Sunday 12 May 2013

Savile's Papal Knighthood



The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (LatinOrdo Sancti Gregorii MagniItalianOrdine di San Gregorio Magno), was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.



It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See. The order is bestowed on Catholic men and women (and in rare cases, non-Catholic men) in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and the Church, unusual labours, support of the Holy See, and the good example set in their communities and country.

The Order has four classes in civil and military divisions:

  • Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the First Class (GCSG/DCSG)
  • Knight/Dame Commander with Star (KC*SG/DC*SG)
  • Knight/Dame Commander (KCSG/DCSG)
  • Knight/Dame (KSG/DSG)

Its motto is Pro Deo et Principe (For God and Prince).



The inaugural brief states, in part, that "gentlemen of proven loyalty to the Holy See who, by reason of their nobility of birth and the renown of their deeds or the degree of their munificence, are deemed worthy to be honoured by a public expression of esteem on the part of the Holy See".The end of the brief states that they must progressively maintain, by continued meritorious deed, the reputation and trust they had already inspired, and prove themselves worthy of the honour that had been conferred on them, by unswerving fidelity to God and to the sovereign Pontiff.

This honour has no particular obligations to the Church, except for the general ones stated above.


Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the First Class
Knight/Dame Commander with Star
Knight/Dame Commander
Knight/Dame


Pope Honors Rupert Murdoch, Roy Disney, Bob Hope

Religion: The three, who are not Catholic, are among 67 honorees in the L.A. area. The knighthood awards cite character and aid to society, church.

January 03, 1998|JOHN DART | TIMES STAFF WRITER

Pope John Paul II has awarded papal knighthood to comedian Bob Hope, news magnate Rupert Murdoch and entertainment executive Roy Disney--all non-Catholics--along with 64 prominent Los Angeles-area Catholics.

Among the Catholics named were actor Ricardo Montalban, longtime Los Angeles City Councilman John Ferraro and hotel executive Barron Hilton.

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony will induct the men and women into the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great in a ceremony Jan. 11 at St. Francis de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks.

The pope bestows the titles on people of "unblemished character," including non-Catholics, who have "promoted the interests of society, the [Catholic] Church and the Holy See [Vatican]," said Father Gregory Coiro, spokesman for the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese.

Hope, Murdoch and Disney all have Catholic wives, who were named Dames of St. Gregory, the female equivalent of a knighthood.

All have contributed heavily to church institutions, though no figures were made public. Bob and Dolores Hope, for instance, have donated to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, Coiro said.

Roy Disney, who heads the animation division of Walt Disney Co., and his wife, Patricia, are supporters of the church's plans for a new cathedral in Los Angeles. Murdoch, who has agreed to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his wife, Anna, have supported the Archdiocesan Education Foundation and other Catholic causes, according to Coiro.

"I was quite surprised," said Ferraro, a longtime member of St. Brendan Parish, near Hancock Park, who was unaware that Mahony had submitted his name to the pope. "It's certainly not deserved, even shocking that a City Council member would be honored."

The titles are strictly honorary. They entail neither duties nor ceremonial uniforms.



"Does it mean they get a higher place in heaven?" said Msgr. Francis J. Weber, the archdiocese's historian based at San Fernando Mission. "I don't know, probably not."

In addition to big donors and celebrities, the titles of Knight Commander or Dame of St. Gregory are being given to Catholics who have donated time and talent to church work among Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, African American and other ethnic communities.

The only ordained recipient is Aloysius Caffrey, 77, a longtime deacon who headed the CIA office in Los Angeles before retiring.

"He's on the road constantly to deliver donated food to AIDS hospices and needy organizations," said Msgr. William Leser, pastor at St. Jude Parish in Westlake Village. Another honoree in that parish is Geraldine Frawley, publisher of the National Catholic Register and Twin Circle Catholic newspapers until they were sold two years ago.

*

"Cardinal Mahony is very aware of the contributions to church work that people make and tries to acknowledge that in many ways," Weber said. In addition to his annual Cardinal's Awards and other tributes to the laity, "whenever he goes to say Mass, if there are altar boys and girls, he gives them each keepsake medals," Weber said.


Mahony was on vacation this week and the archdiocesan headquarters was closed for the holidays.

The 67 new knighthoods represent a sudden increase in the rate of awards for Los Angeles-area Catholics. Since 1921, when Joseph Scott, a prominent civic and political figure of that period, became the first Los Angeles resident so honored, only 142 knighthoods had been granted locally, an average of fewer than two per year.

It was Mahony who petitioned the pope to admit women to the order for the first time, and in 1994 he nominated 10 local women who became the first dames, according to Weber.

With more than 3.6 million Catholics, "Los Angeles is the largest archdiocese in the United States and has many contributors to the church," said Weber when asked to suggest reasons for the favorable papal responses to Los Angeles nominees.

William Close, who attends a La Canada Flintridge parish, "is financial chairman for the new cathedral project, and in that volunteer role is spending virtually full time on the project," said Weber.

Close and five other Catholic men on the list were already members of the order, but they are being given an ecclesiastical promotion of sorts, to "knight commander with star."

Others with that higher rank will include Bob Hope; Wilfred Von der Ahe, of a North Hollywood parish, one of the founders of Vons supermarkets; and Cyril C. Nigg, a Beverly Hills philanthropist. Nigg's wife, Josephine Wayne Nigg, first wife of actor John Wayne, will also enter the order Jan. 11.

Mahony will induct the large group during an afternoon Mass at the Sherman Oaks parish with a dinner following at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.


New Knights of St. Gregory

Among the 67 men and women being inducted into the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great are comedian Bob Hope, entertainment executive Roy Disney and news magnet Rupert Murdoch.

The 67 men and women named knights and dames of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II, with their home parishes:

Knight Commanders of St. Gregory With Star--William Close (St. Bede the Venerable Parish, La Canada Flintridge); Bob Hope (non-Catholic); Cyril C. Nigg (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Kenneth Olsen (Cathedral Chapel, Los Angeles); John Shea (St. Philip the Apostle, Pasadena); the late L. Owen Traynor (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Wilfred Von der Ahe (St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood).

