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On the subject of world...
Back to page topOn the subject of world news, I've been following a blog posting on our Website for the past couple weeks.
Interestingly enough, various other media outlets around the world have followed this, too. Nice work to the one who posted it. Way to stay ahead of the news.
Go to the blog discussion titled "Merger with Mexico and Canada?"
for an opinion on the subject. What's your opinion?
Terrorists target Arizona...
Back to page topTerrorists target Arizona base
The Washington Times is running a story today that reads like a movie or television script.
According to the story, Mexican drug cartels have been smuggling Afghan and Iraqi terrorists and their high-powered weapons into the U.S. through underground tunnels.
Some of the terrorists are allegedly here.
The terrorist's target is Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center. Fort Huachuca lies about 20 miles from the Mexican border and has members of all four service branches training in intelligence and secret operations. About 12,000 persons work at the fort and many have their families on base.
Don't just take my word for it. Read the story at the following link, and start asking our legislators what they're doing to secure our borders and fight the war on terror.
www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NATION/11126...
By the way, Congressman Ron...
Back to page topBy the way, Congressman Ron Paul was asked a question in the Republican Presidential debate on Wednesday night, Nov. 28, about the United States merging with Mexico and Canada.
The question was whether or not he believes the U.S. is gradually losing its sovereignty and being merged with Canada and Mexico under the cover of darkness by a group of secretive, elite, internationalist power brokers.
He dodged a direct answer but instead pointed to a lot of indicators that the countries are stealthily being transformed into the North American Union.
A merger with Mexico and...
Back to page topA merger with Mexico and Canada?
Many politicians and employers have been doing everything possible to make this happen. Since they know the American people won't go for this at the ballot box, they have resorted to attempting to change the DNA of the United States, in order to force this end result upon us. Employers continue to leave the magnet in place that draws illegals here because they want cheap labor. Some of their profits flow to politicians, who won't let Federal and State law enforcement agencies enforce immigration law. In turn, law officers offer countless excuses for not doing their job - to deport illegals once they're identified. There is far less talk of enforcement in the workplace as opposed to at the border. This is entirely predictable. What many politicians and government bureaucrats won't talk about is the fact that the magnet can be turned off very quickly, by simply enforcing workplace laws, which in turn would cause illegals to go back their home country.
If employers (under pain of penalty) were forced to compare names associated with Social Security numbers given by employees with the names and numbers on record at the Federal Social Security Administration, fraudulent users of Social Security numbers can be identified in a hurry and terminated from employment, since they have no right to it. (Heck, employers might even want to report these people to ICE). But very few employers are now utilizing this option. The more honest ones admit that they simply can't compete with other employers who will do anything to save on labor costs. So there is very little utilization of Social Security verification.
Meanwhile, the very soul of America is being transformed by a minority of manipulative politicians, backed by greedy employers large and small, and chambers of commerce almost everywhere. If these groups can resist enforcement of the law long enough, they will have succeeded in changing America as we know it, from a land of English-speaking legal immigrants and opportunity to a nation transformed by an invasion of illegal immigrants. So they continue to flow across the border, knowing that they have already accrued significant political power in the United States, and the Spanish-speaking subculture that now dominates Los Angeles Chicago and other cities is growing. The long term goal is a merger of the three countries, even though it's not what the majority of Americans want.
Can anyone doubt that once this is in place, we will be told by politicians and judges that we are obligated morally and legally to bring the standard of living of Mexicans and Canadians up to that of the United States? The end result will inevitably be a huge decrease in the standard of living of Middle America!
Mr. Adams, Why would you...
Back to page topMr. Adams,
Why would you even ask the question, "If the American people are in the dark about what’s going on in the rest of the world"? Does a report in the French press in 2008 have any credibility? The French had no credibility in 2002 when they questioned the position of our government on what needed to be done in Iraq and what danger Iraq posed for the U.S. and the free world, apple pie and mother. When the French questioned our intelligent reports, Our Sec. of State Colin Powell held up evidence that proved our position in the U.N., our congress defended our position by changing the name French Fries to Freedom Fries, discrediting the French, thus saving the world for democracy. Fox News will give a fair and balanced assessment of the world politics.
