On June 27, 2009, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “Babylon the Great.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Recently I visited a longtime friend in the nearby regional hospital who had been transferred from surgery in the Vancouver area. He was recuperating, but was feeling kind of  low. He informed me that his hip replacement surgery did not go that well.  During the operation, they fractured his femur in several places, and he went through a lot of emotional trauma.

He felt especially down because when he went through a trial during his marriage, his wife would comfort him. He also said that when he faced  problems then, his children would come and touch his arm and tell him, it would be all right, dad. With no mate, friends or family in the area, he found it extremely trying, and he was emotionally distraught after the surgery.

He knew about the promise from Christ, in Hebrews 13:5: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.'”

He also knew the admonition in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation [or serious trial] has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Yet in spite of these Scriptures, he felt a deep loneliness, even on the verge of despair.

After coming home and during the next few days, I began to think about my visit. What I had experienced was something I could really relate to, having spent eleven months away from home in a hospital when I was six years old. It brought back those memories of missing family and friends.  My parents, being poor, were only able to visit me three times during these eleven months, and my two brothers and one sister saw me only once. I felt very lonely and had feelings of despair.

When pondering this, it got me thinking how blessed are the brethren who can meet on the weekly Sabbath for services and live close to fellowship during the week. Some are scattered and some don’t even have a converted mate, yet they do the best they can by partaking of the weekly Internet service on the Sabbath. How much would they like to attend Church services in person! They look especially forward to the Festival of Tabernacles and other occasions when they can all be together to fellowship in person and to worship God together.

We may be lonely at times but never alone in the sense that we can have weekly contact with our brethren. If brethren are scattered, they at least worship together via the Internet. It is hoped that those who have opportunity to attend services in person take advantage of this great blessing on a regular and consistent basis; and that they who are fortunate enough to be able to congregate as a group never take for granted the opportunity to meet together for services.

As we move closer to the time of the Great Tribulation and as problems and trials will increase, let us never forget that precious and valuable promise from Christ–that He will NEVER leave or forsake us, whether it be in good times or in bad times, in adversity and in blessings. If we want Him to, He will be there, helping us through thick and thin, and His Church will never cease to exist either.  That means, no matter what, we never have to be alone. 

Overshadowed by the events involving Iran and, to a lesser extent, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and domestic U.S. politics, many did not take note of a decision of the EU, which Der Spiegel calls “the most important decision taken in Europe this year.” That decision could bring about the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of the year, giving European institutions greater powers, a more permanent EU President and foreign minister, and a strengthened role of the EU Parliament.

According to the Bible, the unification of Europe is a given. However, we are also to wait for the development of something like a core Europe within the EU–the emergence of 10 powerful European nations or groups of nations, which will then in turn transfer their powers to a charismatic political and military European leader–the final leader of the last revival of the ancient Roman Empire (referred to in biblical prophecy as “the beast,” “the king of the North” and “King Jareb of Assyria”). Based on some indications in the book of Daniel, it is possible that even if the Lisbon Treaty comes into effect, the first permanent president and/or foreign minister under that Treaty will not remain in office for long, but will be “supplanted” by a “vile” person “to whom they will not give the honor of royalty,” but who will be gaining authority “peaceably” and “by intrigue” (Daniel 11:21). Once in power, he might act “deceitfully” and “corrupt” those with “flattery” who act “wickedly against the covenant” (compare Daniel 11:23, 32).

Even though those above-quoted passages of the prophecy in Daniel 11 refer primarily to ancient Antiochus Epiphanes, it is possible that SOME OF THEM are of dual application. For example, Daniel speaks about the “abomination of desolation”–a statue of a pagan god erected in the temple at Jerusalem and invading armies in the Middle East, leading to the suppression of daily sacrifices. All of this was indeed caused and fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes in ancient times (Daniel 11:31). However, Christ said–and Daniel confirmed–that these events will be repeated just prior to His return (Matthew 24:15-22; Daniel 12:7, 11).

It is fascinating to read the character description of Antiochus Epiphanes and ponder about the possibility that it MIGHT also describe, to an extent, the character of the coming “beast” (Some commentaries even feel that the following excerpts don’t refer to Antiochus at all, but exclusively to the “beast”):

“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods [compare Revelation 13:5-6], and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished [compare Revelation 18:3, referring to the wrath of the fornication of the Babylonian system; compare also the following passages referring to the wrath of GOD, in Revelation 14:19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:15]… He shall regard neither the God [better: god or gods] of his fathers nor the desire of women [either being very licentious and not desirous of women in a lawful marriage, thereby disregarding what women may want; or perhaps indicating his desire for unnatural sexual preferences], nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things…” (Daniel 11:36-38).

Europe will MILITARILY intervene in the Middle East to attempt to bring peace to that region–perhaps after Israel will have received a mortal “wound” or a decisive defeat in a coming war (compare Hosea 5:13). The United States of America and Great Britain (referred to as “Ephraim” in Hosea 5)–already bogged down by economic turmoil, political isolation and their unsuccessful military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and perhaps soon North Korea–will not play any major role on the world scene at that time.

We need to be “on the watch,” carefully observing the events as they unfold in Europe and the Middle East.

EU Renders Most Important Decision of the Year

Der Spiegel wrote on June 19:

“Friday’s deal in Brussels paving the way forward for a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland is the most important decision taken in Europe this year. The treaty, which will bring widespread reforms to the European Union and give its institutions greater power, could… go into effect before the end of the year… Then the EU would get a president, a foreign minister and the role of the European Parliament would be strengthened considerably.

“Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen announced the referendum would be held during the first week of October. Public opinion polls currently indicate that Irish voters would likely approve the Lisbon Treaty this time around, following their rejection in a first referendum one year ago. Cowen said the European Council had given Ireland ‘firm legal guarantees’ and that he was ‘confident we now have a solid basis to go to the Irish people and to ask them again for their approval for Ireland to ratify the treaty so that Europe can move on.’

“The EU has provided guarantees to Ireland that it will remain independent in determining tax policies, military neutrality and abortion law (Ireland has one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion policies). The sovereignty guarantees are expected to be anchored in EU law as a treaty protocol in the mid-term future…

“The history of the Lisbon Treaty is a long one. It has been five [years] since EU leaders approved the text of the European constitution in Rome. After the constitution was rejected in two referenda in France and the Netherlands, the draft landed in the waste bin. Under German leadership, however, the text was brought back to life in its current incarnation as the Treaty of Lisbon.

“The streamlined treaty was supposed to have gone into effect at the end of 2008. However, another referendum got in the way. Irish voters said ‘no’ and the EU was thrown into yet another crisis. This time the other leaders made it clear that they would not accept the ‘no’ vote. They immediately began to consider how and when a second referendum could be held in Ireland.

“One year on, it looks like that referendum will soon take place. The mood in Ireland seems to be favorable: The financial crisis has made people think much more positively about the EU. And now the guarantees of sovereignty have given Cowen further arguments in favor of the treaty.

“There were tough negotiations at the summit over those guarantees. Cowen surprised the other EU leaders on Thursday when he said he would need the guarantees entrenched in the treaty. A declaration by the Council would not suffice… It was pure blackmail — but the EU leaders had little choice but to accept those terms. No one can even consider the Lisbon Treaty failing again…

“Ireland is not alone in not having ratified the Lisbon Treaty. The Czech Republic, Poland and Germany still haven’t done so. Germany, for example, must first wait for a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court on Lisbon’s legality. However, these are regarded as much lower hurdles than Ireland.”

Merkel and Obama “Are Not Getting Any Warmer…”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 23:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel is traveling to Washington this week to discuss the financial crisis and climate change with US President Barack Obama — two issues where Germany and the US are deeply divided…

“When US President Barack Obama recently met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Dresden, he… remained true to the program at first. But then he unexpectedly asked ‘Angela’ why, exactly, she didn’t want Turkey to be accepted into the European Union. Merkel was taken aback. She had to think on her feet and quickly come up with an answer for an issue on which she had no pre-prepared comments. It became clear to her, once again, that this president is a challenge, both for Merkel and for German politics as a whole…

“A clash of cultures is raging between Berlin and the United States on the issue of financial policy… The German chancellor… considers the Americans’ offensive monetary policy to be dangerous… A few hours after the encounter between Merkel and Obama, Ben LaBolt, a White House press spokesman, told a colleague about the difficult relationship between the two leaders. ‘They are not getting any warmer,’ he said…

“Obama’s visits to Dresden and Buchenwald also ruffled some feathers in Germany. The US president’s advance team, which had been sent to help prepare for the trip, made a negative impression on the Germans through their coarse language and overbearing behavior. German officials were shouted at, treated like schoolchildren and told to wait their turns… As it is, the US president in person is by no means the charming and smiling character many have come to expect from his television appearances. He cultivates a cool style or, as one of the members of the delegation describes it, ‘an almost unfeeling style.'”

Deutsche Welle added on June 24:

“Ms Merkel arrives in Washington on Thursday and meets Mr Obama on Friday. It will be their third meeting in less than a year. Ms Merkel hosted the US president in Dresden three weeks ago. Yet in spite of frequent meetings and delight among Germans at Mr Obama’s election, the rapport between the old allies has deteriorated in recent months… ‘The chancellor is not interested in joining the competition for who gets along best with Obama,’ a senior aide said on Wednesday…

“Economic policy is not the only source of tension. While Berlin has long been critical of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, it has rejected US requests to take detainees. It has also dragged its feet on committing troops to Afghanistan… Other matters have conspired to poison the atmosphere. German officials said last month the US Treasury’s role in talks between Berlin and General Motors over the future of Opel, its German arm, had been offhand and unhelpful.

“While Mr Obama had only planned to tour the Buchenwald concentration camp during what had been billed as a private visit this month, Ms Merkel insisted he go to Dresden, the Baroque city razed by US and UK bombers in 1945. Their first clash goes back before Mr Obama’s election last summer, when Ms Merkel vetoed his plan to make a speech before the Brandenburg gate. The address was moved a mile west to the victory column.”

Europe Caught Between Rock and Hard Place on Iran

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 19:

“With mass demonstrations continuing since the announcement of the presidential election results in the Iranian capital and other cities despite a government crackdown, many observers inside and outside the country had hoped that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would make an effort of reconciliation in his traditional Friday sermon. Instead, Khamenei defended Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declaring him the clear winner of the election and urged the opposition to end its protests.

“That puts the West in a terrible bind, says Nicola Pedde, Director of Globe Research, a Rome-based think tank focusing on the Middle East. ‘We can do nothing. If you support the reformists, the Iranian government will say that the opposition is supported by agents of foreign governments. And if you stay silent it can be interpreted negatively as support for the government.’

“Paul Luft, founder of the Center for Iranian Studies at Durham University, agrees that Western countries should stay out of what he describes as an internal conflict… If the West is perceived to be meddling in Iran’s domestic affairs, that could help unite the Islamists, says Luft…

“But other experts argue that the West can’t just stand by and let events unfold, but must make a concerted effort to support the democracy movement in Iran… ‘The West shouldn’t prematurely recognize Ahmadinejad as the winner of the election’, says Jamsheed Faroughi, Head of Deutsche Welle’s Farsi service. Instead, Western countries should demand new elections in Iran under independent, international supervision. ‘If Ahmadinejad really won the election by a landslide as the official results claim, then what is the government afraid of?’

“It is crucial that Europe doesn’t just remain on the sidelines this time, argues Bernd Kaussler, an Iran expert at James Madison University… Kaussler admits that Europe is in a difficult position, but says it could lose all of its credibility with reform-minded Iranians if it doesn’t act now… Kaussler agrees with Faroughi that the West should not recognize Ahmadinejad as the winner of the election. While the EU and the US shouldn’t endorse his opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi in order not to meddle too much in Iranian affairs, they should highlight human rights violations and demand freedom of expression in Iran. ‘It could start with the European Parliament issuing a resolution claiming solidarity with the Iranians.'”

The article also published the following chart, explaining more fully the rather complicated Iranian governmental system or power structure.

Exiled Son of Shah Warns of Nuclear War

AFP wrote on June 22:

“The exiled son of the late shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, warned Monday of dire consequences for the volatile Middle East and the rest of the world if the popular uprising in Iran is crushed. The defeat of the movement protesting the outcome of presidential elections… would not only threaten global stability but could lead to nuclear war, Pahlavi [said].”

Iran Plays Hardball–Attacks Britain…

USA Today reported on June 23:

“Iran’s rulers stiffened their stance against protesters Tuesday, firmly rejecting demands to annul the election over fraud allegations, setting up a special court for detained demonstrators and keeping troops in riot gear on the streets to break up any gatherings. Iran also expelled two British diplomats Tuesday after bitterly accusing Britain of meddling and spying… During Friday prayers at Tehran University, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out against Western countries he said were displaying their ‘enmity’ against the Islamic state, ‘and the most evil of them is the British government’…

“In a boost for the embattled regime, Russia said Tuesday that it respects the declared election result. But France summoned Iran’s ambassador to express concern about what it called ‘brutal repression’ of protesters in Tehran.”

The Telegraph reported on June 24 that “Britain… was throwing out two Iranian diplomats in response to Tehran’s expulsion of two British diplomats.”

The Times wrote on June 25:

“In a briefing to heads of foreign missions in Tehran this week, Manochehr Mottaki, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran… reserved his severest criticism for Britain. In what must rank as one of the most idiotic statements made by a serving Foreign Minister of an Iranian Government, Mr Mottaki charged that ‘they [the British Government] sent planes full of passengers to Iran with special intelligence and security ambitions’…

“The madness does, of course, have some method attached to it. It… plays to a particular constituency in Iran, which still sees Britain as the root of all evil.”

… and the USA

Reuters reported on June 25:

“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused President Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor toward Iran and said there is not much point in talking to Washington unless Obama apologizes. Obama said on Tuesday he was ‘appalled and outraged’ by a post-election crackdown, and Washington withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend U.S. Independence Day celebrations on July 4, stalling efforts to improve ties with Tehran…”

The Times added on June 25:

“Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela who is an ally of Mr Ahmadinejad, [said about the demonstrations in Iran], ‘People are in the streets, some are dead, they have snipers, and behind this is the CIA, the imperial hand of European countries and the United States.'”

The irony is that, according to Western reports, Iran might be using terrorists from Hamas and Hezbollah to brutally suppress the demonstrations in Iran.

