August 17, 2015 SnyderTalk— Attention People of Faith: Here Come the Feds

1--Intro Covering Israel and ME

“For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My Name will be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My Name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My Name will be great among the Gentiles,” says Yahweh Sabaoth. (Malachi 1: 11)

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2--SnyderTalk Editorial 5 New Temple MT

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Attention People of Faith: Here Come the Feds

Todd Starnes wrote an interesting article titled “The Christian purge has begun: Chaplains banned from preaching that homosexuality is a sin”.  It may surprise you:

It wasn’t so much a choice as it was a demand.

Chaplain David Wells was told he could either sign a state-mandated document promising to never tell inmates that homosexuality is “sinful” or else the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice would revoke his credentials.

“We could not sign that paper,” Chaplain Wells told me in a telephone call from his home in Kentucky. “It broke my heart.”

The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice revoked his volunteer credentials as an ordained minister – ending 13 years of ministry to underage inmates at the Warren County Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

“We sincerely appreciate your years of service and dedication to the youth served by this facility,” wrote Superintendent Gene Wade in a letter to Wells. “However, due to your decision, based on your religious convictions, that you cannot comply with the requirements outlined in DJJ Policy 912, Section IV, Paragraph H, regarding the treatment of LGBTQI youth, I must terminate your involvement as a religious volunteer.”

Wells said that every volunteer in their church received the letter – as did a Baptist church in a nearby community.

The Kentucky regulation clearly states that volunteers working with juveniles “shall not refer to juveniles by using derogatory language in a manner that conveys bias towards or hatred of the LGBTQI community. DJJ staff, volunteers, interns and contractors shall not imply or tell LGBTQI juveniles that they are abnormal, deviant, sinful or that they can or should change their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

LGBTQI means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersexed.  Not so long ago, we were having trouble adjusting to LBGT.  Things have changed quickly, and there is more to come.

The law of the land now accommodates perversion by making it legal—not moral mind you, but legal.  That puts churches and synagogues on a collision course with the feds if preachers and rabbis tell their congregations the truth about homosexuality and other forms of immorality.  Some of them will stand their ground, but many of them won’t.  It’s easier and less expensive not to rock the boat.

Tax deductible contributions give the feds all the power they need to act because that money would have gone to the government.  Until now, government intervention in religion was just a theoretical possibility, but not anymore.

About a year ago, the city of Houston, Texas tried to do what I believe the feds are going to do:

The city of Houston has issued subpoenas demanding a group of pastors turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor. And those ministers who fail to comply could be held in contempt of court.

“The city’s subpoena of sermons and other pastoral communications is both needless and unprecedented,” Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Christina Holcomb said in a statement. “The city council and its attorneys are engaging in an inquisition designed to stifle any critique of its actions.”

ADF, a nationally-known law firm specializing in religious liberty cases, is representing five Houston pastors. They filed a motion in Harris County court to stop the subpoenas arguing they are “overbroad, unduly burdensome, harassing, and vexatious.”

That effort wasn’t successful.  Many people wrote it off as an example of attempted overreach by a power-hungry, lunatic mayor.  I think it’s an example of what’s in store for us—the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

There are two major differences between the Houston incident and what we can expect:

  1. The law has changed.
  2. The president and his agents in the IRS are involved.

By using the tax code, a president can order preachers and rabbis to avoid certain topics and focus on others.  Defying the president can be expensive and may result in jail time for those who fight back.

The president has authority in this matter because of tax deductible contributions, and presidents are like the Mayor of Houston in this regard: they are prone to overstep their bounds.  It won’t matter much whether they are right or wrong, whether they have overreached or not, because of the time and money that it takes to challenge a president.  It’s easier and less expensive to go with the flow, and that’s what many preachers and rabbis will do.

Truth is the president can keep his distance from this issue and protect himself politically by ordering the IRS to do the dirty work for him.  I suspect that’s what he will do.

Will the IRS obey him?  You bet they will.  The Lois Lerner case has taught us that much.  (See “DOJ: No contempt charges for former IRS official Lois Lerner” and “IT boss ‘blown away’ that IRS backup tapes in Lerner case erased, watchdog says”.)

