Islam News Update

Muslims
German Muslims rebuke ministers before summitPeninsula On-line - QatarSome Muslims, who want their associations to have equal status to German church communities, feel aggrieved that ministers have dismissed their efforts at ...See all stories on this topic
Nine Muslims ordered to trial in Australia's largest alleged ...International Herald Tribune - FranceSYDNEY, Australia: Nine men who allegedly stockpiled bomb-making chemicals and vowed to avenge perceived injustices toward Muslims were ordered to stand ...See all stories on this topic
AAI/Zogby Poll: Muslims Across Globe Concerned about Crisis in DarfurUN Observer - WASHINGTON – April 30 – More than three quarters of Muslim respondents in six nations surveyed said they believe Arabs and Muslims should be equally ...See all stories on this topic
Space guideline for MuslimsFinancial Express - Bombay,IndiaOfficials have previously said an Islamic code of conduct in space is necessary as few Muslims have embarked on such expeditions, and there have been no ...See all stories on this topic
Kenya: Speak Out On Harassment, Say MuslimsAllAfrica.com - Washington,USAClerics yesterday criticised Muslim MPs for remaining silent when Muslims were being harassed by security agents under the guise of fighting terror. ...See all stories on this topic
Where are the liberal non-Muslims?renewamerica.us - Washington,DC,USASince 9/11, many of us have wondered: Where are the moderate Muslims? If they are out there, why are we not hearing more, and getting more help, ...See all stories on this topic
OIC seeks safety for MuslimsNation Multimedia - Bangkok,ThailandThe world's largest Islamic organisation appealed to the Surayud government yesterday to provide safety for Muslims in the deep South. ...See all stories on this topic
Life terms for British Muslims in al-Qaeda-linked plot (Roundup)Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UKFive British Muslims with alleged links to al-Qaeda were Monday given life sentences for planning 'mass murder' in a series of major bomb attacks. ...See all stories on this topic
Swiss Muslims plan Europe's biggest Islamic centerMiddle East Times - Cairo,EgyptThere are about 311000 Muslims among the 7.5 million strong Swiss population, according to official statistics. Most of them are originally from the ...See all stories on this topic
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Taliban uses boy to behead 'spy'
THE use of a child, believed to be as young as 11, to behead a man has been condemned as one of the most grotesque examples of child abuse in war.

Afghanistan: Osama's deadly reach in Cheney murder plot

Hicks never dangerous, says US
THE Howard Government's portrayal of David Hicks as a dangerous terrorist has dissolved after a US admission that the detainee was a "bumbling wannabe".

Saudis nab 172 terror suspects
SAUDI Arabia claims to have foiled an al-Qaeda-linked plot to attack oil facilities and military bases, arresting 172 suspects, including pilots preparing suicide runs.
Washington: Irked ex-CIA boss was 'pushed' into Iraq

Inmates speak out on internet
A CONVICTED armed robber turned rap singer has published the first of a series of internet blogs by prisoners currently serving time in Australian jails.

Iraq: Dozens die in suicide car bombing near shrine

Two dead: Gunman opens fire with AK-47 at shopping centre

Istanbul: Turks rally for democracy as poll tensions rise
Kabul: US military faces protests after civilian deaths

Past Week Breaking NewsEvery day, our editors scour the web for news items of interest in the areas of world events, religion, and technology. Here are some choice news that we found this past week:
SermonAudio Tip: Get a Sneak Peek of Live Video Webcasts!N. Koreans Face China's Hostility After Escaping 'Hell on Earth'Christians in bull's-eye in new 'hate crimes' planBaptist Leader Doesn't Regret Telling Students to Rush GunmenFCC Seeks To Rein In Violent TV ShowsOne in 30 aborted babies are born aliveCreation Museum draws notice in the beginningMuslims murder 3 Christians in TurkeyPope revises teaching on limboCanadian beaten for 'writing against Islam'Fine Sought For Commissioner Who Declined Gay CoupleBaptist history communicates church disciplineThe following are some other popular breaking news of this past week:
Gideons battling 2nd round of chargesGay marriage evil, abortion terrorism: VaticanWhy is U.S. pushing European Muslim state?Hate crime: Ham placed on table where Muslims were sitting!Amish farmers balk at farm ID numbersGospel riles Illinois town central to LDS historyFocus on Gospel's Changing Power, Not Gun ControlWoman Nominated to Lead Anglican Church of CanadaCreation Museum changing lives of workersMormon story opens upmore interesting news...


Today's World News:
U.S. fires artillery on southern Baghdad
Turks protest Islamic-rooted government
Iran will attend Iraq security meeting
Hamas leader justifies rocket attacks
Released French hostage heads home
FA probe Leeds pitch invasion
Coalition forces in Iraq detain dozens
Mexico City stages mass 'quinceanera'
Around the world, protestors call for action on Darfur
More than one million rally in Turkey for secularism, democracy
Australian diplomat savaged by lions in Zimbabwe
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U.S. fires artillery on southern BaghdadSun, 29 Apr 2007 06:13 am PDT AP - U.S. forces fired an artillery barrage in southern Baghdad Sunday morning, rocking the capital with loud explosions, while the death toll from a suicide car bomb attack in the Shiite holy city of Karbala rose to 68. Full Story
Top
Turks protest Islamic-rooted governmentSun, 29 Apr 2007 06:33 am PDT AP - At least 300,000 Turks waving the red national flag flooded central Istanbul on Sunday to demand the resignation of the government, saying the Islamic roots of Turkey's leaders threatened to destroy the country's modern foundations. Full Story
Top
Iran will attend Iraq security meetingSun, 29 Apr 2007 05:24 am PDTAP - Iran agreed Sunday to attend a major regional conference on Iraq set for this week in Egypt _ a major break as Iraq seeks support from its neighbors in quelling its sectarian violence. Full Story
Top
Hamas leader justifies rocket attacksSun, 29 Apr 2007 04:27 am PDT AP - A leader of the militant Hamas justified recent rockets attacks on Israel as "self defense," while the camp of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday urged the preservation of a 5-month-old truce with the Israelis. Full Story

Coalition forces in Iraq detain dozensSun, 29 Apr 2007 03:54 am PDTAP - Coalition forces detained 72 suspected insurgents and seized nitric acid and other bomb-making materials during raids Sunday targeting the al-Qaida in Iraq network, the U.S. military said. Full Story

