Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Hamas loves the American president

After the game
The Daily Jot

Daily reporting and analysis of current events from a biblical and prophetic perspective.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Hamas loves the American president

Israel Today Magazine wrote an article in mid-November that should send warning bells off to every Bible-believing Christian. The article, "Hamas [hearts] Obama" says, "It has been a rocky love story. Many Palestinians believed that when he was elected president of the US, Barack Obama would swiftly put an end to the "Zionist enterprise." While things haven't quite panned out that way, many Palestinians still see Obama as the best hope of eventually bringing the Jewish state to its knees. Chief among Obama's hopeful supporters in the region is the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas.

"From the territory it rules in the Gaza Strip, Hamas sought to express that affection last week with a new line of products declaring Palestinian love for the American leader. Local newspapers carried front page stories of the new posters, mugs and other paraphenalia all adorned with the slogan "Oh... Abu Hussain - Palestine Loves You!!!" According to media reports in the region, Abu Hussain (referencing the president's Arabic middle name) is what Obama is commonly referred to in Gaza. Israeli and foreign commentators have noted the problem that this phenomenon highlights. Hamas remains openly dedicated to Israel's eventual destruction."

Israel Today concludes: "If such a group feels that Obama can help it in that endeavor, it means that the US president either is no friend of Israel, or has so failed to firmly communicate his position that the region's most vile terrorist organization views him as an ally." There is a great chasm between many Americans and recent Administrations viewing Israel as a secular state with absolutely no prophetic or Biblical connections. There is a view among much of the church in America that Christians replaced Jews as God's chosen people. And many Christians do not believe at all that Israel has any special place in God's eye. But even most reasonable people would agree that Israel is an ally to America and that Hamas is not.

Notwithstanding, the scriptures are clear that Israel will return. Ezekiel 36:24 says, "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land." Many believe this prophecy was fulfilled in May 1948 when Israel once again became a nation. And the Lord says in verses 27,28, "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." Israel is a work in progress as we can see by this prophecy. But we should be aware that God blesses those who bless Israel, and curses those who curse her.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry

Friday, November 26, 2010

China, Russia abandoning dollar is sign of prophetic fast track

After the game
The Daily Jot

Daily reporting and analysis of current events from a biblical and prophetic perspective.

Friday, November 26, 2010


China, Russia abandoning dollar is sign of prophetic fast track

This White House has a lot of explaining to do. How is it that a president is elected with so much promise of change and good will toward the citizens and ends up within less than two years destroying the economy and America's reputation as a world leader? Now before you hit the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of this message, please hear me out. I was no fan of the Bush second term. In fact, George "there is more than one way to heaven" W Bush set the tone for socialism and the one world order through many of his shenanigans that included the first near trillion dollar bailout at taxpayers' expense of his Wall Street buddies--money that our children's children will never be able to repay in their lifetimes.

But this guy, who swoops into office telling us he wants change and we should too, sold us a bill of goods. If we thought the Bush socialist America was bad, the current man in the White House has made Bush look like a tight wad. This White House has spent record amounts of taxpayer money, run up record deficits, and incurred record debt--over $40,000 for every man, woman, and child citizen of the United States. Yet he will not enforce border control, so the non-citizens are getting off the hook completely. But that's another subject for another day. The fact is that this current occupier of the White House has run up so much debt that the rest of the world is questioning whether the dollar is worth anything.

Two of the doubters are China and Russia, prophetic end time one world order players. Both have been hinting for a couple of years that they would like to move off the dollar standard and establish a new world currency standard. With the weakness in the American dollar and a huge dispute between China and the US regarding currency valuation, Russia and China have made a decisive move to use their own currencies for bilateral trade between them. The two longstanding socialistic allies have decided to follow their own course financially rather than continue to standardize on the historic stability of the US dollar. Chinese Wen Jiabao pledged the two countries will "never become each other's enemy."

This is landmark because it solidifies two nations that play a decisive end time role and paves the way for a currency other than the dollar to be used on the world market. The United States long has been the beacon of liberty and Christianity that has stood in the breech against a one world order. But the weakened condition of our nation's economy and its rapid decline as a credible world leader proffered by this White House has fast tracked the prophecies of a one world order, a one world religion and has accelerated the pace toward the foregone conclusions of Revelation. Revelation 13:17 says of the beast, "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Can you see it on the horizon?

