My Way News - U.S. Hiring Hong Kong Co. to Scan Nukes

U.S. Hiring Hong Kong Co. to Scan Nukes

Mar 23, 8:32 PM (ET)

By TED BRIDIS and JOHN SOLOMON

(AP) This undated photograph provided by the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration shows a...
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WASHINGTON (AP) - In the aftermath of the Dubai ports dispute, the Bush administration is hiring a Hong Kong conglomerate to help detect nuclear materials inside cargo passing through the Bahamas to the United States and elsewhere.

The administration acknowledges the no-bid contract with Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. represents the first time a foreign company will be involved in running a sophisticated U.S. radiation detector at an overseas port without American customs agents present.

Freeport in the Bahamas is 65 miles from the U.S. coast, where cargo would be likely to be inspected again. The contract is currently being finalized.

The administration is negotiating a second no-bid contract for a Philippine company to install radiation detectors in its home country, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. At dozens of other overseas ports, foreign governments are primarily responsible for scanning cargo.

(AP) Graphic looks at a modified straddle carrier that monitors cargo containers at ports for nuclear...
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While President Bush recently reassured Congress that foreigners would not manage security at U.S. ports, the Hutchison deal in the Bahamas illustrates how the administration is relying on foreign companies at overseas ports to safeguard cargo headed to the United States.

Hutchison Whampoa is the world's largest ports operator and among the industry's most-respected companies. It was an early adopter of U.S. anti-terror measures. But its billionaire chairman, Li Ka-Shing, also has substantial business ties to China's government that have raised U.S. concerns over the years.

"Li Ka-Shing is pretty close to a lot of senior leaders of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party," said Larry M. Wortzel, head of a U.S. government commission that studies China security and economic issues. But Wortzel said Hutchison operates independently from Beijing, and he described Li as "a very legitimate international businessman."

"One can conceive legitimate security concerns and would hope either the Homeland Security Department or the intelligence services of the United States work very hard to satisfy those concerns," Wortzel said.

Three years ago, the Bush administration effectively blocked a Hutchison subsidiary from buying part of a bankrupt U.S. telecommunications company, Global Crossing Ltd. (GLBC), on national security grounds.

(AP) This undated photograph provided by the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration shows a...
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And a U.S. military intelligence report, once marked "secret," cited Hutchison in 1999 as a potential risk for smuggling arms and other prohibited materials into the United States from the Bahamas.

Hutchison's port operations in the Bahamas and Panama "could provide a conduit for illegal shipments of technology or prohibited items from the West to the PRC (People's Republic of China), or facilitate the movement of arms and other prohibited items into the Americas," the now-declassified assessment said.

The CIA currently has no security concerns about Hutchison's port operations, and the administration believes the pending deal with the foreign company would be safe, officials said.

Supervised by Bahamian customs officials, Hutchison employees will drive the towering, truck-like radiation scanner that moves slowly over large cargo containers and scans them for radiation that might be emitted by plutonium or a radiological weapon.

Any positive reading would set off alarms monitored simultaneously by Bahamian customs inspectors at Freeport and by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials working at an anti-terrorism center 800 miles away in northern Virginia. Any alarm would prompt a closer inspection of the cargo, and there are multiple layers of security to prevent tampering, officials said.

"The equipment operates itself," said Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency negotiating the contract. "It's not going to be someone standing at the controls pressing buttons and flipping switches."

A lawmaker who helped lead the opposition to the Dubai ports deal isn't so confident. Neither are some security experts. They question whether the U.S. should pay a foreign company with ties to China to keep radioactive material out of the United States.

"Giving a no-bid contract to a foreign company to carry out the most sensitive security screening for radioactive materials at ports abroad raises many questions," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

A low-paid employee with access to the screening equipment could frustrate international security by studying how the equipment works and which materials set off its alarms, warned a retired U.S. Customs investigator who specialized in smuggling cases.

"Money buys a lot of things," Robert Sheridan said. "The fact that foreign workers would have access to how the United States screens various containers for nuclear material and how this technology scrutinizes the containers - all those things allow someone with a nefarious intention to thwart the screening."

The Hutchison deal in the Bahamas was flagged in a report in October by ATS Worldwide Services, a Florida firm that identifies potential risks for private-sector and government clients. Company officials said they shared the report with some officials in Congress, the military and law enforcement.

Other experts discounted concerns. They cited Hutchison's reputation as a leading ports company and said the United States inevitably must rely for some security on large commercial operators in the global maritime industry.

"We must not allow an unwarranted fear of foreign ownership or involvement in offshore operations to impair our ability to protect against nuclear weapons being smuggled into this country," said Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. "We must work with these foreign companies."

A former Coast Guard commander, Stephen Flynn, said foreign companies sometimes prove more trustworthy - and susceptible to U.S. influence - than governments.

"It's a very fragile system," Flynn said. Foreign companies "recognize the U.S. has the capacity and willingness to exercise a kill switch if something goes wrong."

A spokesman for Hutchison's ports subsidiary, Anthony Tam, said the company "is a strong supporter in port security initiatives."

"In the case of the Bahamas, our local personnel are working alongside with U.S. customs officials to identify and inspect U.S.-bound containers that could be carrying radioactive materials," Tam said.

However, there are no U.S. customs agents checking any cargo containers at the Hutchison port in Freeport. Under the contract, no U.S. officials would be stationed permanently in the Bahamas with the radiation scanner.

