A military judge refused on Thursday to dismiss the most serious charge against an Army private accused in the biggest leak of government secrets in U.S. history.
     Col. Denise Lind rejected a defense motion to dismiss the charge of "aiding the enemy" during a pretrial hearing for Pfc. Bradley Manning. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; Manning still faces 21 other counts.
     In seeking dismissal of the most serious offense, defense attorney David Coombs had argued that the charge didn't properly allege that Manning intended to help al-Qaida when he allegedly sent hundreds of thousands of classified Iraq and Afghanistan war reports and State Department diplomatic cables to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.
     Manning stated in an online chat with a confidant-turned-informant that he leaked the information because, "I want people to see the truth."
     Prosecutors had argued that Manning knew the enemy would see the material when it appeared on WikiLeaks, regardless of his intentions.
     Lind said Thursday that prosecutors must prove during trial that Manning had knowledge he was giving information to the enemy. If they fail to do so, Lind said she would entertain further motions from the defense.
     Manning hasn't entered a plea to any of the charges. He also hasn't yet decided whether he will be tried by a judge or a jury. His trial is set for Sept. 21 through Oct. 12.
     Earlier Thursday, Lind rejected a motion to consolidate some charges that the defense said were duplicative. She said the defense could raise the motion again for sentencing purposes if Manning is convicted.
     She denied another defense motion seeking to dismiss a count on the grounds that it was improperly charged. That count alleges that Manning wrongfully and wantonly caused intelligence to be published on the Internet, knowing it would be accessible to the enemy.
     Lind also heard arguments on a government motion to bar any discussion at trial of whether the leaked material harmed U.S. interests. Prosecutor Maj. Ashden Fein said the government must prove only that Manning leaked the material knowing it could cause harm, regardless of whether it did.
     The motion appeared to be aimed at blocking the defense's attempts to obtain classified reports compiled by the departments of Defense, State and Justice assessing the damage done by the WikiLeaks disclosures. Defense attorney David Coombs said the reports probably say the leaks did little or no damage; otherwise, he said, the prosecution would be eager to discuss them.
     Fein said that since the government doesn't have to prove damage, any courtroom discussion of damage assessments would waste the court's time. "Just because a damage assessment might say damage did occur or didn't occur, it's completely irrelevant" to proving the charges, Fein said.
     The 24-year-old Oklahoma native was ordered court-martialed after he was accused of downloading the war logs, cables, and video clips; then sending them to WikiLeaks. He was working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad when authorities say he copied classified material from government computers in late 2009 and early 2010.
     The material WikiLeaks published included cockpit video of a 2007 U.S. Apache helicopter attack that killed a number of civilians, including a Reuters news photographer and his driver. The U.S. government says the civilian deaths were accidental.
     Prosecutors acknowledged in court Wednesday that the helicopter video was not classified, although he allegedly got it from a military computer network reserved for classified material. He is charged with "having unauthorized possession" of the video clip.
     Manning has been in pretrial confinement since he was charged in May 2010. He has been held since last April at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.
     His earlier treatment at a Marine Corps base caused support for him to swell. The Quantico, Va., brig commander kept Manning confined 23 hours a day in a single-bed cell, citing safety and security concerns. For several days in March 2011, he was forced to sleep naked, purportedly for injury prevention, before he was issued a suicide-prevention smock.
     Manning's supporters have raised funds to place posters in the Washington Metro subway system this week portraying him as a whistleblower, patriot, and hero.

Original story courtesy of the Asso

    Is it possible that Iran is about to tip the entire world into World War III? Are folks reading far too much into all of today’s saber-rattling? Are wild conclusions being drawn from popular interpretations of Biblical prophecy? Or is history’s final battle really just around the corner?
     Many Christians grow up hearing that the Bible foretells of one final war between Israel and many other nations of the world. Popular interpretations of Old Testament prophecies leave little doubt that Israel however, as “God’s chosen people,” will win. For example Isaiah 17 tells of a war that results in the capital of today’s revolt-torn Syria, Damascus, the world’s oldest continually inhabited city ceasing to exist and becoming a “ruinous heap.” Could this be the beginning of the end?
     A number of Internet commentators have also thought it relevant to take note of odd reports in the news of strange trumpet-like sounds being heard around the world; citing such scriptures such as Ezekiel 7:14: “They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my rath is upon all the multitude thereof.”
     Other Bible prophecy tidbits being passed around include a 2009 report by Campbell Robertson in the New York Times: “The Euphrates is drying up. Strangled by the water policies of Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey and Syria, a two-year drought and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the river is significantly smaller than it was just a few years ago.”