In the firing line: Prince Harry off to Iraq after all
Fashion Week: Glamour central or student show
Terror campaign: Five found guilty over fertiliser bomb plot

Britain's first war criminal jailed
A BRITISH soldier who had admitted abusing Iraqi civilians has been jailed for one year after being convicted as the country's first war criminal.
Sudan: Australian will stand trial for murdering colleague

No surrender: Bush immediately vetoes Iraq pullout Bill

Madrid: Six dead in Spanish apartment blast

Armoured vehicles save troops
2:47pm Equipment used by Australian soldiers protected them from worse injuries in Iraq attack, defence force says. more

Tributes flow for Yeltsin
6:21am Leader who buried Soviet Union then led Russia through its chaotic first years of independence, dead at 76. more

Gallipoli terror threat warning
9:26am Thousands of Australians attending Gallipoli to mark Anzac Day warned to exercise a high level of caution. more

The digger who gave and gave
From bush to battlefield, Ernest Brough has seen it all, and has the memories to prove it. more

Yeltsin danced to different tune
Once wildly popular, the former Russian leader resigned weeping tears of bitter failure. more
- Few signs of grief among Russians- Democrats push for Iraq pull-out schedule

Australians gather at Gallipoli
1:15pm Increasing number of Turks join Australian and New Zealand contingent for Gallipoli dawn service. more
Digger, 94, joins two parades
OTHER TOP STORIES
- Aussies under rocket attack in Iraq

- Solemnity restored to Gallipoli service

Russia bids farewell to former president
Russia buries Boris Yeltsin, charismatic reformer who smashed Soviet Union and bowed out of Kremlin eight years later with his country free but in chaos. more
- Africa aid falls short of promises- Heroine of Iraq invasion admits 'I'm no Rambo'

US deals itself into nuclear reactor boom
The US Government agrees to joint research on new reactors and a new type of nuclear fuel with Japan. more
- Israeli PM could face third crime inquiry- Iraq poll blow scuttles McCain's big day

- Hicks has right to vote but not other prisoners

US deals itself into nuclear reactor boom
The US Government agrees to joint research on new reactors and a new type of nuclear fuel with Japan. more
- Senate passes bill to pull troops US out of Iraq- Israeli PM could face third crime inquiry

Bush to veto troop-funding bill
Fierce political battle over Democrats plan to pull US troops from Iraq moves towards critical stage as President George Bush prepares to veto bill. more
- Saudi snub for US on Iraq- Suicide bomb at shrine inflames Shiite anger

Poverty battle 'compromised' by Wolfowitz
12:05pm Oxfam says efforts to fight poverty have been "deeply compromised" by the ongoing scandal involving World Bank president. more
- Bush to veto troop-funding bill- Suicide bomb at shrine inflames Shiite anger

- Harry 'will go to war'

Five Britons get life for bomb plot
1:34am Judge jails five "cruel and ruthless" Britons for life for plotting al-Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks on targets across Britain. more
- Israeli PM under fire over Lebanon war- Suicide bomber kills 32 at funeral

- Children's breakfasts full of cereal offenders

- Five Britons get life for bomb plot- Israeli PM under fire over Lebanon war

Claim Iraq's al-Qaeda chief killed in fight

Olmert stares down condemnation of failed tactics
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is determined to stay in office despite harsh criticism of his handling of last year's Lebanon war in an official report. more
- Rebel air strikes raise stakes in island's bloody conflict- MI5 attacked for failure to net London bombers

Underage sex a 'foolish lapse'
1:39pm Woman convicted of having sex with a 15-year-old boy had a three-bottle-a-week vodka habit, a court hears. more

Bush vetoes troop-withdrawal bill
8:22am US President rejects legislation to pull US troops out of Iraq in a showdown with Congress. more
- Olmert stares down condemnation of failed tactics- Turkish government presses on with presidential poll


