Glasgow Attack Seen Tied to London Bombs

Glasgow Attack Seen Tied to London Bombs
Jun 30, 7:26 PM (ET)
By IAN STEWART

(AP) Passengers make their way from Glasgow Airport at Glasgow Airport Saturday, June 30, 2007. Two men... Full Image

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) - A Jeep Cherokee trailing a cascade of flames rammed into Glasgow airport on Saturday, shattering glass doors just yards from passengers at the check-in counters. Police said they believed the attack was linked to two car bombs found in London the day before.

Britain raised its terror alert to "critical" - the highest possible level - and the Bush administration announced plans to increase security at airports and on mass transit.

Five bystanders were wounded, though none seriously, police said.

One of the men in the car was in critical condition at a hospital with severe burns, while the other was in police custody, said Scottish Police Chief Constable Willie Rae. He said a "suspect device" was found on the man at the hospital and it was taken to a safe location where it was being investigated.

(AP) CCTV cameras monitor the streets of Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, Central London, Saturday June... Full Image

Rae would not say whether the device was a suicide belt. British security officials said evidence pointed toward the Glasgow attack being a suicide mission.

"I can confirm that we believe the incident at Glasgow airport is linked to the events in London yesterday," Rae said. "There are clearly similarities and we can confirm that this is being treated as a terrorist incident."

Police foiled the plot Friday after two cars were found in central London packed with explosives - one outside a nightclub near Piccadilly Circus and another parked nearby.

A British government security official said the methods used in the airport attack and Friday's thwarted plots were similar, with all three vehicles carrying large quantities of flammable materials.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

(AP) Passengers make their way from Glasgow Airport Saturday, June 30, 2007. Two men tried to ram a jeep... Full Image

Police and MI5 had no specific intelligence warning of a plan to attack Scotland, but they have monitored a host of suspected terrorists and plots there, he said. It was not yet clear whether there was an international element to the planning or funding of the attacks, the official said.

The new terror threat presents Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a Scot who took office on Wednesday, with an enormous challenge and comes at a time of already heightened vigilance one week before the anniversary of the July 7 London transit attacks, which killed 52 people.

"I know that the British people will stand together, united, resolute and strong," Brown said Saturday in a televised statement.

President Bush was being kept informed of the situation, the White House said. "We're in contact with British authorities on the matter," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, in Washington.

The green Jeep barreled toward Glasgow's main airport terminal shortly after 3 p.m. Leeson said bollards - security posts outside the entrance - stopped the driver from driving into the bustling terminal, but the nose of the vehicle smashed the glass doors.

(AP) Police take control at Glasgow Airport Saturday, June 30, 2007. Two men tried to ram a jeep with... Full Image

"If he'd got through, he'd have killed hundreds, obviously," he said.

AP photographs from the scene showed the car hit the building at an angle and was poking into the terminal. The Jeep struck the building directly in front of check-in counters, where dozens of passengers were lined up, police said.

Lynsey McBean, a witness at the terminal, said the driver kept trying to push the car forward after it got stuck, and "the wheels were spinning and smoke was coming from them."

She said one of the men then took out a plastic gasoline canister and poured a liquid under the car. "He then set light to it," said McBean, 26, from Erskine, Scotland.

Police subdued the driver and a passenger, both described by witnesses as South Asian - a term used to refer to people from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries in the region. The previous round of terrorist activity in Britain, in July 2005, was largely carried out by local Muslims, raising ethnic tensions in Britain.

Witnesses said one of the men was engulfed in flames and spoke "gibberish" as an official used a fire extinguisher to douse the fire.

Glasgow police spokeswoman Elisa Dunn said five bystanders were treated for injuries - one of whom was hospitalized with a leg injury.

The airport was evacuated and all flights suspended. Police said Liverpool Airport and roads around Edinburgh were also closed.

The attack left passengers shaken and stranded on the first day of summer vacation for Glasgow schools. At the time of the crash, the airport was bustling with families heading out on vacation.

Meanwhile in London, police were gathering evidence from closed circuit television footage, as forensics experts searched for clues into the foiled bombings. The two Mercedes cars had been loaded with gasoline, gas canisters and nails in one of the capital's busiest areas on a night when Londoners like to go out and party. Security officials and police denied an ABC News report that they had a "crystal clear" picture of one suspect from CCTV footage.

The vehicles were found abandoned in the early hours of Friday in what police believe was an attempt to kill scores or even hundreds of people. Detectives said they were keeping an open mind about the bombers' identities, but terrorism experts said the signs pointed to a cell linked to or inspired by al-Qaida.

One car was abandoned outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub on Haymarket in the heart of London's entertainment district. The other had been towed after being parked illegally on nearby Cockspur Street and was discovered in an impound lot about a mile away in Park Lane, near Hyde Park.

London police said extra officers were being deployed at landmarks, airports, train stations and bus terminals across the capital Sunday, and had been ordered to step up the use of stop and search powers. Armed police would patrol at major rail stations, it said.

At least 450 officers would monitor a rock concert at London's Wembley Stadium on Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, police said.

Brown came to office pledging to win back the support of voters disenchanted over the Iraq war. But he backed Tony Blair's decision to send troops to Iraq in 2003 and has shown support for greater anti-terror measures that have angered Britain's some 1.8 million Muslims.

The airport incident carried reminders of a foiled plot in December 1999 to attack Los Angeles International Airport, when customs agents stopped an Algerian-born man in a car packed with 124 of explosives. He was jailed for 22 years and prosecutors said he was intent on bombing the Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium.