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Prophetic implications of the waking giant of militant China

Wednesday, November 24, 2010


The Prophetic implications of the waking giant of militant China

On November 9 there was a mysterious contrail off the coast of California. The federal government denied that it was a missile contrail, but could not give any details as to what caused the inexplicable event that was caught on film. Since then, there are military experts who speculate that it was a missile launched from a stealth Chinese submarine intended to send the United States a message. Nobody in the government is refuting this theory. The silence is almost deafening. What is not being said is that America's foremost trading partner is an enemy. And the message is: America, we hold nearly a trillion dollars of your debt. Do not mistake our investments as acceptance of an ally.

Each year the Congress requires the Pentagon to give a military assessment of China. It is strongly evident that over the decade since the report is annually issued, there is a direct correlation between the US trade deficit with China and the Chinese military build up. For example, the US-Chinese trade deficit in 2006 was around $350 billion. The Chinese military expenditures estimated by the Pentagon in 2006 were around $125 billion. The Chinese could not build their military at such a pace without the US as a trading partner. The reports have become increasingly concerned with the technology advances China is making, especially for computer espionage and unmanned military drones.

The latest report of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says missiles fired from the Chinese mainland could destroy five of the six major US air bases in the Far East, adding opposite Taiwan, China's missile force has reached 1,600. The report says that Beijing is also building rockets, submarines and surface fleets to extend her dominance out to the third chain of islands, enabling the People's Liberation Army to strike US carriers and bases as far away as Guam. China also has been at odds with the US over currency. China refuses to benchmark its currency off the world standards. Instead, China is warning that the US is causing a worldwide economic meltdown.

Revelation 9 speaks of the sixth trumpet which loosed the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates that would slay a third part of men. Verse 16 says, "And the number of the army of the horsemen where two hundred thousand thousand." That is 200 million. The drying up of the Euphrates would allow the assembly of armies from Iran, China, Russia, Turkey, Korea and all the places of the East. Standing armies in those places total about 18 million, but their populations could easily conscript 200 million. And today we have North Korea attacking South Korea and China mum on the subject while China is sending messages to America that she intends to contest the global currency and western military.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

North Korean aggression thanks to US President

Tuesday, November 23, 2010


North Korean aggression thanks to US President

Thanks to President Bill Clinton we are now seeing North Korea attack South Korea. In 1994, Clinton authorized two light-water nuclear reactors worth over $4.5 billion to be shipped to North Korea in addition to grain and over half a million tons of fuel oil a year. In return, Clinton received assurances that the technology would not be used to build nuclear weapons. The food somehow disappeared in North Korean military trucks, exacerbating the famine. The fuel went to government use. Newsweek reported in 1999 that Secretary of State Madeline Albright said the administration was trying to resolve concerns with North Korea regarding "suspicious underground construction activities and long-range missile programs."

Now the United States has a possible nuclear threat in Asia because of a president who scuttled the doctrine of deterrence to a theory that if everyone had nuclear weapons, nobody would use them. North Korea recently disclosed that it was operating another uranium enrichment program. Over the years, it has been reported that North Korea, China and Russia have been assisting Iran in building nuclear weapons and the missile systems to deliver them. North Korean scientists have been documented at Iranian nuclear facilities. Giving up nuclear technology to the North Koreans assisted all the evil-doers in the region to advance their destructive intentions.

The US was duped in 1991 into removing the tactical nuclear weapons it had stationed in South Korea as part of an agreement with North Korea to "denuclearitize" the North Korean peninsula. Now the South Koreans are sending diplomatic signals that perhaps the nukes need to be redeployed to deter an aggressive North Korea. The White House has issued a statement saying, "The United States strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action." The White House also said, "The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability."