The administration is finalizing the contract amid a national debate over maritime security sparked by the furor over now-abandoned plans by Dubai-owned DP World to take over significant operations at major U.S. ports.

Hutchison operates the sprawling Freeport Container Port on Grand Bahama Island. Its subsidiary, Hutchison Port Holdings, has operations in more than 20 countries but none in the United States.

Contract documents, obtained by The Associated Press, indicate Hutchison will be paid roughly $6 million. The contract is for one year with options for three years.

The Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration is negotiating the Bahamas contract under a $121 million security program it calls the "second line of defense." Wilkes, the NNSA spokesman, said the Bahamian government dictated that the U.S. give the contract to Hutchison.

"It's their country, their port. The driver of the mobile carrier is the contractor selected by their government. We had no say or no choice," he said. "We are fortunate to have allies who are signing these agreements with us."

Some security experts said that is a weak explanation in the Bahamas, with its close reliance on the United States. The administration could insist that the Bahamas permit U.S. Customs agents to operate at the port, said Albert Santoli, an expert on national security issues in Asia and the Pacific.

"Why would they not accept that?" said Santoli, a former national security aide to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. "There is an interest in the Bahamas and every other country in the region to make sure the U.S. stays safe and strong. That's how this should be negotiated."

Flynn, the former Coast Guard commander, agreed the Bahamas would readily accept such a proposal but said the U.S. is short of trained customs agents to send overseas.

Contract documents obtained by the AP show at least one other foreign company is involved in the U.S. radiation-detection program.

A separate, no-bid $4 million contract the Bush administration is negotiating would pay a Manila-based company, International Container Terminal Services Inc., to install radiation detectors at the Philippines' largest port.

The U.S. says the Manila company is not being paid to operate the radiation monitors once they are installed. But two International Container executives and a senior official at the government's Philippine Nuclear Research Institute said the company will run the detectors on behalf of the institute and the country's customs bureau. U.S. officials said they will investigate further how the Filipinos plan to use the equipment.

---

Associated Press writers Bill Foreman in Hong Kong and Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this story.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060324/D8GHKOIOI.html

Islamic clerics say even if Christian convert released, they'll 'cut off his head'

Afghan judge: We won't
bow to outside pressure
Islamic clerics say even if Christian convert released, they'll 'cut off his head'

Posted: March 23, 2006
2:40 p.m. Eastern

Despite an international outcry over the prospect of "liberated" Afghanistan executing a former Muslim for converting to Christianity, a judge dealing with the case today said his nation's judiciary will ignore outside pressure and act "independently."

Yesterday, hopes were rising that 42-year-old Abdul Rahman would be spared, amid widespread reports Afghanistan's government was attempting to find a face-saving way to free the man facing a death penalty.

Afghan prosecutors reportedly claimed Rahman facing death for converting 16 years ago from Islam to Christianity might be "mad," and therefore not prosecutable.

Rahman is charged with rejecting Islam, a crime under Afghanistan's Shariah-based laws.

"We think he could be mad. He is not a normal person. He doesn't talk like a normal person," prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari told the Associated Press.

"Doctors must examine him," Moayuddin Baluch, a religious adviser to President Hamid Karzai, said according to the same report. "If he is mentally unfit, definitely Islam has no claim to punish him. He must be forgiven. The case must be dropped."

But today, Afghan Supreme Court judge Ansarullah Mawlavizada said, "Afghanistan is an Islamic country and its judiciary will act independently and neutrally," according to a Reuters report. "No other policy will be accepted apart from Islamic orders and what our constitution says," Mawlavizada added.

Yesterday, in a speech, President Bush said of the Rahman case: "It is deeply troubling that a country we helped liberate would hold a person to account because they chose a particular religion over another. We have got influence in Afghanistan and we are going to use it to remind them that there are universal values.

Mounting pressure from the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany and other nations has been directed at Afghanistan over the case.

And within the U.S., concern over the fact that despite some 300 American lives being lost in liberating Afghanistan, a Christian can be put to death under the new Afghan constitution, is high.

"How can we congratulate ourselves for liberating Afghanistan from the rule of jihadists only to be ruled by Islamists who kill Christians?" asked Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. "President Bush should immediately send Vice President Cheney or Secretary Rice to Kabul to read Hamid Karzai's government the riot act. Americans will not give their blood and treasure to prop up new Islamic fundamentalist regimes. Democracy is more than purple thumbs."

Karzai, Afghanistan's new president, is caught in the middle, since he relies on foreign troops to keep Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists in check but also is beholden to the Islamic clerics in his country and Shariah law, which is part of the new constitution.

Although the Afghan prosecutor said Rahman would not be executed if he were found to be mentally unstable, Rahman said recently at a hearing that he is not mentally and would defend himself.

"I'm not an apostate" Rahman told the hearing. "I'm obedient to God but I'm a Christian, that's my choice."

Whether or not the Afghan judiciary spares Rahman, today senior Muslim clerics insist he must be executed and that if the government gives in to international pressure and frees Rahman, the clerics will instruct the people to "pull him into pieces."

"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, according to an Associated Press report.

"He is not crazy," added Hamidullah, chief cleric at Haji Yacob Mosque, according to the AP report. "He went in front of the media and confessed to being a Christian. The government is scared of the international community. But the people will kill him if he is freed."

