Chief Justice Silent in High Court Hearing on Abortion Clinic Buffer Zones

On a court that appeared evenly divided on the constitutionality  of a Massachusetts law banning banning abortion protestors from entering a 35-foot buffer zone around entrances to an abortion clinic, Chief Justice John Roberts exercised his right to remain silent.

The chief justice’s silence during a January 15 hearing on a First Amendment challenge to the law was duly noted in news reports on the hearing and was even included in aNew York Times headline. While it is not unusual for a justice to refrain, as Clarence Thomas usually does, from taking an active part in the oral arguments, the Roberts silence was notable for two reasons: The chief justice usually engages freely in the rigorous verbal sparring that takes place between the judges and litigants in Supreme Court hearings; and Roberts will cast a crucial vote that could decide the case in a likely 5-4 rullng. Noting that Roberts asked no questions at the hearing Times reporter Adam Liptak, added: “His earlier opinions suggest, however, that he is likely to provide the fifth vote to strike down the law.”

Chief Justice Silent in High Court Hearing on Abortion Clinic Buffer Zones

Video: Robert Spencer and Imam Bashir Abdul Haqq debate on "Did Muhammad exist?" - Jihad Watch

This debate was held on the Aramaic Broadcasting Network on the evening of January 10.

Click to watch:

Video: Robert Spencer and Imam Bashir Abdul Haqq debate on "Did Muhammad exist?" - Jihad Watch

United Nations 'too' Christian, report claims

Christianity dominates the United Nations and more diversity is needed to increase non-Christian representation in world peacemaking, according to a study.

Research undertaken by Prof Jeremy Carrette, with colleagues from the University of Kent's department of religious studies, has revealed that more than 70% of religious non-government organisations (NGOs) at the UN are Christian, and that there is historical privilege in allowing the Vatican a special observer status, as both a state and a religion.

The report, called Religious NGOs and the United Nations, calls for greater awareness, transparency and equality in the way religious NGOs operate within the UN, and more emphasis on religious tolerance.

The report also asks for greater understanding of how religions enhance and constrain human rights. It provides evidence that funding limits other religious traditions from establishing NGO work at the UN.

Islam, is represented more significantly through a collective of states (the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation) rather than civil society NGOs, which are dominated by Catholic groups, according to the report.

Asian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, are under-represented and funding is a major issue preventing their equal access, it said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/01/united-nations-too-christian-report

Egyptian Astrologer Warns: In 2014, Saturn Enters Sagittarius, Making Jews Stronger - Atlas Shrugs

Egyptian Astrologer Warns: In 2014, Saturn Enters Sagittarius, Making Jews Stronger

In an end-of-year interview on Al-Nahar TV, Egyptian astrologer Sayyed Al-Shimi warned that whenever Saturn enters a fire sign, the Jews become stronger. Attributing various events, including the first World Zionist Congress, the Balfour Declaration, and the 1948, 1956, and 1967 wars, to the constellation of the stars, Al-Shimi warned that in December 2014, Saturn would enter Sagittarius again.

Read more:

Egyptian Astrologer Warns: In 2014, Saturn Enters Sagittarius, Making Jews Stronger - Atlas Shrugs

Real ID enforcement to begin in April - FierceHomelandSecurity

Enforcement of the Real ID Act will be phased in starting in April under a schedule the Homeland Security Department released Dec. 20.

The law, passed in 2005, established standards for state-issued identification cards such as driver's licenses. Eventually, people with IDs from noncompliant states won't be able to board commercial planes, but DHS says that won't happen until 2016 or later.

On Jan. 20, DHS will begin to notify anyone with a noncompliant ID trying to access the department's headquarters in Washington, D.C., that their ID won't be valid for access beginning April 21.



Real ID enforcement to begin in April - FierceHomelandSecurity

"Moderate" Malaysia: Newspaper editor accused of treason for using the word "Allah" - Atlas Shrugs

(Muslims in Malaysia want Christians to use word, "Tuhan" for their God, see meaning below)

Muslims are prosecuting Christians in Malaysia for using the word Allah for God. Muslim authorities have criminalized usage of the word Allah.

