This Week in the News

EU’s Further “Pressure” on Serbia

Army Technology wrote on September 10:

“Serbia has suspended all military exercises with foreign partners for six months citing ‘tremendous’ pressure from the European Union (EU). The move comes just a day before the beginning of Slavic Brotherhood 2020 military exercise in Belarus, in which Serbia was scheduled to participate. According to news reports, Serbia was pressured by the EU to withdraw from the exercise.

“In a statement, Serbian Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said: ‘The pressures that make no sense and are not grounded in our decisions or our actions, or even in reality, are the result of hysteria, which determines political decisions and directions of great and powerful countries. We are required to suspend the planned military exercises with Belarus at the cost of abandoning our European future and at the cost of even greater pressure on our policy, but also on our people in Kosovo and Metohija and Republika Srpska.’

“According to the government decision, Serbia will not participate in any international military activity with any country in the following six months to preserve its neutrality. Furthermore, Serbia’s participation in peacekeeping operations will be considered and if required will also remain suspended. Minister Vulin added: ‘The process of equipping and strengthening our armed forces will not be stopped, and we will work to increase our combat readiness harder and more persistently than ever.’”

The dictatorship of the EU continues…

EU Threatens UK

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 12:

“The UK prime minister accused the EU of threatening to cut food deliveries between Northern Ireland and Britain…

“‘We are now hearing that, unless we agree to the EU’s terms, the EU will use an extreme interpretation of the Northern Ireland protocol to impose a full-scale trade border down the Irish Sea,’ Johnson wrote in an article that was published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper…

“He said the EU was posing a risk to the UK and peace in Northern Ireland, where sectarian violence had mostly been kept at bay since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. He stated he wanted a trade deal similar to that between Canada and the EU, adding that ‘if the EU is willing to offer these terms to Canada then it makes sense to offer the same to us.’…

“European parliament leaders threatened to veto future UK-EU trade deals unless Johnson withdrew legislation attempting to alter parts of the Withdrawal Agreement.”

The relationship between the EU and the UK has become incurably bad.  

The Need for a European Army

The Atlantic Sentinel wrote on September 12:

“French president Emmanuel Macron called for a European army in 2018, arguing the EU needed to defend itself from ‘China, Russia and even the United States of America.’ Two years later, the argument for a common European defense is even stronger.

China’s authoritarianism can no longer be denied. It has effectively revoked the autonomy of Hong Kong, is carrying out a cultural genocide against the Uighurs in west China, threatening its neighbors around the South China Sea and extending its reach as far west as Europe and as far north as the Arctic.

Russia continues to abrogate international norms. It still supports Bashar Assad in Syria, who is responsible for driving millions of his compatriots from their homes, many of them fleeing to Europe; it still occupies the Crimea and still supports an insurgency in southeastern Ukraine.

“The United States are led by an impetuous president, who has accused the EU of ‘taking advantage’ of America, called NATO ‘obsolete’, withdrawn 9,500 soldiers from Germany, but expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin and doubts that he ordered the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a defector, and Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader…

“Trump’s laments about Europe underinvesting in its defense are widely shared [in the USA]… Americans have been pulled into American-led wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, despite doubts from European leaders and opposition from European voters.

“A European army would address all these issues. If Europe is forced to confront its own geopolitical challenges, it will no longer have to yield to the interests of America… A European army would enhance — and require — greater integration between member states.

“The foundations are set. A Common Security and Defense Policy has nominally existed since 1999 and was strengthened by the Lisbon Treaty of 2009. Macron isn’t the first national leader to call for an EU army. François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl expressed the same ambition in the 1990s. Europe’s noisy opposition to a common defense — the UK — is on its way out; with it, the main excuse for not taking action…

“An EU army would inhibit member states’ ability to conduct an independent foreign policy. Countries that share a border with Russia (like Finland) or have tried to maintain good relations with it (Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy) would be forced to take sides…

“Some countries are already sharing military resources. Belgium and the Netherlands have integrated their air defenses… Finland and Sweden announced bilateral military cooperation in 2013 and held a joint military exercise with NATO in 2019. Are others willing to do the same? Would Poland, for instance, be willing to put its soldiers under a German command and concede a significant level of sovereignty? Would Italy? Public opinion is divided. 89 percent of Lithuanians want a European army. Only 37 percent of Austrians and 33 percent of Swedes agree.

“Yet the opportunity is there, and more importantly: the need. As the German defense minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, put it: ‘it is in our own real interest that we should make faster and better progress in Europe’ to unify defense and foreign policy.”

A European army will come into existence, and Europe’s core nations will transfer their authority to a military leader of German or Austrian descent.

Germany’s “Catastrophic Awareness Day” a “Fiasco”

The Local wrote on September 10:

“Germany’s first nationwide ‘catastrophe awareness day’ was described as ‘a fiasco’… The Interior Ministry had to admit that the day… was ‘a failure’.

“At 11am alarms were supposed to go off across the country, while people should have been warned via warning apps. But it soon became apparent that many parts of the country no longer have sirens. A fire department spokesperson explained for Munich that there had been no sirens in the state capital for many years. They had been gradually dismantled after the end of the Cold War, he explained. In many parts of the country, the warnings passed completely unnoticed. Meanwhile, the message from the warning apps NINA and KATWARN arrived on smartphones after a half-hour delay. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) in Bonn explained the breakdown was caused by agencies simultaneously triggering a large number of warning messages…

“The flop was met with mockery on social media. The association of deaf people jokingly tweeted: ‘Well, we didn’t hear anything.’… The so-called ‘warning day’, which in future is to take place every year on the second Thursday in September, is intended to prepare for dangerous situations such as floods, chemical accidents or even terrorist attacks. All existing warning devices such as warning apps, radio and television, digital billboards, sirens and loudspeaker vehicles were supposed to be integrated.”

 And still, in spite of Germany’s blatant incompetence… see the next article.

Germany Replaces France

Daily Sabah wrote on September 12:

“Macron… represented Washington’s hope in counterbalancing German economic and political might within the EU. Washington was unhappy about the hegemonic role that Berlin has been playing within the bloc over the last two decades. Washington instead tried to support Macron in offsetting the influence of Berlin, especially in the diplomatic and military spheres.

“Macron spun out his credibility as the promising leader who would replace German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the leader of Europe. Macron’s risky economic and strategic choices also generated skepticism among the other member states of the EU. France’s stagnant economy and exclusionary political system have failed to accommodate migrants and Muslims, and a lack of a geopolitical vision has reduced the status of France within the EU.

“France, once the equal partner of Germany in the EU project, has gradually lost its standing in the partnership. While Berlin managed to maintain financial and economic stability and integration in the aftermath of the Cold War, Paris failed to offer an encompassing geopolitical vision for Europe…

“Macron developed unique relations with Moscow and invited Russia into Libya… Macron’s erratic moves are not just a threat to Turkey’s national security but are undermining NATO and EU interests… The real beneficiary of Macron’s geopolitical mistakes is Moscow, Abu Dhabi and the Trump administration in the U.S., which is unhappy about Berlin’s supremacy in the EU…”

The antagonism between the USA and Germany will continue, and Germany’s leadership in Europe will become more and more manifest…

Germany’s Leadership in Europe

Bloomberg wrote on September 14:

“Germany has become far more explicit, and unapologetic about calling the shots in Europe… Leaders who grew up in the shadow of World War II were content to confine Germany’s place on the world stage to the economic sphere… Merkel is the first chancellor born after the war. Enough time has passed that German strength is no longer a frightening proposition. And partly it’s a recognition that Germany has no choice but to step up to the plate with Europe caught in the middle of a growing conflict between the world’s two superpowers.

“Under Donald Trump, the U.S. has become an unpredictable and even hostile ally, while Xi Jinping praises multilateralism as China becomes increasingly bold in its forays in international relations…

“Finance Minister Olaf Scholz acknowledged the current landscape means Germany has to take on ‘more responsibilities,’ which means maneuvering the Brussels machine… Merkel’s increasing willingness to cajole her EU partners into accepting a more muscular German industry marks a break with Berlin’s historic relationship with Europe.”

Germany and the USA … No Longer Allies

The Hill wrote on September 15:

“A practical ‘alliance’ between [the USA and Germany] no longer exists. Washington and Berlin disagree on far too much in policy terms for us to whistle past the graveyard any longer…

“Bonn was generally content to follow the American geopolitical lead. However, this was a very specific historical time, one that today’s leaders and analysts have lazily extrapolated into being how things will always work. 

