From simmonds@freeuk.com Sat Mar 31 08:42:46 2001
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 14:42:46 +0100
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Differences
Shabbat Shalom
Here is Jerry Golden's latest report. Blessings Stafford
Jerry Golden "REPORT"
P.O. Box 591
Bet Shemesh 99100 Israel
http://thegoldenreport
3-31-01
With so much death and destruction in Israel these days, one would
think, that I could think of something other than Kofi Annan, but his
speech at the Arab Summit in Jordan a few days ago keeps coming to
mind. I simply find it amazing that some one hasn't made an issue of
the fact, he was campaigning for his re-election as Secretary General
of the UN at Israel's expense.
He was talking to 22 Arab (Islamic) men who did not get elected by the
people, and not one of them at any time in their life time are coming
up for re-election. "All 22 are Dictators" and to this crowd of
bloodthirsty Islamic men he slams the only Democracy in the Middle
East "Israel". His reason is very easy to see he was talking to 22
votes in the UN for his re-election. If there was ever a time for the
United States to speak out on the floor of the UN in defense of Israel
it was after his speech, but they stayed silent.
But praise God, George W. Bush did speak out against the Palestinian
Terrorist and pointed a finger straight at them as the ones who must
stop the violence. I think it more a slip of the tongue than a planned
comment, but praise God anyhow.
Once again I want to point out the major differences between what
Israel does and what the Palestinians and other Arab Organizations are
doing in Israel. Let's just go back from the time of Sharon's election.
Feb. 8th Car bomb in Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem, wounded
one
Feb. 11 One killed near Gillo on Tunnel Road. "I've been shot at twice
on that same road"
Feb. 14 8 killed by Palestinian bus driver, 7 of them IDF soldiers.
Feb.25 2 Israelis wounded by gunfire near Ramallah, while driving home
from work
Feb. 26 Body of Jewish man found killed in Olive Grove.
Feb27 3 Israelis wounded shooting attack.
Feb 28 One Israeli wounded by gunfire near Kalkilya, 11-year-old girl
wounded by gunfire.
March 1 Bomb explodes in Taxi kills one and wounds 9.
March 4 Bomb explodes in Netanya kills 3 and wound 60 many very
seriously.
March 19 Another killed while driving home from work on Jerusalem
Highway.
March 20 Another shot and this time seriously wounded by Palestinian
sniper while driving home from work
March 21 Car bomb discovered and neutralized in Mea She'arim in
Jerusalem.
March 22 Car bomb blast outside restaurant in Herzliya Pituach.
March 27 2 Bombs in Jerusalem wound 35.
March 28 Suicide bomber kills two Israeli teenagers waiting for school
bus
I should also mention, that daily around Israel bombs are found and
disarmed because of the alertness of the Israelis that are never
reported. Plus the fact that children, like our own children who were
raised in Israel, know not to touch things on sidewalks and in public
places, it may be a bomb.
What are the differences between these deaths and those of the
Palestinians? NONE OF THESE WHERE TRYING TO HURT OR KILL ANY BODY.
They were Israeli's going and coming from home to work or school. They
were not out shooting or throwing rocks and fire bombs at someone
trying to kill them. They are a people living in a free society much
like the United States where everyone is made to answer for his wrong
doings in a court of law. Where we elect our officials in the same
manner as you do.
Look around the world today and see how many of the wars being fought
are because of the Islamic "JIHAD". These openly claim that their
enemies are the people of the Book. Meaning Jews and Christians. It is
written in their Koran they must convert you to Islam or kill you. It
is time for the world to wake up, Yasser Arafat is a devil, and should
be treated as one.
Please remember to pray for our son Joel, he was held back in Hebron
to help train the new troops who have just come to Hebron, but
reunites with his regular unit tomorrow on the Lebanon border. Pray
for this ministry, and for the peace of Jerusalem. And for my friend
Derek Prince who just under went surgery here in Jerusalem. Shabbat
Shalom, Jerry golden
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
Stafford's Mail <staffordsimmonds@ntlworld.com>
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From chrispatt Sat Mar 31 13:25:34 2001
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 10:25:34 -0800 (PST)
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Black Hole Near Milkyway & New Hudge Sun Spot
Scientists have already detected a black hole at the very heart of our galaxy, but this is the first time that one of these weird objects has been found outside the main disc of material that sits on the galactic plane.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1249000/1249182.stm
The biggest sunspot cluster seen in at least 10 years has developed on the upper right quarter of the side of the sun visible from Earth, according to satellite readings.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1252000/1252651.stm
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From research-bpr@philologos.org Sat Mar 31 14:47:20 2001
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 14:47:20 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] U.S. Warplane Attacks Iraqi Site
U.S. Warplane Attacks Iraqi Site
By WAIEL FALEH
.c The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. warplane attacked an anti-aircraft artillery site
in southern Iraq on Friday night in response to what U.S. officials called
recent Iraqi attempts to shoot down American and British pilots.
