May 11, 2008
Israel Trip 2008
(This is a post in progress and isn't finished yet. I wanted to get something up tonight, and when I finish it will remove this message)
We visited the Mount of Beatitudes, watched Israeli F-16s and 16s fly in formation over Jerusalem, contemplated Jesus agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, saw one place where David hid from Saul, went to an Independence Day concert, spoke with Israeli soldiers, swam in the Dead Sea, peered into Syria from an old Israeli fort on the Golan, and stuffed ourselves with all manner of delicacies morning, noon, and night. Oh, and the weather was perfect.
It was a fantastic trip. Nothing I write here can do justice to all that we saw and experienced, and I can only post a few of the photos. Speaking of which I took 461 photos in 7 days of touring, more than on any other trip. Thank heavens for digital photography.
I've uploaded all of my photos to photobucket, but unfortunately they're out of chronological order, and I can't figure out why. They run from #IM000539 to IM001000, so that's your clue as you scroll through. I'll try and fix it when I get time. Even if I can't fix the order, I will go through and label as many as I can.
This was a trip set up by my church, and was mainly a tour of the holy land, to see where the various events occurred in both Old and New Testaments. My pastor, who went with us, said that once you've been to the holy land you'll never read the bible the same way again. I can already see that he was right.
We landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday May 1 after what seemed two never-ending flights, and spent our first night there. The next day we boarded the tour bus and headed north to Tiberius by the Sea of Galilee, stopping at several placed along the way. We spent three days in Tiberius, and then headed south to Jersusalem, skirting the border with Jordan. We then spend the last three days in and around Jerusalem.
We'll start with this; for almost 2,000 years the doubters said that Pontius Pilate was a myth, a legend invented by Christians. There being no records in the Roman archive referring to him, Christians could only defend themselves by referring to scripture. Then, in 1961, a block of limestone was uncovered in Caesarea that referred to him, and was dated to the 1st century A.D. Once again, the scriptures were confirmed. Known as the "Pilate Stone", the original is in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Here's our Israeli tour guide, Ronnie Cohen, beside a facsimile of the stone at Caesarea, explaining its significance.
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April 30, 2008
Off to Israel!
That's right; Israel. I'm going with a group from my church, and we'll see all the sights including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea and, of course, Calvary. Wish me well. I'll be back in a week and a half and if all goes as planned will have a post with photos up by May 10 or 11. See you then!
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April 26, 2008
Iraq Briefing - 23 May 2008 - Meet the New Commander of MNC-Iraq
This briefing is by the new commander of Multi-National Corps - Iraq, Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III. Austin replaced Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno in February 2008, who at the time had been appointed Vice-Chief of Staff of the Army. This Wednesday Odierno was appointed commander of Multi-National Corps - Iraq, the position now held by Gen. David Petraeus. Petraeus, in turn, has been appointed the next commander of CENTCOM. Both of these changes require Senate confirmation and so even if approved they will not take their new jobs until later this summer.
As the second-highest commander in Iraq, Austin reports directly to Gen. Petraeus. Petraeus reports to the commander of CENTCOM, who was Admiral Fallon until last month. Until Petraeus is confirmed, Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey is acting commander of CENTCOM. Dempsey reports to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
This is Lt. Gen. Austin's first press briefing as commander of MNC-Iraq.
This video and others can be viewed at DODvClips. For some reason the transcript is not on the Defenselink site. I am trying to get one from Federal News Service, and if I do will post it or excerpts here.
Until then, please watch the video in its entirely. These briefings are good sources of information about what is happening in Iraq(which are also at The Pentagon Channel). The should be used to complement what we get from mainstream media and independent journalist-bloggers. Each source counter-checks and counter-balances the other.
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April 23, 2008
Petraeus to CENTCOM, Odierno to MNF-Iraq
Today we have excellent news coming from the Pentagon. From CNN
Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has been chosen to become chief of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday
Petraeus would replace Adm. William Fallon, who said last month that he was resigning. Fallon said widespread, but false, reports that he was at odds with the Bush administration over Iran had made his job impossible.In addition, Gates said, Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the Multinational Corps-Iraq -- the No. 2 position in Iraq -- is being nominated to fill Petraeus' post. Odierno has been home from Iraq for only a couple of months but has agreed to return, Gates said.
