Battle over Nigeria

Originally posted at Desk of Brian, DeskofBrian.com: http://sites.google.com/site/thedeskofbrian/state-of-the-nation/battleovernigeriarageson

CNN reports: 11 people were murdered Wednesday near Jos, a region of Nigeria that has been convulsed by violence between Muslims and Christians.

"Muslim herdsmen, some dressed in military uniforms, attacked a predominantly Christian village at about 1 a.m. Wednesday near the city of Jos, close to where a machete-wielding Muslim group killed hundreds in a mostly Christian town this month, said Choji Gyang, special adviser on religious affairs to the governor of the Nigerian state of Plateau."

Last week 500 more Christians were murdered as Muslims attempt to control Nigeria. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi says Nigeria should be divided in two to avoid more bloodshed.

A wave of killings south of Jos targeted defenseless Christian women and children as the battle between the Muslim north and the Christian south is leaving hundreds dead.

"The Nigerian government should ensure that the perpetrators of acts of violence are brought to justice under the rule of law, and that human rights are respected as order is restored," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

There has been a lot of destruction of houses and property and many people managed to flee," said Robin Waubo, a spokesman from the International Red Cross.

Bob Hoskins, Founder of Christian mission group OneHope claimed: "The goal of the Muslims, of course, is to establish sharia law in that whole region. And, they're being supported by people like Gaddafi who sends literally millions of dollars in."

"We're being encouraged by the government to go into the schools, to share our Biblical literacy program, and to share Christ with the children" Hoskins continued as OneHope has met resistance as workers have been beaten by radicals.

Hoskins' missionairies are boots on the ground reporting: "Our workers go into the villages, and there's so little available to them..." and that's were their outreach begins.

The Book of Hope and The Godman film are great outreach tools. Hoskins says the ministry tools are effective and as these young people turn to Christ, Hoskins says, "They start a study group under a tree somewhere," and that's how churches are established.

OneHope has a goal of distributing 1.2 million copies of the Book of Hope this year. They need your help. Hoskins says it doesn't take a large commitment to have a huge impact. "It's incredible to believe that for 33-cents we can engage a child with the Word of God that can change an entire community, and actually result in a church being started -- in an area where its 90 to 100-percent Muslims."

The region is embroiled in a battle between Christians and Muslims and the Nigerian government has done little to qwell the violence. With feuds over oil resources compounding this tension, I doubt we've seem the last of these mass murders.

Donate to OneHope here: http://onehope.net/pages/page.asp?page_id=61608

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/03/17/nigeria.violence/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nigeria-killings-spark-fears-of-wider-conflict-1918359.html

http://www.frostillustrated.com/full.php?sid=7196&current_edition=2010-03-17

Wasteful spending: Bees, Crabs oh boy

Read "State of the Nation" at www.DeskofBrian.com:
http://deskofbrian.com/2010/09/stimulus-wasteful-spending-bees-crabs-and-hillary-oh-my/

Previously on "Wasteful Spending" we examined nearly $1 million for research on ants to save 3.5 jobs.

The University of Hawaii collected $210,000 to study the learning patterns of honeybees (no mention of jobs) and $700,000 went to help crab fishermen in Oregon recover lost crab pots. See the press release below:

Recovering Crab Pots Lost At Sea ($700,000)

A $700,000 grant will pay for 48 people to help Oregon crabbers recover crab pots they have lost at sea. The two-year project expects to yield 2,000 lost pots a year. Oregon crabbers reportedly lose an estimated 15,000 crab pots a year. The effort will use 10 boats, planes, and a telephone hotline for people to phone in crab pot sightings. If all 4,000 pots are recovered as expected, the grantees will spend an average of $175 per crab pot, though John‘s Sporting Goods in nearby Everett, Washington sells new crab pots online for as little as $19.95. At that price, crabbers could purchase nearly ten times as many crab pots as this program is expected to reclaim.¹

Let's repeat that last line:

"At that price, crabbers could purchase nearly ten times as many crab pots as this program is expected to reclaim"

AND that money would go to a business which could hire more people and that would have required ZERO tax payer dollars. There is no mention of jobs created or saved by the crab pot recovery program.

950,000 ant research
210,000 honeybee research
700,000 crab pot recovery
5.97 million to Mark Penn (repayment of Hillary Clinton's campaign debts)

TOTAL = 7.83 million (only 3.5 jobs confirmed to be saved/created)

Isn't this fun class?



