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Posted on 12/01/2007 8:47:13 PM PST by nwctwx
CHRISTMAS and more:
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=51c63a55cdb8cb047fad
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=55dde1e950767cf861ca
###
PERSECUTION:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Sun Dec 23 2007 02:54:04 GMT-0800 (PST).
Worldwide Caution
October 09, 2007
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071222.html
President’s Radio Address
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Christmas is just a few days away. As Americans gather around the tree with family and friends, we remember the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard men and women who will be spending this holiday far away from their homes and loved ones.
America is blessed to have men and women willing to step forward to defend our freedoms and keep us safe from our enemies. We are thankful for their courage and their dedication to duty. We pray for their safety. And we wish them a Merry Christmas, wherever they serve.
America is also blessed to have military families willing to sacrifice for our country. The husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters of those in the military serve our country as well. For many of them, service means packing up their belongings and moving on short notice, or living in a different country for a time, or missing a family member as he or she serves overseas. And this Christmas, many will sit down for dinner thinking of their loved ones half a world away. These families deserve the thanks and the prayers of our whole Nation.
Some military families are helping loved ones recover from injuries sustained in combat. These families are a special source of hope and strength for our wounded warriors. Through their encouragement and devotion, they help heal the body and the spirit, and they remind our wounded warriors that our Nation stands behind them.
Other military families have felt the pain of losing a loved one in battle. This Christmas, we hold them in our hearts. We lift them up in our prayers. And we are inspired by the example that many of these families have set by turning their grief into extraordinary acts of compassion and love.
One such inspiring example is the family of Army Specialist Michael Rodriguez of Knoxville, Tennessee. During his deployment in Iraq, Michael often wrote home to his family about the children he met on patrol. In April, Michael was killed by a suicide bomber. Now his family is honoring his memory by helping to collect school supplies for students at an Iraqi school for girls.
We are also grateful for Kirsten Yuhl-Torres of San Diego, California. In 2006, Kirsten lost her son, Sergeant Joseph Perry, in Iraq. To honor Joseph’s memory, she started sending care packages and writing letters of support to other soldiers serving there. Kirsten says, “Joe was our only son, but now we have hundreds.”
Our Nation is also inspired by Bob Lehmiller, whose son Sergeant Mike Lehmiller, was killed in 2005 while serving in Afghanistan. To honor his son, Bob created Mike’s Guardian Eagle Foundation. The Foundation gives financial assistance to military families who need extra help when their loved ones deploy or if they’re wounded or killed on the field of battle.
All these families have already given so much to America, and yet they have found a way to give even more. We thank each of them. And we thank every one of our citizens who supports our troops with letters, and donations, or prayers.
At this time of year, we acknowledge that love and sacrifice can transform our world. The miracle of Christmas reminds us that God’s grace is revealed in the humblest places. Two thousand years ago, the fullness of that grace was found in a tiny manger, and the life born that day changed our world forever. As Christmas approaches, Laura and I extend to all Americans our best wishes, and we hope every family is brought closer together during this season of reflection and rejoicing.
Thank you for listening, and Merry Christmas.
END
placemark
Very interesting. Thanks for the post DC.
Wow, that is a stunning number. I wonder what is causing this.
RIYADH - Saudi security forces have arrested 28 al Qaeda militants suspected of planning "criminal acts" in the kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday. The suspects were arrested in Mecca, Madina, Riyadh and in an area near the country's northern borders, said SPA quoting an official source at the Ministry of Interior.
One of those arrested is a foreign resident while the rest are Saudi nationals, it said without giving further details. "The (public) interest requires that further details be withheld for the time being," it said. The synchronized operations leading to the arrests began in mid-December, SPA said.
Excerpted
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2338194320071223
"Suspicious" Package Closes Down Seneca Neighborhood (South Carolina)
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007
It was a busy morning in Seneca for area firefighters and emergency personnel. Rodney Burdette with Oconee County Emergency Management tells News Channel 7 that his office received a call about 840 this morning from the Seneca Fire Department regarding a “suspicious” package on South Stribling St.