As for U.S politics, we have the best Government money can buy. It may not be the cheapest, but votes are a limited resource and have a great monetary value. Number of people well-versed in U.S. politics, one third is just a little high; it is closer to 32%. Out of our 50 states, 16 states send more money to the U.S. Government that they get back. Minnesota is one of the 16, we get back 70 cents for every dollar we send the U.S. government. Compared to a state like Mississippi that gets back $1.82 for every dollar they send the government. They obviously have no idea of what’s going on. South Dakota, another state without a clue gets $1.42 for every dollar they send the U.S. Government. In most cases it is easy to see what states know about U.S. politics. They government has color coded them. The system is not perfect they made a couple of mistakes, but the rule of thumb, (The non-well-versed states) the ones who have a negative balance in financial support of our U.S. Government, the Flag, Mom, Apple Pie and the U.S. Military, are color coded Red. The 16 well-versed states are color coded Blue.
Most American don’t have to worry about U.S. politics; G.E., Exxon, Enron, Haliburton, Mortgage, Health Care, Pharmaceutical, and Credit Card corporations will operate the U.S. Government in their (strike that) our best interest.
U.S. Attorney General...
Back to page topU.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned. The likely temporary replacement for Gonzales is Solicitor General Paul Clement.
The Justice Department planned a news conference for 10:30 a.m. in Washington. President Bush was expected to discuss Gonzales' departure at his Crawford, Texas, ranch., before leaving on a trip to western states.
We'll be front and center...
Back to page topWe'll be front and center in the world and national news next year when the Republican National Convention is in St. Paul next September.
I read an interesting story on the Minnesota Monitor (www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2341) about how this might affect the State Fair.
Apparently, the State Fair police chief has already started planning for the extra attendance and the potential that he'll need tight security, depending on who at the convention ventures down Snelling to the fairgrounds. The convention overlaps the fair on Labor Day.
Hillary Clinton seems to...
Back to page topHillary Clinton seems to have pulled ahead in the race for the Democrat presidential nomination, according to press reports.
Who is going to be the candidate for the Republicans? Who will be at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul?
Here's a taste of what they've been saying:
In Wyoming, Fred Thompson decried the Democratic candidates for president, saying they seek bigger government, more taxes and a western European approach to social services –just as western European governments are rejecting socialism.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romeny, during a brief press conference, said the country needs a leader who can bring change, and change must start with the Republican Party.
"People expect Republicans to go to Washington and rein in spending. Unfortunately, while we were in charge, we added to earmarks and we added to spending. We became, in some people's eyes, big government Republicans," Romney said.
Rudy Giuliani, well, he's got the 9/11 credentials and the tax credentials. "I've been tested," he said. "There are two big things at stake for the country." The economy and terrorism.
Media reports claim that...
Back to page topMedia reports claim that Presidential candidate Barack Obama is opening a campaign organization in Minnesota to become the first Democratic candidate to open a campaign operation in the state.
The first step will come Saturday when the campaign holds a so-called ``caucus convention'' at St. Paul's Central High School.
According to Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, Obama's organization has gathered the names of 10,000 Minnesotans who either contributed to the campaign or offered to volunteer.
At least one political...
Back to page topAt least one political analyst is predicting that at least 1 in 4 women will vote for Hillary Clinton for president.
What do you think?
Did you see that Democrat...
Back to page topDid you see that Democrat presidential candidates debate last night?
Democrat-Bloomberg...
Back to page topDemocrat-Bloomberg ticket?
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had a breakfast meeting with Democratic hopeful Barack Obama, reportedly scheduled because of their "mutual interest."
The billionaire mayor and the Illinois senator chatted over eggs and potatoes at a restaurant on 50th street in NYC.
Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser allegedly declined to say why the two were meeting. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs is alleged to have said the men share a similar view: that Washington has been consumed by partisan politics.
Funny for an Obama spokesperson to say because I don't think I've ever seen Obama cross the party line, except with his rhetoric. Maybe it's just partisan politics when your opponents practice it.
As for Bloomberg, who was elected as a Republican but has since raised taxes and declared himself an independent, earlier this week, he dined with Republican Senator Chuck Hagel.
What's happening? It's anybody's guess.
Mondale endorses Clinton The...
Back to page topMondale endorses Clinton
The Star Tribune and other local media are reporting that former Vice President Walter Mondale, who served from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter, has endorsed New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president.
He says she "has the strength and experience to deliver" change in the country and to enhance our relations with foreign countries.
Robertson endorses...
Back to page topRobertson endorses Giuliani
Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Christian Coalition and Regent University, recently announced his support for Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid.
National Review endorses...
