MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• The "War on Christianity".Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Americans Divided on That, Too.As if Americans weren't divided enough, even in this season celebrating peace and good will, the public is split over whether shops should greet customers by saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays."Just under half (49 percent) of those surveyed in a new poll said stores should have a "Merry Christmas" greeting policy, while 44 percent say businesses should opt for the more generic "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" out of respect for people of different faiths. Robert Putnam of Harvard, a leading scholar of religion and co-author of "American Grace: How Religion Unites and Divides Us," said he was surprised at the popularity of the inclusive holiday greeting. That represents a major change over the last 50 years toward greater interfaith sensitivity," Putnam told Religion News Service. But it also means that the debate over the proper holiday salutation has become yet another flashpoint in the tinderbox that is America's ongoing culture war, and in the so-called War on Christmas clash that flares up every December. Hmmmm....Pardon me to differ, this time it's different as the Pope pointed out.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigGoverment.Right Before It Tries to Take Over the Internet, the FCC’s Websites Are ‘Unavailable’ Due to ‘Scheduled Maintenance’.This is but the latest in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski’s ongoing terrible interpretation of his self-appointed role as Captain Transparency.As we have much discussed, the FCC has decided to power grab Internet authority on December 21st. The Commission must seize said authority because it does not have it unless and until Congress writes a law saying so – which The Chairman himself admits Congress has not done.The Chairman will do so via a three unelected bureaucrat Democrat Party-line vote (that’s counting him). He intends to do so under cover of Christmas – slamming it through less than 96 hours before the Big Day.The Chairman will do so by writing (and rewriting, and rewriting some more, and rewriting again) an 80-plus page “order” – which sounds an awful lot like he’s appropriating Congress’ job and writing law. (Because, again, Congress has never written a law that allows him to do this.) He is in perpetual revision mode to continue to capitulate to the demands – and induce the vote – of the FCC’s most Leftist member – Commissioner Michael Copps – driving this Web takeover to the outer limits of illegal usurpation.The Chairman will do so without a new Public Comment period on this (law and) order. A new Public Comment period would be most appropriate given the continuing newness and dramatic scope of the Internet control he is writing and voting for himself. (The Internet is now 1/6th of our nation’s entire economy – and [for now] growing.)Either way, Tennessee Representative Marsha Blackburn was right:“There is no doubt they (and we) need new leadership at the FCC.”Hmmmm....Most of the worst ,if not all of the worst laws in the USA have been passed under the cover of Christmas.Read the full story here.

• Breaking news:FCC DEMOCRATS WILL APPROVE NET NEUTRALITY RULES. Share It's official: the path has been cleared for Tuesday's historic vote at the Federal Communications Commission approving sweeping new "network neutrality" rules designed to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform that doesn't favor dominant telecommunications and cable companies.Democratic FCC regulator Michael Copps just issued the below statement in which he explains that he will "concur" on the proposed rules, meaning he supports their adoption but doesn't agree with everything in them.Senior FCC officials confirmed Thursday that Democratic regulator Mignon Clyburn also will concur, giving FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski the three votes he needs on the five-member commission for passage. Copps and Clyburn have been fighting for stronger provisions to better protect consumers and smaller competitors. Critics of the proposal dismiss it as unnecessary government intervention that seeks to correct marketplace problems that do not exist.Hmmmm....It's all about control without following democratic rules.Read the full scam story here.More here.

• A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam Hussein's blood?Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy – a Koran written using his blood.The 114 chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been under lock and key for almost eight years.The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told The Guardian. Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has protected the blood soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a third in another part of Baghdad.’The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher.The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt.Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, says anything connected to him must go. He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and idealising a person that embodies evil.Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, because he should not have done this.'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, because no Iraqi wants to see it. Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.'Hmmm....how did they keep the blood liquid to write with it?Read the full story here.

• HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Pakistan: Asma Jahangir: setting the record straight re SCBA ‘resolution’.Asma Jahangi has denied reports published in several papers today that the SCBA passed a ‘resolution’ condemning any efforts to discuss, debate or change the ‘blasphemy law’ (Lawyers to lawmakers: Supreme Court Bar wants no changes to blasphemy laws)This is to deny that the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in its second executive committee meeting held on 18 December 2010 unanimously passed any resolution regarding either section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code itself or any case related to it. The facts are that a resolution to that effect was presented by a member of the executive committee but only apportion of it was passed unanimously, which paid reverence and commitment to honour and respect the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), while the rest of the resolution regarding 295 C, the case of Aasia Bibi and its consequences was deferred with consensus. The Supreme Court Bar Association regrets the attempt made by one of its executive members to mislead the press and the public. The SCBA is a responsible body and its resolutions will be fully debated before being passed especially unanimously.Read the full story here.

• HT:Islamo-Nazism.Israel planning to bring remaining Iranian Jews to Israel?New Efforts to Bring Iran’s ‘Wealthy Jewish Hostages’ to Israel. Nearly 76,000 Iranian Jews moved to Israel since 1948 and Immigration Ministry officials and the Knesset committee for immigration are trying to find ways to encourage the remaining 25,000 to move to the Jewish State. One major obstacle is the comfortable position of many Iranian Jews, despite their children starting school every day with the chant “Death to Israel, Death to America.”Marking International Human Rights Day, the Knesset Committee on Immigration discussed the situation with Israelis from the Turkish and Iranian Jewish communities in Israel.“I ask Jews in Iran why they stay there, and they tell me they have everything they need,” Avraham Abir, a leader in the Israeli-Iranian Jewish community, told the Knesset committee. “In my opinion, the Jews there will end up like those in the Hitler era in Europe.”He said that many well-to-do Jews in Iran live in 1,000-square meter homes and that moving to much smaller homes in Israel would represent a sharp decline in their standard of living. He added that another obstacle is that many who want to leave cannot do so without leaving their children behind, due to the government’s refusal to grant passports to those who have not yet completed army service.Immigration Ministry official Chanoch Tzamir said a new eight million shekel ($2.2 million) program to encourage immigration (aliyah) from Iran is waiting for approval from the government. Knesset Member Danny Danon, chairman of the Knesset committee, commented that Jews in Iran and Turkey are “hostages” in their native countries. A program three years ago that granted $10,000 to every Iranian Jewish family moving to Israel had some success. Aliyah from Iran tripled from 65 in 2006 to 200 the following year.The Iranian parliament includes a Jew, who proclaims that “no idiot” would even imagine trying to attack Iran.Despite glowing reports of wealthy Jews in Iran, their economic condition has worsened under the regime of Ahmadinejad, according to several sources in the country. Rachel told the Monitor in a whisper, “You know, I wish I could go to Israel. It is my dream to go there one day and see it.”In Turkey, the economic situation for Jews has worsened the past two years, Turkish-Israeli community leader Momo Oz Sinai told the Knesset committee. “Every time [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or his ministers attack Israel, Jews see themselves as threatened. Erdogan’s actions create an atmosphere of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.He also reported that every Friday, the Muslim Sabbath, anti-Zionist rallies in Istanbul feature placards stating, “Jew: G-d tells you not to murder.” He also said that a weekly ritual is to burn Israel flags in mosques and in the center of the city.Hmmmm.....“no idiot” would even imagine trying to attack Iran.On the other hand a "smart' one might?Read the full story here.

• HT:Logan'sWarning.Video : It’s 6 in the Morning….Do you know where your children are…err….do you know what country you are in?Where is this taking place? Is it in Saudi Arabia, or how about Egypt? Nope, this is in the good ole’ US of A. Where just about all is tolerated. Even a religion/ideology that is out to destroy America as we know it. What you are hearing is the adhan, or the Muslim call to prayer.Although it was absolutely freezing out, early Thursday morning I headed over to the Masjid At-Taqwa. Which is located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Fulton St and Bedford Ave, to be exact.Christians and Jews in the neighbourhood should be outraged by this blatant disrepet of their beliefs. Besides the unnecessary call to prayer, there is much more to this Mosque. I had known in the past that the Mosque was lead by Imam Siraj Wahhaj, originally known as Jeffrey Kearse.To see if he was still the man in charge, I called the Mosque on Friday and was told that he is still there, but he travels a lot. In other words, he is spreading hate elsewhere. This is from a past speech of his.“…And [Allah] declared ‘Whoever is at war with my friends, I declare war on them.’ … Your true friend is Allah, the messenger, and those who believe…. Hear what I’m telling you well. The Americans are not your friends … The Canadians are not your friends … The Europeans are not your friends. Your friend is Allah, the Messenger and those who believe. Hmmmm.....Obama :"Islam is a great religion".Read ,see and hear the full story here.

