8 posts tagged “torture”
Well I can see the reason that Newt Gingrich is a politician. His recent e-newsletter castigates Speaker Pelosi without actually calling her a liar. I was not so capable of being so diplomatic.
Speaker Pelosi is the classic example of the hypocrisy of the now devotedly Leftist Democratic Party. The Democrats went on a rampage of vilifying President Bush’s policies of keeping America safe even to the point of calling for a criminal investigation of the Bush Administration and those that acted patriotically to protect American citizens from the reoccurrence of another 9/11.
With the aid of the Mainstream Media, the Democrats unleashed some political venom of propaganda upon American voters to influence votes that placed the Democrats back in the driver’s seat in 2006. Then the voters received another chunk full of propaganda that elected a deceptive Leftist President whose primary goal is to transform America away from her roots of Christianity toward the diversity concept of Secular Humanism and the redistribution of wealth. The term “redistribution of wealth” is MSM code talk for Socialism at best and Communism at worst.
One can see Communism at its worst through the eyes of Comrade Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong.
The social transformation led by President Barack Hussein Obama and the elite cadres of the Democratic Party is subtly validating some of the worst elements of the morally depraved in America. The transformation excuse: The morally deprave are people on par with a race or religion; to discriminate against the morally depraved is thus racism and a denial of civil rights that all the diverse Americans should enjoy.
Okay, I know I digressed on Speaker Pelosi.
Newt neatly rails on Pelosi by putting her political agenda of persecuting the Bush Administration for the Democrats call torture. Is it not ironic the Obama Administration has gone to great lengths not to insult Mohammedans by eliminating such terms as the Global War on Terror (GWOT) or Islamic terrorism to find neutral words? Yet the Obama/Pelosi Democrats have no trouble using the word “torture” rather than Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EIT) against Americans that have devoted themselves to keep other Americans safe. Does anyone see the lunacy on this political vendetta to prevent Conservatives of the Republican Party from ever gaining control of Congress and the White House?
But check it out: Since Speaker Pelosi as the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence committee never protested EIT; does not that make Pelosi an adherent to the practice of protecting Americans?
So you see how Speaker Pelosi has dug a hole for herself by attempting to use plausible deniability to make it look like she was never on board with EIT.
Newt is correct that Pelosi should be removed not because of her political agenda, but because her political agenda has placed America and Americans at risk by diluting National Security.
JRH 5/20/09
There is ONE WORD for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi – LIAR.
Contrary to a whole host of contradicting reports that Pelosi was indeed privy to “waterboarding” as enhanced interrogation techniques – EIT - (Most Republicans). Now that the Obama Administration and most Leftist Democrats have labeled waterboarding as torture, there has been a huge Leftist push to investigate the Bush Administration and the Intelligence Community concerning EIT.
I am willing to bet this Leftist push to fry the Bush Administration for keeping America safe will suddenly cool off. Why? The reason is an actual investigation will prove that Pelosi is a liar. That would mean one of the most powerful persons in America could be subject to a scandal that would do huge damage to the Democratic Party as the so-called Party of change.
As long as Pelosi is adamant that she was too stupid to understand what the of EIT is, I am fairly certain there will be no push from the House leadership in some kind of tawdry investigation of the Bush Administration keeping America safe.
Read the AP article that comes across as sympathetic toward liar – I mean Speaker - Pelosi.
This has all the appearance that Speaker Pelosi is going to take on the CIA. So somebody is lying – either the CIA or Pelosi. Since I never trust a Democrat, I suspect Pelosi is lying. If Pelosi is lying she can say publicly “I want those documents made public” and hope the CIA will not release classified data to protect their position.
If the CIA is lying (which I doubt in this case), then the release of classified document would show Pelosi is not as stupid as she appears.
I am guessing the CIA is doing some research and may pick & choose documents that make the CIA look good and infer that Pelosi is incompetent (or we could say a stupid liar).
She chastised reporters for falling for the Republicans’ political machinations and deflecting attention from their misdeeds. To clear the air, Pelosi said, “I’d be very happy if they released the briefings.”
And that is the only way this matter can be cleared up. A lot of documents should be declassified, including the briefing Pelosi cites. Either the CIA withheld information from Pelosi et al., or Pelosi is now lying. Either way, the briefing should be released.
