COG News: Emphasizing News of Interest to those Once in the Worldwide Church of God
"For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you" (I Corinthians 11:19).

* LCG News *  2005 Feast of Tabernacles Sites  * Listing of Living Church of God Congregations *Sunset Times for the U.S. *  News of Those Once Affiliated with the Global COG   * Prayer Requests * Official Living Church of God What's New? page.

Click Here for the COGwriter Home Page which has articles on various sabbatarian Churches of God (COGs) and articles supporting beliefs of the Philadelphia portion of the Church of God.

05/20/06 a.m. Barnabas Ministries reported last night:

God continues to bless BibleStudy.org's ministry and its effectiveness in reaching the world!

The site now serves 150 countries and year-to-date 814,000 people have accessed 2.4 million study materials. Of the countries drawn to the site, those ranked high in visitors include India (10th), Japan (12th) and China (26th).

While in total, I do not know the number of countries who have visited the COGwriter site, thus far in 2006, at least 120 countries have visited. China is 6th here, while India is 20th and Japan 22nd.

Last night, ICG's Mark Armstrong reported:

We’ve discovered that there is a problem with one of the DVD’s most of you received earlier this week entitled On Your Own by Mr. Stan Roberts.  It seems that some discs won’t load, and others are without sound.  Mr. Leon Cunningham (our eccentric but lovable soundman) told me he’d had trouble with his master machine on that recording, but felt certain that his backup machine had recorded a good copy.  Somehow, with all the work going through the duplicating room we’ve let a disc out that is defective.  I wanted to get the word out early so that some wouldn’t arrive at a service dependant on that particular disc for the main message.  If we can salvage that message and replace it we will. 

Both UCG and LCG had some issues when they went from VHS to DVDs as well.

05/19/06 a.m. From its last COE meeting, UCG reported:

Comments dealing with the spiritual health of the Church included:

The idea that UCG is not clear on its vision or mission has been a major issue for UCG since it formed. I have mentioned it several times in my article on the differences between LCG and UCG.

This morning, The Washington Post posted:

In Da Vinci's Code, A World of Distrust

"The Da Vinci Code," opening on movie screens around the world today, "has clearly touched something in the popular psyche," says Boris Johnston in London's Daily Telegraph.

Make that something in the global psyche.

In China, the Catholic Church's call for a boycott of the movie version of the book that has sold 50 million copies worldwide was a lead story in the People's Daily Online.

In the Philippines, opponents managed to get the film banned in the city of Manila and restricted to people over 18 years of age.

In France, the national Christian daily La Croix (in French) has a special section on the film urging Christians to dispute it "without polemics."

In the Middle East media, 14 percent of more than 15,000 respondents to an aljazeera.net online survey said "The Da Vinci Code" should be banned.

In South America, bishops from Argentina to Venezuela have denounced the film.

In South Africa, Gideon Niewoudt sees the entertainment industry engaged "in a frontal attack on Christianity, the Bible, and the persona of Jesus Christ."

Why do so many people care?

Boris Johnson, a conservative Member of the British Parliament, says DVC is a "howling hit" because "it resurrects the great unspoken doubt in the minds of all Christians that has existed ever since the doctrine of the Incarnation. It is about whether Christ can really be man and God at once."

No, Jesus could not be both fully God and fully human at the same time. Seems it is only those who are binitarian who properly understand this. If The Da Vinci Code, with its many inaccuracies actually gets many in the mainstream to open their Bibles and believe the Bible over tradition, then perhaps it will do more good than harm.

It is an error of logic that one can be both FULLY human and FULLY God, since the two terms are NOT FULLY COMPATIBLE. Nor is that what the Bible actually teaches. The FULLY human and FULLY God idea was essentially developed by those who accept the trinity as a means of eliminating from their fellowship, those who were unitarian. But while the unitarians (and The Da Vinci Code) are wrong about Christ's divinity, the trinitarian position is also wrong.

Those truly interested in the history, as well as scriptures, on this subject will want to read the article Binitarian View.

5/18/06 a.m. Today, I wish to make an announcement. I have made a major addition to the COGwriter website.

