Was President Obama Baptised or not ? Is he a Christian ?

I caught myself today wondering why President Obama is not speaking up against the Christmas day violence against Christians?Somehow i came up with this : Obama's  Indonesian years, 1967-71:

Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his step-father in a mosque. This precisely substantiates my statement that he "for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father."
Therefore, what MMfA calls the "Obama-Muslim falsehood" is in fact confirmed by both articles as truthful and accurate.Calling this a falsehood is in itself a falsehood.

Anyway Obama himself writes that he was only baptised in his mid 20's !

Nobody, except Obama knows if his conversion to Christianity is real or not. Although some reports and even Obama have referred to a "baptism", there doesn't appear to be any record of a baptism.

Chicago-based journalist, broadcaster and critic Andy Martin, when asked about Obama's baptism, wrote, "I have never been able to obtain any evidence that he was baptized, although I asked for those records."

It seems that Obama's conversion occurred when he answered one of Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright's altar calls by walking down the aisle of Trinity Church to make a formal commitment of his faith.

Cathleen Falsani, religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, writes, "He (Obama) described his conversion experience in his mid-20s, how he walked the aisle at Trinity United Church of Christ one Sunday in a public affirmation of his private change of heart."I came to Christianity through the black church tradition where the line between evangelical and non-evangelical is completely blurred. Nobody knows exactly what it means."

Falsani warns us that Obama’s walking the aisle at Trinity is poles apart from what Christians commonly refer to as being "saved, transformed or washed in the blood." In other words, it’s not to be confused with what Jesus called being "born again." As Mr. Obama himself explains, "It wasn’t an epiphany … but just a moment to certify or publicly affirm a growing faith in me."

In another account of this event, Manya Brachear, writing in the Chicago Tribune, describes the event thusly: "When Obama sought his own church community, he felt increasingly at home at Trinity. Before leaving for Harvard Law School in 1988, he responded to one of Wright's altar calls and declared a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Falsani wonders, "What kind of faith is it that is growing in Barack Obama? Is it the historic Christian faith? Not according to the good senator, who describes his faith as: (1) Suspicious of dogma (2) Without any monopoly on the truth (3) Nontransferable to others (4) Infused with a big healthy dose of doubt, and (5) Indulgent of and compatible with all other religions."

Unlike traditional Christianity, which Mr. Obama bemoans for its "call to evangelize and proselytize," the good senator’s faith is strictly a personal and private affair. Although he has no qualms about parading it in public in hopes of bolstering his political career, he would never dream of preaching it to others in hopes of converting them to Christ.

At the core of Obama's faith -- whether lapsed Muslim, new Christian or some mixture of the two -- is African nativism and Obama's having pledged allegiance to the Black Value System raises political issues of its own.

The phrase, “having been baptized,” is apparently based on Obama’s claim about being baptized. Our major media haven’t questioned the claim.

Miller went on to say, “His baptism presents its own problems. The senior pastor at Trinity at the time of Obama’s baptism was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., the preacher who was seen damning America on cable TV…”

Notice the formulation, “at the time of Obama’s baptism.” She carefully does not say that Wright performed the baptism. In fact, there’s no evidence it was a baptism in the traditional sense that it was performed by Wright or anybody else. It looks like Obama walked down the aisle and made a profession of faith. That is not a Christian baptism.

The Canada Free Press published a very interesting article in February by Madeline Brooks, who asked, “Where is the baptism certificate? We do not see one because there was no baptism. That central part of Christianity was not required at Obama’s former church, the Trinity United Church of Christ, during the years Obama attended…”

She cites the research of a pastor, Usama Dakdok, who had called Obama’s church to ask about membership:

“Do I have to be baptized to join the church?” asked Pastor Dakdok. “No, you don’t,” was the answer. “You can be a member without being baptized.”
“And what exactly is required to become a member?” The answer: “You attend two Sunday school classes in a row about membership, and then you walk the aisle.”

The phrase, “having been baptized,” is apparently based on Obama’s claim about being baptized. Our major media haven’t questioned the claim.

What do The Scriptures tell us about the Sacrament of Baptism?
The Necessity of Baptism:

Christ Himself ordered His disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations and to baptize those who accept the message of the Gospel. In His encounter with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21), Christ made it clear that baptism was necessary for salvation: "Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." For Catholics, the sacrament is not a mere formality; it is the very mark of a Christian, because it brings us into new life in Christ.



Hmmmm....Nope nothing about "“You attend two Sunday school classes in a row about membership, and then you walk the aisle.”

