Anti-Semitic attacks: Israeli ambassador to Denmark warns against speaki...

Jackass Harry Belafonte Wants You In Jail

Susan Rice withdraws as US secretary of state candidate

WASHINGTON - Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration as US secretary of state on Thursday in the face of what promised to be a difficult Senate confirmation battle.

Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations and a close confidante of President Barack Obama, said she was withdrawing from the process to avoid a lengthy, costly and disruptive confirmation battle.

"That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country," she wrote in a letter to Obama.

Rice has faced questions about comments she made days after the September 11 assault on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, when the Obama administration said the attack was a result of a spontaneous demonstration over a film made in the United States that was insulting to the Prophet Mohammad.

Obama issued a statement saying he had accepted her decision and is grateful she will continue as the US ambassador to the United Nations.

Hillary Clinton is planning to step down as secretary of state.

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=295889

Oren: Israel must prepare for ICC action

WASHINGTON – The Israeli government needs to be prepared for the Palestinians to take action against it at the International Criminal Court, Israel’s top US envoy said Wednesday afternoon, as tensions mount between the parties over settlement construction in the West Bank.

Disagreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel have been intensifying in the wake of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s successful bid for non-member state recognition at the UN last month. That recognition gives the Palestinians the ability to try to take Israel to the ICC.

The day after the UN vote, Israel announced fresh plans for construction in the sensitive E-1 corridor between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim. The US has also strongly objected to the plan to develop E-1.

Even so, the US also opposes Palestinian moves against Israel at the ICC, which they have been threatening case over the settlement expansion.

 

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=295875

NBC Editor Denounces “Religious” Part of Christmas

NBC’s medical editor denounced the religious part of Christmas during a panel discussion about the holiday on Today.

 

“I don’t like the religion part,” said Nancy Snyderman, the network’s chief medical editor. “I think religion is what mucks the whole thing up.”

The “religion” she was referring to is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

The outburst came during a panel discussion with Matt Lauer, Star Jones and Donny Deutsch. Her response came after Jones said she focuses on the religious meaning of Christmas.

“That’s the only reason why — that’s the only reason for me to have the holiday, quite frankly,” Jones said.

“No, I don’t like the religion part,” Snyderman countered. “I think that’s what makes the holidays so stressful.”

Instead, Snyderman said she wanted to focus on green trees during the yuletide season.

 

Watch Video:

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/nbc-medical-editor-denounces-religion-part-christmas-mucks-whole-thing

 

 

“I’m sitting here, in my had going, ‘Jesus is the reason for the season and you don’t like the religious part,’” Jones said. “Okay.”

Kyle Drennen, a news analyst at Media Research Center, wrote about the dust-up and noted Synderman made similar statements a few weeks ago.

“Well the fact that you just said ‘Christmas,’ I think, is the hot-button item because people say ‘Happy Holidays,’ they don’t know what to say,” Snyderman said in response to a question about whether Christmas had become too commercialized.

Belafonte on GOP: Obama Needs To "Work Like A 3rd World Dictator & Just ...

U.S. military to boost Philippines presence; China tells army to be prepared

 

(Reuters) - U.S. and Philippine officials are expected to agree on an increase in the number of U.S. military ships, aircraft and troops rotating through the Philippines, Filipino officials said, as tensions simmer with China over its maritime claims.

 

Though he made no direct reference to the territorial disputes, new Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping urged his military to prepare for a struggle. He made the comments during his visit to a South China Sea fleet ship in southern Guangdong province, but did not name any potential aggressor.

Senior U.S. and Philippine officials met on Wednesday in Manila to discuss strengthening security and economic ties at a time of growing tension over China's aggressive sovereignty claims over vast stretches of the disputed South China Sea.

Philippine defense and diplomatic officials said they expected to see more U.S. ships, aircraft and troops for training exercises and disaster and relief operations.

"What we are discussing right now is increasing the rotational presence of U.S. forces," Carlos Sorreta, the foreign ministry's Assistant Secretary for American Affairs, told reporters. A five-year joint U.S.-Philippine military exercise plan would be approved this week, he added.

The size of the increase in the U.S. military assets in the Philippines, a former U.S. colony, was unclear.

Pio Lorenzo Batino, Philippine deputy defence minister, said there were "substantial discussions" on a possible new framework allowing Washington to put equipment in the Southeast Asian state.

"There has been no discussion yet on specifics ... (these are) policy consultations and the specifics would be determined by the technical working groups," he told a news conference, saying the new framework was discussed in the context of increasing rotational presence.

U.S. Assistant Sevretary of State Kurt Campbell said the two allies' relationship was "in a renaissance".

The discussions come as the Philippines, Australia and other parts of the region have seen a resurgence of U.S. warships, planes and personnel under Washington's so-called "pivot" in foreign, economic and security policy towards Asia announced last year.

