Video - Human Rights Watch compiles clips of homophobic violence in Russia.

Video - Human Rights Watch compiles clips of homophobic violence in Russia.Read the full story here.

OnIslam.net says homosexuality is a choice and parents can attempt to “change” their children.

OnIslam.net says homosexuality is a choice and parents can attempt to “change” their children.(BM).CAIRO: The leading Islamic website in English, OnIslam.net, saw one of its scholars tell the mother of a South African lesbian woman that she must try to cope with her daughter’s “choice” to be gay.
It is the latest in an ongoing string of advice given by the website on homosexuality, labeling the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as making the choice to be gay.
Modern scientific evidence has debunked the myth that gay and lesbian people across the planet choose to be gay and are rather born that way.
“The problem you have to face is that your daughter is an adult with the free will to make her choices in life,” said counselors Razia Aamaarah and Bhatti `Ali in responding to the 52-year-old mother from South Africa.
“As a parent the only thing you can try to do is point out why you believe her choice is wrong and what theological basis there is and some of the consequences she may face. Ultimately it sounds like she is decided on her future,” they added.
They continued to say that if the mother shuns her daughter, it could push her further into her lifestyle and the daughter “may feel compelled to continue living a life which deep down may not be what she wants.”
The counselors then continue to say that the mother can explain to her the Islamic principles toward homosexuality so as to potentially convince her daughter to no longer be a lesbian.
“Explain to her the spiritual rewards of fighting against her desires and give her practical support if she wants to fight her impulses,” they wrote.
“If you decide to keep ties with your daughter as opposed to disowning her it does not mean you approve or embrace your daughter’s lifestyle, as you can tell her emphatically that you cannot condone her choice but it does not mean you cannot love her and pray for her.”
Many LGBT activists in Egypt and across the world have repeatedly told Bikyamasr.com that this is a common theme among Islamic scholars, who continue to view homosexuality as an abomination of Islam and human practice.
Websites like OnIslam.net are part of the problem, they argue and without a concerted effort to educate the educated, myths and misinformation will continue to be delivered to Muslims across the globe.Read the full story here.


Ahmadinejad : "with a little bit of education reform, the LGBT community can be exterminated."
"The proper education must be given; the education system must be revamped; the political system must be revamped," he said. "But if you, if a group recognizes an ugly behavior or ugly deed as legitimate, you must not expect other countries or other groups to give it the same recognition."

Video - Lebanese Gays Demonstrate against Body Cavity Searches at Police Stations.

Lebanese Gays Demonstrate against Body Cavity Searches at Police Stations.

Following are excerpts from a TV report on a Lebanese gay rights demonstration, which aired on Al-Jadeed/New TV on August 12, 2012.

Reporter: Against the backdrop of the arrests at Cinema Plaza, the Lebanese gay rights organization called to demonstrate opposite the Justice Ministry, to protest body examinations based on sexual [preferences].

Male demonstrator: We have come here to exert pressure in order to obtain a legal order, which will abolish cavity searches in police stations, which we consider to be a violation of human rights and an affront against one's physical and mental wellbeing. We also seek the abolishment of forced virginity tests, which are performed on girls in police stations.

Female demonstrator: What goes on in police stations is a violation of human rights. It humiliates people.Source: Memri.

Will Superman be gay?But, but what will happen to Lois Lane?Will she become a Lesbian or will she die?

Will Superman be gay?But, but what will happen to Lois Lane?Will she become a Lesbian or will she die?(Fox).Honchos at Superman's comic book home, DC Comics, said this weekend that one of their most identifiable (but as of yet unnamed) straight characters will soon be coming out of the closet, according to a report. At the Kapow Comic Convention held last weekend in London, DC co-publisher Dan DiDio said the publisher would be reintroducing a previously existing character who would now be “one of our most prominent gay characters," the website BleedingCool.com reports. Didio said DC's position had shifted on the subject since he said in an interview last year that any homosexual characters would be new introductions, and that none of their existing characters' sexual orientations would shift. DC vice president Bob Wayne likened DC's change in tune to President Obama's shift on gay marriage, explaining that DC's policy “has evolved,” the report says.Hmmmmm......Seems the world'evolves' around Obama?Read the full story here.

Irshad Manji, a Canadian Muslim gay activist launches book in Malaysia despite ‘ban’.

Irshad Manji, a Canadian Muslim gay activist launches book in Malaysia despite ‘ban’.(AA).A Canadian Muslim gay activist launched her controversial new book on liberal Islam in Muslim-majority Malaysia Saturday despite a government minister’s attempts to shut down the event. Irshad Manji launched “Allah, Liberty and Love” at a hastily arranged event in the capital Kuala Lumpur after two other venues pulled out of hosting her, according to local publisher ZI Publications. “Fantastic event in KL! Great energy ̶ except 4 cops who told latecomers that event is banned. Didn't stop us. Congrats 2 all,” Manji wrote on Twitter. Jamil Khir Baharom, minister in charge of Islamic affairs, had said Islamic officials and the Home Ministry would not allow the author’s roadshow in the country following complaints. He was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying earlier Saturday that the book was offensive to Muslims as was Manji’s ideology and openly gay lifestyle, which was deemed to be against Islam.
According to her website, the book, now available in the local Malay language, “shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas... This book is the ultimate guide to becoming a gutsy global citizen.” The book has not been officially banned. Manji was due to fly to New York City late Saturday. Her previous internationally acclaimed book, “The Trouble with Islam Today,” is already banned in Malaysia, ZI Publications said. Manji also faced problems while touring Indonesia before coming to Malaysia. Police shut down several events after the Islamic Defenders Front group held violent protests condemning her liberal views on Islam and her homosexuality. It is also not the first time a foreign act has run into trouble in Malaysia. In February, Malaysia banned a show by American singer Erykah Badu after a photo of her with body art including the Arabic word for “Allah” was published in a daily newspaper.Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                     Morning  Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - March 30. Here .(Al-Jazeera)And  here (BBC).

• Sirya live blog - March 30  here.(Al -Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 4.6 and 5.4 today. More info here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 66.Source.

• Obama: I Say My Prayers Every Night…In an interview with Diane Sawyer, President Obama spoke confidently about the mission in Libya, while also taking a moment to make light of some recent criticism he’s received. Obama predicted that Gaddafi knows “the noose is tightening” and that the people of Libya will soon be free from being under his control.
  Obama reveals to Sawyer:

I do a lot of praying. Absolutely. Every night, right before I go to bed. You know, and I am praying that – I’m making the best possible decisions, and that I’ve got the strength to serve the American people well. And frankly as President of the United States, you know, your responsibilities extend beyond beyond our borders. And these decisions are difficult.Hmmmm....You become a Christian by your lifestyle and actions,not by pretending to be a Christian and then go and betray the Ten Commandments!Read the full story here.

• HT:Spiegel.German Ports Unsure How to Deal with Contaminated Ships.In a matter of weeks, ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated by radiation will start arriving in Europe. But the authorities in ports such as Hamburg are unsure how they should deal with them.German port operators are nervously awaiting the expected arrival of ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated with radioactivity following the Fukushima nuclear crisis. Confusion reigns about what to do with the ships. The first such vessels are expected to arrive at German ports in mid-April, but may be turned back if they are deemed to be contaminated.Erik van der Noordaa, the head of Germanischer Lloyd, a technical supervisory organization which conducts safety surveys on more than 7,000 ships, told the Wednesday edition of the Financial Times Deutschland that he expects European ports will "send away" ships from Japan. "In Hamburg, they will not be happy if a contaminated ship enters," he said.But something must be done -- the ships are on their way. "This is going to be very complicated, and there is no solution yet," van der Noordaa said.Read and see the full story here.

• UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem.In message delivered by his assistant at Uruguay conference Ban Ki-moon says occupation is morally and politically unsustainable and must therefore end. 'A way must be found for Jerusalem to emerge as a capital of two States,' he adds. WASHINGTON – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon slammed Israel's policy and called for the division of Jerusalem on Tuesday. In a message delivered by his assistant at a UN regional meeting in Uruguay, Ban said: "The target date for completing the Palestinian Authority’s two-year State-building program is fast-approaching.""The occupation that started in 1967 is morally and politically unsustainable, and must end," he told the UN Latin American and Caribbean Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace. "The Palestinians have a legitimate right to the establishment of an independent and viable State of their own. Israel has the right to live in peace and security within internationally recognized and secure borders." The UN chief said that "a way must be found for Jerusalem to emerge as a capital of two States, Israel and Palestine, with arrangements for holy sites acceptable for all." He added that "there must be a just and agreed solution to the prolonged plight of the Palestinian refugees."Hmmmm......Obama and the UN going in foir 'the kill'?Read the full story here.

• Egypt's new FM wants ties with Iran.Long-term enmity between states may come to end as Nabil al-Arabi offers to 'turn over new leaf'. Egypt's new foreign minister, Nabil al-Arabi, said Tuesday that his country wants to promote ties with Tehran and that Cairo no longer sees Iran as its enemy. "Iran is a state in the region, and we have had long-term historical ties with it over the different periods," al-Arabi told a press conference. "We will turn over a new leaf with all states, including Iran." The foreign minister had no definitive answer to whether Egypt planned to open an embassy in Tehran, however. No love was lost between the deposed regime of Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak, and that of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who saw Mubarak as too closely connected with Western powers and Israel. Al-Arabi was also asked about Hezbollah, of which he said, "Hezbollah is part of Lebanon's composition, and we see this as an internal matter… If any party wishes to have ties with Egypt there will be nothing preventing us from talking, but we will not become involved in internal matters."Al-Arabi has also been known as a vocal critic of Israel. During his service as a judge in the International Court of Justice, he took part in a panel that debated the separation fence in the West Bank. Israel objected to his presence on the panel, claiming he was anti-Israel and not objective, but to no avail. He has also recommended that the Jewish state be tried for genocide.Hmmmm......Obama......Egypt......MuslimBrotherhood .....Iran.Obama............Turkey......Iran.Obama........Libya......Al-Qaida.Weird or what?Read the full story here.

• Speaker.Gov.Washington Dems’ ‘Marching Orders’? Root for a Government Shutdown.The Democrats who run Washington are desperate to distract from the fact that – while House Republicans have passed a funding bill for the remainder of the year that cuts spending – they have not passed a bill and not announced a credible plan.

As part of that distraction campaign, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was overheard giving ‘marching orders’ to other Democratic Senators to call the GOP ‘extreme’ shortly after former DNC Chairman Howard Dean said that Washington Democrats should be ‘quietly’ rooting for a government shutdown. Clearly, Sen. Schumer missed the “quietly” part.

The fact is that Republicans’ goal is to cut spending in order to create a better environment for job creation, not to shut down the government. The only folks talking about a shutdown are Democrats like Sen. Schumer, who believe they will benefit politically, as Dean explained: “From a partisan point of view, I think it would be the best thing in the world to have a shutdown.”When it comes to the government shutdown that Democrats are now actively rooting for, here are the facts :

GOP leaders have been abundantly clear: Our goal is to reduce spending, not shut down the government.

The House has passed H.R. 1 to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year while also cutting spending by $61 billion; the Senate has failed to pass any bill and has yet to come up with a credible plan. As a result, there has been no coherent position from Democrats making negotiation difficult, if not impossible.

