In the News
By Hal Lindsey
Last week’s massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, by an Army psychiatrist who is a Muslim, may finally expose the almost stupefying adherence to political correctness by Big Media, our government, and the Left. The levels to which they’re willing to sink to be “PC” is almost mind-boggling. What’s more, it’s insidious and deadly.
For years I’ve thought that America’s decline in the last days may be caused by economic excess, failures, or catastrophe. But, now, I’m beginning to think that America’s inevitable decline may well be caused by the millstone now firmly affixed around her neck: “political correctness.”
The Free Dictionary defines ‘political correctness’ as “relating to or supporting broad social, political, and educational change, especially to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.” It then puts on the clincher when a secondary definition includes being “over-concerned with such change, OFTEN TO THE EXCLUSION OF MORE IMPORTANT FACTORS.”
I have never seen our government, the military, the media, and those enlightened ones on the Left work so hard to avoid even intoning the words “Muslim,” “Islam,” or “terrorism” in any story relating to Major Nidal Malik Hasan or the shooting rampage at Fort Hood. Instead, the panoply of ideas as to why Hasan tried to murder at least one hundred unarmed people (that’s how many bullets he fired) include any and everything you can imagine, EXCEPT the possibility that he may have been influenced by the teachings of violence and martyrdom he’s been exposed to all of his life in Islam.
We have already forgotten a great lesson from our own recent history: it’s more important to be ‘correct’ than ‘politically correct.’ The Bible warns that a nation that has been given great light from God, and rejects it, will be given a mind, by God, that cannot even think in its own best interest. That’s a perfect definition of ‘political correctness.’ And that’s what’s happening in America right now.
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Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Palestinians Ready to Declare a State
The Palestinian leaders are preparing to ask the United Nations to recognize the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state and they say this action must be taken because the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is a failure with no hope of a negotiated peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Palestinian state would be made up of the Jewish settlement area in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip with the Eastern section of Jerusalem as the capital city which is basically the same borders as the pre-1967 Six Day War.
Jimmy’s Prophetic Prospective
The announcement that the Palestinian Authority will declare a Palestinian state unilaterally instead of through the peace process is a page out of Bible prophecy for the last days.
As the Middle East Peace Process continues to falter with no solution in sight the potential declaration from the Palestinian Authority to establish a Palestinian state unilaterally seems to be the only way the Palestinian people can reach their goal of an independent Palestinian state. The unilateral move would have to pass through the United Nations Security Council and this is not an absolute path to the Palestinian desire to have their own state with Jerusalem as its capital city. The Israeli government says they also could take some unilateral actions and make Judea and Samaria a legal part of the state of Israel.
This scenario is setting the stage for the prophetic scenario found in the Bible to be played out. At least four of the ancient Jewish prophets speak in their prophecies to this issue. Malachi says that the Palestinians, the Edomites in Biblical times, will return to set up their borders which God will call the “borders of wickedness” (Malachi 1:2-5). Ezekiel says that the Palestinians will take the land from the Jewish people - land that God has given to the Jews (Ezekiel 35:10-12). Jeremiah and Obadiah reveal the scenario of a battle between the Jews and the Palestinians over the land that God has given to the Jewish people in the last days and this battle will continue until Jesus Christ returns (Jeremiah 49 and the last ten verses in Obadiah).
The stage is set for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
US State Dep’t: Evacuate Jewish Settlements
A top United States State Department official said recently that the goal of the United States in its negotiations in the Middle East is to pressure Israel to expel Jews from the Biblical lands of Judea and Samaria in Israel in order to end the occupation that began in 1967. William Burns, Under Secretary of State for political affairs at the State Department, said that the bottom line is clear - two states living side by side in peace and security, a Jewish state with true security and a viable independent Palestinian state that ends the occupation that has been in place for over 40 years.
Jimmy’s Prophetic Prospective
A call by the United States State Department for Israel to evacuate the Jewish settlers from Judea and Samaria is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
There has been an ongoing debate between Israel and the rest of the world about the Jews living in the area of Judea and Samaria, known to some as the West Bank, if there is going to be any chance of a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Israeli government after Israeli government has prolonged a decision on whether to concede to the pressure to remove the Jewish settlers and tear down these settlements. The almost 500,000 Jews who live in the area, many of them for almost 40 years now, say that they are not going to uproot their families and start all over again somewhere else in Israel. In fact, these settlers are determined to stay as they are no matter what the consequences.
Almost all of these settlers say they have a Biblical mandate to be living on this piece of real estate and they quote from the prophetic book of Ezekiel. These settlers are correct - the ancient Jewish prophet Ezekiel did write 2500 years ago that God would give this land in particular to the Jewish people and that they would prosper on the land (Ezekiel 34 and 36). These prophecies will be fulfilled, however, there is also Ezekiel 35 that will be fulfilled, a prophecy that says the Palestinians will rise up to take the land from the Jewish people. Even Ezekiel 37:15-23 foretelling two Jewish states in the region in the last days will be fulfilled. In fact, the stage is now set for all of these prophecies to be fulfilled in the very near future.
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GLOBAL BLASPHEMY LAW
Islamic states pushing for ‘global blasphemy law’ [Excerpts]
Opponents say real goal is crackdown on Christians, members of other faiths
A resolution pending in the United Nations in one form or another since 1999 is being pushed again by the Islamic nations that originally proposed the plan they called “Defamation of Islam,” which would ban criticism of the beliefs of Muhammad worldwide.
The proposal, sought by the 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, now has be renamed “Defamation of Religions,” but officials with Open Doors, an international Christian ministry operating in many of those Islamic states, is warning about its potential impact.
Lobbying for the resolution has resumed among decision-makers at the U.N., according to Lindsay Vessey, the advocacy director for [Mission group] Open Doors who traveled this week to New York in opposition to the plan.
Vessey told WND the real agenda was revealed by the original title of the resolution, “Defamation of Islam,” which would “criminalize people who criticize a religion.”