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On the Net:

http://www.glasgowairport.com
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070630/D8Q3EDQ80.html

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More Severe Flooding Expected in England

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6256288.stm

 

 

Last Updated: Saturday, 30 June 2007, 02:13 GMT 03:13 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Flood-hit areas on weather alert

The streets of Bentley, near Doncaster, remain flooded Flood-hit communities are being warned to brace themselves for more torrential rain over the weekend. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for most areas of England and Wales, with up to 50mm (2in) of rain forecast in some places. A national flood support centre has been set up in Worcester to respond to further outbreaks of severe weather. Widespread flooding in England earlier this week killed four people and forced thousands from their homes. Extra resources Simon Hughes, flood defence manager for the Environment Agency, told BBC Radio Five Live that more flooding was expected. "With the land being just so saturated, more rain's going to mean more flooding," he said. "We're really urging people to be prepared - find out if they're in a place that may flood, and take some simple steps now to prepare themselves if it does flood." Catcliffe, South Yorkshire, was one of the worst affected areas However the agency said floods were not expected "to reach the severity seen earlier in the week". Worcester's newly-created national flood support centre will be gathering information from emergency services across the country to co-ordinate responses to reports of flooding. Details will be fed to a central office in Manchester, which will organise the deployment of extra resources. It will be run by the chief fire officer of the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Paul Hayden, who has been a strong critic of the response to this week's floods. "Because we haven't got standardisation of our equipment and our training, it does mean we aren't as effective as we otherwise could be," he told the BBC. Rainfall of 15-25mm (0.6-1in) is predicted across many parts of England and Wales but there could be up to 50mm in some places. The Met Office said the worst of the heavy rain would be seen in western England and Wales during Saturday. Because the ground is already saturated, "there is potential for further disruption", its website warns. Insurance costs This week's floods were most severe in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands. At the height of the flooding, two people died in Sheffield, including a teenage boy, a man died in Hull and a driver died in Worcestershire. On Friday, five severe flood warnings remained in place in north-east England, with four on the River Don in South Yorkshire. More than 350 people were evacuated from their homes in north Doncaster after the river burst its banks. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said so far 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses had been affected across the country and that clean-up costs could reach £1bn. The organisation's director general, Stephen Haddrill, said insurers were drafting in extra staff, but there would be some delays in handling claims because of the scale of the flooding. Cash call Meanwhile, the Environment Agency is calling on the government to find more cash to encourage farmers to manage their land in a way that would prevent flooding. The agency's head, Baroness Young, says money should be diverted from the basic farm subsidy and given to those farmers who are prepared to give up the intensive techniques experts say make flooding more likely. She says farmers should be paid to plant more trees, allow land beside rivers to flood when necessary and to turn ploughed fields into meadows. But correspondent Miriam O'Reilly, of BBC Radio 4's Farming Today, said experts had acknowledged that the recent rainfall had been so heavy that no amount of money could have prevented rivers from bursting their banks.

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Cyclone, Floods in Pakistan.. "Total Devastation,,,Anger, Despair..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6255920.stm

 

Anger and despair in Balochistan

A cyclone has caused devastating floods in Pakistan's Balochistan, with 800,000 people hit and many thousands of homes destroyed. The BBC's Ilyas Khan is in Turbat, one of the worst-affected towns, where he has been seeing the terrible effects of the storm.

---

The scene is one of total devastation.

Rows of houses have become fields of mud and debris

Gushing flood waters from the Kech Kaur river ploughed through a vast area on both sides, levelling entire villages, chopping down date palms and destroying crops over thousands of acres.

"The floods came with a roar, and they were upon us before we knew," says Bijar Baloch.

As the dykes of the river gave way to the rising tide of water, Mr Baloch and around 30 others worked on in their date palm orchards near Solband village, believing they would be out of the area by the time the water reached their fields.

But a stream broke through from the hills on the other side, surrounding them completely. "Before they knew, the water was up to their knees and the roads had breached. The only way left was up - to the rooftop of a nearby mosque," says Mr Baloch.

They were rescued from there by a Pakistan Navy helicopter 38 hours later.

Vanished homes

Others say that when the waters rushed in, they got their women and children out and tried to run for higher ground, leaving their homes behind.

Gulab Ahmad's village lacks food, shelter and clean water

In most cases, those homes are no more.

Row upon row of houses have now become desolate fields of dried mud and uprooted bush. In some areas there is not a trace that a human settlement ever existed there.

In one village there is a wide storm water channel with a sandy bed scarred by ditches and uprooted rocks as speeding waters tore through it.

"Until Tuesday morning, it was a football ground belonging to the school that you can see there," says Ubaid Shad, a Turbat resident.

The rising water in Mirani dam, 43km south-west of Turbat, caused waters in the Kech Kaur river to overflow on both sides, inundating more than 40 villages along the entire length of the river between the dam and Turbat city, the headquarters of Kech district.

"Some 50,000 people have been rendered homeless in the area," says Bashir Ahmad Baloch, vice-chairman of Mekran Resource Centre, an advocacy group based in Turbat.

This does not include people rendered homeless in Buleda and Dasht subdivisions of Kech districts, or in the coastal towns of Pasni, Gwadar and Jewani which were hit by the cyclone on Tuesday, he says.

Most of these people have taken refuge at school buildings and mosques. Some have moved in with relatives in safer parts of the city.

"Everything is lost. Our crops, our food stores, our irrigation system, our water wells," says Gulab Ahmad. "Our roads have turned to ditches and our villages have become riverbeds. I cannot even imagine how we are going to bring it back to life."

Supplies inadequate

But women have not given up.

Herding their children ahead of them, groups of women, old and young, walk between their shelters in the city centre and the debris of their houses in their villages, trying to salvage their belongings before they are stolen.