In other words it seems according to the description by the Scriptures of the act of Baptism Barrack Hussein Obama is not Baptised and thus still a Muslim!
I'm sure any Islamic scholar will agree that "attending two Sunday school classes in a row about membership, and then you walking the aisle" doesn't mean renouncing your Islamic Faith!

Now you all know why he doesn't speak up when Christians are bombed on Christmas day! Instead of concentrating on his so called Islamic past we should concentrate on his so called Christian past !
And before i forget to mention it "Christianity is a Great Religion" ! Will.

Sources : Catholicism ; Freerepublic ; Danielpipes .

Issa says Obama administration is 'one of most corrupt'administrations ever.

Issa says Obama administration is 'one of most corrupt'administrations ever.The Republican congressman who is taking over responsibility for congressional oversight called President Obama's administration "one of the most corrupt administrations" on Sunday and predicted that the investigations he is planning over the next two years could result in about $200 billion in savings for U.S. taxpayers.Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was bullish in laying out his agenda for the new Congress under GOP control of the House. Issa, who as chairman will have subpoena power, said he would seek to ferret out waste across the federal bureaucracy. While he used fiery rhetoric in describing the Obama administration in a series of television interviews Sunday, he said he would focus on wasteful spending over political persecutions.Asked on "Fox News Sunday" about reports that the White House is staffing up on lawyers to prepare for his oversight hearings, Issa said: "They're going to need more accountants.""It's more of an accounting function than legal function," Issa said. "It's more about the inspector generals than it is about lawyers in the White House. And the sooner the administration figures out that the enemy is the bureaucracy and the wasteful spending, not the other party, the better off we'll be." "I think [Holder] needs to realize that, for example, WikiLeaks, if the president says, 'I can't deal with this guy as a terrorist,' then he has to be able to deal with him as a criminal," Issa said on "Fox News Sunday." "Otherwise, the world is laughing at this paper tiger we've become. "He's hurting this administration," Issa said of Holder. "If you're hurting the administration, either stop hurting the administration or leave."Issa said he plans to lead bipartisan investigations on food and drug safety, as well as Medicare fraud.Hmmmm....Go get them Tiger!Read the full story here.

CNN Arabic readers choose Turkish PM as 'Man of Year'.

CNN Arabic readers choose Turkish PM as 'Man of Year'.Turkey's prime minister has been named "Man of the Year" by readers of CNN Arabic's website.According to the Dubai-based, Arabic-language news portal, 74 percent of readers voted for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, carrying him to the top position in the ranking.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad followed Erdoğan on the list, getting 20 percent of the vote.The CNN Arabic website said Erdoğan had been given the "Man of the Year" title thanks to his recent success in diplomacy.Hmmmm......"Mosques are our barracks, minarets our bayonets, domes our helmets, the believers our soldiers." will be more likely the reason.Read the full Ottoman Empire revival story here.

Egyptian Security Guards Withdrew One Hour Before Church Blast, Say Eyewitnesses.

HT:AINA.Egyptian Security Guards Withdrew One Hour Before Church Blast, Say Eyewitnesses.The car explosion that went off in front of Saints Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria killed 21 and injured 96 parishioners who were attending a New Year's Eve Mass. According to church officials and eyewitnesses, there are many more victims that are still unidentified and whose body parts were strewn all over the street outside the church. The body parts were covered with newspapers until they were brought inside the church after some Muslims started stepping on them and chanting Jihadi chants (video showing dead bodies and limbs covered with newspapers in the street).According to eyewitnesses, a green Skoda car pull up outside the church shortly after midnight. Two men got out , one of them talked shortly on his mobile phone, and the explosion occurred almost immediately after they left the scene. On the back of the Skoda was a sticker with the words "the rest is coming" (video of car explosion and Muslims shouting "Allah Akbar").It was reported that the bomb, locally made, had 100KG of explosives in addition to having nails, glass and iron balls inside. The strength of it not only caused glass panes to be shattered in all the neighborhood, but also made body parts fly into the building's fourth floor, and to the mosque facing the church.There was no immediate claim of responsibility but officials hastily blamed either Al-Qaida or the Israeli Mousad of being behind the blast, but none of them mentioned the Egyptian state security which is viewed by Copts as the real culprit."Security should know that those who demonstrated are the hand of Al-Qaida in Egypt," said Hany el-Gezeiry, head of Copts4Egypt. "They should have arrested them to investigate who was behind them. They want to destroy Egypt from inside and the government kept quiet, giving them a free hand to do what they wanted. I believe Al-Qaida achieved what it wanted."El-Gezeiry asks why this Skoda vehicle was allowed to park in front of the church in an area cordoned off by security, when it was known that Al-Qaeda had already announced its intention of carrying out criminal acts against churches.Eyewitnesses confirmed that security forces guarding the church withdrew nearly one hour before the blast, leaving only four policemen and an officer to guard such a big church and nearly 2000 people attending the midnight mass. "Normally they would have waited until the mass was over," said el-Gezeiry. He also commented on the Muslim's schadenfreude at the massacre at the church, who were heard chanting "Allah Akbar."Nakhla said that he was preparing a complaint to be presented to President Mubarak asking for the resignation of Interior Minister Habib el Adly for failing in his duty of protecting the Copts, and for not telling the truth by saying that it was a suicide attack by one individual, when everyone could see the detonated car, just to clear his security personnel of the responsibility of letting the Skoda park in front of the church. "This 100KG bomb could not have been transported by one individual as the Interior Minister wants us to believe.""Is this a victory?" He asks. "Whoever saw this fire and people dying and body parts all over the place and could still chant 'Allah Akbar' is a terrorist.."On January 1, the funeral of the 21 people killed in the church massacre took place at St. Mina's Monastery in King Mariout, 50 km from Alexandria. It was attended by representatives of the President, Minsters, the governor of Alexandria, as well as nearly 10,000 Copts who traveled from Alexandria. After the funeral, the Copts, angry with the governor of Alexandria, shouted "resign" and "we do not want you.""Anyone who says that it was a foreign or Israeli plot is trying to play down the crime and is trying to clear those murderers of this massacre, and I consider them their accomplices," said Nakhla.Hmmmm.....He makes a very good case about the attack.Read the full story here.