Wary of Washington's intentions, China is building up its own military. Its claims over most of the South China Sea have set it directly against U.S. allies Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also claim parts of the mineral-rich waters.

Xi, who assumed the role of military chief about a month ago, called on the 2.3-million-strong People's Liberation Army to "push forward preparations for a military struggle", state news agency Xinhua said.

Xi, speaking during a three-day inspection of the PLA's Guangzhou base starting last Saturday, did not say against whom the struggle might be fought.

His remarks echo those he made a week ago and are a common refrain by Chinese leaders. Xi replaced President Hu Jintao as chairman of the Central Military Commission on November 15.

Xi also said the army should "modernize" for combat readiness, but gave no specific details.

MILITARY BASES

U.S. and Philippine officials say there is no plan to revive permanent U.S. military bases in the Philippines - the last ones were closed in 1992 - and that the increased presence would help provide relief during disasters such as a typhoon last week that killed more than 700 people.

"The increase rotation presence is in areas where we have been traditionally exercising," said Sorreta. "There are other areas for example where we have been experiencing more disasters. So we might be expanding exercises there."

One U.S. official said Washington was not ready to wade directly into the territorial dispute in the South China Sea and instead would focus on strengthening security ties with long-standing allies such as the Philippines.

"I don't think you'll see any real movement on the South China Sea," the U.S. official said.

"I'm sure it will come up, but we aren't trying to step in and 'solve' that issue. We really want the solution to be done by the claimants themselves and are hoping the Code of Conduct discussions move forward," said the official, referring to a Code of Conduct aimed at easing the risk of naval flashpoints.

Sorreta told Reuters the Philippines also favored an increased deployment of U.S. aircraft and ships "so we can make use of them when the need arises", citing last week's typhoon. He said they would also welcome more U.S. humanitarian supplies.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/12/us-philippines-usa-idUSBRE8BB0LL20121212

RESPECT THE MUSLIMS BUT THERE IS NO MANUAL TO RESPECT THE CHRISTIANS IN OUR OWN COUNTRY! OK FOLKS! WILL YOU SCREAM SOCIALISM NOW OR ARE YOU JUST DOWN RIGHT STUPID?

New Army Manual Orders Soldiers Not To Criticize Taliban, pedophilia, "anything related to Islam" or "advocate for women's rights"
 

 

 

The classic example of “blaming the victim” is where a rape victim is accused of "asking for it" because of what she was wearing. Now hear this: The Pentagon wants to do the same thing to American soldiers killed by Afghan soldiers.

Instead of blaming Taliban infiltration or other causes, the draft of a new Army handbook says ignorance of local culture drove many of the insider attacks that killed 63 Americans and other allied forces this year alone.

“Many of the confrontations occur because of [coalition] ignorance of, or lack of empathy for, Muslim and/or Afghan cultural norms, resulting in a violent reaction from the [Afghan security force] member,” the handbook says, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed the 75-page document.

Instead of blaming Taliban infiltration or other causes, the draft of a new Army handbook says ignorance of local culture drove many of the insider attacks that killed 63 Americans and other allied forces this year alone.

-

The handbook says troops should avoid “making derogatory comments about the Taliban, advocating women’s rights, any criticism of pedophilia, directing any criticism towards Afghans, mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct” or “anything related to Islam.”

In other words, Americans should shut their eyes and mouths while risking their lives to build a nation for people they can’t talk to or trust.

That’s insane. Unfortunately, it’s also consistent with denial of reality by the Obama administration. They tread very close to blaming America for everything wrong in the world, including the rise of radical Islamists, and facts don’t get in the way.

Gen. John Allen, the Marine general heading our Afghan forces, rejected the manual and a foreword in his name. “He does not approve of its contents,” an aide told the Journal.

Allen remains under investigation because of his connection to Jill Kelley, the Florida woman whose complaints about harassing emails eventually exposed former CIA boss David Petraeus’ affair with Paula Broadwell.

Maybe, just maybe, if Allen suddenly approves the outrageous field manual, the probe against him will be dropped. Stranger things have happened in the last four years.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/12/13/proposed-army-manual-scary-message-for-our-troops-in-afghanistan/#ixzz2EyA1t17r

New Fatah logo eliminates Israel

Mahmoud Abbas’s party issues icon redolent with anti-Israel symbolism

 

While Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas continues to voice support for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, condemning the use of violence, his party, Fatah, seems to have a different scenario in mind.

 

A new logo, issued by Fatah ahead of the party’s 48th anniversary celebrations, is replete with bellicose symbols including the barrel of a rifle and a Palestinian keffiyeh (headscarf) covering the entire territory from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea, eliminating the state of Israel, Palestinian Media Watch revealed Wednesday.