Prophecy News Update







April 30, 2007
Jesus, Jews, and Jihad by Marvin Yakos Marvin spent 20 years studying Islam, the Koran and Hadith. After his miraculous salvation, God showed him in a vision that Islam would invade the world with one final jihad. Not only is Islam NOT a peaceful religion but plans (as prophesied in DAN 7:6) to take over the world.Islam teaches Muslims to kill or enslave non-believing men and degrade women to sex slaves. Lest we fall victim to our own ignorance, we must discern the “true” heart of this enemy of Christians! Islam reports that in 974 AD the Imam Mahdi fell into a well, and when Muslims create enough chaos he will ascend from the well and lead Islam to world domination. Rev. 11:7 prophesies the beast will ascend out of the bottomless pit. Islam is preparing for the 12th Imam to return shortly! more >
In This Issue
'Antichrist' cancels visit to Guatemala
Muslims in UK tracked with cameras
NAFTA Superhighway hits bump in road
Al-Qaeda ‘planning big British attack’
Internet abuzz over shooter's mysterious markings
Baxter to host endtime prophecy conference
Russia, Iran sign nuclear protocol
The VeriChip Corporation
RFID "is becoming mainstream"
Real ID technologies: A two-way street
EU: Relations With Russia Turning Frosty
School district to take fingerprints for keeps
Why is U.S. pushing European Muslim state?
Billions? What billions? Pentagon can't explain
Kansas: Big Rigs Equipped with Ticket Cameras
Mexican capital legalizes abortion, defies church
Found 20 light years away: the New Earth
Feds eye control of vitamins, supplements – even water!
China to Force Rain Ahead of Olympics
Christians in bull's-eye in new 'hate crimes' plan
Iran: US seeks to undermine regime
The Awakening Russian Bear
Grandmothers arrested over satanic sex abuse at school
Feds threaten Texas over superhighway funds plan
Ban on 'mom' and 'dad' considered – again
America In Prophecy
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'Antichrist' cancels visit to GuatemalaGUATEMALA CITY - An American religious leader who calls himself the "Antichrist" canceled a visit to Guatemala after the Central American country barred him as a security risk, saying he provokes conflict with Roman Catholics and evangelicals.
Puerto-Rican born Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda wears the number 666 tattooed on his arm and claims a following of 2 million people, most in Miami, where he lives, and Colombia. His Growing in Grace church holds a congress every year in different locations in the Americas.
Guatemala's Congress had labeled De Jesus Miranda a terrorist and immigration officials were instructed to refuse him entry to the country, where thousands of his followers from around the world had gathered.
He had vowed to defy the ban but canceled Saturday and will instead address the gathering in a video teleconference, said the sect's head pastor in Guatemala, Jorge Batres.
"We're a church respectful of the law and we will have to wait until the judge gives us an injunction,"
Batres said. Batres said De Jesus Miranda's Guatemalan followers will "firmly fight within the law so that he can come and let the world know that Jesus the Man is in Guatemala."
Muslims in UK tracked with camerasBritain's national security service MI5 is testing surveillance cameras in enclaves of London and other Muslim-dominated area of Britain where terrorists are known to operate, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
Based on the latest satellite technology, the $10,000 cameras have a ring of eight powerful lenses that can provide a panoramic view.
Software in the system can also indicate up to 50 behavior traits to identify a person "as a potential terrorist."
Within a year the cameras will be able to signify "facial movements indicating tension and other furtive behavior," confirmed an MI5 officer.
Known as "The Bug," the camera can pinpoint "individual groups loitering or acting in a suspicious manner," the officer added.
The moment a target is identified, a ninth lens mounted on the base of the system zooms in and follows every move of suspected individuals.
"It can track him down a street, in and out of a building and follow him as he drives away," said the MI5 officer.
The cameras have undergone exhaustive tests in Muslim areas of London, Bradford, Luton and other Midland cities.
NAFTA Superhighway hits bump in roadEL PASO – The Texas legislature moved closer to blocking the Trans-Texas Corridor last week with a bill that would place a two-year moratorium all public-private partnerships that would involve the construction of new toll roads financed and operated by private foreign investment groups.
Last Thursday, the Texas Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1267, requiring the study of long-term partnerships such as the Texas Department of Transportation recommended in the construction of TTC-35, a four-football-fields-wide NAFTA superhighway financed and operated for 50 years by the Cintra investment consortium in Spain.
The Texas Senate action takes place less than two weeks after the Texas House passed by a 137-2 margin House Bill 1892 that includes virtually identical language to the anti-TTC bill passed by the Senate.
The wide margins by which both measures passed assured seasoned observers of Texas politics that the anti-superhighway, two-year moratorium will likely pass both houses of the Texas legislature with more than enough votes to override a likely veto by Governor Rick Perry, a stalwart supporter of the Trans-Texas Corridor concept.
This measure follows a hotly contested Texas gubernatorial race in which Governor Perry faced anti-TTC competition from all three rivals – Carole Keaton Strayhorn, a Republican-turned-independent, a former comptroller of the state who fashioned herself as "One Tough Grandma"; Kinky Friedman, an outspoken independent with a characteristic mustache and limited goatee known for his country-and-western troubadour style and his ever present cowboy hat and cigar; and Democratic candidate Chris Bell.
Perry won re-election with 41 percent of the vote, which was widely interpreted by superhighway opponents as a 3-2 vote against the foreign-financed toll road concept.
In the hotly contested summer round of public hearings throughout Texas, strong local opposition was voiced to Perry's plan to build a 4,000-mile system throughout Texas over a 50-year period, removing in the process some 580,000 acres of land from public tax rolls and displacing an estimated 1 million Texans from their ranches, farms, businesses, and homes through eminent domain.
The moratorium vote by the Texas legislature also comes as a strong rebuke of the Bush administration, under which the Federal Highway Administration has devoted a section of the agency's website devoted to teaching state governments how to implement "PPP" projects designed to lease public highways to investment consortia desiring to run the roads a toll roads under long-term leases.
In March 2004, the city of Chicago leased the Chicago Skyway to an investment syndicate that included Cintra of Spain and Macquarie, an Australian private investment group.
In September 2005, Cintra and Macquarie finalized a long-term lease to operate the Indiana Toll Road.
In June 2006, negotiations were completed by the Virginia Department of Transportation with Macquarie to operate the Pocahontas Parkway under a similar long-term PPP lease.
Al-Qaeda ‘planning big British attack’AL-QAEDA leaders in Iraq are planning the first “large-scale” terrorist attacks on Britain and other western targets with the help of supporters in Iran, according to a leaked intelligence report.
Spy chiefs warn that one operative had said he was planning an attack on “a par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki” in an attempt to “shake the Roman throne”, a reference to the West.
Another plot could be timed to coincide with Tony Blair stepping down as prime minister, an event described by Al-Qaeda planners as a “change in the head of the company”.
The report, produced earlier this month and seen by The Sunday Times, appears to provide evidence that Al-Qaeda is active in Iran and has ambitions far beyond the improvised attacks it has been waging against British and American soldiers in Iraq.