The package was a two-liter container with some type of chemical that Seneca Fire felt needed to be handled by a Haz-Mat unit. The unit was called in, and an area around a small business was cordoned off to prevent any potential problems. The plastic bottle had expanded to twice its normal size because of the chemicals.
Early this afternoon, officials began calling the plastic bottle full of chemicals a "homemade bomb", and units from Anderson Police assisted with the handling of the bomb. There were no explosions, and the bottle was safely removed.
Residents, who had been asked to stay in their homes during the incident, were allowed to leave their residences this afternoon. There is no word on who put the package in front of the business. The Oconee County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation.
http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2007-12-22-0005.html
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A Saudi terrorism suspect facing possible charges before a military tribunal at Guantanamo has been identified as a brother-in-law of one of the Sept. 11 hijackers. Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al-Darbi, who is accused of helping to organize an al-Qaida plot to attack a ship, is a brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, a Saudi who was one of the hijackers who crashed a plane into the Pentagon, the military said in a statement late Friday.
Al-Darbi, 32, faces possible charges that include conspiracy and providing support to terrorism and could be sentenced to up to life in prison if convicted by the military court at the U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba. Prosecutors have drawn up the charges and informed the detainee of the accusations against him, but military legal authorities are still reviewing the case and he has not yet been formally charged.
The military says al-Darbi was a trained al-Qaida operative who met with Osama bin Laden and helped organize a plot to attack a ship off Yemen or in the Strait of Hormuz. The military did not say whether his relationship with al-Mihdhar is connected to the accusations against him. Al-Mihdhar and another hijacker lived in San Diego, before they boarded American Airlines Flight 77 on Sept. 11, 2001, as part of a team that crashed it into the Pentagon, killing 190 people on the ground and on the plane.
The U.S. holds about 290 men on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaida or the Taliban at Guantanamo and authorities say they plan to charge between 80 and 90 before military tribunals, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the admitted architect of the Sept. 11 attacks. So far, the U.S. has filed charges against three detainees and has charges pending against al-Darbi and one other detainee.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071223/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_terror_attacks
“homemade bomb...”
Thanks Oorang.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/190546.php
http://drybonesblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Bethlehem
###
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3190798,00.html
“’Muslims persecuting Bethlehem’s Christians’
Store owner in West Bank city says ‘We are harassed, but you wouldn’t know the truth. No one says anything publicly about the Muslims’”
Aaron Klein, World Net Daily
Published: 12.27.05, 11:16 / Israel News
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “”All this talk about Israel driving Christians out and causing pain is nonsense,” a Bethlehem Christian community leader told WND. “You want to know what is at play here, just come throughout the year and see the intimidation from the Muslims. They have burned down our stores, built mosques in front of our churches, stole our real estate and took away our rights. Women have been raped and abducted. So don’t tell me about Israel. It’s the Muslims.”
The Bethlehem leader, like many Christians on the streets here, would not provide his name for publication for fear of retaliation.”
Note: Photo included.
blog:
http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003926.html
December 23, 2007
“Australia: Muslim Terror Plotter’s Appeal Rejected”
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The man at left is Pakistani-born architect Faheem Khalid Lodhi, who lived in Punchbowl, Sydney. On June 19, 2006 he was found guilty on three terrorism counts. He was the first person to be convicted under Australia’s new terrorism laws, and the first to be convicted of planning a terrorist attack.
He was found guilty of gathering maps of Sydney’s power grid, acting in preparation for a terrorist act by gathering information about bomb-makingchemicals and and possessing documents with information about how to manufacture poisons. He had also written a 15-page terror manual in Urdu, which contained instructions for making home-made bombs and poisons. He had DVDs of jihad and terror training, and was convicted of buying two maps of Sydney’s electricity grid with the intention of using them to plan terror attacks. Lodhi had planned to commit these attacks in October 2003.”
