Did Israel give Lebanon full and fair warning of attacks ?

I keep a stack of old newsprint beside my bed to use to catch my whiskers when I trim my beard.

The other day, as I was tearing off the top few pages of newsprint for this purpose, I casually looked down and the article caught my eye. It happened to be the June 2nd edition of the Jewish Chronicle. The news report was written by Joseph Millis, Foreign Editor of the paper. It's on page 9 . As I quote from that article bear in mind that the Israeli onslaught on Lebanon did not happen until July 12th:

"Israel this week warned Lebanon that the country would pay a "heavy price" if it allowed Hezbollah to continue to operate from the south of the country. The warning-- issued by a top military commander -- came after Israel responded with air strikes to a Katyusha rocket attack across the border on Sunday. (...) One of the rockets hit an Israeli Air Force installation on Mount Meiron, near Safed. "We hope the message from our response [on Sunday] was understood correctly by the other side", Brigadier-General Gal Hirsch, the commander of the Galilee division, told reporters on Monday. (....) The fighting ended on Sunday afternoon after the Lebanese government requested via the UN a cease-fire with Israel. On Monday, senior officers revealed that prior to the Lebanese cease-fire request, Israel had threatened to bomb additional parts of Lebanon, including Beirut, and not just the southern part of the country controlled by Hezbollah. "We told them that we would expand our firing to other parts of the country", one senior officer told the Jerusalem Post. "they understood very well what we meant". Last Wednesday - the [sixth] anniversary [of Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon] - the pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud praised Hezbollah, saying it should "stay[ in place] until a just and comprehensive peace is achieved in the region". However, Lebanese Christian, Sunni Muslim and Druze groups were less enthusiastic about Hezbollah "Firing rockets from South Lebanon is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty," the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces executive committee said in a statement. "There is a serious security vacuum in the area due to the lack of the government's control." [The group's] leaders include include Sa'ad Hariri, the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader.

Animated H2O

Captured Hizbullah Fund Raising Leaflets

Click here for a translation of the its' contents.

Blundering Bush's Middle East Foreign Policy

Check out THIS essay for level headed sober analysis.

My Linguistic Profile Y'all

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

20% Yankee

15% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

British Multiculturalism

"The British government needs to stop trying to engage with the “Muslim community” (which simply means those who claim to speak for it), and start trying to engage with the citizens themselves – regardless of their beliefs.

Because, in order for a country to be truly liberal, or even democratic, the general view must be that individuals are of equal worth and that we all share a common, basic human nature underneath the superficialities of culture and upbringing. We all share, to varying degrees, the same needs: food, water, shelter, human company, etc.

It’s this shared nature, the things we have in common, that provides the basis for society – uniting us around common goals and values.

Identity politics – defining individuals based on just one aspect of their personality – is short-sighted, divisive and (by promoting an Us and Them mentality) ultimately quite dangerous."

Source : An Insomniac

Build Me a Son

A poem by General Douglas A. MacArthur

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face him self when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be;a son who will know Thee- and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm; here, let him team compassion for those who fall.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."

Loving Jesus

When a Christian dies we say “he/she has gone to be with Jesus” and it’s right that we do. But, do we really believe it? I mean we know it to be “theologically” true but is that sufficient?

There’s a song that is popular right now on the Christian radio station. I can’t remember the title but the chorus goes something like this: “Everybody wants to go to Heaven but nobody wants to die”.

Here is what a missionary to Russia reported in his newsletter last year :

“David’s PSA cancer reading has gone up to 33, so his GP has arranged an early appointment for him with the consultant, so that various treatment options can be discussed. Best of all, each day is one day nearer being with the Lord”.

Do we carry around with us that joyous anticipation of being with Jesus one day?

Just to show this isn’t some crackpot idea here is how the Apostle Paul puts it:

"If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." (Philippians 1:22-23)

Debate between Iraqi Arab Christian & Indian Muslim

Dr. Zakir Naik (Muslim) debates with Pastor Ruknuddin Henry Pio (Christian).

Biblical Treasures of Turkey Trailer

ABOUT THE FILM: A beautiful journey of discovery. The biblical events that took place in Asia, actually took place in what is now called Turkey! You will see the Roman World of St. Paul and St. John and the Byzantine Empire of the Greek Patriarchs. This film is an “eye opener” that will astound your audience. Robin D. Williams has traveled to Asia Minor for 30 years and this film is the result of his personal discoveries. Partial Scene List: Constantinople, Haghia Sophia, St. Chora, Topkapi Palace, The Golden Horn, The Dolmabache Palace, Sumela monastery, Tarsus, Antioch, Silifke, Side, Aspendus, Perge, Antalya, Ephesus, Urfa, Harran, Mardin Monastery, Diyarbakir, Nemrut Dagi, Lake Van, Ani of the Armenians. MT. ARARAT and the supposed site of Noah’s Ark. Walk the ancient highways with the Apostles. We hear the monks speaking the language of Jesus; Aramaic! We visit whole neighborhoods of Roman houses in Ephesus. Robin has brought the Romans to life! See the faces of the people who lived in the 1st Century A.D. See the ancient cities, caravan routes, ancient harbors and underground cities. The earliest Christian art in Haghia Sofya and St. Chora Church and the Rock Churches of Goreme Valley. The city of the first Ecumenical Council...NICEA! Enter the cave of St. Thecla. Marvel at the beautiful rivers, lakes, waterfalls and mountain scenery.

