The View-Point

***** Note: See Below for Latest Updates from 4/12/07 *****

Jesus Family Tomb Believed Found
(Discovery Channel, 2/25/2007)

'News':

• "New scientific evidence [...] suggests a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem tomb could have once held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family. The findings also suggest that Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have produced a son named Judah...."
  
  "'Mariamene, or Mariamne, probably was the actual name given to Mary Magdalene.' [...] Although not included in the Bible, the 'Acts of Philip' mentions the apostles and Mariamne, sister of the apostle Philip...."
  
  "Since tombs normally contain either blood relations or spouses, Jacobovici and his team suggest it is possible Jesus and Mary Magdalene were a couple. 'Judah,' whom they indicate may have been their son, could have been the 'lad' described in the Gospel of John as sleeping in Jesus' lap at the Last Supper...."

Commentary:

• Along the lines of the "Da Vinci Code" comes the next assault on the foundations of the Christian faith: a Discovery Channel so-called 'documentary' titled, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus".
  
  All of this comes from "Academy Award-winner" (and therefore expert on everything) James Cameron. The so-called 'documentary' will be shown on the Discovery Channel on March 4 at 9pm.
  
  Question: Why don't we see any serious effort put towards trashing other religions (e.g. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Materialism, Positivism, etc.)? Why must the assault unilaterally be against Christianity, in either its Catholic or Protestant forms?

Refutations:

• Archaeologists, Scholars Dispute Jesus Documentary
  (CNN.com, 2/26/2007; Thanks to BC)
• Bones of Jesus & son uncovered in Jerusalem? Airing new evidence
  (israelity bites, 2/23/2007; Thanks to KW)
• ‘Lost Tomb of Jesus’ documentary claims unfounded, hype, archeologist says
  (Catholic News Agency, 2/26/2007)
• Prelate's Assault on "Tomb of Jesus" - Archbishop Forte Says Discovery Is False
  (ZENIT.org News Agency via EWTN, 3/1/2007)
  

Follow-up Commentary:

• Now that this 'documentary' has aired, it seems to have come Dead-On-Arrival. (Full disclosure: I did not watch it.) Leading up to the 'exclusive' Discovery Channel showing, I saw about 3 stories refuting these ridiculous claims for every 1 promoting or supporting them. And a quick Google News search on 3/6/2007 presents the following sample of headlines:
  
  'Lost Tomb of Jesus' doesn't shake the foundations (Siftings Herald, AR)
  The Jesus Tomb: Find of the Century or Publicity Stunt? (Emediawire - press release)
  Biblical Documentary Producer Challenges "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" (WDC Media News)
  India won't air 'Jesus Tomb' documentary (Spero News)
  'Tomb' can't keep Christianity down (Los Angeles Times, CA)
  
  Note to James Cameron: You are known for producing high-quality fiction. What made you think you would be taken seriously with this 'documentary'? People are predisposed to expect high production-value fiction from you, and that is what they got. As for you, you've earned a reputation for shamelessly profiteering off of the sacredness of religion & religious belief -- and, no doubt, some extra punishment in your eternal rest.

The Discovery Channel Recants:

• Is Discovery Burying 'Lost Tomb'? Net Pulls Repeat, Declines to Tout Ratings
  (TVWeek.com, 3/8/2007)
  
  "Departing from normal procedures, the cable network didn't tout its big ratings win. The network also scheduled a last-minute special that harshly criticized its own documentary, and has yanked a planned repeat of 'Tomb.'
  
  "'This is not one where you necessarily beat the drum, from a business perspective,' said David Leavy, executive VP of corporate communications at Discovery. 'It's not necessarily about making money, or making ratings, or shouting from the highest office building. Sometimes having some maturity and perspective is more important than getting picked up in all the ratings highlights.'"

Scholars Backtrack on 'Documentary' Claims:

• Jesus tomb film scholars backtrack
  (Jerusalem Post, 4/11/2007)
  
  "Several prominent scholars who were interviewed in a bitterly contested documentary ... have now revised their conclusions, ... a new study on the fallout from the popular documentary shows.
  
  ... dramatic clarifications, compiled by epigrapher Stephen Pfann of the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem in a paper titled 'Cracks in the Foundation: How the Lost Tomb of Jesus story is losing its scholarly support,' ..."