The plan is for Petraeus to leave Iraq in late summer or early fall, Gates said, to ensure a smooth transition and plenty of time for Odierno to prepare.
Lt. Gen Odierno was slated to become the next Vice-Chief of Staff, but that is obviously now off.
Anyone who has followed the war in Iraq knows that these two men were the architects of our success in 2007. Along with a few others like Frederick Kagan and Jack Keane, they designed and implemented what is popularly known as the "surge".
Everyone is familiar with Gen. Petraeus. Odierno less so. Here's the short version for the uninitiated; Odierno was to Petraeus what Patton was to Eisenhower. Odierno is, in fact, known as the "Patton of Counterinsurgency".
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Hurray for Hillary
Yes, I actually wrote "Hurray for Hillary" as the title to this piece. What's more, I meant it.
It's hard to believe that it's come to this, but I am actually rooting for Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic primary. And it's not because I think she's the easier candidate to beat. At one time I thought she'd be the easier one to beat, but now I'm not so sure.
No, the reason I say "Hurray for Hillary" is that if a Democrat does get elected in November, I want it to be her. Or more precisely, I really don't want it to be Barack Obama. As such, I'm happy that she won big in Pennsylvania yesterday.
My opinion on Obama has changed considerably over the past several months.
On August 14th of last year, after he said something I disagreed with I wrote that
I almost hate writing these posts about Obama because I do like the guy. He's the only one of the Democrat candicates that I can imagine having a beer with and discussing politics. Hillary is the ice queen, Edwards is a phony, Dodd is too old, and Kucinich is too nutty. Obama seems like a genuinely nice guy, and sincere in what he says.
On January 8 of this year, after the "Hawkeye Caukeye", I wrote that
Obama is an awfully nice guy, and comes across as genuine, as I think he is. He's the only one of the Democrats that I can imagine having a real conversation with. Too bad he's completely wrong on all of the issues.
All that seems like ancient history now.
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April 21, 2008
Straight Talk from McCain on Islamic Terror
Senator John McCain must be doing the right thing, because he's under attack from all the right groups:
A coalition of American Muslim groups is demanding that Sen. John McCain stop using the adjective "Islamic" to describe terrorists and extremist enemies of the United States.Muneer Fareed, who heads the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), told The Washington Times that his group is beginning a campaign to persuade Mr. McCain to rephrase his descriptions of the enemy.
"We've tried to contact his office, contact his spokesperson to have them rethink word usage that is more acceptable to the Muslim community," Mr. Fareed said. "If it's not our intent to paint everyone with the same brush, then certainly we should think seriously about just characterizing them as criminals, because that is what they are."
However, the Senator is not backing down
An aide to Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who is counting on his pro-Iraq war stance to attract conservative voters, said the senator from Arizona will not drop the word.Steve Schmidt, a former Bush White House aide who is now a McCain media strategist, told The (Washington) Times that the use of the word is appropriate and that the candidate will continue to define the enemy that way.
"Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda represent a perverted strain of Islam at odds with the great many peaceful Muslims who practice their great faith peacefully," Mr. Schmidt said. "But the reality is, the hateful ideology which underpins bin Ladenism is properly described as radical Islamic extremism. Senator McCain refers to it that way because that is what it is."
Bingo
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April 19, 2008
Book Review - The Last Days of Europe
With the enormous influence of Mark Steyn on the right, I suppose it's inevitable that any other books about Europe will be compared to his America Alone: The End of the World As we Know It. Steyn's basic thesis, if you're somehow unaware, is that through the power of demographics, Muslims are taking over Europe, and this-is-not-a-good-thing. Far from assimilating into Europe and adopting Western values, Muslim leaders, and most of their flock, want Europe to assimilate to Islamic law and values.
Historian Walter Laqueur lays out his vision in his 2007 bookThe Last Days of Europe: Epitaph for an Old Continent. Although he definitely has some differences with Steyn's apocalyptic vision, Laqueur largely agrees with his thesis that Islam is the future of Europe. .