While they are at it, all of the memos that deal with this topic should be released. Let’s see the intelligence on what al Qaeda was up to and what intelligence, precisely, came out of the interrogations of senior al Qaeda terrorists.
Something tells me that we will hear a response from the CIA shortly. (John McCormick)
Yeah baby, it is doubtful America’s chief spooks is going to allow Pelosi to malign them since there is an appearance the CIA tried to malign President Bush’s effort to invade Iraq.
Keep in mind that if Pelosi is leaning toward stupid rather than liar (I believe she is both), you have to know as Speaker of the House Pelosi is third in line if something horrible happens to the President and Vice President. This makes Pelosi one of the power elite in America. Does America want a stupid and/or liar to have such power?
JRH 5/14/09
An oft reported theme I have put forth is that Democrats lie. There was a time when only the obvious Left wing of the Democrat Party would indulge in political slight of hand and tell a lie for political gain in the hope the Center to Right would acquire a bad public image. The Democrat fringe was in the mold of Senator McGovern. The McGovernite Dems were an electoral laughing stock. That is because the Democrat Party used to be dominated by Center-Right Statesmen in the mold of Senator Scoop Jackson of Washington State. Those Democrats are long gone.
Now that the fringe Left has utterly taken over the Democrat Party America can expect lies for political public enhancement will be the norm rather the exception.
The Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in her minority leadership role was involved in about thirty meetings along with other Republican and Democrat leadership circa 2002. Those meetings explicitly detailed the enhanced interrogation techniques to be used on Islamic terrorists captured shortly after the invasion of Afghanistan.
Nancy Pelosi is the ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives and third in line for the Presidency if a cataclysmic catastrophe occurs to the President and Vice President. This woman of High Government Office has down right lied claiming there was NO detail given in those meetings explaining the nature of enhanced interrogation techniques.
Here is a side thought: Is it not interesting the Obama Administration is bent on calling Islamic terrorists and the Global War on Terror by long drawn out names obfuscating the reality of America’s enemy? Yet the successful methods to extract information from those Islamic terrorists to keep America safe are “torture.” Can you say political agenda?
Pelosi is being busted in public in the deceitful hypocritical lie to protect her Leftist back-side.
Porter J. Goss a former CIA Director is part of an increasing line of individuals calling Pelosi out on her lies.
Many Joe Americans may ask, “What’s the big deal? Politicians lie for gain all the time. What makes Speaker Pelosi’s lie any different?”
The big deal is part of the Democrat Party road to power was decrying the lack of civil rights for non-State terrorist POWs who utilized heinous brutal torture that cost lives prior to their capture. Using the weariness of the Global War on Terror by the American public, the accusation of torture as an American war crime was used to paint a picture of evil of Republicans who believed in winning rather than losing.
Pelosi is in a position of choosing to lie about any knowledge of what enhanced interrogation techniques entailed OR owning up to the truth proving the Democrats lied there way to the American voters’ hearts.
JRH 4/26/09
By all accounts President John Fitzgerald Kennedy is one of America
Yet there was intense speculation that JFK and his Administration was involved in the assassination of South Vietnamese dictator Ngo Dinh Diem. The coup preceding Diem’s assassination was indeed orchestrated by the JFK Administration with knowledge thereof from JFK himself.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson definitely believed the JFK Administration was part and parcel to the assassination.
President Richard Milhouse Nixon believed that JFK was directly (Note: annoying soundtrack is part of the website) involved in the ordering of the assassination of Diem. A New York Times story that included the transcripts of Nixon tapes paints of picture of Nixon trying to frame JFK; however after close examination of the NYT story you will note the message the NYT wants its readers to believe does not match Nixon’s strong belief of JFK culpability.
Among Academia during the Vietnam War era it was considered a truism that JFK ordered Diem’s assassination. Kennedy apologists have come to the Kennedy Legacy rescue claiming there is no direct proof that JFK was behind the Diem assassination. Since there is no smoking gun connection it comes down to what one surmises from any evidence available. Today the lack of evidence has pretty much exonerated JFK publicly of culpability; however that does not mean there was not a successful cover-up.