H.R. 1 included numerous policy provisions, a routine part of the appropriations process. President Obama has signed hundreds of them into law in the past and voted for hundreds of them when he was a senator. Likewise, Vice President Biden, Democratic leaders in the Senate, as well as Leader Pelosi & Whip Hoyer, have voted for thousands of appropriations policy riders during their careers in Congress. While Democrats can publicly “refuse” to consider adding any policy provisions to a final agreement, that is simply not a credible position given their past voting records.

Republicans have passed two short-term CRs to fund the government for short periods of time while also cutting $10 billion in spending, forcing Democrats to concede to real spending cuts.

Republicans have been honest and straightforward throughout this process. In the election, the American people made it clear that Congress must focus on cutting spending, and Republicans pledged to make significant spending cuts for the remainder of this fiscal year. The Democrats have continued to defend the status quo and refuse to listen to the American people.

We’re only in this mess because of the Democrats’ historic failure to pass, or even offer, a budget last year. The Democrats have completely abandoned all efforts to control spending in Washington. In contrast, Republicans are listening to the American people and fighting for their priorities: cutting spending and creating jobs.Read the full story here.

• Obama makes direct Libya pitch to columnists.President Obama's sales pitch, of sorts, for the war in Libya was a bit more personal for some of the country's most prominent columnists.The president made a surprising pit stop before his address to the nation on Libya Monday evening, meeting with a group of newspaper columnists during their briefing with Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, sources confirmed.Attending the impromptu visit were the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, Washington Post’s David Ignatius, Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol and Doyle McManus of the L.A. Times.The reviews that followed were generally positive. Ignatius said Obama’s address offered “clarity” on the Libyan conflict and Kristol wrote that the president had “come a long way” in embracing the "American foreign policy mainstream."For the record, The Washington Examiner is still waiting for its face time with the president.Hmmmm....."The voice of their master"?Read the full story here.

• Ultraconservative Muslims press sharia dictates in Egypt.CAIRO | Members of an ultraconservative Muslim sect clashed with villagers south of Cairo over demands that a liquor store and coffee shops be closed, officials said Tuesday, a sign of the increasing assertiveness of the fundamentalist Salafi movement.One villager was killed and eight others were injured in the armed clashes, which erupted late Monday in the village of Kasr el-Bassil in Fayoum province, a security official said.The fighting broke out after Salafi followers ordered the owner to close the liquor store and coffee shops as they try to forcibly impose their strict interpretation of Islam by banning the drinking of alcohol.Salafis were tolerated as a religious group under ex-President Hosni Mubarak to counter Mr. Mubarak’s top foe, the Muslim Brotherhood.But Salafis have gained power as they rise to play a more political role as followers now ponder the nomination of a presidential candidate, following the 18-day uprising that led to the ouster of the former regime.That has alarmed many of the secular and liberal forces in Egypt because of the group’s extremist discourse and imposition of Islamic sharia law.Dozens of Salafis also staged a protest Tuesday in Cairo, accusing a church of abducting Camilla Shehata, a Coptic Christian priest’s wife who some believe converted to Islam and is being held against her will.Protesters held signs reading “peaceful, nonviolent” to defuse fresh rumors that the movement planned a massive rally on Tuesday aimed at supporting moves to force all Egyptian women to wear a veil and punish those who don’t adhere by burning their faces with acid.Despite the denials, one Coptic church in the southern province of Assuit evacuated some 340 female students from their university dormitories to hostels affiliated to the church and monasteries.Though Salafis in Egypt reject violence, their doctrine is only a few shades away from that of groups such as al Qaeda. Both adhere to a strict interpretation of Islam that supposedly is a purer form of Islam said to have been practiced by Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century.Hmmm....The 'people'Obama pledged 1,57 Billion Dollars to in 2012!Read the full story here.

• HT:PajamasMedia.London Pride — Not!British gays need to understand that there’s no place for them in the sharia-run Britain to which millions of Muslims openly aspire.On Sunday, December 10, 1989, the direct-action group ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) mobilized several thousand people outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to protest the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to AIDS education and the distribution of condoms. Of these thousands of protesters, a few dozen entered the church during Mass, and one of them crumbled a consecrated communion wafer.ACT-UP’s incursion into St. Patrick’s became legendary, and in the minds of many Americans that one protestor’s act of desecration remained an indelible image, forever defining both gay and AIDS activism. Every gay person I knew was appalled by those protestors who’d entered the church and disrupted the service, not just because they were morally wrong, but also because their action could hardly have been more counterproductive. The Religious Right depicted gay people as enemies of religion; the disruptive actions by those members of ACT-UP only seemed to confirm that image. (In fact many of the people who acted most outrageously that day later turned out to have been devout gay Catholics motivated not by hatred of religion but — quite the opposite — by a frustration with Church officials’ views that was intense precisely because their love for the Church was so intense.)

Okay, cut from New York in 1989 to London in 2011. The stakes are higher — much higher. The mosques in Britain’s capital aren’t just refusing to hand out condoms or instruct gay believers in how to have safe sex. (Imagine!) No; they’re preaching to their ever-growing congregations in that increasingly Muslim city what Islam’s holy books teach about homosexuality — namely, that gays deserve to be executed. This has been going on for years, of course. The latest twist — and it will certainly not be the last — is that in February the East End, a neighborhood where many gays live but that is fast becoming a Muslim enclave, began being papered with stickers. They depicted a rainbow flag placed within a black circle and crossed out by a diagonal black line on which were printed the words “Gay free zone.” And they featured two quotations from the Koran. One of them read: “Arise and warn.” The other: “And fear Allah; verily Allah is severe in punishment.”Now, this could be dismissed as a nasty prank by some isolated, harmless jerk with too much time on his hands. But to do that would be dangerous. For the sentiments expressed on those stickers are widespread among Muslims in the East End, and indeed among Muslims throughout London, Britain, and Europe generally. It’s no coincidence that as the East End has become more Muslim, the number of gay-bashings has risen sharply and steadily.Hmmm.....Were they not among those persecuted by the Nazis as well? Read the full story here.

• HT:ElderOfZion.Pro-Israel artists create "Bomb Shelter" in NYC park.From yesterday's Homepage Daily : Don't be scared if you hear sirens in Washington Square Park today; there's no need to find shelter.

"The Bomb Shelter" is a "media installation" exhibit that will periodically sound sirens for 15 seconds. Those who choose to participate will have 15 seconds to get to a makeshift shelter. This demonstration is to raise awareness for the rocket attacks in Israel, where citizens only have 15 seconds to escape to safety — and it's not a drill.

Participants will also hear the sounds of explosions as they rush to make it to the shelter. This, the organizers say, will give people firsthand knowledge of what Israelis face.

Metro reports : A group of artists intentionally caused terror and confusion in Washington Square park yesterday — by simulating a terrorist attack.The group Artists for Israel, aided by Birthright Israel, set up a full-size Israeli bomb shelter in the middle of the park yesterday. They blasted sirens and simulated the boom of rockets hitting earth. Participants were given 15 seconds to run for shelter.“There were people running,” said Arief Hussain, 34, a hot dog vendor in the park. “I didn’t know what was going on.”But once the sirens started wailing, the NYPD and the Parks Department teamed up to shut down the event at 1:30, just half an hour after it began. “They didn’t have a permit,” said Detective James Alberici of the 6th Precinct.No permit? Well, what's art without a little anarchy?The exhibit will be traveling to college campuses.Hmmmmm......While the real thing will get more violent by the day!Read and see the full story here.

• HT:TheAmericanDream.Broke And Getting Broker: 22 Jaw Dropping Statistics About The Financial Condition Of American Families.Most American families are really struggling in this economy and they see most of the families around them really struggling, but they don't have any hard numbers to back up the feelings of economic despair that they are experiencing. Well, below you will find 22 statistics that prove that American families are broke and getting broker. Today, the financial condition of most middle class families is rapidly deteriorating. The number of good jobs is declining, incomes are down, debt loads are up and bankruptcies and foreclosures just continue to increase. If you step back and really examine the statistics, it becomes really hard to deny that American families are getting poorer. Well, the wealthiest 5 percent are still thriving, but everyone else is really having a tough time. The truth is that a large percentage of the U.S. middle class is slowly but surely going broke. Unfortunately, this is being caused by long-term economic trends that simply are not going to be fixed overnight.Most Americans had just assumed that the United States would always have a dominant, prosperous economy. But in the world we live in today there are no guarantees.The era when almost anyone could find a good job is over. Millions of good jobs have already left the United States, and vast numbers of legal and illegal workers have been shipped in to the country to compete for the jobs that are still here.There are millions of Americans that would give just about anything for a good job right about now. But the good jobs are very few and far between at this point.Every day there is more depressing news. For example, a recent job fair in Massachusetts was shut down because of a lack of jobs.In fact, with jobs so scarce these days, more Americans than ever are willing to work for free.This is not just a "recession" or an "economic downturn". The U.S. economy is fundamentally changing for the worse. Millions of American families are already experiencing economic despair and millions more will be experiencing it very soon.The following are 22 jaw dropping statistics about the financial condition of American families.Hmmmmm........"Change" from the man who 'prays'before going to bed.My bet it doesn't keep him awake!Read the full story here.

• Georgia: Black Lawmakers File Lawsuit Against State To Disband Five Cities For Being Too White.The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus filed a lawsuit Monday against the state of Georgia seeking to dissolve the city charters of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton and Chattahoochee Hills. Further, the lawmakers, joined by civil rights leader the Rev. Joseph Lowery, aim to dash any hopes of a Milton County.

The lawsuit, filed in a North Georgia U.S. District Court Monday, claims that the state circumvented the normal legislative process and set aside its own criteria when creating the “super-majority white” cities within Fulton and DeKalb counties. The result, it argues, is to dilute minority votes in those areas, violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution.“This suit is based on the idea that African Americans and other minorities can elect the people of their choice,” said Democratic State Sen. Vincent Fort.The Office of the Governor and the Office of the Attorney General declined comment pending further review of the case.Hmmmm......Somebody really starting to play the race card?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Oman Army Arrests Protestors, Clears Roadblocks. Protestors Call On Caliph Obama U.S. To Intervene.In a pre-dawn sweep in the Omani city of Sohar, special security forces and army arrested a number of people and cleared blockades at all road junctions, including the Globe Roundabout, which had become a symbol of the protests in Oman. "Everything is normal and the army has taken charge of the city," Ali Al-Badi, a resident of the industrial port city, told Gulf News today. He added that security forces were in charge and that all blockades had been removed.Witnesses said that at around 3:00 am a convoy of army vehicles had swooped down on protesters camping at the roundabout and arrested most of them. "Those who tried to resist were dealt with using cane charges," said another witness, who lives near the Globe Roundabout.According to residents and several postings in the social media, special squad members raided some houses and arrested individuals who had attacked government offices and forced their closure.About a dozen Omani citizens staged demonstrations in front of the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, asking the U.S. government to intervene and stop the security crackdown.Hmmmm........Anybody seeing a trend emerge here?read the full story here.

