Stealing Dreams, Creating Nightmares

Stealing Dreams, Creating Nightmares

Posted using ShareThis

Shia Muslims & Sunni Muslims: The War Within Islam

Shia Muslims & Sunni Muslims: The War Within Islam

A weed grows in Boston - Lifestyle Features - Boston Phoenix

A weed grows in Boston - Lifestyle Features - Boston Phoenix

Military Releases Ft. Hood Shooting Report - Not One Mention of Islam?

http://www.time.com/

The U.S. military's just-released report into the Fort Hood shootings spends 86 pages detailing various slipups by Army officers but not once mentions Major Nidal Hasan by name or even discusses whether the killings may have had anything to do with the suspect's view of his Muslim faith. And as Congress opens two days of hearings on Wednesday into the Pentagon probe of the Nov. 5 attack that left 13 dead, lawmakers want explanations for that omission.

John Lehman, a member of the 9/11 commission and Navy Secretary during the Reagan Administration, says a reluctance to cause offense by citing Hasan's view of his Muslim faith and the U.S. military's activities in Muslim countries as a possible trigger for his alleged rampage reflects a problem that has gotten worse in the 40 years that Lehman has spent in and around the U.S. military. The Pentagon report's silence on Islamic extremism "shows you how deeply entrenched the values of political correctness have become," he told TIME on Tuesday. "It's definitely getting worse, and is now so ingrained that people no longer smirk when it happens."

The apparent lack of curiosity into what allegedly drove Hasan to kill isn't in keeping with the military's ethos; it's a remarkable omission for the U.S. armed forces, whose young officers are often ordered to read Sun Tzu's The Art of War with its command to know your enemy. In midcareer, they study the contrast between capabilities and intentions, which is why they aren't afraid of a British nuclear weapon but do fear the prospect of Iran getting one.

Yet the leaders of the two-month Pentagon review, former Army Secretary Togo West and the Navy's onetime top admiral, Vernon Clark, told reporters last week that they didn't drill down into Hasan's motives. "Our concern is with actions and effects, not necessarily with motivations," West said. Added Clark: "We certainly do not cite a particular group." Part of their reticence, they said, was to avoid running afoul of the criminal probe of Hasan that is now under way. Both are declining interview requests before their congressional testimony, a Pentagon spokesman said.

But without a motive, there would have been no murder. Hasan wore his radical Islamic faith and its jihadist tendencies in the same way he wore his Army uniform. He allegedly proselytized within the ranks, spoke out against the wars his Army was waging in Muslim countries and shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is great) as he gunned down his fellow soldiers. Those who served alongside Hasan find the Pentagon review wanting. "The report demonstrates that we are unwilling to identify and confront the real enemy of political Islam," says a former military colleague of Hasan, speaking privately because he was ordered not to talk about the case. "Political correctness has brainwashed us to the point that we no longer understand our heritage and cannot admit who, or what, the enemy stands for."

The Department of Defense Independent Review Related to Fort Hood, ordered by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is limited in scope. Despite the title of its report — Protecting the Force: Lessons from Fort Hood — there is only a single page dedicated to the chapter called "Oversight of the Alleged Perpetrator." Much more space is given to military personnel policies (11 pages), force protection (six pages) and the emergency response to the shootings (12 pages).

Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut said he was "disappointed" because the inquiry "does not adequately recognize the specific threat posed by violent Islamist extremism to our military," and added that the homeland-security panel he chairs will investigate. The Congressman whose district includes Fort Hood agrees. "The report ignores the elephant in the room — radical Islamic terrorism is the enemy," says Republican Representative John Carter. "We should be able to speak honestly about good and bad without feeling like you've done something offensive to society."