Records of the Kennedy national security meetings, both here and in our larger collection, show that none of JFK's conversations about a coup in Saigon featured consideration of what might physically happen to Ngo Dinh Diem or Ngo Dinh Nhu. The audio record of the October 29th meeting which we cite below also reveals no discussion of this issue. That meeting, the last held at the White House to consider a coup before this actually took place, would have been the key moment for such a conversation. The conclusion of the Church Committee agrees that Washington gave no consideration to killing Diem. (Note 12) The weight of evidence therefore supports the view that President Kennedy did not conspire in the death of Diem. However, there is also the exceedingly strange transcript of Diem's final phone conversation with Ambassador Lodge on the afternoon of the coup (Document 23), which carries the distinct impression that Diem is being abandoned by the U.S. Whether this represents Lodge's contribution, or JFK's wishes, is not apparent from the evidence available today.
A second charge has to do with Kennedy administration denials that it had had anything to do with the coup itself. The documentary record is replete with evidence that President Kennedy and his advisers, both individually and collectively, had a considerable role in the coup overall, by giving initial support to Saigon military officers uncertain what the U.S. response might be, by withdrawing U.S. aid from Diem himself, and by publicly pressuring the Saigon government in a way that made clear to South Vietnamese that Diem was isolated from his American ally. In addition, at several of his meetings (Documents 7, 19, 22) Kennedy had CIA briefings and led discussions based on the estimated balance between pro- and anti-coup forces in Saigon that leave no doubt the United States had a detailed interest in the outcome of a coup against Ngo Dinh Diem. The CIA also provided $42,000 in immediate support money to the plotters the morning of the coup, carried by Lucien Conein, an act prefigured in administration planning Document 17). (John Prados)
So why do I mention some dirt on an American hero as JFK?
The reason is President Barack Hussein Obama has decided to re-open the door on possible prosecution of Bush Administration Aides and functionaries (including Lawyers providing legal advice) concerning the Bush Administration tactic of using extreme interrogation methods to extract information out of Islamic terrorists to protect the American Homeland. Most people in this currently Leftist dominated nation use appellation of “torture” for extreme interrogation methods. This is odd for the Obama Administration has decided to abandon all actual words for Leftist euphemisms for phrases and words like Global War on Terrorism or Islamic terrorists.
I am not a proponent of the kind of torture that leads to the termination of life or to the maiming of one’s body. Torture thus defined is indeed a heinous crime or war crime if perpetrated by signatories of the Geneva Conventions.
I am a proponent of what is labeled as torture yet there is NO threat to life and limb. It is the use of psychological methods to extract relevant information not necessarily for prosecution but rather for the safety of American citizens and military operations against Islamic terrorists abroad. The Bush Administration has indeed proven such extracted information has kept American soil free from another 911 style attack on American lives.
Left Wing Time.com places Vice President Cheney’s assertion that extreme interrogation methods indeed prevented terrorist attacks as well as the capture of other terrorists. Time.com also pooh-poohs the former Vice President by saying the harm to the American image outweighs any success that can be claimed by extreme interrogation methods.
HUH? Does that make sense? The Lefties are saying the aspirations of terrorists were mere fantasy that would not take place. I guess 911 was one of those fantasies that a failure in Intel failed to prevent.
Now here’s the thing. President Barack Hussein Obama initially showed bi-partisan wisdom in sticking to his convictions (as wrong as they are) by saying there will be NO prosecutions or investigations into the circle of Bush Administration people in the loop for getting the extreme interrogations started and accomplished. BUT NOW BHO is saying well hold up there, my fellow Lefties are crying for Right Wing (viewed as extremist no doubt) blood or the blood of BHO if he fails to go after all the Bush Administration people from top to bottom involved in extreme interrogation techniques.
BHO might as well go back and investigate anyone still alive from previous Presidential Administrations that have the stench of criminal activities from President Clinton through President Eisenhower (I am fairly certain before Eisenhower that for sure Presidential Aides and advisors are dead).
My point is the Bush Administration did not break any prosecutable any more than previous Presidential Administrations. There are Presidents in this time period that Americans loved to loathe; however many of the Presidents are legends or were at least very popular among voters (after all Clinton beat an impeachment rap). If BHO goes on a partisan political vendetta on a Presidential Administration that he deplored, it should open the doors for anyone who is alive connected with previous Administrations (Can you say Sandy Berger?).