Exploding misconceptions: Alleviating poverty may not reduce terrorism but could make it less effective

HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Exploding misconceptions: Alleviating poverty may not reduce terrorism but could make it less effective.“EXTREMELY poor societies…provide optimal breeding grounds for disease, terrorism and conflict.” So said Barack Obama, arguing in favour of more development aid to poor countries. Mr Obama is not alone in regarding economic development as a weapon against terrorism. Hillary Clinton, America’s secretary of state, has called development “an integral part of America’s national security policy”. The idea that poverty could be associated with terrorism is not implausible. If acts of terror are committed by people with little to lose, then it is reasonable to expect them to be carried out disproportionately by poor, ill-educated people with dismal economic prospects.Some terrorists certainly fit this profile. Yet the ranks of high-profile terrorism suspects also boast plenty of middle-class, well-educated people. The would-be Times Square bomber, Faisal Shehzad, boasts an MBA and is the son of a senior Pakistani air-force officer.Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who stands accused of lighting a makeshift bomb on a transatlantic flight in the so-called “underwear plot”, had a degree from University College, London, and is the son of a rich Nigerian banker. The suspected suicide-bomber in this week’s attacks in Stockholm had a degree from a British university. Are well-heeled terrorists representative or are they exceptions to the rule?Social scientists have collected a large amount of data on the socioeconomic background of terrorists. According to a 2008 survey of such studies by Alan Krueger of Princeton University, they have found little evidence that the typical terrorist is unusually poor or badly schooled. Claude Berrebi of the RAND Corporation compared the characteristics of suicide-bombers recruited by Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the West Bank and Gaza with those of the general adult male Palestinian population. Nearly 60% of suicide-bombers had more than a high-school education, compared with less than 15% of the general population. They were less than half as likely to come from an impoverished family as an average adult man from the general population. Mr Krueger carried out a similar exercise in Lebanon by collecting biographical information for Hizbullah militants. They too proved to be better educated and less likely to be from poor families than the general population of the Shia-dominated southern areas of Lebanon from which most came.The finding that more educated terrorists are deadlier may mean, however, that economic conditions can influence terrorism’s effectiveness. Using data on all Palestinian suicide-attackers between 2000 and 2006, Esteban Klor of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Messrs Benmelech and Berrebi show in a new paper that the skill level of the average terrorist rises when economic conditions are poor. They reckon that high unemployment enables terror organisations in Palestine to recruit more educated, mature terrorists. So better economic conditions could blunt the effectiveness of terror attacks by reducing the average quality of the talent that terrorist organisations are able to recruit.Hmmmm....So much for the Obama "Wisdom" on Terrorisme.Read the full story here.

