Ed Rodgers

308. Israel’s Air Superiority in Doubt

edrodgers — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:00:34 +0000

This issue looks at the latest outbreaks of anti-Semitism, Israel’s diminishing air superiority, Iran’s latest tricks to circumvent sanctions, and the dangers developing in Syria.
OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

Anti-Semitism on the Rise around the World
Thailand, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Denmark, even the United States. This represents a partial list of countries where plots to attack Jewish people and synagogues have been either carried out or thwarted recently. The billions of dollars Iran has poured into the Hezbollah and Hamas terror networks have given it a global reach. Right here in America, several car dealerships have been shut down for providing funding to Hezbollah! This is not an accident. Iran’s leaders have made the cold calculation that they need to divert Israel’s attention from them into a defensive posture. They hope that by forcing Israel to worry about defending embassies, cultural centers, and synagogues around the world (more than 400 boxes of explosives were found when a Hezbollah operative was arrested in Thailand a few days ago), they can buy time to complete their nuclear weapons program and gain the means to accomplish their goal that Israel be “wiped off the map.”

Israeli Air Superiority in Doubt
General Ido Nehushtan, IAF chief, said that Israel’s air superiority, a vital part of Israel’s long-term defense strategy, is in danger of being erased by the so-called “Arab spring.” The revolts that toppled several repressive governments have also led to a breakdown in law and order, and a number of military bases, particularly in Libya, were looted by groups with ties to terrorists. The IAF fears that advanced military hardware, especially next-generation surface-to-air missiles, will find their way to Hamas and Hezbollah. The IAF operates in Israel’s tiny airspace, rendering military (and civilian) planes vulnerable to attack from the ground. A number of Libyan surface-to-air missiles were seized in Gaza, and the breakdown of control of the Egyptian military over the border with Gaza raises fears of larger and more damaging weapons being smuggled to the terrorists.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

News from the Jerusalem Prayer Team
Because of sanctions designed to halt the transfer of weapons and nuclear arms-related equipment to Iran, the Islamic Republic has resorted to renaming and reflagging its ships to avoid their illegal shipments from being found. A careful study found that roughly seventy five percent of Iran’s ships have been renamed in the past four years. The report said they “are being shuffled like a deck of cards in a Las Vegas casino.” The national fleet (IRISL-Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines) has dropped from the 23rd largest in the world all the way out of the top 100 as Iran has transferred nominal control of its ships to other nations to avoid the sanctions. The Israeli navy has seized several cargo ships loaded with weapons bound for Gaza that while flying the flags of other nations were carrying Iranian cargo from Iranian ports (often falsely labeled as to contents and point of origin).

Syria continues to be rocked by protests against the brutal and repressive Assad regime. Dozens of people were killed by forces loyal to the government last week as they protested against the government in Damascus. Now rumors are starting to surface that Assad is being backed by more than his own military-that Iranian forces have joined in the crackdown just across Israel’s border. A rebel group claims to have captured about a dozen Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers in southern Syria. In addition, Hezbollah terrorists are fighting for the government. These troops, armed and trained by Iran, are hoping to keep Assad in power as he protects and funds terrorist activities. Israeli military forces in the north of the country have been placed on heightened alert for fear that Iran, Syria, and/or Hezbollah will use the unrest as a cover for attacks on the Jewish state.

Syria’s Chemical Weapons Stockpile Threatens Entire Region
The Israel Project reports: As Syria teeters ever closer to civil war, one little-discussed danger concerns the fate of its stockpile of deadly chemical weapons, possibly the largest in the world. Reports suggest that Syria has amassed hundreds of tons of chemical weapons including nerve agents Sarin, Tabun, VX and mustard agents. It may also possibly have developed biological weapons such as anthrax and cholera. Intelligence sources believe many of these agents are weaponized and ready for use, in artillery shells, aerial bombs, cluster munitions and SCUD missile warheads. There are clearly two nightmare scenarios arising out of the growing disarray that threatens to rip Syria apart: the first is that terrorists gain control of some of these weapons. The second is of a full-scale civil war in which one or another party actually deploys them against its enemies causing thousands of civilian casualties.
Read more.

