LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 21/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 8,4-15. When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to him, he spoke in a parable. A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that 'they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.' This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of trial. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.


Saint Theodore the Studite (759-826), monk at Constantinople
Homily 2 for the Nativity of Mary, 4, 7; PG 96, 683f./"And some seed fell on good soil"
In my view it was to Mary that the blessed prophet Joel was speaking when he exclaimed: «Fear not, O land! Exult and rejoice! For the Lord has done great things in you» (2,21). For Mary is a land: that ground on which Moses, the man of God, heard the command to remove his sandals (Ex 3,5), an image of the Law now replaced by grace. She is also that land on which, through the Holy Spirit, he was built up of whom we sing that he «fixed the earth on its foundations» (Ps 104[103],5). She is a land which, without being sown, brings forth the fruit that feeds all flesh (Ps 136[135],25). A land on which the thorns of sin have never sprung up; to the contrary, she has given birth to him who pulled it up by the roots. And she is a land that is not cursed as the first one was to bring forth a harvest of thorns and thistles (Gn 3,18), but on whom rests the Lord's blessing and who bears in her breast a «blessed fruit» as holy scripture says (Lk 1,42)...Rejoice, O Mary, house of the Lord, earth trodden by the footsteps of God... Rejoice, O paradise more happy than the garden of Eden, where every virtue has been seeded and where the tree of Life has grown.
 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 20/08
Syria praises 'Mossad beauty ' Livni-Ynetnews
Syria tells Livni: You have terrorist background-Ha'aretz
Russia Relays Intelligence on Israel to Syria-Hizbullah-Naharnet
Baroud: Holding Elections in a Single Day is an Important Accomplishment-Naharnet
France Urges Israel to Hand Over Lebanon Sub-munitions Maps-Naharnet
U.S. State Department: July War Led to Greater Political and Religious Tensions-Naharnet
Bassil: FPM Ready to Reconcile with Jumblat if he Clears his Record
-Naharnet
Grant Conveys Sison's Congratulations to LAF Participants in U.S. Training
-Naharnet
Saniora: Beirut Reconciliation Normal
-Naharnet
Hariri: Stop Linking Lebanon to Foreign Interests
-Naharnet
Berri: Session to Ratify Elections Draft Law Before End of September
-Naharnet
Hizbullah Wants Reconciliation that Maintains Differences
-Naharnet
First Unity Government Session under Saniora Marred by Disputes-Naharnet
Berri: Session to Ratify Elections Draft Law Before End of September-Naharnet
Hizbullah to Visit Hariri Soon in Preparation for Hariri-Nasrallah Reunion-Naharnet
Iraq Accuses Hizbullah of Training Militias to Cause Unrest
-Naharnet
Security Council Briefed on Situation in Lebanon
-Naharnet
Saniora: It is Unacceptable to Live Under the Threat of Arms
-Naharnet
PSP-Mustaqbal Meetings to Unify Positions
-Naharnet
Gunmen Shoot Lebanese Citizen Near Sidon
-Naharnet
Cabinet Discusses Security Measures, Briefed on Ban's Call for Better Border Control
-Naharnet
Jouzou for a New Resistance Faction Affiliated with the Army
-Naharnet
Khoury: Tensions Prevent Nasrallah-Hariri Meeting
-Naharnet
Lebanese Politicians Interviewed by Investigation Commission Into Hariri Crime
-Naharnet
Lebanese Cabinet tackles fragile security situation-Daily Star
'Security reasons' forced UN envoy out of Lebanon-Daily Star
Siniora says ties with Syria must hinge on respect for sovereignty-Daily Star
Assad: Relations between Syria and Iran Tightening Daily-MEMRI
Construction in Lebanon increases by 26.5 percent-Daily Star
Fadlallah: Iran's diplomatic success should set an example-Daily Star
Union for Lebanon hails talks as necessity-Daily Star
LOG slams national dialogue as totally ineffective-Daily Star
Former Israeli military chief heaps scorn on Jewish state's failed 2006 war-Daily Star
LAU welcomes new students to two campuses-Daily Star
Dar al-Ajaza al-Islamiyya opens RESCU unit-Daily Star