Eventually, this problem will touch every church and synagogue in America that is a set up as a 501(C)(3) organization.

LGBTQI’s have an iron grip on the Democrat Party.  Thanks to Obama and the Supreme Court, their grip is stronger than ever.

The Democrat nominee for president in 2016 will campaign aggressively for more openness to LGBTQI demands, but there are other groups waiting in line for government protection and support.  For instance, there is the adult-child sex group and the man-boy sex group.  I’ve even heard about a group that believes beastiality should be legal.  All of them want the same “respectability” and acceptance afforded to the LGBTQI community.

I may sound like an alarmist, but I’m not.  I think it’s coming, probably sooner rather than later.

As believers, what should we do?

First, each one of us needs to get in line with Yahweh’s thinking.  That means we need to pray, have faith in Yahweh, and obey Him.  Reading the Bible is key.  Yahweh gave us His word so that we can know what He thinks and expects.  As the Messiah said,

“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16: 31)

Second, we need to be involved.  Involvement doesn’t mean just voting.  By the time voters go to the polls, most of the decisions have been made.  We need to be involved in the decision-making process at the very beginning.

Some of you should run for office.  Everyone needs to help Yahweh fearing men and women get elected, and all of us need to hold our elected officials accountable.

People of faith are humans.  They are susceptible to temptation, and many of them will succumb to it.  The best recent example of this is former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.  Right now, he’s trying to stay out of jail while he appeals his convictions for public corruption.

McDonnell was the darling of Virginia’s Christian community.  Now, he’s a disgraced former governor with a Christian moniker.  (See “Good Riddance: Indict Corrupt Politicians”.)

A tidal shift is taking place in the U.S.  It started a long time ago, but it’s picking up speed and support rapidly.  At this point, I don’t think things will change without Divine intervention.

That’s what I think we are going to get, but I don’t think it will be what most Christians expect or hope for.  I believe that we have gone too far and that Yahweh wants to teach us a lesson.

That may sound pessimistic, but I think it’s realistic.

This is my advice: pray for the best and prepare for the worst because that’s what I think is about to happen.

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13--Perspectives 2

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Caroline B. Glick: The anti-peace administration—The US has striven to achieve peaceable relations between the states of the Middle East for nearly 70 years. Yet today, US government is disparaging the burgeoning strategic ties between the Sunni Arab states and Israel. In a briefing to a delegation of visiting Israeli diplomatic correspondents in Washington last week, a senior Obama administration official sneered that the only noticeable shift in Israel-Arab relations in recent years is that the current Egyptian government has been coordinating security issues “more closely” with Jerusalem than the previous one did. “But we have yet to see that change materialize in the Gulf.” If this is how the US views the state of Israel’s relations with the Arabs, then Israel should consider canceling its intelligence cooperation with the US. Because apparently, the Americans haven’t a clue what is happening in the Middle East.

Caroline Glick: American Jewry’s fateful hour—American Jewry is being tested today as never before. The future of the community is tied up in the results of the test. If the Jews of America are able to mount a successful, forceful and sustained opposition to President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, which allows the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism to become a nuclear-armed state and provides it with $150 billion up front, then the community will survive politically to fight another day. If the communal leadership and its members fail to fight, American Jews will find themselves communally disenfranchised. On the face of it, there is no reason this fight should have been anything more than a hopeless – but relatively insignificant – ordeal. Given that all Obama needs to do to secure the implementation of his nuclear pact with the mullahs is secure the support of a one-third minority in one house of Congress, he might have been expected to go easy on his opponents since they have so little chance of defeating him.

SnyderTalk Comment: “Fateful hour” is not an exaggeration.  I wish that Israel had as much Jewish support in the U.S. as it has evangelical Christian support.  The fact that it doesn’t is shocking.