My village is gone, the animals are rotting under the debris, and when we shouted ourselves hoarse that we did not want the dam, they said it was meant for our benefit Village councillor Nusrat Bizinjo

"It's hot, and there is no drinking water, so the women work for a while, then they walk back to their shelters in the hope of water and shade. Then they come back again," says Gulab Ahmad.

The wells in the villages were filled with mud during the floods. The tube wells, or boreholes, which need electricity to draw water from deep underground, went silent when the power supply system for the entire district was destroyed.

Some wealthy local people have distributed food among the homeless. Others bring in water on four-by-four vehicles for those rummaging through the debris.

But not a single official has yet traversed the breached roads to these areas, which are no further than 5-10km from the city centre.

There have been reports of relief and food supplies being flown in by military transport planes but the supplies have not reached the people.

Many believe, moreover, that one or two aircraft will make no difference to the scale of misery that afflicts the people.

Anger at officials

Much of the damage done to the roads linking the city to the affected areas was caused by storm water drains breaching the bridges, and could easily be rectified by a bulldozer from the district government.

Many have taken refuge in school buildings and mosques

Understandably, there is anger among the people.

"My village is gone, the animals are rotting under the debris, and when we shouted ourselves hoarse that we did not want the dam, they said it was meant for our benefit," shouts Nusrat Bizinjo, a village councillor.

Mr Bizinjo and others led a charged crowd that attacked the local government offices in the city and then ransacked the offices of the district police chief.

Half an hour after talking to the BBC, he was lying unconscious on a hospital bed, with minor injuries and after having been affected by tear gas fired by police on the crowd.

The police fired dozens of shells, and also fired in the air after the district police chief was hit on the head by a stone thrown by one of the protesters.

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Cyprus Mountain Ablaze - Heatwave fuels Forest Fires

 

Cyprus fights huge mountain blaze

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6256044.stm

 

The fire is being fanned by strong winds and high temperatures

A huge fire in central Cyprus has destroyed several holiday homes and forced the evacuation of at least two villages, officials say.

The blaze is raging in the area of Saittas in the Troodos mountains, some 55km (30 miles) south-west of the capital Nicosia.

Firefighters - backed by helicopters - are tackling the blaze, and Cyprus has called on Italy and Israel for help.

So far there have been no reports of any serious injuries.

Agriculture Minister Photis Photiou described the fire as "a big catastrophe".

He said the blaze was threatening the Troodos forest - one of the most scenic areas of the eastern Mediterranean island.

Strong winds and a scorching heatwave had helped the fire to spread rapidly, officials said.

Helicopters from British military bases on Cyprus are helping to douse the flames.

Firefighting aircraft are also expected to arrive from Italy and Israel within hours.

The heatwave has been blamed for the deaths of three elderly people in Cyprus in the past week.

SEE ALSO

Heatwave fuels Greek forest fires
28 Jun 07 |  Europe

In pictures: Europe heatwave
25 Jun 07 |  In Pictures

Heatwaves will 'boost death rate'
27 Jun 07 |  Health

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Rabbi's predictions...time is accelerating...

Subject: Read this on Rabbi's predictions...time is accelerating...

Thanks for this, Sue.

Every thinking person agrees. 

Interesting that the KJV translates the Hebrew word as 'giants'.... hmmmnnn...

Everything hidden for aeons is now coming out as predicted..and rapidly!

deexxoo

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sue Turner <turn3550@bellsouth.net>
Date: Jun 26, 2007 3:53 PM
Subject: Read this on Rabbi's predictions...
To: Undisclosed-Recipient

To all -- very interesting -- thought you'd want to peruse it, too. (Thanks, Julie!)

Sue

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Tuesday, 26 June, 2007 1:57 PM

Read this on Rabbi's predictions...time is accelerating

"America's Rabbi" Warns: "Enormous, Humanic and Historic Upheaval" Rapidly Approaching

Interview with Rabbi Daniel Lapin on How Today's World Compares to the Days of Noah

By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, DC, June 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The recent death of Mrs. Ruth Graham, the beloved wife of preacher Billy Graham, has caused renewed reflection on her oft quoted comment:  "If God does not judge America soon, he'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."  Indeed, with the culture war raging on abortion and same-sex 'marriage', many a Christian has wondered about a coming purgation - a cleansing as in the time of Noah and the flood.

It may come as a surprise to some, but Orthodox Jews too have a belief in a coming purgation.  As the man popularly known as "America's Rabbi" told LifeSiteNews.com, we are "moving towards some kind of enormous, humanic and historic upheaval."

Nationally acclaimed speaker and best-selling author, Rabbi Daniel Lapin spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about his newly released audio series "The Gathering Storm: Decoding the Secrets of Noah", in which he looks at the similarities between the time of Noah and our present day.

Rabbi Lapin is the founder and leader of Toward Tradition - a ground-breaking coalition of Jews, Christians and other Americans united in fighting secular fundamentalism and promoting traditional, faith-based American principles of constitutional and limited government, the rule of law, representative democracy, free markets, a strong military, and a moral public culture.

Key to interpreting the Bible (the Old Testament) suggests the Rabbi, is the Hebrew language.  In that language, he notes, the Bible tells that in the time just before the flood there were aborted babies.  "Everyone is familiar with that section just before the flood, of giants," said Rabbi Lapin.  "The King James translation refers to these people as giants - one thing, in the Hebrew, it becomes immediately very clear is that what we really are talking about is aborted people, aborted fetuses." 

"In Hebrew," explained the Rabbi there is "one word for giants (and) aborted fetuses." Comparing the time of Noah to the current day, the Rabbi said, "Babies that are aborted eventually bring about a culture of death that destroys society."

Asked if Jews, like some Christians, feel a time of purgation is coming, Rabbi Lapin replied bluntly, "Yes, it is extremely intense." 