Back to page topNational Review endorses Romney
The editorial staff at National Review has come out in support of Mitt Romney for the Republican Presidential nomination.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmMxYTUyYzA1YTk2YzE5NGVmNjc0OGFjYWJ...
Over the weekend Sen....
Back to page topOver the weekend Sen. Hillary Clinton was caught planting people in the audience to ask her questions.
Now the college student who says she was told what question to ask claims that she wasn't the only one at the event who was a plant.
This is how the game of politics is played, isn't it? It's not like Clinton is the first and only person to plant people.
Seems like a non-story.
Huckabee-Obama lead in...
Back to page topHuckabee-Obama lead in Iowa
About one month prior to the precinct caucuses, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for the Republicans and Democrat, Illinois Senator Barack Obama are leading their races, according to The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll.
The Washington Times is...
Back to page topThe Washington Times is reporting that there's a "bitter fight taking place behind the scenes over Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee."
He's a social conservative but a fiscal liberal, they say. Sounds like George W. Bush all over again.
The Times reports that the "battle is bubbling into the public arena, fueled by fears that a three-way race could hand the presidency to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton or another Democrat, and by murmurs of Mr. Huckabee as a vice-presidential candidate on the party's ticket."
I know that Huckabee is a favorite on the Colbert Report. That's where I got my first exposure to him. I further know that another George W. Bush candidate for president would not be a good choice for many Republican voters, though the blue-bloods in the party would probably like it.
Huckabee surging in Iowa The...
Back to page topHuckabee surging in Iowa
The Washington Post is reporting today that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is nearly even with Republican front-runner Mitt Romney in Iowa.
Has Fred Thompson been...
Back to page topHas Fred Thompson been blacklisted by the Republican elite?
He has managed to gain the endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee while at the same time espousing economic solutions on both Social Security and tax reform.
I haven't heard other Republican hopefulls even talk about these, which tells me they're just in a superficial popularity contest. The Democrats would raise taxes. That's their catch all for solving problems.
Thompson actually has created some ideas. That's refreshing. Rather than tax and spend or add another level of complexity to the system, Thompson would solve Social Security's insolvency by giving Americans voluntary control of their own personal retirement accounts. He'd keep the Bush tax cuts, and he announced last weekend that he'd let taxpayers choose between the present, complex tax code and a simplified system with only two rates: 10% and 25%.
Interesting, but I bet the blue bloods in the party don't like it.
Did anybody watch the...
Back to page topDid anybody watch the Republican debate last night? Did you think there was a winner? A loser?
As far as I could tell, Mike Huckabee was charming and witty, John McCain was angry and experienced, Mitt Romney was careful and smooth, Fred Thompson has ideas that don't fit into a 30-second answer, Ruddy G. has enough executive experience but seemed strained at times, and Ron Paul is out there in right field.
Huckabee seemed the big winner.
As surely as CNN's Anderson...
Back to page topAs surely as CNN's Anderson Cooper seemed to do a fair job of moderating the Republican debate last night, pundits are howling that CNN was 'duped' by planted questioners that support Obama, Edwards and Clinton.
About Obama and Edwards, michellemalkin.com/2007/11/29/digging-out-the-cnnyoutube-plants-abortion-questioner-is-edwards-supporter/
About Clinton- read excerpts from the Politico report:
"The retired general who asked about gays and lesbians serving in the military at the CNN/YouTube Republican debate on Wednesday is a co-chairman of Hillary Rodham Clinton's National Military Veterans group."
"He was also active in John F. Kerry's 2004 campaign for president."
Watch a video of Cooper's diclosure www.youtube.com/watch?v=28CCf4cEDpI.
People who want to protest...
Back to page topPeople who want to protest at next year's Republican National Convention want to obtain a permit for a march on the Xcel Center next Sept. 1, and they believe they've found a loophole in city law that will win them the permit within the next few weeks, according to a Star Tribune report.
Any thoughts?
The Clinton-China...
Back to page topThe Clinton-China connection is back in the news, and Al Franken is part of the scandal.
Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign is under a cloud following $23,000 it received from a prominent Democratic donor after it was learned that authorities in California had a warrant for his arrest stemming from a 1991 fraud case.
Norman Hsu, a businessman from Hong Kong, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democratic candidates since 2003. In 1996, Asian moneymen were accused of funneling suspect donations into Democratic coffers when President Clinton and VP Gore were running for re-election.
Hsu's largess was spread across the Democratic Party, and it includes donations to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and U.S. Senate hopeful Al Franken.
Recent media reports said...
