To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Homosexual issues in the news...
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 13:55:18 -0000
Man who fought exclusion of gays in scouts is denied Eagle Scout
membership
By MEGAN O'MATZ , Sun-Sentinel
Jan. 24, 2001
A Fort Lauderdale man who has been active in protesting the Boy
Scouts of America's policy of excluding gays has been denied
membership in the National Eagle Scout Association.
Mark LaFontaine, a gay man who became an Eagle Scout in 1983,
received a letter last week notifying him that his membership in the
association was being revoked.
"We reserve the right to refuse membership whenever there is a
concern that an individual may not meet the high standards for
membership in the Boy Scouts of America," wrote Terry C. Lawson,
director of the association, which is known as NESA.
-- more --
http://www.sun-
sentinel.com/news/daily/detail/0,1136,36000000000165526,00.html
_________________
United Way may ease stance on Scouts
Gwyneth K. Shaw
of the Sentinel Staff
January 25, 2001
Heart of Florida United Way appears to have taken a step back from
its controversial nondiscrimination policy in order to salvage its
relationship with the local Boy Scouts.
Key representatives of both groups met in private Wednesday and
agreed to a proposal to present to their boards.
Neither side would disclose details, but a local Boy Scouts official,
who has been adamant that any compromising would have to come from
the United Way side, said he doesn't see the need for another meeting
if the United Way board signs off on the plan when it meets Feb. 8.
-- more --
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-loc-uway-012501.story?
coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines
____________________
Gay couple lose right to live as a 'family'
By Cahal Milmo and Anna Whitney
25 January 2001
Human rights groups demanded a review of immigration rules yesterday
after a High Court judge barred a homosexual couple from living
together in Britain because they did not constitute a "family".
Nigel McCollum, a United Nations worker, and his Brazilian partner,
Renato Lozano, had claimed the right to cohabit under EU laws which
allow a foreign "spouse" to live with a partner from a member state.
-- more --
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2001-
01/gay250101.shtml
_____________________
'Rebound Epidemic' Feared As HIV Rate Jumps in S.F.
Ulysses Torassa, Chronicle Medical Writer
January 24, 2001
In an alarming reversal, the rate of new HIV infections among San
Francisco's gay men has more than doubled since 1997 and is climbing
steeply, according to a comprehensive analysis released today.
A panel of two dozen researchers and AIDS experts estimates in a
draft report that the rate of new HIV infections is 2.2 percent, up
from 1.04 percent in 1997. That translates into 748 new infections
projected for this year.
The increase comes after years of relative stability in the city's
HIV infection rate, a trend that was wrought by strong prevention
programs, a safer-sex ethic among the gay population and the advent
of powerful drugs.
-- more --
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
file=/chronicle/archive/2001/01/24/MN153919.DTL
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] White Houses Offices Trashed
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 13:55:50 -0000
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX WED JAN 24, 2001 18:51 ET XXXXX
http://drudgereport.com/wh93a.htm
WHITE HOUSE OFFICES LEFT 'TRASHED': PORN BOMBS, LEWD MESSAGES; LEGAL
PROBE CONSIDERED
**Exclusive Details**
The Bush Administration has quietly launched an investigation into
apparent acts of vandalism and destruction of federal property --
after incoming Bush staffers discover widespread sabotage of White
House office equipment and lewd messages left behind by previous
tenants!
Harriet Miers, 55, Assistant to President Bush and staff secretary
will be investigating possible legal ramifications of the White House
trashing and possible theft, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
"Miers is just beginning her investigation," a well-place source said
late Wednesday from Washington. "The level of the trashing is very
troubling, this is not just 'W' keys missing from keyboards."
The damage left by departing Clintonites goes "way beyond pranks, to
vandalism", said a close Bush adviser.
White House employees aren't waiting to be interviewed by Miers. They
are providing names of the worst malefactors, previous occupants of
specific offices.
Photographic and audio evidence is being collected -- as the full
scope of the damage becomes clear.
Bush's staff has been cautioned not to go public with the extent of
the damage and the worst is being closely held among very top
staffers for fear of leaks. But, according to sources, so far Bush
officials have found:
*Phone lines were cut, rendering them inoperable.
*Voice mail messages were changed to obscene, scatological greetings.
One Bush staffer had his grandmother call from the Midwest. She was
horrified by what she heard on the other end of the line.
*Many phone lines misdirected to other government offices.
*Desks found turned completely upside down and trash deliberately
left everywhere.
*Computer printers that were filled with blank paper but interspersed
with pornographic pictures and obscene slogans that would be revealed
only as items were run off the computer.
*'W' keys weren't just pried off more than 40 keyboards, some were
glued on with Superglue; some were turned upside down and glued on.
*Filing cabinets glued shut.
*VP Office space in the Old Executive Office Building found in
complete shambles. Mrs. Gore had to phone Mrs. Cheney to apologize,
first reported by Rich Galen's Mullings.
*Lewd MagicMarker graffiti found on one office hallway.
Developing...
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Residents sue city for removing bricks with messages
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 13:56:14 -0000
Residents sue city for removing bricks with messages
By Robert O'Neill, Associated Press, 1/23/2001
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/023/region/Residents_sue_city_for_remo
vin:.shtml
BOSTON (AP) Newburyport is being sued by two residents after
commemorative bricks they had sponsored as part of a fund-raising
venture for a city park were removed following complaints that they
contained religious and political messages.
The bricks, which were placed in a sidewalk in the city's Woodman
Park, were inscribed with the messages ''Jesus Loves You'' and ''For
All the Unborn Children.''
The residents, one of whom says the message was misunderstood,
contend the city violated their constitutional rights to freedom of
speech and religion. They filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the city in
U.S. District Court in Boston.
The bricks were part of a fund-raising project organized by the
Friends of Woodman Park, a community organization.
With the city's permission, the project allowed residents to have
personal messages inscribed in bricks for $60. The bricks were then
set in a sidewalk alongside the children's playground, which the
project help refurbish.
Within a couple of days of the walk's September 2000 unveiling, city
officials received a couple of complaints from residents after they
had seen the bricks, Mayor Lisa Means said.
There was concern the messages violated the constitutional separation
of church and state, as well as political messages on public
property.
''It's city property,'' Means said. ''Whatever's put on that property
needs to comply with the law.''
The brick inscribed ''Jesus Loves You,'' sponsored by Thomas
Savastano, was obviously taken to be a religious comment, Means said.
The other brick, which read ''To All the Unborn Children,'' was taken
to be a political message opposing abortion.
Means, who had not yet seen the lawsuit, said she asked the community
organization to contact the sponsors of those two bricks to ask if
they could be removed. She said she heard no more about the matter
until contacted by the plaintiff's lawyers in December.
But in the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, Marie Cupo and Savastano, contend
that Means ordered the community group to remove the bricks.
''I filed my lawsuit because of a sense of being wronged,'' said
Marie Cupo, one of the plaintiffs.
Cupo said she placed the brick in memory of a child she lost in the
late stages of pregnancy two years ago, not as a political statement.
''In my mind it was a resting place,'' Cupo said.
Cupo, who said she is not politically active with any group, said she
was contacted by the community group saying the mayor had said the
bricks should be removed.
''I have no real agenda,'' Savastano said. ''It's just meant as an
expression of God's love.''
A phone number for the community group is not listed and no one from
the group could be reached immediately.
''They took somebody's heartfelt circumstances and destroyed them
without a second thought,'' Cupo said of the city. Both plaintiffs
are asking that the city replace the bricks.
The suit, which names the mayor and the city as defendants, claims
the city violated the First and 14th Amendments, and is seeking a
permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants ''from continuing
with their discriminatory actions.''
The two residents are being represented by the Arizona-based American
Center for Law and Justice, a public interest law firm that
specializes in cases on religious freedom of expression.
''If (the city) opens up the walkway, it can't pick and choose on the
basis of the content of the message,'' said Benjamin W. Bull, senior
counsel at the ACLJ. ''This is about as clear cut as it gets.''