The Rabbi stressed however that a Judeo-Christian view of the end of time is a hopeful one, in contrast to the secular view of the end of time which sees only doom and gloom.  "There is a dichotomy here between a secular world view in which the end of time is hopeless," Rabbi Lapin told LifeSiteNews.com. "It is doomed.  It ends in oblivion . . .  Right now it is global warming, a few years ago it was nuclear winter.  Before that it was that we were all going to starve and die naked and cold when Thomas Malthus at the end of the 18th century made his predictions."

"The secular world view will generate an end of time picture of hopelessness and doom and by contrast a Biblical world view of both Jews and Christians shows an end of time picture that, while it may have its turbulent threshold, is a time of some kind of unimaginable solution to all human problems."

Asked, if it would be "a time of renewal of goodness on earth?," the Rabbi replied, "Exactly right. Yes."

As for God having to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for not acting on America for its sins, Rabbi Lapin suggests God is in fact acting on America.  "God doesn't necessarily act towards every culture in the same way," he said.  "Every culture that adopts abortion and homosexuality as normal is a culture that begins to decline and eventually vanish off the stage of world history - that is God acting."

"That is precisely the point.  It is not that hard to see in many ways the fortunes of the US of A are simply not where they were before these twin scourges became prevalent.  Yes, He is acting - He is not going to have to apologize to Sodom at all.  He is being very consistent.  He may not be burying us in thunderbolts and mountains of salt but the damage that the US of A is enduring is no less fatal."

Rabbi Lapin sees another striking similarity between our day and the time of the Biblical flood.  Noting the political situation in the United States, where the major argumentation seems focussed on abortion and same-sex 'marriage, Rabbi Lapin observes: "Undoubtedly, it was very significant, that never before in a presidential election has there been this much focus on the faith and beliefs of the candidates which again brings us back to this Noah like period in which divisions between people are lining up very clearly on a spiritual level."

While Rabbi Lapin rejects any attempt to fix a date on the coming upheaval, he does say that it is rapidly approaching.  "What is unquestionably crystal clear is that time and history is accelerating.  Things happen more quickly now than ever before so it is moving rapidly towards this event, whatever it will look like."

To order Rabbi Lapin's audio recordings visit:
http://www.towardtradition.org/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=44 ;
 

(c) Copyright: LifeSiteNews.com. Permission to republish is granted (with limitation*) but acknowledgement of source is *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).

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Corruption - A Worldwide Scourge Soon to End?

Article – June 1, 2007

http://www.realtruth.org/articles/070601-003-cawsste.html

Posted/Updated: 2007-06-01 19:14:13

Corruption

A Worldwide Scourge Soon to End!

Corporations riddled with accounting scandals; government officials taking bribes and perverting judicial decisions; modern language corrupting to the lowest common denominator—signs of a society on its last legs?

BY M. WAYNE ICENHOWER

An American president lies under oath. A U.S. senator resigns in disgrace. United Nations officials take away funding intended for hungry Iraqis. A major American automotive company ignores federal law and conducts business with an enemy state.

Corporate scandals: A former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman and four others were involved in a corporate spying scandal.

Photo: MCT

The cancer of corruption in the world has reached an all-time high, leaving tangled webs of lies and "cover-ups."

Why is this happening—and where will it lead?

Corruption spans almost 6,000 years of civilization. Each humanly devised government has battled this scourge.

Corruption appears in more than one shape and flavor, and includes, as defined by the dictionary, (1) dishonest proceedings, moral perversion, depravity, (2) debase or alteration of language, and (3) a perversion of integrity.

Widespread dishonesty and deceit, compromised morality, and perverted, twisted language are all signs of a culture with its underpinnings about to give way.

Corruption in Government

A candidate for the 2008 U.S. presidential election promised he would, if elected, eliminate corruption in his administration with a paper clip. How? The paperclip would serve as a continual reminder to him and his staff of their moral responsibility toward the Oval Office. If a gift or some other benefit was offered, his staff would be instructed to compare its value to that of the paperclip: If the gift's value were greater, it must be refused.

While the candidate is probably sincere about his intention, would his innovative reminder prove to be effective?

Not likely—and here's why. Gifts have now come to be viewed as part of the "benefits package" for those holding office, a reasonable compensation for their services.

Corporate Fraud: Enron's CEO and his wife hold hands as they enter the Bob Casey United States Courthouse in Houston, Texas.

Photo: MCT

But such thinking is in itself corrupt! Unless payment has been specifically described as part of a compensation package, gifts of significant value are always a violation of the public trust. Designed to influence policy and business decisions, these can lead to lies that cover up the payoff and "spin" a politician's position. A political leader accepting what is essentially a bribe for his support of a business venture, public works or policy dictate has succumbed to thievery, deceit and hypocrisy—in every case!

Preference given to one group as a result of gifts or payoffs is unfair to others who have an interest in the influenced policy, funding or law. Honesty and integrity can quickly become overwhelmed by graft and corruption if such exchanges become commonplace.

Dishonesty and fraud at the top eventually spread to lower levels. Few seem to any longer believe that character does matter! Not long ago, the American public debated the importance of this attribute, generally excusing the dishonorable conduct occurring in the White House at that time. Many defended the indefensible by dismissing the importance of personal conduct in the Oval Office. Corruption had reached such a high level that the "checks and balances" of self-policing written into the U.S. Constitution proved to be ineffective. The legislative branch became paralyzed and failed to act because of its own corruption and immoral behavior. In effect, each branch had the other blackmailed into inaction!

When corrupt practices are tolerated—even endorsed—truth and justice are lost. Government appears to become more of a circus, in which propaganda reigns supreme, than a serious institution.

