How soon we forget.
I believe the phrase is "Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it", which is merely a twisted and secular version of the more accurate Bible verse found in Ecclesiastes 1:9. I was thinking about both this morning.
There's something about that failed terrorist attack on Christmas Eve and the resulting focus on Yemen that has me thinking there might be more going on here than we're being told. Of course, that wouldn't be surprising, but as we begin 2010 on the cusp of the Tribulation I think this entire situation demands closer scrutiny as we not only keep a close, watchful eye on every related new development related to the saga, but also go back and prayerfully consider the recent geo-political history involving both the United States and Yemen.
The mainstream media continues to debate the Christmas Eve terrorist scare involving that young Nigerian national that links him to Yemen. Worse, the politicians and party strategists insist on using the incident to cast blame and point the finger (if not to drum up support for what they believe is the necessary response through the creation and implementation of stricter policies, laws, then maybe for an even more aggressive war in the Middle East).
Regardless of what you believe about that failed attempt (i.e. whether it was a legitimate attempt to carry out and act of terror, or an attempted "false flag" event that failed miserably), I want to call attention to something I find rather unusual about the whole sordid mess.
What I find odd about the whole thing is how, even despite the persistent conversation on the subject by the various talking heads, I have yet to see one news program, or one host and/or guest on the panel, reference the very first high profile act of terror linked to Yemen -- the USS Cole bombing in October 2000.
The USS Cole Bombing
The USS Cole bombing was a suicide attack against the U.S. Navy Destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed. The response from the U.S.? Do nothing.
Immediately after the attack, President Bill Clinton declared, "If, as it now appears, this was an act of terrorism, it was a despicable and cowardly act. We will find out who was responsible and hold them accountable". He did nothing of the sort.
Once the Bush Administration took over, Newsweek reported that six days after Bush took office, the FBI believed they had clear evidence tying the bombers to al-Qaeda. [Source] The Washington Post also reported that Vice President Dick Cheney was briefed on bin Laden's responsibility "without hedge". [Source] They did nothing in retaliation either.
According to then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, the decision not to respond militarily to the Cole bombing was President Bush's. She said he "made clear to us that he did not want to respond to al-Qaeda one attack at a time. He told me he was 'tired of swatting flies.'" The administration instead began work on a new strategy to eliminate al-Qaeda. [Source]
In Afghanistan, the bombing was a great victory for Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda camps filled with new recruits, and contributors from the Gulf States arrived with petrodollars. Both the Clinton Administration and the Bush Administration have been criticized for failing to respond militarily to the attack on the USS Cole before September 11, 2001.
Remember that this happened a little less than 1 year before that fateful day. The 9-11 Commission Report even cites one source who said in February 2001, "[bin Laden] complained frequently that the United States had not yet attacked [in response to the Cole]...Bin Laden wanted the United States to attack, and if it did not he would launch something bigger." [Source] In June 2001, an al-Qaeda recruitment video featuring bin Laden boasted about the attack and encouraged similar attacks so I guess that source was right in their assessment.
In fact, it wasn't until a full 2 years later (or a full 1 year after 9/11) when a response against Yemen was put into action. On November 3, 2002, the CIA fired a AGM-114 Hellfire Missile from a Predator UAV at a vehicle carrying Abu Ali al-Harithi, a suspected planner of the bombing plot. Also in the vehicle was Ahmed Hijazi, a U.S. citizen. Both were killed. This operation was carried out on Yemeni soil.
Two years later, on September 29, 2004, a Yemeni judge sentenced Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Jamal al-Badawi to death for their roles in the bombing. Al-Nashiri, is believed to be the operation's mastermind. There's a reason why I included a link with al-Nashiri's name and not any of the others who were involved in the Cole bombing. You'll see why a little later.
Again, no matter what you believe about the current "War on Terror" (i.e. whether it is a legitimate threat from terrorists, or a contrived threat from The-Powers-That-Be in order to fulfill their plans for the world on the march to a New World Order) I think the key point here is that what happened in Yemen in 2000 served as a pretext for what was to come. Could we be seeing a similar set-up this time around a full 10 years later?
If that's the case, we might want to also think about the strategic significance of that part of the globe and ask ourselves why our government/military complex is suddenly interested in setting-up-shop in Yemen.
The following video is almost 1 year old exactly, but despite its age, and despite the fact that it's filled with much speculation surrounding the news headlines from back then, there's enough truth contained in the 7-minute clip (especially when it recounts the historical and geo-political significance of Yemen and the Gulf of Aden) to make it worthy of mention today in this piece.
Gulf of Aden - The Coming Conflict?
Might we be witnessing the final pieces of the puzzle being put into place before a war breaks out between Iran-Israel (Psalm 83 War?) or the rest of the world perhaps (Gog-Magog War?) instead? at least, that was my thought when I first started watching this video before it transitioned into the Spiritual/Supernatural/Biblical possibilities.