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Scientists are scanning the brain for traces of guilty knowledge
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:09:04 -0500
Science & Ideas 1/15/01=20=20
Truth and consequences=20
Scientists are scanning the brain for traces of guilty knowledge=20=20
By Nell Boyce=20
On July 22, 1977, the body of retired police Captain John Schweer lay=20
bleeding on a railroad track in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Blame for the murder =
fell=20
on teenager Terry Harrington, who has spent over two decades in a state=20
penitentiary protesting his innocence. Now Harrington says he finally has=20
proof that exonerates him. A new technology called "brain fingerprinting"=20
suggests that Harrington's brain doesn't contain memories of the crime=20
scene, but it does recognize specific details about the concert he says he=
=20
attended on that fateful night.=20=20
Reading someone's memories through a helmet of electrodes sounds like=20
science fiction. But surprisingly, scientists say they can do just that. Th=
e=20
Harrington case is the first time lawyers have ever submitted such brain=20
measurements to a U.S. court, and within days a judge will either reject=20
them as "junk science" or accept them as evidence that could help reopen=20
Harrington's case.=20=20
Until now, detectives have only had polygraph machines, or "lie detectors,"=
=20
to search for physiological measures of guilt and lies. But critics say=20
polygraphs are hopelessly flawed because they measure emotional=20
responses like blood pressure, breathing, and sweating. Nervous truth-telle=
rs=20
can appear guilty while cool liars look innocent, and people can beat the=20
machine. Although polygraph tests have been the mainstay of lie detection=20
since the 1920s, they're controversial enough that most states don't allow=
=20
them as evidence. This month, the National Academy of Sciences will start a=
=20
major review of polygraph tests' scientific validity at the request of the=
=20
Department of Energy, which uses them to screen employees.=20=20
Many researchers hope they can do better than polygraphs by targeting the=20
source of the lie: the brain. The "brain fingerprinting" technique used on=
=20
Harrington was developed by Lawrence Farwell, a scientist and businessman=20
at Brain Wave Science in Fairfield, Iowa. Farwell's technique exploits a=20
signal that the brain emits when it perceives something familiar.=20=20
If a person watches random numbers flash on a screen, for example, the=20
brain will suddenly show a distinctive electrical response called the P300 =
if=20
personal information like a home phone number pops up. Scientists have=20
known about the P300 response for decades, but no one has tried to apply it=
=20
in a real-world criminal situation. Farwell believes it is valid in the Har=
rington=20
case because he found details about the crime and Harrington's alibi that=20
weren't in court transcripts or newspapers. For example, the murderer=20
escaped by running behind a building through waist-high weeds and grass.=20
According to Farwell, the real murderer would remember tearing through this=
=20
thick underbrush. But when Farwell showed Harrington a photo of the=20
building, the convict said he didn't know what lay behind it. And when=20
presented with words such as "cement and blacktop," "sand and gravel," and=
=20
"weeds and grass," Harrington had no special brain response to the correct=
=20
answer.=20=20
Lacking knowledge. The test isn't a lie detector and doesn't prove=20
Harrington's innocence, Farwell says. But Harrington "does not have certain=
=20
critical details about the crime stored in his brain. A judge or jury must=
=20
decide how they're going to interpret that."=20=20
The idea that knowledge stored in the brain can be used to determine guilt =
is=20
an old one, and it even has a name: the Guilty Knowledge Test. In 1959,=20
David Lykken of the University of Minnesota first proposed that detectives=
=20
could present suspects with multiple-choice questions to see if they would=
=20
react to specifics that only the perpetrator would know. The challenge is t=
o=20
find biological measures of that reaction that aren't affected by emotional=
=20
responses. Brain scanning might be one way, but researchers also have=20
others.=20=20
Someday, investigators could check to see if a suspect knows other=20
criminals or victims by tracking eye movements. That's because the brain=20
scans familiar faces differently than it does strangers' faces. Another way=
of=20
getting into the brain might be to look at response times. Travis Seymour, =
a=20
cognitive psychologist at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, has studied=
=20
how quickly people can press buttons while being shown information on a=20
computer screen. When presented with words and images that they either=20
know or don't know, he has found it takes people longer to press a "don't=20
recognize" button when they're lying=96nearly twice as long as when they tr=
uly=20
do or don't know.=20=20
One problem with such Guilty Knowledge tests is that they won't work for=20
screening exams, which by definition involve questioning people about=20
unknown crimes. But scientists are making progress on that front as well. "=
I=20
don't know about you, but when I'm lying, I'm aware of it. There's got to b=
e=20
some sort of substrate for that awareness in the brain. It's just a matter =
of=20
finding the right tools to unmask that substrate," says Peter Rosenfeld of=
=20
Northwestern University. Rosenfeld is currently trying to use electrical=20
readings other than P300 to see if he can find a telltale profile for lying=
.=20=20
Researchers already have preliminary evidence that brain-imaging scans can=
=20
be used to distinguish lying from truth telling, according to Stephen Kossl=
yn=20
of Harvard University. It's not as simple as a Pinocchio lobe lighting up o=
n=20
scans when a person lies. Different types of lies, such as spontaneous or=20
premeditated fibs, seem to depend on different brain areas. Kosslyn's been=
=20
able to distinguish between lies and truth on brain scans by looking at rat=
ios=20
of activity in various brain regions and time lags in those regions' activa=
tion.=20=20
Scanning for lies. This brain imaging work is a real breakthrough in lie=20
detection, agrees Terrence Sejnowski of the Salk Institute for Biological=20
Studies in La Jolla, Calif. Sejnowski's currently working on a computer=20
program that can detect lies by analyzing fleeting facial expressions. It's=
an=20
offshoot of work pioneered by Paul Ekman, a psychologist at the University=
=20
of California-San Francisco, who can watch people on videotape and catch=20
liars by analyzing almost imperceptible expressions like eyelid flutters an=
d=20
strained smiles. But it takes experts like Ekman an hour to catalog all the=
=20
microexpressions on one minute of videotape. The goal is to train a compute=
r=20
that can do the analysis in real time, so that a computer with a camera cou=
ld=20
screen people for lying without them even knowing it.=20=20
Is the world really ready for a foolproof lie detector? A world without lyi=
ng has=20
been explored in popular movies like Liar Liar, and the prospect generally=
=20
seems to make people nervous. Yet those who feel they've been wrongly=20
imprisoned will embrace any new technology that might set them free. "I=20
have many, many requests from people on death row and people in law=20
enforcement," says Farwell. "I think in many of these cases, we'll be able =
to=20
shed some light on what they do or do not know about the crime."=20
Eventually, brain fingerprinting and other new methods will likely find the=
ir=20
way into courtrooms, where it will then be up to judges and jurors to decid=
e=20
where the truth lies.=20=20
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010115/lying.htm
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Stench bugs
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:12:54 -0500
Stench bugs
STINKING sewers could smell sweeter with regular squirts of concentrated
bacteria. The bugs deodorise the pipes because they gobble up human
waste, starving out the native bacteria that create that distinctive "bad eggs"
aroma.
In-Pipe Technology of Wheaton, Illinois, is trying out this idea in Tampa,
Florida. A continuous supply of bacterial deodorant squirts into the pipes
from dosing units sited strategically throughout the sewage collection
system. Around the size of a small TV, each dosing port houses a cocktail
of between 10 and 14 species of bacteria. These out-chomp the smelly
natives and take over.
"All our bugs are native to sewage, but only in low numbers," says Dan
Williamson, founder of In-Pipe Technology. "We're reinforcing what's already
there so that they dominate the bad boys," he says. Because they stop
hydrogen sulphide building up, the bugs halt corrosion. "The sulphide
dissolves to form sulphuric acid, and so you get corrosion as well," says
Williamson.
Another bonus, says the company, is that the bugs act as a sewage works
deep inside the pipe network. The company claims that the bacteria will
consume more than half the usual solids before they reach the plant.
Investigators from the Civil Engineering Research Foundation in Washington
DC are now assessing the technology independently.
Andy Coghlan
From New Scientist magazine, 27 January 2001.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns227538
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] PISTOL-PACKING PARENTS AT SCHOOL
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:15:32 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
To: Morrock@topica.com
From: David Morrock <davidm@morrock.com>
Subject: Morrock News, Weds., Jan. 24, 2001
Date sent: Wed, 24 Jan 2001 15:48:17 -0800
Send reply to: davidm@morrock.com
T H E M O R R O C K N E W S D I G E S T
Fast, free and independent
http://morrock.com
WEDNESDAY :: JANUARY 24, 2001 :: EMAIL EDITION
[.. snipped..]
* PISTOL-PACKING PARENTS AT SCHOOL: The Arkansas
legislature is considering a highly controversial
measure that would allow people with concealed-weapons
permits to carry guns on school property. Republican
Randy Minton, who authored the bill and another that
would allow guns in public parks and restaurants, said
people with concealed-weapons permits are the "most
responsible" residents, "model citizens" who find it a
hassle to leave their guns in their cars when they
drop off their kids at school. . . . The Arkansas
Education Association opposes the bill. "We want guns
as far away from schools as possible," association
president Linda Pondexter said. (Thanks, John David
Powell)
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Cosmic Paintbrush Revealed
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 14:20:00 -0000
[Astronomers think they've found the "paintbrush" but I know the=20
Artist personally]
Source: University Of Rochester (http://www.rochester.edu/)=20
Date: Posted 1/25/2001=20
Cosmic Paintbursh Revealed: Force That Shapes Nebulae Uncovered By=20
Astronomers=20
The cosmic "paintbrush" that creates some of the most dazzling images=20
in the night sky may have been found by researchers at the University=20
of Rochester, a paper in the January 25 issue of Nature suggests. A=20
magnetic dynamo similar to the kind that produces storms on our sun=20
appears to shape planetary nebulae, the wispy clouds of light that=20
radiate from some dying stars. The scientists have shown that as some=20
stars die and expel their outer layers, they generate massive=20
magnetic fields that twist the radiating material into beautiful and=20
distinctive shapes.=20
"Astronomers have been puzzling over these objects for centuries,"=20
says Adam Frank, associate professor of physics and=20
astronomy. "They're these vast cosmic sculptures and we've never=20
known how they're made."=20
The group of scientists designed a model based on a typical star as=20
it approached the last years of its life. Using data that suggests=20
that the core of such a star decouples from the outer shell of the=20
star like a yolk spinning inside an egg, the researchers found that=20
magnetic fields power up and twist as the two spin at different=20
rates. As matter is blown off the dying star, it roughly follows=20
these bent magnetic lines, creating the majestic curves and contours=20
of a planetary nebula.=20
The idea that magnetic fields play a role in shaping the material=20
thrown off by dying stars has been addressed before, but the=20
researchers had only looked at the activity of the outer shell,=20
concluding that it could not generate fields of the necessary=20
strength. It took a combination of University astronomers working in=20
two different areas to define the new model and show that such=20
strength is possible.=20
Astrophysicists John H. Thomas, Andrew Markiel and Hugh Van Horn,=20
specialists in understanding the magnetic characteristics of stars,=20
teamed up with astrophysicists Adam Frank and Eric Blackman, experts=20
in planetary nebulae formation. "This paper probably couldn't have=20
been written by any one of us," says Thomas, professor of mechanical=20
and aerospace sciences and of astronomy. "We had a hunch that our two=20
areas were related to this problem, and it took both to figure it=20
out."=20
The new model is reinforced by another well-known phenomenon. The=20
leftover core of such stars, called a white dwarf, is known to spin=20
more slowly than scientists have thought it should. The Nature paper=20
suggests that the core is slowed by "magnetic braking"=97a sort of drag=20
produced by the magnetic fields twisting up like a wrung towel that=20
gets harder and harder to twist. As this is happening, the surface of=20
the white dwarf is thrown out into space along those magnetic lines,=20
slowing its rotation further much as a skater's spin slows when she=20
extends her arms.=20
"The dynamo-generated magnetic field that we've proposed may explain=20
many other phenomena of planetary nebulae, such as the launching of=20
the stellar wind," says Thomas. "This is potentially the kind of=20
unifying concept that one seeks in science." The implications of the=20
research reach beyond nebulae. The same processes that generate the=20
magnetic fields in dying stars are also at work in our own sun.=20
"This shows us a new way for our sun to die," says Frank. Sunspots,=20
solar storms and coronal mass ejections that endanger power grids and=20
satellites are all directly caused by magnetic fields generated in=20
the sun. When our sun runs out of fuel in a scant four or five=20
billion years, we may be treated to front-row seats as its insides=20
knot up and it sheds its skin in graceful arcs wider than our solar=20
system.=20
-----
=20
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by=20
University Of Rochester for journalists and other members of the=20
public. If you wish to quote from any part of this story, please=20
credit University Of Rochester as the original source. You may also=20
wish to include the following link in any citation:=20
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/01/010125082804.htm
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Representatives of Sharon to meet with Arafat's top
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:20:20 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 01:47:44 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Representatives of Sharon to meet with
Arafat's top confidant
Representatives of Sharon to meet with Arafat's top confidant
Aaron Lerner Date: 25 January 2001
Israel Radio senior diplomatic correspondent Yoni Ben Menachem
reported this morning that at Yasser Arafat's request, Arik Sharon's
son, Omri, former Foreign Ministry director-general Eitan Bentzur and
well-known lawyer Dov Weisglas will meet in Vienna with Mohammed
Rashid, Arafat's top economic advisor and confidant. Rahsid has
participated in many of the summits with Israel in the past.
Sharon declined to meet himself with Arafat at this time, explaining
that he was too busy with his election campaign.
Ben Menachem noted that the story was leaked by the Palestinians.
Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director
IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-548-0092
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
pager 03-6750750 subscriber 4811
Website: http://www.imra.org.
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
For free regular subscription:
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: Barak to Bush on red lines
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:21:48 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 02:23:18 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: Barak to Bush on red lines
- signing deal with Palestinian sovereignty
on Temple Mount "betrayal"
Ha'aretz: Barak to Bush on red lines - signing deal with Palestinian
sovereignty on Temple Mount "betrayal"
By Aluf Benn Ha'aretz Diplomatic Correspondent Ha'aretz 25 January 2001
Prime Minister Ehud Barak sent his first letter to American President George
W. Bush to establish Israel's ties with the new administration in
Washington. In his letter, Barak enumerated the "restrictions" he had
imposed on Israel's negotiating position in the talks with the Palestinians,
noting that handing over sovereignty over the Temple Mount to the
Palestinians would be akin to "betrayal," and that it was understood that 80
percent of the settlers would remain under Israeli sovereignty.
