What’s interesting in the news today?
First up, the rush to war. They’re in such a hurry they broke their own rules to get it moving.
From TheDailyBeast “Senate Democratic leadership tossed aside the rules for moving legislation with regard to the resolution authorizing the use of military force against Syria, angering some Republicans and creating confusion on Capitol Hill in the run-up to the war vote.”
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The Russians are chiming in as well.
From TheGuardian “World leaders will gather in St Petersburg on Thursday for what has transformed into an international showdown with Vladimir Putin threatening to send a missile shield to Syria if the US launches an attack without the authority of the United Nations.
The G20 summit, hosted by Putin, had been expected to focus on the world economy and growth, but will now be dominated by the Middle East crisis, even if the formal agenda remains fixed on the slowdown of growth in emerging markets.”
Putin has also called Kerry a liar.
From Reuters “Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday the U.S. Congress had no right to approve the use of force against Syria without a decision from the U.N. Security Council, and that doing so would be an “act of aggression”.
He said “anything that is outside the U.N. Security Council is aggression, except self-defense. Now what Congress and the U.S. Senate are doing in essence is legitimizing aggression. This is inadmissible in principle.”
“They lie beautifully, of course. I saw debates in Congress. A congressman asks Mr Kerry: ‘Is al Qaeda there?’ He says: ‘No, I am telling you responsibly that it is not’,” Putin said at a meeting of his human rights council in the Kremlin.“
“Al Qaeda units are the main military echelon, and they know this,” he said, referring to the United States. “It was unpleasant and surprising for me – we talk to them, we proceed from the assumption that they are decent people. But he is lying and knows he is lying. It’s sad.”
As much as I dislike the Russian leader, and most of what he stands for, I can’t say I disagree.
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Meanwhile, the people these strike will benefit have struck again. And yes, despite Kerry’s claims, they are Al-Qaida.
From TheBostonHerald “Al-Qaida-linked rebels launched an assault Wednesday on a regime-held Christian village in the densely populated west of Syria and new clashes erupted near the capital, Damascus — part of a brutal battle of attrition each side believes it can win despite more than two years of deadlock.
As the world focused on possible U.S. military action against Syria, rebels commandeered a mountaintop hotel in the village of Maaloula and shelled the community below, said a nun, speaking by phone from a convent in the village. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The attack came hours before a Senate panel voted to give President Barack Obama authority to use military force against Syria — the first time lawmakers have voted to allow military action since the October 2002 votes authorizing the invasion of Iraq.”
They have also vowed to slaughter Christians after Obama “liberates” Syria.
From Raymond Ibrahim “Arabic news agency Al Hadath gives more information concerning this latest terror attack on Syria’s Christians, specifically how the al-Qaeda linked rebels “terrorized the Christians, threatening to be avenged on them after the triumph of the revolution.”
Thus al-Qaeda terrorists eagerly await U.S. assistance against the Syrian government, so they can subjugate if not slaughter Syria’s Christians, secularists, and non-Muslims — even as the Obama administration tries to justify war on Syria by absurdly evoking the “human rights” of Syrians on the one hand, and lying about al-Qaeda’s presence in Syria on the other.”
More here,
From WeaselZippers “This video is a few months old but very relevant considering the Obama administration said yesterday the rebels are becoming more moderate and less affiliated with al-Qaeda. As shown in the above video, the exact opposite is true.
This footage from May and June 2013 shows battalions from the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) declaring their unification with al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) in the eastern Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta and in Aleppo, both strongholds of the anti-government militants. Although some instances have occurred where clashes between the two groups have taken place, for the most part, the FSA and al-Qaeda unite under the banner of Islamic monotheism.”
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And in other news…..
From CNBC “Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday blasted a $5 billion fraud lawsuit by the U.S. government as retaliation for its 2011 decision to strip the country of its AAA credit rating.
The McGraw Hill Financial unit was the only major credit rating agency to take away the United States’ top rating and the only one sued by the Department of Justice for allegedly misleading banks and credit unions about the credibility of its ratings before the 2008 financial crisis.
In a filing with the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, Calif., S&P said the lawsuit attempts to punish it for exercising its First Amendment free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution but also seeks “excessive fines” in violation of the Eighth Amendment.
