planning to go ahead with the calls to prayer.

"We're working to keep united. We're working to respect each other's traditions and enter into dialogue," said Rev. Stanley Ulman, pastor of a Catholic church across the street from the mosque.

Hamtramck is a traditionally Polish area completely surrounded by Detroit. In recent years a large influx of Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, Yemen and Bosnia have come into the area, so that only 23% of the current population is Polish. Those non-Muslim longtime residents are encouraged to respect the religious diversity of the area.

Founded on biblical principles, by primarily God-fearing men, America is country full of Christian people. Yet, minority religions have been allowed to flourish in this Christian nation. It can even be argued that because the country was founded on Christian principles it offers true religious freedom, freedom to be responsible before God for one's beliefs without government interference. That religious freedom has been one of the greatest blessings the country has had to offer its citizens. In recent years, however, freedom of worship has been offered to religious minorities while Christianity has found itself the object of constant discrimination - all in the name of 'diversity'. The double standard not only denies the Christian nature of a majority of American communities, but also threatens the very foundations of America's religious freedom.

June 1, 2004

Sharon tries to save Gaza pullout

Report: Egypt tells Arafat to step down

Palestinians expect Israel to evacuate Gaza by early 2005

Mubarak, Shalom to discuss easing of Arafat restrictions

Oil price surges after Saudi attack

Europeans get new medical card

Soldiers Find Strength in God's Word

May 28, 2004

Sharon, in Reversal, Proposes Full Pullout From Gaza Strip

Sharon, Seeking Showdown, Sets Vote on Gaza Pullout

Iyad Allawi Chosen as Iraqi PM

Pope Worries About 'Soulless' U.S. Life

Iran establishes unit to recruit suicide bombers

Bin Laden not running al-Qaida

Turkey Could Turn To Nukes After Iran

Six Killed in Northern Iran Earthquake

Cyclone Causes 140 Deaths in Myanmar

Looming Atlantic Hurricane Season Seen as Busy

Thousands Line Up to See Buddha Finger

New book series W.I.T.C.H. pushes witchcraft, astrology

Christian secession talk sparks flood of reaction

May 26, 2004

Sustainable oil? - By Chris Bennett - WorldNetDaily.com

About 80 miles off of the coast of Louisiana lies a mostly submerged mountain, the top of which is known as Eugene Island. The portion underwater is an eerie-looking, sloping tower jutting up from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico, with deep fissures and perpendicular faults which spontaneously spew natural gas. A significant reservoir of crude oil was discovered nearby in the late '60s, and by 1970, a platform named Eugene 330 was busily producing about 15,000 barrels a day of high-quality crude oil.

By the late '80s, the platform's production had slipped to less than 4,000 barrels per day, and was considered pumped out. Done. Suddenly, in 1990, production soared back to 15,000 barrels a day, and the reserves which had been estimated at 60 million barrels in the '70s, were recalculated at 400 million barrels. Interestingly, the measured geological age of the new oil was quantifiably different than the oil pumped in the '70s.

Analysis of seismic recordings revealed the presence of a "deep fault" at the base of the Eugene Island reservoir which was gushing up a river of oil from some deeper and previously unknown source.

Similar results were seen at other Gulf of Mexico oil wells. Similar results were found in the Cook Inlet oil fields in Alaska. Similar results were found in oil fields in Uzbekistan. Similarly in the Middle East, where oil exploration and extraction have been underway for at least the last 20 years, known reserves have doubled. Currently there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 680 billion barrels of Middle East reserve oil.

Creating that much oil would take a big pile of dead dinosaurs and fermenting prehistoric plants. Could there be another source for crude oil?

An intriguing theory now permeating oil company research staffs suggests that crude oil may actually be a natural inorganic product, not a stepchild of unfathomable time and organic degradation. The theory suggests there may be huge, yet-to-be-discovered reserves of oil at depths that dwarf current world estimates.

The theory is simple: Crude oil forms as a natural inorganic process which occurs between the mantle and the crust, somewhere between 5 and 20 miles deep. The proposed mechanism is as follows:

Methane (CH4) is a common molecule found in quantity throughout our solar system – huge concentrations exist at great depth in the Earth.

At the mantle-crust interface, roughly 20,000 feet beneath the surface, rapidly rising streams of compressed methane-based gasses hit pockets of high temperature causing the condensation of heavier hydrocarbons. The product of this condensation is commonly known as crude oil.

Some compressed methane-based gasses migrate into pockets and reservoirs we extract as "natural gas."

In the geologically "cooler," more tectonically stable regions around the globe, the crude oil pools into reservoirs.

In the "hotter," more volcanic and tectonically active areas, the oil and natural gas continue to condense and eventually to oxidize, producing carbon dioxide and steam, which exits from active volcanoes.

Periodically, depending on variations of geology and Earth movement, oil seeps to the surface in quantity, creating the vast oil-sand deposits of Canada and Venezuela, or the continual seeps found beneath the Gulf of Mexico and Uzbekistan.

Periodically, depending on variations of geology, the vast, deep pools of oil break free and replenish existing known reserves of oil.

There are a number of observations across the oil-producing regions of the globe that support this theory, and the list of proponents begins with Mendelev (who created the periodic table of elements) and includes Dr.Thomas Gold (founding director of Cornell University Center for Radiophysics and Space Research) and Dr. J.F. Kenney of Gas Resources Corporations, Houston, Texas.

In his 1999 book, "The Deep Hot Biosphere," Dr. Gold presents compelling evidence for inorganic oil formation. He notes that geologic structures where oil is found all correspond to "deep earth" formations, not the haphazard depositions we find with sedimentary rock, associated fossils or even current surface life.

He also notes that oil extracted from varying depths from the same oil field have the same chemistry – oil chemistry does not vary as fossils vary with increasing depth. Also interesting is the fact that oil is found in huge quantities among geographic formations where assays of prehistoric life are not sufficient to produce the existing reservoirs of oil. Where then did it come from?

Another interesting fact is that every oil field throughout the world has outgassing helium. Helium is so often present in oil fields that helium detectors are used as oil-prospecting tools. Helium is an inert gas known to be a fundamental product of the radiological decay or uranium and thorium, identified in quantity at great depths below the surface of the earth, 200 and more miles below. It is not found in meaningful quantities in areas that are not producing methane, oil or natural gas. It is not a member of the dozen or so common elements associated with life. It is found throughout the solar system as a thoroughly inorganic product.

