[CTRL] Misguided Theology Makes Bad Foreign Policy
-Caveat Lector- June 16, 2006 Misguided Theology Makes Bad Foreign Policy Doug Bandow Iraq is an unalloyed disaster. War with Iran would be even worse. Lebanon's Cedar Revolution has empowered groups hostile to America. Where is the new democratic dawn in the Mideast that the administration promised? It certainly isn't represented in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The West Bank is still occupied and Gaza is nearing civil war. Whether peace is possible if the two peoples separate is unknowable. The only worse option is for Israel to maintain a system of militarized apartheid-like rule over millions of Palestinians. Yet some of President George W. Bush's domestic supporters oppose the slightest Israeli concession to the Palestinians. Before the 2004 election, Gary Bauer, one-time presidential candidate and head of American Values, lectured the president: The land of Israel was originally owned by God. Since He was the owner, only He could give it away. And He gave it to the Jewish people. Actually, God still owns the land of Israel. And that of America, for that matter. But that isn't a reason to oppose the Bush administration's peace plan. Washington's fulsome embrace of Israel has long generated controversy consider the fevered reaction to the famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) paper by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard on domestic support for Israel. One can argue whether or not there is an Israel Lobby, but there obviously are lobbies for Israel. That's unexceptional: interest groups have long attempted to influence American foreign policy. Eastern European ethnic groups pushed for NATO expansion, African-Americans lobbied to invade Haiti, ethnic Albanians pushed Washington to attack Serbia. (Sadly, such groups rarely seek peace; most often they want Washington to back their side in war.) What makes support for Israel unique is the fact that part of it, at least, rests on theology. But not primarily Judaism. Even the vast majority of American Jews who support Israel do so more on cultural and ethnic than on religious grounds. It is some American Christians who are attempting to turn the U.S. government into a de facto arm of the church. Most of those who hold such views are evangelicals. Neither Catholics nor mainline Protestants have so heavily rested their spiritual faith on the machinations of a secular state identified with another religion, whose residents largely see themselves in ethnic rather than religious terms. Non-evangelicals are far more likely to perceive the harm to Americans and injustice to others resulting from turning Mideast policy into an aberrant variant of Christian theology. Developing an intelligent solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is insanely difficult. Moreover, sympathy toward Israel is understandable: there is no excuse for suicide bombings that slaughter and maim. But Washington needs to develop a Mideast policy that advances America's national interests by reducing the likelihood of war involving the U.S. and attacks on Americans basically staying out. Yet a number of Israel advocates appear to see their support as an outgrowth of their Christian faith. For instance, former Christian Coalition head and candidate for Georgia lieutenant governor Ralph Reed wrote, [T]here is an undeniable and powerful spiritual connection between Israel and the Christian faith. It is where Jesus was born and where he conducted his ministry. True, but so what? This has nothing to do with the formulation of foreign policy for the secular nation of America, which represents non-Christians as well as Christians. Columnist Maggie Gallagher writes, [M]y support is based on an inchoate sense that if put into words would be something like this: As Christians, we just cannot sit by and let Islamic nations exterminate the Jewish people. Not that the Arab nations have that capability, but never mind. Should Christians care less about the killing of Christians by Muslims in Kosovo, Indonesia, and Nigeria? Or the killing of Christians and Muslims by Hindus in India? Another contention is that the U.S. should back whatever the Israeli government wants to do because God gave Israel to the Jews. As Bauer explains, The Bible is pretty clear that the land is what is called covenant land, that God made a covenant with the Jews that that would be their land forever. Bill Wilson of Koenig International News argued that Bush's peace efforts and personal commitments on the surface sound good but they are biblically wrong. After all, the president's position means the he will be responsible for the forceful evacuation of Jews by Jews off the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their
[CTRL] Sacks and sucks