There is no evidence of a formal relationship between Al-Qaeda, a Sunni group, and the Shi’ite regime of President Mah-moud Ahmadinejad, but experts suggest that Iran’s leaders may be turning a blind eye to the terrorist organisation’s activities. The intelligence report also makes it clear that senior Al-Qaeda figures in the region have been in recent contact with operatives in Britain.
It follows revelations last year that up to 150 Britons had travelled to Iraq to fight as part of Al-Qaeda’s “foreign legion”. A number are thought to have returned to the UK, after receiving terrorist training, to form sleeper cells.
The report was compiled by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) - based at MI5’s London headquarters - and provides a quarterly review of the international terror threat to Britain. It draws a distinction between Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda’s core leadership, who are thought to be hiding on the Afghan-Pakistan border, and affiliated organisations elsewhere.
Internet abuzz over shooter's mysterious markingsAll at once, the world went searching for the meaning of "Ismail Ax."
Those two words, written in red ink on one arm of Cho Seung-Hui, the 23-year-old Virginia Tech student suspected of the campus shooting spree, set off a massive Internet hunt by the public Tuesday for clues to what might have motivated the nation's worst mass killings.
Almost as soon as the Chicago Tribune's Web site reported that detail, which then was picked up by news organizations around the world, the blogosphere filled with theories about the possible meaning of "Ismail Ax." Hundreds of bloggers speculated on a link to Islam or to literature; thousands offered their opinions and millions read the commentaries, according to Technorati.com.
Technorati.com, a Web site that tracks the blogosphere, said that by late afternoon Tuesday, there were nearly 300 blog posts regarding Ismail Ax. There were other reactions. A TV repair-shop owner in Corpus Christi, Texas, registered the domain name www.ismailax.com Tuesday morning.
"When I hear a name, I register it. I have about 200 names right now," said Raymond Patterson, who registered the site five minutes after he heard the phrase "Ismail Ax" mentioned on a Fox News broadcast. He said he had no intention of making "blood money" from the site.
As for the term's meaning, one popular theory comes from a story in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, about Ibrahim and his son, Ismail. This theory picked up speed because many bloggers wondered if the shootings could be related to terrorism.
In Islam, Ibrahim is known as the father of the prophets and, upset that people in his hometown still worshiped idols and not Allah, he smashed all but one statue in a local temple with an ax. Ibrahim's son is Ismail, who also became a prophet. Ibrahim is Arabic for Abraham, who plays a significant role in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Baxter to host endtime prophecy conferenceA nationally-recognized speaker on the Bible and endtime prophecy will conduct a conference April 19-20 at Eastview United Pentecostal Church in Lufkin.
Irvin Baxter Jr., founder of Endtime Magazine, promoted on his ministry Web site at www.endtime.com as the "most widely circulated prophecy magazine in the world," hosts "Politics and Religion," a daily radio broadcast, and is author of several prophecy and Bible studies, the site states.
Baxter founded Endtime, a non-profit corporation, having served as pastor of Oak Park Church in Richmond, Ind. for around 32 years, the site states. He moved the ministry to Garland, Texas in November 2005.
The Web site includes a free downloadable copy of the magazine and a document library offering free reading detailing articles on American and global politics, including ratings of President George W. Bush, in light of what effect various decisions could have regarding biblical prophecy.
A variety of opinions are expressed in the article titled "The Bush-o-meter," which rates the President on a thumbs-up, thumbs-down system.
Under the subtitle "Mark of the Beast," the writers state:
"We are very pleased that Bush is against a National I.D. We are not pleased that he is taking quiet measures to institute one. We are uncomfortable with his willingness to turn the U.S. into a police state, although we understand why certain measures are necessary for a nation not willing to trust in God. Such can only lead to active U.S. participation in the endtime world government.
But under "Sixth Trumpet War" on U.S. politics in Iraq and China they say:
"(Bush) is defending freedom. His fortitude to stand against evil is good, because you never go wrong by doing what's right...."
The March/April 2006 edition of Endtime Magazine ponders whether Hamas is the horse of death in the apocalypse, tying the oft-used green color of Hamas to a reference in some translations of Revelation 6:8 to a "pale green horse."
Video series lessons and other materials are available on the site, such as "Antichrist Conspiracy," which proposes a conspiracy theory for world control through the U.S., Vatican, environmentalism, communism, the UN and media.
Russia, Iran sign nuclear protocol The Russian contractor building Iran's nuclear power plant and the Iranian authorities have signed a protocol outlining the measure of payments.
Russia is Iran's closest ally and has been assisting Iran to build a power plant in Bushehr, but the two had clashed over payments. This protocol however is expected to pave the way to finalize the dispute.
Deputy Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) Ahmad Fayyazbakhsh and Head of Atomstroiexport Sergei Shmatko led the two sides which focused on removal of financial and technical problems on the way of the project.
"If this plan is implemented, a part of the issues linked to the financing of Iran's first atomic station will be resolved," Irina Yesipova, spokeswoman for the Russian company Atomstroiexport, said after talks in Moscow.
She did not elaborate on what remained to be resolved and said another round of talks is due to be held in Tehran in May.
The IAEO,Iranian atomic agency, says it has completely fulfilled its commitments towards Atomstroiexport with regards to Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant project.
Yesipova said Atomstroiexport received no money between the end of January and the end of March.
"The talks have finished on a mainly positive note," she said.
Last week, a delegation of Atomstroiexport experts returned to Moscow after another round of talks in Tehran and Bushehr on the construction of the first power units of the nuclear station.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters that recent statements from some Russian officials had been contradictory.
"If the Russians are not committed to the opening of the power plant ... its first effect will be the questioning of the Russians' reputation," he said.
The VeriChip CorporationThe VeriChip Corporation is planning to inject numbered microchips into 200 Alzheimer's patients this month. This plan raises serious ethical questions. Is it appropriate to use the most vulnerable members of society for invasive medical research? Should the company be allowed to implant microchips into people whose mental impairments mean they cannot give fully informed consent?
Microchipping people as if they were dogs or laboratory animals is dehumanizing. It violates their physical integrity and their dignity. And for millions of people around the globe, receiving a numbered mark is also one of the most serious religious violations a person can commit. This is not an act to be taken lightly.
Injecting an implant into another person's flesh without that person's full consent is as violent and invasive as rape. Simply being unable to say "no" is not the same as giving consent.
We believe what VeriChip is planning is wrong. We hope you do, too, and will help us give a voice to those vulnerable members of society who cannot speak for themselves.
RFID "is becoming mainstream"The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) is becoming mainstream, it has been claimed by the chief executive officer of a company which recently announced its billionth RFID tag read.
Jonathan Golovin, who is also the chairman of T3Ci, an analytics and applications firm, said it has moved on from producing pilot programs for businesses and is now working on scalable projects which have become "business as usual" for customers.