The report lumps in radical Islam with other fundamentalist religious beliefs, saying that "religious fundamentalism alone is not a risk factor" and that "religious-based violence is not confined to members of fundamentalist groups." But to some, that sounds as if the lessons of 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq, where jihadist extremism has driven deadly violence against Americans, are being not merely overlooked but studiously ignored.

http://go.to/islamhistory
click above to read more, however may offend Christians, Jews, and Muslims

The scariest thing about the Quran is its Doctrine of Abrogation, meaning that Prophet Muhammad can declare his own pronouncements null and void in later pronouncements, with the Medinan Verses following and superseding the Meccan Verses, or vice-versa, depending on what sect you talk to. And you got it, the Quran isn't arranged chronologically, the verses were shuffled and rearranged with shortest first for easy memorization and nobody ever publishes a chronological edition, they would be beheaded for blasphemy probably, so it takes a lifetime of study to figure out what supersedes what. Meanwhile, even a boy can shoot a gun at an infidel. Hence it's virtually impossible to fight it on its own terms, get it? It's like Strip Poker, in which the last move is chopping off your head.

That understood, I guess all the following quotes from the Quran are void whenever a Muslim disinformation artist goes to work on Western govts. to soften them up for mass Muslim immigration, after which when they move in they become valid again. Govt. know-it-alls can skip this paragraph, everybody else should read it 10 times at least. "The (only) religion (acceptable) before God is Islam." (3:19) "If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him." (3:85) "You are the noblest community ever raised up for mankind." (3:110) "The unbelievers among the people of the book and the pagans shall burn forever in the fires of Hell. They are the vilest of all creatures." (98.6) "Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve." (8.55) "The unbelievers are your inveterate enemy." (4:101) "Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews." (5:82) "Mohammed is Allah's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another." (48:29). "Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends." (5:51) "Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and Allah's religion shall reign supreme." (8:40) "Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme." (2:193) "The true believers fight for the cause of Allah, but the infidels fight for the Devil." (4:76) "We will put terror into the hearts of the unbelievers." (3:151) "I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels, strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers." (8:12) "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the hereafter." (5:33)

Here's some elevating Muhammad quotes, defining his religion of peace and love. Muhammad said to the Jews: "If you embrace Islam, you will be safe. You should know that the Earth belongs to Allah and His apostle, me, and I want to expel you from this land." "You [Muslims] will fight with the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will [betray them] saying, 'O 'Abdullah (slave of Allah]! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.'" "I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah', and whoever says that, his life and property will be saved by me." (4:196) "Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him." (9:57) "No Muslim should be killed for killing an infidel [kafir]." (9:50) Notice that it's never like 30 days in jail and a 999 dinar fine, it's always kill him kill him kill him, get it?
slam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component and its insane Medieval male supremacist fairy tale version of the world is a beard for all the other components.

Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called "religious rights", claiming that Islam is a harmless religion of peace and love, while telling critics to ignore the facts they see that in every country where they are in charge they trample on everybody else's. After all, every time a Muslim prays to Allah via their phony prophet, he has to touch his forehead to the ground, stamping it with the word dumbass, then walk around like that for the rest of the day, making any tiny perceived signal from a non-Muslim that that's what he sees on his forehead cause an uncontrollable explosion of rage, welcome to the World of I-Have-a-Chip-On-My-Shoulder. Sorry, Western concepts of religious rights don't cover acts, only beliefs, so take your hand off that sword please or I'll call the cops.

Too bad, when modern politically correct and culturally diverse societies agree to the "reasonable" Muslim demands for their religious rights, they also get the other components under the table, dooming the societies and everything they worked to build, like the Borgs in "Star Trek".