If you're having any doubts about such a claim just ask yourself: Is it really a coincidence that from the moment the world's focus was placed on Yemen (and military operations began there) we began to read reports of the price of oil increasing? Today, it was reported that it is now up to $82 a barrel, continuing a 14% climb since mid-December!
A brief sidebar. I didn't intend to go this way when I first starting writing this, but I cannot write and publish this column without a quick comment on some of the theories offered in the above video.
Did you notice the mention of that "magnetic anomaly" around the 2:20 mark of the video clip? Here goes my "crazy mind" again, but after the whole "Norway Spiral" stuff just a few weeks back (and "Destroyer" stuff from just last week), I'm wondering (pure speculation mind you) if the two are somehow related?
After all, you gotta admit that it's strange how we go all this time without an attack (or even an attempted one on the magnitude of this one), and Yemen was also nowhere to be found in the same breath during discussions of the current terrorist threat (it was mainly Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey).
Then, a mere 3 weeks after the "Norway Spiral" event, we have a part of the world that harbors another unusual and unexplained phenomenon become front-and-center in the news as well as the sole focus of the major world powers.
As the video showed, that place on the map (and the "anomaly" connected with it) is even rumored to be a "stargate" or "portal" of some sort! There you go. More "spiritual convergence" for sure given the subject of entries here the past couple of weeks.
Naturally, all of this calls to mind the whole so-called "Alien/UFO" phenomenon and the idea of "Full Disclosure" happening in 2010 too. The clip does a nice job of documenting all the rumors associated with that part of the world, and leaves one wondering if that might be what's really going on here under the guise of "anti-terrorism".
Cripes! Before we casually dismiss the thought as being "insane" let's remember that it was only a couple of days ago when we began hearing about a mega-earthquake that even caused a tsunami on the Solomon Islands. Odd, huh? Again, that video is exactly 1 year old and I just happened to stumble upon it when looking for a news clip about the USS Cole bombing in 2000, and yet it seamlessly connects with all the other memes we've been following closely lately.
Let's return to the political and prophetically relevant aspects of this study, which is where we started things today. Three more oddities connected with that first terrorist attack implicating Yemen. They'll bring us full circle I think and suggest that we might be watching the first salvos in "The Next Great War" taking shape. It goes without saying to us students of Bible prophecy that if that's truly the case, then "The Next Great War" (whether regional and restricted to the Middle East, worldwide, or precipitated by some kind of unprecedented terrorist attack somewhere in the world with the use of WMDs) will undoubtedly thrust us smack dab into the prophesied Tribulation.
"ODDITY" NUMBER ONE
"Oddity" number one?
Even more surprising than the fact that the U.S. failed to response is the fact that on March 14, 2007, a federal judge in the United States, Robert Doumar, ruled that the Sudanese government was liable for the bombing -- not the Yemeni government. In 2009, a U.S. federal judge, Kimba Wood, released $13.4 million in frozen assets belonging to Sudan to be awarded to 33 spouses, parents, and children of the sailors killed in the attack. The money was awarded based on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002.
Hmmm, maybe that's what gave us the impetus to place U.S. forces in Sudan a few years back at the outset of the campaign in Iraq. A sort of, "You owe us this much for being complicit in that attack even if indirectly..." possibly? I don't know. I'm just asking out loud. If it was, then maybe that was always intended to be "Phase 1" and maybe why Yemen got a "free pass" so-to-speak in the aftermath of that USS Cole terrorist attack.
It would also explain the Bush Administration's inexcusable lack of a response to the genocide in Darfur during roughly the same period of time. You don't need to be a Christian to feel that way. Heck, any human being should've felt disgusted at this country's (and the world's) colossal lack of a response to what was being done to those poor people in that region.
Darfur: Genocide In Africa
(WARNING: Some graphic scenes)
Sudan has secretly worked with the CIA to spy on the insurgency in Iraq ever since, which is a sinister example of how the U.S. has continued to cooperate with the Sudanese regime even while condemning its suspected role in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur.
Yes, President Bush had denounced the killings in Sudan's western region as genocide, and he imposed sanctions on the government in Khartoum. Still, some critics say that his administration had soft-pedaled the sanctions to preserve its extensive intelligence collaboration with Sudan. I think it's clear that that's precisely what took place, isn't it?
"ODDITY" NUMBER TWO
"Oddity" number two?
Despite the high-profile nature of the event and the resulting criminal case against those deemed guilty, the world was treated to the incredibly suspicious news that Yemeni authorities allowed those who were incarcerated for their crimes to escape prison.
On February 3, 2006, 23 suspected or convicted al-Qaeda members escaped from jail in Yemen. This number included 13 who were convicted of the USS Cole bombings and the bombing of the French tanker Limburg in 2002. Among those who reportedly escaped was al-Badawi -- one of the two masterminds targeted by the U.S. in the aftermath of the attack.
