Dry Bones: Armchair Pundit on Egypt

Armchair Pundit

Egyptian "Pro Democracy" and the Christian Response: Drybones

Egyptian Pro Democracy

Al Ikhwan Ready To Come Out Of The Closet: And Rule Egypt Openly.

I've been avoiding the topic of the Egyptian riots but I have noted to several people that they were likely a takeover by Al Ikhwan...

I was right.
Sadly...

The next step will probably be for al Ikhwan Egypt and al Ikhwan Lebanon to move to crush Israel.

PRAY

May the people of Israel turn en masse to HaShem!

SOURCE:

Published on Truthout (http://www.truth-out.org)

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ElBaradei, Muslim Brotherhood Offer Political Path Out of Egyptian Confrontation

Robert Naiman | Sunday 30 January 2011

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam el-Eryan said today that Egyptian opposition groups have agreed to back former IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei to negotiate with the government, Al Jazeera reports:

Egypt's opposition groups have agreed to support opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei to negotiate with the government, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood said on Sunday.

"Political groups support ElBaradei to negotiate with the regime," Essam el-Eryan told Al Jazeera.

This move by Egyptian opposition groups potentially offers a peaceful path out of the crisis not only for the Egyptian government, but also for the United States government, which is finding itself the object of increasingly bitter criticism from Egyptians who back the protesters' call for Mubarak to step down and see the policy of the United States of backing Mubarak as a key obstacle to the realization of their aspirations for free and fair elections. Failure to take advantage of this opportunity could lead to a bloody showdown in the streets - even worse than what we have seen already - for which the US would bear significant responsibility.

One path to the holding of free and fair elections would be the establishment of a transitional government to prepare the elections. Yesterday, US officials seemed to indicate support for this possibility. The New York Times reported:

Another possibility, American officials say, would be a transitional government led by an outsider, perhaps Mohamed ElBaradei, the former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who flew back to Cairo several days ago.

[...]

A frequent critic of United States policy, he could form a caretaker government in preparation for an election. As one American official said, "He's shown an independence from us that will squelch any argument that he's doing our bidding."

US officials have said that the Egyptian government should engage in dialogue with the opposition. Now, apparently, there's a proposal on the table from opposition parties for such dialogue. What the opposition parties want to talk about is establishing a path to free and fair elections - the same thing they have been demanding for months.

The proposal from the opposition parties for negotiations with the government is an opportunity for the US to "put its money where its mouth is." The US could publicly call upon, and privately pressure, the Egyptian government to respond to the opposition parties' call for negotiations.

Of course, many want the US government to do much more than this. They want the US and other Western allies of the Egyptian government to publicly condemn Mubarak, publicly call on Mubarak to step down, and indeed to try to force Mubarak out; and many are increasingly frustrated that the US is not even willing to condemn Mubarak.

The Washington Post reports today:

In the streets of Cairo, many protesters are now openly denouncing the United States for supporting President Hosni Mubarak, saying the price has been their freedom. They say the Obama administration has offered only tepid criticism of a regime that has received billions of dollars in U.S. aid.

The New York Times reported yesterday that the US says it does not want to call for Mubarak to step down because 1) it fears losing all leverage with Mubarak 2) it fears creating a power vacuum in Egypt 3) it wants to avoid the perception that the US was "once again" engineering the ouster of a Middle East leader.

Regardless of whether one believes that these stated reasons are the full story, or whether they are also a cover for other US motivations - the Times acknowledges that the administration's "restraint" is also driven by lack of enthusiasm for "dealing with an Egypt without Mubarak" - these are the stated reasons of the US for not responding to the protesters' call.

But publicly and privately backing the opposition parties' call for negotiations would not, on the face of it, trigger any of the stated US objections. It is a very modest demand, totally consistent with previous US statements, which would not plausibly lead to "losing all leverage" with Mubarak; it would not create a "power vacuum"; it would not reasonably lead to a perception that the US was
"engineering" Mubarak's ouster. On the contrary: the US would be raising the profile of a particular proposal for negotiations as a way out of the crisis, and increasing pressure on the Egyptian government to respond to it.

No doubt some folks who subscribe to the "cooties" school of international diplomacy may object to any U.S. endorsement of a process that involves the Muslim Brotherhood. But refusing to support this reasonable, pragmatic, and moderate proposal, just because the Muslim Brotherhood also supports it, would be extremely short-sighted. The Brotherhood brings a lot to the table in its potential to help peacefully establish a consensus government that could supervise elections that the majority of Egyptians would see as legitimate.

