By Joel C. Rosenberg - (WASHINGTON, D.C., August 15, 2007) -- Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu decisively won the chairmanship of the Likud Party on Tuesday. He's running far ahead in national polls, and now appears well positioned to be elected the next leader of Israel. That said, numerous obstacles still stand in his way. The media hates him, the left hates him, the right sometimes wonders if he has the "fire in the belly" to fight for Israel's security and to re-energize an increasingly exhausted Zionist movement, and the center remains wary of his mercurial leadership style. What's more, elections aren't scheduled until 2010. Bibi is riding high in the polls now, but will it last? Can Bibi come back? Honestly, it's too early to say, but given the leadership crisis facing Israel today (Olmert's approval ratings are at a dismal 8%) -- and the existential threats Israel faces from the combined forces of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, armed and aided by Russia -- I for one certainly hope so. Excerpts from Israeli election coverage. The Jerusalem Post: "Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu was reelected Likud chairman in Tuesday's party primary, defeating the two Likud activists who challenged him ...   more »

By Ofri Ilani ,  
Archeologists have discovered a footprint made by the sandal of a Roman soldier - one of the few such finds in the world - in a wall surrounding the Hellenistic-Roman city of Sussita, east of Lake Kinneret. The discovery of the print made by a hobnailed sandal, the kind used by the Roman legions during the time when Rome ruled the region, led to the presumption that legionnaires or former legionnaires participated in the construction of walls such as the one in which the footprint was found. "We know that urban construction projects in Israel were run by the cities themselves, and the Roman imperial system wasn't involved," said Professor Arthur Segal of Haifa University, who is heading the excavation.  
Last year, the archeologists found an inscription written by two Sussita residents when they finished their Roman military service, leading to the theory that the sandal print may also have been left by someone who was no longer serving in the Roman army. "It may be that the sandal owner whose markings we found was also not a soldier in active service, but a soldier who was released and still held onto his military equipment," said ...   more »

Herb Grubel-These are the words of a Canadian advocate for the creation of a new currency for North American
countries. His theories seem to lead the pack of similar philosophers and economists.In a foreword for Grubel's study on the prospect, Gordon Gibson characterizes the situation as such:
"Most fundamentally however, Mr. Grubel makes the sensible observation that "sovereignty is not
infinitely valuable." Every nation in the world, even the mighty United States, has traded off elements of sovereignty to multi-national associations such as the WTO, NAFTA, and the United
Nations. Canada has been in the forefront of encouraging every such development--a natural policy
for a middle power."
For a "middle power" whose economy is weak and exchange rate declining steadily, such a maneuver
may be in the best interest. This is not the case when the strongest economy in the world, the United
States of America, considers diluting its monetary system with Mexico, a third world, "developing" nation
and Canada, a second socialist nation on our two land borders.Further, U.S. sovereignty is, perhaps, our most precious facet, as defined in our Declaration of
Independence and Constitution. Our sovereignty is part of the formula that makes our Republic the most
unique ...   more »

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which has almost five million members in the US, took a step toward a partial boycott of Israeli goods at its 2007 Churchwide Assembly in Chicago last week. On Saturday, the assembly, the church's top legislative authority, passed a resolution calling to work toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urging investment in the Palestinian Authority. The assembly then urged "consideration of refusing to buy goods or invest in activities taking place in Israeli settlements, and a review of other economic options," according to Bishop Christopher Epting, the presiding bishop's deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations," according to the Episcopal Life Online Web site. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's own news service did not provide information on the content of that motion. According to the Pondering Pastor blog, Saturday's debate on the resolution picked "up with an amendment to call upon the ELCA to underscore the call for economic initiatives by this church and its members in the ['Peace not Walls'] campaign. Such initiatives, in consultation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land could include purchasing of products [from] Palestinian providers and exploration of the feasibility ...   more »

By: Devvy-Last week saw a bucking bronco ride in the stock market. The American people read headlines such as: Fed vows, then pumps massive funds to calm markets and Fed's $38 billion helps markets. I have written many columns the past several years as have hundreds of others warning of the coming financial tsunami. Far too many people scoffed at all the warnings, continued to rack up massive debt and pursued the American dream of owning their own home when their financial portfolio and credit history simply could not float the big boat they were taking out into the ocean. The first of the dominos began to teeter earlier in the week: Aug. 6 (Bloomberg) -- "American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. became the second-biggest residential lender to file for bankruptcy protection this year, adding to signs that late payments have spread to homeowners with good credit records." Dr. Edwin Vieira is arguably the foremost authority in this country on the central bank and the history of our monetary system. His monumental tomes, CrashMaker (fiction) and Pieces of Eight (non-fiction) are the quintessential teaching tools towards understanding this complex issue and making it understandable for average Americans like me. I bring ...   more »

US Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said he opposes creation of a Palestinian state at this time and would take a tough stand with Iran, including destroying its nuclear infrastructure "should all else fail." Outlining his foreign policy views in the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, Giuliani said "too much emphasis" has been placed on brokering negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians - an apparent swipe at President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who have been pushing both sides for final status negotiations despite Hamas's takeover of Gaza in June.
Which Assad do US presidential candidates believe?
In addition, US allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have been pressing the US to take a more active role in bringing about a settlement. "It is not in the interest of the United States, at a time when it is being threatened by Islamist terrorists, to assist the creation of another state that will support terrorism," the former New York City mayor said. "Palestinian statehood will have to be earned through sustained good governance, a clear commitment to fighting terrorism, and a willingness to live in peace with Israel," Giuliani said. "America's ...   more »

The Nation cover story denies Superhighway
Nevertheless acknowledges massive Texas project to accommodate NAFTA, WTO
In a cover story for the current Nation magazine, Christopher Hayes is the latest to join a growing list of those who deny a NAFTA Superhighway exists.
"There is no such thing as a proposed NAFTA Superhighway," Hayes declares.
The remainder of the article, however, shows how the Trans Texas Corridor under construction parallel to Interstate 35 is specifically designed to accommodate the steadily growing volume of NAFTA and World Trade Organization traffic pouring into Texas from China and the Far East through Mexican ports on the Pacific such as Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas.
Like Hayes, the the Dallas-based trade group North America's SuperCorridor Coalition, Inc., or NASCO, adamantly denies the superhighway.
(Story continues below)
But Hayes doesn't mention the NAFTA Superhighway Coalition, a trade group formed July 23, 1997, to promote continental highway development in conjunction with the Ambassador Bridge.
Hayes also does not refer to a study of I-35 conducted in 1998 by the Federal Highway Administration under the premise the interstate "carries a greater percentage of trade among the NAFTA partners than any other U.S. Interstate Highway."
The executive summary of the ...   more »

 A proposal by a Roman Catholic bishop in the Netherlands that people of all faiths refer to God as "Allah" is not sitting well with the Catholic community.Tiny Muskens, an outgoing bishop who is retiring in a few weeks from the southern diocese of Breda, said God doesn't care what he is called."Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn't we all say that from now on we will name God Allah? ... What does God care what we call him? It is our problem," Muskens told Dutch television."I'm sure his intentions are good but his theology needs a little fine-tuning," said Father Jonathan Morris, a Roman Catholic priest based in Rome. Morris, a news analyst for FOX News Channel, also called the idea impractical."Words and names mean things," Morris said. "Referring to God as Allah means something."Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group, backs the idea as a way to help interfaith understanding."It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God," Hooper told FOXNews.com. "I don't think the name is as important as the belief in God and following God's moral ...   more »