'Nostradamus' of Middle East predicts unprecedented crisis for Obama in 2011

'Nostradamus' of Middle East predicts unprecedented crisis for Obama in 2011.The Middle East's answer to Nostradamus said that President Obama will be confronted with situations "never faced by previous presidents" in 2011.Michel Hayek, who delivered his predictions live on New Year's Eve from the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International channel for the 26th year, drew millions of viewers throughout the Arab world. For his region, he predicted "there will be an assassination that will be hailed as the crime of the century, but the world will recover" and a "major disturbance or shake up in the waters at the Strait of Hormuz."Along with Obama unprecedented difficulties, Hayek predicted Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be "caught on camera broken and devastated."In a tip to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, he predicted U.S. airports will also be targeted again by terrorists "due to unknown weak points." And he also predicted that Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates will jump into politics in 2011.
Hmmmm....Hindu astrologers predict that somewhere between March 25Th and 05 May an event will influence the whole world.So now you have an approximate date of the events?Read the full story here.HT:HIDF.

Healthcare repeal bill coming before Obama's annual address

Healthcare repeal bill coming before Obama's annual address.The incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Sunday that Republicans will bring up a healthcare repeal measure before President Obama even delivers his annual address to Congress this month."As part of our pledge, we said that we would bring up a vote to repeal healthcare early," Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on "Fox News Sunday." "That will happen before the president's State of the Union address.""We have 242 Republicans," he said. "There will be a significant number of Democrats, I think, that will join us. You will remember when that vote passed in the House last March, it only passed by seven votes."Upton said that leaders are counting on Democrats who voted against the massive healthcare reform package to do so again, along with greater GOP numbers and polling showing unpopularity of the bill among as many as 60 percent of Americans."I don't think we're going to be that far off from having the votes to actually override a veto," he said.Hmmmm....Oh what a beautiful day it will be!Read the full story here.

Obama team launches regime change project on pages of Haaretz

HT:IMRA.Obama team launches regime change project on pages of Haaretz? U.S. furious at Barak for exaggerating his role in peace process.The U.S. administration is furious with Defense Minister Ehud Barak over the stalled peace talks, sources have told Haaretz. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama's senior advisers say that for more than a year and a half Barak misled them about his persuasive powers with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the peace process.The Americans will continue working with Barak on security issues, but he will no longer receive special treatment.A senior Israeli official, who requested anonymity, told Haaretz about his recent hour-long meeting with a senior U.S. official who detailed the reasons Clinton and the White House are so disappointed with Barak.The accusations were confirmed over the past few days by four other sources close to the situation, all of whom requested anonymity.The Israeli official said his U.S. interlocutor stressed that the infuriation with Barak reached as high as Obama and Clinton.This came after Barak reached an understanding with Washington over extending the settlement construction freeze by three months in exchange for a written pledge of diplomatic and military guarantees in September.Barak promised that Netanyahu would approve the deal, but did not deliver the goods."We put all our money on him a year and a half ago," the Israeli official quoted his U.S. colleague as saying. "The entire administration bet on Barak because he said he could nudge Netanyahu toward an agreement with the Palestinians, but he deceived us and led us down the garden path."According to the U.S. official, as soon as Netanyahu formed his government, the White House decided to open all its doors to Barak, and Obama took the unusual step of meeting with him there."He charmed us with his intelligent analyses; the president listened to Barak like a student with his teacher and trusted him, but he didn't meet any of his promises over the peace process and the building freeze," the official told the Israeli.The latter said he left the meeting "in shock .... I almost burst into tears." Barak's last visit to Washington, two weeks ago, was depicted as the watershed in Barak-Washington ties. The brevity of Clinton's meeting with him at the Saban Forum last month - 15 minutes - was intended to signal Barak's loss in status.The U.S. official said Barak's disappointing behavior evoked a sense of deja vu in Washington, especially at the State Department, recalling his failures as prime minister in the peace talks at Shepherdstown and Camp David.Barak's office said in a statement on Saturday that he maintains continuous ties at the top of the U.S. administration, detailing Barak's meetings with Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates."We lost our hope in this coalition," the U.S. official told the Israeli. "We simply have no more expectations."Hmmmm......On the other hand a lot of Americans have lost faith in this administration.Read the full story here.

Turkey's hopes run high for Hungary's EU term presidency

Turkey's hopes run high for Hungary's EU term presidency.Turkish officials have expressed optimism about moving ahead with the country’s EU accession negotiations during the Hungarian term presidency despite a lack of progress under previous EU president Belgium.“Hungary has already taken its first step to support Turkey’s EU membership,” State Minister Egemen Bağış, Turkey’s chief EU negotiator, told daily Sabah on Sunday. “It will organize a ministerial summit for the candidate countries Jan. 13 in Hungary. Candidate countries, including Turkey, will come together for the first time since 2005.When asked about his expectations from the Hungarian term presidency, Bağış recalled a meeting he held last year with Hungarian President Pal Schmitt. “He told me: ‘Normally I do not meet with ministers. You are the first one in this category. There is a reason for this,’” Bağış said. “‘Your ancestors who ruled our country in the past did not intervene in either our religion or our language. They approached us with tolerance.’”According to Bağış, the Hungarian president promised to back Turkey’s EU bid just as Turkey supported Hungary’s NATO membership.Hmmmm.....Meanwhile some of the EU doubts if Hungary is even qualified to lead the EU.The European Union’s charter calls for respect for the rule of law, human rights, economic progress and media freedom. Some in Brussels are wondering whether Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country takes over the rotating EU presidency on Jan. 1, has read it. I guess the choice of your friends says a lot about one?Read the full story here.