Iran’s Turmoil Unsettles the Middle East

The Wall Street Journal wrote on June 24:

“The turmoil in Iran is threatening to reshape the balance of power in the Middle East, denting the Islamic Republic’s regional standing and spooking some Arab regimes with the specter of similar people-power uprisings. Whether or not the protests over Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential election endanger President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or the Islamic Republic itself, the crisis — Iran’s gravest internal challenge since the 1979 Islamic revolution — has already triggered repercussions well beyond the country’s borders…

“Iran-backed movements that the U.S. considers terrorists, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian lands… [put] moderate Arab states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the defensive. But, over the past week, the vivid TV images of Iranian security forces and Basij militias beating and killing unarmed protesters, including women, on the streets of Tehran have punctured the Islamic Republic’s carefully constructed image as a champion of the oppressed masses…

“Even Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, whose leaders used to praise Mr. Ahmadinejad’s radical views, seems dumbfounded by the upheaval. ‘People are confused about what’s happening in Iran,’ says the head of the brotherhood’s political bureau, Essam el Erian. On one hand, he explains, many Arabs share Mr. Ahmadinejad’s hostility to Israel and the U.S. Yet, he adds, they also admire the courage of Iranian protesters and can relate to their cause, because elections in most Arab countries are either falsified or not held at all…

“Arab governments seem equally at a loss over how to react to the Iranian protests. In Bahrain, a Shiite-majority country ruled by a Sunni royal family, the government, seemingly fearful of provoking Tehran, this week temporarily closed the nation’s oldest newspaper, Akhbar al Khaleej. The reason: a column, written by a government-appointed member of the country’s legislature that attacked Mr. Ahmadinejad and Iran’s theocratic system. In nearby Saudi Arabia, as well as in Egypt, state media gave relatively little prominence to Iranian protests.

“But the Saudi-backed al Arabiya satellite TV channel… was airing such sympathetic coverage of pro-democracy campaigners in Iran that the Iranian regime shut down the network’s Tehran bureau…

“In Palestine, Iran is the key supporter of Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip and fought a bloody war against Israel in January. Palestinians have long been grateful to Iran for its unflinching support against Israel… The supporters of Hamas ‘will remain sympathetic to Iran no matter what,’ estimates Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian Authority government minister and peace negotiator… In Lebanon, Hezbollah… has been even more defensive of the Iranian regime, and more scornful of pro-Mousavi protesters… Hezbollah remains a formidable force, and turmoil in Iran is unlikely to weaken its hold over Lebanon’s large Shiite community…”

Israel and Iran–Is Nuclear Apocalypse Inevitable?

On June 22, Der Spiegel Online published an article on Iran and Israel, with the following headline: “HEADING FOR A NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE.” It continued with the following question: “Is War between Iran and Israel Inevitable?”

The magazine went on to say:

“There is every indication that the coming nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran — if, indeed, they begin in the next few months with Ahmadinejad still Iranian president — will end in a stalemate by the end of the year. If that happens, US President Barack Obama will push for tougher sanctions against Tehran in early 2010, with the reluctant support of the Russians and Chinese. The leadership in Tehran will interpret this as an aggressive act and will likely speed up its uranium enrichment, meaning that Iran will only be a few months away from having the capability to build a nuclear bomb. At some point next spring, things could have proceeded so far that the Israelis could decide, even without Washington’s approval, to launch attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities. The entire Middle East would see thousands of casualties, and the consequences for the global economy would be devastating.

“To understand what motivates the Iranian president and the Israeli prime minister, and what convictions guide their policies, it is important to examine the deeply religious ideas that shape both Ahmadinejad and Netanyahu and practically destine them to clash with each other: the theology of the [fundamentalist] Islamic Haqqani school and the Jewish concept of Amalek…

“The so-called Mahdists [of the Haqqani school] around… Ahmadinejad believe that their Twelfth Imam disappeared from the face of the earth in the 9th century because Allah the Almighty hid him to put mankind to a test. They also believe that this Twelfth Imam, or Mahdi, will return to the earth… The Mahdi… will create a paradise on earth for believers and condemn blasphemers to eternal damnation. But he will only return when the world has undergone a catharsis, a whirling, gigantic, cleansing upheaval…

“In a face-to-face conversation, Ahmadinejad can be polite, even charming… But he also has a different, mystical side. He considers himself chosen. In a meeting with Iranian members of parliament, Ahmadinejad claimed that he was surrounded by a light when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and that the light silenced the leaders of other countries in the audience during his speech…

“Benjamin Netanyahu… has repeated his mantra that the Iranian nuclear program is the greatest threat Israel has confronted ‘since its creation in 1948.’ The liberal and consistently well-informed Israeli daily Haaretz wrote: ‘Politicians in touch with Netanyahu say he has already made up his mind to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations’ — apparently without Washington’s approval.

“What could make the Israeli prime minister feel so confident that he is doing the right thing, given the potentially serious consequences of such a military strike, which could range from Iran firing missiles at Tel Aviv to a wave of Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist attacks, not to mention the damage this would do to Israel’s relations with the United States, whose backing is critical to its survival?…

“When American author and Israel expert Jeffrey Goldberg recently asked a Netanyahu confidant to explain this fixation, he simply replied: ‘Think Amalek.’… In a biblical context, Amalek was the grandson of Esau who, with his tribal warriors from Canaan, launched a treacherous and unprovoked attack on the Hebrews as they were traveling to the Holy Land, Eretz Israel. In a broader sense, the term Amalek refers to the existential threat to Judaism at all times, under all circumstances and by all enemies… Those who, like Netanyahu, see Iran’s nuclear program as Amalek’s arsenal of weapons, are not just entitled, but are in fact obligated, to take preventive measures to destroy it…

“Is a coming war virtually unavoidable?…  the signs are currently pointing to stormy weather ahead…”

The Threat of North Korea

The Associated Press reported on June 22:

“President Barack Obama assured Americans in an interview broadcast Monday that the U.S. is prepared for any move North Korea might make, amid reports that Pyongyang is planning a long-range missile test to follow up its provocative nuclear test last month. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered additional protection for Hawaii as a precaution, though experts say North Korea doesn’t yet have a ballistic missile that can reach Hawaii and has not mastered mounting a nuclear bomb on a long-range missile. Still, North Korea declared itself a ‘proud nuclear power’ and warned it will strike if provoked… The U.S…. has 28,500 troops in South Korea…”

The Associated Press added on June 24:

“North Korea has said it would consider interception of its ships a declaration of war, and on Wednesday accused the U.S. of seeking to start another Korean War… The warning came on the eve of the 59th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. The brutal fighting ended after three years in a truce in 1953, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula divided and in a state of war.”

No Peace in Iraq!

BBC News reported on June 25:

“At least 69 people have been killed by a bomb blast in the eastern Sadr City area of Baghdad… More than 130 people were also reported to have been injured in the blast, one of the worst in Iraq this year. It comes less than a week before US soldiers pull out of all Iraqi cities, a move the US said would not be affected by a recent surge in violence… Under an agreement with the Iraqi authorities, most of the 133,000 US troops in Iraq are due to leave the country’s cities and towns and withdraw to military bases by 30 June. Combat operations across Iraq are due to end by September 2010 and all US troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011…

“The attacks are the latest in a violent week in Iraq. On Monday, at least 29 people were killed in attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere… In the largest attack of the year, more than 70 people died in a truck bombing in Kirkuk on Saturday. But Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said the violence will not delay the withdrawal which, he said, would ultimately be a triumph for the country.”

War in Afghanistan

Deutsche Welle reported on June 25:

“German Defense Minister Jung has insisted that Germany is not fighting a war in Afghanistan, rejecting calls for such an admission after three German soldiers died in the country this week. The parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Reinhold Robbe, on Wednesday called on the German government to recognize it was fighting a war in Afghanistan…

“Around 700 German troops are based in the Kundus region in the north of Afghanistan, a region previously considered relatively safe. Taliban fighters have become increasingly active in a region around Kundus known as Char Dara, where Tuesday’s attack took place. In June alone there were 30 Taliban attacks on German soldiers, putting the soldiers under daily fire…

“Germany has the third-largest contingent in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, with about 3,380 troops. Despite US pressure to contribute troops to the more restive southern provinces where members of NATO and US soldiers have been fighting the Taliban since the 2001 invasion that ousted the group from power, the German army has focused on the Regional Command North…”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 25:

“Germany’s military presence in Afghanistan is deeply unpopular at home. But even after spending seven years there and losing 35 soldiers, many German politicians still refuse to call it a ‘war.’ German commentators argue Thursday that the government is afraid to tell the truth…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘… Afghanistan is the Bundeswehr’s first wartime deployment…’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… There is no doubt that the number of people in Germany who disapprove of the mission in Afghanistan is very high… When the Bundeswehr is getting into firefights with Taliban militants on an almost daily basis, and when soldiers are dying in these exchanges, then that is war… The fact that the government still refuses to acknowledge this isn’t merely disrespectful to the soldiers putting their lives on the line in the Hindu Kush to defend Germany. It’s also completely useless in terms of political strategy.’

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘It would help if the Defense Ministry would just… be clear for once about why it is so adamant about not using the term “war”… the government’s insistence on using vague terminology makes it sound like it’s afraid of the truth.'”

California’s Tax Increases

SF Gate wrote on June 23:

“To help balance its budget, California has reduced the state tax credit for dependents. The change will increase a family’s California taxes for 2009 by about $210 per dependent compared with 2008… At issue is the exemption you get for each person listed on your tax return… If you are in this boat and would rather not face a big tax bill early next year, you could pay more state tax this year, either by increasing the amount withheld from your paycheck or – if you are self-employed – by making bigger estimated quarterly tax payments…

“At the same time it slashed the dependent credit, the state also raised all tax rates by one-quarter of 1 percent… The state sent new tax-withholding tables reflecting this change to employers in April. Employers should have started using them in May. Many employees will have been underwithheld for the first four months of the year. That means a slightly bigger tax bill (or smaller refund) when they file their 2009 taxes…”

Healthcare Promises Just That–Empty Words?

The Associated Press reported on June 24:

“President Barack Obama left the door open to a new tax on health care benefits Wednesday… ‘I don’t want to prejudge what they’re doing,’ the president said, referring to proposals in the Senate to tax workers who get expensive insurance policies. Obama, who campaigned against the tax when he ran for president, drew a quick rebuff from one union president… It was the latest in a series of signs of presidential flexibility…”

Is the Great Depression Coming…?

Newsmax.com wrote on June 23:

“Is Obama leading the nation into an economic train wreck? Dick Morris, one of America’s astute political observers, the person Time magazine called the most influential man in America, says, ‘Yes!’ Morris reveals that Obama’s policies and clear shift toward socialism will actually lead the country toward a 1930s-style Great Depression. In his newest blockbuster book ‘Catastrophe’ Dick lays out the shocking economic data — much of which has been hidden by the major media. Dick also reveals how Obama’s massive deficit spending will cause a tidal wave of inflation — which will shock the economy — at some point in the near future.”

Huckabee Attacks Establishment Republicans

Newsmax.com wrote on June 24:

“Signaling wider dissensions in the Republican ranks, former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is slamming the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) for endorsing Gov. Charlie Crist over another, more conservative Republican in Florida’s open Senate race… ‘I’m disgusted that they would take a position in a hotly contested race when you have a quality candidate like Marco Rubio, who was the youngest Speaker in the Florida House,’ Huckabee told The Hill. ‘This is not just some nameless, faceless guy that decided to throw his name in, who had no chance and no credibility.’

“He continued: ‘I thought that their endorsement not only was premature, but was outrageous. And they ought to get behind the guy who would do a whole lot more, in my mind, to unite and fire up Republicans, and that’s Marco Rubio. The establishment Republicans have made this endorsement for the same reason that they’re in so much trouble,’ Huckabee said. ‘They go out there and support stuff like TARP bills and stimulus packages, pork-barrel spending and huge debt, and they wring their hands and act like, “This is not good, but we don’t have a choice.”‘

Ron Paul Attacks Obama and Congress

Newsmax.com wrote on June 24:

“U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, says he was dismayed that Congress passed the war supplemental appropriations bill so easily last week. ‘An economic collapse seems to be the goal of Congress and this administration,’ Paul said during his weekly radio address Monday…

“Mocking the idea that Obama was a ‘peace candidate,’ Paul pointed out that his administration will be sending another $106 billion it doesn’t have ‘to continue the bloodshed in Afghanistan and Iraq…’ Paul noted that many of his congressional colleagues who previously voted with him in opposition to every war supplemental request under the Bush administration seem to have changed their tune…

“The emergency supplemental appropriations bill sends… $660 million to Gaza… $555 million to Israel… $310 million to Egypt… $300 million to Jordan… $420 million to Mexico… $889 million to the United Nations for so-called ‘peace-keeping’ missions… $1 billion overseas to address the global financial crisis outside U.S. borders… [and] $8 billion to address a potential pandemic flu, which [Paul] said could result in mandatory vaccinations ‘for no discernable reason other than to enrich the pharmaceutical companies’…”

Obama and Bush–Two of a Kind?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 25:

“The occupant of the White House may have changed recently. But the amount of ill-advised ideology coming from Washington has remained constant. Obama’s list of economic errors is long — and continues to grow. The president may have changed, but the excesses of American politics have remained. Barack Obama and George W. Bush, it has become clear, are more similar than they might seem at first glance.

“Ex-President Bush was nothing if not zealous in his worldwide campaign against terror, transgressing human rights and breaking international law along the way. Now, Obama is displaying the same zeal in his own war against the financial crisis — and his weapon of choice is the money-printing machine. The rules the new American president is breaking are those which govern the economy. Nobody is being killed. But the strategy comes at a price — and that price might be America’s position as a global power.

“In his fight against terrorism, Bush had the ideologue Dick Cheney at his side… Obama’s Cheney is named Larry Summers… President Barack Obama follows him like a dog does its master… Summers [said]  that the way to bring about an end to the crisis was — more confidence, more credit and more debt… Experts and non-experts alike were perplexed… Summers was unable to supply an adequate explanation for how a crisis caused by frivolous lending was going to be solved through yet more frivolity…

“Just as the US public initially rallied behind the war President Bush — even to the point of re-electing him — Americans have now thrown their support behind the debt president Obama. The mistakes of the Bush administration are now widely accepted. The mistakes of the Obama administration are still not recognized as such…

“According to conservative forecasts, Obama’s policies could end up being three times as expensive as US expenditures during World War II. If one calculates using today’s prices, America spent $3 trillion for the war. Obama’s budgetary calculations for the decade between 2010 and 2020 assume additional debt of $9 trillion.

