I. LATIMES - Stewart, Colbert plan dueling rallies in D.C.
Let the march madness begin. Comedy Central cohorts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will rally their respective troops on Oct. 30 in a battle of the marches in Washington. Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity (whose message is: Take it down a notch, America) will meet Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive on the National Mall. “It is happening, people,” Stewart said during his show Thursday. “A million moderate march where we take to the streets to send a message to our leaders and our national media that says, ‘We are here … we’re only here, though, until 6 because we have a sitter!’ ” And, hey, Stewart already has signs made! Stewart admitted that it was a twist of fate, since he would already be in Washington, with “The Daily Show” taping there Oct. 25-28. Not to be outdone, Colbert followed up with an announcement on his own show, urging his viewers to also assemble “because now is not the time to take it down a notch. Now is the time for all good men to freak out for freedom."
II. WSJ - Fenty as a Republican: Could He Win?
We realize that rematch is unlikely in the Washington, D.C., race for mayor, after voters ousted the young incumbent, Adrian Fenty, in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. But if the outgoing mayor were to accept the write-in nomination of 822 Republican voters who want him on the ballot in November… could he win? Yes, he could — under the following scenario. Start with the 54,424 Democrats who voted for Fenty in the primary against Vincent Gray, the city council chairman. Assume Fenty’s supporters would stick with him and vote for him again. Then, give Fenty a healthy portion of votes from the city’s 29,728 registered Republicans, who don’t have another candidate on the November ballot. Then, note that 73,178 voters in D.C. are not affiliated with any political party. Plenty of them are federal government and media types who are interested in politics but don’t think it’s appropriate to register themselves as a member of either political party. All of these voters would be up for grabs in a second contest between Fenty and Gray. Gray got 66,526 votes in the Democratic primary, giving him a margin over Fenty of 12,102. Fenty might find enough voters among Republicans and non-affiliated votes to overcome Gray’s lead. That scenario assumes that the Democrats who voted for Fenty wouldn’t turn on him for switching parties, and that Fenty and Gray would evenly split the 213,669 registered Democrats in the city who didn’t vote on Tuesday but who might show up in November.
III. WASHINGTONTIMES - Bryza in Armenian, Cypriot cross hair
In the hottest diplomatic dispute facing Congress as it convenes next week, Armenian-Americans are stepping up their campaign to prevent Matthew J. Bryzafrom serving as U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to consider his nomination on Tuesday. They have picked up support from Cypriot-Americans, who complain that Mr. Bryza, whose wife was born in Turkey, is biased toward Turkish positions on Cyprus. "Mr. Bryza, with every new dodge, digs himself a deeper and deeper hole, demonstrating why he is so clearly the wrong choice to be U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan," saidAram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America. "Our nation's interests in Baku [the Azeri capital] and throughout the Caucasus would be best served by a fresh start with a nominee that doesn't bring such baggage and bias to this important diplomatic posting." The Cyprus Action Network of America on Monday registered its opposition to Mr. Bryza. "Matt Bryza's troubling diplomatic record and his conflict of interest issues in regard to his bias toward Turkey's cycle of impunity and denial of Turkey's crime of genocide and Turkey's illegal invasion and occupation of Cyprus makes him an unsuitable representative in any post," it said in a statement. Mr. Bryza has been unable to defend himself against the criticism because of diplomatic protocol that prohibits career Foreign Service officers from discussing their nomination in public. The State Department also declines to discuss diplomatic appointments awaiting Senate confirmation. He tried to respond to some of the attack in his July hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee, but his answers failed to satisfy his Senate critics. Sens. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, and Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat, peppered Mr. Bryza with pointed questions at the hearing and sent him detailed follow-up questions. Mrs. Boxer blocked a vote on his nomination before the congressional summer recess. Armenian-Americans claim Mr. Bryza is too friendly with Azeri officials in negotiations over the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan that declared independence in 1988, sparking a civil war with Azerbaijan until a cease-fire in 1994. Cypriot-Americans complain that Mr. Bryza refused to condemn the presence of Turkish troops in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which only Turkey recognizes. They also criticize Mr. Bryza for refusing to use the word "genocide" to describe the killing of Armenians by Turks in World War I.