Orhan Coskun and Ercan Gurses: Turkish nationalists reject minority government in blow to Erdogan—Turkey’s nationalist opposition made clear on Friday it would not roll over and back a minority government, making President Tayyip Erdogan’s aim of taking the country to a snap election with the ruling party in control look increasingly difficult. Talks on forming a grand coalition between the AK Party and the main opposition CHP broke down on Thursday, making an autumn election almost inevitable and leaving the ruling party having to turn to the nationalist MHP for support. The uncertainty comes as the NATO member faces a confluence of national security threats, battling Islamic State insurgents on its borders and Kurdish militants at home. The lira currency hit a record low on Friday and stocks were little recovered after sharp falls the previous session. The AKP failed to hold onto its majority in an election on June 7, leaving it unable to govern alone for the first time since coming to power in 2002 and plunging Turkey into uncertainty not seen since the fragile coalitions of the 1990s.

SnyderTalk Comment: I hope this means that the Turkish people have had enough of Erdogan and his Islamist brothers.  I think it may, but I’m not holding my breath.  Time will tell.

To stop Hitler once he had his claws on the reins of power, it would have taken something more than political maneuvering to root him out or even slow him down.

Keep in mind that Erdogan has eviscerated the military leadership ranks.  In any country, he who controls the military is in a powerful position.

Next in line is the justice system.  Erdogan and his brothers have a grip on that, too, although it’s a weaker grip.

Today’s Zaman: Erdoğan says elected by nation, vows to use his authorities ‘to the end’—”I am saying clearly and precisely. They [critics] may be engaged in speculations over me. They should know that I am not a president who assumed post with an appointment. I came here with the votes of my nation. And I will use authorities granted me by the nation to the end. I also know my limits very well,” Erdoğan said on Saturday during a rally in the Black Sea town of Çayeli.

SnyderTalk Comment: Like Hitler, he won’t give up no matter what.  That strategy didn’t work for Hitler.

Micah Halpern: Egypt’s Foolish Lawsuit Against Israel Will Cost Them Many Shekels—Chutzpah, just plain Chutzpah! Egypt is suing Israel for compensation for their 1,000 shares of their “part ownership” of the world famous and luxurious King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The Egyptians hired two Israeli lawyers and have already submitted their claim in Jerusalem District Court for 5 million Israel shekels which is equal to about US$1.3 million. This is a massive mistake on the part of Egypt—and not just because they are suing for the relatively paltry sum. They are opening up a can of very ugly worms. From the time the Jewish state was created in 1948, through the mid 1960’s, approximately one million Jews sought refuge after escaping from Arab states and Iran. Many Jews who were exiled and forced out of their homes in the Arab world and in Iran escaped to Israel. In most cases, their property was nationalized—even before they left. That means that there is a direct link from those events, when the Arabs states confiscated Jewish private and communal property, including businesses and bank accounts and the Arab states of today. If Egypt sues the Jews of Israel that came from Arab lands it is only a matter of time before Israel and Israelis will sue, too.

Rick Shapiro: ISIS leader kept US hostage Kayla Mueller as sex slave, repeatedly raped her—The Islamic State’s barbaric boss treated American hostage Kayla Mueller as his personal sex slave before she died earlier this year, according to a report published Friday. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi repeatedly raped and tortured the 26-year-old Arizona aid worker while she was being held captive in Syria, counter-terrorism officials told ABC News. “We were told Kayla was tortured, that she was the property of al-Baghdadi,” Kayla’s parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, told ABC News. The shadowy Al-Baghdadi went so far as to personally delivered Mueller to the home of ISIS commander Abu Sayyaf, officials said. On multiple occasions, Al-Baghdadi returned to the house where Mueller was imprisoned to sexually assault her, the officials told ABC News.

SnyderTalk Comment: This is ISIS.  They are at war with us, and we are at war with them whether we admit it or not.  It’s time to stop pretending that we aren’t at war and get on with it.  The longer we wait, the harder it will be to get the job done.

By the way, U.S. recruits who are attracted to ISIS and try to get to them to join the fight or have sex with ISIS fighters are the enemy, too.  It’s time to tell the truth and hold people accountable.

I’ll repeat: we are at war.

Mohammed Daraghmeh: Leaked Documents Raise Anger over Palestinian Corruption—Documents leaked online detailing two attempts by Palestinian officials to misuse public funds have highlighted the corruption and mismanagement critics say remains rampant in the Palestinian government. One document, signed by Majdi al-Khaldi, a diplomatic adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, asked Bahrain’s foreign minister for $4 million to fund a private neighborhood complex for Palestinian officials in an upscale area of Ramallah in the West Bank. The other document by Nazmi Muhanna, general director of the Palestinian Crossing and Borders Authority, requested the government pay $15,000 for his daughter’s schooling as well as medical treatment for his family in Jordan. Azmi Shoabi, the head of Aman, a branch of the corruption watchdog Transparency International, said various public departments have become “private kingdoms” for some officials.