Earlier the same day, the burial of eight children killed in the explosion of
a missile left over from the 1991 Persian Gulf War turned into an
anti-American demonstration, the official Iraqi News Agency reported.
The U.S. strike near the city of As Samawah on the Euphrates River, 130
miles south of Baghdad, was the first in southern Iraq since American and
British planes attacked air defense sites around Baghdad on Feb. 16.
A spokesman for the Iraqi military confirmed the attack, saying it ``targeted
civil and service installations in the southern part of the country,'' and claimed
it was repulsed.
``Our heroic missile units confronted the enemy warplanes, forcing them to
leave our skies for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,'' the official Iraqi News Agency
quoted the unidentified spokesman as saying.
Earlier Friday, mourners buried eight children, aged five to seven, who died
Thursday when an unexploded Gulf War missile detonated at a soccer
stadium in Safwan, 375 miles south of Baghdad, INA reported.
Three of the victims were brothers.
``Participants in the funeral procession condemned the continuation of U.S.
and British aggression against Iraq and said they were prepared to sacrifice
themselves to achieve victory over the enemies of Iraq,'' the agency said.
U.S. and British planes regularly patrol the skies over southern and northern
Iraq to enforce ``no fly'' zones meant to prevent Iraqi forces from attacking
Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south.
Friday's strike by an Air Force F-15E warplane was announced by U.S.
Central Command in Tampa, Fla., which is responsible for U.S. forces in the
Persian Gulf area.
Central Command said precision-guided weapons were used against the site
but did not specify the weapon or give any indication of damage inflicted. It
said the U.S. aircraft involved in the strike returned safely from the mission.
AP-NY-03-31-01 0023EST
via: End_Times_News @yahoogroups.com
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From research-bpr@philologos.org Sat Mar 31 14:50:23 2001
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 14:50:23 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) News from Hebron:Gun battles & attempted terrorist infiltration
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 14:20:33 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: News from Hebron:Gun battles
& attempted terrorist infiltration
News from Hebron
The Hebron Press Office hebron_today@hebron.org.il
March 31, 2001
1. Gun battles and attempted terrorist infiltration
Gunfire raged in Hebron yesterday from late afternoon until 4:00 in the
morning. Arafat's terrorist forces attacked Hebron's neighborhoods from the
Shalhevet (Abu Sneneh) and Harat a'Shech hill, overlooking the the Jewish
community from the north and south. Terrorist bullets penetrated homes and
caused other damage. No one was injured.
At about 1:30 am Arab terrorists attempted to infiltrated the Tel Rumeida
neighborhood from the south, near the Tomb of Jesse and Ruth. Soldiers
stationed at the site opened fire on the terrorists, who fled to a nearby
house. Israeli tanks fired at the house. A later search failed to reveal
the terrorists.
A Hebron spokesman issued the following statement:
As we prepare to bury 10 month old Shalhevet Pass tomorrow, the war still
rages around us. Arafat's terrorist forces continue to attack Israelis in
Hebron from the hills surrounding the community, the hills from which
Shalhevet was shot and killed. As long as the hills remain under terrorist
control, the security of Hebron's Jewish population cannot improve. Last
Monday we witnessed the results of terrorist gunfire. The lives of our
wives and children remain in jeopardy.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was elected to provide security to Israelis, be
they in Tel-Aviv or Hebron. Following continued attacks on Israeli
civilians, Sharon has a legitimate right and obligation, not only to strike
back in defense, but to take offensive actions, preventing further attacks.
Sharon's offensive must begin in Hebron.
Ariel Sharon, a member of former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's
administration, has an moral and ethical obligation to restore security to
Hebron's Jewish community. That administration abandoned the surrounding
hills to Arafat, thereby allowing the terrorists free reign to shoot at us.
We were then promised unconditionally that any type of attacks on the
Jewish neighborhood from these hills would bring an immediate Israeli
response, and a retaking of the hills. Ehud Barak refused to honor that
guarantee.
We can only ask, "Ariel Sharon - why are you continuing the restraint
policy of your predecessors? Why are you hesitating to take the actions
necessary to stop the shooting? WHY AREN'T YOU DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO
STOP THE SHOOTING ATTACKS ON JEWS IN HEBRON?" TAKE BACK THE HILLS BEFORE
MORE INNOCENT JEWISH BLOOD IS SPILLED!