     Even the Times acknowledged the biblical relevance, calling the river “so crucial to the birth of civilization that the Book of Revelation prophesied its drying up as a sign of the end times.” Indeed Revelations 16:12-14 foretells: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
     But does a lack of water in Iraq’s main waterway mean Armageddon is on the horizon? And do the much-cited Bible prophecies foretell a nuclear Iran attempting to wipe Israel off of the map? For that matter, is the Islamic Republic of Iran even mentioned anywhere, say, Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, or Zechariah 12?
     The prophet Daniel describes Persia as having a major role in world events, and some Iranians will tell you that they are modern-day Persia; But there’s no Persia in such key end-of-times prophecies as Psalms 83:8, which tells us that “even Assyria has joined them; they lend support to the sons of Lot.” Assyria, you may ask? It ceased to be a world power about 2,500 years ago. But, get out your atlas of the ancient world out and you’ll see that it included parts of Iran.
     Psalm 83 predicts defeat for those who will attack Israel, particularly those intending to “wipe her off the map.” Iran’s president, Mahmoud Amadinijad, has repeatedly made that specific promise. In fact, he has repetitively lectured the General Assembly of the United Nations during his annual addresses to that body, telling them that the Shi’ite messiah, the “Hidden Imam” is about to return to Earth to establish worldwide Islam;but cannot return until Iran has eliminated Israel.
     In the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah doesn’t specifically mention Iran or Persia in his visions of the end. However, he does mention Elam, an ancient power which included Iranian territory. Jeremiah 49:34-39 says Elam will experience devastation and the scattering of her population to many other nations as a result of the same attack that devastates Damascus. Could there actually be such a war, is Damascus at risk?
     Throughout the Cold War, a policy of “Mutual Assured Destruction” kept NATO and the USSR from going at each other with nuclear weapons. It was well understood that automatic systems and official policies were in place that would trigger a massive response, even if the attacked nation was in ashes. Had the Soviets wiped out U.S. leadership and command, the consequences would have been submarine-launched total devastation of Russia.
     So why should Iran expect anything less? A senior official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a few days ago told a Tehran newspaper that the United States is within reach of Iranian attack. If the U.S. hits key targets in Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program, “We will have a crushing response, “ said Massoud Jazaveri, quoted by Reuters, the British news agency. “We will not only act in the boundaries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf; no place in America will be safe from our attacks.” Surely he knows that the U.S. response to an Iranian attack, particularly a nuclear strike, would be cataclysmic.
     If Iran somehow managed to nuke Washington, D.C., no Russian or Chinese veto in the United Nations could prevent Tehran and every other major Iranian city from becoming smoking, radioactive ruins two or three times over. Mutual assured destruction has been U.S. policy for 50 years and even the most peace-minded leadership in the White House would have an impossible time tempering a response to a nuclear Pearl Harbor. Iran however, has indicated that they don’t fear such a fate.
     “Are Iran’s Leaders, well…Crazy?” Why not ask Kimo Quaintance and Bernd Kaussler on The Diplomat magazine’s website. “The most vocal supporters of preventative military strikes against Iran’s nuclear weapons program claim that Iran is developing nukes to use them, rather than to deter the United States and its allies from invasion.
     “This inversion of the Cold War theory of nuclear deterrence assumes that Iran doesn’t have the capacity for rational choice. After all, as the argument goes, if the Iranians are crazy, then the certainty of national suicide won’t stop them from seizing the opportunity to unleash their new nuclear weapons on Israel.” “A state that believes the end of the world is coming (never mind thinking it has the special responsibility to usher in Armageddon) can’t be considered likely to weigh costs and benefits in any rational, self-preserving way.”
     Or perhaps does Iran fail to believe the U.S. would retaliate? Just days ago, not 24 hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavroy warned the United States that any pre-emptive strike against Iran by the U.S. or Israel would violate international law; Moscow made sure to put muscle into his warning. On April 3, the Russian guided missile destroyer Smetliviy and its support group arrived in the Syrian port of Tartus from its Black Sea base for a naval exercise. Just the day before, the Israeli news analysis website DEBKA File reported that Russia and Iran are set to counter any U.S. Israeli strike against Iran. Lavrov’s comments, made during a visit to Armenia, stopped short of threatening any consequences. “But,” reported Reuters, “they backed up and were in tune with the explicit threat from Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of strong Iranian resistance to foreign intervention in Syria and a vow to defend Damascus as the center of resistance against Israel.” So, maybe Iran believes Russia would protect them?
