MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• Even If Acquitted, Pakistani Blasphemy Suspect Is In Mortal Danger.A 45-year-old mother of two has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy. But the real danger Aasia Bibi faces may not come from her court case. That is because, to date, although some have been sentenced to death, no one has ever been executed in Pakistan for blasphemy.Instead, the danger is that she will be killed if she is freed. And for that there are ample precedents.In July, two Christian brothers accused of writing a blasphemous pamphlet critical of the Prophet Muhammad were shot dead within the premises of a court in Punjab. One of the brothers was a pastor. That happened as they exited a court hearing in Faisalabad city, where hundreds of protesters had demanded they be sentenced to death.Those same crowds of protestors have gathered in Bibi's case like ominous storm clouds hovering over the proceedings.The only certainty is that the blasphemy law itself is never likely to be repealed. Minority Affairs Minister Bhatti, who is a Christian, told Reuters on November 23 that a repeal "is not being considered, though we are considering changing it so that misuse of the law should be stopped."But the pernicious effects of the blasphemy laws -- and the threat they present not just to victims, but to the rule of law in Pakistan -- run too deep to be mitigated by simply guarding against misuse.Since the controversial blasphemy laws were introduced by then-dictator General Zia-ul- Huq in 1980, at least 1,035 men and women, including Muslims, Ahmadis, Christians, and Hindus have been accused, although all the accusations were dropped when the cases reached the higher courts.Some have languished in jail for years awaiting a final resolution of their case. Waji ul-Hassan, a Christian, has been on death row since 2002.Perhaps worse still, the laws have helped to legitimize the physical attacks, social stigmatization, forced conversion, and continued institutional degradation that characterize the position of religious minorities in Pakistan.Read the full story here.

• HT:Antisemmitism.USA - Helen Thomas says Zionists control U.S. foreign policy.Helen Thomas said that she stands by her comments about Israel she made earlier this year that led to her resignation as a national columnist. And she went further, saying that Zionists control U.S. foreign policy and other institutions. The local Jewish community condemned her remarks. In an interview, Thomas, 90, said that criticizing Israel led to her resignation and ostracism in Washington. “I can call a president of the United States anything in the book, but I can’t touch Israel, which has Jewish-only roads in the West Bank,” Thomas said. “No American would tolerate that — white-only roads.” Thomas, a longtime White House correspondent who grew up in Detroit as the daughter of Lebanese immigrants, was in Dearborn for a workshop on anti-Arab bias. In a speech inside a center in Dearborn, she talked about “the whole question of money involved in politics.” “Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. No question, in my opinion,” she said. “They put their money where their mouth is. We’re being pushed into a wrong direction in every way.” Asked by the Free Press how she would respond to those who say she’s antisemitic, Thomas said: “I’d say I’m a Semite. What are you talking about?”Hmmmm........Qur'an (5:51) - "O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends".Hatred for Jews proved at Dearbornistan? Read the full story here.

• The "War" on Christmas.Nutter Putting Christmas Signs Back Up.PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter says the city will restore two signs that read "German Christmas Village" after two days of controversy after the city tried to replace the word "Christmas" with "Holiday" at a seasonal market operated at City Hall.Nutter said the change will be made on Thursday in time for the Holiday Tree lighting ceremony.A member of city council, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and many local people weren't happy that city officials wanted the word "Christmas" taken off signs at the annual shopping fair."It was very disappointing to learn of the city’s decision to remove the word “Christmas” on the village archway sign located at Dilworth Plaza in Philadelphia," the archdiocese said on Wednesday.The organizer of the "Christmas Village" event vowed that he would not delete "Christmas" from his event's name, but he had to take down the signs about the event to comply with a city request.But Philadelphia Councilwoman Joan Krajewski announced that she would introduce a ceremonial resolution calling on the city to remember and respect it’s citizens who celebrate Christmas.Fox 29's Joyce Evans reported late Wednesday evening that Mayor Nutter asked Councilwoman Krajewski not to introduce this resolution Thursday morning. She has agreed, in the "spirit of Christmas."The decision quickly became a hot potato as the story went viral on the Internet, and people let their feelings known on Facebook.Hmmmm....Merry Christmas Pani  Krajewski .Read the full story here.