--------------------------------------------
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From research-bpr@philologos.org Sat Mar 31 14:55:35 2001
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 14:55:35 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Zenit items (3/30/01)
CHRISTIANS URGED TO HELP LEAD EUROPEAN UNIFICATION
Pope Cites Their Role in Transmitting Hope
VATICAN CITY, MAR. 30, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Christians have an
indispensable role to play in the European Union, which entails the recover
y
of hope in a society threatened by technological materialism and contempt
for minorities, says John Paul II.
The Pope expressed these thoughts this morning when he received the
bishops of the Commission of Episcopates of the European Community
(COMECE), who held a two-day plenary assembly in Rome.
The Holy Father said that the Europe emerging from the process of
integration "must not only be a geographic and economic continental reality
,
but above all a cultural and spiritual [reality], forged thanks to a fruitf
ul
exchange of multiple and significant values and traditions."
The Bishop of Rome described the process of European integration of the 15
countries as a sure itinerary toward peace and concord among peoples, and
a faster way to attain the European common good."
In order to accomplish this, the Pontiff called for the demolition of "invi
sible
walls" that have been erected since the fall of the Iron Curtain, requestin
g
that the new Europe breathe "with two lungs [the Eastern and Western], not
only from the religious but also from the cultural and political point of v iew."
He said the principle on which the new Europe must be founded, is "the
recognition of the dignity of the human person and of his inalienable
fundamental rights, the inviolability of life, liberty and justice, fratern
ity and
solidarity."
The Holy Father and other Church leaders have expressed consternation over
the text of the European Charter of fundamental rights. In this context, th
e
Pope affirmed that "Christianity can offer a determinant and substantial
contribution of renewal and hope to the European continent."
However, "evangelical hope" can only be transmitted if it flows from "a new
missionary season that involves all those who make up the Christian
people," the Pontiff clarified.
"Sometimes the conviction arises in the contemporary world that man can
establish the values he needs on his own," the Holy Father stressed.
"Society would often like to delegate the definition of its own goals to ra
tional
calculations, technology and the majorityB4s interest. It is necessary to
energetically recall that the dignity of the human person is rooted in the
CreatorB4s plan, so his rights are not subject to the arbitrary interventi
ons of
majorities, but must be recognized by all and kept at the center of every
social plan and political decision."
"Only an integral view of reality, inspired in perennial human values, can
foster the consolidation of a community in freedom and solidarity," the Pop
e
concluded.
COMECEB4s meeting, presided over by Bishop Josef Homeyer of Hildesheim,
Germany, was attended by delegates of 14 bishopsB4 conferences of the
European Union, as well as episcopates considered "observers." The latter,
in general, belong to countries that have requested membership in the
European Union: the Czech Republic, Malta, Poland, Hungary and
Switzerland.
During the discussions, it was specified that the Vatican and the
commissions of European bishops "have different although complementary
missions which should reinforce cooperation itself in face of the
intensification of the ChurchB4s presence in European institutions," accor
ding
to a statement by COMECEB4s Commission of Episcopates.
In other actions, the bishops:
--expressed their solidarity with the agricultural sector, which is grappli
ng
with "mad cow" disease and foot and mouth disease.
--said they will ask the European Commission, which is developing a
common policy of asylum and immigration, to offer guarantees for the
respect of human rights of persecuted individuals.
--welcomed the initiative of the European Commission and the Swedish
presidency "to foster education in the new means of communion and protect
children and minors from all contents that can harm their development."
ZE01033009
----------------
PAPAL MASS SET FOR STADIUM IN DAMASCUS
Same Day, May 6, Pope Plans to Visit Mosque
DAMASCUS, Syria, MAR. 30, 2001 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II will celebrate
Mass in Abasidas Stadium here Sunday, May 6, during his historic visit to
Syria.
The Holy Father will arrive at Damascus International Airport on May 5,
where he will receive "an official and popular welcome," the Greek-Catholic
patriarchate reported Thursday. The Pope will be traveling from Athens,
Greece, continuing his pilgrimage in St. PaulB4s footsteps.
Syrian President Bashar Assad will greet the Bishop of Rome at the airport,
and then have a personal meeting with the Pontiff.
John Paul II will attend an ecumenical meeting in the Greek-Orthodox
patriarchate, which is scheduled for the late afternoon, according to the
program published by the Greek-Catholic Patriarchal Vicar Isidore Battika,
and Archbishop Diego Causero, the apostolic nuncio in Damascus.
