Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

The Drake Equation
Jun 22nd, 2015
CommentaryCreationMoments.com
Categories: Creation - Evolution

"How many times have you seen headlines proclaiming that 'Sixty billion planets in the Milky Way could support life' or 'one hundred billion planets in our galaxy may harbor complex life'? It seems that the numbers change with each new announcement. Where did those numbers come from in the first place? It all started when astronomer Frank Drake, a firm believer in extraterrestrial life, hosted the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute's very first meeting back in 1961. He wanted to inspire the other scientists in attendance, so he developed an equation which has been described as a 'probabilistic argument used to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy.' The Drake Equation, as it has come to be called, sounds mathematical and scientific, but when you examine the equation, you will see that it is based on conjecture after conjecture, guess after guess. In fact, most scientists today totally reject it, calling it a guesstimate or meaningless. Nevertheless, we keep seeing headlines about the fifty or sixty or one hundred billion planets out there which are capable--or even likely--of having life. After all, if life evolved on Earth, surely it evolved on any planet capable of supporting life. But as scientist Donald DeYoung points out in his book Astronomy and the Bible, the first variable in the Drake Equation actually turns out to be zero. So when you multiply all the variables together, you end up with not billions but a big fat zero!"

Rep. Nunes: America Faces Highest Threat Level Ever
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsCBS
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

PLA Recalls Retired Ncos for S China Sea Contingency: Duowei
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsWant China Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Lu Kang takes a question at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, June 15.

China's People's Liberation Army Navy has recently recalled all its non-commissioned officers who have retired over the last two years back into service for a potential military confrontation with the United States over the South China Sea, according to a June 17 piece published by Duowei News, a media outlet operated by overseas Chinese.

Sources close to the PLA Navy said that the order was passed to the retired non-commissioned officers in two ways. They were either informed by the political bureaus of their original naval units or the local People's Armed Forces Departments. A retired NCO told Duowei that one of the reasons they are being recalled is that the PLA Navy needs more personnel to operate the new warships it has commissioned in recent years.

However, sources said that the primary reason the PLA Navy recalled the officers is to prepare for a conflict with the United States and other claimants of the Spratly islands. The move to recall the officers, if it really is in preparation for a conflict, go against comments made by Lu Kang, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, stating that China has halted land reclamation in the region and is seeking a peaceful resolution to the ongoing disputes.

In the past few years, China has commissioned new warships in massive numbers. With so many new warships ready for service, non-commissioned officers become very important as they are the ones with the technical experiences to operate the vessels.

The Spratly islands, located in the resource-rich South China Sea, are claimed in part or in whole by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

PLA Has Right to Ram Japanese Warships in South China Sea: Admiral
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsWant China Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The PLA aircraft carrier Liaoning heads back to its home port of Qingdao after a month of sea trials in the South China Sea, Jan. 1, 2014.

Admitting that Japan has the capability to project its naval force to the South China Sea, Admiral Li Jie of China's People's Liberation Army said Chinese warships also have the right to ram Japanese ships in the disputed region, according to the nationalistic Chinese tabloid Global Times.

Tokyo's Kyodo News reported that Japan is considering about when and how to intervene in the complex territorial disputes in the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety despite conflicting claims from neighboring states. The Japanese government declared the South China Sea to be a critical matter to Japan's national interests when the Diet was reviewing the nation's mutual cooperation and security treaty with the United States. Japan is likely to provide logistical support to the US Navy operating in the region.

Li Jie told Global Times that Japan would have no technical barriers to sending its warships and aircraft to the South China Sea. The P-3C anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and E-2C and E-767 early warning aircraft of the Japan Self-Defense Forces can fly directly from Japan to the area, he said, while its KC-767J refueling aircraft can extend the operational range of fighters such as the F-15J and F-2. Japanese warships including the newly commissioned helicopter destroyer Izumo are perfectly designed for operations in the South China Sea, Li said.