Dames of St. Gregory With Star--Dolores Hope (St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood); Mary Jane Von der Ahe (St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood).

Knight Commanders of St. Gregory--John Balaoing (St. Brendan, Los Angeles); Bernardas Brazdzionis (St. Casimir, Los Angeles); Deacon Aloysius Caffrey (St. Jude, Westlake Village); Louis Castruccio (St. Paul the Apostle, Los Angeles); Albert Centofante (St. Lawrence Martyr, Redondo Beach); Joon Ho Chuong (St. Basil, Los Angeles); Roy Disney (non-Catholic); Peter Dwan (Corpus Christi, Pacific Palisades); John Ferraro (St. Brendan, Los Angeles); Stafford Grady (St. Bede the Venerable, La Canada Flintridge); Thomas Grojean (St. Monica, Santa Monica); Barron Hilton (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Paul Hughes (St. Robert Bellarmine, Burbank); Edward Illig (St. Bede the Venerable, La Canada Flintridge); Joseph Kennerson (St. Joseph, Long Beach); James Kenney (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Edward Landry (Our Lady of Lourdes, Northridge); Edwin Marzec (St. Monica, Santa Monica); John McNicholas (Cathedral Chapel, Los Angeles); Ricardo Montalban (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); John Morehart (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Montecito); Rupert Murdoch (non-Catholic); Lanh Van Nguyen (Our Lady of Loretto, Los Angeles); Andrew Chung-Woo Nam (Our Mother of Good Counsel, Los Angeles); Gary W. Phillips (St. Paul the Apostle, Los Angeles); Cornelius Pings (St. Andrew, Pasadena); Eugene St. John (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Montecito); Charles Smith (St. Monica, Santa Monica); Frank Smith (St. Louis de Marillac, Covina); Michael Smith (St. Bede the Venerable, La Canada Flintridge); George Takahashi (St. Francis Xavier Maryknoll Chapel, Los Angeles); Charles Von der Ahe (St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood); Thomas Von der Ahe (St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood); Thomas Wathen (St. Martin of Tours, Los Angeles).

Dames of St. Gregory--Catherine Boeddeker (Old Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara); Mary Centofante (St. Lawrence Martyr, Redondo Beach); Helen Close (St. Bede the Venerable, La Canada Flintridge); Mary Pat Cooper (St. Paul the Apostle, Los Angeles); Patricia Disney (St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood); Mary Dohn (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Peggy Ferry (St. Bede the Venerable, La Canada Flintridge); Geraldine Frawley (St. Jude, Westlake Village); Alicia Gavin (St. Brendan, Los Angeles); Gloria Griffin (Our Lady of Lourdes, Northridge); Marcia Hayden (St. Philip the Apostle, Pasadena); Marilyn Hilton (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Susana Huston (St. Bede the Venerable, La Canada Flintridge); Francine Laband (Sacred Heart, Covina); Jean Zimmerman Lawrence (St. Frances X. Cabrini, Los Angeles); Anna Murdoch (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Geraldine Nigg (Cathedral Chapel, Los Angeles); Josephine Wayne Nigg (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills); Bernadette Nishimura (St. Francis Xavier Maryknoll Chapel, Los Angeles); Edith Piczek (Our Lady of Loretto, Los Angeles); Isabel Piczek (Our Lady of Loretto, Los Angeles); Dorothy Shea (St. Philip the Apostle, Pasadena); Joanne Smith (St. Bede the Venerable, La Canada Flintridge); Nancye Traynor (Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills).


The History of Papal Knighthoods

OVERVIEW OF THE PONTIFICIAL ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD OF THE HOLY SEE

The Papal Equestrian Orders as represented in Great Britain today are not as many believe the direct descendants of medieval Orders of Chivalry but are, in their present form, of comparatively recent origin. They nevertheless represent one of the highest and most prestigious distinctions which the Pope, as Supreme Pontiff and Head of the Roman Catholic Church and as Sovereign of the Vatican City State, can bestow on an individual. Such awards are made to lay men and women of the Catholic faith as well as to those of other Christian denominations and other faiths in recognition of their pre-eminent service offered to their faith, community, or the work of the Holy See on a local, national and international level. The majority of recipients are Roman Catholic although within Great Britain are knights and dames who are Protestants, Muslims and Jews.

Currently, the Pontifical Orders of Knighthood of the Holy See are as follows:

  1. The Supreme Order of Christ
  2. The Pontifical Order of the Golden Spur
  3. The Pontifical Order of Pius IX
  4. The Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great
  5. The Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester

Admission to the Supreme Order of Christ, the Pontifical Order of the Golden Spur and the Collar of the Pontifical Order of Pius IX are reserved solely for reigning Sovereigns and Heads of State.  They are very rarely bestowed and only then during significant state and official visits made to the Vatican City by foreign dignitaries or during a state, official or pastoral visit made by the Supreme Pontiff to foreign country. 

The Supreme Order of Christ can only be bestowed on Heads of State professing the Roman Catholic faith. Among previous recipients were HE President Charles de Gaulle of the French Republic, HE President Antonio Segni of the Italian Republic, President Eamon de Valera of Ireland and German Federal Chancellor Dr Konrad Adenauer.

The last award of the Supreme Order of Christ was made by His late Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1987 to HMEH Frà Angelo de Mojana, 77th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. With his death one year later, and the subsequent death of fellow recipient, HM King Baudouin of the Belgians in 1993, there are no living holders of the Order of Christ today.

It is considered by some that the failure to award this decoration since 1993 may well indicate that this Order has been placed in abeyance by the Holy See preferring instead to bestow the Collar of the Order of Pius IX.

The Pontifical Order of the Golden Spur which HSH Prince Rainier III of Monaco, HE President Theodor Heuss of West Germany, HM King Frederick IX of Denmark and HIM Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran were among its past recipients, has also not been bestowed for a number of years. HRH Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg is among those living recipients of this award.