• Israel lost Turkey's friendship - Gul.Turkey's President Abdullah Gul said that any cooperation between Israel and NATO was out of question.In an interview with Euronews, Gul said that the missile defense system by NATO was related to only NATO members, stating that Israel was not a member of NATO."Any cooperation between Israel and NATO is out of question. Israel cannot use NATO's means," he said.Gul expressed his reaction to axis shift discussions regarding Turkey and said, "all these things are wrong. Turkey's course is clear. Turkey is working to reach the most developed democratic standards and economic standards. The country amends its constitution and laws. Turkey pursues an all-around policy."In regard to Turkey's approach toward Iranian nuclear issue, Gul said that Turkey was sensitive to an issue concerning its neighbor.Gul said that Turkey had a sound determination regarding its EU accession process.Hmmm....since when is Turkey the official spokesperson for NATO?Read the full story here.

• British Christian Group Raises Concerns About Shari’a-Compliant Food.A Christian organization in Britain has launched a petition campaign aimed at defending the right of those who for religious, moral or other reasons do not want to eat meat slaughtered according to Islamic law (shari’a).Operation Nehemiah says it has no objection to Muslims having the freedom to follow their own religious practices and being catered to by the food industry, but it objects to non-Muslims having little or no choice in the matter.It argues that the mainstreaming of halal across the world constitutes part of a global Islamization drive. A Malaysia-based body called the World Halal Forum held a European-focused meeting in London in November, under the theme “Halal Products and Services – Going Mainstream.”Operation Nehemiah describes itself as a project that aims to “rebuild [Britain’s] Christian foundations.” It is part of the Barnabas Fund, an international charity working among Christians living in Islamic societies.“We believe that Christians and other non-Muslims should have the freedom to make an informed choice about whether or not to eat meat that has been religiously slaughtered according to shari’a,” Barnabas Fund international director Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo said in a statement.“We are recommending that halal food should always be labeled as such, and that non-halal alternatives should always be available to consumers.”Hmmmm....about time.Example in Canada :"Campbell tomato soup only available in "Halal" .Our Halal-certified products have been chosen specifically to suit the flavour preferences of the Muslim community."The non Muslims just have to eat halal.Read the full story here.

• Israel - Fire swells, residents evacuated by force.Pastoral kibbutz of Beit Oren lies in ruins as blaze that has consumed more than 7,000 acres of land, killed more than 40 people continued to rage. Police say some residents refused to leave homes despite danger.Kibbutz Beit Oren was destroyed almost entirely in the fire, which claimed the lives of over 40 people and consumed more than 7,000 acres of land, according to the Jewish National Fund. A number of residents in Beit Oren and Nir Etzion refused to leave their homes, to which they had returned despite the approaching flames. Police say that in a number of extreme cases, officers were forced to evacuate people by force. Police also began to evacuate homes in Isfiya as the fire blazing through northern Israel began to near the homes on the outskirts of the Druze town. Beit Oren, one of Israel's most pastoral towns lay in ruins Friday morning, with trash cans melting on the streets and shards of glass from broken windows scattered throughout. The valley near Beit Oren, once a gorgeous green, had turned to black.Read the full story here. First of 23 int'l fire aircraft lands at northern IAF base . Source.

• Police think fire caused by arsonists; search for suspects.Police found a bike, a bag, and a wig inside near a fire center in Tzur Shalom on Friday, leading them to believe that the Carmel brush-fires raging across northern Israel are being caused by an arsonist or arsonists. Galillee police were spread out over the area searching for suspects.Source.

• HT:AmnonandJonathan.Carmel Inferno Dec 3rd 2010.Mount Carmel, with its wild cliffs and green landscapesbecame a symbol of beauty for good reason. Its special characteristics also made it a part of religious tradition. It was here that Elijah performed one of his best-known miracles... bringing down fire from heaven... Jews, Druze, Muslims and Christians sanctified its sites, and the Carmelite order of Catholic monks bears its name. The mountain features forest and woodland species of trees, as well as shrubs, numerous flowers and a variety of wildlife, along with wonderful panoramas and archaeological sites going back to the dawn of humanity.Read the full story here.

• Escaping Indonesian housemaid dies in fall from Saudi building.An Indonesian housemaid was killed on Thursday when she fell while tried to escape from a third-floor apartment in Saudi Arabia, a local newspaper said on Friday.The maid used clothes tied to each other in her escape attempt through the window from the flat in the western port of Jeddah after she learned her original employer would come and get her, Okaz Arabic language daily reported.The unnamed maid had absconded from her employer in the northwestern town of Hail and worked for the owner of the flat in Jeddah, the paper said.“The main tried to escape when she learned that her employer was coming to take her back to his house…she tried to escape and died as a result,” said Lt. Naif Al-Wafidi, a police spokesman in Jeddah.He said the maid’s body would be transferred to the Forensic Medicine Administration to determine whether there are injuries other than those caused by the fall.Hmmmmm....Indonesian maids and Saudi masters seems to be a serious problem?Read the full story here.

