Fwd: Where the Catholic Church should focus on marriage
For months before the most recent attacks on U.S. embassies in North African states, Foreign Ministry and U.S. State Department officials had been arguing over developments in these countries. Senior figures in Jerusalem claimed that Washington was burying its head in the sand and ignoring the increasing radicalization in states such as Tunisia and Egypt.
The Obama administration, which since the beginning of the Arab Spring has aided, directly or indirectly, the forces that brought down the dictatorial regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Lybia, now finds itself in a position of helplessness. The attack on the consulate in Benghazi, in which the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was killed, and the storming of the U.S. embassies in Tunis, Sanaa and Cairo, proved the great hostility to the United States and the unwillingness of these country's new leaders to challenge domestic public opinion.
Senior Foreign Ministry officials say their conversations with their Washington counterparts have focused on what Jerusalem terms "radicalizing trends" against not only Israel but also against the United States and the West in general.
One of the most recent such meetings took place a week ago, during a visit to Jerusalem by the acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, A. Elizabeth Jones.
"The Americans were constantly trying to supply explanations and excuses for events in the post-revolution Arab states, and simply ignored the problems," one senior Israeli official said, adding, "In practice the administration's ability to affect events in the Arab world has decreased immensely."
The Foreign Ministry official presented the example of Tunisia, which was expected to be moderate despite the rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood. Several weeks ago Israel's ambassador to Poland, Zvi Rav-Ner, reported that the Tunisian ambassador to Poland had been called back to Tunisia unexpectedly, ending her posting there. Rav-Ner added that all five women serving as ambassadors of Tunisia in various countries had been recalled at around the same time.
The Israel embassy in Washington was instructed to report the matter to the State Department and determine whether it was aware of the development. Several days late U.S. officials reported that the measure was technical only, involving the replacement of all ambassadors from the previous regime, and had nothing to do with gender discrimination.
The Foreign Ministry conducted its own examination and determined that many male ambassadors from the previous regime had not been recalled. "We knew what was happening, but the Americans preferred to find excuses," said the senior official.
A similar pattern emerged as to Israeli efforts to prevent a clause being added to the new Tunisian constitution outlawing normalization or contacts with Israel. The Foreign Ministry asked the United States to intervene, but was not satisfied by the response. "They told us, 'Don't worry, it's going to be all right, the clause will be left out,' but the clause is still in there," the official said.
Israel has also called American attention to the fact that for the past year Egypt has been dragging its feet over talks on reopening the Israeli embassy in Cairo. U.S. appeals have failed to speed things up.
Senior Foreign Ministry officials said the latest riots at the U.S. embassy in Cairo, and the weak condemnation of President Mohammad Morsi, demonstrated that despite its massive military and economic aid to Egypt the United States had failed to achieve any real influence over the Muslim Brotherhood. "Only now, after what happened to their embassies, the Americans are beginning to understand the situation," the senior official concluded, "to hear the president of the United States declared that Egypt isn't an ally, but also isn't the enemy - that's a real earthquake," he said.
Jonathan Lis adds: In related news, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a new public relations offensive in the United States. He has recorded interviews that will be broadcast today on important Sunday-morning political shows on CNN and NBC, all in an effort to persuade the American public that setting "red lines" for Iran will cool Tehran's enthusiasm for its nuclear program and reduce the likelihood of a wider military confrontation. Netanyahu is expected to point to the violent demonstrations at U.S. embassies around the world and to say, "Think what would happen if these people had nuclear weapons."
The Archdiocese of St. Louis praised the Missouri legislature for overturning the governor's veto of a bill that allows employers to not cover contraception and abortion if it violates their conscience.
"This is a victory for Catholics, people of all faiths, and more specifically, Missouri citizens who value religious liberty," the Archdiocese wrote in a press release.
Senate Bill 749 requires insurance companies to inform health care consumers whether or not a policy includes coverage for abortions or contraceptives and it allows those with an objection on moral grounds to have insurers exclude these items from employees' health plans.
The veto override, which took place on Sept. 12, means the legislation is now state law in Missouri.
Originally passed in May, the bill was vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat, on July 12.
Both chambers of the legislature had to have a two-thirds majority to overturn the veto. The Senate voted 26-6, and the House voted 109-45, the exact minimum needed to overturn.
Seven Democrats in the House joined Republicans in voting to overturn, and three Republicans were absent from the floor vote. This is the second time the legislature has overturned a veto by Governor Nixon.
The law is the subject of a suit seeking to block the measure filed by the Greater Kansas City Coalition of Labor Union Women. A lawyer for the union, Edward Keenan, claimed that the law denies workers' right to health care. The suit argues that the state law conflicts with the federal Affordable Health Care Act and the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Its supporters hail the law for protecting religious liberty and protecting moral conviction, and say the override is a "powerful pro-life statement."
Opponents of the law, however, argue it will limit access to affordable contraception for Missouri women.
Jill Schupp, Democratic representative for Creve Couer, a St. Louis suburb, said she considers birth control "basic health care," adding that to "make a woman pay for birth control on top of premium payments has real economic consequences."
She spoke at a Democratic news conference ahead of the vote, claiming the law will force Missourians to choose between purchasing birth control and basic necessities such as food.
Schupp claimed the annual cost of birth control is "the equivalent of five weeks of basic groceries for a family of four, or 14 tanks of gas in the minivan or four hours of tuition at a community college."
"For a family living paycheck-to-paycheck, imagine the impact as they might have to make a choice between birth control and groceries."
Yesterday, Israel’s Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem, amended the wording of its text on Pope Pius XII. It now acknowledges the pope’s Christmas radio address in 1942 where the Holy Father called attention to the “hundreds of thousands of persons, who, without any fault on their part, sometimes only because of their nationality or ethnic origin” were killed by the Nazis.
Another change in the wording now informs that Pius XII “did not publicly protest” when Jews were deported from Rome; previously, the text said he “did not intervene.” Language regarding other matters was also softened to reveal a less harsh appraisal of the pope.
The Church's Worst Enemies:
Fr. Schall on why sinners are not the most dangerous people in the
Church — it's the “enablers” (inside and outside the Church) who justify
and make evil possible by their own disordered souls
ANYONE that learns about this 'religion' KNEW that it was only a matter of time when this kind of action would take place and be PUBLIC. MOST people do little to learn about the MARTYRS in the nations that this 'religion' is in charge of. We can see the wonderful way the Copts are being treated now in Egypt, as well. Is that A Spring working for you yet?? Have you looked into any other nation? Are YOU ready to leave or convert.. pay a tax or... die for your Faith? Think it could not happen HERE??? Oh, my....
Syria’s ultimatum to Christians: “Leave Qusayr" - Vatican Insider
Lord, have Mercy!