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307. It is the Last Hour

edrodgers — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:48 +0000

It is the Last HourIT’S WORTH CONSIDERING
In 1 John 2:18 John says, “It is the last hour.” Terms like “last days,” “end times,” “final hour,” or a host of other terms referring the end of life as we know it, usually get our attention. Unfortunately, the terms can be confusing. We’re not sure just what time period they’re referring to or just what they mean. John’s statement that it is the “last hour” is a case in point. Is he referring to those “last days” at the “final hour” before the “last day”? And what does “hour” refer to? Hour can refer to a time period, a decisive event, or a unit of chronological time.

To understand the “last hour” and all the other terms better, it’s helpful to remember that the judgment and blessings expected in the last days were already occurring through the ministry of Jesus Christ, even after His death and resurrection. The expected final judgment, the separation of the righteous and the wicked, and the granting of eternal life to the righteous (based on Christ’s righteousness, not their own) were all happening then through Christ’s ministry. His ministry then (and now) didn’t eliminate the final judgment. Rather, judgment was (and is) being passed in the present. John was highlighting a present as well as future reality of the judgment.

AS I SEE IT
As you can probably tell, this article is not going to remove all your confusion regarding the “end times” terms. Instead, I want to focus on what I think John meant when he referred to the last hour. Since 1 John was written over 2,000 years ago, he obviously wasn’t talking about a specific point in time marking the end. The New Testament speaks about the signs that let us know the end is right around the corner-signs such as false teachers, wickedness, ungodliness, lack of genuine love for one another, divisions, etc. These were the kinds of things John witnessed in his day.

My point is that these signs signal that the decisive event by which God passes judgment and grants salvation had already occurred. The judgment of God that was expected in Jewish eschatology (end times) was, therefore, already happening in what he referred to as the “last hour.”

Judgment involves separating truth from error, good from evil, and this was exactly the situation John was addressing in his letter. Former members were teaching false doctrine and had caused divisions in the church. John was looking back and interpreting the split as evidence of the nearness of the last hour, and of the current preview of the ultimate judgment to come.

For John, pinpointing the time of the last judgment was not a major concern. Regardless of when the final judgment would occur, God’s judgment is occurring now as people either acknowledge or deny Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

Recognizing God’s work in Christ as bringing eternal life and judgment now is far more important than being able to decode timetables specifying when the last judgment (or the rapture) will occur. All who have attempted to do so have been proven to be fools. Understanding the current judgment we bring on with our decisions is at the heart of John’s warning that this is the “last hour.”

Click here to make sure you will not be judged, either now on in the future.

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306. The Palestinian Strategy–Rewrite History

edrodgers — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:03 +0000

The Palestinian Strategy-Rewrite History
IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING
Rewriting the history of the land of Israel isn’t just something that shows up from time to time. It is essential to the Palestinian PR strategy. This rewriting has two dimensions: The first is to concoct bogus ancient Palestinian, Muslim and Arab histories in the region. The second is to erase both the 3,000-year history of the Jewish nation in the Holy Land and the right of Jews to a state in their ancestral homeland. The goal of the overall Palestinian strategy is to deny Israel’s right to exist and is aimed at both the Palestinians themselves and the world in general.

Regarding the first dimension of the Palestinian strategy, I recently wrote expressing my agreement with Newt Gingrich that the Palestinians are an “invented people.” I’m not alone. The Associated Press responded to Gingrich’s charge with the headline “Palestinians ‘invented people’ is truth.” Anyone who knows Middle East history agrees, even by Arabs themselves.