The attack is likely to put more pressure on the US-China relationship, which is already deteriorating due to differences over China's refusal to adjust its currency to the world market. It is suspected by military experts, however denied by the White House, that China sent a warning to the US by firing a missile from a submarine off the California coast several days ago. China did not take sides in the North Korean dispute, saying only that the two sides should "do more to contribute to peace and stability in the region." Jesus said in Matthew 24:6, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Watch and pray.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson

Monday, November 22, 2010

Of demons, Harry Potter, and white witchcraft within the church

Monday, November 22, 2010


Of demons, Harry Potter, and white witchcraft within the church

Every time I see a commercial on television for a new Harry Potter movie, I get upset because I know that many, many people will invite demon possession by just watching the movie thinking it is entertainment. And believe me, there are many a Christian parents, teens and younger children who will argue until they are blue in the face about whether the movie has redeeming value. It is my personal belief that the Harry Potter series, like ouija boards, tarot cards, and anything else involved with witchcraft--white or black--is an invitation for the supernatural to wreck havoc on an unsuspecting soul.

"Inside Catholic" magazine has written a review of Father Thomas Euteneuer's new book "Exorcism and the Church Militant." Euteneuer is an expert in exorcism and demon possession. He wrote the book to provide guidance for parents who need a reminder that the occult is not innocent entertainment. Euteneuer says dabbling in the occult and even watching Harry Potter movies could give demons legal entry into an unsuspecting person. Just playing around with the occult in a seemingly harmless act, Euteneuer says, is opening a window to possession. He claims that demons cannot operate without permission from human beings, only entering a person upon invitation--either intentional or unintentional.

Taking this a step further, I believe Christians should be on high alert when it comes to movements within church circles that promote "revelation knowledge," "personal prophecy," "spiritual soaking," and "spiritual impartation." There have been entire ministries and ministry teachings on extra-biblical, self indulgent and dangerous doctrines that take a little truth from the scriptures and expand it far beyond its context, to enable those seeking spiritual power and supernatural revelation. Unsuspecting Christians who trust ministry leaders can be led into white witchcraft thinking they are receiving power and extra-Biblical knowledge from the Holy Spirit, when in fact, they may be inviting control by not-so-holy spirits.

When church leaders are caught up in emotional half-truths rather than being sober minded and grounded in THE truth, the winds of strange doctrine can sweep into the souls of the seeking and unsuspecting. In Acts 16:17, a woman possessed with a spirit of divination which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying met Paul and the disciples. "The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation." Paul was grieved and cast the spirit out of her. This woman used the truth to gain personal credibility. Paul discerned by knowing the truth, which is the word of God, and abiding in it. We should do the same.


Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Revelation Prophecy Type and Shadow: UN predicts food shortages

Thursday, November 18, 2010


Revelation Prophecy Type and Shadow: UN predicts food shortages

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization is reporting that global food imports will top a trillion dollars in 2010 and because of what the FAO says are "unexpected downward revisions to crop forecasts in several major producing countries, world prices have risen alarmingly and at a much faster pace than in 2007/08" when another food shortage occurred. In all areas of food production, FAO predicts price increases. For examples, world cereal production in 2010 stands at 2.22 billion metric tons, while cereal utilization is forecast at 2.25 billion metric tons. This means that demand is outstripping production. When supply is less than demand, prices rise.

Normally, when prices rise for food commodities, farmers produce more crops, which will bring the prices down. But land availability, weather, fuel costs, cost of fertilizer and other factors play a role in how much a farmer can increase his crop size. With oil prices skyrocketing on the international market, fuel costs for farmers is going to be a large factor in next year's crop size, and eventually the price of foodstuffs. The economic outlook on the horizon for the price of food is grim. The United States is the largest exporter of grains, such as wheat. And farm exports are a large part of America's trade balance. Globalization will ultimately force food prices higher in America.

Given the economic conditions of the nations around the world--that they are all in great debt to one another--it is no long shot analysis that weather related crop reductions combined with hyperinflation could very well bring food prices to the level that we see prophesied in Revelation 6:6, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny." In this scenario, the price of wheat, for example, would be approximately $2.20 a measure. A bushel of wheat would cost over $70. A loaf of bread, by many estimates would cost about $20, but that is estimated in a day's wages from Biblical times. That being the case, a loaf of bread may cost about $60 in today's minimum wage.