Raoulf, who belongs to Afghanistan's main Islamic organization, the Afghan Ulama Council, said: "The government are playing games. The people will not be fooled."

"Cut off his head!" he told AP while seated outside the Herati Mosque. "We will call on the people to pull him into pieces so there's nothing left."

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Fw: Stratfor Public Policy Intelligence Report

----- Original Message -----

From: Strategic Forecasting, Inc.

To: elcm@messiahsbranch.org

Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 5:38 PM

Subject: Stratfor Public Policy Intelligence Report

PUBLIC POLICY INTELLIGENCE REPORT

03.23.2006

The Emerging Fractures in the Religious Right

By Bart Mongoven

The American Family Association (AFA) has launched a boycott campaign against Ford Motor Co., protesting the relaunch of a new Ford advertising run that is directed toward gay consumers in the United States. The timing of the move by the AFA, a key activist group within the U.S. religious right, is interesting on several levels. For one thing, it is being launched at a time of internal change within the conservative evangelical movement. And further complicating matters, the call for a boycott is coming in the run-up to November's midterm elections, which could usher in a shift in control of Congress and force a strategic retrenchment by all elements of the evangelical right.

With polls showing popular support for President George W. Bush eroding, political evangelical organizations are beginning to consider a future in which they might have to work with a Democrat-led Congress. For the more pragmatic, realistic evangelical organizations, this means winning as many political battles as possible before November -- even if this requires compromise. For idealists, however, the situation is more difficult. The idealist evangelical argues that they spent 15 years in efforts to win some degree of power within the federal government, and that they are close to achieving their core policy objectives (though not yet perfectly in position). In contrast to the realists, this segment of the religious right, then, is unlikely to compromise on their policy objectives and will support the GOP in the hope that the party can retain its majority status in Congress.

If Democrats win control of either the House or the Senate in November, one option for evangelical activists will be to follow the example of consumer and environmental groups, who -- seeing few opportunities to impact policy in Washington during the past five years -- have turned to campaigns in the marketplace and at the state level. In this sense, the AFA's boycott of Ford -- and its success or failure -- could have lasting implications: A boycott that fails decisively could leave the religious right appearing weaker and more fragmented than it really is. And a high-profile failure (which is not a given, but is possible in this case) also might have a chilling effect, dissuading other activist organizations from taking on battles in the marketplace.

The AFA versus Ford

AFA is the mainstay activist arm of the religious right. It is also the leading market-campaign group on the political right. The group claims to have approximately 3 million members, and it has a powerful voice in the media, particularly among mainstream conservative commentators. However, it has achieved mixed results in past attempts to change corporate policies. In November 2005, it initiated a highly successful campaign that pressured retailers to use the word "Christmas" in holiday-season advertisements and store displays. It was much less successful with campaigns targeting Kraft for its support of homosexual social events or, more recently, against CBS for its prime-time television content.

Despite AFA's past successes, the recent move against Ford is unlikely to succeed -- if for no other reason that consumers are much less likely to boycott certain brands when major purchases are involved. Boycotts against certain types of gasoline stations, candy bars, light bulbs or cleaning supplies are ideal, because foregoing a particular brand in any of these cases is not a decision with long-term consequences for the consumer. But decisions involving high-ticket items like cars, laundry machines and homes are much more complicated, and much less likely to be impacted by activist group campaigns.

It is not a foregone conclusion that AFA's campaign against Ford will fail, but the group has embarked on a high-risk strategy. The only way AFA can claim victory is if Ford pulls the ad campaign targeting gay consumers; if it does not, the AFA at some point will have to drop its boycott instead. Usually, such a setback would not attract significant attention -- but against the backdrop of broader changes among the religious right, the failure of a major AFA campaign could carry deeper consequences. Ultimately, there is a risk that a failed boycott could be portrayed (even if unfairly) as an example of a crisis on the right.

Anatomy of a Fissure

The evangelical movement in the United States has gone through two distinct phases of development, and there are increasing signs that it is entering a third.

Thirty years ago, when it was just emerging as a political and social force, the evangelical movement was typical of most religious denominations. Evangelicals viewed conservative churches as havens from the relativism that emerged in the 1960s. These churches provided a conservative home for those who considered liberal social values -- particularly the overriding trend toward secularism -- anathema to their own values. This nascent period lasted for 15 years, during which the foundation for the modern religious right was built.

In the mid-to-late 1980s, evangelical churches became increasingly active in politics. Politically active evangelicals, led by Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition, believed that, rather than simply providing the disaffected with a conservative alternative to mainstream culture, they needed to engage with the mainstream -- to simultaneously encourage a negative reaction against "postmodernism" and also offer an alternative to its relativism.

Internal discipline (particularly in public pronouncements) coupled with a lack of serious analysis by the media led to a general perception that the "religious right" was a solid, unified movement. It was broadly portrayed as a single constituency that was becoming responsible for various changes in national politics and, particularly, within the Republican Party. Of course, like every other significant social movement that came before it, the religious right was really never a monolithic political actor. Had it not been for discipline and organization, the differences among the various elements of the evangelical right would have been clear to the general public a decade ago.

But now, due to a number of factors, it is becoming easier to discern factions within the movement -- and with the potential for a power-shifting election in November, these factions are beginning to move in different directions. The evangelical right is fragmenting along two lines -- religious and political -- and divergent approaches to policy are beginning to come into conflict.