And the fact that the Brotherhood is endorsing ElBaradei to negotiate with the Egyptian government on its behalf indicates a key thing that ElBaradei brings to the table: since his return to Egyptian politics, ElBaradei has established a relationship of trust with the Brotherhood. This is a key asset for ElBaradei, the Brotherhood, and all Egyptians going forward towards the establishment of free and fair elections and of a government that the majority of Egyptians will see
as legitimate.

The US should take advantage of this asset, and of this proposal for negotiations, and act decisively to forestall a bloody confrontation between protesters and forces loyal to Mubarak which could be significantly worse than what we have seen already, and for which the US would bear substantial responsibility.

Source URL: http://www.truth-out.org/elbaradei-muslim-brotherhood-offer-political-path-out-egyptian-confrontation67291

All republished content that appears on Truthout has been obtained by permission or license.

The Carter - Soetoro replay...Dry Bones

Replay?

This is AWESOME! There is no other word for it... the Matrix is History!

This is really cool!

It puts the Matrix to shame!

Dry Bones: Spinning the News

Spinning the News

Dry Bones: The Blame Game ... Or Bye Bye Miss American Pie...

the Blame Game

Another Great Dry Bones! Hezbollah is Dangerous!

Dangerous

Dry Bones: Not Just a Bunch of Jew haters...

If you haven't connected with my new Multiply site yet, I'd love to welcome you!
My new site features mainly my Messianic writings and updates from our new Yeshiva Beth HaShem. Come on over!

My New Blog: http://jewtoo.multiply.com/
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My New Web Site: http://jewtoo.org

Not Just

The government of Lebanon collapsed Wednesday...

This from the Jerusalem Prayer Team:

The government of Lebanon collapsed Wednesday when members of the terrorist group Hezbollah and their supporters withdrew from the "Unity Coalition." The United Nations investigation into the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Harari, father of the current Prime Minister is expected to reveal Hezbollah's roll in the assassination.

The collapse of Lebanon's already shaky government further increases the security threat Israel faces from the north. It is believed that Iran and Syria have provided Hezbollah with more than 40,000 rockets and missiles to use against Israel. The terrorist group already effectively controlled most of southern Lebanon. And there is now little to restrain them from renewing their assault on Israel.

Northern Israeli cities such as Haifa are being warned to prepare for the increased threat. Some analysts believe Lebanon could fracture into a collection of tribal regions governed by warlords and terrorists. Iran has been equipping and encouraging Hezbollah to be active in preparing for renewed war against Israel.

In 1993 just days before the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, God warned me in a vision that Hezbollah would rise to become the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world. Admiral James Woolsey, the former head of the CIA, has confirmed that prophecy has come true. I am very familiar with their evil work. I was in Beirut when they killed more than 230 US Marines--many of these young men I had just shared the Gospel with the night before the attack. They tried to kill me the next day, and had an angel of the Lord not personally intervened I believe they would have succeeded. They are Iran's state within a state in Lebanon, and they are hell-bent on wiping Israel off the map.

Missionary Church of the Disciples of Jesus Christ Follow-up

A while back I posted on the Missionary Church of the Disciples of Jesus Christ looking for information. These are the white clad pan handlers many of us in the Western US see whenever we go shopping.

That post has gotten a LOT response at my Live Journal blog. One of the poster just posted this. It seems to vindicate the conclusion I came up with. This group is a scam:

Back in 2002 I became homeless in Southern California and a friend who saw these people talked to one and he and I went out to one of their "homes" to see if they had a place for me where I could stay while looking for a job to get back on my feet. The place was, literally, a dump. I was also told that in order to stay there I would have to go out every day to ask for donations all day meaning I would not have any time at all to look for work. If I was willing to do that I could stay there. Fast forward to 2006. I am in the New Life program at the gospel mission up here in Pasco, WA. The same group is up here asking for donations claiming to be representing the mission. Not their mission of course but the Gospel Mission. The Gospel Mission had to put an announcement in the paper and in their newsletter that these people were not collecting donations for the mission. Here is a nice article about them from the Tri-City Herald. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/10/03/v-p

rint/1194059/pasco-church-says-it-aids-community.html Anyone who claims to receive a visit from Jesus and two of the apostles and forms a secretive religious community around themselves gets a big dose of suspicion from me.

Here is the piece he referenced. Its posted at Tri-cityherald.com.