This article focus on the second dimension, the denial of 3,000 years of Jewish history in Palestine. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly last September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opened his remarks with, “I come before you from the Holy Land, the land of Palestine, the land of divine messages, ascension of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and the birthplace of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).” What was missing in his description of the Holy Land was any mention of its biblical founders, the Jewish people, or the fact that Jesus was a Jew. He continues the claims of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, who often claimed that “Jesus was the first Palestinian martyr.”

The Palestinians stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the tens of thousands of Hebrew coins, texts, pots, buildings and seals with biblical references. Dr. Jamal Amar, a lecturer at Bir-Zeit University has stated that in the Holy Land after “60 years of digging . . . they’ve found nothing at all, not a water jug, not a coin, not an earthen vessel . . . absolutely nothing of this [Jewish] myth, because it is a myth and a lie.” They also deny that any Jewish temple ever existed at the location referred to as the Temple Mount.

AS I SEE IT
It seems to escape the notice of the history rewriters that their sacred book, the Qur’an (Sura 17:7), speaks of the existence of both the First and Second Temples. Sura 17:1 pinpoints the location as Jerusalem. When the Muslims were preparing to build the Dome of the Rock, Islamic tradition holds that they sought the site of Solomon’s Temple over which they would construct the shrine. Until recently, all Muslim writers acknowledged the existence, location, and importance of the Jewish Temples.

In light of all the evidence, how could anyone have the audacity to make such public denials? Even more perplexing is why so many people believe it. The answer, I believe, lies in the fact that Islam is based on deception. Muhammad said, “War is deception” and Islam is at war with all non-Muslims. One of the names for Allah is “The greatest of all deceivers.” Those who are not believers in Jesus Christ will always be easily taken in by such blatant lies. Read more about the evidence supporting the existence of the Temples.

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305. Iran Prepares for Possible War with U.S.

edrodgers — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:10 +0000

This issue looks at the dark legacy of Wannsee, Israel’s aid to the Palestinians, Iran’s preparations for war against U.S., help needed to save Pastor Youcef’s life, The Muslim Brotherhood’s advance in Egypt, U.S. Commando Units in the Persian Gulf, the oil embargo against Iran, and the merger of terrorist groups against Israel.

OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

The Dark Legacy of Wannsee
Front Page Jerusalem reports: Last Friday, January 20th, marked the 70th anniversary of a very historic event which very few people know about. On that date in 1942, a group of top Nazi leaders gathered at a lakeside villa outside Berlin and plotted the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question.” The Wannsee Conference was the key moment when the Nazi leadership set in motion a plan for exterminating all the Jews of Europe. Learn more. Click here for more insight and background.

Israel Continues to Help Palestinians despite Politics
David Zauber reports: Despite political tensions that at times threaten to boil over, cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians in the field of medicine continues to advance. Nearly 115,000 Palestinian patients were treated at Israeli hospitals in 2011, and over 100 Palestinian doctors interned at Israeli hospitals. “Every year more patients are sent to Israeli hospitals,” said Civil Administration Health Coordinator, Mrs. Dalia Bassa. “We hope to train Palestinian doctors and improve Palestinian medicine, strengthening cooperation. Health is a separate issue, Israeli and Palestinian doctors are friends, making medicine a bridge for peace.” In related news, the IDF reported on Friday that during the month of December, 4,373 trucks carrying 139,678 tons of goods including food, medicine, construction material, clothing and other goods entered the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

Iran Preparing for Possible War with U.S.
WorldNetDaily reports: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has held several secret meetings with his economic and military advisers in recent days to prepare for the possibility of war with the United States. Sources report the preparations are to include the execution of those Iranians who oppose the regime. Khamenei has been heard to say that the coming of the last Islamic Messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, is near and that specific actions need to be taken to protect the Islamic regime for upcoming events. Read more.

Pastor Youcef again Refuses to Recant-Faces Death
Jordan Sekulow reports: Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is facing new pressure to recant his faith in Jesus Christ. Sources in Iran have reported to us that an Iranian judge is once again telling him to deny Christ or he will be executed. He is still alive today because of international pressure on Iran – people worldwide raising their voices, demanding that his life be spared. We need to keep that pressure on, and the ACLJ is launching a new initiative. Read what you can do to help.

