I hate to be "that guy" but... about the US, Israel and Armageddon

We don't like to repost our own stuff but as the American-Israel war on Iran enters its fourth day we can't help but think that we've seen this movie before. Or maybe this is just the latest version of the long-running franchise. 

Let's rewind to "Scrapping the Iran deal: another milepost on the road to Armageddon", WWW 10/5/18. To save you clicking on the link [but go ahead if you want! Ed.], the main point of that post was that President Trump was right to scrap the Obama deal with Iran. 

He did that because "Iran is a danger to us, to our allies, to freedom. We stand alongside you in ending the dangerous appeasement of Iran and making all and any action required to stop Iran going nuclear, help its people, halt its spreading of terror and achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and among all peoples and nations."

Inevitably, the Democrats, liberals and one-worlders disagreed with Mr Trump. The Prez called the decision to screap the Iran deal "misguided". The deal was negotiated on his watch and he took credit for it, as befits the winner of a Nobel Peace. What else would he say.

Walt wrote: What the doves never explained was why, if the Iran deal was such a great game-changer, peace didn't break out in the Middle East the minute it was signed. The object was to prevent Iran from developing a nuculer (giving it the American pronunciation) weapon, and stop them from mucking around in Syria and other Muslim civil wars -- Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, etc etc -- by bringing them (Iran) back into the world economic community. So how did that work out?

The Prez and all the other one-world, appease-the-Muslim wienies have responded to POTUS' decision to scrap the Iran nuke deal by saying that his decision has moved us closer than ever to a full-scale war, yea a veritable nuclear holocaust! So if the Middle East explodes, it's all Trump's fault. Right?

Errr, no. My point was that we were on the road to Armageddon well before the Iran deal! See "3 portents of the coming Armageddon", WWW 26/8/14. Scrapping the deal makes no difference other than to immanentize the eschaton. 

The years passed. The Biden interregnum brought was marked by the ignominious retreat from Afghanistan and other triumphs of Democratic diplomacy. The Iranians, emboldened by the defeat of the Trumpster, carried on with their nuclear program and with raising Islamic terrorist hell in the Middle East and around the world.

Now the Donald is back in the White House and can see that the mad mullahs who rule Iran are just as keen as ever on destroying the "Zionist entity" to their south -- note the direction: it's important! -- and imposing their brand of the Religion of Peace(TM), complete with Sharia Law, on the Middle East and however much more of the world the craven Western powers allow.

Time now to explain why we're naming this version of the old movie "The Road to Armageddon". Here's a Biblical (DRV) reference: "And the Lord saidto me: From the north shall an evil break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. Jeremias 1:14 (DRV). 

Now take a look at a map of the Middle East.  If the "families of the kingdoms of the north" come once again to attack the gates of Jerusalem (1:15), the road they will take goes right past... or through... a little place called Megiddo, indicated with the red marker on the map..

That's "Megiddo" as in "Mount Megiddo", which is not really a mountain but a "tell", a city built on top of a city built on top of another city, and so on for 5000 years. During the Bronze Age, Megiddo was an important Canaanite city-state. During the Iron Age, it was a royal city in the Kingdom of Israel.

Megiddo is mentioned only once in the New Testament of the Bible, but has sixteen mentions in the Old Testament, notably in Chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Judges.

Among the judges, the only female, and the only one to be called a prophet is Deborah (aka Debbora), a decisive figure in the defeat of the Canaanites. This is a victory told in two accounts, a prose narrative in Judges 4 and a poem, known as the Song of Deborah, in Judges 5. At Judges 4:6 "she sent and called Barac...and said to him: The Lord God of Israel hath commanded thee: Go, and lead an army." 

And so he did. In the 15th century B.C., God gave the victory at the battle of Megiddo (Judges 5:19) through those who are willing to follow His lead. 

For Christians the word Megiddo is synonymous with the end of the world as mentioned in the Apocalypse of Saint John the Apostle (aka Revelation) 16:16. Other battles, besides the one mentioned in Judges, were fought at Megiddo, as recently as World War I. 

"Har-Megiddo" (Hebrew for the "mount" of "mountain" of Megiddo) or Armageddon, will be the site of the Final Battle.

At that time, according to Apocalypse 6:1-8 (DRV), God will release onto the world four horsemen -- the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The Four Horsemen appear with the opening of the first four of the seven seals that bring forth the cataclysm of the Apocalypse. 