It wasn't until October 2007 when al-Badawi surrendered to Yemeni authorities as part of an agreement with al-Qaeda terrorists. Following his surrender, Yemeni authorities again released him! This time, it was in return for a pledge not to engage in any violent or al-Qaeda-related activity, despite a $5 million reward for his capture.
It's so nice to know that we have friends we can rely on besides Israel in the Middle East, isn't it?
"ODDITY" NUMBER THREE
"Oddity" number three?
The man who was al-Badawi's buddy, or the second mastermind of the attack.
Remember when I stated earlier that there was a reason for including a link with one of the names of the terrorists responsible for the USS Cole Bombing? Specifically, it had to do with one of the two masterminds behind the plot -- al-Nashiri. Well, facts are a funny thing these days in this "Age of Deception" as you'll see.
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi Arabian citizen of Yemeni descent, had been held at the military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006. In June 2008, the United States charged Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri with planning and conducting the attack. The U.S. planned to seek the death penalty in his case too, and it appeared as though some justice was about to be served in the face of such sheer incompetence in the years since the attack.
Without warning the unthinkable happened. Incredibly, on February 5, 2009, the United States dropped all charges against al-Nashiri "without prejudice" to comply with President Obama's order to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay! [Source] But don't worry because the government reserves the right to file charges at a later date. Ok, well that's good I suppose.
As if that weren't bad enough, the Obama Administration then tried to spin this decision to their advantage. At the time, it was only 1 month since President Obama's Inauguration and so the mainstream media was still very much infatuated with him. They gave him the benefit of the doubt. Fortunately, the mom of one of the victims of that 2000 attack courageously stood up and demanded her voice be heard and the administration be exposed:
USS Cole Mother Denies Obama Meeting
Glenn Beck Shows That Obama Hates The USS Cole
Despite the fact that the President single-handedly alienated and angered those who voted him into office in just the first month on the job, there are surprisingly others like the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR) who believe he acted brilliantly in making that decision. [Source: Obama 'Stradling Debate' On Prosecuting 9/11 Prisoners]
WHY ALL OF THIS SHOULD MATTER TO US
My reasons for highlighting this glaring ommission today are two-fold.
First, I find it extremely offensive that I haven't heard a single mention about the USS Cole and the relationship to this present day situation (even from Fox News), and I've caught more than just a few shows where people were discussing this. It's like no one wants to use that 2000 attack as a platform to hold our government accountable this time by suggesting, "Hey, you better do things the right way this time so that we don't experience another 9/11 as a result like we did back then!"
Second, I find it highly ironic that one of President Obama's first acts as President was to make a symbolic gesture for political gain (because it doesn't change al-Nashiri's status; he's still in prison, but just without charges), and yet, here we are just 1 year later, and already it's come back to bite him in the you know what.
Sure, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has been the face of the latest attempted strike by terrorists upon this nation and its people, but can we really rule out the possibility that people like al-Badawi and/or al-Nashiri (their replacements on the ground in Yemen) are looking at this entire process and laughing in respons? I mean, what do they really have to worry about should they get caught alive?
Once again, we see clear evidence that what our current President is doing is having a significant impact on not only this nation, but the rest of the world. Slowly but surely his policy decisions are weakening this country and exposing us to new threats abroad and domestically. It's a classic portrayal of the teachings of Saul Alinsky and an exercise in "The Cloward-Piven Strategy" I'd say.
Even if his actions don't result in another major terrorist attack that will change the face of the world on the scale of 9/11, he's succeeding by implementing the Satanic agenda for "Order Out of Chaos" by fostering a culture of anger, criticism, fear, resentment, and political and social unrest amongst citizens by the very things he's doing (or not doing for that matter).
Plus, let's not forget that even though we're not all strapping underwear bombs to our crotches before boarding planes, we're still the ones our federal government distrusts and labels "terrorists" rather than those who actually commit such an act of premeditated violence.
In addition, and to be fair, he's only an extension of the previous Administration. That, my friends, is why I continue to bemoan the point that Democrats and Republicans -- these days it really doesn't matter any more -- because both are two sides to the same coin, and are committed to carrying out the interests of the ruling elite who want nothing else but total control in a New World Order (a.k.a. the prophesied One World Government system).
As mentioned several times in the past, I don't write about politics in this forum to takes sides or to continue to pit one side against the other. Having an eternal perspective of things I no longer view politics like I once did. I fully realize that Satan and his fallen remnant are the ones whispering in the ears of the leaders of this world. Of that I am certain. Having an eternal perspective of this life helps me place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and I can rest knowing that His plan is being fulfilled.
That reminds me. A few things need to be written about the Biblical connection to a story like this. You know, this case of "collective amnesia" reminds me of something we find in the Bible that's unrelated to the specifics of this story, but is something that serves as a powerful teaching tool to those of us with ears to hear and eyes to see.
Yes, this is the "Age of Anxiety" and no other generation has faced so many stresses and perils. The scenario the Bible predicted for the end times has been fulfilled before our eyes. As Paul predicted, "In the last days, perilous times will come..." Well, I'd say they are already here.