U.N. human rights provisions always have focused on individuals, but the concept of protecting a religion would give authoritarian governments virtually unrestrained power to attack individuals whose message they don’t like, she said.
Open Doors President Carl Moeller recently published a commentary describing what could happen under the proposal.
“The United Nations is once again on the verge of introducing a resolution that goes against everything the world body supposedly stands for. A successful resolution would actually undermine the religious liberty and personal safety of Christians and members of other faiths,” he wrote.
In fact, he said the resolution would “silence words or actions that are deemed to be against a particular religion, and that religion is Islam. While the stated goal seems relatively innocuous - blocking defamation of people’s deeply held religious beliefs - in practice the statement is used to silence those whose only crime is to believe in another faith, or no faith at all.”
He said the OIC as the driving force behind the plan and noted, “The OIC’s goal is anything but peaceful.”
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MORE PROOF: THE EAST IS SEDUCING THE WEST
By Jan Markell
On Saturday I had a spirited on-air discussion with a Bethel University professor who acted as spokesman for the college regarding its recent interfaith symposium. As I wrote last week, Buddhism was featured and there was a suggestion that there just might be “common ground” with Buddhism and Christianity when it comes to “meditation.” Hear the program at this link. The potential “common ground” regarding meditation would be an eastern-style mystical meditation. I saw once again how the East has been seducing the West for nearly 50 years.
When I came home from the radio studio I had more e-mails that brought the total to about 15 in two weeks on the issue of “spiritual formation.” It is hitting Christian universities and churches like Hurricane Katrina. Bad metaphor, you say. Not really. It is causing real destruction. And since spiritual formation, too, deals heavily with the mystical, I thought I would take time to give a brief overview of this topic. I know many of you feel nothing unsound as this could walk in the door of your church, but don’t be so sure!
Roger Oakland explains, “As the Word of God becomes less and less important, the rise in mystical experiences escalates, and these experiences are presented to convince the unsuspecting that Christianity is about feeling, touching, smelling, and seeing God. The postmodern mindset is the perfect environment for fostering spiritual formation.
“This term suggests that there are various ways and means to get closer to God and emulate Him. Thus, the idea is given that if you do certain practices, you can be more like Jesus. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals and find God within. Some even say that having a relationship with Jesus Christ is not a prerequisite.”
Oakland continues, “The spiritual formation movement is widely promoted at colleges and seminaries as the latest and the greatest way to become a spiritual leader. It teaches people that this is how they can become more intimate with God and hear His voice. Even Christian leaders with long-standing reputations of teaching God’s Word seem to be succumbing. In so doing, many Christian leaders are frivolously playing with fire, and the result will be thousands, probably millions, getting burned.”
The proponents of the spiritual formation would tell you the Christian life is always a process of spiritual formation. We are always in transition, becoming more and more spiritual. But they seem to suggest that it would be helpful if we had some gimmicks to help us speed this up.
In 2008, Christianity Today online gave the term of spiritual formation credibility by interviewing the man most prominent in this movement, Richard Foster. They said to Foster, “Evangelicals have been reading your book, A Celebration of Discipline, for 30 years. What is the discipline you think we need to be exploring more at this point?” Foster then promoted “solitude.” But over time we have learned that once again those in this movement are borrowing from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Catholic mystics to perfect a practice for the 21st century.
Promoters of Emergent conversation say we are on the verge of an era that promises renewed spiritual awareness. “Spiritual disciplines” are being touted as the avenue to a spiritual reformation that will take Christianity to a new and higher level of spirituality, drawing all participants closer to God. The problem is that the means to attain this are not godly!
Pastor Bob DeWaay writes in his Critical Issues Commentary, “I met a lady who attends a Christian college. As part of her study program, she was required to take a course on spiritual formation. Spiritual formation in her class also concerned the study of Roman Catholic mystics and the search for techniques to help those who implement them feel closer to God. This study also explored ’spiritual disciplines’ which promised to make those who practiced them more Christlike. After she finished the class, she shared her text books with me.”
He continues, “To hear evangelicals like Dallas Willard and Richard Foster tell us that we need practices that were never spelled out in the Bible to become more like Christ or to get closer to God is astonishing. What is more astonishing is that evangelical colleges, seminaries, and church denominations are requiring their students and members to study practices that are relics of Medieval Rome, not found in the Bible, and closely akin to the practices of many pagan societies.”
So while the term spiritual formation sounds like a good concept as we all want to grow spiritually, it comes with questionable baggage that is, once again, mystical and hardly sound. Ask questions of your church leadership or college staff. Challenge the issue by pointing out that much of this foundation has been laid by mystics and Catholicism — and throw in some Buddhism and Hinduism as well. You will then conclude that when the term spiritual formation comes up as it does more and more frequently, it should have a “buyer-beware” label on it. If you see your church bulletin announcing its arrival, don’t just sit there — do something. Confront your leadership!
Such things as the Bethel University symposium on “meditation” and the spiritual formation movement are driven by what is known as “contemplative prayer.” Contemplative (mystical spirituality) is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement. It is more likely to derail you spiritually than draw you closer to God. Don’t believe them when promoters of spiritual formation tell you that this will take you to a higher level of Christianity and to a new level of spirituality. New spiritual programs aren’t necessary; rather, hearts yearning to grow in the knowledge of the Lord simply from reading the Bible. We cannot get any “closer to God” than Jesus Christ indwelling us through His Holy Spirit!
So, Isaiah had it right when he wrote, “For you have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east, and they are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike bargains with the children of foreigners” (Isaiah 2:5, 6).
Spiritual formation is just another “tickle the ears” effort drawing on experience rather than the Bible.
Awaiting His return, Jan Markell
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The Foreign Minister of Italy Says if Europe Does Not Have an Army, the EU Will Become Irrelevant
By Jimmy DeYoung
The foreign minister of Italy says his country will push for the creation of a European army after the new Europe takes shape, a result of all 27-member states in the EU adopting the Lisbon Treaty.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini says that with the Lisbon Treaty in force there is a risk that without a common foreign policy, Europe could become irrelevant in a world with China ruling the Pacific Axis and America in control of the Atlantic Axis.