IV. IOCC - Food and Medical Assistance Reach Pakistan
International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has expanded its distribution of emergency supplies to flood-ravaged areas of Pakistan. While water is receding in many areas of the country, the devastation caused to homes, infrastructure and farm land has left many people without adequate access to clean water, food and medical assistance. Aid provided by IOCC has focused on the medical needs, especially the threat of water-borne diseases, and immediate provision of food supplies through the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan. In partnership with Medical Teams International, IOCC is providing two cholera kits to areas in the north of Pakistan. The kits will provide medical camps established in four of the hardest hit regions of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Each cholera kit contains basic pharmaceuticals and supplies to treat up to 700 severe and moderate cases of cholera, including those affected by dysentery. The shipment, valued at $265,000, has been made possible through support from the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. IOCC is also assisting the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan to provide immediate food assistance to over 2,200 people in the flood-affected areas of Wazirabad, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Pannu Aqil, Nawabshaw and Larkana in River Chenab, Sindh, and Nowshera provinces. A new effort in the hard-hit Nowshera province is targeting families that have not received aid by providing 175 quilts, 50 four-person tents, and school assistance to 25 vulnerable children. In addition to the food aid and cholera medicines, ten "Ready Relief Boxes" provided from partner Heart to Heart International arrived to Pakistan on September 14. The boxes, with a total value of $75,000, contain essential medications such as pain relievers, antibiotics, vitamins, and rehydration packets which can serve up to 4,000 patients. These will be distributed through the Orthodox Church in Pakistan and longtime ecumenical partner Church World Service. The medicines will be used to assist patients at a hospital in Balakot and to stock mobile health clinics serving the areas of Swat, Kohistan and Mansehra. You can help the victims of disasters around the world, like the floods in Pakistan, by making a financial gift to the IOCC International Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, please visit IOCC's website. IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), has implemented over $330 million in relief and development programs in 33 countries around the world.
V. B92 - NATO on withdrawal from Kosovo
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on the member states of NATO not to withdraw their troops from Kosovo unilaterally. He spoke in favor of a joint decision on the troop reduction. Some NATO countries, primarily the Czech Republic and France are considering a complete or partial withdrawal of their troops from Kosovo due to the additional engagement in the international troops in Afghanistan and reduction of military budget due to the economic crisis. Rasmussen appealed in Brussels on Thursday not to make such moves unilaterally but to wait until an agreement is reached and a joint decision made, radio Deutsche Welle reported. Rasmussen underscored that there will be no withdrawal from Kosovo that would jeopardize the security situation. The number of KFOR troops in Kosovo and Metohija was reduced from 15,000 to 10,000 this year. According to some plans, their number should be reduced down to 5,700 troops in the next phase.
VI. RIANOVOSTI - Russia, NATO should fully analyze missile threat to Europe
Russia believes that Moscow and NATO properly assess missile risks before starting on a missile defense plan for Europe, Russia's envoy to the military alliance said on Friday. "We continue to insist that, before discussing what may be meaningful in the framework of the possible European missile shield project and other serious projects, we need to carry out a serious analysis of missile threats," Dmitry Rogozin told RIA Novosti. "To settle on guilty parties in this issue means to dodge a discussion of more serious issues," Rogozin said. "It is not only Iran that possesses missiles in Europe's southern 'underbelly,' but other countries as well, so if we are to start this analysis, we should analyze all those who possess this kind of technology." Iran still poses a threat to Russia and NATO, the alliance's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said earlier on Friday. He reiterated calls for the creation of missile defenses in Europe, saying they would bring NATO and Russia closer.