Differing Camps

At the core of the political fragmentation is an implicit debate over whether the current government -- with George W. Bush as president, Republicans controlling both legislative branches and a majority on the Supreme Court having been placed there by Republican presidents -- represents the best that religious conservatives can hope to see in power. This debate reflects the traditional splits between idealistic political activists and pragmatic, realistic activists.

For those who fear the current composition of the federal government represents the apex of the religious conservative movement's power, now is the time to make concessions in order to win whatever prizes are possible. The realists want to consolidate their gains before the November election, which polls indicate could turn at least one chamber of Congress over to Democratic control. Currently, these realist groups, typified by the Christian Coalition, are pressing for the immediate approval of federal judges and for a variety of religion-centered policies to be passed and signed into law. They are conceding ground on certain priorities and are showing a willingness to break from the GOP on non-religious side issues, such as energy policy and health care.

The idealists, typified by the AFA and Family Research Council, believe the president and current congressional leadership do not sufficiently represent the views of conservative religious voters. Many within these groups complain that Bush has not fulfilled the promises he made when (as they see it) the religious right decisively turned out conservative voters in 2000 and 2004, and they do not trust him to act in their interests. They also do not believe that either Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., or House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., adequately represent the views of the religious right. In the run-up to November, the idealist segment is likely to step up its activism on behalf of Republican candidates -- hoping not only to maintain GOP control of Congress but also to impress upon the party's leadership that evangelicals are responsible for their position in power.

Idealists, almost by definition, argue against compromise on the vast majority of issues. Instead, they want voters to continue pushing the Republican Party further toward religious conservatism and are demanding increased orthodoxy from Republican politicians. These stalwarts are active not only on what traditionally have been priorities for the religious right -- issues such as abortion and prayer in schools -- but also on core GOP issues that are not necessarily religious in nature. For instance, Dr. James Dobson's group, Focus on the Family, in February lashed out at other evangelical leaders -- including Duane Litfin, president of Wheaton College -- who spoke out in favor of federal policies addressing climate change.

Taking a long view, these splits between realists and idealists will be exacerbated by a more fundamental fragmentation that is developing within the religious right. As the evangelical movement morphs into its third stage of existence, a new thread -- a "progressive" movement -- is emerging. This movement reflects a dramatic shift in evangelical Christianity, one that dramatically threatens the conservative dogma at the center of the movement's politics.

Activists within the new "progressive" thread express impatience with the battle being fought by realist evangelical conservatives -- the idea of maintaining an influential political bloc while winning as many victories as possible. Rather than fighting mainstream culture -- or making concessions to it -- these new evangelicals are willing to embrace American culture and are attempting to slowly transform it, from within (heeding the Biblical calls to be the "salt of the earth" and "light of the world") into one that reflects their own evangelical beliefs. This approach is antithetical to the aggressive political strategies and tactics of the idealists and realists discussed above. And the progressives don't want to be a power bloc in Washington.

Politically, many of these evangelicals vote for Democratic candidates, though the abortion issue keeps most in the Republican camp -- and they are all-but-deaf to calls to boycott an automaker on grounds that it runs advertisements in gay magazines.

November and Beyond

Within the near term, the November election will be the primary source of agitation and anxiety within the evangelical right. Members of this constituency almost certainly will vote for the GOP more consistently than any other bloc within the party. Still, they alone cannot carry the election for the Republicans.

In the media, blame for a GOP loss in November would be placed squarely on the president. However, the splits in the evangelical right will be clear after the election. Democrats and moderate Republicans will come to see factions within the religious right that are potential allies in the 2008 election. Both parties will begin to look for ways to appeal to various segments of a bloc that once was viewed as a monolith. The real application of this understanding will become evident in subsequent primaries and the general election in 2008.

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Messiah -Like life...CRITCIAL Mission update

Messiah's Branch

Mission 801 west Maple, Wichita, Ks

Mailing address 230 west 4th street.

Florence, Ks 66851

Mission & voice mail (316) 619-4886,

Home (620) 878-4682

http://messiahsbranch.org/

Greetings Saints in His Perfect Peace,

The Christians life is one of substitute or exchanged life. Messiah died on the cross for our sins so we would not die in our sins. This is a twofold thing. Messiah died for us but when we become saved we are then to let our old man die and let Messiah live through us as Paul said in Galatians 2:19^{20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Again he says our lives are hidden
Colossians 3:1
^{1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. ³For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.}}

So our old person is supposed to die that is the sybolisam in being imersered in water. Our old self dies and our new self led by the Holy Spirit inside us is suppose to know control our lives as we call Messiah the Lord of our Lives to some he will say;

Luke 6:46 ^{46And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
You see so many say I now am a believer but they go right with there old lives. Clinging to the things that get in the way of a Messiah -Like life. Just claim that you are saved does not make you so, what is proof of the Holy Spirit in you is the furits in which you produce. This is evendent in all the gospels!
Matthew 7:15¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ¹⁶Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
So In that day do wish to be amoung these?
Matthew 7:21²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: ²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.}

So are we doing what he told us? Are we being led by the Holy Spirit?