The Pontifical Order of Pius IX is the most senior active Pontifical Order in use today. Its highest grades in general terms are reserved for Sovereigns and Heads of State, its middle ranks to those such as senior diplomats accredited to the Holy See. Previous recipients include the late HM King Olav V of Norway and HM King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden.

Recipients of the higher ranks include HM King Juan Carlos I of Spain (left), HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and the late Frà Andrew Bertie, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. In Britain, members included the late Lord Hunt of Tanworth and the late Miles, Duke of Norfolk, who held the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order.

In Great Britain, much like the rest of the world, the majority of Papal Knights and Dames belong to the Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great although an increasing number have been awarded the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester.

Among recipients of the Order of Saint Gregory are the former German Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Past British recipients included British Ambassador Sir Ashley Clarke, leading Catholic layman Sir Harold Hood and Lord Lovat. Current Association members include, Lord Clarke of Hampstead, Baroness Hooper, Lord Mark Fitzalan Howard, General Sir Richard Lawson, interfaith leader Sir Sigmund Sternberg, Lord Nolan, Baroness Masham of Ilton, former Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy MP, Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank and Lord Alton of Liverpool.

Among recipients of the Order of Pope Saint Sylvester are former Maltese Prime Minister George Borg Olivier, Prince Karl August von Thurn und Taxi, entertainer Bob Hope, KBE, Archduke Otto von Habsburg, MEP, and Italian politician Sergio Berlinguer. In Great Britain, association members include businessman John Studzinski and interfaith campaigners HE Anthony Bailey, Professor David Khalili and Mahmoud Khayami.

Although the Pontifical Orders of Knighthood were founded for, and remained the prerogative of gentlemen, in November 1993, the Papal Secretariat of State issued instructions, that the Orders of Pius IX, Saint Gregory the Great and of Pope Saint Sylvester were now open to ladies, with three ranks: Dame, Dame Commander and Dame Grand Cross.


Procedure of admission to a Pontifical Order of Knighthood in Great Britain

In Great Britain, there are currently no known living recipients of the Pontifical Orders of Christ, the Golden Spur and of Pius IX. Admission to the Pontifical Orders today are therefore proposed to the Pontifical Orders of Saint Gregory the Great and Pope Saint Sylvester (right). There are three usual ways of admission to a Pontifical Order.

  1. Directly by order of His Holiness The Pope or by him on advice of the Secretary of State of the Vatican City State.

  2. By proposal of HE The Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James’s or his counterparts internationally (as the most senior diplomatic representative of the Supreme Pontiff).

  3. By proposal of a Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop Ordinary of a Diocese within Great Britain or internationally.

In the vast majority of cases, the recommendation is made by the Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop Ordinary of a diocese, who if he sees fit and deems the candidate worthy enough of further consideration for such a honour, forwards the application with a detailed biography and reasons for the award to HE The Apostolic Nuncio for further consideration. Approved nominations are then forwarded by the Apostolic Nunciature to the Secretariat of State within the Vatican City State.

Following further detailed consideration of the nomination, approved candidates are then formally submitted by the Secretary of State to His Holiness The Pope for final approval, which if granted, a “biglietto” or brief of appointment is drawn up which is then signed by the Secretary of State of the Vatican City State (left) and duly dated and sealed. This is then returned through the Holy See’s diplomatic mission – the Apostolic Nunciature - to the Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop who made the initial submission and who in turn notifies the candidate of the Pope’s decision to award such an honour and will usually present it, sometimes with the appropriate insignia, at a ceremony which may be either public or private.

On occasions candidates born or living in Great Britain have been nominated directly by the Holy Father, by an Apostolic Nuncio or a Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop Ordinary of a diocese outside Great Britain for specific services rendered. Such ceremonies are therefore usually conducted in the place where the nomination originated.

In most cases the ceremony is conducted by the local Ordinary in the recipient's parish church and following a format not too dissimilar to the following:

 

Investiture of Papal Knight/Dame during Mass

The Knight(s)/Dame(s) to be invested will be seated appropriately with sponsor(s) and family in the front of the church. The Mass of St Gregory the Great may be chosen for the investiture which may follow the reading of the Gospel or just before the final Blessing and Dismissal.

The Cardinal/Archbishop/Bishop, wearing mitre and holding his crozier, with parish priest and master of ceremony process to the front of the altar where the Papal Brief and insignia are displayed on a table.

The MC invites the candidate(s) and sponsor(s) presenting the candidate(s) to approach the edge of the sanctuary.

The Cardinal/Archbishop/Bishop says to the candidate(s) and congregation:

 

Introduction

'The Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Great/Pope St Sylvester* was founded in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI/ in 1841 by Pope Gregory XVI*. It is conferred as a reward for services to the Holy See and the Church on gentlemen/ladies of proved loyalty who must maintain unswerving fidelity to God, the Supreme Pontiff, the Holy See and the Church.

'Becoming a Knight/Dame does not merely mean receiving a title of honour - even though it is well deserved - but fighting evil, promoting good and defending the weak and oppressed against injustice.

 

Reading of the Papal decree

Then to the candidate(s) (replace Knight with Dame in the case of a female recipient:

'The Papal Brief which creates you (Name(s)of Candidate(s))a Knight/Knight Commander/Knight Commander with Star/Knight Grand Cross of the Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Great/Pope St Sylvester* reads as follows:

"BENEDICT XVI SUPREME PONTIFF gladly acceding to a request made to Us from which we have gathered that you are most deserving for what you have done for the Holy Catholic Church and its affairs, and in order that We might give a clear sign of Our pleasure and appreciation, We choose, make and declare you
(name) ...... of the Diocese of ...... a Knight/Knight Commander/Knight Commander with Star/Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great/Pope St Sylvester.* We bestow on you the right to use and enjoy all the privileges which go with this high dignity.

Given at St Peter's in Rome on ......
Signed and sealed by the Cardinal Secretary of State".

'I have been delegated by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to invest you with the Insignia of the Order to which he has appointed you.