“But this is not the world in which we now live. Germany is the most glaring case in point of when an ally is no longer an ally. Over vast patches of primary foreign policy terrain, Washington and Berlin simply do not agree… Germans do not like their long-term ‘ally’ very much…

“It is a logical truism that if two major powers fundamentally disagree about trade, defense spending, China, Russia, and even disapprove of one another, these disagreements between ‘allies’ means that they are no longer really allies at all.”

This “alliance” has been shaky for a long time.

US Hits Historic Lows of Approval from Its Closest Allies

Business Insider wrote on September 15:

“A handful of [countries], including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia, gave their lowest favorable views of the US on record since Pew started polling nearly two decades ago…

“Germans gave the US some of ‘its worst ratings,’ the authors note, with only 10% who said they have confidence in Trump…

“Most people across the 13 countries surveyed said they have less trust in Trump to ‘do the right thing’ than they do in Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Only an average of 16% said they have confidence in Trump as a leader, versus 19% who said the same for Xi and 23% for Putin…

“… the study… depicts a deepening downward trend of the US’ international reputation…”

Shocking Ignorance

The Guardian wrote on September 15:

“Almost two-thirds of young American adults do not know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and more than one in 10 believe Jews caused the Holocaust, a new survey has found, revealing shocking levels of ignorance about the greatest crime of the 20th century.”

Iran Threatens Bahrain

The Times of Israel wrote on September 12:

“Iran said Saturday that Bahrain is now a partner to the ‘crimes’ of Israel, after the announcement of a deal to normalize relations between Jerusalem and Manama… Iran accused its arch foe Israel of ‘decades of violence, slaughter, war, terror and bloodshed in oppressed Palestine and the region.’… Iran said that through this ‘shameful’ deal, Bahrain has ‘sacrificed the Palestinian cause at the altar of American elections.’ Its ‘result will undoubtedly be growing anger and the lasting hatred of the oppressed people of Palestine, Muslims and the free nations of the world,’ the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

“The Friday announcement by US President Donald Trump made Bahrain the second Arab country in a month, after the United Arab Emirates, to normalize ties with Israel under US sponsorship… Bahrain is acutely aware of threats posed by Iran — the Kingdom has a majority Shiite population, despite being ruled since 1783 by the Sunni Al Khalifa family. The ruling elites are firmly allied with Saudi Arabia in its rivalry with Shiite Iran, even as the Bahrain’s Shiites have familial, linguistic and political ties with Tehran going back decades. Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had pushed to take over Bahrain after British protection ended, though Bahrainis in 1970 overwhelmingly supported becoming an independent nation and the UN Security Council unanimously backed that.

“Since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Bahrain’s rulers have blamed Iran for arming militants on the island and stirring unrest. Iran denies the accusations. Bahrain’s Shiite majority has accused the government of treating them like second-class citizens. The Shiites joined pro-democracy activists in demanding more political freedoms in 2011, as Arab Spring protests swept across the wider Middle East. Saudi and Emirati troops ultimately helped violently put down the demonstrations… Tehran-Riyadh relations deteriorated further last year following a series of attacks on tankers in the Gulf, which Washington blamed on Tehran despite Iranian denials….”

With these antagonistic attitudes even amongst the Arabs, there will never be peace in the Middle East in this day and age.

The New “Peace” Deal

 BBC News wrote on September 15:

“The deal [to normalize relationships with Israel, which was signed on September 15 by Israel, the UAE and Bahrain at the White House] helps the ambitious Emiratis, who have built themselves into a military power… It looks as if the Americans helped seal the deal with the promise of advanced weapons that in the past the UAE has barely been able to window-shop. They include the F-35 stealth fighter and the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. The UAE has used its already well-equipped armed forces in Libya and Yemen… Netanyahu… has muted his original complaints about the UAE’s possible arms deal.

“Mr Netanyahu is also beleaguered, facing a trial for corruption that might land him in jail. His handling of the coronavirus pandemic started well and has gone badly wrong. Opponents stage weekly rallies outside his residence in Jerusalem…

“The deal works on a number of levels for the US president. It is a big boost for his strategy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran. It is also useful ammunition, especially in an election year, to back his boast that he is the world’s best dealmaker. Anything he does that benefits Israel, or more specifically the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, goes down well with American Christian Evangelical voters, an important part of his electoral base… President Trump’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians is a non-starter. But the ‘Abraham Accords’, as the Israel-UAE agreement is known, is… being presented by the Trump White House as a major foreign policy coup.

“[The Palestinians] have condemned the Abraham Accords as a betrayal. The new agreement breaks a long-standing Arab consensus that the price of normal relations with Israel was independence for the Palestinians. But now Israel is cementing new public relationships with Arab states while the Palestinians still languish under occupation in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and in what amounts to an open prison in Gaza

 “The Saudis were the authors of the Arab peace plan that demanded Palestinian independence. King Salman’s status as custodian of Islam’s two holiest shrines gives him enormous authority. It is unlikely that he will suddenly recognise Israel…

“The deal has been roundly condemned by the Iranian leadership. It is more than rhetoric. The Abraham Accords put them under extra strain… Israel’s home airbases are a long flight from Iran. The UAE’s are just across the waters of the Gulf. That would be highly significant if there was a return to talk of air strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites…”

The Week added on September 15:

“Many experts doubt there will be any tangible move toward peace in the region, though the deals are considered historic and symbolically noteworthy.”

Are the USA and Israel creating a Frankenstein monster?

Turkey’s Dangerous Ambitions

The Algemeiner wrote on September 14:

“Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan… wants to take his country back to what he perceives as the glory days of the Ottoman Empire, but the leader… appears to be leading the country down the wrong path as he quashes secularism, supports radical Islamism, suppresses democratic reforms and adopts a forceful foreign-policy approach that aims to assert Turkish hegemony in the region…

“The perception that the United States is planning to significantly reduce its military presence in the Middle Eastannounced by US President Donald Trump this week—and the power vacuums that have emerged as one of the consequences of the Arab upheavals… are causing several actors, including Turkey, to act in a more assertive manner…

“With Erdoğan’s Islamist identity and close ties with Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar and Hamas, this triangle seems dangerous for Israel… one of the reasons Israel and the United Arab Emirates have worked out a normalization agreement between them is related to… the growing concerns from Turkey’s greater role in the region…

Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told JNS that as an Islamist, Erdoğan ‘has no great love for Jews and for Israel.’ According to Inbar, ‘Erdoğan believes that Turkey has a great destiny and should be a world power. The fact that the US is slowly reducing its footprint in the Middle East adds to even greater freedom of action for Turkey in regional affairs.’…

“Turkey is in Iraq and Syria, and has a military base in Qatar and in Somalia. Erdoğan tried to build a base in Sudan, and now he is busy in Libya. As part of this new Turkish nationalism, he is challenging the border with Greece, essentially seeking to reverse the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which officially ended the Ottoman Empire. ‘There is a fusion here of nationalism and Islamism between Turkish nationalism with its roots in Islam, the Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire,’ said Inbar. ‘There is a clear alliance between Turkey and Qatar, which both support the Muslim Brotherhood… Going after Israel gets him votes and makes him popular in the Muslim world, which he wants to lead, so Israel is a good target for him.’”

Watch Turkey!

A Divided USA

New Europe wrote on September 8:

“For the first time since the country’s civil war in the mid-19th-century… Americans remained divided after the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016. Since then, that division has accelerated at a dangerously rapid pace.

“The division was triggered by the deeply entrenched American financial establishment, which cannot understand that the time has irrevocably come to enter into a new civilization, but it thinks that by voting Trump out, the establishment will exorcise the evil. The oxymoron is that the Democratic Party in this election is struggling. It is using all of the means available to it to support the interests of Wall Street while [Trump] is fighting for Main Street, which goes against the interests of the traditional establishment Republicans.

“Historically, the foundations of the decay in the US were placed by former President Bill Clinton who, in the 1990s, ended his political career… Clinton, under the dilemma of being impeached or not, opted to remain president and repealed the Banking Act of 1933. That act, known also the Glass-Steagall Act, was designed to address the 1929 Wall Street crash that resulted in the Great Depression…

“The worst-case scenario will be when the president-elect will not to be able to control the transition and have the people – through social disobedience, riots and bloodshed – impose the new normal from the bottom-up and therefore turning a smooth evolution into a revolution…. In any case, no matter who will be the winner, he will neither have the possibility to change the course of history nor the ability to unite the American people again…”

And this means, another American civil war is a distinct possibility.