Barak also asked the president to support the strengthening of security ties
between Israel and the United States.
Barak began his letter by congratulating Bush on his inauguration,
expressing his hope for continued close ties between the two countries based
on their shared values. He noted that Israel considers its friendship with
the United States a major element in its policy to seek peace and security.
The prime minister also mentioned the importance of fighting terror, stating
that terror must not be rewarded in the form of diplomatic concessions. He
added that those who carry out terror attacks and those who are responsible
for them must be made aware that it would not pay off.
Concerning the negotiations with the Palestinians, Barak underscored three
points. He emphasized Israel's absolute opposition to the "right of return"
of Palestinian refugees to Israel. Concerning Jerusalem, Barak wrote that
the Temple Mount is the cradle of Jewish history, and that there was no way
he would sign a paper handing over sovereignty of the Temple Mount to the
Palestinians. For Israel, wrote Barak, this would be a betrayal of Israel's
holy of holies.
Concerning the settlements, Barak wrote that it was understood that at least
80 percent of the Jews living in the territories would remain under Israeli
sovereignty where they lived, as part of settlement blocs. He added that
Israel attributed supreme importance to this understanding, and that the
territorial dimensions proposed by President Clinton could not prevail in
this context.
Barak ended his letter by saying that there is nothing Israel strives for
more than peace and security. He thanked the United States for its long-term
assistance, and expressed the hope and expectation that President Bush would
support the maintenance of Israel's qualitative edge in defense matters, as
well as the strategic alliance between the two countries.
--------------------------------------------
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: Chief Rabbi rejects joint sovereignty of
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:22:33 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 02:24:07 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: Chief Rabbi rejects joint
sovereignty of Temple Mount
Ha'aretz: Chief Rabbi rejects joint sovereignty of Temple Mount
By Nadav Shragai Ha'aretz Jerusalem Affairs Correspondent Ha'aretz 25
January 2001
Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau said that he cannot imagine that there is an
authority in Israel willing to offer any kind of shared - even partially
so - sovereignty with other countries over the sites holy to the Jewish
people.
"That is such an absolute and unthinkable absurdity that it is beyond
consideration. The Western Wall and the Temple Mount are no one's private
property," said Rabbi Lau.
"A nation that does not revere its past, its heritage and roots, has no
right to weave dreams and plans for its future," added. Rabbi Lau was
responding to reports that Israel might be willing to accept "special rule"
or joint sovereignty over the Old City and the Western Wall. "That is an
absolutely unworthy, undesirable and impractical proposal and just the
thought of it is painful and infuriating," added Rabbi Lau. "It has already
been said that Jerusalem has stones with a human heart, but it is difficult
to believe that where Jerusalem is concerned, there are people with hearts
of stone."
Yesterday morning a protest vigil representing the Council for Jewish
Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha Council) displayed a huge
banner in front of the Prime Minister's Office saying "Jerusalem: I swear,"
reflecting the biblical vow not to forsake Jerusalem. The demonstrators
played a recording of news reports recalling the 1967 liberation of the
Western Wall and the Temple Mount in the Six-Day War through loudspeakers.
Former MK Rabbi Menachem Porush (Agudat Yisrael) wrote letters yesterday to
the president and the Knesset Speaker asking them to require Barak to halt
the negotiations with the Palestinians. "He has no right to do so, and it is
impossible to end a hundred-year conflict in less than 100 hours by means of
terrible concessions..." he wrote.
--------------------------------------------
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: Israel: Technical leader Pope
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:23:33 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 02:24:42 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: Israel: Technical
leader Pope must leave Mitchell panel
Ha'aretz: Israel: Technical leader Pope must leave Mitchell panel
By Ze'ev Schiff Ha'aretz Correspondent Ha'aretz 25 January 2001
Israel is demanding the dismissal of Larry Pope from the international
fact-finding committee investigating the violence in the territories, on the
grounds that Pope deliberately violated a procedural agreement with Israel
by touring the Temple Mount without Israel's knowledge and without an
Israeli escort.
Pope, who heads the Mitchell Committee's technical staff, visited the mount
because the Palestinians claim that the Intifada was sparked by Likud
Chairman Ariel Sharon's visit there in late September. The team was
accompanied only by Waqf guards, who presented their version of events.
Israel has said that if its demand for Pope's dismissal is not met, it will
lose all faith in the committee and there will be no reason for it to
continue working.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak sent a sharp letter of protest to former U.S.
president Bill Clinton one day before Clinton left office. In this letter,
Barak stressed that the visit was in complete violation of the committee's
pledge to coordinate its activities with Israel. The letter does not mention
Pope by name or demand his dismissal, but does blame the incident on the
technical team which Pope heads, and asks the American government deal with
the matter in a way that will restore Israel's faith in the committee.
In private conversations, however, Israeli representatives are demanding
Pope's removal from the team. His actions, they say, were not just a mistake
or a misunderstanding: Israel had known that Pope planned such a visit
sometime, and had therefore carefully explained the sensitivity of the
matter to him. Despite this, he made the trip without informing Israel of
the date and without any Israeli escort.
Some officials have even demanded that Israel completely sever relations
with the Mitchell Committee because of this violation of its agreements.
--------------------------------------------
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: Defense Ministry tells purchasers to update
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:24:11 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 02:25:50 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: Defense Ministry tells
purchasers to update emergency order
info that would apply to full-fledged war
Ha'aretz: Defense Ministry tells purchasers to update emergency order info
that would apply to full-fledged war
By Amnon Barzilai Ha'aretz Defense Correspondent Ha'aretz 25 January 2001
Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron has ordered all his overseas
purchasing delegations to brush up on the emergency orders that would apply
if the current violence were to deteriorate into full-fledged war.
Yaron imposed a blackout on this order, for fear that if made public, it
would cause a panic.
Similar orders have been given twice in the last decade: In 1990, on the eve
of the Gulf War, and in summer 1996, following reports that the Syrian army
had moved forces toward the Golan Heights. The latest orders were sent at
the height of the Al Aqsa Intifada, with the approval of Prime Minister and
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz.
But Defense Ministry sources stressed that Yaron's orders are a routine step
mandated by the situation. They do not indicate a change in the security
situation, but merely a desire to be prepared for any eventuality, the
sources said.
Yaron's order means that purchasing agents are supposed to review their
lists of suppliers to be sure that the transfer of equipment will proceed
quickly and smoothly in case of need. This includes refreshing their memory
regarding the rules and procedures involved in ordering from large arms
concerns, and checking to see how quickly orders could be filled in an
emergency. The Defense Ministry has special arrangements with many companies
that make replacement parts for equipment used by the IDF, particularly
large American concerns.
Yaron has issued similar instructions to the senior administrative staff of
the Defense Ministry and to the heads of ministry delegations overseas.
However, the purchasing agents were told not to deviate from their usual
procedures in any way other than by conducting the specified review.
After performing the checks, the delegations said they were ready for any
eventuality.
The largest purchasing delegations - the ones most relevant for obtaining
equipment during a war - are located in New York, Germany and France. Most
military equipment, particularly ammunition, missiles and spare parts, comes
from the United States. But in the event of a missile attack Europe would be
the main source for additional gas masks. During the last period of tension
in the Persian Gulf, in February-March 1998, Israel's main suppliers of gas
masks were Germany, Holland, Sweden and Britain.
Defense sources said yesterday that the state of the IDF's inventory is
satisfactory compared to what it was in 1996. In particular, there is no
shortage of ammunition.
According to Israel's agreement with the U.S., stocks of American ammunition
are kept in Israel and can be used in case of emergency. However, the
agreement also states that the U.S. is responsible for maintaining these
inventories, and it is the one who decides whether there is an emergency
that justifies letting Israel use the ammunition.
--------------------------------------------
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) PA officials voice opposition to Sharon
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:25:01 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 02:27:56 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: PA officials voice opposition to Sharon
PA officials voice opposition to Sharon
Ha'aretz Correspondent By Ori Nir Ha'aretz 25 January 2001
As the election for prime minister enters the final straight, Palestinian
Authority officials are breaking their silence and openly calling on
Israelis not to support Likud candidate Ariel Sharon.
In an interview with Al-Ayn newspaper, top PA figures Dr. Saeb Erekat and
Yasser Abed Rabbo warned of the serious implications for the peace process
of a Sharon victory on February 6.
Information Minister Abed Rabbo told the Arabic-language daily, published in
Israel, "we do not want to see Ariel Sharon elected prime minister. Our
position on this matter is not neutral."
"The victory of Ariel Sharon will lead to disaster and war," Abed Rabbo
added. He said electing Sharon would be "an evil act" because he is a
"blood-thirsty racist who has no sense of responsibility toward his own
people."
Erekat, the chief negotiator in talks with Israel, told the newspaper "if
Sharon is elected, we should expect a complete collapse of the peace
process."
Another official, Nabil Sha'ath, compared Sharon to "an elephant in a China
shop," in an interview.
--------------------------------------------
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Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: Israel Electric board lobbies against Egypt
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:25:52 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 02:30:58 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: Israel Electric
board lobbies against Egyptian gas supply
Ha'aretz: Israel Electric board lobbies against Egyptian gas supply
Ha'aretz Energy Correspondent By Amiram Cohen Ha'aretz 25 January 2001
Israel Electric Corporation directors yesterday said they will act to
prevent the company from entering into a contract for natural gas from
Egypt. Most directors who said they would oppose the proposed purchase of
gas from Egypt have close ties with the workers committee at the corporation
and the right-wing.
IEC sources said the company's negotiating team on the issue of natural gas,
headed by CEO Ya'akov Razon, is expected to submit a proposal today to buy
gas both from Israeli suppliers (Yam Thetis and Isramco) and the
Israel-Egypt pipeline company, EMG, which is offering gas from Egypt.
The contract would be for 35 million cubic meters of natural gas, valued at
$3 billion, over a period of 15 years. The team is expected to propose
buying half the quantity from the pipeline company.
A director at the IEC who is opposed to acquiring gas from Egypt told
Ha'aretz "it would be an unforgiveable crime to purchase even one cubic
meter of Egyptian gas."
The Likud candidate for prime minister, Ariel Sharon, said yesterday during
a talk to the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce that Israel's gas
supply should be based on Israeli gas. "Israel must achieve independence in
natural gas since it would free [the country] from depending on foreign
elements, especially in regional politics during periods of crisis."
In response, a spokesman for Merhav, a partner in the EMG consortium, said
that only a mixture of suppliers, both local and foreign, would be able to
ensure low prices and reliability.
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Subject: [bprlist] Some call inaugural prayers to Jesus exclusionary
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 14:29:05 -0000
Some call inaugural prayers to Jesus exclusionary
By Cathy Lynn Grossman
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010124/3011911s.htm
''Jesus'' makes a difference.