• HT:ElderOfZion.Muslim.Net forum cheering burnt Israelis.The mujahid-loving members of Muslim.Net message forums are happily celebrating some forty Israelis being burned to death.They are publishing explicit photographs of burned bodies (warning: very graphic) and sprinkling in liberal doses of "Allahu Akbar." They are also implying that this was a case of arson: one page says "The Mujahideen said the brother to sneak into the land."Their happiness is palpable. It is beyond disgusting.Source.

• HT:Powerline.Venezuela's Jewish Community Sees "Dark Horizon". Jewish community leaders told PolCouns the Venezuelan government's (GBRV's) attacks and "double-talk," constant criticism of Israel, growing alliance with Iran, and increasing limitations on freedom of speech contribute to a heightened sense of vulnerability by the Jewish community. ...Given the ongoing sense of threat, CAIV members agreed on the need for close relations with the U.S. and other Embassies as a form of diplomatic protection for the Jewish community. One wonders, during the Obama administration, how realistic that hope is.Read the full story here.

• HT:PajamasMedia.Islamists Targeting Christians ‘Wherever They Can Reach Them’.In 2006, when Pope Benedict quoted history deemed unflattering to Islam, Christians around the Muslim world paid the price: anti-Christian riots ensued, churches were burned, and a nun was murdered in Somalia. That was then. Days ago, when a Christian in Egypt was accused of dating a Muslim woman, twenty-two Christian homes were set ablaze, to cries of “Allah Akbar.” Countless other examples of one group of Christians in the Muslim world being “punished” in response to other Christians exist.Read the full story here.

• HT:WZ.Oklahoma Attorney General Fighting Judge’s Decision to Issue Injunction Against Law Banning Sharia…Read and see the full story here.

• HT:GatewayPundit.Wow! That Was Quick… Obama Administration Deploys Scanner Checkpoints at Bus Stations (Video).This is unbelievable…The Obama Administration has already started using the controversial naked body scanners at bus stations… Because terrorizing innocent travelers at airports is simply not enough for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Obama Administration.As we and many others mentioned at the onset of the recent TSA policy changes regarding security at airports, similar measures would soon be introduced at other public venues.The Transportation Administration has now begun deploying temporary, rapid response checkpoints at bus stations in Tampa. Dubbed VIPER for Visual Intermodal Protection and Response, the checkpoints are designed to be put into place in the event a terrorist threat arises in the future.Hmmm.....where does the operating personel come from?Read the full story here.

• HT:RefugeeResettlementWatch.Follow immigration and refugee issues on Capitol Hill at this website. just yesterday learned about this website (MicEvHill.com) for news about what is happening in Washington and on Capitol Hill regarding the issues we care about here at RRW. Note today the Dream Act could come up in the Senate but it is unlikely. You can also track daily immigration issues and action-needed at NumbersUSA, here.A reminder to readers: We have a category entitled, ‘where to find information,’ you might want to check it out from time to time.Source.

• HT:HotAir.Deficit commission: What ObamaCare needs is … death panels.The good news for Barack Obama: the Associated Press reports today that Obama’s deficit commission wants to keep most of ObamaCare in place. The bad news: they pronounce it unsustainable — unless it includes hard caps on c0verage and decisions made to stop care. Doesn’t this sound a little familiar?In fact, that’s the very process the deficit commission says will be needed to make ObamaCare viable. Peter Orszag made it clear how IPAB would become one of the most powerful agencies in the federal government, and how its decisions would mainly be out of reach of Congress as part of its design. That was clear early in the process, as was how that power would be used. Now the deficit commission has not only recognized it but argues that without a “death panel,” ObamaCare simply won’t work.Which is what Sarah Palin argued all along.Hmmmm......Alea iacta est,"The die is now cast".Read the full story here.