(Originally Posted: 2/25/2007@ 4:45pm)

Labels: commentary, news

Duke Charges Dropped - North Carolina attorney general calls lacrosse trio "innocent"
(The Smoking Gun, 4/11/2007)

• Crystal Gail Mangum (Photo source: The Smoking Gun)
  
• The identity of the accuser in the Duke Lacrosse Team rape case has been revealed, now that all charges have been dropped as completely baseless and unfounded. We now have the name and a photo of Crystal Gail Mangum, whom Michael Savage of The Savage Nation has dubbed "The Durham Dirtbag" -- a moniker that now has the evidence to back it up.

(Originally Posted: 4/11/2007 @ 9:40pm)

Labels: news

Dianne Feinstein Resigns
(metroactive.com via MichaelSavage.com, 3/28/2007)

NEWS:

• "Sen. Dianne Feinstein has resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee... she had a conflict of interest due to her husband Richard C. Blum's ownership of two major defense contractors, who were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein..."

The View-Point:

• This story first reached national attention on the 3/28/2007 edition of the Michael Savage radio talk show. Although the reporting newspaper and author are virtual unknowns, some simple Internet research using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine can confirm the basic facts of Feinstein's exit from the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee:
  
  Wayback Machine archives of: feinstein.senate.gov
  - 7/1/2006 archive lists Feinstein as belonging to the following committees:
  -- Appropriations Committee
  -- Ranking member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
  
  Wayback Machine archives of: appropriations.senate.gov
  - 5/25/2006 archive confirms the above information:
  -- SUBCOMMITTEE on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
  -- Senator Dianne Feinstein (Ranking Member) (CA)
  
  The current versions of both of these websites reflect that Feinstein is no longer a member of the subcommittee in question:
  - United States Senator Dianne Feinstein: Committee Assignments
  - United States Senate Committee on Appropriations - Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
  

Bottom Line: If my third-grade level of research can confirm a few of the most basic facts of this story, then I only expect that members of the 'professional' (read: paid) media can bust the full details wide open.

UPDATE:

• NewsMax.com has picked up coverage of this story:
  Sen. Feinstein Resigns Military Appropriations Post
  (NewsMax.com, 4/2/2007)

(Originally Posted: 3/28/2007 @ 11:48pm)

Labels: commentary, news

Motu Proprio Ready with Accompanying Letter, German Paper Reports
(Catholic World News Brief via EWTN.com, 3/28/2007)

NEWS:

• "A papal document widening access to the Latin Mass is prepared for release... Die Welt reports that a motu proprio restoring regular access to the pre-conciliar liturgy has been completed. Pope Benedict XVI is determined to release the document, despite substantial opposition... Although no date for that release is given, the German newspaper says, 'the issue has been decided.'"

The View-Point:

• Here it comes! The long awaited document broadening access to the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Latin Mass (Order of the Latin Mass) is about to be released. Upon release, the document should be available on the Vatican website at this location: Benedict XVI - Motu Proprio.

Labels: news

Sacramentum Caritatis: Pope Benedict XVI apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist
(Libreria Editrice Vaticana via Catholic.org, 3/13/2007)

News (excerpt from Sacramentum Caritatis):

• "The Latin language
  62. [...] In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, (182) that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers (183) of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant. (184)"

Official Full Text in English:

• Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis
  (Official Posting on Vatican.va)
• Additional Languages:French, German, Latin, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
  (Official Postings on Vatican.va)

Related:

• Vatican Releases "Sacramentum Caritatis" with Press Conference
  (Catholic News Agency via EWTN.com, 3/13/2007)

(Originally Posted: 3/13/2007 @ 7:25PM)

Labels: news

Defeated Rep. Veon Now Tobacco Lobbyist
(Pgh. Post-Gazette, 2/12/2007)

News:

• "[Veon] has created a new consulting/lobbying firm here, called, not surprisingly, Mike Veon & Associates. So far, however, it's just him, without associates. And his first, and so far only, client is U.S. Tobacco Co., which makes smokeless tobacco and cigars, both of which are targeted to be hit by the state sales tax under Gov. Ed Rendell's budget plan.
  