Here's how it works (data source: CIA: The World Fact Book, 2007 ed.). (A new Muslim world pop. survey was published in Oct. 2009 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life)

As long as the Muslim population remains at or below 1% in a given country, they lay low and put on an act, attempting to be regarded as a peace-loving minority and no threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful ways by history ignoramus journalists. Anybody attempting to warn of the consequences of Muslim immigration is accused of spreading hate, when it's their religion that feeds on it, and Westerners not used to Muslims living nearby can't really hate them yet, just pity and fear what they might do, and understandably want to make life safer by having them go back to where they came from, take our territory by force over my dead body but why should I invite you in, do I look like I have the word dumbass on my forehead? A wise Western government that's not run by history ignoramuses will severely restrict Muslim immigration, and only to educated secular Muslims, but never let the total reach more than 1% of the total population, even the innocuous ones can have kids that get Medieval on our asses. As of 2009, the West is on the brink, and it's about time a common decision were made. Will they get wise? Let's keep our fingers crossed:

United States -- Muslim 1.0%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1%-2%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2%-3% (too big to expel them without major government action and violence) they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% up they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population, pushing for the introduction of halal food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims, and putting pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves, along with threats for failure to comply (United States).

France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- Muslim 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under the sick superstitious male supremacist and cruel Medieval Sharia law. Remember that the ultimate goal of Islam from Day One per Prophet Muhammad's orders (after expelling all non-Muslims from Arabia, by the way, so much for their treatment of immigrants) is not to convert the world at first but to establish Sharia law by conversion and conquest then put relentless pressure on non-believers to make their life Hell unto they do.

When Muslims begin to reach 10% of the population, they will increase lawlessness by complaining about their living conditions (Paris -- car-burnings). Any non-Muslim action that offends Islam will result in uprisings and violent threats despite the laws of the country that allowed them in (Amsterdam -- Mohammed cartoons).

Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 10-15%

After reaching 20% expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formation, sporadic killings, and church and synagogue burning:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40% you will find widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

From 60% you may expect unfettered persecution of non-believers and other religions, sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia as a weapon, and the jizya tax placed on infidels just for living in their territory:

Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After the 80% point is reached, time to run, expect state-run ethnic cleansing and genocide:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of "Dar-es-Salaam" -- the Islamic House of Peace -- where there's supposed to be peace because everybody is a Muslim:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 99.9%
Of course, that's not really the case. Islam started in a dark cave, and that's what it draws everybody into. Jesus Christ died to save mankind from its sins and never committed one himself, but Prophet Mohammad sinned every day of the week and twice on Sunday, dirtying his hands with blood, having sex with multiple wives and practicing pedophilia, and teaching violence as the way to Paradise, making a true believer eager to sin to the max and go out killing infidels during a jihad so he can get his mansion in Paradise filled with babes, however stupid that sounds to us Westerners, they will plant bombs in their own butts to get there. To satisfy their blood lust, Muslims merrily kill each other for a variety of reasons, it's like our Western pastime with baseball, score three heads four arms, next inning.

"Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; and the tribe against the world. And all of us against the infidel." -- Leon Uris, The Haj

It is good to remember that in many Western countries such as France, the relatively new Muslim populations live in ghettos based on their ethnicity. Muslims do not integrate into the community at large, they just squat and plot to take over while spreading disinformation to disarm action against them. Working as one, they thus exercise more power than their national percentage would indicate.

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat. "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" (George Santayana). www.frontline.org.za/books_videos/sti.htm

Muslim Population in European Prisons

Spain - 70%
France - 70%
Switzerland - 57.8% in Champ-Dollon Prison
Norway - Over 30%
Netherlands - 20%
Denmark - 20%
Belgium - 16% (12.8% Moroccans, 3.1% Turks)
Italy - 40% foreigners, 8% Moroccans, 13% other Muslims
England & Wales - 11%
Germany - 18% foreigners, lowest estimate for Muslims - 5%

Source: EUMAP - EU Research program and NEWS

Muslim Demographics for the U.S.