This is why we need to know how to enter God's promised rest by faith. There is an experience of inner peace and power that God has promised to ever believer in Jesus Christ. If we do not enter it, we not only will fall apart emotionally, but we will fail to attain God's purpose for our lives in this critical time of history. We need to learn how to "crack the faith barrier" and enter into a whole new realm of spiritual reality. A place that will enable you to deal with your anxieties brought on by the chaos and uncertainty in this world with God's power and not your own. A place that is free from worry and stress over every new headline. A place where the invisible God becomes a conscious reality; where the things hoped for are a present certainty.
I titled this post with the words "how soon we forget" and I think that points to another key illustration for us to consider from the Bible that applicable to any story that evokes thoughts of terrorism, war, death, and destruction. Specifically, it's our need to rest on the promises of our Heavenly Father by not only recalling His Word, but by recalling all the times He came through for us in the past.
As the Israelites moved farther into the wilderness, the Bible tells us in Exodus 16:2-3 that after all the Lord had done in their sight, and while he was visibly leading them, they came up with this incredible statement of unbelief. They had a selective memory much like this nation seems to have in regards to this latest terrorist threat and its connection to Yemen.
All of that is to simply conclude that I was left with the reminder that the Lord was seeking to get the Israelites to believe Him in "smaller matters" so that they could trust Him in the "giant crisis" to come.
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I believe the phrase is "Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it", which is merely a twisted and secular version of the more accurate Bible verse found in Ecclesiastes 1:9. I was thinking about both this morning.
There's something about that failed terrorist attack on Christmas Eve and the resulting focus on Yemen that has me thinking there might be more going on here than we're being told. Of course, that wouldn't be surprising, but as we begin 2010 on the cusp of the Tribulation I think this entire situation demands closer scrutiny as we not only keep a close, watchful eye on every related new development related to the saga, but also go back and prayerfully consider the recent geo-political history involving both the United States and Yemen.
The mainstream media continues to debate the Christmas Eve terrorist scare involving that young Nigerian national that links him to Yemen. Worse, the politicians and party strategists insist on using the incident to cast blame and point the finger (if not to drum up support for what they believe is the necessary response through the creation and implementation of stricter policies, laws, then maybe for an even more aggressive war in the Middle East).
Regardless of what you believe about that failed attempt (i.e. whether it was a legitimate attempt to carry out and act of terror, or an attempted "false flag" event that failed miserably), I want to call attention to something I find rather unusual about the whole sordid mess.
What I find odd about the whole thing is how, even despite the persistent conversation on the subject by the various talking heads, I have yet to see one news program, or one host and/or guest on the panel, reference the very first high profile act of terror linked to Yemen -- the USS Cole bombing in October 2000.
The USS Cole Bombing
The USS Cole bombing was a suicide attack against the U.S. Navy Destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed. The response from the U.S.? Do nothing.
Immediately after the attack, President Bill Clinton declared, "If, as it now appears, this was an act of terrorism, it was a despicable and cowardly act. We will find out who was responsible and hold them accountable". He did nothing of the sort.
Once the Bush Administration took over, Newsweek reported that six days after Bush took office, the FBI believed they had clear evidence tying the bombers to al-Qaeda. [Source] The Washington Post also reported that Vice President Dick Cheney was briefed on bin Laden's responsibility "without hedge". [Source] They did nothing in retaliation either.
According to then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, the decision not to respond militarily to the Cole bombing was President Bush's. She said he "made clear to us that he did not want to respond to al-Qaeda one attack at a time. He told me he was 'tired of swatting flies.'" The administration instead began work on a new strategy to eliminate al-Qaeda. [Source]
In Afghanistan, the bombing was a great victory for Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda camps filled with new recruits, and contributors from the Gulf States arrived with petrodollars. Both the Clinton Administration and the Bush Administration have been criticized for failing to respond militarily to the attack on the USS Cole before September 11, 2001.
Remember that this happened a little less than 1 year before that fateful day. The 9-11 Commission Report even cites one source who said in February 2001, "[bin Laden] complained frequently that the United States had not yet attacked [in response to the Cole]...Bin Laden wanted the United States to attack, and if it did not he would launch something bigger." [Source] In June 2001, an al-Qaeda recruitment video featuring bin Laden boasted about the attack and encouraged similar attacks so I guess that source was right in their assessment.
In fact, it wasn't until a full 2 years later (or a full 1 year after 9/11) when a response against Yemen was put into action. On November 3, 2002, the CIA fired a AGM-114 Hellfire Missile from a Predator UAV at a vehicle carrying Abu Ali al-Harithi, a suspected planner of the bombing plot. Also in the vehicle was Ahmed Hijazi, a U.S. citizen. Both were killed. This operation was carried out on Yemeni soil.