News from the Jerusalem Prayer Team
After three rounds of elections in Egypt to choose a new Parliament, the various radical Islamist groups control about three-fourths of the seats in the body. Mohamed Saad el-Katatni, secretary-general of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, was chosen as the speaker in a vote during the parliament’s first session on Monday.

The U.S. military for the first time has publicly confirmed that there is an elite commando team working in the Persian Gulf region to deal with the threats posed by Iran. According to a spokesman for the U.S. Special Operations Command, this is a team of “highly trained personnel that excel in uncertain environments” and are specifically tasked with confronting “irregular threats.”

EU initiates Oil Sanctions of Iran
The Israel Project reports: The new EU oil sanctions on Iran will hit the Islamic Republic hard, but will not have a long term affect on oil prices and supply to the West, a former energy consultant to the World Bank said. The sanctions, approved earlier this week, will be a $20 billion dollar blow to the Iranian economy, which is highly reliant on oil export income. “It is going to affect the Iranian economy drastically,” said Dr. Amit Mor, an Israeli energy expert specializing in national energy planning. Read more.

Gaza’s Terror Groups Negotiating Merger
The Israel Project reports: Hamas is working to merge with the terrorist Islamic Jihad organization, according to Hamas’ co-founder Mahmoud Zahar. He said the merger would allow the two groups to run in Palestinian elections, expected to be held in May, the Iranian Fars News Agency reported. A merger of the two could mean the death of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, as both groups are committed to Israel’s destruction and replacing it with an Islamic Palestinian state. Zahar called the merger “a political and religious must,” the report stated. Read more.

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304. Obama’s Continued Islamic Leanings

edrodgers — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:00:26 +0000

Obama’s Continued Islamic Leanings
IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING
After Osama bin Laden was killed, President Obama reiterated his claim that America was not in a war against Islam. My regular readers know full well that Muslims, however, consider themselves to be in a war with us. In fact, they are engaged in world-wide warfare against any non-Muslim worldwide. Remove radical Muslims from the picture and 99 percent of all the world’s terrorism vanishes. America, however, is the prize. We are the Great Satan. Obama’s consistent failure to acknowledge this fit right in with his double standards where Israel is concerned and his clearly pro-Muslim decisions for the rest of the world.

Following the bin Ladin death news, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu congratulated the United States president, America’s intelligence, and military for their significant accomplishment. However, he was quick to point out Obama’s double standard. He argued that the U.S. raid that killed bin Ladin was no different from several raids Israel conducted to remove enemy leaders who had been terrorizing Israel. Israel, however, has received nothing but criticism from world leaders and the U.S. administration. So, said Netahyahu, what’s okay for America to do is not permissible for Israel.

Then there’s the thorny issue of what happened to bin Laden’s body. Most Americans are not pleased that the American captors gave bin Ladin a respectful Muslim funeral. Reports indicate that his body was ceremoniously washed and wrapped in white linen, and then buried at sea. Obama had stated in his speech to the nation that bin Ladin was “not a Muslim leader.” Why then, did he provide him with such a respectful Muslim funeral? Perhaps Obama was more interested in sending the “proper” message to the worldwide Muslim community than the message he sent to the families of all those bin Ladin murdered.

AS I SEE IT
If the Muslim funeral was ordered by President Obama, it certainly is another indication of his pro-Muslim leanings and his personal desire not to offend Muslims. How it will offend Israel is inconsequential. Are his Muslim appeasement plans going to help our relations with the Muslim world?

Considering that we killed their hero, I doubt it. To think we can build bridges through appeasement is foolhardy. History has clearly shown that it doesn’t work. Since those in power in the Muslim world have no desire to co-exist with America, we must conclude that our President is merely cementing his own relationships in the Muslim world.