In the book, The Da Vinci Code, on page 341, it states something that I will start with, but add my own revised ending to in bold:

"There is an enormous difference between hypothetically discussing as alternate history of Christ...And presenting to the world thousands of documents as scientific evidence that..."

what passes for mainstream Christianity is not the Christianity of the Bible nor the Christianity practiced by the faithful in the first and second centuries.

For quite some time now, I have been working on putting together a major addition to the www.cogwriter.com page titled History of Early Christianity, which I will probably most commonly refer to as my Early Christianity page.

Because "Christianity" is the largest named religious category in the world, most overlook what Jesus was really teaching about its size.

Many seem to forget that Jesus said that the true Church would be small. And the actual number of believers few:

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:14).

I think that part of the problem that scholars and theologians have had when researching early Christianity is that they have had trouble considering that the true Church would be quite small today. Hence, they seem to overlook many of the changes that occurred doctrinally in the large churches or they tend to discount Christianity in its entirety.

Anyway, many of the doctrines held by the early church are discussed at The History of Early Christianity page.

I would like to thank those who I told about this page prior to this announcement for keeping this knowledge of this page to themselves as it really was not ready until today (and yes, like my other work, it is still a work-in-process).

05/17/06 a.m. Yesterday, WCG announced:

Easter in the church: At some point in the first two centuries, it became customary in the church to have a yearly celebration of the Lord’s death and resurrection called Pascha. It is the same word used for "Passover" in the Greek version of the Scriptures. Our Easter season has grown out of the old Pascha celebration. In time, the Pascha became observed throughout the church. Here is the history. By Paul Kroll. http://www.christianodyssey.org/easter/inchurch.htm

The article has a lot of problems, and glosses over the battle between true and false Christianity on this subject. But at least WCG admits that what they are celebrating IS NOT what Christians originally did (which was Passover, not Easter).

In the current issue of Vision, COGaic reported:

News of a handful of deaths from the flu wouldn’t usually cause so much as a ripple in today’s world—unless it turned out to be the strain known as the H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu. First recognized in 1997, the virus infected 18 people in Hong Kong, causing six deaths. Since late 2003 there have been 169 additional documented cases of the infection in humans, with 91 resulting in death. Hundreds of millions of birds—primarily poultry—have also died, either from the disease itself or through culling as a preventive measure.

So far the human cases of bird flu have been limited to China, Southeast Asia, Iraq and Turkey. Nearly every one of these people contracted the virus through direct contact with infected poultry. But scientists around the globe have warned that this virus could mutate into a strain that can be transmitted between people. Once that happens, the bird flu could spread around the world and become a pandemic within a matter of weeks: it would just take one or two infected people to board a plane headed for another continent.

The most likely way in which the virus would mutate would be if a human who had the normal flu contracted avian flu at the same time.  “If both viruses—the H5N1 bird flu virus and the normal flu virus—infect the same cell, that will allow the genetic material to be exchanged. The outcome would be a new hybrid virus that can be spread directly from human to human,” explains medical doctor Thomas Monath, who is the chief scientific officer at Acambis, a vaccine development company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Yesterday, Zenit (pro-Vatican source) reported:

ROME, MAY 16, 2006 (Zenit.org).- This week's release of the film "The Da Vinci Code" could turn out to be positive, says the head of a French weekly magazine.

"An opportunity has been given to us to show the true face of the Church," affirmed Philippe Oswald, editor in chief of Famille Chrétienne.

In this interview, Oswald shared his views about the Dan Brown novel and about the conclusions of a survey on the book's impact on the Church in France...

"The Da Vinci Code" is certainly a "thriller" full of twists. But its success is still strange, if one considers the number of implausibilities it accumulates, not only in regard to the Church but to history in general, including art history -- what it says about Leonardo da Vinci, supposedly affiliated to a "Priory of Sion," founded in fact by an illuminati in 1956, should make it lose all credibility.

Having said this, the enthusiasm is also explained by the masses' fondness for conspiracy theories and the growing challenge to religions, which also affects Christianity, and which is particularly addictive among the old prejudices against the Catholic Church, allegedly "totalitarian"...

The movie version of The Da Vinci Code is set to be released this Friday. I plan to discuss it in some detail over the next week or so.