 

Oath and Blessing of insignia

'Before performing this solemn task, I must ask you: Do you promise faithfully to maintain unswerving fidelity to God, the Supreme Pontiff, the Holy See and the Holy Church and exercise the office of a Pontifical Knight/Dame in accordance with the high ideals and standards expected of you?'

The candidate(s): ' I promise so to do'.

The presiding prelate blesses the Brief and Insignia saying:

'Almighty and Eternal God, bless these symbols approved by your Vicar, Pope Benedict XVI. We invoke your omnipotent power to confound all evil spirits and protect your servant(s) ...... who, from this day forward, wear them. Protect your Knight(s)/Dame(s0 from all harm and may he/she/they be ever faithful to yo u all the days of his/her/their life. We ask this through Christ, our Lord'.

 

Investiture of insignia

The MC then addresses the candidate(s): 'Please step forward'

The presiding prelate then continues: 'In the name of the Holy Father I herewith invest you with the insignia of a ...... (as designated) and I present to you the Papal Brief'.

The newly invested Knight(s)/Dame(s) and escort(s) take a step back and bow to the Bishop before all retire to their respective places. The Bishop may at his discretion give the newly invested person(s) a chance to say a word of thanks to him and the congregation.

 

Responsibilities and Uniforms

There are no particular duties pertaining to membership of the Pontifical Orders but some fifty years ago the late Mr Paul Kelly KCSG suggested that Holy Mass should be offered every year in Saint Gregory’s Chapel in London’s Westminster Cathedral, for the repose of the souls of deceased Knights. The authorities agreed and from the beginning arose the Association of Papal Knights in Great Britain which flourishes today.

The late Mr Alan Rye KCSG became the first Honorary Secretary and as members increased, the Mass was transferred to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and Saint Gregory in Warwick Street W1, which is usually followed by an annual dinner. These events take place on a date near to 3 September - the Feast of Saint Gregory.

In 1980 HE Archbishop Bruno Heim, then Apostolic Delegate and later Pro Nuncio to Great Britain, wrote to say that he had received many requests from Knights of Saint Sylvester for an association similar to the Knights of Saint Gregory, but that he would prefer one organisation to include members of both Orders. In due course the suggestion was put into effect and His Grace The Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshall of England, agreed to be the Association’s President.  Following his death, His Eminence Cormac, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, graciously succeeded him.

 

Uniforms

Knights of all the Pontifical Orders are entitled to wear a uniform corresponding to the Order to which they belong.  Dames are able to obtain a cape.  It is important to remember that for recipients of Papal Honours it is a personal honour and as such members have no particular obligations except those just described. The uniform, which was much in evidence at the public ceremonies when His late Holiness Pope John Paul II visited Great Britain in 1982, is normally worn on only a few occasions each year. The wearing of a uniform is not compulsory. Those wishing to acquire one should contact the Honorary Secretary of the Association of the Pontifical Orders who will advise them.

In Great Britain recipients of the Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great and of Pope Saint Sylvester are able to obtain a uniform corresponding to the Order and grade to which the recipient is entitled to wear. For the Order of Saint Gregory the Great it is a dark green with silver lace, and for the Order of Pope Saint Sylvester it is black with gold lace. Each uniform is slightly more embroidered for the higher ranks. The uniform is also accompanied by a cocked hat and a dress sword.

The insignia consists of an eight pointed white enamel cross with an image of Pope Saint Sylvester (314-335 AD), suspended from a black and red ribbon.



Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great

Most Papal Knights in Great Britain today are members of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great although an increasing number have in recent years been awarded the Order of Pope Saint Sylvester.  The Order of Saint Gregory has an interesting history. In the early nineteenth century the whole of Europe was in turmoil after the catastrophic events of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic invasions. Traditional forms of government, the legacy of the feudal system of the Middle Ages, had become outmoded and everywhere reform was demanded by a vociferous multitude. The Pope was still the temporal ruler of the Papal States in north-east and central Italy: he maintained his own army, but when revolutionary elements set up a provisional government in his territory in 1830, Austrian troops had to be called in to restore the situation.

On 1 December of that year Pope Pius died. He was succeeded by a Camaldolese monk, Bartolomeo Capellari, under the title Pope Gregory XVI. The name is significant because it was Pope Gregory I, Saint Gregory the Great (incidentally the Apostle of England) who founded the temporal power of the papacy, the “Patrimonia Petri”, and one of the new Pope’s chief considerations, inevitably in view of the position he inherited, was to preserve the power for himself and his successors.

One of his first concerns, therefore, was to reward the Italians and Austrians who had restored his political authority and so in 1831, only seven months after his election, he founded the Papal Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory the Great, as an order of merit to be bestowed (to quote his inaugural brief) on “gentlemen of proven loyalty to the Holy See who, by reason of their nobility of birth and the renown of their deeds or the degree of their munificence, are deemed worthy to be honoured by a public expression of esteem on the part of the Holy See”. The insignia of the Order were to include an eight-pointed cross bearing a representation of Saint Gregory on the obverse and on the reverse the motto “Pro Deo et Principe”, suspended from a red and gold ribbon, and there were to be three classes of Knights who were reminded, at the end of the brief, that they must progressively maintain, by continued meritorious deeds, the reputation and trust they had already inspired, and prove themselves worthy of the honour that had been conferred on them, by unswerving fidelity to God and to the Sovereign Pontiff, according to the inscription quoted above.

Pope Pius X was installed on the 4 August 1903. He was Giuseppe Melchior Sarto, the first Pope since the Middle Ages to spring from peasant stock. He was a man of saintly life and abundant energy, and set himself the task of reforming many aspects of Catholic life. In 1905 he introduced the practice of frequent, even daily, Holy Communion for lay people.

In the same year he published the Apostolic letter “Multum ad excitandos” and he reformed all the Pontifical Orders of Knighthood, appointed the Cardinal Secretary of State of the Vatican City State as Grand Chancellor of all Pontifical Orders and established a Chancery which issued rules concerning the uniforms for members of the various Orders. Until 1905, only the Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory the Great had the Cardinal Secretary of State as Grand Chancellor.