When President George W. Bush called out to churches, synagogues and
mosques in his inaugural address on Saturday, his speech came
sandwiched between two prayers invoking Jesus by name, rather than
the usual blessing for the new administration with overarching
references to God.
While many thrilled to hear clergy make the nation's greatest podium
a pulpit for Jesus, others complained that such prayers leave out
many Americans.
Baptist evangelist Franklin Graham, filling in for his ailing father,
Billy Graham, ended his invocation as his father did at the inaugural
ceremony in 1989 for Bush's father. Back then Billy Graham
said: '' . . . All this we pray in the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit.'' And his benediction ended with a blessing
drawn from Psalms and familiar in many faiths.
Franklin added: ''the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.''
And the benediction came from Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, leader of the
12,000-member Windsor Village United Methodist Church in suburban
Houston, who introduced Bush at the Republican National Convention.
He finished: ''in the name that's above all other names, Jesus the
Christ. Let all who agree say amen.''
An amen Jews, Muslims and others could not say.
''The final prayer rather ruled out a lot of people,'' says Martin
Marty, a leading scholar of American religious history, author and
Lutheran minister.
He found Bush's speech ''encompassing and generous.'' But he was
surprised by prayers in Jesus' name.
''It implied that if you didn't join in, you were an outsider,'' he
says. ''People don't mind the prayers, they mind that assumption of
exclusivism and Christian privilege. This is an event not only for
the president, it's for all the people of the United States. The
problem with saying Jesus is that it cuts off access to the Father
for Muslims, Jews and others.''
People are more accustomed to Billy Graham, Marty says, ''who never
left the integrity of the Gospel, but never needed to be in your face
about it.''
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, found it ''entirely appropriate'' that Bush, a Methodist
who reads his Bible daily, invited the pastors of his choice, ''but
they should have been more encompassing in their words.''
''It is never my intention to insult anyone who hears a public prayer
that I offer!'' Caldwell responds. ''I was not proselytizing, trying
to make others believe like I believe.''
But, he says, ''I am a Christian, I was invited by a Christian
president to offer a prayer. I would have been misrepresenting who I
am and arguably even why I was there had I not prayed in Jesus'
name.''
Says Graham's spokesman Mark DeMoss: ''Franklin Graham would never
vary the way he would pray. He can and does vary a message or sermon
according to a setting. But sermon is not the same as a prayer. This
was George Bush's inauguration, and he should have the liberty to
choose whom he invites.''
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics &
Religious Liberty Commission, praised Bush for inviting all citizens
to care for one another ''on the road to Jericho,'' referring to the
biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Land, who never gives an
invocation without mentioning Jesus, says, ''When we ask people to
pray, we should say they are free to pray as they pray. I would be
shocked if any presidential adviser had any discussion with either
pastor about the content of their prayer.''
Religion columnist Terry Mattingly sees the inauguration's clergymen
as harbingers of an administration open to outspoken believers in
major roles, such as Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft, a
Pentecostal who says he believes in legislating morality. ''This is a
big issue for people who want to know how much faith should -- and
will -- influence public policy.''
But Rev. James Dunn, a Baptist preacher for 50 years, and visiting
professor of Christianity and Public Policy at Wake Forest
University, says the prayers are ''a matter of style,'' not a
political signal.
''The Ashcroft nomination? Now there's a harbinger!'' says Dunn, who
spoke against Ashcroft's confirmation at Senate hearings last week.
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BNI.Priority News 1,2,3,4 (1/25/01)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 13:55:17 -0500
1. Histadrut strike =96 Day 4=09
2. Voting begins around the globe for Israeli diplomats=09
3. Soldier injured in storm=09
4. Arafat speaks with Powel=09
***************************
25-JAN-01 =96 7:53am
***************************
1. Histadrut strike =96 Day 4
(BNI-JAN.25) Histadrut national labor union leaders are threatening that
on Sunday, they will escalate their ongoing strike actions in light of the
lack of ongoing serious negotiations.=20
On Thursday, government offices will remain closed to the public, and
there will be no garbage collections in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Outpatient medical clinics in government hospitals will remain closed and
many day clinics will also be impacted by the strike. Parking summonses
will not be issued and they will be delays in takeoffs and arrivals at
Ben-Gurion International Airport.=20
Strike leaders are warning that on Sunday, WIZO and Na=92amat kindergartens
nationwide would be closed and other essential services such as school
transportation would be halted as they increase the scope of the strike.
Strike leaders are demanding a 16 percent wage increase package over a
three-year period while treasury representatives insist that such a demand
is unreasonable and unattainable.=20=20
On Thursday afternoon, the state will bring its case to the Jerusalem
Labor Court, seeking injunctions to order strikers back to work.
++++
2. Voting begins around the globe for Israeli diplomats=20
(BNI-JAN.25) Members of the Israeli diplomatic corps and their staffs have
already begun to cast their ballots for prime minister in advance of the
Feb. 6 election in Israel. The first to vote were members of the
diplomatic team in New Zealand. The diplomatic ballots will make their way
around the world and be returned to the Knesset prior to Election Day in
Israel.=20=20=20
++++
3. Soldier injured in storm
(BNI-JAN.25) An IDF soldier sustained moderate injuries during a
lightening storm on Wednesday night. He was struck with lightening while
serving in a northern area base.=20
The base was thrown into darkness, with the storm causing an interruption
in electric service. The soldier was transported to a Nahariya hospital. =
=20
++++
4. Arafat speaks with Powel
(BNI-JAN.25) PA Chairman Yassir Arafat on Wednesday spoke on the=20
telephone
with US Secretary of State Colin Powel. The conversation lasted for about
ten minutes. It was the first time the two spoke since Mr. Powel assumed
office.
PA sources stated that Secretary Powel told the PA leader that the White
House remains committed to the Oslo process.
In a related matter, Powel announced this week that special envoy to the
Oslo process, Ambassador Dennis Ross, would not be replaced, signaling
that the Bush administration would be less involved in the ongoing Oslo
process than the former Clinton administration.
----------------
1. Sharon emissaries met with Arafat aides=09
2. Indictment in Number 51 bus bombing=09
3. Two policemen injured during pursuit=09
4. Taba talks to resume following funerals for terror victims=09
5. Sharon making contacts with Bush administration=09
6. Shaath reports most of Yesha to be given to PA=09
7. Kiryat Bialik resident killed in pre-dawn murder=09
8. Be=92er Tuvia hold the record rainfall for the past day=09
9. PA: Arab man killed in clashes in Rafiah area Thursday AM=09
***************************
25-JAN-01 =96 11:00am
***************************
1. Sharon emissaries met with Arafat aides=20
(BNI-JAN.25) Israel Radio senior diplomatic correspondent Yoni Ben
Menachem reported on Thursday morning that at Yassir Arafat's request,
Arik Sharon's son, Omri, former Foreign Ministry director-general Eitan
Bentsur and well-known attorney Dov Weisglas will meet in Vienna with
Mohammed Rashid, Arafat's top economic advisor and confidant. Rahsid has
participated in many of the summits with Israel in the past.
Sharon declined to meet himself with Arafat at this time, explaining that
he was too busy with his election campaign.=20
Ben Menachem noted that the PA leaked the story.
It is being explained that Arafat may be seeking a channel of dialogue
with Sharon, who according to pre-election polls will be the next prime
minister of Israel.=20
According to an Israel Radio report at 10:30am, the meeting has taken
place but details were not released. It was also reported by Ben-Menachem
that PA officials informed Prime Minister Ehud Barak of the planned meet
in advance. (Portions from IMRA)
++++
2. Indictment in Number 51 bus bombing
(BNI-JAN.25) A criminal indictment was handed down on Thursday morning in
the Tel Aviv District Court against Jordanian citizen Abdullah Awed
Abu-Jabed for his alleged involvement in the December 28, 2000 bombing
attack aboard a Dan Number 51 bus on Tel Aviv=92s Derech Petah Tikvah.=20
Thirteen persons were injured in the blast, including a female soldier who
was seriously burned.
According to the criminal indictment, Abu-Jabed placed the case containing
the bombs on the bus and then got off and called the cellular telephone
connected to the explosives, setting off the blasts.=20=20
++++
3. Two policemen injured during pursuit
(BNI-JAN.25) Two policeman were injured during the night, one seriously
and the second light, as a result of a motor vehicle accident that
occurred during a pursuit.=20
The two spotted a vehicle that they suspected was stolen and initiated the
pursuit, heading towards Kfar Qassim. It was near the entrance to Kfar
Qassim that the police cruiser veered out of control, striking a light
pole.=20=20
++++
4. Taba talks to resume following funerals for terror victims
(BNI-JAN.25) Negotiators are preparing for the resumption of talks between
Israel and the PA in the Red Sea resort city of Taba, scheduled to get
underway following the Haifa funerals for terror victims Mordehai Dayan,
27, and Etgar Zeitouny, 34, who were killed earlier in the week by
terrorists inside the PA autonomous city of Tul Qarem.
Negotiations were placed on hold by Prime Minister/Defense Minister Ehud
Barak following the double murder and the so-called =93Security Cabinet=94
made the decision to resume talks following funeral services.
PA security officials have announced that suspects in the terrorist attack
murder have been apprehended, adding that they would face trial and pay
for their crimes.=20
Hamas spokesperson Sheik Yousef denied earlier reports that Hamas was
responsible for the attack, placing the blame on members of Yassir
Arafat=92s Fatah terrorist faction, explaining the attack was to avenge the
killing of a senior Fatah commander by Israeli forces.=20=20
++++
5. Sharon making contacts with Bush administration
(BNI-JAN.25) Former Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Dore Gold, has
been sent to Washington as a personal emissary of Likud prime ministerial
candidate Ariel Sharon.=20
Dr. Gold, who served under the administration of former Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu, has been dispatched to Capitol Hill to make initial
contacts with members of the new US administration on behalf of Sharon,
who according to pre-election polls will be the nation=92s next prime
minister. Sharon reportedly maintains a lead exceeding 15 percent with
Election Day being less than two weeks away.=20=20=20
++++
6. Shaath reports most of Yesha to be given to PA
(BNI-JAN.25) According to senior PA negotiator Nabil Shaath, in a Galei
Tzahal (Army Radio) interview on Thursday, Israel and the PA are close to
an agreement regarding territorial issues. Shaath elaborated that only
about four percent of Judea and Samaria would remain in Israel hands, with
the rest to be turned over to total PA control. In the four percent of
area remaining under Israeli sovereignty, the Jewish residents of those
areas would live in large settlement blocs.