Back to page topRecent media reports said that disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu remained in custody Friday at a Colorado hospital after his arrest days after he failed to show up for a court appearance related to a felony theft conviction.
Thompson raises more than...
Back to page topThompson raises more than $8M
Atlantic.com reported that ex-Sen. Fred Thompson has raised more than $8M since July, receiving donations from more than 70,000 individual contributors since June.
Comparatively, in the first quarter of the year, Sen. John McCain obtained contributions from 51,000 different donors, a record at the time.
Here's the latest on...
Back to page topHere's the latest on fundraising among presidential candidates.
New reports have Democrat Barack Obama ahead of the pack, raising more than $19 million this summer for the presidential primaries.
Thompson has reportedly raised more than $11.5 million so far, including money raised in June. Since formally entering the race during the first week of September, Thompson has reportedly raised roughly $200,000 a day.
Democrat John Edwards reported raising $7 million during the July-September quarter for a total of $30 million for the year. His goal is to raise $40 million by the time the first presidential contests begin in January.
Obama also received general election contributions during the quarter, making his overall fundraising for the period more than $20 million. That brings his total for the year to nearly $80 million — nearly $75 million for the primaries and about $4 million for the general election.
But leading all candidates...
Back to page topBut leading all candidates in fundraising is Democrat Hillary Clinton, who raised $27 million for her 2008 presidential bid in the third quarter.
That's $22 million for the primary nomination race that begins in January and another $5 million for the general campaign ahead of the November 2008 election.
Republican presidential...
Back to page topRepublican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani stopped by Peter's Grill in Minneapolis Wednesday morning.
Anybody happen to stop in and hear the candidate from New York who says he has the most bi-partisan appeal?
Reuters is now reporting...
Back to page topReuters is now reporting that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton trails five top Republican presidential contenders in general election match-ups, a drop in support from this summer, according to a poll released on Monday.
In a state-by-state,...
Back to page topIn a state-by-state, district-by-district comparison of wealth concentrations based on Internal Revenue Service income data, Michael Franc, vice president of government relations at the Heritage Foundation, found that the majority of the nation's wealthiest congressional jurisdictions were represented by Democrats.
He also found that more than half of the wealthiest households were concentrated in the 18 states where Democrats hold both Senate seats, according to a Washington Times report.
Does this explain why the Democrats have been out-fundraising Republicans lately.
Expolosive report on...
Back to page topExpolosive report on Chinatown donors.
The LA Times has published a story about the mysterious link between Chinese money and Sen. Hillary Clinton.
"... some of the poorest Chinese neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, have been swept by an extraordinary impulse to shower money on one particular presidential candidate -- Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton."
Go to the story at www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-donors19oct19,0,4231217.story?coll=l....
Have you heard of Africom?...
Back to page topHave you heard of Africom?
Neither had I until today. It's an armed U.S. military presence in Africa. Africom's recent creation has been interpreted as the U.S. suddenly recognizing the strategic importance of Africa to the U.S.
Simon Tisdale wrote in the London-based Guardian: "Africom marks the official arrival of America's 'global war on terror' on the African continent."
Any comments?
The new U.S. regional...
Back to page topThe new U.S. regional military command for Africa, an integrated defense, diplomatic and economic organization, will enhance U.S. efforts to advance security and prosperity in Africa, U.S. officials say.
In contrast to traditional military commands, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, is designed to provide support to Africans as they continue to build democratic institutions and establish good governance. It will focus on tasks such as peacekeeping, security, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, according to the officials.
AFRICOM’s commander, General William E. “Kip” Ward, said that the new command will help African nations provide for their own security by enhancing existing U.S. and international programs, according to the U.S. State Department.
For more information, go to www.africom.mil.
Terror strikes...
Back to page topTerror strikes Pakistan
Report found in "The Hindu"
Pakistan’s pre-election political uncertainty intensified on Tuesday as two bombs shattered the peace, killing 25 persons and leaving 68 injured.
The bombs went off less than a week before the announced return of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the country to lead a battle for the ouster of President Pervez Musharraf.
The bombs exploded close to the Army’s General Headquarters and other top-security military sites a little before 7.30 a.m. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said it was not yet clear whether the blasts were suicide attacks but the possibility could not be ruled out. An explosives-laden motorcycle caused the second attack.
Religious Affairs Minister Ejaz ul Haq told Dawn TV that it would be wrong to blame any religious group immediately. Coming at a time when Pakistan is going through political turmoil more intense than at any time in the last eight years, the blasts have added to the uncertainties ahead.