Up to 7 million in the U.S., 1 million in Canada - more than in Norway, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, and Sweden (same size community as Hispanics 25 years ago).
Annual growth rate: 6% vs. 0.9% for the U.S. general pop.; 4,2 children per family.
Interaction between indigenous and immigrant Muslims is currently limited.
67% of adult American Muslims are under 40 years old, while 67% of the adult American population is over 40 years old.
7% of American Muslims have a bachelor's degree or higher, vs. 44% of Americans.
1 in 10 American Muslim households has a physician or medical doctor.
U.S. average income: $42,158 per year (2000 U.S. Census). 66% of American Muslim households earn over $60,000/year. 26% of American Muslim households earn over $100,000/year.
Mosques in the U.S.: 1,209. American Muslims associated with a mosque: 2 million. Increase in number of mosques since 1994: 25%. Proportion of mosques founded since 1980: 62%. Average number of Muslims associated with each mosque in the U.S.: 1,625 U.S. mosque participants who are converts: 30%.
American Muslims who claim to "strongly agree" with participation in U.S. institutions and the U.S. political process: 70%.

Just a few Islamic Quotes

Just a few islamic quotes;-
Bukhari:V4B52N220 "Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been made victorious with terror.'"
Qur'an:8:12 "I shall terrorize the infidels. So wound their bodies and incapacitate them because they oppose Allah and His Apostle."
Qur'an:8:57 "If you gain mastery over them in battle, inflict such a defeat as would terrorize them, so that they would learn a lesson and be warned."
Ishaq:326 "If you come upon them, deal so forcibly as to terrify those who would follow, that they may be warned. Make a severe example of them by terrorizing Allah's enemies."

Ishaq:327 "Allah said, 'A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.'"
posted 14 hours ago |

Bukhari:V4B52N220 "Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been made victorious with terror.'"
Qur'an:8:12 "I shall terrorize the infidels. So wound their bodies and incapacitate them because they oppose Allah and His Apostle."
Qur'an:8:57 "If you gain mastery over them in battle, inflict such a defeat as would terrorize them, so that they would learn a lesson and be warned."
Ishaq:326 "If you come upon them, deal so forcibly as to terrify those who would follow, that they may be warned. Make a severe example of them by terrorizing Allah's enemies."

Ishaq:327 "Allah said, 'A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.'"

Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker faces hate speech trial

Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker faces hate speech trial

Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker faces hate speech trial

Around 200 supporters of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders demonstrated outside an Amsterdam court Wednesday at the start of his criminal trial for allegedly inciting hate against the Netherlands' Muslim minority.

The case is seen as an important test weighing Wilders' right to freedom of speech against Dutch immigrants' rights to freedom of religion and freedom from persecution.

"This case is about more than Mr. Wilders," Wilders lawyer Bram Moszkowicz told Amsterdam District Court. "It touches us all. It is such an important and principled question that could have far-reaching consequences."

Wilders has been charged for more than 100 public statements, including remarks comparing the Quran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and calling for it to be banned in the Netherlands. He also produced the 2008 short film "Fitna," which offended Muslims around the world by juxtaposing Quranic verses with images of terrorism by Islamic radicals.

Moszkowicz challenged the court's jurisdiction Wednesday and argued the charges should be dismissed. Later at the hearing prosecutors are expected to put forward lists of prospective witnesses. Formal opening arguments won't be heard until March.

Supporters outside the court carried signs calling Wilders' prosecution an assault on freedom of speech.

Liesbeth Bouts, 66, traveled from the southern city of Eindhoven to show her support for Wilders. She said the trial was brought on by the "political correctness police. They are trying to shut him up."

"He says what many people in this country think: we are against the Islam-izing of the Netherlands," she said, draped in a Dutch flag.

She said it was "ridiculous" to prosecute a politician for fairly representing his electorate.

"He has never called for violence," she said.

Presiding Judge Jan Moors assured Wilders he would receive a fair trial.

Immigrant, Muslim and anti-racism groups have long sought Wilders' prosecution, saying his remarks go beyond being offensive and compound ethnic tensions in the Netherlands, a country once regarded a beacon of tolerance.

"Wilders' own remarks show that he's not interested in religious criticism but in xenophobia and discrimination," said the group Nederland Bekent Kleur — Dutch for "The Netherlands Shows Its Colors" — in a statement.