 

Fatah’s new anniversary logo (photo credit: courtesy/Palestinian Media Watch)

 

The logo, published in official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah on December 10, also features other loaded images, including the Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, a white dove in shackles, and a door key symbolizing the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. The words on the logo read “the state and victory.”

 

The Palestinian Authority consistently eradicates Israel’s existence in its official maps in government offices, schools and the media, Palestinian Media Watch reported.

 

Ido Zelkovitz, an expert on Fatah at Haifa University’s department of Middle East history and the Ezri Center, said that Fatah is directing its combative message largely at a domestic audience, in a bid to respond to rival movement Hamas’s fiery rhetoric.

 

“Armed struggle is an integral part of Fatah’s founding ethos,” Zelkovitz told The Times of Israel. “The message is: if goals can’t be achieved through negotiations, the military option is always there… For Fatah, remaining weaponless is having no identity.”

 

The number 48 is also highly symbolic, a reference to the 1948 establishment of Israel and the ensuing Palestinian nakba, or disaster. The 48th anniversary marks the day in which Fatah went from clandestine to public activity through firing “the first bullet” at an Israeli water pipe on January 1, 1965.

 

Zelkovitz considers the white dove in shackles a dual symbol. It represents both the Israeli procrastination in the peace process and a demand to liberate Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Fatah representative in Gaza Yahya Rabbah told local media this week that his movement will celebrate its anniversary in Hamas-controlled Gaza ”in the right time and place.”

 

Despite the combative spirit represented in the new logo, Zelkovitz said that Abbas understands that the armed struggle has led Palestinians nowhere, and consistently speaks up against it.

 

“There are various streams inside Fatah, and not everyone is committed to [Abbas's] hopes and aspirations,” he said.”The same is true for us here in Israel, where not all politicians conform to the ideas of their party leaders.”

 

http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-fatah-logo-eliminates-israel/

Endtime News Updates 12-13-12 with Hummingbird027

First West Bank Hamas rally in years draws thousands

Islamist group’s supporters gather in Fatah-controlled Nablus, amid optimism on imminent reconciliation

 

 

 

For the first time in five years, Hamas held a mass rally in the West Bank city of Nablus Thursday, signaling improving relations between the Islamist movement and its rival Fatah, whose leader Mahmoud Abbas controls the West Bank.

 

Some 10,000 Hamas supporters marched from Al-Nasr Mosque to Martyrs’ Square in downtown Nablus following afternoon prayers, where a mass rally was held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movement’s establishment, under the name “Shale Stones [the name given by Hamas to Operation Pillar of Defense] — the road to liberation.”

 

The Hamas rally was broadcast live on national Palestinian television and a number of Fatah officials, including the governor of Nablus, participated in it.

 

Such a show of unity would have been unthinkable only a few months ago. Hamas and Fatah have been at loggerheads since Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in July 2007. Following last month’s Operation Pillar of Defense, however, Hamas has begun allowing deported Fatah members back into the Gaza Strip and issuing positive statements about Fatah and its recent successful bid to achieve UN recognition for a nonmember observer Palestinian state.

 

“We would not be here together if it were not for the blessed hands that taught the occupation a harsh lesson in Gaza and achieved a glorious victory,” declared Fatah Revolutionary Council member Amin Maqboul during his speech at the rally.

 

Raafat Nassif, a Hamas leader in the West Bank, told the Hamas-affiliated news website Al-Resalah that his movement did not request permission from the Palestinian Authority to hold the Nablus rally on Thursday.

 

“Rallies and national activities do not need anyone’s permission,” Nassif told Al-Resalah. “With regards to the position of the Palestinian Authority and the security apparatus, we received no negative or positive indications in this regard.”

 

Nassif added that arrests of Hamas activists in the West Bank has increased over the past few days, and that Hamas would not “stand idly by” if the arrest campaign continued.

 

Moussa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’s current deputy leader-in-exile, also spoke at the rally, saying that while the UN recognition recently gained by Mahmoud Abbas was “a good political achievement,” nevertheless “it does not change a thing on the ground.”

 

Marzouk added that Hamas “is the leading political faction” among the Palestinian people.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, slammed Abbas for his reconciliation efforts with Hamas this week, noting that Hamas avowedly aspires to destroy the state of Israel.

 

http://www.timesofisrael.com/first-west-bank-hamas-rally-in-years-draws-thousands/

Assad fires Scuds to stop Al Qaeda arm seizing chemical arms at Al Safira

 

 

By the blacklisting Tuesday, Dec. 11, of the Jabhat al-Nusra group fighting in Syrian rebel ranks as “a foreign terrorist organization” and affiliate of al Qaeda in Iraq, Washington faces four quandaries:

1. The 10,000 fighters of this al Qaeda affiliate are the best-trained and most professional component of the Syrian rebel front;.