The first horseman, a conqueror with a bow and crown, rides a white horse.

The second horseman is given a great sword and rides a red horse, symbolizing war and bloodshed.

The third carries a balance scale, rides a black horse, and symbolizes famine 

The fourth horseman rides a pale horse and is identified as Death.

It's hard to look at the events unfolding right now without wondering if the Final Battle has not begun. I'm afraid to repeat my usual "Stay tuned."

Armageddon soon?

Here is the stack-4 headline on this morning's Breitbart News landing page: 

Report: Khamenei Orders Direct Strike on Israel 

On the Brink: Possibility of Iran-Israel War Looms 

White House Claims No Knowledge of Strike on Hamas Leader

Surrogates Speak, But Where Is Biden?

Walt's answer to BN 's question: Biden's hidin'!

No doubt Senile Joe is wondering if maybe he should have resigned the presidensity as well as his moribund candidacy. I, for one, am glad his finger, rather than Hawk Tuah's, is on the panic button. Chances are he'll be too tired or shy to press it!

Let me get to the Armageddon part. Safe in my bunker just up the road from Fort Mudge, I have been thinking about what Sacred Scipture has to say about the Last Days. If Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, truly desires to immanentize the eschaton, he's certainly got his sights fixed on the right target. 

Use this map to keep track to keep track of the latest news from the Muddle East. All the key places are there: Jerusalem, Gaza, Damascus, and -- indicated with the red marker -- a little place called Megiddo.

That's "Megiddo" as in "Mount Megiddo", which is not really a mountain but a "tell", a city built on top of a city built on top of another city, and so on for 5000 years. 

During the Bronze Age, Megiddo was an important Canaanite city-state. During the Iron Age, it was a royal city in the Kingdom of Israel.

Megiddo is mentioned only once in the New Testament of the Bible, but has sixteen mentions in the Old Testament, notably in Chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Judges.

Amont the judges, the only female, and the only one to be called a prophet is Deborah (aka Debbora), a decisive figure in the defeat of the Canaanites. This is a victory told in two accounts, a prose narrative in Judges 4 and a poem, known as the Song of Deborah, in Judges 5. At Judges 4:6 "she sent and called Barac [aka Barak!!! Ed.]...and said to him: The Lord God of Israel hath commanded thee: Go, and lead an army." 

And so he did. In the 15th century B.C., God gave the victory at the battle of Megiddo (Judges 5:19) through those who are willing to follow His lead. Deborah sings her song boldly to the Lord Himself (Judges 5:1–4). She is echoed by Barak and the people of Israel. She describes God as moving from outside of the land of Canaan into the land, bringing earthquakes and rainstorms with Him.

For Christians the word Megiddo is synonymous with the end of the world as mentioned in the Apocalypse or Saint John the Apostle (aka the Book of Revelation) 16:16. Other battles, besides the one mentioned in Judges, were fought at Megiddo, as recently as World War I. "Har-Megiddo" (Hebrew for the "mount" of "mountain" of Megiddo) or Armageddon, will be the site of the Final Battle.

At that time, according to Apocalypse 6:1-8, the God will have released onto the world four horsement, which we now call the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The Four Horsemen appear with the opening of the first four of the seven seals that bring forth the cataclysm of the Apocalypse. 

The first horseman, a conqueror with a bow and crown, rides a white horse.

The second horseman is given a great sword and rides a red horse, symbolizing war and bloodshed.

The third carries a balance scale, rides a black horse, and symbolizes famine, one might think the Four Horsemen 

The fourth horseman rides a pale horse and is identified as Death.

Looking at what's happening in the Holy Land (or once-holy land) are here already. Are we now witnessing the Final Battle? I'm afraid to repeat my usual "Stay tuned."

The Holy Land: plus ça change...

Two reports from Jerusalem, a holy city to Jews, Christians and Muslims. The first, datelined today (22/4/22), is from Al-Jazeera. 

A new Israeli raid at Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem this [Friday] morning left 31 Palestinians injured, including three journalists. Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades as they entered the compound of the Muslim holy site.

Palestinians threw stones at the Israeli police, who were dressed in full riot gear (see photo below). A small fire was also reported at the compound, with Palestinians blaming Israeli police for setting a tree alight, while the police said that the fire was the result of Palestinians throwing fireworks. Israeli police blamed Palestinians for throwing rocks, and said that they waited until early morning prayers ended before entering the compound. 