Corrupt behavior causes an entire nation to become spiritually sick, from the highest levels of government to those charged with enforcing its laws. The book of Proverbs states, "Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (14:34). Is it any wonder a recent poll found that only three in ten Americans trust their elected government?

While the level of corruption observed in Western nations is unprecedented, other governments have been even more corrupt.

It is said that "absolute power corrupts absolutely." Common in history is the tyrant or dictator who carries absolute authority. Such use fear and intimidation to suppress, control or murder any who are critical of the self-glorifying leader.

Media Frenzy: A close associate of the Mexico City Mayor and a businessman are seen on television in composite video scandals receiving money.

Photo: MCT

 

In certain nations, bribes and payoffs are expected as part of the culture; for example, it is not uncommon for police to expect payment on the spot for minor infractions. While the instability of these governments should have served as a warning to the rich, modern nations of the world, it appears many can justify their corrupt deeds by comparing themselves to even more corrupt leaders of Third World nations.

But this should not come as a surprise to those familiar with God's Word, the Holy Bible. Israel's descendants, the prosperous countries of the Western world, were prophesied to corrupt themselves in the latter days—the age in which we live: "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backwards" (Isaiah 1:4).

God also compares the crooked and fraudulent culture of the West to a diseased and wounded body: "You will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it" (vs. 5-6). Rebellion against the true God leads to corruption, which spreads as a sickness from the leadership, or the "head," of the nation, down to the weakest, "or sole of the foot."

Perfect government and law have not been experienced since Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden for rebelling against their Creator. Even ancient Israel—a nation that had God as its civil Head for a time—quickly corrupted itself. The earth today waits for the time when widespread dishonesty will fade away, becoming a historical testimony to the futility of man living life on his own terms, rejecting instruction from his Maker.

Corruption Leads to Injustice

Justice is another casualty of corruption. In most countries, unjust and incomprehensible decisions rendered by dishonest judges have led to a general distrust for the legal system. In the West, an increasing number of judicial decisions are being made that have roots in political agendas. Sometimes, judges are even intimidated by those with a special interest in certain cases, resulting in the law being compromised and twisted.

Justice administered in the United States and the British Empire was once regarded as a beacon of hope and model for other nations. But today the obvious tolerance for corruption and criminal behavior brings only derision and contempt from friend and foe alike, especially as court proceedings are transmitted around the globe.

Each generation believes it has a better way than the one that preceded it. Each civilization has failed as its legal system became nothing more than a means for those with power to enforce their will and further their personal agenda over others. Even democracy is not immune—certainly, justice is one of the first of its pillars to crack.

Notice this powerful passage found in Isaiah 59 describing the worldwide corruption that exists today: "None calls for justice, nor any pleads for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief [evil] and bring forth iniquity…there is no judgment [justice] in their goings: they have made them crooked paths…Therefore is judgment far from us, neither does justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness…And judgment [justice] is turned away backward, and justice [righteousness] stands afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yes, truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment [justice]" (vs. 4, 8-9, 14-15).

But God has a solution to the current system of dishonest practices found throughout the world.

A Corrupt Business Environment

Honest businessmen understand that established rules benefit everyone, and that one should not steal from his partners, for embezzlers are nothing more than corporate thieves. The Enron scandal demonstrated that business leaders do not have the right to "cook the books."

Sadly, honest business practices that were once generally expected have given way to widespread corruption.

Publicity surrounding the Enron scandal has also shed light on the size of the salaries of many CEOs in the U.S. While a corporate leader of a successful company is entitled to fair compensation, salaries of senior level executives have become largely disproportionate to the benefit provided to employees and stockholders. There seems to be little accountability, as huge compensation packages are provided to CEOs by the boards of companies that are losing money, downsizing and going bankrupt! While it may be legal, it is obvious that human nature, greed, selfishness and corruption play a prominent role.

Other types of corruption are more subtle. Agreements made between developers and government officials often involve huge exchanges of private money for projects that may not be in the public's best interest. For example, a municipality insists upon and accepts a new fire engine from a major corporation in exchange for a development being approved. The state then sets aside acreage for private land that will be used for the project. While these are considered legal, they are only a small step away from the shady payoffs common in other countries.

Corruption in business punishes honest men and women, and provides advantage—and wealth—to those willing to be the most dishonest and ruthless.

A Corrupt Media Machine

An independent and objective news media can sometimes correct and even prevent the abuses of the rich and powerful.

U.S. Business Scandals

Confidence in corporate America has been shaken by a series of accounting scandals:

• Biggest bankruptcy filing in history (Chapter 11 protection from creditors); company admitted falsely accounting for $3.9 billion in expenses
• Energy company under investigation for its off-balance sheet partnerships, hiding debt and inflating earnings; it filed for bankruptcy
• Auditors destroyed important Enron documents; company convicted on obstruction of justice charge
• Former CEO charged with fraud
• Cable TV operator filed for bankruptcy; faces criminal investigation into its accounting
• Energy firm being investigated for a controversial project that lowered its tax liability and boosted its cash flow
• Telecommunications firm under investigation for inflating revenue
• Photocopy giant paid a $10 million fine for misstating four years' worth of profits

Source: MCT; BBC; Chicago Tribune

However, when the media becomes controlled and manipulated by political and commercial interests, it is reduced to a servant to corruption.

A popular American talk show host remarked that the major networks are no longer interested in truth, but rather work tirelessly to twist and spin news critical of certain leaders. Photos are carefully selected to manipulate and mislead the public. Words are chosen to infuse emotion into events, and to turn evil into good. He observed that the media "spin" always leans culturally toward amorality—and anyone who speaks out honestly in a moral tone, with any authority, is vilified.

