Ynet reporter and commentator Ron Ben-Yishai continues his journey in Syria, attends Yom Kippur service at 'the last synagogue in Damascus'
Ron Ben-Yishai
SYRIA - As I walk along one of the alleys in the poorer district of the city, where the ancient houses tilt and threaten to crumble, I spot, sitting there against the wall, a young mustached man. When he saw me approaching he rose and moved forward to block my path.  
He was wearing civilian clothes, but the gun sticking out of the belt of his trousers was noticeable.
I explained to him in English-laced Arabic what I was seeking. You cannot, he answered. After a brief negotiation and the handing over of several bills, the plainclothes officer – or was he a member of the al-Mukhabarat (Syrian intelligence) – was content and walked over to a narrow alley between two houses.
Ten minutes later a short man of about 50 came towards me, wrapped in a Jewish prayer shawl. "What can I do for you," the Jewish man asked in French. I decided to avoid taking a risk and identified myself as a tourist, a geography professor. Albert Kamao mulled this over for a moment ...   more »

Earlier this week, Columbia University came under fire for extending a speaking invitation to Iran's radical president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Some wanted to know why the school would let a radical leader speak, but would banned the founder of a pro-border security group.
This type of double-standard is the subject for a new film called Indoctrinate U.
It's a documentary that explores the assault on free thought going on in college campuses across America.
The movie opens tonight at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Award-winning filmmaker Evan Coyne Maloney is the man behind Indocrinate U." He's been called "Michael Moore with integrity."
CBN News asked for his take on letting Iran's president speak at Columbia University . Watch the interview in the video player above.
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Dobson, others meet in Salt Lake City to plan options in presidential campaign
James Dobson
WASHINGTON – Some of the top leaders in Christian pro-family activism – including James Dobson of Focus on the Family – met in Salt Lake City yesterday to plot a strategy if Rudy Giuliani or another supporter of legalized abortion is nominated by the Republican Party as its presidential candidate.
Not only was there a consensus among activists to withhold support for the Republican nominee, there was even discussion about supporting the entry of a new candidate to challenge the frontrunners.
It's no secret that Dobson, founder of one of the largest Christian ministries in the country, has no use for Giuliani.
In June, he said: "I cannot, and will not, vote for Rudy Giuliani in 2008. It is an irrevocable decision. If given a Hobson's – Dobson's? – choice between him and Sens. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, I will either cast my ballot for an also-ran – or if worse comes to worst – not vote in a presidential election for the first time in my adult life. My conscience and my moral convictions will allow me to do nothing else."
Dobson reportedly ...   more »

WMR has learned from U.S. and foreign intelligence sources that the B-52 transporting six stealth AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missiles, each armed with a W-80-1 nuclear warhead, on August 30, were destined for the Middle East via Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
However, elements of the Air Force, supported by U.S. intelligence agency personnel, successfully revealed the ultimate destination of the nuclear weapons and the mission was aborted due to internal opposition within the Air Force and U.S. Intelligence Community.
Yesterday, the Washington Post attempted to explain away the fact that America's nuclear command and control system broke down in an unprecedented manner by reporting that it was the result of "security failures at multiple levels." It is now apparent that the command and control breakdown, reported as a BENT SPEAR incident to the Secretary of Defense and White House, was not the result of a command and control chain-of-command "failures" but the result of a revolt and push back by various echelons within the Air Force and intelligence agencies against a planned U.S. attack on Iran using nuclear and conventional
weapons.
The Washington Post story on BENT SPEAR may have actually been an effort in damage control by the ...   more »

by Robert Maginnis
The war drums are sounding louder in the Mideast and America could be drawn into the coming conflict.  The Bush administration can either ignore the warnings and abandon the region or engage the antagonists.  But America’s options and credibility are limited.
The US military is stretched perilously thin and America is not viewed as an honest broker by many.  But “We’re living under a volcano,” argues Mustata Alam, director of security studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai.  A study by his organization concludes that “an accidental war” that might escalate to include the US is “high.”
The US is ill-prepared militarily to participate in “an accidental war” if it requires ground forces beyond those already committed to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.  US military action to support Israel against potential antagonists Syria, Iran or Iran’s proxy Hezbollah (Party of God) would be limited to air and naval forces. Given the nature of the threat, however, that may be inadequate.
Syria is beating the loudest war drums and appears to be the geographical lynchpin to any near-term conflict with Israel.  Syrian President Bashar Assad says his military is preparing for that war.  “We have begun preparations ...   more »