The Muslim holy site has been the centre of days of violence amid heightened tensions following a series of attacks inside Israel and police raids in the West Bank, which Israel is illegally occupying.In a meeting with a United States State Department delegation on Thursday, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, said Israel was responsible for the escalation in the occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. 

Tens of thousands of Muslims are expected at Al-Aqsa later in the day [today. Ed.] for Friday prayers. Visits by Jewish groups were suspended from Friday for the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This year, the fasting month has coincided with the Jewish Passover and major Christian holidays, with tens of thousands of people from all three faiths flocking to Jerusalem's Old City. 

The second report is from P.J. O'Rourke's excellent book, Holidays in Hell.

The dim interior of the Al-Aqsa Mosque was the size of a large suburban house lot. There were no furnishing at all except luminous antique carpets spread two and three deep across the entire floor. Scores of columns, thick as automobiles, supported a roof so high it was nearly invisislbe. A few of the slippered worshipopers knelt alone on prayer rugs; others gathered in small groups along the walls. For the next four hours,...I hid in these majestic shadows.... 

There was, in fact, a demonstration after prayers, though not a very exciting one.Men came out ofr Al-Aqsa and yelled; women came out of the Dome of the Rock and shrieked. An imam...was hoisted upon shoulders and carried around the Dome. Dozens of pocket-sized Qu'rans were waved in the air.

True to Arab form, the demonstration immediately broke into two quarrelling factions: the group hoisting the imam wanted to keep a strictly religious tone of outrage to the proceedings; the other group wanted to wave a small, homemade Palestinian flag and scream at the Israelis.

The soldiers along the walls looked tense, and one platoon moved into the enclosure and stood along the edge of the Dome's platform with weapons in array. But they didn't interfere. A few young Muslims made feints at collecting stones to throw but didn't follow through. With nothing to oppose it, the demonstration died down in half an hour.

P.J.'s account, dated January 1988, is from the chapter entitled "The Holy Land -- God's monkey house". Nuff said.

VIDEO: Science confirms location of Christ's tomb

This is more than a little out of season, but good news is always good news, no matter how long it takes to travel to our corner of the forest.

An article which appeared in National Geographic confirms that the truths of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition can often be proven to the skeptical by the methodologies of modern science. An example of a recent find corroborating an ancient belief is the confirmation by archaeologists that early Roman Christians were correct in the location that they believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ. The results of scientific tests appear to show that the limestone cave whose remains are enshrined within the venerable Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was in fact the burial site of Our Lord and Saviour.

Mortar sampled from between the original limestone surface of the tomb and a marble slab that covers it has been dated to around A.D. 345. According to historical accounts, the tomb was discovered by the Romans and enshrined around 326. Until now, however, the earliest architectural evidence found in and around the tomb complex dated to the Crusader period, making it no more than 1000 years old. But new dating results put the original construction of the tomb securely in the time of Constantine the Great (c. 306-337), Rome's first Christian emperor.

When Constantine's representatives arrived in Jerusalem around 325 to locate the tomb, they were allegedly directed to a Roman temple built some 200 years earlier. The Roman temple was razed and excavations beneath it revealed a tomb hewn from a limestone cave. The top of the cave was sheared off to expose the interior of the tomb, and the Aediculum (little house) was built around it. Inside the Aediculum is a long shelf, or "burial bed", which according to tradition was the place where the body of Jesus was laid out following His Crucifixion.

Here's a link to the National Geographic article (26/10/16), from which this video was taken.



Dear Catholic readers, the things we have always believed, on the foundation of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition -- dogmatically the two fonts of the Catholic Faith -- are every day being confirmed by modern science. We have nothing to fear from science. What we must fear, and pray for protection against, are the false teachings of those who would lead us into skepticism, or, worse, non-belief, or, worse yet, heretical denial of that which the Church has always declared to be true.

VIDEO: Followers of "the religion of peace" express their opinions on American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital... in Sweden!

Malmö used to be a Swedish city. It is still in Sweden, but now it's "home" to tens of thousands of Muslim "refugees", asylum-seekers and other poor, misunderstood followers of the Prophet. Many of them are unemployed -- living on the largesse of Swedish taxpayers -- and have nothing better to do than turn out for anti-American, anti-Western, anti-everything demonstrations, like the one shown in this video.

These Islamists were ostensibly protesting the announcement by POTUS -- see Walt's post earlier today -- that the US of A formally recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and will be moving its embassy there in the near future, as required by US law since 1995. The Islamofascists chanted anti-Semitic slogans and warned that "Jews should remember that the army of Muhammad will return."



