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Articles and Commentary

• Strategic Trends Update: The Magog Invasion - (Read)
• The Changing Court: A Look at Constitutional Interpretation - (Read)

Important News Headlines

STRATEGIC TRENDS UPDATE: THE MAGOG INVASION - (Print)

Reports indicate that Iran is planning to assist Syria with its chemical warfare program. Iran will aid Syria in the development and initial operation of about five facilities for the production of sarin nerve agents, mustard blister agents, and even VX poison gas – the deadliest nerve agent ever created. With Iran’s help Syria hopes it can eventually achieve independent production capability.

Revelations about Syria’s chemical weapons program couldn’t come at a worse time. Currently Syria is under tremendous pressure from the international community to cooperate with UN investigators who are looking into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The United States, Britain, and France, all permanent Security Council members, have proposed a resolution threatening tough sanctions on Syria if it doesn't cooperate with the UN probe. Hariri and 19 other individuals were killed in a bombing in Beirut in February. It is widely believed that Syria is directly responsible for Hariri’s death. However, instead of silencing an influential critic, Syria has made Hariri a martyr and brought international attention to the situation in Lebanon. Hariri’s death was the catalyst that brought about the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. Syria removed its troops in April, ending its 29-year military presence in the war-torn nation.

Many experts believe that a large-scale confrontation between Israel and its neighbors could be on the near horizon. Thus making Syria’s growing relationship with nations such as Iran and Russia more concerning. Over the past year or so, partly as a consequence of the war in Iraq, Russia has been carefully cultivating ties with Turkey, Iran and Syria. After losing the Mid-East foothold provided by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the Russians have been building a new axis of power based on those three key countries. Russia is now Turkey's second-largest trading partner, with a volume of $10 billion in trade per year. Russia has also strengthened ties with Iran by supplying it with nuclear-related technologies. Earlier this year Russia and Syria made plans to increase diplomatic and military cooperation. Russia wrote-off approximately 10 billion dollars of Syria’s Soviet-era debt and has supplied Syria with Russian made SA-18 surface-to-air missiles, in spite of Israel’s objections.

In a related development, the Palestinian Authority recently disclosed that Russian military experts have been sent to the Gaza Strip to train Palestinian security forces. In addition to training, Russia is prepared to provide the Palestinians with armored vehicles, ammunition, and helicopters. However Israel is adamantly opposed, and has refused to sign-off on the deal.

The increased military cooperation between the Palestinians, Syria, Iran, Russia, and Turkey could be a sign that the famed battle prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is on our near horizon. It is during this battle, that God will directly intercede to protect Israel from Magog and its allies. The Magog Invasion is just one of the Strategic Trends that we monitor on a regular basis, for more information check out our website.

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THE CHANGING COURT: A LOOK AT CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATION - (Print)

President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court on Monday in the place of Harriet Miers. Miers withdrew last week after receiving less than a warm reception from Bush's conservative base (whether or not deserved). On the other hand, Alito's nomination has pleased conservatives. He has a well-established judicial career marked by faithfulness to the Constitution, even while sitting on one of the nation's most liberal courts.

The fifty-five year old Alito has served on the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals since 1990. He was born and raised in New Jersey, the son of an Italian immigrant. He earned his B.A. from Princeton and his J.D. from Yale Law School. He has taught courses on Constitutional Law, terrorism, and civil liberties at Seton Hall University School of Law - where he was recognized for his "outstanding contributions" to the field of law.

According to the Washington Post, Alito's friends describe him as another John Roberts with a longer paper trail. They say he's "a studious, diligent, scholarly judge with a first-rate mind and a deadpan sense of humor, a neutral arbiter who does not let personal beliefs affect his legal judgments."

One of Alito's most appealing qualifications for the Supreme Court is his originalist (or constructionist) judicial philosophy. While the extreme liberals in the Senate have expressed concerns about Alito's support from the "far right", those liberals have shown how out of touch they are with the common American. President Bush promised to nominate "strict constructionists" to the Supreme Court, and has steadily fulfilled that pledge to the American people who voted for him.

What exactly is a strict constructionist? How does that philosophy differ from the "living Constitution" view of the liberal judges on the high court?

Originalists believe the words of the Constitution mean what the Framers intended them to mean. When there is a question about a text, originalists go to the documents written by the Framers to get clarification. The Federalist Papers, contemporary letters, and notes from the Constitutional Convention can shed light on ambiguous terms in the text of the Constitution.

Originalists honor the first Article of the Constitution, which gives Congress the job of creating federal laws. An originalist judge will not attempt to impose his own views on society by "legislating from the bench". The federal judiciary's job is to apply the laws that the elected representatives in Congress make - and ultimately to apply the Constitution.

On the other hand, modernists (or instrumentalists) look at the Constitution as a "living" document. They feel free to interpret it in accordance with the ever-changing views of society. They argue that the Framers could not foresee the future and so they take upon themselves the responsibility of "filling in the gaps." This method of interpreting the constitution has been used to legitimize homosexuality and to grant pregnant women the “fundamental human right” to have an abortion.

Originalists, like Samuel Alito, argue that the modernist method of interpretation makes mush of the Constitution. Congress and the individual states, they argue, have the best position, and the legal authority, to represent society's modern values - as opposed to non-elected judges.

"If you think the Constitution is some exhortation to give effect to the most fundamental values of the society as those values change from year to year... If you think it is simply meant to reflect the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society - if that is what you think it is, then why in the world would you have it interpreted by nine lawyers? What do I know about the evolving standards of decency of American society? I’m afraid to ask." - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

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Muslim Youths Riot in Paris for 5th Night - November 01, 2005
Youths torched cars and threw stones at police in one Paris suburb and set two classrooms on fire at a school in another, authorities said Tuesday, as unrest spread in the volatile neighborhoods after the death of two teenagers last week. Police said that 13 people had been jailed and 21 cars burned in the most recent rioting that began late Monday. Clashes initially erupted Thursday after two teenagers were accidentally electrocuted as they hid from police in a power substation. FOX News

Israel Kills Two Fugitive Terrorists in Airstrike - November 01, 2005
Israel killed two top Palestinian fugitives Tuesday in a missile attack on their cars, triggering threats of revenge by terrorists that could further erode the fragile truce between the two sides. FOX News

Bush Unveils $7.1 Billion Plan to Prepare for Flu Pandemic - November 01, 2005
President Bush announced Tuesday that he would ask Congress for $7.1 billion in emergency funding to prepare the country for a possible flu pandemic. CNN

Beheading of Christian Schoolgirls Sparks Concerns About Religious Strife - November 01, 2005
Indonesian security forces remained on high alert and religious leaders appealed for calm in the nation's Central Sulawesi province following the beheading of three Christian schoolgirls. CNS News

Russians in Gaza training PA cops - November 01, 2005
Russian military experts have arrived in the Gaza Strip to help the Palestinian security forces enforce law and order, Palestinian Authority security officials disclosed on Saturday. Jerusalem Post

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

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