Shaath admitted that the issues of the future of Jerusalem and so-called
Palestinian refugees remained a stumbling bloc that needed to be addressed
and an agreement sought.=20
According to Army Radio, Israeli and PA negotiators are in agreement to
permit 100,000 so-called refugees to return to PA controlled areas in
Judea and Samaria over the next twenty years. Justice Minister Yossi
Beilin is heading the negotiations for Israel dealing with the refugee
issues.=20
According to the Army Radio report, an international committee would be
established to determine who would be classified as a =93refugee=94 and
thereby be entitled to relocate to the PA autonomous areas in Judea and
Samaria.=20
=20=20
++++
7. Kiryat Bialik resident killed in pre-dawn murder
(BNI-JAN.25) A 43-year-old resident of Kiryat Bialik was killed early
Thursday morning in a stabbing attack. He was pronounced dead in a
Nahariya Hospital. Two persons who brought him to the hospital are being
questioned by police in the murder.=20=20
++++
8. Be=92er Tuvia hold the record rainfall for the past day
(BNI-JAN.25) The record rainfall for the past 24-hours was recorded in
Be=92er Tuvia where 85 millimeters of rain fell. Since the beginning of the
year, 440 millimeters of rain fell in that location.=20
During the past 24 hours of stormy weather, 64 millimeters of rain fell in
the capital, 42 in Gamla (northern Israel), and 22 millimeters in Tzemach,
on the Kinneret shore.=20=20
++++
9. PA: Arab man killed in clashes in Rafiah area Thursday AM
(BNI-JAN.25) According to sources in the PA, a 22-year-old man was killed
during early morning shooting between PA and IDF forces in southern Gaza,
near Rafiah. The report indicated two others were injured by IDF gunfire.
A different PA source quoted by =91Y-net=92 reports two Arabs killed by IDF
gunfire.
At the time of this report, there has been no official Israeli response to
the reported deaths.=20=20
--------------------
1. MK Gal-On petitions High Court to reveal total Cohen Commission report=09
2. Bayit Cham in Maale Levona=09
3. Two Hebron residents arrested on weapons charges=09
4. Arab newspaper: Talks underway to obtain release of soldiers=09
5. Gush Katif residents taken into custody by police=09
6. Former SLA militiamen sentenced in Beirut court=09
7. Arab attacks border policeman in Hebron=09
***************************
25-JAN-01 =96 1:34pm
***************************
1. MK Gal-On petitions High Court to reveal total Cohen Commission report
(BNI-JAN.25) Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On has petitioned the High Court of
Justice to order the release of the classified portion of the Cohen
Commission inquiry into the Sabra and Shatilla massacre. Cohen maintains
that since Sharon is a contender for prime minister, the nation has a
right to know all the details involving the commission=92s findings.
As a result of the report by the inquiry commission, Sharon was forced to
step down as minister of defense.
Gal-On also called upon the High Court=92s Chief Justice Aaron Barak, a
member of the Cohen Commission, to state his opinion regarding the
candidacy of Sharon and his suitability to hold the office of prime
minister.
While on the campaign trail this week, Sharon stated that the massacre of
Moslems by Christians in Sabra and Shatilla was unfortunate but he was not
responsible for their actions. Aides to Sharon added that Mr. Sharon does
not object to the publication of the classified portions of the 1982
massacre which were not released to date due to reasons of state security.
++++
2. Bayit Cham in Maale Levona
(BNI-JAN.25) Bayit Cham, as its name suggests, is a warmer, more personal
way to receive the Religious English-speaking Oleh (new immigrant). From
the entry to the country in Ben-Gurion Airport, a new immigrant will be
met and brought directly to the program. Each family will have an
English-speaking family from the community who will "adopt" them. An Ulpan
is planned either in the Yishuv or within a 10-minute commute.=20
Bayit Cham is based on the Yishuv Maale Levona, in the Gush Shilo region
of Samaria, 40 minutes North of Jerusalem, 55 minutes from Raanana or
Petach Tikvah, 20 minutes from Ariel.=20
Maale Levona has 90 Religious Zionistic families, of which 15% are
English-speaking. In addition there are 50 college students learning in
Michlol which combines religious studies with the professional studies of
computer science, electronics and engineering. Ulpanat Levona, a boarding
school for 14-18 year old girls, was founded in 1998.
In addition, there are two synagogues, a ritual bath, ongoing Torah
classes, a pre-kindergarten for children from the age of 3 months. School
children are bussed to the area schools in Shilo, 10 minutes away.=20
Medical services are available in the community clinic.=20
A free pilot trip is being offered between March 6 and 11. Organizer Erik
Wiseberg explains that return fare for a couple will be reimbursed on 3
conditions (The flight to Israel is free):
1. One comes on aliya during Summer 2001(before Sept.1, 2001)
2. During your first year living in Israel, one purchases a new home in
Maale Levona or in the area.
3. The cost does not exceed $1,500 (for a couple).
For registration and additional information, one may contact:
eriklita@netvision.net.il=20=20=20
++++
3. Two Hebron residents arrested on weapons charges
(BNI-JAN.25) Israel Police on Wednesday night arrested two Israeli
residents of Hebron who are alleged to have participated in illegal
weapons activities. The suspects were brought before a remand hearing in a
Beersheba court on Thursday. No additional information available at the
time of this report.
++++
4. Arab newspaper: Talks underway to obtain release of soldiers
(BNI-JAN.25) According to the Arab Al-Hyatt newspaper, efforts are
underway involving the international community to obtain the release of
IDF soldiers who are being held hostage by the Hizbullah terrorist
organization. The paper reports that German intermediaries are still
involved in the effort to obtain the release of Sergeant Adi Avitan,
Staff-Sergeant Avraham Binyamin, and Staff-Sergeant Omer Suaed, who were
taken prisoner while on patrol in northern Israel on October 7, 2000. A
fourth hostage, Israeli businessman Elchanan Tanenbaum, a colonel in the
IDF reserves, is also being included in the negotiations.=20
Al-Hyatt reports that Hizbullah is demanding the release of terrorists
imprisoned in Israel as well as the remains of terrorists buried in
Israel.=20=20
++++
5. Gush Katif residents taken into custody by police
(BNI-JAN.25) Three Israeli residents of Gush Katif were taken into police
custody on Wednesday night for their alleged participation in unrests
following the January 14, 2001 murder of Kfar Yam resident Roni Tzalach.=20
Police arrested other Jewish area residents earlier as the investigation
into unrests targeting Arab properties following the terror attack
continues.=20=20
++++
6. Former SLA militiamen sentenced in Beirut court
(BNI-JAN.25) Twenty-four former Israel-allied Southern Lebanese Army
militiamen were on Wednesday sentenced to prison terms of three weeks to
seven years for collaboration with the enemy.=20
Since Israel=92s unilateral withdrawal from the former security zone in
southern Lebanon on May 24, 2000, over 2,000 former SLA members were
sentenced to jail terms up to twenty years and ten were sentenced to death
in absentia. Hundreds still await trial.
The government of Prime Minister Ehud Barak Israel continues to come under
harsh criticism by members of the SLA and their families for having
abandoned Israel=92s allies of almost two decades, failing to fulfill
promises of ensuring their future well-being as well as making a financial
commitment to their families. Many former SLA members who were taken in=20
by
Israel have since opted to return to their homes in Lebanon to face
imprisonment rather than continue living under the harsh conditions they
face in Israel.=20=20=20
++++
7. Arab attacks border policeman in Hebron
(BNI-JAN.25) An Arab man who was stopped and asked to identify himself in
Hebron brandished a screwdriver and stabbed the border policeman. The
policeman was only lightly injured and therefore, able to pursue the
fleeing suspect who was apprehended and taken into custody. The wounded
border policeman received medical treatment.=20=20
-------------
1. Sharon: Vienna meeting was upon PA=92s initiative=09
2. Some election numbers=09
3. Clarification on previous Hebron arrest story=09
4. Negotiations to resume towards evening in Taba=09
5. 1,000 poll directors disqualified by Election Committee=09
***************************
25-JAN-01 =96 2:22pm
***************************
1. Sharon: Vienna meeting was upon PA=92s initiative
(BNI-JAN.25) Likud leader and candidate for prime minister MK Ariel Sharon
has confirmed that his representatives did meet in Austria on Thursday
with senior aide to PA Chairman Yassir Arafat, Khaled Salaam.
As reported earlier, the delegates dispatched by Sharon were his personal
attorney Dov Weinglas, his son Omri Sharon and Eitan Bentsur, a former
director-general of the Foreign Ministry. Sharon stated that the PA
requested the meeting. He told Israel Radio that there were no
negotiations and he remains committed that there would be no talks with
the PA if he is elected to office as long as the daily attacks continue.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that Sharon complied with a PA request
for the meeting that was intended to open a channel of communications
between Sharon and the PA in the event Sharon was victorious in the
upcoming election.
Sharon elaborated in the Israel Radio interview following the Vienna
meeting, denying reports that the talks included discussions pertaining to
the PA=92s Oasis Casino in Jericho. He rejected Labor Party accusations tha=
t
negotiations took place, reiterating the PA just wanted to know his
position in light of his commanding lead in the pre-election polls.
In an Israel Radio interview, Bentsur backed up Sharon=92s statements,
denying the issue of the casino was raised.
Opposition MK Yossi Sarid, a member of the Israeli delegation to the Taba
negotiations, stated he has =93certain information=94 that the casino was
discussed during the Austria meet.
Sharon and other Likud officials explained that it was obvious that PA
Chairman Yassir Arafat was well aware of the polls and wanted to begin
opening a channel of dialogue to Sharon.=20=20
Senior PA negotiator Yassir Abed Rabbo stated =93economic issues=94 were
discussed at the meeting which he stated was requested by Sharon, adding
that Yassir Arafat has absolutely no involvement in the meeting.=20
++++
2. Some election numbers
(BNI-JAN.25) There will be 7,500 voting stations nationwide in addition to
1,000 stations set aside for the members of the military and various
on-duty security forces.
=D8 About 60,000 persons will be involved with the Election Committee
activities on Election Day.=20=20
=D8 Election officials are printing six million ballots for each of the
candidates.
=D8 Beginning this coming Wednesday, Jan. 31, election boxes and ballots
will be distributed to locations around the country on a daily basis.
Election officials have indicated that even if required to print a new
slip for a new candidate [in the eventuality that Shimon Peres comes into
the race to replace PM Ehud Barak], they will be able to accommodate the
demand.=20
++++
3. Clarification on previous Hebron arrest story
(BNI-JAN.25) The suspects apprehended by police in Hebron on Wednesday
night were Israeli Arabs, not Jews. The story was not specific and has led
to some confusion.
Additional clarification by Hebron Jewish community spokesperson David
Wilder has confirmed that the suspects in custody are not members of the
local Jewish community.=20=20=20
++++
4. Negotiations to resume towards evening in Taba
(BNI-JAN.25) Following the Haifa funerals of the two terror victims, the
government continues to prepare for the resumption of talks with the PA
scheduled for early Thursday evening in Taba.