JRH 4/23/09
I just finished reading an awesome analytical editorial of how Barack Hussein Obama is actually placing Americans at risk by redefining Bush’s methods to keep America terrorist free for a little over the last seven years since 2001.
The place to go is RationalLiberty.com.
JRH 1/27/09
The Religion of peace’s latest attack on non-Muslims in Mumbai, India was horrific. What may not have been known is that of the nearly 200 murdered by Islamic terrorists is that there were a number of Jews.
Courtesy of Islamic Supremacism and hate the Jews were not only killed but blatantly tortured then executed.
The great tragedy includes the fact that these Islamic extremists were following the dictates of their holy writings as opposed to the claim by Muslim/Mohammedan apologists these violent actions are outside the theology of Islam/Mohammedanism.
I find it more and more unbelievable that the West’s PC culture continues to look the other way when the inherently violent Theo-political cult erupts into death and destruction.
JRH 12/1/08
Ann Coulter is right: Leftists LIE.
Randi Rhodes an ex-host for the now bankrupt Air America is doing her Leftist best to lie about both Senator McCain and Governor Palin.
According to Rhodes McCain had a cushy time at Hanoi Hilton and Sarah Palin is a pedophile of teenage boys.
You would think that if Rhodes was going to successfully Swift Boat the McCain campaign she could get a significant amount of fellows that would corroborate her lies. I mean the original Swift Boat Vets against Kerry were significant whether their version corroborated John Kerry or not.
If Rhodes has a bunch of eye witnesses corroborating her lies she is not sharing the validity of her sources. It is an example of fishing for lies to tell them as fact. I believe that is called deception.
On September 8, 2008 Rhodes claimed McCain was called “the Prince” by his captors because he was given preferential treatment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt8Sgt6K9YE
She is a moron. McCain was called “the Prince” because he was the son of an Admiral and grandson of another Admiral. When the North Vietnamese found out whom McCain was I am guessing the only preferential treatment he received was being patched up from his Fighter Jet crash and the abuse of his original captors. After McCain miraculously survived the neglectful medical patch work he was thrown for dead among two other POW’s who nursed to life. Ironically the website Vietnam Veterans against John McCain provides a US News & World Report article of McCain telling his story. The website uses the article as if it is an indictment against John McCain because McCain said things like give me medical attention and I will tell you military information. Of course neither the article nor McCain relates if he actually gave information; however it does relate they weren’t going to give medical attention until they found out who the father of McCain was. Also the article talks about the horrendous torture McCain received. How all this is an indictment on Kerry is beyond me, it corroborates that McCain is a hero. The VVAJM is a Leftist joke full of innuendo and twisted words about McCain’s POW experience which is so far away from the truth that only a Leftist or an idiot would believe it.
If you want first hand witnesses talk to people like Bud Day. Day was a fellow POW and paints a different picture than the Leftists are trying to paint.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfyGdG9llSE
Then on September 12, 2008 Rhodes implied Governor Palin was a stalker of teenage boys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B--bj01CYR8
My God if there were time for a civil suit to nail this egregious lie by Rhodes I would think Palin would follow through with it. As it is now, there are so many lies being told about Palin that it is entering the realm of the ridiculous.
Can America afford this kind of mentality running America for four years? Dear God American voters wake-up and realize what Obama represents.
JRH 9/16/08
Jerry Golden usually posts his email list on his website; this is not one of those cases. Jerry’s emails are often jumbled grammatically yet solid on the website. I did a little guessing on the paragraphs and I am going to brave the spell check.
After saying all that, I am posting this really old email to demonstrate that radical Islamist ideology is even rampant in so-called moderate secular Turkey.
This is not a pretty picture portrayed below.
JRH
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Islam a religion of fear and hate
5-9-07
The Golden Report Email List
The following report came out of this past week and it shows you how much the Devil hates Jews and Christians, called the people of the book in his book the Koran. The families of these victims of Islamic hate are in our prayers. We also ask you to keep us in your prayers as we move through parts of setting up routes and safe houses along with ports of call for pick ups. One of the more difficult things we are now working on is the emergency communication that must be set up.
