March 30
The Not-So-Secret Arms Race
The arms race in the Middle East continues unchecked. Never before in human history
has there been such a massive buildup of missiles, all aimed at one target: Israel.
Hezbollah guerrillas now have three times the quantity of missiles they had just before
the start of the second Lebanon war. They have also dramatically increased their
rocket range.
During the month-long war in 2006, Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into Israel.
They now have 14,000 short- and long-range missiles at the ready. The maximum range for
rockets that were fired hit some 45 miles inside Israel. Today, they have missiles
that can reach 185 miles in the Jewish state.
This new capability puts nearly all of Israel 's population centers within range of
attack. They can even reach as far south as Dimona, where Israel 's nuclear reactor is
located.
The figures from the Israeli government may be intentionally conservative. In early
March, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported Israeli claims that Hezbollah's
arsenal includes 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in southern
Lebanon.
The missiles in Lebanon are just one of four prongs. Iran has long-range missiles, and they are
aimed at Israel. Syria has SCUD missiles that can carry large payloads. Hamas
terrorists in the Gaza Strip have firing daily rocket barrages into the south Israel.
There are so many options for war, it's a tough call to predict where the next big war
will start. It probably doesn't matter. The stakes are now so high, it's no longer possible
to have a limited war.
The Israeli government is mostly concerned about a potential conflict with Syria. Currently, the
Israelis estimate that there would be as many as 3,300 Israeli casualties if Syria
tried to use its long-range missiles against Israel. If the Syrians used chemical
warheads, Israeli casualties could be as high as 16,000. More than 200,000 Israelis would
be left homeless, and it's believed about 100,000 would seek to leave the country.
Syria has underground storage and launch facilities for its arsenal of over a thousand
SCUD missiles. Armed with half-ton, high-explosive and cluster bomb warheads, the
missiles have ranges of 500-700 kilometers. Syria also has some 90 older Russian
Frog-7 missiles (70 kilometer range, half-ton warhead) and 210 more modern Russian
SS-21 missiles (120 kilometer range, half-ton warhead) operating with mobile
launchers.
The Syrian military lives in constant dread of a surprise Israeli attack against its
missiles. The SCUD is a liquid fuel missile and takes half an hour or more to fuel
and ready for launch. In that amount of time, Israeli jets could do a lot of damage
to the Syrian missile network.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist ... well, I guess they are all fully employed right
now. How about this: It doesn't take a real estate agent to realize that eventually this
arms race is going to lead to some type of dramatic resolution. The Arabs are not
spending tens of billions of dollars on weaponry they have no plans to use.
Tomorrowʼs greatest concerns are always the things we worry the least about today.
The total lack of care about this missile buildup tells me this is one
concern that will be a major issue in the future.
We are getting dangerously close to the flash point. Just this past week, Hamas nearly
hit a childcare center with a rocket. As long as they keep firing them, one will, at some point,
strike a target that will trigger a major reaction.
Terry and I have talked on the phone several times about the missile build-up. We both
agree something far beyond the 2006 conflict is in the offing. The only unanswered question
in our minds is what morning are we going to wake up to the news that the Middle East has
erupted into warfare.
-- Todd
Priorities and Politics
Each presidential election season in the United States seems to bring forth increasingly base characteristics of end-time man. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright (again, I must say that there is only one Reverend, and He is the Lord God, but guess it is necessary to use the term for sake of the news story when giving worldly title attribution to clergy of all stripes) proved the point in his raging anti-American, ongoing tirade that for the most part has gone unchallenged by media until it was brought to light this presidential primary season.
Even then, the members of the news media, it should be obvious to anyone who has examined the matters involved, have tried every way they can think of to lessen the negative impact of Rev. Wright’s racially-bigoted, anti-American hate speech on Barack Hussein Obama’s candidacy for the Democrat Party’s nomination for the presidency of the United States. The media’s almost schizophrenic manipulation of the Obama vs. Clinton battle makes one wonder why they want one of the extremely liberal candidates over the other. It’s as if even they (the media) don’t know why.
Conjecture is that their priority is to see that Obama gets his party’s nod, because they think Obama vs. McCain will present a more entertaining race dichotomy–no pun intended. It will be the black man against the white man, more than a matter of political priorities. Media, it seems to me, believes collectively that black vs. white will trump female vs. male, so far as public interest in the presidential election show is concerned.
Thus, they are willing to step on their former darling of the political hour--Mrs. Clinton--to achieve their desire for greater viewing, hearing, and reading audiences in the upcoming months. Seems to me the love of money takes priority over what is best for the nation. And, I’m not speculating here on which of these two candidates would be best for America, just pointing out which I perceive as the media’s favorite.
The bottom line for the networks and major print communications institutions will be best served, they seem to think, by arranging to have Obama against McCain in the general election. The liberal Senator Obama’s candidacy, being more volatile because of his black ethnicity, up against the politically moderate Caucasian Senator McCain and his non-confrontational Republican Party might, by media stirring ethnic issues in the general election, foment an exciting racial divide.
Cynical, perhaps, but race-baiting, wittingly or unwittingly, seems to be in the mix of the strategy. Certainly in many social areas in particular, there seem little differences to spark divisive polemics between either Democratic candidate and the Republican candidate.
One thing sure: The American electorate seems relegated to the back of the room, while these candidates give nothing but empty rhetoric, for the most part, on matters that need addressing. There is little talk of substance, like how to genuinely stanch the rising national debt; how to deal realistically and effectively with the trend toward a global economy that demonstrably is detrimental to the dollar against the euro and other currencies; and how to reverse the deterioration of societal and cultural effects, brought on by decades of God’s moral compass, the Bible, being incrementally dismissed as having any relevance to philosophy of government, education, or any other aspect of life in this nation.
The priorities of politics are to convince how grand is the office-seeker and how deplorable is the opposing candidate. Thrown into the mix is invective of the worse sort–like that spewed by the Rev. Wright—in a reprobate way bringing in racial hatreds and unabashed, blasphemous disdain for America. All of this regurgitated time and time again from a pulpit that is supposed to be a Christian one.
The Apostle Paul’s prophecy of these perilous times, which are apparently on the scene today, is easy to discern--well, in my view at least, should be readily apparent to everyone. Of course, I’m not altogether naive; I realize most can’t see the end-times application of the bloviating of the candidates and the blasphemous declarations raging from Rev. Wright’s pulpit.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers…” (2 Tim. 2:1-2).
One day, when Jesus reigns on Planet Earth, something will be done to rectify politics and priorities. Christ’s priorities will be instituted; politics will reside smoldering in the black hole reserved for humanistic history.
--Terry