Swedish state radio reported that the militant Muslims shoulted "We have announced the intifada from Malmö. We want our freedom back, and we will shoot the Jews." In typically Swedish politically correct fashion, Sveriges Radio broadcast only audio of the event, which would have been unintelligible to Swedes who don't speak Arabic (the country's new second language). I suppose they didn't want to show the video, or provide translations of the epithets, for fear of fanning the flames of Islamophobia. Fortunately, this video with crowd-sourced subtitles appeared on YouTube within a few hours.

Port Authority terminal bomber inspired by ISIS - "Allahu akbar!"

While I was writing the ppst about President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel -- scroll down -- Ed. has been following the breaking news of the bombing near the Port Authority terminal in New York City. We hope Fox News won't mind our reposting, almost verbatim, their latest report. (Hey! We're building up your readership here!)

Fox News says that a Bangladeshi national living in Brooklyn prematurely detonated his "low tech device" in an "attempted terrorist attack" inside New York City's Port Authority bus terminal Monday morning -- a blast that rocked the city during rush hour, causing chaos and halting several subway lines.

In a hastily called news conference, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo said that Akayed Ullah, 27, set off the "effectively low tech device" in a subway passageway just before 0730 EST. Mr Ullah suffered burns and wounds to his body and appeared to be the only person seriously injured in the pipe bomb explosion, authorities said. At least three other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Said the Gov, "This is New York, the reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom." New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio concurred, saying, "This was attempted terrorist attack." Neither Mr Cuomo nor Mr De Blasio mentioned the words "Islamist", "Muslim" or "ISIS".

However, law enforcement sources told the New York Post that Mr Ullah's attack was inspired by ISIS. The suspect allegedly packed the 5-inch metal pipe bomb and battery pack into the right side of his jacket, but the device exploded earlier than intended. The suspect told police he made the bomb at the electrical company where he works.

This is breaking news. We'll have more later, although to be honest, the only thing I'm waiting for is a statement from the perp that he did it to protest POTUS' recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Stay tuned.

NYC bomb related to POTUS' recognizing Jerusalem as Israel capital?

Fox News reports that several people were injured and one person was in custody after an explosion near New York City's Port Authority bus terminal during this morning's rush hour, prompting mass chaos and halting multiple subway lines, according to a report citing law enforcement sources.

NYPD and the FDNY confirmed to Fox News they are investigating reports of an explosion "of an unknown origin" near 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue. Police tweeted A, C, E subways lines are being evacuated. NYC Office of Emergency Management also tweeted there was "police activity" near West 42nd Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues and advised commuters to expect delays.

I'm listening to the rangdeedio right now, hoping to learn more. Another source says the explosion was caused by a pipe bomb in a walkway or tunnel under the bus terminal. No word yet on the citizenship, ethnicity or religion of the person taken into custody. Of course that person may or not be the bomber, and may or may not be named "Mohammed" something or other.

Regardless of whether or not the perp is an Islamic extremist, I predict the bombing (if that's what it was) will be blamed by the lamestream media, Democrats and other anti-Trumpers on POTUS' statement last week that the US of A officially recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel. (Lifetime pct .986.) A lot of people -- Western politicians as well as bitter Palestinians and fanatical Muslims -- seem to be pretty worked up about this, so let's examine it.

Regular readers should know that I hold no brief for Israel or the Jews. Any reasonably astute observer of the politics and economics of America and the rest of the West should know, too, that the things that really matter -- banks and the monetary system, the lamestream media, even the entertainment industry -- are controlled by international Jewry. One of the most powerful political groups in the USA, and Washington in particular, is the Jewish lobby. Both openly and secretly, Jews provide major funding to both the Democrats and Republicans. No matter who's in power, you will never never find the nominal rulers of America challenging or even criticizing Israel.

Israel is, when you think about it, the creation of Adolf Hitler. Lots of Jews -- maybe not 6 million, but lots -- died or were displaced in World War II, and the victorious Allies, suffering badly from Christian guilt, decided that something must be done for those who survived. Like giving them their Promised Land. Not a chunk of Europe, of course, but some other land, inhabited (if at all) by less deserving people. And so, out of a barren territory called Palestine, the United Nations carved the "Zionist entity" known as Israel.