Leon Morris (March 15, 1914 - July 24, 2006)

Here is a quote from one of Morris's books : Glory in the Cross (p.89)

"The atonement is not ... a way of excusing men from the tremendous moral demands that God makes on them ... [it is] only in the light of the atonement that those moral demands can be seen in all their fulness and met even approximately. Only as we appreciate that Christ had to die to put away our sin can we see sin for the enormity it is. Only then can we understand that certain things are sins, and therefore only then can we really grasp the magnitude of the moral demands that God makes on us."

Mossad Interrogates Captured Hezbollah Kidnapper of Israeli Soldiers

Mujde FM in the Izmir Area

H/T to American Turk who has gently been pointing out my lack of postings recently.

Reason is simple : we have been away on a family holiday visiting my uncle (dayi) and yenge who live near Urla which is practically equidistant from Cesme on the Aegean coast to the West and the city of Izmir to the East.

I happened to turn on the radio in the bedroom of our holiday cottage to find Mujde FM.

Mujde FM broadcasts readings from the Turkish Bible, sermons in Turkish, as well as Bible readings and sermons in French, English and German.

I figured the station is located at 102 on the FM dial . This is confirmed by Mujde FM's own web site which gives the various FM stations over which it broadcasts throughout the country.

Give it a listen if you are in Turkey.

Hizbollah and Israel : Dateline 1996 Or is it 2006 ?

I just happened to stumble upon this eery piece of reporting .

You'll be doing a double take or two or three just to make sure they didn't get the date wrong on the report.

Only goes to show how "plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose" (the more things change the more they remain the same).

Aish is Having a Rant About Missionaries in NYC

Here is what they have to say :

"After filing the unwelcome gift in appropriate receptacles, many then telephoned Jewish organizations like Agudath Israel of America, and Jewish newspapers, to warn others about the high-tech wolf in sheep's clothing."

"the wolf in sheep's clothing" ?

Hmmm. Wonder who said that first ? (Hint : Matthew 7:15)

Love it.

Love you, Lord.

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:36)

Separated at Birth

Ray Porter, Director World Missions, Oak Hill CollegeWarren Buffett, Billionaire Philanthropist

Verse of the Day

"But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband."
1 Corinthians 7:2 (New International Version)

Islamic Conception of Authority?

"Most often used in my personal experience by Arab military officers to excuse failure, and essentially transfer responsibility for the failure to God - I suspect a perversion of the original intent of the concept - but used in the listed instance to essentially say, "Bummer, I've been insufficiently pious, I will pray more often/better, think pure thoughts, etc, and take the test again next week. But you can't fire me/fail me because, well, God has already punished me and who are you to trump God?" Source : Argghhh! The Home of Two of Jonah's Military Guys UPDATE : HERE is an interesting study dealing with attitudes not far removed from that which is represented in my own post. What follows is a video interview with the academic who conducted the experiment. He has some very interesting observations especially toward the end : UPDATE 2 : The Emirates Economist has more on the subject HERE.

Cool Ad from a Turkish Bank

Verse of the Day

"This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it."

Isaiah 30:15

Christ in Whom are ALL the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge

Do you know this JESUS ?


"One of the most precious truths that we have in Chrisitianity is that "Leader" of our religion is alive and near to each one of us. Jesus promised to be with us until the end of the age. This He fulfills through His Spirit. Because of His nearness He is able and does speak to each one of us individually. This is a fulfillment of the promises of the New Covenant: "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.' For they all shall konw Me, from the least of them to the greateest of them says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more (Jer 31:34)." No other religion has a God so near (echo of Deut 4:7)."

H/T MOJO & Girls

The Bible teaches that we are born once physically and die once physically, and after that comes the judgment:

Hebrews 9:27
"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

In the spiritual sense, the Bible says that we must be born twice but not reincarnated:

John 3:3
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

1 Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Titus 3:5
he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit ...

Jesus taught that a person who is born again in Christ dies once (physical death) but never faces spiritual death:

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 5:24
(Jesus is speaking) "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

Meanwhile, the Bible says a person who is born once spiritually and is never born again dies twice (both physically and spiritually):

Revelation 21:8
"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

That's why you sometimes see bumper stickers that say:

Born Twice, Die Once
Born Once, Die Twice

H/T Apologetix FAQ

Milton Friedman on Limited Government

Chomsky on Just War Theory

Go HERE to watch a video of a lecture Chomsky delivered at West Point Academy.

Apparently the lecture is somehow connected with a new book of his entitled "Failed States".

The lecture revealed to me how difficult it is for people without a supernatural horizon to ethically come to grips with some of most disturbing realities of life and of nations.