• Catholics in Bogor (West Java) not allowed to celebrate Christmas Mass.The authorities ban all Christian activities, citing as their reason the lack of a proper place of worship, which Catholics have been demanding for years without success. Increasingly, radical Muslims are becoming intolerant towards Christian groups.Bogor authorities have banned all public activities or celebrations associated with Christmas, including Christmas Mass, at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Parung, Tulang Kuning, Bogor Regency (West Java Province). The official ban was issued in a letter that restated the usual reasons, namely the lack of a building permit for a place of worship (Izin Mendirikan Bangunan in Indonesian). Without it, even praying on Church-owned land is prohibited.In this particular case, because the application has not yet been approved after a long period of time, worshippers have taken to meeting under a tent or in a restaurant. Complicating matters, local authorities have interpreted the law very restrictively, going so far as to prevent Christians from even meeting in public. Now local Catholics are at a loss because they cannot figure out how to interpret the ban.“We still have no idea how to respond such demands, despite the urgency to find a peaceful solution that would allow Catholics to profess their faith at Christmas,” Fr Gatot, the local parish priest, told AsiaNews. The situation is particularly worrying because of past episodes of violence. Some parishioners, who asked their names be withheld, told AsiaNews that the ban was preceded by repeated threats from local Muslim extremists, who are bent on preventing any Christian ceremony in a public place.The fear is that radical groups might take advantage of the ban to carry out violent acts in case Catholics hold celebrations in a public place, under a tent for example, or in a restaurant in neighbouring villages, which they have done in the past.
  Hmmmm....Obama :"Indonesia is an example of religious Tolerance".Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.The True Face of Radical Islamism Revealed in Recent Poll.When undeniable information is released that reveals the true radical face of Islamism at home or abroad, leftists simply cannot accept it for what it is—the truth. They say that even if a link between Islam and violent action can be incontrovertibly proven “over there,” in America there is no such problem. We are at the crossroads of the same path that Europe traveled a few years ago; we can choose to move right or left. Western Europe turned left on that path, and it led to a radical Islamization of much of the continent. I pray that we have the wisdom to turn right.Read the full story here.

• Christmas trees 'make non-Christians feel excluded'.Christmas trees should be removed from public places to avoid making non-Christians feel “excluded”, scientists have suggested.Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada, found non-Christians feel less self-assured and have fewer positive feelings if a Christmas tree was in the room. The scientists conducted the study using 77 Christians and 57 non-believers, including Buddhists and Sikhs. The participants did not know the survey was about Christmas, and were asked to fill in questions about themselves both when a 12-inch Christmas tree was in the room and when it was not. "Non-celebrators" reported fewer positive feelings and less self-assurance in the Christmas room. Christians were mostly cheered by the tree. Christians, however, did report feeling more guilt when a tree was in the room, which, claim the researchers, suggests the holidays can be stressful.Hmmmm....They could always leave the room and feel better,like the smokers among us do?Read the full story here.