  Mr. Veon [...] said he'll urge lawmakers not to extend the sales tax to cigars and chewing tobacco for the first time. Mr Veon said he will lobby members of the Senate and governor's office, but is barred for a year from lobbying his former House colleagues."

The View-Point:

• It is painful to realize that we the citizens of Pennsylvania have footed the bill for what was, in effect, the 'job training' that enabled Mike Veon to setup this new private venture. Certainly many defeated politicians go the route of 'influence whore', but it is utterly disgusting that Veon would sell his soul to the tobacco industry in exchange for the almighty dollar. Coming from a county inhabited by a significant number of elderly people, many sick or dying from tobacco-related cancers, Veon should be ashamed of the crudity of his new venture. On the bright side: More confirmation that the voters of Beaver County were right to vote this 'bum' out!

(Originally Posted: 2/13/2007 @ 12:01am)

Labels: commentary, news

Ethics Rap For Duke Prosecutor
(The Smoking Gun, 12/28/2006, 17 pp.)

• The North Carolina State Bar accuses D.A. Mike Nifong, prosecutor in the "Duke Lacrosse rape case" (p. 2), of "engag[ing] in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation" (p. 16).
  
  Justice may end up being served to the prosecutor (Nifong) who engaged in an abuse of his power in the so-called "Durham Dirtbag Case".

---

UPDATE: Nifong Charged With Withholding Evidence
(FOX News, 1/24/2007)

• "Former Duke lacrosse rape prosecutor Mike Nifong has been slapped with additional ethics charges by the state bar association, which has accused him of withholding DNA evidence and making misleading statements to the court.
  
  The new charges by the North Carolina State Bar against Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong were announced Wednesday and could lead to his removal from the state bar, according to a copy of the updated complaint....
  
  Nifong's actions constitute a 'systematic abuse of prosecutorial discretion ... prejudicial to the administration of justice,' the complaint read...."

Labels: news

Iraq PM Criticizes US Effort In Iraq
(1/18/2007, AP via Yahoo! News)

News:

• "...The Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that al-Maliki was deeply critical of President Bush during a briefing with a small group of reporters.
  
  'The situation would be much better if the United States had immediately sent our security forces more adequate weapons and equipment. If they had committed themselves more and with greater speed we would have had a lot fewer deaths among Iraqi civilians and American soldiers,' the newspaper quoted al-Maliki as saying...."

Commentary:

• How many billions of dollars have we spent cleansing this God-forsaken country -- and the Iraqi PM still has the nerve to be "deeply critical"? I say that enough is enough! He wants "more adequate weapons and equipment" -- then give him everything he wants and then leave! If the PM of Iraq, functioning as that country's spokesperson, does not even have the decency to express gratitude for the money and lives we have spent in his awful country, then I say that it is time to go. The guests are no longer welcome at the party, so let us leave the gifts of "weapons and equipment" that we have brought and go home. Good luck on your own, al-Maliki.

See Also:
Iraq: National Army Needs Better Training and Equipment from U.S., PM Says
(1/18/2007, from adnki.com)

Labels: commentary, news

The Execution of Saddam Hussein

• Saddam Hussein was executed on December 30, 2006 at approximately 06:00 local time (03:00 UTC) according to the Wikipedia entry on his execution.

*** WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT -- VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED ***

Saddam Execution - Poor Quality Cell Phone Video
*** GRAPHIC CONTENT ***
YouTube: A - B (embedded below)
Google Video: C

'Official' Video from Before & After the Hanging
*** SEMI-GRAPHIC CONTENT ***
YouTube: D

(Originally Posted: 1/1/2007 @ 1:10PM)

Labels: must-see videos, news

Casino Coming To Pittsburgh's North Shore In '08
(KDKA.com, 12/20/06; with video clips)

• "The Pa. Gaming Control Board voted this morning to award Pittsburgh's only stand-alone slots license to PITG Gaming/Majestic Star on the North Shore... Don Barden tells KDKA he's planning to open his new casino in March 2008..."

Majestic Star Casino (Pittsburgh, PA) Conceptual Drawings
(from STRADA, LLC)

• Five artistic renderings of the new North Shore riverfront casino, with details on proposed amenities.