2. Jabhat al-Nusra fields 3,000 fighters out of the mostly Free Syrian Army’s 14,000 rebels fighting in and around Aleppo. They also constitute the assault force’s spearhead.

3. The Islamists are at the sharp front edge of the rebel force battling for control of the Syrian army’s biggest chemical weapons store at Al Safira, near Aleppo. Thursday morning, Dec. 12, they were just a kilometer from the base’s northwestern perimeter fence and advancing fast. By week’s end, Jabhat al-Nusra jihadis may have smashed into the base and seized control of the chemical stocks and Scud D planes standing there armed with chemical warheads.

The imminence of this peril forced Bashar Assad’s hand into sending Scud jets against rebel-held areas in an effort to stop their advance on the base.

4. This al Qaeda affiliate is also better armed and equipped than any other Syrian rebel force, thanks to the generous financial and logistical aid laid on by Persian Gulf sources, especially in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.

The difficulty here is that those three Gulf Arab stats are also American allies in the war against Assad and the most important contributors to the US-sponsored Friends of Syria, a forum which met in Marrakesh Wednesday and formally recognized the umbrella Syrian opposition coalition of exiled groups as the legitimate government of Syria.

Reporters inside Syria reported that when the Jabhat al-Nusra fighters heard this news, they declared 700 of their number had died… laughing.

But as the vicious civil war of nearly two years and more than 40,000 dead approached another dangerous peak, no one was laughing in Damascus or Washington.

debkafile’s military sources point to the next crisis looming ahead: If Assad fails to stop the al Qaeda fighters from reaching Al-Safira and its poison gas stores - and an al Qaeda affiliate succeeds for the first time in arming itself with chemical weapons - the United States will have to mount an air assault – not on Assad’s army but on the Syrian rebel forces fighting him, because if they do manage to seize control of the base, rebel fighters may decide to send the chemicals-tipped missiles against Assad regime centers in Damascus.

The fall of al Safira would then transform the Syrian civil conflict into a chemical missile war.

http://www.debka.com/article/22608/Assad-fires-Scuds-to-stop-Al-Qaeda-arm-seizing-chemical-arms-at-Al-Safira

GRACE ALONE WILL NOT MAKE YOU RAPTURE READY!

Zephania 3:1-5

1 Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
² She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
she does not draw near to her God.
³ Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her rulers are evening wolves,
who leave nothing for the morning.
⁴ Her prophets are unprincipled;
they are treacherous people.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.
⁵ The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame.

I hear so many sermons about being saved by GRACE, and I do believe we are saved by GRACE with all my heart. To hear most preachers it would seem as though by GRACE alone, we get to heaven and I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT!

I hear so many people of the congregation use the excuse that you get to heaven by GRACE and not by your WORKS, which is stated in the bible, but I feel is mis-interpreted as "I can be saved, go to heaven, and all I have to do is KNOW I am saved by grace."

I heard Sid Roth say that GRACE without REPENTANCE is a free pass to sin, and that is what I see more often than not.

Many claim to be saved by GRACE, but don't know what that truly means! I am hear to say that, IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY! If you are TRULY saved by GRACE then with that comes a gift of CONVICTION for the things that we do wrong (SIN)! I hear alot of people say God knows we are human and we are going to sin, instead of making the efforts to NOT SIN they justify it on the bases of what they hear from these GRACE sermons, which Means they are not convicted by their sins. Zephania 3:5 says that the unrighteous KNOW NO SHAME after God despenses justice! To me it seems that people use being saved by GRACE as they are ENTITLED to sin, and thats ok, because GRACE wipes it away!

Ephesians 2:8
 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Grace is the gift from God, but its through FAITH you are saved! see the definition of faith below!

Faith

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability. 

2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims. 
 

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty. 
 

5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith   

 Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you have complete confidence and trust in Gods' ability?

2. Do you believe Gods' word at face value, including the miracles like Moses splitting the waters and the prophecies that our great prophets wrote about, without needing any evidence or proof of it?

3. Is your faith so strong that EVERYTIME bad things happen, you go straight to God for help and a solution, and EVERYTIME good things happen, do you immediately thank God, and give him the glory for it?

With GRACE and faith should accompany conviction. Conviction requires repentance. Repentance is GOD forgiving us for our sins, which as humans it is inevitable that we will sin!

There is more to it then saying it folks! If your heart is truly in it then the following scriptures in Titus should come natural to you, because they did to me!

Titus 2:11-15
¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

The Book of Titus explains that GRACE teaches us to say "NO" to worldly and ungodly things (partying, drinking, sexual immorality)! It teaches us dicipline and structure to live for God (studying the bible, witnessing, praying)! Titus 2:15 very clearly states that these are the things that should be taught!