• HT:CrossroadsArabia.Caught by Surprise?Arab News reports on the latest news concerning the Saudi municipal elections to be held in April. The story states that the number of municipal councils is being increased from 179 to 285, a nearly 60% increase. Concordantly, the number of polling stations will also be increase.But women will not be permitted to participate. ‘Participate’ is not more closely defined: does it mean that they can’t vote, can’t run as candidates, or both? I think we know the answer to that one.The excuse given is, “We are not ready for the participation of women….’ Dude. It’s been nearly six years since the last election, at which women were not permitted to vote either. What have you been doing in the meantime? It’s not as though the issue never came up. In fact, back then it was promised that women would take part in the next elections. So what happened, what new, complicating issues arose? Why aren’t you ready? Really, it’s time to pull the thumb out and at least pretend you’re catching up with the rest of the world. Yes, women’s participation in elections did take time to develop in the West. That doesn’t excuse the obstructions that are happening now in the Kingdom. You’ve nearly a hundred years’ of other people’s experience in women’s suffrage, and close to 50 years’ of that includes both Arab and Muslim societies. What’s the problem here, if it’s not abject fear of women?But it’s again promised that women will be allowed to participate in the next elections. With the exact promise so clearly broken, why should it be trusted this time around? And also again, how about refining that definition of ‘participate’? RIYADH : Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it was not yet ready for women participating in next month’s municipal elections as voters or candidates. “We are not ready for the participation of women in these municipal elections,” Election Commissioner Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash said.Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Al-Dahmash, however, promised that women would be allowed to participate in the next elections.He cited a number of procedural reasons for the ban on women voting. “Participation of women in elections took place in most advance countries gradually,” he pointed out.He said the municipal elections would take place on April 23 all over the Kingdom at the same time. A person is allowed to vote only once in favor of a candidate in his constituency, he said.Hmmmm.......Welcome to A.D. 620?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Fifth Issue of English-Language Jihadist Magazine Inspire Released.On March 29, 2011, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) media wing Al-Malahem released the fifth issue of the English-language jihadist magazine "Inspire." The cover article of this issue is titled "The Tsunami of Change." Reports about the contents of this issue will be published by MEMRI over the coming day.hmmmm........"Change" where have we heard that before?Source .

• The Fogel family massacre.Awarta residents DNA tested in Itamar case.NABLUS (Ma'an) -- The deputy mayor of Awarta and two of his brothers were detained along with dozens of others Tuesday morning by Israeli forces. Officials say the detained men are being given DNA tests and questioned by soldiers. The detentions come as the investigation into the murders of five Israeli settlers - including two children and an infant - enters its third week. More than 40 had been detained from the village in the first week of the investigation, and foreign workers in the settlement were said to have been questioned. Awarta, the closest Palestinian village to the illegal Israeli settlement of Itamar, where the murders occurred, has been the center of the investigation. It was placed under military curfew twice, the first time for five days. While a third curfew was not imposed overnight, Israeli troops forcibly entered homes, detaining an unknown number of residents estimated to be in the dozens. Forty had already been detained during earlier arrest raids, including a Voice of Palestine radio journalist.Awarta Mayor Qays Awwad told Ma'an on Tuesday morning that the men and boys who had been detained during the first round of arrests in the village were taken to the Israeli military base at Huwwara, where they were subjected to DNA testing and fingerprinted. "They took samples for DNA tests, and were fingerprinted before being interrogated. Some were released but more are being kept in custody," the mayor said, adding that his deputy mayor Hasan Awwad and two of his brothers were among those rounded up overnight. Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Article on Muslim Brotherhood Website Advocates Transportation for Women Only.In an article on the official website of the Muslim Brotherhood, Iman Isma'il called for to establish separate transportation for women in Egypt. Isma'il said she planned to propose her initiative to bus drivers, and then bring it before the Egyptian government as an official campaign.

"'Vehicles of all kinds, of a special and distinct color, with a sign that says "For Women Only," in which no man will touch us. We will not [have to] shout ourselves hoarse trying to get them to clear the way so that we can board or alight. We will not [have to] fight with anyone refusing to clear the way. Reasonably priced [transportation ensuring us] complete respect.' "The above is not an imaginary scenario or the dream of someone who has lost her mind, but the hope of many of the girls in Egypt, who suffer more and more [when using public] transportation in the country. The realization [of these hopes] has become something simple and attainable since the January 25 Revolution.

"Until the idea of such a campaign spreads throughout the country, here are some suggestions for you [women], so that you need not sacrifice your modesty if forced to use mixed transportation:

1. "If you are forced to sit in the rear seats, put your bag on the seat beside you until [another] girl boards. Then smile at her and clear the seat beside you for her. Obviously, she will come and sit next to you.
2. "If you cannot avoid having a man sit next to you, place some divider between you – your bag, a book, a wallet, or any other separation. The man might wonder at the divider you placed between the two of you and express amazement or ridicule, but ignore all this. Do not be embarrassed and do not try to remove the divider or justify your position. If matters reach a point where he asks you to remove it, tell him, with all due respect, 'I am sorry, but this is the maximum [I am willing to allow].'
3. "During the ride in the vehicle, keep yourself occupied with anything that will distract you from those around you – reading the Koran or a book, asking forgiveness [from Allah], contemplating or thinking deeply, [and so on].
4. "If you want to get off at your stop, do not relinquish your right to alight with modesty. [Insist] that anyone in your way get off [first] so that you can pass without touching a man...
5. "Keep from sitting between two men, no matter who they are, because this might put you in a very embarrassing situation in which you will be unable to take any measures of security... Otherwise, ask them to sit next to each other and sit in the third seat.
6. "If you must ride a minibus or a public bus, which I do not at all recommend, except in very few circumstances, [you must]:

a) "Try to schedule [your trip] for a holiday, when [public transportation] vehicles are empty, or during off hours, such as early in the morning.

b) "Board at the first stops, so that you will have room to sit, and get off at the last stop, without rubbing against any men in the aisles.

c) "[If you have nowhere to sit,] get off in the middle of [the bus line], but insist that all the men standing in your way get off [first]. In many cases, you will face resistance, but insist that they get off. Tell them you do not have enough room to pass between them, that they must get off quickly, and that it is only a matter of a few moments. Allah willing, you will find someone honorable among them who will tell those around him to get off and make way for you.

d) "If your salary enables you [to buy two tickets], try to sit by the driver and take up both [front] seats for yourself. What a relief it will be not to rub against any men. Give yourself a rest from all the suffering you have experienced [in the past] by keeping the proper distance from any man.

7. "You must first and foremost pray to Allah to protect you and guard you... As long you take all [necessary] measures, pray to Allah, and rely on Him, it is impossible that Allah should bring shame upon you...

"Finally, know that guarding your modesty is a very important thing, so never take it lightly, no matter what."Hmmmm.......On the other hand you could start a women only cab company?Read the full story here.

• Philly Parents Patrol Corner Stores to Stop Students From Eating Junk Food.The streets of north Philadelphia are no longer safe for kids sipping sugary soft drinks and shoveling bags of potato chips and chocolate bars into their mouths, thanks to a new special victims unit on patrol for bad munchies.With all the drama of reality TV, this team is stationed just outside food shops in close proximity to schools, ready to pounce on kids purchasing calorie-laden snacks. They are parents who consider themselves foot soldiers in the national battle over the diets of children, The New York Times reports.Donning bright-colored safety vests and armed with walkie-talkies, this is hardly an undercover operation.Just ask first grader Tatyana Gray, who recently was busted after stopping at the Oxford Food Shop en route to elementary school for her daily dose of chips and a sweet drink.Hmmmm.......Welcome to the Food policestate?Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                      Morning Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - March 22. Here .(Al-Jazeera)And here (BBC). Latest here.

US warplane crash-lands in Libya : Here.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world lots of seismic activity in Japan between 5.2 and 6.6 today. More info here.

• Updated : The wind directions over Japan. Here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 52.On 21.03.2011 at 12:45 GMT+2

Efforts to restore electricity for the cooling systems of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant continued Monday as power at the No. 5 reactor was restored, while firefighters continued spraying tons of water to cool the spent fuel rod pools at reactors No. 3 and No. 4. But gray smoke rose from reactor No. 3 at around 3:55 p.m. Monday, prompting Tepco workers to temporarily evacuate the site as a precaution. The amount of smoke had decreased by around 5 p.m. and Tepco was trying to determine its cause. The focus of the on-site work is to restart the separate cooling systems at each reactor to keep their cores and spent fuel rod pools from melting down. The entire plant lost power after it was doused by the tsunami on March 11. Tokyo Electric Power Co. has been checking out the electrical system at the No. 2 reactor, which was the first of the six to be re-connected to the power center Sunday from cables Tepco laid outside the plant.

According to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, power to the air conditioning and monitoring equipment at reactor No. 2 may be recovered by the end of Monday. The power cables have already been connected to reactor No. 4. Workers were busy checking whether cooling pumps and other key safety equipment were damaged by the quake and tsunami. After the gray smoke spewed from reactor No. 3, NISA said no particular change was observed in radiation levels at the compound on Monday afternoon, and that the temperature and pressure within the reactor also remained unchanged. The cause of the smoke was not immediately known. The spent fuel pool at No. 3 contains highly dangerous MOX, earlier reports said. On Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said slow but steady progress was being made to contain the crisis at the plant. "Thanks to the desperate efforts of related parties, progress is being made, although the pace is slow," Kan told the emergency headquarters at the prime minister's office. "Now we have started seeing some hope of getting out of this crisis situation," he said.

Two 74-type tanks from the Ground Self-Defense Force arrived at the plant shortly after 6 a.m. Monday tasked with clearing away contaminated debris blocking access to key installations. The tanks' heavy armor can block some radiation. NISA also said one worker at the plant had been exposed to more than 150 millisieverts of radiation in total but was not in need of medical attention.Source.

• HT:JIDF."Such a small nation, such a big impact": Israel First to Set Up Field Hospital in Japan.Source .

• HT:GatewayPundit.UNREAL. Obama Administration Announces Creation of Conservation Youth Corps of America.THEY NEVER STOP—Just when you thought this radical administration was ready to cut back on their socialist agenda they surprise you with another shockingly radical initiative.Team Obama announced this week the formation of their American Conservation Youth Corps.Team Obama announced this week the formation of their American Conservation Youth Corps.Indoctrinated and ready to fight for a socialist America.P/Oed Patriot described Obama’s latest socialist initiative.According to a Video released today by the White House, the Obama Administration is going to create the 21st Century Conservation Youth Service Core through the Great Outdoors Initiative. .In the Video the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, says:

“Just about a month ago the President announced The America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. It is an effort to create the 21st Century Conservation Program for the United States of America. An absolute key component of that program is the engagement of young people in conservation across America. To that end we have included in the report the creation of a 21st Century Conservation Corps for America. We want young people to be involved with us..”