05/16/06 a.m. In last night's COGUK (affiliated, I believe, with CGOM) newsletter, Steve Kieler reports:

MiniStudy No 12 The Law: Blessing or Burden? 

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30) Are the commandments and statutes of God a burden? Not too many people would argue with the boss if he told them to “take an extra hour off for lunch.” Yet, man refuses to rest on the Sabbath day. We refuse to tithe even though God promises great blessings for doing so. (Malachi 3:10) “Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Most people look at the commandments of God as a burden or restriction yet they are described as “The law of liberty.” (James 1:25) “But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”  

That phrase seems an oxymoron, but if we would all live by the “law,” we would all be truly free. (John 8:32) “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Related articles of interest may be:

Were the Ten Commandments in Effect Before Mount Sinai? Some have said not. This article provides biblical quotes to answer this important question.
Job and the Ten Commandments Was Job written prior to Mount Sinai? Did Job know about the ten commandments? This article provides biblical answers to those questions.
What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments? This article quotes what Jesus actually said about them (His words are in red).
Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross? Some have said so. This article provides some biblical quotes to answer this important question.
What Did Paul Actually Teach About the Ten Commandments? Many say Paul taught against the ten commandments. Is this true? This article quotes Paul with his words in green.
Are the Ten Commandment Still in Effect? This article quotes the ten commandments and combines some of the previous articles into one article about the ten commandments. The commandments are shown at Mount Sinai, before Mount Sinai, in the teachings of Jesus, after the crucifixion, and in the teachings of Paul. It addresses the most common "traditions of men" regarding them as well.
Were the Pharisees Condemned for Keeping the Law? Many believe that, but what does your Bible say? If they were not condemned for that, what were they condemned for?
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John's writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?

Last week, LCG reported

How Will Inflation Affect God’s People?  “How bad is inflation in Zimbabwe? [Does this matter to developed Israelite nations?]  Well, consider this: At a supermarket near the center of this tattered capital, toilet paper costs 417 Zimbabwean dollars. No, not per roll. This is the value of a single two-ply sheet. A roll costs 145,750 dollars, or $1.45 (US) at the official exchange rate. For untold numbers of Zimbabweans, toilet paper—and bread, margarine, meat or even the once-ubiquitous morning cup of tea—have become unimaginable luxuries. All are casualties of a yperinflation that is roaring toward 1,000 percent a year, a rate usually seen only in war zones” (InternationalHeraldTribune.com, May 5, 2006). Meanwhile, “the dollar is falling and doing so at a quickening pace. It’s falling against the euro, the Japanese yen, the Swiss franc, the British pound and even the Brazilian real…  And today, when a country’s trade deficit exceeds 5 percent of its GDP, it’s a major sign of real and present danger, according to the International Monetary Fund” (Money and Markets, May 8, 2006). Many economists are concerned about the potential for the fall of the U.S. dollar, unbridled printing of money, and subsequent rapid inflation. The situation in the U.S., and ultimately other Israelite descended nations, may not get as bad as it is in Zimbabwe, but what if it does? The Bible warns that “in the last days” highways will be desolate and the traveling man will cease—people will not be able to afford to travel and it will be unsafe to do so (Isa 33:8). God also warns about massive inflation—a quart/liter of wheat for a denarius, an entire day’s wages (Rev 6:6). Difficult times ARE ahead, but God promises physical protection and peace of mind for those who love Him and place Him FIRST in their lives (read Matt 6:25-34). We must develop deeper faith and draw near to God NOW, so that as the difficult times approach, He will be near to us (Psalm 73:26-28).

A related news story states:

Yesterday, in the clearest signal yet that this process has some official sanction, the Chinese authorities set the peg for the yuan below eight to the dollar for the first time. This was a nice example of Through the Looking Glass currency diplomacy. Last week the US Treasury annoyed some domestic critics when it declined to call China officially a currency man-ipulator for holding the yuan at an artificially low level. A few days later China duly manipulates its currency upwards. The timing suggests that a deal was done: if the United States had called China by the dreaded “M” word, face would almost certainly have prevented the Chinese from pushing the yuan higher. Confused? That’s what happens when currency market poker meets Confucian values.