It said the government’s “impermissibly selective, punitive and meritless” lawsuit was brought “in retaliation for defendants’ exercise of their free speech rights with respect to the creditworthiness of the United States of America.”
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Next, 2 ObamaCare stories.
More from TheWeeklyStandard.
And different state, same outcome.
From HotAir “The Lincoln Journal Star added to the annals of ‘If you like your plan you can keep your plan (Midwestern edition)” yesterday with a new report on the impact of ObamaCare on health insurance premiums in Nebraska. Thanks to the mandates in ObamaCare, most of the individual insurance plans offered in the past will no longer be available, whether consumers liked their plan or not. The replacements will be much more expensive, with cost hikes ranging from 21% increases to as much as 143%:”
“Nebraska Insurance Commissioner Bruce Ramge pointed out that a comparison of rates between Coventry and Blue Cross Blue Shield, the only companies of the four that offered rates in past years, showed that health insurance costs are going up for most Nebraskans.
Tom Gilsdorf, director of product development at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska countered: “An apples-to-apples comparison of 2013 health insurance costs to 2014 costs is virtually impossible,” he said. “Health insurance that will be sold to individuals, families and small businesses for 2014 is new and must cover a range of Essential Health Benefits that were not covered in the past.”
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And here’s a story related to a topic we discussed on the Daily Thread.
From TheWashingtonExaminer “God is still great in the eyes of Americans, even on the internet. While an amazing 88 percent of the nation’s homes own a Bible, more and more are switching to the internet, cell phones and iPad for their weekly inspiration, according to a sweeping new survey of Bible use.
In their latest survey of Bible use, the American Bible Society finds that 41 percent of Americans used the internet to read the good book on a computer. Some 29 percent said they searched Bible verses on a cell phone and 17 percent said they read an electronic version of the Bible on a Kindle or iPad.
The trend is similar in the news business, with the readers shifting to digital over paper.
“The data shows a continual shift to digital content. The number of Bible readers who use their smart phone or cell phone to search for Bible content has increased each year, with a 6 percent increase in the use of this format from 2012,” said the Society. “Use of internet to find Bible content has also increased, up 4 percent from 2011,” they added.”
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Wandering Views 
Texas, Mississippi and Russia, the Axis of Heterosexuality.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20130903-texas-national-guard-defies-pentagon-refuses-to-process-same-sex-benefits.ece
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If we were going to strike — and I was somewhat on the fence about whether we should/should have or shouldn’t in this case, although I think the window of time in which it might have been effective has now passed — we should have done it well before now.
It will only get messier now that the obvious targets have been moved, dispersed or (a favorite of tyrants everywhere) strategically placed in areas where many civilians including children will be killed for optimum PR use to make the U.S. look monstrous.
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/09/04/report-assad-moves-weapons-underground-as-u-s-strike-looms/
“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has begun to move his arsenal of advanced weapons underground in preparation for a possible strike on the country by the United States, Israel’s Channel 1o reported on Wednesday … “
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And then there’s also this:
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” … Across much of Syria, where rebels with Western support live and fight, areas outside of government influence have evolved into a complex guerrilla and criminal landscape.
“That has raised the prospect that American military action could inadvertently strengthen Islamic extremists and criminals. …”
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Watching Obama and Putin stare down and circle each other in what will be a power dance on the world stage this week should be quite interesting.
I still don’t see any good way out of any of this. The president has got to be sweating bullets right now.
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From Donna’s post:
“We swear to the Lord of the Throne, that this is our oath: We will take revenge.”
Islam is not a religion of forgiveness, it is of revenge. Their religion and culture sanction that.
It was stated, and obvious by actions in Captive in Iran written by two Christian women who were captives in the Iranian prison. The story tells of various instances where revenge, not justice drives the system.
e.g. A woman is in prison for killing her husband who was assaulting her. She was in prison because the husband’s mother wanted her there. The mother could have forgiven her, but she wanted revenge. The woman was hanged.
The president, BTW is not sweating bullets. He will not be accused of anything. It won’t be his fault. That’s the advantage of leading from behind.
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“They lie beautifully, of course. I saw debates in Congress. A congressman asks Mr Kerry: ‘Is al Qaeda there?’ He says: ‘No, I am telling you responsibly that it is not’,” Putin said at a meeting of his human rights council in the Kremlin.“
I agree with AJ. It appears obvious to me tha al Qaeda is there.