“American borrowing in 2009 comprises about half of Obama’s budget. The country is living beyond its means — and it still would have been even if it weren’t for the economic crisis…

“Many believe that when the crisis ends, borrowing will automatically fall. The truth is that it could climb afterwards… Washington would need to spend several times more than it is now just to service current pension entitlements and the free, state-funded medical care provided to senior citizens. In addition, Obama has promised to introduce healthcare coverage for America’s close to 46 million uninsured…

“… trust in the gravitas and reliability of the United States has suffered to such a great degree that fewer and fewer foreigners are purchasing its government bonds…

“The supply of money has increased by 45 percent in the last three years and there has not been a corresponding rise in hard assets or production. That imbalance will eventually make itself felt in the form of inflation. The dollar, which has already lost 40 percent of its value against the euro since 2000, would then devaluate and its reputation would be further diminished…”

Much prophetic speculation has ensued pertaining to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 4, but if we allow the Bible to interpret itself, the answer to the meaning of that dream becomes very clear.

Note, first, the following highlights from that chapter. We are told that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which made him afraid (verse 5), but none of the “wise men of Babylon” could explain the meaning of the dream. Finally, Daniel was brought before the king (verse 8). We will recall that Daniel had explained to the king his first dream about a statue, as recorded in Daniel 2.

Nebuchadnezzar described to Daniel his second dream and asked him to interpret the same for him. In the dream, Nebuchadnezzar had seen a strong tree, which was cut down, but the stump and roots in the earth would be preserved, “bound with a band of iron and bronze” (verse 15). Showing that the dream did not refer to an ordinary tree, the king continued to describe to Daniel that a watcher from heaven said: “The heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him” (verse 16).

Daniel proceeded to explain the meaning of the dream, as follows:

“(20) The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong… (22) It is you, O king, who have grown and become strong… (23) And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’; (24) THIS IS THE INTERPRETATION, O KING, and this is the decree of the Most High… (25) They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass OVER YOU, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. (26) And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, YOUR KINGDOM shall be assured TO YOU, AFTER YOU COME TO KNOW THAT HEAVEN RULES…'”

After about twelve months, the fulfillment of the dream began to come to pass. Nebuchadnezzar, in his pride, glorified himself rather than God, and immediately, he was driven out from men to live with the beasts “for seven times,” until, “at the end of the time,” his understanding and his reason returned to him (verses 32, 34, 36). Nebuchadnezzar is reported as saying: “…I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down” (Daniel 4:36-37).

Please note that this dream is strictly talking about events in Nebuchadnezzar’s life. The dream referred specifically and exclusively to him–and not to anyone coming after him. Compare again Daniel 4:22, 25, 26, 32-33, 34.

This is remarkable because Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream in Daniel 2 clearly is said to refer to future times and kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar, and ending with the return of Christ. Nothing similar is remotely suggested to apply to Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream in Daniel 4.

Let’s notice what is said specifically in and about that dream:

(1) The Cut-Down Tree

Verse 14 tells us that the tree was to be cut down and that the beasts were commanded to flee away from under its branches. This means that the king’s courtiers, officers, etc., all abandoned him as soon as his insanity appeared; and he soon fled from the society of men (compare Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible).

(2) The Stump and the Roots Remain

Verse 15 tells us that the stump and the roots should be left. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains:

“The word here used [for “stump”] implies that it was still alive, or that there was a germ which would send up a new shoot, so that the tree would live again. The idea is, that though the mighty tree would fall, yet there would remain vitality in the root, or the portion that would remain in the earth after the tree was cut down, and that this would spring up again – a most striking image of what would occur to Nebuchadnezzar after he should be cast down from his lofty throne, and be again restored to his reason and to power.”

(3) Stump Bound With Band of Iron and Brass

We are also told, in verse 15, that the stump would be bound with “a band of iron and brass.”

Barnes explains:

“This expression may be regarded as applicable either to the cut-down tree, or to the humbled monarch. If applied to the former, it would seem that the idea is, that the stump or root of a tree, deemed so valuable, would be carefully secured by an enclosure of iron or brass, either in the form of a hoop placed round the top of the stump, to preserve it from being opened or cracked by the heat of the sun, so as to admit moisture, which would rot it; or around the roots, to bind it together, with the hope that it would grow again; or it may refer to a railing or enclosure of iron or brass, to keep it from being plowed or dug up as worthless. In either case, it would be guarded with the hope that a tree so valuable might spring up again.

“If applied to the monarch – an explanation not inconsistent with the proper interpretation of the passage – it would seem to refer to some method of securing the royal maniac in bonds of iron and brass, as with the hope that his reason might still be restored, or with a view to keep him from inflicting fatal injury on himself. That the thing here referred to might be practiced in regard to a valuable tree cut down, or broken down, is by no means improbable; that it might be practiced in reference to the monarch is in accordance with the manner in which the insane have been treated in all ages and countries.”

John Gill’s Exposition to the Entire Bible adds:

“… the allusion is to his distracted condition afterwards related; it being usual to bind madmen with chains of iron or brass, to keep them from hurting themselves and others, as in [Mark 5:4].”

(4) Heart Changed for Seven Times

Verse 16 explains that the king’s heart would be changed for seven times.

Barnes states regarding the king’s changed heart:

“… some man was represented by the vision… The word heart here seems to refer to nature – ‘let his nature or propensity cease to be that of a man, and become like that of a beast; let him cease to act as a man, and act as the beasts do…'”

Regarding “seven times,” Barnes points out:

“The more common interpretation is what supposes that it was a year, and this will agree better with all the circumstances of the case than any other period… Josephus understands by it ‘seven years’… While the Chaldee word is indeterminate in respect to the length of time, the most natural and obvious construction here and elsewhere, in the use of the word, is to refer it to years. Days or weeks would be obviously too short, and though in this place the word ‘months’ would perhaps embrace all that would be necessary, yet in the other places where the word occurs in Daniel it undoubtedly refers to years, and there is, therefore, a propriety in understanding it in the same manner here.”

The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge agrees, stating: “seven times: That is, seven years, a time in the prophetic language denoting a year.”

The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown agrees (“times — that is, ‘years.'”); and so do Gill (“seven years are meant”); and Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, where we read:

“Let him continue in this state for seven years. I knew a man who was thus changed in his heart – in his imagination. He believed himself to be a bear, and would imitate the usual growl, etc.; and the case did not appear to be hypochondriacal. Whether he ever came to sound mind, I kno
w not.”

(5) The King’s Restoration

After seven years of insanity, King Nebuchadnezzar became sane again and was restored to his kingdom, as was also clearly announced in the dream (verse 26).

Clarke writes:

“No new king was set up; Evil-merodach his son was regent during his father’s insanity.”

Gill adds:

“… another king should not be set up in his place; and though the kingdom and administration of it would depart from him for a while, yet it would be restored again, and be firm and stable…”

Verse 34 tells us that “at the end of the days,” Nebuchadnezzar was restored to sanity. As Barnes explains, “That is, the time designated; to wit, the ‘seven times’ that were to pass over him.” Gill adds that that phrase means: “Of the time fixed in the dream; that is, at the end of seven years.”

(6) The Lion and the Man

Another reference to that incident is found in Daniel 7 where Daniel sees four beasts in a dream, representing four world-ruling kingdoms which would come up from the sea and arise out of the earth (verses 3, 17). The first beast was the Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 4 tells us that it “was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings… till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” The reference to Nebuchadnezzar is unmistakable, who was living with the beasts for seven years–with the heart of an animal–and who was then restored by receiving again the heart of a man.

The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown explains this passage as follows:

“Nebuchadnezzar is called ‘the lion’ [Jeremiah 4:7]… So long as Nebuchadnezzar, in haughty pride, relied on his own strength, he forfeited the true dignity of man, and was therefore degraded to be with the beasts. [Daniel 4:16]: ‘Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him.’ But after he learned by this sore discipline that ‘the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men’ [Daniel 4:35, 36], the change took place in him, ‘a man’s heart is given to him’; instead of his former beast’s heart, he attains man’s true position, namely, to be consciously dependent on God.”

(7) Conclusion

It is abundantly clear from the biblical description of the dream and its interpretation, that the dream referred strictly and exclusively to the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity and subsequent discovery.

We are aware that some have alleged over the years that Daniel 4 would also refer to the curse or punishment of the Babylonian Empire for seven “prophetic” times or 2,520 years, beginning with the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. They have also claimed that somehow, ancient Babylon would be restored to power after the time of its punishment, and that Christ’s reference in Luke 21:24 to the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles (see previous Q&A), would be somehow related to that punishment and/or restoration of Babylon.

However, there is no biblical support for any of these concepts. A follow-up Q&A will discuss in more detail why all of these speculations are faulty.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

As announced in our previous Update, our newest booklet, “The Book of Zechariah–Prophecies for Today,” is being printed in England. At the same time, our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” is being reprinted in England.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch and YouTube. It is titled, Fixing Healthcare Through Brainwashing? In the program, Norbert Link points out that the U.S. healthcare system is broken and needs to be fixed, but the procedures employed by some politicians and parts of the media are highly problematic and dangerous.

A new German “AufPostenStehen” program, titled, “Irans Gefaehrliche Zukunft”  (“Iran’s Dangerous Future”) was posted on YouTube and our German Website.

Norbert Link’s recent video-recorded sermon, “The Wisdom of Solomon,” dated June 13, 2009, was posted on the Audio page of our Web, under “Sermon Videos.”

A new German sermon (“War und Ist Christus Gott?”) was recorded this week, addressing the fact that God the Father created everything through Jesus Christ; that Christ existed as God prior to His birth as a man, and that He is God today–the second member of the God Family. Also, that He was the God of the Old Testament Who wrestled with Jacob, spoke with Abraham and Moses, and led Israel out of Egypt.

Our Internet campaign in the USA has so far resulted in more than 80 requests for our booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.” In addition, almost 75 people requested our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World,” which is also offered in the Internet ad. We have also just begun to run Internet ads for these two booklets in Canada. So far, 13 people requested the Great Tribulation booklet, and 10 the Angels and Demons booklet.

Our Internet campaign in the UK has resulted so far in almost 120 requests for our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

On June 20, 2009, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “A Priesthood.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Week after week we witness the ongoing problems that this world is faced with, whether it be the economy, violence and terror, and/or even religious persecution.  We know that these things are coming to pass, as predicted in our booklets, our weekly StandingWatch programs and our weekly Updates, which are all based on the Bible. We also know that our religious beliefs will cause a bitter taste in people’s mouths, because they just don’t understand the truth that we have come to believe. Since Church members–those who have been called out of this world–are just a handful in comparison with all humans alive today, we must ask ourselves how strong OUR faith is.  And since faith grows through tests, how is our faith being tested?

Abraham had to have faith when he was tested. Hebrews 11:17 tells us that he was even willing to offer up his son Isaac, in order to obey God. Abraham was tested by God to see how strong his faith was, to do the unthinkable, offering his son of promise. At that time, Isaac did not have any children. Therefore, Abraham had to put all his trust in God that He would provide and fulfill His promise that he would have descendants through his son Isaac (compare Hebrews 11:18-19). 

Jesus Christ was also tested numerous times. He was even tempted by Satan, as Matthew 4:1-11 records. In that passage, Satan tempted Christ three times and failed. Christ was stronger than Satan.

We should also be the same way, when God tests us or when Satan tempts us.

We have to be careful, however, that we don’t test God, by testing faith. We must abstain from testing God’s power by assuming that God would intervene when we don’t fulfill our part–including taking necessary precautions or actions. When our health is involved, for example, if we think that we will never get hurt or sick or refuse to live in a healthy way, then we should reconsider our thinking. Needless to say, we all have to have the faith that God will heal us, when we are sick. We need to do our part by praying fervently in faith; confessing our trespasses to one another and thereby striving for reconciliation with each other; and asking for anointing by God’s ministry. And we shouldn’t test faith, by refusing to take affordable necessary  medication or by neglecting to reasonably avail ourselves of affordable competent medical help.

We must not–nor do we need to–test God. God tests us to see if we will succeed–having the confidence that we will. Jesus Christ says in Matthew 4:7 that we should not “put the Lord… to the test” (New Revised Standard Version). God tests our faith through trials and tribulations–especially now, as the end draws near. And Satan tempts us, hoping that we will fail the test and sin. He is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour and destroy.

We are a very small group with a big potential. That is why we must continue to remain strong and confident. God promises us that no trial or temptation will be too difficult for us, and that we, with God’s help, can pass every test (compare 1 Corinthians 10:13).

The possibly staged re-election of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dominated the press coverage as much as the long-awaited speech of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.

Reactions to both events were filled with disappointment, skepticism and the realization that prospects of peace in the Middle East are as far removed as ever–since no real solution has been found in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Iran’s “insane” old and new dictatorial “undemocratic” leadership will not halt their nuclear ambitions; and an Israeli “pre-emptive” strike on Iran is becoming more and more likely–a fact which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publicly acknowledged. 

Other news in this issue concentrate on North Korea’s threat to begin a nuclear war and firing a missile towards Hawaii; the ever-increasing “gay rights movement” in the USA and other parts around the world, including Israel; the discussions pertaining to President Obama’s healthcare proposals; proposals to spend more than $100 billion dollars for U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan; ways to spend stimulus money for fish food and to save money by bulldozing major American cities; the ever-increasing troubles for Britain’s economy, including British Airways; and the acknowledgment that the transmission of the swine flu virus to humans occurred several months before the existing outbreak was recognized.

A Deeply Divided Iran

Der Spiegel wrote on June 15:

“Protesters took to the streets of Iran this weekend to vent their frustration and dismay at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s landslide election victory… However, the 63 percent with which Ahmadinejad trounced his rival’s 34 percent — and avoided a run-off — left many questioning whether there had been irregularities in the vote and subsequent count…

“While Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, initially endorsed the result, he has now ordered an investigation into the claims of vote-rigging and has called on [main challenger] Mousavi to pursue his appeal ‘calmly and legally.’ The powerful Guardian Council said on Monday that it would rule within 10 days on the complaints it had received.

“Protests by thousands of dismayed Mousavi supporters over the weekend have marked the most blatant show of discontent in Iran in years… Ahead of the elections, the hardline Revolutionary Guard had already warned that it would not tolerate a ‘velvet revolution’ in Iran…

“German newspapers on Monday are agreed the results point to a deeply divided Iran…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘…The Islamic Republic has become increasingly militarized in recent years. Ahmadinejad has deliberately strengthened the Revolutionary Guard and they won’t hesitate to use force if they get the order.’…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The Islamic Republic of Iran was never a true democracy and it didn’t want to be one. The hardliners always made sure that only candidates loyal to the regime could stand for election… The armed forces are the ones with the power… With Ahmadinejad, the Islamic Republic… is slowly becoming an authoritarian military dictatorship…'”

Not Without Cheating…

Die Welt Online wrote on June 13:

“Iranian and Western analysts abroad greeted the results with disbelief… ‘It doesn’t augur well for an early and peaceful settlement of the nuclear dispute,’ said Mark Fitzpatrick at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies… Trita Parsi, president of the Washington-based National Iranian American Council, expressed astonishment at the wide margin in Ahmadinejad’s favour. ‘It is difficult to feel comfortable that this occurred without any cheating,’ he said…

“‘If there was a shadow of hope for a change in Iran, the renewed choice of Ahmadinejad expresses more than anything the growing Iranian threat,’ Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in a statement. ‘The international community must stop a nuclear Iran and Iranian terror immediately.'”