New York Times Editorial: Time to Reassess Sinai Peacekeeping Force—Shortly after Washington brokered a landmark peace treaty with Egypt and Israel in 1979, the U.S. and allied countries deployed peacekeepers to Sinai. More than three decades after the establishment of the Multinational Force and Observers, which includes two American Army battalions, groups of Islamist extremists are clashing with Egyptian security forces in the peninsula. The violence, which has endangered and significantly restricted the mobility of the peacekeepers, is good reason to consider pulling them out of Sinai. Wilayat Sinai, a militant group that calls itself a local affiliate of the Islamic State, has referred to the peacekeepers as “crusader forces” that are backing Israel. The mission of the peacekeepers has become increasingly obsolete in recent years as Egypt, with Israel’s consent, has deployed its own troops and heavy weaponry in Sinai to fight the militants. The peacekeepers are not currently playing a role that is instrumental enough to justify the perils they face.

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror—What Next for Islamic State?:

  • The militant jihadist Islamic State now controls a huge expanse stretching in Iraq from Ramadi, a stone’s throw from Baghdad, across the Syrian border to archeologically rich Tadmur (Palmyra). At the same time, it has been consolidating its hold on the entire northeastern region of the disintegrating Syrian state. It is now deeply ensconced as well in the Bedouin tribes in northern Sinai in Egypt.
  • IS will need some time to “digest” all the territory it has taken in Syria and Iraq. But as soon as it does, what next? It has four broad options: a concerted push for Baghdad; a drive into Kurdistan; a move on Aleppo or Homs in northern Syria; penetration into Jordan. Resistance in northern Syria would likely be far weaker than in Shi’ite-controlled Baghdad or against resolute Kurdish fighters. Jordan will not be easy prey. The Jordanian army is very professional and the king enjoys both popular legitimacy and wide popularity.
  • In Syria, Sunni fighters from the opposition rebel army might join up with IS, which could trigger a dramatic deterioration in the position of Assad’s minority Alawite regime. The struggle for Syria has become fiercer. The IS Sunnis are conducting a global war of annihilation.
  • Until the recent fighting in Sinai, IS had never encountered a real, well-organized and well-equipped army. As soon as the Egyptians recovered from their initial surprise, they destroyed or repulsed the terrorist forces. True, the Egyptian army suffered heavy losses, but the overriding perception is that at the end of the day IS failed in their ambitious operation.
  • IS is the Sunni response to the radical Shi’ite dynamic that has been driving the Middle East ever since the Iranian revolution 36 years ago. The nuclear agreement with Iran may well reinforce the Sunni sense of persecution and, as an unintended consequence, actually increase IS’ power.

David Pollock and Ghaith al-Omari: Poll: Palestinians Support Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad—A Palestinian public opinion poll commissioned by The Washington Institute in July found 69% approval for Hizbullah among West Bankers, and 57% approval among Gazans. Palestinian Islamic Jihad has a 71% favorable rating in the West Bank and 84% in Gaza. Remarkably, 3/4 of both West Bankers and Gazans say it would be “a good idea” to “reform or interpret Islam in a more moderate, tolerant, and modern way.”

Fars-Iran: Iran: We Laugh When the U.S. Threatens to Attack—Revolutionary Guards Brig.-Gen. Mohammad Ali Asoudi saidWednesday that Washington officials’ boastful remarks about their ability to attack Iran has become a joke among Iranian commanders. “We should thank Obama for refreshing us by referring to his ‘options on the table,’ including the military one; we just relax and laugh at such ridiculous words.” In May, the Guards’ top commander, Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said, “Islamic Iran’s pride and might has made the world’s biggest materialistic and military powers kneel down before the Islamic Republic’s might.” “The military option that the Westerners speak of constantly is ridiculous and they know that if the military option could have produced any result, they would have already used it many times.”