Nearing the 9/11 anniversary, many U.S. policymakers are critical of the Pakistani leader's failure to allow U.S. troops to hunt Taliban and Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
What's your take on it?
Gen. Pervez Musharraf won...
Back to page topGen. Pervez Musharraf won re-election as Pakistan's president on Saturday, officials said.
A flight carrying Benazir...
Back to page topA flight carrying Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister, landed in Karachi, Pakistan, today, news agencies reported.
Ms. Bhutto has in a sehlf-imposed exile in Dubai for much of the last decade. On her return flight, she was surrounded by chanting supporters.
The New York Times reports that "When asked how she felt, she said 'very excited, very happy, very proud, a tremendous sense of responsibility.'
She added: “I think the time has come for democracy. If we want to save Pakistan, we have to have democracy.”
Terrorists...
Back to page topTerrorists strike.
Terrorists tried to assassinate the returning prime minister on Thursday night when two bombs went off near a truck in which she was riding, killing at least 135 people and wounding 150.
Ms. Benazir Bhutto heads the country's largest political force, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). BBC News reports that she wants to contest parliamentary elections due to be held in January, and she has been negotiating with President Pervez Musharraf over a possible power-sharing agreement.
Party workers and police said Bhutto was unhurt in the attack, although the truck carrying her had its windows shattered and a door blown off.
She is hated by radical Islamists because she supports the U.S.-led war on terrorism, according to news reports.
BBC News reported that Farzana Raja, a spokeswoman for the PPP, made the following comments: "There was blood all around and it was chaos -and we couldn't understand what was happening - we didn't know where to go, what to do."
U.S. denies missile...
Back to page topU.S. denies missile strikes
At least five people are dead following a report from Pakistani villagers of a missile strike near a madrasa founded by an old friend of Osama bin Laden's on Friday.
Villagers claimed to Reuters that a drone aircraft carried out the attack. The United States has carried out such operations in the past using drones. Pakistan does not possess drones in its armory.
According to Reuters, "The Pentagon issued a swift denial the U.S. military had conducted a strike, though spokesman Bryan Whitman said he could not speak for U.S. intelligence agencies that also operate the pilotless aircraft."
The missile strike coincided with a visit by the head of the U.S. Central Command Admiral William Fallon, for talks with President Pervez Musharraf on Friday.
Pakistan under 'emergency...
Back to page topPakistan under 'emergency rule'
The UK Guardian is reporting that the U.S. and Britain are expected to demand that Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, honour pledges to hold elections in the next two months and step down as the army chief, or face a cut in western support.
The Pakistani leader will meet with a group of ambassadors two days after he declared emergency rule - and three days after giving assurances to the prime minister, Gordon Brown, and U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, that he would stick to an election deadline in mid-January, and step down as head of the country's army.
Protests spread in...
Back to page topProtests spread in Pakistan
Protesters nationwide are defying police and protesting Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule.
The Hindu is reporting that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, has spoken of the need for “a mass uprising” in Pakistan in the context of General Musharraf’s latest actions.
Britain has threatened to cut aid to Pakistan, and U.S. is reviewing the aid it gives, vowing “nothing would be done to undermine ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.”
Israel-Syria may be...
Back to page topIsrael-Syria may be on the verge
Report found in Jerusalem Post
Syrian air defenses opened fire on Israeli aircraft that violated Syrian airspace overnight Thursday, a Syrian military spokesman said.
Syrian Cabinet Minister Buthaina Shaaban, speaking on Al-Jazeera television's English service, would not confirm that Israel had attacked Syria, but did say the aircraft violated the country's airspace.
Meanwhile, U.S. Democrat Dennis Kucinich, currently on a Mideast visit that included a stop in Syria, criticized the Bush Administration and credited Syria for taking in more than a million Iraqi refugees.
Sen. Coleman on...
Back to page topSen. Coleman on Israel-Iran
The Jerusalem post is reporting the Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has pledged if military action is undertaken against Iran, Israel won't be doing it alone.
"If action is going to be taken, it's not going to be Israel alone," Coleman, the ranking member of the Senate foreign relation's Near East subcommittee, said. "The reality is that Israel would have to have approvals and authorities. If something is taken, the United States is going to be part of that. We have to understand that. There is no saying, 'Israel did it.'"
Coleman, one of only two Jewish Republican senators, noted that he was speaking as one senator and not for the entire U.S. government, the Post reported.