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48515
“Petraeus: Violence Down in Iraq; Al Qaeda Still a Threat”
By Melinda L. Larson
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2007
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15998&Itemid=21
Press Release A071223b
December 23, 2007
Coalition forces capture Special Groups leader, detain eight suspects
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured a suspected Special Groups leader and detained seven other suspects during operations to disrupt criminal element networks early today southeast of Baghdad in the Al Kut and As Suwyarah areas.
The targeted individual was reportedly a senior-level Special Groups criminal element leader dedicated to attacking Coalition forces. He allegedly planned explosively formed penetrator, or EFP, attacks on Coalition forces throughout the Wasit Province. The man was reportedly appointed as a Special Groups criminal element leader of a punishment committee and possible death squads. He was also reported to be an associate of several other senior-level criminal element leaders who were involved in attacks on Coalition forces.
Intelligence led ground forces to the target area, where they detained three suspected criminals. The identities of the three suspects are still being determined, as is whether or not one of them may be the targeted individual.
In another operation, a wanted individual located in the As Suwyarah area is suspected of training Special Group criminal element members to perform attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces. He reportedly received specialized training in EFP use, and facilitated the training of numerous criminals in EFP attacks. The man was also allegedly an associate of several other senior-level criminal element leaders who were involved in attacks on Coalition forces.
Intelligence led ground forces to the target area, where they captured the wanted individual and detained four other suspected criminals without incident.
“We will continue to apply pressure on those criminal elements that are not honoring Al-Sayed Muqtada al-Sadr’s pledge to cease attacks,” said Navy Capt. Vic Beck, MNF-I spokesman. “Criminals and those who threaten to undo the hard fought gains made be the Iraqi people, Iraqi security forces and Coalition forces will not be tolerated.”
- 30 -
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16009&Itemid=21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20071223-01
December 23, 2007
MND-B Soldiers find weapons cache
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers found a large weapons cache west of Baghdad Dec. 21.
While conducting a route clearance, Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, uncovered a cache consisting of 37 5-pound bags of explosives and a pressure plate improvised explosive device.
“This is a significant find which will keep weapons out of the hands of extremists who would have used them in attacks against innocent Iraqi civilians, Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces,” said Maj. Randall Baucom, spokesman for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Coalition Forces are investigating to find those responsible for storing the cache.
-30-
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16010&Itemid=21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20071223-02
December 23, 2007
Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces recover large weapons cache
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, recovered a large weapons cache during a raid of a car bomb factory Dec. 21.
Acting on intelligence reports, Iraqi and U.S. Forces conducted a raid on a house being used as a car bomb factory. During the operation, 9,000 pounds of explosives were uncovered in six separate cache sites discovered on the property.
The explosives included 11 50-pound bags of ammonium nitrate, 27 40-gallon drums of explosives, three 20-gallon propane tanks filled with explosive material, 15 SA-7-A surface to air missiles, nine improvised landmines, four 155 mm artillery rounds, three 152 mm projectiles, three 120 mm rounds and one completed car bomb.
There were no Iraqi or U.S. Forces injured during the operations.
-30-
http://www.longwarjournal.org/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?tag=Afghanistan&blog_id=7
http://www.longwarjournal.org/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?tag=Pakistan&blog_id=7
#
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/12/taliban_suicide_bomb_1.php
“Taliban suicide bombing in Swat kills nine soldiers”
By BILL ROGGIO
December 23, 2007 3:44 PM
Folks with O blood type appear to be more susceptible to the Norovirus. This is the virus type that almost killed one of our children by triggering a cytokine storm back in 2002.
The quickening seems to be talked about more and more by young people. I used to think it was just for us older ones.
This sounds very much like the ideas which have been much discussed in the past few years about the approach of a "Singularity" in human affairs, particularly technological. A good introduction to writings on this subject can be found in the Technological Singularity article on Wikipedia.
SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Metro service has been disrupted in Montgomery County while authorities investigate a suspicious package on an overpass over the tracks.
Montgomery County fire spokesman Pete Piringer says the department's bomb squad is working with police to determine what the object is.
Tracks used by Metro and by CSX have been shut down in both directions in the area of Burlington and Georgia avenues. Burlington Avenue is also closed to traffic between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street.
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