His late Holiness also reformed the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, dividing it into Civil and Military Divisions and describing its uniform- dark green tail coat and trousers, both trimmed with silver embroidery, a cocked hat and dress sword: white gloves are worn. As with the Pian Order, a member may be a Knight Grand Cross, a Knight Commander with or without a star, or a Knight. The uniform is slightly more embroidered for the higher ranks.

Bob Hope - Illuminati Pimp

January 23, 2012


bob_hope_vietnam.jpgThe disparity between Bob Hope's public persona as entertainer of US troops,  and the sordid reality causes cognitive dissonance. 







by Zen Gardner




Bob Hope's work with the private "United Services Organization," (USO) entertaining troops around the world, was part of the Illuminati's MK-Ultra program. They used mind controlled sex slaves to convey messages, advance policies, and dispense sexual services to deserving generals.

The bimbos that Hollywood has foisted on us as "stars" are largely mind-controlled playthings of the elite.

with-progmr-bob-hope.jpgWhen you look back at the sexed up mannequins that Bob Hope toured with, it makes perfect sense. Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, Jane Russell,(left) Ginger Rogers, Barbara Eden, were all stamped out by the same mold. Then later on Monarch subjects like Brooke Shields, Jessica Simpson and Carmen Electra joined the squad. It's mind-bogglingly obvious when you stand back to look at it, knowing even they don't know.
- See more at: http://www.henrymakow.com/bob_hope_-_uso_mind_control_se.html#sthash.HeJBmb2q.

What's especially unique is that the USO is NOT part of the government. This allows this sinister organization to freely operate under the aegis of U.S. Military-Hollywood-Political apparatus. Very clever. And it has had a free hand on transferring mind control assets for years. - See more at: http://www.henrymakow.com/bob_hope_-_uso_mind_control_se.html#sthash.HeJBmb2q.dpuf



 "The USO was designed as a premiere traveling road show for Monarch Slaves with Master of Ceremonies Bob Hope showcasing some of the most beautiful and talented Mind Controlled Slaves. Bob Hope was a foreign agent of the British Empire (British Knight;MI6) & Papal Knight (servant of the Jesuits Black Pope & Papacy); completely above ANY U.S. law or Constitutionality w/ full diplomatic immunity and afforded full military attache; Bob Hope was virtually untouchable w/ above top secret security clearances. 

"This gave him perfect cover to shuttle Monarch Slaves from base to base, nation to nation, under full military escort with little or no interference from domestic or foreign press, since all U.S.O. activity is under aegis of National Security Agency (NSA) & Dept. of Defense (DOD). Far beyond an Ambassador, Bob Hope operated above State Department levels, having direct access to the Dir. of CIA (DCI), Pentagon, White House & POTUS" - See more at: http://www.henrymakow.com/bob_hope_-_uso_mind_control_se.html#sthash.HeJBmb2q.dpuf



WHISTLE BLOWERS

Brave victims like Brice Taylor (who Hope personally controlled), Cathy O'Brien and others have exposed the abuse and mind control.

In her book "Thanks for the Memories," Brice writes,  "What most of you have not been allowed to know is that years ago, at the outset of the Cold War, permission was given to a hidden group of so-called 'professionals and leaders' to experiment on the unsuspecting American populace in an effort to further a variety of advanced technology."


 "The technology gleaned by the American leaders, medical professionals and scientists was in the form of bio-electromagnetic frequency medicine, genetic engineering, mind control, brain research, near-death experimentation, paranormal/psychic experimentation, remote viewing, time and space travel and other advanced research that make our everyday human understanding look antiquated."

Fritz Springmeier elaborates on Bob Hope's role: "There have been numerous connections in this author's research about the Illuminati/CIA mind control which connects back to the U.S.O. (the American military entertainers that traveled in USO units on tours.) The story about how the USO was used to carry messages to mind-controlled agents and military men would include many names...The military apparently was already using programmed killers to carry out deadly assignments...Bob Hope & the USO was used to carry trigger words to these mind-controlled people."

"Likewise, what better person to pick than Bob Hope to run messages worldwide? Bob Hope was British, and MI6 knew they could trust him. Bob Hope has an excellent ability to learn and say lines. Bob was...great with words, knowing how to fit them together and to make puns and double and triple meaning sentences. His ability to construct sentences with double meanings was a great cover for the hidden messages he transmitted for allied intelligence during the war. If you want to keep a secret the best place is out in the open..." 

"Bob Hope. who was already a radio and movie star before W.W.II, was given wide publicity as he traveled all over for the U.S.O. . Bob Hope was 'just an entertainer,' and yet he visited Roosevelt. Churchill, Eisenhower, Patton, and all kinds of military men..."

"Bob traveled all over the world to every front during the war, including England, Africa, the South Pacific. the East & west coasts of the U.S. the Caribbean, Panama, etc. He could fit all kinds of signals into his jokes and talks, and no one would be the wiser. Under the disguise of building moral by being a comedian, Bob could go anywhere and because he always was making jokes, no one took him seriously. 

"Bob Hope was a courier, a message bearer of coded messages...Sometimes the coded messages almost seem to jump out when you look at his wartime talks M16 and MIS's Section BIA under the supervision of London's W Board and 20 Committee oversaw the running of double agents and mind-controlled couriers and mind-controlled spies. Special Intelligence Service (SIS) for the British dealt a great deal with mind-control of all types..."

The Bob Hope example is a perfect one. The brash "in plain sight" motif of the Illuminati is a powerful tool, getting their message across while neutralizing opposition through cognitive dissonance. To be aware of the extent of mind control in our society is to be forewarned and armed.




Sen. Robert Byrd, who controls the nation's purse strings, justified to Cathy his involvement in drug distribution, pornography and white slavery as a means of "gaining control of all illegal activity world wide" to fund Black Budget covert activity that would "bring about world peace through world dominance and total control."