Even more intriguing is evidence that several oil reservoirs around the globe are refilling themselves, such as the Eugene Island reservoir – not from the sides, as would be expected from cocurrent organic reservoirs, but from the bottom up.

Dr. Gold strongly believes that oil is a "renewable, primordial soup continually manufactured by the Earth under ultrahot conditions and tremendous pressures. As this substance migrates toward the surface, it is attached by bacteria, making it appear to have an organic origin dating back to the dinosaurs."

Smaller oil companies and innovative teams are using this theory to justify deep oil drilling in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, among other locations, with some success. Dr. Kenney is on record predicting that parts of Siberia contain a deep reservoir of oil equal to or exceeding that already discovered in the Middle East.

Could this be true?

In August 2002, in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (US)," Dr. Kenney published a paper, which had a partial title of "The genesis of hydrocarbons and the origin of petroleum." Dr. Kenney and three Russian coauthors conclude:

The Hydrogen-Carbon system does not spontaneously evolve hydrocarbons at pressures less than 30 Kbar, even in the most favorable environment. The H-C system evolves hydrocarbons under pressures found in the mantle of the Earth and at temperatures consistent with that environment.

He was quoted as stating that "competent physicists, chemists, chemical engineers and men knowledgeable of thermodynamics have known that natural petroleum does not evolve from biological materials since the last quarter of the 19th century."

Deeply entrenched in our culture is the belief that at some point in the relatively near future we will see the last working pump on the last functioning oil well screech and rattle, and that will be that. The end of the Age of Oil. And unless we find another source of cheap energy, the world will rapidly become a much darker and dangerous place.

If Dr. Gold and Dr. Kenney are correct, this "the end of the world as we know it" scenario simply won't happen. Think about it ... while not inexhaustible, deep Earth reserves of inorganic crude oil and commercially feasible extraction would provide the world with generations of low-cost fuel. Dr. Gold has been quoted saying that current worldwide reserves of crude oil could be off by a factor of over 100.

A Hedberg Conference, sponsored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, was scheduled to discuss and publicly debate this issue. Papers were solicited from interested academics and professionals. The conference was scheduled to begin June 9, 2003, but was canceled at the last minute. A new date has yet to be set.

• Government Drops 'Sex at 12' Proposal After Outcry - May 24, 2004
New Zealand's government has backed down on plans to decriminalize sex for children as young as 12 in certain cases, after the proposal sparked strong opposition and charges of "political correctness."

• Israel Waging Campaign to Present Its Side of the War Story - May 18, 2004
Facing tough international opposition, Israel is waging a public relations battle -- as its army fights in the Gaza Strip -- to make sure the world focuses on Israel's efforts to combat terrorism.

• Liberals Dominate News Outlets - May 24, 2004
A new study shows a far higher proportion of journalists describe themselves as "liberal" than the general population.

• Sinful Votes? - May 23, 2004
While several bishops have said Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should not receive communion, one bishop is taking it a step further, saying the same should be true for Catholics who vote for them.

• Text of President's Action Plan For Iraq - May 24, 2004
President George W. Bush Outlines Five Step to Help Iraq Achieve Democracy and Freedom.

• New Virginia Law Causes Some Gays To Consider Leaving State - May 22, 2004
Gays and lesbians are angry and even threatening to leave Virginia over a new law that will prohibit civil unions and could interfere with contracts between same-sex couples.

DID LIFE EVOLVE? DEFINING 'EVOLUTION'

Should evolution be taught as a scientific fact? Some scientists and educators and parents will say "Absolutely! Evolution is necessary for understanding many biological processes!" Others will say, "No! Evolution is a humanistic belief system that has been promoted as science!" In some senses, the first can be correct. In other senses the second can be correct. It all boils down to what people mean by the term "evolution".

There are a number of different concepts that can be used when talking about evolution. Unfortunately, many people do not stop to define the terms they are using when getting into discussions on evolution and teaching "evolution" in the classroom. Because of this, educators and parents and students can easily misunderstand one another. Below are some general terms often involved in discussions about evolutionary theory. Sorting these out can help one keep definitions straight when discussing origins and the value of "evolutionary" education in the classroom.

Change over time: The most basic definition of evolution is simply "the process of change or development over a period of time". Hence, music, cultures, sports teams all "evolve". In biology, classes of animals and plants have experienced marked change over dozens or hundreds or thousands of years. At one time, beavers were as big as today's bears, and ancient ground sloths once grew to be the size of oxen. There were once little three-toed horses and large cats with monstrous saber-like fangs. Over time, groups of animals diversify, as shown by the fossil record and common observation. This definition is extremely broad, and says nothing about what caused the change or where the beavers or sloths came from in the first place.

Descent with Modification: This term that Darwin used basically means that living creatures have the ability to create offspring like themselves, but with the potential for variation. Today, descent with modification is explained through the field of genetics and studies involving DNA, the coding mechanism of life. Through the code of DNA, creatures can produce offspring like themselves, yet with room for variation. Brown-eyed parents who have recessive gene coding for blue eyes can produce blue-eyed children. Cats can give birth to kittens with a range of characteristics, all in one litter, depending on the specific DNA coding passed on to each kitten by its mother and its father.

Adaptation: Sometimes an offspring receives certain traits or characteristics from its parents that allow it to survive in certain situations better than in others. Large-beaked finches adapt better to eating hard, large seeds, because their beaks are strong enough to crush them. Finches with long, thin beaks adapt better to getting food out of hard-to-reach places.

Survival of the Fittest: This basic concept promoted by Darwin argues that those organisms that are best able to adapt to a particular environment will live to produce more offspring. For instance, when there is plenty of food, all the finches on an island can do well. However, during times of drought, only the finches with the strongest beaks will be able to eat the hardest seeds, enabling them to survive and reproduce. If other finches with longer, thinner beaks can get seeds from places the rest of the finches can't, these will survive and reproduce. The other finches that can't compete for the food supply will die out. Soon, the "specialized" finches are reproducing more "specialized" offspring like themselves, so that obvious variations start showing up between the different groups of finches.