Frattini believes a European army would cause the EU to develop a common foreign policy and then they could deal with issues like the Afghan War, the Iranian nuclear threat and all the rest of the problems in the Middle East.
Jimmy’s Prophetic Prospective on the News
The call for a European Army is a step closer to the revival of the old Roman Empire, a unique aspect of the end times scenario that can be found in Bible prophecy.
With the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by all 27-member states of the EU, this United States of Europe is at the point in history when they are ready to become a major power on the world scene. The EU has a common currency, the Euro and a legislative body, the European Parliament and with these both in place now, the call for a European army will put all the pieces in place to be the replica of the old Roman Empire.
Bible prophecy has called for a revival of the old Roman Empire from even before the Roman Empire came into existence over 2,000 years ago. The prophecy of Daniel revealed this pre-written history 2,500 years ago. When Daniel interpreted the dream of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, he described the ten toes of iron and clay as the revived Roman Empire, Daniel 2:30-45. In Daniel’s own dream, the prophet saw the Roman Empire with ten horns as the revival of the old Roman Empire, Daniel 7:7 and 24.
The Lisbon Treaty makes the EU a major political, economic and governmental force and with a European army, all the parts are in place for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
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Cartooning the Word - R. Crumb’s “The Book of Genesis”
By Albert Mohler
In all likelihood, most people would never even imagine a cartoon version of Genesis. Nevertheless, the cartoon version has arrived, and it is attracting no small amount of attention.
The Book of Genesis Illustrated is by famed cartoonist R. Crumb. Famous among cartoonists for his work as far back as the 1960s, Crumb has always combined cartoons and a social/political agenda. As David Colton of USA Today explains, Crumb is known for “subversive, turn-of-the-century linework, untamed libido, and obsessive social commentary.”
Indeed, Crumb personally attributes aspects of his style to experiences with LSD in his younger years. He became known for his “Keep on Truckin’” and “Fritz the Cat” cartoons. Disillusioned with the United States, Crumb took his family to France, where they now live.
Somewhere along the way, Crumb decided to take on the Bible, starting with Genesis. That is no small ambition. But why?
Crumb seems attracted to the book of Genesis as a collection of narratives with deep influence in Western culture.
“I’m a spiritual guy,” he told USA Today. “I’m not an atheist, more an agnostic. I don’t doubt the existence of God. I just don’t know quite what God is. It’s a question that will challenge me until the day I die.”
As for the Bible, Crumb does not take it as the Word of God. He said,
“I don’t believe it’s the Word of God. I believe it’s the words of men.” He added, “I’m just another human interpreting the story.”
In other comments about the project, Crumb has been a bit more forceful. He told Peter Aspden of the Financial Times that working on the Genesis project “nearly killed me.” Working through Genesis “ruined my health. I’m in recovery.”
He also spoke straightforwardly about his view of the Bible:
“I am completely sick of the Bible. I began to hate it as I worked on it. I’ve had my fill. The idea that millions of people have taken it so seriously - it is totally nuts. The human race is crazy.”
His Genesis project did not lead him to admire the Bible.
“It had the opposite effect on me. . . . I saw what a primitive, backward morality I had to deal with. It was a good way of exorcising the power of the Bible.”
Crumb’s distinctive cartoon style plays out across the Genesis narratives. The front cover of the book promises “nothing left out.” Very little is. Readers will find cartoon depictions of everything from Creation and the Fall to the curse of Onan. Reading The Book of Genesis Illustrated does reveal the power of this artistic expression (as in the sacrifice if Isaac), but mostly its severe limitations.
Christians coming across the Crumb project may wonder what to think. After all, this is a project that is attracting significant attention. Millions of Americans buy comics and pay close attention to the world of cartooning. Crumb’s new work has gained the attention of the nation’s major newspapers and the digital world.
For one thing, Crumb’s work reminds us that God gave us words, not images, as His means of revelation. The prohibition against images is not just a divine preference, it is a command. Looking at Crumb’s work makes the force of this prohibition all the more clear. Crumb interprets (or misinterprets) with every image and characterization. His style dominates the narrative - which is precisely the danger. And Crumb insists that he tried his best to restrain himself.
“I’m not ridiculing it, just illustrating the exact words that are there.”
Another key insight from the project is this: The Bible always demands a judgment of the reader. The Bible cannot be read simply as literature of historical importance. Any reader sees it as far more than that. In fact, the Bible presents such straightforward claims about both God and humanity that it is either loved or hated, seen as the Word of God or as a poisonous chronicle of the human religious imagination.
In that respect, Crumb’s declarations about the Bible make more sense. His experience of drawing the narratives from Genesis led him to hate the Bible. He is offended that so many millions have taken it seriously.
“To take this as a sacred text, or Word of God or something to live by, is kind of crazy,” he told David Colton. “So much of it makes no sense. To think of all the fighting and killing that’s gone on over this book, it just became to me a colossal absurdity. That’s probably the most profound moment I’ve had - the absurdity of it all.”
R. Crumb reveals a great deal about himself in this project. His project also reveals once again why God gave us words, and not images. Crumb’s newest work may be described as a triumph of the human imagination - and that is precisely the problem.
The Bible always lays claim upon the reader. The Book of Genesis demands a decision. The God who reveals himself in these words is not only the Creator of the cosmos, but the judge of every human soul. Genesis not only begins the Bible, it reminds us of our need for Christ. Every single narrative Crumb depicts finds its ultimate meaning in the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ.
But that great fact cannot be reduced to a cartoon. It was never meant to be.
