tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74808188879993766672024-02-20T23:22:59.443-05:00Faith of the Fathers ReportNews, events, and opinions from Faith of the Fathers blogs. © Faith of the Fathers, 2005-2018. All rights reserved.<br>
<a href=""><img alt="Mytester" height="55" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_idV0RYLIos/UkCo9pG4KpI/AAAAAAAAKfs/W54UbRWhDl0/s1600/LogoFOFReport.png" width="122"></a>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.comBlogger528125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-26658106515084652462018-02-20T10:58:00.000-05:002018-02-20T12:34:28.222-05:00Virtue Signalers. Frauds As Usual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiGRBd5pYqc/TdXAY5Ay4dI/AAAAAAAAC1k/y9xs0DdmMNkWFNAyYVaP9e-YrIgeTJ4ZgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/newspaper3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="283" height="132" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiGRBd5pYqc/TdXAY5Ay4dI/AAAAAAAAC1k/y9xs0DdmMNkWFNAyYVaP9e-YrIgeTJ4ZgCPcBGAYYCw/s200/newspaper3.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sadly
another school shooting occurred, and there are the predictable
shrill calls for gun control from the virtue signalers.</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Yes,
virtue signalers. The talking head political hacks in the media and
their political bedfellows in the Democratic party. The virtue
signalers of the left who want you to believe that they are better
than you or me, because they care!! And if for some reason it starts
to look like we don't believe them, they'll remind us again, and
again, and again.</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
They
want you to know that they care about our children! There is no
reason for them to die so needlessly!</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
That is
there's no need unless they die from an abortion or from being gunned
down on the streets of Chicago (where 309 have already been shot in
2018, and where 26 of the last 50 victims were aged 19 and under
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/data/ct-shooting-victims-map-charts-htmlstory.html).
Those don't matter though, and are not the kids they are referring
to.</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our
caring doesn't matter. Our belief that the shootings are more
indicative of a morals problem and serious mental health issues among
the shooters is dismissed. After all, we come from the south, the
mid-west, the west, the flyover country where they see us as
"clinging to their guns and their religion".</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Yes,
the virtue signalers have the stage, and will wail for "common
sense gun control" until they turn blue. Yet, these virtue
signalers don’t tell us what that "common sense gun control"
is.</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Is it
the same "common sense gun control" that has failed so
miserably in Chicago? Is it total gun confiscation like they had in
Australia?</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
virtue signalers can't...or more likely... <i>won't</i> say.</div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-42091380166805172732018-02-15T17:38:00.001-05:002018-02-15T17:41:47.519-05:00Opinion: Mass Shootings Due To A Mental Health Crisis<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeGplFJ142qkj8kPDu9Coz6vsP9oqc1DG0mvMJpPMFdnSfWYnraPIepaLI6oVS9LciiqrH50Xn5_caPb1bDnfwVhHUdYidVGdGa5opiQFxGTYzu0sv0voUXZESCex7UIBVxEwcfKi-QM/s1600/The+Madhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=""The Madhouse" -- by Francisco Goya (1815-1819)- PD-Art-1923" border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeGplFJ142qkj8kPDu9Coz6vsP9oqc1DG0mvMJpPMFdnSfWYnraPIepaLI6oVS9LciiqrH50Xn5_caPb1bDnfwVhHUdYidVGdGa5opiQFxGTYzu0sv0voUXZESCex7UIBVxEwcfKi-QM/s1600/The+Madhouse.jpg" title=""The Madhouse" -- by Francisco Goya (1815-1819)- PD-Art-1923" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
For
nearly 2 decades or longer, this country has had a plague of mass
shootings. Many, if not all of the shooters, have had serious mental
health issues. Often times, it is discovered that some of the
perpetrators were known, or made known to law enforcement, well
before they carried out their heinous acts of violence.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
People
then become outraged, and more often than not, point the finger of
blame at local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, for not
stopping the atrocities before they occurred. Yet these agencies
don't have the power to do anything until or if some perpetrator
makes an attempt to carry out their dark acts.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
What
is the reason for this? In many cases, law enforcement agencies have
been hamstrung by an out of touch justice system, and well
intentioned, but myopic "victim's advocacy" groups.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Advocates
for the mentally ill, too often have successfully painted all mental
health agencies with the broad brush of the insane asylums of the
19th and early 20th centuries. They successfully portrayed them as
wretched places of despair and hopelessness as often depicted in some
old horror movie.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
They
effectively championed the picture of all mental health agencies as
being like those insane asylums from long ago, and demanded the
release of hundreds, if not thousands of mentally ill patients. The
courts agreed, and large numbers of the mentally ill were released
onto a society that frankly, did not want them, nor was prepared to
provide them with the care they need.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
We
have seen some of them appear among the large numbers of the
homeless. Mentally ill homeless people, whose numbers began to grow
rapidly in the cities and towns that were, and still are unprepared
for them. Numbers that grew rapidly after court decisions ordering
their release, with little or no consideration as to how they would
continue to receive the treatment they need, or the physical care
that all human beings have a right to.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In
essence, another stigma was added to these already stigmatized people
for being mentally ill, and to those facilities that cared for them.
This has resulted in a justice system that was and still is, all too
reluctant to give orders for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of
those people whose behavior, threats, and actions, have warranted it.</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Until
there is a demand from the public at large for reforms, the numbers
of these heinous, evil atrocities will only occur again and again.