Malaysian Atlas reader Tracy gives us some background on the "Allah" brouhaha in Malaysia. Allah is used in Malay and other Malaysian indigenous languages and has been used for over 100 years, even before Malaysia was formed as a country. This might be due to Arab influence on the local languages, when traders came to the Malayan peninsula in the 1300s. In this country, Allah has been used to refer to God, whereas Tuhan, which the ruling party wants Catholics/Christians to use, is a generic term which is non specific, hence the refusal by the Malay/indigenous language speaking Catholics and Christians to budge.













"Moderate" Malaysia: Newspaper editor accused of treason for using the word "Allah" - Atlas Shrugs

"Moderate" Malaysia: Muslim religious authorities raid Bible Society, confiscate bibles - Atlas Shrugs

 (Malaysian Muslims do NOT want Christians using the name 'allah' and other Islamic phrases.  This should tell Americans that THEY DO NOT CONSIDER ALLAH AND THE CHRISTIAN GOD THE SAME.  LET'S WAKE UP PEOPLE)

Today’s raid comes after the editor of Catholic weekly, Herald, Rev Father Lawrence Andrew said that Catholic churches in Selangor would continue to use the word “Allah” in their weekend services in Bahasa Malaysia, which are primarily attended by Sabah and Sarawak folk.

The comments came following a statement from the new director of Jais Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad, who said the state religious authorities would draw up a list of Selangor churches before writing to ask them to comply with the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.

“We will write to all the churches in Selangor to respect the law that is in force in relation to this,” he was quoted as saying.

The enactment, which was passed by the then Barisan Nasional state government, prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya'Allah” (God willing).

Read entire article:
"Moderate" Malaysia: Muslim religious authorities raid Bible Society, confiscate bibles - Atlas Shrugs

Former minister Zahi Hawass compares Egypt's Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to pharaoh | World news | The Guardian

"In my opinion, Sisi is really Mentuhotep II," said Hawass. "You need to understand what happened 4,000 years ago to understand what is happening now."
In Hawass's view, the upheaval Egypt has experienced since 2011 mirrors the century of chaos that preceded Mentuhotep's accession to the Egyptian throne in 2046BC. Mentuhotep restored order to Egypt – much as Hawass argues Sisi is about to do today. "We need an elected officer – a strong man – to control the country. And in my opinion, Sisi is our only hope."

Read entire article:

Former minister Zahi Hawass compares Egypt's Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to pharaoh | World news | The Guardian

Why Saudi Arabia and the U.S. don’t see eye to eye in the Middle East | Ian Bremmer

Give credit to Vladimir Putin and his New York Times op-ed on Syria for sparking a new tactic for foreign leaders hoping to influence American public opinion. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabian political elites have followed Putin’s lead, using American outlets to express their distaste with the West’s foreign policy, particularly with regard to Syria and Iran. In comments to the Wall Street Journal, prominent Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal decried the United States for cutting a preliminary deal with Iran on its nuclear program without giving the Saudis a seat at the table, and for Washington’s unwillingness to oppose Assad in the wake of the atrocities he’s committed. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain followed with an op-ed in the New York Times entitled “Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone.” The Saudis are clearly upholding the vow made by intelligence chief Bandar bin Sultan back in October to undergo a “major shift” away from the United States.

In light of the recent actions of the Obama administration, many allies are also frustrated and confused, and even hedging their bets in reaction to the United States’ increasingly unpredictable foreign policy. But of all the disappointed countries, none is more so than Saudi Arabia — and with good reason. That’s because the two countries have shared interests historically — but not core values — and those interests have recently diverged.

http://blogs.reuters.com/ian-bremmer/2013/12/30/why-saudi-arabia-and-the-u-s-dont-see-eye-to-eye-in-the-middle-east/

Lobbyist Hired to Push Anti-Modi Resolution in Congress

 


The Indian American Muslim Council and the Coalition Against Genocide have hired a Washington, D.C. lobbying group to promote HR 417, a resolution that would deny a U.S. visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged human rights violations.