Natural Selection: Adaptation and Survival of the Fittest work together to create success among certain groups of creatures with certain genetic variations. "Nature" selects which ones survive based on which ones are best adapted to their environment and best able to overcome the competition. Natural Selection includes both ecological selection (overcoming competition for food, safety, shelter) and sexual selection (which guy gets the girl).

Genetic Drift: This refers to the way small populations of creatures end up reproducing and passing on their genetic information and becoming specialized even if they are not the best adapted to an environment. If all the competition got killed by a lightening storm or flood or avalanche, those left behind would continue to reproduce and survive, whether or not they were the best suited to survive otherwise.

Most of the above concepts can be seen regularly in nature and are largely beyond dispute. However, the following ideas start creating heavy debate:

Speciation: This term refers to the formation of new "species" over time, generally through the mechanisms of natural selection and survival of the fittest. When many people talk about "evolution", they often mean "speciation", arguing that through natural selection, entirely new species have been formed.

Whether this can be proven actually depends on the definition of the term "species" (and there is still a great deal of arguing among scientists over that one.) Usually, a species is considered to be a group that does not reproduce with other groups. Finches may become so specialized that they no longer mate with other kinds of finches. These can be considered a new "species" of finch.

Yet, evolutionists often extrapolate to argue that through these processes thousands or millions of years ago, finches evolved from some more generic form of bird, which evolved from some more generic form of vertebrate. The line should be drawn at the DNA evidence. What does the DNA allow for? How much genetic variation was originally available in the DNA of the earliest finches, and how can we determine it? Natural Selection can only work with the DNA code already present, and cannot create new DNA coding that did not previously exist. The specialized finches are still finches, and are not turning into some other kind of bird.

Mutation: To deal with this obvious problem of DNA coding, some evolutionary scientists have argued that through small mutations, new information can be added to the genetic code.

However, there is much debate over this issue. Mutations are naturally destructive and cause damage, and evolutionary scientists have been hard pressed to find "beneficial mutations". On rare occasion, a mutation can help a creature survive when it would otherwise not be able to, but only because the mutation has caused a malfunction. For instance, children with sickle-cell anemia are more resistant to malaria, but this is because their red blood cells are not functioning properly, (and large numbers still die from the sickle-cell anemia). Many "super bugs" in hospitals are immune to antibiotics -because they are actually mutated, sickly bacteria and can't function properly to take in the antibiotics. When put in competition with normal bacteria outside of a hospital setting, these "super bugs" can die off quickly.

The General Theory of Evolution: This is the popular but controversial idea that all life on earth started in a primordial soup, and that all the variation of life on earth arose through gradual evolution by way of mutation, adaptation, and survival of the fittest.

This is where the heavy argumentation over "evolution" is often focused. The general theory that all life on earth evolved from primordial microbes is based on philosophical beliefs about the nature of nature, on models, on extrapolations, and on guesswork – because it deals with theories about things that cannot be directly observed or reproduced. The best scientists can do is create models and work to fit the observable evidence to their models. In this sense, evolutionary theory is absolutely a "work in progress".

While many concepts in "evolutionary" science are useful in understanding genetics and the variations between species, it is important to recognize where observation ends, and where extrapolation and theorizing begin. Those in the information sciences recognize the vital importance of focusing on information and the genetic code, and of determining where the DNA code originated in the first place. Without a mechanism for adding information to the genetic code, natural selection and adaptation can only produce more specialized finches or dogs or horses, but they cannot tell us how finch or dog or horse DNA was programmed in the first place.

May 26, 2004

R.F.I.D. UPDATE

Radio Frequency ID tag technology received a major boost last year when Wal-Mart announced that it would be requiring its top 100 suppliers to fit cartons and boxes of their products with RFID tags by January of 2005. Last week at this year's Retail Systems conference in Chicago, Wal-Mart said they would be seeking to get 200 additional suppliers into RFID.

Right now, Wal-Mart is still in the RFID test phase. A few major suppliers like Hewlett Packard, Kraft Foods, Nestle, and Gillette have fitted boxes of their products with RFID tags and just 7 stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are using the tags to keep track of when products are moved from the back stock areas to the shelves. Only 21 (of 100,000) products are using the system, which allows empty boxes to be scanned, informing the central system that the products need to be replaced.

Kimberly-Clark, which produces brands like Kleenex, Huggies, and Scott paper towels, has found the RFID technology worthwhile not only in supplying Wal-Mart, but also in keeping its own warehouses running efficiently. Other suppliers find the RFID system expensive and complain that it simply duplicates the barcode systems they already have in place. Still, many realize that in the long term, RFID is going to replace barcode systems. Potentially, one day RFID tags could be placed on every item in every box in every store, enabling central computer systems of stores and manufacturers to keep exact tabs on inventory without having to manually count items or boxes.

In the meanwhile, however, RFID has a number of barriers to get over. The tags are still relatively expensive, from 35-70 cents each. Some analysts argue the price will eventually drop to close to 5 cents per tag, but that day is still a ways off. It also takes time for hundreds of manufacturers to integrate RFID tags into their inventory systems, even with major store chains like Wal-Mart pushing them.

Uniformity among tags is another major issue. Standards still need to be established so that all RFID tags contain the same basic kinds of information, and so that readers and tags all communicate in the same way.

Many privacy experts are also extremely wary of RFID tags because they can be scanned remotely – some from up to 20 feet away. These fear that one day people could be tracked simply by RFID tags embedded in the items they are carrying or even the clothes they are wearing.

Still, the tags are becoming increasingly popular. The Automotive Industry Action Group recently introduced a standard for using RFID tracking of tires and wheels. The tags would be used to track tires and wheels through the supply chain and also to track product performance. The airport authority of Hong Kong announced yesterday that one RFID manufacturing company, Matrics Inc., would be supplying Hong Kong International Airport with RFID tags for luggage and air cargo. One of the busiest airports in the world, Hong Kong International will soon be using the tags throughout the airport's baggage system to keep track of baggage and to increase security. There are even reports that Japan is working to develop RFID readers in sidewalks to help blind people.

California, Mississippi and Utah have introduced legislation that would require all RFID tagged items to be clearly labeled. Many consumers are concerned over the implications of RFID tag use. Some believe that Wal-Mart's efforts are invasive and do not want to purchase items that are tagged. "Laws can't keep up with the new technology," noted one woman. Wal-Mart spokesman Gus Whitcomb believes that, like bar codes "people just need time to become comfortable with it."