Zephania 3:4 It clearly says PRIESTS PROFANE  THE SANCTUARY and do violence to the law. (OMMITING PARTS OF THE BIBLE EXPLAINING THE ENTIRE MEANING OF GRACE IS A BETRAYAL AND ABUSE TO THE CONGREGATION THAT TRUSTS THEM)

 

Look at the definition of PROFANE below!

Profane

1. to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt : desecrate

 

2.  to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use

 

TO ALL MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,

 

I tell you these things so that you are not lead wrong by leaders, whom I see day to day ABUSE their positions in the church, teaching only half of the truth! At the same time your faith in God should surpass that of your faith in man, and it is your duty to do your own research and study the bible to know the truth. The leaders are here to help, but it is not through THEM that will get you to heaven!

 

When the day comes and you stand in judgement before God ALMIGHTY you cannot explain away your wrongs or blame others for the things that you did or DID NOT do, to get yourself out of trouble. Their is 2 options Heaven or Hell, and if you look at God and say to him "I deserve heaven because you blessed me with GRACE" he will surely ask you, "Did you read the TERMS and Conditions of GRACE?" What will your answer be?

 

God has all your questions answered in the Holy Bible. He warns us of the things that will lead us astray, and he tells us what to do to earn eternal life. Study Gods' word so you will not be deceived.

 

Daniel 12:10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

 

Call Made by a Dad After Carving a ‘Pentagram’ Into His 6-Year-Old Son’s Back on 12-12-12

 

Just after midnight on Wednesday, officers responded to a call in Richland Hills, Texas after a man told 911 operator that he carved a “pentagram” into his 6-year-old son’s back for the “holy day.”

The father, identified as Brent Troy Bartel, was eventually arrested and charged with assaulting his son on Wednesday.

The 911 call, made just minutes after midnight on 12-12-12, was as bizarre as the gruesome act itself.

“I shed some innocent blood,” Bartel told the 911 operator.
“What do you mean, sir?”

“I inscribed a pentagram on my son,” he replied.
“Why did you do that?”

“Because it’s a holy day,” the man said.

During the same time, the boy’s mother called 911 from a neighbor’s house claiming that her husband was hurting their child.

To hear recording follow link below!

 

When officers arrived at the Richland Hills home they found the 6-year-old in pajama pants, a large pentagram carved into his back.

The carving actually covered the majority of his back, according to police.

More from NBCDFW:

Officers wrapped the boy in a jacket and turned him over to paramedics. The child was transported to Cooks Children’s Hospital for treatment. Child Protective Services and a crime victim liaison are working with the boy and his mother.
Police said Wednesday afternoon that the carving isn’t deep enough to require stitches and that the child is expected to be OK physically.
At the scene, officers also recovered a box cutter they believe Bartel used to make the carving.

Police arrested Bartel and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.

It is unclear whether the father got 12-12-12 confused with Dec. 21, 2012, which is the day that some believe the Mayans predicted to be the end of the world.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/listen-to-bizarre-911-call-made-by-a-dad-after-carving-a-giant-pentagram-into-his-6-year-old-sons-back-on-12-12-12/

Another punk move by OBAMA!

'Obama planning talks with Iran, excluding Israel'

 

 

 

US President Barack Obama plans to propose to Iran that they conduct direct negotiations over the Islamic Republic nuclear program, Channel 10 reported Tuesday night citing a senior US official.
According to the official, the decision did not involve any coordination or consultation with Israel.
According to the report, the US is likely to give negotiations a time-frame of four to five months. If they do not succeed, the US may resort to the military option.
The report came a day after The Guardian reported that Western diplomats believe Israel has been leaking sensitive information about Iran's nuclear program in a bid to rally the international community to action.
Meanwhile Israel renewed calls against the Iranian program, as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday the problem would have to be confronted in 2013.
According to the Guardian report, Western diplomats suspect the Israeli moves have backfired, and have instead jeopardized the International Atomic Energy Agency's investigation into the Iranian nuclear program. Diplomats said Israel was leaking the information because of an "impatience" over international delays to confront Iran.
The report cited a leaked diagram allegedly showing Iranian advances in nuclear technology as the latest example of the Israeli strategy. The diagram, published by the Associated Press’s correspondent in Vienna and widely distributed around the world, comprises a single line chart plotting power and energy in kilotons against time. The diagram also has a caption in Persian, which reads “Figure (5): Changes in power and energy released versus time during power pulse.” The axes of the graph are labeled in English.
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization dismissed claims that the diagram proved anything about Iran's program.
Speaking to foreign journalists on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel was sticking to the red line he laid down in September, when he told the United Nations Iran should not have enough enriched uranium to make even a single warhead.