He said, "95% of the people want to be led by the 5%." Proof is that "the 95% do not want to know what really goes on in government." Byrd believed that mankind must take a "giant step in evolution through creating a superior race."

Byrd believed in "the annihilation of underprivileged nations and cultures" through genocide and genetic engineering to breed "the more gifted, the blonds of the world." 

O'Brien visited a series secret paramilitary compounds throughout the US like one at Mount Shasta in California. "I learned that this not-so-secret military buildup consisted of special forces trained robotic soldiers, black unmarked helicopters, and top secret weaponry including electromagnetic mind control equipment."

At these compounds O'Brien and her daughter were often hunted like wild animals, tortured and raped for the amusement of CIA, military and politicians.

O'Brien worked as a sex slave at Bohemian Grove, the elite's perversion playground on the Russian River in California. She says the place is wired for video in order to capture world leaders in compromising acts.

"Slaves of advancing age or with failing programming were ritualistically murdered at random in the wooded grounds of Bohemian Grove...There was a room of shackles and tortures, an opium den, ritualistic sex altars, group orgy rooms...I was used as a "rag doll" in the toy store and as a urinal in the "golden arches" room." 

Strangely, mind controlled sex slaves are used as diplomats and lobbyists as well. At a Governor's Conference, Secretary of Education Bill Bennett advised O'Brien to "persuade these Governors at their weakest moment, bring them to their knees while you are on yours, and convince them that global education [the Education 2000 initiative] is the way to the future if there is to be any future at all." 



CONCLUDING REMARKS

Why did the Illuminati let these women live? I don't know. I don't know how many they have killed. Perhaps they want the truth to be known gradually. Perhaps they have a shred of decency left. Perhaps they are confident of their power, and think these women won't be believed.

As the Kennedy assassination and 9-11 prove, the United States (and most countries) have been totally subverted by a Luciferian international criminal elite. The role of politicians, media and education is to keep the sheep deluded and distracted while the elite stealthily advances its goal of world tyranny. Western society today is a massive fraud.

It is tragic that brave young American soldiers have been brainwashed to believe they are advancing freedom when the opposite is the case. A reader tells me that this article is treason. Is it patriotic to obey traitors?

The populations of the West are spoiled, self centered and complacent. How can things be so bad when we have so much? We don't realize that the goodies can be taken away in a second by tightening credit.

We don't realize that we are being distracted while our political and social institutions, our bulwarks against tyranny, are being infiltrated and dismantled. Our children are being brainwashed.

Don't ask, "What can we do?" That is conditioned helplessness. Figure it out yourself. Take responsibility. Send me your ideas. There is no quick fix to this mess. But we must stand up for truth. They may have the weapons of mass deception, but, as Cathy O'Brien says, "the truth doesn't go away."

- See more at: http://www.savethemales.ca/000683.html#sthash.IjfuTYdr.dpuf


Saturday 11 May 2013

Benghazi: The Loss of American Life in Context


We've all seen the Memes:




But do the charges stick? And should they?

While many claim to know, hordes of people speculate, large numbers just guess, some deduce, quite a lot genuinely and sincerely think that they know, and just a very a small few of us actually do know what took place on the ground in Libya at the Compound and Security Annex to the US Mission in Benghazi on the night of 9/11/12, a tiny conglomeration of certain basic facts relating to those events can be universally fairly said to be universally agreed upon by all.

Those being, that there were a number of US Government employees engaged in official government business in Benghazi on that night, and during the course of their duties that night, came under some form of violent attack, as a direct result of which, four of them lost their lives unneccessarily.

That, with the additional further caveats added to it that all their lives almost certainly could have been saved and yet somehow weren't and that they weren't saved as a direct result quite obviously of someone or a group of someones not doing their job (for whatever reason) and that the nature of this lapse is being consciously not addressed by high public officials and the mass media is that point at which everyone parts company from one another and begins a pandering to their own world-view prejudice and conciously imposed belief system is self-evident and axiomatic.

Even the job-titles and names of the complete list of the deceit are concsious acts of willful misdirection, half-truths and disinformation by all concerned on both sides of the hearing room and on both ends of the camera lens.

I can tell you (for example) for an abosolute fact, since I know, because we have been explicitly told and had it indpendetly confirmed, confessed to and corroborated, for instance, that Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were absolutely, categorically NOT "Navy SEALs", "Former Navy SEALs", or even "Former Navy SEALs hired as Private Security by the designated State Department Outsourced firm Contracted to Provide Embassy Security" at the Benghazi Consultate.

They were, in fact, active duty CIA Case Officers, amongst an armed Security Team that night of five Case Officers (
out of a total of FIFTY posted to Benghazi, working directly under Ambassador Stevens' instruction, to collect up lend/lease weaponry stockpiles abandoned all across the Libyan countryside and put them beyond use, removed from the theatre of operations while the still-weak and nascent democratic Libyan Central Government establishes iteself) assigned at all times to (remotely) monitor, provide and ensure compound security and protect the life and person of Ambassador Stevens during, while,  and for the duration of his stay visiting Benghazi and doing so (remotely) from the CIA Security Annex to the main compund, a quarter of a mile away and several blocks over from the main walled compound.

It is untrue to say, however, that these men were assigned to protect and guard the Ambassador while he stayed at the Benghazi Consultate that night - due in no small measure to the fact that there was no US Consulate in Benghazi, then or now, and indeed absolutely no permananent or semi-permanant State Department pressence on the ground at the time that night, or any other time following the formal reopening of the US Embassy in Tripoli and transfer of the full diplomatic mission along with all staff back over to the captial city following the end of hostilites marking the close of the Libyan Civil War on September 22nd 2011.

But that's some sematic hopskotch for another time.

Rather, for the purposes of this exercise, we will merely be addressing ourselves to the question of [What the Mainstream/Alternative Media thinks is/is telling you] is the main bone of contention in this instance - specifically,

"There are four unneccessarily dead American citizens here from a single, ostenensibly preventable act of violence inflicted in the course of their normal activities abroad and we are not being told the complete truth: 

Is that a lot, how does it compare historically with other administrations at other times under similar pressures and constraints, what appear to have been their motives, should we really care about this, and if so, how much?"