Now what is the 21st Century Conservation Youth Service Corps?Well according to Youthgo.gov:“The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) builds upon and leverages the experience and expertise of existing federal, state and non-profit programs, including the United States Youth Conservation Corps, Corps programs through partnerships with the Corps Network, as well as many other federal and non-federal conservation and youth organizations. These corps facilitate conservation service work on public lands and encourage a new generation of natural resource managers and environmental scientists.Through the 21CSC America’s young people will be indoctrinatoed to play a key role in “reducing the impacts of climate change on our natural resources.” You may wonder why they want to include the bogus climate change information in the agenda to begin with? Well according to a speech given by Ken Salazar in 2009 in front of 12,000 young people he said:You gathered here with powershift 09 as young people from the ages of 18-30 you are the engines of change, you are the engines of change. I’m here tonight for Barack Obama because he is an agent of change.But we can not accomplish the change we need to accomplish for our world, for our country, for our communities, for all of you, for all of our families unless we have the young people of our country and the world involved.That’s the purpose of this new Obama initiative. To indoctrinate America’s youth so that they will push for more radical socialist anti-energy redistributive policies. Hmmmmmm......The Good old days of the 'HitlerJugend'are back?They too came from the union movement .Read the full story here.

• Obamacare’s first birthday commemorates twenty one new or higher taxes.One year ago this week, Obamacare was signed into law by President Obama. This jobs-killing law will certainly wreck America’s healthcare system, but what many don’t know is that Obamacare is also one of the largest tax increases in American history. Obamacare contains 21 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses—seven of which fall on families making less than $250,000 per year (in direct violation of President Obama’s campaign promise). Below is the total list of all $500 billion-plus in tax hikes (over the next ten years) in Obamacare, where to find them in the bill, when they will take effect, and how much your taxes will go up.Read and see the full tax grab story here.

• In Official Notification Two Days Later, President Obama Alerts Congress the US Joined a War.Amidst claims by members of Congress that they were insufficiently consulted, and ensuing White House pushback, President Obama Monday officially notified congressional leaders that at “approximately 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on March 19, 2011, at my direction, U.S. military forces commenced operations to assist an international effort authorized by the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council and undertaken with the support of European allies and Arab partners, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and address the threat posed to international peace and security by the crisis in Libya.”The notification was part of the president’s “efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution,” but given complaints from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and the fact that the war started two days ago, it had the effect of a rather discomforting “While You Were Out…” note.Read the full 'story' here.

• Libya: US female war photographer sexually assaulted by pro-Gaddafi forces.Sexually assaulted and told 'You'll die tonight'... but spared as she's American: Female journalist's horror at the hands of Gaddafi's men.A female war photographer from the New York Times revealed tonight how she was repeatedly sexually assaulted during her nightmare hostage ordeal in Libya.Lynsey Addario was one of four Times journalists have now been released after being held captive by pro-Gaddafi forces.During their six-day detainment, the Americans were beaten and threatened with being decapitated and shot.Miss Addario, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, gave a harrowing account of her brutal treatment at the hands of their Libyan captors in an interview given just hours after her release.After she and her colleagues were hauled out of a car at a checkpoint near the eastern city of Ajdabiya, one of the Libyans punched her in the face and laughed at her.‘Then I started crying and he was laughing more,’ she told the Times.One man grabbed her breasts – the start of a pattern of sexual harassment she endured over the ensuing 48 hours.‘There was a lot of groping,’ she said. ‘Every man who came in contact with us basically felt every inch of my body short of what was under my clothes.’As she was being driven away from Ajdabiya, she said another of her captors stroked her head and told her repeatedly that she was going to be killed.‘He was caressing my head in this sick way, this tender way, saying, "You’re going to die tonight. You’re going to die tonight",‘ she added.Miss Addario was with Anthony Shadid, the paper’s Beirut bureau chief, photographer Tyler Hicks and reporter and videographer Stephen Farrell when they were seized while leaving the scene of fighting between rebels and Libyan government forces because they decided it had become too dangerous.Their driver inadvertently drove into a checkpoint manned by troops loyal to the Libyan dictator.‘I was yelling to the driver, "Keep driving! Don’t stop! Don’t stop!",' said Mr Hicks. ‘I knew that the consequences of being stopped would be very bad.'Read the full story here.

• Our World: America’s descent into strategic dementia .By Caroline B.Glick.What the US foreign policy fights regarding Egypt and Libya indicate is that currently, a discussion about how events impact core US regional interests is completely absent from the discussion.The US’s new war against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi is the latest sign of its steady regional decline. In media interviews over the weekend, US military chief Adm. Michael Mullen was hard-pressed to explain either the goal of the military strikes in Libya or their strategic rationale.Mullen’s difficulty explaining the purpose of this new war was indicative of the increasing irrationality of US foreign policy.Traditionally, states have crafted their foreign policy to expand their wealth and bolster their national security. In this context, US foreign policy in the Middle East has traditionally been directed towards advancing three goals: Guaranteeing the free flow of inexpensive petroleum products from the Middle East to global market; strengthening regimes and governments that are in a position to advance this core US goal at the expense of US enemies; and fighting against regional forces like the pan-Arabists and the jihadists that advance a political program inherently hostile to US power.Under the Obama administration, these competing interests have not merely influenced US policy in the Middle East. They have dominated it. Core American interests have been thrown to the wayside.BEFORE CONSIDERING the deleterious impact this descent into strategic dementia has had on US interests, it is necessary to consider the motivations of the various sides to the foreign policy debate in the US today.All of the sides have contributed to the fact that US Middle East policy is now firmly submerged in a morass of strategic insanity.The first side in the debate is the anti-imperialist camp, represented by President Barack Obama himself. Since taking office, Obama has made clear that he views the US as an imperialist power on the world stage. As a result, the overarching goal of Obama’s foreign policy has been to end US global hegemony.Obama looks to the UN as a vehicle for tethering the US superpower. He views US allies in the Middle East and around the world with suspicion because he feels that as US allies, they are complicit with US imperialism.Given his view, Obama’s instincts dictate that he do nothing to advance the US’s core interests in the Middle East. Consider his policies towards Iran. The Iranian regime threatens all of the US’s core regional interests.And yet, Obama has refused to lift a finger against the mullahs.Operating under the assumption that US enemies are right to hate America due to its global hegemony, when the mullahs stole the 2009 presidential elections for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and then violently repressed the pro-Western opposition Green Movement, Obama sided with the mullahs.Aside from its imperative to lash out at Israel, Obama’s ideological predisposition would permit him to happily sit on the sidelines and do nothing against US foe or friend alike. But given Obama’s basic suspicion of US allies, to the extent he has bowed to pressure to take action in the Middle East, he has always done so to the detriment of US allies.Obama’s treatment of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is case in point.When the Muslim Brotherhood-backed opposition protests began in late January, Obama was perfectly happy to do nothing despite the US’s overwhelming national interest in preserving Mubarak in power. But when faced with domestic pressure to intervene against Mubarak, he did so with a vengeance.Not only did Obama force Mubarak to resign. He prevented Mubarak from resigning in September and so ensured that the Brotherhood would dominate the transition period to the new regime.One of the most astounding aspects of the US debate on Libya in recent weeks has been the scant attention paid to the nature of the rebels.The rebels are reportedly represented by the so-called National Transitional Council led by several of Gaddafi’s former ministers.But while these men – who are themselves competing for the leadership mantle – are the face of the NTC, it is unclear who stands behind them. Only nine of the NTC’s 31 members have been identified.Unfortunately, available data suggest that the rebels championed as freedom fighters by the neoconservatives, the opportunists, the Europeans and the Western media alike are not exactly liberal democrats. Indeed, the data indicate that Gaddafi’s opponents are more aligned with al-Qaida than with the US.Under jihadist commander Abu Yahya Al- Libi, Libyan jihadists staged anti-regime uprisings in the mid-1990s. Like today, those uprisings’ central hubs were Benghazi and Darnah.In 2007 Al-Libi merged his forces into al- Qaida. On March 18, while denouncing the US, France and Britain, Al-Libi called on his forces to overthrow Gaddafi.A 2007 US Military Academy study of information on al-Qaida forces in Iraq indicate that by far, Eastern Libya made the largest per capita contribution to al-Qaida forces in Iraq.None of this proves that the US is now assisting an al-Qaida takeover of Libya. But it certainly indicates that the forces being assisted by the US in Libya are probably no more sympathetic to US interests than Gaddafi is. At a minimum, the data indicate the US has no compelling national interest in helping the rebels in overthrow Gaddafi.Hmmmm.....If he wanted to destroy America would he do anything different.Read the full story here.

• Libya: Obama's 'coalition of the unwilling' asks does the West have the right to kill Gaddafi?An extraordinary war of words over the West's role in Libya has erupted after Barack Obama was accused of forming a 'coalition of the unwilling' and the push to remove Colonel Muammar Gaddafi from power floundered dangerously.Barack Obama has insisted that America will not continue to lead the operation to enforce a no-fly zone over the country. But days after the military strike began it became terrifyingly clear that no one else is willing to take the lead either.The military operation is suddenly rudderless this morning, with Germany and European allies unwilling to have Nato take on a military operation that theoretically has nothing to do with the defence of Europe, and UK officials in an astonishing row over the legality of a strike to kill Gaddafi.In the U.S. Mr Obama has made it clear he wants no part of any leadership role in Libya.The President has already been criticised for continuing with a tour of Latin America as the military operation over Libya began. And yesterday he insisted again that while Gaddafi must go, the U.S. is not prepared to remove him by force, but merely to enforce the no-fly zone. Even that hesitant stance, which has already earned him the title of the Great Vacillator, left him criticised for not seeking proper approval from Congress before sending the American military in. And after reports emerged that Gaddafi's son had been killed in a kamikaze strike yesterday, fresh questions over what exactly the U.S. intends to achieve in Libya emerged.With Turkey digging its heels in and the Arab League suspicious, Fox News pointed out that Mr Obama has fewer coalition partners in Libya than George Bush did at the start of the Iraq war.He was criticised by both Republicans and Democrats over his decision to commit the U.S. military before going to Congress.Hmmmmmm........'coalition of the unwilling' Read the full story here.

• Report: Turkey discovers weapons in Iran plane.Turkish media reports plane forced to land in southeast Turkey carried rocket launchers, mortars, rifles and explosive materials.Weapons were found on an Iranian cargo plane forced to land in southeast Turkey on Saturday, Turkish media reported Tuesday. According to reports, the arms plane left Tehran with military ammunition for Syria. Several crates containing weapons and ammunition were removed from the aircraft. Turkish media reported that the plane was forced to land in a military airfield at the United Nations' request following information indicating it was carrying nuclear materials. It was further reported that rocket launchers, mortars, rifles and explosive materials were found in one of the main cabinets on the plane.Turkish newspapers stated this was the first time that a plane was forced to land in such circumstances since 2006.Hmmmm....As i said yesterday one checked ...two hundred unchecked....hoorays?Read the full story here.