Two years later, on September 29, 2004, a Yemeni judge sentenced Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Jamal al-Badawi to death for their roles in the bombing. Al-Nashiri, is believed to be the operation's mastermind. There's a reason why I included a link with al-Nashiri's name and not any of the others who were involved in the Cole bombing. You'll see why a little later.
Again, no matter what you believe about the current "War on Terror" (i.e. whether it is a legitimate threat from terrorists, or a contrived threat from The-Powers-That-Be in order to fulfill their plans for the world on the march to a New World Order) I think the key point here is that what happened in Yemen in 2000 served as a pretext for what was to come. Could we be seeing a similar set-up this time around a full 10 years later?
If that's the case, we might want to also think about the strategic significance of that part of the globe and ask ourselves why our government/military complex is suddenly interested in setting-up-shop in Yemen.
The following video is almost 1 year old exactly, but despite its age, and despite the fact that it's filled with much speculation surrounding the news headlines from back then, there's enough truth contained in the 7-minute clip (especially when it recounts the historical and geo-political significance of Yemen and the Gulf of Aden) to make it worthy of mention today in this piece.
Gulf of Aden - The Coming Conflict?
Might we be witnessing the final pieces of the puzzle being put into place before a war breaks out between Iran-Israel (Psalm 83 War?) or the rest of the world perhaps (Gog-Magog War?) instead? at least, that was my thought when I first started watching this video before it transitioned into the Spiritual/Supernatural/Biblical possibilities.
If you're having any doubts about such a claim just ask yourself: Is it really a coincidence that from the moment the world's focus was placed on Yemen (and military operations began there) we began to read reports of the price of oil increasing? Today, it was reported that it is now up to $82 a barrel, continuing a 14% climb since mid-December!
A brief sidebar. I didn't intend to go this way when I first starting writing this, but I cannot write and publish this column without a quick comment on some of the theories offered in the above video.
Did you notice the mention of that "magnetic anomaly" around the 2:20 mark of the video clip? Here goes my "crazy mind" again, but after the whole "Norway Spiral" stuff just a few weeks back (and "Destroyer" stuff from just last week), I'm wondering (pure speculation mind you) if the two are somehow related?
After all, you gotta admit that it's strange how we go all this time without an attack (or even an attempted one on the magnitude of this one), and Yemen was also nowhere to be found in the same breath during discussions of the current terrorist threat (it was mainly Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey).
Then, a mere 3 weeks after the "Norway Spiral" event, we have a part of the world that harbors another unusual and unexplained phenomenon become front-and-center in the news as well as the sole focus of the major world powers.
As the video showed, that place on the map (and the "anomaly" connected with it) is even rumored to be a "stargate" or "portal" of some sort! There you go. More "spiritual convergence" for sure given the subject of entries here the past couple of weeks.
Naturally, all of this calls to mind the whole so-called "Alien/UFO" phenomenon and the idea of "Full Disclosure" happening in 2010 too. The clip does a nice job of documenting all the rumors associated with that part of the world, and leaves one wondering if that might be what's really going on here under the guise of "anti-terrorism".
Cripes! Before we casually dismiss the thought as being "insane" let's remember that it was only a couple of days ago when we began hearing about a mega-earthquake that even caused a tsunami on the Solomon Islands. Odd, huh? Again, that video is exactly 1 year old and I just happened to stumble upon it when looking for a news clip about the USS Cole bombing in 2000, and yet it seamlessly connects with all the other memes we've been following closely lately.
Let's return to the political and prophetically relevant aspects of this study, which is where we started things today. Three more oddities connected with that first terrorist attack implicating Yemen. They'll bring us full circle I think and suggest that we might be watching the first salvos in "The Next Great War" taking shape. It goes without saying to us students of Bible prophecy that if that's truly the case, then "The Next Great War" (whether regional and restricted to the Middle East, worldwide, or precipitated by some kind of unprecedented terrorist attack somewhere in the world with the use of WMDs) will undoubtedly thrust us smack dab into the prophesied Tribulation.
"ODDITY" NUMBER ONE
"Oddity" number one?
Even more surprising than the fact that the U.S. failed to response is the fact that on March 14, 2007, a federal judge in the United States, Robert Doumar, ruled that the Sudanese government was liable for the bombing -- not the Yemeni government. In 2009, a U.S. federal judge, Kimba Wood, released $13.4 million in frozen assets belonging to Sudan to be awarded to 33 spouses, parents, and children of the sailors killed in the attack. The money was awarded based on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002.
Hmmm, maybe that's what gave us the impetus to place U.S. forces in Sudan a few years back at the outset of the campaign in Iraq. A sort of, "You owe us this much for being complicit in that attack even if indirectly..." possibly? I don't know. I'm just asking out loud. If it was, then maybe that was always intended to be "Phase 1" and maybe why Yemen got a "free pass" so-to-speak in the aftermath of that USS Cole terrorist attack.