Many have written and asked me what to do in preparation for this. Be wise. Use your resources. If you have any land, begin to prepare it and learn how to grow foodstuffs. If you have any money, find ways to transfer it from paper to precious metals. But most of all, I have learned over the past seven years, to have faith in the Lord. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, 34 ,"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." You cannot store enough food or money for what is ahead. Do what you are able, but trust in God in all things.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministr

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Airport Pat Down Solution: Separate Sheep and Goats

Wednesday, November 17, 2010


Airport Pat Down Solution: Separate Sheep and Goats

The invasive airport scanning and government approved groping of air passengers by the White House is designed to prevent terrorists from the deadly sabotaging of planes. A friend of mine who is a disabled and highly decorated veteran has had to undergo these invasive "pat-downs." He said the Transportation Safety Administration agent told him that 80% of the terrorists are homegrown and angry. The TSA agent failed to mention that a likely 99% are Muslim. And herein lies the issue: the ones who have caused the problem are the ones yelling the loudest about the procedures when they are used against Muslims. Yet historically Muslims are the most likely candidates to perpetrate terrorism on airplanes.

On February 12, a body of Islamic scholars calling themselves the Fiqh Council of North America issued a fatwa saying that airport scanners violate Islamic rules on modesty. At the time, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) endorsed the fatwa. Nihad Awad, spokesman for the Muslim civil rights group that has ties to terrorism, said in a USA Today article, "We support the Fiqh Council's statement on full-body scanners and believe that the religious and privacy rights of passengers can be respected while maintaining safety and security." What CAIR and others did not expect was that to avoid the scanners, their Islamists would have to endure a humiliating "pat down."

On November 10, CAIR issued a travel advisory for all Muslims, saying the advisory is "particularly important for Muslim travelers leaving for or returning from Hajj." The CAIR advisory gives a brief story of a 56 year old Muslim woman who underwent a secondary screening "even though the metal detector did not go off, a phenomenon reported frequently to CAIR by female Muslim travelers." This leads CAIR to concluding that "if you experience any disturbing incidents with the new pat down procedure, particularly if you feel you have been subjected to religious or racial profiling, harassment or unfair treatment, immediately file a complaint with the TSA and report the incident to your local CAIR chapter."

There is sound Biblical precedence showing us how to solve this problem. Jesus describes the judgment in Matthew 25:32, 33, "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." Two lines. Muslims and aliens on the left. Others on the right. Pat downs on the left. Metal scanners and spot "pat downs" on the right. Perhaps with this treatment, those whose people caused the problem will eventually police their own rather than face the humiliation. But of course that's profiling. And we should not publicly admit terrorists are most likely Muslims and take appropriate action...or should we?

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The prophecies of Babylon: Type and shadow of America?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010


The prophecies of Babylon: Type and shadow of America?

We have a government who is humiliating air passengers by making them go naked before strangers or face a government groping. A dear friend of mine writes, "I had two times in the last week their new "very intrusive" pat down. I am insisting for the future in a private room procedure with a second officer. They also now need to fill out in my presence some new paperwork. When the 15 minute ordeal was completed I asked them to tell their supervisor that as a combat-disabled veteran I am incensed that I would be subjected to this treatment. I was told by the screener, "80% of terrorists today are home-grown and are angry people," so I presume this means the Islamist terrorists are absolved of guilt because they are "angry." What is it all coming to?"

We have become such a tolerant society that we allow an aggressive and violent minority dictate the actions of the majority. Oh how Mahmaud Ahmadinejad, Osama bin Laden and the folks over at Hamas, Hizbollah, the Palestinian Authority, and the rest of the gang at al Qaeda must be laughing themselves asleep at night. Here they have the mightiest country in the world mandating something that they, themselves, would never allow. Something they would fight to the death to stop--the mass humiliation of their people. They have government employees groping American citizens.

Please do not take offense, because none is intended. But I believe that this has happened because American citizens have tolerated evil in this country in so many ways. The obvious is the massive legal killing of the pre-born; the embracing of the abomination of homosexuality; and the attempt to remove any mention of God from the public square. There are other offenses, including: the falling away of the church to bad doctrine that promotes self indulgence rather than glorifying God; the attitude that if it doesn't directly affect me, I do nothing about it; the love of one's self over the caring for the greater good. In short, we as a nation have bought in to the humanist way. And we are in it deep.