Reports from Iran…

The Iranian state-run publication, Press TV, reported on June 14:

“The landslide victory of Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential elections has garnered a mixed response in the World political scene. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was among the first world leaders to congratulate his Iranian counterpart…

“Pakistan’s President, Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai conveyed their separate congratulatory messages to President Ahmadinejad on Sunday. In the Arab world, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa congratulated Ahmadinejad on his historic election win, saying that he hopes his re-appointment would promote better relations between Iran and Arab countries.

“The Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, also lauded Ahmadinejad’s re-election as Iranian president. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a congratulatory message to his Iranian counterpart on Saturday, in which he wished the prosperity and wellfare of the Iranian people… Palestine’s Hamas Resistance, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah Movement, hailed President Ahmadinejad on his victory in separate messages…

“The Israeli officialdom, however, was quick to voice concern over Ahmadinejad’s election victory… US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also responded rather cautiously to Ahmadinejad’s landslide win. The European Union… has said it is concerned about the status in Iran…”

To their credit, Press TV also published numerous critical comments from readers. We are bringing you the following interesting samples:

“Iranian Taliban stole the peoples’ vote. This is worst than the Shah regime, and you [are] talking about other cultures? You brag about how much you are better than Israel and Wahabi Arabs! This is the worst theft in the history of Iran! Shah stole money. The Taliban Ahmadi and your so-called supreme leader are stealing the future of a generation of the Iranian people! This is a sad, sad day for Iran! Poor people of Iran!

“Something isn’t adding up and the press was declaring Ahmadinejad the victor less than an hour after the polls closed. It took the Americans days to count 100 million votes, how did we manage to count 40 million in a few hours?

“As an Iranian who lives in Tehran I can see that there is a real fraud in our election. Most of the people vote for Mr Mousavi even in Tehran. Over 10 million vote for him, but look at the result.

“What [is] the Corrupt Regime… going to do next? Taking away the short wave radios from people? Or perhaps disconnecting the telephones thus Internet?

“Mousavi lost in his own hometown? That alone shows this election was a fraud.”

USA Today added on June 18:

“The Iranian government has directly accused the United States of meddling in the deepening crisis. A statement by state-run Press TV blamed Washington for ‘intolerable’ interference. The report, on Press TV, cited no evidence.”

Iran’s Attempts to Control the Media

The Associated Press reported on June 14:

“Iranian authorities have asked some foreign journalists – in Iran to cover the elections – to prepare to leave. Nabil Khatib, executive news editor for Dubai-based news network Al Arabiya, said the station’s correspondent in Tehran was given a verbal order Sunday from Iranian authorities that the office will be closed for one week. No reason was given for the order, but the station was warned several times Saturday that they need to be careful in reporting ‘chaos’ accurately.

“Iran restored cell phone service that had been down in the capitol since Saturday. But Iranians could not send text messages from their phones, and the government increased its Internet filtering in an apparent attempt to undercut liberal voices. Social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter were also not working. The restrictions were likely intended to prevent Mousavi’s supporters from organizing large-scale protests…

“Mousavi’s newspaper, Kalemeh Sabz, or the Green Word, did not appear on newsstands Sunday. An editor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the paper never left the printing house because authorities were upset with Mousavi’s statements. The paper’s Web site reported that more than 10 million votes in Friday’s election were missing national identification numbers similar to U.S. Social Security numbers, which make the votes ‘untraceable’…”

BBC News added on June 13:

“Riot police have used batons against a crowd of about 3,000 supporters of Mr Mousavi… The authorities had earlier sealed off Mr Mousavi’s campaign HQ, preventing his supporters from holding a news conference. Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli said that any demonstrations needed official permission, and none had been given… One opposition newspaper has been closed down and BBC websites also appear to have been blocked by the Iranian authorities.”

Bild Online reported on June 16:

“The Iranian government has begun clamping down on the foreign media. It has banned all foreign journalists from leaving their offices and reporting from the streets of the country. Journalists may only report from their desks and not interview members of the public or send any eyewitness accounts back home. The clampdown follows a ban on websites such as Facebook and the BBC’s Persian service.”

Violence Breaks Out in Iran

The Associated Press reported on June 15:

“In a massive outpouring reminiscent of the Islamic Revolution three decades ago, hundreds of thousands of Iranians streamed through the capital Monday, and the fist-waving protesters denounced President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s claim to victory in a disputed election. Standing on a roof, gunmen opened fire on a group of protesters who had tried to storm a pro-government militia’s compound…

“Angry men showed their bloody palms after cradling the dead and wounded who had been part of a crowd that stretched more than five miles (nearly 10 kilometers) supporting reform leader Mir Hossein Mousavi…”

Iran Orders Partial Re-Count

The Wall Street Journal reported June 16:

“Pro-government and opposition demonstrators poured into the streets of Iran’s capital Tuesday for a fourth day of sometimes-violent rallies, as the country’s religious leaders agreed to a partial recount of Friday’s disputed presidential vote. Amid the unrest, and more shooting by government-backed militia, authorities arrested prominent opposition leaders and clamped down on media covering the crisis.

“The demonstrations came hours after state media reported the top religious oversight council would examine Friday’s vote… Such a recount appears to be unprecedented, and it wasn’t immediately clear when it would begin, or how many voting sites would be included.

“Mr. Mousavi and the other two candidates announced the recount wouldn’t be acceptable to them. Representatives of the three candidates had met with the spokesperson of the Guardian Council on Tuesday morning and asked that the results be annulled and new elections be held. Alternatively, they asked that an independent committee, made of up of clerics, lawmakers and experts, review the charges of vote rigging.”

Mass Demonstrations Against Iran’s Government–While Obama “Plays It Safe”

Reuters reported on June 18:

“Tens of thousands of Iranians, wearing black and carrying candles, marched on Thursday to mourn those killed in mass protests against a presidential election they and defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi say was rigged… Chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Greatest), they massed in downtown Imam Khomeini Square, responding to Mousavi’s call for people to gather in mosques or at peaceful rallies to show solidarity with the victims and their families.

“Days of public fury over the disputed election led Iran’s top legislative body, the Guardian Council, to invite Mousavi and the two other candidates beaten by hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss their complaints on Saturday. The election has provoked Iran’s biggest and most violent demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic revolution, rocking the world’s fifth biggest oil exporter which is also caught up in a dispute with the West over its nuclear program.

“Iranian state media has reported seven or eight people killed in protests since the election results were published on June 13. Scores of reformists have been arrested across the country and authorities have cracked down on both foreign and domestic media… Other banners told protesters to stay home on Friday, when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is due to lead prayers in Tehran, but to gather again the next day in the capital…

“Ahmadinejad supporters are expected to show their strength when Khamenei leads Friday prayers at Tehran University. Iran has denounced foreign criticism of the election, although U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration has muted its comments to keep the door open for possible dialogue.”

Der Spiegel Online added on June 17:

“Barack Obama is taking a cautious approach to the disputed Iranian elections and has even said there is little difference between the candidates. The US president knows the ayatollahs wield the real power in Tehran — and doesn’t want to jeopardize negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.”

“Permission to Lie About the Election”

The Australian wrote on June 15:

“AN Israeli analyst who had predicted widespread electoral fraud in Iran says the results amounted to the appointment of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by clerics rather than a victory at the ballot box. ‘This was planned well ahead of time,’ said Menashe Amir, who has monitored the Iranian media for more than 20 years as head of the Persian desk at Israel Radio.

“‘Ahmadinejad was chosen to erase the democratic changes that have occurred in Iran over the years and return the country to the era of the Islamic revolution 30 years ago. ‘Mr Amir quoted a leading ayatollah as saying: ‘It is permitted to lie about the election results to bring victory to Islam.'”

Germany Takes the Lead

CNN reported on June 14:

“Germany is summoning the Iranian ambassador Monday to explain the disputed presidential election in the Middle Eastern nation, particularly the ‘brutal handling’ of protesters, the German foreign minister said. The move is noteworthy because global reaction to the Iranian election has been guarded [This changed subsequently, with the notable exception of President Obama.]

“In addition, Germany is one of Iran’s biggest trading partners and has taken the lead in trying to persuade it from developing a nuclear program. ‘I have already prompted Iran, together with European colleagues today, to quickly shed light on what has happened there — if one can take the announced election results there seriously or not,’ Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told German public television station ARD on Sunday.”

No Big Difference

Der Stern Online wrote on June 17:

“U.S. President Barack Obama does obviously not have a high opinion of Iranian challenger Mir-Hussein Mussawi. The differences for a political change between Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his challenger are not as big as commonly assumed [according to Obama]. Independent from the outcome of the election, the US would have to face in both cases a regime which is hostile towards the US, which has caused some problems in its neighborhood, and which wants to produce nuclear weapons, Obama told the US channel CNBC.”

With this assessment, Barack Obama might very well be correct. For more information, please view our new StandingWatch program on YouTube, titled, “Will Iran’s 2009 Elections Change Anything?”

Is Improvement in the Middle East Possible?

The Associated Press wrote on June 15:

“The re-election of Iran’s hardline president and a tough speech by Israel’s hawkish prime minister signaled an increasingly difficult road ahead for President Barack Obama’s hopes for ending Tehran’s nuclear threat and brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians. A setback on either foreign policy front would have been unwelcome in the Obama White House, but difficulties on both issues – which are deeply entangled – were likely to slow progress on the president’s ambition of changing the landscape across the Middle East…

“In Jerusalem, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in an unusually open dispute with Obama over the path to peace with the Palestinians, the Israeli leader gave a major speech that was bound to have found a disappointed White House audience…

“Hamas is strongly backed by Iran and, like Ahmadinejad, calls for the destruction of Israel. Netanyahu and his backers see Israel as threatened on three fronts, all of them arising in Tehran. The Islamic regime’s perceived drive to build a nuclear bomb is viewed by Netanyahu as an existential threat to Israel. Lesser but more immediate dangers are seen to lie with Hamas and Hezbollah, Iran’s other proxy organization in the region. The two groups have routinely conducted harassing rocket attacks and incursions on Israel from Gaza in the south and Lebanon to the north, respectively.

“Counterbalancing the weekend’s discouraging news, however, was Hezbollah’s major and unforeseen setback in Lebanese elections last week. There also is growing concern in the larger Arab Middle East about Iran’s nuclear program. While both the Arabs and Iranians are Muslims, the Arabs are predominantly Sunni, while the Iranians are nearly all Shiite. Beyond that, Iranians are ethnic Persians and have been historically at odds with the Arabs.”

Hillary Clinton Does Not Rule Out Pre-Emptive Israeli Strike on Iran

The Times reported on June 8:

“Hillary Clinton refused yesterday to rule out a pre-emptive Israeli military strike on Iran. It was the first time that a senior member of the Obama Administration had openly discussed such a possibility. The US Secretary of State… also warned that [Iran] would face retaliation if it launched a nuclear attack on Israel…

“Mrs Clinton appeared ready to unnerve the Iranian leadership with talk of a pre-emptive strike ‘the way that we did attack Iraq’… Mrs Clinton… said that it was US policy that a nuclear attack by Iran on Israel would be seen as an attack on the US.

“’I don’t think there is any doubt in anyone’s mind that were Israel to suffer a nuclear attack by Iran, there would be retaliation,’ she said, though she did not spell out who would retaliate.”

Netanyahu’s Speech Defied Obama’s Demands

The Times reported on June 14:

“Binyamin Netanyahu tonight endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state after weeks of pressure from Washington, but defied President Obama’s demand for a halt to all settlements. In a high-profile speech that the Palestinian administration of Mahmoud Abbas said ‘hobbles all efforts to save the peace process’, the Israeli Prime Minister said that the Palestinians must recognise Israel as a ‘Jewish state’ and that any future Palestinian state had to be demilitarised…

“Mr Netanyahu also ruled out a complete halt to settlement activity and said that Palestinian refugees dating from the 1948 creation of Israel, and their descendants, would not be resettled inside Israel’s borders…

“The former US President Jimmy Carter told the Israeli daily Haaretz on Sunday that Israel risked a head-on collision with Washington over the settlements. Washington provides Israel with $2.4 billion of annual military aid as well as diplomatic support, making the United States its most important ally. Mr Netanyahu faces a delicate balancing act in responding to American pressure, as most in his largely right-wing ten-week-old coalition oppose US demands on settlements and would probably quit the Government if he caves in to the pressure…”

Reactions to Netanyahu’s Speech

The Jerusalem Post wrote on June 15:

“Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak blasted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech on Sunday saying ‘Netanyahu’s demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state is ruining the chance for peace…’ Mubarak further added that ‘not Egypt, nor any other Arab country would support Netanyahu’s approach.’

“Earlier Monday, a Syrian government newspaper slammed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech, and likened Israel’s policies towards Palestinians to those of the Apartheid government in South Africa towards black people…”

In a related article, the Jerusalem Post reported on June 15:

“Former US president Jimmy Carter, visiting in Israel, said on Monday that Binyamin Netanyahu has placed ‘several obstacles on the road to peace’, in response to the prime minister’s speech Sunday evening… ‘He insists on settlement expansion, demands that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state even though 20% of Israel’s citizens are not Jewish,’ the former US president said…

“Meanwhile, the European Union on Monday joined US President Barack Obama in expressing support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s ‘endorsement’ of the goal of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel…”

Haaretz reported on June 14:

“The Palestinian Authority on Sunday criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s highly anticipated foreign policy speech, in which he called for immediate peace talks and endorsed the creation of [a] Palestinian state without military capabilities. An aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the speech ‘sabotages’ regional peace efforts, due to Netanyahu’s refusal to accept an influx of Palestinian refugees into Israel and his unwillingness to compromise on the status of Jerusalem…

“In the Gaza Strip, Hamas representatives vehemently rejected Netanyahu’s address. ‘In his speech, he … erased the Palestinian refugees’ right of return,’ said senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan, adding that the prime minister also did not ‘recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the independent Palestinian state… What needs to be done immediately is to sever all ties with Israel.'”