Muslims make up about six percent of the Dutch population of 15 million, after a wave of immigration in the 1980s and 1990s, and immigration-related issues have dominated Dutch politics since the turn of the century.

Wilders' opposition Freedom Party has grown quickly and now rivals the country's biggest in popularity polls.

If convicted, Wilders would face a maximum sentence of two years in prison, though a fine of up to euro18,500 ($26,800) is more likely. He could theoretically keep his seat in parliament.

Outrage in Italy - Government permission required to Upload Video's to YouTube!

http://www.thestandard.com/news/2010/01/15/proposed-web-video-restrictions-cause-outrage-italy

New rules to be introduced by government decree will require people who upload videos onto the Internet to obtain authorization from the Communications Ministry similar to that required by television broadcasters, drastically reducing freedom to communicate over the Web, opposition lawmakers have warned.

The decree is ostensibly an enactment of a European Union (EU) directive on product placement and is due to go into effect at the end of January after being subjected to a nonbinding appraisal by parliament.

On Thursday opposition lawmakers held a press conference in parliament to denounce the new rules -- which require government authorization for the uploading of videos, give individuals who claim to have been defamed a right of reply and prevent the replay of copyright material -- as a threat to freedom of expression.

"The decree subjects the transmission of images on the Web to rules typical of television and requires prior ministerial authorization, with an incredible limitation on the way the Internet currently functions," opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Paolo Gentiloni told the press conference.

Article 4 of the decree specifies that the dissemination over the Internet "of moving pictures, whether or not accompanied by sound," requires ministerial authorization. Critics say it will therefore apply to the Web sites of newspapers, to IPTV and to mobile TV, obliging them to take on the same status as television broadcasters.

"Italy joins the club of the censors, together with China, Iran and North Korea," said Gentiloni's party colleague Vincenzo Vita.

The decree was also condemned by Articolo 21, an organization dedicated to the defense of freedom of speech as enshrined in article 21 of the Italian constitution. The group said the measures resembled an earlier government attempt to crack down on bloggers by imposing on them the same obligations and responsibilities as newspapers.

The group launched an appeal Friday entitled "Hands Off the Net," saying the restrictive measures would mark "the end of freedom of expression on the Web." The restrictions would prevent the recounting of the life of the Italians in moving pictures on the Internet, it said.

The decree was also criticized by Nicola D'Angelo, a commissioner in the Communications Authority, which would be likely to play a role in policing copyright violations under the new rules. The decree ran contrary to the spirit of the EU directive by extending the rules of television to online video material, D'Angelo said in a radio interview.

He also expressed concern at the requirement for government authorization for the uploading of videos to Internet. "Italy will be the only Western country in which it is necessary to have prior government permission to operate this kind of service," he said. "This aspect reveals a democratic risk, regardless of who happens to be in power."

Other critics described the decree as an expression of the conflict of interests of Silvio Berlusconi, who exercises political control over the state broadcaster RAI in his role as prime minister and is also the owner of Italy's largest private broadcaster, Mediaset.

They said the new copyright regulations would prevent Internet users from sharing snippets of popular TV shows or goals from the Italian soccer league, currently viewed online by millions of people.

Mediaset has successfully sued YouTube to obtain the removal of its copyright material, in particular video from the reality show "Big Brother," from the online video-sharing platform. A judge in a Rome civil court ordered the removal of the material last month, and the new decree is seen as providing further protection for Mediaset's online commercial interests.

Alessandro Gilioli, who writes a blog on the Web site of the weekly magazine L'Espresso, said the decree was intended to squelch future competition for Mediaset, which was planning to move into IPTV and therefore had an interest in reducing the number of independent videos circulating on the Web.

"It's the Berlusconi method: Kill your potential enemies while they are small. That's why anyone doing Web TV -- even from their attic at home -- must get ministerial approval and fulfill a host of other bureaucratic obligations," Gilioli wrote. He said the government was also keen to restrict the uncontrollable circulation of information over the Internet to preserve its monopoly over television news.