American Democracy Gets Bad Marks

Study Finds on September 12:

“As millions struggle to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey claims American democracy isn’t faring much better. According to the political watchdog group Bright Line Watch, the ‘health’ of several democratic principles are at their lowest levels in three years…

“The August 2020 poll, featuring 776 political science experts, finds large declines among several principals including protections of free speech, toleration of peaceful protests and protection from political violence

“The watchdog’s 11th democracy poll looks at the country’s stability since March, when COVID-19 put much of the U.S. into lockdown. The political experts contend that democratic principles regarding limits on government power and accountability are continuing to fall… the country has poor grades for civility and behavior… Those issues include having patriotism questioned, seeking compromise, and electoral dysfunction…”

It was not COVID-19 which put much of the U.S. into lockdown, but irresponsible restrictions by ignorant governmental officials. And the same ignorance continues to prevail, as following articles will discuss.

Senseless Sheriff-Shooting

Daily Mail published the following article by Piers Morgan on September 14:

“I didn’t think I would see anything as sickening this year as the appalling killing of [black] George Floyd at the kneed of a callous [white] police officer. But I was wrong. The grainy video of a disgusting [black] coward sneaking up to shoot two [white] deputy sheriffs in Compton, Los Angeles as they sat in their patrol car was just as repulsive and disturbing. There was no warning, and no provocation. This was just a deliberate, pre-meditated attempt at a cold-blooded execution.

“The shooter clearly intended to kill his targets as he fired a number of rounds from his pistol at point blank range into their car before running off. Fortunately, as I write this column, he appears to have failed in his mission as both deputies are reported to have miraculously survived the ambush, although they were seriously injured… One is a 31-year-old woman, and mother of a young son. The other is a 24-year-old man. To compound the senseless barbarity of the shooting, ‘protesters’ yesterday blocked the entrance and exit to the hospital emergency room where the two deputies were taken, chanting vile abuse…

“President Trump blasted the attack, raging about the shooter, ‘Animals that must be hit hard!’ and adding later: ‘If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!’… Of course, the same President Trump has been far less vocal about what should happen to the police officers who killed George Floyd…

“Only if we all come together and agree that unjustified violence of any kind is wrong, whoever is the victim, and whatever the color of their skin or uniform, can any real progress be made in the battle for racial equality and justice.

“The tragedy of this latest incident is that it makes no sense. Just as the killing of George Floyd defied all logic given his alleged crime was trying to buy cigarettes with counterfeit money, so the purpose of this attack is impossible to understand…

America has been a racially charged tinderbox since George Floyd’s death, with emotions exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. At a moment like this, the country needs unifying leadership from its political leaders but also from its most inspirational high-profile stars. Instead, it is getting nothing but flame-fanning rhetoric and complicit silence from those who know what’s the right thing to say – but choose not to say it.”

America’s perceived or real racial divide is unbridgeable.

Trump Is the Dynamite

CBS News reported on September 13:

“Washington Post’s Bob [Woodward’s] new book, ‘Rage,’ is his latest work in a 50-year career investigating American presidents. His first investigation, reported with Carl Bernstein, led to the resignation of Richard Nixon. For ‘Rage,’ Mr. Trump agreed to 18 recorded interviews…

“Bob Woodward [said:]: ‘… one of the things that President Trump told me, “In the presidency, there’s always dynamite behind the door.” The real dynamite is President Trump. He is the dynamite.’”

In other words, one never knows what he will do next. This assessment is shared by Trump’s former Security Adviser, John Bolton.

Newsom’s Hidden Support of LGBTQ People

Breitbart wrote on September 13:

“Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a controversial bill into law Friday that will give judges greater discretion to decide whether adults who commit sodomy with minors should be placed on California’s sex offender registry. The bill, which passed the Democrat-led legislature last week, created a firestorm as proponents said its main purpose was to end discrimination against LGBT adults who have oral and anal sex with minors who claim to be consenting to the sexual activity.

“State Sen. Scott Wiener (D), who introduced the legislation, said in a statement on social media the new law would put an end to ‘blatant discrimination against young LGBT people engaged in consensual activity.’… Proving again he‘s a true champion for the LGBTQ community… Gov Newsom signed [the bill], ending discrimination against LGBTQ young people on CA’s sex offender registry…

“‘Well what a shock. Newsom signed SB145, the bill that allows a 24 year old to have sex with a 14 year old and escape a felony conviction and requirement to be a registered sex offender. Absolutely disgusting,’ (Senator Melissa Melendez wrote on September 12, 2020)…

“San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer (R) also tweeted after Newsom signed the bill into law, ‘As a parent I’m appalled that last night our governor signed a law maintaining a 24-year-old can have sex with a 14-year-old and it not be considered predatory.’…

“The legislation also assumes teens as young as 14 are capable of fully consenting to sex of any variety with any adult, regardless of sexual orientation. Attorney and researcher Jane Robbins said in a statement to Breitbart News, ‘… If Mr. Wiener were concerned about children, he would push to restore penalties on straight adult predators who prey on minors…  Instead, he extended the leniency to gay adult predators.’”

Sick!

Newsom: California Wildfires because of Man-made Climate Change

Reuters reported on September 11:

“California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday toured communities devastated by the state’s raging wildfires and said the deadly, record-shattering fire season across the U.S. West should end all debate over climate change. Newsom, a Democrat, appeared to direct at least some of his remarks at suggestions by U.S. President Donald Trump that poor forest management, and not warming temperatures, were to blame for the raging conflagrations.

“‘I’m a little bit exhausted that we have to continue to debate this issue. This is a climate… emergency. This is real and it’s happening. This is the perfect storm,’ Newsom, 52, said…

“All told some 100 wildfires across the U.S. West have burned an area nearly as large as the state of New Jersey, putting half a million people under evacuation alert in Oregon and pouring out thick smoke across three states.

“‘The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California. Observe it with your own eyes,’ Newsom said. ‘California, folks, is America fast forward. What we’re experiencing right here is coming to communities all across the United States of America unless we get our act together on climate change, unless we disabuse ourselves of all the… that’s being spewed by a very small group of people that have an ideological reason to advance the cause of a 19th century framework and solution,’ he said…

“The governor demurred when asked by reporters to respond directly to suggestions by Trump, a Republican, that seasonal wildfires could be mitigated if state and local officials had worked harder to clear dense, dry underbrush.”

Whatever the cause for this disaster, blaming something or someone for it instead of taking personal responsibility for mistakes and incompetent actions is far too common and also very obvious in the case at hand.

So Predictable… Left-Liberal Court Rules against Church

The Federalist wrote on September 11:

“Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff of the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction Thursday that prohibits Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church from ‘conducting, participating in, or attending any indoor worship services.’ The ban also extends to services held outside ‘unless onerous restrictions are followed.’

“Since the church first began meeting in-person and defying local lockdown orders in July, Los Angeles County officials have threatened fines, arrest, and even terminated the lease held between the church and the county for parking lot space claiming health and safety concerns.

“A $1,000 fine issued by Los Angeles County was also imposed on the church this week for signs asking congregants to refrain from entering if they were experiencing ‘an elevated temperature, a cough, or any flu-like symptoms.’ According to the county, the signs were not placed at the proper entrances and exits and did not contain instructions asking people to ‘wash hands or use sanitizer, to wear face coverings and to maintain social distancing.’

“Special counsel Jenna Ellis and Charles LiMandri expressed their disappointment in Thursday’s ruling, claiming that the court ‘ducked the issue’ and failed ‘to apply the appropriate constitutional standard of review.’ They also explained their belief that the church was held to a different standard than other activities during COVID-19 lockdowns. ‘The court also did not properly consider the medical and scientific evidence that the current number of people with serious COVID-19 symptoms no longer justifies a shuttering of the churches. Nor do we believe that the court gave adequate consideration to the fact that churches have been treated as second-class citizens compared to the tens of thousands of protestors,’ LiMandri said.

“This opinion by the court, according to Ellis and LiMandri, shows that the church was unfairly targeted. ‘Church is essential, and no government agent has the runaway, unlimited power to force churches to close indefinitely. The County’s argument was basically “because we can,” which is the very definition of tyranny,’ Ellis said. ‘Without limiting government’s power in favor of freedom and protected rights, we have no liberty. We will fight for religious freedom, as our founders did when they wrote the First Amendment.’