Sunday, Oct. 03, 2010

Pasco church says it aids community services, but nonprofits say no money received

By Kristi Pihl, Herald staff writer

PASCO -- The white-clad missionary solicits donations from drivers at the busy intersection.

The can she is holding out for money has the shield of the Missionary Church of the Disciples of Jesus Christ on it and proclaims, "We fight drug abuse."

Some drivers give her money. Others pass her by. Where does the money go?

The California-based Missionary Church has been in Pasco since 2001, when it purchased a former motel building now worth $150,300 at 1824 E. Lewis St., which has become the group's missionary training center and chapel, and a pastoral house worth $121,800 at 304 N. Owen Ave., according to county documents.

Although the church has been in the Tri-Cities for almost a decade, little information about it is available.

The Missionary Church is not part of the Tri-Cities Pastors Prayer Network, and local pastors whom the Herald asked had not heard about it.

Thelma Zuria, a church senior evangelist, said she couldn't provide an estimate of how much money the church collects from the public. She said 15 percent goes to support the church and 85 percent for services the church provides in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas.

Because it is a church, unlike other nonprofit organizations, it isn't required to file documents with the state or federal government explaining how its money is spent.

When a church isn't transparent about how it spends its donations, the public can't determine what its money supports, said James Wellman, chair of the University of Washington's comparative religion department and associate professor of American Religion in the Jackson School of International Studies.

"I would go so far to say it's a scam," he said.

Wellman said bad religion can give good religion a bad name.

"They are trying to look as if they are the Salvation Army or the Red Cross," he said.

But agencies such as those two nonprofits report how money is spent on overhead and services, he said.

Zuria said the missionaries take food to the needy, help distribute toys with Toys for Tots and volunteer in hospitals and jails.

The church has donated to the Yakima County Toys for Tots, but has not helped Benton-Franklin County Toys for Tots, those two organizations report.

Pasco's Lourdes Medical Center, Kennewick General Hospital and Richland's Kadlec Medical Center do not have record of church missionaries serving as volunteers. Neither does the Benton nor Franklin County jail nor Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell.

The church also does not appear in the records of those who volunteer through the Benton-Franklin Volunteer Center.

The church has not responded to any of the many calls the Herald has made since three missionaries provided an initial interview. The Herald also has attempted to reach church headquarters in Covina, Calif., but hasn't received any response to multiple calls.

Its pastoral home was purchased for $80,000 and the Lewis Street property for $90,000, according to county documents.

Property taxes will cost the organization $3,571 this year, according to county documents. The church has already paid about $1,785 of that.

The church spent about $16,506 on property taxes and about $1,241 on interest for both properties between 2006 and 2009, a total of $17,747, according to county records.

The Missionary Church does not own any property in Benton County.

In a 2001 story, The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., quoted a church member as saying the church used about $15,000 a month it collected outside Walmart and other stores to provide services, but wouldn't reveal the total amount the church's fundraising collects.

The national Missionary Church headquarters website also has no details about how much money the church brings in and how it is used. In addition, there are no precise details on the success or locations of its claimed drug rehab programs or any other services.

The church was brought to California by Apostol R. Gonzalez W., who claims, on the organization's website, that Jesus Christ and disciples Peter and John visited his home, which led him to preach.

The Better Business Bureau's records don't contain any complaints about the church's fundraising.

And although the collection can that church missionaries brandish while seeking money lists a claim the donations will go to fight drugs, the Tri-City church does not have a drug rehabilitation center in the area.

Zuria said that's something the church would like to start locally but can't at the Lewis Street building because it's close to a school.

The missionaries of the nondenominational church are volunteers and don't have a job outside of their missionary life, the members said. Alberto Hidaljo, a Missionary Church disciple based in Pasco, said the Lord is their insurance policy.

The white of their uniforms represents purity, Hidaljo said. And they make the missionaries stand out in a crowd and look professional, Zuria said.

The missionaries of the church are organized into different grades much like the military, Zuria said. Those grades are indicated by the shield on the arm of their white uniforms.

A disciple is one of the first grades, while Ofelia Herrera of Pasco is a preacher and evangelist, a higher grade.

Herrera, a local convert to the church, said she was a member for about four years before deciding to become a missionary.

She said she was attracted by how the church sticks to God's work. "They do what they speak," she said.

The church's history in Pasco isn't as spotless as the missionaries' white uniforms.

In October 2005, the city revoked the church's permit for a missionary training center and closed the Lewis Street facility.

The church had been renting out rooms to women and receiving state Department of Social and Health Services funds to pay for the housing, said David McDonald, Pasco city planner. But according to city documents, the organization had a permit for a missionary training center, not community service housing.