"I think there's a consensus here as to the nature of the threat. I don't think there's consensus yet as to the span of time with which we have to address it," said Coleman.
Biblical remains found in...
Back to page topBiblical remains found in Israel
An international report today claims that the wall mentioned in the Bible's book of Nehemiah has apparently has been found.
That's according to an Israeli archaeologist who claims a team of archaeologists discovered the wall in Jerusalem's ancient City of David during a rescue attempt on a tower that was in danger of collapse.
Artifacts including pottery shards and arrowheads found under the tower suggested that both the tower and the nearby wall are from the 5th century B.C., the time of Nehemiah.
This is significant and ironic because it's from a time in history when the Persians (Iran) helped to put the Jewish people back on the map in their capital city of Jerusalem. Now the president of Iran talks about wanting to destroy Israel.
The wall was built after Nehemiah served as cupbearer for the Persian King Artaxerxes. The Persians had conquered the Babylonian empire that had destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and taken most of the inhabitants of southern Israel into captivity in what is now modern Iraq.
The biblical account as recorded in the book of Nehemiah reads:
"In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart."
Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?"
So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it."
The king agreed, and Nehemiah's rebuilding of the city began with its walls, a project that was resisted by hostile neighbors who had occupied the area around Jerusalem in the Jews' absence.
With tools in one hand and weapons in the other, Nehemiah's workmen toiled dawn to dusk, completing the wall in a record 52 days.
The International Herald...
Back to page topThe International Herald Tribune is reporting that new commercial satellite photos show that a Syrian site believed to have been attacked by Israel last month no longer bears any obvious traces of what some analysts said appeared to have been a partly built nuclear reactor.
"Any attempt by Syrian authorities to clean up the site would make it difficult, if not impossible, for international weapons inspectors to determine the exact nature of the activity there. Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna have said they hoped to analyze the satellite images and ultimately inspect the site in person." According to the report.
Israeli Prime Minister says...
Back to page topIsraeli Prime Minister says he has cancer
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous growth in his prostate gland.
The story has legs Now...
Back to page topThe story has legs
Now Al-Jazeera is reporting that the Sept. 6 raid over Syria was carried out by the U.S. Air Force.
The Al-Jezeera Web site quoted Israeli and Arab sources as saying that two strategic U.S. jets armed with tactical nuclear weapons carried out an attack on a nuclear site under construction.
The sources were quoted as saying that Israeli F-15 and F-16 jets provided cover for the U.S. planes.
That's fascinating because the New York Times reported on October 13 that Israeli planes struck at what U.S. and Israeli intelligence believed was a partly constructed nuclear reactor in Syria on September 6, citing American and foreign officials who had seen the relevant intelligence reports.
News media is reporting that...
Back to page topNews media is reporting that Imad Mughniyeh, the militant accused of attacks that left hundreds of Americans and Israelis dead, including a U.S. Navy diver during the infamous 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner, has been killed, according to Hezbollah sources.
The militant group blamed Israel for the assassination - a charge the Jewish state denied . Middle East media reported he was killed in a recent car bomb in Syria. His killing is a major blow to Hezbollah, which fought Israel in the summer 2006 war in Lebanon, and its Iranian and Syrian backers. according to the reports.
In a victory for the Bush...
Back to page topIn a victory for the Bush Administration, Syria officials have finally pledged to send the country's deputy foreign minister to the U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md.
They were the final holdout and reportedly decided to attend because the issue of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has been added to the agenda, according to international news agencies.
The Golan Heights was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed.
A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is reported to have said Israel saw the announcement as a positive development.
Putin dissolves...
Back to page topPutin dissolves government
BBC News and Associated Press reports
Russian President Vladimir Putin dissolved the government Wednesday when he dismissed his long-serving prime minister Wednesday and nominated little-known Cabinet official Victor Zubkov to replace him.
Putin explained the shakeup was required to "prepare the country" for forthcoming elections. He had been expected to announce in December whom he would back to run for president next year.
Legislative elections are to be held Dec. 2, and presidential elections are expected three months later. Putin is barred by Russia's constitution from running for a third term as president in elections in March.
Whoever becomes the new prime minister gains a strong platform from which to campaign to replace Putin.
This was a surprise move by Putin, which suggests a behind-the-scenes power struggle between "clans" within the Kremlin that are differentiated mainly by their degree of hostility toward the West, says the BBC's Russia analyst Steven Eke.