-Caveat Lector- June 20, 2006 -- Yesterday morning, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, fresh from attending the Bilderberg meeting in Ottawa along with Goldman Sachs International chairman Peter Sutherland, abruptly announced his resignation in order to become the vice chairman of -- Goldman Sachs International. State Department sources are speculating that Zoellick may have been asked to resign over the State Department leak to The Washington Post of a June 6, 2006 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to the State Department. The leak of the cable reportedly infuriated George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who had just painted glowing portraits of the improving situation in Iraq after Bush's quick visit to the former Saddam palace that now serves as the US Embassy. Robert Zoellick: Sacked over leak? The cable, officially signed by US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad (but not necessarily written by him), is titled, Snapshots from the Office: Public Affairs Staff Show Strains of Social Discord. The cable claims that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, who was given 10 minutes notice of Bush's presence in Baghdad when he was summoned, Warsaw Pact-style, by the president's staff, is reported in the cable to have no real power. Actual power lies with the militias and local warlords, according to the cable. The cable also describes Sunni- Sh'ia tensions among US Embassy staff who must all hide their employment lest they be killed by the militias for consorting with the enemy. The poor electricity situation in Baghdad is also described in the cable: employees all confirm that by the last week of May, they were getting one hour of power for every six hours without. Temperatures soared to 115 degrees Fahrenheit during the power outages. The leak of the cable countered the White House propaganda about the improving situation in Iraq. June 20, 2006 -- The spate of physical theft of personal data on computer storage devices continues at an alarming rate. WMR has previously reported that most of these thefts are not coincidental but are part of a coordinated and unprecedented effort by U.S. intelligence agencies to obtain personal data to populate Total Information Awareness surveillance databases. The latest theft was that of a flash memory drive at the University of Kentucky containing personal information on 6500 current and former University of Kentucky students. The theft occurred on May 26 but was recently made public by university officials. The chart in the June 17 article has been updated to reflect this most recent theft report. From hard drives and laptops to data tapes and flash memory drives, personal data is being stolen on a virtual daily basis. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] Misguided Theology Makes Bad Foreign Policy
-Caveat Lector- In a message dated 6/20/2006 10:48:17 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: June 16, 2006 Misguided Theology Makes Bad Foreign Policy Doug Bandow Iraq is an unalloyed disaster. War with Iran would be even worse. Lebanon's Cedar Revolution has empowered groups hostile to America. Where is the new democratic dawn in the Mideast that the administration promised? It certainly isn't represented in the Israeli-Palestinian "peace process." The West Bank is still occupied and Gaza is nearing civil war. Whether peace is possible if the two peoples separate is unknowable. The only worse option is for Israel to maintain a system of militarized apartheid-like rule over millions of Palestinians. Yet some of President George W. Bush's domestic supporters oppose the slightest Israeli concession to the Palestinians. Before the 2004 election, Gary Bauer, one-time presidential candidate and head of American Values, lectured the president: "The land of Israel was originally owned by God. Since He was the owner, only He could give it away. And He gave it to the Jewish people." Actually, God still owns the land of Israel. And that of America, for that matter. But that isn't a reason to oppose the Bush administration's peace plan. Washington's fulsome embrace of Israel has long generated controversy – consider the fevered reaction to the famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) paper by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard on domestic support for Israel. One can argue whether or not there is an "Israel Lobby," but there obviously are lobbies for Israel. That's unexceptional: interest groups have long attempted to influence American foreign policy. Eastern European ethnic groups pushed for NATO expansion, African-Americans lobbied to invade Haiti, ethnic Albanians pushed Washington to attack Serbia. (Sadly, such groups rarely seek peace; most often they want Washington to back their side in war.) What makes support for Israel unique is the fact that part of it, at least, rests on theology. But not primarily Judaism. Even the vast majority of American Jews who support Israel do so more on cultural and ethnic than on religious grounds. It is some American Christians who are attempting to turn the U.S. government into a de facto arm of the church. Most of those who hold such views are evangelicals. Neither Catholics nor mainline Protestants have so heavily rested their spiritual faith on the machinations of a secular state identified with another religion, whose residents largely see themselves in ethnic rather than religious terms. Non-evangelicals are far more likely to perceive the harm to Americans and injustice to others resulting from turning Mideast policy into an aberrant variant of Christian theology. Developing an intelligent solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is insanely difficult. Moreover, sympathy toward Israel is understandable: there is no excuse for