Friday, September 01, 2006

News Bits

Mikaela re-posts:
Heartening and Horrifying, in that order.

From Democracy Now:

Vatican, Churches Criticize Christian Zionist Movement
In other news from the region, the Vatican and three churches in Israel have come out against the Christian Zionist movement -- the American evangelicals who have lobbied the US government for aggressive support of Israel’s policies. In a statement called the “Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism”, the four Church groups write:

"The Christian Zionist programme provides a world view where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war."


Education Dept. Shared Student Applicant Data With FBI
Here in the United States, the Education Department has admitted its shared the personal information of hundreds of student loan applicants with the FBI. The sharing was part of a five-year program called Project Strikeback. Officials say the program was used to check applicants for student assistance with names on FBI watchlists. David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, said “This operation Strikeback confirms our worst fears about the uses to which these databases can be put.”