Negotiators will break off into four groups, dealing with security,
refugees, Jerusalem, and borders. The actual drafting of a proposed
agreement may get underway in light of progress made to date.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, speaking to Israel Radio on Thursday afternoon,
stated it was unlikely that an agreement would be achieved in advance of
the Feb. 6 election. He added that is an agreement was reached; it would
be brought before the nation for approval. He did not elaborate.=20
++++
5. 1,000 poll directors disqualified by Election Committee
(BNI-JAN.25) About one thousand persons who were to be responsible for
voting stations around the country have been disqualified by Election
Committee officials after they failed the exam that followed their
preparatory course.=20=20=20
Over 10,000 have been prepared for the February 6 election for a new prime
minister, which will include 7,500 civilian voting stations nationwide.=20
News items published by BNI (=93BreakingNews-Israel=94) and/or =93BNI.Elect=
ion=94
lists, may be distributed, copied, posted providing the websites and other
forums carrying the stories display the footer below instructing readers
how to subscribe in plain view on the same page with the news.=20=20
++++
1. To subscribe to the BreakingNews-Israel list, send a blank email
message to 44828-subscribe@listbot.com=20=20=20
2. To subscribe to the BNI.Election list, providing election coverage,
send a blank email message to=20
BNI.Election-subscribe@listbot.com=20
3. To subscribe to the BNI.PriorityNews list, providing news of
importance, send a blank email message to=20
BNI.PriorityNews-subscribe@listbot.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (1/24/01)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 13:55:40 -0500
CARDINAL SECRETS=20
After months of speculation over the list that lay on the writing desk in h=
is=20
study high above St Peter=92s Square, and weeks of nail-biting among=20
potential candidates for preferment, the ailing 80-year-old Pope has finall=
y=20
made his fateful choice, shaping the body that will elect his own successor=
.=20
>From next month there will suddenly be 37 new boys =97 a record =97 in=20
what Il Messaggero, the Rome daily, yesterday called =93the most exclusive=
=20
club in the world=94, a club, moreover, with a history stretching back almo=
st=20
1,000 years: the College of Cardinals.=20
On February 21, 3 years after he last created a batch of new =93princes of=
=20
the church=94, the Pope will preside over a =93consistory=94, in which he w=
ill=20
literally place a red hat on each of the new cardinals in turn. Like the=20
members of any club, the new entrants will mingle excitedly with the older=
=20
members, the satisfaction of reaching the top echelon of Mother Church=20
tinged with an extra frisson not felt in any other club: the knowledge that=
=20
one of them is almost certain to be the next Pope. Cardinals have elected=20
the Pope since the 12th century.=20
The status does not derive from their pay, which is about £20,000 a=20
year. Nor are there legions of servants, as there were in Renaissance=20
times, when to be a cardinal meant a life of luxury and self-indulgence as=
=20
well as intrigue. Most cardinals in Rome drive their own cars, which are=20
often fairly ancient models. But there are other compensations.=20
Already, with the Pope=92s announcement of the new names on St Peter=92s=20
Square on Sunday ringing in their ears, the excited new cardinals will have=
=20
been in touch with one of the Rome papal outfitters (=93By appointment to t=
he=20
Holy See=94 is a much-sought-after, but rarely conferred, status) to be kit=
ted=20
out in their new robes: for everyday wear a red biretta, a black soutane an=
d=20
cape edged with red (more accurately, scarlet)piping and buttons, worn=20
with a scarlet sash (not to mention scarletsocks); and a scarlet soutane wi=
th=20
a mantelletta of silk and lace, as well as scarlet stockings and gloves, fo=
r=20
=93special occasions=94, of which the most special is the election of a Pop=
e.=20
It perhaps sounds odd, given the pastoral or administrative role most of=20
them play, but red is a deliberate reference to the blood that cardinals=20
swear they are willing to shed if necessary for the Pope and the Church,=20
vowing to serve usque ad sanguinis effusionem (until the spilling of=20
blood). Vatican officials point out that, even now, this is not altogether =
far-
fetched, and that =93life in the Third World is rather different from Europ=
e=94.=20
The biggest bloc of cardinals is from Latin America, where churchmen do=20
find themselves embroiled in political violence and social unrest. Until 15=
66=20
the Pope himself wore red; it was the Dominican Pope St Pius V who=20
decided to wear white, a tradition followed by all his successors to the=20
present day.=20
But once the consistory is over, and the red socks and hats are in the=20
wardrobe, what do the new cardinals actually do? =93It depends on their job=
,=94=20
was one answer in the Vatican yesterday morning, as Vatican-watchers=20
began to analyse in detail the implications of the latest appointments in=20
terms of the age groups, theological leanings and geographical distribution=
=20
of the college, which now numbers 128. =93Some are archbishops, such as=20
your own Cormac Murphy-O=92Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster,=94=20
one official said. Archbishops have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical=20
province, and continue to run them after being made cardinal. The main=20
difference is that you have to call them =93Eminence=94.=20
Being an archbishop can be a stepping-stone to the papacy: the present=20
Pope, elected in 1978, was Archbishop of Crakow. In theory, the=20
Archbishop of Westminster now also becomes one of the 128 candidates=20
for Pope. An Italian archbishop is much more likely, with the smart money=20
on Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the Archbishop of Genoa.=20
More likely still, given the Pope=92s emphasis on choosing cardinals who=20
reflect the global reach (=93universality=94 is his term) of Roman Catholic=
ism, is=20
that the next pontiff will be an archbishop used to dealing with the daily=
=20
problems of one of the populous, poverty-stricken and tension-ridden cities=
=20
of Latin America: Norberto Rivera Carrera, for example, the Archbishop of=20
Mexico City, who was named cardinal at the last consistory in February=20
1998, or one of the =93new boys=94 such as Oscar Andr=E9s Rodr=EDguez=20
Maradiaga, the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, since 1993, and=20
president of Celam, the powerful Council of Latin American Bishops.=20
The cardinals best placed to manouevre in the heart of the Vatican itself, =
on=20
the other hand, are those named to head departments (termed=20
Congregations or Pontifical Councils) in the Curia, the Vatican hierarchy,=
=20
where the day-to-day running of Vatican business is inevitably mixed with=20
subtle =97 and not so subtle =97 backstabbing and jostling for position (th=
e=20
target of the Pope=92s recent sharp attack in his apostolic letter at the e=
nd of=20
the Holy Year on =93egoism and careerism=94).=20
Perhaps the most powerful Curia figure is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of=20
[Bavaria!] Germany, the soft-voiced =93Grand Inquisitor=94 who, as the head=
of=20
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, guards the purity of church=
=20
doctrine and roots out dissent.=20
The department head most often at the Pope=92s side, Cardinal Ratzinger=20
apart, is Cardinal Angelo Sodano, 73, the Secretary of State, in effect the=
=20
papal Prime Minister. If the next conclave is deadlocked, or decides not to=
=20
go for too young a Pope (=93We don=92t want another one who will reign for=
=20
more than 2 decades,=94 one insider told me last week) he is deemed a likel=
y=20
stopgap choice.=20
His most formidable challenger among the Italian cardinals is probably=20
Giovanni Battista Re, one of the new red hats, who at 67 is undoubtedly the=
=20
Pope=92s own preferred choice. Since last September, he has headed the=20
Congregation of Bishops, which gives him control of a worldwide church=20
network. Two years ago, in what was seen as a papal =93laying on of hands=
=94,=20
the Pope visited Re=92s home at Borno, a mountain village near Brescia in=20
northern Italy. Of modest origins, he is referred to in the Vatican corrido=
rs=20
as =93the carpenter=92s son=94, a sobriquet with obvious Biblical resonance=
. He is=20
said to have =93nerves of steel=94 and a photographic memory, but no less=20
importantly may be acceptable to both conservatives and liberals.=20
There is fierce competition for departmental jobs that are about to change=
=20
hands as elderly cardinals reach the retirement age; they include the=20
Congregation for the Evangelisation of the Peoples, now held by the elderly=
=20
Josef Tomko, and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, where Edward=20
Cassidy of Australia is about to retire (his successor could well be Walter=
=20
Kasper, the German theologian named cardinal in the latest list).=20
One cardinal even looks after the fabric of St Peter=92s Basilica itself; t=
he=20
incumbent, Cardinal Virgilio No=E8, is near retirement age and the job may =
go=20
to Crescenzio Sepe, a new cardinal from southern Italy who until recently=20
ran the Holy See=92s Jubilee Committee. Still other cardinals are at the=20
Pope=92s disposal for difficult or personal missions: Cardinal Roger=20
Etchegaray, the genial 78-year-old Basque who headed the Jubilee=20
Committee, has been the Pope=92s troubleshooter on overseas =93missions=20
impossible=94, from the Middle East to China.=20
In the end, though, the climax of any cardinal=92s career is that meeting i=
n the=20
Sistine Chapel when ballots are burnt in a stove and =97 eventually =97 whi=
te=20
smoke emerges from the chimney to announce that a new pontiff has been=20
chosen. Thanks to reforms introduced by the Pope in 1996, this time they=20
will live not in cramped cells carved out of corridors and offices of the=20
Vatican apostolic palace, with shared bathrooms, but in the renovated St=20
Martha=92s Hospice, with each cardinal given his own bedroom, sitting room=
=20
and bathroom.=20
Comfort apart, one object of the reform is to tighten controls over the=20
secrecy of the conclave, with all electronic equipment banned and corridor=
=20
gossip and intrigue =97 in theory =97 forbidden. After each ballot, cardina=
ls=20
are supposed to retire in prayer and contemplation to seek divine inspirati=
on.=20
In reality, as factions form and dissolve, there are modern equivalents of =
the=20
1458 conclave recorded by the historian Eamon Duffy, at which Pius II=20
emerged after =93endless plotting in the lavatory block=94.=20
On the other hand, the cardinals may have to wait for their big moment.=20
Some think the present Pope, who has Parkinson=92s disease and is=20
increasingly incapacitated, is contemplating retirement. Others say he will=
=20
carry on =93as long as he has breath in his body=94, and that by increasing=
the=20
college of cardinals to 128, he is signalling that he hopes to be around un=
til=20
natural wastage has cut the number to 120, the optimum figure laid down by=
=20
Paul VI. For that matter, when he announced his list on St Peter=92s Square=
=20
he pointedly declared that he hoped to name yet more cardinals =93in the=20
future=94. No Pope has voluntarily stepped down since Celestine V in 1294.=
=20
The main lesson sinking in as the new cardinals prepare for next month=92s=
=20
new boys=92 ceremony is that the longer the Pope continues, the more=20
cardinals thought to be contenders miss their moment =97 by reaching 80 or=
=20
by dying. It is even possible that some of the new intake who might be=20
thought to have a chance of election as Pope because of their youthful=20
vigour =97 by Vatican standards, a man of 60 is a stripling =97 will see th=
eir=20
chances come and go in turn. It has happened before. I once asked a=20
cardinal how cardinals reacted when one of their number died. He roared=20
with laughter. =93Well, if 1 dies, we all go to confession. If 2 die around=
the=20
same time, we all make sure our wills are up to date. And if 3 go we all go=
=20
out and have a jolly good lunch.=94 (The London Times)=20
ELECTING A POPE=20
The idea that Popes can influence the choice of their successor is a fallac=
y.=20
All pontiffs seek either to steer the cardinals who will choose their=20
successors toward a favoured son, or at least =93pack=94 the college of=20
cardinals in such a way that the man who emerges will share their views.=20