"I made clear that once Iran crosses that enrichment threshold, the chances of us effectively stopping Iran's nuclear weapons program would be reduced dramatically," he said.
"Iran is two and a half months closer to crossing this line and there is no doubt that this will be a major challenge that will have to be addressed next year."
Israeli experts have said Iran could have enriched enough uranium to produce just one bomb by the spring or summer of 2013. In an effort to deter Tehran, Western powers have imposed increasingly tough economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
"The sanctions on Iran are hurting the Iranian economy. There is no question about that. But we have not seen any evidence that sanctions have stalled Iran's nuclear weapons program," Netanyahu said.
"Israel is more capable of addressing this challenge than it was when I took office four years ago," said Netanyahu, who looks on course to win re-election in a January 22 national ballot.
Iran's nuclear facilities are well protected and dotted around the vast country, posing a massive challenge to the Israeli military which does not have the reach of the United States or as powerful conventional munitions.

http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=295560

And here we go another SO-CALLED ALLY not backing Israel! Well they are a player in the GOG/MAGOG War so I suppose this was gonna happen at some point!

Turkey: Israel playing with fire, burdening allies

 

 

 

Turkish President Abdullah Gül said on Tuesday Israel is "playing with fire" in its latest move to construct settlement units in Jerusalem and the West Bank, Turkish daily Today's Zaman reported.
Gül told a joint news conference held with his Palestinian counterpart, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, that Israel should be aware it is becoming more isolated in the international community and becoming a burden to its allies, putting them in a difficult situation, Today's Zaman reported.
Gül stated Israel should have come to the negotiating table in a “peaceful manner” following the upgraded status of Palestine by the United Nations to non-member observer state, but instead it announced new plans for settlements.
Gül said Turkey strongly condemned the “very dangerous” settlement step to construct 3,000 housing units in the E1 corridor, connecting Ma'aleh Adumim to Jerusalem, adding that the move aims to separate Palestinians in the West Bank from those in Jerusalem.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qXZgF2Y_AJA

 

 

Britain, France and several other European countries summoned Israeli envoys last week to protest over the plan to build settlements in an area of the West Bank known as E1, and even Israel's staunch European ally Germany voiced criticism.
Construction in E1 (East one) could divide the West Bank and make the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state - as envisaged by the internationally backed two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict - almost impossible.
Settlement building on land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war is considered illegal by most world powers.
Israeli officials said it could up to two years before any building begins in the designated zone east of Jerusalem.
Reuters contributed to this report.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=295502&R=R1

This is a church I would never trust!

All Saints Church in Pasadena moves ahead as host of a Muslim Public Affairs Council convention despite hate email.

 

 

 

 

Despite receiving a slew of hate mail, All Saints Church in Pasadena is moving forward with a conference hosted by the Muslim Public Affairs Council — the first time the organization has conducted a national convention at a Christian church.
All Saints Rev. Ed Bacon described the emails his congregation received as "some of the most vile, mean-spirited emails I've ever read in my life."

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/07/local/la-me-muslims-all-saints-20121207

Islam Fastest-Growing Faith in England; Christians Drop to 59% of Population

 

(CNSNews.com) – New census data released in Britain show that Islam is the fastest-growing religion in England and Wales, as the number of people identifying with no religion has almost doubled over the last 10 years, and the number of those describing themselves as Christian has dropped to 59 percent, down from 72 percent in 2001.
Major church denominations put a brave face on the results, arguing that people are less likely these days to call themselves Christian simply as a cultural indicator, and that those who say they are Christians tend to be committed to their faith.
“Christianity is no longer a religion of culture, but a religion of decision and commitment,” said a spokesman for the Catholic Church. “People are making a positive choice in self-identifying as Christians.”
A similar view came from a spokesman for the Archbishop’s Council of the (Anglican/Episcopalian) Church of England.
“One of the reasons [for the decline] may well be fewer people identifying as ‘Cultural Christians’ i.e. those who have no active involvement with churches and who may previously have identified as Christian for cultural or historical reasons,” said the Rev. Arun Arora. “They indicate a changing pattern of religious life in which traditional or inherited identities are less taken for granted than they used to be.”
The results of the 2011 census released this week apply to England and Wales only. Separate data from Scotland will be published shortly.
Of the total 56.07 million people counted in the census, 33.24 million described themselves as Christian. The number of self-identified Muslims rose to 2.7 million--an increase from 3.0 percent to 4.8 percent over a decade, making it the fastest-growing religion.
The Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the result, saying Muslims were playing “a significant part in the increasing diversity of Britain.”
Islam’s 2.7 million adherents make it the second-largest religion in England and Wales, far ahead of Hinduism (817,000), Sikhism (423,000), Buddhism (248,000) and Judaism (263,000).
Other mainstream and fringe faiths (including pagan, pantheist, wiccan, satanist, druid, “Jedi Knight” and others) lagged far behind, but the number of people declaring themselves to have no religion jumped to 14.4 million, from 7.7 million a decade ago. This means a full one-quarter of people in England and Wales now identify as having no faith.
In the U.S., by contrast, a 2007 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey found 16.1 percent of respondents identified as “unaffiliated” with any particular religion, while in the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey the figure was 14.9 percent. (The U.S. Census Bureau is prohibited by law from asking questions on faith affiliation on a mandatory basis.)
British secularist groups did not conceal their delight, reiterating predictions that Christians could be in the minority within five years.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) had argued that the wording of the census form question – “What is your religion?” – was biased since it implied that every respondent has one. It campaigned to encourage people who are “not religious” to make that clear on the form, rather than simply tick a box reflecting family background or tradition.
“In spite of a biased question that positively encourages religious responses, to see such an increase in the non-religious and such a decrease in those reporting themselves as Christian is astounding,” commented BHA chief executive Andrew Copson.
He said it was time governments caught up to the fact that religion was “decreasingly relevant” and move away from state-funded religious schools and faith-based initiatives.
Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society said the census figures “should serve as a warning to the churches that their increasingly conservative attitudes are not playing well with the public at large.”
Arora, the Church of England spokesman, predicted that campaigning atheist groups would try to minimize the significance of the fact that a majority still identifies as Christian.
He noted drily that the total membership of groups like the BHA and National Security Society “would barely fill half of Old Trafford” – the home stadium of Manchester United.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/british-census-islam-fastest-growing-faith-england-christians-drop-59-population