May 24, 2004

GOT R.F.I.D.? - By Mary Starrett - NewsWithViews.com

Have you taken home more from the store than you bargained for? Unwitting shoppers have arrived home with live, track able RFID-tagged items from their Wal-Mart "supercenters".

Just as news headlines declare the retail heavy-weight is posting double-digit profits for the first quarter we should take note of a sinister scheme being played out in stores like Dallas, Texas area Wal-Marts.

Now it seems, Wal-Mart -that insatiable super power of the retail world- has officially said to you, the consumer: "Drop Dead!" Last week, Wal-Mart began slapping live Radio Frequency I.D. tags on products at seven of their Dallas-Fort Worth area stores. To make matters worse, those tags aren't being de-activated at the register. What that means is the "spy chips", computer chips the size of a grain of sand, and track able at a distance have been affixed to the very products shoppers are carting home with them. No signs tell of this Orwellian setup and that alone should tell us something about the plan itself. See, industry research has shown time and time again that shoppers are overwhelmingly opposed to the use of this technology at the consumer level.

Proctor and Gamble, one of the biggies in this plot has done studies showing that 78% of consumers asked are worried about the privacy issues surrounding this technology.

Despite a call by over 40 privacy and civil liberties groups for a moratorium on the use of RFID chips on consumer goods, Wal-Mart's thumbed it's nose at you, the consumer.

Banking on apathetic shoppers, Wal-Mart continues the march toward tagging and tracking every item "on the planet".

Not only is Wal-Mart leading the way on the use of these chips but the leviathan chain has ordered 100 of it's largest suppliers to join the assault on consumer privacy as well. The woman who's sounded the alarm on this, Katherine Albrecht, founder of C.A.S.P.I.A.N. (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion And Numbering) has devoted an entire doctoral thesis at Harvard to outlining the dangers of a technology that tracks goods and thus the people who buy them. Albrecht says of Wal-Mart's efforts to pretend the chips(electronic product codes or ePC's) are simply "new and improved" bar codes that "when the world's largest retailer adopts a technology with chilling societal implications, and does so irresponsibly, we should all be deeply concerned."

To make matters worse, in addition to ignoring a call to refrain from using the track able tags in stores, Wal-Mart has begun a spin campaign they call "consumer education". The proof of their concern over potential shopper backlash can be seen on their website which is filled with half-truths and downright lies about what their foray into RFID is really all about.

Albrecht says "read the FAQs at the Wal-Mart corporate website ….the omissions and spin make it feel more like a calculated disinformation campaign." She adds that while Wal-Mart tries to defuse the privacy concerns by saying the tags only contain a number and are therefore benign, that would be "like saying someone's social security number is 'only' a number, so sharing it with perfect strangers should be of no concern."

Few people realize the connection between RFID tags and store "loyalty" cards, ATM and credit cards. Now that shoppers have gleefully given up their privacy to obtain a "savings" card at their favorite super market, corporations have seen just how easy it is to have people agree to accept a number to get food.

How easily they'll trade privacy for the illusion of saving big. (For a comparison of supermarket prices showing costs at stores with cards and costs at stores without cards, go to www.nocards.org). The purchases made by an individual are recorded. Even if shoppers use fake names, their purchases are linked over a period of time (again ,to find out how this is done go to www.nocards.org). Now add RFID and what you have is a way to identify YOU by a spy chipped product you've already purchased. You then become a track able entity each time you walk past a reader in a store. (Or airport? Or highway checkpoint?)

The Wal-Mart website states: "Eight manufacturers participating in first phase of RFID technology at the case and pallet level".

So that means this is just the beginning. Soon eight manufacturers will become 100 of the largest producers of retail products that will be tagged. The spin on this nightmare says "Wal-Mart expects new technology to benefit consumers…"

What Wal-Mart DOESN'T expect is for you to show them they're wrong. Let's give new meaning to the word BACKLASH by refusing to purchase ANYTHING at Wal-Mart. While we're at it I'd suggest telling the folks at Proctor and Gamble, Unilever, Max Factor, Kimberly Clarke, Gillette and Coca Cola, just to name a few, that we're wise to their intentions to jump on the RFID bandwagon and that we'll be watching. (www.spychips.com)

With RFID technology comes a most serious invasion of privacy when used at the consumer level- especially when it's done without any sign, label or notification.

Before this goes any farther tell Wal-Mart and the big corporations you're not willing to play "Tag".

AMERICA 2008 - By Jack Duggan - NewsWithViews.com

The selling point for implanting biochips beneath your skin is that they cannot be stolen. They can be used to access ATM's, pay bills, sign contracts, verify your identity--all without your wallet--and locate lost or kidnaped children. Should you, yourself, become lost or disabled, a global array of satellites will locate you, or any person who has been implanted with a SIB (Subdermally Implanted Biochip) anywhere on the planet.

A SIB can contain complete, valuable medical data about its wearer, saving lives in trauma cases. It can also index the wearer's criminal record, voting record, party affiliation, and level of access to government facilities and benefits, all without the wearer knowing exactly what's in there. Citizens will just have to take the government's word that everything is kosher.

Eventually, governments will insist that all citizens have SIBs. You will not be able to use your bank, open home utility accounts, nor sign contracts unless fitted with a SIB, for 'security purposes.'

One day, your car won't start and you won't be able to get a tow truck nor money to repair it because it your SIB chip is not working. The bank's ATM won't accept your SIB's code, yet you see it accepting the SIB's of other customers.

Your spouse will call from the grocery store, saying her chip also isn't working and she can't buy food for the kids. Once, stores accepted both cash and SIB's, but by edict of the Federal Reserve System, no one may use cash nor credit cards any more. All for reasons of 'national security' of course.

After hours of begging a government agency for an answer, it will turn out that a 20 year old clerk in Scumpond, Mass., put a hold on your whole family's chips because of an unpaid parking ticket attributed to your vehicle's license plate number.

You shout that you have never even been to Scumpond, Mass., but it falls on deaf ears. You are told that you will have to take the matter up with Ms. Dumklerk in person. You telephone the Scumpond City Hall Department of Revenue from your neighbor's home, as your own phone was just shut off because of your "criminal status." They tell you that Ms. Dumklerk is on a leave of absence, so you'll just have to be patient until she returns. No one else can help you, because Ms. Dumklerk encrypted access to all her files with her SIB code, which is against procedure, but they never had time to train her properly because they are underfunded and overworked.