John 13:34

³⁴A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ³⁵By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

1 John 3:23

^{23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. ²⁴And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
So Saints are we doing these things truly loving one another as he loved us and was willing to die for us. Do you let the Holy Spirit guide you? I pray so, I pray so,...
We ae slowing getting some bills paid but not enough has came to cover them as yet. We badly still need doantions for both bills and food. You can make a food donation below or mail it in,
Messiah's Branch Homeless Mission
Support-online to donate food
Bills, gas, radio and all else can be donated below or mailed in
Messiah's Branch Homeless Mission
Support-online Saints I implore you to take our mission to prayers. Ask and see if you are supposed to help in any way!
I am now in my deposite on Radio. So I need $190 like last week!!!!!!!It would be better to pay two months. But please help where you can.....
We were blessed today with a large box of roughly 20 pairs of new sweats, 20 new hooded sweat shirt jackets, 20 dress shirts all brand new. I am unsure of the count but I will count them as I pass them out tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will be over crowded as it close to the end of the month. We need to get another newsletter out next week before the first as that is where now most donations are coming from! Also next months bills will be coming and this months are not yet paid. So please pray for this ministry......
If you wish to see what we have been helping with go to the link below!
http://welcomehome.messiahsbranch.org/}

The LORD bless thee and keep thee;
The LORD make His face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee;
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee shalom. (peace)
Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26

In Yeshua's Name,

Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch

http://messiahsbranch.org/

Misssion Updates


	Messiah's Branch Homeless Mission Support-online

http://radio.messiahsbranch.org/index.htm

Messiah's Branch Radio Support link

Messiah's Branch Homeless Mission
Support-online to donate food

Pictures

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China repeats it in accord with Russia on Iran

China repeats it in accord with Russia on Iran

Mar 23, 4:20 AM (ET)

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Thursday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin left Beijing, that Beijing and Moscow are in accord on Iran's nuclear standoff with the West.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday criticized a draft U.N. Security Council statement aimed at pressuring Iran to stop enriching uranium, despite a new offer of amendments by Western powers.

The next step is likely to be bilateral contacts among ministers of the council's five veto-wielding permanent members, the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia, diplomats close to the talks said.

A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang, said President Hu Jintao and Putin discussed Iran during Putin's two-day visit.

"China and Russia exchanged views and both sides agreed the Iran nuclear issue should be resolved through diplomatic means," Qin told reporters.

Hu and Putin agreed that "all the related parties should display flexibility and patience," Qin added. "China supports Russia's active efforts to appropriately resolve the Iran nuclear issue."

Russia, backed by China, wants to delete large sections of the draft statement the Security Council has been studying for nearly two weeks as a first reaction to Iran's nuclear research, which the West believes is a cover for bomb-making. Iran insists it wants only to produce electric power.

Both nations fear that involvement by the 15-member council, which can impose sanctions, could escalate and lead to punitive measures including possibly military action.

Asked whether China and Russia would block the proposed U.N. statement on Iran, Qin said: "In making any actions or decisions the concerned parties should be focused on whether they truly help to reach a lasting resolution of the Iran nuclear issue, and whether they help the peace and stability of the region ... That is why we should give diplomacy more time and more space."

Qin said on Tuesday China supported a Russian compromise proposal that would allow Iran to use nuclear fuel enriched in an internationally monitored plant on Russian soil, easing fears that Tehran could divert atomic material to develop weapons.

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Fw: JNW Daily Digest - March 23, 2006

----- Original Message -----

From: Jerusalem Newswire

To: elcm@messiahsbranch.org

Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 9:26 AM

Subject: JNW Daily Digest - March 23, 2006

COMMENTARY - JERUSALEM WATCHMAN

And voters on the coast will have brought it on themselves

Its insane, but if the myriad polls assaulting us in the final countdown to March 28 convey anything like an accurate forecast, most Israelis are poised to vote for parties that will place the countrys largest population centers directly in the line of Arab fire.

To read the full article, click here

COMMENTARY - JERUSALEM WATCHMAN

The onus is on Israels Arabs to prove their loyalty to 'their' state

Israels Arab Knesset members and, I imagine, those they represent, are all in uproar over news that most Israeli Jews are not very fond of their Arab countrymen.

To read the full article, click here

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Fw: A7news: Hareidi UTJ Party Hints: We Will Join Kadima Government

----- Original Message -----

From: Arutz-7 Editor

To: elcm@messiahsbranch.org

Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 11:18 AM

Subject: A7news: Hareidi UTJ Party Hints: We Will Join Kadima Government

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Thursday, March 23, 2006, 23 Adar 5766
Editor: Hillel Fendel

Headlines:

1. Olmert: Only Pro-Uprooting Parties in My Government

2. Hareidi UTJ Party Hints: We Will Join Kadima Government

3. Another Blow to Gush Katif Expellees

4. Jerusalem Focus of Final Day of Jerusalem Conference

5. U.S. Court Turns Pollard Down, It's Now Up to Israel

6. Jerusalem Conference Chair Seeks Unity, Balance and Aliyah

7. Michael Freund and Shavei Israel Receive Jerusalem Prize

8. Mock Hamas Rally in Central Tel Aviv Seeks to Shock Voters

9. On A7radio: Get Ready for Passover!!

1.	Olmert: Only Pro-Uprooting Parties in My Government
	By Hillel Fendel

Another terrorist attack was thwarted on Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of chickens are being killed, but the big news continues to be the panic overtaking Kadima and Ehud Olmert.