The time for us all to demand action is now.</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
We must all remember as well, that the time for us to pray is now, and always. Especially pray for all the victims, the first responders, and the young shooter Nikolas Cruz as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-83152928703419596752018-01-02T16:18:00.000-05:002018-01-13T22:49:56.726-05:00From "Conservative Review": "Regime-friendly NY Times makes big money selling Iran tours"<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;">The
following is from an article at “<a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/"><i><u><b>Conservative
Review</b></u></i></a>” by Jordan Schachtel:</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 align="justify" class="western" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Regime-friendly
NY Times makes big money selling Iran tours</span></span></span></h1>
<h2 class="western" style="border: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.08in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Conflict
of interest?</span></span></span></h2>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HscN9AZkuGo/TXlyUgkRJzI/AAAAAAAAChs/fuDj1o8uKc0tc2Fp1Et_LG91fSi8UzqJACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NEWS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HscN9AZkuGo/TXlyUgkRJzI/AAAAAAAAChs/fuDj1o8uKc0tc2Fp1Et_LG91fSi8UzqJACPcBGAYYCw/s200/NEWS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: #cccccc;">The
recent protests in Iran have raised many red flags and questions as
to whether the Times is reporting the news objectively. As videos
continue to surface on social media, showing masses of people calling
for an end to the regime (and even “</span></span></span></span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #0066cb;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/SGhasseminejad/status/948197468189089792">death</a> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: #cccccc;">to
the Islamic Republic”), the New York Times has downplayed the
protests as </span></span></span></span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #0066cb;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-york-times-playing-down-161717327.html">merely</a> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: #cccccc;">economic
disputes. Moreover, the paper’s Tehran-based reporter was
conveniently “on vacation” as the most consequential, anti-regime
protests in years spread through Iran like wildfire.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="border: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0.12in; margin-left: 0.49in; margin-top: 0.12in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: #cccccc;">It
turns out that The New York Times has a special financial
relationship with the Iranian regime, likely unknown to many of its
readers. As one of the few U.S.-based Iran tour providers, The Grey
Lady delivers unprecedented access to the theocratic nation for a
price.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: #cccccc;">Based
on publicly available </span></span></span></span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #0066cb;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/times-journeys/travel/iran-tales-persia/">data</a> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: #cccccc;">on
the New York Times travel website, Conservative Review has analyzed
that the organization’s “Iran: Tales from Persia” trip, which
is hosted by New York Times journalists and opinion writers, is a
cash cow that has reaped millions of dollars in revenue for the
publication.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="border: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0.12in; margin-left: 0.49in; margin-top: 0.12in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: #cccccc;">The
Times’ travel website lists nine publicly available trips to Iran
in 2018, with an average group size of 20 people. The Iran tour costs
$7,895 per person (based on double occupancy. Single travelers pay an
additional $1,500), plus $425 for internal airfare. The price does
not include international airfare.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;">Read
more at “<a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/articles/regime-friendly-ny-times-makes-big-money-selling-iran-tours/"><u><b>Conservative
Review</b></u></a>” by clicking <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/articles/regime-friendly-ny-times-makes-big-money-selling-iran-tours/"><u><b>here</b></u></a>.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-68119188659581670292016-08-04T14:22:00.000-04:002016-08-04T14:22:15.473-04:00Obama Administration Discriminates Against Syrians -- If They're Christians<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToUrVCAO_ZsnMeOFw1IA3krIaYOjdE0gMysGKA2Ga-0euv3YsqnieN9AqqGpFzDygem8XOFMWFmwF6c4PohgkQp2FVyPZkTxowsEsYyQH7dBc3hXofI1bp7naJCtQFupbFP_olvf6y7M/s1600/Assyrian+Easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToUrVCAO_ZsnMeOFw1IA3krIaYOjdE0gMysGKA2Ga-0euv3YsqnieN9AqqGpFzDygem8XOFMWFmwF6c4PohgkQp2FVyPZkTxowsEsYyQH7dBc3hXofI1bp7naJCtQFupbFP_olvf6y7M/s400/Assyrian+Easter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hundreds of Assyrian families, some of them recently arrived from Islamic State controlled areas of Syria, attend Easter Sunday service at St. Georges Assyrian Church of The East in Sed El Baouchrieh, a working class suburb of Beirut.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span></span><a href="http://www.aina.org/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">AINA.org</span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-size: 12pt;">Non-Muslim
Syrian refugees have been virtually locked out by the Obama
administration, according to current data from the State Department.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-size: 12pt;">According
to the Refugee Processing Center, of the 6,877 Syrian refugees that
have arrived in 2016 through July 31st, 6,834 of those are identified
as Sunni, Shia, or generic Muslim. <i><b>Only 43 (0.7 percent of
total) refugees admitted have been non-Muslim.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-size: 12pt;">That
0.7 percent of refugees arriving this year represents a statistically
insignificant fraction of the more than 2.6 million Catholic, Syriac,
Assyrian, and Greek Orthodox Christians, as well as Yazidis, other
religions, and atheists living in Syria.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-size: 12pt;">Yet
all of these groups are being targeted by Islamic extremists --
indeed, Secretary of State John Kerry himself has claimed these
groups are facing a genocide.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-size: 12pt;">Just
yesterday, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he is opposed to
any religious test for entering the United States "A religious
test for entering our country is not reflective of America's
fundamental values. I reject it."</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-size: 12pt;">Despite
Ryan's rejection, <i><b>the State Department's own numbers reveal
active discrimination targeting non-Muslim Syrian refugees.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20160803215740.htm">Obama Administration Discriminates Against Syrians -- If They're Christians</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-34198749499954620312016-03-01T17:44:00.000-05:002016-03-01T17:44:00.440-05:00Opinion: The 2016 Election<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X93IANv-nko/Tmwu73bx8RI/AAAAAAAADG4/U7WNdJAZxY0/s1600/500px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%2528Pantone%2529.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X93IANv-nko/Tmwu73bx8RI/AAAAAAAADG4/U7WNdJAZxY0/s320/500px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%2528Pantone%2529.svg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b>The
Beginning of the End</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Perhaps
no presidential election in our lifetime, has been more contentious
and divisive as the one now taking shape for 2016.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Both
of the two major parties have never produced such weak and
questionable candidates for the highest office in the land as they
have with such less than illustrious candidates in the persons of
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">With
a population of over 300,000,000 people, one would hope that a nation
of this size could somehow produce a crop of candidates that the
nation as a whole could place some trust in. </span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Instead
we have forced upon us a group of people as candidates who would be
much better suited to be on a wanted poster than a campaign flyer.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">We
have a candidate in Hillary Clinton whose main objectives are that
she should be elected because she would be the first woman elected
president, or because she feels that it is her “turn” to sit
behind the desk in the Oval Office. No one’s qualifications for
president should be predicated by gender or the misguided notion that
it is somehow their “turn” to hold that office. Ones “turn”
at something is usually relegated to games and not in the real life
world of politics where the determining factors should be ability,
experience, and character. Anything less is detrimental to that
office and is most definitely detrimental to the nation as a whole.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Then
we have a candidate in Bernie Sanders who generally always voted with
the Democrat Party during his tenure in Washington, ran as an
Independent, and is a self avowed Socialist. That is until he decided
to run for President as a Democratic candidate. A man, who like most
of his followers, does not have an understanding of the most basic
economics, yet he, and especially his followers stop their critical
thinking when they hear the words “free”, and either ignore or
don’t care that the “free” he promises would only lead to
economic slavery to taxes and government dependance for us, our
children, and our grandchildren.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Last,
but not least, we have a candidate in Donald Trump who is willing to
say anything and do anything to get elected to the office of
President of the United States. A man who can blatantly denigrate
minorities, women, and the disabled, and get away with it. A man who
talks in a loud, arrogant braggadocio, and gives his supporters his
policies in such general, shallow terms, that even he doesn’t know
what his policies and plans are. Indeed, when he is questioned about
those policies, like the quintessential politician his answers ramble
in a broad expanse of nothingness that never reveals just what his
ideas are. Thus leaving one to come to the conclusion that all he has
are general talking points, and hasn’t given his own vague, vapid
statements any real thought. Yet his supporters will laugh, applaud
and cheer, and with their mob mentality defend with their dying
breaths the glaringly obvious shortcomings of their chosen one, even
when those shortcomings and actions should alarm even the most dim
witted amongst us.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">There
was once a time in this country of ours, when those we elected to the
office of President, were statesmen...leaders…moral...those in whom
we placed our trust and believed that whatever they did they did
because they thought it best for us, and our country. People who led
by example, and not people who make a mockery of everything that is
good, noble, and decent like today’s leaders.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Now
all we can see is that statesmanship is dead. Like the Roman Empire
before us, we have leaders who place themselves above the good of the
United States and all Americans. Leaders who are characters instead
of having character. Leaders who throw off all semblance of morality
and fairness, because morality and fairness don’t matter to
Americans anymore. Americans don’t want morality and fairness. They
want lies and half-truths. They want all that they can get and future
generations be damned.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Is
this what we want? Is this what we want for our children and our
grandchildren, and their children after them? Is this what America
has become?</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">God
save the United States of America.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-18050785872230334912015-11-19T21:07:00.000-05:002015-11-19T21:07:41.426-05:00Why the Question of Christian vs. Muslim Refugees Has Become So Incredibly Divisive<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzsRnWd4Wg-WUARVI6XTBeG75CAkS1BjsJA7tFYj5c6LfzFDCJpbDKUgpwIi79lscL0AmNIPaHH_V3nkUoKGqbflBPD7GRiT4vBu7AJ8YNZ4-09McOny2j4fSEofuRWNr-il2qSOjfMM/s1600/Crucifix.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzsRnWd4Wg-WUARVI6XTBeG75CAkS1BjsJA7tFYj5c6LfzFDCJpbDKUgpwIi79lscL0AmNIPaHH_V3nkUoKGqbflBPD7GRiT4vBu7AJ8YNZ4-09McOny2j4fSEofuRWNr-il2qSOjfMM/s200/Crucifix.gif" width="197" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Christians
make up a tiny percentage of the Syrian refugees the United States
has resettled. Is that wrong?</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
topic is raging this week, with multiple governors and GOP
presidential candidates saying Syrian refugees should be shut out
after the Paris attacks by Muslim radicals. President Obama then said
it was "shameful" to have a religious test for refugees of
war. "That's not American. That's not who we are. We don't have
religious tests to our compassion," he said.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>In
fact, the role of religion in how refugees are considered and how the
United States looks at persecution is more complicated. Religion is
considered by both the United Nations and the State Department, which
defines a refugee as "someone who has fled from his or her home
country and cannot return because he or she has a well-founded fear
of persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political
opinion or membership in a particular social group."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
torrent of other issues also come when refugee status is considered.