“Don’t geve weapons to people who want to kill you.””
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The argument — and it’s all speculative — is that the rebels, while they include Al Qaeda and extreme Muslim elements, it’s enough of a hodgepodge that it would shake out more ‘secularly’ and moderately if it were in a position to move into power.
I’m not convinced of that — I think we could wind up with a regime that’s entirely worse than Assad’s, hard as that is to believe — but that’s the argument I hear from those in favor of intervention.
And there’s still some disagreement over exactly who used the chemical weapons. I think the government is guilty, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if some of the rebels have engaged in that as well.
As I said, I think the window is closed for the U.S. to do anything effectively.
Sproul on his radio show this week has been interviewing and dialoging with a Muslim who converted to Christ and has written a book called “The Dark Side of Islam.” Interesting discussion between the two of them yesterday contrasting Islam’s tie to violence that is laid out in the Koran and in the living example of its leader, Mohammed, with biblical Christianity and Judaism.
As for Obama, Chas, I’m not so sure he’ll slide by unscathed by this. That’s his hope, of course, and he’s doing everything he can to say it’s not his credibility that’s on the line, but Congress’ credibility. 🙄
Somehow I think that’s not washing well with the public. Does this guy ever take responsibility for anything? But I think in this case his incompetence and lack of a spine will catch up to him at long last. He’s in over his head (though still talking arrogantly) and is trying to wing his way through what is now a major foreign policy crisis. Bad for us.
But if there’s a silver lining, the damage from this also could tie his hands when it comes to getting much of anything else done in what remains of his term.
I keep thinking we still are potentially awaiting 1-2 Supreme Court nominations expected to come his way to fill … Perhaps this will embolden conservatives a bit to stand up to and even reject nominees who are too far left.
But Syria is a big mess.
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A letter to the editor in our paper asked today, “why don’t we take it to the UN Security Counsel and let China and Russia veto? Wouldn’t that really show the world who is causing innocent people to be killed?”
And I have to ask, with others, why is this the US’s responsibility?
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This article on Syria was helpful to me: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/29/9-questions-about-syria-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/?tid=pm_world_pop
And on the other subject, I do my devotions off my Ipad: NKJ Bible, Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest updated every day. It’s just easier to carry around, particularly on trips. And I use the Bible on my Iphone, again, because it’s NKJ and the Bibles at church are NIV (which I don’t like).
So, I am a heretic–but at least I read. 🙂
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I am a’gin it
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The one thing that may come out of this Syrian mess is the rebirth of a wing of the Republican Party that is cautious on the use of the American military. Dick Armey opposed the invasion of Iraq, but was cowed into silence by Cheney. Since then McCain, Graham, etc. never found a war they didn’t want to start or enter. Huckabee made a few intelligent statements during his presidential bid and was roundly attacked by the Neo-Cons. Today, Rand Paul, Cruz and others are on the upswing. McCain, Graham and their ilk are on their way out. Becoming the “peace” party may be the only way Republicans have a chance of winning future elections.
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I never liked NIV either. ESV is good. I do devotions both ways, with real books and with electronic devices. Let’s face it, these gadgets are so portable and handy, it’s really a great option for those of us on the move and away from home for most of the day.
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I don’t like any version that substitutes the word “behold”, and almost all of them do.
Behold is a legitimate word and doesn’t mean the same thing as “look” or “see”.
When that young woman appeared at FBC Columbia that Sunday night, I didn’t look, or see, I beheld.
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Great distinction, Chas. Speaking of which, we can all behold Vertigo tonight at 9:00 Eastern time on TCM. It is Hitchcock’s masterpiece.
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As usual, Peggy Noonan has a good feel for the American public. The last four paragraphs in her article are very good.
SB10001424127887324577304579057420154706690.html
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I’ll try again:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324577304579057420154706690.html
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For those of you who remember Weekenderman he just posted a cartoon on FB that said the majority of American’s approve of sending Congress to Syria.
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And please send the president along with them.
Then maybe we can call an election and just start the heck all over again. 😉
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Behold!
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Has the world gone nuts or what?
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