Polls continue to show a sharp slide in Kadima's public support, only five days before the election. A Geocartographic poll released today on Army Radio indicates that Kadima would receive 34 Knesset seats - exactly a week after a survey by the same institute showed Kadima receiving 43 seats. Other polls show Kadima receiving between 33 and 37 Knesset mandates.

A chief beneficiary of the drop appears to be the Yisrael Beiteinu party, led by Avigdor Lieberman. Some polls indicate it will receive 11 Knesset Members, overtaking Shas to become the country's 4th largest party. Lieberman's support comes largely from immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and he strongly opposes unilateral disengagements.

In an attempt to win votes back, Kadima's prime ministerial candidate, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, announced last night that any party that refuses to accept the concept of "inward-turning" - the name he has given his plan to carry out further unilateral withdrawals - will not be invited to join the government he expects to form. Olmert thus hopes to play on the desires of Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu voters, and, to a lesser extent, those of the hareidi-religious United Judaism Party (UTJ), to see their parties in the government.

In response, it appears that only UTJ has taken the bait. MK Avraham Ravitz of UTJ said this morning that his party is willing to join the government despite its disengagement plans, but would not vote automatically for future withdrawals. (He later denied saying this, insisting that he had said only that the Council of Torah Sages would decide; separate story to be filed soon.)

Shas leader MK Eli Yishai said this morning that he would recommend to his party's rabbis not to approve the party's joining of a government whose guidelines include further disengagements.

Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu came out swinging against Olmert's threat, saying, "This is how he talks now, five days before the election, but we'll see what he says five days after the election."

In the meanwhile, hundreds of volunteers for the "Moving Rightward" campaign continue to visit and call voters around the country, in an attempt to sway them not to vote for Kadima and further withdrawals that, they say, will endanger the country.

In response to a question by a chief "Moving Rightward" organizer, Susie Dym of Rehovot, Gush Katif's Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky issued the following statement: "To all the dedicated people of kindness and giving who help the Gush Katif expellees every day - at present, the main issue is the elections. Everyone must work only for the elections. Whoever wants to help us, we will be happy to have you come again right after the elections."

MK Zevulun Orlev, of the National Union/National Religious Party list, responded to Olmert's statement:
"It shows that whoever votes for Kadima is voting for a left-wing government with Labor and Meretz, with Arab support. Religious and nationalist voters must understand that a vote for Kadima is a vote for Meretz. Happily, the Israeli citizenry will determine the results, and everything is still open."

Back to Headlines

2.	Hareidi UTJ Party Hints: We Will Join Kadima Government
	By Hillel Fendel

Though the two factions of the United Torah Judaism party are not in agreement, they agree on one thing: Joining a Kadima-led coalition, despite the withdrawal plans, is a distinct possibility.

MK Avraham Ravitz (United Torah Judaism) told Israel Radio this morning that he does not rule out joining a government led by Ehud Olmert and Kadima. This, in the face of Olmert's declaration of last night that only parties that accept his plan for further disengagements will be invited to join the government he hopes to form.

Despite the interviewer's harping on whether Ravitz would agree to unilateral withdrawals, Ravitz insisted in turning the discussion to the bilateral nature of the coalition agreement his party might sign.

Anchor Aryeh Golan asked, "Are you in fact willing to agree in advance to Olmert's plan of 'turning inward' to settlement blocs in order to join his coalition if he wins?"

Ravitz began by saying that the decision will be made by the Council of Torah Sages, and then added, "In order not to leave you without an answer, I can tell you with certainty that signed agreements must be kept, and if we sign a coalition agreement with someone, we will keep it and we'll demand that the other side do so as well..."

Golan: "Yes, but you are still in the government, even after all the opponents of the disengagement left it a long time ago, so does this mean that you will agree to further unilateral withdrawals?"

Ravitz: (slowly) "No, it doesn't mean that; it means that we stayed in the government despite all that happened - which means something - but you are talking to me about a program of which no one knows the details."

Golan: "It [the program to withdraw unilaterally from large areas of Judea and Samaria] has been publicized very clearly..."

Ravitz said that only the principles thereof have been publicized, and "the question that we have to weigh is what is the price of living here in the Land of Israel. We have to see the details. All the large plans depend on their little details, and we will have to weigh them."

Golan: "I understand between the lines that--"

Ravitz: "All the other parties, except for Marzel, are willing to compromise a little -"

Golan: "Yes, but not unilaterally, and not on such a great amount of Judea and Samaria."

Ravitz: "Certainly not unilaterally; an agreement is bilateral, and whoever signs has to agree to keep to it; I'm against signing and then backing out, I'm against that."

Golan: "OK, but I'm talking about agreements with the Palestinians, not the coalition agreement..."

Ravitz: "I'm saying that if we sign a coalition agreement, I can promise you that we will keep it.

Golan: "Yes, that's for sure."

Though Ravitz is open to joining Olmert's coalition, his party colleague Yaakov Litzman makes such a move conditional upon the willingness of Shas to do the same. "I will do everything in my power to make sure that we join the coalition only together with Shas," Litzman told Arutz-7 today. "But this is only my opinion, and I do not represent Degel HaTorah." Litzman belongs to the Agudat Yisrael faction of UTJ, while Ravitz is of Degel HaTorah.