But the fact that the US Treasury has got things right for once is not necessarily an indication that the apocalypse is upon us. Indeed, the dollar’s decline is a necessary condition for the reduction of the US current account deficit, now around 7 per cent of GDP. Economists vary in their estimates as to how much the currency needs to fall, but 25 per cent seems to a rough consensus. We can also reasonably assume that markets will overshoot, as they always do — so the dollar should be headed much lower in the next year or two...

The last time that the US adjusted down a large current account deficit through a falling dollar came in the second half of the 1980s. In 1985, the US was running a record current account deficit — 3 per cent of gross domestic product. In the following year the dollar fell by 25 per cent; by early 1988 it had dropped almost 40 per cent. The decline was enough to wipe out the US current account deficit by the early 1990s.

And what happened to the US economy? Soaring inflation? The average rate of consumer price inflation fell between mid-1985 and early 1988 — to just over 3 per cent from 3.5 per cent in 1985-86. Sky-high interest rates? Ten-year Treasury yields dropped from 10.5 per cent in June 1985 to just over 8 per cent by February 1988. And the economy enjoyed solid growth for the rest of the 1980s...http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13129-2181994,00.html

One sign that inflation is on the horizon is the price of gold. Here is one report:

GOLD TOPS $700, OIL EXCEEDS $71 ON IRAN NUCLEAR PLAN CONCERN
.
May 9 (Bloomberg) -- Gold jumped to $700 an ounce in New York for the first time since October 1980 and crude oil rose above $71 a barrel as tensions increased over Iran\'s nuclear- research program.  The near-term floor of prices is somewhere around $70 a barrel for oil, said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research in Winchester, Massachusetts.  There are people in the market who see prices around there as a buying opportunity.  Gold also gained on speculation central banks will sell their dollar reserves and buy gold. Some of China\'s economists are urging the country to quadruple its gold reserves to 2,500 tons from 600 tons, Reuters said, citing an official industry newspaper. China\'s reserves have remained stable since December 2002.  China wants to move away from U.S.-denominated assets, said John Licata, chief investment strategist at Blue Phoenix Inc., (an energy and precious-metals consulting company in New York).  This is good for gold as the dollar weakens.  http://www.bloomberg.com/

The price of gold has increased about 150 or so per ounce in the past month or so. This suggests a major decline in purchasing value of the dollar and even other currencies.

05/15/06 a.m. On Saturday, ACD's Brian Knowles reported:

Zoning Laws: A Weapon against the Church?
When I pastored two churches for the Worldwide Church of God in Oklahoma back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, I knew I lived in the “Bible Belt.” One of our members – a farmer – had been a Pentecostal before joining the WCG. He had been well-known for inviting evangelists to set up big tents on his farm to hold revival meetings. Then, no government official ever challenged the man’s right to hold such assemblies on his own property. Today, all that is changing.

In March of this year, Garland Simmons invited the Cowboy Church to begin meetings on his place on Horseshoe Bend Road in Bedford County, Virginia. Once the church was up and running, Simmons received a notice in the mail that the meetings were in violation of country zoning regulations. Not only was Simmons violating allowed property use (agricultural only), but he was also in violation of the county’s building code by allowing the church to meet in one of his agricultural buildings. Simmons was directed to obtain the necessary permits for the establishment of a religious assembly on his property. Permits for the establishment of a religious assembly? Does that not sound a sour note in your mind?

Simmons has retained an attorney to appeal the notices because he believes the zoning restrictions are actually an attempt by county government to authorize, or disallow, a church. Such regulations could, Simmons suspects, even lead to Christians being required to obtain permits for home Bible study meetings.

As one who has had church services in his house for the past ten years or so, this type of news always concerns me.

This morning, CEM's Ron Dart reported:

As some of you may know, we lost a few stations recently because of the determined, but misguided efforts of a self appointed cult watcher who doesn’t seem to realize that CEM can’t be a cult because we have no membership as such.

As time goes on, all who broadcast will face more and more restrictions--some from the government, some from media types, and some from misguided religious zealots.

05/14/06 a.m. AC and its development are once again back in the news:

The Pasadena Independent - May 11, 2006 

The Final Environmental Impact Report for the Westgate Pasadena project, also known as the East Campus of Ambassador College, is available for public review.