These Islamic devils work on fear, they try to stop the work of God by their fear tactics of terrorism they don’t just kill but torture their victims and say they are doing it for Allah, and the fact is they are doing it for Allah, but Allah is the devil, when we are walking in God’s Love there is no fear only a desire to serve and be used as the Ruach Hakodesh leads. After reading this you will know how important it is to be covered with prayer before moving in this environment.
Time is of the most importance and we must raise the needed finances to continue moving forward, we have located a larger boats that would work and we are asking you to simply ask God what is it you should do to save Jewish lives.
Please read the following report with your heart open for God to speak to you concerning these Islamic evil people. Pray for the brave and loving Christians who are putting their lives on the line daily to bring the Gospel of Yeshua to the Moslems of Turkey.
Shalom, jerry golden
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They asked that we send this out to as many praying Christians as we can.
Reported by Darlene N. Bocek (24 April 2007)
Dear friends,
This past week has been filled with much sorrow. Many of you have heard by now of our devastating loss here in an event that took place in Malatya, a Turkish province 300 miles northeast of Antioch, the city where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).
On Wednesday morning, April 18, 2007, 46 year old German missionary and father of three Tilman Geske prepared to go to his office, kissing his wife goodbye taking a moment to hug his son and give him the priceless memory, “Goodbye, son. I love you.” Tilman rented an office space from Zirve Publishing where he was preparing notes for the new Turkish Study Bible. Zirve was also the location of the office. A ministry of the church, Zirve prints and distributes Christian literature to and nearby cities in . In another area of town, 35 year old Pastor Necati Aydin, father of two, said goodbye to his wife, leaving for the office as well. They had a morning Bible Study and prayer meeting that some other believers in town would also be attending. Ugur Yuksel likewise made his way to the Bible study. None of these three men knew that what awaited them at the Bible study was the ultimate testing and application of their faith, which would conclude with their entrance into glory to receive their crown of righteousness from Christ and honor from all the saints awaiting them in the Lord’s presence.
On the other side of town, ten young men all under 20 years old put into place final arrangements for their ultimate act of faith, living out their love for Allah and hatred of infidels who they felt undermined Islam. On Resurrection Sunday, five of these men had been to a by-invitation-only evangelistic service that Pastor Necati and his men had arranged at a hotel conference room in the city. The men were known to the believers as “seekers.” No one knows what happened in the hearts of those men as they listened to the gospel. Were they touched by the Holy Spirit? Were they convicted of sin? Did they hear the gospel in their heart of hearts? Today we only have the beginning of their story.
These young men, one of whom is the son of a mayor in the , are part of a tarikat, or a group of “faithful believers” in Islam.
Tarikat membership is highly respected here; it’s like a fraternity membership. In fact, it is said that no one can get into public office without membership in a tarikat. These young men all lived in the same dorm, all preparing for university entrance exams.
The young men got guns, bread knives, ropes and towels ready for their final act of service to Allah. They knew there would be a lot of blood. They arrived in time for the Bible Study, around 10 o’clock.
They arrived, and apparently the Bible Study began. Reportedly, after Necati read a chapter from the Bible the assault began. The boys tied Ugur, Necati, and Tilman’s hands and feet to chairs and as they videoed their work on their cell phones, they tortured our brothers for almost three hours*
[Details of the torture—
Tilman was stabbed 156 times, Necati 99 times and Ugur’s stabs were too numerous to count. They were disemboweled, and their intestines sliced up in front of their eyes. They were emasculated and watched as those body parts were destroyed. Fingers were chopped off, their noses and mouths and anuses were sliced open. Possibly the worst part was watching as their brothers were likewise tortured. Finally, their throats were sliced from ear to ear, heads practically decapitated.]
Neighbors in workplaces near the print house said later they had heard yelling, but assumed the owners were having a domestic argument so they did not respond.