suicide bombings that slaughter and maim. But Washington needs to develop a Mideast policy that advances America's national interests by reducing the likelihood of war involving the U.S. and attacks on Americans – basically staying out. Yet a number of Israel advocates appear to see their support as an outgrowth of their Christian faith. For instance, former Christian Coalition head and candidate for Georgia lieutenant governor Ralph Reed wrote, "[T]here is an undeniable and powerful spiritual connection between Israel and the Christian faith. It is where Jesus was born and where he conducted his ministry." True, but so what? This has nothing to do with the formulation of foreign policy for the secular nation of America, which represents non-Christians as well as Christians. Columnist Maggie Gallagher writes, "[M]y support is based on an inchoate sense that if put into words would be something like this: As Christians, we just cannot sit by and let Islamic nations exterminate the Jewish people." Not that the Arab nations have that capability, but never mind. Should Christians care less about the killing of Christians by Muslims in Kosovo, Indonesia, and Nigeria? Or the killing of Christians and Muslims by Hindus in India? It even sometimes alarms me that the Israeli are occasionally exterminating Christian Palestinians (that forgotten people) along with the Muslim Palestinians, but I guess the rule is killthem all and let God sort them out later. Prudy www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests
[CTRL] Da BEATLES Code, Part 1
-Caveat Lector- http://www.total411.info/2006/06/da-beatles-code-part-1.htmlSunday, June 18, 2006 Da BEATLES Code, Part 1 Go over to YouTube to watch part one of the groundbreaking documentary, Da BEATLES Code.There will be more to come later this summer..--- -- www.total411.infowww.total911.info www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=""ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Israelis Blow Up Terrorist Children 5 6
-Caveat Lector- HAARETZ Three Gaza children die in failed IAF strike By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, Amiram Barkat and Ran Reznick Three Palestinian children were killed yesterday during a failed assassination attempt by the Israel Air Force in Gaza. Two of the children, aged five and six, were brother and sister; the third was a 16-year-old boy. Two Fatah men who were the target of the strike escaped with light injuries; another 14 Palestinian citizens were injured in the incident. Advertisement This is the third time in a month that Israel Defense Forces attacks have resulted in civilian deaths. The attack, which took place at 7:15 P.M., came hours after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatened to step up actions against Palestinian terror organizations in the Gaza Strip. The dead children were identified as Mohammed al-Roka, his sister, Nadia, and Bilal al-Hassa. Seven children were also among the injured, one seriously. They were evacuated to Shifa hospital in Gaza. Palestinian eye-witnesses said the strike came at an hour when the streets were busy and many children were playing in the area. However, a senior IAF officer said the strike took place "in an area where traffic was very thin, and that the civilians that were injured were not seen by military cameras before the hit. The officer said the two missiles fired hit the vehicle directly. He was unable to explain how the two targets escaped with light injuries while nearby civilians were killed. "This is complex combat against terror cells operating in a civilian population. Some of the Qassams are fired from populated areas. When a cell goes to carry out a launch, we are working against a ticking clock. We have to find the right place to hit them, before they operate. We do everything we can not to injure civilians, even aborting a strike where there is doubt." The IDF Spokesman's Office said, "The IDF regrets any loss of life among non-combatants. Responsibility for this rests with the terror organizations and the Hamas government." Thirteen Palestinian civilians have been killed in a little more than a month in IAF strikes in Gaza. The IDF said the cell had been involved the day before in Qassam attacks against the Negev. The two Fatah men, members of the organization's military wing, were traveling in a car in the Sheikh Radwan quarter of northern Gaza City when their vehicle was hit by IAF missiles. Imad Abu-Hamed, one of the injured men, is an intelligence officer in the Palestinian Police who has worked in recent years with the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC). According to the Shin Bet security service, he has been involved in weapons smuggling and establishing a Fatah Qassam network and dispatching terrorists on attacks in Israel. He was also said to have been the intelligence officer of the PRC commander Jamal Abu-Samhadana, killed by Israel two weeks ago, and had extensive connections with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Four Qassam rockets were fired yesterday morning from the Gaza Strip. Two landed in the Gaza Strip and two in open areas around Sderot, causing no injuries or property damage. Last night, a rocket fell in Israeli territory, also without causing injuries. Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the