Conversely, the Hindu American Foundation has launched an intensive campaign to oppose what it terms an “anti-India” measure, sponsored by Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Joe Pitts, R-Penn. The legislation has amassed 22 supporters in the House. It must pass the House Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee before coming to the full floor for a vote.

Introducing the bill in the House Nov. 18, Ellison and Pitts said India’s religious minorities have suffered numerous human rights violations, including massive riots in Gujarat in 2002, which reportedly killed 2,000 Muslims over three days. Human Rights Watch has labeled the violence a “pogrom” against Muslims.

The riots began after a train carrying Hindus on a pilgrimage was set on fire by a Muslim mob, which killed 59 Hindus.


Lobbyist Hired to Push Anti-Modi Resolution in Congress

Muslim Supremacist Groups Push Anti-India Resolution in Congress in the Cause of Jihad: Call Your Congressmen, Vote NO to HR 417 (anti-India) and 418 (anti-Myanmar) - Atlas Shrugs

Again Islamic supremacist groups and their leftist lapdogs are pushing pro-jihad legislation. Last week, I urged Atlas readers to call their Congressmen to vote NO on House Resolution 418, a Muslim resolution in support of the jihad in Burma (Myanmar). More on that here. I continue to urge defeat of this legislation.

Now Muslim Brotherhood Congressmam Hakim Muhammad (aka Keith Ellison) is trying to keep Indian Prime Ministerial candidate Chief Minister Narendra Modi out of the U.S. More Muslim supremacists trying to impose the vicious oppressive system of sharia here in America.

Muslim Supremacist Groups Push Anti-India Resolution in the Cause of Jihad: Call Your Congressmen, Vote NO to HR 417 (anti-India) and 418 (anti-Myanmar) - Atlas Shrugs

Egypt turns to business, civil society in Nile water dispute - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

(Isaiah 19)

Egypt turns to business, civil society in Nile water dispute - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

The world’s newest country is already on the brink of civil war. Here’s how it happened.

(Wars and rumors of war)

South Sudan

The world’s newest country is already on the brink of civil war. Here’s how it happened.

World Youth Chess Championships in UAE obliterate Israel, list Israeli players as from the nation "FIDE" (World Chess Federation) - Atlas Shrugs

 Robert Spencer has broken the story that in the UAE, the World Youth Chess Championships are listing Israeli players as from the country "FIDE" (World Chess Federation), and are using Islamized chess pieces (above). If the Jews win the tournament, there will be a worldwide terror alert! All free nations must go to Defcon 5 -- expect embassies to burn and millions to march and call for death to the Jews. The magic Islamic chess pieces will have lost their mojo -- Allah is not pleased. Allah may be akbar, but these chess pieces will have proved not to be.

World Youth Chess Championships in UAE obliterate Israel, list Israeli players as from the nation "FIDE" (World Chess Federation) - Atlas Shrugs

A Moment in Eternity | RZIM

 

In fact, as I write, I am in the largest Muslim country in the world, yet, everywhere there are Christmas decorations, the strains of Christmas carols in the malls and elevators, and the hotel staff wishing me a “Merry Christmas.”  It’s Christmas in Indonesia.  If you were in the UAE, Indonesia, even Syria, you would see the same thing and hear the same Christmas carols in the hotels and malls.  Ironically, on the news this very week is a story of a school in a town in Texas that sent a letter to parents of students informing them there was a ban on children wearing red or green for their “holiday party”; apparently, red and green “send the wrong message.”  This is incredible!  It actually took an action of the City Council to override this ludicrous prohibition.  Imagine such presumption!  It’s not enough to prohibit the message of Christmas; now it is forbidden even to wear the traditional colors associated with Christmas.  Undoubtedly, wearing red or green to school at Christmas violates the separation of church and state doctrine.  I’m surprised they have allowed traffic lights to function at Christmas.  Is the day far off when censors might wish to scan our brains as we enter a school in case we smuggle the “illicit” Christmas story past the main entrance?  Perhaps we’ll need two lines of detectors, one checking for weapons and the other for thoughts of Jesus’s birth.  This is the new America of tolerance, another vacuous word defined by relativists whose only absolutes are the denial of any other reality except their own.

