Statue of Christ Erected in Syria… Syrian Christians Ask for Russian Passports… Syrian Rebels Destroy Muslim Historical Sites

Monastery of the Mother of God. Saidnaya (al-Tall District. Rif Dimashq Governorate) SYRIA

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Monastery of the Cherubim. Saidnaya (al-Tall District. Rif Dimashq Governorate) SYRIA

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An MP delegation from Russia and the Ukraine erected a monumental statue of Christ on top of the mountain near the Monastery of the Cherubim in the Syrian city of Saidnaya. The statue symbolises hope and peace. Today, the Moscow Theological Academy, which initiated the project, noted that this monument could become a symbol of the hope of all Christians that there’d be a quick termination of the bloodshed in Syria. One of the group said, “The figure of Christ giving a blessing is on the path of the historical pilgrimage route from Constantinople to Jerusalem, at a height of 2,100 metres. One can see the sculpture from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel“. The installation coincided with the Orthodox feastday of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Muslim feast of Kurban Bayram. One of the Russian delegation said, “During the three days when the work was under way, the warring parties suspended military operations in the area and watched the installation of the sculpture, which is called ‘I Came to Save the World’”. The placing of the monument was under the auspices of the Spiritual Heritage of St Paul the Apostle Foundation, known for its charitable projects in the Middle East.

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In a statement posted on its website on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) said that some 50,000 Syrian Christians plan to apply for Russian citizenship, as they fear that Western-backed terrorists seek to eliminate the ancient Christian presence in Syria. A group of Christians from the Kalamoun area near Damascus wrote in a letter to the MID, “As Syrian law allows dual citizenship, we’d like to apply for Russian citizenship, if it’s possible. This would be an honour to every Syrian Christian seeking to obtain it. Of the 50,000 people… doctors, engineers, lawyers, and businessmen… ready to put their signature to this appeal, not a one wants to flee their home. We have everything that we need, we aren’t begging for money”.

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After destroying and looting two Christian churches, Islamist rebels holding the northern Syrian town of ar-Raqqah destroyed a historic mosque built to commemorate the 8th-century Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. The insurgents suppressed local protests against the destruction with the use of live gunfire. The rebels who seized the town last March are members of the radical group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. They make no secret of their affiliation to al-Qaeda. In a related development, Syria rebels destroyed a statue of the Arab poet Abu Tammam (Habib ibn Aws Al-Ta’i) in Jasim in southern Syria.

16 October 2013

Voice of Russia World Service

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_10_16/Syria-Christians-erect-statue-of-Jesus-Christ-as-symbol-of-hope-and-peace-7536/

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_10_16/About-50-000-Syrian-Christians-to-apply-for-Russian-citizenship-Foreign-Ministry-0055/

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_10_04/Syrian-rebels-destroy-heritage-2111/

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Eid al-Adha Celebrations: Putin Lauds Tighter Ties Between State and Muslims in Holiday Speech

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President Vladimir Putin greeted Russian Muslims at the start of Eid al-Adha (a religious holiday better known in Russia as Kurban Bayram). In his Tuesday address, Putin said, “This holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca, is an integral part of a rich spiritual legacy that belongs to our multinational community. It has a profound moral sense and conveys joy; it reinforces people’s faith and spirituality. Islam is based on eternal values of compassion and justice, on mercy and love for your neighbour”. Putin said that he was glad to see Russian Muslims coming up with more initiatives in the cultural and educational spheres. He emphasised that the state paid much attention to beefing up ties with Russian Muslims by facilitating dialogue between them and other confessions.

15 October 2013

Voice of Russia World Service

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_10_15/Putin-lauds-tighter-ties-between-state-and-Muslim-community-in-holiday-speech-1712/#246568313

Editor’s Note:

You can stand with Vladimir Vladimirovich or you can stand with the usual cast of suspects who ape sectarian hatred of Muslims. I stand with VVP… proudly, without pretence, and without equivocation. God requires this of us… we must oppose the haters… we shouldn’t rest or relax our vigiliance until we drive them out or shut them up. That’s what REAL Christians do…

BMD

Senate Vote on Fiscal Deal Could Come Between 17.00-19.00 EDT

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VOR American correspondent Roman Mamonov reported, quoting a source, that the US Senate would vote on a fiscal deal between 17.00-19.00 EDT (14.00-16.00 PDT. 22.00-00.00 UTC. 01.00-03.00 17 October MSK. 08.00-10.00 AEDT), and that the House would vote between 20.00-22.00 EDT(17.00-19.00 PDT. 01.00-03.00 17 October UTC. 04.00-06.00 MSK. 11.00-13.00 AEDT).

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A Senate Democratic leadership aide stated that, later on Wednesday, the US Senate is expected to vote on legislation to increase the nation’s borrowing limit and fund government agencies. The aide said that the vote could come either in the late afternoon or in the early evening. Once the Senate passes the measure, a vote by the House of Representatives could quickly follow.

On Wednesday, the Club for Growth, an extremist rightwing advocacy group that backs lower government spending, urged the US Senate and House of Representatives to vote “no” on a bipartisan deal to raise the debt limit and end the federal shutdown. In a letter to Congress from Andy Roth, the group’s vice president of government affairs, the Club for Growth said the deal announced by Senate leaders appears to include no changes in entitlement programmes and no spending cuts. He wrote, “Our Congressional Scorecard for the 113th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public”.