Litzman said that this does not mean that if he joins the government, he will vote for withdrawals. "When we joined last time," he said, "we voted against it in every disengagement vote."

A-7: "Yes, but is it not so that your joining of the government allowed those votes to take place in the first place? It is claimed that If you hadn't joined, the government would likely have fallen."

Litzman said this is not true, and that he joined the government at the time, by order of the party rabbis, in order to make sure that Shinui "would not return to the government and continue to destroy religious services in Israel," and that there was "a majority for the disengagement even without us."

After UTJ decided to join the coalition last year, MK Ravitz acknowledged to Arutz-7 that the party's decision to do so had caused some tensions: "...as it is, we have already lost many votes. The Yesha [Judea and Samaria] residents expected us to vote against the government... The next elections won't be easy..."

A senior source in the Moving Rightward campaign - which is coordinating thousands of phone calls and house-to-house visits to potential Kadima voters in an attempt to persuade them to vote for any right-wing party instead - says that UTJ is far from his first choice. "I don't know if we can really count on UTJ," he said. "The main hope is that if we get 61 MKs in the right-wing and religious bloc, it is almost certain that a nationalist government can be formed. But if Olmert forms the government, then I can't be sure what UTJ or Yisrael Beiteinu will do."

Back to Headlines

3.	Another Blow to Gush Katif Expellees
	By Hillel Fendel

Some 60 families - still in Jerusalem hotels after their eviction from Gush Katif 7 months ago - are to be thrown out in three weeks, even though their future living arrangements are not guaranteed.

"We were all set to receive the keys to our new caravillas in Ein Tzurim," said David Banjo, formerly of N'vei Dekalim, "when all of a sudden, we saw that the contracts they placed before us were different than the ones we had seen a week before. In addition to all the uncertainty and instability we have been living with for seven months, now we have to face deception by a government body. It is simply too much."

The main issue is that the families are to be moved to a pre-fab housing site in Kibbutz Ein Tzurim, with the intention that they will be able to build a new community in Lachish and live there upon its completion. However, there is no guarantee that the new community, currently known as Givat Egoz, will be ready or even approved by the government by any specific date. Despite this, the contracts presented to the families for signing specify that the families must leave Ein Tzurim within four years.

"And if the community is not ready? Where do we go then - back to the street once again?" asked Banjo rhetorically. "We demand the same conditions as the other expellees - which are that the four-year term can be extended if necessary. But here, the government refuses to do that, because of an agreement it has with Ein Tzurim."

The four-year clause is an improvement on the version of the contract they were presented with two days ago - which called for them to leave after only 18 months. However, the government agreed to increase the terms to four years after a long meeting with the residents' volunteer lawyers yesterday and last night.

The residents have reason to believe that their plans to build a new community will not be approved in a timely fashion - or at all. The area in question is located in the northern Negev, and the government approved it for new communities several years ago. However, since then, environmental groups have caused it to be termed a "national priority biosphere," which, though somewhat less restricted than a nature preserve, is not readily available for construction. In short, its status is unclear.

"Here we are," said Banjo, the volunteer 'mayor' of the Egoz group, "thrown out of our homes, living out of boxes, filled with uncertainty, and yet willing to be pioneers and build up a new area - which is adjacent to the Green Line fence! And yet the government is placing all sorts of obstacles. It's hard to believe, and very hard to go through."

To make matters worse, the Disengagement Administration has dropped off packing boxes off at the hotels, a form of "threat" to the families that they must be out within three weeks. "The psychological pressure is terrible," said another displaced citizen, Merav Zohar, "and some people are on the verge of collapse. It's simply unbearable. We are a bunch of large families, on the eve of Pesach [the Passover holiday], and we have no idea where we will be for the holiday. It's not like we are young couple who can just decide to spend it with their parents."

"We need a solution right now," Banjo said. "Not in a few days, but immediately. In order to be ready for Pesach, we still have to pack up, move all our stuff into a new house, get our belongings from the containers that are in Kastina or elsewhere that we haven't been able to get to, figure out which of our belongings will fit - if they are not broken, as many are - into our new, smaller houses, and buy whatever needs to be replaced. This is all in addition to all the other problems we face, such as lack of work, school, family issues, and the like."

So far, some 120 families have signed up for the Givat Egoz project. These include 50 families living in Jerusalem hotels, 10 in Ashkelon hotels, and another 60 who are living in what they call the "Diaspora" - individual apartments in various cities in the south.

Back to Headlines

4.	Jerusalem Focus of Final Day of Jerusalem Conference
	By Ezra HaLevi

The third and final day of the Jerusalem Conference dealt with matters pertaining to the city of Jerusalem.

Jewish Agency Chairman Ze'ev Bielski recalled growing up in Jerusalem's Ramot Eshkol neighborhood, where he said his life was affected by the Gush Emunim settlement movement office in an apartment next door. "My younger sister ended up being one of the first settlers of Beit El," he recalled. "She lived in one of the first caravans [trailers] there, and my mother never forgave or forgot that Arutz-7 was taken off the air. I always promised her that the people responsible would pay the price some day."

Regarding the holy city, Bielski said no matter where he has gone in life, being sent across the globe as a Jewish Agency emissary, serving as mayor of Ra'anana, he shivers every time he enters the city – even now, when he commutes daily from Ra'anana.