How severely persecuted is the group? Is their religion the primary
factor or are there other issues, such as political or ethnic
affiliations that are equally or more significant? Does the group
have other options, anywhere to else to go?</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Whether
the United States works too hard or not hard enough for persecuted
Christians overseas has become increasingly explosive in the last
decade. In that period, conditions for religious minorities in the
Middle East have seriously deteriorated. And in the United States,
some religious Americans see hostility in President Obama's
liberalizing policies about birth control and gay rights. Among many
of these people, and others, anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise.
Some 30 percent of Americans wrongly believe Obama is Muslim.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Advocates
for Middle Eastern Christians note that this group is disappearing
from the region of Jesus's birth in the rubble of government chaos in
Iraq, Syria and Egypt.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>This
week such Americans were jarred by a Yahoo News report that the State
Department is about to designate the Islamic State's assault on the
small population of Yazidis in Iraq genocide -- a very rare move that
could have implications for the United States to hold perpetrators
accountable. While other religious minorities from the region,
including Christians, are described as severely persecuted for their
faith, the Yazidis are described as under a particular kind of siege.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
report suggests the government is influenced by a Nov. 12 paper by
the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Simon-Skjodt Center for the
Prevention of Genocide. That paper said the Islamic State "is
carrying out a widespread, systematic, and deliberate campaign of
ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity" against Yazidis,
Christians, Turkmen, Shabak and other minority groups. Of that group,
only the Yazidis faced genocide because "the attacks on them
were to make sure no future Yazidis would be born. To end them as a
people altogether," Naomi Kikoker, deputy director of the
center, told The Post. She cited interviews with residents and said
Christians "faced slightly different treatment" if
"horrific," being forced to leave, pay a tax or convert.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>That
was the first time the museum had declared anything a genocide since
2004, when it used the term for the Darfur region of Sudan.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But
the possibility of a State Department proclamation led prominent
advocates for Middle Eastern Christians to say it showed bias.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"If
true, it would reflect a familiar pattern within the administration
of a politically correct bias that views Christians -- even
non-Western congregations such as those in Iraq and Syria -- never as
victims but always as Inquisition-style oppressors," wrote Nina
Shea in National Review Nov. 13.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20151119183816.htm">Why the Question of Christian vs. Muslim Refugees Has Become So Incredibly Divisive</a></b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-45522103323373713242015-11-19T20:52:00.000-05:002015-11-19T20:52:34.389-05:00West Has 'Betrayed the Christians of the East,' Says Syrian Patriarch<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fK75d_r8BdA/VO6RT9nrZJI/AAAAAAAAQKc/jBxkAlAACyU/s1600/Assyrian%2BCross.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fK75d_r8BdA/VO6RT9nrZJI/AAAAAAAAQKc/jBxkAlAACyU/s1600/Assyrian%2BCross.png" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
head of the Syrian Catholic Church, Mar Ignace Youssif III Youan, has
said the West has betrayed Syrians and caused an endless conflict in
the country.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Speaking
to Le Messenger, an Egpytian Catholic magazine, Youan spoke
passionately about the "chaos" that Western governments
have caused by ignoring the advice of Syrians, assuming that Assad's
regime could be destroyed in a few months, and now having faith in
airstrikes as the answer when ISIS has thoroughly infiltrated Iraq,
Syria and beyond.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"We
Christians are not able to live in this chaos," the Syrian
Patriarch said. "The West has betrayed us."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
patriarch accused Western governments of wanting to "perpetuate
the endless conflict in Syria" and of having "betrayed the
Christians of the East. We explained from the beginning that our
situation was different from that of other nations in the region,
they were not listened to. And now we mourn deaths over the past five
years. "</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>He
described the current situation in Syria as "dramatic, and all
the Syrian people are living in pain" as they are trapped under
the regime of ISIS and other terrorist groups "who use Islam as
an excuse to 'purify' areas under their control in the name of
religion, and Muslim scholars who tell us that Islam is alien to
these facts.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"It's
a shame that the West has abandoned Christians to this situation,"
he said.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20151119184914.htm">West Has 'Betrayed the Christians of the East,' Says Syrian Patriarch</a></b><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-58774857731151472512015-11-14T19:05:00.001-05:002015-11-14T19:09:57.379-05:00US Government Must Designate ISIS Attacks As Genocide for All Groups<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rq9FD7ET2w/VkfMBGwSXNI/AAAAAAAARiE/UBOqnAsI34k/s1600/Little%2BGirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rq9FD7ET2w/VkfMBGwSXNI/AAAAAAAARiE/UBOqnAsI34k/s320/Little%2BGirl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Christina Khader Ebada, a 3 year-old Assyrian girl, was abducted from her family last August by ISIS as they were leaving Baghdede.</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>(AINA)
-- There are reports in the media that state the Obama Administration
will designate ISIS's attacks on Yazidis in Iraq as genocide, without
giving the same designation to ISIS's attacks on Assyrians and other
minorities in Iraq and Syria, even though these attacks targeted both
groups and were conducted in tandem.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>There
is no question as to the suffering of the Yazidis and Assyrians.