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LOST MOMENTS
“In our tranquility how many golden hours we throw down the stream that we are never to see again. The time may come when we would give rivers of oil, the wealth of both Indies, and the mountains of precious stones, if they were ours, to recover one lost moment! Who is there among us that knows how to value time and prize the day at a due rate? Most men study rather how to pass away their time than to redeem it. They waste precious hours as if they had more than they could tell what to do with. Our season is short, and we make it shorter. How sad a thing it is to hear men complain, ‘O, what shall we do to pass the time?’ Alas, even the Lord’s day, the purest and most refined part of time, how cheap and common it is in most men’s eyes! But O, when trouble comes; when the sword is at the body, the pistol at the breast, the knife at the throat, death at the door, how precious would one of those despised hours be! Evil days cry with a loud voice in our ears: ‘Redeem the time!’ (Eph 5:16). In life threatening dangers, when God threatens, as it were, then we can think of redeeming the time for prayer, reading, meditation, and study. We then gather up the very fragments of time, that nothing may be lost. Then God teaches the soul the wisdom of redeeming the time.”
–Thomas Case, When Christians Suffer, pgs 52,53
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Netanyahu Party Member Slams ‘Racist’ Obama
By Aaron Klein
JERUSALEM – A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party today slammed as “racist” President Obama’s longstanding demand for a halt to Jewish construction in the strategic West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem.
“President Obama should not interfere with the rights of the Jewish people to live in Jerusalem,” said Likud Knesset Member Danny Danon. “This … is a racist demand, saying that Jews cannot live in Jerusalem, only Arabs.”
Danon continued:
“Our duty is to the nation that chose to deepen the settlement across Judea and Samaria, and of course Jerusalem. We will fulfill that duty, even at the cost of ignoring Obama and his advisers.”
The Knesset member was speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony initiating 124 new apartments in a Jewish housing complex in the eastern section of Jerusalem.
In a separate statement, he told WND “the answer to Obama’s racist request not to permit Jewish building in Jerusalem was given today when we initiated the construction of another Jewish neighborhood in Nof Zion (eastern Jerusalem).”
“The people in Israel are united behind Netanyahu’s position regarding eternal rights of Jews to build and live in Jerusalem,” he added.
Danon’s strong words came shortly after Obama stated in a Fox News interview today that settlement activity in Jerusalem and the West Bank complicated efforts by his administration to re-launch Israeli-Palestinian negotiations while it also embitters the Palestinians.
Obama was responding to a plan to build new homes within a Jerusalem neighborhood called Gilo, where already some 40,000 Israelis live.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement that “at a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed.”
Netanyahu’s office responded to Obama’s criticism by dispatching an aide who sent reporters a message calling the building plan in Gilo “a routine process.”
The aide explained that like other foreign leaders, Netanyahu does not normally review municipal building plans in local neighborhoods. The aide added that Netanyahu saw Gilo as “an integral part of Jerusalem.”
“Construction in Gilo has taken place regularly for dozens of years and there is nothing new about the current planning and construction,” the aide added.
Obama had demanded a complete halt to Jewish construction in the strategic West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem, which Netanyahu publicly has refused. Palestinians routinely build in those territories, and at times the construction takes place illegally on Jewish-owned land.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Jerusalem that a settlement freeze should not be a precondition for re-launching stalled talks with the Palestinians. However, WND reported the Palestinian Authority rejected a proposal by Clinton for Israel to largely scale back Jewish construction in exchange for the resumption of talks.
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A Response to the 2012 Mayan Prophecy Theory
By Grant Jeffrey
The film entitled 2012 was released November 13th with a top Hollywood cast that explores the idea of a global doomsday event that many New Age followers and a few Christians believe will occur at the time of the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice on December 21, 2012. This date coincides with the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar’s current cycle which only extended until 2012. The Mayan Empire developed in Central America and flourished from 250 AD to 900 AD gradually declining until the Spanish Conquest in the 16th century fully destroyed it. The Mayans developed a complex calendar utilizing cycles of 52 years including a remarkably accurate solar year of precisely 365.242 days which was more precise than the western world’s calendar until a century ago when it was determined that the solar year consisted of precisely 365.2425 days.
While such disaster movies such as 2012 with their awesome computer generated special effects are often fun to watch, the reality is that there is no real evidence that indicates, let alone proves, that the Mayan calendar’s final date which concludes with 2012 had any prophetic importance or meaning whatsoever for either the Mayans or ourselves. Furthermore, there is not the slightest evidence among the thousands of prophecies found in the Bible that mentions the Mayan people, their long deceased Central American empire, their territory or any connection to a future global catastrophe in 2012.
The Mayan Long Count calendar is the basis for the popular New Age belief, originally suggested by José Argüelles (a founder of the Earth Day concept) in his 2002 book Time and the Technosphere, that a global catastrophe will occur on or near December 21, 2012, the time of the Winter Equinox. It is important to remember that his 2012 theory is unsupported by any professional Maya scholar. Serious academic Maya scholars consider this 2012 theory a major misinterpretation and to be without any scientific foundation. An astronomer, Dr. Philip Plait, declared that the Mayan calendar does not actually end in 2012. Rather, Dr. Plait stated that we should consider it in the same way that the odometer on your car’s dashboard rolls over, after reaching 100,000 miles. When each section of the odometer reaches 9 and then clicks over to 0, the following number to it starts a new cycle.
The executive director of the Mesoamerican research organization FAMSI, Dr. Sandra Noble, has written that for “the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle”. However, Dr. Noble declared that the New Age prediction of December 21, 2012 as a global doomsday or a cosmic-shifting Armageddon to be “a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in.” The most probable interpretation is that the Calendar cycle ending in 2012 was never intended to predict a global collapse or the “end of the world” in 2012, but, rather, to simply indicate the end of one calendar cycle and the beginning of a new cycle that would simply carry on into the future. There is no evidence in the Maya language or engravings to indicate that they foresaw a global catastrophe in 2012.
Christians who place their trust in the Word of God and His promises should remember the words of Matthew 24:36:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
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ATHEISTS IN BUBBLELAND [Excerpts]
Did you miss it? Last month the country celebrated national Blasphemy Day!
According to NPR.com, atheists marked Blasphemy Day last month at gatherings around the world, celebrating the freedom to denigrate and insult religion.