Iran draws up criminal indictments against 18 US officials

Iran draws up criminal indictments against 18 US officials
DEBKAfile December 12, 2012, 4:00 PM (GMT+02:00)

 

Iran's Deputy Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Rayeesi said they include former defense secretaries, CIA and FBI ex-directors, 12 generals who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo and the incumbent Treasury Department first undersecretary Stuart Levey, for “imposing illegal sanctions against the Iranian people.”

http://www.debka.com/newsupdatepopup/3164/



US: Assad fires first Syrian Scud missiles at rebels

US: Assad fires first Syrian Scud missiles at rebels
DEBKAfile December 12, 2012, 8:05 PM (GMT+02:00)

 

An unnamed US official reported to the New York Times another major escalation in Syria: Bashar Assad has started using his Russian-made Scud ballistic missiles, which are capable of carrying warheads including chemical weapons, against rebel-held areas. More than six have been fired so far.
The Obama administration has warned the Assad regime of serious consequences if he resorts to extreme measures, such as chemical weapons, to crush the nearly two-year armed rebellion against him.

 

http://www.debka.com/newsupdatepopup/3167/

NKoreans dance in the streets to celebrate 1st satellite; US demands consequences for launch

 

 

PYONGYANG, North Korea — In Pyongyang, North Koreans clinked beer mugs and danced in the streets to celebrate the country’s first satellite in space. In Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, leaders pushed for consequences for Wednesday’s successful rocket launch, widely seen as a test that takes the country one step closer to being capable of lobbing nuclear bombs over the Pacific.

The surprising, successful launch of a three-stage rocket — similar in design to a model capable of carrying a nuclear-tipped warhead as far as California — raises the stakes in the international standoff over North Korea’s expanding atomic arsenal. As Pyongyang refines its technology, its next step may be conducting its third nuclear test, experts warn.

The U.N. Security Council, which has punished North Korea repeatedly for developing its nuclear program, condemned the launch after a closed-door meeting Wednesday and said it will urgently consider “an appropriate response.” The White House called the launch a “highly provocative act that threatens regional security,” and even the North’s most important ally, China, expressed regret.

In Pyongyang, however, pride over the scientific advancement outweighed the fear of greater international isolation and punishment. North Korea, though struggling to feed its people, is now one of the few countries to have successfully launched a working satellite into space from its own soil; bitter rival South Korea is not on the list, though it has tried.

“It’s really good news,” North Korean citizen Jon Il Gwang told The Associated Press as he and scores of other Pyongyang residents poured into the streets after a noon announcement to celebrate the launch by dancing in the snow. “It clearly testifies that our country has the capability to enter into space.”

Wednesday’s launch was North Korea’s fourth bid since 1998. An April launch failed in the first of three stages, raising doubts among outside observers whether North Korea could fix what was wrong in just eight months, but those doubts were erased Wednesday.

The Unha rocket, named after the Korean word for “galaxy,” blasted off from the Sohae launch pad in Tongchang-ri, northwest of Pyongyang, shortly before 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), just three days after North Korea indicated that technical problems might delay the launch.

A South Korean destroyer patrolling the waters west of the Korean Peninsula immediately detected the launch. Japanese officials said the first rocket stage fell into the Yellow Sea and a second stage fell into the Philippine Sea hundreds of kilometers (miles) farther south.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command confirmed that “initial indications are that the missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit.”