Tovah Lazaroff: House Majority Leader McCarthy: I Share Netanyahu’s Concerns about Iran Deal—On Sunday, President Obama told CNN that Prime Minister Netanyahu has interjected himself into Washington politics more forcibly than any other foreign leader. But on Thursday, U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that Netanyahu was simply doing his job as Israel’s leader. “I do not see where Benjamin Netanyahu was interfering with anything,” said McCarthy, just one day after he and 35 other visiting Republican congressmen met with Netanyahu. “He is elected by the State of Israel and voices the opinion of the state on security,” McCarthy said. Netanyahu “did not tell us how to vote. Much like every other leader of any other country, he conveyed what he sees,” McCarthy said. “I think from concerns that he has about the agreement the majority of the room has the same concerns.” “My wife and I have a son and a daughter. They have a lifetime in front of them. I will not walk away and make the world more unsafe and more dangerous because I wanted someone to say we captured peace for this moment but jeopardized freedom for the future,” he said.

Jonathan S. Tobin: The Truth about Iran and Israel—Coming to grips with the reality of the anti-Semitism and hate that is at the heart of Iranian foreign policy is a difficult problem for the administration. It has struck an agreement with Iran that, at best, merely postpones the moment when the Islamist regime will get a nuclear bomb while granting its nuclear program international approval. It also gives it a lucrative cash bonus in the form of perhaps $100 billion in unfrozen assets and the relaxation of sanctions that will enrich the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. The fact that this deal will give material aid to Iran’s terrorist campaign against Israel while leaving open the door to it eventually gaining the ability to wipe out the Jewish state with a nuclear weapon ought to be troubling. Far from undermining the theocratic regime, the influx of cash and business will strengthen its leaders and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and their support for terror far more than it will enrich its people. That is why the nuclear deal is dangerous and why the push for detente, that is the real point of administration policy, is based on a misunderstanding about the nature of the Islamist state.

Khaled Abu Toameh: The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians in Arab Countries—In Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Syria, Palestinians are treated as second- and third-class citizens. After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, the Palestinians were the first to “congratulate” Saddam Hussein. When Kuwait was liberated the following year by a U.S.-led coalition, 200,000 Palestinians were expelled from the emirate in retaliation. Since 2003, the number of Palestinians in Iraq has dropped from 25,000 to 6,000 due to systematic attacks and intimidation by Shiite militias. Palestinians captured by Shiite militias have been brutally tortured and forced to “confess” to their alleged involvement in terrorism. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have also fled Syria. What is most interesting is the complete indifference displayed by international human rights organizations, the media and the Palestinian Authority toward the mistreatment of Palestinians in Arab countries. PA leaders say they want to press “war crimes” charges against Israel with the International Criminal Court. However, when it comes to ethnic cleansing and torture of Palestinians in Arab countries, the Palestinian leadership chooses to look the other way. Western journalists don’t care about the Palestinians in the Arab world because this is not a story that can be blamed on Israel.

Benyamin Korn: Corrupt PA Misuses Millions as Obama Claims They’re Penniless— The very day that the Obama Administration went to court to claim that the Palestinian Authority doesn’t have enough money to compensate terror victims, new evidence emerged that corrupt PA leaders routinely misuse millions of dollars in foreign aid. Earlier this year, a New York court ordered the Palestinian Authority to pay $218.5 million to victims of terrorist attacks that were carried out by PA employees, acting with the knowledge and assistance of their PA superiors. The PA is claiming it doesn’t have enough money to post a court-ordered bond while it appeals the ruling. This week, the Obama Administration rushed to rescue the PA. The same administration that never intervenes in court to help Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism, intervened to help the perpetrators of terrorism. It claimed that the PA is essentially penniless, and warned the judge that if the PA was required to post the bond, it could lead to the “collapse” of the PA. Such a collapse could “fuel anger and frustration” among Palestinians, the administration warned; there was a thinly-disguised threat that there would be Palestinian violence if the judge did not comply.