Zuria said the church wanted to provide housing, but the Lewis Street property is zoned commercial, so the organization couldn't get a special permit to house families there.

The city also received complaints about the property's condition starting in January 2005. According to city documents, the complaints included no occupancy certificate, debris, junk and tires left in public view, unpermitted auto sales on the property, junk vehicles, auto storage and weeds.

Mitch Nickolds, Pasco inspections services manager, said the organization has since cleaned up the property. And the city restored the church's permit for a chapel and missionary training center there in August 2006.

People call code enforcement to complain about church members asking for donations in traffic and for having people sleep at the Lewis Street property, he said.

However, the organization does have a special permit to allow its students to sleep there, Nickolds said.

And Pasco Police Capt. Jim Raymond said as long as church missionaries do not impede traffic, they can solicit donations on street corners. They are most often seen near Walmart and at the intersection of Court and 20th Avenue.

An internet search for the Missionary Church reveals little other than that Walmart sued the Missionary Church in the superior courts of several California counties in 2001. The corporation alleged the group was seeking donations in front of its stores without getting permission.

Wellman said people should not donate to an organization if they aren't sure how their money is being used and how successful the programs are.

Otherwise, he said, "You are basically giving blindly."

Tragedy in Pakistan. Attacks on Christians escalating.

The "religion of peace" that has no "no compulsion in religious matters" is stepping up its program of religious genocide.

This from the American Center for Law and Justice:

There's been a terrible tragedy in Pakistan this week - the Muslim governor of the Punjab Province has been murdered by radical Islamists because he opposed the country's oppressive Islamic blasphemy law.

In a new piece for the Washington Post, I discuss the oppressive regime that has boasted about this horrific assassination - and the work that our ACLJ affiliate in the same Pakistani province where this tragedy occurred does to defend Pakistani Christians.

Governor Salmaan Taseer was proclaimed an ''infidel'' and murdered because he opposed a law widely recognized as a tool to persecute non-Muslims, especially Christians. We are seeing attacks and tragic deaths escalate across the Middle East of not just Christians, but anyone who opposes radical Islam.

Please be sure to read this new article at the Washington Post, then register and comment today - to express your solidarity with persecuted Christians everywhere. What can evangelicals in the U.S. do for our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Sincerely,

Jordan Sekulow
Director of Policy and International Relations

Lesson 1.3 at Yeshiva Beth HaShem is now available.

Have you checked our new Yeshiva Beth HaShem?

You are invited to do so! Just go to:
http://templebethhashem.org/yeshiva

Learn what the Bible really teaches!
Our "Seeker courses" make Bible study easy and informative.

Dear talmidim of Yeshiva Beth HaShem:

Lesson 1.3 is now available for those who have complete lessons 1.1 and 1.2!

http://templebethhashem.org/yeshiva/1lesson3.html

May HaShem bless and keep you always!

~ Rabbi Yochanan

Yeshuva Beth HaShem Lesson 1.2 is now online!

Hi everyone!

Just a friendly reminder:
We at Messianic Jewish Temple Beth HaShem have opened a new and free on-line Yeshiva (Bible school). We are offering 2 certificate programs and 2 ordination programs.

The yeshiva (school) is still new and we are currently writing the course work for the Level 1 classes. Come join us and learn the Way of Y'shua!

Level 1 is for "Seekers": Those with little or no prior knowledge of the Bible and/or Messianic Judaism. Rebbe Larry and I are happy to answer any questions you may have along the way. Students who enroll in the Shul have extra access to us via video chat etc. and upon completion of the levels will receive certificates of completion or legally recognized ordinations.

I'd also like to invite you to sign up with my new Multiply site which focuses on authentic Messianic Judaism: http://jewtoo.multiply.com

=====
Lesson 1.2 of our new Yeshiva is: Understanding Shabbat: part 1.

In this lesson we briefly examine the origins and nature of Shabbat: the Queen of HaShem.

We look at a few of the biblical mandates concerning Shabbat.
When is Shabbat?
Is it required that Messianic Jews honor Shabbat?
What is the significance of Shabbat?
What Shabbat is NOT.

This, and part two, coming soon, will provide the Seeker with a solid understanding of this, the most important of all our observances.

To read this lesson (and 1.1 if you have not yet), to enroll etc. go the Yeshiva Beth HaShem Homepage and follow the links: http://templebethhashem.org/yeshiva

Shabbat Shalom,

~ Rabbi Yochanan