Calling the billionth tag read "an important milestone" both for T3Ci and the sector in general, the company said it has moved on from just RFID read monitoring into working with companies to implement the process and promotion execution.
And Peter Rieman, executive vice president of the group, said the industry is experiencing "an amazing change of pace".
He continued: "Manufacturers and retailers today realise they can start to benefit from RFID and the rollout has already begun."
Meanwhile, an RFID-focused conference - RFID Journal Live! - is scheduled for between April 30th and May 2nd in Florida, with a European event also set to take place in November.
TUV Product Service, part of the TÜV SÜD Group of companies with 1bn Euros turnover, in excess of 9,500 employees and 500 locations worldwide, is a leading producer of Compliance and Assurance Solutions for the RFID sector.
Real ID technologies: A two-way streetWashington and other states should be more involved in choosing technologies for meeting the Real ID Act of 2005 requirements, according to an industry group.
The states should not leave the decision about the best technology solely up to the Homeland Security Department, the Smart Card Alliance’s Identity Council recommended in a new statement.
The group’s assertion follows the signing of a memorandum of agreement last month by Washington state and the DHS to launch a pilot program to offer upgraded driver’s licenses that may serve as proof of U.S. citizenship in crossing the U.S. border. The Smart Card Alliance believes the memorandum allows DHS alone to select the technology specifications for the enhanced driver’s license.
States considering additional pilots should insist on having input into the technology decisions, the group said.
“We believe that the technology chosen for enhanced driver’s license pilots should be a cooperative decision between states and DHS and that the decision should consider whether the chosen technology meets states’ requirements for citizen privacy and security,” the statement said.
The smart card alliance warns against selecting long-distance radio frequency identification tags for enhanced driver’s licenses under the Real ID Act. It states that this is a possibility for the Real ID Act because the Homeland Security Department has selected long-distance RFID for another border crossing card to meet Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requirements.
One of the dangers of long-distance RFID is its potential lack of security due to its capability of being skimmed by unauthorized readers, according to the Government Accountability Office report. However, DHS officials have said that risk can be addressed by limiting the information that can be skimmed to a single number. That number must be linked with a secure departmental database in order to obtain personal information about the cardholder.
Furthermore, GAO recently noted the high failure rate of long-distance RFID in tests performed in the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology pilot program for identifying visitors as they exit the United States.
EU: Relations With Russia Turning FrostyLUXEMBOURG, April 24, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The EU-Russia summit in Samara, scheduled for May 18 on the banks of the River Volga, can perhaps still be salvaged.
At least this is the hope the EU's foreign-policy chief, Javier Solana, expressed after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Luxembourg on April 23.
"We're still hopeful that we can arrive [at] an agreement to launch the negotiations at the summit for a new overall agreement between the European Union and Russia," Solana said. "This is our objective and we hope that this is the objective -- we are sure this is also the objective of our Russian partners."
Only One Of Many Obstacles
However, the EU's hopes suffered a severe blow after a high-level meeting of EU and Russian experts in Cyprus on April 21-22 failed to reach agreement over the Polish produce dispute. Russia argues that Polish exports do not meet its food-safety standards, while Poland thinks the ban is politically motivated.
Lavrov said in Luxembourg that "many other" EU countries have similar problems -- suggesting they may face similar action.
Speaking for the current holder of the EU Presidency, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier appealed to the legacy of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who died on April 23, saying the EU-Russian rapprochement instigated by Yeltsin was too precious to sacrifice to a farm dispute.
The current EU-Russia Cooperation and Partnership Agreement will be automatically extended this year if neither side chooses to revoke it, but the absence of strategic partnership talks would be a heavy symbolic defeat for both sides.
Protests After Crackdown
The recent freeze in EU-Russia relations goes deeper, however. Russia's crackdown on opposition demonstrators in Moscow and St. Petersburg 10 days ago caused an outcry across Europe and Germany and the European Commission issued statements expressing "concern."
"We all know of course that the events in Moscow and St Petersburg the weekend before last have attracted a lot of media coverage, and not only that, but criticism from individual governments of [EU] member states," Steinmeier said, "you may also remember there was a [German EU] presidency statement -- this has all triggered a debate, which I have also acknowledged."
But Steinmeier restricted his further comments to noting that a Russian government spokesman had suggested the country's security apparatus may have overreacted.
Lavrov responded by offering an openly combative interpretation of Steinmeier's words. "I think [Steinmeier] said that freedom is about respecting the law," he said. "And in every normal country, the Russian Federation included, there are laws and rules regulating the realization by citizens of their constitutional rights, including the right to assembly and meetings."
Lavrov said protesters had been stopped when they overstepped the law, observing that the EU itself adheres to similar principles. No EU representative present at the press conference offered a rejoinder to this.
Lavrov raises his own human rights concerns when he noted that in Moscow's view the EU has failed to honor an earlier commitment to ensure better treatment for Russian-speaking minorities in Latvia and Estonia.
The Russian minister also offered an uncontested defense of Russia's record as an energy supplier, saying Moscow has never failed to honor a single contract with an EU country.
The German foreign minister highlighted the EU's limited room for maneuver when he said Russia remains an "indispensable" partner for the bloc in international affairs. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia wields enormous power on many crucially important issues for the EU -- among them the future of Kosovo, Iran's nuclear program, and the Middle East.
School district to take fingerprints for keepsWhen the state legislature passed a law making school employees get fingerprinted, they forgot to include one thing in it - require the records be kept.
For more than a decade, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which collected the fingerprints and compared them to criminal databases, threw out countless school employee fingerprints.
Without them, school districts and law enforcement agencies found it hard to determine whether employees had been arrested after they were hired.
The legislature has since required districts to recheck employees and wants FDLE to maintain the records and alert districts if employees get into trouble, but the extra layer of security is expected to cost the Palm Beach County School District about $1 million during the next two years.
Police staff have fanned out across the district with their fingerprint scanners to collect prints at schools. So far, they have collected about 13,000 fingerprints and expect they need to get an additional 9,000 by the law's 2009 deadline.
Although the district is paying for prints of veteran employees, thousands of substitute teachers are on their own.