You are told to call back in a four weeks, when Ms. Dumclerk might be back from the rain forest. Sorry.

Unable to buy or sell, you turn to family, friends and neighbors for aid. You need a car to get to work, food, diapers, milk, a kerosene heater for your house and candles, since the electric is shut off.

Your parents try to help, but they are immediately warned at the cash-less register in the store that they are not allowed to exceed their "fair share" in purchasing food and hardware for an elderly couple, which has already been calculated by the U.S. Department of Earth First. Sadly, they give you what little excess they had in their pantry, but it will only help your family for a few days. Ditto for your few friends and neighbors. After surrendering their small hordes, most give excuses, because they know what it means to fall under the scrutiny of the government for exceeding their "fair share" of the planet's resources, as scientifically defined by U.C. Berkeley.

After two weeks, the baby is whining for milk, the children are begging for food and your wife can't stop crying. You no longer can use a phone to call Scumpond. Your neighbor just told you that his telephone is off limits, since you caused it to exceed the time allotment authorized by the U.S. Department of Communications Conservation. He is now himself under resource scrutiny.

Desperate, with no options left, you remember the old unregistered pistol buried beneath your bedroom floorboards. Never in your life did you think you would stoop this low, but the baby is now screaming non-stop.

"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name."Revalation13:16-17(NIV)

Associated Press Trenton,
New Jersey TRENTON HERALD

Tuesday, November 25 - "A typically over-breeding Trenton terrorist, a father of six, was caught approaching an unnamed convenience store on Broad Street with a concealed weapon. Automated sensors sent an alarm to the Trenton Federal P.D. who immediately surrounded and arrested the terrorist. Fortunately, there were several TFPD agents in plainclothes within one block of the incident. As federal policy dictates, the terrorist's name is being withheld for national security purposes. He will be sent to the island of Guam for a trial by a U.S. Military Tribunal to determine all his accomplices and then be executed. As is mandated by federal law, his immediate relatives will also be terminated to remove the contamination of their defective, terrorist genes from society. All else who are discovered to have aided this terrorist cell will be sent to U.S. Department of Education camps in Ohio. Several neighbors are already under arrest by counter-terrorism SWAT agents.

U.S. Senator Hiram Walker has called for a Joint Investigation Committee to stop terrorist violence, as seen in Trenton, by retrofitting all SIB's with explosive charges so that federal police agents at the local level may interdict such crimes more immediately. He pointed out the multi-billion dollar savings to the tax payer if the practice of sending thousands of terrorists and their genetic carriers to Guam every month can be stopped because FPD units will have the great privilege to solve such problems locally with the new Explosive Subdermally Implanted Biochips (ESIB) on defective terrorist gene groups and their abettors. The Senator stated his supreme confidence that all straight-thinking citizens would welcome the new ESIBs in the name of national security. Senator Walker added that he anticipates no resistance by his constituents, because such objections would be unpatriotic and thus be in violation of the Amended USA P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act."

Is West Nile virus Saddam's revenge?

'Dozens killed' in Sudan attack

US: More oil from Saudi Arabia

Christians look to form 'new nation' within U.S.

May 23, 2004

Strategic Trends 2004 (Update) - by Chuck Missler

Last month we began a review of the ten Strategic Trends that will impact our families, our careers and our country in the coming months and years. We covered Trend #1, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Trend #2, The Rise of Islam, in last month's issue. This month we'll tackle Trend #3, The Rise of a European Superstate, and Trend #4, The Rise of China.

Trend # 3 - Rise of a European Superstate

The European Union has moved forward in its attempt to unite Europe politically and economically. It has succeeded in unifying and strengthening its economic market, creating a common currency, and establishing both a European legislative and judicial system. It has been suggested by some that the European Union may be the "revived Roman Empire." Thus it is interesting to note that the introduction of the Euro is the first time since the days of Caesar and the Roman Empire that Europe has had a common currency. Others have tried, most notably Napoleon Bonaparte, but none were successful.

Over the last few years we have watched closely as the European Union has emerged as a growing world power. The value of the Euro has surpassed that of the dollar, and this month the EU will welcome ten new members, increasing its influence in the UN and expanding its potential for growth. The bitter debate over Iraq between the United States, Germany, and France has been seen by many as a foreshadow of what is to come: a battle in which the EU, led by France and Germany, is positioning itself to surpass the United States as the dominant world power.

Unfortunately, the EU Constitutional Summit has yet to draft a document everyone can agree on. The biggest controversy has been over the appropriation of votes and, thus, the balance of power (we covered this in our March 2004 issue of Personal UPDATE).

The fight for power within the European Union, and the EU's battle for power on the international level, will continue to be a major factor in world politics. There are still many obstacles the European Union must face on the road to solidarity, but in the eyes of some they have already accomplished the impossible: the once impenetrable wall between east and west, communist and free, is now gone, and in its place is a growing economic and political force.

Turkey's Acceptance Is Still Uncertain

In December, European Union leaders will decide whether or not to consider Turkey an official candidate for membership in the EU. As a relatively poor country, as a Muslim country, and as one that oppresses minorities and abuses human rights, Turkey has met repeated obstacles in its long effort to gain acceptance by the EU.

While membership possibilities had been looking up for Turkey, on April 1st the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a report that rejected starting membership negotiations with Turkey. The report stated that while Turkey has made some good progress at reforms, it still has quite a ways to go. The country still has a problem with human rights abuses, the MPs pointed out. The use of torture, discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities, and a lack of freedom of expression are still major issues. While the report is not legally binding, it sends a clear message to Ankara that its candidacy is not yet a done deal.

There are other concerns as well. The EU is not sure how well it can absorb such a large, fairly poor country. Many also fear that admitting Turkey into the EU could increase Islamic fanaticism in Europe.

However, Polish analyst Aleksander Smolar, head of the Stefan Batory Foundation in Warsaw, argues that it might be helpful to bring the Muslim nation into the EU. "Accepting Turkey in [the Union] would be the best manifestation to the Muslim world that Europe is not about the clash of civilizations, that Europe is not looking for confrontation with the Muslim world, and also, a factor which is very important is that giving this prize [of membership] to Turkey would be an award for democratic transformation and modernization on the largely Western pattern," Smolar said.