A Corrupt Language

Several pages could be written describing the calculated corruption of language, which God predicted for the end time: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20).

The word "gay" was once associated with joy—but now refers to a lifestyle that God describes as "against nature" (Romans 1:24-27).

"Single Mom" has largely replaced the term "unwed mother" to remove any unpleasant stigma from children born without a father around.

"Migrant worker" has replaced "illegal alien" in an attempt to obscure the problem that neither political party can decisively fix.

In addition, popular music screams lyrics so reprehensible, they cannot be printed in this publication.

The perversion of modern language is so complete that most do not realize they have been deceived into accepting ideas that would have been unthinkable only a generation ago. The corruption of language and news media has contributed greatly to the mental drunkenness of the public-at-large. They have forgotten that words are what men live by.

The Corruption of the Family

The basic definition of the family unit—father, mother and children—has also been corrupted, with unmarried "domestic partners" and "civil union" couples now considered a family by many.

The most corrupt in society are the greatest antagonists of the only real family unit. They seek its complete redefinition, and by doing so its destruction. They fail to recognize that the destruction of the family also seals their nation's fate, removes their protection and assures their destruction.

What Does the Future Hold?

These latter days have seen the surrender of morality and virtue. Lust, vanity, self-centeredness and greed have all cast their shadow over leaders throughout society.

Government officials accept money for their influence. Corrupt business practices are virtually unchecked. Corruption infiltrates the basic family unit and confuses men, women and children about their roles and purposes.

But why is this world filled with such corruption? Interestingly enough, the answer is found in the same chapter of Isaiah referenced earlier. Notice: "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear" (59:2). In a world cut off from a just, fair, righteous and loving God, widespread dishonesty and corruption result.

Yet there is hope.

Jesus Christ—the Being who came to the earth two millennia ago to provide a means for mankind to live eternally in His family with the Father—is soon returning to the earth! He will establish a pure language, eliminate corruption and institute justice based on God's Law!

He is returning not as a human to die on a stake, but as an all-powerful LIVING KING! He is returning to smash all human governments and establish a divine, world-ruling government—the kingdom of God! (Daniel 7:13-14, 22, 27).

Notice: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:6-7).

Only then will there be a government built on a solid and sustainable foundation. Only then will leaders govern in the best interests of their subjects. Only then will those deceived by illusions have their eyes opened.

Only then will corruption end!

 

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The beautiful Flag with the Cross Shining through it by the Sun was Disparaged by Liza..

But of course, Liz, ( Liza <cassiopeia@aaahawk.com ) and those demons you keep focusing on, would have us believe otherwise, or why else would they put a cross on the flag? That's one facetious way to look at it.. and another is:

You don't suppose it is a sign from God telling us that we should turn to the Cross and repent?

Either keep on thinking "doom and gloom", angrily spreading more doom and gloom, Liz ---

 

Or, "think on these things", all things beautiful and true.. as St. Paul said, thus spreading faith, hope and charity.  Are you a nasty-maker, or you a Good News bearer?  It's your choice.  Jesus spoke more often of Heaven, truth, healing, Light, 'the Peace that passeth understanding' , loving our neighbor, than he spoke of hell. He was no raving maniac.  He was perfectly balanced and not so lop-sided as the doom and gloomers which seem to be bombarding us these days and whose fever you've caught, as per satan's plan.  I'd rather listen to Jesus than to these mad, raving doom and gloom condemning preachers. I'd rather emulate Jesus than any preacher.

Attitudes are contageous, and I think some are catching your doom and gloom, raving judgementalness, losing hope, condeming our country and humankind.  With the Grace of God, I will hold fast to my love, faith, and hope especially if I refuse to let you and satan rob me of my joy.. which seems to be what you guys goals are.

A joyous caring heart is more capable of stopping wars than a warring heart... a loving heart is more capable of saving babies than a contentious, judgemental, narrow-minded,raving, furious, angry heart. 

 

There are many beautiful and wonderful God-fearing  people here in the United States.  We are far more God centered than most European countries, warring African countries, Asian countries.. Denmark practices euthanasia as a matter of course.  China forces women to abort their second child. Sharia laws are allowed in other countries to kill a woman for many ridiculous reasons.

We can work for more prayer in the schools here in our country, for instance, rather than keep condemning our own country. We still have the right to vote here. We still have the freedom of speech.  Cindy Sheehan wasn't killed for constantly yelling at the president, like she would have been in some other country in the Middle East, for instance.  We have the ability and the freedom here to explore the internet.  China censors theirs heavily.

 

Yes, our country has its faults, but we have the Sign of the Cross on our flag to guide us! To remind us!  Let us pay it heed.

 

God Bless America!  And the flag for which it stands.

 

deexxoo

On 6/16/07, Liza <cassiopeia@aaahawk.com> wrote:

'God is watching over us'?  As a nation?  I think not.  How many babies have we sacrificed to Baal?  How many innocent men, women and children have we tortured and killed?  Nineveh, a pagan city, repented and God relented for a time, but we continue in our abominations.  Was God watching over Israel?  They turned their backs on Him just as we have.  In the eyes of God, there's nothing special about America except the depth of our abominations.  You don't thumb your nose at God and have other gods in his face and expect that He'll just sit back and 'watch over you.'  Judgment is coming, and we richly deserve it.