This notwithstanding, Japan will face diplomatic pressure from Southeast Asian nations if it demonstrates strong political ambitions in the region, Li said. The admiral warned that Japanese politicians think carefully about sending aircraft or warships to the South China Sea because China may not only express its opposition through diplomatic channels. Chinese warships have the legal right to ram vessels that intrude on national territory, according to Li — a further suggestion that the distinction between territorial and international waters may not be acknowledged by Beijing.

Pentagon Chief Planning for Longer - Term Rift With Russia
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter testifies before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on U.S. Policy and Strategy in the Middle East, accompanied by U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey (R), on Capitol Hill in Washington June 17, 2015. 

The United States and its NATO allies are preparing militarily for the prospect that their rift with Russia could outlast President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Sunday.

Russia's intervention in Ukraine has put NATO allies in eastern Europe on edge and triggered a series of military moves by the alliance, including an acceleration of exercises and the creation of a NATO rapid response force.

Carter, speaking at the start of a week-long trip to Europe, said the United States hoped Russia would return to a forward- looking course and noted areas of diplomatic cooperation with Moscow, including talks over Iran's nuclear program.

But ongoing changes to NATO's military posture, which are meant in part to deter a Russian intervention, illustrate preparations for longer lasting tensions, he said.

"The adaptations I was talking are specifically in anticipation that Russia might not change under Vladimir Putin, or even thereafter," Carter said before landing in Berlin.

Asked whether he thought Putin might change course, Carter said he hoped so, but "I can't be sure."

Putin was elected president in 2012 for six years. Under Russian law, the head of state is limited to two consecutive terms, so he could run again in 2018 for another six-year mandate.

Carter's trip will flag many of those adaptations by NATO, starting with getting a first-hand look at some of NATO's new rapid response forces in Germany on Monday. In Estonia, Carter will climb aboard a U.S. warship fresh from Baltic Sea drills.

Carter could also offer more details on plans to pre-position heavy military equipment, officials say.

All of the moves been decried by Moscow, which has

threatened to beef up its own forces and to add

more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear

arsenal this year.

"LOOSE RHETORIC"

Carter blasted Putin's "loose rhetoric" about nuclear arms.

"There is no need for Vladimir Putin to make that point," he said. "I obviously can't explain to you why he would posture in that way but it's not appropriate behavior in my judgment."

The talk by Washington and Moscow may evoke memories of the Cold War. But a senior U.S. defense official told reporters traveling with Carter the United States would urge NATO allies to "dispose of the Cold War playbook."

U.S. officials say Ukraine has illustrated the importance of being able to counter "hybrid warfare," the blend of unidentified troops, propaganda and economic pressure that the West says Russia has used there. NATO's historic focus had been the conventional threats of the Cold War, which ended in 1991.

"Carter ... will really push the alliance to think about new threats, new techniques, urge them to kind of dispose of the Cold War playbook and think about new ways to counter new threats," a senior U.S. defense official said.

Apart from Russia's annexation of Crimea, NATO officials say the rise of Islamic State and other militants in North Africa and the Middle East has also dramatically changed NATO's security environment.

NATO defense chiefs meeting on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels are expected to discuss plans to create an alliance role in Iraq aimed at strengthening Iraq's institutions. A plan could be approved in July, the U.S. official said.

NATO Rapid Reaction Force Trains in Poland
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsDW
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

This year, NATO is conducting its largest maneuver since the end of the Cold War. Now the rapid action forces, established last autumn, are displaying their fighting skills. Barbara Wesel reports from Poland.

Muslim Leader Plans to Turn Thousands of Churches Into Mosques; Claims Christians and Muslims Worshi
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsSAMUEL SMITH
Categories: Warning

Moral Acceptance of Behaviors Once Condemned At Record High Levels
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsGreg Garrison
Categories: Moral Decline

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Oren: Obama Needs Muslim Acceptance Because of Abandonment of 2 Muslim Father Figures
Oren asserts that Obama seeks acceptance by the Muslim world to fill a void caused by his abandonment as a younger child. He calls the president’s policies and overall view towards the Middle East as naïve.  