The next morning, Sunday, a solemn Mass will take place in the 45,000-
capacity stadium. Following a meeting with Syrian priests and religious, in
the afternoon the Holy Father will visit the Umayyad mosque. Of SyriaB4s 1
6.3
million inhabitants, 90% are Muslim.
On May 7, the Pope will visit Kuneitra, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) sout
h
of Damascus, a part of Golan which was not occupied by Israel, and plant an
olive tree. Before this, the Pope will visit St. PaulB4s chapel, in the ol
d zone of
Damascus.
On Monday afternoon, after returning from Kuneitra, the Holy Father will me
et
with youth in the Greek-Catholic patriarchate. The next morning, May 8, he
heads for Malta.
ZE01033006
---------------
MEXICOB4S FAREWELL TO ST. THC9RE8SE OF LISIEUX
MEXICO CITY, MAR. 30, 2001 (Zenit.org).- More than 5,000 people gathered
in the Sports Palace here to bid farewell to the relics of St. ThE9rE8se
of the
Child Jesus, after a tour that included visits to 35 Mexican dioceses.
Although she spent a good part of her life in a cloistered convent in Lisie
ux,
St. ThE9rE8se (1873-1897) is world patroness of missions and a doctor of
the
Church. Her remains are now on the way back to France.
Thursday afternoon, her relics were carried in the Sports Palace, on the
shoulders of members of the Order of Malta. The public broke out in cries o
f
joy.
Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, the apostolic nuncio, concelebrated Mass
with representatives of the Mexican bishopsB4 conference, presided over by
Archbishop Luis Morales Reyes.
In his address, Archbishop Morales Reyes contrasted the prevailing
hedonism and materialism with John Paul IIB4s proposal, according to whom
the health of Mexican society depends on the health of the family.
ThE9rE8se MartinB4s thought helped to revolutionize 20th-century spiritu
ality, as
she was able to convey that holiness consists in confident abandonment,
like that of a child, in the hands of a loving God.
The last stage of the relicsB4 "pilgrimage" in Mexico was in Yucatan, wher
e
more than 70,000 faithful venerated the remains.
ZE01033007
---------------
COLLECTION FOR HOLY LAND PLANNED FOR GOOD FRIDAY
VATICAN CITY, MAR. 30, 2001 (Zenit.org).- On Good Friday all dioceses
worldwide are asked to contribute to the Pontifical Collection for the Holy
Places, to help "brothers in Jerusalem who live in poverty."
This initiative, proposed by the Vatican Congregation for the Oriental
Churches and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, reminds the faithful
that the Holy Land shrines must be preserved.
"The Holy Land needs the support of the faithful to worthily maintain the
evangelical shrines, welcome pilgrims from all over the world, and support
the
Christian community with pastoral, charitable, educational and social works
,"
the collectionB4s organizers said in a message.
ZE01033022
http://www.zenit.org/
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From research-bpr@philologos.org Sat Mar 31 15:21:35 2001
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 15:21:35 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (3/30/01)
RAU CALLS ON MEDIA TO RETHINK ISLAM
In a speech to mark the opening of a conference on ethics and journalism in
Western and Islamic societies in Berlin on Thursday, German President
Johannes Rau called on the media to look at Islamic societies in a differen
t
light. Too often Islam was branded as fundamentalist and despotic, Mr. Rau
said, also criticizing those -- mainly the followers of Islam in Muslim
countries -- who equate the West with godlessness and American-style
consumerism. Fundamentalism was not restricted to the Islamic world, but
was also to be found among Christians, he said.
As Western countries had little direct contact with Islamic societies, the
media play an important intermediary role, he said. The press, radio and TV
could both soothe and intensify conflicts between cultures, but they also
defined the social climate in which immigration and the integration of
foreigners were discussed, for example in Germany, he added. The German
president urged journalists from both cultures to place greater emphasis on
what unites them, rather than highlighting their differences. (Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung)
RABBI CALLS A.D.L. LEADER JEWS "WORST ENEMY"
Calling secular Judaism's preoccupation with victimhood "liberalism with a
circumcision," an Orthodox rabbi has given the "Our Own Worst Enemy
Award" to the head of the Anti-Defamation League. An ADL official has
dismissed the characterization. Rabbi Daniel Lapin is president of Toward
Tradition, a group based in Mercer Island, Wa., that describes itself as "a
coalition of Jews and Christians dedicated to fighting secular institutions
that
foster anti-Semitism, harm families, and jeopardize the future of America."
The group bestowed the "award" upon ADL National Director Abraham
Foxman on Wednesday.
