Monday, November 19, 2007

Angelqueen.org

Angelqueen.org

Link to Angelqueen.org

The Woeful Plight of Iraqi Christians

Posted:

Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:21 pm (GMT -5)

The Woeful Plight of Iraqi Christians
link to original
November 2007

Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim, a Chaldean Catholic in Iraq, preached an astonishing sermon on June 19 at the Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in Southfield, Mich. According to a Catholic News Service report written by Robert Delaney (The Catholic Voice, July 2), Bishop Ibrahim delivered his sermon in Arabic, later providing an English translation of his major points.

Delaney reports that "The current situation [in Iraq] puts Christians in the hazardous position of being perceived as being allied with the foreign occupiers, but the Americans provide no special protection for them, the bishop [said]." Bishop Ibrahim also said, "When the world's major superpower has 150,000 troops in that country [Iraq], is a terrible thing.... they cannot defend human life and human rights." According to Delaney, "even with" the "surge in U.S. forces already in place, there is no security in Baghdad, [the Bishop] noted." Bishop Ibrahim said, "Things are worse and worse and worse..., even for the Americans. The best thing is to withdraw, and then let the brothers attack each other." According to Delaney, "Bishop Ibrahim...believes the [internal] warring factions would eventually reach some sort of power-sharing arrangement."

Delaney writes that "The best hope for improving the situation in Iraq would probably be for troops from other Arab countries under the auspices of the United Nations to be sent in to replace withdrawing U.S. forces, in Bishop Ibrahim's view."

Take it from Bishop Ibrahim; he has seen the destruction and devastation firsthand.

According to Inside the Vatican (June/July), "Iraqi Christians, who enjoyed relative freedom under Saddam Hussein, now live in fear of attacks. Churches have been bombed...and Christians killed or kidnapped in post-Saddam Iraq." Inside the Vatican also said that the Holy See expresses the view that "Middle Eastern conflicts should be solved, not by foreign (i.e., American) intervention, and not by a unilateral, militarily-imposed solution, but by a multilateral, negotiated settlement."

Take it from the Holy See, which is an impartial observer.

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association, a Papal Agency for Humanitarian and Pastoral Support, publishes One magazine. In an article titled "Under Siege: Iraq's Christians" (Jul.-Aug.), Michael J.L. LaCivita writes, "Up to 15 percent of Iraq's 27.5 million people have been uprooted -- the equivalent of 45 million people in the United States...." LaCivita notes that "In 1990, 5 percent of Iraq's 19 million people identified themselves as Christians" -- approximately 950,000 souls. In today's Iraq, however, "according to...estimates from the United Nations and the Holy See, no more than 300,000 remain" -- nearly a 70 percent decline. Says LaCivita, "Iraq's Christians -- whose ancestors embraced the faith before the collapse of Rome and the birth of Muhammad -- take pride in their ancestry.... But this lineage does little to protect them from insurgents (many of whom are not Iraqi), who see Iraqi Christians as collaborators with the so-called Christian West."

Take it from the Papal Agency for Humanitarian and Pastoral Support, which is also an impartial observer.

From 1995 to 2002, 19 Iraqi Assyrians (Christians) were murdered. Since the onset of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, from May 2003 to early June 2007, 268 Iraqi Assyrians have been murdered, the Assyrian International News Agency reported on June 12, 2007.

Take it from the Assyrian International News Agency, which is also an impartial observer.

Gen. David Petraeus is one of the architects of the "surge" of U.S. troops in Iraq. Petraeus's boss is, of course, President Bush. Petraeus reported to Congress (Sept. 10-11) that the "surge" is working and that we are making progress in Iraq -- as one would expect him to, given his position. But Gen. William Westmoreland likewise reported to Congress during the Vietnam War that we were making progress and would ultimately prevail. We lost the Vietnam War.

We must take Petraeus's testimony with a grain of salt. Petraeus is a Four Star General who no doubt wants to go up the chain of command to become a Five Star General. Petraeus is not an impartial observer; he has an extremely vested interest.

Upon the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq in March 2003, two million Iraqis fled the country. The internal displacement has doubled since the "surge" began six months ago, reaching 1.1 million people nationwide, according to the International Office of Migration (The New York Times, Sept. 11, 2007).

The International Office of Migration is also an impartial observer.

According to The New York Times (Sept. 11, 2007), "ABC News delivered the results of its most recent survey of Iraqi public opinion, conducted with the BBC News and the Japanese broadcaster NHK. More than 65 percent of those polled said they felt the situation was worse now than when the surge began."

Is the "surge" working, are we making "progress" in Iraq? Take it from Iraqi citizens -- no mere observers -- who experience directly with tears and suffering the all-too-brutal brunt of our failed foreign policy in Iraq.

Democrats Clinton, Obama, Edwards want Pro-Abortion Justices

Posted:

Sun Nov 18, 2007 4:46 pm (GMT -5)

Leading Democrats Clinton, Obama, Edwards Demand Pro-Abortion Justices

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 16, 2007

Las Vegas, NV (LifeNews.com) -- During the Democratic presidential debate last night in Nevada, all the leading candidates for the party's nomination said they would demand that any appointee to the Supreme Court support abortion. They each said they would only send the Senate nominees who want to uphold the Roe v. Wade decision.

Wolf Blitzer asked pro-abortion New York Sen. Hillary Clinton if "any nominee you name to the Supreme Court would have to share your view on abortion?"

Clinton said they would definitely "have to share my view about privacy" -- a term abortion advocates use to refer to abortion.

"Privacy, in my opinion, is embedded in our Constitution," Clinton added, "So it would be absolutely critical."

With Clinton getting away from the buzzword of abortion, Blitzer brought her back to the direct question, asking, "So the answer is yes?"

"Yes, the answer is yes," Clinton confirmed.

Sen. Barack Obama, an Illinois lawmaker and former law professor, confirmed he would only back pro-abortion Supreme Court picks as well.

"I would not appoint somebody who doesn't believe in the right to privacy," he said.

John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, was more clear in his answer during the debate.

"I would insist that they recognize the right to privacy and recognize Roe v. Wade as settled law," he said of any Supreme Court nominees.

The other Democratic presidential candidates considered less likely to wind up with the party's nomination all endorsed pro-abortion judicial picks as well.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, considered by many to be a likely vice-presidential pick, repeated earlier comments that he would only select pro-abortion judges.

"I would also ask my nominee -- this is what I would ask: Number one, do you believe Roe versus Wade is settled law? Number two, do you support the right to privacy?" he said. "If the answer is no to those questions that basically say is it settled law or not -- you want to call it a litmus test, fine -- those would be the judges that I would appoint for the Supreme Court."

Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio congressman who was formerly pro-life, said abortion would definitely be a litmus test in any high court selection.

"A Kucinich appointment to the Supreme Court would have a litmus test on abortion. It's a -- it's a question of a woman's right to choose and a right to privacy," he said.

Senator Joe Biden, a pro-abortion Delaware lawmaker, agreed.

"I would not appoint anyone who did not understand that Section 5 of the 14th Amendment and the Liberty Clause of the 14th Amendment provided a right to privacy ... which means they would support Roe v. Wade," he said.


_________________
http://www.geocities.com/demographic_crash
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)