Liz

----- Original Message -----

From: Dee and Roy Rohe

To: Liza

Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2007 5:22 PM

Subject: Photo

Oh this is demonic, for sure!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dean Massingill <wuzzfuzz@yahoo.com >
Date: Jun 16, 2007 7:56 AM
Subject: Re: Photo
To: Dee and Roy Rohe <dees.bellsouth.alternate@gmail.com>

Hi Guys
I tried to send you Snopes report on this but was unable to get it to forward.
It is accurate but Snopes has a nice writeup on it.
Thanks
Dean

Dee and Roy Rohe < dees.bellsouth.alternate@gmail.com> wrote:

This is a beautiful photo of a giant American flag in Arizona The photo is authentic, UN-Touched and was taken on regular Kodak 35mm film. The person who took the picture couldn't believe the image created by the suns rays.
Nice of them to share it with the world!
Read what is says under the picture...

For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us...go ahead and delete this.
For the rest of us...pass this on

---

See what's free at AOL.com.

---

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73 year-old Grandmother needs our Help and Prayers!

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061607/met_177802646.shtml              

 

What a nightmare for her - and her family! Her grandkids call her "Mom" because she's had custody of them for a long time, now she's been separated from them and thrown in jail and now has no funds to resolve this. Her social security is cut off, her house is verging on foreclosure now.

deexxoo

________________________________________

 

 Last modified 6/15/2007 - 11:58 pm
Originally created 061607

An extended European vacation with her grandkids has become a nightmare.
By Dana Treen, The Times-Union

YULEE - Years ago as one half of the famed DeJohn Sisters, a young Mary Ann Barcaro shared the stage with Dick Clark, Kenny Rogers and Ed Sullivan.

Barcaro has kept the letters her grandchildren have been sending to her.

Photo courtesy of Mary Ann Barcaro
Mary Ann Barcaro (center) and her grandchildren Zachary and Melody were on vacation in France when the children's mother filed a complaint that eventually landed Barcaro in jail.

The Florida Times-Union

Photo courtesy of Mary Ann Barcaro
Mary Ann Barcaro (center) and her grandchildren Zachary and Melody were on vacation in France when the children's mother filed a complaint that eventually landed Barcaro in jail.

Click Thumbnails to View

   

Now at 73, she shares a room inside the Nassau County jail with drug users and check kiters. She has been there two months for taking her grandchildren to Europe to see their father and not bringing them back. She has had custody for years and said she notified the authorities of her plans in advance.

Two weeks after she left, the children's mother, Lisa Barcaro, filed a complaint. She said her former in-laws violated terms of visitation rights, which called for hour-long supervised visits at least once a month. Mary Ann Barcaro returned to the U.S. alone - nearly a year later - to answer the complaint and an ensuing warrant. She said she could not afford to bring the entire family back at that point.

That resulted in charges of absconding with the children and fleeing the United States, and she was ordered held without bail until the children are returned.

How long she will remain in jail comes down to two choices: Either the judge will have to change his mind or Barcaro will have to change hers and bring back the kids. She remains adamant, though, that she will leave them in France with their father and grandfather so long as there's a danger of them being taken from her.

Barcaro - half of a pop-tune sister act that found success in the 1950s with such hits as [My Baby Don't Love Me] No More - has been jailed since April. She said she has learned to cope with three-minute meals and solitary confinement. She sits in a red jumpsuit reserved for inmates who cannot be bailed out.

She also remains adamant she has done nothing so wrong she should be jailed with no chance of bail.

"I'm 73 years old and I'm being held hostage," she said Tuesday from behind a thick glass window in a jailhouse interview room.

Vacation gone wrong

The path to Nassau County Judge Robert M. Foster's courtroom began in May 2006, when Barcaro and her husband left for Europe, taking their 8-year-old grandson and his 7-year-old sister for an extended vacation.

The couple have had custody of the children since 2002 because neither their son, James, nor his ex-wife complied with a state plan to reunify the family, according to a case record provided by the grandmother.

Social workers wrote that neither of the parents proved they had jobs, had complied with drug testing requirements or evaluations or taken required anger management or parenting courses. They divorced, and James Barcaro eventually moved to Le Pellerin, France.

With rent income from their house on the wooded south end of Amelia Island and a mobile home in Yulee supplementing their Social Security checks, Mary Ann and Tony Barcaro flew to Rome with plans to meet with their son. She said the family had return tickets for August. Before leaving, she said she wrote child protection authorities that she was taking an extended vacation.

After the children's mother filed the complaint, arrest warrants were issued for the grandparents. Their Social Security checks were cut off. Mary Ann Barcaro said that with no money and little to which to return, they stayed in France. The children, Zachary and Melody, enrolled in school in France.

On April 9, Mary Ann Barcaro returned to Florida on a discount ticket arranged by a friend. The others stayed behind. She said she had hoped to work out an arrangement with the court, and the next morning was outside Foster's office.

"I was never able to talk to him to explain anything," she said. "Ten minutes later, they came with shackles. I did not even speak to Judge Foster."

A mother speaks out

Lisa Barcaro said Thursday she has mixed feelings about her former mother-in-law's plight. While she empathizes with the emotions of being jailed, she said the grandmother caused her own downfall.

"I feel for her because I've been in that position. I've been in jail," she said. But "she made her choice."

She also sees a more nefarious plot in the European vacation. She believes the plan was to take the children overseas and away from her permanently, something Mary Ann Barcaro denies.

Lisa Barcaro said she was trying to get visitation rules changed when everything started to happen.

"Basically, what happened is she skipped out," she said.

Lisa Barcaro returned to Nassau County after her release from state prison in May 2005. She served a 15-month sentence for battery on a law enforcement official and for driving on a suspended license. She is trying to get disability for back problems and wants to see custody of her children changed to someone in her family.

In the wake, she said she fears the situation has soured her children.

"They are so mad at me, that I put their grandma in jail," she said. "I didn't put their grandmother in jail."

Losing everything

Foster, the man who did put her in jail, is not talking. A woman who answered the phone in his chambers Thursday said the judge would decline to talk about the case. A representative of his office did return a voice message left Friday but said Foster would not comment because of the nature of the case.