New Emails Again Confirm Jonathan Gruber Wasn't "Just Some Advisor" on Obamacare
When citizen journalist Rich Weinstein exposed Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber in late 2014 for defrauding the country and calling the American voter "stupid," the White House denied he played a major role in writing the legislation and argued he was just "some advisor."  

Something is coming - Joel Rosenberg
The United States is hurtling towards severe trouble, and the events of the past few months — and what may be coming over the next few months — grieves me a great deal. Something is coming. I don’t know what. But we all must be ready in every possible way.  

Putin: Russian pipeline project to help Greece pay its debt
Vladimir Putin said after Friday's talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras that a prospective Russian natural gas pipeline should help Greece service its debt, but the Kremlin said the question of direct Russian financial aid to Greece was not discussed.  

EU Extends Sanctions Against Russia till 2016
The European Union voted to extend its economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, the EU news officer for foreign affairs, Susanne Kiefer, told international news media Monday. The sanctions are being maintained until January 31, 2016, “with a view to complete implementation of Minsk agreement,” she wrote on Twitter.  

'Reasonable' Greek offer raises hopes of deal but Germany urges caution
Hopes rose on financial markets as the officials accepted the reform proposal for the first time as a "reasonable" basis for negotiating an aid-for-reforms agreement between Athens and its creditors at the EU and IMF. But Germany, the biggest European contributor to Greece's bailout programs, warned that the meeting in Brussels of euro zone leaders could be only "a summit of consultations" without a detailed technical agreement.  

BIG SUNSPOT FACES EARTH
One of the biggest sunspots of the current solar cycle, AR2371, is directly facing Earth. The active region has an unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions.

FULL HALO CME, STORM WARNING
A coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading directly for Earth. It left the sun during the early hours of June 21st, and is expected to sweep up one or two lesser CMEs already en route, before it reaches Earth sometime on June 22nd.  

Oklahoma area on record earthquake pace
Through April 2015, the seismically active region centered in Oklahoma has notched 468 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater. That figure is a leap of nearly 90 percent more than the 248 temblors of that strength experienced in the first four months of 2014, which went on to become the state’s most seismically active year by far, with 997 quakes.  

Muslim Leader Plans to Turn Thousands of Churches Into Mosques; Claims Christians and Muslims Worship 'the Same God'
A prominent Muslim leader in France has suggested that thousands of the country's abandoned Catholic churches should be turned into mosques to accommodate the growing French Muslim population, which is the largest Muslim population in Europe.  

Sen. Sessions: Slow Fast-Track Now, Before It’s Too Late
More than four weeks have passed since the Senate first voted on whether to grant the Executive six years of fast-track authority. In that time, an enormous amount has been discovered...This includes the Administration’s pledge to use the agreement to impose “environmental governance.” ...Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is far more than a trade deal. It forms an enduring, self-governing political entity with vast regulatory power.  

Ukraine crisis: EU extends Russia sanctions to 2016
EU foreign ministers have extended economic sanctions against Russia until the end of January 2016. The aim is to make Russia comply with the Minsk ceasefire accord signed with Ukraine in February, EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic tweeted. EU and US sanctions target associates of President Vladimir Putin and Russian state banks, military and energy firms.  

Greece debt crisis: EU leaders hold critical summit
Greece faces a critical 24 hours as European leaders hold an emergency summit that could break the deadlock around the country's debt crisis. Greek PM Alexis Tsipras said at the start he hoped Greece would "return to growth within the eurozone". In separate comments, he also ruled out pension cuts, higher power rates, and an excessive budget surplus.  

Pakistani Heat Wave Kills 122 in Karachi
Residents in and around Karachi, Pakistan can expect another day of misery Monday from a deadly heat wave. Hospital officials say the dangerous weather has killed 122 people since Saturday. Doctors say nearly all of the deaths were caused by heat stroke, whose symptoms include high fever, trouble breathing and a barely audible heartbeat.  

