Beacon2Light

My heart goes out to Ukraine, especially those in the eye of the storm in Crimea (seemingly, virtually lost to Russia) and the eastern and southeastern portions of the country that both border Russia and boast large ethnic Russian populations. These are the areas that voted for the ousted former president that some, including me, think that Russia may like to bring  forcibly   back to power as a puppet.  This is a call to prayer for them.  See map below for the ethnic makeup of the country, i.e. Russian population:   The red areas are large percentages of ethnic Russians.  The darker the area, the higher the concentration. I have kept watch over the country and events that have transpired since the protests of November 2013, through the ouster of the president and the elected parliament's decision to go back to the 2004 constitution and Russian interference since then.  As an amateur historian, I see parallels with Hitler's taking of ...

When the Arab Spring came to the Middle East, hope rose in the West that this marked a new, positive, democratic and free Middle East in the making.  Events since then have dashed that hope on the rocks of reality.  Image obtained at:  http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/university-front-line-arab-spring Nearly parallel to this development were the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the nation-building efforts there, American withdrawal and the subsequent state of persecution, in Iraq particularly.  Check out how U.S. foreign policy has impacted Christians in the region: Afghanistan: Despite the U.S. invasion, expulsion of the Taliban from power, its efforts to install a more pro-American government there and rebuild the country, persecution of Christians is still a huge threat.   Iraq:  The U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime and the Baath party there has resulted in a chilling unintended consequence: “In 20...

Events are beginning to rush downhill like crazy. You might remember that the U.S. administration stated that Syria may have used chemical weapons against the rebels and/or civilians. This stance continued even as France , others and even the U.N. , I believe, said it happened as a matter of fact. The problem was that President Obama drew a line in the sand at the use of chemical weapons as a pretext for U.S. involvement. To admit that it has happened is either to back one’s words up with action or prove those words to be just rhetoric which would have ramifications in our dealings with North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear programs. So, what has changed? A few things, I believe. Soldiers loyal to the Syrian regime gesture while on their military vehicle in the village of Debaa near Qusair, after the Syrian army took control of the village from rebel fighters June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Rami Bleible http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/soldiers-loyal-syrian-regime-gesture-while-militar...