Or, as Hillary Clinton correctly phrased it:

"What difference does it really make, at this stage?"

A good, and insightful question.

Albeit one that has not yet publically recieved a satisfactory answer, at least not an informed, insightful, intelligent or greatly perceptive one.

So, I think we can do better.

And here we go, starting once more with the Memes and Armchair Oracles of Internet Foreign Policy and Statecraft
(Who,  of course, are the people who really matter in all of this)


Lets ignore all the simmering partisan resentment and not-quite barely concealed personal loathing for the man feeding into the absolute bitterness dripping from every part of speech preloaded into this one and take it's assertions at face value, allowing them the full benefit of the doubt.

Lets say all those things that it says are all objectively true - how does it stack up?


Let's compare next to suitable a historical precedent.

How's this?
"Cowardly Reagan Sacrificed lives of Heroes for Politics (and heroin)

Then turned up at the Memorial Service for all 256 Servicemen Killed by an Act of Terror, Looked into their Families Eyes, Told Them it was Just an Accidnent and Digraced Their Murder by Pretending He Had Nothing to Do With It, Just to Save His Own, worthless, Draft-Dodging, ChickenHawk, HUAC-Snitching, Hostage-Keeping, Terrorist-Financing, Constitution-shredding, Senile Old Carcass and Dodge the Inevitable Impeachment and Jailtime That Would Result Due to the Full Scale of his Appeasement of Foreign Tyrants/High Treason Ever Come Fully to The Knowledge of The American People"

https://vimeo.com/65978173


And we're off to a good start.

The day after Arrow Air 1285 went down in Gander, Newfoundland a message delivered to the American Embassy in Cairo claimed responsiblity for the loss of life on behalf of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ).

The Reagan White House (and then later the NTSB) dismissed this claim out of hand, said it wasn't true, and ultimately attributed the loss of the DC-8 along with the lives of all those aboard it in the NTSB's final report instead, to:

"Ice".

The Canadian Federal Aviation Inspectors vehmently disagreed with the findings of the  American report, prompting resignations, ricidule, condemnation, vilification, litigation and then ultimately, the disolution and complete abolition of the Canadian Aviation Safety Board (CASB) resulting directly from the percieved defficiencies in their own final report on the disaster, Canada's most costly to date in human terms.

Schollars of the open and obvious cases of American Political Assassinations carried out using aircraft, including (but in no sense restricted to) those of Senator Paul Wellstone (D), Governor Mel Carnahan (D), Former (and lone-dissenting) Warren Commissioner and House Majority Leader Hale Boggs (D), Congressman Nick Begich Sr. (D), John F. Kennedy Jr. (Definitely D), Chair of the President's Special Review Board to investigate the Iran-Contra Affair, Senator John Tower (R, but his 30 year relationship with George Herbert Walker Bush closely resembled that felt between Ahab and the White Wale, with the feeling being equally mutal) will recall that aviation crashes under US jurisdiction are  investigated with the sole and complete presumption of accidental causation unless the US Attorney General issues a determination of  the crash site as being a potential crime scene

Gander



Arrow Air Flight 1285 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63CF jetliner, registered N950JW, which operated as an international charter flight carrying U.S. troops from Cairo, Egypt, to their home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, via Cologne, Germany and Gander, Newfoundland.

On the morning of Thursday, 12 December 1985, shortly after takeoff from Gander en route to Fort Campbell, the aircraft
stalled, crashed, and burned about half a mile from the runway, killing all 256 passengers and crew on board.
On December 12, hours after the crash, an anonymous caller telephoned a French international news agency in Beirut stating that the Islamic Jihad, the Shiite Moslem extremist group was claiming responsibility for the crash at Gander. The caller asserted that the group had planted a bomb on board the aircraft to prove "our ability to strike at the Americans anywhere" (see Exhibit 4).

Dismissals came instantly, beginning with the Pentagon's chief spokesman Robert Sims: "We have no indications of explosions prior to the crash or of hostile action" (see Exhibit 5). Other rapid dismissals followed from the White House's spokesman Larry Speakes, the RCMP and Transport Minister Don Mazankowski -- all on the day of the crash only moments after the Islamic Jihad' s claim for responsibility (see Exhibits 5 and 6).

How was it learned so quickly that the call was a hoax? Is it possible to verify the validity of an anonymous call so quickly? This very fast dismissal on the part of the U.S. government, without explanation or valid grounds raises serious questions. If the dismissal was not done on solid grounds why was it ever done in the first place?

The possibility of terrorism was discounted instantly even though 10 months earlier, on February 14, 1984 the Director-General of the same American Multinational Force and observers unit based in the Sinai, Leamon Hunt was ambushed and gunned down by terrorists in the streets of Rome (see Exhibit 7). Knowing full well that the MFO was a terrorist target, it is curious to say the least, that American intelligence would instantly dismiss the Islamic Jihad's claim. A politically motivated response evidently comes to mind but logical grounds based strictly on normal intelligence gathering and procedure are completely absent.

If indeed there was a cover up in this affair, much would be revealed in the strategy developed by U.S. officials in the first few hours following the tragedy. It was during these delicate moments that a decision was taken at high levels as to what the official U.S. government response would be. The only problem with the response was that it was categorically impossible to discount sabotage or a pre-impact fire in those early stages because no investigators had even begun to examine one square inch of the wreckage on the other hand, such a rapid dismissal of the Islamic Jihad claim from an area where news travels comparatively slowly could and should not have been publicly discounted so quickly.

It may have been decided as such because U.S. officials knew from the very first communication they received about the crash in the early morning hours of December 12, 1985 that the aircraft was engulfed in flames and that in all probability any evidence of wrongdoing, if there was any, would be destroyed by powerful flames being fed by some 45,000 litres of jet fuel poured into the aircraft moments earlier at Gander airport. The wreckage was in fact completely destroyed by fire which was still raging up to 20 hours after the crash.