Satellite Photo & Map of the New Casino's Location-To-Be
(via Google Maps)

• The new casino will be located to the west of Heinz Field and the Carnegie Science Center (the building facing the river-bound submarine), presumably in the large, open parking lot area.

Labels: news

A Skeptic's Guide to Debunking Global Warming Alarmism -- Hot & Cold Media Spin Cycle: A Challenge to Journalists who Cover Global Warming (PDF from epw.senate.gov)

• From the office of US Senator James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, comes an outstanding document debunking how the media has fueled one side of the so-called global warming controversy.
  
  I find this document to be useful for illustrating the epistemological crisis that results from bombardment by an endless stream of messages from various media-created information environments. How do we know "What is truth?" (cf. John 18:38)

Labels: news

FBI says Muslim in Illinois planned grenade attack in mall (AP, 12/9/2006)

• I am happy to report that this story represents a succesful thwarting by the FBI of an attempted terrorist attack by a Muslim, one Talib Abu Salam Ibn Shareef, to whom the ex-mainstream media will only refer to as Derrick Shareef.
  
  The Smoking Gun (as pointed out on national radio on 12/8/2006 by Michael Savage) has the full text of the 11-page affidavit that details the incident, including the reference to "shank[ing]" DeKalb, IL area Jews with a "steak knife" (source) that most ex-mainstream news sources have failed to report:
  
  Affidavit: Shopping Mall Terror Plot Foiled (TSG, 12/8/2006)

---

Hit-run suspect tricked family, fled in the SUV (San Francisco, CA - 8/31/06)

• "Omeed Aziz Popal's family, worried about his recent mental breakdowns and erratic behavior, tried to keep an eye on him all the time. But Tuesday morning, relatives and authorities say, the automotive worker from Fremont slipped away -- pulling a trick on his mother and sister that got them out of his sport utility vehicle, then speeding off on a hit-and-run rampage that killed one man in Fremont and injured at least 19 people in San Francisco."
  
  No mention is made in this story of Omeed Aziz Popal's (pictured above, on right) self-made claim that he was committing an act of terrorism. As with the July 28, 2006 incident in Seattle, WA (see below), the accused is being labeled as mentally unstable. This is an example of using words to define reality as meaning what one wants it to mean (see Michel Foucault, "Madness and Civilization"). I say that all Islamo-Fascist Terrorists are by definition Mentally Unstable!

---

The ex-mainstream media continues to hammer more nails into its coffin with the refusal to cover the latest incident of Islamic terrorism in the United States. This is where Daniel Pipes comes in. One paragraph of one article on his website contains more information on the recent incident of Islamic terrorism in Seattle than any other reporting I have seen from the ex-mainstream media.

• "Sudden Jihad Syndrome" in Seattle - by Daniel Pipes
  
  "At about 4 p.m. on July 28, on the eve of the Jewish sabbath, a Muslim terrorist of Pakistani origins named Naveed Afzal Haq forced a 14-year-old girl to get him into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building by holding a gun to her back. He then pulled out the two large-caliber semi-automatic pistols he had just purchased and went on a murderous rampage...."
  
  More on Naveed Haq, Seattle's Sudden Jihadi
  


• Flashback to University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill:
  Sudden Jihad Syndrome (in North Carolina) - by Daniel Pipes
  
  "...a just-graduated student named Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, and an Iranian immigrant, drove a sport utility vehicle into a crowded pedestrian zone. He struck nine people but, fortunately, none were severely injured."
  
  More on the North Carolina Jihadi, Mohammed Taheri-azar

(Originally Posted: 8/12/2006 @ 2:21PM)

Labels: news

Women talk more than men: official (The Register, 11/28/2006)

• This is the most recent take on the research of Dr. Louann Brizendine that The View-Point originally covered back in August 2006. An excerpt from that story:
  
  "'Connecting through talking activates the pleasure centers in a girl's brain. We're not talking about a small amount of pleasure. This is huge. It's a major dopamine and oxytocin rush, which is the biggest, fattest neurological reward you can get outside of an orgasm.'" (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/6/2006)
  
  The latest story adds the following memorable quote:
  
  "'the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high.'" (The Register, 11/28/2006)

Labels: news

The Racist, Terroristic, & Genocidal Comments of Kamau Kambon (via YouTube; embedded below)

• From C-SPAN coverage of an event on "Hurricane Katrina & Issues Facing African Americans"
  
  The comments of Kamau Kambon (owner of BlackNificent Books) in this clip are so extreme that they defy commentary, except to ask why the FBI has not arrested this nut for making terroristic and genocidal threats.