Pepsi's new super bowl add will be insulting to Catholics

"The War on Christianity ".Pepsi's new super bowl add will be insulting to Catholics.Who makes these commercials? No. bashing Christians is the new norm.Hmmm....Apparently there's money to be made in bashing Christianity?Read and see the full story here.

Nigeria:Widespread Islamic Attacks On Christians

HT:StrategyPage.Nigeria:Widespread Islamic Attacks On Christians. Islamic radical violence against Christians in the last ten days has left over 80 dead, hundreds wounded and over a hundred suspects arrested. In the northeast, police have arrested nearly a hundred actual or suspected members of Boko Haran. In the process, eight people have died, including three policemen. Police believe they have the chief financier of Boko Haran, and several other members of the group's leadership. Security forces tactics often backfire, as many army and police commanders allow their personnel to loot homes that are raided, and raid any home they want. The police and troops will often release suspects if a large enough bribe can be arranged. Troops and cops also tend to be pretty brutal, and at times trigger-happy. Read the full story here.

Jihad Exposed: Choudary - Shoebat - Bakri - Saleem

Jihad exposed : Choudary - Shoebat - Baki -Saleem go at it on ABNSAT TV.

HT:TundraTabloids.Jihad exposed : Choudary - Shoebat - Baki -Saleem go at it on ABNSAT TV.FK: “Jihadis Spilling the Beans! – Choudary Vs. Shoebat Vs. Bakri. This is great material, omar bakri takes off like a rocket, Highly entertaining. Apparently the creator of the universe said “dont feel sorry for the kafirs” – choudary quotes it live… lol”Read and see the full story here.

J’accuse !A Copt highlights the hypocrisy of the Nuslim majority

J’accuse !A Copt highlights the hypocrisy of the Nuslim majority.Hypocrisy and good intentions will not stop the next massacre. Only a good hard look at ourselves and sufficient resolve to face up to the ugliness in our midst will do soWe are to join in a chorus of condemnation. Jointly, Muslims and Christians, government and opposition, Church and Mosque, clerics and laypeople – all of us are going to stand up and with a single voice declare unequivocal denunciation of al-Qaeda, Islamist militants, and Muslim fanatics of every shade, hue and color; some of us will even go the extra mile to denounce salafi Islam, Islamic fundamentalism as a whole, and the Wahabi Islam which, presumably, is a Saudi import wholly alien to our Egyptian national culture.And once again we’re going to declare the eternal unity of “the twin elements of the nation”, and hearken back the Revolution of 1919, with its hoisted banner showing the crescent embracing the cross, and giving symbolic expression to that unbreakable bond.Much of it will be sheer hypocrisy; a great deal of it will be variously nuanced so as keep, just below the surface, the heaps of narrow-minded prejudice, flagrant double standard and, indeed, bigotry that holds in its grip so many of the participants in the condemnations.[...]

1. I accuse those state bodies who believe that by bolstering the Salafi trend they are undermining the Muslim Brotherhood, and who like to occasionally play to bigoted anti-Coptic sentiments, presumably as an excellent distraction from other more serious issues of government.But most of all, I accuse the millions of supposedly moderate Muslims among us; those who’ve been growing more and more prejudiced, inclusive and narrow minded with every passing year.
2. I accuse those among us who would rise up in fury over a decision to halt construction of a Muslim Center near ground zero in New York, but applaud the Egyptian police when they halt the construction of a staircase in a Coptic church in the Omranya district of Greater Cairo.I’ve been around, and I have heard you speak, in your offices, in your clubs, at your dinner parties: “The Copts must be taught a lesson,” “the Copts are growing more arrogant,” “the Copts are holding secret conversions of Muslims”, and in the same breath, “the Copts are preventing Christian women from converting to Islam, kidnapping them, and locking them up in monasteries.”
3. I accuse you all, because in your bigoted blindness you cannot even see the violence to logic and sheer common sense that you commit; that you dare accuse the whole world of using a double standard against us, and are, at the same time, wholly incapable of showing a minimum awareness of your own blatant double standard.Hmmmm.....Emile couldn't have said it better.Read the full story here.HT:TundraTabloids.