Activities included de-baptizing people with hair dryers and an art exhibit in Washington, D.C., which showed, among other titles, Jesus Paints His Nails, in which “an effeminate Jesus after the crucifixion [applies] polish to the nails that attach his hands to the cross.” The atheist group Center for Inquiry hosted the exhibit.
Addressing a capacity crowd at the University of Toronto, columnist Christopher Hitchens elicited enthusiastic cheers by commenting, “I think religion should be treated with ridicule, hatred and contempt, and I claim that right.” He told NPR that religion is “sinister, dangerous and ridiculous,” because it can prompt people to fly airplanes into buildings, and it promotes ignorance.
Hitchens defended atheist incivility this way: “If I said to a Protestant or Quaker or Muslim, ‘Hey, at least I respect your belief,’ I would be telling a lie.”
However, not all atheists should be painted with the same brush. Stuart Jordan, who advises the Center for Inquiry on policy issues, explain to NPR that Blasphemy Day is symptomatic of a debate among traditional atheists and “new atheists” over whether people of faith should be treated with respect or derision.
Paul Kurtz, who founded the Center for Inquiry three decades ago, was ousted in a “palace coup” last year. “I consider them atheist fundamentalists,” he says. “Merely to critically attack religious beliefs is not sufficient. It leaves a vacuum. What are you for? We know what you’re against, but what do you want to defend?”
Truly, it must be a cold day in the infernal regions if atheism can now boast its own ideological schism.
It’s as refreshing as it is uncommon to hear a scientist concede the limits of scientific understanding. But why? Why such dogmatic passion, intensity, and fervor among atheists? Why the overzealous insistence that belief in science is based in undiluted logic where belief and God is based in indefensible whimsy?
The so-called “new atheists” are really no different from any other fundamentalist ideologues. They are driven by an irrational compulsion to “prove” that they are right by asserting in the most uncompromising terms that others are wrong. But truth be told, they are haunted by the inescapable reality that ultimate certitude is beyond the reach of human beings. They have taken up permanent residence in Bubbleland, and they will fight to the death anyone who threatens their homegrown fantasy.
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EU Selects New President
By Jimmy DeYoung
At a summit meeting of the 27 member states of the European Union, the group selected both the permanent president and the foreign policy chief to lead them into the future, a future that will see this united states of Europe become an even more influential political and economic power on the world stage today. The Prime Minister of Belgium, Herman van Rompuy, was selected by the European Union nations as the President of the Council made up of the 27 member states and from Great Britain, the Baroness Catherine Ashton was elected as the Chief of Foreign Policy for the European Union.
With the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, which is now the law of the European Union, and the election of the two main leaders of this united states of Europe, the world has witnessed a history making event that will have great impact on world affairs in the future.
Jimmy’s Prophetic Prospective on the News
The European Union has made history with the election of its leaders for the future and has moved closer to a role in Bible prophecy as it relates to the end of days.
On March 25, 1957, the Treaty of Rome was signed in the seven hilled city of Rome to form the European Common Market. Now, over 50 years later, the Lisbon Treaty has been ratified and in accordance with the treaty, the member states of the European Union has elected the two most important leaders to take this United States of Europe into the future. History has been made with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and the election of these two leaders.
However, this history making event is setting the stage for Bible prophecy found in the book of Daniel to be fulfilled. The ancient Jewish prophet Daniel prewrote history about the revival of the Old Roman Empire (Daniel 2:40-45; 7:7 and 24). This prophetic scenario reveals the revival of the Old Roman Empire with a leader to take this political economic entity into the future. With the merger of the 17 member states of the Mediterranean Union to the 27 member states of the European Union, you have the exact same borders as the Old Roman Empire in place.
The European Union may or may not be the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, but for sure, the infrastructure for the Revived Roman Empire is in place today - ready to have the world witness the fulfillment of Bible prophecy in a future tomorrow.
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The Endgame
By Hal Lindsey
In 1993, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat (as well as Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas) signed the Oslo Accords. It was an agreement intended to bring peace and security to both the Israelis and the Palestinians. It promised to settle all the contentious issues and provide secure homelands for both populations. All within a strict seven year framework.
Sixteen years later, there is little peace and less security. In fact, the Palestinians are now threatening to declare their independence, ask the United Nations to recognize their state, and essentially scuttle the entire peace process. And they say the United States has indicated it won’t veto the plan in the Security Council.
Apparently, they want to start over from square one. More specifically, they want the UN to engineer a do-over of the 1967 war. Only this time, the Palestinians want to be declared the winners of the war lost by the Egyptians and Jordanians during those fateful six days.
Palestinian spokesmen are now openly talking about “the endgame.” Unfortunately, their concept of “the endgame” is just a bit different than the one foretold by the ancient prophets. Daniel, Jeremiah, and Zechariah outline a scenario that doesn’t bode well for those who seek the destruction of God’s people.
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This week on ‘The Hal Lindsey Report’
On this week’s edition of “The Hal Lindsey Report”: In 1993, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat (as well as Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas) signed the Oslo Accords. It was an agreement intended to bring peace and security to both the Israelis and the Palestinians. It promised to settle all the contentious issues and provide secure homelands for both populations. All within a strict seven year framework.
Sixteen years later, there is little peace and less security. In fact, the Palestinians are now threatening to declare their independence, ask the United Nations to recognize their state, and essentially scuttle the entire peace process. And they say the United States has indicated it won’t veto the plan in the Security Council.
Apparently, they want to start over from square one. More specifically, they want the UN to engineer a do- over of the 1967 war. Only this time, the Palestinians want to be declared the winners of the war lost by the Egyptians and Jordanians during those fateful six days.
Palestinian spokesmen are now openly talking about “the endgame.” Unfortunately, their concept of “the endgame” is just a bit different than the one foretold by the ancient prophets. Daniel, Jeremiah, and Zechariah outline a scenario that doesn’t bode well for those who seek the destruction of God’s people.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to share with you why I think it’s more important than ever that we understand the power of thanksgiving to God. Our nation faces real and present dangers. As I report weekly on “The Hal Lindsey Report,” the threats are mounting and the odds appear to be impossible. But it’s precisely at those moments that the power of praise and gratitude to God can be our pathway to victory.
Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.
God Bless, Hal Lindsey
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Embracing Sarah Palin
By David Hocking
(Israel National News) Though she is regularly besmirched and mocked by the Left, former Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is proving to be one tough cookie.
In a series of media interviews to promote her new book, Going Rogue, the former Governor of Alaska has been tackling a wide range of subjects, offering timely criticism of the Obama administration’s misguided domestic and foreign policies.
But perhaps the bravest comment that she made all week had to do with Israel. Asked by Barbara Walters what she thought of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, here is what Palin had to say:
“I disagree with the Obama administration on that. I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don’t think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand.”
What a breath of fresh air and common sense! When in recent years has a leading American public figure made such a bold and supportive statement on behalf of the right of the Jewish people to settle their homeland?
It is time for America’s Jews to toss aside their innate liberal leanings, and embrace Sarah Palin as a figure worthy of Jewish support. With her remarks this week, she has more than earned it.
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EU Creates Historic & Undemocratic New Post - President of Europe
By Joel Rosenberg
On Thursday, I was sitting in a hotel room in Turkey watching the live press conference in which the European Union made an “historic” decision to create a “President of Europe.” They chose Belgium Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy over Britain’s Tony Blair. If you’re thinking, “van who?”, don’t worry — you’re not alone. In one of the most undemocratic developments in recent history, the new leader of a half-billion Europeans is a name only 12% of them have even heard of. He was chosen unanimously by a council of other EU leaders, not by popular vote, and will take office January 1, 2010.
Now that I’m home, I’m contemplating how quickly an unknown can rise to a position of great power. All this comes quickly on the heels of the historic passage of the EU “Lisbon Treaty” earlier this month. Noted the New York Times:
“A landmark agreement aimed at giving the European Union a global stature on par with major powers like the United States and China cleared its last major hurdle on Tuesday…. The treaty’s supporters contended that it was vital because the union’s rulebook was drawn up before the bloc began to expand, taking in 12 new nations since 2004. Its critics, however, contend that the document encroaches on national sovereignty and threatens to turn the European Union into a monolithic superstate.”
We are watching the emergence of an increasingly unified and powerful Roman empire continue unabated, just as Bible prophesy tells us to expect in the “last days.”
Van Rompuy’s “election/selection” will accelerate Turkey’s dramatic shift from NATO ally to ally of Iran, Syria and Russia. Why? Van Rompuy is an avowed opponent of Turkish entrance into the EU and the Turks are furious.
Some U.S. and European analysts are horrified by the selection of van Rompuy, ridiculing him as a bland dolt and claiming EU bureaucrats missed a great opportunity to select Blair and make the new presidential post truly a global game-changer. Such analysts are missing the point. EU leaders didn’t bumble into this appointment. They are determined to create an unrivaled superpower. They are determined to create the world’s most powerful political position in the presidency. But they want an EU-fanatic, not a British lone ranger. I’d never heard of van Rompuy until Thursday, but I have no doubt the EU leaders who chose him unanimously knew exactly what they were doing. I expect this guy to be a problem for the U.S., for freedom, and for Israel. Time will tell for certain.
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Iran to Hold Drill to Protect Nuke Sites
By Chris Schang
Iran has made several interesting and disturbing announcements. One of the first announcements is that they will be carrying out a drill to protect their nuclear sites. The drills will focus solely on protecting the Iranian nuclear facilities from attack. The other announcement was that if Israel did indeed strike Iran that they were prepared to strike the heart of Tel Aviv. This threat could have a significant effect on the civilian population in Israel if the Iranians do make good on their threats. The Jerusalem Post reports:
Iran has begun large-scale air defense war games aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities against any possible attack, the country’s state TV said on Sunday.
Gen. Ahmad Mighani, head of an air force unit that deals with threats to Iran’s air space, said Saturday the war games would cover regions where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located, reflecting the country’s concern that Israel could make good on threats to strike militarily.
The article described the military exercises as covering a massive area surrounding the nuclear facilities, then went on to further describe the military exercises:
The five-day drill will involve Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard and the regular army and will cover 230,000 square miles - or about 600,000 square kilometers - of central, western and southern Iran, said air force Gen. Ahmad Mighani.
The drill comes as a top clerical official in Teheran renewed his threat to target “the heart of Tel Aviv” should Israel attack Iran.
As Iran has pressed forward with its nuclear program, Israel has repeatedly threatened military action to prevent Teheran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The US also has not ruled out military action should diplomacy fail to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities.
I can’t help to think that the Iranians for their part are worried that a strike on their nuclear program is around the corner. In previous reports, it has been noted that Iran could have a nuclear weapon by February 2010. As a result, as we’ve moved closer and closer to this date we have seen the Iranians ratchet up the military and verbal threats upon anyone who “dares” attack their nuclear facilities. We even saw that the Iranians appear to be so worried about this that they have even gone so far as to try to pressure Russia into delivering the promised S-300 systems. As we watch Iran speed to the nuclear finish line, I think it is possible that we will see more paranoid and unpredictable actions from the Iranians.
Another possible scenario is that they could try to use their proxy terrorists that are aligned on the border of Israel to open up a conflict in order to distract Israel from the nuclear issue. I think if they try to do that they will be in for a rude awakening as Israel is not going to take their eyes off the Iranian nuclear program for one second. The window of opportunity is closing pretty fast for the international community as Iran continues to defy calls by the world community to halt their illegal nuclear program. time is running out for the world, Israel, and Iran. A military clash seems inevitable in my humble opinion.