Thousands of Yazidis have been killed, Yazidi women have been
captured and raped and sold as sex slaves. Hundreds of thousands of
Yazidis have been displaced. 200,000 Assyrians were driven from the
Nineveh Plains in North Iraq last year (AINA 2014-08-07) in the ISIS
attack that began -- not coincidentally -- on August 7, the Assyrian
Martyrs Day. Most have not returned and are living as refugees in
Arbel and Dohuk.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ISIS
has destroyed or occupied 45 Assyrian churches in Mosul. It has
killed Assyrians in Mosul. It has snatched Assyrian girls from the
arms of their mothers, never to be seen again.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> <a href="http://aina.org/releases/20151113203303.htm">US Government Must Designate ISIS Attacks As Genocide for All Groups</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-31940070064428716812015-11-14T18:41:00.001-05:002015-11-14T18:41:17.296-05:00ISIS Genocide Victims Do Not Include Christians, the State Department Is Poised to Rule<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_WuOqZt0AE/TdAC_TTpmJI/AAAAAAAACxg/8XOyiwOvHGc/s1600/christianity_banned_answer_2_xlarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_WuOqZt0AE/TdAC_TTpmJI/AAAAAAAACxg/8XOyiwOvHGc/s200/christianity_banned_answer_2_xlarge.jpg" width="196" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
report by a renowned journalist states that Christians are to be
excluded from an impending official United States government
declaration of ISIS genocide. If true, it would reflect a familiar
pattern within the administration of a politically correct bias that
views Christians -- even non-Western congregations such as those in
Iraq and Syria -- never as victims but always as Inquisition-style
oppressors. (That a State Department genocide designation for ISIS
may be imminent was acknowledged last week in congressional
testimony, by Ambassador Anne Patterson, the assistant secretary of
the State Department's Near East Bureau.)</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Yazidis,
according to the story by investigative reporter Michael Isikoff, are
going to be officially recognized as genocide victims, and rightly
so. Yet Christians, who are also among the most vulnerable religious
minority groups that have been deliberately and mercilessly targeted
for eradication by ISIS, are not. This is not an academic matter. A
genocide designation would have significant policy implications for
American efforts to restore property and lands taken from the
minority groups and for offers of aid, asylum, and other protections
to such victims. Worse, it would mean that, under the Genocide
Convention, the United States and other governments would not be
bound to act to suppress or even prevent the genocide of these
Christians.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20151113190915.htm">ISIS Genocide Victims Do Not Include Christians, the State Department Is Poised to Rule</a></b><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-16354149400622647072015-10-22T13:19:00.001-04:002015-10-22T13:19:41.766-04:00A Future for Minorities in the Middle East?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vCkdKNTzW6I/VikZwX3UjMI/AAAAAAAARhM/IA-3himnaqk/s1600/Mosul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vCkdKNTzW6I/VikZwX3UjMI/AAAAAAAARhM/IA-3himnaqk/s400/Mosul.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The Arabic letter "n" (inside red circle), signifying "Nasrani" (Christian), on an Assyrian home in Mosul.</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>(AINA)
-- Consider this imaginary situation. Hundreds of British citizens
are kidnapped while travelling in the Middle East by a Muslim jihadi
militia. The kidnappers hold the victims in an unknown and lawless
location in a failed state and demand a ransom of one million dollars
per person for their release. When no ransom is forthcoming, the
kidnappers take three males, dress them in orange jumpsuits, make
them kneel and, after they say their names, they are shot in the back
of the head while being filmed. The kidnappers then threaten to
similarly execute the remaining captives if the ransom is not paid.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Consider
another imaginary scenario. Some 5000 American women and girls are
kidnapped by the same Muslim jihadi militia. They are turned into sex
slaves, servicing the jihadi soldiers who consider the whole process
to be an act of worship of their God. The women are sold for a few
dollars in open markets and are subjected to an ongoing nightmare of
exploitation, humiliation and terror.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>If
both of the above imaginary situations came to pass, it is highly
likely that the British and American governments would bring the full
force of their military power to bear on the perpetrators of such
mediaeval barbarism. And they would be right to act in the interests
of their citizens in this way, providing the protection that
governments should provide to their own.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
subtext in the above scenarios is that in fact the situations
described are going on as we speak. The hundreds of citizens who have
been put up for ransom, with some being killed on camera, are not
British but rather Assyrians, kidnapped in February from dozens of
predominantly Christian towns and villages in the Khabur river valley
in northern Syria. The exorbitant ransom demanded is far beyond the
financial capacity of the local Assyrian community.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
thousands of women and girls, some pre-pubescent, serving as sex
slaves are not Americans but mostly non-Muslim Yazidis, kidnapped in
Sinjar in northern Iraq late last year. Some Christian women are also
being held in the same manner. The perpetrators are, of course, the
soldiers and leaders of the Islamic State, who have established rules
of trade that include allowing an individual jihadi to purchase up to
three female concubines. The captured woman are reportedly considered
by their captors to have become Muslim if they are raped by ten ISIS
fighters.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
significant difference between the above imaginary situations and the
reality is that neither Assyrians nor Yazidis are citizens of
powerful nations. Those currently held in captivity cannot hope for
their armed compatriots to come to their rescue. In such a context,
their nightmare must be even darker and full of greater despair,
enveloped within a sense of absolute hopelessness. It is little
wonder that a number of the Yazidi women are committing suicide,
according to reports provided by some lucky women who have escaped
their captors.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>And
as these appalling situations continue day after day, leaders of the
powerful nations do express concern and meet to confer about ways of
gradually "degrading" the capacity of the Islamic State. A
group of nine nations led by the USA have been conducting bombing
raids from the air on Islamic State targets since August 2014, with
mixed results. But while the discussions and the bombing raids take
place, days become months and months become years, and the Assyrian
and Yazidi hostages remain in their situations of terror, with little
hope of rescue.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Two
thoughts come to mind. Firstly, the great nations of the world that
are mulling over ways of dealing with the Islamic State in a
step-by-step fashion would do well to act as if the kidnapped
hostages are indeed British and American. Images of British citizens
being executed on mass and American women being sold at sex-slave
markets may well succeed in breaking the paralysis that has beset
Western action over the problem of the Islamic State.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Second,
the tragic situation raises the issue of the future viability of
religious minorities in the Middle East. The best solution would
probably be for Assyrians and Yazidis to migrate to the West. Many
will do this, but many will remain in their ancestral homelands.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/guesteds/20151015211402.htm">A Future for Minorities in the Middle East?</a></b><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-63975080055899996332015-10-22T13:00:00.001-04:002015-10-22T13:00:38.628-04:00Assyrians Largely Ignored By U.S. and Other Western Officials<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tYfUcR4NeU/VikWHVnS_dI/AAAAAAAARhE/lWMYywiGsRc/s1600/Syria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tYfUcR4NeU/VikWHVnS_dI/AAAAAAAARhE/lWMYywiGsRc/s320/Syria.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Someone
should tell ISIS: The orange jumpsuits no longer draw the world's
attention as they did a year ago when American journalist James Foley
became one of the terror group's first victims to be executed on
camera wearing one.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>In
early October, three men crouched in sand wearing the orange
one-piece outfits--all Assyrian Christians from northeastern Syria.
They were shown being shot in the head and killed in a video released
by ISIS. Those living in the United States most likely didn't see the
one-minute video clip. A few Arabic-language media outlets carried
reports of the latest filmed execution and some showed the video, but
in the United States no news outlets televised it, and only a few
reported it at all.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Yet
the footage is the first from ISIS, or Islamic State, of Syrian
Christians being executed. It also carried threats of further
killings against hundreds of Assyrian Christians who have been held
hostage for months, according to the Assyrian Monitor for Human
Rights.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>With
the camera rolling and a brisk wind flapping their sleeves, the three
men kneeling in the sand said they were "Nasrani," a Muslim
pejorative for Christians. They recited their names and hometowns:
Ashur Abraha of Tel Tamar, Basam Essa Michael of Tel Shamiram, and
Dr. Abdulmasih Enwiya of Jazira. Two gave their dates of birth. Three
men wearing desert camouflage and black masks next stepped behind
them, each raising a handgun to shoot each of the three Christians in
the head. The victims' bodies slumped forward, and seconds later
three more men appeared kneeling behind the dead men, the
executioners pointing guns at their heads also.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>As
with the first segment, each hostage recited his name and hometown,
but one of them--in what looks like a scripted gesture--pointed to
the bodies on the ground and said, "Our fate is the same as
these if you do not take proper procedure for our release." With
that, the video ended.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
three killed and the three apparently left alive all are confirmed
part of a group of 250 Assyrians abducted in February after Islamic
State attacked about 35 villages along the Khabur River in Hasakah
Province. ISIS killed at least 15 young Assyrian Christians in the
attacks as they tried to protect the towns, and militants rounded up
hundreds and took them hostage in the overnight raids--leaving 1,400
Assyrian families unable to return to their homes (see "One
family's night flight from ISIS," March 5, 2015). ISIS released
several dozen captives, mostly elderly, leaving about 180 still held.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>At
that time, church leaders reported American aircraft flew over the
area but took no action.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20151021181631.htm">Assyrians Largely Ignored By U.S. and Other Western Officials</a></b><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-32780729605265190632015-10-22T12:38:00.000-04:002015-10-22T12:38:27.264-04:00U.S. to Iraq: If Russia Helps You Fight ISIS, We Can't<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
U.S. has told Iraq's leaders they must choose between ongoing
American support in the battle against militants of the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and asking the Russians to intervene
instead.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Marine
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said
Tuesday that the Iraqis had promised they would not request any
Russian airstrikes or support for the fight against ISIS.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Shortly
after leaving Baghdad, Dunford told reporters traveling with him that
he had laid out a choice when he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider
al-Abadi and Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi earlier Tuesday.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>"I
said it would make it very difficult for us to be able to provide the
kind of support you need if the Russians were here conducting
operations as well," Dunford said. "We can't conduct
operations if the Russians were operating in Iraq right now."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>He
said there was "angst" in the U.S. when reports surfaced
that al-Abadi had said he would welcome Russian airstrikes in Iraq.