In Jeremiah Chapter 51:51-52 The LORD speaks of Babylon similar to what the United States has become. "Remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. We are confounded, because we have heard reproach; shame has covered our faces: for strangers have come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house. Wherefore, behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan." We are a nation that was dedicated by our Fathers in covenant to God. And we have strayed far from the LORD's righteousness. Our nakedness is being exposed as the mockers celebrate. We as a people need a change of heart.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry

Monday, November 15, 2010

Muslims dictating the civil rights of Americans

Monday, November 15, 2010


Muslims dictating the civil rights of Americans

The Islamist attacks on America began before 9/11/2001. There were many terrorist attacks against the United States and its citizens around the world by Muslims. By 2001, there were metal detectors at airports and security checks were routine. All because of Muslims who insisted on attacking air travel to kill the infidels. Since 9/11, the rights of every American citizen have been restricted because of what the government wants us to believe is a handful of radical Muslims. President George W Bush was quoted more than once as saying that the Muslim terrorists needed to be right only once, and American security wrong only once for there to be a major terrorist disaster.

It would be an amazing number to publish the amount of money the Muslim religion has cost the American taxpayer. Further, it would be an astronomical measure to quantify the loss of civil rights attributed to the Muslim religion. Now the government has come up with what it calls "Backscatter" technology that uses low doses of radiation to create a naked image of those traveling on airplanes. This is what the government believes is an acceptable way to scan prospective air passengers for explosives or other materials that could cause death on an aircraft. The government says the radiation is safe, but who is to trust the government these days? Some believe there are health risks associated with these machines.

If one does not want to experience the naked body scan complete with the extra radiation with unknown future side effects, one can submit to a so-called "pat down." This "pat down" includes a government official groping your genitals. If you refuse such a groping, it is likely you will not be permitted to fly and you are susceptible to civil fines of up to $10,000 according to Transportation Safety Administration policies. The Airlines can refuse to transport you if you refuse to permit a search of person or property by the TSA. You agree to this as part of the terms and conditions of purchasing an air travel ticket. In other words, you give up your Constitutional right of privacy and of unwarranted search and seizure.

In Genesis 16:12, an angel of the Lord describes Ishmael, the son of Abraham that the Muslims claim as their connection to God. The angel says, "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." This prophecy is true today because most everywhere in the world there is trouble, Islam is associated with it. By blowing up some airplanes, Muslims have cost non-Muslims unmeasurable money and loss of civil rights. Yet, it is the Muslims who protest the loudest about airport restrictions on their religious rights. If only they would protest so vigorously against terrorism.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry

Friday, November 12, 2010

Your tax money supporting Israel's and America's enemies

Friday, November 12, 2010

Your tax money supporting Israel's and America's enemies

The Palestinian Authority is the so-called "moderate" Palestinian organization that every Administration since the Clinton presidency has supported to bring peace to the Middle East. The United States has spent billions of taxpayer dollars over the past 16 years to prop up the Palestinian Authority and to give it legitimacy. Its a pretty good gig if you are a terrorist associated with the organization that was founded by the father of modern terrorism Yassir Arafat. The Palestinian Authority is just the suit and tie front of terrorism in Israel and American taxpayers have been funding its operations against Israel. The money goes to buying weapons, shelter, food, training, and clothing for moderate terrorists.

The latest round is $150 million of American tax money that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced will be given to this terrorist front organization. The Palestinian Authority is the Palestinian Liberation Organization's representative to Israel in trying to negotiate a two-state solution that would cut Israel into two pieces and give the traditional Israel lands of Samaria and Judea, now commonly called the West Bank, to the terrorists. The Palestinian Liberation Organization is comprised of the terrorist group Fatah, the radical militant socialist group The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and several other communist, socialist, Baathist, and militant groups. All these are sworn enemies of Israel.

The strong Bible-based Christian roots of America, especially as they stood post World War II, has determined the course of history intertwining Israel and the United States together in an unbreakable bond. These have been based on both scripture and that Israel has been the only true ally of the United States in the Middle East. Genesis 12:3 says of Israel, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curses thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." George W Bush was the first president to ever publicly call for the establishment of a Palestinian State. The current White House has promoted such ideology to the extent of telling Israel it cannot build houses on its own land.