‘‘More than ever, California’s churches are essential,’ LiMandri agreed. Despite the court’s ruling, Pastor John MacArthur told Fox News’s Shannon Bream on Thursday night that the church would still be meeting. ‘1/100th of 1 percent of Californians with a virus apparently wins over the U.S. Constitution and religious freedom for all? That is not what our founders said,’ said MacArthur. ‘Nor is that what God says, who gave us our rights that our government—including the judicial branch—is supposed to protect. The scale should always tip in favor of liberty, especially for churches.’

“The Thomas More Society also said that they will appeal it to ‘ultimately vindicate our clients’ constitutionally protected right to free exercise of religion.’ ‘Although this is a temporary setback, we will continue to fight for Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church’s constitutionally protected right to hold church,’ Ellis promised.”

Attorney Ellis also posted the following: “Apparently signs asking people not to enter if they have an elevated temperature or symptoms of Covid (located at every entrance & exit) aren’t good enough for LA County. The bullying and harassment continues. This is NOT about health. LA County just wants to shut down church.”

In left-wing California, this POLITICAL decision was so predictable… and it is so shameful and so ungodly.

Todd Starnes wrote on September 8:

“Los Angeles County is trying every angle to harass and bully Pastor John MacArthur and the congregation of Grace Community Church… Make no mistake. This is an abusive, overt attempt to shut down the church. But Pastor MacArthur is a man who humbly stands on the Word of God. He will not be bullied. He will not be intimidated – no matter what the godless government in Los Angeles ultimately decides to do.

“Christians around the nation should lift this church up in prayer. And Christians in California should make a very public statement and demonstration that religious intolerance will not be tolerated in the Golden State.”

The ungodly attack on Christianity in California [and elsewhere] continues. At the same time, the LGBTQ movement is heavily supported (compare the article above).

Some Judges Still Have Common Sense

Fox News wrote on September 14:

 “A federal judge on Monday ruled that some of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s restrictions implemented amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic were unconstitutional — marking a win for businesses struggling to stay afloat amid the forced shutdown.

“U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV, who was appointed by President Trump, sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theaters, a farmer’s market vendor, a horse trainer and several Republican officeholders in their lawsuit against Wolf, a Democrat, and his health secretary. The ruling found that Wolf’s restrictions that required people to stay at home, placed size limits on gatherings and ordered ‘non-life-sustaining’ businesses to shut down were unconstitutional.

“The Wolf administration’s pandemic policies have been overreaching, arbitrary and violated citizens’ constitutional rights, Stickman wrote in his ruling… Courts had consistently rejected challenges to Wolf’s power to order businesses to close during the pandemic, and many other governors, Republican and Democrat, undertook similar measures as the virus spread across the country….”

Shame on those Republican and Democrat governors and timid judges who have been destroying thousands, if not millions of people’s lives through their unconstitutional and ridiculous measures and judgments, all the while claiming that they acted for the welfare and protection of the people.  

China Injects Hundreds of Thousands with Experimental Vaccine

The Wall Street Journal wrote on September 12:

“A Chinese pharmaceutical company has injected hundreds of thousands of people with experimental Covid-19 vaccines, as its Western counterparts warn against administering mass vaccinations before rigorous scientific studies are complete.

“China National Biotec Group Co., a subsidiary of state-owned Sinopharm, has given two experimental vaccine candidates to hundreds of thousands of people under an emergency-use condition approved by Beijing in July, the company said this week. Separately, Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech Ltd. said it has inoculated around 3,000 of its employees and their family members, including the firm’s chief executive, with its experimental coronavirus vaccine…

“CNBG said it has received orders for 500 million doses from overseas, the most among Chinese drugmakers, though it didn’t specify which countries put in orders. The company is conducting Phase 3 clinical trials in the United Arab Emirates and Argentina.

“The company’s vaccine regimen may require people to get injected with two or three doses. CNBG said it would be able to produce around 100 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccines by the end of the year and then up to one billion doses annually.”

One would have to be crazy to agree to such experimental drug testing.

Finally, but Very Late: Vatican Urges Public Masses

Breitbart wrote on September 13:

“The Vatican has issued a letter to the world’s bishops urging the resumption of public Sunday Masses, stressing that ‘it is necessary and urgent to return to the normality of Christian life’… ‘The Christian community has never pursued isolation and has never made the church a city with closed doors,’ writes Vatican Cardinal Robert Sarah in the letter, which bears the explicit approval of Pope Francis. The ‘community dimension’ of Christian worship is essential, the cardinal writes, and constitutes ‘a fundamental trait of Christian life,’ according to Jesus’s teaching that ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’

“During coronavirus lockdowns, many countries made a distinction between ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ activities, often judging public worship as belonging to the latter category, something the cardinal suggests was a mistake. The Bishops should act firmly to ensure ‘that the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist is not downgraded by the public authorities to a “gathering,” and is not considered as comparable or even subordinate to forms of recreational assemblies,’ he writes…

“In his recent letter, Cardinal Sarah also stresses that online streaming is no substitute for public worship as a community since ‘no transmission is equivalent to personal participation or can replace it.’… The cardinal also notes that ‘proper attention to hygiene and safety rules must not lead to the sterilization of gestures and rites, or to spreading, even unconsciously, fear and insecurity in the faithful.’ In this regard, ‘liturgical norms are not matters on which civil authorities can legislate, but only the competent ecclesiastical authorities,’ he insists.”

It is sad that the Catholic Church, including the pope himself, for a long time, prostrated themselves in submission to the power of secular governments, even supporting their restrictions. Their stance now for public worship services sounds hollow and hypocritical. It is also sad that some Sabbath-keeping Church of God groups have become equally guilty of such unbiblical behavior. This does not only apply to wrong decisions of ministers in charge, but also to members who are following blindly, like dumb sheep, and adopt such bad and ungodly injunctions. This is even more troublesome and ungodly when those churches or their ministers demand restrictions from their members, pertaining to worship services, which go BEYOND those of the governments. It has been established that governmental lockdown decisions were wrong and have cost many lives, while destroying the livelihood of millions of people.

Note the following articles as well.

Crazy—Israel Considers total Lockdown during the annual Fall Holy Day Season

Israel 365 News (formerly Breaking Israel News) wrote on or about September 11:

“On Thursday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein called for a full lockdown for all of Israel beginning on September [18], [just before the start of] Rosh Hashannah [and to close schools by Wednesday, September 16]… The proposed lockdown may last until the end of the holidays which will be when Simchat Torah (the last day of Sukkoth) ends on Sunday, Oct. 11.  All academic institutions and workplaces will be closed.  A ban will be in place on public and private gatherings. The holidays are normally a time for extended families to gather so the lockdown will prevent this. It also calls for the entire public sector to be placed in a ‘state of emergency.’…

“According to the Finance Ministry, a general closure over a ‘holiday week’ would cost the country NIS 4 billion, and closure on a full week NIS 5 billion to NIS 6 billion…”

Times of Israel wrote on September 12:

“The Health Ministry’s plan for a full national lockdown faced intense pushback shortly after more of its details were unveiled Saturday, with one unnamed minister telling Israeli television the plan was ‘insane,’ and others vowing to oppose it. Ministers… said they would not agree to approve the proposal in its current form, decrying the damage a closure would do to the Israeli economy even as a public outcry by business owners grew, amid threats of mass rebellion against the new restrictions.

“Meanwhile, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told Channel 12 that ‘there will be no negotiation’ on the plan, saying there was currently no better alternative… The proposal is highly controversial with the public, with many business leaders threatening to defy it. Hotels are furious that they will be required to cancel reservations for the High Holidays just days in advance, having geared up staff and purchased immense quantities of supplies and food.

“There are also complaints that the lockdown unjustifiably closes down the entire country rather than focusing on COVID-19 red zones, and allegations that it is politically impacted, with the government reluctant to be seen singling out ultra-Orthodox areas, which along with Arab areas, have some of Israel’s highest contagion rates…

“With the country facing its second national lockdown and the government’s pandemic policies being widely perceived as disorderly and at times random, many businesses have vowed in recent days to defy closure orders, saying they will not survive a new shutdown. Meanwhile, top business leaders warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday that a new lockdown would be disastrous to the local economy.