MEMRI: Kuwaiti Columnist: Israel Is a Friendly Country—Writing in the Kuwaiti government daily Al-Watan on Aug. 1, 2015, columnist ‘Abdallah Al-Hadlaq argued that if Iran attains nuclear weapons it will not hesitate to use them against the Gulf states, whereas Israel, which has possessed such weapons for years, has never used them in its wars against the Arabs. Al-Hadlaq called upon the Gulf states to sever their ties with Iran and form an alliance with Israel, strengthening political, commercial and even military ties. “I anticipate that the servants and agents of Iran in the region, who have Persian blood running in their veins…will accuse me of ‘Zionism, collaborating with Israel.’…[But] the scales have dropped from the eyes of the Arab and Muslim peoples, and they have realized…that their only bitter enemies are the Persian Iranians, not the friendly State of Israel.”

MEMRI: Israeli Druze: The Israel that the Arabs Call “a False Entity” Is the Region’s Most Stable, Advanced Country—Israeli Druze poet and writer Salman Masalha wrote in Al-Hayat: “The mere mention of Israel’s name in the Arab arena arouses many emotions….So much ink has been spilled, and so many hours of broadcast have been devoted to discussion of the so-called ‘primary problem of the Arabs.'” “While the propagators of this Arab discourse kept their heads buried in the sand, Israel continued to deepen its roots in the region….Here we are some seven decades later…and what do we see around us?…Today, decades later, the Palestinians are finding that their problem is no longer ‘the primary Arab problem’ and that their Nakba is no greater than other Arab Nakbas, because Greater Syria [for example] has experienced a far greater Nakba that overshadows their own.” “If we look at what is happening around us in this region, we will see that the most stable entities are not Arab, and that they are strong and developed entities – from Iran through Turkey….Therefore, how should we describe our situation? Perhaps in this way: ‘Our troubles come from us.'”

Israeli Ambassador Boaz Modai: Instant Amnesia When Israel Is Discussed—It is 20 years since the signing of the second phase of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO. Under this 1995 agreement, the most populated areas of Judea-Samaria [the West Bank], containing 96% of the Palestinian Arabs, are now under the autonomous government of the PA. It is often necessary to remind people of this fact when mantras like “Israeli-occupied West Bank” are recited. An uninformed person might think that Israel, one day last summer, inexplicably decided to launch an unprovoked assault on defenseless people in Gaza. In fact, 4,258 rockets and countless mortars fired by Hamas into Israel over 50 days plus 32 terror tunnels prepared for the massacre and abduction of Israeli civilians were met with Israeli air strikes targeting rocket launch sites and Hamas infrastructure, plus a limited ground invasion to destroy the tunnels. Those who wish to demonize my country find it easy to get a platform in the media to speak of “genocide.” Has amnesia progressed so far that some people have forgotten the meaning of a word like “genocide”? One-third of the world’s Jews wiped out in the Holocaust – that was genocide. Palestinian Arabs, on the contrary, enjoy the highest life expectancy and the lowest infant mortality in the Arab world. When they did live under Israeli occupation, the number of their universities increased from one to nine; and the diseases of polio, tetanus, whooping cough and measles were eradicated.

Luke Baker: Shadow of Israel’s Pullout from Gaza Hangs Heavy 10 Years On—A decade on from Israel’s unilateral withdrawal of 8,500 of its Jewish citizens from Gaza, the legacy of that August 2005 “disengagement” has seen a civil war between Palestinian factions and four wars with Israel. According to the World Bank, Gaza now has 43% unemployment. Since 1994, real per capita income has fallen by nearly a third. Manufacturing has shriveled by 60%. The pullout is also seen as a disaster by Israelis, with thousands of rockets from Gaza having rained down on Israel since 2005. The disengagement “created a new reality that contributed to the Hamas takeover of Gaza, a steep rise in weapons smuggling, the strengthening of terrorism, and the ensuing cycle of escalation,” wrote Shmuel Even, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies. A recent survey by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies showed 63% now think the move was a mistake. Even opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who supported the withdrawal at the time, says demographically it was the right thing to do, but “without a doubt, from a security perspective, the disengagement was a mistake.” “We failed in our assessment that post-withdrawal Gaza would become the Hong Kong of the Middle East. Instead, it has become one big rocket base.”