Paolo Romani, the deputy minister responsible for drafting the decree, insisted the text simply adopted the recommendations of the EU directive but said the government was prepared to discuss modifications. The decree did not intend to restrict freedom of information "or the possibility of expressing one's ideas and opinions through blogs and social networks," Romani told the ANSA news agency.

Mississippi Delta earthquake: America's Haiti waiting to happen?

I'm quite familiar with this since I live on the New Madrid Fault. Just saying.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0117/Mississippi-Delta-earthquake-America-s-Haiti-waiting-to-happen
Mississippi Delta earthquake: America's Haiti waiting to happen?

http://www.csmonitor.com/

One of the strongest series of earthquakes ever to hit the United States happened not in Alaska or along California's San Andreas fault, but in southeast Missouri along the Mississippi River.

In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault zone that zig zags through five states shook so violently that it shifted furniture in Washington, D.C., and rang church bells in Boston. The series of temblors changed the course of the Mississippi River near Memphis, and historical accounts claim the river even flowed backward briefly.

Geologists consider the New Madrid fault line a major seismic zone and predict that an earthquake roughly the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake (7.0 on the Richter scale) could occur in the area during the next 50 years.

That forecast is of particular concern because the New Madrid zone sits beneath one of the country’s most economically distressed areas – the Delta. In many counties in the Mississippi Delta, the poverty level is triple the national average.

Moreover, the area is comparatively less prepared to deal with a huge earthquake than are other seismically active areas in the US, says Mark Ghilarducci, vice president of James Lee Witt Associates, a crisis and emergency management consulting company in Washington.

“There have not been enough resources applied for retrofitting that there could be,” Mr. Ghilarducci says. “I would like to see far more retrofit programs, strengthening of buildings, especially masonry buildings, tying down bridges. That builds resiliency in a community.”

Efforts to prepare

Neither the federal government nor local governments are unaware of the threat.

Numerous interstate task forces and coalitions have organized over the last decade to prepare for a castrophoric earthquake. Education programs focused on survival kits and family disaster planning occur yearly in states. Yet, experts say, few families have kits in their homes.

Last November, the Obama administration’s Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group held five stakeholder meetings around the country, including Memphis. They solicited input on how “to improve long-term disaster recovery with a particular focus on catastrophic disasters.”

The meetings were co-chaired by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.

The New Madrid fault zone crosses five state lines and the Mississippi River in at least three places. It extends from northeast Arkansas through southeast Missouri and into western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois.

In the 1800s, few people lived in the region. Today, it is densely populated and includes Memphis and St. Louis.

“All the faults are active,” says Haydar Al-Shukri, director of Arkansas Earthquake Center. “We would see an earthquake 10 times larger than the Haitian earthquake or even those in California because of the amount of distance the seismic waves of the earthquake would travel.”

Delta rife with poverty

Even with government efforts at preparation, much remains to be done, says Ghilarducci, the emergency management consultant.

In many areas, people still live in shanties. Healthcare is sparse. Even clean water is scarce in some places. Often, public and private buildings, are decades-old and fragile. They have yet to be retrofitted or strengthened. Hundreds of towns could see severe structural damage, and large segments of the population displaced, Dr. Al-Shukri says.

“You still have a lot of places with cinderblock structures,” he adds. “That is the worst kind of structure you can build in a place with earthquakes. These concrete blocks are very stiff, and they do not have flexibility, so they can’t yield to seismic vibrations.”

The challenges are particularly daunting in rural areas. Given that federal dollars most often target metropolitan areas, people could be cut off from supplies for days. To help mitigate this threat, Memphis Light, Gas & Water was given a grant of $2.6 million to reduce the risk to its electrical grid from earthquakes.

“Disasters aren’t entirely a government issue,” Ghilarducci says. “If people live further out, they need to have something to be self-sufficient for a couple of days until help can reach them.”