There's a whole slew of books out with this theme; in addition to the above I've also read Melanie Phillips Londonistan. Also popular is Bruce Bawer's While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within. I haven't read this last one, but have heard him interviewed on the radio, and he is quite good. Bawer is a prolific editorialist, and his website is worth checking out the the links to his pieces. Lastly, The Force of Reason by the late Oriana Fallaci comes highly recommended by reliable sources, although again this is a book I haven't read.
All of these and other works say the same basic thing; that Europe is on the verge of a historic change, one that if it occurs will not be easily reversible.
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April 17, 2008
The Pope in America
Photo from Mike's America
Although I am am an evangelical Christian and not a Catholic, I have always found spiritual inspiration in the two popes that I have known in my lifetime. I remember when John Paul II made his first "world tour" in 1979, which included his dramatic first trip to Poland. Dubbed the "Pilgrim Pope", he visited some 117 countries during his papacy, traveling some 725,000 miles, and ministering to millions. Fluent or at least conversant in many languages, he usually required no interpreter.
JPII exhorted the faithful to "Be not afraid!" (Mt 14:27) three times during his sermon when first installed as Pope. While all Christians live (or should live) by that motto that we have nothing to fear as God is on our side, the Poles who were under the thumb of communism knew that it was also especially directed at them. Along with Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Helmut Kohl, he helped drive the nail in the coffin of that awful ideology.
JPII's legacy was his travels and ability to inspire millions. His successor, Benedict XVI ("B16"), will no doubt travel widely, but will never have the "rock star" status of the much younger JPII. I think that his legacies will be 1) to heal the church in the wake of the sex-abuse scandals that JPII sadly left untended, and 2) to challenge the rise of radical Islam with an intellectualism that few others can muster. As Joseph Ratzinger, he had been a professor of theology at both the University of Tübingen and the University of Regensburg in Germany. A dummy he's not.
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April 15, 2008
Iraq Briefing - 14 April 2008 - "From Clear to Hold and Build"
This briefing is by Marine Colonel Pat Malay, commander of Regimental Combat Team 5, and Mr. Robert Carrington, who is the Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team leader.
They are part of Multinational Force West, and began their current tour in January of this year. MNF-W is headquartered by the U.S. II Marine Expeditionary Force. Their area of operations include the cities of Ar Ramadi and Fallujah. Maj. Gen. John F. Kelly serves as commanding general for II Marine Expeditionary Force.
Maj. Gen. Kelly reports to Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of Multi-National Corps - Iraq. Austin, in turn, reports to Gen. Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Forces - Iraq. Petraeus reports to the commander of CENTCOM, who was Admiral Fallon until last month. Until a permanent replacement is found, Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey is acting commander of CENTCOM. Dempsey reports to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
This video and others can be viewed at DODvClips. The transcript is here.
Here are what I found to be the most interesting parts of the briefing
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April 14, 2008
Obama and Clinton at the Compassion Forum
Yesterday evening presidential candidates and Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton participated in a "Compassion Forum" at Messiah College in Grantham Pennsylania. Messiah College is a private Christian institution. CNN broadcast the event. Here's what amounts to a mission statement from the website
Now more than ever, Americans motivated by faith are bridging ideological divides to address domestic and international poverty, global AIDS, climate change, genocide in Darfur, and human rights and torture. The Compassion Forum will provide the opportunity for candidates to discuss how their faith and moral convictions bear on their positions on these important issues.The Compassion Forum will be a unique and unprecedented event. Each candidate will participate in a separate substantive conversation. This will not be a debate. Questions will be posed by co-moderators Jon Meacham, editor of "Newsweek," and Campbell Brown, anchor of CNN's Election Center.
This is not the first time the Democrats have openly discussed religion in such a forum. Last June, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards participated in a "Presidential Forum on Faith, Values and Poverty" that was sponsored by the Sojourners, a very liberal Christian group. I thought that Clinton and Obama did well in that one, but didn't much care for what Edwards had to say.
Let's see how the Democrat candidates did this time.
But first, let's state the obvious:
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