Thursday, June 30, 2011

The roots of violent extremism

This is a good start, to look at the common threads of this phenomenon as it arises in different political, cultural, and ideological settings.

Amplify’d from www.thestar.com

Ex-skinhead, former Islamic radical open summit against extremism

 Maajid Nawaz, a former member of Britain's Hizbul ul-Tahrir, listens to former neo-Nazi T.J. Leyden at the

Most panelists said there was no one event, or epiphany, which made them abandon their violent extremist groups, or join in the first place.

And they agreed that it is the early process of recruitment, when potential members are young and looking for acceptance, that should be the focus on figuring out how to steer the next generation away from criminal or terrorist organizations.

Read more at www.thestar.com
 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Christians issue rule book for spreading faith

This is a positive development. A good step in the right direction.



Additionally, the WCC and the Vatican ordinarily do not collaborate on "Christian direction." This too is very good.

Amplify’d from www.irfwp.org
(Reuters) - A
coalition of major Christian churches including the Vatican launched a
rule book on Tuesday for spreading their faith that aims to reduce
hostility from Islam and other religions to efforts to convert their
followers.

Hands in Prayer

But
Christians should "conduct themselves with integrity, charity,
compassion and humility, and overcome all arrogance, condescension and
disparagement" with regard other religions.

Read more at www.irfwp.org
 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Clerical pedophilia – The next step

I published this article today



These horrors of abuse continue to haunt us with no signs of abating. But is the world of legal settlements sufficient to rescue us from our collective suffering?


Monday, June 20, 2011

Tomorrow: Israeli Presidential Conference

Amplify’d from presidentconf.org.il


Facing Tomorrow 2011,

the third annual Conference

under the auspices of the

President of the State of

Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres,

will take place in Jerusalem,

June 21-23, 2011.







Conference Website
Plenary sessions will be available in real time on the Conference website. www.presidentconf.org.il. The website will be updated with photos, articles and events taking place at the Conference on an ongoing basis.
The Conference will be broadcast on your cellular phone for members via *22 – radio, and for generation 3 members – video.
Furthermore, sessions will also be available for viewing on the Conference Facebook page.
Read more at presidentconf.org.il
 

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Obama's war needs no permission from congress

Deja vu all over again



And the political parties in the US differ how?

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com










WASHINGTON — President Obama rejected the views of top lawyers at the Pentagon and the Justice Department when he decided that he had the legal authority to continue American military participation in the air war in Libya without Congressional authorization, according to officials familiar with internal administration deliberations.



Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, and Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, had told the White House that they believed that the United States military’s activities in the NATO-led air war amounted to “hostilities.” Under the War Powers Resolution, that would have required Mr. Obama to terminate or scale back the mission after May 20.


But Mr. Obama decided instead to adopt the legal analysis of several other senior members of his legal team — including the White House counsel, Robert Bauer, and the State Department legal adviser, Harold H. Koh — who argued that the United States military’s activities fell short of “hostilities.” Under that view, Mr. Obama needed no permission from Congress to continue the mission unchanged.

Read more at www.nytimes.com
 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Jobs-focused education leaves history in the dustbin

Only 9% of 4th graders have ever heard of Abraham LIncoln



This "materialization" or "utilitarian" approach to education is responsible for such great social ills as our current economic calamities, undeclared wars, and other perversions that threaten the foundations of the American experiment,

Amplify’d from www.csmonitor.com

A society can make progress only if its young people know of the progress their country has made so far. In America, that means fourth-graders should be able to identify Abraham Lincoln – only 9 percent can. High school seniors must know about the Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling Brown v. Board of Education – only 2 percent do.

Such statistics are particularly worrisome because today’s 12th-graders will be able to vote in next year’s elections.

Read more at www.csmonitor.com
 

US guns fuel Mexico violence

OK - I think I get this



We buy their drugs



We sell them our guns



They're the bad guys

Amplify’d from www.bbc.co.uk

A US Congressional report suggests some 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing came from the US.

Seized weapons are displayed to the media by the Mexican Navy in Mexico City 9 June, 2011
See more at www.bbc.co.uk
 

China 'will not use force' in South China Sea disputes

A very tenuous spot. The announcement is welcome.

Amplify’d from www.bbc.co.uk

China has said it will not resort to the use of force to resolve maritime border disputes in the South China Sea.

Map

"We will not resort to the use of force or the threat of force," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

He condemned any action that would exacerbate the dispute, and urged those involved to "do more that is beneficial to regional peace and stability".

Read more at www.bbc.co.uk