The U.S., Dunford said, "can't have a relationship right now
with Russia in the context of Iraq."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
ultimatum to Iraq comes as the U.S. grapples with Russia's
dramatically increased role in the war in Syria, just to the west of
Iraq.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>In
Syria, President Vladimir Putin has essentially rescued his close
ally, President Bashar Assad, from opposition forces that had been
inching closer to his seat of power prior to the beginning of Russian
airstrikes at the end of September.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Russia's
intervention was not telegraphed beforehand to the U.S., and while
Moscow first insisted its primary target was ISIS in Syria, it became
apparent immediately that the Russian planes were targeting other
opposition groups more in a clear effort to shore up Assad's
beleaguered forces.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
choice given to Abadi in Iraq by Dunford on Tuesday is a clear
indication that the U.S. is not willing to compete with Russia for
airspace over two neighboring countries deeply intertwined in the
same convoluted war.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
U.S. and Russia put into practice new rules on Tuesday designed to
minimize the risk of air collisions between military aircraft over
Syria.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Reuters
reports that the U.S. ultimatum to Iraq puts Abadi in a difficult
position, as his own country's ruling political alliance and some
powerful Shiite groups have been pushing him to request Russian air
support.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
news agency said a proposal to request Russian strikes had been put
to Abadi last week, but that he was yet to respond.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20151021181326.htm">U.S. to Iraq: If Russia Helps You Fight ISIS, We Can't</a></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-14880486071701341002015-07-01T16:16:00.000-04:002015-07-01T16:17:41.448-04:0064 soldiers killed in ISIS attack on Egyptian Army's Sinai checkpoints | Fox News<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RiyZ-N5trHA/VW-Brqx-xbI/AAAAAAAARUY/s0PrZbcg3Qs/s1600/newspaper3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RiyZ-N5trHA/VW-Brqx-xbI/AAAAAAAARUY/s0PrZbcg3Qs/s1600/newspaper3.gif" /></a></b></div>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>FoxNews.com</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Islamic
militants on Wednesday unleashed a wave of simultaneous attacks on
Egyptian Army checkpoints in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula,
killing at least 64 soldiers, country officials said.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
coordinated assaults, which included up to 70 militants, came a day
after Egypt's president pledged to step up the battle against Islamic
militants and two days after the country's state prosecutor was
assassinated in the capital, Cairo. The BBC reported that the clashes
are ongoing, with militants reportedly overtaking a main police
station. </b></span></span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
officials said scores of militants were besieging Sheikh Zuweid's
main police station, shelling it with mortars and rocket-propelled
grenades and exchanging fire with dozens of policemen inside. Reuters
reported that militants planted bombs along a road between the police
station and an army camp to deter reenforcements.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"We
are under siege, the militants didn't storm inside it so far, or else
I wouldn't be speaking to you right now," Col. Mohamed Soliman
told Daily News Egypt from inside the police station</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Al
Jazeera, citing a local news, reported that ambulances had trouble
reaching those injured due to the crossfire.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/07/01/30-dead-after-islamic-militants-attack-egyptian-army-checkpoints/">64 soldiers killed in ISIS attack on Egyptian Army's Sinai checkpoints | Fox News</a></b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-14060762860158608652015-07-01T15:54:00.000-04:002015-07-01T15:55:25.104-04:0074 children executed by ISIS for 'crimes' that include refusal to fast, report says | Fox News<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RiyZ-N5trHA/VW-Brqx-xbI/AAAAAAAARUY/s0PrZbcg3Qs/s1600/newspaper3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RiyZ-N5trHA/VW-Brqx-xbI/AAAAAAAARUY/s0PrZbcg3Qs/s1600/newspaper3.gif" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>FoxNews.com</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
blood-soaked executioners of ISIS have spared neither women nor
children since the jihadist army established its caliphate a year
ago, putting an estimated 74 kids and even more women to death for
such offenses as practicing “magic” and refusing to fast during
Ramadan.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
total of 3,027 people have been executed by ISIS since it declared
itself a state under strict Islamic law in Syria and Iraq last June,
according to a new report by the UK-based group, Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"Many
of the charges against those executed are recorded as blasphemy and
spying, but others include sorcery, sodomy, practicing as a Shia
Muslim," the report states.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Just
this week, two children whose ages were not known were crucified in
the Mayadin, Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria after ISIS accused
them of not properly fasting during Ramadan. The children’s bodies,
put on public display on crossbars, each bore a sign explaining their
violation during the holy month for Muslims that runs June 17 to July
17. With each execution justified by ISIS' medieval interpretation of
the Koran, the group is attempting to portray itself as the true
practitioners of Islam, say experts.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
“<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Underlying
all these executions is the apocalypse ideology of the final battle
between the believers and the unbelievers,” said Jasmine Opperman,
the director of Southern Africa Operations at the Terrorism, Research
& Analysis Consortium. “ISIS is using executions to show its
followers -- and would-be followers -- that the group is the only
true representative of believers, not only in word, but action, which
is why executions are featured so prominently.”</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Other
children died fighting for their lives.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
“<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
violent Islamist group appears to demonstrate a particular interest
in children, releasing videos of children fighting in cages and
undertaking military training,” the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights group said. “The report also details moves undertaken by the
group to entice children to join, which include setting up offices
called "cubs of the caliphate" that recruit children to
fight for ISIS.”</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child released a report
in February, documenting the many horrors ISIS has imposed on
children who are Kurdish, Yazidi, Christian and even Muslim. Children
– even those who are mentally challenged – are being tortured,
crucified, buried alive, used as suicide bombers and sold as sex
slaves, the report said.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
“<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ISIS
is hoping to spur current supporters around the world who are
dormant, of which there are millions, into joining their caliphate by
advertising acts like these, of which there are millions,” said
Ryan Mauro, national security analyst for the Clarion Project, a
nonprofit organization that educates the public about the threat of
Islamic extremism. “They know that they can greatly increase their
numbers by appealing to current radicals rather than the broader
masses.”</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/07/01/isis-executioners-spare-no-one-killing-74-children-for-crimes-including-not/">74 children executed by ISIS for 'crimes' that include refusal to fast, report says | Fox News</a></b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-23703356324579023792015-06-03T19:50:00.003-04:002015-06-03T19:50:31.577-04:00Dear Gullible People...<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RiyZ-N5trHA/VW-Brqx-xbI/AAAAAAAARUU/ZZcCLrKpHCE/s1600/newspaper3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RiyZ-N5trHA/VW-Brqx-xbI/AAAAAAAARUU/ZZcCLrKpHCE/s1600/newspaper3.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You
know who you are. You are the ones who get all caught up in the
story, grossly misreported as "news", of a mentally ill man
saying he is now a woman.</span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While
you were being so easily manipulated and distracted, here are some
things happening in the real world that you missed:</span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Boston
terror suspects plotted to behead police officers, source says </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><a href="http://fxn.ws/1FuUTKq"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://fxn.ws/1FuUTKq</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">U.S.