It would also explain the Bush Administration's inexcusable lack of a response to the genocide in Darfur during roughly the same period of time. You don't need to be a Christian to feel that way. Heck, any human being should've felt disgusted at this country's (and the world's) colossal lack of a response to what was being done to those poor people in that region.
Darfur: Genocide In Africa
(WARNING: Some graphic scenes)
Sudan has secretly worked with the CIA to spy on the insurgency in Iraq ever since, which is a sinister example of how the U.S. has continued to cooperate with the Sudanese regime even while condemning its suspected role in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur.
Yes, President Bush had denounced the killings in Sudan's western region as genocide, and he imposed sanctions on the government in Khartoum. Still, some critics say that his administration had soft-pedaled the sanctions to preserve its extensive intelligence collaboration with Sudan. I think it's clear that that's precisely what took place, isn't it?
"ODDITY" NUMBER TWO
"Oddity" number two?
Despite the high-profile nature of the event and the resulting criminal case against those deemed guilty, the world was treated to the incredibly suspicious news that Yemeni authorities allowed those who were incarcerated for their crimes to escape prison.
On February 3, 2006, 23 suspected or convicted al-Qaeda members escaped from jail in Yemen. This number included 13 who were convicted of the USS Cole bombings and the bombing of the French tanker Limburg in 2002. Among those who reportedly escaped was al-Badawi -- one of the two masterminds targeted by the U.S. in the aftermath of the attack.
It wasn't until October 2007 when al-Badawi surrendered to Yemeni authorities as part of an agreement with al-Qaeda terrorists. Following his surrender, Yemeni authorities again released him! This time, it was in return for a pledge not to engage in any violent or al-Qaeda-related activity, despite a $5 million reward for his capture.
It's so nice to know that we have friends we can rely on besides Israel in the Middle East, isn't it?
"ODDITY" NUMBER THREE
"Oddity" number three?
The man who was al-Badawi's buddy, or the second mastermind of the attack.
Remember when I stated earlier that there was a reason for including a link with one of the names of the terrorists responsible for the USS Cole Bombing? Specifically, it had to do with one of the two masterminds behind the plot -- al-Nashiri. Well, facts are a funny thing these days in this "Age of Deception" as you'll see.
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi Arabian citizen of Yemeni descent, had been held at the military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006. In June 2008, the United States charged Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri with planning and conducting the attack. The U.S. planned to seek the death penalty in his case too, and it appeared as though some justice was about to be served in the face of such sheer incompetence in the years since the attack.
Without warning the unthinkable happened. Incredibly, on February 5, 2009, the United States dropped all charges against al-Nashiri "without prejudice" to comply with President Obama's order to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay! [Source] But don't worry because the government reserves the right to file charges at a later date. Ok, well that's good I suppose.
As if that weren't bad enough, the Obama Administration then tried to spin this decision to their advantage. At the time, it was only 1 month since President Obama's Inauguration and so the mainstream media was still very much infatuated with him. They gave him the benefit of the doubt. Fortunately, the mom of one of the victims of that 2000 attack courageously stood up and demanded her voice be heard and the administration be exposed:
USS Cole Mother Denies Obama Meeting
Glenn Beck Shows That Obama Hates The USS Cole
Despite the fact that the President single-handedly alienated and angered those who voted him into office in just the first month on the job, there are surprisingly others like the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR) who believe he acted brilliantly in making that decision. [Source: Obama 'Stradling Debate' On Prosecuting 9/11 Prisoners]
WHY ALL OF THIS SHOULD MATTER TO US
My reasons for highlighting this glaring ommission today are two-fold.
First, I find it extremely offensive that I haven't heard a single mention about the USS Cole and the relationship to this present day situation (even from Fox News), and I've caught more than just a few shows where people were discussing this. It's like no one wants to use that 2000 attack as a platform to hold our government accountable this time by suggesting, "Hey, you better do things the right way this time so that we don't experience another 9/11 as a result like we did back then!"
Second, I find it highly ironic that one of President Obama's first acts as President was to make a symbolic gesture for political gain (because it doesn't change al-Nashiri's status; he's still in prison, but just without charges), and yet, here we are just 1 year later, and already it's come back to bite him in the you know what.
Sure, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has been the face of the latest attempted strike by terrorists upon this nation and its people, but can we really rule out the possibility that people like al-Badawi and/or al-Nashiri (their replacements on the ground in Yemen) are looking at this entire process and laughing in respons? I mean, what do they really have to worry about should they get caught alive?
Once again, we see clear evidence that what our current President is doing is having a significant impact on not only this nation, but the rest of the world. Slowly but surely his policy decisions are weakening this country and exposing us to new threats abroad and domestically. It's a classic portrayal of the teachings of Saul Alinsky and an exercise in "The Cloward-Piven Strategy" I'd say.
Even if his actions don't result in another major terrorist attack that will change the face of the world on the scale of 9/11, he's succeeding by implementing the Satanic agenda for "Order Out of Chaos" by fostering a culture of anger, criticism, fear, resentment, and political and social unrest amongst citizens by the very things he's doing (or not doing for that matter).