The document reflects public comments received in the winter months and will be approved or denied by the zoning hearing officer at a June 15 public hearing. An announcement of the hearing will be sent to residents and commercial property owners within 1,000 feet of the project site.

The proposed project site is almost 12 acres just east of the 710 freeway at Pasadena Avenue and Green Street. Sares-Regis, the project applicant, proposes to construct 820 residential units, with a mix of units for sale and for rent. Eighty-five of these would be inclusionary units for people of low or moderate income.   Source:  http://www.coremg.net/newspapers.php?paper=pasadenaindependent&storyid=2239

Yesterday, Norman Edwards reported:

The need to continue publishing Servants' News to us seems greater than ever. Many independent Sabbatarian ministries have ceased
functioning over the past few years. Since our Jan/Feb Servants' Newsissue, we have again received a number of interesting and informative
letters and articles. We hope to be able to print many of them. We also received over 200 changes of address and requests from dozens of
new readers.

We want Servant's News to not simply cover old "Church of God" issues, but to cover the most relevant subjects for Sabbatarian Christian
believers today. We hope that it will not simply inform, but stir believers to action.

I would like to stir believers into action, such as to realize that they should not be "independent". Norman Edwards has for a number of years been a signficant leader among those who claim to be leaderless.

He also reported:

Admittedly, most of our time has been spent maintaining the PABC campus, with much building maintenance, grounds maintenance, appliance
maintenance, real estate management and even eight court cases-four of which have been resolved in our favor and four more in progress. There
were disputes about who owns certain parcels of land and who was responsible for running the water and sewer system and other things. Developing an internal community government based upon Matthew 18 has also taken a significant amount of time, and has been put to practical
use. We hope to write more about this.

Actually, I have hoped that Norman Edwards' experiences have taught him some of the folly of non-hierarchical governance. And I am sure he has learned some of that through his past PABC troubles.

05/13/06 p.m. Yesterday, UCG posted the following from its COE meeting:

Edits to Statement on Third Tithe

Doctrine Committee chairman Leon Walker discussed with the Council suggested edits to the Church's official statement on third tithe. The edits were put forward to make it clearer that the United Church of God believes in and teaches the doctrine of third tithe. The suggested edits were approved unanimously by the Council.

The above represents a major change for UCG. Here is some of what UCG has said before about third tithe:

United: "2.1.18 We believe in tithing as a way of honoring God with our substance and as a means of serving Him in the preaching of the gospel, the care of the Church, attending the festivals and helping the needy" (CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, an INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION). "From Deuteronomy 14, we can identify two other purposes for tithing--attending God's festivals (Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 14:22-27) and caring for the poor and needy (verses 28-29). Since we believe in observing God's festivals and we believe in taking care of the poor and needy, we acknowledge the continuity of this practice...He has provided the perfect financial system, which takes care of the needs of His work, the personal need to attend His festivals, and the need to care for the poor" (Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God, an International Association. Booklet. 1998; pp:43-44).

"Therefore, the Council of Elders has resolved that where governments provide programs, the intent and purpose of which is to provide for the needs of those that the biblical third tithe was designed to assist, and that where such programs are funded by an annual rate of taxation greater than the biblical third tithe, members are not obligated to pay what amounts to an additional third tithe to the Church" (Third Tithe Policy. New Beginnings. November 4, 1996; p:4).

"Despite what national governments may do to help the disadvantaged, there will still be needs within the Church that national social programs do not address....Thus regular tithes and offerings, which would normally be devoted to preaching the gospel and providing for other aspects of the work, have been diverted to the Church Assistance Fund." (Church Assistance Fund Donations. New Beginnings. November 4, 1996; pp.4-5)