• HT:RightSideNews.Muslim Tries Mass Murder in Oregon - NYTimes Worries Law Enforcement Offend Terrorists.After jihadist attempts mass-murder in Oregon, New York Times worries that law enforcement authorities may be offending Muslims.Muslims in Portland and elsewhere are angry because undercover agents helped the jihadist plan the attack; apparently they're trying to paint a picture of a naif led along and ultimately framed by unscrupulous and "Islamophobic" agents. The lingering question, however, is this: what would it take to lead you to participate in a terrorist mass-murder plot? If undercover agents approached you and tried to entice you into working to kill large numbers of innocent people, how hard would it be to convince you to do it?Speaking strictly for myself, I have absolutely no worries of ever being entrapped in this way; there is simply nothing, under any circumstances, that anyone could say to me to convince me to blow anyone up. If Mohamed Mohamud had not already had jihad and murder on his mind, he could never have been cajoled into participating in this plot -- if, indeed, he needed to be cajoled at all."My worry would be that the F.B.I. is pushing to a point where it becomes difficult to trust the F.B.I.," said Mr. Ayloush, who added that he was a graduate of an F.B.I. Citizens' Academy. "When people start doubting, then they might feel like, 'Well, maybe it might make things worse if I call,' and we don't want this."The New York Times makes no mention, of course, of the fact that CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case . CAIR operatives, including Hussam Ayloush when I challenged him directly and repeatedly to do so during a radio debate, have repeatedly refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups. Several of its former officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror . Two of its other officials have made Islamic supremacist statements . CAIR also was involved in the Flying Imams' intimidation suit against the passengers who reported their suspicious behavior.Hmmm....the "Enemy" within?Read the full story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.Of course: Wikileaks an anti-Turkish plot engineered by Israel. The Turks have become as predictable and paranoid as the Arabs.Israel could have engineered the release of hundreds of thousands of confidential documents on WikiLeaks as a plot to corner Turkey on both domestic and foreign policy, according to a senior ruling party official.The first signal came from President Abdullah Gül, who said Tuesday the leaks seemed to be a result of a systematic work with some purpose behind it.“Documents were released and they immediately said, ‘Israel will not suffer from this.’ How did they know that?” Çelik said.Are they selling the Protocols of the Elders of Zion on the streets of Ankara yet? I'm sure it's a best seller in the Turkish government.Read the full story here.

• HT:AmnonandJonathan.Politically Incorrect Message for the Holidays.As a “right wing Jewish extremist” as many of my fellow Jews might describe me, so as to isolate me from the “lamestream” I have a question as to why Jewish Liberals find the celebration of Chanukah as the most important of all Jewish festivals to actively and proudly celebrate in America. Passover, Tabernacles and Pentecost are more important but most reform synagogues are closed, go figure!Chanukah is not a Biblical festival, not commanded to be celebrated by G-d but it is a celebration on par with the July 4th commemorating freedom from persecution and the independence of Israel. The Macabbees who lead the revolt against the Hellenist Greeks were right wing extremist zealots like me, who believed in a free undivided land of Israel, not a solution that might bring “peace.” Liberal Jews like the Hellenists support abortion “pro choice,” a pc word for murder, homosexuality, euthanasia and a shared land of Israel the size of Delaware instead of the area of New Jersey, while the Maccabees would frown at such affronts to G-d’s natural laws and promises.It is hard to believe that liberal Jews could embrace such a festival or concept called Chanukah based on the historic and miraculous reason it is celebrated.I as a supporter of the Maccabee cause wish to free Israel, all Israel, of the affront of Islamic domination. Today I am called an extremist and hatemonger. If I lived 2500 years ago I would be a hero and commemorated by liberals later (today) as such, yet today based on the same issues repeated in front of our eyes, to a liberal I would be a “hatemonger” promoting “hate speech.”Hmmm.........Politically incorrect maybe,truthfull....surely.Read the full story here.