“Reports have indicated hundreds — and perhaps thousands — of business owners could refuse to shut down if closure orders come, being unable to withstand the financial burden of a further lockdown. Business owners have said promises of compensation down the road are irrelevant, and that they will refuse to shut their doors unless they receive government aid in advance.

“Channel 13 reported that the Manufacturers Association of Israel, the Chamber of Commerce and other business bodies wrote in a letter to the premier that a new lockdown would cause a further wave of unemployment and bring about ‘an “economic coronavirus” whose effect will be far more destructive than the medical coronavirus,’ and warned that the effects of the harm to the economy could be felt for a decade.”

Subsequently, Times of Israel reported on September 13:

“The cabinet has given its approval to a three-week full nationwide closure, beginning Friday at 2 p.m… The final details… are reported to include a ban on venturing more than 500 meters from home, except for essential errands. Schools, malls, hotels and leisure activities will be shuttered, while supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open.”

Man’s attempts to deal with the panic of the coronavirus are truly insane. In the process, God’s commands of assembling in person on His Holy Days are being blatantly violated. This makes God VERY angry!  Note especially the articles above and below on the failed attempts to deal with the crisis and the hypocritical conduct of the Catholic Church and the ungodly decision of a left-liberal court in California.

Resignation in Protest

JTA wrote on September 13:

“Israel’s housing minister has resigned from the government to protest a nationwide lockdown… Yaakov Litzman, a top haredi Orthodox lawmaker, stepped down to oppose the closures of synagogues over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, saying that even a policy allowing small-scale prayer services would still impede Israelis’ right to come together during the High Holidays.”

The Times of Israel wrote on September 13:

“Litzman… also said his United Torah Judaism party could bolt the coalition. Litzman accused coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu of planning for months to impose a lockdown on Rosh Hashanah — which begins this week — and Yom Kippur while avoiding the move during the summer season. In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Litzman decried the fact that the lockdown would prevent worshipers, including tens of thousands of Jews who don’t go to a synagogue during most of the year, from attending the most important and well-attended Jewish services of the year…’

It is in fact a horrendously stupid decision by Israel’s government… and it is deeply ungodly.

Dangerous Lockdowns—Carefully Planned for a long Time…  

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 11:

“The toll lockdowns have taken on human life and human rights has been incalculable. Increases in child abuse, suicide and even heart attacks, all appear to be a feature of mandatory stay-at-home orders issued by politicians who now rule by decree without any legislative or democratic due process. And then, of course, there is the economic toll on employment…

“These measures also have made a mockery of basic human rights while essentially expropriating private property. Mom-and-pop business owners were told to shut their doors indefinitely or face arrest. The unemployed were told it was now illegal to work for a living if their careers were deemed ‘nonessential.’ Police officers have beaten citizens for not ‘social distancing’ while mothers have been manhandled by cops for attempting to use playground equipment.

“This was all done because some politicians and bureaucrats—who were in no danger of losing their large paychecks—decided it was a great idea to carry out a bizarre and risky experiment: forcing large swaths of the population to stay at home in the name of preventing the spread of disease.

“Indeed, politicians have long dreamed of forcing people into isolation en masse. But this was most recently revived during the George W. Bush administration. As the New York Times reported in April: ‘Fourteen years ago, two federal government doctors, Richard Hatchett and Carter Mecher, met with a colleague at a burger joint in suburban Washington for a final review of a proposal they knew would be treated like a piñata: telling Americans to stay home from work and school the next time the country was hit by a deadly pandemic. Drs. Hatchett and Mecher were proposing… that Americans in some places might have to turn back to an approach, self-isolation, first widely employed in the Middle Ages. How that idea — born out of a request by President George W. Bush to ensure the nation was better prepared for the next contagious disease outbreak — became the heart of the national playbook for responding to a pandemic is one of the untold stories of the coronavirus crisis. The concept of social distancing is now intimately familiar to almost everyone. But as it first made its way through the federal bureaucracy in 2006 and 2007, it was viewed as impractical, unnecessary and politically infeasible….’

“And why was it considered impractical and unnecessary? There is more than one reason, but one major reason is that lockdowns have never been shown to be particularly effective… it’s now becoming apparent that lockdowns don’t work when actually tried. Earlier this month, for example, Donald Luskin noted in the Wall Street Journal: ‘Measuring from the start of the year to each state’s point of maximum lockdown—which range from April 5 to April 18—it turns out that lockdowns correlated with a greater spread of the virus. States with longer, stricter lockdowns also had larger Covid outbreaks. The five places with the harshest lockdowns—the District of Columbia, New York, Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts—had the heaviest caseloads.’

“Basically, Luskin searched for a clear correlation between lockdowns and better health outcomes in relation to covid-19. He found none. He continues: ‘[T]here’s no escaping the evidence that, at minimum, heavy lockdowns were no more effective than light ones, and that opening up a lot was no more harmful than opening up a little. So where’s the science that would justify the heavy lockdowns many public-health officials are still demanding?’…

“… A June study published by Advance by Stefan Homburg and Christof Kuhbandner found that the data ‘strongly suggests’ that ‘the UK lockdown was both superfluous… and ineffective…’

“Along these lines, Simon Wood, examined the progression of the disease in the United Kingdom and in Sweden and found that the data ‘strongly suggest that the decline in infections in England and Wales began before full lockdown, and that community infections, unlike deaths, were probably at a low level well before lockdown was eased. Furthermore, such a scenario would be consistent with the infection profile in Sweden, which began its decline in fatal infections shortly after the UK, but did so on the basis of measures well short of full lockdown.’…

“Extraordinary measures require extraordinary evidence. And the burden of proof is on those who seek to use the coercive power of the state to force people into their homes, cripple the economy, and abolish countless basic freedoms for the duration. Have the advocates for lockdowns made their case? It’s hard to see how they have. For one, advocates for lockdowns need to present obvious and overwhelming evidence that lockdowns bring big benefits far in excess of the no-lockdown approach. They have not done so. Moreover, they have not shown that a lack of lockdowns is anywhere near as dangerous as they have claimed in the name of pushing lockdowns to begin with. We can already see what the no-lockdown scenario looks like. It looks like Sweden, and that’s a better outcome than many prolockdown regimes can claim. Governments are nonetheless likely to continue claiming their lockdowns worked. In ancient days, a witch doctor might perform a rain dance on Tuesday and claim credit when it rained on Wednesday. Lockdowns are increasingly looking like the modern equivalent of a rain dance.”

The comparison of lockdowns with witch doctors is not that far-fetched. Ignorant but power-hungry governmental officials, under the rule of Satan, and following ignorant but self-righteous medical “experts,” have been contributing to the destruction of their countries and citizens, and all those who have been supporting these measures, by action or word, also have a heavy burden of responsibility on their shoulders as well. May God forgive them upon true repentance! The above-cited article quoted and linked to many more surveys concluding that lockdowns were useless and devastatingly destructive.  

The Despicable Mass Media Propaganda

The American Institute for Economic Research wrote on September 14:

“Just when the fear starts to subside, and growing public skepticism seems to push governors into opening, something predictable happens. The entire apparatus of mass media hops on some new, super-scary headline designed to instill more Coronaphobia and extend the lockdowns yet again. It’s a cycle that never stops. It comes back again and again.

“A great example occurred this weekend. A poll appeared on Friday from the Kaiser Family Foundation. It showed that confidence in Anthony Fauci is evaporating along with support for lockdowns and mandatory Covid vaccines. The news barely made the headlines, and very quickly this was overshadowed by a scary new claim: restaurants will give you Covid!

“It’s tailor-made for the mainstream press. The study is from the CDC… And the thesis is easily digestible: those who test positive for Covid are twice as likely as those who tested negative to have eaten at a restaurant. ‘Eating and drinking on-site at locations that offer such options might be important risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection,’ the study says.

“Very scary! Thus the implied conclusion: don’t allow indoor dining! Otherwise Covid will spread like wildfire!

“After six months of this Corona Kabuki dance, driven by alarmist media and imposed by wacko, power-abusing governors and mayors, I’ve become rather cynical about the whole enterprise, so I mostly ignore the latest nonsense. In this case, however, I decided to take a closer look simply because so many millions of owners, workers, and customers have been treated so brutally in the ‘War on Restaurants.’

It turns out, of course, that this is not what the study said

“Lockdowns have become a conclusion in a desperate search for evidence… This is precisely where we’ve been for six solid months now. The media has become the handmaiden of lockdown tyranny, blasting out simplistic versions of sketchy studies to keep the panic going as long as possible. And the public… eats it up.”