Speaking yesterday at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, (((Benjamin Netanyahu))), the President of Israel, said that Jerusalem has for 1000s of years been "the capital of the Jewish state." You could look it up, he said. "It's in the Bible." That is true if one speaks of the homeland of the Jews in the religious sense, but only partially true if one looks at world politics and international law.

A century ago, as World War I drew to a close, the territory in question was part of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish-ruled "sick man of Europe". When the sick man lay dying, the Great Powers -- Britain and France, in this case -- carved up the Middle East between them. You can find a reference to the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 in the movie Lawrence of Arabia. Britain's share included the land of Palestine, which had been a southern part of Syria. (The French got the northern part of Syria -- lucky them.) The British mandatory territory of Palestine was established by the League of Nations, and existed from 1920 until 1948, with its capital at Jerusalem.

Under the 1947 UN Partition Plan to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, Jerusalem was meant to be placed under international sovereignty and control. It was granted special status based on its importance to the three Abrahamic religions -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As so often happens in that awful part of the world, war broke out following the UN's recommendation, and in 1948 Zionist forces took control of the western half of Jerusalem and declared the territory part of its state.

Not quite two decades later there was another war between the Arabs and Israelis, worse for the Arabs than the first. During the Six-Day War, Israel captured the eastern half of Jerusalem, which was under Jordanian control at the time, and effectively annexed it by extending Israeli law, bringing it directly under Israeli jurisdiction. This is what lawyers call de facto jurisdiction, meaning an administration or government that holds power as a matter of fact, not necessarily as a matter of law.

Having thus had de facto control of all of Jerusalem since 1967, the Israeli government, in 1980, Israel passed the "Jerusalem Law", stating that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel", thereby formalising its annexation of East Jerusalem. And that's how the situation stands today, as far as the state of Israel is concerned. Until President Trump's announcement, no other country -- well, none that counts -- acknowledged... or denied... the validity of the Jerusalem Law. Most countries -- the ones that count -- maintain their embassies and other missions in Tel Aviv, the capital ordered by the UN Partition Plan, which still remains Israel's commercial capital.

What the anti-Trumpers aren't admitting is that the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not an idea that sprang fully formed out of President Trump's mind. Egged on by the powerful Zionist lobby (see above), the 104th Congress passed, on 23 October 1995, the Jerusalem Embassy Act, signed into law by the unimpeachable President William Jefferson Clinton.

The purpose of the Jerusalem Embassy Act was to initiate and fund the relocation of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That was to be done by 31 May 1999, at the latest. The Act also calls for Jerusalem to remain an undivided city and for it to be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel. You can look it up!

For reasons which we can only guess, Presidents Clinton, Bush II, and Obama, ignored the wishes of Congress and the law of the land, and refused to implement the Jerusalem Embassy Act. Their excuse was that the Act was a Congressional infringement on the executive branch's constitutional authority over foreign policy. All three of them consistently claimed the presidential waiver on national security interests.

President Trump signed the waiver in June 2017, but apparently changed his mind some time later and decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital -- which it is, as a matter of fact -- and begin the relocation of the US embassy, as required by American law. If any political scientist or constitutional scholar can advance a good argument for doing otherwise, I would like to hear it.

Footnote: Quod scripsi, scripsi. But I still like the illustration Ed. chose for this piece. My preference would be to see Jerusalem declared an international city, the capital of neither Israel nor the proposed separate Palestinian state. I fear that solution is too sensible, too peaceful to be accepted by the extremists, whether Zionist or Islamist. I expect the war of words... and worse... to continue.

Walt explains why the Muslim jihadists want to kill us

Last week -- before yesterday's tragic events in Brussels -- Agent 6 e-mailed me to express his lack of understanding of why the ISIS (and al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and Taliban) terrorists keep killing people.

Speaking of the Muslim terrorist attack on a Canadian Forces recruiting office, our esteemed agent calls it "a sordid story. One wonders what went through the mind of Ayanie Hassan Ali before the attack. What did he really hope to accomplish in the name of Allah? And he was born and raised [in Canada]! Could be a result of too much inbreeding through his heritage. Will raise suspicion for anyone with a beard."

Last night I heard a "security expert" giving his explanation for the Muslims' attacks on Westerners. He said that in Europe and North America, Muslims are "marginalized" and the victims of discrimination, demonization and (of course) Islamophobia. He made a thinly veiled reference to Donald Trump and others who preach "exclusion".