Hizbullah has a chance to put its money where its mouth is
By The Daily Star
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Editorial
Since its emergence into the public sphere in 1985, Hizbullah has frequently been subjected to hostile media coverage that has effectively branded the group as a "terrorist," "Islamo-fascist," "anti-Semitic" entity. The party's repeated attempts to dispel these misperceptions have had limited effect, largely because the debate boils down to Hizbullah's word against that of the vast majority of the Western media. But the party is currently facing an opportunity to back some of its oft-repeated words with action - and thereby help repair its image both in Lebanon and abroad.
Many Hizbullah officials have tried, especially in recent years, to stress that although the resistance arm of the party is at war with Israel, the group does not have any animosity toward Judaism or members of the Jewish faith. But because the Jewish community in Lebanon has dwindled to such small numbers, rarely does Hizbullah have a chance to demonstrate the sincerity of these statements. But an opportunity to do just that might be located in Downtown Beirut's Wadi Abu Jamil district, the home of the Maghen Abraham Synagogue.
Like countless other places of worship across Lebanon, the synagogue was ironically damaged by Israeli forces, but unlike most mosques and churches that have been or are being rebuilt, Maghen Abraham has remained in a state of disrepair since 1982. A leader of Lebanon's tiny Jewish community, Isaac Arazi, is reportedly engaged in an effort to raise $1 million to restore the synagogue to its previous condition, but he has so far only secured a small fraction of the needed funds. Hizbullah spokesman Hussein Rahal has already been quoted in the Western media as saying that his party supports the restoration of the building, so why doesn't the party demonstrate the truth of these words by acting on them? Hizbullah has already helped several churches in the country secure the funds needed to rebuild their properties that were damaged by the Israelis during their 2006 bombardment of Lebanon, including the Mar Youssef Church in the southern suburbs of Beirut. It is only logical that the party's leadership would be willing to expand this initiative and help rebuild the Maghen Abraham Synagogue, or at least call upon its supporters to contribute to the Jewish community's fundraising effort. Such a gesture would go a long way toward demonstrating Hizbullah's genuine commitment, as expressed by the party's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to preserving Lebanon's pluralism.

Syria: If Livni wants peace, she will achieve it
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
"If Livni desires peace - she will achieve it," an editorial in the official Syrian-state newspaper Tishreen proclaimed Saturday, in what is the first Syrian reaction since the election of Tzipi Livni as the new Kadima Party chair. Issam Dari, the editor-in-chief of Tishreen newspaper, then suggested in his editorial that Livni's family background as daughter of a Jewish pre-State underground member makes her ill-equipped to denounce Palestinian terror. "Livni should bear this in mind: If your house is made of glass, don't go hurling stones on others," the editorial warned. "We hope you won't be quick in accusing Palestinians and Arabs of terror, because with your record - you can't blame others for doing what you have done all your life." Livni's father Eitan Livni, and her mother Sara Rosenberg were both well-known members of the pre-state militant organization the Irgun. Under the headline "Tzipi - the new bird of Israel," the editorial described the new Kadima chair as the "Mossad dove" as well as the "pretty woman from the Mossad," a reference to the two years Livni spent in the 1980s working as a low-level agent in the Israeli espionage agency. Dari added that "Mrs. Livni is well aware of the demands for peace, and she knows that the way to achieve the just peace everyone is yearning for is by returning the occupied Arab land to its rightful owners."

Russia Relays Intelligence on Israel to Syria-Hizbullah
Naharnet/The Israeli Army's Information Security Chief has accused Russia of relaying intelligence information on the Jewish state to Syria and Hizbullah.
Col. Ram Dor made the charge in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot, Hebrew for Latest News. Dor said Russian Navy spy ships and Russian personnel serving at monitoring stations on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights carry out the alleged mission of monitoring the Jewish state and relaying the information to Syria and Hizbullah. "My evaluation is that" such facilities "can cover most of Israel's territory," he said.Dor said the Syrians and Hizbullah "exchange intelligence" they gather on Israel. Beirut, 19 Sep 08, 21:23

U.S. State Department: July War Led to Greater Political and Religious Tensions
Naharnet/The U.S. State Department noted in an annual report that tensions between the government and the opposition led by Hizbullah resulted in greater political tension between religious groups. The Department issues annually the International Religious Freedom Report, which monitors the human and religious rights' breaches in the world. The report noted that "following the July-August 2006 conflict with Israel, tensions between the democratically elected government of Fouad Saniora and the antigovernment opposition led by Hizbullah resulted in greater political tension between religious groups. While this political climate contributed to periodic reports of tension and occasional confrontations between religious groups during the reporting period, most of this activity could be attributed to political differences and the legacy of the civil war."
The report added that, "during the reporting period, Hizbullah directed strong rhetoric against Israel and its Jewish population. Moreover, anti-Semitic literature was published and distributed with the cooperation of Hizbullah." It said that Lebanese media outlets such as Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV, as well as "independent" dailies such as An-Nahar and al-Mustaqbal, published anti-Semitic material and drew no government response. "On October 22, 2007, NBN TV aired a program based on the anti-Semitic document, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The program's narrator made anti-Semitic statements including that the Jewish people were perpetrators of the Holocaust," the report said. "Representatives from the Israeli Communal Council, the legally registered Jewish organization, reported acts of vandalism and theft committed against a Jewish-owned cemetery in downtown Beirut. They stated that Hizbullah flags had been raised on this property. The flags were later removed," the report added. Beirut, 20 Sep 08, 11:07