• US demanding gay rights support at UN body.WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration will introduce its first statement calling for the United Nations' top human rights body to combat discrimination against gays and lesbians around the world, completing a U.S. reversal from years of ambiguity on the subject during the presidency of George W. Bush.The U.S. declaration will be made Tuesday at the Geneva-based Human Rights Council and has the support of more than 80 countries. Although it is not in the form of binding resolution, the American push for U.N.action has helped win over a handful of new countries to the cause. A resolution could be brought to a vote later this year.The issue of gay rights has polarized nations at the U.N. for years. And despite growing acceptance for homosexuality in Western nations and parts of Latin America, lawyers say there is still a gap in human rights treaties for the protection of gays against discrimination and mistreatment."We are very concerned that individuals continue to be killed, arrested and harassed around the world because of their sexual orientation or gender identity," said Suzanne Nossel, deputy assistant secretary of state for international organizations. "This statement sends a strong message from across the globe that such abuses should not be tolerated."In December, even the Obama administration held back from voting for a U.N. resolution condemning killings of vulnerable people around the world after specifically proposing an amendment to protect people based on their sexual orientation. At issue was a separate, arcane legal dispute over international human rights law.U.N. General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions aren't legally binding; they reflect only the view of the majority of the world's nations.In 2003, the council's predecessor body, the Human Rights Commission held a heated dispute after a proposal made by Brazil and backed by European nations. Muslim countries balked, saying they couldn't accept any reference to the term "sexual orientation." Pakistan's ambassador went further, telling diplomats he preferred the term "sexual disorientation."Hmmmm.....I wonder how Barrack 'Hussein' Obama will make this acceptable for his 'Muslim Brothers'?My guess it's just about getting the gay community their votes!"You can't fool all the people ,all of the time"!Read the full story here.

• HT:AllAmericanBlogger.Five Of The World’s Most Dangerous Places to Be a Christian.A new study has found there is one religion in the world that is far more persecuted than any other. As a reader in the western world, it might come as a surprise to learn that Christians face persecution at a far higher rate than any other religion in the world. In fact, 75 percent of religious persecution is against followers of Jesus.Examining 33 countries, the British branch of Aid to the Church in Need reported that most of the persecution was occurring in the Middle East, Africa and Asia in its 2011 “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their faith.”Besides the usual suspects – China, Iran, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia – the report also reveals that countries such as Venezuela, Zimbabwe and even the Holy Land are guilty of religious persecution. The report also finds that Christians face increased persecution in 22 countries among those examined, with Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, andPakistan being among the worst countries for believers to live in. The report also says that now 100 million Christians worldwide are facing persecution.“The proportion of countries with a worsening track-record of anti-Christian violence and intimidation would be higher were it not for the fact that in many cases the situation could scarcely have been worse in the first place,” the report stated.It is estimated that 150,000 Christians are killed each year because of their faith, one every three minutes.The worst “persecution” Christians face in America is the occasional Leftist attempt to get Christmas decorations removed from a public setting, or stores substituting “Happy Holidays” for “Merry Christmas.”It isn’t as simple for followers in other countries.China continues to imprison Christians. There are some whacked out Hindus in India that have killed followers of Christ.But none of these countries match the level of evil that goes into the atrocities listed above. By and large, the Christian population world-wide faces some of the most brutal and bloody treatment at the hands of those we are supposed to believe follow the Religion of Peace.Pardon me if I question the validity of that label.And remember these stories the next time a leftist tries to use moral equivalence to compare Christianity and Islam. Ask them for examples.The cold fact is, Muslims persecute Christians in far greater numbers than the reverse. The biggest killer of Muslims isn’t Christians. It’s other Muslims.Hmmmm.....Obama "Islam is a great religion".Read the full story here.

• NATO "Member" Turkey criticizes France's role in Libya intervention.Ankara clearly expressed on Monday its uneasiness regarding fellow NATO member France's “prominent role” in the UN-mandated intervention in Libya, signaling further disagreements within the alliance. “It seems impossible for us to understand France being so prominent in this process. We are having difficulty in understanding it acting like the enforcer of United Nations decisions,” Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül told reporters at his office as he met with visiting Macedonian Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski and the accompanying delegation.“But afterwards it was understood that the United States is in command,” he said.Turkey, which has spoken against intervention in Libya and has called for an immediate cease-fire, wants careful planning on the planned NATO involvement due to concerns over protecting the alliance's prestige in an operation to be launched on a Muslim country.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was in Mecca on Monday on the final day of a visit to Saudi Arabia, was due to chair a meeting later that day to discuss the situation in Libya. Officials from the Foreign Ministry, the General Staff and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) were due to participate in the meeting which would be held upon Erdoğan’s return to Ankara after Today’s Zaman went into print.In Brussels, NATO officials were to meet Monday to debate enforcement of the no-fly zone.Constant meetings are being held in Ankara in order to assess the situation in Libya, diplomatic sources told the Anatolia news agency late on Sunday, underlining that “Turkey is not out of the process and is closely following every stage.”Hmmmm.....NATO MUST realise Turkey can no longer be part of NATO, it's alliances lay with the Muslim world and they must remove Turkey as a member.Turkey only causes problems witin NATO's command.Read the full story here.

• Erdoğan: NATO’s Libya move must not be for its wealth.Turkey said on Sunday that it wanted several conditions to be met for NATO to begin operations in Libya and warned that military intervention should avoid ending in an occupation of the North African country, rich in oil and gas. “Now the issue is NATO going into operation. If NATO is going into operation we have some conditions,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a university in Riyadh. “NATO should go in [Libya] with the recognition and acknowledgement that Libya belongs to the Libyans, not for the distribution of its underground resources and wealth,” he added.Erdoğan was due to chair a meeting in Ankara later on Monday to discuss the situation in Libya with Turkish ministers and military commanders, diplomatic sources said, Reuters reported. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu also said on Monday that Erdoğan also planned to speak with US President Barack Obama about the Libyan crisis.The Turkish prime minister said during his speech in Mecca that he had spoken with Gaddafi three times during the crisis, once with his son and twice with the country’s prime minister and that he is one of the few world leaders to keep talking with the Libyan leader, although he has called for Gaddafi to hand power to someone with greater legitimacy. Erdoğan said NATO’s only Muslim member nation has held an “intense diplomacy” to stave off the brewing crisis, and had talks with opposition members. “Sadly, our warnings were not listened to, promises were not kept. First came massacre followed by an international operation,” Erdoğan lamented. Turkey had business ties amounting to some $15.3 billion with Libya before the uprising against Gaddafi began a month ago, mostly in construction. Erdoğan also had talks with Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu on Monday and discussed regional developments, particularly the operation against Libya.Hmmmm.......Erdogan .....NATO's worst enemy?Read the full story here.

• 22 March Al -Jazeera. 9:16am China isn't backing down on its opposition to the no-fly zone. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu used a regular news briefing today to say that China had "deep concern" about civilian casualties and the possibility of a "humanitarian disaster" and wanted an end to the fighting. Though Gaddafi's regime claims dozens of people have died in the air strikes, there's no way of knowing for sure, and the coalition has completely denied any civilian casualties.Source.

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• HT:SHTF.A First: Fully Armed Chinese Missile Frigate Spotted Off Libyan Coast.Though China abstained from a UN Security Council vote authorizing a no-fly-zone in Libya, and are not among the 16 nation coalition involved in Operation Odyssey Dawn, for the first time in modern day naval history, a Chinese warship sailed in the Mediterranean Sea. The 4000 ton Xuzhou missile frigate sailed to Libya after having been deployed of the coast of Yemen, on the other side of the Red Sea, a few days ago.The missile frigate’s role is not exactly clear, but based on China’s position thus far it is not likely that the ship is part of the US, UK and French led attack. The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s newspaper, earlier pointed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and criticized the US for launching a third attack “on a sovereign nation,” so the chances that China is providing assistance are slim. While China may be flexing some of its military might, they are more than likely in the area strictly to observe operations – for the time being.Read and see the full story here.

• Canada- University downplays student's Jihad threat.Montreal police are investigating a student who made threats against a conservative club at McGill University, even though university officials determined the student’s threats about jihad and wanting to “shoot everyone in the room” were harmless.A spokesman for the Montreal Police Service told the Toronto Star they take the threat allegedly made by Haaris Khan seriously.Khan attended a viewing of the documentary “Indoctrinate-U,” sponsored by Conservative McGill, a student organization affiliated with Canada’s Conservative Party. During the viewing, Khan is accused of making death treats using his Twitter account.“I should have brought an M16,” he allegedly wrote. “I’m watching a Zionist/Conservative propaganda film at a secret Zionist convention, in case anyone’s confused.”“Indoctrinate-U” is a documentary exposing political correctness on university and college campuses. It explores free speech issues on campuses and how schools sometimes punish people for what the filmmaker calls “mild speech.”“My blood is boiling,” Khan allegedly tweeted. “I want to shoot everyone in this room.”The following day, he allegedly tweeted, “The jihad begins today.”“It’s not only nationwide, it seems to be affected a lot of western countries in general,” Maloney told Fox News Radio. “Its ironic that tame, political speech can get you in trouble and yet when you issue death threats against a group of right-of-center students, that’s not something a university is going to punish.”“It underscores the central premise of the film that students today are being taught that it’s okay to go out of your way to punish political speech and shut up speech you don’t agree with,” Maloney told Fox News Radio. “That’s essentially what this student was doing. He was watching a film he didn’t like and his first inclination was to start issuing death threats and wishing for the elimination of students who shared political views that differed from his own.”Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

• Video : Palin Visits Netanyahu's Residence.Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin concluded her visit to Israel on Monday by visiting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his family. The Palin couple arrived at the Prime Minister’s official residence for a dinner which was defined as personal rather than political and was based on the Israeli cuisine.Palin, who is known for her uncompromising support for the State of Israel, told Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, that she was received warmly by the Israelis and also told them all about her tour of the country, which included seeing sites in Jerusalem (such as the Kotel)and the Dead Sea. In most places, Palin saw firsthand the atmosphere of the holiday of Purim, and the Netanyahu couple told the potential candidate for President of the United States all about the Book of Esther and the traditions of Purim.Before leaving, Palin signed the Prime Minister’s residence guestbook and wrote: “Such an amazing country! G-d bless you. May our connection continue to grow and strengthen.”Hmmmm......No problem with her middle name or her intentions.Read and see the full story here.

• Hamas Protests U.N. Plans to Teach Holocaust in Gaza Schools.Gaza City, Gaza Strip (AP) - The United Nations has launched a new plan to teach the Holocaust in Gaza schools, drawing fierce condemnation from Gaza's militant Hamas rulers, school teachers -- and even the body tasked with peace negotiations with Israel.If implemented, it would be the first time most Palestinian children learn about Jewish suffering. But the outcry underscores how sensitive the issue is to Palestinians."Playing with the education of our children in the Gaza Strip is a red line," Hamas Education Minister, Mohammed Asqoul told a website of the group. He said Hamas will block attempts to teach the Holocaust "regardless of the price."The uproar erupted after a U.N. official told a Jordanian daily in February that UNRWA, the main U.N. agency serving Palestinian refugees, would introduce a short case study about the Holocaust to Gaza students as part of its human rights curriculum.UNRWA representatives refused to comment on the record, but one official said the agency was committed to introducing the curriculum for the next school year, beginning in September.He added that officials were hesitating because they feared Hamas would incite loyalists to damage U.N. schools or harm their teachers if they introduce the materials. He requested anonymity because he was barred from discussing the matter with the media."Teaching the Holocaust to Palestinian students in U.N. schools is unacceptable," said Zakaria al-Agha, a member of the PLO's executive committee.Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev called the Palestinian responses "obscene." Israelis consider the Holocaust a central event in modern Jewish history.Yet even if the U.N. moves ahead with the plan this year, it could face another obstacle: its own schoolteachers.In about a dozen interviews, they said they did not want to teach the materials and warned of rebellion."The agency will open the gates of hell with this step," said one schoolteacher, Sami. "This will not work."Hmmmm.....'Palestinians' the people Obama supports.Denial of the Holocaust is a criminal offence in a number of countries!Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• Islamists spark anger after calling for gay-free zone in East London.Islamists in East London have sparked anger after flyposting stickers which called for a gay-free zone.The stickers were distributed around the Whitechapel, Shoreditch and Poplar areas over the weekend. Specifically, they were targeted at schools and pubs, including the gay-friendly George and Dragon.The professionally produced, anonymous stickers say: “Arise and Warn. Gay free zone. Verily Allah is severe in punishment.”The 'Gay free zone' slogan is within a diagonal bar across a rainbow flag.Equality campaigner Peter Tatchell – who has been attacked by Muslim groups three times in the capital – condemned the behaviour.He said: "These stickers are part of a trend by Islamists and fundamentalists to target LGBT people. It is happening at universities and in communities. The main victims of this hate-mongering are LGBT Muslims."A venue attached to the East London mosque hosted a speaker who invited his audience to: 'Spot the fag.' There have been a series of homophobic threats and assaults by Asian youths on LGBT people in the East End over recent years."I’ve been attacked by Muslim youths three times in and around Brick Lane. In all three attacks, the assailants shouted religious slogans. My LGBT Muslim friends who live in the area are nervous and anxious. They fear attack and dare not reveal their sexuality."This small group of narrow minded people do not represent Islam or the Muslim community. In fact, a sentiment of rejection and condemnation for such a small group is growing among all Muslims. It is our duty to stop them and stand up to them whether we are Muslims, Jews or Christians."Hmmmmm....."This small group of narrow minded people do not represent Islam or the Muslim community"And what does the Quran say on this subject?It's called Al-taqiyya Dummy!Read the full story here.