That's rubbish! Totally! A big black crock! The answer to Agent 6's question, and the contradiction to the politically correct explanation of the "expert", is to be found in what Ayanie Hassan Ali shouted as he knifed the soldiers. "Allah told me to do this," he yelled. "Allah told me to come here and kill people!"

The celebrators of diversity were quick to say that was just the rant of one deranged individual, not representative of the feelings of the vast majority of "moderate Muslims". That's rubbish too! Rewind to October 2014 when two "homegrown, radicalized Muslims" killed two Canadian soldiers in separate incidents in Ottawa and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Not long before the attacks, a young Canuck fighting in the sandpit for ISIS posted a video warning "We're coming to get you!" -- referring to not just the Great Satan but the British, Canadians, Australians and any others who would dare to wage war on them, or stand in the way of their jihad to establish a New Caliphate in the Middle East.

That's pretty much the truth of it. The Islamic terrorists -- ISIS (or whatever we're calling it today), al-Qaeda and the rest of them -- have declared jihad (holy war) on all Christians and other unbelievers, and are exhorting their followers and sympathizers in every country to "kill the infidels, wherever they may be found!"

"Wherever they may be found" includes Paris, Madrid, London, New York, Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, San Bernardino... and now Brussels. This shouldn't come as a surprise. See "Turkish President Erdoğan predicted Brussels bombings last Friday!", WWW 22/3/16. And please, let's stop saying it's because we're being mean to Muslims. The Islamic extremists want to kill us... because Allah's telling them to!

Footnote: On the Vatican Insider web page, Andrea Tornielli quotes the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, as taking issue with the US announcement that a genocidal campaign against Christians is taking place in the Middle East. "The statement comes too late, when everything has already happened," said the prelate. "Everyone has either escaped or [is] dead."

Christians attacked every day in Mid-East, Africa and Asia

News from "the cradle of civilization" continues to be depressing, at least for Christians. All the other "belief systems" -- fanatical Muslims, Hindus, even Jews ("our fathers in faith", as the mainstream Church calls them now) -- keep killing and otherwise persecuting those who hold to the True Faith. Here are three items from yesterday's Catholic World News. We'll include the links so you can read for yourself.

2 Christians shot in Libya after refusing to convert to IslamTwo Coptic Christians were shot in northeastern Libya after they refused to convert to Islam, according to Morning Star News, a news service that reports on the persecution of Christians. . . .

Attack on Catholic mission outpost in Central African RepublicSudanese members of the Séléka rebel coalition, which assumed power in the Central African Republic in March, have ransacked the Catholic mission in Bouar, a city of 40,000 in the western portion of the nation, according to the Fides news agency. . . .

Tombstones smashed in Christian cemetery in JerusalemFour young men whom the Jerusalem Post described as “Jewish nationalists” smashed tombstones and broke off crosses in a Christian cemetery in Jerusalem, according to a story that appeared on the newspaper’s website. . . .

Assassination attempt against Coptic bishop in EgyptA Coptic Orthodox bishop survived an assassination attempt as he was traveling to console the family of a murder victim, according to multiple media reports. . . .

This kind of thing is reported every bloody day! (I chose that adjective deliberately.) And yet the Church and Francis the Party Pope keep telling us that we must love the heathens and the heretics, keep reaching out to them, invite them into our places of worship, not to mention out countries. DAFT, isn't it?

Confession from Ed.: I borrowed the graphic from the cover of this week's Economist because I thought it was about right for this story. Look for the mag at your newsstand. Oh... no more newsstands in your neck of the woods? Walt will keep you posted!

Peace and love on St. Valentine's Day

Ah yes, St. Valentine's Day... Or just "Valentine's Day" to all you modern Catholics and non-believers. A day when we celebrate love, peace and tolerance for those of other races and creeds. Here are two items from today's news.

Lots of Westerners don't know this, but the largest Muslim country in the world is actually Indonesia. The huge archipelago [there's that word again! Ed.] has significant Christian and Hindu minorities, whom the Muslim extremists in and out of government keep trying to suppress. They can't help it -- or won't help it -- because that's the nature of Islam.

Anyway, on Wednesday Indonesian officials and Muslim clerics called for young people to skip Valentine's Day, saying it's an excuse for couples to have forbidden sex. Not to mention buying gifts for persons of the opposite sex, which was also banned in the province of Aceh.