Even veteran substitutes who have already undergone and paid for fingerprints have to cough up an additional $37 per print to pay for staff time, supplies and the technology used to get the print.
The total price tag is $84 - more than a day's pay.
School board member Bob Kanjian, who has heard from a veteran substitute who plans to work exclusively in private schools because of the fingerprinting expense, wants the district to look into paying for the recheck.
"We shouldn't put hurdles in front of them," Kanjian said. "We have to do it and it's good thing to have to do, but a day's pay? It doesn't make sense."
During a school board meeting last week, Kanjian said the district should pick up the fingerprinting cost after a substitute has worked in a school for a certain number of days. The district's chief operating officer is considering Kanjian's recommendation, he said.
Why is U.S. pushing European Muslim state?Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is pushing hard, as he put it, to create "a predominantly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe," Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin reports.
Why is that his goal?
In a committee hearing earlier this month, Lantos heard the U.S. State Department make its case for Kosovo independence. The Balkan state has been a protectorate of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 1999, when the U.S. and its allies bombed Serbia for 78 days and effectively broke off a Muslim-dominated piece of historic Serbia.
Lantos made clear where he stands on the issue.
"Just a reminder to the predominantly Muslim-led governments in this world that here is yet another example that the United States leads the way for the creation of a predominantly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe," he said April 17. "This should be noted by both responsible leaders of Islamic governments, such as Indonesia, and also for jihadists of all color and hue. The United States' principles are universal, and, in this instance, the United States stands foursquare for the creation of an overwhelmingly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe."
Why do elected U.S. officials feel this way? What are they trying to prove? What about the Christian minority in Kosovo?
"Billions? What billions? Pentagon can't explainAs the debate in Congress over supplemental funding for the war in Iraq heats up, the Department of Defense still cannot adequately account for billions of dollars, according to the Government Accountability Office.
"For the past 10 consecutive years, we have been unable to certify the Financial Report of the U.S., which is prepared annually by the Treasury Department," Gary Engle, director of Financial Management and Assurance at the GAO, told WND. "Many of the material weaknesses that we found relate to the Department of Defense and their financial management problems."
Engle explained that the Defense Department problems had not been corrected at the end of 2006 when the GAO was performing its audit work.
"There are efforts underway over at DOD to address the problems, but the efforts are likely to be long-term projects," he said.
Kansas: Big Rigs Equipped with Ticket CamerasThe Kansas Highway Patrol last week began spying on motorists from privately owned big rig trucks. As part of a new, federally funded effort, a state trooper sits in the passenger seat of each truck and operates a set of five video cameras and a radar gun to identify motorists to ticket. The trooper will then contact a patrol car hidden nearby to issue the citation. The program is expected to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in ticket revenue over the next six weeks.
"I want to thank industry and governmental partners that have agreed to work with the Patrol on this important program," Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent William R. Seck said in a statement.
Yellow Transportation, a Wichita company, provided trucks for the most recent operation at no cost to the state. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is funding the Kansas ticketing program, this month rewarded the cooperative company with its "highest safety rating" -- a valuable endorsement of Yellow's practices. In 2005, the federal agency similarly spent $600,000 in federal gas tax money to fund a ticketing program in Washington state.
Mexican capital legalizes abortion, defies churchMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican capital legalized abortion on Tuesday, defying the church but delighting feminists in the world's second-largest Roman Catholic country.
Mexico City lawmakers voted 46 to 19 to pass a leftist-sponsored bill allowing women to abort in the first three months of pregnancy.
The abortion vote split Mexico and prompted a letter last week from Pope Benedict urging Mexican bishops to oppose it.
Riot police kept rival groups of rowdy demonstrators apart outside the city's assembly building. Weeping anti-abortion protesters played tape recordings of babies crying and carried tiny white coffins.
Until Tuesday, only Cuba, Guyana and U.S. commonwealth Puerto Rico allowed abortion on demand in Latin America.
Church leaders threatened to excommunicate leftist deputies, mostly from the Party of the Democratic Revolution, who voted in favor of lifting the abortion ban, which will remain in force in the rest of the country.
Opinion polls show Mexico's population of 107 million, of whom some 90 percent are Catholic, is split over abortion.
Supporters of abortion rights, who are well represented in the liberal-minded capital, say 2,000 women die each year in Mexico due to abortions, often poor women who have to resort to unhygienic back-street clinics.
"We don't want any more women to die in clandestine abortions," said leftist local deputy Agustin Guerrero.
The Vatican's second-highest ranking doctrinal official, Archbishop Angelo Amato, denounced abortion and euthanasia on Monday as "terrorism with a human face."
Found 20 light years away: the New EarthIt's got the same climate as Earth, plus water and gravity. A newly discovered planet is the most stunning evidence that life - just like us - might be out there.
Above a calm, dark ocean, a huge, bloated red sun rises in the sky - a full ten times the size of our Sun as seen from Earth. Small waves lap at a sandy shore and on the beach, something stirs...
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Watch an animation of the new planet (Windows)Watch an animation of the new planet (Real Player)
This is the scene - or may be the scene - on what is possibly the most extraordinary world to have been discovered by astronomers: the first truly Earth-like planet to have been found outside our Solar System.
The discovery was announced today by a team of European astronomers, using a telescope in La Silla in the Chilean Andes. If forced bookies to slash odds on the existence of alien beings.
The Earth-like planet that could be covered in oceans and may support life is 20.5 light years away, and has the right temperature to allow liquid water on its surface.
Feds eye control of vitamins, supplements – even water!The Food and Drug Administration says vitamins, supplements, herbs and other natural substances, including water when it is used to "treat" dehydration, should be classified as drugs, and opponents have only until April 30 to express their concern about the proposals under Docket No. 2006D-0480.
The government agency under the direction of Andrew C. von Eschenbach, who became commissioner in 2006, also has put its "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Products and Their Regulation by the Food and Drug Administration" on a fast track for implementation.
But parents' groups, natural remedy interests, food and herb businesses and others are horrified. A group called Gentle Christian Mothers alerted its constituency in no uncertain terms.
"Please Read!!! The FDA is trying to regulate all things that are considered by them to be treatment for disease. They want to regulate vitamins, herbs, alternative therapies (things like hot stone therapy), even down to juices and holy water," the warning said. "It might mean having to go to a doctor or medical professional for vitamins."
The website noted that among likely developments if the FDA has its way:
Growing and selling common garden herbs will get you arrested as a drug dealer.
