1. UN condemns Christian extremist LRA attacks - how do people like this manage to escape justice for 20+ years unless they have some sort of "official sanction"?
The LRA guerrilla group, whose chief Joseph Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court, first appeared in northern Uganga in 1988 and has since expanded into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and south Sudan.
Earlier this year in south Sudan, LRA men attacked several food aid distribution stations, killed hundreds of civilians and kidnapped children for use as soldiers, forcing thousands of people into Western Equatoria. And two incidents, possibly involving Kony's men, have been reported in recent weeks in the south's Bahr al-Ghazal region, which is wedged between the CAR and the Darfur region of western Sudan, sparking rumours the LRA is moving into Darfur.
The extremist group was founded by a former Catholic altar boy from northern Uganda, who uses biblical references to explain why it is necessary to kill people. His Christian extremist group is notorious for abducting thousands of children, forcing them to become either soldiers for his radical views or sex slaves.
The LRA rebels say they are fighting for the establishment of a government based on the biblical Ten Commandments. He is described as a self-styled prophet who believes in Jesus, son of God.
One of Kony’s aides, Moses, was quoted as saying: “Kony is a messenger from God! We follow the commands of the Holy Spirit!” Moses continues to explain Kony’s reasoning: “If someone has done something bad to you, you have to kill them!” “Go and read in Matthew, chapter what and what, it is stated that if your right hand causes trouble, cut if off! It is there in the Bible!” “He taught us how to pray,” one of Kony’s wives said. He had named was of his sons George Bush. And like the former US president, he also claims to receive personal visions from God.
In an interview with Vincent Otti, who was LRA second in command at the time, the Christian fanatic was asked about the group's name and its ideal system of government.
Otti's response was: "Lord’s Resistance Army is just the name of the movement, because we are fighting in the name of God. God is the one helping us in the bush. That’s why we created this name, Lord’s Resistance Army. And people always ask us, are we fighting for the [biblical] Ten Commandments of God. That is true – because the Ten Commandments of God is the constitution that God has given to the people of the world."
Kony uses passages from the Pentateuch to justify mutilation and murder. [that's the Torah - ed.]
LRA fighters achieved notoriety by turning on the Acholis they claimed to represent, hacking off lips, ears and noses, killing thousands and abducting more than 20,000 civilians, mostly children. The children who have been abducted were often forced to kill their own parents so they have no way back.
People who were abducted into Kony's forces and later escaped describe him as a crazed religious leader. Human Rights Watch had previously accused the mainly Christian regional government of southern Sudan of ignoring an International Criminal Court’s warrants for the arrest of four top Ugandan rebel leaders. In one occasion, Kony, who was in southern Sudan, had even met the Christian region's Vice-President, Riek Machar. Kony had asked the government of southern Sudan to facilitate talks between him and President Museveni of Uganda.
The LRA has killed more people than many other terrorist groups, yet few Americans or Europeans have ever heard of it.
read more @ middle east online
2. rabbi book: kill violators of Jewish law - oh HEY it's rude to notice
A book published this week by a radical Jewish rabbi from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and endorsed by prominent religious right-wing figures suggests killing any non-Jew, including children and babies, who pose a threat to Israel.
The book’s publication, just days after the arrest of Jewish settler Jack Teitel, who is charged with a string of killings, including two Palestinians, reflects a growing antipathy towards Palestinians among Jews living in the occupied territory.
Michael Warschawski, the founder of the Jerusalem-based Alternative Information Centre, said the book went public with a concept that was already being promoted in a quieter way by dozens of settler rabbis in internal community newspapers and speeches.
He said: “The thinking in the book is quite widespread among settlers. A substantial number of them have a very deeply racist philosophy against any non-Jews, and, more concretely, against Arabs. This is a racist book that in other countries would lead the attorney general to open a probe against the authors.”
...According to Israeli press reports that provided excerpts of the book, the rabbis do not shy away from calling for the killing of any non-Jew who may threaten the state of Israel. They write: “In any place that the presence of a gentile endangers the existence of Israel, it is allowed to kill him … also if he is completely not to blame for the situation that has been created.”
Children, the authors insist, should not be exempt from this fate. They add: “There is a reasonable explanation for killing infants if it is clear that they will grow up to hurt us – and in this situation, the strike should be directed at them.” According to the book, the children of a non-Jewish leader may be targeted as a means of applying pressure.
The authors say that even innocent people are allowed to be killed if they belong to a state that Israel considers an enemy. They also say: “Evil people should be treated with revenge and a like-for-like manner in order to be defeated.”
The rabbis added that non-Jews could also be killed if they “violate … commandments” such as the prohibition against stealing, murdering or idol-worshipping.
The authors, who base their ideas on Bible quotations, are careful to exclude any mention of Arabs when referring to non-Jews, but commentators said that Palestinians are their main target.
read more @ middle east online
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