Muslim Prayer Day on Capitol Hill, Friday Sept 25

From TheFirearmsForum.com:

Washington, D.C. – On September 25th there will be a national prayer gathering of Muslims on the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building. They are expecting at least 50,000 to attend from mosques all across America. They will gather to pray from 4:00 AM until 7:00 PM. The gathering will take place by the site where U.S. Presidents have been inaugurated since 1981. The organizers say that it was Obama’s inauguration speech in January and his speech broadcast from Egypt in June that gave them the idea for this prayer gathering on Capitol Hill. They have a website set up for this event. If you never look at another website, look at this one, especially the final words:

ISLAM ON CAPITOL HILL 2 0 0 9

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH….

The objective of this gathering is to invite the Muslim Communities and friends of Islam to express and illustrate the wonderful diversity of Islam. We intend to manifest Islam’s majestic spiritual principals as revealed by Allah to our beloved prophet Muhammad (PEACE BE UPON HIM) of Arabia. Likewise; we intend to inspire a new generation of Muslim to work for the greater good of all people. We shall serve all people, regardless of race, religion or national origin.

ON THIS DAY….

* The Athan will be chanted on Capitol Hill, echoing off of the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and other great edifices that surround Capitol Hill
* Thousands of Muslims from all races, creeds, colors and ethnicities will gather for the sole purpose of prayer
* Bonds of friendship will be formed between those in attendance, both Muslims and Non-Muslims
* Muslim youth will experience tours of the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.
* The peace, beauty and solidarity of Islam will shine through America’s capitol.

A DAY OF ISLAMIC UNITY…
Jummah prayer Capitol Hill September 25, 2009

OUR TIME HAS COME

http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=66672

Eight month perspective

In National Review Online yesterday there was an article in the Corner section well worth reading. The following excerpt was called “Obama’s eight month reign of terror” in a Powerline blog update – although the author actually titled it “Dealing with what has come.”

“I thought Barack Obama would be a poor and troublesome president. Did I think he would yuk it up with Hugo Chávez, smirk with Daniel Ortega about the Bay of Pigs, turn his wrath on a Central American country trying to follow its constitution, denounce President Bush abroad, bow to the king of Saudi Arabia, endorse a radical Middle Eastern view of how Israel came into being, knock Western countries that try to protect Muslim girls from unwanted shrouding, invite the Iranian regime to our Fourth of July parties, stay essentially mute in the face of counterrevolution in Iran, squeeze and panic Israel, cold-shoulder the Cuban democrats in order to warm to the Cuban dictatorship, scrap missile defense in Eastern Europe, and refuse to meet with the Dalai Lama — in addition to his attempts to have government eat great portions of American society? No, I did not. You?”

Click here to read the entire article. http://bit.ly/2ydtlR

I have a new blog, by the way. Inspired by news articles I’ve read lately that seem to jump off the page (or computer screen) at me, I call it Tapister.

Who do you read?

I like news. Real news, not what passes for news on most TV networks nowadays. Although I still read several print newspapers daily, I also read a great deal of internet news from around the world. (See a list below.)

Of course, you always read the news through a personal filter, no matter who you are and who you read. And you need to add a filter of suspicion, considering possible agendas of the news media and their sources as you read.

But there is so much going on that will affect the United States and especially will affect Christians, it pays to stay informed. Billy Graham said that Christians should “pray with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other…” I agree.

On September 10 I tuned into the live “Inside the Revolution” webcast (see www.insidetherevolution.org for information) and took notes during the discussions between Joel Rosenberg and several others, particularly Lt. General (ret.) Jerry Boykin, founding member of the Delta Force and former Dep. Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence at the Pentagon; Tom Doyle, former pastor, now with E3 Partners and a licensed Middle East tour guide; and Dr. Hormoz Shariot, former Iranian Muslim and now a Christian pastor (known as Iran’s Billy Graham). A taped interview Joel had done with Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, was included in the program. The interview was done before “Bibi” became PM of Israel but was very timely.

The focus of the program was the current political and religious status of Iran. Excerpts shown from a DVD of the same name were eye-opening. The DVD can be ordered online from the website.

I thought I’d share a list of who I’ve been reading online this weekend. Some are websites, some are blogs. Some are newspapers, some are news magazines. The list varies daily and I open links on many sites and read specific articles, so the following won’t be exhaustive, just a current sample…

Washington Post
Council on Foreign Relations
Sky News
Conservative Outpost
Fox Breaking News
CNN Breaking News
Karl Rove
Glenn Beck
Jerusalem Post
Haaretz
Debkafile
Moscow Times
Pravda
Aljazeera

Here’s an article from today’s Aljazeera online news, about the American Tea Party rally in Washington, DC yesterday: Interesting that the Arab world is watching all this, too:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/default.html

Here’s another one, also from Aljazeera, about Vladimir Putin’s possible return to the Presidency of Russia. Are we surprised?
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/09/2009911145354434112.html

Well, I think that’s enough to give you an idea of how I stay informed. There are a few more that I’ve browsed, but I’ll save that list for some other day.