Massage oils and handheld massagers will be regulated as "medical devices."
Vegetable juice will be regulated as a drug.
Weight machines will be regulated as "medical devices" and require FDA approval before being sold or used.
Raw sprouts and other anti-cancer foods will be regulated as drugs.
Bottled water that "treats" dehydration will be regulated as a drug.
Massage therapists who use hot rocks as part of their therapy will have the ROCKS regulated as medical devices! (It's true. The FDA will actually look at a pile of rocks and declare, "Those are medical devices!")
Foods, supplements, vitamins and homeopathic remedies will disappear from store shelves, pending FDA "review."
Vitamin store owners will be arrested and prosecuted for "practicing medicine without a license."
"This could be potentially devastating, not just to my business but to any business relating to supplements," Sophy Winnick, a Felton, Calif., mother of four who has been selling Youngevity products for 10 years, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "People better get on the horn about this."
The FDA's "draft guidance" on the issue first appeared in December, but federal officials said it was printed in the Federal Register on Feb. 27, prompting the growing storm of protest.
The FDA has reported that approximately one-third of all adult Americans have reported participating in or using some form of "complementary and alternative medicine" and officials estimate nutritional supplement sales total about $5 billion a year in America.
On the NewsTarget website, self-described "Health Ranger" Mike Adams posted one of the alerts.
"What this means to consumers, according to the proposal as outlined in FDA Docket number 2006D-0480, is that things like vitamins and herbs would be controlled by the FDA, and could possibly require prescriptions from a naturopath, herbologist or some other physician, all of which would require you to pay a health insurance company and contribute to the already back-breaking cost of healthcare in America," he wrote.
"There are those who do not trust the U.S. government to act in the interest of its citizens over the interests of pharmaceutical companies and health insurance providers," he said. "Those people have good reason to feel this way, and the amount of dangerous – DEADLY, even – pharmaceutical drugs that get recalled … is testament to the fact that human beings can be used as guinea pigs because the FDA allows the pharmaceutical industry to release drugs that haven't been properly tested."
As WND recently reported, Merck and Co. had been donating to state legislators across the nation who in return were working to require young girls to be given Merck's $400 vaccine that prevents a virus that is spread only through sexual contact.
China to Force Rain Ahead of OlympicsChance of showers during the 2008 Beijing Olympics: 50 percent. But Chinese meteorologists have a plan to bring sunshine.
The meteorologists say they can force rain in the days before the Olympics, through a process known as cloud-seeding, to clean the air and ensure clear skies. China has been tinkering with artificial rainmaking for decades, but whether it works is a matter of debate among scientists.
Weather patterns for the past 30 years indicate there is a 50 percent chance of rain for both the opening ceremony on Aug. 8, 2008 and the closing ceremony two weeks later, said Wang Yubin, an engineer with the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.
The forced rain could also help clean Beijing's polluted air, said Wang Jianjie, another meteorologist with the bureau.
"When conditions permit, we will artificially increase rainfall," she said. "Rainfall is a way to naturally clean the air."
In 2003, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences questioned the science behind cloud-seeding as "too weak." But China frequently uses artificial rainmaking in the drought-plagued north.
Last May, Beijing boasted having generated rainfall to clear the air and streets following the worst dust storm in a decade.
Technicians with the Beijing Weather Modification Office said they fired seven rocket shells containing 163 cigarette-size sticks of silver iodide over the city's skies. They claimed it provoked a chemical reaction in clouds that forced four-tenths of an inch of rain.
Beijing's air pollution is among Asia's worst. Officials have shuttered several chemical and steel plants on the city's edge, and many polluters will shut down _ or cut back _ during the Olympics. But the city also has 2.9 million registered vehicles, and the number is expected to reach 3.3 million by the Olympics, a 13 percent increase.
Christians in bull's-eye in new 'hate crimes' planA fast-tracked congressional plan to add special protections for homosexuals to federal law would turn "thoughts, feelings, and beliefs" into criminal offenses and put Christians in the bull's-eye, according to opponents.
"H.R. 1592 is a discriminatory measure that criminalizes thoughts, feelings, and beliefs [and] has the potential of interfering with religious liberty and freedom of speech," according to a white paper submitted by Glen Lavy, of the Alliance Defense Fund.
"As James Jacobs and Kimberly Potter observed in Hate Crimes, Criminal Law, and Identity Politics, 'It would appear that the only additional purpose [for enhancing punishment of bias crimes] is to provide extra punishment based on the offender's politically incorrect opinions and viewpoints,'" said Lavy.
The proposal has been endorsed by majority Democrats on the committee, and already has 137 sponsors in the full House, making it possible it could be voted on in a matter of days or weeks.
"This is a terrible thing, to criminalize thought or emotion or even speech," Lavy told WND, referring to H.R. 1592, now pending at the committee level in the U.S. House. Democrats there have been turning back amendments that would strip it of its worst provisions, according to an observer.
Bishop Harry Jackson, chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, said the plan, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2007, is no more than "a surreptitious attempt by some in Congress to strip the nation of religious freedom and the ability to preach the gospel from our church pulpits."
"It will stamp all over our doctrine and practice of our faith," he said. "We believe what the Bible says. If you start there we've got a major problem."
Secondly, it unfairly restricts the expression of fair opinion by Christians, he told WND. "If anything, gays are getting undue deference awarded to them by the courts. That's why we have the same-sex marriage fight and that kind of thing."
Rev. Louis Sheldon, director of the Traditional Values Coalition, which represents 43,000 churches across the nation, told WND that the Democrats sponsoring and supporting the issue "have sold out to the homosexual agenda."
He said churches need to awaken to the dangers of having pastors, lay leaders, or even those sitting in the pews sent to jail for their biblical views. "When they [realize they] could go to jail for preaching the Word of God, they'll be concerned," he told WND.
Sheldon's organization is releasing a poster showing Jesus as a wanted fugitive, for "crimes" under the planned "hate crimes" legislation.
Iran: US seeks to undermine regimeA top security official accused the United States Thursday of seeking to undermine Iran's clerical regime by stoking sectarian and ethnic tensions in the country and using newspapers and non-governmental agencies toward that goal.
"A soft threat is the main plan of the US due to its incapability to launch a military operation [against Iran,]" Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
Clinton: US might have to confront Iran
Zolqadr, whose comments came in a speech he made in Iran's Kurdistan province, said, "The threat is being implemented through the creation of instability and tension inside Iran as well as fanning ethnic and sectarian differences."
"The threat is being implemented through the creation of instability and tension inside Iran as well as fanning ethnic and sectarian differences," said Zolqadr.
Earlier Thursday, he said that his country would attack Israel and American targets throughout the world if Teheran were attacked over its nuclear program, Israel Radio reported.