Not Enough for EU

Haaretz reported on June 15:

“European Union foreign ministers welcomed on Monday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conditional endorsement of a future Palestinian state, but said it was not enough to raise EU-Israel ties to a higher level. The ministers… questioned conditions cited by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for backing a Palestinian state and also his defence of Jewish settlements on occupied land…

“‘That’s good but it’s only a first step,’ Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country [takes] over the EU presidency in July, said before the talks in Luxembourg. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said it was ‘not sufficient. Nothing was said on the settlements … but this stopping of the settlements is essential,’ said Kouchner, who in an earlier statement rejected any pre-conditions to peace negotiations.

“The EU and Israel have agreed in principle to upgrade an ‘association agreement’ defining their ties, a move that would bring trade benefits for both sides. But the 27-nation bloc has put the upgrade on ice and says it wants a firm commitment from Israel to seek a so-called two-state peace accord with the Palestinians.

“‘We must say quite clearly today there can only be talk of an upgrade when the peace process is on its way, and for that we need a few steps more,’ said Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn. Asked if Netanyahu’s move was sufficient for the EU to upgrade ties with Israel, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said: ‘No’…

“U.S. President Barack Obama called Netanyahu’s shift on Palestinian statehood an important step forward. But aides to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the speech sabotaged negotiations by restating Israel’s refusal to share the city of Jerusalem or accept Palestinian refugees.”

North Korea Defiant–Threatens with Nuclear War

The Guardian wrote on June 13:

“North Korea declared it would turn its plutonium stocks into weapons material and threatened military action against the US and its allies after the UN security council imposed new sanctions to punish Pyongyang for last month’s underground nuclear test.

“The country’s foreign ministry today acknowledged for the first time that North Korea was developing a uranium enrichment programme and said it would be ‘impossible’ to abandon its nuclear ambitions. [When enriched to a high degree, uranium can be used for weapons-grade material. Plutonium can be used in atomic bombs]…

“The warning came a few hours after the security council unanimously passed a resolution banning all weapons exports from North Korea and the import of all but small arms [The resolution also authorized searches of North Korean ships suspected of transporting illicit ballistic missile and nuclear materials] …

“The regime is believed to have enough plutonium for at least six nuclear bombs… ‘An attempted blockade of any kind by the US and its followers will be regarded as an act of war and met with a decisive military response,’ the regime said.

“There was no attempt to expand the sanctions to exports and imports of non-military goods. This is partly because China and Russia would have been opposed, but also because of fears a collapse of the North Korean economy would result in a flood of refugees into South Korea.”

Will North Korea Fire a Missile Toward Hawaii?

The Associated Press reported on June 18:

“North Korea may fire a long-range ballistic missile toward Hawaii in early July, a Japanese news report said Thursday, as Russia and China urged the regime to return to international disarmament talks on its rogue nuclear program. [Subsequent reports in Mail-On-Line, dated June 18, state that the missile may be fired on Independence Day, July 4, 2009].

“The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers), would be launched from North Korea’s Dongchang-ni site on the northwestern coast… The missile launch could come between July 4 and 8, the paper said. While the newspaper speculated the Taepodong-2 could fly over Japan and toward Hawaii, it said the missile would not be able to hit Hawaii’s main islands, which are about 4,500 miles (7,200 kilometers) from the Korean peninsula.”

The “Gay Rights Movement” in the USA

On June 3, 2009, Christian Today India reported the following:

“President Obama has declared June ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month,’ becoming the first U.S. president to include bisexual and transgender in the proclamation’s title. In a difficult-to-find declaration posted on the White House Web site on June 1, Obama praised LGBT Americans for their continual ‘great and lasting contributions’ that ‘strengthen the fabric of American society.’

“He vowed to support measures to ‘bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans,’ including enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions, ensuring gay adoption rights, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, and ending the current ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy in the military…

“Obama follows in the footsteps of former President Bill Clinton who also issued a similar proclamation in 1999 and 2000. But Clinton did not use the term transgender in his version. He did, however, reference bisexuals. President George W. Bush, in contrast, did not issue any LGBT proclamation during his eight years in office.

“Several Christian leaders have criticized the proclamation, including Bob Stith of the Southern Baptist Convention. Stith told Baptist Press that the proclamation encourages ‘pride in what God clearly says is sin’…

“June is traditionally recognized by the homosexual community as ‘Gay Pride Month’ in commemoration of the Stonewall Inn incident in June 1969. On June 28, 1969, gays and lesbians fought against a police raid that took place at Stonewall Inn in New York City. The incident is widely held to be the first time that the gay community fought against a government entity in American history, and is considered the starting point of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

“In the proclamation, President Obama lauded the LGBT rights movement for their determination that has allowed more LGBT Americans to live openly today than ever before. He also said he is ‘proud’ to be the first president to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration.”

The Associated Press reported on June 16:

“President Barack Obama, under growing criticism for not seeking to end the ban on openly gay men and women in the military, is extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees… The decision is a political nod to a reliably Democratic voting bloc that in recent weeks has grown frustrated with the White House’s slow movement on their priorities.

“Several powerful gay fundraisers withdrew their support from a June 25 Democratic National Committee event where Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak. Their exit came in response to a June 12 Justice Department brief that defended the Defense of Marriage Act, a prime target for gay and lesbian criticism. Justice lawyers argued that the law allowed states to reject marriages performed in other states or countries that defy their own standards.

“The legal arguments — including citing incest and sex with minors — sparked rebellion among gay and lesbian activists who had been largely biting their tongues since Obama won election…

“In the meantime, the administration has tried to make small, quiet moves to extend benefits to gays and lesbians. The State Department has promised to give partners of gay and lesbian diplomats many benefits, such as diplomatic passports and language training.”

The Associated Press added on June 17:

“President Barack Obama signaled to gay rights activists Wednesday that he’s listening to their priorities by extending some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. But he didn’t give them even close to everything they want, bringing growing anger against the president to the surface.

“Obama aides urged gays and lesbians to have patience with the new White House’s slow-and-steady approach to the politically charged topic. But his critics – and there were many – saw Wednesday’s incremental move to expand gay rights as little more than pandering to a reliably Democratic voting bloc, with the primary aim not of making policy more fair but of cutting short a fundraising boycott…

“Obama has refused to take any concrete steps toward a repeal of a policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, even though as a candidate he pledged to scrap the Clinton-era rules. He similarly has refused to step in and block the dismissal of gays and lesbians who face courts martial for disclosing their sexual orientation.”

The “Gay Rights Movement” in Israel

Der Stern Online reported on June 13:

“The biggest gay parade in the Middle East was conducted in Tel Aviv. Ten thousands of gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and onlookers marched through the streets of Tel Aviv. The Branch of Tourism declared Tel Aviv in its advertisements as the Gay Capital. The religious Schas Party had asked the local government to prohibit the Gay Parade…

“[Also, Interior Minister Eli Yishai had called unsuccessfully on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai to cancel the parade.] In 2001, Israel, as the only country in the region, adopted an ‘anti-discrimination’ law. Marriages of homosexual couples, which were conducted in foreign countries, can be registered and acknowledged in Israel.”  

Haaretz wrote on June 13:

“Five gay couples wed Friday in a ceremony held on the Tel Aviv beach at the end of the city’s 11th annual Gay Pride Parade which saw thousands of people from all walks of life join in celebration on the city’s streets. The… same-sex couples walked up to the Chuppah, the Jewish wedding altar, while gay Israeli pop star Ivri Lider sang.

“The ceremony was performed according to Jewish marriage rites, with each couple exchanging rings and Hebrew vows before breaking the glass as the crowd erupted in applause. MK Nitzan Horovitz (Meretz), the Knesset’s first openly gay parliamentarian attended the wedding, where he told Haaretz, ‘I hope that from this day, weddings like this can happen in every place in Israel and not just in Tel Aviv. Weddings for everyone, man and woman, man and man, and woman and woman, and this will be the end of the monopoly of the ultra-Orthodox over our lives in Israel.’

“Gay Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox… told Haaretz, ‘It’s a very important and historic day. It’s very exciting and in the end the good guys won.'”

How Some Democrats Want to “Improve” Healthcare…

Bloomberg reported on June 13:

“Health-care overhaul legislation being drafted by House Democrats will include $600 billion in tax increases and $400 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid… The measure’s cost is reaching well beyond the $634 billion President Barack Obama proposed in his budget request to Congress as a 10-year down payment for the policy changes.

“Asked whether the cost of a health-care overhaul would be more than $1 trillion over a decade, [Committee Chairman Charles] Rangel said, ‘the answer is yes.’ Some Senate Republicans… say the costs will likely exceed $1.5 trillion… Democrats in the House and Senate are crafting legislation that would require all Americans to have health insurance, prohibit insurers from refusing to cover pre-existing conditions and place other restrictions on the industry…

“The legislation would establish online exchanges for individuals to purchase insurance and would require employers to provide health benefits to workers or pay a penalty… Rangel said Democrats are still considering options for tax increases that might be in the bill, including a possible end to the income tax exclusion for employer-paid health benefits…

“Rangel said that while House Democrats will likely release more details about health policy changes in their legislation next week, the package of offsetting tax increases and spending cuts likely will come later. Democrats, he said, want to put forth the more-positive aspects of an overhaul first. ‘We have a problem in not wanting to attract enough negative attention to the bill in terms of the pay-fors,’ he said.”

… While Other Democrats and Republicans Oppose Healthcare Proposals

Reuters wrote on June 14:

“President Barack Obama’s health secretary on Sunday pushed for a new government-run healthcare program, an idea facing skepticism even in his own party, and a senior Senate Democrat flatly said votes are lacking in Congress for the proposal. In addition, Vice President Joe Biden opposed proposals being discussed by some lawmakers to tax health insurance benefits provided to people by employers…”

“Doctors’ Boos Show Obama’s Tough Road”

The Associated Press reported on June 15:

“For all the young president’s popularity, the response he got Monday from doctors at an American Medical Association meeting was a sign his road is only going to get rockier as he tries to sell his plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system. The boos erupted when Obama told the doctors in Chicago he wouldn’t try to help them win their top legislative priority—limits on jury damages in medical malpractice cases… The doctors were only Obama’s first house call. He’ll be making his case to the other groups—and to the nation at large—in an increasingly energetic campaign to get a bill passed by the end of his first year in office…

“Doctors have special reasons to be wary of the president’s plans to overhaul the health care system. Not long ago, doctors’ decisions were rarely questioned. Now they are being blamed for a big part of the wasteful spending in the nation’s $2.5 trillion health care system. Studies have shown that as much as 30 cents of the U.S. health care dollar may be going for tests and procedures that are of little or no value to patients.

“The Obama administration has cited such findings as evidence that the system is broken. Since doctors are the ones responsible for ordering tests and procedures, health care costs cannot be brought under control unless they change their decision-making habits… But Obama did not blame the doctors. Instead, he tried to woo them, much as he has done with recalcitrant foreign leaders.”

That wasteful prescriptions and unnecessary tests ordered by doctors ARE partially responsible for outrageous healthcare costs is a FACT and cannot be denied. Whether President Obama’s proposals will solve this problem without creating new ones is the issue of hot debate.

No Senate Consensus on Health Care Reform

The Associated Press reported on June 17:

“Hoping to make history, the Senate set off on its major overhaul of the nation’s health care system Wednesday, but its first steps were quickly overtaken by fresh cost concerns and partisan anger. An ambitious timetable that called for completing committee action in early summer seemed in danger of slipping away…”

How ABC Plays Politics

The Drudge Report wrote on June 16:

“On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care — a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm…

“ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House. The network plans a primetime special — ‘Prescription for America’ — originating from the East Room, EXCLUDE OPPOSING VOICES ON THE DEBATE… Late Monday night, Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Ken McKay fired off a complaint to the head of ABCNEWS:

“‘…As the national debate on health care reform intensifies, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with ABC’s astonishing decision to EXCLUDE OPPOSING VOICES on this critical issue on June 24, 2009. Next Wednesday, ABC News will air a primetime health care reform ‘town hall’ at the White House with President Barack Obama. In addition, according to an ABC News report, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, WORLD NEWS, NIGHTLINE and ABC’s web news ‘will all feature special programming on the president’s health care agenda’…

“‘Today, the Republican National Committee requested an opportunity to add our Party’s views to those of the President’s to ensure that all sides of the health care reform debate are presented. OUR REQUEST WAS REJECTED… I find it OUTRAGEOUS that ABC would PROHIBIT our Party’s opposing thoughts and ideas from this national debate, which affects millions of ABC viewers.

“‘In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to PROMOTE THE DEMOCRATIC AGENDA… President Obama does not hold a monopoly on health care reform ideas or on free airtime. The President has stated time and time again that HE WANTS A BIPARTISAN DEBATE. Therefore, the Republican Party should be included in this primetime event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime…’

“ABCNEWS Senior Vice President Kerry Smith on Tuesday responded to the RNC complaint, saying it contained ‘false premises’:

“‘… ABCNEWS alone will select those who will be in the audience asking questions of the president. Like any programs we broadcast, ABC News will have complete editorial control. To suggest otherwise is quite unfair to both our journalists and our audience.'”

To add insult to injury, according to an article in the Drudge Report, dated June 16, “ABC is refusing to air paid ads during its White House health care presentation… including a paid-for alternative viewpoint!”

More Money for War

The Washington Post wrote on June 16:

“The House today passed a $106 billion bill funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September, as House Democrats backed President Obama despite misgivings among the ranks about his strategy in Afghanistan.

“The 226 to 202 vote came after Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner had called some reluctant Democrats during the day imploring them to back the bill, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi… had strongly pressed her colleagues in a closed-door meeting to vote for the bill in a show of support for Obama, even if they oppose his strategy for increasing troops in Afghanistan.

“In the end, 221 Democrats voted for the bill, while 32 opposed it. All but five Republicans opposed the bill… 19 House Democrats backed the bill who had opposed it the first time, although some cited loyalty, not agreement with Obama’s plans, as their reason.”

How to Spend Stimulus Money

The Associated Press reported on June 13:

“The United States is about to spend $50 million in stimulus money on fish food… The money could provide algae to nourish clam and oyster larvae along the Pacific coast, fill the bellies of tilapia in Arizona and feed catfish, trout and gamefish in the Midwest and South…

“Much of the money is likely to end up in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas — the nation’s largest catfish producers. Catfish accounts for one-third of the nation’s $1.4 billion aquaculture industry.”

Saving Money by Bulldozing 50 U.S. Cities

The Telegraph wrote on June 12:

“Dozens of US cities may have entire neighbourhoods bulldozed as part of drastic ‘shrink to survive’ proposals being considered by the Obama administration to tackle economic decline… The radical experiment is the brainchild of Dan Kildee, treasurer of Genesee County… Having outlined his strategy to Barack Obama during the election campaign, Mr Kildee has now been approached by the US government…

“Mr Kildee said he will concentrate on 50 cities… as potentially needing to shrink substantially… They include Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Memphis. In Detroit, shattered by the woes of the US car industry, there are already plans to split it into a collection of small urban centres separated from each other by countryside.”