The Frightening Rise Of Christian Persecution

The Frightening Rise Of Christian Persecution

http://thisistheendoftheworldasweknowit.com

There is a widely quoted statistic that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in the 19 centuries leading up to it. But as bad as the 20th century was, the 21st century is starting to make that look like a Sunday picnic. In every corner of the globe, Christians are being shot, burned, hanged, tortured and even stuffed into metal shipping containers. Christian clergy are being marked for assassination around the world, hundreds of churches are being burned to the ground along with scores of homes and businesses owned by Christians. Dozens of nations across the globe have now passed strict anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stifle the spread of Christianity. In the countries where Christians are not yet facing physical persecution, they still must deal with open discrimination, lawsuits and increasing ridicule. Christianity is now the most hated and most persecuted religion on the plant. The reality is that the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:18 ring truer today than ever: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."

Keep those words in mind as you read the following shocking reports of Christian persecution from all over the world....

China

Chinese authorities have conducted a crackdown on "illegal" Christian churches in recent months that church leaders are calling the harshest in years. Christians in China are required to worship in "churches" run by state-controlled organizations, and Christians who attempt to worship on their own are brutally persecuted.

Recently, hundreds of government police and hired thugs descended on a megachurch that served approximately 50,000 worshippers, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries. The co-pastors of the church are in prison and police vehicles remain parked on virtually every corner of the neighborhood where the church is located. Scenes such as this are regularly being repeated all over China as the Communist government seeks to eliminate all religion that is not government-sanctioned.

Eritrea

In a story that recently made headlines all over the world, thirty elderly women in Eritrea were arrested for simply praying together. But the truth is that this is just the latest episode in an ongoing persecution of Christians that is beyond brutal.

The Pakistan Christian TV website recently described the horrifc persecution of Christians in Eritrea this way....

Today some 3,000 Eritrean Christians are imprisoned for their faith. Some are in underground and solitary cells whilst some are in 'secret' prisons for the 'disappeared'. However, most are herded into unventilated shipping containers in the desert where dysentery and infectious diseases go untreated. Torture is routine.

The truth is that these unventilated shipping containers are extremely uncomfortable. The temperatures in these metal shipping containers can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in many instances Christians are not even let out of them to use the bathroom.

Assassinations Of Clergy

Increasingly, Christian clergy are being targeted for assassination all over the world. The following are just a few of the recent examples....

*A Russian priest that had been highly critical of Islam has been assassinated inside his own church.

*Leftist guerrillas in Colombia brutally executed a Christian pastor just outside his own home.

*Two masked members of the al-Shabaab Muslim militia shot and killed a Christian pastor in Somalia as he drove home from a worship service.

India

Persecution of Christians in India is getting so bad that India actually made International Christian Concern's Hall of Shame.

According to the ICC, 2008 was particularly bad, with "wave after wave of highly coordinated Hindu raids" that resulted in "the worst outbreak of anti-Christian violence in its recent history."

The statistics that the ICC quotes regarding the outbreak of persecution in India are sobering....

"In all, more than 100 Christians are confirmed dead, 4,000 homes have burned down, and over 50,000 Christians have fled their homes."

The following is just one example of what is going on in India. This story was originally posted by The Voice of the Martyrs....

----

On April 25, Pastor Mohan Babu and two other believers were severely beaten by 35 Hindu extremists for holding a Vacation Bible School (VBS) near Bangalore City, in Karnataka State. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, the three-day VBS was organized by Ragigudda Baptist Church. VOM sources said, "Around 60 children from different backgrounds were attending the VBS. As they were worshiping, about 35 people belonging to a Hindu extremist group forcefully entered the hut chanting slogans and demolished the hut. The extremists mercilessly beat Mohan, Samuel and Krishna, alleging forceful conversion. The perpetrators chased the children without any courtesy and tore the Bibles. Mohan was severely injured on his lips and was profusely bleeding. The believers are living in fear and did not lodge complaint with the police."