"The award is given to a Jewish American who exemplifies those cultural
forces that most endanger Jewish continuity, substituting unhealthy values
for Judaism itself," Toward Tradition said. "Children thus grow up to dismi
ss
Jewish identity as, for example, merely with an obsession with death and
persecution, or as liberalism with a circumcision." "I think Abe Foxman
means well," Lapin said. "But he's deluded by liberalism, a worldview
preoccupied by victimhood."
The rabbi called attention to Foxman's letter that appeared in the March 23
editions of the New York Times. In it, the ADL leader compared the
newspaper ads by conservative activist David Horowitz -- who opposes
monetary reparations to American blacks for being the descendants of
slaves -- with Holocaust deniers. "Put that together with Foxman's
statement last week about the 'big eruption' of anti-Semitism in New York,
and so on, and you get the picture of a guy who's not in close touch with
reality," Lapin said.
Foxman based his remark on an ADL survey that says anti-Semitic
incidents rose by about 49% in New York City last year. David Klinghofer,
Toward Tradition's editorial director, questions the survey's validity. Man
y
of the incidents recorded are not crimes, he said, but rather "anything
anybody perceived as anti-Semitic." The ADL "gets paid (by contributors)
according to how much anti-Semitism it finds,"Klinghofer told UPI
Wednesday.
Toward Tradition said that Foxman's "tireless efforts" to convince
American Jews that they are beset by "a phantom anti-Semitism," when
their own experience suggests otherwise, "have helped to confirm many in
the belief that being a Jew has to do mainly with being oppressed and
hated."
The American Jewish Committee's annual study for 1999 reported that anti-
Semitism is the main concern of 62% of American Jews, up 5% from 1998.
The study, which was summarized in a June 9, 1999, story in the
Washington Times, also revealed that American Jews give a low priority to
religious observance and believe recalling the Holocaust is the key to bein
g
a Jew.
In its story, the Times quoted Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, humanities professor
at New York University, who believes Jews are "absolutely free and equal"
in America. "I deplore the survey results. When you say: 'Remember, we
have enemies,' it simply feeds a neurosis. I maintain that Jewish life is n
ot
fear, but affirmation."
Toward Tradition's National Director Yarden Weidenfeld also said that
traditional Judaism, as taught by Lapin, celebrates life. Foxman's approach
constitutes the real threat to American Jewry, Weidenfeld told UPI in a
Wednesday phone interview, because young American Jews who associate
their religion with death and misery are more likely to marry Gentile
partners. The real danger is assimilation, Weidenfeld said.
Toward Tradition said it picked Foxman "from among other representatives
of the Anti-Semitism Industry" because of his role in former president
Clinton's pardon of fugitive tax evader Marc Rich. Citing Friday's
Newsweek report, the group said: "After the ADL received a $100,000
check from the Rich Foundation, Foxman wrote to Bill Clinton urging the
pardon."In doing so, Foxman "joined other leading Jewish liberals who had
benefited from the billionaire's largesse. The ensuing scandal was a comfor
t
to true anti-Semites who say that Jews buy and sell justice." (United Press
International)
CHURCHES ARE FORCED TO CANCEL SERVICES
Rural churches in areas of Britain worst hit by the foot and mouth epidemic
have been badly affected by movement restrictions imposed at farms and
many services are being cancelled. Some rural congregations have held
single, joint Sunday services to avoid movement of worshippers in the
countryside and to enable clergy to visit only one church. Services have
been cancelled across Britain since the outbreak began and many churches
are making special arrangements for Easter and Palm Sunday services on
April 8. Some have been closed because they are near farmland.
On Mothering Sunday, prayers were said for farming people and all money
given at collections was donated to farmers affected by F&M, instead of
the Mothers' Union, or children's charities. A nationwide fund has been
launched by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to help farmers.
Prayer vigils for farming people have been held at churches and cathedrals
around the country. (The London Telegraph)0E
WHY BLAIR IS RECRUITING GOD AS A PARTNER IN "THE
PROJECT"
Heavens, there must be an election: Tony Blair is invoking God again.
Whose God? Don't ask awkward questions. Our pulpit Prime Minister is a
man of parts - of many parts. He delivered a sermon to the Christian
Socialist Movement yesterday, which was all about how "faith
communities" can pick up the pieces for the threadbare welfare state that
Gordon Brown, that compassionate son of the manse, is supposed to have
modernised.
Last week it was the turn of Islam. At the Muslim News Awards for
Excellence dinner at the Savoy, the Prime Minister amused his hosts by
revealing that he was reading "Cattle", a book of the Koran. It is not the
first time that Mr Blair has reminded Muslims that the Koran is his bedside
reading; indeed, he does it so often that one might be forgiven for
wondering whether his motives were entirely disinterested.