Labels: must-see videos, news

Mike Veon
Member of the PA House of Representatives, 1985-2006
R.I.P. -- Retire in Peace, that is.

On Election Day 2006 (11/7/2006) the voters of Beaver County, PA sent a major shock wave throughout the entire democratized world. No longer were they willing to blindly reinstate an incumbent legislator who refused to hold himself accountable to his constituents.

The unofficial numbers as of the morning of 11/8/2006 (Source: Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information):

• 14th Legislative District:
  Candidate...............Votes.....Percent
  VEON, MIKE (DEM)........8,992.....46.1%
  MARSHALL, JIM (REP).....10,511....53.9%

This 10,511-person strong tidal wave has finally supplied a reason for that deer-in-the-headlights look. Enjoy your pension, Mike....

(Originally Posted: 11/8/2006 @ 10:52AM)

Labels: news

News: Kanye West Sore Loser at MTV Europe Awards (AP, 11/3/2006)

"Kanye apparently was so disappointed at not winning for Best Video that he crashed the stage Thursday in Copenhagen... In a tirade riddled with expletives, Kanye said he should have won the prize for his video 'Touch The Sky,' because it 'cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons.' 'If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility,' Kanye said."

Commentary: Here we go again with this worthless idiot. As The View-Point pointed out back in September 2005, in response to West's post-Katrina "George Bush doesn't care about black people" comment, West is nothing more than the latest social degenerate to make millions of dollars by infecting young minds with his talentless garbage.

The quote above alludes to the fact that this worthless purveyor of pornography (why else use a pornographic-slut like Pamela Anderson?) has:

1) no talent - uses pornography to sell his product
2) no shame/humility - considers himself to be the standard of 'excellence' for this award show
3) a serious emotional dependency on the attention of others - stage crashing to make news and get attention

So why do I take time to write about this moron? Only to remind us of the increasing moral degeneracy of the West (pun intended) and the furor that it is stirring up in the hearts and minds of our enemies (e.g. portions of the Islamic world), who refuse to accept such shameful displays.

(Originally Posted: 11/3/2006 @ 3:36PM)

Labels: commentary, news

I was first made aware of CNN's role as the propaganda machine of the enemy, aka "Aljazeera West", when on 10/19/2006 Michael Savage played on The Savage Nation audio excerpts from CNN's Anderson Cooper show, where Mr. Cooper had broadcast a video report from Australian reporter Michael Ware (see also here) in which Ware narrated an Iraqi insurgent-filmed video (see links below) depicting the murder of US soldiers by enemy sniper fire. Of course, CNN was 'sensitive' enough that it "dipped to black at the moment of actual impact of the rounds," according to the Anderson Cooper blog.

View the segment from CNN's Anderson Cooper show:

• AC: The sniper video (High-quality QuickTime video from Mickware.com), specifically this clip
• CNN video - Insurgent snipers (YouTube.com - embedded below)
  

Register your complaint with the Federal Communications Commission regarding this despicable and treasonous misuse of the ex-mainstream media's broadcast power:

• FCC Obscene, Profane, and/or Indecent Material Complaint Form (Form 475B)

(Originally Posted: 10/20/2006 @ 10:33AM)

Labels: commentary, must-see videos, news

Congratulations to Pope Benedict XVI for his rhetorical excellence that has incited the fury of millions of illiterate, uneducated, 9th-century throwback Muslims around the world, through the agency of the ex-mainstream media. The Pope, through the use of a simple and straightforward quote regarding the incompatibility of the nature of God and the use of violence, has made a highly relevant and insightful point that serves as material that Muslims, along with their ex-mainstream media partners, can twist and distort to further their own demonic objectives.

Let's first look at the relevant portion of what Pope Benedict XVI actually said on 9/12/2006:

• "...the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached'. The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. 'God', he says, 'is not pleased by blood - and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...'.
  