Plus, let's not forget that even though we're not all strapping underwear bombs to our crotches before boarding planes, we're still the ones our federal government distrusts and labels "terrorists" rather than those who actually commit such an act of premeditated violence.
In addition, and to be fair, he's only an extension of the previous Administration. That, my friends, is why I continue to bemoan the point that Democrats and Republicans -- these days it really doesn't matter any more -- because both are two sides to the same coin, and are committed to carrying out the interests of the ruling elite who want nothing else but total control in a New World Order (a.k.a. the prophesied One World Government system).
As mentioned several times in the past, I don't write about politics in this forum to takes sides or to continue to pit one side against the other. Having an eternal perspective of things I no longer view politics like I once did. I fully realize that Satan and his fallen remnant are the ones whispering in the ears of the leaders of this world. Of that I am certain. Having an eternal perspective of this life helps me place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and I can rest knowing that His plan is being fulfilled.
That reminds me. A few things need to be written about the Biblical connection to a story like this. You know, this case of "collective amnesia" reminds me of something we find in the Bible that's unrelated to the specifics of this story, but is something that serves as a powerful teaching tool to those of us with ears to hear and eyes to see.
Yes, this is the "Age of Anxiety" and no other generation has faced so many stresses and perils. The scenario the Bible predicted for the end times has been fulfilled before our eyes. As Paul predicted, "In the last days, perilous times will come..." Well, I'd say they are already here.
This is why we need to know how to enter God's promised rest by faith. There is an experience of inner peace and power that God has promised to ever believer in Jesus Christ. If we do not enter it, we not only will fall apart emotionally, but we will fail to attain God's purpose for our lives in this critical time of history. We need to learn how to "crack the faith barrier" and enter into a whole new realm of spiritual reality. A place that will enable you to deal with your anxieties brought on by the chaos and uncertainty in this world with God's power and not your own. A place that is free from worry and stress over every new headline. A place where the invisible God becomes a conscious reality; where the things hoped for are a present certainty.
I titled this post with the words "how soon we forget" and I think that points to another key illustration for us to consider from the Bible that applicable to any story that evokes thoughts of terrorism, war, death, and destruction. Specifically, it's our need to rest on the promises of our Heavenly Father by not only recalling His Word, but by recalling all the times He came through for us in the past.
As the Israelites moved farther into the wilderness, the Bible tells us in Exodus 16:2-3 that after all the Lord had done in their sight, and while he was visibly leading them, they came up with this incredible statement of unbelief. They had a selective memory much like this nation seems to have in regards to this latest terrorist threat and its connection to Yemen.
All of that is to simply conclude that I was left with the reminder that the Lord was seeking to get the Israelites to believe Him in "smaller matters" so that they could trust Him in the "giant crisis" to come.
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13 Comments:
Hi Jeff! We were wondering Why Yemen, Why Now. We speculated that maybe there is "something" there that is wanted i.e. like some of the speculations about why Iraq was attacked to get "something".
And now this turns up. We have never heard of a Yemen, Colorado, Calgary, Ark of the Covenant connection before!!
This link is to the synopsis, but you can access the much longer original article.(Not Christian) This was totally surprising!!
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=164064
Something is very fishy.These are the last days!!
Maranatha!!!
In every area imaginable, as "The Crisis Creators" documents, Obama is busily engaged in undermining and destroying the nation's key institutions -- or as Obama himself euphemistically put it a few days before being elected president, "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America."
I read it here.
http://www.theobamafile.com/ObamaLatest.htm
Un-Freakin'-Believable
The State Department has awarded 1,011 special "diversity visas" allowing Yemeni nationals to immigrate to the United States since 2000, the year 17 U.S. sailors were killed when the USS Cole was attacked by terrorists in the Yemeni port of Aden.
The "diversity visas" are designed to encourage immigration from countries that do not otherwise send significant numbers of immigrants to the United States.
Winning applicants are selected at random by computer and sent a notification letter. They are given an interview date at the U.S. embassy or consulate in their country, and, if they pass the interview, are allowed to enter the United States as legal permanent residents.
We have a fifth column.
Why aren't persecuted Christians from Arab and communist countries being allowed asylumn?
very good jeff
this is exactly what needs to be said, JESUS CHRIST alone can protect us from all things if we have 100% faith in him!!!!!!!amen
john
HI Jeff,
Was reading through some papers today online and this popped up! made me laugh and I thought I'd send it to you;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1240978/Aliens-eat-fatties-Gym-sparks-outrage-new-advertising-campaign.html
It is everywhere!
One of my happiest times being a Christian is when I will be thinking about something, and then will soon hear about it again and again from other Christians...as a body, being on the same page.