official: 10,000-plus ISIS fighters killed in 9-month campaign </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><a href="http://cnn.it/1FuWj7H"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://cnn.it/1FuWj7H</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Democratic
finance chair under fire for fundraising for Clinton campaign
<a href="http://bit.ly/1FuVHyN">http://bit.ly/1FuVHyN</a></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Baltimore
to feds: Send help </span></span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><a href="http://cnn.it/1FuWorX"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://cnn.it/1FuWorX</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Da
Vinci discovered: Art sleuthing reveals Leonardo engraving </span></span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><a href="http://fxn.ws/1FuUZlj"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://fxn.ws/1FuUZlj</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">IRS
Employee Steals $326,000 By Using Taxpayer's Identities </span></span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><a href="http://fxn.ws/1FuV3l4"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://fxn.ws/1FuV3l4</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">4
family members accused of beating pregnant teen to kill baby </span></span>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://fxn.ws/1FuVf3F"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://fxn.ws/1FuVf3F</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-31030037942424137062015-05-27T16:32:00.004-04:002015-05-27T16:32:38.896-04:00Assyrian Monks Won't Leave Ancient Monastery Amid ISIL Threat<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTJLCf4h-kc/VWYpp_hMW5I/AAAAAAAARSk/J-J0O66GLcM/s1600/Monk%2Bat%2Bmonastery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTJLCf4h-kc/VWYpp_hMW5I/AAAAAAAARSk/J-J0O66GLcM/s400/Monk%2Bat%2Bmonastery.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Yousif Ibrahim, the head monk at Saint Matthew's Monastery, <br />laments the ever present struggle the Christian community faces in Iraq</i></b> <br />(photo: Abed al Qaisi)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AL-FAF,
Iraq -- Yousif Ibrahim paces down the 1,600-year-old chamber room of
Saint Matthew's Monastery passing rows of empty polished-wood pews.
Ornate crystal chandeliers hang from the arched ceiling above him.
The room smells of dust and incense, and its silence is peaceful.
Outside of the ancient walls, however, the battle for Iraq is raging.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>"We
can see the battles and the airstrikes from here in front of us,
especially at night. The sky lights up at night, but we of course are
not scared. God protects us," Ibrahim, one of three monks who
resides in the monastery, says.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Situated
on the side of Mount Al-Faf in North Iraq's Nineveh Plains, St.
Matthew's Monastery is recognized as one of the oldest Christian
monasteries in Iraq. Today, the beige stone structure looks down on
the rolling hills of one of Iraq's most active frontlines against the
Islamic State, less than four miles away.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
horizon is spotted with pluming towers of white and black smoke from
U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and heavy artillery fire. From this
frontline, Islamic State territory stretches back to Mosul, the
group's largest Iraqi stronghold.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
proximity of the Islamic State to St. Matthew's means the monastery
is constantly at risk. The extremist group is known for destroying
churches, museums and other culturally and historically significant
sites.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Last
week, the militants seized the Syrian city of Palmyra and its ruins,
described by the United Nations as "one of the most important
cultural centers of the ancient world." The city's fall left the
world holding its breath in anticipation of the UNESCO World Heritage
site's destruction.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>St.
Matthew's is safely under Kurdish Peshmerga military control for now.
But Sahar Karaikos, one of six students at the monastery, fears what
could happen if the Islamic State advances closer.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>"We
are not scared, because our teachers give us a feeling of peace here,
but we know we are on the frontlines, and in seconds the Islamic
State could be here," Karaikos says. "I don't even want to
think or speak about the destruction the Islamic State would cause if
they took our monastery."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>While
monks at the monastery say they are confident God and the Peshmerga
forces will protect the site, they have removed their most precious
relics, including centuries-old Christian manuscripts. The tomb of
the monastery's namesake, St. Matthew, lies empty -- the bones have
been moved north into the relatively safe territory of the Kurdish
Regional Government.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150527134926.htm">Assyrian Monks Won't Leave Ancient Monastery Amid ISIL Threat</a></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-10447816024252569152015-05-22T22:00:00.000-04:002015-05-22T22:00:00.451-04:00Egypt Police Rescue Kidnapped Christians<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPIwtbvGtASkac1_KRfm9ZIZrfF_En2iGF1xBiwUY91qYlx8tfXcvmZKStKDPKdK5Xl-vEzAX6ahFQBhP3Wiiz1TX-o3x0P114VgjrWEYFSIU401nKmQ5-pNBjE0u1XhNfHms0V4D3pI/s1600/145px-Coptic_cross.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPIwtbvGtASkac1_KRfm9ZIZrfF_En2iGF1xBiwUY91qYlx8tfXcvmZKStKDPKdK5Xl-vEzAX6ahFQBhP3Wiiz1TX-o3x0P114VgjrWEYFSIU401nKmQ5-pNBjE0u1XhNfHms0V4D3pI/s1600/145px-Coptic_cross.png" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Egyptian
police have rescued four Copts who were kidnapped while on their way
from a pilgrimage site in Minya province.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Authorities
raided an isolated farmhouse in the mountainous area not far from the
city of Salamut where the victims were taken away by armed gunmen,
the Catholic Fides news agency reported.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Police
tracked down the hideout of the kidnappers, who demanded ransom from
the victims' families of 600,000 Egyptian pounds ($79,000), at the
village of Akoris.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
raiding team stormed the kidnappers' safe house around dawn May 20,
and a firefight ensued between authorities and the criminals. Some of
the kidnappers managed to escape.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Police
found the victims shackled with chains at the farm, and saw
indications that they had been tortured by their captors, who waited
for ransom to be paid.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
victims said the kidnappers constantly threatened to kill them if
their families refused to pay ransom.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Some
of the victims even suffered physical abuse as the kidnappers beat
them up while waiting for the families to give into their demands.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Three
of the victims were adults with ages ranging from 20 to 35 years,
while the fourth was a five-year-old child.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
victims had come from the Church of the Virgin Mary in Jabal al-Tair,
which was built around 328 A.D. on the orders of Queen Helena, the
mother of Emperor Constantine.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
church is one of the most popular Marian shrines frequented by the
Coptic Christian community in Egypt.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150522174915.htm">Egypt Police Rescue Kidnapped Christians</a></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-51824635262464830902015-05-22T21:53:00.002-04:002015-05-22T21:53:13.429-04:00Assyrian Girl Kidnapped in Baghdad Released<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrb9iJufZWJNrC56PUTnG6cDueMq7utCq0xBTUyc0Ivku62cS_2feZmva8i7pg8xXN3jT1pVBYAIdxcbnjJg08lHHkw2RKaEW2dwYJ1LZkiF_7infRbxdEKrMJYCZlC0n_arrJ9dAtwuU/s1600/16+year-old+Assyrian+girl+Juliana+George+was+kidnapped+in+Baghdad+7+days+ago..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Juliana George released in Baghdad" border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrb9iJufZWJNrC56PUTnG6cDueMq7utCq0xBTUyc0Ivku62cS_2feZmva8i7pg8xXN3jT1pVBYAIdxcbnjJg08lHHkw2RKaEW2dwYJ1LZkiF_7infRbxdEKrMJYCZlC0n_arrJ9dAtwuU/s320/16+year-old+Assyrian+girl+Juliana+George+was+kidnapped+in+Baghdad+7+days+ago..jpg" title="Juliana George released in Baghdad" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Juliana George released in Baghdad</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>(AINA)
-- Juliana George, a 16 year-old Assyrian girl who was kidnapped from
her home in Baghdad 9 days ago (AINA 2015-05-12), was released
yesterday after a $55,000 ransom was paid. According to her father,
George, Juliana was badly frightened by the experience but was not
apparently mistreated.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>"I
fear for her and my two other daughters," said George in a
telephone interview. "There is no reason to believe that we will
not be targeted again. I don't see how we can stay in Baghdad after
this."</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Juliana