  [Source: Full Text of the Pope's Speech (PDF) (BBC); Key Excerpts (BBC)]

Now let's contrast this to the response from a member of the Muslim community:

• "Salih Kapusuz, a deputy leader of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, said Benedict's remarks were either 'the result of pitiful ignorance' about Islam and its prophet, or a deliberate distortion. 'He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world,' Kapusuz was quoted as saying by the state-owned Anatolia news agency. 'It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades.' 'Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks, is going down in history for his words,' he said. 'He is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as (Adolf) Hitler and (Benito) Mussolini.'"
  
  [Source: Muslims express fury over pope's remarks (AP) 9/15/2006]

KEY POINT: As is exemplified in the above response from Salih Kapusuz, the Islamic community knows how to engage in an effective war of words, a.k.a. 'the PR battle', or what I like to call Rhetorical Warfare. What does this mean for anyone who perceives the threat and the danger posed by the Islamic community? We must learn to engage and defeat our enemy on the Rhetorical battlefront! But let's be clear on one point: We must NOT count on the ex-mainstream media to fight this battle. This is the obligation and responsibility of the millions of us who see the truth and who are not willing to stand by while the Islamo-facists cut our throats!

The bottom line is this: At the risk of sounding crude (which is not my intent)Pope Benedict XVI, as a celibate, 79-year-old man, has more cojones than any other major world political and/or religious leader. The pope was not afraid to express the truth in his speech, nor did he attempt to pander to the Muslim masses. God bless the pope.

---

UPDATE: Iraq al-Qaida says pope, West are doomed (AP - 9/18/2006)

• These quotes, all from one news story, are an amazing continuance of the Muslim Rhetorical Warfare (emphases added in all quotes):
  
  "An al-Qaida-linked extremist group warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that he and the West were 'doomed,' as protesters returned to the streets across the Muslim world to demand more of an apology from the pontiff for his remarks about Islam and violence...."
  
  "...The group said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as 'the worshipper of the cross' saying 'you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword.' Islam forbids drinking alcohol and requires non-Muslims to pay a head tax to safeguard their lives if conquered by Muslims. They are exempt if they convert to Islam...."
  
  "...The secretary-general of the Turkish HUKUK-DER law association submitted a request to the Justice Ministry asking that the pope be arrested upon entering Turkey. The appeal by Fikret Karabekmez, a former legislator for the banned pro-Islamic Welfare Party, called for Benedict to be tried under several Turkish laws, among them obstruction of freedom of belief, encouraging discrimination based on religion, and inciting religious hatred...."

(Originally Posted: 9/15/2006 @ 4:41PM)

Labels: commentary, news

With the untimely passing of Mayor Bob O'Connor, 61, who succumbed to cancer on Friday, 9/1/2006, City Council President Luke Ravenstahl, 26, has been sworn in as Pittsburgh's new mayor. Although his term might last only until 2007, perhaps some good can come out of these unfortunate circumstances, with the injection of young-blood into the politics of the fair city of Pittsburgh, PA.

The View-Point sends out condolences to the O'Connor family, and best wishes to Mayor Ravenstahl.

---

• Pittsburgh's 26-Year-Old Mayor Confident
  NewsMax reports on Mayor Ravenstahl's agenda for the future of Pittsburgh.

(Originally Posted: 9/2/2006 @ 4:30PM)

Labels: news

Romania Reports Oil Rig Occupied By Iran's Military

• "The Romanian Embassy in Tehran has confirmed that Iranian military forces have attacked and occupied a Romanian oil rig in the Gulf...."

Iran's Navy Attacks and Boards Romanian Rig in Gulf

• "'...The Iranians fired at the rig's crane with machine guns,' Tabanesku said. 'They are in control now and we can't contact the rig.' The Romanian company has 26 workers on the platform, he said...."

The following commentary comes to The View-Point courtesy of 'Prof. E':

• Given the fact that the United States and Romania are both NATO Member Countries, and given the fact that Article 5 of the the North Atlantic Treaty states that:
  
  "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."
  
  It is therefore legally justifiable for the United States and its NATO Allies to engage in the use of millitary force against Iran in response to the Iranian millitary attack on and occupation of the Romanian oil rig.

(Originally Posted: 8/22/06 @ 1:52PM)

Labels: commentary, news