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303. Hope in our Trials

edrodgers — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Hope in our TrialsIT’S WORTH CONSIDERING
This article represents another break from all the bad news from around the world. In fact, I’m going to attempt to show that even in the midst of it all, as bad as it is, there is a very good reason to rejoice. Sometimes we have to just take a giant step backwards and try to see the big picture. The good news come from the source of all good news-the Bible, the only book that makes sense of all the chaos we see in the world. In Matthew 12, after Jesus had entered Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, he told some of his disciples that the hour had come for him to be glorified. To be glorified was a wonderful thing, as good as it gets. The hour that led to it, however, required his death. Desiring to explain how necessary his death was, he said,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Matthew 12:24).

Anyone who has taken a close look at the process by which an oak tree begins to emerge from the heart of a decaying acorn will admit that it isn’t pretty. It’s amazing, but not pretty. As the dead seed opens, it looks like a disorganized mess. Yet, somehow, a mighty oak tree emerges from it. Jesus’ brief explanation of the grain of wheat, the same process an acorn goes through, pictures not only the world around us, but our personal lives as well. No pain, no gain. Only through the apparent wreckage in the world and our own lives can his glorious purpose for the world and us come about.

AS I SEE IT
We really have to look beyond the immediate to see the big picture. Whether we’re talking about world events or the chaos in our own private lives, we must remind ourselves that we’re only seeing part of the process-the ugly part. We know that God is good and a good God can only do good things for His children. Yet we must go through the valley to reach the mountaintop. This is why there’s hope in all the mess the world is in as well as the trials we face. It means that glory is right around the corner. He who endures to the end will be saved, and what a glorious salvation it will be!

To make sure you will share in this glory, click here.

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302. World Focuses on Strait of Hormuz

edrodgers — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:00:14 +0000

This issue looks at the postponement of the joint U.S.-Israeli Military exercises, the U.S. “Advice” to Israel and “warnings” to Iran, Obama’s possible request for direct talks with Tehran, the IEA emergency oil plan, Carter’s meeting with Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, the call for war with Israel from leading Egyptian cleric, and some spiritually encouraging news from Kuwait.
OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

U.S., Israel Postpone Military Exercise amid Tension with Iran
World Now reports: The United States and Israel agreed to postpone a large joint military exercise from this spring to late in the year to avoid aggravating an already tense regional situation driven by conflicts with Iran, Israeli media reported Sunday. The drill, slated for May and named “Austere Challenge,” was announced in November by Andrew Shapiro, U.S. assistant secretary of State for politics-military affairs, at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The exercise as originally planned would include more than 5,000 U.S. and Israeli forces and, among other things, simulate Israel’s ballistic missile defense. It would be the “largest and most significant joint exercise in the allies’ history,” Shapiro had said. The drill was announced shortly after American military officials reportedly expressed concern that Israel was preparing an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and would not warn them in advance. Although American and U.S. officials are in close contact on defense matters, especially regarding Iran’s disputed nuclear program, Jerusalem and Washington are at odds over how aggressively to approach with the issue.

News from the Jerusalem Prayer Team
Members of the Obama Administration, including the president himself, have issued a string of warnings to Israel in the past week not to launch a military strike to halt Iran’s nuclear program. They are insisting that Israel give sanctions more time to work. Analysts have noted the fear of the economic impact of war on the president’s reelection campaign as a powerful influence on Washington.

The U.S. issued by far its sternest warning yet to Iran through secret diplomatic channels that closing the Strait of Hormuz as Iran has threatened to do would be a “red line” event that would trigger a military response. A Navy spokesman said that while Iran might be able to close the strait “for a little while,” the U.S. has a contingency plan to re-open it. Though details have not been disclosed for obvious reasons, the re-stationing of a second aircraft carrier strike force in the Arabian Sea gives a number of military options which Iran could not hope to overcome.