Report: Iran to commute Ashtiani's sentence

Report: Iran to commute Ashtiani's sentence.Prosecutor says case of woman charged with murdering her husband and sentenced to death by stoning is being re-examined. 'Anything is possible'.Iran's chief prosecutor told Iran's Fars news agency Sunday that it was possible that the death by stoning which Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was condemned to over charges of adultery would be cancelled. And yet, he did not address the possibility that she would be executed by hanging.According to the senior prosecutor, the case was being re-examined and "anything is possible". He added that the authorities allowed Ashtiani to be interviewed by the foreign media on Saturday and said: "We aren't concerned."In an interview given yesterday to the foreign press, Ashtiani said that she would sue the two German journalists who were arrested in Iran two months ago and indicted for espionage charges.According to Ashtiani the two interviewed her son against Iranian law and caused her a great deal of embarrassment. Ashtiani also refuted claims in the western media that her confession to the charges ascribed to her was taken from her under duress. She also criticized her lawyers for politicizing her trial.Read the full story here.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's car auction gets '$1m bid'

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's car auction gets '$1m bid'.A 33-year-old car owned by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that has been put up for auction has reportedly attracted an offer of $1m (£640,000).Ahmad Esfandiari, head of Iran's welfare agency, was quoted by Iran's Irna news agency as saying that the bid had come from an Arab country.Proceeds from the sale of the Peugeot 504 will go to a fund for homes for disabled people and to needy women.Bidders have one month to submit offers for the car.Earlier, officials had said they hoped the car would fetch more than the $2,000 (1,500 euros; £1,300) such cars usually sell for in Iran.The sale comes at a time when Mr Ahmadinejad's government has cut food and energy subsidies, raising the cost of living substantially.Read the full story here.

As Japan Abandons Emissions Caps, Obama Rushes Headlong Toward It.

HT:EmergingCorruptions.As Japan Abandons Emissions Caps, Obama Rushes Headlong Toward It.Even as the Japanese have abandoned its national emissions trading scheme because they’ve realized how many jobs would be lost as a result of the draconian regulations involved, President Obama continues to claim that he wants to impose similar jobs-killing regulations on America. Japan initially announced that its national carbon trading scheme was to have been approved in the now concluding parliamentary session. But common sense and business interests have delayed the bill until the next session begins in January putting the future of the law into question.Japanese authorities are coming to realize that the emissions cuts that the island nation had imagined it would achieve will cost jobs and severely hamper their business sector. Stark realizations are dawning on the Japanese that emissions goals would be “nearly impossible to meet” without deep cuts in emissions by manufacturers, the power infrastructure, not to mention homes and business buildings.Yet, even as the much smaller nation (it’s either the 2nd or 3rd largest economy in the world) of Japan is coming to realize that cap and trade ideas are ruinous President Obama who captains one of the largest economies in history seems hidebound on pushing the destructive ideas on the U.S.Not only is Obama pushing this jobs-killing scheme, he intends to ignore Congress and the voters by going around both by using his power to implement regulatory changes to impose the rules on the country by fiat instead of going through the legislative process.Hmmmm......Or perhaps he needs the revenue to finance his re -election,which brings me to the next question :Which bank is dealing with greenhouse gas emission regulations finances?Don't tell me it's the Shorebank Urban Partnership Bank?Read the full story here.