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On Wednesday, the White House said that US President Barack Obama endorsed a Senate deal aimed at averting a US debt default, to end the government shutdown, so, he wants Congress to approve it swiftly. Spokesman Jay Carney, briefing reporters on Obama’s reaction to the bipartisan Senate deal that emerged on Capitol Hill, said that the agreement would reopen the government and remove the threat of a debt default. He said that the USA is close to the point where the Treasury can’t borrow new money to meet its debt obligations, which is why Congress needs to move fast.

Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives set a meeting for 15.00 EDT (12.00 PDT. 20.00 UTC. 23.00 MSK. 06.00 17 October AEDT) on Wednesday to brief their members about the Senate’s newly-minted bipartisan deal to raise the debt limit and end the government shutdown. The meeting is likely to be raucous since it doesn’t contain any response to demands by House Republicans to rollback President Obama’s healthcare overhaul. Regardless, later in the day, aides said that the House is expected to approve the measure with mostly Democratic votes.

16 October 2013

Voice of Russia World Service

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_10_16/Senate-vote-on-fiscal-deal-could-come-between-5-7-pm-ET-source-5061/

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_10_16/US-Senate-likely-to-vote-Wednesday-on-fiscal-deal-aide-5128/

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_10_16/Obama-ready-to-sign-bipartisan-deal-reached-in-Senate-White-House-2901/

Editor’s Note:

The Club for Growth can kiss my ass. Note well that they don’t put massive tax giveaways to the rich, pursuing fatcats who put their money into offshore tax shelters (like Wet Willy Romney), out-of-control DoD spending, or money for domestic spying and the TSA on the table. This shows that their true agenda is a government “of the rich, for the rich, and by the rich”. The rest of us can go to hell, literally, in their eyes. Don’t forget, sectarians believe that if you’re rich, God favours you… if you’re not, you’re not one of the “elect”, and you won’t go to Heaven, because God hates you. That’s their world. Thank you very much, I think I’ll pass on such a lunacy… I find it satanic.

Orthodox people should reflect on this… the Orthodox righties (Potapov, Paffhausen, Dreher, Webster, Reardon, Mattingly, Whiteford, Lyonyo, Gan, et al) support the godless plans of the Club for Growth… not the god-pleasing vision of HH, who sees government as an ally of Real Christianity. That’s your real-world choice… there isn’t any other on offer. Choose well… the fate of your immortal soul does depend on it!

BMD

“I Feel Betrayed”: Iraq War Vet Dr Tony Snow on US Government Shutdown

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On Tuesday, American veterans upset with the US government shutdown showed up to voice their displeasure at the World War II Memorial in DC. Thousands of veterans might not receive their disability benefits beginning 1 November. To get a better picture of the issue, VOR correspondent Crystal Park spoke to Dr Tony Rice, one of those who might be affected directly by the shutdown. Rice is a US Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom; he’s now a family physician practising in West Virginia. On Tuesday, he joined his fellow veterans in DC to send a message of compromise to Congress and the President.

Crystal Rice

You’re a practising physician; tell us a little bit about your thoughts on the Affordable Care Act, and about how it’s all come to be on Capitol Hill. Why did it practically shutdown our government?

Dr Tony Rice

I’m a great supporter of Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act. I believe that, anyway, our government can increase the ability of the American people to afford healthcare, short of completely taking over healthcare, as it’s done in many other industrialised nations in the world. It’s a good idea. Certainly, there are a lot of details in the law that I think not too many people understand, but the fact that many people will benefit, will have coverage for healthcare, for example, students in college that had previously not been eligible for healthcare under their parents after the age of 21 now have until age 26… that’s important because a lot of post-secondary students take longer than 4 years to complete their degrees now. That’s a known fact.

Park

Let’s go back to today. The demonstration collectively called the Military Coalition Unites to End the Government Shutdown… it’s a meeting of veterans from various different coalition groups deciding to meet in front of the World War II Memorial today. Can you tell us a little bit about the scene down there? How many were gathered? What exactly was the mood down there?

Rice

There was a lot of anger, to be honest. There were a lot of different sentiments that were being expressed regarding specifically the ongoing effects on the war memorials, specifically the World War II Memorial. I think the reason that that siting was chosen is obvious when you’re there, that the fountains that are normally running there aren’t running, they have barricades surrounding it and placards that declare that unless you’re there specifically expressing your First Amendment rights, you aren’t to be there.

Park

Where do you think the anger is being directed?

Rice

From what I’ve seen, from the different groups that were represented, I think it’s about evenly split between the President and the Congress. To me, that seems like an accurate way to place the blame on.

Park

As a military veteran, Dr Rice, you, along with your colleagues, served this country with great honour. The fact that our own Government isn’t able to serve you at this time, how do you feel about that?

Rice

I feel betrayed, to be honest.

16 October 2013

Voice of Russia World Service

http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_10_16/I-feel-betrayed-US-veteran-on-govt-shutdown-8179/

Editor’s Note:

“I feel betrayed”… the Tea Party’s a dead duck. They gambled… and they lost. Money can buy a lot of things… including votes… but you can’t buy cred or restore lost “face”. The Tea Party’s lost both. Except for amongst evangelical nutters and racist loons, it’s lost traction. I’m not crying any tears over that… and neither are many others. Sic transit gloria mundi…

BMD