[Dr. Thorne]

The overwhelming stench of urine was the first thing to hit visitors who entered the shrine in Bethlehem revered as the birthplace of Jesus.

Gee... what a shock.

[balrog666]

I guess they wanted that "just like home" feeling.

[cmsgop]

Oh this Pisses me Off!

[stands2reason]

I'm shocked Reuter's actually reported the filth...

[gridlock]

In a week, the Brothers will have it so clean you will not know that anything happened there. They will not sleep until they have the job done, I am quite confident.

[dubyagee]

abomination of desolation?

[mombonn]

Filthy, disgusting lowlifes.

[r9etb]

"The Israelis had this tower with a remote control electronic device that fired on us whenever we were exposed. When we went outside we had to run away from it," said Naji Abu Obeid, a 19-year-old Palestinian policeman.

Hm. Probably not, but I imagine the Israelis will not work too hard to dispel the idea that they have fielded "electronic snipers."

[Bogie]

Well, it will be ok. After all it was a stable back in Jesus's day.

[marshmallow]

While this is a disgusting treatment of a Christian holy place, the overall symbolism of this should not be lost on us.

The desecration of Jesus' birthplace is a harbinger of what they will soon inflict on the wider Christian church.

[MeekOneGOP]

Not surprising, actually. These are the same folks that do this.........

Chairman Arafat
Mark Steyn Link Excerpt:

Just as revealing was the reaction from the European media. In the American press, you read things like: "An observer to the bomb-blast scene described a dead young girl, perhaps 10 or 12, lying on the ground with her eyes open, looking as if she was surprised." For Europe, on the other hand, the main significance of this development was that it was "unhelpful" to the "peace process". Before I'm accused of being more upset about dead Jewish than dead Muslim kids, let me say that I take people at their own estimation: in the Palestinian Authority schools, they teach their children about the glories of martyrdom; indeed, the careers guidance counsellor appears to have little information on alternative employment prospects; at social events, the moppets are dressed up as junior jihadi, with toy detonators and play bombs. It's not that I place less value on Palestinian lives, but that Chairman Arafat and his chums in Hamas do. So does Saddam Hussein, whose government (the subject of an admiring article in this week's Spectator) gives $25,000 to the family of each Palestinian suicide bomber. So does the Arab League, which at last year's summit passed a resolution hailing the "spirit of sacrifice" of the Palestinian "martyrs" and thus licensed Wednesday's massacre. As for the "peace process", those Europeans who, just a few months ago, were urging the Americans to cease operations for Ramadan evidently feel no compunction to demand from Chairman Arafat and his dark subsidiaries any similar "bombing pause" for Passover.

In the days after September 11, we were told that Muslims had great respect for their fellow "people of the book" - ie, Jews and Christians. This ought to be so: after all, the dramatis personae of the Koran include Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Jesus and the Virgin Mary. It's one thing to believe that the Israelis are occupiers and oppressors and that the Zionist state should not exist. But no Muslim with any understanding of his shared heritage could in good conscience blow up a Passover Seder. It marks a new low in the Palestinians' descent into nihilism - though, as usual, the silence of the imams is deafening. As for the nonchalance of the Europeans, that too should not surprise us: in my experience, the Continent's Christians, practising and nominal, find the ceremonies of Jewish life faintly creepy, notwithstanding that these were also the rituals by which their own Saviour lived.

But this year, when the Christians' solar calendar and the Jews' lunar calendar have coincided and Easter and Passover fall together, it's a safe bet that George W Bush will make the connection. The first time I ever heard him speak, he spoke openly about his faith and about Christ in a way that would be unimaginable for a British politician. He will know all the details - "the baby tried to crawl away, but it died, too".......................

[MizSterious]

So, would this make it ok for Christians to now go urinate all over the holy places in Mecca?

I thought not...

[Scott from the Left Coast]

They (the Palestinian murderers, a redundancy in terms) are what they left behind.

[cgk]

Here's a question:

Which was trashed worse?

A) The Church of the Nativity after the Islamofacist invasion; or

B) The White House after the Clinton invasion.

Something to ponder.

[US admirer]

I wonder if Palestinians (or other reasonable individuals) would equate being called Palis, with those of Hebrew heritage being called Hebes? I suspect that your your editorializing serves little to further your position or cause.

[Poohbah]

Yeef. I've been in truckstop restrooms. They're a LOT cleaner than that...

[Boxsford]

It is truly disgusting the way these terrorists have treated the church.

Don't know if anyone is interested but I visited Israel about 5 years ago and this very church. The site of the 'traditional' spot known as Jesus' birthsite~ as no one really knows this for certain~ is under the main church's floor. You have to walk through the spacious room of the church and then you find a small door that you have to duck your head to go through and then go down some steps which takes you into a very small room. There are burn marks all over the walls of this room as at time(s) people have tried to burn this room (of stone) down. Catholics have put up all kinds of hanging lamps and cloths in this room. For what it's worth....

[Flyer]

Calvin visits Mecca

[joesnuffy]

Oh Church of the Nativity...I thought this was the White HOuse after the Hildabeast
and Bubbabeast left.

[angkor]

Has any U.S. Christian group offered to go and assist in the cleanup?