An Iranian member of Parliament has gone public with a claim that President Obama sent Iran’s leaders a secret letter asking for direct talks between Washington and Tehran. Relations between the countries have been broken since the hostage crisis during the Iranian revolution in 1979. There are no formal diplomatic ties, and there have been no direct communications for decades. The White House is refusing comment on the authenticity of the story, neither confirming nor denying Iran’s claims. The question we must ask if this story is true is: What is President Obama planning to tell Iran’s leaders in the talks? What will he offer them? What promises will he make? Will he undercut Israel in an attempt to avoid a war?

IT’S NEWS TO ME

Mass Oil Release from Emergency Stockpiles Planned if Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz
The IEA (International Energy Agency) has prepared an emergency plan to respond to the threat from Iran to close the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Some 40% of the world’s oil flows through this narrow waterway, and a closure would have a devastating impact on gas prices and world economies. In response, the IEA has a contingency plan to release up to 14 million barrels from emergency reserves every day-more than 5 times the release that helped stave off chaos after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Former President Carter Meets with Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo
Canada free Press reports: The chairman of Egypt’s new Freedom and Justice Party-a/k/a the Muslim Brotherhood-met last week with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The stated purpose of the meeting was the ongoing Egyptian transition process and the recent elections. Carter congratulated FJP chairman Mohamed Morsi on the parliamentary election results achieved by the party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), noting there was international consensus to respect the results which reflect the Egyptian people’s choices, said a statement posted on the Muslim Brotherhood’s web site…

President Carter is known for his enthusiasm for Islamist groups that takeover Middle Eastern and North African nations. He’s also known to curry favor with Islamic radicals, neo-Marxists and other enemies of the U.S. and Israel. Read more.

“Either War with the Jews or War with Allah”
Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: I’ve [Mike Evans] seen stunning examples of hatred of the Jewish people before, but this is one of the worst I’ve ever read. These words come from a leading Egyptian cleric named Hazem Shuman:

“Oh nation of Muhammad, Allah says to you: If you fear war with the Jews, brace yourselves for war with Allah. It is either a war with the Jews or a war with Allah. Allah says that the entire nation could be replaced if it is not prepared to sacrifice its blood for the sake of Palestine. My message to all the Jews is that the battle is bound to come and you will be vanquished. Allah has promised that you will be vanquished and that we will prevail. Why, oh Messenger of Allah? Because these Jews are a cancer. These Jews are a catastrophe. There is not a catastrophe in the world that is not the handiwork of the Jews. These Jews are a cancer in the body of planet Earth, and if permitted, it will spread and infect the entire body. Getting rid of these Jews is a must.”

A Kuwaiti Prince Publicly Embraces Christ, Denounces Islam
Read this thought-provoking article from Godfather Politics.

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I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.
–Groucho Marx

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301. It’s All Israel’s Fault

edrodgers — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:00:39 +0000

It’s All Israel’s Fault
IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING
If you’ve been following the twists and turns of the “Arab Spring,” you’ve noticed an interesting and consistent theme in the rhetoric: The corrupt leaders they overthrew were, somehow, complicit with Israel. Take Libya, for example. Muammar Qaddafi was openly anti-Semitic and often argued for the elimination of Israel. Early in his reign he drove thousands of Jews (members of a community predating the Muslim conquest of Libya by hundreds of years) out of Libya. He was responsible for the confiscation of Jewish property, the conversion of synagogues into mosques, and the razing of Jewish cemeteries. The list goes on. Yet, some of the “revolutionaries” who overthrew him charged that he was at least part Jewish, and that his regime operated on behalf of Zionism.

Then there’s the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, who has been consistently even more hostile to the Jews than Qaddafi. He openly supports Hamas and Hezbollah and their goal of wiping Israel off the map. And yet the Syrian opposition has taken the position that Assad is a Jewish agent.