Pakistanis Rally in Support of Blasphemy Law

HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Pakistanis Rally in Support of Blasphemy Law."I call it a natural result of religious extremism that is on the rise in Pakistani society. The liberal and democratic forces in the country have retreated so much that it has created an ideological vacuum that is now being filled by the religious extremists.” [Mehdi Hasan, chairman, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan].ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A crippling strike by Islamist parties brought Pakistan to a standstill on Friday as thousands of people took to the streets, and forced businesses to close, to head off any change in the country’s blasphemy law, which rights groups say has been used to persecute minorities, especially Christians.The law was introduced in the 1980s under the military dictatorship of Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq as part of a policy of promoting Islam to unite this deeply fractious society. Many attempts to revise the law have since been thwarted by the strong opposition of religious forces, which continue to gather strength.In fiery speeches across all major cities and towns, religious leaders warned the government on Friday against altering the law, which carries a mandatory death sentence for anyone convicted of insulting Islam.“The president and prime minister should take the nation into confidence and assure in unequivocal terms that there will be no change in the blasphemy law under any international pressure,” Sahibzada Fazal Kareem, a religious leader and member of Parliament, said at a rally in the southern port city of Karachi, where the police fired tear gas to stop protesters from marching toward Bilawal House, one of the residences of President Asif Ali Zardari.The human rights commission has documented scores of cases in which men have been harassed for being Christian or for being members of the Ahmadi sect, a minority group within Islam, and then accused of blasphemy. The mere fact of being a Christian or an Ahmadi in Pakistan makes a person vulnerable to prosecution, the commission says. Often the mere accusation of blasphemy has led to murders, lynchings and false arrests.Rights activists, critics and several government officials, including Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, and Sherry Rehman, a lawmaker and former information minister, have urged the government to repeal or revise the laws.“These laws institutionalize injustice,” Ms. Rehman said. “People have to feel secure as first-class citizens of this country.”Ms. Rehman expressed disappointment that the government had distanced itself from her proposed amendments to the law.The general strike and protests on Friday show the power Islamists hold on the streets of Pakistan. They also contrast sharply with the campaigns by rights activists and opponents of the blasphemy laws who have vented their opposition and discontent mostly on the Internet and social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Protest rallies by rights activists have been ineffective and relatively small.“Their agitation potential is immense,” said Rasul Baksh Rais, a political analyst who teaches at Lahore University of Management Sciences in Lahore. “Their numerical strength is not enough for electoral wins but is enough to create trouble for any government in Pakistan.”Ms. Rehman, the former information minister, said the secular, democratic forces need not be deterred by the show of force by Islamists. “Eventually, I think we have to keep at it with the help of the civil society and media; their street power is disproportional,” she said, referring to religious parties. “The mainstream political parties need to push back and resist the religious extremists who hijack issues through street power.”However, analysts said the huge show of force by religious parties, and even the attention local news media outlets gave them on Friday, would only embolden the religious elements in the country. The dynamic is such that “the government may not be able to make any changes in the blasphemy laws in the coming years,” Mr. Rais predicted.
Hmmmmm......Gen. Ashfaq Kayani "No one can separate Islam from Pakistan as the country was achieved in its name", the man many view as the most powerful in Pakistan was quoted as discussing with U.S. officials a possible removal of Pakistan's president and his preferred replacement.According to a released wikileaks document.Kayani "is one of the most anti-India chiefs Pakistan has ever had," one U.S. official said. Read the full story here.

The Rest of the Story

HT:RightTruth.The Rest of the Story.Coptic Christians attacked again by Muslims, possibly al-Qaeda, at a New Year's Eve mass in Egypt attended by 1,000 worshipers. (hat tip R.J. Godlewski) Attacks on Christians and Jews by Muslims are happening so often they don't even get a 'news alert' by the media. The propaganda would have you believe that the poor Muslims are the ones being attacked and suffering from Islamophobes, but the truth is very different. As Pamala Geller points out:Just-released New York 2009 report: Hate crimes against Jews: 251. Hate crimes against Muslims: 11. [snip]... "NY sees a surge in hate," by Fredric U. Dicker for the New York Post, December 31 (thanks to Ken): ALBANY -- Hate crimes across New York state jumped 14 percent in 2009, led by an increase in attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions, state records released yesterday show.Those statistics don't mention Christians,not yet anyways. We haven't even touched on the Muslim-on-Muslim violence. I'll leave that for them to work out themselves. I'm very concerned about the increasing attacks on Christians, not just physical attacks around the world, but the attacks by the liberals, progressives, atheists, etc. who continue to chip away at Christians in every area of Western civilization.We've got a lot of work to do this year. I hope the Christians and Jews in the West are prepared.Hmmmmmm.....Don't doubt it Christianity is under attack...The Ninth Crusade is already underway.Read the full story here.