This proposal is interesting in light of the fact that cities in the Millennium, under God’s rule, MIGHT be designed in this way.

British Airways in Deep Trouble

CNN reported on June 16:

“British Airways is asking thousands of its staff to work for free for up to four weeks… In an e-mail to all its staff, the airline offered workers between one and four weeks of unpaid leave — but with the option to work during this period. British Airways employs just more than 40,000 people in the United Kingdom. Last month, the company posted a record annual loss of £400 million ($656 million)…

“‘I’m 30 years in this business and I’ve never seen anything like this. This is by far the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced,’ said Willie Walsh, British Airways’ chief executive. A spokesman for one of Britain’s biggest unions said its workers could not afford to work for free for a month… Walsh said British Airways’ woes were inextricably linked to the downturn in the global economy and that there had been no sign of any ‘green shoots’ of recovery.”

Swine Flu Virus in Humans Long Before Outbreak

ScienceDaily wrote on June 13:

“A new analysis of the current swine-origin H1N1 influenza A virus suggests that transmission to humans occurred several months before recognition of the existing outbreak. The work… provides evidence that new genetic elements in swine can result in the emergence of viruses with pandemic potential in humans…

“Dr Oliver Pybus of Oxford University’s Department of Zoology [said:] ‘Our results show that this strain has been circulating among pigs, possibly among multiple continents, for many years prior to its transmission to humans.’… The team conclude that ‘despite widespread influenza surveillance in humans, the lack of systematic swine surveillance allowed for the undetected persistence and evolution of this potentially pandemic strain for many years.'”

The Bible uses this particular term only once, in Luke 21:24. It is important to notice the context.

Christ had been asked by some of His disciples when the temple would be destroyed (Luke 21:5-7). In reviewing the parallel passage in Matthew 24:1-3, we learn that they had also asked Him when the end of the age–the end of this present evil civilization–would occur, and when He would return–apparently believing that all of these events would be interconnected.

Christ began to warn of coming religious deception, wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences, and fearful sights and great signs from heaven. He explained that all these were the beginning of sorrows–the beginning of the end.

He continued to warn about the coming Great Tribulation–a time of war and persecution of God’s people and the modern descendants of the physical nations of Israel and Judah (For information on the modern identity of these ancient peoples, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”). Christ said that Jerusalem would be destroyed or made desolate AT THAT TIME; that is, at the time of the Great Tribulation.

This is important to realize because some have erroneously concluded that Christ, when speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles, was referring to the Roman invasion of the city in 70 A.D., when the ancient temple was destroyed–or of the many subsequent incidents in the past when Jerusalem was attacked by Gentile armies and occupied by Gentile nations. However, those invasions, and especially the one by the Romans in 70 A.D., were just mild and partial forerunners of what is prophesied to happen in the future.

We must realize that Christ speaks of the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles IN THE CONTEXT of the GREAT TRIBULATION.

Notice Luke 21:20-24:

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that ALL THINGS which are written may be FULFILLED. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be GREAT DISTRESS [i.e., Great Tribulation] in the land and WRATH [the wrath of Satan, compare Revelation 12:12] upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles UNTIL THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES ARE FULFILLED.”

In the parallel account, in Matthew 24, it is even more obvious that the context of Christ’s statement regarding the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles is still future and related to the time of the Great Tribulation. Beginning in Matthew 24:15, we read Christ’s words, as follows:

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies IN THOSE DAYS! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For THEN there will be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elects’ sake those days will be shortened… Immediately AFTER the TRIBULATION of THOSE DAYS the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. THEN the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will SEE the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:15-30).

Regarding the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles, notice the following excerpts from our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?–The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation!”:

“We read in Revelation 11:1–2 that an angel of God tells John: ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months [or 3-1/2 years].’

“Some rightly point out that the term ‘temple’ or ‘temple of God’ in the New Testament can refer to God’s Church [compare Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17]. They claim that the reference in Revelation 11:1–2 speaks exclusively to the Church. Although the Church might be included here, the more obvious and intended meaning is a reference to a literal temple in Jerusalem. After all, the Gentiles will tread the holy city (!) underfoot for 3-1/2 years, and the court, which is outside the temple, will be given to those Gentiles. It is difficult to see how all of these references could just exclusively refer to the Church.

“Also, a distinction is made in Revelation 11:1–2 between the temple and those who worship there. If the temple were meant to exclusively describe the Church, it would be difficult to determine who those would be who worship there.

“The Nelson Study Bible comments: ‘John is given a reed like a measuring rod, much like that used by Ezekiel (see Ezek. 40: 3, 5) in his vision of the measuring of the temple (see Ezek. 40–48)… This is the temple of the tribulation period that will eventually be desecrated (see 13:14, 15; Dan. 9:27; Luke 21:24; 2 Thess. 2:4)… Luke 21:24 prophesies that the Gentiles will tread the holy city underfoot until “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Apparently the period of forty-two months is the conclusion of “the times of the Gentiles.” “Gentile” here may also be translated “nations” (v. 9; 10:11).'”

Some have speculated whether or not the times of the Gentiles–the times of Gentile rule over the world–have already begun, and in what year they began, or, rejecting the concept that they have begun, they have tried to figure out when they will begin. Both attempts are rather futile.

It is true, of course, that throughout human history, Gentile kingdoms have ruled this world, as discussed in the book of Daniel and in the book of Revelation. The prophets Daniel and John describe the appearance of four world-ruling Gentile kingdoms on this earth (the ancient Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greco-Macedonian Empire and the Roman Empire). They add that the Roman Empire would experience ten revivals after the fall of ancient Rome. History confirms that nine of those ten revivals have already occurred (under three “Barbarian” powers; under Justinian; under Charlemagne; under Otto the Great; under Charles V; under Napoleon I; and under Hitler and Mussolini). We also note that the final revival–a United States of Europe, ultimately being led by ten nations or groups of nations–is forming in this present time (For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”).

But it is also true that powerful nations of Israelite descent (especially of the ancient and modern house of Israel, including the British Commonwealth and the United States of America), have ruled, at times, over parts of the world. We can therefore not say–and the Bible does not proclaim this at all–that only Gentile nations ruled the world since the ancient Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

Christ’s statement of the fulfillment or conclusion of the times of powerful Gentile rule is still future–relating to the time when ALL “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). This prophecy does not refer just to Gentile kingdoms, but to ALL the human kingdoms of this world–past, present and future–whether of Gentile or non-Gentile origin.

When Christ returns, He will set up the Kingdom of GOD here on this earth. Feeble and incompetent, misleading and misled human beings will no longer rule this world. Rather, God the Father will give to Jesus Christ “dominion and glory and a kingdom, That ALL peoples, nations, and languages should SERVE HIM. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And HIS KINGDOM the one Which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14).

But God will NOT rule ALONE. Rather, He will rule with His “saints”–His people–true and converted Christians who by that time will be changed to immortal Spirit beings and become BORN-AGAIN members of the Family of God. It is THEN that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever… and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom… THEN the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27).

Christ’s statement of the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles primarily refers to the end-time revival of the ancient Roman Empire and its occupation of the city of Jerusalem for about three-and-a-half years, prior to the return of Jesus Christ. When Christ returns, He will make an end of Gentile, as well as non-Gentile rule. THEN–and NOT before then–the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled.

Christ’s specific reference to the times of the Gentiles is primarily connected with the FUTURE, when Gentiles will trample and occupy Jerusalem–and the FULFILLMENT of the times of the Gentiles is obviously future as well. Even though Gentiles might have occupied Jerusalem in the past, these were not the END TIME events Christ was talking about in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Christ spoke of a FUTURE occupation of Jerusalem through Gentile powers, which will occur AT THE TIME of the Great Tribulation. Then, the times of the Gentiles will find their fulfillment.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Our newest booklet, “The Book of Zechariah–Prophecies for Today,” has been sent to the printer and posted on the Web.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch and YouTube. It is titled, “Will Iran’s 2009 Elections Change Anything?”

In the program, Norbert Link asks the questions, Did President Obama’s speech in Cairo bring about a better relationship between the USA and Iran? Will Israel attack Iran? Will the rift between the USA and Israel continue to widen? Will the State of Israel experience a military defeat? Does the Bible give us answers to any of those questions?

A new German sermon (“Bekehrung Anderer?”) was recorded this week, asking the question whether we are to try to convert others, and what is the commission of God’s Church today.

On June 13, 2009, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “The Wisdom of Solomon.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

We are expected to do what is required of us. There is little wiggle room for us to offer excuses or to justify ourselves when we fail to do the basics.

But is merely fulfilling our duties enough?

Jesus taught that our service to God must go above and beyond what we are commanded: “‘So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do'”‘(Luke 17:10). Jesus also said, “‘And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two'” (Matthew 5:41).

Applying these principles takes extra effort on our part.

For example, consider this command given to Christians by Jesus: “‘But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you'” (Matthew 5:44).

This kind of action requires a much different approach than our normal inclinations: “‘For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?'” (Matthew 5:46-47).

Loving others in a godly fashion will take extra effort on our part–especially in a time “‘…when the love of many will grow cold'” (Matthew 24:12).

One area in which we can endeavor to become truly profitable servants of God is to love others, as He loves us. We need, more than ever before, to be examples of brotherly and godly love in the extraordinary way that Jesus loves us: “‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another'” (John 13:34-35; compare John 15:12).

Christ desires that the same love which God had and has for Jesus, the Son of God, would be in His disciples. Notice that Christ prayed to God the Father: “‘… that the love with which You loved Me may be in them'” (John 17:26).

Since we have been given these commands, let’s endeavor to do them in ways that go over and above what we might otherwise be satisfied with–let’s make the extra efforts needed to become profitable servants of God!

President Obama’s visit to the concentration camps at Buchenwald in Germany could not hide the fact that the rift between Germany and the United States is widening. The subsequent commemoration of D-Day in France contained some embarrassing moments. Many in Israel feel betrayed by Obama. The rift between the USA and Israel is widening as well.

At the same time, according to the supreme religious leader of Iran, Muslim nations continue to hate America, in spite of Obama’s speech in Cairo and his fascination with Islam. As the interview with one of his advisors for Muslim affairs reveals, his Cairo speech was clearly politically motivated. Iranians vote for a new President tomorrow, Friday, June 12. But as Der Spiegel writes, regardless as to who wins, not much will change regarding Iran’s ambitions to become a nuclear power.

While Governor Palin points at real risks in the approach taken by the Obama administration, former Vice-President Cheney’s comments become more and more controversial and incredible. And North Korea–one of the world’s secretive, communist, dictatorial and suppressive regimes–continues to antagonize the West, which appears to be helpless in view of consistent dangerous North Korean aggressions.

The outcome of EU elections has shown that most Europeans reject big business and stimulus packages. As newspaper columns have expressed it: While the USA moves left under Obama, Europe goes right under Merkel, Sarkozy and Berlusconi. Movements can be observed in Europe and elsewhere, advocating mandatory voting and fining those who won’t vote. In the case of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, some German politicians claim that the church’s policy against voting violates the German Constitution. 

Finally, the WHO designated the swine flu as a global pandemic. And pigs DO make people sick–and the medical community knew this for a long time, without revealing it, due to pressures from the pork industry. 

In Spite of Obama Denial–Rift Between Germany and USA Widening

The New York Times reported on June 5 about a widening rift between Germany and the USA. Mr. Obama’s denial of this rift, when visiting Buchenwald, sounds less than credible in light of the following facts:

“A rift has quietly opened up between Germany and the United States, marked by official statements of harmony and private grumbling. It is not an outright crisis in relations, but there are underlying tensions and disagreements on matters ranging from the global economic crisis to the future of inmates held at Guantánamo Bay.

“On a more basic level, there is a sense that the Obama administration is ignoring the needs and counsel of longtime allies. Divided Germany was once at the center not only of the cold war, but of American foreign policy as well, which is no longer the case. Yet the United States can ill afford to alienate Europe’s largest economy and its most important intermediary in the strained relationship with Russia…

“Mr. Obama arrived in Dresden, in the former East Germany, on Thursday night for a visit… to Buchenwald… The German news media have questioned why Mr. Obama was not going to Berlin, suggesting the omission might have been intended as a snub to Mrs. Merkel…

“While Mr. Obama enjoys tremendous personal popularity among the German people, relations with Mrs. Merkel have been bumpy from the beginning. In Germany much symbolic weight is attached to Mrs. Merkel’s decision not to travel to Washington to meet with Mr. Obama in March, but to talk by video conference instead.

“But signs of discord were evident even last summer, when Mrs. Merkel rejected Mr. Obama’s request during the presidential campaign to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate, saying it was not an appropriate location for a candidate’s address. Mr. Obama drew more than 200,000 people to hear his speech at a nearby monument.

“The president’s high standing with the German public adds to the strain in his relationship with Mrs. Merkel… Angela Merkel is seen as the exact opposite of a charismatic leader like Obama, and that is difficult to accept… At the same time, Mr. Obama’s popularity with the left-wing Social Democrats, rivals to Mrs. Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union in parliamentary elections in September, also helps amplify his and Mrs. Merkel’s differences…

“Relations were already frosty as the economic crisis deepened and the German government and Obama administration took sharply differing views on how far to push stimulus spending… Germans remain surprised that an ambassador to their country has not been named more than four months after Mr. Obama’s inauguration. There is a sense that, with his focus split between domestic concerns and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the new president is taking his staunchest European allies for granted…

“German government officials were outraged that a low-ranking American official was sent for the negotiations to find a way to keep the traditional automaker Opel going despite the bankruptcy of its parent company, General Motors, in the United States. The potential failure of an important industrial employer before parliamentary elections is no laughing matter for German politicians, including Mrs. Merkel…”

One Way to “Spend” Money…

The Netzeitung reported on June 9:

“US President Barack Obama’s brief visit to Dresden last week cost the state of Saxony EUR 13 million… The steep price tag is mostly for heightened security measures before and after the 17-hour stay. There were a total of 6,000 policemen from across Germany in Dresden. But Obama’s Secret Service guarded the areas visited by the president.”

Obama and Merkel in Buchenwald

The Los Angeles Times wrote on June 5:

“It was one of the horrific sights of World War II, the concentration camps at Buchenwald, Germany, where more than 50,000 people, mostly Jews, were starved or gassed to death in deplorable conditions. Today, one day after a historic treach [sic] to Muslims, and with Nobel Prize laureate and camp survivor Elie Wiesel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his side, President Obama toured the sight that still chills the memory… Obama told NBC that he has no patience for those who deny the Holocaust, like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who again this week called the murder of 6 million Jews ‘a great deception.’… ‘He should make his own visit,’ Obama said of Ahmadinejad…

“Noting that Germans have a special burden to never forget the mass murder of 12 million during the Holocaust, Merkel, thanking America for helping restore Germany after the war, pledged that Germany would fight anti-Semitism, racism and extremism in any quarter… Obama said he would not forget what he saw there today… More than 50 years later, he said… the perpetrators were also human, reminding us to ‘stand guard’ against the evil within us.