• Bahrain protesters take control of main square.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated pressure on authorities as the Arab push for change gripped the Gulf for the first time. Security forces have battled demonstrators over two days, leading to the deaths of two protesters. In a clear sign of concern over the widening crisis, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering condolences for the deaths, pledging an investigation into the killings, and promising to push ahead with reforms, which include loosening state controls on the media and Internet.As the crowds surged into Pearl Square in the capital of Manama, security forces appeared to hold back. The dramatic move Tuesday comes just hours after a second protester died in clashes with police in the strategic island kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Oppositions groups are calling for greater political freedom and an end to the ruling Sunni monarchy's grip on key decisions and government posts. The nation's majority Shiites have long complained of discrimination. Many in the square- which was quickly renamed the "Nation's Square" by protesters - waved Bahraini flags and chanted: "No Sunnis, no Shiites. We are all Bahrainis." Bahrain is one of the most politically volatile nations in the Middle East's wealthiest corner. A prolonged showdown could draw in the region's two biggest rivals: Saudi Arabia, as close allies of Bahrain's Sunni monarchy, and Iran, whose hard-liners have spoken in support of the nation's Shiite majority.Hmmmm......The world became such a safer place since Obama became president.Read the full story here.

• HT:AmnonAndJonathan.Report - Hosny Mubarak is in Israel at a luxuary hotel in Eliat.The Israel-based news site Al-Arab reported Tuesday.Locals said there was a huge presence of Israeli security forces surrounding the hotel, and airplanes were hovering above monitoring activity in the area, the Arabic-language report said.A hotel employee revealed that Mubarak was a guest at the hotel, according to the news site.Hmmmm.....With "friends" like obama he can not expect to be treated worse in Israel. Read the full story here.

• Khamenei lauds Turkey's 'separation from Zionist regime'. During Tehran meeting, Iranian supreme leader tells President Gul US, Israel 'hegemony in Egypt' main cause of revolution. 'Muslim world can play role in international developments,' he adds.Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Turkey for distancing itself from Israel and increasing its support for the Palestinians, Iranian state TV reported Tuesday.During a meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Tehran, Khamenei said political changes in Ankara – particularly its "separation from the Zionist regime" – have brought Turkey closer to the Muslim world. "This is a proper policy. The more Turkey approaches the Muslim world, the more it will be in its own and the Muslim world's favor,” Khamenei reportedly told Gul. The supreme leader, who did not address the recent protests against the regime in Tehran, added that "years of the US and the Zionist regime's hegemony in Egypt and the humiliation of people were the main reasons behind the mass protests in Cairo. Egyptians are a Muslim nation which has strong Islamic motivation.”Hmmm......Just keep Turkey out of the European Union.Turkey could never be part of the European Union whose guiding principles inculde liberty, free speech and democracy.After having destroyed the military who were faithfull to the principles of Attaturk and protected the secular state ,they will turn now Turkey in a second Iran.Get Turkey out of NATO NOW !Read the full story here.

• Justice Department Resists Releasing Records That Could Shed Light on Whether Justice Kagan Needs to Recuse Herself from Health Care Case.The U.S. Justice Department is contesting in federal court a Freedom of Information Act request filed by CNSNews.com that seeks department records that could shed light on the question of whether Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan needs to recuse herself from legal challenges to the health-care reform law President Barack Obama signed last March.The case—the Media Research Center v. the U.S. Justice Department—arises from a complaint the Media Research Center filed on Nov. 23, 2010 against the Justice Department in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint asked the court to direct the Justice Department to comply with a FOIA request that CNSNews.com had initially submitted to the Office of the Solicitor General on May 25, 2010. CNSNews.com is a division of the Media Research Center.The CNSNews.com FOIA asked for three categories of records. These included records of any meetings or communications Kagan might have participated in as solicitor general that involved President Obama’s health-care reform plan, records of any meetings or communications Kagan might have participated in in which legal challenges to the health-care legislation signed by President Obama were discussed, and records of any meetings or communications Kagan might have participated in in which there was discussion of whether Kagan ought to recuse herself from involvement in any particular case in her role as solicitor general due to the prospect that case might later come before her were she confirmed to a seat on a federal court.On Dec. 30, the Justice Department filed an answer to the MRC’s complaint, asking the court to dismiss the complaint, but not citing any specific exemption in the Freedom of Information Act that would justify such a dismissal.The Justice Department now has until March 1 to present the court with a brief asking for summary judgment in its favor.Federal law mandates that a Supreme Court justice must recuse herself from a case if she previously expressed an opinion about its merits while in government service.At the time that President Obama signed his health-care reform law, Kagan was serving as President Obama’s solicitor general and President Obama had not yet nominated her to the Supreme Court.Kagan’s job as solicitor general was to defend the administration’s position in federal court cases. On March 23, 2010, the day Obama signed his health-care reform law—and seven weeks before Obama would nominate Kagan to the Supreme Court--Florida and Virginia filed suit against the law in federal court challenging its constitutionality. Also on that day, 12 states joined Florida in its suit against the law.Kagan was Obama’s solicitor general at a time when Obama’s most significant legislative accomplishment was being constitutionally challenged in a federal court system at whose pinnacle she now sits--on the very panel that must ultimately settle the challenges.In a questionnaire that she filled out for the Senate Judiciary Committee prior to her confirmation hearings, Kagan said she would abide by the “letter and spirit” of 28 U.S.C. 455, a federal law governing the recusal of federal judges, including Supreme Court justices.Prof. Ronald Rotunda of the Chapman University School of Law, a legal ethics expert, told the Senate Judiciary Committee during Kagan’s confirmation hearings that 28 U.S.C. 455 requires Kagan to recuse herself from any case that she so much as expressed a verbal opinion about when serving as solicitor general.“The statute does not limit disqualification to cases where General Kagan’s name is on the brief, nor does the statute require that she express her opinion ‘in writing,” Rotunda said in written testimony.Hmmmm.....As one commentator puts it "There's nothing like having a "justice department" that resists the pursuit of justice... but then again, what did we expect... hope? change?"Read the full story here.

• HT:Newsmax.Obama 'Furious' With Hillary State Department Over Egypt.Is a civil war brewing between the Obama White House and Hillary Clinton's State Department?A New York Times story published this weekend suggests one may have erupted already.On Saturday, the Times, quoting numerous White House sources, sought to explain the Obama administration's erratic policy statements during the Egyptian crisis.The paper reported that Obama was "seething" over State Department officials's statement suggesting that the administration did not want a quick transition of power in Egypt, with President Hosni Mubarak stepping down from his office immediately.Obama felt that the State Department "made it look as if the administration were protecting a dictator and ignoring the pleas of the youths of Cairo."As Secretary Clinton and her special envoy Frank Wisner repeatedly called for an orderly transition that would include President Mubarak remaining in office for at least a period of time, Obama and his team studiously sought to undermine the State Department stance.The Times states that Mr. Obama "was furious" about Clinton's and Wisner's statements, "as Mr. Obama was demanding that change in Egypt begin right away."Secretary Clinton was not the only figure who opposed Obama's view. Clinton was joined by Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who also were advocating that Obama adhere to a cautious and more traditional foreign policy approach toward the situation in Egypt.Unhappy about the mixed signals high-ranking officials were giving, Obama intervened directly, telling White House advisers that "this was not the message we should be delivering.Hmmmm..........Definition of a dictator :"A person who believes that he has a divine message, but has misread the postmark. Dictators make huey while the sun shines. When alive they believe that they bring relief to the masses. When dead they do.Yesterday about the Iranian protests it was also Hillary who spoke up....an indication?"Read the full story here.

• Russian FM to US: Don't stir up protests in Middle East.After meeting British PM Cameron, counterpart Hague, Lavrov says Moscow is "convinced that calls for revolutions are counterproductive."LONDON — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that the US and Western allies should not stir up pro-democracy protests in the Middle East following the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.After meeting with members of Britain's government, Lavrov warned against any attempts by other nations to fuel public dissent.In recent days Iran's opposition has taken to the streets of central Tehran, while demonstrators have held protests in Bahrain and Yemen."We are convinced that calls for revolutions are counterproductive. We have had more than one revolution in Russia, and we believe that we don't need to impose revolutions on others," Lavrov told reporters. "We don't think that we need to tighten the screw, or take sides."Lavrov was holding talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague, and seeking to bolster ties badly damaged by the 2006 poisoning death in London of dissident ex-Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko.At a news conference with Hague, Lavrov insisted the international community should restrict itself to urging regimes in the Middle East and northern Africa to hold talks aimed at meeting the demands of protesters."Only in this way we can ensure the stable evolution into the direction that will be in the interests of each country," Lavrov said.Britain planned to make a "patient, steady improvement" in its relations with Russia, while acknowledging the two countries still have major disagreements on some issues, Hague said.His ministry confirmed there would be no change on Britain's policy of not cooperating with Russia's Federal Security Service, the main successor to the feared Soviet KGB, and known by its Russian language acronym, the FSB.Hmmm......We had enough experiance with one Revolution comrade?Read the full story here.