----

Egypt

Hundreds of Muslim villagers in southern Egypt recently burned and looted scores of Christian-owned shops. Christians in Egypt live in a constant state of fear and thousands are being forced to relocate. In fact, the forced deportation of Egyptian Christians from their homes by the government in order to "protect" them is rapidly increasing.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, of course, strictly forbids the conversion of any Muslim to Christianity. The penalty for conversion is death. Back in 2008, The daughter of a man who works for Saudi Arabia's religious police became a Christian after she joined an Internet chat group. He responded by cutting out her tongue and burning her to death.

The United Kingdom and Europe

All across Europe, "anti-proselytising" laws are being passed. Not only that, but other laws are being adopted that force Christians to deny their beliefs. For example, the U.K. government is being forced by the European Commission to eliminate exemptions that allow churches to refuse to employ homosexual staff.

North Korea

North Korea is one of the most brutally repressive governments in the history of mankind. Tonight more than 200,000 Christians will try to stay warm in horrific North Korean labor camps.

Christians there are considered little more than dogs as the following story from The Voice Of The Martyrs illustrates.....

----

The young brown-eyed girl looked up at her mother. What would she decide?

Earlier that morning, the young girl's mother, their pastor, and twenty-six others in her North Korean village of GokSan were bound and taken before a screaming crowd of Communists.

One of the guards ordered Pastor Kim and the other Christians, "Deny Christ, or you will die." The words chilled her. How could they ask her to deny Jesus? She knew in her heart he was real. They all quietly refused.

Then the Communist guard shouted directly at the adult Christians, "Deny Christ, or we will hang your children." The young girl looked up at her mother. She gripped her and knowing how much her mom loved her. her mother then leaned down. With confidence and peace she whispered, "Today, my love, I will see you in heaven."

All of the children were hanged.

The remaining believers were then brought out onto the pavement and forced to lie down in front of a huge steamroller. The Communists gave them one last chance. "Deny this Jesus or you will be crushed." The Christians had already given up their children; there was no turning back.

As the driver started the heavy piece of equipment, the singing from the villagers started softly. "More love, O Christ, to thee, more love to thee."

----

United States

Even with everything that has happened, the United States still offers Christians more freedom than virtually anywhere else on earth. But that is quickly changing as well. Christians in the U.S. just do not have the same level of freedom that they used to experience.

For example, school teachers in Florida say that they are being forced to hide in closets to pray after a controversial court ruling. All expressions of Christian faith are being ruthlessly pushed out of the public sphere by very powerful interest groups.

Calls for government repression of Christianity in the United States have grown louder than ever before. The Huffington Post even published a deeply disturbing article that calls evangelical Christianity the number one source of domestic terrorism in the United States and that calls on the Secret Service and the FBI to investigate and "infiltrate" pro-life and evangelical Christian groups.

Not only that, but many of the hottest best selling books in recent years have publicly mocked Christianity....

Just consider the titles of a few recent New York Times bestsellers.....

*"God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by journalist Christopher Hitchens.

*"The End of Faith" by atheist author Sam Harris.

*"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.

But this anti-Christian sentiment is just not held by a few elitists. The reality is that it has spread to much of the general population.

For example, the following are the titles of just a few anti-Christian threads on one of the most popular political discussion forums on the Internet....

“Dirty, Filthy, Christians”: Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History

How can we destroy Christians?

Christians should not participate in politics

Why Christians are so ******* lame...

Attention Heterosexuals! Repent! Jesus Can Finally Make You Gay!

Christian are sub-humans

The truth is that hatred for Christians and Christianity is rapidly increasing.

Jesus warned us that these days would come.

In Matthew 24:9, Jesus told us how the world will treat Christians in the end times....

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."

The times ahead of us are not referred to as "the Tribulation" for nothing. It will be an absolute bloodbath for Christians. The entire world system will be geared towards eliminating all traces of the true Christian faith. Members of the same family will even betray one another to the authorities.

The truth is that things are not going to get any easier for Christians from here on out. Someday soon there will be no place to hide from Christian persecution.

When that day arrives, what will you do?