was abducted by four men when she answered the door bell at her home.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150514175737.htm">Assyrian Girl Kidnapped in Baghdad Released</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-71810415771475013802015-05-22T21:41:00.001-04:002015-05-22T21:41:27.283-04:00Islamic State Burned a Woman Alive for Not Engaging in an 'extreme' Sex Act<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HscN9AZkuGo/TXlyUgkRJzI/AAAAAAAAChs/KE4K0FcjR4o/s1600/NEWS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HscN9AZkuGo/TXlyUgkRJzI/AAAAAAAAChs/KE4K0FcjR4o/s200/NEWS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Amid
all the Islamic State's atrocities -- its massacres of civilians, its
beheading of hostages, its pillaging of antiquities -- the systematic
violence the jihadists have carried out against countless enslaved
women and girls never fails to shock. For months now, we've heard
appalling testimony from women who escaped the Islamic State's
clutches, many of whom endured rape and other hideous acts of
violence.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Zainab
Bangura, the U.N.'s special representative on sexual violence in
conflict, recently conducted a tour of refugee camps in the shadow of
the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, war-ravaged countries where the
Islamic State commands swaths of territory. She heard a host of
horror stories from victims and their families and recounted them in
an interview earlier this week with the Middle East Eye, an
independent regional news site.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>"They
are institutionalizing sexual violence," Bangura said of the
Islamic State. "The brutalization of women and girls is central
to their ideology."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Bangura
detailed the processes by which "pretty virgins" captured
by the jihadists were bought and sold at auctions. Here's a chilling
excerpt:</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
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<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.48in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>After
attacking a village, [the Islamic State] splits women from men and
executes boys and men aged 14 and over. The women and mothers are
separated; girls are stripped naked, tested for virginity and
examined for breast size and prettiness. The youngest, and those
considered the prettiest virgins fetch higher prices and are sent to
Raqqa, the IS stronghold.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.48in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>There
is a hierarchy: sheikhs get first choice, then emirs, then fighters.
They often take three or four girls each and keep them for a month or
so, until they grow tired of a girl, when she goes back to market. At
slave auctions, buyers haggle fiercely, driving down prices by
disparaging girls as flat-chested or unattractive.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.48in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>We
heard about one girl who was traded 22 times, and another, who had
escaped, told us that the sheikh who had captured her wrote his name
on the back of her hand to show that she was his "property."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Estimates
vary, but there are believed to be somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000
women enslaved by the Islamic State. Many are Yazidis, a persecuted
minority sect that the extremist Islamic State considers to be
apostate "devil-worshippers," in part because of the
Yazidis' ancient connection to the region's pre-Islamic past. The
jihadists' treatment of Yazidi women, in particular, has been marked
out by its contempt and savagery.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Here's
Bangura again:</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.48in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>They
commit rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution and other acts of
extreme brutality. We heard one case of a 20-year-old girl who was
burned alive because she refused to perform an extreme sex act. We
learned of many other sadistic sexual acts. We struggled to
understand the mentality of people who commit such crimes.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Hundreds
of Yazidi women and girls have escaped their captors, either by
running away, or being ransomed and rescued by their families.
Bangura has urged international assistance in providing proper
medical and "psychosocial" support to the escaped women,
who have experienced terrible trauma.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150522211315.htm">Islamic State Burned a Woman Alive for Not Engaging in an 'extreme' Sex Act</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-52487742791894523932015-05-12T18:57:00.001-04:002015-05-12T18:57:46.866-04:00ISIS Using Passports Stolen From Westerners to Travel to Syria and Iraq<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HscN9AZkuGo/TXlyUgkRJzI/AAAAAAAAChs/KE4K0FcjR4o/s1600/NEWS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HscN9AZkuGo/TXlyUgkRJzI/AAAAAAAAChs/KE4K0FcjR4o/s200/NEWS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>The
Islamic State (Isis) militant group reportedly is using passports
stolen from unsuspecting Westerners to assist its jihadi supporters
to travel to Syria and Iraq.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>According
to a report by Dubai based Al Aan TV, several passports found in an
Isis safehouse following a raid by a local Syrian armed rebel group,
belonged to 'innocent' Westerners from the United States, the United
Kingdom and France, apart from those belonging to Israel, with no
ties to Isis.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>The
investigative report found that these passports were stolen and were
later used by the Isis supporters to travel to Syria.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Jenan
Moussa, a correspondent with Al Aan TV noted that she was able to get
copies of 34 passports issued by various countries.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Six
of the passports were Albanian, four were French, two each were of
Holland, Germany, Sweden, Poland and Denmark; and one each of the US,
the UK, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Finland and the Czech Republic.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150512125709.htm">ISIS Using Passports Stolen From Westerners to Travel to Syria</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-37824933439676885812015-05-12T18:43:00.000-04:002015-05-12T18:43:27.382-04:00Assyrian Girl, 16, Abducted in Baghdad<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0qaX5bSk9r0/VVKB1D_qi3I/AAAAAAAARJ0/QnYr2owQEJc/s1600/16%2Byear-old%2BAssyrian%2Bgirl%2BJuliana%2BGeorge%2Bwas%2Bkidnapped%2Bin%2BBaghdad%2B7%2Bdays%2Bago..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0qaX5bSk9r0/VVKB1D_qi3I/AAAAAAAARJ0/QnYr2owQEJc/s400/16%2Byear-old%2BAssyrian%2Bgirl%2BJuliana%2BGeorge%2Bwas%2Bkidnapped%2Bin%2BBaghdad%2B7%2Bdays%2Bago..jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>16 year-old Assyrian girl Juliana George was kidnapped in Baghdad 7 days ago.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Baghdad
(AINA) -- A 16 year-old Assyrian girl, Juliana George, was abducted
from her home in Baghdad 7 days ago. A person knocked on the door of
her home and when she answered she was abducted by 4 men and placed
into a taxi which sped away. Her grandfather Joseph, who is a priest,
chased the taxi on foot and grabbed on to the door, but as the taxi
sped away he could not hold on and fell to the side. A man riding a
bicycle witnessed the incident and followed the taxi. He recorded the
license plate of the car and returned and gave it to Fr. Joseph.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
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</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>The
police were able to find the taxi and its owner, who is in custody
but has refused to talk.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150512050740.htm">Assyrian Girl, 16, Abducted in Baghdad</a></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-88516051343572922602015-05-04T14:49:00.000-04:002015-05-04T14:49:11.904-04:00Muslims Demand 'Right of Return' to Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsfQgM-SBnM/VUe_CA0ysHI/AAAAAAAARFg/a3iW-GWtpXU/s1600/Flag_of_Spain.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsfQgM-SBnM/VUe_CA0ysHI/AAAAAAAARFg/a3iW-GWtpXU/s200/Flag_of_Spain.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Muslim
groups are demanding Spanish citizenship for potentially millions of
descendants of Muslims who were expelled from Spain during the Middle
Ages.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
growing clamor for "historical justice" comes after the
recent approval of a law that would grant Spanish citizenship to
descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Muslim
supporters say they are entitled to the same rights and privileges as
Jews because both groups were expelled from Spain under similar
historical circumstances.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>But
historians point out that the Jewish presence in Spain predates the
arrival of Christianity in the country and that their expulsion was a
matter of bigotry. By contrast, the Muslims in Spain were colonial
occupiers who called the territory Al-Andalus and imposed Arabic as
the official language. Historians say their expulsion was a matter of
decolonization.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>In
any event, the descendants of Muslims expelled from Spain are
believed to number in the millions--possibly tens of millions--and