• HT:BigGoverment.Pigford Video Blockbuster: Key ‘Black Farmers’ Lawyer Admits Clients ‘Got Away With Murder’.The mainstream media has treated accusations of large-scale fraud in the Pigford settlement with overt skepticism and a distinct lack of journalistic curiosity. The press has blindly repeated the Obama Administration’s claim that there are only a handful of fraud cases among the twenty thousand or so paid Pigford claims. Worse, the media has helped promote the narrative that those raising concerns about fraud in Pigford are racist.You’re about to watch a video clip where Othello Cross, an attorney for Pigford claimants with about fifteen years of experience on the case, admits that he is personally aware of hundreds of cases of fraud in the state of Arkansas alone. Furthermore, he explains how easy it was to commit that fraud and receive a $50,000 check from the government; it’s appropriate to deduce from Cross’s revealing statement that the actual number of fraudulent claims is likely much higher than the hundreds he knows about.You’re about to watch this clip for the first time, but the USDA watched it over a week ago — I sent it to them for comment about 10 days ago.After a number of phone calls to the USDA, I was given the response that Secretary Vilsack now acknowledges around ten cases of fraud, up from his original statement that there are only three known cases. If I were inclined to spin the government’s response, I’d praise the USDA for finding 300% more instances of fraud in just a few days, but the reality is that the USDA can watch a video where a pro-Pigford claimant lawyer says in no uncertain terms that he knows about hundreds of cases of fraud — over ten million dollars worth at bare minimum — and still will only acknowledge ten cases.As Andrew Breitbart points out, the media simply doesn’t want to cover Pigford. I also sent this video to a few major media outlets that stated they wanted to “research” this. I haven’t heard back from any of them.You’ve watched the clip. Do you think Mr. Cross could have been any clearer that there are hundreds of cases of fraud he is personally aware of in just one state? Did the press research the charges of racism against Congressman Steve King? Did they research the government’s claim of three cases of fraud?This is where citizen pressure can hopefully have some impact on them. If you have a blog, please embed and share this video and give your own opinion. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, please post the video to your account.The press and government seem to feel confident that they can ignore this story. Let’s prove them wrong. It’s time for formal hearings that will allow whistleblowers to come forward. It’s time for transparency — transparency for the black farmers who deserve justice and for the taxpayers whose government has wasted billions of their dollars. It’s time to investigate Pigford.Hmmmm....Something smells big time here and it aint the manure the farmers used!Read and see the full story here.

• Bangladeshi 'stepson affair' woman dies after caning.Two people have been arrested after the death of a Bangladeshi woman who was publicly caned for allegedly having an affair with her stepson, police say. A group of village elders and clerics sentenced Sufia Begum under Sharia law to 40 lashes for adultery.The 40-year-old died of her injuries almost a month after the beating in Rajshahi district, her family says.Bangladesh banned such punishments in the name of religious edicts or fatwas by Muslim clergy earlier this year. It is thought to be the first case of a fatality linked to a Sharia law punishment since the practice was outlawed.Ms Begum was admitted to a hospital in Rajshahi, a city in the district of the same name, with severe injuries a week after the beating, which took place on 12 November in a village in the north-west of the country. It is not clear why it took so long to take her for medical treatment. Doctors in Rajshahi recommended she be sent to the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, for further treatment because her injuries were so severe."Her body was swollen and I couldn't even recognise her," said Ms Begum's brother, Taimur Rahman. Police say it has not yet been established clearly that she died from injuries caused by the caning.Women's rights campaigners in the country are demanding action, and have gone to Ms Begum's home village in an effort to find out what happened.Activists say dozens of fatwas are issued under Sharia law each year by village clergy.Hmmmmm....How in heavens name can the police doubt from what she died?Read the full story here.