Baroud: Holding Elections in a Single Day is an Important Accomplishment
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud on Saturday said holding parliamentary elections in a single day would be one of the most important accomplishments of his ministry. Baroud told An-Nahar daily that he is awaiting a report from the defense minister on the measures the security forces would take to handle such a huge step, if adopted. "I telephoned the defense minister… and he told me that we would soon receive a report on how the defense ministry and the Army Command would handle the elections in a single day… if this issue was adopted then it would be one of our most important accomplishments," Baroud said.
He added the ministry would adopt the ID card and the passport as means to identify voters in the 2009 elections because they are not easily forged.
On allowing Lebanese immigrants to vote, the interior minister said that the adoption of such a decision has been postponed till 2013. Beirut, 20 Sep 08, 10:18

Hizbullah Wants Reconciliation that Maintains Differences
Naharnet/Hizbullah announced on Friday that it was ready for reconciliation, even if differences were not settled. Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hizbullah's second in command, said "reconciliation does not mean at all ending differences. We can achieve reconciliation while differences persist." "The difference would be that reconciliation would change the differences into political differences that are kept away of factional agitation … within the public," Qassem added.  "Let it be known that reconciliation does not mean an election alliance. We could reconcile some factions, but we would not be allied to them in the elections. These are two separate issues that should not be linked," he added. Beirut, 19 Sep 08, 18:18

France Urges Israel to Hand Over Lebanon Sub-munitions Maps
Naharnet/France has called on Israel to hand over detailed maps of where sub-munitions were dropped during its offensive on Lebanon in July-August 2006 to help U.N. demining efforts, media reports said Saturday. The reports said that Paris urged Israel to provide maps of mines and cluster bombs in south Lebanon in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the war. The Jewish State has reportedly spread as many as 4 million cluster bombs across south Lebanon. U.N. de-mining experts say more than 1 million of the cluster bombs failed to explode.
The U.N. has also found that Israel dropped 90 percent of all the cluster bombs it used in Lebanon in the three days immediately preceding the August 14, 2006 ceasefire. According to the reports, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier also welcomed the U.N. refugee agency's announcement that this year's Nansen Award will go to Chris Clark, the British coordinator of the U.N. Mine Action Coordination Center in south Lebanon and his staff of nearly 1,000 international and Lebanese civilian mine clearers. Chevalier said that demining teams have cleared munitions from an area measuring around 36 million square meters out of 40 million square meters.He said the teams have paid a heavy price with the death of 14 of its members and the injury of 38 others during demining operations. Beirut, 20 Sep 08, 05:34

Saniora: Beirut Reconciliation Normal
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora on Friday said that working for reconciliation is "normal, especially in Beirut." Saniora made the remark to reporters at the Baabda Palace after meeting President Michel Suleiman. The remark followed reports that efforts were underway to organize a meeting between Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri to reconcile the two factions with the aim of ending the boycott that followed Hizbullah's attack on Beirut's western sector in May. Hariri had called for "honorable reconciliation." However, he did not set the conditions for such a rapprochement.
Hizbullah said it accepts even a reconciliation that "maintains differences."Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also has called for reconciliation in Beirut and said the second round of national dialogue has been scheduled for Nov. 5 to allow such reconciliation. Hariri, in his most recent stand outlined Friday, said Lebanon's national interest urges all factions to stop linking the nation to foreign interests. Beirut, 19 Sep 08, 21:44

Bassil: FPM Ready to Reconcile with Jumblat if he Clears his Record
Naharnet/Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil said the Free Patriotic Movement is ready to reconcile with the Progressive Socialist Party provided that its leader MP Walid Jumblat "clears his record and reviews his stances." Bassil told the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that reconciliation with Jumblat requires "declaration of intents and actions.""The FPM is not worried about any reconciliation that might take place between Hizbullah on one side and Jumblat or any other party in the majority on the other side," Bassil said, stressing that "Hizbullah has learned its lessons from the past experience." Bassil was hinting at the Hizbullah-PSP alliance during the 2005 elections. Bassil said any dialogue in Lebanon should begin from where the understanding between Hizbullah and the FPM has ended.
Bassil revealed he has instructed the mobile phone operators in Lebanon to decline any illegal bugging requests. Beirut, 20 Sep 08, 13:27

Grant Conveys Sison's Congratulations to LAF Participants in U.S. Training
Naharnet/Deputy Chief of Mission Bill Grant and other U.S. embassy officials have congratulated Lebanese Armed Forces personnel who have completed advanced U.S. training in military specialties over the past three years, the embassy said in a statement on Friday. "Grant conveyed Ambassador Michele J. Sison's congratulations to all of the LAF officers and soldiers who had participated in the U.S. International Military Education and Training program (IMET), as well as other training programs," it said. Since 2005, more than 500 LAF members have benefited from IMET programs, the statement said, adding that most have received U.S. training in their military specialties, including special forces, infantry, armor, artillery, supply and communication. Senior LAF officers have also attended leadership training at joint military operation staff colleges and military strategic seminars with officers from the U.S. and other countries, the embassy said.
Since 2006, the U.S. has allocated over $410 million to the LAF. Beirut, 20 Sep 08, 04:27