I ponder, I wonder, I move from the emotions of strained credulity to recognizing that this is the logical outworking of atheism and the illusion of neutrality: when man becomes God, the body becomes the soul and time becomes eternity.  These are the challenges we face in our times.

A Moment in Eternity | RZIM

One World Religion: Pope Meets With Head of International Islamic Organization | Conservatives Against Tyranny

 (People forget Muslims practice taqiyya)

12/16/13. Pope Meets With Head of International Islamic Organization. Heather Clark, christiannews.net

The pope met with the head of an international Islamic organization on Friday, a meeting that was characterized as the first-ever for the group.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), sat down with Pope Francis at the Vatican in an effort to create dialogue between the Muslim and Roman Catholic worlds. A news release from OIC outlined that the presence of Muslims has increased in “historically Christian countries.”
“In this context, the discussions expressed the need for greater efforts to foster respect for religious pluralism and cultural diversity, and to counter the spread of bigotry and prejudices,” the group explained. “It was stressed that interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and as such it is a duty for adherents of all faith traditions.”
OIC also advised that Ihsanoglu discussed with the Pope “his vision regarding the need for a ‘historic reconciliation’ between Islam and Christianity based on the common Abrahamic roots and in order to support multiculturalism and harmonious societies.”
One World Religion: Pope Meets With Head of International Islamic Organization | Conservatives Against Tyranny

U.S. plan gives Jerusalem holy sites to Vatican

 

 EL AVIV – Secretary of State John Kerry quietly presented a U.S. plan for eastern Jerusalem that calls for an international administrative mandate to control holy sites in the area, according to informed Palestinian and Israeli diplomatic sources.

The exact composition of the international mandate is up for discussion, the sources said, but Kerry’s plan recommended a coalition that includes the Vatican, together with a group of Muslim countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The international arrangement is being proposed as a temporary solution for about two to three years while security arrangements in Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians are finalized, said the sources.

Israel, the sources said, was not receptive to the particulars of Kerry’s plan, especially the concept of Turkish participation in Jerusalem. Kerry told the Israelis he would hold talks with the Kingdom of Jordan about its playing a leading role in the proposal in the place of Turkey, the sources added.
U.S. plan gives Jerusalem holy sites to Vatican

Report: Palestinians Reject Kerry Peace Plan | Washington Free Beacon

Secretary of State John Kerry’s Middle East peace plan appeared to unravel late last week after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rejected “most” of the key details, according to regional experts and media reports.

Kerry landed in Israel on Thursday for another round of talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders as he pushes them to accept the parameters of a U.S.-backed security plan and interim agreement.
However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly rejected many key elements of the deal, claiming that it was too kind to Israel.
Report: Palestinians Reject Kerry Peace Plan | Washington Free Beacon

Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian peace deal still possible by April | JPost | Israel News

 

Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian peace deal still possible by April

By REUTERS

12/13/2013 16:12

US secretary of state meets with PM in J'lem to discuss advancing peace process; says Palestinian prisoner release set for Dec. 29.

Shrugging off gloomy predictions of failure, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israelis and Palestinians remained committed to peace talks and were on course to wrap up a full deal by April.
 
READ MORE:

Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian peace deal still possible by April | JPost | Israel News

JPMorgan files patent for Bitcoin-style payment system - FT.com

JPMorgan Chase has filed a US patent application for a computerised payment system that resembles some aspects of Bitcoin, the controversial virtual currency.

Like Bitcoin, JPMorgan’s proposed system would allow people to make anonymous, electronic payments over the internet, without having to reveal their name or account numbers or pay a fee, according to the patent application. 

Read on:

JPMorgan files patent for Bitcoin-style payment system - FT.com