In late May, the judge refused to provide a court-paid attorney for Mary Ann Barcaro, writing "... if the children are produced, the grandmother can be released."

Barcaro said she will not return them out of fear Foster will place them in foster care.

"I will not do that unless there is no question that the children remain in my custody," she said. "I don't trust Judge Foster."

Attorney Phyllis Wiley, who briefly represented Mary Ann Barcaro, said the order keeping the grandmother in jail is baffling.

"She does not have the funds to bring the kids back, and she is losing everything," Wiley said. "The judge says she has the keys to her release, and I disagree."

Fighting for her freedom

Mary Ann Barcaro's situation has gathered support from friends both inside - where many of the other inmates call her "mom" - and outside.

"She's very tired," said Marian Simon. "She's beginning to develop a cough."

Simon has known Barcaro for about 25 years and said she is concerned about her friend's welfare. Simon's husband is pastor of Spirit and Truth Ministries in Tavernier in the Florida Keys, where Mary Ann and Tony Barcaro were among the initial congregants.

The Simons and others have raised money to keep the Barcaros afloat, this week paying the mortgage on their Amelia Island house through July. Simon said the house was within a day of facing foreclosure.

Others said Barcaro is resolute about the fate of her grandchildren.

"I'm telling you, she won't let them go to a stranger's home," said retired teacher Vicki Swindell, who has known Barcaro for three decades. "That's how long she'll stay."

Barcaro said she has come to depend on the support while she tries to resolve the situation or at least gets another judge to review her case.

"I am very needy right now and they are coming to my need," she said.

But she also acknowledges being strong-minded and said she plans to endure.

"I'm not negotiating," she said. "I want my freedom and I want my children returned."

dana.treen@jacksonville.com,

(904) 359-4091

 

 

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Shift of the Ages

 http://www.shiftingages.com/about.html

We've done this before. We have experienced radical shifts in the cycles of time and consciousness here on Earth. Many Indigenous traditions have identified the time in which we are living as a period of major shifts. Our ancestors foretold this time of awakening for humanity. They spoke of a transition in consciousness that would enable us to be co-creators of a golden period of peace. Why now? Why us? Why are we the ones who have to face ourselves? Many different Worlds have existed in the past. Each had a different understanding of what is, and what is not. They saw reality through the eyes of their period and lived out their free will in the context of that era. They were here, and now they are not. Some say they are still here. What we do know is that world's have come to an end by unimaginable planetary catastrophes. Stories told by Indigenous elders reflect some of these large-scale transitions. These stories were passed down from generation to generation and honorably memorized for future consideration. Some regard these stories as fantasies or in some cases as the ravings of mad men. What do you think? A growing number of people in our world are aware that we are living in a time when we will open our minds eye and see our current life situation for what it truly is. This is not a time for analysis paralysis or dissecting the obvious and forming new commissions to study the outdated. This is a time to visualize new alternatives and co-create the future of our dreams. It is a time to wake from our slumber and remember who we are, and why we are here. This is the great human transition that was predicted by our ancestors. According to the Mayan Calendar, a 5,200-year cycle closes in the year 2012. This event is the death of the 4th period of the Sun, and the birth of the new 5th Sun. Civilizations of the past who were participating in the prior reality Shifts helped the Creator evolve the situation to where it is today. At some point the collective fell asleep at the wheel. But, at this moment there is a growing anticipation by our mainstream public that something big is on the horizon. Think about this because this is huge! We are focusing on an event that will give us liberation from a parasitic system, and a reason to awaken and regain the forgotten technologies and powers that were suppressed through time. This is the event prophesied by many of our ancestors in the various world religions. It's the necessary "flipping" in our reality that sets us truly free, and it's right on schedule, just as predicted. Do you feel this in your own life? Do you have anything brewing internally? It's something we are experiencing externally as well as internally. We are at a point in evolution were the whole image is preparing itself to be viewed. It's a "relative realization" due to the fact that we are at the pinnacle of so many different and amazing situations. People are making miracles happen everyday, things that were physically impossible in prior years. We're testing our realities and know that we are getting close to making a big decision; what do we desire for our future? When the mainstream starts making it "cool" and "trendy" to care, it's obvious you are in the middle of a Shifting Age. As the Earth grows smaller the effects of our footprint are unavoidable. We see the damage everyday and accept a path of destruction from some outside force. However, there is no outside force independent of our-selves. We are it, and it is we. Small shifting occurs in our personal realties on a daily basis that gift us new perspectives of beauty. We mirror these experiences to all of the other eyes and ears that the creator has created. We exist as a collective body, and this collective body experiences cosmic adjustments on grand scales. These cosmic Shifts gift us new rules of life engagement. The beauty contained in the Shift we are going through is that our technology and willingness to take action will create miracles. The fact that communication can be made to virtually every part of the world gives us the opportunity to unite the light and ignite. We are doing this now. We are healing the world! The Shift of the Ages is an affirmation that focus is being redirected from the problems themselves to the active participation in the solution. The Shift of the Ages Film allows a coolness to care and create. It's a celebration of oneness, and the honoring of diversity. It's the recognition of the heroes of truth who have sacrificed their personal gratification to help expand consciousness through the unification of progressive intention. It's a dismissal of fears and a calling forth of conscious choice. It's energetic weaving and the spiritual networking of our peacemakers. The chessboard has been set and we've already begun moving the pieces. We are the Shift of the Ages. We are the ones we have been waiting for. With this transition from the 4th period of the sun to the 5th period of the sun we actively participate in the outcome. How we transition, when we transition, and where we transition to is ultimately up to us. This is the Shift of the ages!

 

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