Certainly the adjective he chooses to describe Islam - "peaceful" - suggest
s
that he is straining every sinew to tell Muslim voters what they want to
hear. Islam has become a great force for stability in Britain, but Muslims
are sensitive to the charge that they introduce conflicts from the Middle
East or the Indian subcontinent into British politics.
Not that Mr Blair would want Jews to feel left out. "I also read the Old
Testament, which is detailed and vivid." Again, a curious choice of
adjectives. Then there was Holocaust Day - even if the Prime Minister did
rather too obviously exploit that occasion to denounce, not so much anti-
Semitism, as any attitude that diverged from multiculturalism. Yesterday he
said that Holocaust Day was about "the importance of inclusion"; so much
for survivors who naively supposed that it was about the murder of 6mn
Jews.
Perhaps, though, it required a Prime Minister given to almost Gladstonian
displays of public piety to abandon the notion that Britain, though
outstandingly tolerant of minorities, has a predominantly Judaeo-Christian
culture. Tony Blair is not so much a Christian socialist as a Christian
relativist.He is as eclectic in his religious beliefs as he is in his polit
ical ones.
According to John Rentoul's newly revised biography, Mr Blair was politely
rebuked by Cardinal Hume in July 1996 for his habit of taking communion
together with his Roman Catholic wife and children at their local church in
Islington.
Cardinal Hume explained that, while it might be acceptable for him to
receive communion at a Catholic church while on holiday in Tuscany, as
there were no Anglican churches nearby, this was not the case in London.
Though Mr Blair reluctantly agreed to refrain from receiving the sacrament
of a Church to which he did not belong, he added: "I wonder what Jesus
would have made of it."
It takes a special sort of arrogance to invoke Jesus Christ against a cardi
nal
archbishop [no it doesn't!], the more so given Basil Hume's generally
admired Benedictine asceticism. But Mr Blair is the kind of Christian who,
while eager to demonstrate his charitable credentials, deprecates any kind
of orthodoxy or doctrine.
The Blairs' favourite guru, and an honoured guest at Downing Street, is
Professor Hans Kung, the heresiarch who fell foul of the Pope. New
Labour, as Mr Blair sees it, is DIY Christianity. The Gospels (into which,
of
course, he dips whenever he is not reading the Koran or the Torah) are to
him not Holy Writ, but "a most extraordinary expression of sensitive human
values". As he put it yesterday: "An abhorrence of prejudice based on race,
class, gender or occupation is fundamental to the Gospels." Apparently the
Evangelists, like Moses and Mohammed, were early Blairites.
Moliere told us all we need to know about Tony Blair's religiosity in
Tartuffe, the most devastating satire on religious hypocrisy ever written.
"Ah, pour etre devot, je n'en suis pas moins homme," declares Tartuffe
to the beautiful and trusting Elmire. "Though I am devout, I am none the
less human." Just as Moliere's hypocrite paraded his humanity as well as hi
s
piety for the purpose of seduction, so Mr Blair presents the "sensitive
human values" of his Christianity in order to woo voters.
The Tartuffe of Downing Street has had his way with the electorate, so far.
A recent Channel 4 programme told us that, of the 50 most influential
religious figures in public life, the top 4 were, in ascending order, Cheri
e
Booth, Rabbi Lionel Blue, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. This choice, by a
selection panel that included one token Tory, probably reflects the authent
ic
view of the New Labour elite.
To be sure, the presence of practising Christians in Downing Street has
sometimes exercised a benign influence. Cherie Booth deserves credit for
persuading her husband that there should be more church and other
denominational secondary schools. Mr Brown has responded to the
promptings of the Churches - and, no doubt, of his own conscience - on
Third World debt relief, charitable donations and VAT on church repairs.
This conversion has, however, been rather recent. Within days of arriving
at the Treasury in 1997, the very same Mr Brown had plundered the very
same charities by attacking their fiscal privileges, reducing their annual
income by a crippling 10%. Brown's tithe, as we should call it, has cost th
e
voluntary sector far more than it has benefited from his beneficence.
Moreover, in return for giving charities a larger role in the New Jerusalem
,
Messrs Brown and Blair have demanded ever greater control. Labour may
have abandoned its former hostility to the little platoons, but it does not
believe that their independence is a positive virtue. The "faith communitie
s"
should beware of Mr Blair as a "partner". He may, like Uriah Heep, be
ever so 'umble; but what he has in mind is the nationalisation of charity.