National Religious Party Chairman and now number-two on the National Union/NRP list Zevulun Orlev spoke at the conference about the dangerous nature of the Partition Wall's route in the Jerusalem region. Orlev spoke about the decision to build the fence between the Arab village of Beit Iksa and Highway 1. "I can't help thinking back to the Six Day War," he said, "when I was serving in Motta Gur's 55th Paratroopers Brigade. We needed to get to Jerusalem from Beit Shemesh when Jordan's King Hussein decided to attack. The regiment traveled to Jerusalem with a small bulldozer clearing the road near the railroad lines, near Bar Giora and Ein Karem – a back road. I asked why we could not take the main road from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem and was told it was impossible for our large, armed, paratroopers brigade to get to Jerusalem on that road because Beit Iksa, armed with rifles alone, was able to render the road impassable. Today, once again, there is the attempt to return Jerusalem to this corridor again... Jerusalem of the Jewish people must stand in the center. Sadly, it is only the capital on paper. Jews are leaving the city. More are leaving than are coming, and there is even a hidden competition of what Israel's real capital is in every regard, Jerusalem or Tel Aviv – over which is the center of industry and culture and education."

Orlev's suggested a solution similar to his party's overall platform. "I think the answer lies first and foremost in education. We need not only a mandatory curriculum, but a mandatory visit – more than one day. We need visits to the Western Wall, government buildings, Yad VaShem [Holocaust memorial] and Ammunition Hill. More than half of Israeli students have never visited Jerusalem as part of their studies."

Orlev said that in the 15th Knesset, he proposed a law to provide recognition of Jewish pilgrimage to Jerusalem. "It was a declarative law that would call on all the Jews of the world and Israel to visit Jerusalem once in seven years. They would receive a certificate suitable for hanging on the wall saying they have visited Jerusalem."

Dr. Benny Ish-Shalom, a philosophy professor at Hebrew University and Bar-Ilan, lamented the fact that many of Jerusalem's Jewish residents are leaving it. "Those who are unable to tolerate the complex and oppressive nature of this old city, so laden with emotion, heritage, tradition and conflict of this wondrous city simply are leaving." Several other speakers throughout the day echoed Ish-Shalom's sentiments and presented various anecdotes about how their formerly mixed religious-secular neighborhoods have now become completely homogenous.

Dr. Avi Ben Bassat, a professor at Hebrew University and former Director-General of the Finance Ministry, spoke about Jerusalem's economic woes – a phenomenon he said is relatively recent. "The Central Bureau of Statistics publishes an economic social index of local authorities in Israel, based on standard of living, education, etc.," he said. "Jerusalem scores below the development towns of Dimona, Giryat Gat, Kiryat Shemona, Lod and Ramle. It is not just another poor city – it is the poor city."

Eastern Jerusalem land-rights activist Aryeh King asked permission to speak following the dismal prognoses of the morning's speakers. "First of all," said King, "most people leaving Jerusalem are moving to Greater Jerusalem - to Maaleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, Beit El, Adam, Mevaseret, etc. 800,000 Jews live in the Jerusalem envelope – and many of these people still work in Jerusalem."

"Second of all - Jerusalem is Jewish before it is Israeli," King added, bringing up the topic of widespread illegal Arab building on state-lands in the capital. "We have published a comprehensive report that demonstrates that the state, the municipality, the government – all don't care about the land that is administrated by them. There are thousands of cases of illegal building. The Arabs build where there are no building permits because it is the goal of their strategic political plans. When we talk about poverty in Jerusalem – we aren't taking into consideration how much the Arab residents work without reporting or paying taxes. At the Herzliya Conference they talked about 11 meters per person in Jerusalem's Arab sector – they simply don't count the 20,000 illegal housing units."

King also blasted the so-called Jerusalem envelope fence, saying it had nothing to do with security or demographics, as Arabs are simply moving en masse to the Jerusalem side of the fence.

Rabbi Mordechai Elon, who heads Yeshivat HaKotel, also chose to spoke about fences and walls – though in a much more metaphorical sense, calling upon the national religious to tear down the walls around our spiritual ideals. "Ben-Gurion called for tearing down the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem," he said, explaining that the first prime minister wanted Jerusalem to be a united sprawling city.

"Jerusalem is tired of being walls and tourists," Rabbi Elon said. "For me, Tel Aviv is also Jerusalem; only there can we sing a new song. Over 500 synagogues were built in Tel Aviv over the past 100 years. More than 400 of them are closed today. One of them has become a rehabilitation center for Thai workers and the Great Synagogue, on Allenby Street, is open in the morning and, for a token sum, you can visit. It is like visiting a synagogue in Europe. The tragedy is that in Poland, we didn't leave the synagogues because we wanted to, but in Tel Aviv we left the synagogues because we wanted to – because we preferred the shtetls and because we didn't want to live without walls any more." Elon was referring to the homogenous religious communities and neighborhoods that have become the norm across Israel.

"I have one dream," Elon concluded, "to break down the walls of Jerusalem. We must make a decision that we will break down the walls of Jerusalem within ourselves."

Back to Headlines

5.	U.S. Court Turns Pollard Down, It's Now Up to Israel

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China repeats it in accord with Russia on Iran

Fw: JNW Daily Digest - March 23, 2006

Fw: A7news: Hareidi UTJ Party Hints: We Will Join Kadima Government