Inside the Revolution

None dare call it conspiracy

That’s the title of an article by Scott Anderson, political investigative reporter and author, that appears in the September 2009 issue of GQ – Gentlemen’s Quarterly.

The day the American issue came out, I went and purchased a copy of GQ, despite not being a “gentleman.” Why did I buy it? Because of this NPR article:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112530364&ft=1&f=1001

GQ doesn’t want anyone in Russia to read Anderson’s story – thus it won’t appear in the overseas versions of the issue. It doesn’t even appear on the cover of the American version. It doesn’t appear in the online version either. What are the editors being so paranoid about?

“Ten years ago this month, Russia was rocked by a series of mysterious apartment bombings that left hundreds dead. It was by riding the ensuing wave of fear and terror that a then largely unknown VLADIMIR PUTIN rose to become the most powerful man in the country.”

The article lays out a compelling case for Vladimir Putin being responsible for those bombings in the first place, just so he could indeed rise to power. It is a powerful story, one I wish everyone could read. Drop by Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble and get yourself a copy.
———————-
Okay, the article has made it to the blogging world, both in Russia and the US. Just do a Google search and it will be easy to find. Or click here for one site carrying the article. http://tinyurl.com/mju84k

People need the Lord

The Good Shepherd movie

Yesterday I watched this movie for the second time, having a little more understanding these days of the people and events it portrays. Wikipedia introduces an article about it with a short paragraph:

“The Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, with an extensive supporting cast.

Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency. The film’s main character, Edward Wilson (portrayed by Matt Damon), is loosely based on James Jesus Angleton and Richard M. Bissell. William Hurt’s character, Phillip Allen, is largely based on Allen Dulles, while General Bill Sullivan, played by Robert De Niro, is loosely based on Major General William Joseph Donovan.”

——————–

Here are some taglines from IMDb movie publicity:

“Edward Wilson believed in America, and he would sacrifice everything he loved to protect it.

The true story of the birth of the CIA through the eyes of a man who never existed.

The untold story of the most powerful covert agency in the world.

All our dirty secrets start here.

Who is the good shepherd? The one who looks after his family or the one who looks after his country?”

The timeline of the movie is from Edward Wilson’s college days and recruitment to be a United States counterintelligence agent in the 1930’s, up to the early 1960’s and the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba – failed due to a leak somewhere in the intelligence community, according to the movie plot. In real life, the truth was somewhat more murky. From Wikipedia:

“A Crime So Immense, an article by James K. Galbraith, states that a previously redacted version of the Taylor Report on the Bay of Pigs Invasion shows the Russians did know the date of the planned invasion:

One of the great travesties of the Cold War surfaced on April 29, 2000 when the Washington Post reported the declassification in full of General Maxwell Taylor’s June, 1961 special report on the Bay of Pigs invasion. Partial versions of this document have been available for decades. But only now did its darkest secret spill.

Here is what Taylor reported to Kennedy. The Russians knew the date of the invasion (Therefore, Castro also knew.) The CIA, headed by Allen Dulles, knew that the Russians knew (Therefore, they knew the invasion would fail). The leak did not come from the invasion force; it had happened before the Cuban exiles were themselves briefed on the date. Kennedy was not informed. Nor, of course, were the exiles. And knowing all this, Dulles ordered the operation forward.”

If you don’t know what and why the Bay of Pigs invasion was, take yourself a little history lesson; look it up. Be prepared to have lots of questions unanswered, of course.  Here’s a link to the Wikipedia article about it, with references and links to others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion

Now, why am I including all this in my blog? Because “Observing / Listening / Meditating” about national and world events are high on my priority list of personal activities and interests these days.

I was a young adult when the Bay of Pigs invasion was attempted and failed. I read and heard all the stories the national media published, both newsprint and television. I didn’t believe the American people were being told the truth about it, and we weren’t.

But why should we have been?

The current US administration wants to nitpick, second guess, dissect and destroy the information-gathering work of our intelligence agencies. I can think of a reason or two, and they have nothing to do with preserving our way of life…

All in all, this is a good movie. Informative and thought-provoking, one I can recommend to anyone interested in US politics and current events. Here’s a link to one of the movie trailers: The Good Shepherd movie trailer.

Advantages of being invisible

Recently I attended a large political workshop in Columbia, held in the ballroom of a downtown convention hotel. Every county in the state was represented, some with several men and women there to be informed and trained in the latest conservative strategy and high-tech software.

During the lunch break I wandered around the room, observing the other attendees, listening in on several conversations, noting familiar faces and newcomers. Before joining the buffet line, I approached one of the seminar speakers to express my appreciation of his presentation.

Introducing myself, I was taken aback when he said, “Oh, everyone in this room knows who you are.” My automatic response was, “Oh, I doubt that…” but he just nodded and insisted, “Yes, they do.”

I was flattered by that comment; who wouldn’t be. Looking at his face, I knew that I knew what I knew, that he was a fellow believer. I asked him outright if he was a Christian and he said yes, then reminded me how we had originally met some years ago, over the telephone.