Meanwhile, another believer Gokhan and his wife had a leisurely morning. He slept in till 10, ate a long breakfast and finally around 12:30 he and his wife arrived at the office. The door was locked from the inside, and his key would not work. He phoned and though it had connection on his end he did not hear the phone ringing inside. He called cell phones of his brothers and finally Ugur answered his phone. “We are not at the office. Go to the hotel meeting. We are there. We will come there,” he said cryptically. As Ugur spoke Gokhan heard in the telephone’s background weeping and a strange snarling sound. He phoned the police, and the nearest officer arrived in about five minutes. He pounded on the door, “Police, open up!” Initially the officer thought it was a domestic disturbance. At that point they heard another snarl and a gurgling moan. The police understood that sound as human suffering, prepared the clip in his gun and tried over and over again to burst through the door. One of the frightened assailants unlocked the door for the policeman, who entered to find a grisly scene.
Tilman and Necati had been slaughtered, practically decapitated with their necks slit from ear to ear. Ugur’s throat was likewise slit and he was barely alive. Three assailants in front of the policeman dropped their weapons. Meanwhile Gokhan heard a sound of yelling in the street. Someone had fallen from their third story office. Running down, he found a man on the ground, whom he later recognized, named Emre Gunaydin. He had massive head trauma and, strangely, was snarling. He had tried to climb down the drainpipe to escape, and losing his balance had plummeted to the ground. It seems that he was the main leader of the attackers. Another assailant was found hiding on a lower balcony.
To untangle the web we need to back up six years. In April 2001, the National Security Council of Turkey (Milli Guvenlik Kurulu) began to consider Evangelical Christians as a threat to national security, on equal footing as Al Quaida and PKK terrorism. Statements made in the press by political leaders, columnists and commentators have fueled a hatred against missionaries who they claim bribe young people to change their religion. After that decision in 2001, attacks and threats on churches, pastors and Christians began.
Bombings, physical attacks, verbal and written abuse are only some of the ways Christians are being targetted. Most significant is the use of media propaganda. From December 2005, after having a long meeting regarding the Christian threat, the wife of Former Prime Minister Ecevit, historian Ilber Ortayli, Professor Hasan Unsal, Politician Ahmet Tan and writer/propagandist Aytunc Altindal, each in their own profession began a campaign to bring the public’s attention to the looming threat of Christians who sought to “buy their children’s souls”. Hidden cameras in churches have taken church service footage and used it sensationally to promote fear and antagonism toward Christianity.
In an official televised response from , the Interior Minister of smirked as he spoke of the attacks on our brothers. Amid public outrage and protests against the event and in favor of freedom of religion and freedom of thought, media and official comments ring with the same message, “We hope you have learned your lesson. We do not want Christians here.” It appears that this was an organized attack initiated by an unknown adult tarikat leader.
As in the Hrant Dink murder in January 2007, and a Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in February 2006, minors are being used to commit religious murders because public sympathy for youth is strong and they face lower penalties than an adult convicted of the same crime. Even the parents of these children are in favor of the acts. The mother of the 16 year old boy who killed the Catholic priest Andrea Santoro looked at the cameras as her son was going to prison and said, “he will serve time for Allah.” The young men involved in the killing are currently in custody. Today news reported that they would be tried as terrorists, so their age would not affect the strict penalty. Assailant Emre Gunaydin is still in intensive care. The investigation centers around him and his contacts and they say will fall apart if he does not recover.
The Church in responded in a way that honored God as hundreds of believers and dozens of pastors flew in as fast as they could to stand by the small and encourage the believers, take care of legal issues, and represent Christians to the media. When Susanne Tilman expressed her wish to bury her husband in , the Governor tried to stop it, and when he realized he could not stop it, a rumor was spread that “it is a sin to dig a grave for a Christian.” In the end, in an undertaking that should be remembered in Christian history forever, the men from the church in Adana (near Tarsus), grabbed shovels and dug a grave for their slain brother in an un-tended hundred year old Armenian graveyard. Ugur was buried by his family in an Alevi Muslim ceremony in his hometown of Elazig, his believing fiance watching from the shadows as his family and friends refused to accept in death the faith Ugur had so long professed and died for.