Iran lawmakers ban nuclear inspectors from military sites
With some lawmakers chanting "Death to the America," Iran's parliament voted to ban access to military sites, documents and scientists as part of a future deal with world powers over its contested nuclear program.  

EU Foreign Policy: A Reflection of the Systemic Crisis
The two visits to Israel and the Palestinian Authority by Federica Mogherini since she was appointed High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union in November 2014 were designed to reflect her view of the importance and urgency of the Israeli-Palestinian issue and her intention to be involved in efforts to renew the dialogue between the two parties. These actions may appear to indicate business as usual within the EU, but these are not usual times.  

Evangelicals Draw Battle Lines Against Gay Marriage
With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to rule by the end of the month on whether same-sex marriage is legal, many Christian evangelicals say they would refuse to obey a decision allowing gay unions. The Defend Marriage pledge, signed by more than 50,000 people, is one of a series of measures launched by social conservatives to push back against same-sex unions.  

The Trump Card
A sure-fire way of assessing the threat that leftists feel toward any challenge to their nonsensical narratives and preposterous policies is to measure the long knives and “important” people they drag out to slam the competition.  

Ex - CIAa Director: U.S. Wide Open to Grid Attack
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsWND
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

'The president needs to say this is the country's No. 1 priority'

A former CIA director says the Obama administration hasn’t done nearly enough to protect the nation from attacks to America’s information and critical infrastructure systems.

“The president has to put this first on his list because we are very vulnerable, and we will stay vulnerable until some key things get fixed. So far, I have not seen anywhere near enough commitment from the White House or any place else in getting this done,” said R. James Woolsey, who served as director of the Central Intelligence in the Clinton administration. Woolsey is now chairman of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

The concern is rising again after reports last week that as many as 14 million current and former federal employees had their personal data compromised. That news follows numerous reports of alleged Chinese and Russian infiltration into various government networks.

“I think we’ve seen the beginning, but there will be more,” Woolsey said. “We have not done a half-way decent job as a government or a society in protecting our infrastructure that’s part of the Internet.”

Woolsey sees multiple reasons for why security has not been a higher priority.

“There’s a certain kind of flower children [mentality of], ‘Hey, what could possibly go wrong? We’re all going to talk to one another, and won’t that be great?’” Woolsey said.

“The government has not taken nearly enough care with security. They always put it at the bottom of the list and say, ‘We’ve got to have a check mark beside security. Somebody go hire a firewall.’ The ablest, best, smartest and shrewdest people have not been paying attention to security for the grid, and we’re starting to pay the price.”

While the most recent reports of private data being hacked is very troublesome, Woolsey said it’s the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s also the case that they can hack into the control systems, the so-called SCADA systems or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, SCADA systems of our infrastructure, whether it’s dams, railroad trains [and] turn things off and turn things to the reverse of what they’re supposed to do,” he said.

Woolsey said compromising one system could lead to a domino effect in many others.

“We’re an Internet of things now as people say, and they seem to think that’s a great idea, but one reason that it’s not a great idea is that all the things – computers, railroad, signals, etc. – talk to one another,” Woolsey said. “If you can get one going wrong and you can do it smartly, you can foul up everything it’s connected to. That could be a massive disaster, particularly with something like the electric grid.”

Woolsey said protecting the power grid in the U.S. is of the utmost importance. He said the U.S. has 18 “critical infrastructures” in the U.S., but 17 are reliant on electricity. If the power grid goes down, Woolsey said everything from food delivery to water purification to banking to prescription drugs is at risk.

He reiterates that the Obama administration must get serious about this now.

“The president needs to say this is the country’s No. 1 priority,” he said. “It’s not just cyber. An electromagnetic pulse could take down the grid and take down a lot of other systems. This needs to be a mobilization of the very best and brightest. We need to be able to break rules and move fast.”

Evangelicals Draw Battle Lines Against Gay Marriage
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsNeswmax
Categories: Warning

With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to rule by the end of the month on whether same-sex marriage is legal, many Christian evangelicals say they would refuse to obey a decision allowing gay unions.