• HT:TheAmericanDream.12 Simple Things You Can Start Doing Right Now To Prepare For The Coming Financial Apocalypse.It is becoming increasingly apparent that the U.S. economy is heading for complete and total disaster. State and local governments across the nation are uncontrollably bleeding red ink. The federal government has accumulated the largest debt in world history. Every year we buy hundreds of billions of dollars more from the rest of the world than they buy from us. That means that we are getting hundreds of billions of dollars poorer as a nation every single year. Meanwhile, thousands of factories and millions of jobs continue to be sent overseas as American cities turn into post-industrial wastelands. Incomes are down, unemployment remains at depressingly high levels and very few of our politicians seem to have any idea how to fix things. Yes, things are really, really bad. So what are some things that we can all be doing to prepare for the coming financial apocalypse?Well, the truth is that we all need to start becoming less dependent on "the system". If the economy does completely fall apart at some point, your employer is probably not going to take care of you. Neither is the federal government - just look at what happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. In the end, you are going to have to take care of yourself and your family.So are you ready?Now is the time to prepare. If you wait until things totally fall apart it will be far too late.The following are 12 simple things that you can start doing right now to prepare for the coming financial apocalypse.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Europe Tries to Save Itself with Massive New Bailout Program.Last week (see Ireland Bailout Fails to Calm Markets), we showed you graphs of bond yields (interest rates) for four of the PIIGS countries — Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain.Now, here are the graphs for Italy and Belgium.These interest rates are still around only 4-5%, not the 9-12% rates we were talking about for the other countries. But you can see from the graphs that they’re rising parabolically, and that’s causing EU officials to become nervous and panicky. The financial crisis is spreading.It’s not just countries that are affected. European corporations that wish to borrow money by issuing bonds are even worse off, according to the Financial Times (Access).“Borrowing costs for most companies and banks in Europe have jumped but issuers from countries on the eurozone’s periphery have suffered most,” according to the article. “Analysts and bankers said that, in effect, bond markets had mostly shut for these issuers.”Bond yields improved slightly on Wednesday on the rumor that the European Central Bank (ECB) was going to propose a massive new bailout program on Thursday, on the order of 1-2 trillion euros. Under the proposal, the ECB would purchase the country bonds and possibly also the corporate bonds at lower-than-market interest rates, effectively transferring the debt risk from the individual countries and corporations to the European Union itself.It’s not at all certain that the proposal will be accepted. Similar programs by the American Federal Reserve central bank could be enacted with much less difficulty because of the highly centralized American government. But the European Union is still a loosely confederated group of countries.From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, the League of Nations and the euro currency were both created at roughly the same time in the generational cycle: during an Unraveling era just preceding a crisis era and a crisis world war.The survivors of World War II created the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation (Green Revolution), and other international organizations not only to prevent a new world war, but also to end poverty and starvation and to improve health. This happened as World War II ended, and could not have happened at any other time. That’s the way the world works.There are many big projects floating around these days — the European Union, the euro currency, universal health care are examples. All of these projects are doomed to failure, like the League of Nations, and will be destroyed by the approaching world war. But once the war ends, all of them will be resurrected and implemented by the survivors.Read the full story here.

• HT:HIDF.Parallel Pathways: Essays on Hindu-Muslim Relations (1707-1857).Meenakshi Jain’s book explains the leitmotif for Hindu-Muslim relations for over a millennium and demolishes the ‘harmony’ theory, writes A SURYA PRAKASH.Hindus and Muslims lived amicably in undivided India until Britain colonised the country, promoted conflict between the two communities, pursued a policy of divide and rule and eventually presided over the division of the country before exiting from the subcontinent. This is the standard narrative of many Left-leaning historians who shut their eyes to historical truths and moulded history to suit their ideological predilections. Much of this, however, is false because it seeks to hide the facts regarding the cruelty and despotism of many Muslim rulers, the destruction of thousands of Hindu temples, the religious persecution of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains and the sustained efforts of these rulers to dismantle the cultural edifice of the Indic civilisation — all of which created a Hindu-Muslim divide that existed when the British arrived on the scene and remained thereafter, resulting in the country’s tragic partition.The reality, she says, is “considerably more complex” and can be traced to some precepts that are central to Islam and which have influenced Muslim rulers since the Arab conquest of Sind in 712 AD. For example, Church and state were intertwined in Islam and Muslims believed that “Islam could be Islam properly only in conjunction with political power”. As a result, “secularisation of the polity and society were incompatible with Islam”. Islam, she says, divided the world into believers and non-believers and “designated all Indians as kafirs”. As these concepts were at the core of Islamic belief, there was little scope for harmony between Hindus and Muslims. These concepts also had a great bearing on how a succession of Muslim kings ran their kingdoms and the attitude of the Muslim elite in India.Hmmm......there can only be one?Read the full story here.

• HT:DougPowers.White House: Extend Unemployment Benefits or 600,000 May Lose Their Jobs (huh?).I’m guessing that most of these “jobs lost” they’re referring to if benefits aren’t extended to the jobless are people who work at the unemployment office?In one breath they tell us that jobless benefits are good for the economy but in the next they want us to worry about the negative economic impact of more people being jobless, which would lead to them getting the jobless benefits that boost the economy? Paradox overdose!Hmmm....Obamanomics in overdrive?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Video : Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri Prays to Allah to Unleash Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Jews upon the Shiites.Hmmm....The religion of peace.Read and see the full story here.