Still, France's new Foreign Minister Michel Barnier told Parliament recently that France was strongly in opposition to Turkey's EU entry. Turkey still needed to implement reforms to ensure an independent judiciary and full human rights for all of its citizens, he said. "Turkey does not respect the conditions, even if it is preparing to do so," Barnier said, adding that there was "no question" of Turkey's joining the EU "under current circumstances."

Alain Juppé, a close associate of French President Jacques Chirac, said that countries like Turkey, on the edge of Europe, "have no business joining (the EU), otherwise it will be diluted."

Turkey does have strong support from Germany and the U.K., but France's veto power could prevent Turkey from starting membership negotiations at the end of the year. The question of Turkey's EU candidacy promises to be a major dividing issue in Europe for the remainder of the year.

Trend # 4 - The Rise of China

Next on our list is Trend #4, The Rise of China. Once content with isolationism, China is now asserting itself as a global, fully communist, nuclear superpower. The "red dragon" no longer sleeps, and with its eye on reclaiming Taiwan and strategic alliances with Russia and North Korea, China can no longer be ignored.

In recent years, China has bought, borrowed, or stolen technology which has catapulted its military capabilities into the modern high-tech arena. No one can match China in sheer number of people, and now it can challenge most of the world in technological achievements. China has been accused of sharing weapons technology with North Korea, Pakistan, Libya, Iran, and other countries. Beijing is also expected to share its space technology with North Korea in preparation for a war with the U.S. that China believes is inevitable.

Appetite for Energy

For years China has been primarily self-sufficient in providing for its energy needs, but that's over now. After years of drilling, China's main oil fields are badly depleted and costs per barrel have crept up steadily. At the same time, China's economy is shifting into overdrive. Consumption, business investment, and government spending are running at full throttle.

China, an oil exporter only a decade ago, has acquired a voracious appetite for foreign oil. Last year China used more that 5.4 million barrels a day, eclipsing Japan as the world's second-largest oil consumer, although still far behind the U.S., which uses about 20 million barrels a day. China's hunger for oil and other forms of energy will create great obstacles for Beijing and the global economy.

Some experts are afraid the need for fuel will cause China to enter into oil-for-arms alliances, selling weapons technology to countries who support terrorism. Whether it is oil from the mid-East or oil piped into China from Siberia (which is also being sought by Japan), China must find an answer for its energy crisis. As many as two-thirds of China's provinces have already suffered severe power outages. China's energy crisis could cause severe damage to international stability.

Oil Supplies Limited

In 1956 geologist M. King Hubbert predicted that U.S. oil production would peak in the early 1970s. His projections were highly controversial, but he proved to be right (since 1985, the U.S. has produced slightly more than Hubbert's projection, largely due to successes in Alaska and in the far off Gulf Coast.) The peak year for global oil production is now estimated to be between 2004 and 2008. This is a trend worth watching in itself

May 21, 2004

Justice minister: Arafat may be next

7000 Muslim worshipers attend Temple Mount prayers

Israel and the EU to renew negotiations in June

FBI warns of possible suicide attacks

IMF: China has No. 7 GDP in the world

Eastern Temple wall in danger of immediate collapse - Etgar Lefkovits, Jerusalem Post International

The eastern wall of Jerusalem's Temple Mount is in danger of immediate collapse, which could cause a 'domino effect' and bring down other sections of ancient compound, the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority Shuka Dorfman said Tuesday.

The rare public warning, made at a meeting of the Knesset's Interior Committee, came one month after a team of senior Egyptian and Jordanian engineers began to carry out tests to determine the stability of the eastern wall.

Dorfman's first public comments on the issue Tuesday followed a classified report issued by the Israel Antiquities Authority earlier this year, which stated that the 2,000- year-old wall was in danger of immediate collapse as a result of a February earthquake that rattled the region. The report says that the February 11 earthquake damaged the eastern wall of the Temple Mount to such an extent that sections of the wall are liable to cave in on the underground architectural support of the mount, known as Solomon's Stables.

New cracks and movements in the already fragile wall were discerned by archaeologists following the earthquake, the report states.

The six-person team who conducted a survey last month, which included four Egyptian engineers and geologists and two architects from Jordan, was summoned to Jerusalem at the behest of the Jordanian government,

The Jordanians, who have been charged with the ongoing repair of a bulge on the southern wall over the last year, have become increasingly involved in Temple Mount issues after nearly a decade when they were sidelined at the site by the Palestinian Authority.

A representative from the prime minister's office told the Knesset committee that staff work was underway on the matter.

Dorfman's public warnings over the danger to the eastern wall mirrored concern among Israeli archaeologists over the possible collapse of the southern wall in the fall of 2002 following months of bickering between Israel and the Wakf over who would repair the bulge, a dispute which was resolved with the Jordanian involvement.

Israel maintains overall security of the site, while the Wakf, or Islamic Trust, is charged with day-to-day maintenance at the compound. The Wakf director, Adnan Husseini, has previously asserted that there is "no problem" at the eastern wall.

Israeli archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority have not been carrying out routine supervision at the site for more than three years, despite the reopening of the ancient compound to non-Muslims last year, due to concern over renewed Palestinian violence at the site.

"Our ongoing demand for the renewal of full archaeological supervision of the site is needed now more than ever after it has been proven yet again that the direct result of the lack of such inspection on the Temple Mount is further antiquities damage as well as physical danger," said Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, a leading mount expert and a senior member of the non-partisan Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount.

At the Knesset meeting Tuesday, committee head Yuri Shtern (National Union) called on the prime minister to have an authorized Israeli team carry out the needed repair work at the mount's eastern wall, as opposed to the foreign team at work on the southern wall.

May 20, 2004

Israel Forces Expands Gaza Operations After UN Condemnation

Israel court convicts Palestinian leader of murder

Eastern Temple wall in danger of immediate collapse

Militants vow to kidnap troops to exchange them for Barghouti

Satan's sins in virtual church

Israel fights back - By Joseph Farah

We live in a highly secular age when we're not supposed to talk in terms like "evil" any more.

But how can one characterize actions like the beheading of Nick Berg last week without using that term?

How can one describe the attack in Gaza two weeks ago when Arabs stopped the car of a young mother of four and, with automatic rifle fire, killed her, her unborn child and all four of her kids?