We wonder who those gullible people are who are falling for this mass media propaganda

Absolutely Braindead Decision of Southwest Airlines

USA Today wrote on September 14:

“A woman traveling from Fort Myers, Florida, to Chicago said she was escorted off her Southwest Airline flight on Saturday because her 2-year-old son was snacking prior to takeoff and wasn’t wearing his mask… Degyansky said she boarded the flight with her son… and he took off his mask to eat some of the snacks that were served. On multiple occasions, a flight attendant told her that he needed to be masked, but he was eating, she said. The plane had already left the gate, but returned for staff to escort them off the flight. For about 15 minutes, Degyansky argued with airline personnel because her son had his mask back on, but they did not listen to her, she said.

“According to CDC guidelines, children 2 years and older should wear a mask over their nose and mouth if it’s difficult to social distance. ‘My toddler who literally turned 2 two weeks ago. … I know you have to draw the line but let’s be a little compassionate with everyone’s individual circumstances,’ she said… ‘If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering for any reason, Southwest regrets that we are unable to transport the individual…’ said Ro Hawthorne, a spokesperson for the airline.”

How much more STUPID can this get?

AG Barr Condemned for Telling the Truth

The Associated Press wrote on September 17:

Attorney General William Barr drew sharp condemnation Thursday for comparing lockdown orders during the coronavirus pandemic to slavery… Barr had called the lockdown orders the ‘greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history’ since slavery. His comments… also criticized his own prosecutors for behaving as ‘headhunters’ in their pursuit of prominent targets and for using the weight of the criminal justice system to launch what he said were ‘ill-conceived’ political probes…

 “It’s not the first time Barr has condemned stay-at-home orders. He has previously said that some orders were ‘disturbingly close to house arrests’ and the Justice Department sent letters to several states warning that some of their virus-related restrictions might be unlawful. Prosecutors also filed statements of interest in several civil cases challenging some of the restrictions.”

We would even go a step further and state that the lockdown did not only come close to house arrest, but that it constituted house arrest, and that those locked in were indeed victims of autocratically enforced governmental slavery.

Sweden Reports Fewest Coronavirus Cases

The Guardian wrote on September 15:

“While many European countries are seeing their infection rates surge to levels not seen since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sweden – whose light-touch approach has made it an international outlier – has recorded the fewest daily cases since the virus emerged. The Scandinavian country’s rolling seven-day average of new cases stood at 108 on Tuesday, its lowest level since 13 March. Data from the Swedish national health agency showed only 1.2% of its 120,000 tests last week came back positive…

“Sweden also has fewer new daily infections than Norway and Denmark, its Nordic neighbours… Anders Tegnell, the country’s chief epidemiologist and architect of its no-lockdown strategy, told broadcaster France-24 in an interview: …’In the end, we will see how much difference it will make to have a strategy that’s more sustainable, that you can keep in place for a long time, instead of the strategy that means that you lock down, open up and lock down over and over again.’… Shops, bars, restaurants and gyms stayed open and the wearing of masks has not so far been recommended.”

Sweden is one example. South Dakota is another one. 

South Dakota Stands Out

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 13:

“Many state fairs across America were canceled this year. The reason offered: coronavirus. It should be no surprise that among the states where an annual state fair did occur this year is South Dakota. South Dakota is the state whose governor — Kristi Noem — has resisted, more than has any other governor across America, the temptation to use coronavirus as an excuse to exercise dictatorial powers.

“Following last month’s annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally that brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to the state, South Dakota has continued to demonstrate with the state fair that ended on Monday that coronavirus is no excuse for canceling events that bring joy to life

“Noem was among the many people who enjoyed the South Dakota State Fair free of mask and ‘social distancing’ mandates.”

 Don’t Ask Questions!

The American Institute for Economic Research wrote on September 15:

“If you are a good person, you will submit, for as long as it takes. Deviate from the rules, and you are a bad, selfish person, who does not care if others die.  We have been introduced to the corona gods and they are ferocious, and make many demands. They require children to forgo school, or to attend school by staring into a screen. That is, for those whose parents or school districts can afford the screens. They can play together only if masked, faceless and muffled, six feet apart. Their cognitive development is likely to be hampered by their inability to read facial expressions, perhaps for a lifetime, but that is an unavoidable price we must pay, or so we are told.

“The corona gods ask much, too, of young adults. Whether they were embarking on new careers or enrolled in institutions of higher learning, they must surrender their hopes and aspirations and separate from each other, however contrary it might be to their natures…

“The bereavement of business owners… is unavoidable collateral damage, the politicians say mournfully…

“We are not to ask certain questions, according to the politicians, the experts, our friends… Do not ask: are we ultimately causing more deaths, or ruining more lives, in the long term, than the coronavirus itself?… It’s over when we say it’s over, they say. We must keep each other safe. So cover your nose and mouth. Stand six feet apart. Stay home. Comply!

We are witnessing the creation of a perfect dictatorship! Note the next article.

“Great” Britain… the Perfect Dictatorial Police State!

The Sun wrote on September 14:

“BRITS should snitch on their neighbours if they are breaking the new coronavirus rule of six, the policing minister has said. Kit Malthouse said this morning people who spy someone doing the wrong thing by having more than six people over should call the cops. He told BBC Radio 4: ‘What we’re hoping we’ll see for the rule of six is what we saw for the whole of lockdown which is extremely high compliance. ‘In the end we all have to recognise that we have an individual duty towards our collective health and we hope that view will prevail. There is the non-emergency number that people can ring and report issues if they wish to.’… Mr Malthouse said during lockdown there was a surge from people spying on their neighbours reporting them to the police for breaking restrictions….

“National Police Chiefs Council Chairman Martin Hewitt said… ‘Once these rules and regulations are enacted, they are the law. If people are deliberately breaking the law, we would expect members of the public to take responsibility to report that… And Home Secretary Priti Patel said troublemakers would be handed a criminal record if they ignore the fines… Home Office officials say those who refuse to accept £100 on-the-spot fines will be arrested and taken to court….”

First of all, as the evidence proves, lockdowns DON’T WORK. The new regulations in Britain are just plain crazy and stupid. Then, in reading this abominable development, we must say: Welcome, “Great” Britain, to the dictatorships of China, Russia, North Korea, Nazi Germany, and former East Germany. Here we have now the perfect storm of spying on others, dictatorial autocratic nonsensical damaging governmental measures and the establishment of a police state. Democracy… gone forever!

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

“Stop the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline”… but Merkel Resists

Der Spiegel Online wrote on September 4:

“Leading politicians in Germany from all mainstream parties are demanding that construction on the natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 be suspended as a result of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. But Merkel’s government is so far resisting such calls…

“Germany’s relationship with Russia will change significantly. The clear evidence that [an] internationally banned nerve agent was used makes it even more likely that the Kremlin [and Putin] was behind the poisoning… a debate has erupted over which sanctions the German government should now consider applying. The expulsion of Russian diplomats and sanctions against the individuals responsible for the annexation of Crimea did little to impress Moscow. Economic sanctions against certain industries or products could be effective, but they would likely hurt Germany as well, given that Moscow’s retaliations against such sanctions in the past have been just as severe.

“The only penalty that would primarily hurt Moscow would be a construction stop on the almost completed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.

“‘The German government’s starry-eyed indifference to President Putin’s brutality must finally come to an end,’ says Agnieszka Brugger, deputy group leader for the Green Party in parliament. ‘Putting an end to Nord Stream 2 would be the minimum.’ The business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) tend to agree. The pipeline ‘must immediately be examined,’ says Bijan Dijr-Sarai, the foreign policy spokesman for the FDP in parliament. He is in favor of an immediate moratorium. ‘It was a mistake from the very beginning to ignore the political backdrop to Nord Stream 2. It is now coming back to bite the government,’ he says.

“But even members of political parties in Merkel’s governing coalition, which pairs her conservatives with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), are increasingly demanding that the pipeline project be abandoned. One is Norbert Röttgen, a candidate to become chairman of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Germany’s federal parliament, the Bundestag. Another is Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s Party group in European Parliament, to which German conservatives belong…

“Within the government, however, that step remains off limits. Officially, at least… Daniel Caspary, head of German conservatives in the European Parliament, believes that the attack on Navalny is just more evidence that Putin doesn’t take EU foreign policy seriously… EU diplomats who have long been involved in Russia policy hold similar views…”

It will be interesting to see as to whether Germany will show some strength and go ahead with the cancellation of the pipeline project… perhaps in collaboration with other EU member states.  Trump’s refusal to acknowledge Russia’s role in the poisoning is even more amazing as Trump wants the pipeline project to be canceled as well.