The deputy mayor of a town on the outskirts of Jakarta called on parents not to give their children any chance to celebrate Valentine's Day "because they may be expressing love to their lovers more freely.… It could lead to forbidden sexual relations."

He called on residents to make their children take cold showers. When told that almost no-one in his town had hot running water, he advised taking the children to Islamic religious activities instead.

OK, premarital sex is forbidden (in theory, at least) by the Church too. But what's wrong with giving gifts? Well, a prominent cleric of the Aceh Ulema Council says, "It does not reflect love in accordance with Islamic teachings.… It's the same as promoting faiths other than Islam." So there.

Meanwhile, Father Raymond de Souza reports from the Promised Land on the struggle between ultra-Orthodox Jews and the rest of Israeli society.

You don't have to be religious to be Jewish. One can be a Jew, culturally, and yet be an atheist or an agnostic. And amongst religious Jews there is a broad spectrum of faith and observance, ranging from the the ultra-liberal Reform branch of Judaism all the way to the ultra-Orthodox -- the ones with the hats and lots of kids.

That's fine in America, but in Israel, Father de Souza tells us, many people feel that while there are many Jews, there are too few synagogues. That is, there is a lack of pluralism. There is only the ultra-Orthodox Judaism which meshes with political Zionism.

The norms that regulate prayer and deportment at Jerusalem's Western Wall are set by its chief rabbi. The rabbinate of the Western Wall is controlled by the ultra-Orthodox and, over the past years, the regulations have become increasingly reflective of ultra-Orthodox practice. For the large majority of Jews, both in Israel and globally, who are not ultra-Orthodox, how they are permitted to pray at the Western Wall has become a priority both practical and symbolic.

On Monday, Father de Souza goes on, a group called Women of the Wall held a prayer service. The service was in reality a demonstration against the ultra-Orthodox strictures imposed upon them there, including the space allocated to them and the prohibitions on women praying aloud and wearing prayer shawls. The Women of the Wall did both of those things, and for their pains, got themselves arrested.

The dispute at the Western Wall touches a deeper issue in Israeli society: should Judaism in Israel be defined by the ultra-Orthodox? Israel desires to be a Jewish state, but for which kinds of Jews? As noted above, there are many streams of Judaism, but the only official synagogue belongs to the minority ultra-Orthodox.

The issue can thus be seen as one of basic religious freedom. How can it be that Jews (who happen to be women) can be arrested at the Western Wall for praying as they do at synagogues in London or Los Angeles? Yair Lapid, leader of a party which one 19 Knesset seats in last month's election, asks, "Can it be that the only place in the Western world that Jews do not have religious freedom is at the Western Wall?"

So, outside of politically correct North America, it would appear that prospects for religious pluralism and the celebration of diversity are as dim as ever.
Memo to "Peter the Roman" (or whatever the next pope will call himself): All paths of faith do not lead to the One True God.

Democrats appeal to God... but not much

As you know, Walt was away for a couple of days. My intention was to go to one of my favourite southern cities to watch the spectacle of southern and western Democrats holding their noses for the renomination of Hussein Obama.

I was told, however, that I would be recognized -- not as a speaker or delegate but as a reasonably able, straight, white male, and a Catholic to boot, thus Surplus to Requirements. In other words, my kind is not much wanted in the Grand Conclave of the Politically Correct.

Seems, though, that a few Christians snuck in the door, and exerted sufficient pressure to persuade the Dems to change their convention platform to add one (1) mention of God. Following criticism from the GOP, who got God into their platform twelve (12) times, the Democrats reinstated language from their 2008 platform that said "we need a government that stands up for the hopes, values and interests of working people and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential."

This very small and wet sop to religious Americans -- now shrinking to minority status, at least in Obama's party -- was not unopposed. Convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa called three (3) times for a vote on the motion to amend, before declaring it approved without a vote being taken. His ruling was met with a loud chorus of booze ["boos", surely! Ed.] and cheers ["jeers", surely! Ed.] and cries of "God is dead and we hope he hears us!"

Having pacified the Christians, the Democrats also decided to get the Jews onside. (Not that there was ever much chance of their backing a Mormon and a Catholic!) In a paradigm of pandering, the party declared that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

What's interesting about that move is that it's said to reflect Obama’s personal views on the city claimed as holy by Jews, Christians and Muslims. [In that order, too. Ed.] If that be the case, does it mean that Obama's America would go to war -- against Iran, let's say -- to preserve the status of Jerusalem as the capital of the Zionist entity? Just asking.