Completely destroyed apart from these bits, of course:












Prelude: Soldiers in the Sinai

Annex I to the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel of 1979 provided for U.N. forces to occupy a portion of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, as observers, between Egypt and Israel. (7:345) The 101st Airborne division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky was one of four divisions that constituted the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO). The sole purpose of the MFO was to "operate checkpoints, reconnaissance patrols and observation posts along the international boundary." (7:345)

Although the MFO was designated solely as a peacekeeping force, many times they were targets of hostile acts by the Islamic Jihad, or Islamic "Holy War," a religious fundamentalist group responsible for various terrorist acts against the United States, such as the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, and the hijacking of TWA flight 847 in June of 1985. In February of 1984, the MFO's director, Leamon "Ray" Hunt was gunned down in his car in the streets of Rome, Italy. Officials investigating Hunt's murder pointed the finger of guilt at Lebanese terrorists. (2:12-20)

As a result of the Marine barracks bombing, the U.S. began withdrawing its troops from Lebanon, leaving the largest collection of United States troops in the Middle East, concentrated in the Sinai. (2:20) The rotation of these troops every six months involved a massive, cooperative effort between the Egyptians and the U.S. 

The movement of these troops around the region would require that the utmost of security precautions be taken, or would it?







Reflections on the Muslim Brotherhood






Morsi is the Egyptian President of Choice for the Israelis because Israel cannot exist without enemies, it's how it has defined itself since before it came into existence in 1948.

Israel isn't threatened by the Quran, Israel is threatened by social democracy and secular multiculturalism.



If the people's of the Levant all truly come to accept that there is but one God, they are all his children, and the are all People of the Book (which is what all three Holy Scriptures of the people who live there actually say), the State of Israel is fucked and will cease to exist overnight.

Blaming Islamic scripture only began in the late 1970s.

20% of all Palestinians are Christian and the PLO was a a secular, revolutionary socialist movement and organisation.

Which was fine, during the Cold War. Like the South Africans, the Irsaelis could back up their system of apartheid and War Crimes, invade and annex neighbouring countries under the guise of "protecting the rest of us from Communism".

But it just doesn't wash


"By Deceit, We Wage War." - Motto of the Israeli Mossad.


http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/04/israel-and-the-muslim-brotherhood-face-the-same-enemy.html

The Camp David Accords and the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Treaty obligates the US to funding and supplying both the Egyptian and Israeli military with billions of dollars of military aid per year.

If Egypt withdraws from the Camp David Accords or violates the treaty (they never have, it's the single most successful Peace Treaty of all time), Egypt loses all it's military aid, and Israel loses all it's military aid.
A responsible Egyptain government can do without American military aid.

They could use equivilant un-earmarked aid to spend on schools and hospitals, for example. They need those.

And also infrastructure.

No government of Israel can do without American military aid.

They already have schools, hospitals and infrastructure - much of it on Palestinian land on the West Bank, in violation of both international law and the Oslo Accords.

But Israel has never violated either the terms of the Camp David Accords, nor the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty of 1979.


And they cannot afford to have Egypt violate it either, which is why they ensure that they never will.



"On 19 June 2012, a CIA-linked group, calling itself the Mujahideen Shura Council of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack along Israel's southern border with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula that killed an Arab construction worker, according to the SITE Intel Group.

In videos released by the Ibn Taymiyyah Media Center, a group of masked men stand in front of al Qaida-style flags claimed responsibility for the Sinai incident.

The group dedicated the attack to the CIA's Osama bin Laden. "We present this blessed invasion ... to the soul of the lion of Islam, the reviver of jihad, and the raiser of the banner, Sheikh Mujahid Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden."

Any and all False Flags from the direction of Egypt therefore must clearly be seen to by all to be strictly the work of non-state actors.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Farticle%2F2012%2F06%2F04%2Foukwd-uk-egypt-election-idAFBRE8530LQ20120604&h=OAQFAmp8z



The Muslim Brotherhood can't rig an election, they don't have the resource or the skillset and more importantly, they don't have the support of the Army.

Successive secular (but unelected) Presidents, Mubarek, Sadat and Nassar all had the support of the Army, and when the Brotherhood infiltrated the Army in 1981 and assassinated Sadat, not only the Army, but the entirity of Egyptian Society was purged of Isreali-sponsored Islamic radicalism.

And everyone in Egypt was happy for that to happen.


By and large, religious fundamentalists of any stripe characteristically lack technical expertise in aboslutely everything except for their own holy scripture.

That's how you know they aren't actually real religious zealots, they're complete phonies.

Because the words "machine gun", "tank" and "uranium enrichment" don't appear anywhere in the Quran.

"On 19 June 2012, a CIA-linked group, calling itself the Mujahideen Shura Council of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack along Israel's southern border with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula that killed an Arab construction worker, according to the SITE Intel Group.

In videos released by the Ibn Taymiyyah Media Center, a group of masked men stand in front of al Qaida-style flags claimed responsibility for the Sinai incident.

The group dedicated the attack to the CIA's Osama bin Laden. "We present this blessed invasion ... to the soul of the lion of Islam, the reviver of jihad, and the raiser of the banner, Sheikh Mujahid Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden."

hhttp://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12402664-gunfire-attack-kills-two-palestinians-and-one-israeli-on-israelegypt-border

"On Monday, the Israeli government urged the Egyptian authorities to regain control of the Sinai, which is largely beyond the control of the security forces since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011."

Yeah, there's also nothing fucking there. It's just 60,000 square kilometres of rocks and sand with no-one but the UN Peacekeepers living there.

The only reason anyone would cross not just 150 miles of barren, burning nothing, several mountain ranges, all the while dodging several tens of thousands of UN obersvation troops who are there solely to stop precisely this kind of thing, but also the Suez Canal and the mighty river Nile to basically just lob rocks into Israel's back yard is to provoke an international incident.

It's pathetic. And not believable.