John Paul II is no exception; by promoting Giovanni Battista Re he is=20
indicating his personal preference. A close aide to the Pope, Re served for=
=20
11 years as deputy Secretary of State, then moved last year to head the=20
Congregation of Bishops. The Pope has appointed all but 10 of the cardinals=
=20
under 80 eligible to vote for the next Pope. Most share his=20
conservativeviews.=20
But pressure for change is building up, not least in Latin America, which=20
may produce the next pontiff. The history of modern conclaves suggests=20
that the classic pattern is for =93conservative=94 and =93liberal=94 factio=
ns to form=20
round their champions. When deadlock results, a 3rd compromise candidate=20
emerges. This happened in 1978 when John Paul II was elected. He had=20
made it clear that he was not papabile. But the then 109 cardinal electors=
=20
were split. After the 7th ballot, votes switched to the unknown Karol=20
Wojtyla. If this is repeated in the near future, the liberal choice will pr=
obably=20
be Carlo Maria Martini, Cardinal Archbishop of Milan; the conservative=20
could be Camillo Ruini, Cardinal Vicar of Rome. But who would be the=20
compromise figure? Watch this space. (The London Times)=20
BERLIN & PARIS NO LONGER LEAD EUROPE=20
Joschka Fischer, Europe=92s most energetic federalist, is being sapped of h=
is=20
strength. At unguarded moments, he looks like an Old Master version of a=20
slack- muscled Samson shorn by Delilah. The Government of Gerhard=20
Schr=F6der is suffering in almost equal measure, for Herr Fischer, despite =
the=20
increasingly lurid stories surfacing from his past, seems to be unsackable.=
=20
The Foreign Minister is the indispensable component of a Social Democrat-
Green coalition that has already lost 7 ministers. If Herr Fischer is weak,=
=20
then so is the whole Government.=20
This debility could hardly have come at a worse time for Germany.Berlin=92s=
=20
original strategy, hatched by Herr Schr=F6der and Herr Fischer, was for=20
Germany to start to set the tone of the European debate from January=20
onwards, compensating for the tangled wreckage of the Nice summit.=20
France showed during its stumbling presidency that its domestic agenda=20
was taking priority over European development. Britain, deep in the coming=
=20
election campaign, was plainly lost in the Euro-maze.=20
The Germans believe that they showed themselves to be good Europeans at=20
Nice and were prepared to make some of the running in the form of a=20
gently assertive Berlin republic. Then the Government started to unravel.=20
Compromising facts known to many in the Social Democrat parliamentary=20
party about at least one minister failed to trickle through to the Chancell=
or=92s=20
office. BSE claimed its political victims. Ministers buckled. Herr Fischer,=
=20
confronted with more and more doubts about his rebellious past, started to=
=20
lose his swagger.=20
Germany was on the brink of presenting itself as the voice of Europe =97 th=
e=20
country that best understood Russia and was best able to represent Europe=20
to the new White House =97 but suddenly found itself on the defensive. Herr=
=20
Schr=F6der -- who is not a natural European integrationist, having famously=
=20
described the euro as a sickly premature child -- is trying to mask the=20
problems with rhetoric borrowed from Helmut Kohl. He is unable to carry it=
=20
off with the same panache as Herr Fischer, but, given that the minister is=
=20
politically indisposed, it is the best that can be managed.=20
Intergovernmental co-operation, the Chancellor said at the weekend, is not=
=20
the way forward: that was one of the bitter lessons from Nice. The=20
European Commission had to be supported as well as the =93institutions that=
=20
do integrationist thinking=94. A European basic law, or constitution, had t=
o be=20
adopted. Romano Prodi looked pleased; Hubert V=E9drine, the French=20
Foreign Minister, looked thunderstruck.=20
It is difficult in Berlin to find someone willing to say a good word about =
the=20
French, except, of course, in public. Finance Ministry officials, back from=
a=20
joint mission to Tokyo to sell the euro, complain about the petty nationali=
sm=20
of the French. The Foreign Ministry, which has been trying to prepare a=20
bilateral summit with the French for January 31 =97 supposed to show that=20
the 2 countries are, despite Nice, the best of friends =97 complain of the=
=20
awkwardness of their Parisian counterparts. M V=E9drine has been unhappy=20
with the Germans for most of the past year and his dismay is beginning to=20
colour every aspect of the relationship. He believes, like most of the Fren=
ch=20
establishment, that if there is any serious thinking to be done about Europ=
e it=20
should be led by the French.=20
Today Herr Fischer is in London to pick up the German-British Forum prize=20
for controversial contributions to the Anglo-German relationship. The=20
citation is for Herr Fischer=92s Humboldt University speech last year, in=20
which he set out his hopes for the federal future of Europe. It naturally=20
irritated Eurosceptics (the minister challenged them to come up with an=20
alternative) and triggered a debate across the Continent. More than=20
anything, it exposed the growing gap between French and German thinking=20
on Europe. In effect, Herr Fischer laid a wreath on the coffin of the speci=
al=20
Franco-German relationship, indicating that it was no longer ailing but sto=
ne=20
dead.=20
For this single act he deserves not only a framed certificate from the=20
worthy forum, but a knighthood. True, Herr Fischer is something of a=20
wounded knight with a broken lance, and his jousting days may soon be=20
over, but he has rendered a great service by demonstrating that France and=
=20
Germany no longer share a philosophy of Europe. Since a weakened=20
German Government cannot carry by itself an integrationist agenda, all that=
=20
is left is bluff and bluster. (The London Times)=20
IN RETALIATION, TURKEY CANCELS ALCATEL DEAL=20
The Turkish government scrapped a $149mn deal Tuesday with a French=20
company to launch a spy satellite, a retaliatory step for a French National=
=20
Assembly vote last week recognizing killings of Armenians in Ottoman=20
Turkey as genocide. The cancellation was the first major Turkish response=20
to the declaration last week by the Assembly. Defense Minister Sabahattin=20
Cakmakoglu said the agreement with Alcatel SA had been scrapped in=20
response to "undeserved allegations against Turkey."=20
Alcatel had signed an agreement in principle to build and launch Turkey's=20
first remote sensing satellite by 2003 but had yet to sign a final deal. "W=
e=20
have canceled the tender concerning the spy satellite project," Mr.=20
Cakmakoglu said. The French declaration outraged Turkey, which recalled=20
its ambassador to France. Turkish trade groups called for a boycott of=20
French goods. Mr. Cakmakoglu also said that Giat Industries, the French=20
company that builds the Leclerc tank, would be excluded from a tender to=20
build 250 battle tanks that could ultimately be worth $7bn. (Int'l Herald=20
Tribune)
MICHAEL TURNER =0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)=20
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URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Stone of Destiny
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 14:08:56 -0500
SCONE MAY GET ITS STONE BACK
Members of the Scottish Parliament are to consider returning the Stone of
Destiny to Scone, from where it was removed 700 years ago by Edward I.
The Scottish People's Mission, a group of hardline nationalists, has asked
MSPs to reinstall the Stone in its "rightful place". It was brought from
London to Scotland in Nov, 1996, and has been at Edinburgh Castle since.
The 335lb rock, which was the traditional coronation stone of Scottish
Kings and Queens, was originally sited at Scone Palace by Kenneth I, the
monarch of the Irish Kingdom of Dalriada, in 850. It was removed by
Edward I in 1296, who installed it in Westminster Abbey as a symbol of
Scottish sovereignty. The SPM believes the Stone belongs to "ancient
Caledonians" and should be moved to Perth Museum as "an aboriginal
heirloom".
Robbie the Pict, a campaigner who has spent the past 4 years protesting
about the Skye Bridge tolls, told the Public Petitions Committee meeting in
Edinburgh that "no one other then the original owner can claim to own
stolen property". He said the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1327 guaranteed the
return of the Stone that was "carried away", and that this was an admission
of theft. "The question of ownership takes us ironically to Moot Hill in the
Royal City of Scone, the locus from whence it was stolen. The area of
Moot Hill was a neutral national common. Like the grounds from which it
came, the Stone was owned by historical Pictland and thus is now owned
by the sovereign people of Scotland."
Winnie Ewing, the SNP member for Highlands and Islands, said it was
"preposterous" that people should have to pay to see the Stone, but raised
concerns about security if it was moved. The Stone was last used in a
coronation in Scotland in 1292, when John Balliol was proclaimed king. It
remains the property of the Crown, having been lent to Scotland on the
understanding it can be taken to London for coronations.Its origin is
shrouded in myth with some claiming it came from the Holy Land, where
Jacob used it as a pillow. (The London Telegraph)(1/24/01)
STONE ME, IT'S A FAKE!
After 700 years in exile, the Stone of Destiny will return to its spiritual
home on St Andrew's Night. Yet amid nationalist fervour, Andrew
O'Hagan discovers that the real Stone may never have left Scotland
Westminister Abbey is a tomb to official memory. High on the walls of
Poets' Corner, the stone figure of Robert Burns joins those looking down on
the tourists and pilgrims passing by. The Scots bard watches them journey,
with their good cameras and their goodly curiosity, to the heart of English
nationality, with its dark symbols of conquest and monarchy, humanity and
religion. The Stone of Destiny's last night in the Abbey was mostly
unremarkable, except that bulbs were flashing more often than usual.
Several of the stewards and helpers who work in the Abbey wished to have
themselves photographed beside the Coronation Chair, before the stone that
it housed ended its 700-year holiday in the south.
There are no very high-minded reasons why the Stone was returned,
although there are any number of sentimental ones, or cynical ones. The
Scots seemed to want the thing back, and ministers are not above placating
the Scots, or anybody else, when their backs are to the wall. Returning the
Stone would cost nothing, and, for all the fuss at Westminster, the Stone
does mean a lot more to the Scots than to the English.
But to find out why, you need to leave London. You need to set off on a
journey which is also a trip into the history of a nation, or the imagined
history of a nation, which serves to bolster its sense of who it is. Scotland,
like many a small nation, defines itself as much by what it is not as by what
it is. It guards its resentments like its crown jewels, and it never forgets a
grudge. Most people in Scotland do not think the Stone is worthy of any
trouble. But they do believe the English feel superior and closer to glory.
The Scots may not want Independence, but they do want to be independent,
and they will make a grand day out of any occasion for its public assertion.
The Stone of Destiny is all symbol.
On the boat to Iona, I think of David Balfour, the boy-hero of Kidnapped,
who swims from a small island over to my left, one of the early stops on his
round-trip of Scottish romanticism. And there is Fingal's Cave, on the island
of Staffa, to the right. When Mendelssohn returned to the continent, to his
family, after visiting this place, his daughter asked him to tell them about the
islands. "I can't speak of it. I can only play it." And he wrote his Scottish
Symphony.
Iona is tiny, with an abbey and a few houses, and is full of spirit. St
Columba is thought to have brought the Stone of Destiny with him when he
came from Ireland in 563. The Stone had previously been in the care of St
Patrick, who inherited it from the holy men of Israel, where it had started
life as Jacob's pillow. Biblical lore held that wherever the Stone would land,
there God's favoured people should gather themselves into a nation. The
Scots love that sort of thing as much as anybody does. St Columba's
excitable biographer, Adamnan, is full of stories of the saint's holy stones,
miracles and quellings of the raging sea around Iona.