Thinking more about it since then, I have come to realize several things.

One, our conversations all those years ago had stuck with him. At the time I was assisting several political candidates in their run for office, offering database help, practical advice, a listening ear. He was one of my sources for information.

Secondly, it’s hard to be a right-wing, radical, pro-life, Christian political activist and remain anonymous.

Now, I didn’t attempt to be anonymous for many years. Tim and I believed that we were called to be missionaries to the world of politics. I did what I believed in my gut was the right thing to do, the thing the Lord wanted me to do, at the time and place and in the method he wanted, and let him worry about the outcome. I didn’t always know what the outcome was and that took some getting used to…

One outcome I knew pretty well, however, was being the target of flak. Name-calling, like “Nazi” and “Hitler.” Gossip. Rumors. Unfair criticism and outright lies. That also took some getting used to.

In the several years since Tim died, however, I’ve kept a low-key profile, not involved in much of anything publicly or politically. Becoming more or less invisible politically has been a pleasant form of retirement.

Watching, listening and discerning the gathering war clouds in heavenly places, I’ve been letting the younger generation deal with the main issues of the day. But over these months I’ve discovered how some members of the younger generation deal with issues. They socialize. They complain and they discuss, but they don’t fight.

And I’ve come to realize that even if they did, they wouldn’t use the essential weapons of this warfare, intercession, God’s word and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It’s as if they don’t recognize the kind of war that’s breaking out around them, much less know how to fight it.

Well, I’ve come to a conclusion. The use of those weapons doesn’t require a public face or a public arena. In this situation, invisibility has its advantages.

Bruce Springsteen Live in NYC with the E Street Band

Composed by Bruce Springsteen (original album Born to Run released 1 Jan 1975)

I’m sure many of my friends will be taken by surprise by this blog entry – the Boss wasn’t one of my favorites growing up, but like Bob Dylan he and his music are timeless. As one of a small group of teens growing up in the 50’s and 60’s I can tell you, this could well have been our theme song. Economies change, politics change, but some things don’t… in case you can’t understand all the words, here they are.

In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin’ out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we’re young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs round these velvet rims
And strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We’ll run till we drop, baby we’ll never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
`cause baby Im just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild, girl I want to know if love is real

Beyond the palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight
In an everlasting kiss

The highways jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive
Everybody’s out on the run tonight but there’s no place left to hide
Together Wendy we’ll live with the sadness
I’ll love you with all the madness in my soul
Someday girl I don’t know when we’re gonna get to that place
Where we really want to go and we’ll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us baby we were born to run

What is it about vampires

Henry Fitzroy. Mick St. John. Edward Cullen. Modern-day vampires, hits at the box-office or on the small screen. One by one I have purchased the DVD’s and books, watched and read, and discovered a new twist on my time-tested favorite detective shows. I sort of like these vampires.

Now, Edward Cullen isn’t a detective, he’s one of two main ‘teen-age’ characters in “Twilight,” a lengthy sci-fi / romance serial derived from four best-selling novels. The second movie of that series is due out this fall and I’m sure it will be just as big a hit as the first.

The “Blood Ties” Canadian television series is about a detective, although Henry isn’t the private eye at the beginning, that role was a non-vampire human being named Vicky Nelson, former police detective, present private investigator. It also features a male police detective, Vicky’s former partner, now rival to Henry for her affections.

This series lasted two seasons and could still have been at the top of the TV ratings, had not some network executives had a brain freeze and pulled it. There’s an ongoing project by their thousands of loyal fans to bring it back. I wish them success, I’d like that myself.

In “Moonlight,” a TV series on CBS, the vampire Mick St. John was indeed the private detective. That one lasted only one season but it could certainly have survived and thrived in a second, or third. That one was more of a mystery show with a sci-fi flair and really appealed to me too.

Now HBO has started yet another vampire story line, “True Blood,” in its second season. The title refers to an artificial blood that vampires can drink instead of the real thing – it supposedly comes in handy bottles like cola drinks.

The creators of the show have gotten really smart in the marketing line – they’re planning to put out a for-real soft drink called Tru-Blood (blood oranges, not actual blood) later this year. I’m sure it will sell like crazy.

This series is set in Louisiana and is a bit too everything for me. I’ve started to watch some episodes but didn’t get all the way through some of them. Too much graphic violence, too much X-rated stuff. The characters are okay, but the story line isn’t anything like the others.

I’ve wondered what it is about vampires that attracts so many people to read and watch. The supernatural element, of course, like with the X-Men movies.

The supposed eternal nature of the vampire? It’s certainly magnetic. I believe that desire is built into the human soul, the desire for eternity. The romantic, misunderstood “hero” quality of the main characters in these story lines makes them quite attractive too, of course.

Whatever the attraction, for people who say this is all make-believe, all imaginary, I have some advice. Don’t laugh at those who believe.

Just hope and pray you don’t meet one of the truly bad supernatural beings that inhabit this planet. They’re not all as friendly as Henry, or Mick, or Edward.