SnyderTalk Comment: Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 will go down in history as one of the biggest mistakes Israel has made.  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did it, but President George W. Bush pressured him to do it.  That doesn’t matter.  Sharon is responsible.

Denis MacEoin—Islamophobia: Fact or Fiction?:

  • Edward Said leaves us with the impression that all prejudice is only on the part of the West.
  • To the traditionally minded, news of such things as man-made laws based on objective evidence, free speech, equal justice under law, democracy, elections, freedom for women, freedom of religion and respect for the “other,” and so on, may have come as a sort of horror. Despots recoiled from the very thought of democracy. Religious leaders fumed at secular education, the freedom to question and say what one liked, even about religion.
  • “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated; to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.” — Hasan al-Banna’, Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, 1928.
  • The vast amount of what is called “Islamophobia,” however, is not that at all. Fair criticism is not phobic, responses to Islamic terrorism are reasonable reactions to violence.
  • Based on news reports of Muslims murdering other Muslims and killing Christians, there is, ironically, probably more Islamophobia among Muslims for each other than there is from Westerners toward Muslims. There is also probably more “Infidelophobia” by Muslims toward non-Muslims than by non-Muslims toward Muslims.
  • Again this year, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held a conference calling for a universal blasphemy law — legislation it has repeatedly tried to pass for over a decade, with the help of U.S, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The aim is not to protect other religions (about which Muslims blaspheme without cessation), but to block any criticism of Islam.
  • Sometimes it seems as if Islam ceases to be treated as just another religion and becomes a religion intolerant of all others and unduly protective of its own rights and privileges. In democratic states, Islam is evidently already the only religion that may not be criticized, even though criticism of religion has for centuries been a cornerstone of free speech and transparency that are essential elements in democracy. These freedoms really matter, yet not one Muslim country can claim to implement or protect them, especially freedom of religion.

Samuel Westrop: UK: Extremists in the Heart of Government—Given the sort of views and preachers to which this member of the government’s counter-terrorism programme subscribes, he should not be entrusted work in publicly funded counter-extremism. But in the eyes of the media and government, Sulaimaan Samuel’s arguments against ISIS make him a suitable “moderate.” Once again, hardline preachers and Islamist extremists have been rewarded and praised rather than ostracized. If Britain is to win the battle against Islamist extremism, public officials must be held to account for their irresponsible choice of partners. (See “British Politician Who Called Hamas and Hezbollah ‘Friends’ Leading Opposition Leadership Race”.)

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9--Jerusalem Post

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IDF Prepared to Counter Gaza Tunnel Threat

Report: Israeli Fuel Tankers Accompany Jordanian Fighter Jets En Route to U.S.

Egypt’s deposed Islamist president appeals death sentence

IDF soldier stabbed on highway 443, third attack in just over two weeks

SnyderTalk Comment: Highway 443 is an alternate route from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The main route is Highway 1. I’ve traveled the 443 route a couple of times on my own, but I don’t like it because it runs through the West Bank. My friends in Israel frequently take the 443 route especially at night because it’s less traveled and more direct. I’ve asked them if they are concerned about terrorist attacks, and they have told me that they are not. I hope they reconsider.

Schindler’s List producer takes on Hollywood’s most prominent Jews over Iran deal

British Jewish MP blasts would-be Labor Party head for ‘anti-Semitic’ ties

Arab Bank reaches settlement with US victims of Hamas attacks in Israel

Intelligence sources assess: Mashaal asks Erdogan to let key terrorist operate from Turkey

SnyderTalk Comment: Erdogan can’t be trusted.

‘You have no strategy for victory in Lebanon,’ Nasrallah taunts Israel on war anniversary

Islamic Jihad: If hunger-striker dies, the cease-fire with Israel is over

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10--Arutz Sheva

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Rubio Blasts Obama, Vows to Undo Iran Deal

Regev: I’ll Vie for Likud Central Committee Chair

Who is Sharren Haskel?