Last night I watched "After Armageddon" on the History Channel. In it they discussed all the perils that would confront people after a dramatic attack of somekind that would take out the electricity, sanitation, etc. - and how people would go about surviving. It struck me while I was watching, how all of it was centered on self survival, and survival of ones family. Only one part showed how the father of this particular family, stopped to help someone in trouble -- and (GREAT) how later the person who had been helped, came back to help the father and his family. Anyway, the thoughts crossed my mind, that in "perilous times" shouldn't a Christians heart and mind be in a different place? A place you, JRed, described at the end of your post, of trusting GOD and helping those around us, rather than be selfishly concerned with only our own survival? Working together in the face of such severe problems?
Jesus said, "Love one another"
Anyway, thank you for your post, and for all your efforts to be a light in such dark times as these.
God bless
JRed said:
Hey, you better do things the right way this time so that we don't experience another 9/11 as a result like we did back then!"
Doesn't this lend itself to the possibility that 9/11 was a controlled, contrived event that was a means to a very diabolical end??? There are too many anomolies that beg this question.
Why have we done NOTHING about our open borders if our national security is such a top priority since 2001 and from that, why hasn't there been more terror attacks on this soil considering how open our borders have been???
There are no Bush, Obama, Democrat or Republian policies...all are working towards the same goal - the eradication of all national sovereignties and the creation of a One World Order.
The Bible tells us this will be so - it can't happen over night - it is a process that is almost complete - Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Wonder if anything could be gleaned from the "Wag the Dog" movie which used the then unheard of and for itents and purposes insignificant country of Yemen in the plotline of the movie.
I thought you would be interested in this article on viewzone.com about how the Ark of the Covenant may be in Yemen and how the new war on terror front may be linked with this discovery. The link for the page is http://www.viewzone.com/yemenasitis.html .
its almost midnight: since I read your post this morning, it didnt leave me alone.
I read the Aden-thing, dont know if its true; but the first what came up was 'beast out of the sea'.
Usually, a word means what it says. Thís beast is the same as Daniels 4th beast; and it is not the RomanEmpire - because 'it is different than the others', and it contáins the previous 3 already: what, if it was the 'alien empire'..?
The RomanEmpire belongs to 'the leopard'(Dan7)because its 1 of the 4 heads (greek;W-Roman;E-Roman; nazi-fascist..?)The little horn, AC, will come from this empire.
But this beast is different. It will 'subdue three kings'
( = spiritual demon-kings, who are representing religions),
now doesnt that sound like Pike's destroying of the Abrahamic (institutional) religions, aka GreatDeception..?
Rev.12 has a strange end: "and the dragon stood on the shore of the sea" . "the sea" is the same as Dan11 : '..his tents between the sea and the Beautiful land'( he = the west/vatican)
it is not the Mediterranean but the sea East. So - the shore of the sea: the Arabian peninsula? Yemen?
I feel that the 3 kings are this moment still fighting seperately to maintain their power( as factions), but I dont share your opinion; it is Esau who instigates fire everywhere. Sic.
Lone
- added -
than 'the fatal wound what was healed' could NEVER be what the Lord did: He crúshed it. It could mean the wound was caused by the testimony of the Witnesses; after their death, the 'people send gifts to eachother', so it healed, and thát is why the world runs after it..
consequently, the beast out the earth = the so-called GoldenAgeEmpire , on earth, as in the so-above-so-below scheme the first beast is in the heavenlies.
..isnt it ?
Lone
To Anonymous (comment 1). Thank you so much for that link (rumormillnews.com). That is undoubtedly one of the most interesting articles I have read in a long time. It helps to make sense of what is happening in that part of the world at this time. Surely these are the last days. We indeed need to be so close to our Lord and Saviour.
Jeff, we appreciate your work so very much. You have blessed us with your research and your insights.
Maranatha
Barbara in VA
This is kindof unrelated, but I was watching Glenn Beck the other day and he was interviewing some billionare who invented the egg carton. He has a cancer hospital.
Anyway, this 'billionaire' was basically plugging for money for the hospital. My thought is: look at the upper eshalon and see if they are panicking about the markets and what not. Milk here is now 3.48 a gallon at walmart.
Dee
dee
these people, the billionairs and the elite will never worry about things of our class! in thier minds they controll everything so why would they worry or panic about it???
also if this guy is a billioniar why is he begging from the downtroden and poor to support his namesake hospital??? the answer is in thier nature or spirit, these people believe they shouldn't pay for anything. that is for the surfs or slave class and they have been pretty darned effective at makeing it work that way!
look at corporate benevolence or charity? they give untill it hurts?
that is one of thier biggest illusions! you see what they realy do is raise the prices on the products they sell, and get you and me to pay for thier so called charity. then the fed. gov. lets them rite it off on thier taxes so in the end they pay almost zero in taxes, and you and I have to make it up by paying higher taxes!
what a scam haa???
through JESUS CHRIST I beg you dear FATHER in HEAVEN end the maddnes that are these people, and humble them at the feet of the MESSIA JESUS!!!!!!! amen
john
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