As previously mentioned the Iranians have also increased their verbal threats to their ally Russia who has yet to deliver the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system as it will be a key piece of hardware that will be critical in any strike on Iran. The Iranians want the system to help protect their nuclear sites as well as lower the chance that the Israelis will strike. The Israelis on the other hand do not want the S-300 anti-aircraft systems to be delivered as it will throw up a major roadblock to any planned attack on Iran as the S-300 is the top of the line Russian air defense system. It is extremely accurate and will be a serious impediment to any Israeli strike. The US and Israel have so far pressured Russia not to deliver the system, but I think there could be a chance that eventually the Russians will be forced to hand over the system. This could be the red line for Israel as the world community continues to make absolutely no progress towards getting Iran to voluntarily halt their nuclear program. With the breakdown in the Middle East peace process, the Israelis will be in a good position to take advantage of the overall Middle East picture and make the strike that is needed to stop Iran.
But at the same time, this overall picture in the Middle East is not a good one. The potential for conflict is very high at this time given the frustration of the breakdown in the Middle East peace talks. Israel is likely to face attacks from both near and far as I believe that Israel will eventually be forced to act on Iran as it becomes more clear with each passing day that no one else is going to step in and take charge of the situation.
For students of Bible prophecy, this could very well set up a domino effect for other prophetic events to unfold. If the rapture of the church - which can literally happen at any moment - were to occur, the world might find itself on the fast track towards the fulfillment of end times Bible prophecy and ultimately the leading of mankind into the 70th week of Daniel. Such calamity in the Middle East would also raise the chances that the future Antichrist could begin his rise on the world stage.
Let us keep watching the situation in the Middle East and remember that with each passing day our blessed hope gets closer and closer. God bless.
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COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS: “IT’S OKAY TO ATTACK FORT HOOD”
CAIR speaker to Muslims: OK to attack Fort Bragg [Excerpts]
A Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR] adviser and regular speaker at its events has suggested Islamic law permits Muslims to attack C-130 military transport planes carrying the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, NC.
Radical Islamic cleric Zaid Shakir, a frequent guest speaker at CAIR events, tells his Muslim audiences: “Jihad is physically fighting the enemies of Islam to protect and advance the religion of Islam. This is jihad.”
Acceptable targets of jihad, he says, include U.S. military aircraft.
“Islam doesn’t permit us to hijack airplanes filled with civilian people,” Shakir once told a Muslim audience. However, “If you hijack an airplane filled with the 82nd Airborne, that’s something else.”
The 82nd Airborne Division’s elite paratroopers fly out of Fort Bragg, N.C., which is part of North Carolina state Sen. Larry Shaw’s district. Shaw is CAIR’s new chairman. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly gunned down in cold blood more than 50 of his fellow soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan from Fort Hood, Texas. Eyewitnesses say before opening fire, Hasan jumped up on a desk and screamed, “Allahu akbar!” like the 9/11 hijackers. The suspect fatally shot 13, including a security guard. The death toll is actually 14 when a slain unborn child is counted.
Imam Shakir also gives his blessing to the use of bombs as a weapon of jihad, as long as the explosives hit “select” targets and are not indiscriminate in their destruction. Civilians can be a legitimate target, he says, if “there’s a benefit in that,” according to “Muslim Mafia,” co-authored by former federal agent P. David Gaubatz and investigative journalist Paul Sperry, author of “Infiltration.”
Even “old elderly men” and “women who are conscripted” - including Israeli and American women in uniform - are eligible enemy combatants in jihad. “This is Shariah,” Shakir asserts in a CD recording of one of his lectures in 2001, which the authors obtained from a radical mosque bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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Iran: We’ll Send Our Ballistic Missiles to Tel Aviv
By Stan Goodenough
Before the dust settles from Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Islamic Republic will send its ballistic missiles into the very heart of Tel Aviv.
This was spelled out over the weekend by a deputy of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative in the Revolutionary Guards, Mojtaba Zolnour.
It came hours before Iran launched what it described as “huge” war games intended to “promote [the] military power of the armed forces against any attack,” according to a Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani quoted in Iranian television.
The verbal threats and military exercises comprise the latest saber rattling on the part of the Muslims in Tehran - a leadership that regularly denies the Holocaust even as it prepares to perpetuate another one against Israel.
Instead of forcefully confronting the genocidal government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the United States and European Union have done nothing more effective than repeatedly threaten sanctions.
Iran has made full use of the space afforded it by this appeasement approach to race ahead with its efforts to achieve nuclear capability.
In the words of a Christian Zionist who served for many years as a tank commander in Israel’s Armored Corps - the international community is nearly ready to allow a second Holocaust to take place.
“Israel has become a thorn in the flesh of the world,” he said. The sooner it is erased from the Middle East the happier mankind will be.
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A US Senator is Calling for a Congressional Investigation into the UN Climate Change Research
By Jimmy DeYoung
Senator James Inhofe from Oklahoma is calling for a congressional investigation into the research that has been used by the UN in its campaign to bring about change in international law as it relates to the global warming and the so-called climate change problems in our world.
The senator said that his call for an investigation into “climate gate” as he calls it, was motivated by the recent report of computer hackers obtaining 160 megabytes of emails from the climate research unit at a university in England.
These emails revealed that many scientific researchers and policy advocates are purported to have discussed the destruction and the hiding of data on global warming and climate change that did not support their global warming claims.
Jimmy’s Prophetic Prospective on the News
The possibility that the scientific researchers on global warming have been destroying evidence that does not support their global warming claims draws attention to an effort to manipulate the world, a move that has great prophetic significance.
Led by the former Vice President of the US, Al Gore, the so-called “scientific” world has been developing a global warming crisis that has manipulated the world into making ready to give way to a global governance or a one world government.
Biblically, global warming is impossible according to Colossians 1:16-17 where the Apostle Paul writes that by Jesus Christ were all things created in this world, Colossians 1:16. Verse 17 tells us that by Jesus Christ everything is held together, no global warming unless the Lord sends it.
Prophetically, that is the case. There will be ecological judgment on the earth in the future Tribulation Period. According to Revelation 8 and 16, the oceans will turn to blood, all the fish in the sea will die, all the grass and trees on the earth will be burned up and there will be much more ecological judgment on this earth.
There may be no global warming, but Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.