Danny Danon – Israel’s New UN Ambassador

Hunger-Striking Terrorist Loses Consciousness

Protests on Temple Mount over Hunger Striker

Arabs Firebomb Jewish Home in Atarot

Chief of Staff Eizenkot Publishes ‘IDF Strategy’

ISA Thwarted 17 Suicide Attacks in 7 Months

UN Aid Chief to Pay Visit to Syria

Russia Denies Top Iranian General Visited Moscow

One Killed in Clashes between Turkey, Kurds

Syrian Opposition Defends Moscow Support for Assad

Israel Has Treasured Nation Status

‘Iran Deal Makes it Easier to Fight Terror’

Prominent Hollywood Jews Support Iran Deal

SnyderTalk Comment: Those “prominent Hollywood Jews” are smart in so many ways and dumb in so many other ways.

UK Chief Rabbi’s Plan to Fight Jewish Apathy

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11--THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

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Abbas’ Son Highlighted in Palestinian Corruption Claims

Danny Danon, opponent of Palestinian state, to be Israel’s UN ambassador

Opposition slams right-wing minister Danon’s UN appointment

PM’s spokesman said tapped as new ambassador to UK

Israel’s new Rome envoy raises concerns among Italian Jews

White House concerned Iran deal could boost terror — top official

SnyderTalk Comment: This must be a joke.  Of course, the Iran deal will boost terror.

How do I know?  The Iranians have told us, and I believe them.

Iran deal ads fail to sway undeclared US lawmakers

Mixed messages as federations across US take stands on Iran deal

ADL urges ‘no’ on Iran deal, but calls to brace for day after ‘yes’ vote

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12a--Other News 2

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Rockets Hit Assad’s Alawite Heartland 

Egypt to Expand Buffer Zone Opposite Gaza

Almost Quarter of a Million People Dead in Syria War

The Race for the Development of Defensive Measures Against Mortar Fire

Hamas Concludes All-Female Military Training Camp

Leaked documents raise anger over Palestinian corruption

PA Dedicates Another Square to Terrorist Murderer

Palestinian Rights Group Files Lawsuit Against PA Torture

Kuwait Seizes Arms Cache Linked to Hizbullah

‘Don’t doubt Israel’s determination to defend itself’

IDF issues new rules of engagement in Judea and Samaria

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12b--TRIC for use

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Russia and China Are the Real Winners in Iran Nuclear Deal

Will Iran Follow the Soviet Example?

Obama’s hollow arguments

Turkey Attacks the Kurds and the Islamic State

Hamas War Plans Funded by Iran

Iranians Calling the Shots in Syria

The Forward‘s Dispatch from Iran

Iran, Hizbullah Linked to Bombing in Bahrain

American Jewish Committee Opposes Iran Deal

Anti-Defamation League Opposes Iran Deal

Expert on Iran Deal: Congress Has Demanded Changes to Hundreds of Treaties Before

Pundits Mock Jewish Hollywood Letter in Support of Iran Nuclear Deal

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Email Distribution List:

I have created an email distribution list that I use to notify people when I post a new SnyderTalk.  If you would like to be on that list, send your email address to nhsny@yahoo.com, and put “add me to your distribution list” in the subject line.  If you know others who are interested in SnyderTalk content, tell them to send me their email address, and I’ll put them on the list.

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4--Scripture of the Day Yahweh

Exodus 19

1 In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. 3 Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. 5 Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

SnyderTalk Comment: Read His Name is Yahweh.

We were called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  Thankfully, the Messiah paid the price for our sins, and He is our Savior and our Redeemer.  Even so, that is not a license to kill, as it were.  Obedience is still important.  As I have said before, saving faith is faith that is led by Yahweh’s Spirit.

All of us make mistakes.  We have all sinned.  We need a Savior/Redeemer, and the Messiah is that Person, but He didn’t pay the price we owe so that we can ignore Him and His word.

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5--HNIY Print form 2

His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important.  It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.  It’s also available for free in PDF format.

  • God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
  • “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
  • “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
  • Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)

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6--His Name is Yahweh Audio Presentation 5

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Can you say Jesus is Yahweh?—Jim Hutchens

Click here to download the entire audio presentation for free and with no strings attached.  Share it as often as you want.

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14--Blessings from Revelation 2

Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now.  There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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Other Books by Neil Snyder

  • Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days.  Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall.  Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace.  With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided.  They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make.  As they say, forewarned is forearmed.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

15--Concentric Circles 5

See “His Name is Yahweh”.

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