Local Catholics and Greek Orthodox joined their leaders Wednesday on a pilgrimage that is a first – but a continuation of history. Bishop McManus and Metropolitan Methodios, of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston, are leading 25 other pilgrims on a Sept. 15-26 trip to Rome, for an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, and to Constantinople, for Divine Liturgy celebrated by Patriarch Bartholomew. Patriarch Bartholomew is the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople, in modern day Istanbul, Turkey. Worcester is believed to be the site of the first official dialog between Catholic and Greek Orthodox leaders in the United States. They met Sept. 9, 1965 at St. Spyridon Church, now St. Spyridon Cathedral, in Worcester. But this is the first time the Bishop of Worcester has led a pilgrimage with the Metropolitan of Boston to the seats of both of their churches, organizers said. (The metropolitan and Boston archbishops led such pilgrimages in 1996 and 2007.) Bishop McManus said this month’s pilgrimage is significant for the diocese because of the continuity it fosters, given Bishop Flanagan’s great rapport with the Orthodox and the ongoing friendly relationship, especially through St. Spyridon’s. In 1054 the first major division in Christianity occurred when the patriarch of Constantinople and a papal delegation from Rome excommunicated each other in a dispute over papal primacy. Orthodox churches, generally defined by their region of origin, give special honor to the patriarch of Constantinople. He is considered the “first among equals” among Orthodox patriarchs; his primacy does not entail ultimate jurisdiction over other Orthodox churches. Over the centuries the schism hardened, but in recent decades both sides have made efforts toward reconciliation. “This is the first time I’ve led an ecumenical pilgrimage,” Bishop McManus said. “I would hope it would set an example to the Catholic community of how important this ecumenical dialogue is, particularly with the Orthodox.” He said he’s never been to Turkey and is eager to go. “I think it’ll be a great privilege to attend the Divine Liturgy,” he said of the Orthodox service Sunday in the Patriarchal Church of St. George in the Phanar, where the patriarch resides. Vespers are to be held there Saturday. Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims can participate in each other’s celebrations, just not receive Communion at the other’s liturgies, Bishop McManus explained. Wednesday pilgrims are scheduled to attend the audience with Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square. Traditionally the pope greets bishops individually after the Wednesday audience and may greet the leaders of other churches, including the metropolitan, Bishop McManus said. He said he has a gift for the patriarch and the metropolitan has a gift for the pope. Bishop McManus said he is scheduled to celebrate three special Masses, two Saturday vigil Masses, and, he hopes, daily Masses on the pilgrimage. Msgr. Beaulieu is to concelebrate. Today, Friday, in Ephesus, modern day Izmir, in Turkey, Bishop McManus is to celebrate Mass at the house of the Virgin Mary, where it is believed she spent the last years of her life. “The Virgin Mary plays a significant role in the life of Roman Catholics and in the life of Greek Orthodox,” the bishop said, noting that the Orthodox give her the title Theotokos, Greek for God-bearer. The Council of Ephesus in 431 stated that she is the Mother of God. Thursday the bishop is to celebrate Mass in the Clementine Chapel, near St. Peter’s bones, in the lower level of St. Peter’s Basilica. Next Friday he is to celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Bishop McManus’ Saturday vigil Masses are tomorrow in the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua in Constantinople, where Blessed John XXIII preached as papal nuncio to Turkey before being elected pope, and Sept. 25 at Casa Santa Maria, the Pontifical North American College’s graduate House of Studies in Rome. Worcester Diocesan priest Msgr. Francis D. Kelly is superior of the house. Other sites pilgrims are to visit are as follows. In Ephesus, where St. Paul began the Christian community to whom his letter to the Ephesians is addressed, pilgrims are to visit the tomb of St. Luke the Evangelist, the bishop said, noting that Catholics and Orthodox share the same Scriptures. Other stops in Ephesus include the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, believed to be his final resting place; Hadrian’s Temple, the Celsus Library, the Marble Road, the Great Theater, the Ephesus Museum, terrace houses and the ancient ruins of the Harbor Baths, Msgr. Beaulieu said. In Constantinople, pilgrims are to visit Orthodox churches: Hagia Sophia, St. Mary of Blachernae, St. Savior and St. Eirene, he said. Other stops include the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Byzantine Hippodrome, the Topkapi Palance Museum, the Grand Bazaar and Istiklal Caddesi, a boulevard of restaurants, boutiques and galleries. In Rome at Casa Santa Maria, the Orthodox are to lead vespers, Msgr. Beaulieu said. Pilgrims are to visit the Basilicas of St. Peter, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums and the Catacombs. In Assisi they are to visit the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Clare, the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, the Convent of San Damiano and St. Francis’ home.