In an indication that North Korea’s leadership was worried about the success of the launch, the plan was kept quiet inside North Korea until a special noon broadcast on state TV declared the launch a success. Pyongyang was much more open during its last attempt in April, and even took the unusual step of inviting scores of foreign journalists for the occasion, but that rocket splintered shortly after takeoff.

READ MORE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/south-korea-says-north-korea-has-fired-a-long-range-rocket-in-a-defiant-move/2012/12/11/66aa6d06-43f9-11e2-8c8f-fbebf7ccab4e_story.html

North Korea Totally Embarrassed The Intelligence Community

 

 

There was a collective sigh of relief when North Korea announced it would delay its controversial rocket launch, and immediately analysts raced to analyze the implications and possible outcomes.

Most of them were wrong.
The terrifying aspect of North Korea's rocket launch is that no one saw it coming. Sure, they expected it would happen eventually, but most everyone was blindsided when North Korea lit the fuse just one day from their delay announcement.

The Associated Press ran the headling, the same day as N. Korea's announcement, that said "No signs of imminent rocket launch in North Korea."

The Washington Post ran three satellite photos of the launch site, giving the appearance that North Korea was under strict surveillance. They also ran an analysis from 38 North, the official website of the U.S.-Korean Institute at John Hopkins Advanced International Studies, which "predicted it’s likely to take until Wednesday or Thursday to remove the Unha-3 rocket and more than a week to repair it, meaning a launch is unlikely before Dec. 21-22."

Joel Wit, a former State Department Official and now editor of 38 North, had this to say to the Post:

“Our analysis shows the North Koreans are moving at a measured, careful pace to fix the problem with their rocket,” said former U.S. State Department official, Joel Wit, 38 North’s editor. “It’s anyone’s guess whether they succeed or not but there may be more challenges ahead, particularly if temperatures drop.”

Bloomberg talked to John Delury, an assistant professor of international relations.

He had this to say:
“It would be strange for the North Korean media to announce they’re having problems and delaying the launch if they could really do it. The fact that the announcement came from the scientific community and scientists and technicians were said to have made the call suggests there may indeed be technical problems and of course could be related to the weather. It’s extremely cold.”
"Strange" indeed.

Analysts had every reason to think it would be delayed, North Korea's history of rocket launches is wrought with failures, embarrassments and boastful talk. (Granted, the Post article dropped this little gem at the end as a caveat: "North Korea divulges little about its rocket program, and without independent observers on the ground, it is virtually impossible to discern its plans with any certainty.")

Nonetheless, they launched the rocket just hours later, it flew more than 1500 miles, and landed in the sea east of the Philippines.
The surveillance satellites, the analysts, the Japanese, S. Koreans and U.S. Military, all had their blind-sided mouths agape as they waited for the results of the launch. Now they're universally condemning the behavior from the North.

No one's yet mentioned though that predictions were off and that North Korea's official statement was honestly taken to heart (the first mistake). No one even knew that the rocket was in the air until Japan spotted it.

That's the most terrifying aspect, the world's complete and total surprise.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-scariest-thing-about-north-koreas-rocket-launch-2012-12#ixzz2EuTurgGD

Hundreds Of Squid Wash Ashore Along Santa Cruz County Beaches

 

 

APTOS (CBS 5) — Scientists are investigating why at least several hundred dead squid suddenly washed ashore along the Santa Cruz County coast Sunday afternoon.

Witnesses said the Humboldt squid stranded themselves during high tide Sunday. Carcasses were found along a 12 mile stretch from Aptos to Watsonville.

“You just see them essentially killing themselves, and it’s just really weird to see it,” said graduate student Hannah Rosen of Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station.

Rosen said some people tried to put the squid back in the water, but the deepwater creatures swam back to shore.

“They don’t see the shore very often,” Rosen said “So it might just be that they don’t understand what’s going on around them, and they’re just trying to get away and don’t realize that if they swim towards the shore, they’re going to run out of water eventually.”

Scientists identified the squid as juveniles, both male and female, about a foot and a half long, weighing three pounds. The animals had full stomachs, having feasted on smaller market squid. A few had also cannibalized each other, which is normal.

Researchers have not determined why the squid washed ashore. There is some speculation the animals may have eaten toxic algae.

“It’s possible that the squid are ingesting either these neurotoxins or they’re getting it through their food,” Rosen said. “And that could be causing them to be disoriented and swim onto the beach.”

Humboldt squid have not been seen in the Monterey Bay area for a few years. Scientists believe El Nino weather patterns may have drawn them to the cooler waters of Northern and Central California. The stranding is the third in the past six weeks.

“It’s really an exploratory time for us, so we’re learning more about what causes these strandings, and whether or not we should be worried about them or if it’s just a natural part of the squid cycle,” Rosen said.

 

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/12/11/hundreds-of-squid-wash-ashore-along-santa-cruz-county-beaches/?hpt=us_bn10