The Defend Marriage pledge, signed by more than 50,000 people, is one of a series of measures launched by social conservatives to push back against same-sex unions.

"The justices are not always right, and this is clearly a case that finds a right that is not in the Constitution, and we will not be able to respect that ruling," said Rick Scarborough, a prominent Baptist pastor in Texas and one of the authors of the pledge.

Scarborough says those who signed the petition will resist all government efforts to require them to accept gay marriage. He says some, including himself, will accept any fine, arrest or even jail time to protect their religious freedom.

"We respectfully warn the Supreme Court not to cross this line," Scarborough said.

Republican state lawmakers in recent months have introduced a raft of bills targeting gay marriage and gay rights amid expectations that the top U.S. court will find a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. It is now legal in 36 of the 50 U.S. states.

But of the 55 bills in 21 states that could have some bearing on gay marriage, the vast majority have failed to become law, indicating that any backlash to a Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage could be limited.

The Defend Marriage pledge was launched in March by social conservatives. It says it is God's will to have marriage being only between a man and a woman.

"We affirm that marriage and family have been inscribed by the Divine Architect into the order of Creation. Marriage is ontologically between one man and one woman," it says.

Notable signers include U.S. Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum.

Same-sex marriage has been a tricky issue for Republican candidates with evangelicals a powerful force in determining the party's presidential nominee in 2016. But in the general election, a stance against gay unions could prove costly with polls showing a majority of Americans support them.

Some of the other signers are ready to launch a civil disobedience campaign, including trying to block county clerk offices that issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Scarborough likened the fight to the campaign for civil rights launched more than a half-century ago by Martin Luther King Jr.

Adam Talbot of the Human Rights Campaign, at the forefront of the fight for gay marriage, says the comparison with King is blatantly wrong.

King, he said, fought for all Americans to be treated equally.

"It is deeply sad that a radical and small group of folks are so enraged by other people's happiness and legal equality that they are willing to plant their feet on the wrong side of history," Talbot said.

Cremation Reaches 50% in U.S.
Jun 22nd, 2015
Commentaryfbns@wayoflife.org. - David Cloud
Categories: Contemporary Issues

In 13 states in America, more than 50% of the dead are cremated. Nationwide, the rate is nearly 50%, which is double what it was just 15 years ago. In 1965, the rate was only 4% ("Cremation in America," May 20, 2015, Slate). According to the cover story in the December 5, 1995, issue of USA Today, the rising acceptance of cremation has coincided with a drop in "religious barriers to cremation." It is interesting that a secular newspaper sees the connection between religion and cremation. Historically, Christian burial has been a testimony of faith in the bodily resurrection, whereas cremation has been practiced among Hindus and others who deny the bodily resurrection and who believe in reincarnation. Historically, wherever the Gospel of Jesus Christ has found acceptance, pagan practices such as cremation have been rejected. The increase in cremation in North American society has paralleled the rejection of the Bible. As paganism increases its steely hold on American hearts, and as spiritual compromise and apostasy destroy the power of churches, cremation becomes increasingly popular.

China Gets Pass from Obama on Devastating Opm Hack to Preserve Strategic Dialogue
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsThe Washington Free Beacon
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Obama administration continues to play down one of the nation’s most damaging Chinese cyber espionage operations in order to maintain a dialogue with China and host a summit for its leader this fall.

Weeks after the discovery that millions of personal records on federal workers was stolen by Chinese hacker in an intelligence operation, the president and his advisers failed to condemned the state-sponsored security breach whose damage continues to worsen almost weekly.

The Obama administration, in a sign of its apparent unwillingness to take any steps against China for the hacking, will go ahead with the hosting this week of the latest Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington. The dialogue is known for producing little in the way of tangible results of regular meetings between senior U.S. and Chinese officials. The questionable diplomacy is said its supporters to advance U.S. interests. However, keeping secret the Chinese connection to the cyber attack is likely to encourage further attacks.

Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asia, made no mention in a briefing for reporters whether the Chinese role in the OPM hack would be discussed at the dialogue, which begins Tuesday.

Instead, he said cyber security would be discussed in the Strategic Security Dialogue that he said, “really is germane to building a relationship of trust between the U.S. and China. It’s an important common concern.”

China has denied any role in the OPM attack, as it has done in the past when Chinese hacking has been exposed on numerous occasions.

“We don’t always see eye to eye, but the fact is that global challenges require that we cooperate,” Russel said.

The talks are being led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew who will meet a large Chinese delegation headed by Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

The Pentagon ignored the OPM hack in allowing China’s senior general to visit sensitive U.S. facilities, another sign the administration has not taken the threat of Chinese cyber espionage seriously.

Additionally, Obama has no plans to cancel the scheduled summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. It will be the first state visit by the communist leader to the United States. Canceling the visit would have sent a powerful signal to the Chinese. Instead, allowing the visit is clear sign the president and his advisers are not concerned about the data loss affecting the security of the country in fundamental ways.

The latest news reports from Washington indicate that China’s intelligence services were behind the hacking and had access to personal information on tens of thousands of federal employees who have access to secrets.

White House Homeland Security Director Lisa Monaco has no response when asked this week why President Obama during remarks in Germany had failed to condemn the cyber attack on OPM.

Monaco, following administration talking points not to identify China as the culprit, would say only that the administration may impose sanctions or take other unspecified legal, diplomatic or intelligence activities in response.

On Capital Hill, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, called the OPM hack perhaps “the most devastating cyber attack in our nation’s history.”

OPM Director Katherine Archuleta, a political appointee, came under fire during a Committee hearing for failing to protect federal data from the Chinese hacking. Archuleta said her main priority since taking over OPM in late 2013 was to improve information security.

“Well, you have completely and utterly failed in that mission if that was your objective,” Chaffetz said. “The information was vulnerable and the hackers got it. I don’t know if it’s the Chinese, the Russians, whoever, else, but they’ve got it. And they’re going to prey upon the American people. That’s their goal and objective.”

During the hearing it was disclosed that the hackers first penetrated OPM’s central personnel data file.
Investigators then learned that data contained in a different database used for screening the 700,000 federal works who have security clearances and must undergo period reviews was also compromised.

Estimates of the number of employees whose data was stolen could range as high as 14 million.

Other details from the hearing included that a zero-day vulnerability was used in the operation.
Archuleta and other officials declined to provide details in the open hearing.

The National Security Agency, the nation’s premier cyber security and intelligence gathering agency, also has joined the investigation of the cyber attacks, along with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
DHS assistant secretary Andy Ozment said investigators “have assessed that they have fully removed the adversary from these networks, but it is extremely difficult to have 100 percent certainty in these cases.”

Concerns remain that Chinese hackers may have left behind clandestine software that could be used in cyber warfare or cyber intelligence gathering.

Chanting Death to America, Iran Mps Vote to Bar Military Inspectors
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsThe Times of Israel
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Overwhelming decision in parliament to keep suspect sites closed to nuke probes has yet to be approved by higher Guardian Council

Iranian soldiers salute from a tank during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of Iran's war with Iraq (1980-88) in Tehran, on September 22, 2014

TEHRAN, Iran — With some lawmakers chanting “Death to the America,” Iran’s parliament voted Sunday to ban access to military sites, documents and scientists as part of a future deal with world powers over its contested nuclear program.

The bill, if approved into law, could complicate the ongoing talks in Vienna between Iran and the six-nation group — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany — as they face a self-imposed June 30 deadline. The talks are focused on reaching a final accord that curbs Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Of 213 lawmakers present on Sunday, 199 voted in favor of the bill, which also demands the complete lifting of all sanctions against Iran as part of any final nuclear accord. The bill must be ratified by the Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog, to become a law.