This is merely one illustration of the hypocrisy that percolates down from
the Downing Street pulpit through the Government. A prime minister who
put his Christianity into practice would not have taken a militantly secula
rist
line on moral issues, such as Section 28, or life issues, such as human
cloning. Christians, Jews and Muslims of traditional views should examine
carefully a government that sneers at their beliefs as primitive, their
prohibitions as illiberal and their anxieties as groundless. (The London
Telegraph - Opinion)
HACKING "IS NOW BIGGER THREAT THAN TERRORISM"
Computer hacking could now cripple Britain more quickly than a military
strike or terrorist campaign, Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary, told the
Commons last night. He said that the electronic technology controlling
essential services such as water, power and transport had become a leading
target for terrorists and other groups who wanted to disrupt the life of th
e
nation. Mr Cook gave a graphic account of how terrorists or anti-capitalist
protesters could wreak havoc in a modern economy such as Britain's if they
managed to gain access to the computer systems of the key public services.
(The London Telegraph)
BUSH DEFIES EUROPE OVER POLLUTION
President Bush's decision to abandon the Kyoto protocol on reducing
greenhouse gases provoked almost universal outrage among European
leaders yesterday. A senior environmental activist said Mr Bush had "put 2
fingers up to the rest of the world". Chancellor Schroder of Germany told
the President in Washington that America, as the biggest economy and
energy consumer in the world, must accept responsibility for the planet's
climate.
They met in the Oval Office a day after Christine Todd Whitman, head of
the United States Environmental Protection Agency, said that Kyoto was
"dead" because Congress would not ratify it and Mr Bush thought it would
damage the economy. Some observers saw the timing of the announcement
as a calculated insult to Mr Schroder, who is in coalition with the Green
Party. Mr Schroder said the talks had been "frank".
Michael Meacher, the environment minister, said that Mr Bush's decision
was "exceptionally serious". The EU, France, Ireland and Italy quickly
joined the chorus of indignation. Dominique Voynet, the French
environment minister, said: "Mr Bush's unilateral attitude is entirely
provocative and irresponsible." Japan and Australia expressed dismay and
one of the smallest nations, the Micronesian islands of Kiribati, said it w
ould
"drown" in the rising Pacific unless global warming was stopped.
British officials fear that Mr Bush's decision will make it harder to convi
nce
developing countries, especially India and China, to accept limits on their
pollutants. The EU will send a high-level delegation to Washington next
week to urge him to change his mind. A follow-up meeting on Kyoto last
November collapsed when the EU and US failed to agree on mechanisms
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Fresh talks were originally set for Bon
n
in May, but were postponed until July. (The London Telegraph)
&: German and European papers attack President Bush for backing out of
the 1997 Kyoto treaty on global warming. It's cold in Washington - both
outside, on the streets, and inside the White House. And according to the
Berliner Morgenpost, Chancellor SchrF6der got to feel the sinking
temperatures at his first meeting with Bush. The paper adds: "The Bush
Administration abruptly decided not to implement the 1997 Kyoto treaty on
global warming right before SchrF6der's arrival. That's a direct affront
against the Chancellor, who will play host to the next international climat
e
conference in Bonn this summer."
Despite the obvious disagreement over climate protection between the 2
leaders, Mainz's Allgemeine Zeitung says it's up to SchrF6der to continue
to
act as the ambassador of Germany, and of Europe - during his US visit.
That means being friendly, but also getting down to work. Something the
US government isn't quite ready for, the paper says, because when it
comes to foreign policy, President Bush still has to do his homework. Bush
might not know it yet, but the era of the superpower is over, the paper
writes. In the age of globalisation, the world's problems have to be solved
together.
The Thuringer Allgemeine is even less flattering, asserting that President
Bush is consciously building on his image as a good ol' boy from Texas. It'
s
so obvious now to see what the oil barons of Texas told Bush to do about
the Kyoto treaty as they stood around the barbecue. He's done their
bidding.
It's George Bush against the rest of the world, says the Belgian paper Le
Soir. Every other country the world over realises that environmental
protection, and especially, global warming, are global issues. When our
atmosphere heats up, it affects people in Bangladesh just as much as people
in Florida. But, according to the paper, it appears that it is only George
Bush
who thinks that we deal with the greenhouse effect through a politics of
isolation.
France's Liberation takes a similar view, chiding the Americans for
forgetting that no country is an island unto itself, and that no country ca
n
live apart from the rest of the world. Still, it predicts that the US will
emerge victorious from this first crisis in transatlantic relations. They'l
l likely
determine whether the Kyoto Protocol will be re-negotiated, or buried.