“Then Wiesel, who was liberated from Buchenwald on April 11, 1945, spoke..”

We are setting forth below excerpts from Wiesel’s remarkable speech:

“… every war is absurd and meaningless… But the world hasn’t learned.  When I was liberated in 1945, April 11, by the American army, somehow many of us were convinced that at least one lesson will have been learned — that never again will there be war; that hatred is not an option, that racism is stupid; and the will to conquer other people’s minds or territories or aspirations, that will is meaningless… Had the world learned, there would have been no Cambodia and no Rwanda and no Darfur and no Bosnia.

“Will the world ever learn?  I think that is why Buchenwald is so important… It’s enough — enough to go to cemeteries, enough to weep for oceans.  It’s enough. There must come a moment — a moment of bringing people together.”

65th Anniversary of D-Day

Deutsche Welle reported on June 6:

“The leaders of Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the US have reminded the world of the sacrifices that World War II heroes made on the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago… Earlier in the day, the French and US presidents met privately to talk about thwarting Iran’s disputed nuclear ambitions and bringing about peace in the Middle East… Sarkozy agreed with Obama’s call for Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank…

“The Allied attack at Normandy was the beginning of the end of Hitler’s Germany. More than 130,000 soldiers landed in Normandy and began the liberation of Nazi-occupied France. Estimates suggest that by the evening of that day more than 4,000 of the Allied troops had died. More than 110,000 soldiers are buried in the military cemeteries in Normandy…

“Britain’s Prince Charles also attended the event, defusing an embarrassing diplomatic tussle over whether Queen Elizabeth should attend or not. Amid reports that the queen had not received an invitation from France, British media lashed out at Paris for the supposed snubbing of the crown.”

Politico added on June 6:

“[President Obama] was accompanied by Michelle Obama. Also onstage were French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Britain’s Prince Charles and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“In Brown’s remarks, he referred to ‘Obama Beach,’ then corrected himself to ‘Omaha Beach’ a few words later, after a stir in the crowd. Brown may have been confused by the French tabloid Liberation, which marked the president’s visit by splashing an ‘Obama Beach’ on the cover of its weekend edition.”

Will US Government Control the People?

CNN reported on June 5:

“In a speech introducing Michael Reagan — the son of former President Ronald Reagan — to an audience in Anchorage, Palin warned that the government is planning to ‘bail out debt ridden states’ so it can ‘get in there and control the people. Since when can you get out of huge national debt by creating trillions of dollars of new debt?’ Palin asked.”

Newsmax added on June 9:

“Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says the U.S. under President Obama is headed toward socialism… The problem is excess spending, she says… Others accuse Obama of leading the nation to socialism too. Newsmax columnist Dick Morris writes in TheHill.com, ‘President Obama’s vision of the future is, apparently, an economy guided, steered and — when the occasion demands — commanded by the federal government.’”

Cheney More Controversial Still

The Los Angeles Times wrote on June 2:

“Former Vice President Dick Cheney waded into another roiling public debate Monday, saying he supports same-sex marriage as long as the issue is decided by states rather than the federal government. Cheney, whose youngest daughter has a longtime lesbian partner, said at the National Press Club that ‘people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish’…

“Cheney also defended the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003, despite faulty intelligence about its nuclear weapons program and links to the Sept. 11 attacks. He asserted that Saddam Hussein could have helped terrorists acquire nuclear weapons. Once the U.S. invaded, it could find no evidence of an active Iraqi nuclear weapons program.

“On Monday, Cheney disavowed intelligence reports he once cited suggesting that Hussein had collaborated with Al Qaeda on Sept. 11. The information ‘turned out not to be true,’ Cheney said. He added that a long-standing relationship existed between Hussein and terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda, that justified the U.S. invasion… On whether Hussein helped Al Qaeda carry out the 2001 terrorist attacks, Cheney said, ‘I do not believe, and I have never seen any evidence, that he was involved in 9/11.'”

While US Moves Left, Most of Europe Goes Right

The Associated Press reported on June 7:

“Europe leaned to the right Sunday as tens of millions of people voted in European Parliament elections, with conservative parties leading or favored in many countries amid a global economic crisis… right-leaning governments edging the opposition in Germany, Italy, France, Belgium and elsewhere. Conservative opposition parties were tied or ahead in Britain, Spain and some smaller countries…

“In Germany, the conservatives of German Chancellor Angela Merkel were headed for a center-right majority and her center-left rivals faced a crushing defeat, exit polls showed, less than four months before a national vote.

“With most votes counted in Austria, the main rightist party gained strongly while the Social Democrats, the main party in the governing coalition, lost substantial ground. But the big winner in Austria was the rightist Freedom Party, which more than doubled its strength over the 2004 elections to 13 percent of the vote. It campaigned on an anti-Islam platform, with posters proclaiming ‘The Occident in Christian hands.’

“In the Netherlands, exit polls predicted Geert Wilders’ anti-Islamic party would win more than 15 percent of the country’s votes… Exit polls in Bulgaria showed the governing Socialist-led coalition facing defeat and the country’s right-wing opposition party winning most of the votes…

“In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party has steadily held the lead in polls… Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s Freedom People’s Party held a two-digit lead over his main center-left rival in the most recent polling despite a deep recession and a scandal over allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old model…”

Der Spiegel Online added on June 8:

“The June 4-7 European Parliament elections delivered a setback for the European left and gains for center-right and right-wing parties across the continent…

“In Denmark, the right-wing populist, anti-immigrant Danish People’s Party (DVP) led the election. The party increased its share of the vote from 6.8 percent in the last EU election to 15 percent… In Hungary, the conservative opposition won a landslide victory…

“In Ireland, the incumbent conservative Fianna Fail party of Prime Minister Brian Cowen won only 24 percent, a loss of about 6 percentage points, which means it is no longer the strongest Irish political force in Brussels. Opposition party Fine Gael managed 29 percent. Observers see the results as a condemnation of the Cowen government’s domestic policies; the financial crisis has hit Ireland hard. The head of the Libertas party, Declan Ganley, who wants to build momentum for a euroskeptic movement across the entire EU, won just over 5 percent, leaving Libertas in sixth place. The businessman has said he would end his campaign against the Lisbon Treaty if it were to fail at the polls. A referendum planned in Ireland for the fall to ratify the Lisbon Treaty now has a better chance of success…

“In Poland, the center-right incumbent parties have maintained their edge. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform (PO) earned around 45 percent…

“In Spain, the conservative People’s Party won over 42 percent of the vote, gaining 23 seats…

“In Sweden the opposition Social Democrats came first, with 25 percent of the vote, while Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s conservative Moderate Party (MS) earned about 19 percent. The Greens doubled their support to about 11 percent. But the Pirate Party won the most spectacular victory — by earning its first seat in Brussels with an 8 percent share of the vote. The Pirate Party wants more rights for Internet users and free flow of data on the Web. Support for the party rose in polls after a court verdict against the Internet data-swap site The Pirate Bay, which is based in Sweden. The four men in charge were sentenced to a €2.7 million fine and one year in jail for abetting data piracy.

“Among the election’s biggest losers was the Labour party in the United Kingdom, which saw its support drop from 19 seats in 2004 to 11 and won just 15.3 percent of the vote — its worst post-war election result. It finished in third place behind the Conservatives (24 seats) and the euroskeptic United Kingdom Independence Party (13 seats). The vote is seen as a damning verdict on Labour, whose leader Gordon Brown is under increasing pressure to resign as prime minister amid an ongoing expense account scandal in the House of Commons…The far-right British National Party won four seats — the first time Britain has elected right-wing extremists to the European Parliament.”

Europeans Speak Out Against Big Government and Stimulus Measures

Bloomberg wrote on June 7:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy led pro-business parties in defeating socialists in European Parliament elections, lessening the pressure for more stimulus measures to fight the deepest recession since World War II.

“Amid signs the economic slump is bottoming out, the continent’s top two leaders escaped the drubbing in European Union-wide elections that was handed to U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and socialists in smaller countries including Spain, Austria, Portugal, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovenia.

“Overall, the center-right group known as the European People’s Party remained the strongest in the Parliament… ‘It is a very sad night for Social Democrats in Europe, we’re very disappointed, we had hoped for better results,’ Martin Schulz of Germany, the socialists’ floor leader, said. ‘It’s a very bitter evening’…

“Merkel resisted President Barack Obama’s pleas for additional pump-priming measures, criticized the European Central Bank for buying assets, and was the first to reflect publicly on rolling back the stimulus.”

These sentiments were echoed in several German papers.

Mass circulation Bild wrote: “… the majority of people don’t want more government, more taxpayers’ billions for ailing companies in this crisis. That’s the message of the European election — especially to the SPD [the Social Democrats of Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier].”

Left-wing Die Tageszeitung wrote: “In the middle of the crisis the Germans are placing their trust in parties that stand for neo-liberal ideas rather than parties that defend big government… The crisis makes people conservative…”

Depression Is Quietly Deepening…

The Telegraph wrote on June 8:

“The establishment Left had been crushed across most of Europe, just as it was in the early 1930s… I still fear that this depression is quietly deepening… we may lose three or four governments in Europe in coming days or weeks — or even worse, they may survive. The drama is unfolding… Half way through the depression, we are facing… exactly the sort of political disintegration that occurs in times of profound economic rupture.

“Remember, the dangerous phase in the Great Depression was Stage II, after the collapse of Austria’s Credit-Anstalt in mid-1931 set off a disastrous chain-reaction that Autumn (until then, most people thought they faced no more than a bad recession, like today).”

Europeans Beware!–Fines for Non-Voters?

Der Spiegel Online reported on June 9:

“Across the 27-member bloc, just 42.9 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots [in the European elections]. That marks the lowest turnout since direct voting began in 1979. In a number of Eastern European countries, the total was well below even that…

“German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble repeated an idea he has voiced before of allowing Europeans to have a direct vote for a European Union president. ‘If the campaign included a race for a person at the head of Europe, that would clearly generate attention across Europe,’ Schäuble, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, told the tabloid Bild on Tuesday…

“Germany’s SPD parliamentarian Jörn Thiessen has an idea of his own to confront the problem: Fine voters who don’t cast their ballots. ‘We politicians are required to vote in parliament,’ he told Bild. ‘One can require the same of voters in an election. Those who don’t cast their ballots should be fined €50…’

“Thiessen’s idea is not quite as outlandish as it may sound. Australia has enforced compulsory voting since 1924 and fines people between 20 and 70 Australian dollars should they provide no good reason for not having cast their ballots. Argentina is also a member of the elite, mandatory voting club.

“There are also a few European members in that club, including Luxembourg and Belgium. Their turnouts in the European elections: 91 percent and 90.4 percent, respectively.”

Rising Tensions Between USA and Israel

The New York Times wrote on June 8:

“Under mounting American pressure to define his intentions regarding peace efforts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Sunday that he would make a major policy speech next week mapping out the government’s ‘principles for achieving peace and security.’

“The announcement came against the background of rising tensions with the Obama administration, which has demanded that Israel freeze all settlement construction in the West Bank. The Netanyahu government insists that construction within existing settlements should continue.

“In another point of contention, Mr. Netanyahu has refused to endorse explicitly the notion of establishing an independent Palestinian state, a cornerstone of American and European policy on the Middle East…

“Ben Caspit, a columnist, wrote Sunday in the newspaper Maariv that Mr. Netanyahu, ‘who opted to squander his period of grace on meaningless “reassessment” meetings, is now going to have to be particularly creative if he wants to renew trust between the United States and Israel.’

“Israeli officials say they expect the Obama administration to respect understandings they say were reached — some written and some oral — with the Bush administration on building within existing settlements. The Obama administration has bluntly dismissed Israel’s argument. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that ‘there is no memorialization of any informal and oral agreements’ on construction in settlements. ‘If they did occur, which, of course, people say they did, they did not become part of the official position of the United States government,’ she said.”

“Supreme Leader of Iran: Muslim Nations ‘Hate America'”

The Washington Post wrote on June 4:

“Iran’s supreme leader dismissed President Obama’s speech at Cairo University Thursday, saying the Muslim world continues to ‘hate America.’… Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that ‘beautiful speeches’ could not remove the hatred felt in the Muslim world against America… ‘People of the Middle East, the Muslim region and North Africa — people of these regions — hate America from the bottom of their heart,’ Khamenei said… He added, ‘Even if [Obama] delivers hundreds of speeches and talks very sweetly, there will not be a change in how the Islamic countries perceive the United States’…

“Khamenei also denounced Israel as a ‘cancerous tumor in the heart’ of the Islamic world, and he accused the U.S. military of ‘bombing innocent civilians’ in Afghanistan…

“Regarding Iran’s nuclear program, the main issue of contention between his country and the United States, Khamenei reiterated Tehran’s assertions that it seeks only to generate electricity, and he referred to a religious edict, or fatwa, that he issued at least four years ago in which he declared that the production, stockpiling or use of nuclear weapons was prohibited under Islam…

“Khamenei, who served as president of Iran for eight years in the 1980s, succeeded Khomeini as supreme leader in 1989, becoming the nation’s highest-ranking political and religious authority. As such, he is more powerful than President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and appoints many key leaders, including the commanders of the armed forces and members of national security councils dealing with defense and foreign affairs.”

Israeli Reactions to Obama’s Cairo Speech

IsraelNationalNews.com wrote on June 4:

“As the Israeli government convenes to discuss the ramifications of U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo, other Israeli politicians have lost no time in responding to it. Excerpts:

“MK Danny Danon (Likud): ‘The president has crossed all lines. His implied comparison between the Israeli government and the Nazi regime said everything. He has made a covenant with the Arab world and rewarded it for more than 60 years of aggression.’

“MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union): ‘Obama makes a shocking parallel between the destruction of European Jewry and the suffering that the Arabs of Israel brought upon themselves when they declared war on Israel’… Regarding Obama’s praise of Islam, Eldad said, ‘Obama spoke more from his own heart and less from genuine understanding of the direction Islam is taking around the world. Whoever thinks that the establishment of a Palestinian state will stop the war in Darfur, India, Chechnya, and Europe will apparently soon learn that Israel is not willing to be the “pound of flesh” that he wants to throw to the Muslims.’

“MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) said: ‘The Zionist vision of the rebuilding of the Land of Israel is stronger than any president or government. We outlasted Pharaoh, and we will outlast Obama’…

“MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home): “The speech arouses fears and concerns regarding the future of American relations towards Israel. I fear an erosion of the traditional American commitment to Israel’s security needs and its very existence and independence…'”

The Source for Obama’s Cairo Speech

On June 8, Der Spiegel Online published an interview with Dalia Mogahed, a Muslim, born in Cairo, who advises Barack Obama on Muslim affairs as a member of the Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. We are bringing you the following excerpts from her statements in the interview:

“I suggested three main themes. One is to continue building on the theme of mutual respect. My recommendation was to recognize that Islam has made and makes a positive contribution to civilization. The second major theme was that of cooperation and the idea of equal partnership. A third theme that I referred to was empathy: Even if we do not share their opinion, we should try to understand their point of view…

“I really felt very satisfied, because much of what we recommended made it into his speech. The president tried to heal a deep wound that Muslims have. But at the same time, he didn’t deny what America stands for. His tone and his respect exceeded the expectations of most Muslims. He got a standing ovation in Cairo. People were yelling out: We love you, Obama. Actually, it reminded me of Obama’s inauguration in Washington. It was the same excitement… From the minute he came on stage, I knew that it was an historic moment, especially because he began the speech by saying (the Arabic greeting) ‘assalaamu alaykum.’ I knew that it has never happened before — and perhaps it won’t happen again — that an American president addresses the people like this…

“We have carried out the largest, most comprehensive survey on Muslim opinions ever and that research and the conclusions from that research were conveyed and were taken into account in the formulation of the speech. All of my recommendations were based on the polls and studies at Gallup. It was in some ways a response to what people have said. The messages and the concepts in that speech were targeted towards what people think, rather than dictating to them what we want them to think. It was very much the beginning of a dialogue with Muslims around the world.”

Iranians Vote Friday for Their New President

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 11:

“Iranians go to the polls Friday to elect a new president after an unusually heated election campaign. But even if reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi beats the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will it make any difference to the country’s nuclear ambitions?

“If the Israeli Air Force were to bomb Iran, it’s a safe bet that the top-secret Iranian nuclear facility near Isfahan would be at the top of its list of targets… Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hardline government are already believed to have decided to attack Iran. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Netanyahu plans to give the new US government’s efforts to achieve a negotiated solution until the end of the year to produce results. If they are unsuccessful, the paper writes, the Israelis will strike — even without Washington’s approval, if necessary.

“Mohammed ElBaradei, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has warned that such an attack could ignite a catastrophic conflagration throughout the Middle East. US expert David Albright believes that it will be virtually impossible to wipe out Iran’s nuclear program militarily. The Israelis would have to bomb Iran for weeks, and yet would still not have eliminated a large number of facilities, according to Albright. Instead, he says, such attacks would only achieve one thing: They would unite Iranians behind their leadership and convince them, once and for all, of the need to build the bomb.

“Officials in the West are clinging to the remote hope that Holocaust denier and Israel-hater Ahmadinejad will be voted out of office in Friday’s presidential election. Nevertheless, the differences among the four candidates running for president are minimal when it comes to the nuclear issue… The Iranian economy and the morality debate — not the nuclear conflict that threatens world peace — is at the center of the challengers’ campaign platforms…”

More Hostile North Korean Moves

The Washington Post reported on June 8:

“A North Korean court sentenced two U.S. journalists to 12 years in a labor camp Monday, as the government of Kim Jong Il continued to ratchet up tension with the United States and its neighbors. Laura Ling and Euna Lee, television reporters detained in March along North Korea’s border with China, received harsher sentences than many outsiders had expected. But several experts in South Korea predicted that talks will begin soon to negotiate their release.

“The U.S. government said it was ‘deeply concerned.’ The five-day trial of Ling and Lee was held in Pyongyang’s Central Court, the top court in North Korea. Outside observers were not allowed. ‘The trial confirmed the grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing,’ the official Korean Central News Agency said… The ‘grave crime,’ however, was not explained…

“The detention and sentencing of the two journalists has coincided with — and become entangled in — a series of provocative acts by North Korea that this spring have angered its neighbors, its historical allies and much of the world. The heavily armed, secretive state — in the throes of a succession process, as the country’s ailing leader prepares to hand power over to his youngest son — launched a long-range missile in April, detonated a nuclear bomb in May and has renounced the truce that ended the Korean War.

“On Monday, North Korea warned fishermen and boat captains to stay away from the country’s east coast, Japan’s coast guard said. The North is planning to launch several medium-range missiles from the region, according to reports in the South Korean press.

“The U.S. government, which last year lifted some sanctions against North Korea and delivered large amounts of food aid, has become increasingly exasperated by the North’s behavior… Led by the United States and Japan, the U.N. Security Council is considering new sanctions against North Korea for exploding a nuclear device in defiance of a U.N. resolutions. If the sanctions are approved, North Korea threatened Monday that it would retaliate with ‘extreme’ measures…

“The long prison term given the journalists adds a new complication… Ling and Lee were working for Current TV, a cable and Web network co-founded by former vice president Al Gore, when they were detained March 17 by North Korean soldiers along the border with China… There are believed to be about 200,000 political prisoners in North Korean camps, where former inmates say conditions are often brutal, hunger is widespread and attempts to escape usually result in a public execution.”

Air France Flight AF 447 — Did Terrorists Do It?

Sky News reported in June 10:

“Two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on the Air France flight which crashed with the loss of 228 lives, it has emerged. French secret servicemen established the connection while working through the list of those who boarded the doomed Airbus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 31. Flight AF 447 crashed in the mid-Atlantic en route to Paris during a violent storm.

“While it is certain there were computer malfunctions, terrorism has not been ruled out. Soon after news of the fatal crash broke, agents working for the DGSE (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure)… were dispatched to Brazil. It was there that they established that two names on the passenger list are also on highly-classified documents listing the names of radical Muslims considered a threat to the French Republic… There is a possibility the name similarities are simply a ‘macabre coincidence’, the source added, but the revelation is still being ‘taken very seriously’.

“France has received numerous threats from Islamic terrorist groups in recent months, especially since French troops were sent to fight in Afghanistan. Security chiefs have been particularly worried about airborne suicide attacks similar to the ones on the US on September 11, 2001.”

The Sun added on June 10:

“An Air France long-haul pilot claims it is ‘highly likely’ the Airbus 330 was blown up as it flew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris… Four days before the crash, a flight from Buenos Aires to Paris was delayed by two hours because of a bomb threat. And a pilot claimed… the way debris was strewn over a vast area, pointed to a bomb.”

Swine Flu Has Become Global Pandemic

The Wall Street Journal wrote on June 11:

“The World Health Organization has told its member nations it is declaring an H1N1 flu pandemic — the first in 41 years. The move came Thursday as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere. In a statement sent to member countries, WHO says it decided to raise the pandemic alert level from phase 5 to 6, meaning that a global outbreak of H1N1 has begun… The pandemic declaration will require all countries, including the dozens that haven’t yet reported any cases, to launch pandemic-prevention plans…

“On Wednesday, WHO said 74 countries had reported nearly 27,737 cases of H1N1, including 141 deaths. About half the world’s confirmed cases, or 13,217, are in the U.S., including 27 deaths… In Australia, the number of the new disease, also known as swine flu, has more than tripled in the past week, reaching 1,263 on Thursday.”

Pigs Cause Sickness

Reuters wrote on June 4:

“Global health officials underestimated the risk that pig herds might be a source of new influenza strains, choosing instead to focus on the threat of bird flu, researchers in Mexico said on Thursday. They analyzed samples from people infected with the new H1N1 swine flu virus, which has been confirmed in more than 19,000 people in 64 countries, killing about 120. U.S. health officials say this number reflects only a fraction of the true number of cases.

“‘This virus most likely evolved from recent swine viruses,’ Gerardo Nava of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and colleagues wrote in their report, published in the online journal Eurosurveillance. ‘These findings indicate that domestic pigs in North America may have a central role in the generation and maintenance of this virus.’

“The global pork industry has rushed to defend pig products, saying pig meat is no danger to people. But health experts have also noted there is very little surveillance done to track influenza among pigs — even though the virus is very common in the animals and just as transmissible as it is among people. Flu viruses have also been shown to pass from pigs to people and from people to pigs. ‘These observations also reiterate the potential risk of pig populations as the source of the next influenza virus pandemic,’ Nava and colleagues wrote.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses–Ongoing Religious Discrimination in Germany

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 10:

“Several German states are trying to prevent the Jehovah’s Witnesses from gaining the same official status as the main church faiths… Followers of the religion, close to 166,000 in Germany, believe the end is near for this world of sin. But they also believe that there are only 144,000 places available in heaven for a few chosen ones who proved to be particularly pious and true to the bible in life…

“For years, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been seeking to obtain legal recognition as a church from the German government so that they can enjoy the same rights and privileges as the Catholic and Protestant churches. They have already had success in the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Lower-Saxony. But the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg have resisted the church.

“In Rhineland-Palatinate, Governor Kurt Beck of the center-left Social Democrats is dreading a situation in which the group would get church tax revenues in his state or set up businesses in which trade unions aren’t given a say. In Germany, tithing for religions recognized by the government is handled by the state in the form of a church tax.

“A few weeks ago, Beck called on all [divisions] of his state government to ‘intensively seek out arguments’ that could help hinder any official recognition of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Beck said he had ‘the most considerable doubts as to whether it could be defined as a religious community that is in keeping with Germany’s constitution.’ After all, the intellectual leaders of the centrally organized group discourage members from voting or participating in elections…

“Marc Ratajczak, an expert on sects for the conservative Christian Democratic Union party’s group in the state government in North Rhine-Westphalia, argues that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are ‘very clearly a sect’ who ‘damn’ and ‘suppress’ any other religions or attitudes about life as ‘Satan’s work’…

“Three years ago, Berlin became the first German state to be forced to award the organisation official recognition as a church…The Witnesses filed separate applications for recognition in Germany’s 15 other states immediately after that. They were able to point to the Berlin court decision as a precedent that gives the other states very little legal leeway… Recently even the government in Catholic Bavaria quietly recognized the Jehovah’s Witnesses, as did Saxony and Hamburg. In Baden-Württemberg, Culture Minister Helmut Rau had drafted a government document recognizing the church before Governor Günther Oettinger of the CDU stopped it…

“The head of the CDU parliamentary group in the Baden-Württemberg regional parliament, Stefan Mappus, went further. ‘A religious community that rejects democratic elections, looks down on individual freedoms and rejects blood transfusions for example, can’t be regarded as loyal to the constitution in our opinion.’ Oettinger now plans to discuss the matter with the big churches.

“The Jehovah’s Witnesses have so far reacted calmly to such announcements. The legal situation is ‘unambiguous,’ says Gajus Glockentin, lawyer for the German Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters in the Hesse town of Selters… The Witnesses’ policy of abstaining from voting wasn’t an effective argument either, Glockentin says. After all, declining to vote isn’t aimed at weakening democracy, he argues. It’s simply the result of an ‘apolitical attitude to life.'”

Darwin’s Evolution Theory–a Blessing for Mankind?

Welt-On-Line wrote on June 9:

“The theory of evolution and its author are of a popularity that is rare in the world of science… At the same time, the theory implies a view of the world that remains both fascinating and controversial… That the existence of complex life forms can be explained without the agency of an omnipotent creator… is deeply disturbing for every religious person, and remains so today.
 
“But the absence of an intentional God is only the most striking side effect of Darwin’s theory… It is indeed a wonderful world that Darwin’s argument unfolds. Suddenly, the beauty of flowers is no longer God’s gift to mankind and proof of his benevolence, but a device aiming to attract those insects that support their cross-fertilization. In other words, the flower’s colorful blossoms are the stimulant of an odd, insect-based sexuality…

“In Darwin’s view, all beings belong to one family tree. Humans, animals and even plants all stemmed from one common ancestor, he speculated, and the recent advance of genetics has supported this hypothesis… It is thus that Darwin’s work questions the very core of Victorian culture – and ours…”

The hypothesis of Evolution is an unproven and improvable human fantasy–the idle attempt of agnostic or atheistic scientists and other would-be intellectuals to “prove” a creation without a Creator. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults?”

Our new booklet, “The Book of Zechariah–Prophecies for Today!” is being finalized and will be sent to the printer shortly.

A new member letter was sent out this week. In the letter, Dave Harris discusses the commission of the Church of God and our individual responsibilities. A reprint of a recent Editorial by Norbert Link, titled, “The Last Days,” was attached to the letter.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch and YouTube. It is titled, “Nationalization of GM–Good or Bad?” In the program, Norbert Link asks the question, why is not everybody happy about the government-orchestrated filing of bankruptcy by General Motors? Why is there serious concern about the nationalization of GM? Will the U.S. government really play only a passive role? Commentators don’t believe that that promise is credible. They are afraid, in light of President Obama’s actions so far, that GM will become a pawn in his hands.

A new related German “AufPostenStehen” program, titled, “General Motors in Staatshand,” has been posted on YouTube.

A new German sermon (“Die Weisheit Salomos”) was recorded this week, discussing the wisdom of Solomon. It will be posted shortly on the Internet.

Two recent video-recorded sermons, Is Jury Duty Really That Bad?, Norbert Link, May 23, 2009 and This World and God’s Holy Spirit, Norbert Link, May 31, 2009 were posted on the Sermon page of our Website (under “Audio”).

by Laura Hannity Harris

I recently listened to an audio book, entitled “Outliers: The Story of Success,” by New York Times best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell. The word “Outliers” in the title refers to a statistical term for a phenomenon that lies outside of everyday experience, something that cannot be explained through the normal rules. “Outliers” can further be defined as something or someone that is situated away from the main body.

Although the author’s primary focus is on the career achievements of successful individuals, the concept of being an “Outlier” resonated with me because of its parallels to my Christian life. As a Christian, I often make choices that go against the “normal rules” of human reasoning in order to abide by God’s biblical principles. To an uncalled individual, my actions may seem strange and unorthodox. As a result, I sometimes feel ostracized from others because of my decisions. 

I’ve had many “Outlier” experiences since being called to God’s Way of Life–losing a dream job because of my unwillingness to work on the weekends, excluded by friends for not socializing on Friday nights or holidays, or ending a romantic relationship because of my unwillingness to convert to another religion. The initial sting of rejection often hurts me, but God has always provided me with better jobs, better friends and a better mate.  

It has been so encouraging for me to understand that God has set me apart from others by calling me out of this world now, setting me up for success to reach the Kingdom of God. Knowing this, it motivates me to embrace my “Inner-Outlier.”