Much of the church in America believes in "replacement theology"--that Christians have replaced Jews as God's chosen people. The error in this thinking is found as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 10:12, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." In 11:17, Paul explains using an example of the olive tree: "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partake of the root and the fatness of the olive tree." Much of the Church, our tax money and our leaders are supporting the enemies of Israel, where God's word says are curses rather than blessings.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Smile, Your License Plate's on Town's Candid Camera

Subject: Smile, Your License Plate's on Town's Candid Camera


Smile, Your License Plate's on Town's Candid Camera
Updated: 3 hours 12 minutes ago
Print Text Size
Richard C. Paddock

Richard C. Paddock San Francisco Correspondent
AOL News
TIBURON, Calif. (Nov. 7) -- Drive a car into this affluent town on San Francisco Bay and you will be noticed. At least your license plate will.

The small community of Tiburon has begun photographing and recording the license plate of every vehicle that enters or leaves town. The goal is to catch criminals in an area that already has among the lowest crime rates in the state.

"We think it provides a great post-event tool for criminal investigation," Tiburon Police Chief Michael Cronin told AOL News. "Our geography limits access to the community to only two roads, giving us the opportunity to easily identify vehicles associated with crimes."
Smile, Your License Plate May Be on Calif. Town's Hidden Camera
Eric Risberg, AP
Tiburon, a town of 8,000 in California's Marin County, photographs and records license plates of all people entering and leaving town.

Tiburon is one of many communities around the country that increasingly are turning to technology to tackle crime, adopting such devices as police officer headcams, robots and laser scanners.

In Tiburon's case, recording the license plate of every vehicle is made relatively easy by its isolated location. Tiburon sits on a peninsula that juts into San Francisco Bay, and only two roads lead in and out of town. About 12,000 people live on the peninsula, which also includes the town of Belvedere.

Six cameras have been installed at key points along the two highways, one for each lane of traffic. The cameras photograph each license plate, and the photos are stored in a database that can be easily searched. The system also will be programmed to check whether any of the plates are linked to an Amber alert or a stolen car.

The system began photographing and recording license plates last week. Other features of the system should be operating by the end of this week, Cronin said.

But here in Marin County, a bastion of liberalism, dealing with civil liberties issues was tougher than installing the technology. Initially, the idea of bringing Big Brother to Tiburon did not sit well with some members of the community.

"It's beyond creepy," Tiburon resident James Bramlette, 34, told the Marin Independent Journal. "It's totally unnecessary, and it raises questions about what kind of community we live in. It's embarrassing."

Others, however, liked the safety aspect the technology provides.

"It's just like locking your door," Robin Pryor, 66, of Belvedere told the San Francisco Chronicle." "If [visitors] have reason for it to bother them, they shouldn't be coming in."

Cronin said the police department overcame resistance by incorporating a number of civil liberties safeguards into the system. The cameras will not photograph the occupants of any vehicle, unlike red light cameras used in many cities. The license plates will be searched only in an effort to solve a reported crime. And the photos will be stored for only 30 days.

"We are not going to amass this huge pile of data on who went in and out of Tiburon every day," Cronin said. "We are not even going to know that unless we think a particular vehicle had something to do with a crime."

One of the main goals, he said, is to reduce the number of burglaries committed by outsiders who drive into Tiburon and Belvedere.

"It's hard to get around in our society without owning a car, and most criminals do," the chief observed.

The decision to install cameras was prompted by the case of a well-dressed woman who drove to Tiburon in a Mercedes several times and stole mail from homes in quiet residential neighborhoods as part of a sophisticated identity-theft ring.

Cronin realized that being able to know what cars entered the town around the time of the thefts would have made catching her far easier. She was eventually arrested and convicted, but Cronin said, "That was sort of a catalyst for me."

Many communities have license-plate cameras, which can catch speeders and stolen vehicles. Such was the case last week in Washington, D.C., when police were investigating the apparent murder of an American University professor. They caught up with her stolen Jeep through a license-plate camera, according to The Washington Post.


PS LOOKS LIKE IT SURE WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM SOON TO TAKE A MARK IN THE HAND AND THE FOREHEAD 666
THE TIME IS COMIN