"Task Force Report – Member Assistance Greg Sargent presented an analysis of our member assistance situation, and some suggestions for future approaches. He reminded the Council of its 1996 resolution regarding members’ contributions to the assistance fund. As stated at that time, the Church acknowledges that government taxation in areas biblically identifiable as assistance to the needy amount to more than what God requires of His people through the third tithe administration first given to ancient Israel. As Mr. Sargent said: “Third tithe – where did it go? Uncle Sam took it. We must find it.” The Church has less income in this area than it uses for member assistance. Through the central administration of assistance funds (through the home office), a little more than $200,000 of member assistance is given from the operating fund, in addition to using the $469,000 in assistance donations received for this purpose. Additional shortfalls are experienced in local church accounts that administer assistance. There are, of course, legal guidelines to consider. A charitable purpose must be established for the donation. Aspects of member education and ministerial education are involved. Mr. Sargent suggested three action steps:
· Educating the ministry to effectively use Church assistance fund monies and government resources to which our members have contributed for the purpose of helping the needy.
· Educating present third tithe recipients in helping themselves.
· Educating the United Church of God membership in wise financial planning in order to avoid problems and enhance the work of God’s Church." (United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Sunday/Monday March 18-19, 2001).

"the Council discussed our assistance fund and the fact that this assistance fund is sometimes not sufficient to cover the requests we receive for financial help...In September 1996 the Council approved a statement on the use of the third tithe/assistance fund. Notice the following quote from the paper on 'Approved Statement on Third Tithe': “The Council of Elders has resolved that where governments provide programs, the intent and purpose of which, is to provide for the needs of those that the biblical third tithe was designed to assist and that where such programs are funded by an annual rate of taxation greater than the biblical third tithe, members are not obligated to pay what amounts to an additional third tithe to the Church.” ...To this end, there are three methods that can be used to implement this goal. · Better education about governmental resources...· Volunteer “good works” program...· Continued donations to the assistance fund. Even if the above programs are maximized, we still need to provide actual money for those in need of food, clothing and other basic necessities." (Holladay, Roy. Letter from the President March 13, 2003).

The last comments suggest to me that UCG's position that the government meets third tithe needs is and was disingenuous. It should also be of interest to any that care, that UCG did not get 3/4 of its eldership to agree to the third tithe change in 1996 or any of UCG's suggestions to handle it since (though budgets are approved). I am interested in seeing what UCG's COE meeting now has decided to do.

Third tithe has been one of the differences between LCG and UCG.

On the EU front were the following two stories:

In her first major EU policy speech since becoming German chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Europe needs a new reason for its existence, more in tune with everyday concerns of EU citizens.
Speaking before German parliament, Mrs Merkel on Thursday (11 May) said "I believe it is about, no more and no less, finding a new reason to add to the historical foundation of the European Union". 
http://euobserver.com/9/21571

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Finland's parliament on Friday (12 May) voted in favour of starting the process to ratify the EU Constitution.

The Nordic country which will take over the EU's six month rotating presidency from Austria on 1 July, is now expected to become the sixteenth state to ratify the charter. 

http://euobserver.com/9/21586

The EU is determined to become a major player in the world.

Last night, ICG's Mark Armstrong reported:

You may have seen that the Iranian president forwarded a letter to President Bush this week, in essence calling upon the U.S. to embrace Islam and “repent”.  Analysts have noted that Osama Bin Laden wrote a similar letter prior to the September 11 attacks, and that the Koran contains instructions that infidels should be forewarned and afforded an opportunity to embrace Islam before a major attack is instigated.  Ahmadinejad spoke out again this week declaring that Israel is an evil regime, and will “vanish one day.” He’s also saying Islam is prepared to rule the world!

While most may be aware of the above, as it was highly covered in the mainstream media, how many are aware of the following story?

WASHINGTON: Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in the next “month or two or three,” an Israeli official has been quoted here as saying.

The unnamed official told Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-in-chief of the United Press International (UPI), at the recently held national day reception at the Israeli Embassy that he believed Israel would strike Iran first in the next two or three months and that fighter bombers would not be involved as they had been to take out Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor before it went critical in 1981. For Osirak, Israel had used 14 F-15s and F-16s. This time, the Israeli said, it would be missiles. Asked if Israel would employ Cruise missiles, he replied, “with a gesture of his hand that went up and down again”, which meant that it would be the weapon of choice.

                      Source:  http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C05%5C09%5Cstory_9-5-2006_pg1_3

I do not know if Israel will strike Iran, but it would not be a big surprise if it does.

On other matters, it appears that our server was down again this morning. Although it claims to be up 99.9% of the time, this does not seem to be the case. Sorry for the inconvenience--it often affects what I do tremendously when it is down.

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Volume 10, issue 7 COG writer B. Thiel (c) 2006