Even in a moderate Arab state like Tunisia, the anti-Israel sentiment runs deep. The leader of the Islamist party, Ennahdha, recently stated that he was bringing glad tidings from the Arab region that will get rid of the germ of Israel. In Israel, leaders of ostensibly liberal parties have stated their belief that Jews were conspiring to bring about the collapse of the Egyptian economy.

AS IS SEE IT
If they weren’t so threatening to Israel’s security, the claims would be laughable. I can’t help but wonder if the opposition force leaders actually believe their own words. Considering how they have been taught to hate Israel for most, if not all of their lives, they probably do believe it, but at what cost? Blaming the Jews for their nations’ woes blinds them from ever seeing the world as it really is. It blinds them from realizing that they are simply seeing the consequences of their own ideologies. The Arab Spring began when Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26 year old Tunisian peddler, set himself on fire out of utter frustration at being unable to earn a living in peace. He died on January 4, 2011. Imagine the despair that drove this man to take his own life!

Despair like this is the logical conclusion of a worldview that denies the redemption Christ purchased for mankind on the cross. It is the logical conclusion of a religion that offers no certainty of heaven unless you are willing to be a mass murderer. Individuals who have perfected the art of blaming others for their own shortcomings will probably never recover without the aid of some catastrophic event that radically shakes their world, and even that may not be enough. The same holds true for nations. One way or another, the anti-Semitism in Middle East nations will be the cause of their ultimate undoing.

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300. Shariah in America?

edrodgers — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:39 +0000

Shariah in America?
IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING

Muslim Brotherhood Emblem

“The process of settlement is a “civilization-Jihadist process” with all the word means. The Ikhwan (The Muslim Brotherhood) must understand that their work in America is a king of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion (Islam) is made victorious over all other religions.”

During a recent raid in Annandale, Virginia, the FBI uncovered these chilling words penned by Mohammed Akram, who sits on the Board of Directors for the Muslim Brotherhood in North America. He’s also a senior Hamas leader. So, what is the key to this grand jihad? What will be the means of sabotaging our “miserable house”? Shariah Law. Little by little, they will sneak Shariah into our court system. Remember the story of the Arab and the camel? How’s the plan working? There are currently 19 pending Shariah Law cases in 12 states. Our future and way of life hang on the outcomes of these cases.

Fortunately, not all of our leaders are asleep at the wheel. U.S. Congressman Sandy Adams (R-Fl) (along with 54 cosponsors, all Republicans) has introduced H.R. 973. It’s all about amending Title 28 of the United States Code to “prevent the misuse of foreign law in federal courts and for other purposes.” While worded in general ways, its target is Shariah. It is currently hung up in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. Most bills never make it out committee.

AS I SEE IT
We need to make sure this bill makes it to the finish line. If you have any influence, use it. Spread the word. Contact your representative, and above all, pray. Men like Mohammed Akram (and Barack Obama) are counting on our complacency. Let me remind you that groups like the Ikhwan will not stop unless someone or something stops them. Shariah relies on the Qur’an, Hadith, and other Islamic texts to inflict punishment that any civilized society would consider barbaric. All Muslims, including the so-called moderates, believe Shariah is Allah’s law, and it is their duty, according to verse 5:48 of the Qur’an, to impose Shariah on us.

H.R. 973 reads: “In any court created by or under Article III of the Constitution of the United States, no justice, judge, or other judicial official shall decide any issue in a case before that court in whole or in part on the authority of foreign law, except to the extent the Constitution or an Act of Congress requires the consideration of that foreign law.” It will also go a long way to protect America from those who want to relinquish our national sovereignty to the U.N. or some other “world body.”

Contact your representative right now before you forget. Urge them to make sure it makes it through the maze and gets passed. Please don’t rely on others. If all my readers will take a minute to let their voices be heard, it will have a great impact. We can win this. We MUST win this.