• HT:Undhimmi.Danish Muslims Increasingly Converting to Christianity.… but of course risk death for doing so, as the Religion of Peace does not like apostates. At all.Four steps down and into holy water. A deep breath and a firm grip on the vicar’s hand as body and face submerge, to emerge again in the Christian faith.43-year-old Safiya has taken a controversial decision; in baptism she has taken the final step in putting her Muslim past behind her.“It is not an easy choice, but necessary for me if I am to feel a complete person,” says an enthusiastic Safiya as she takes in a standing ovation from members of the Free Church of Love.An Iranian, Safiya has joined the ranks of the 100-150 other Muslims in Denmark who will convert to Christianity this year.Priests, ecclesiastical organisations and experts all agree that the number of those who convert from Islam to Christianity has steadily increased in recent years.“I would say that there are 100-150 Muslims in Denmark who convert each year,” says Intercultural Studies Expert Mogens Mogensen Ph. D.Mogensen has carried out the most extensive survey ever of conversions from Islam to Christianity in Denmark. The survey concludes that almost 1,000 Muslims converted between 1980 and 2007.“But in recent years the phenomenon has increased. Probably as a result of the fact that through education and work, Muslims have had much closer contact with Christians in Denmark and their values. We see a clear correlation between integration and the number of conversions,” Mogensen says.“The Muslims who take up residency in Denmark are challenged by another religious understanding and thus ask themselves questions about religion. The world is becoming much more globalised and will result in more people challenging what they come from,” says Simonsen.Of course her name is an alias. It has to be. The passage from the Qur’an above is not some anachronistic whimsy. Muslims actively pursue ex-Muslims and often attempt to kill them.Yet the more Muslims are exposed to a civilised, democratic society (as opposed to living out separate lives in self-segregating immigrant communities) – and given the security to remove the oppressive yoke of a faith, which unlike any other removes the option to leave it under the pain of death – the more they indeed leave.For just what kind of a ‘faith’ can it be, which forces you to remain within its strictures under pain of death?Hmmmm......Jesus said "...you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32. Read the full story here.

• Thousands of Protesters Take Control of Bahrain's Main Square.Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital of Manama Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated pressure on authorities as the Arab push for change gripped the Gulf for the first time.Security forces have battled demonstrators calling for political reforms and greater freedoms over two days, leading to the deaths of two protesters and the main opposition group vowing to freeze its work in parliament in protest.In a clear sign of concern over the widening crisis, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering condolences for the deaths, pledging an investigation into the killings and promising to push ahead with reforms, which include loosening state controls on the media and Internet."We extend our condolences to the parents of the dear sons who died yesterday and today. We pray that they are inspired by the Almighty's patience, solace and tranquility," said the king, who had previously called for an emergency Arab summit to discuss the growing unrest.As the crowds surged into the Pearl Square in the capital of Manama, security forces appeared to hold back. But key highways were blocked in an apparent attempt to choke off access to the vast traffic circle -- which protesters quickly renamed "Nation's Square" and erected banners such as "Peaceful" that were prominent in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of protests there.The main Shiite opposition group, Al Wefaq, denounced the "bullying tactics and barbaric policies pursued by the security forces" and said it was suspending its participation in parliament, where it holds 18 of the 40 seats.The declaration falls short of pulling out the group's lawmakers, which would spark a full-scale political crisis. But Al Wefaq warned that it could take more steps if violence persists against marchers staging the first major rallies in the Gulf since uprisings toppled long-ruling regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.A statement from Bahrain's interior minister, Lt. Gen. Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, expressed "sincere condolences and deep sympathy" to Mushaima's family. He expanded on the king's pledge: stressing that the deaths will be investigated and charges would be filed if authorities determined excessive force was used against the protesters.But that's unlikely to appease the protesters, whose "day of rage" Monday coincided with major anti-government demonstrations in Iran and Yemen.Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty also has extremely close ties with the leadership in Saudi Arabia, which is connected to Bahrain by a causeway. Bahrain has given citizenship to Sunnis in Saudi Arabia and across the region to bolster its ranks against the country's Shiite majority.Bahrain's Sunni leaders point to parliamentary elections as a symbol of political openness. But many Sunnis in Bahrain also are highly suspicious of Shiite activists, claiming they seek to undermine the state and have cultural bonds with Shiite heavyweight Iran.Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

• HT:Newmax.FBI: 100 Percent Chance of WMD Attack!The probability that the U.S. will be hit with a weapons of mass destruction attack at some point is 100 percent, Dr. Vahid Majidi, the FBI’s assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, tells Newsmax.Such an attack could be launched by foreign terrorists, lone wolves who are terrorists, or even by criminal elements, Majidi says. It would most likely employ chemical, biological, or radiological weapons rather than a nuclear device.As it is, Majidi says, American intelligence picks up hundreds of reports each year of foreign terrorists obtaining WMD. When American forces invaded Afghanistan, they found that al-Qaida was working on what Majidi calls a “nascent” weapons of mass destruction effort involving chemical and biological weapons.In every other case so far, the reports of foreign terrorists obtaining WMD have turned out to be unfounded. However, Majidi’s directorate within the FBI investigates more than a dozen cases in the U.S. each year where there was intent to use WMD.For example, in 2008, the FBI arrested Roger Bergendorff, who was found to have ricin and anarchist literature. Ricin kills cells by inhibiting protein synthesis. Within several days, the liver, spleen, and kidneys of a person who inhales or ingests ricin stop working, resulting in death.“The notion of probability of a WMD attack being low or high is a moot point because we know the probability is 100 percent,” Majidi says. “We’ve seen this in the past, and we will see it in the future. There is going to be an attack using chemical, biological or radiological material.”“While all of these guys are still interested in potentially using chemical, biological, or radiological weapons wherever it is possible, the pragmatic approach that they have taken is to use what has worked for them best, which is various forms of explosives and improvised explosives,” Majidi says.“The latest round is concealing explosives coming through the commercial shipping environment,” Majidi notes. “That brings to the fore the fact that explosives are something that we’re not going to get away from any time soon. It’s the modality that is most often preferred by a pragmatic adversary.”Given the sensitivity and complexity of the subject, Majidi says he tries to present all the issues in context: “One of my jobs is to make sure I put all of these things in an appropriate light, because if you were in my job you would see that everyone always tries to elevate things to a tremendous level.”Of one thing Majidi is sure: “There’s a probability of 100 percent that a WMD event will happen.”Read the full story here.

• The Netherlands - Geert Wilders Court Case Restarts from Scratch.The entire court case against MP Geert Wilders will be retried. His lawyer Bram Moszkowicz yesterday obtained the right to conduct his entire defence anew, including challenging the validity of the Public Prosecutor (OM) case.The lawyer wants to ensure via the challenge - a request to declare the OM's case inadmissible - that the OM loses its right to prosecute. If this is successful the case will have to be dropped. Moszkowicz will among other things argue that it is not possible to prosecute Wilders because he is an MP.The OM wanted to resume the case where it had been adjourned, meaning the defence would not be allowed to challenge the OM again. Moszkowicz unsuccessfully challenged the OM before. But the judges that handled the case then have been replaced.The case was earlier suspended halfway through because the three sitting judges had given the impression of bias. At the request of Wilders and his defence, they were replaced by three new judges.These judges decided yesterday that Moszkowicz can challenge the OM again. The district court in Amsterdam also allowed Wilders to call three witnesses. These are Judge Tom Schalken and Islam experts Hans Jansen and Bertus Hendriks. Wilders asked for another 15 witnesses to be heard, but these were all rejected.Schalken, Jansen and Hendriks met one another earlier in the proceedings, a day before Jansen was to testify in the case. Jansen says that the judge tried to convince him that Wilders was guilty. Wilders wants the judge to be prosecuted in separate proceedings for influencing a witness.Hmmmm....."Luctor Et Emergo"...Smiles.Read the full story here.

• Israel monitoring Iranian warship plans.Israel is closely monitoring Iranian plans to deploy warships in the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Israeli security officials said.Officials described deployment of ships to those areas and plans to dock at a Syrian port for a year as "serious provocation," the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.There is no justification for Iran to deploy warships to the Mediterranean Sea, and if it does Israel will view the move as "a change in the situation -- and Israel will know how to deal with it," a senior Israeli official told the newspaper.Iranian warships are now deployed in Bab el-Mandeb, between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean, joining international efforts to combat piracy, the newspaper said. Western intelligence officials have said that Iranian warships deployed in the Red Sea may be in involved in supplying radical Islamic groups from Yemen with weapons, the report said. Earlier this month, Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, Iranian navy commander, told the Fars news agency his country intends to maintain a powerful and permanent presence in a bid to protect the interests of Iran in the "strategic waters north of the Indian Ocean."Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Turkey: Islamist Consolidate Power By Purging The Military.While everyone’s eyes are on Egypt and its possible Islamization, something even more significant is going on under the wire in Turkey.The government of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan took a major step towards consolidating its regime by conducting what amount to show trials of high ranking military officers and political opponents on charges that they attempted to overthrow Erdogan’s Islamist government in 2003.A Turkish court ruled Friday, February 12th that 133 current and former Turkish military officers must be immediately arrested and jailed pending the outcome of their trial on charges of plotting to overthrow the government and issued warrants for the immediate arrests of 29 other officers.The Erdogan government was obviously made aware of the ruling in advance. As soon as the ruling was issued by the bench, the court’s doors were sealed, security forces cleared the courtroom and the defendants, including the former air force and navy chiefs were immediately arrested and are being held without bail.The defendants face between 15 and 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of “attempting to topple the government by force.”At the same time, more than 400 others — including academics, journalists, politicians and soldiers — are on trial on separate charges of plotting to bring down the government.Both ‘conspiracies’ – dubbed “Balyoz” (Sledgehammer) and “Ergenekon” – appear to be based on fairly flimsy evidence.This is no small matter.Turkey’s 1982 constitution proclaims Turkey’s system of government as democratic, secular, and parliamentary and the country’s original Constitution makes the military the guardian of Turkey’s secular rule. The largely secular Turkish military has historically been a check on both Islamist and Leftist elements in the country.Erdogan and the AKP party checkmated that role by winning a referendum on September 12, 2010 on constitutional amendments that removed the remaining obstacles to its absolute power, targeting the courts and the military.Among other things, the referendum allowed Erdogan to change the rules and try retired members of the Turkish military in civil court who participated in the last military coup against an Islamist government, back in 1980 when Turkey was beset by internal violence. It also allows him to try the current ‘conspirators’ in civilian rather than military courts. This ensures that the Turkish military will no longer be the guard of secularism that it was, and to guarantee that, the very composition of the military is being changed as AKP President Abdullah Gul has been intervening in promotions and appointments of generals to block all non-Islamists from acquiring command positions.Second, to make sure the outcome of the trials aren’t in doubt, the new changes expanded the nation’s constitutional court from 11 to 17 judges and provides that the prime minister, Erdogan appointed 14 of them, with the legislature – that’s Erdogan’s AKP Party – choosing the other three.Having finished appointing his hand picked new judges, Erdogan is using them to get rid of political opposition to him in the military and civil society, and to further consolidate the AKP’s rule and the increasing Islamization of Turkish law and society.Nor is this simply a local matter. Turkey is a full fledged NATO member with the largest conventional military in Europe and full access to all of NATO’s security secrets. Aside from pursuing Islamism at home, Erdogan’s foreign policy has involved distancing Turkey from the West and cozying up to Iran and Syria, even to the extent of ignoring the UN sanctions . Iran, in fact, has reportedly agreed to contribute $25 million to the AKP to help Erdogan and his party in the coming elections, Turkish-Iranian trade has gone up 86 percent in the past year and Iranians have been using Turkish shell companies as the lifeline for supplies for Iran’s missile program. Small wonder Iran’s President Ahmadinejad has lauded Turkey as Iran’s ally on repeated occasions.We are watching the transformation of Turkey from a secular democracy allied to the West into something very different right before our eyes.Hmmm.....What have i been saying for the past 6 months?What is even more worrying is that Obama conciders Turkey and it's leadership as close friends!Read the full story here.