How can one characterize what happened to this nation on Sept. 11, 2001, without using that word?

Evil should be more real to us in the 21st century than ever before. So I don't know why we shy away from using the word.

We all recognize there are bad people around us.

That's why we put locks on our doors, build fences around our properties, pay police forces to protect us and arm ourselves to defend our families from wrongdoers.

But somehow, when it comes to international relations, we pretend there aren't bad peoples, bad nations, entire groups of people sworn to do evil.

Some prefer to believe that nearly all disputes in the world can be solved through diplomacy.

Have you ever tried diplomacy when you were being mugged?

It doesn't work.

The only thing that works is force. The only thing that works is fighting back. The only thing that works is winning the battle – whether it's with the help of others, the help of a weapon or your own self-defense skills.

It's true with nations, too.

I finally figured out why there is so much media attention on and so much Arab criticism of two recent actions by Israel – the building of a security fence and the killing of two terrorist leaders.

Do you know why the firestorm?

Because they are working.

As amazing as it might seem, since the first part of that security fence was completed in March, there has not been a single successful suicide bombing in Israel.

And, of course, despite all the hyperbolic warnings about revenge for the killings of Hamas leaders Sheihk Ahmed Yassin and Abdul Aziz Rantissi, there has not been a single successful suicide bombing attack in Israel since those targeted assassinations either.

Perhaps most tellingly, not a single suicide bomber has infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip, which has been surrounded by a fence similar to the security perimeter being constructed along the West Bank.

Israel is doing just what we do in our own personal lives to protect ourselves. It is building fences to protect its civilians from hostile neighbors and it is punishing mass murderers with execution.

It's the right of any nation to defend itself and that is what Israel is doing. Israel is militarily capable of destroying its enemies – all of them. But it does not. It shows restraint – even in the face of murderous provocation.

There's a lesson for all of us in this recent experience.

We can't solve all of our problems through negotiations – no matter how hard we try. Sometimes we just have to defend ourselves. Most of us know this in America. There was near-unanimous support for the invasion of Afghanistan. There was strong support for the invasion of Iraq.

But it's a political season, and now power-hungry opportunists are tearing at the fabric of our society, dividing us while our troops fight to protect us and our way of life.

They say we should have tried harder to convince other nations to join us. They say we didn't give diplomacy enough time. They say we as a people are arrogant. They say we are being as mean and cruel and evil as the enemies we overthrew.

Personally, I'm getting sick of these compromisers with evil, these appeasers of terrorism, these weak-kneed, blame-America-first whiners.

You know what I say?

Learn from the Israelis. It's time to build more fences and kill more terrorists. That's a policy that works.

May 19, 2004

MARRIAGE IN MASS

Last November, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to legalize same-sex marriages and, after the Supreme Court on Friday declined to intervene, the law officially went into affect this Monday. Over a thousand lesbian and gay couples lined up to apply for marriage licenses in the first U.S. state to offer them to same-sex couples.

Across the country, family groups are concerned about the implications of the Massachusetts decision and how it will affect their own states. The Illinois Family Institute is expecting to see similar efforts made by homosexuals in Chicago, with negative consequences for traditional marriage and families. Family Institute Executive Director Peter LaBarbera is concerned about the increasing normalization of the homosexual lifestyle as it is presented to children in the school system. If gay marriage is a "right", then both homosexual and heterosexual marriages will be treated as equally valid choices, giving added legitimacy to the highly risky homosexual lifestyle. Treating a lifestyle choice as a civil rights issue is also an insult to African Americans and their historical fight for equal rights, LaBarbera pointed out.

One major concern is that same-sex couples will travel to Massachusetts for marriage licenses and will then return home to their various states, where they will fight to have their marriages legally recognized. While Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney argues that his state only allows state marriage licenses to be issued to Massachusetts residents, that law is expected to be challenged by out-of-state gay couples. The decision in Massachusetts has many state legislatures already seeking to pass laws that define "marriage" as between one man and one woman only. The Cherokee Nation even jumped into the fray recently after a lesbian couple in Oklahoma received a tribe marriage license application. Cherokee Nation officials are quickly working to clarify their laws to limit marriages to heterosexual couples.

While the battle appears to be over in Massachusetts, homosexual marriage opponents have joined together to fight the Mass. Supreme Court decision. A state constitutional amendment is being championed which would ban homosexual marriage, but allow same-sex "civil unions" like Vermont. The amendment is not expected to go to vote, though, until at least 2006.

In the meanwhile, The Federal Marriage Amendment (S.J.RES.30), which would amend the U.S. Constitution to define "marriage" as between one man and one woman, has received heavy condemnation by the homosexual lobby. In March, the resolution was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, where it has remained. Only continual strong support for such an amendment will be able to induce Congress to pass it in the face of strong homosexual activism.

The basic argument that homosexuals are "born that way" is widely believed but does not have the scientific support many people think it does. Environmental factors play a significant role in causing young people to have homosexual feelings. While those struggling with homosexual attractions deserve compassion and assistance, legitimizing an aberrant sexual lifestyle – one that is often high risk – ultimately sabotages the family as the cornerstone of a healthy American society.

May 18, 2004

MORE BOMBINGS

While Israel has had to live with suicide bombings and explosions in its battle to exist, most of the rest of the world expects the terrorists to stay in other people's backyards. Unfortunately, terrorism did not start with Israel and did not end on September 11, 2001. This week, another series of bombs have been used by those who work to use terror to gain political advantage.

Chechnya:

The Moscow-backed leader of Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, was killed by a car bomb on Sunday at a stadium where Victory Day was being celebrated in honor of Hitler's defeat. The explosion killed 6 people and wounded 60. Shamil Basayev, a rebel warlord who goes by Abdullah Shamil Abu Idris, claimed responsibility for the bombing and promised more attacks against "Russian collaborators" in Chechnya.

Turkey:

In honor of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit, four bombs exploded at British banks in Turkey – two at branches in Istanbul, and two at branches in Ankara. Nobody was injured, but the bombs sent a message that Blair was not welcome. In the first visit to Turkey that a British Prime Minister has made in 14 years, Blair went to offer Britain's support of Turkey's effort to enter the European Union. Sixty people were killed last November when suicide bombers attacked another British bank in Turkey, as well as two synagogues and the British consulate in Istanbul.