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–David Letterman

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299. Federal Court Ignores Voters, Approves Shariah

edrodgers — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:00:11 +0000

This issue looks at Israel’s friend in Washington, Abbas’s latest threats, a thwarted Palestinian attack, a Federal Court ruling for Shariah, another suspicious death in Iran, more bluster by Ahmadinejad and Chavez, and the latest steps to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons program. OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

Israel Finds a Friend in Washington

Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye

Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: Though the Obama Administration has been very hostile toward my friend Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government, the people of Israel still have friends in the capital. I was so pleased to read this story, and I wanted to share it with you. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who has been in the Senate for almost fifty years, said this week that an Iranian attack on Israel would be an act of war against the U.S. as well. Speaking to a group of students in Israel, Inouye said, “If the Iranians should ever develop a nuclear device or bomb, that could mean the end of the world as we know it in the Middle East. It would have an impact on all countries, not just Israel. As a result, our position is that if you attack Israel, you are attacking the United States.”

Abbas Threatens Tough Measures if Talks Fail
The Israel project reports: Senior Palestinian officials cast a large shadow over the latest talks with Israel taking place in Amman today. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned he would take “tough measures” if the parley failed. “Israel does not want serious negotiations,” said Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Yasser Abd Rabbo. The Israelis have called for a successful outcome in their public statements on the Jordanian-chaired meetings, the first of which took place last week. The Israelis say further meetings are planned, while the Palestinians say they are considering once again turning to the United Nations in a bid to gain recognition there.

The Middle East peace Quartet, which is brokering the peace process, has repeatedly urged the Palestinians not to go down the unilateral route but gain statehood via negotiations. The Quartet is comprised of Russia, the United Nations, the European Union and United States.

Palestinian Nabbed with 11 Explosive Devices
Worthy News reports: A Palestinian was arrested by Military Police and Border Guard officers Sunday morning at the entrance to a checkpoint in the Jenin area in possession of an improvised gun, a commando knife and 11 explosive devices of different sizes. Three other men suspected of aiding him were also detained. According to suspicions, the four were on their way to carry out a terror attack. The checkpoint has been closed. Read more.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

Court: Oklahoma Can’t Enforce Shariah Law Ban
Yahoo News reports: A federal appeals court upheld an injunction against a voter-approved ban on Islamic law in Oklahoma on Tuesday, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution by discriminating against religion. A three-member panel of the Denver-based U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the rights of plaintiff Muneer Awad, a Muslim man living in Oklahoma City, likely would be violated if the ban on Sharia law takes effect. Read more.

Iranian Uranium Enrichment Director Killed In “Suspicious” Attack
The Israel Project reports: Professor Ahmadi Roshan, 32, was a deputy director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. He was killed by a bomb placed in a car in Tehran, the Iranian Fars News Agency reported. The blast occurred exactly two years after another Iranian nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, was killed in a similar attack in Tehran in January 2010. Read more.

Ahmadinejad and Chavez Joke about a Coming “Big Atomic Bomb”
Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: Meeting together in Caracas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reaffirmed their enmity toward the United States and Israel and joked about a “big atomic bomb” they said was about to be revealed. “When we meet, the devils go crazy,” Chavez said. The two nations have been increasing their trade and military ties, bound together by their common hatred of the Jewish people and the Western world.

Confronting the Global Threat from Iran
The Israel Project reports: Last month, President Barack Obama signed the Defense Authorization Act that for the first time imposed tough sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran – the mechanism by which Iran received foreign currency from its oil exports which finances its illegal nuclear weapons program. Just this week, Iran announced it was enriching uranium in a mountain bunker – a new step toward making a bomb. Now the fight is on to implement those sanctions – which represent the best hope of averting military actions to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear weapons state.

The law gives the President of the United States the ability to declare waivers to the law and several foreign countries are expected to apply for such waivers. At the moment, the top buyers of Iranian oil are China, Japan, India, Italy and South Korea. At the same time, several state legislatures have enacted disinvestment legislation. The New York State Assembly was the latest, passing a bill that will bar companies doing business in Iran from contracting with the State of New York. But other states have yet to act. Click here to see what you can do.

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