US Sanctions ICC

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 4:

Germany calls US sanctions against the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda [which include freezing her US assets] ‘a serious mistake’ while France describes them as a ‘grave attack.’… Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the US sanctions were ‘unacceptable’ and ‘unprecedented.’…

“The United States has never been a party to the ICC and in the past, Pompeo has referred to the tribunal as a ‘kangaroo court.’… Speaking on Wednesday, Pompeo said the US would not tolerate what he called the ICC’s ‘illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction.’”

Germany and France vs. the USA… a usual pattern is emerging.

What’s Macron Up to?

Daily Sabah wrote on September 4:

“[Macron visited Lebanon] to have talks with Lebanese leaders to make sure that they were ready to implement reforms immediately required for the survival of the country, which was already facing an economic crisis. He said Lebanese leaders would be sanctioned if reforms are not implemented – as if Lebanon is still a French mandate… many started to ask what Macron is planning.

On the other hand, while the tension between Turkey and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean is growing, Macron is coming to the forefront with his remarks and decisions about it – though France does not have a coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean. Adding tension to the dispute in question, Paris sent warships and jets to support Athens and threaten Ankara recently. And last week, Macron said he set red lines with Turkey in the East Mediterranean…

“In June, the French president accused Turkey of playing ‘a dangerous game’ in Libya, although Paris has been sending clandestine military aid for several years to the war-torn country. The French president first made the ‘NATO’s becoming brain-dead’ remark last November after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to withdraw American troops from northern Syria…

“As British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is busy with the Brexit endgame problem, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has chosen to keep a low profile due to a paralyzed grand coalition in Germany and the U.S. has lost its authority over the West, it looks like President Macron has seen the vacuum in question as an opportunity. He now acts as if he is Europe’s foreign policy leader by default and thinks that he has to run the show because there is a diplomatic-relations gap in the Western world.

“… With his ‘brain-dead’ allegation, he is trying to show European leaders that Europe can no longer rely on America to defend NATO allies. He presses for a greater Europe in terms of defense; he calls for a European army. According to him, ‘a true European army’ will protect Europe from ‘China, Russia and even the U.S.’… the idea of creating a European army will make the EU stronger and less dependent on the U.S. But this will come at a price. Lessening dependency on Washington will enlarge the fissure between the EU and the U.S. and weaken the Western alliance in the global arena. Most importantly, a European army and NATO cannot coexist. If the European leaders are persuaded by the French president, they will probably bring an end to the transatlantic alliance.

“The irony is that the idea of a European army dates back to the years following World War II, and it might have come to fruition if then-French President Charles de Gaulle had not prevented it. He wanted a directorate of three – namely France, Britain and the U.S. – to dictate Western security. When the idea of a ‘European defense force’ was proposed, de Gaulle worried that a European army would threaten French sovereignty and integrity and could bring back a militarized Germany… de Gaulle rejected a European army idea in the post-war era because he was opposed to giving power to Germany and took France out of NATO since he disliked the U.S. penetration of Europe’s political arena. Macron claims that he is trying to unify Europe’s military power, but the question is: Is France ready for a rearmed Germany especially while Britain is leaving the EU?…

“Does Macron actually want to dominate Europe while he says that Europe has to be controlled by Europeans?”

Is Macron determined to become Europe’s leader… using the vacuum created by weak, tired, inconclusive and undecisive Angela Merkel? The Bible shows that a military leader of German or Austrian descent… not a Frenchman… will rise soon.

Germany’s Military Endeavors in the Indo-Pacific Region

Naval News wrote on September 4:

“The German Government recently formulated the interests, principles and central areas of German policy in the Indo-Pacific region. The new guidelines are also a contribution to a possible EU-European Union overall strategy for the region, the country’s Ministry of Defense stated on September 2… ‘With the rise of Asia, the political and economic weights are increasingly shifting to the Indo-Pacific region. The region will become the key to shaping the international order in the 21st century,’ the new guidelines say…

“‘It is time for Germany to defend its interests more vigorously,’ German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized last year… Allies and partners would expect Germany to take the initiative, provide impetus and show options, said the minister. With the measures that have now been adopted, this approach is reflected in the official guidelines of the federal government…”

The Fight for the Mediterranean

The Washington Times wrote on September 2:

“The Mediterranean — an on-again, off-again geopolitical hot spot since before the pyramids were built — is emerging anew as a sea of division and instability, with powers including Russia, China, Turkey and Israel jostling aggressively for influence, natural resources and military advantage. Moscow is eyeing a possible military base along the oil-rich shores of Libya. China is seeking investment deals across the region. Turkey is clashing with NATO partner Greece over drilling rights and militarized islands. Newly discovered offshore natural gas deposits have nations scrambling to stake their claims. Even the Trump administration on Wednesday partially lifted an arms embargo with Cyprus in what was widely interpreted as a shot across Turkey’s bow.

“Analysts generally agree that NATO is failing to ease regional tensions. The U.S., despite multiple interests, lacks leverage in many of the disputes, with President Trump accelerating a U.S. pullback begun under President Obama that opened a power vacuum that others are now scrambling to fill.

“While a range of unsavory players are making moves — Iran, Hezbollah and the Islamic State are among those seeking to exploit the situation — many in Europe and Washington are pointing the finger at Turkey for escalating the crisis by threatening to use force to take possession of natural gas finds beneath a string of Mediterranean islands that most in Europe say belongs to Greece.

“The two NATO member states are now locked in a dangerous maritime standoff that is shaking the alliance to its core, with mediation attempts by Germany and others in the European Union so far going nowhere while the Trump administration warily monitors the situation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that Mr. Trump has held private discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and that the White House is ‘urging everyone to stand down.’”

NATO is falling apart, to be replaced by a powerful European army under German leadership.

Turkey Destroys Christian Church

Breitbart wrote on September 3:

“Turkish authorities razed to the ground the historic St. Georgios Christian church late Wednesday, an iconic structure known as the ‘Hagia Sophia of Bursa.’

“The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Georgios had been restored and transformed into a cultural center… The municipality took over the church in 2006 and invested some 2 million Turkish lira in restorations… Seven years ago, however, an Islamic organization… filed a lawsuit to gain ownership rights over the church and in 2013 proprietorship was assigned to [it]… After the transfer, the building received no regular maintenance and was allowed to go to ruin… Aware of the danger, the… Municipality had attempted again in 2016 to recover control of the church to be able to carry out necessary renovations, but received the reply that the building could not be used for any purpose other than a place of Muslim worship. Last July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reconverted Istanbul’s iconic 6th-century Hagia Sophia church into a mosque, after 86 years serving as a museum. He then proceeded to convert another historic former church, the 4th-century Chora church, one of Istanbul’s oldest Byzantine structures.

“President Erdogan has come under fire for undoing the work of secular Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, appeasing more radical Muslim elements by re-Islamizing the country. A Time magazine article Thursday warned of Mr. Erdogan’s ‘Love Affair with the Ottoman Empire’ that is moving the nation in a dangerous direction. ‘Much has been written about Erdogan’s attempts to “resurrect” the Ottoman Empire or to style himself a sultan,’ the article states. More precisely, Erdogan seems to be adopting the persona of the empire’s ninth sultan, Selim I, during whose reign ‘the Ottoman Empire grew from a strong regional power to a gargantuan global empire,’ it relates.”

Erdogan’s ambitions are far too obvious.

Trump’s “Peace Plan” Failing

The Los Angeles Times wrote on September 3:

“… after two trips through the region by senior Trump advisors to build on what they hoped would be momentum from the Emirates deal, no other Arab nation has said it is willing to take the long-shunned leap to accept and recognize Israel as a legitimate Mideast neighbor, at least not until Israel resolves its conflict with Palestinians… their hesitance also reflects decades of political and religious tension, in which most of the Arab world steadfastly pretends Israel does not exist.