Necati’s funeral took place in his hometown of Izmir, the city where he came to faith. The darkness does not understand the light. Though the churches expressed their forgiveness for the event, Christians were not to be trusted. Before they would load the coffin onto the plane from , it went through two separate xray exams to make sure it was not loaded with explosives. This is not a usual procedure for Muslim coffins. Necati’s funeral was a beautiful event. Like a glimpse of heaven, thousands of Turkish Christians and missionaries came to show their love for Christ, and their honor for this man chosen to die for Christ. Necati’s wife Shemsa told the world, “His death was full of meaning, because he died for Christ and he lived for Christ… Necati was a gift from God. I feel honored that he was in my life, I feel crowned with honor. I want to be worthy of that honor.” Boldly the believers took their stand at Necati’s funeral, facing the risks of being seen publicly and likewise becoming targets. As expected, the anti-terror police attended and videotaped everyone attending the funeral for their future use.
The service took place outside at Buca Baptist church, and he was buried in a small Christian graveyard in the outskirts of Izmir. Two assistant Governors of Izmir were there solemnly watching the event from the front row. Dozens of news agencies were there documenting the events with live news and photographs. Who knows the impact the funeral had on those watching? This is the beginning of their story as well. Pray for them. In an act that hit front pages in the largest newspapers in Turkey, Susanne Tilman in a television interview expressed her forgiveness. She did not want revenge, she told reporters. “Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do,” she said, wholeheartedly agreeing with the words of Christ on (Luke 23:34).
In a country where blood-for-blood revenge is as normal as breathing, many many reports have come to the attention of the church of how this comment of Susanne Tilman has changed lives. One columnist wrote of her comment, “She said in one sentence what 1000 missionaries in 1000 years could never do.” The missionaries in Maylatya will most likely move out, as their families and children have become publicly identified as targets to the hostile city. The remaining 10 believers are in hiding. What will happen to this church, this light in the darkness? Most likely it will go underground. Pray for wisdom, that Turkish brothers from other cities will go to lead the leaderless church. Should we not be concerned for that great city of Malatya, a city that does not know what it is doing? (Jonah 4:11)
When our Pastor Fikret Bocek went with a brother to give a statement to the Security Directorate on Monday they were ushered into the Anti-Terror Department. On the wall was a huge chart covering the whole wall listing all the terrorist cells in Izmir, categorized. In one prominent column were listed all the evangelical churches in Izmir. The darkness does not understand the light. “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” (Acts17:6)
Please pray for the Church in Turkey. “Don’t pray against persecution, pray for perseverence,” urges Pastor Fikret Bocek. The Church is better having lost our brothers; the fruit in our lives, the renewed faith, the burning desire to spread the gospel to quench more darkness in Malatya …all these are not to be regretted. Pray that we stand strong against external opposition and especially pray that we stand strong against internal struggles with sin, our true debilitating weakness.
This we know. Christ Jesus was there when our brothers were giving their lives for Him. He was there, like He was when Stephen was being stoned in the sight of Saul of Tarsus. Someday the video of the deaths of our brothers may reveal more to us about the strength that we know Christ gave them to endure their last cross, about the peace the Spirit of God endowed them with to suffer for their beloved Savior. But we know He did not leave their side. We know their minds were full of Scripture strengthening them to endure, as darkness tried to subdue the unsubduable Light of the Gospel. We know, in whatever way they were able, with a look or a word, they encouraged one another to stand strong. We know they knew they would soon be with Christ. We don’t know the details. We don’t know the kind of justice that will or will not be served on this earth. But we pray-- and urge you to pray-- that someday at least one of those five boys will come to faith because of the testimony in death of Tilman Geske, who gave his life as a missionary to his beloved Turks, and the testimonies in death of Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, the first martyrs for Christ out of the Turkish Church.
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About Jerry Golden: Thank you for looking in on the Jerry Golden "Report". I hope that you will find it both informative and a blessing.
Jerry and Connie Golden are Messianic Believers in Yeshua Hamashiah (Jesus Christ); and dual Citizens of both the United States and Israel. Jerry has served in both armed forces. And Connie and Jerry have been married for 30 years. They have lived in for many years and have raised their three youngest children in Jerusalem. Both of their daughters are married and living in the States, and their youngest son Joel is now serving in the IDF Special Forces.
Jerry has authored three books, "Too Tough For God", "Burned Alive", and "Gifts of the Spirit Through the Tabernacle". He has been interviewed on MORE …