1. http://oregonbusinessreport.com/2009/12/senators-blast-oregon-for-stimulus-waste-projects/

Attacks on Pro-FOX Democrats: they say: FOX is most FAIR!

Bob Beckel, who worked for Bobby Kennedy, answered to critics during the "War against FOX" saying: "I talk to more persuadable voters in a month than anybody on MSNBC and CNN talks to in a year."

Liz Chadderdon openly discussed her gaffe in which she referred to Guantanamo Bay detainees as "victims" and immediately received complaints, up to and including death threats.

Why bother to be on FOX -- it's all about the ratings. FOX is #1 and beating CNN, MSNBC and CNBC combined.

"You know how I know nobody watches CNBC?" said Chadderdon. "I compared the pope to my 11th-grade algebra teacher, and nobody sent me a letter."

That was hysterical to me. Can you imagine if Rush Limbaugh made that comment.

Lanny Davis made the left very, VERY angry with a comment that FOX was the fairest in the treatment of Hillary Clinton and claiming the FOX bias is overstated.

Davis answered critics: "Is there a difference between Fox and MSNBC? You count the number of guests on Rachel [Maddow] and Keith [Olbermann] who are conservative Republicans. If you get to double digits, I’ll buy you dinner for each one."

Doug Schoen, who joined FOX Nation, stated this about FOX: "They are the most professional network of any I have dealt with. If you are a Democrat who wants to deliver mindless talking points on Fox, it's probably best to go to MSBNC and hope you get a chance to recite them. I think Fox encourages critical views of all sides, asks different kinds of questions and wants to have diversity of view."

Recent surveys have shown that a larger number of Democrats and Independents watch FOX compared to Republicans watching their competition.

The answer is even more simplistic: FOX isn't treating you like an idiot and analyzing news like a Saturday Night Live sketch (which CNN analyzed)

We all know there's bias and an agenda. Journalism in the traditional sense is dead and the 2008 election kicked in the last bit of dirt of their grave. No one wants to hear Chris Matthews talk about the tingling in his leg when Obama speak or sit through Olbermann bash big business while cashing his GE backed check from MSNBC.

Just like politicians, the media needs to stop treating us like nitwits. For now, FOX does a better job of that than their competition.





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The Pondering Prez & Illegal Drones?

I guarantee we will not hear or read much about the recent UN attack on America's unmanned drone attacks on terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the BBC report UN human rights investigator says America needs to "explain the legal basis" for these attacks.

For the article: Mr Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, told the BBC: "My concern is that these drones, these Predators, are being operated in a framework which may well violate international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The onus is really on the government of the United States to reveal more about the ways in which it makes sure that arbitrary executions, extrajudicial executions, are not in fact being carried out through the use of these weapons."

Sounds like language that was thrust at President Bush, so where's the coverage here in the States?

Nowhere and don't expect it.

The Obama administration has the press under control and the "War on FOX" had an amazing effect to CNN, MSNBC and others: don't throw mud on the White House or you won't get the interviews.

So while the President continues his month long pondering over additional troop support for his General in Afghanistan, a car bomb in Pakistan killed 90. Hillary Clinton's visit was marred by the blast and it was reported that her response was:

"I want you to know that this fight is not Pakistan's alone. So this is our struggle as well and we commend the Pakistani military for their courageous fight and we commit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani people in your fight for peace and security."

The UN that is critical of the US tactics garnered 6 casualties (and 9 injured)in Kabul as rockets attacked the hotel used as a UN safe house. Some eyewitness testimony was picked up by the BBC as Afghanistan is facing the most violent month to date.

Yes, October is the MOST VIOLENT MONTH since the war began in 2001 -- 55 US Troop deaths this month.

From the ABC News report:

"Meanwhile, the President continues to consult with his advisers and military leaders in reaching a decision on his Afghanistan policy. The President plans to meet with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen on Friday, as he approaches making a final judgment."

Our President "continues to consult", "contemplates", "coming closer to making a decision", "evaluate this process" on and on and on....

Secretary of State said we stand shoulder to shoulder to fight and UN says we are breaking International Law.

Quagmire?

It was easier to declare Swine Flu a national emergency than fight a war to win.

When I was young, probably too young for this analogy, my grandfather was waiting for me to get dressed to go sledding in the snow. I was bundled in layers and layers of clothes, struggling to snap the buttons on my giant parka.

"Are you going to piss or get off the pot?" he yelped from the front seat of the family station wagon.

Well Mr. President, you can keep adding layers of protection from advisers and the press, but at the end of all of this you need piss or get off of the pot.













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