U.S. efforts fail to convince Pakistan's top general to target Taliban

U.S. efforts fail to convince Pakistan's top general to target Taliban.ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Countless U.S. officials in recent years have lectured and listened to Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, the man many view as the most powerful in Pakistan. They have drunk tea and played golf with him, feted him and flown with him in helicopters. But they have yet to persuade him to undertake what the Obama administration's recent strategy review concluded is a key to success in the Afghan war - the elimination of havens inside Pakistan where the Taliban plots and stages attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan. Kayani, who as Pakistan's army chief has more direct say over the country's security strategy than its president or prime minister, has resisted personal appeals from President Obama, U.S. military commanders and senior diplomats. Recent U.S. intelligence estimates have concluded that he is unlikely to change his mind anytime soon. Despite the entreaties, officials say, Kayani doesn't trust U.S. motivations and is hedging his bets in case the American strategy for Afghanistan fails.In recent months, Kayani has sometimes become defiant. When U.S.-Pakistani tensions spiked in September, after two Pakistani soldiers were killed by an Afghanistan-based American helicopter gunship pursuing insurgents on the wrong side of the border, he personally ordered the closure of the main frontier crossing for U.S. military supplies into Afghanistan, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials. In October, administration officials choreographed a White House meeting for Kayani at which Obama could directly deliver his message of urgency. The army chief heard him out, then provided a 13-page document updating Pakistan's strategic perspective and noting the gap between short-term U.S. concerns and Pakistan's long-term interests, according to U.S. officials. Kayani reportedly was infuriated by the recent WikiLeaks release of U.S. diplomatic cables, some of which depicted him as far chummier with the Americans and more deeply involved in Pakistani politics than his carefully crafted domestic persona would suggest. In one cable, sent to Washington by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad last year, he was quoted as discussing with U.S. officials a possible removal of Pakistan's president and his preferred replacement. On the eve of the cable's publication in November, the normally aloof and soft-spoken general ranted for hours on the subject of irreconcilable U.S.-Pakistan differences in a session with a group of Pakistani journalists. The two countries' "frames of reference" regarding regional security "can never be the same," he said, according to news accounts. Calling Pakistan America's "most bullied ally," Kayani said that the "real aim of U.S. strategy is to de-nuclearize Pakistan."Hmmmm.....Afghan, Pakistani leaders to meet in Turkey? Joint military exercises for Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan?Turkey did not invite India on Afghan meet to appease Pakistan.Anyone thinking the same i do?Get Turkey (Iran)out of NATO !!Read the full story here.

The Mighty KGB Reassembles Itself

HT:StrategyPage.The Mighty KGB Reassembles Itself.There's a bureaucratic battle going on in Russia, as angry intelligence officials try to resurrect the Cold War era KGB. When the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, the new Russian government broke up the KGB, creating a domestic intelligence agency (the FSB) and a CIA like operation for foreign intel (the SVR), and several other separate operations that used to be part of the KGB. But because of a recent SVR debacle, and a certain nostalgia for the powerful KGB of yore, FSB officials want to absorb the smaller SVR.According to Russian officials, the ten Russian spies arrested in the United States last June were betrayed by a Russian SVR official (identified only as "colonel Shcherbakov"). The U.S. claimed they had been watching the ten sleepers for several years, which may indicate that Shcherbakov revealed a lot more if he was on the American payroll all that time. Shcherbakov was in charge of the SVR sleeper cell operation. The Russians use military ranks in the police and intelligence services, and colonels are middle-management. There is political pressure on the head of SVR to resign, indicating that the damage was greater than anyone wants to admit. That escalated into calls for SVR to become part of the FSB.The FBI were puzzled by how little useful information these ten were able to obtain. As far as the FBI could tell, these ten spies never obtained anything important. But the Russians were eager to get them back, and avoid a trial in the United States. It's unclear why Russia undertook such an inept operation, although Shcherbakov should know. If he did, that information has not gone public.The FSB still relies on conscripts for many low level security jobs. But, as in the Soviet period, getting drafted into the FSB is an attractive proposition for many young Russian men. Doing well in this job (guarding nuclear weapons, or other important national assets) marks you as someone worthy of other jobs within the security services. What bothers many Russians is the ultimate purpose of the FSB. The KGB was known as the main protector of the Communist Party. The FSB is seen as the supporter of wealthy criminals who used their KGB connections and powers after the Soviet Union collapsed, to grab ownership of many state owned assets. The current Russian government is acting more and more like the autocratic rulers Russia has suffered under for centuries. The FSB seems to act more like the palace guard, than public servants. The guards want more power, and are likely to get it.Hmmmmm....Tsar Putin?Read the full story here.

Pope Benedict XVI to hold religious peace summit.

Pope Benedict XVI to hold religious peace summit.Pope Benedict XVI has said he will organise a summit in Assisi with religious heads to discuss how they can promote world peace.In a New Year message, the Pope also condemned inter-religious violence, including attacks against Christians in the Middle East.The summit in the Italian city will be held in October, 25 years after Pope John Paul organised a similar event.His announcement came hours after a bomb went off at a church in Egypt.At least 17 people died in the blast at the Coptic Christian Church in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, sparking a clash between Christians and Muslims."Facing the threatening tensions of the moment, especially discrimination, injustices and religious intolerance, which today strike Christians in a particular way, once again, I make a pressing appeal not to give in to discouragement and resignation," he said.Hmmmm....We all know which "Faith" is causing the killings on other religions.Read the full story here.