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Questions Obama Must Answer on Afghanistan
By Robert Maginnis
Next week President Obama is expected to announce his new Afghanistan strategy. Americans should look for answers to four questions when judging that plan. What’s at stake? What’s the desired end state? How will he accomplish the mission? How much will it cost?
Afghanistan will define Obama’s presidency which might explain the long, dysfunctional process he followed since his commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, warned:
“Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term … risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible.”
Almost three months have passed since McCrystal’s dire assessment and a combination of factors proved politically awkward for Obama - high American death counts, a corrupt Afghan election and a resurgent enemy. His assessment ends this week and next week he must answer questions.
What’s at stake? Presidential candidate Obama made Afghanistan “his war.” Weeks after assuming the presidency Obama announced a reinforcement of 21,000 troops and a new strategy: al Qaeda was the target and counterinsurgency operations for destroying it.
Last March, Obama argued that if the Taliban are left unchecked it “…will mean an even larger safe heaven from which al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting, this is fundamental to the defense of our people.” Has the president’s understanding of the threat changed and, if so, how and why?
There is a hint of a shift in Obama’s thinking. In October, retired Gen. James Jones, Obama’s national security adviser, said there were “less than 100” al Qaeda members operating in Afghanistan without the “ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies.” Apparently, Jones doesn’t “foresee the return of the Taliban” and that the “next step in this is the sanctuaries” in Pakistan. Is Obama preparing to quickly exit Afghanistan while increasing support for Pakistan? Is the threat diminished?
What’s the desired result for America? Last week, Obama outlined a possible Afghanistan endstate declaring he wants to create enough stability and build-up the Afghan security forces so they “…can do the job of keeping their country together.” This is a nuanced version of the March endstate. What does “keeping their country together” really mean for America’s security?
How will he accomplish the mission? Obama hired McChrystal because of his counterinsurgency expertise. That means he views the center of gravity as the Afghan people which was the basis for McCrystal’s dire assessment. Obama has to overcome the dire situation through a combination of improved security, development and good governance, similar to our Iraq surge strategy.
McCrystal’s security formula is known as “ink spot,” key population centers are secured and developed. The areas outside the selected population centers are protected via a counter-terrorism approach based on actionable intelligence. This approach buys the Afghan government time to win hearts and minds among the population while the U.S. and its allies build-up Afghan security forces.
The Afghans need far more and capable security forces - police and army - before they are ready to assume the mission. Army training, which is shepherded by America, is going well but police training and vetting by our allies has been shoddy. Only a quarter of police are trained. They frequently quit and often change sides. Their ranks must grow but only after serious problems like corruption are fixed.
The 96,000 strong Afghan National Army (ANA) is in better shape than the police. Retired Marine Corps Colonel Jeff Haynes, who addressed the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, spent a year advising the ANA’s 201st Corps. He cautions against a rapid expansion of the ANA because that would undermine the fragile success that has been achieved to date. The primary problem is the ANA’s leadership deficit, says Haynes.
Haynes argues that counterinsurgency is “leader-centric” warfare. The ANA’s primary problem is weak leadership and a surge in growth will exacerbate that problem. He cautions that growing the ANA rapidly will result in poorly trained, less effective units that break and run on the battlefield or collaborate with the enemy. These soldiers will be more likely to engage in corruption and absences will increase.
Good governance and development go together but necessarily follow security. Corruption touches every aspect of Afghan life, fix that problem, add aid for development - jobs, education and infrastructure - fostered by expert oversight and good governance has an opportunity to grow.
The U.S. Army developed the Social Science Research and Analysis Program that provides insights into Afghan corruption. It found most Afghans lack confidence in their legal establishment’s ability or willingness to end corruption. They estimate that nearly 90 percent of those currently serving in government are using their posts to enrich themselves.
Obama is pressuring Afghan president Hamid Karzai to clamp down on corruption. Last week at his second inauguration, Karzai promised “The government of Afghanistan is committed to end the culture of impunity and violation of law and bring to justice those involved in spreading corruption and abuse of public property.”
But many Afghans doubt Karzai can curb corruption. He must clear his cabinet of ministers wrapped up in bribery and kickback schemes, and the problem allegedly includes his brother as well. Afghans perceive they are ruled by a thieving class which weakens support for government and bolsters sympathy for the insurgents.
Adjunct to our efforts in Afghanistan is a parallel effort in troubled Pakistan. That atomic-armed neighbor must wrestle itself free from insurgents and terrorists. Islamabad’s increased willingness to tackle its problems, secure the border territory and deny terrorists sanctuary is critical to stabilizing the region. Obama must address this issue.
Finally, how much will Obama’s new strategy cost?
McCrystal’s “ink spot” strategy requires more troops, perhaps 40,000 more than the 68,000 now in Afghanistan. The cost of adding an American soldier to the fight is at least $1 million or for 40,000, according to McChrystal, somewhere between $40 and $54 billion more annually. The high cost-per-soldier is understandable when one considers that it cost as much as $400 a gallon to deliver fuel to our troops fighting in the mountains.
Then there is the cost in blood. The U.S. has lost 923 servicemembers to combat in Afghanistan since 2001 and many thousands of others wounded. Increasing our footprint will increase the blood spilt and rob our military’s flexibility to respond to other crises.
In March, Obama pledged to send “agricultural specialists and educators, engineers and lawyers” across Afghanistan to relieve the development burden on our troops. That civilian surge never happened. But once our troops stabilize the region, who will help Karzai’s government develop and bring good governance?
There’s also the matter of burden sharing. There are 42 allied countries in Afghanistan but only a few fight and two of those, Canada and the Netherlands, plan to pull their troops out in 2010 and 2011. Obama needs to explain the equitability of the effort to include combatants and aid money for development.
Time is a precious expendable resource. We are into our ninth year in Afghanistan and successful insurgencies last on average 14 years. Last week, Obama said “My preference would be not to hand off anything to the next president.” Does that mean Obama expects the war to last up to seven more years?
The world will watch when Obama announces his new Afghan strategy. His answers to the four critical questions will define his presidency and America’s security for years in the future.
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