• HT:AmericanThinker.The Next Black President?When Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States, even those who opposed his liberal policies secretly had a fleeting moment of patriotic pride. America had elected our first African-American president. Finally, our nation had overcome the injustices of the past and "the dawn of a new day" had arrived where most Americans were no longer judging or being judged based on skin color. Regrettably, the feeling of national dignity was short lived. As it turned out, Barack Obama's goal was to get "others to think [more] highly" of Barack Obama than the nation whose citizens he was elected to lead. What a shame. Truth is, the most unfortunate aspect of having Obama as America's first black president is that it is Obama who is America's first black president.If only the first choice had been an outstanding man of color like Allen West or the spectacular Herman Cain. Both are patriotic individuals who love and recognize their country's greatness. Moreover, despite the reality of past injustices, unlike Barack Obama, Cain and West choose to dwell on the benefits of individual responsibility, unlimited opportunity, and patriotic allegiance to America.One thing is for sure: No one could ever accuse the outspoken Herman Cain of disagreeing with Barry purely because of skin color. Cain is bold as a lion and unafraid to debate Obama on the merits of conservative philosophy. In his 2011 CPAC speech, Mr. Cain rightly identified the three liberal tactics of "shifting the subject, ignoring the facts, and name-calling," which Cain "bundles together with the acronym 'SIN.'"Many believe the man who some refer to as the "Hermanator" could be President Obama's "worst nightmare -- a business mastermind, a natural problem solver and a black man of 'substance' who says he would 'take the race card off the table' in a challenge against Obama as the GOP presidential candidate in 2012."The keynote speaker at the 2011 CPAC, Colonel West did not exploit podium time to harp on racial, social or economic 'injustice,' but instead spoke of tried and true conservative concepts like "effective and efficient constitutional government, peace through strength, and staying true to...American values." West's speech touched upon the tragedy of American culture being "subservient to multiculturalism," the need for America to promptly dispose of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the travesty of granting Constitutional rights to terrorists, and how the United States must always remain faithful to Israel.During West's speech, the retired Army Lieutenant Colonel did not make his audience repeat catchy phrases or mislead anyone into believing he'd pay mortgages or fill their tanks with gasoline. West did not kowtow to unions, lobbyists, or abortion advocates, nor did he read from the Koran, make promises to discuss anything with any dictator "without preconditions," or depend on a teleprompter to jog his memory into recalling what were supposed to be the core convictions of his heart. The fact that Barack Obama was elected President of the United States was proof positive that the lessons of history, though hard and brutal, had been learned. Unfortunately, at the ballot box Americans yielded to the wrong influence and chose a president based on something besides character and substance. Many falsely believed that when America's first black president placed his hand on Lincoln's Bible, it was the "dawn of a new day." Instead, Obama ushered in new heights of racial division and a level of liberalism unprecedented in American history.Now as 2012 approaches, new voices offer a message of genuine "hope" and positive "change." On the horizon, the "dawn of a new America" approaches and with it comes a unique opportunity to replace America's first black president with a man who, secondary to being a patriotic American, just happens to be black.Hmmmmm......Lets hope there's still an America left by 2012?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Saudi Website: Saudi Military Helped Break Up Demonstrations In Bahrain.The Saudi Shi'ite website Rasid reported that there is fear in Saudi Arabia that the demonstrations in Bahrain will spread to Saudi Arabia. It further reported that Saudi military forces yesterday entered Bahrain to help the government there disperse demonstrators.Source .Related : Saudi Website : Increased Security Alert In East Of Country. The Shi'ite website Rasid reports that the Saudi Interior Ministry has stepped up security in the east of the country – an area where most of the countries Shi'ites live, as well as its main petroleum center. The alert is due to the fear of demonstrations like those in Tunisia and Egypt.Source.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.Could the House of Saud come tumbling down?What would happen if 'our friends, the Saudis' were no longer our friends? Karen Elliott House writes in the Wall Street Journal that the consequences could be quite serious and the chances of the House of Saud falling are increasing."The gap between reform here and the demands of our young is widening," warns a senior prince. "It is a race against time because the young are tired of the status quo, tired of talk." Saudi Arabia is not Egypt. But even in this most shrouded and supposedly most stable of Arab societies, time is running out.Hmmm......It seems anything Obama "touches" is doomed for destruction.Read the full story here.

• HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Indonesian cleric's trial puts focus on rising militancy."The judges are infidels; Bashir is a mujaheed (holy warrior)," several men in the audience shouted. "Evil will be defeated; Islam will be victorious".(Reuters) - The spiritual leader of the outlawed Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiah went back on trial Thursday in a case that refocuses attention on Indonesia's fight against Islamic extremism.The charges against Abu Bakar Bashir, which carry the death penalty and which he denies, include setting up and financing a terror training camp that plotted to kill President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.The trial began in the same week as two frenzied attacks by militant Muslim mobs. The hearing was immediately adjourned on a technicality until Monday.Indonesia has won praise for largely defeating Islamic terror, but analysts and rights groups are concerned a recent spike in religious intolerance shows extremism still has a hold on the world's most populous Muslim nation.Foreign investment has poured into Indonesia's bond and stock markets thanks to improved political stability and successful efforts to combat Islamic militancy since the last significant attack -- the bombing of two hotels in Jakarta in 2009.But this week has twice seen mobs of youths running riot in the name of defending Islam -- first killing three members of the Ahmadiyya sect that is considered heretical by mainstream Muslims, and then torching two churches to protest against the perceived light sentence of a Catholic accused of blasphemy.Despite no significant terror attacks in Indonesia for nearly two years, security in the capital is pervasive, with checkpoints placed at the entrance of all major shopping malls, hotels, embassies and government buildings.Wednesday's trial will be the third for the frail 72-year-old Bashir, who is officially the caretaker of an Islamic boarding school on Java island but has long been considered the spiritual leader of the shadowy Jemaah Islamiah movement, which seeks to establish a Muslim caliphate across Southeast Asia.He was found not guilty on appeal of terror offences in two previous trials that attempted to link him to the 2002 Bali bombings, but only spent time in prison for lesser charges such as immigration offences.Thursday, scores of his supporters filled the public gallery of a south Jakarta courtroom, waiting for him to be brought to the dock where he will be charged with helping establish a terror training camp and funding terror organizations -- offences which carry the death penalty.Bashir is also the "Amir" of the above-ground Jema'ah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) Islamic group, which draws support from thousands of often unemployed youths who attend public rallies and sermons by firebrand preachers. Their ranks have provided recruits for even more radical organizations with links to Jemaah Islamiah and al-Qaeda.Analysts say that if Bashir is found guilty he would more likely face a long jail term than execution.But they say the threat remains of other terror groups forming across the archipelago of over 17,000 islands which are home to around 240 million people, most of them moderate Muslims."The highlight (of the indictment) is the defendant was gathering funds ... to be used for paramilitary training in Aceh and to purchase weapons," Andi Muhammad Taufik, the head of the prosecutors team told Reuters by telephone.Before that camp was fully established it was shut down by authorities following a raid in which three police officers and a civilian were killed.Police said the Aceh-based group had planned to assassinate President Yudhoyono and other government officials at an independence day ceremony last August.Police also said they held documents saying Bashir was the leader of a group which calls itself al Qaeda of Indonesia and which is the umbrella for four militant Islamic groups including Jemaah Islamiah, Jema'ah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), Kompak, and Indonesia Islamic State (NII).Hmmmm......Obama "Indonesia is an example of religious tolerance".Read the full story here.

• Russia Embraces Risky Offshore Arctic Drilling.MOSCOW — The Arctic Ocean is a forbidding place for oil drillers. But that is not stopping Russia from jumping in — or Western oil companies from eagerly following.Russia, where onshore oil reserves are slowly dwindling, last month signed an Arctic exploration deal with the British petroleum giant BP, whose offshore drilling prospects in the United States were dimmed by the Gulf of Mexico disaster last year. Other Western oil companies, recognizing Moscow’s openness to new ocean drilling, are now having similar discussions with Russia. New oil from Russia could prove vital to world supplies in coming decades, now that it has surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world’s biggest oil producer, and as long as global demand for oil continues to rise. But as the offshore Russian efforts proceed, the oil companies will be venturing where other big countries ringing the Arctic Ocean — most notably the United States and Canada — have been wary of letting oil field development proceed, for both safety and environmental reasons.After the BP accident in the gulf last year highlighted the consequences of a catastrophic ocean spill, American and Canadian regulators focused on the special challenges in the Arctic. The ice pack and icebergs pose various threats to drilling rigs and crews. And if oil were spilled in the winter, cleanup would take place in the total darkness that engulfs the region during those months. Last week, Royal Dutch Shell postponed plans for drilling off Alaska’s Arctic coast, as the company continued to face hurdles from wary Washington regulators. The Russians, who control far more prospective drilling area in the Arctic Ocean than the United States and Canada combined, take a far different view. And if anything, the gulf disaster encouraged Russia to push ahead with BP as its first partner. In the view of Russia’s prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, BP is the safest company to hire for offshore work today, having learned its lesson in the gulf. “One beaten man is worth two unbeaten men,” Mr. Putin said, citing a Russian proverb, after BP signed its Arctic deal with Rosneft, the Russian state-owned oil company. The joint venture calls for the companies to explore three sections in the Kara Sea, an icebound coastal backwater north of central Russia. Read the full story here.

• Amid Dispute Over Arrested American, State Department Requests $3.1 Billion in 2012 Aid for Pakistan. The Obama administration is asking Congress to approve $1.9 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan in fiscal year 2012 and an additional $1.2 billion to boost its counterinsurgency capabilities along the border with Afghanistan.The $1.9 billion is included in the State Department’s core budget request released Monday, while the latter figure comes from a separate “Overseas Contingency Operations” (OCO) category – the Obama administration’s preferred term for what its predecessor called the war on terrorism.In a briefing Monday, a State Department official said the bulk of the $1.2 billion in the OCO category – $1.1 billion – was for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund (PCCF), a program to train Pakistan’s military and Frontier Corps (FC) “to conduct the fight along with border with Afghanistan.”The PCCF is the former PCF (Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund), the more recent name reflecting the fact that the secretary of state directs the program with the concurrence of the secretary of defense, rather than the other way round as was the case in earlier years.“The PCCF program equips, trains, and supports Pakistani forces engaged in eliminating insurgent sanctuaries that threaten the stability of the government in Pakistan, security in Afghanistan, and present a danger to the region and to the United States,” the State Department said in its budget request.At $50.9 billion, the overall State Department budget request for fiscal year 2012 is up from the actual fiscal 2010 budget of $49.3 billion, but somewhat down from the fiscal 2011 request of $51.4 billion, according to an Office of Budget and Management factsheet. The 2011 budget has yet to be finalized by Congress. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with U.S. House Speaker John Bohner on Monday to express concern about House plans to slash the figure for State and foreign operations in its 2011 continuing resolution.Hmmmm......It won't be long before Pakistan turns against the US.Read the full story here.