• Report Ready on Israeli Sovereignty on the Temple Mount.State Comptroller Michal Lindenstrauss has prepared a report on Israel’s approach to Waqf excavations on the Temple Mount and on Israeli sovereignty there in general. Only a small portion will be made public, at a date of the Comptroller's choosing.A subcommittee of the Knesset Control Committee, named the Audit Committee of the Security Establishment re: Foreign Affairs, has reviewed the report and determined which sections can be published. Subcommittee chairman MK Otniel Shneller (Kadima), a religious Jew who lives in Samaria, discussed the issue on Arutz Sheva’s newsmagazine.The facts are straightforward, Shneller said: “As of a few months ago, the Islamic Waqf [the religious Islamic body that oversees the Temple Mount – ed.] conducted a dig at the Solomon’s Stables area of the Temple Mount, in the south-eastern part of the Mount. It removed truckloads of dirt in order to build a large mosque there, causing mortal harm to historic remnants of the Jewish People. This mosque now functions today.”The report mainly deals with how we, Israel, actualize our sovereignty on the Temple Mount. It notes the problems, what can be done, and what has been done. And the conclusion is as follows: Many improvements have been made over the past few months, and everything is now done there in full coordination with the police, the Israel Israel Antiquities Authority, the Attorney-General’s office, the relevant ministerial committee, and the Jerusalem municipality. The situation has totally changed.”Arutz Sheva’s Shimon Cohen said, “What you’re saying is that the public will never learn what all the problems were, but we should rest assured that everything is now OK.”Shneller did not deny this, but said, “The issue is tremendously sensitive. Other countries such as Jordan and Morocco are also involved; we want to make sure that we don’t lose our hold on the Temple Mount. We don’t want to make grand declarations and then lose on the ground.”Cohen said, “For instance, the new mosque at Solomon’s Stables- what about the very fact that there is another mosque on the Temple Mount, and Muslims come to pray there regularly in massive numbers? Is that something that should be allowed to continue?”Shneller responded, “The report does not deal with prayer arrangements on the Temple Mount. I can just say that there are currently no digs taking place at all there, but rather only very defined and approved maintenance works.”Read the full story here.

• Hackers steal English Defence League membership list.A controversial anti-Islamist group has told its members to be "vigilant" after their details leaked online.Hundreds of names and addresses linked to the English Defence League have been circulated on the web after hackers broke in to one of the organisation's websites.In a warning to members, the group said it feared the potential for reprisals. Those affected should "remain extra vigilant where their home and personal safety is concerned," it said.The security breach began last weekend, when a clothing website linked to the organisation was accessed by hackers. The attackers, who claimed to be part of a group called the "Mujahideen Hacking Unit", obtained lists of those who had recently bought items from the site or donated money to the group."If, however, anyone does feel threatened or in any way unsafe we would urge you to contact the police immediately and explain the situation."Despite such assurances, some members remain concerned that the leak could expose them - or their families - to actions by those who dispute the group's claims.Read the full story here.

• Nina Totenberg: ‘I Was At – Forgive the Expression – a Christmas Party...’.I want to say one thing about the budget that didn’t get passed, the omnibus bill. You know, we talk a lot about – we just passed this huge tax cut in part because business said, you know, we have to plan, we have to know what kind of tax cuts we have. Well, these agencies, including the Defense Department, don't know how much money they've got and for what. And I was at – forgive the expression – a Christmas party at the Department of Justice and people actually were really worried about this. These are law enforcement people don't know exactly what kind of money they can spend for what.Hmmmm....It sounds like Christianity is something "Ugly" now listening to this statement?Read and see the full story here.

• And Now for something completely Different!'Di ienjel go tu Mieri...': Jamaican church creates patois Gospel of Luke after congregation fail to grasp King James Bible.During Sunday church services and private celebrations in Jamaica, Christmas week prayers are being flavored with the first patois version of a familiar biblical account of Jesus' birth.Based on the conviction that Scripture is best understood in a person's spoken tongue, the Caribbean island's bible society has started a new holiday tradition with audio and written versions of the Gospel of Luke in patois, or Creole - Jamaica's unofficial language.There are about five million Jamaican patois speakers.Most of the words in Jamaican patois, like other English Caribbean patois, are English words filtered through a distinct phonetic system with fewer vowels and different consonant sounds. Patois is written phonetically to approximate these differences. Thus, in patois, the English 'girl' becomes 'gyal.'In the depiction of the Angel Gabriel's visit to the Virgin Mary which foretold the birth of Jesus, the New King James Bible's version of Luke reads, 'And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.'In the patois version, it becomes, 'Di ienjel go tu Mieri an se tu ar se, "Mieri, mi av nyuuz we a go mek yu wel api. Gad riili riili bles yu an im a waak wid yu aal di taim. Read the full story here.