Iona is not Westminster Abbey, but it is another sort of holy place. More
than a dozen Scottish kings are buried here, ending with MacBeth - or the
Labour leader John Smith, who was king to some people. The Stone of
Destiny is supposed to have passed from here to Argyll, to Dunstaffnage
Castle, and was taken from there to Scone Palace by Kenneth McAlpin,
who wanted to unite the Pictish kings by making himself king of all
Scotland.
But this had all passed into history by the time the Stone of Destiny made it
to Scone. Modern kings and queens were crowned on the stone there until
1296, when Edward I - the "Hammer of the Scots" - came from England to
break the Scottish spirit. He took the Stone in that year, or took something
he thought was the Stone.
Pat Gerber's book on the Stone of Destiny is the most recent. As she sat
under a tree on Moot Hill, on the site of the old coronations, I asked her
how she feels about the Stone that was stolen from here finally coming
back to Scotland. "It's embarrassing, isn't it. to think we are going to put
that thing - which someone said was actually the lid of the cesspit here -
beside our honours of Scotland. And tell the American tourists (because
that is what it is all about at Edinburgh Castle) that this is our wonderful
Stone of Destiny. Nuts!"
"That's a pretty devastating thing," I said. "People believe the Westminster
Stone is full of spiritual value. Are you saying that is nonsense?" "I am glad
it is coming back," she said, "it is a wee chunk of Scotland. It's our Elgin
Marble, if you like. It will do as a stand-in . . . until we find the real one,
which we will do . . . you can't melt stone very easily."
There was a replica Stone just a few yards away from us that afternoon at
Scone. And Scotland is full of replica Stones of Destiny - copies, bare
lumps, ones that claim a different lineage from the Westminster Stone; ones
that claim to be the real thing. As you go around the country asking about
this subject, you cannot move for people saying they've seen the "real"
Stone, or they know where it is hidden. Many seem merely to wish this
were true.
"Ask yourself," said Pat Gerber, "if you were an abbot here (in 1296),
would you just sit and wait for Edward to come, or would you do what
people have done through the ages - and have just done in Bosnia - and
hide your valuables? Of course you would. And the tradition here, at Scone
Palace, is that the Stone was taken away, that it was taken up to the top of
Dunsinnan Hill and hidden in MacBeth's castle up there."
"So it might have been here all the time?" I asked. Ms Gerber had a little
twinkle in the eye. "Well, we don't give away all our secrets, do we?"
"If you say so, but can you give me an indication of why it might be
important to people to feel they have kept this thing to themselves, and not
given it up?"
"Oh, because we have got one over on the English. Don't you think?"
"Is that the ultimate goal?"
"I think that is quite a nice goal, for the time being." I couldn't hold my
tongue. I asked Ms Gerber if she was a bigot, and she laughed away to
nothing.
"Probably," she said.
But I went to Dunsinnan Hill in Perthshire all the same. I had come to feel
the Stone of Destiny was less important than the feelings which are
invested in it. People don't care that much about the actuality. It's all in the
mists of time anyway. But current concerns - about self-definition, about
questions of what life is like in Scotland now - all come into play when
people are supposed to be talking about their history. The idea of a fraud
makes people feel they are not the underdogs: the joke was on the English
all the time.
When the Stone was stolen from Westminster in 1950, by a bunch of
Scottish nationalist students, many people in Scotland were tickled at the
idea that a stone which they already felt to be a fake was then swapped
again. It is an object which represents endless taking back, endless
recovery of ground. But there are those who are still taken up with
questions about the whereabouts of the original Stone of Destiny.
On my way up Dunsinnan Hill I spoke to Ann and Peter Campbell. They
run a farm at the foot of the hill. They told me about the fuss around here
early in the 19th century, when it was felt that the real Stone had finally
been located in the hillside. "More incomers delved into that," said Ann. "I
found the locals didn't really want to talk about it, for some unknown
reason."
"And what have they found," I asked her, "they who have delved into it?"
"Some of them think it is in the hill. They want to keep it there . . . " she
said.
"And keep it a secret?"
"They don't want the English to get it, do they?" Ann said.
The mist has gathered on top of the hill. It is freezing, and you can hardly
see more than a few feet in front of you. This is the site of MacBeth's
castle. It is believed by many that the monks at the Abbey buried the real
stone here. There was a landslip in 1819 and part of the hill fell away,
revealing a cave underneath, according to a sensational story in the London
Mercury of the time, which told of a black stone being found in the cave.
Local legend has it that the stone was either removed to London, and
hidden there, or that it was removed by a laird and is kept in the basement
of a house nearby. (The London Telegraph - 11/30/96)
SCIENTISTS CLAIM MONKS FAKED STONE OF SCONE
Scientists who have carried out the first modern tests on the Stone of
Scone, the historic slab sent back to Edinburgh last year after being held by
the English for 7 centuries, believe that it is almost certainly a fake.
Laboratory analysis has pinpointed the probable origin of the Stone as the
Scone estate near Perth. If this is true, it cannot be the Stone of Destiny
supposedly brought from Dunstaffnage, Scotland's ancient capital on the
Argyll coast, in the 9th Century. In 1296, Edward I seized what he thought
was the Stone of Destiny and took it to London, where it was kept in
Westminster Abbey for 700 years.
Research in the 1930s linked the relic to Perthshire sandstone, a conclusion
now confirmed by modern and more precise techniques applied by Dr Neal
Fortey, a mineralogist with the British Geological Survey. "It resembles
sandstone from Quarry Mill on the Scone estate, an old quarry which is
now a nature trail," he said. "It's not 100% certainbut it's the closest
comparison I have come across. The historical implication is that, if there
was an earlier Stone, it is not the sandstone we call the Stone of Scone.
People in the past have described it as looking like a discarded building
stone, and it still has features on the surface which are alleged to be the
stonemason's toolmarks. That begs the question of what happened to the
original Stone."
Dr Fortey said many believe that the monks of Scone Abbey, knowing
Edward was after it, hid the original Stone and put another in its place.
"That's the story and it's entirely plausible." Pat Gerber, author of The
Search for the Stone of Destiny, called for more effort to find the
Dunstaffnage relic. The true stone is said to have been brought from Israel
or Egypt to Ireland, and then taken to Iona by St Columba before being
moved to Dunstaffnage. "The original stone was like marble and had
carvings. That would go along with Pictish cultural tradition." (The London
Telegraph - 2/9/97)
STONE OF DESTINY...NOW BACK IN SCOTLAND!
As most of you know, the Stone has now been moved from England to
Scotland. For the benefit of those who are not familiar with this subject, I
will very briefly reconstruct its significance in Bible prophecy. This Stone is
believed to be the original Pillar that Jacob dedicated to Godafter his all-
night wrestling vigil with an angel. From all references, this stone represents
the House of David that went into oblivion after the wicked king Zedekiah
was dethroned by our Father and later blinded then killed along with his
sons.
Jacob's Pillar (The Stone of Destiny) was believed to have been
subsequently carried by Jeremiah -- along with Zedekiah's two daughters --
to Ireland. Later, it went to Scotland, then England. Most scholars, along
with this writer, see these 3 moves associated with Ezekiel 21:27: "27 I will
overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose
right it is; and I will give it him."
I have pondered prayerfully the significance of the recent moving of the
Stone seeking more light on this move. In last months newsletter, I was
looking more at the physical than the spiritual in coming to some
conclusions. However, as always, I'm not bashful about redressing my
comments when necessary. So, here goes. I now feel that the move has
more spiritual significance than physical. Since I know without doubt that
God's Word is sure, I simply could not lay this study to rest. I now lean
strongly toward the following conclusions...based on the following facts...at
least until more light is shed on the subject.
I did not take into account that the recent move of the Stone back to
Scotland, would not represent a Biblical move because Scotland is yet
under British rule! So, in reality, the Stone yet resides under the British
Crown even though (physically) it's now back in Scotland; and the
descendant House of David is also yet Biblically represented and intact! It
will not be used ever again in the crowning of an earthly king because it has
been announced that it will go on permenant display in Edinburg, Scotland.
Therefore, this move obviously ended the Stone's role in the crowning of
kings, ending with King George VI in 1936 ... the last king crowned over
the Stone.
That being the case, Messiah, according to Ezekiel, will be the next King
over the House of David...so, the 3rd "overturn" is yet in effect. In light of
these facts, as stated last month, this move (after some 700 years) would
seem to be significant as to just how close the Lord's return could be. In
other words, from Zedekiah forward, Israel, as a nation, would have no king
until Messiah comes (Gen. 49:10)...and true to prophecy, that has been the
case. This means that the scattered and divided kingdom of Israel must be
restored and Christ installed as her King..."the most holy", (Dan. 9:24).
To document that the Kingdom of Israel was expected to be restored, look
no further than Acts chapter 1 verses 6 & 7: "When they therefore were
come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore
again the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, It is not for you to know
the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power." Can
we know the times and seasons today, 2,000 years later? I believe so!
Paul tells us that the signs and seasons can be known ... so we should be
about learning about them. Note the word "restore"; which documents even
by Jesus' answer, that some day in the future the Kingdom will be restored.
The descendants of Israel, even back then, had been sacttered all over the
then known world. However, today, they are literally scattered worldwide:
"Yet will I leave a *remnant* (of the House of Judah), that you may have
some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when you shall be
scattered through the countries." ( Ezekiel 6:8). These scattered ones shall
be recovered: "*I will* accept you with your sweet savour, when *I bring*
you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein you
have been scattered; and *I will* be sanctified in you before the heathen.",
(Ezekiel 20:41).
This regathering will take place when Messiah, Yahshua, Jesus Christ,
returns. Let's look at this miracle as seen through the eyes of Ezekiel in
chapter 37. Verse 19: "Say unto them (Israel), Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph (House of Joseph), which is in the
hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with
him, even with the stick of Judah (House of Judah), and make them one
stick (one nation), and they shall be one in *mine hand*."
These sticks are literal wooden sticks which were used to represent the
divided Kingdom of Israel which had become the House of Judah and the
House of Israel. The sticks mentioned in Ezekiel are not books or scrolls --
they are people -- as the Scriptures will document. The sticks simply
represent people. Note verses 16 & 17: "Moreover, you son of man, take
one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his
companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick
of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them
one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in your hand."
The word "stick" is literal; that is, it means a stick of wood -- not a book or
scroll. (See Strong's #H6086) Therefore, in writing the name of Judah on
one stick and the name of Joseph on the other, is simply showing the
separation or division of God's People, Israel, and that by a miracle, He will
rejoin them into one people. Our Father says that when asked about the
meaning of this joining, tell them as follows: Verse 20: "Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, I will take the stick (the House or people) of Joseph, which
is in the hand of Ephraim (whose leader was Ephraim -- at that time), and
the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the
stick of Judah (join them with the House or people of Judah -- the remnant),
and make them one stick (one people), and they shall be one (a single
nation, as in the beginning) in mine hand."
Verse 22 confirms that these sticks represent people who have been
scatterd to the 4 winds -- but will be reunited when Christ returns; read
carefully: "And I will make them *one nation* (one stick, one people) in the
land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king (Christ) shall be king to
them *all* (Shiloh; Whose right the Stone of Destiny represen