most of them now live in North Africa. Observers say that by granting
citizenship to all of them, Spain, virtually overnight, would end up
with the largest Muslim population in the European Union.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Much
of the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by Muslim conquerors known as
the Moors from 711 until 1492, when the Moorish Kingdom of Granada
surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile
and Ferdinand II of Aragon), in what is known as the Christian
Reconquest.</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>But
the final Muslim expulsion from Granada did not take place until over
a century later, beginning in 1609, when King Philip III decreed the
expulsion of the Moriscos.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
Moriscos--Moors who decided to convert to Catholicism after the
Reconquest rather than leave Spain--were suspected of being nominal
Catholics who continued to practice Islam in secret. From 1609
through 1614, the Spanish monarchy forced an estimated 350,000
Moriscos to leave Spain for Muslim North Africa.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Today,
up to five million descendants of the Moriscos are living in Morocco
alone; there are millions more living in Algeria, Egypt, Libya,
Mauritania, Tunisia and Turkey.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>In
a recent essay published by the Morocco-based newspaper Correo
Diplomático, the Morisco-Moroccan journalist Ahmed Bensalh wrote
that the "decision to grant Spanish citizenship to the
grandchildren of the Hebrews in Spain in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, while ignoring the Moriscos, the grandsons of the Muslims,
is without doubt, flagrant segregation and unquestionable
discrimination, as both communities suffered equally in Spain at that
time. The decision could also be considered by the international
community to be an historic act of absolute immorality and
injustice...This decision is absolutely disgraceful and
dishonorable."</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Bensalh
then went on to threaten Spain: "Is Spain aware of what might be
assumed when it makes peace with some and not with others? Is Spain
aware of what this decision could cost? Has Spain considered that it
could jeopardize the massive investments that Muslims have made on
its territory? Does Spain have alternatives to the foreign investment
from Muslims if they ever decide to move that capital to other
destinations due to the discrimination against Muslims?"</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="background: #e6e6ff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Bensalh
is one of many Muslim journalists, historians and academics who are
demanding that Spain treat Moriscos the same way it treats Sephardic
Jews.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div align="justify" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150502210734.htm">Muslims Demand 'Right of Return' to Spain</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-86234030086074317222015-05-04T14:34:00.002-04:002015-05-04T14:34:47.199-04:00ISIS Demands $23 Million for Assyrian Hostages, Vigil Held in Australia<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fK75d_r8BdA/VO6RT9nrZJI/AAAAAAAAQKc/jBxkAlAACyU/s1600/Assyrian%2BCross.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fK75d_r8BdA/VO6RT9nrZJI/AAAAAAAAQKc/jBxkAlAACyU/s200/Assyrian%2BCross.png" width="166" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>(AINA)
-- Assyrian church leader are reporting that ISIS has rejected a
ransom offer for the 230 Assyrians it captured on February 23 in the
Hasaka province of Syria (AINA 2015-02-23). 253 Assyrians were
captured in the initial attacks on the 35 Assyrian villages on the
Khabur river. 23 were subsequently released but 230 remain in
captivity, including 52 children, 84 females and 95 males.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>ISIS
has demanded 100,000 US dollars for each hostage, for a total of 23
million.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Leading
the negotiations with ISIS is Bishop Mellis of Australia. In an
interview with SBS Radio in Australia, Bishop Mellis said:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i><b>We
are a poor nation. These people have not done anything wrong and
won't harm anyone. We as Assyrians do not have this amount of money
you are asking for.</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i><b>We
offered an amount of money that we cannot disclose at this time. With
the amount we offered, we thought it was acceptable, to have the
return of the 230 people</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i><b>After
two days, they (ISIS) told us, "the amount the church offered
was not acceptable. From now on, we will no longer negotiate with
you.</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
hostages have been moved to Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold in Syria, and
are now awaiting trial in Islamic court under Sharia law, where a
Muslim judge will decide their fate. Desperate church leaders have
pleaded for assistance neighboring countries, including Turkey, in
securing the release of the Assyrian hostages.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150501165829.htm">ISIS Demands $23 Million for Assyrian Hostages, Vigil Held in Australia</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-58231832467538134252015-04-29T17:36:00.002-04:002015-04-29T17:40:32.101-04:00Rescued girls not from Chibok, Nigerian military says - CNN.com<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KB739olUjQM/VUFOrxWLe7I/AAAAAAAARA8/hzanYAAq2HI/s1600/Nigerian%2BSoldiers.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KB739olUjQM/VUFOrxWLe7I/AAAAAAAARA8/hzanYAAq2HI/s1600/Nigerian%2BSoldiers.jpeg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nigerian soldiers walking in the street in the remote north-eastern town of Baga in Borno State. Photograph: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>CNN</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Hotoro,
Kano, Nigeria (CNN)Girls rescued from Boko Haram terror camps in
Sambisa Forest on Tuesday are "not the Chibok girls,"
Nigerian Army spokesman Sani Usman said.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>However,
one official did not rule out that captives from other Boko Haram
camps that were raided might include some of the 200 girls abducted
in April 2014 from a school in Chibok.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Nigerian
troops rescued 200 girls and 93 women Tuesday in the Sambisa Forest
in the northeastern part of the country, the Nigerian Armed Forces
announced on its official Twitter account. The forest is a stronghold
for the militant Boko Haram group and is not far from Chibok.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Military
spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade said the rescued girls and women
are still being screened and none has spoken to their families yet.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
2014 mass abduction from Chibok led to an international social media
movement, #BringBackOurGirls, to rescue them. Boko Haram, a militant
Islamist group, has been kidnapping females for years and has
hundreds in their custody.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>The
Tokumbere, Sassa and Tlafa terror camps were raided and destroyed,
said a source close to the military. The Tokumbere camp is the most
notorious, where the training of small children by Boko Haram is said
to have occurred, the source said. Boko Haram terrorists were killed
in the operation, but the military did not say how many.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/africa/nigerian-troops-rescue-women-girls/index.html">Rescued girls not from Chibok, Nigerian military says - CNN.com</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480818887999376667.post-87761701533525547352015-04-29T17:02:00.000-04:002015-05-06T22:53:57.253-04:00Senior Female ISIS Recruiter is Student From Seattle<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
following excerpts are from </span></span><a href="http://aina.org/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>AINA.org</b></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>A
senior female Isis figure who reportedly helped recruit women to join
the extremist group in areas under its self-declared caliphate has
been exposed as a student from Seattle, who may have been living in
the city up until March this year.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>The
person behind the influential @_UmmWaqqas Twitter account has been
revealed by Channel 4 as a woman in her 20s who lived and studied in
the US.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>Her
Twitter account had a following of over 8,000 before it was suspended
and shows that British recruits, such as Aqsa Mahmood, and other
women from Europe were in contact with her in the days running up
their departure. Mahmood goes by the name of 'Umm Layth' online and
tweets from the @_UmmWaqqas account...</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Read
more by clicking below:</span></span></div>
<b><a href="http://aina.org/news/20150429135600.htm#.VUFGMqXNPho.blogger">Senior Female ISIS Recruiter is Student From Seattle</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.paypal.me/GarySmith537" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Donate now securely with PayPal</span></a></b></div> </div>Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07100985961890100599noreply@blogger.com0