Baghdad:

A bomb exploded outside the compound of one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces on Monday, killing at least six people, including the head of Iraq's Governing Council. The Shi'ite Muslim known as Izzedin Salim was in a car that was last in a line of vehicles in a Governing Council convoy. He was just about to enter through a checkpoint into the "Green Zone" when the suicide car bomb exploded, tearing through pedestrians, cars and minibuses.

Israel:

It is interesting to note the lack of successful suicide bombings in Israel over the past several weeks - not since Hamas leader Aziz Rantisi was killed.

Perhaps Israel understands the terrorists better than much of the rest of the world?

Israelis sweep through Gaza camp

Israel Kills 13 Palestinians in Big Gaza Raid

Jordan's king urges Arafat to weigh stepping aside

Syrians, 'equipment' were in N. Korea train blast

Oil Prices Surge; Gas Prices Hit Record

May 17, 2004

Israeli forces deploy in Gaza

Palestinian PM Urges U.S. to Halt Gaza Demolitions

Rice Meets With Palestinian Prime Minister

Baghdad blast kills Iraq leader

Russia Pledges to Finish Iran Reactor

Beijing threatens Taipei with destruction

Same-sex couples ready to make history in Massachusetts

May 14, 2004

Israeli body hunt sparks clashes

Israelis Kill 5 Palestinians During Hunt for Bodies

UN urges restraint after Gaza killings

Shalom: Israel must bring about new Palestinian leadership

US seeks to reassure Palestinians

Christian groups say ties with Israel 'worst' ever

North Korea accuses US of war plans as nuclear talks begin in Beijing

Religious riot rages in Nigeria

Hubble sees 'planet' around star

Infrared picks up invisible UFOs

May 12, 2004

• News Media's Credibility Crumbling - May 08, 2004
A recent Gallup Poll says Americans rate the trustworthiness of journalists at about the level of politicians and as only slightly more credible than used-car salesmen.

• Despite Privacy Fears, Library Board Approves Microchips to Track Books - May 07, 2004
Critics of the proposal argue that the microchips, called radio-frequency identification devices, or RFID, could be used by the government to track San Francisco residents, their reading habits and their personal information.

• Israeli-U.S. Laser Downs Long-Range Missile in Test - May 07, 2004
A laser beam under joint Israeli-U.S. development destroyed a long-range rocket for the first time in a test in the skies over the American Southwest, Israel's Defense Ministry said on Friday.

• Union Denies Benefits to Gay Couples - May 11, 2004
Anticipating the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts next week, trustees and administrators of the benefit plans of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 issued a clarification of the phrase "dependent spouse" to mean "a person of the opposite sex."

• Despite Bush's Worry, Arafat Says 2005 Is Realistic Date for Palestinian Statehood - May 09, 2004
Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, said Saturday it was still possible to establish a Palestinian state next year despite the stalled Middle East peace efforts. His remarks came in response to comments by President Bush, who said the timetable now appeared unrealistic.

• Uruguay Senate Rejects Effort to Legalize Abortion, Pro-Life Victory - May 05, 2004
Last Wednesday the Uruguay senate voted down a proposal that would have made the South American nation the first Latin American country other than Cuba to legalize abortion.

• S Korea's Zealous Mid-East Missionaries - May 06, 2004
South Korean churches - whose work was highlighted recently by the kidnapping of South Korean missionaries in Iraq - say they have a sacred duty to spread their faith in the Middle East, despite the dangers.

May 11, 2004

Six Israelis Killed in Worst Gaza Ambush Since 2002

EU working to resume talks between Israel, Palestinians

Iran: We retaliate if Israel hits our nuclear facilities

Syria ready to 'defend' itself against U.S.

Syria not worried over US sanctions

Greek pagans battle government in fight for rites

Forced conversion to Islam fatal for Christian boy

May 10, 2004

Mofaz calls Gaza settlements "historic mistake" as Sharon readies plan

Israel demolishes 13 Gaza houses

Israeli forces catch Palestinian woman with 15-kg bomb

Israeli Defense Minister Warns Hezbollah Attacks Will be 'Catastrophic for Syria and Lebanon'

Israeli Minister Wants Damascus Bombed

U.S. House Calls For Stopping Iran's Nukes By All Means

Tornadoes, Hail, Funnel Clouds Hit Minnesota

May 6, 2004

• Evolutionary Theories on Gender and Sexual Reproduction - May 03, 2004
If, as evolutionists have argued, there is a materialistic answer for everything, then the question should be answered: Why sex? Is sex the product of a historical accident or the product of an intelligent Creator?

• New Poll: Pro-Abortion March Does Not Reflect Majority of Americans - April 30, 2004
Forty-nine percent of Americans call themselves pro-life, and 45 percent say they are pro-choice. Even the majority of the younger generation of 18 to 29 year-olds call themselves pro-life, almost 52 percent. And 65 percent agree that abortions should not happen after brain waves are detected, while 74 percent said tax money should not pay for abortions.

• US Global AIDS Tsar Defends Focus on Abstinence - April 22, 2004
"The message to young people in the schools is not either 'Be abstinent or here are condoms, take your pick'. It is a message of 'Be abstinent'. Delaying sexual activity is a means of eliminating the risk of infection."

• Marines Find Faith Amid the Fire - April 29, 2004
Battlefield baptisms are not unusual among front-line troops, said Navy Lt. Scott Radetski, the battalion's Protestant chaplain. "When chaos shows its head," Radetski said, "we need an anchor for our faith. You need that rock that God promises to be. I consider it an honor to fulfill their request."

• Sudan Wins Reelection to UN Rights Panel, US Walks Out in Protest - May 04, 2004
Sudan won reelection to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) despite concerns about its record in the strife-torn western region of Darfur, prompting a forceful protest from the United States.

• Hungarians Celebrate EU Entry Despite Fears Of Future - May 03, 2004
Huge crowds have been celebrating Hungary's entry into the European Union, Saturday, May 1, fifteen years after it became the first Soviet satellite state to break with Moscow.

• Breastfeeding Improves Survival Chances - May 04, 2004
An analysis of a nationally representative sample of about 9000 US babies found that breastfeeding decreased the risk of dying from any cause by about 20 per cent. Based on the findings, the researchers estimated that about 720 infant deaths would be prevented annually if all American women breastfed their babies for the first year, the researchers said.

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