The Financial Times, though, says European politicians and
environmentalists must resist the temptation to heap recriminations on
Mr.Bush. Although it is true that the US, with just six percent of the worl
d's
population produces a quarter of the planet's greenhouse gases, the FT says
that the Americans could not meet the Kyoto targets without the risk of a
severe shock to the economy. The Guardian of London, however, couldn't
care less about that. It calls Bush's decision to trash the Kyoto treaty
"appalling". "America is now confirmed as the unrepentant outlaw, the dirty
man of environmental politics," the paper adds. (Deutsche Welle)
&: There is much seething and gnashing of editorial teeth over President
Bush's reneging of the Kyoto protocol on global warming. "Pollution:
Everyone against Bush", says a front page headline in the French Le
Figaro. The paper says that Chancellor Schroeder "spoke for all Europeans"
when he conveyed his concern over the decision to President Bush.
Germany's Berliner Morgenpost says that the decision, taken just before the
chancellor's visit, was a "serious affront" to Schroeder, particularly as h
e
will host the next climate change conference, in Bonn in July. The paper
believes that the chancellor is returning home "with the realization that t
he
president and his advisors are determined to be merciless in the interests
of
America, in particular those of its oil industry. In this and in other area
s of
political tension, that promises to cast a serious cloud over relations
between the old and the new world."
Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung is equally scathing about the USA's
decision, but sees an opportunity as well. "The EU gains nothing from
putting the American Way of Life in the dock. Rather (it) must demonstrate
that protecting the environment is a win-win situation, and that modern,
rational use of energy... saves money and leads to valuable exports of
technology." And then America would have to follow suit, it adds.
But London's The Independent fears America is in no mood to follow any
foreign leads. Under the heading of "A cynical man, a catastrophic error",
it
forecasts that "history will not judge George Bush kindly". It is not just
that
Mr Bush "thinks his nation cannot meet the solemn commitments on global
warming" enshrined in the Kyoto protocol, the paper says. "It is that he
does not care." "Of the many potential conflicts between the US and its
partners... nothing is as bad as this. It is not even isolationism, it is i
n-your-
face truculence. The supposed 'leadership of the free world' is in the hand
s
of a man determined to visit greater misery on the generations to come."
(BBC)
NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
George Bush's decision to abandon the international Kyoto protocol, which
sought to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that are believed to
cause global warming, has provoked an outbreak of hysteria the world over.
To listen to the reaction of some politicians and environmentalists, anyone
might think that the President had pressed the nuclear button.
John Gummer (Tory), spoke darkly of waging a trade war against the
United States. "We must explain to the Americans that we are not going to
allow our climate to be changed by somebody else," he said, like a mouse
baring its teeth at a lion. In the view of Charles Secrett, the executive
director of Friends of the Earth, America's withdrawal from the agreement
was simply a "disaster". He did not know, he said, "whether to laugh or cry
at the outrageousness of it".
The prophets of Armageddon should cool down. The world is not going to
end as a result of Mr Bush's decision. Even if the Kyoto proposals were
rigorously adhered to, they would not affect the globe's temperature by
more than a fraction of 1 degree over the next 50 years - and that is
according to the estimates of the agreement's most enthusiastic supporters.
A step in the right direction (as most scientists saw Kyoto) would be bette
r
than no step at all. But the "unthinkable disaster" of America's withdrawal
should be seen in proportion.
The agreement's impact on American industry, on the other hand, would
have been enormous. In fact, America would almost certainly have been
unable to meet its obligations under the treaty, since the American economy
has grown rapidly since the targets for reducing emissions were set. For
that reason, it was by no means certain that the Senate would have ratified
the Kyoto pact, signed by Bill Clinton with a pious display of greenery in
1998. By abandoning Kyoto, Mr Bush is simply acknowledging these truths -
and making a little domestic political capital into the bargain.
Seen from the American industrialists' point of view, Kyoto was a lousy
deal. It required a much greater sacrifice from them than from their
counterparts in the Third World. It is unsurprising if they saw the
agreement as a piece of damaging nonsense, designed to make Mr Clinton
and the environmentalists feel good about themselves.
As a general rule, it is a bad thing for incoming administrations to rat on
international agreements signed by their predecessors. It was at best
extremely tactless of Mr Bush - and insulting to America's fellow-
signatories of the protocol - to abandon it so high-handedly. But the new
President must at least be given credit for displaying a better grasp of
realitythan his critics. (The London Telegraph - Editorial)
MICHAEL TURNER 0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)
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