The terms stipulated in the bill allow for international inspections of Iranian nuclear sites, but forbid any inspections of military facilities.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani read the bill aloud in a session broadcast live on state radio. It states in part, “The International Atomic Energy Agency, within the framework of the safeguard agreement, is allowed to carry out conventional inspections of nuclear sites.”

However it concludes that “access to military, security and sensitive non-nuclear sites, as well as documents and scientists, is forbidden.”

Iran’s nuclear negotiators say they have already agreed to grant United Nations inspectors “managed access” to military sites under strict control and specific circumstances. That right includes allowing inspectors to take environmental samples in the vicinity of military sites.

But Iranian officials, including supreme authority Ayatollah Ali Khameni, have strongly rejected the idea of Iranian scientists being interviewed, calling that a violation of the country’s dignity and sovereignty

Americans Have Lost Confidence ... in Everything
Jun 22nd, 2015
Daily NewsKenneth T. Walsh
Categories: Moral Decline

Americans have little confidence in most of their major institutions including Congress, the presidency, the Supreme Court, banks and organized religion, according to the latest Gallup poll.

"Americans' confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one," a Gallup spokesman said in a news release. Only the military, in which 72 percent of Americans express confidence, up from a historical average of 68 percent, and small business, with 67 percent confidence, up from 63, are currently rated higher than their historical norms. This is based on the percentage expressing "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in these institutions, the Gallup spokesman said.

Only 8 percent have confidence in Congress, down by 16 points from a long-term average of 24 percent – the lowest of all institutions rated. The rating is about the same as last year's 7 percent, the lowest Gallup has ever measured for any institution.

Thirty-three percent have confidence in the presidency, a drop from a historical average of 43 percent.

Thirty-two percent have confidence in the Supreme Court, down from 44.

All in all, it's a picture of a nation discouraged about its present and worried about its future, and highly doubtful that its institutions can pull America out of its trough. In a political context, the findings indicate that the growing number of presidential candidates for 2016 will have a difficult time instilling confidence in a skeptical electorate that they have the answers to the country's problems.

"Americans' confidence in most major institutions has been down for many years as the nation has dealt with prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a major recession and sluggish economic improvement, and partisan gridlock in Washington," the Gallup spokesman said. "In fact, 2004 was the last year most institutions were at or above their historical average levels of confidence. Perhaps not coincidentally, 2004 was also the last year Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going in the United States averaged better than 40 percent. Currently, 28 percent of Americans are satisfied with the state of the nation."

The Gallup spokesman added: "From a broad perspective, Americans' confidence in all institutions over the last two years has been the lowest since Gallup began systematic updates of a larger set of institutions in 1993."

Twenty-eight percent have confidence in banks, down from 40 percent.

Twenty-one percent have confidence in big business, down from 24 percent.

Twenty-four percent have confidence in organized labor, down from 26.

Twenty-four percent have confidence in newspapers, down from 32 percent. Twenty-one percent have confidence in television news, down from 30 percent.

The police also have experienced a drop in public esteem, with 52 percent of Americans saying they are confident in the police compared with 57 percent who have been confident in the police historically. Police have been widely criticized in recent months for abusive tactics toward African-Americans, which resulted in the deaths of several black men.

Forty-two percent express confidence in organized religion, down from 55.

"Americans continue to show lower levels of confidence in most of the major institutions central to U.S. society, with only the military and small business getting ratings in 2015 that are above their historical averages," the Gallup spokesman said. "That speaks to the broader dissatisfaction Americans have with the state of the nation more generally over the past decade as the U.S. has faced serious economic, international and political challenges. 

Americans have tended to be more confident in U.S. institutions when the economy has been strong, such as in the mid-1980s and the late 1990s and early 2000s. Although Americans are now more upbeat about the economy than they were in 2008-2013, they are not yet convinced that the economy is good, given that their assessments of national economic conditions remain more negative than positive."

A New World Map - Aggressor Nations are Once Again Expanding Their Sovereignty
Jun 22nd, 2015
CommentaryVictor Davis Hanson
Categories: Contemporary Issues