According to the official Iranian news agency, the official, who deals with defense issues, said that no American would be safe from Iran's long-range missiles.
"We are prepared to fire tens of thousands of these missiles every day," he said.
The Awakening Russian BearThe fearsome Russian Bear appears to be coming out of a 16-year hibernation. President Vladimir Putin says he wants to regain Russia's prominence in the world community, and his actions are backing up his words. Unencumbered by Marxist dogma, he is attempting to regain Russia's superpower status by the old Soviet method of intimidation.
Putin has directed the seizure of assets of the oil giant Yukos, and restricted oil supplies to Eastern Europe. But if he can decree such gross confiscation of property, then there is no rule of law and Russia's reforms mean nothing. Moreover, Moscow has drastically raised energy prices and threatened an oil cutoff in former client nations that have had the dared to pursue economic and political independence apart from Russia.
Putin sees Russia's vast petroleum reserves as more than a means to economic growth, but as an avenue to superpower status once again. Last year, Russia was the second-highest oil producer in the world after Saudi Arabia. Their GDP has grown at an average rate of 5.5% since 2000, largely by energy exports.
Now that world oil prices are high, and rising, his strategy is working. But if they fall, Russia will be in trouble, as was the USSR following the price collapse of oil in the 1980s.
Russians wearily remember the early days of democracy following the collapse of the USSR. That was a time when an erratic, and perhaps alcoholic President Yeltsin governed the country. It was a time when their money became worthless, and crime ran wild.
Most Russians would rather have a strong and secure nation than one that guarantees personal freedoms. This sentiment, and the growing economy, is the basis for Putin's broad popularity. A recent poll found only 16 percent of Russians surveyed want to see Western-style democracy remain in their country. Predictability is perhaps the greatest comfort to the average Russian.
Grandmothers arrested over satanic sex abuse at schoolThree women teachers were among six people arrested yesterday accused of sedating and sexually abusing children as young as 3 at a school near Rome.
The teachers — two of whom are grandmothers who had taught at the school and at Sunday school for decades — are said to have part in the repeated abuse of 15 children aged 3 and 5 for a year, filming them in sexual acts with satanic overtones at the teachers’ homes and in a wood.
The others arrested were a female caretaker, a former producer of children’s programmes for the state television station RAI, and a local petrol pump attendant. The television producer is married to one of the arrested teachers.
The alleged abuse — in the town of Rignano Flaminio, 25 miles (40km) north of Rome — came to light when some of the children began describing their “games” to their parents. They drew pictures of a “man in black” who wore a hood and drank his own blood, and said they had played a game in which “a wolf chases a squirrel and eats it”.
They were warned that if they told their parents about the “games”, they would be “taken away from their mothers by devils”. If the truth were to come out and they were asked who had taught them to perform sexual acts, they were to say “my father”.
The parents also reported bruising and swelling around their children’s genital areas and that they had returned home from school in a confused state. Police say that the children were given tranquillisers and told they were sweets.
The six face charges including kidnapping, indecently assaulting minors, obscene acts and group sexual assault. Police had to protect the teachers from angry parents as they were taken away, with one shouting: “May you rot in jail for ever.”
Feds threaten Texas over superhighway funds planThe Federal Highway Administration has threatened Texas with the loss of federal highway funds if the state continues with its legislative plan for a two-year funding moratorium on construction of the Trans-Texas Corridor.
In the 4-page letter, FHWA Chief Counsel James D. Ray advises Michael Behrens, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, some of the pending legislative proposals, if signed into law, "could affect the State’s eligibility for receiving Federal-aid highway funds."
Ray praises Texas for being "the nation's leader in developing new transportation facilities through public private partnerships."
But the letter expresses concern that the Texas Legislature is nearing passage of a two-year moratorium blocking planned Trans-Texas Corridor toll-road projects.
"We do not see the benefit of a moratorium if the State has already committed to legislation for a continuation of the program," Ray wrote, adding, "If Texas looses (sic) the initiative it now has, private funds now flowing to Texas will go elsewhere."
"We stand ready to work with Texas officials to ensure continued compliance with all of the applicable Federal laws and regulations. We wish to make sure that Texas can continue to receive the full benefits available under the Federal-aid Highway Program," he concluded.
David Stall, co-founder of the website CorridorWatch.org, alerted WND the federal agency was preparing the letter.
During a Wednesday morning teleconference, James Ray, chief counsel and acting deputy director of the FHWA, reportedly told the Trans-Texas Corridor Citizens Advisory Committee that the federal agency was preparing a letter to place the Texas Department of Transportation on notice that the proposed action by the Texas Legislature would jeopardize access to federal highway funds.
The Trans-Texas Corridor Citizens Advisory Committee is a group of citizens organized by the state transportation department to offer advice on projects concerning the Trans-Texas Corridor.
The federal agency did not respond to WND requests for comment, but Stall had an opinion.
Ban on 'mom' and 'dad' considered – againA plan that has been launched in the California state Assembly – again – could be used to ban references to "mom" and "dad" in public schools statewide by prohibiting anything that would "reflect adversely" on the homosexual lifestyle choice.
It's similar to a plan WND reported was approved by lawmakers last year, but fell by the wayside when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it.
"SB 777 forcibly thrusts young school children into dealing with sexual issues, requiring that homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality be taught in a favorable light," according to an alert issued by the Capitol Resource Institute.
"Not only does SB 777 require that classroom instruction and materials promote and embrace controversial sexual practices, it also bans school-sponsored activities from 'reflecting adversely' on homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals," the group said.
"Pushing this radical homosexual agenda in California schools will stifle the truth in favor of political correctness and will inevitably conflict with the religious and moral convictions of both students and parents," said CRI Executive Director Karen England. "The full ramifications of this sweeping legislation could affect the entire nation as most textbook companies tailor their material to their number one purchaser: California."
She noted that Los Angeles schools already have implemented most of the proposals now pending for districts across the state, and among the changes are:
"Mom" and "dad" and "husband" and "wife" would have to be edited from all texts.
Cheerleading and sports teams would have to be gender-neutral.
Prom kings and queens would be banned, or if featured, would have to be gender neutral so that the king could be female and the queen male.
Gender-neutral bathrooms could be required for those confused about their gender identity.
A male who believes he really is female would be allowed into the women's restroom, and a woman believing herself a male would be allowed into a men's room.
Even scientific information, such has statistics showing AIDS rates in the homosexual community, could be banned.
"It's embarrassing that we've got kids who can't pass their exit exams, but we add all sorts of complications [to school]," she told WND.