     All this comes as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have established an international fund to pay a regular wage to rebel fighters in the Syrian Free Army which is trying to depose the current pro-Iranian regime in Damascus. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the U.S., Israel, and Greece have engaged in a “shadowy air-naval exercise” in the Mediterranean codenamed “Noble Dina.” “It appears to range across a broad sweep of sea up to Crete and including the waters off Turkey, Cyprus, and Israel Navy bases in Haifa and Ashdod ports,” reported the British news agency. The American, Israeli, and Greek fleets are reportedly led by the USS Enterprise strike force and supported by a British Royal Navy flotilla.
     It does begin to sound as if we are dancing around the edge of the abyss? Armageddon may be just around the corner, and Internet prophecy enthusiasts seem certain of it. They cite Luke 21:20 which reads, “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.”
     We also have the repeated warnings from Russia and China that the U.S. should not intervene in the Syrian civil war? As well there are reports that the U.S., France, Great Britain, Turkey, and Italy are planning to implement an aerial blockade of Damascus without United Nations backing?
     Turkey? Why would anybody give any thought to Turkey? Historians remind us that Turkey was the Ottoman Empire that defeated the Crusaders and held onto Palestine for nearly 1000 years until those same former crusaders won World War I…Turkey also ruled Syria during that time period…and Iraq, and Iran.
     Some who enjoy end-of-the-world debate would say that the United States is not mentioned in Bible prophesy. Others respond that a great “he goat” from the West will retaliate against the Medians (modern Syria) and Persia (today’s Iran) in the final battles. Daniel 8:5-6 foretells: “And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.”
     What will be the result of such super-powers butting heads? Prophecy enthusiasts cite Isaiah 17:1, which tells us that “Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” and Isaiah 17:3, which predicts victory for Israel: “The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 17:7 goes on to say, “At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.
     They predict Ahmadinejad will hit Israel with nuclear weapons, but that Jeremiah 49:34-39 describes his failure; that any such attack will backfire and cause his own people to evacuate the smoking ruin that will be Iran.
     Without a doubt, whether you believe in Bible prophecy or not, today the Middle East is the most keenly watched area of the world; and it is central to the economic stability of the world. Conflicts in the Middle East inevitably draw in the major powers. As a result, for many years it has been the most likely place for World War III to begin.
     Why do the superpowers care so much about the Middle East? The same kinds of conflict in Indonesia’s East Timor or South America’s Andes or between nations along Africa’s Great Rift seldom drag in the super-powers or prompt worries about Armageddon. What is it about the Middle East that holds the world’s attention? An easy answer is: Oil. The world’s economies are dependent upon Middle Eastern petroleum. After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Arabs used the oil weapon to devastating effect. Western economies were severely disrupted. The developed nations suffered crippling burdens of inflation, recession, debt and unemployment.
     So, what’s next you may be wondering? The battle of Armageddon is described in part in Ezekiel 38: the prophet foresees a massive confederacy of nations invading Israel. The leader of the confederacy is called Gog of the land of Magog. Many Bible students have expected Russia to fulfill the role of Gog. Magog was an ancient name for the land of the Scythians in the southern part of what is now Russia. This invader unites other enemies against Israel. Israel is referred to in Ezekiel 38:8 as: “The land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations.” Ezekiel 38:5 adds that in league with Gog (Russia) will be “Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya.” Impoverished Ethiopia, A player in the final battle? In the Old Testament, “Ethiopia” often refers to the Nile valley south of Egypt, including Nubia (today’s Sudan and the new nation of South Sudan) and Abyssinia (today’s Ethiopia and Somalia). Ethiopia in Bible times was an influential country, home of the legendary Queen of Sheba.
     Today, the former Ethiopian province of Somalia is frequently in the news as a collapsed state with no government. Its anarchy has spawned ruthless pirates stalking the busy shipping lanes in and out of the oil-rich Persian Gulf, constantly taking ships and crews hostage; and holding them for multi-million-dollar ransoms. Sudan has been the site of a horrific genocide as the Arab north has attempted ethnic cleansing of the predominantly black population of the oil-rich south; with the West and China squaring off, hoping to be the recipients of that oil. What about Libya? This oil-rich nation for years financed worldwide terrorism and was responsible for one of the worst mass-murders of civilians, the bombing of a PanAm 747 airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.
     Jeremiah 3:17 foretells that all these enemies of Israel “shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem.” Indeed, Jerusalem is at the meeting point of three continents. Ezekiel 5:5 says: “Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.” Ancient cartographers, taking this passage literally, placed Jerusalem at the center of their maps, an example of which is the famous Mappa Mundi in England’s Hereford Cathedral.
     As the Daily Telegraph newspaper commented,”It is interesting to note, in the affairs of the proposed sale of Hereford Cathedral’s Mappa Mundi, all those superior smiles at the childish medieval way it shows Jerusalem at the center of the world. But Jerusalem is the center of the world. We may be overwhelmingly reminded of this in due course, and sooner than we may think.”