“The Emirates would become only the third Arab country in history to recognize Israel, after Egypt and Jordan… The Emirates has been partly motivated by its desire to buy some of the most sophisticated fighter jets in the U.S. arsenal. An undisclosed number of F-35 fighter jets will reportedly be sold to the Emirates, despite Israeli objections…

“Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, despite its close relationship with the Trump administration, reiterated that it would not recognize Israel without an agreement with the Palestinians. The Saudis see themselves as leaders of the Sunni Arab world, with custody of Islam’s most important religious shrines, and have to tread carefully.

“Morocco and Bahrain echoed Saudi Arabia. Morocco is a unique case because it quietly enjoys tolerant relations with Israel. Moroccan Jews make up the second-largest immigrant population in Israel, after Russians, and there are cultural, travel and other connections between the two countries, albeit conducted discreetly.

“The official Bahrain News Agency reported that King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa told Pompeo that he would countenance only the two-state solution.

“Sudan, receiving Pompeo on Aug. 25, hinted it might come on board but only if it was removed from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. Qatar rebuffed Kushner, telling him upon his arrival there Wednesday that only a two-state solution — recognition of an independent Palestinian country alongside Israel — was acceptable.

“In U.S.-friendly Kuwait, legislators are pushing through a law that would prohibit normalization and impose a boycott on Israeli goods. ‘Kuwait has not changed its position, and it will be the last country to normalize with Israel,’ an unnamed government official was quoted as saying in the daily newspaper Al Qabas….”

It was clear from the outset: This “peace plan” has NO CHANCE of lasting success.

EU Threatens Serbia and Kosovo

The Associated Press wrote on September 7:

“In an unexpected move last week, Trump said that Serbia and Kosovo had agreed to normalize economic ties as part of US-brokered talks that include Belgrade moving its embassy to Jerusalem, and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo…

“‘There is no EU member state with an embassy in Jerusalem,’ European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said. ‘Any diplomatic steps that could call into question the EU’s common position on Jerusalem are a matter of serious concern and regret.’”

More and more, the EU is ruling its members and prospective members with an “iron hand.” Subsequently, Serbia and Kosovo have tried to somewhat distance themselves from Trump’s comments, fearing EU dictatorship.

Coming… a Brexit without a Trade Agreement?

Business Insider wrote on September 7:

“UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to overwrite key parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal he agreed with the EU last year as he insists that leaving all existing trade arrangements without a fresh deal at the end of the year would be a ‘good outcome’ for Britain… Johnson’s official spokesman confirmed on Monday that the government will move to ‘clarify specific elements’ of the deal…

“In practice, the bill will give UK ministers the power in primary legislation to determine what goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are ‘at risk’ of entering the EU… Critics of the move say these changes are significant changes that could undermine the entire Withdrawal Agreement.

“Under the terms of the Northern Irish protocol, while Great Britain will leave the EU’s single market and customs union at the end of the year, Northern Ireland will continue to follow the EU’s trading rules in order to avoid a controversial hard border with the Republic of Ireland. This arrangement will create new checks on goods moving both ways between Great Britain and Northern Ireland from January….

“Responding to the reports, the EU warned that any attempt to rip up parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement would wreck any chance of agreeing on a new future trading relationship. The prime minister on Sunday night reiterated that he was prepared to walk away from negotiations without an agreement and trade with the EU on the harshest terms if Brussels did not shift its position on fishing and state aid.

“Johnson… said that Thursday, October 15 was the deadline for striking a deal, telling the EU: ‘If we can’t agree by then, then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us, and we should both accept that and move on.’”

And so, the possibility of a no-deal Brexit becomes more and more likely.

Further Obstacles regarding a Brexit Deal

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 9:

“The UK government has admitted that rewriting its EU divorce treaty ‘breaks international law in a very specific and limited way.’ The EU has warned that the move could have serious consequences… Appearing in the UK Parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of presiding over a ‘rogue state….

“Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, warned the UK… [adding]  that any deviation from the withdrawal agreement, however minor, would ‘break international law and undermine trust.’…

“Ministers say the new law will define specific circumstances when the UK can override parts of the withdrawal agreement it ratified last year. The government says it will be able to unilaterally decide which goods are ‘at risk’ of entering the EU….”

Further Locust Plagues in Southern Africa

ABC News reported on September 4:

“Locusts are threatening another part of Africa, with up to 7 million people in the southern region facing further food insecurity… The outbreaks of African migratory locusts in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are not related to the huge outbreak of billions of desert locusts that has affected East Africa for months…

“While far smaller, the southern outbreaks need quick attention to prevent a wider problem as farmers and others already struggle to recover from a serious drought last year and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic… While all four countries have launched pesticide spraying efforts that have been called the only effective locust control, the work has been limited… A new emergency response initiative seeks environmental friendly pesticides…”

These are terrible curses for a world in defiance of God and His laws.

California Turns into a Furnace

MSN wrote on September 7:

“The largest new wildfire, the Creek Fire, was burning out of control across 79,000 acres in Fresno County as of Sunday night… The area is a popular summertime retreat of cabins, scout camps and campgrounds, but it turned into a fiery trap over the weekend. More than 200 people had to be rescued by air from the Mammoth Pool reservoir area. Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters plucked up the evacuees…

“Fire crews elsewhere in California were trying to contain new blazes: A 7,000-acre fire in San Bernardino County in Southern California… A 9,850-acre fire burning in the Cleveland National Forest east of San Diego…”

The Week added on September 7:

“California wildfires have burned nearly 2.1 million acres so far in 2020, surpassing the record for the most land scorched in the state in a single year, CAL Fire Capt. Richard Cordova said Sunday. ‘This is crazy,’ Cordova said. ‘We haven’t even got into the October and November fire season, and we’ve broken the all-time record.’ The news came as a record-setting heat wave created new challenges for exhausted firefighters who had finally started making headway containing some of the biggest blazes.

“The temperature in Woodland Hills, California, reached 121 degrees on Sunday, the highest ever recorded in Los Angeles County. The National Weather Service said the area could get even hotter as a dangerous heat wave continues in California, Nevada, and Arizona, and records could be broken in other parts of the region. ‘This is unmatched, just unprecedented, unreal,’ said John Lindsey, a meteorologist with Pacific Gas and Electric.”

California has been staring total disaster and financial collapse in the face. Its situation was already precarious before the coronavirus restrictions, but got much worse following the ill-conceived lockdown which has destroyed hundreds, if not thousands of businesses.  And now, further “natural” curses add to the catastrophe. How many more warnings must Californians receive before they wake up?

Wildfires at the West Coast

npr wrote on September 9:

“Intense wildfires are ravaging large swaths of the West Coast, prompting thousands of people to flee parts of Oregon and forcing power outages in California, where fires have already burned a record of more than 2.3 million acres this year. Fires are burning from Washington state to Southern California. In southern Oregon, people in parts of Medford, Talent and nearby communities were ordered to evacuate the area immediately Tuesday, with officials citing the imminent threat of fast-moving fires. The entire town of Phoenix — which has several thousand people — was told to leave.”

The Week added on September 9:

“With several catastrophic fires burning across Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown (D) warned on Wednesday that all residents ‘must be on high alert,’ as the blazes could lead to the ‘greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our state’s history.’”

No Protection from Facebook and Twitter?

JTA wrote on September 3:

“Nadine Strossen, [John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law and] the former head of the ACLU and a daughter of Holocaust survivors… believes… moves to censor hate speech are generally ill-advised

“‘… it’s really important to understand that there is no agreed upon legal definition of hate speech in the United States — the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently, unanimously refused to carve out an exception from free speech protections…

“‘The First Amendment protects us only against government restrictions on our speech. We have no free speech rights against Facebook or any private sector entity. There are a lot of people who are shocked to learn that! …”

So, Facebook, Twitter and others can do what they want. Users should be aware of that.

Wilders Not Guilty of Inciting Hatred

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 4:

“The far-right populist Geert Wilders had been found guilty by a lower court in the Netherlands of inciting hatred against Moroccans. But an appeals court has dismissed the charges. Judges did, however, uphold his prior conviction for collectively insulting the Moroccan people…

“The charges against Wilders were levied in 2016 and related to one of his campaign rallies two years earlier. At the event, Wilders led supporters by asking whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. ‘Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!’ his supporters chanted back. ‘We’re going to take care of that,’ Wilders told the crowd.”

It is hard to see how Wilders’ comments, as quoted, could be remotely characterized as hate speech.

Australia’s Ridiculous Travel Ban

News.com.au wrote on September 5:

“Australia’s international travel ban has been extended by a further three months — news that’s painful enough for anyone hankering for an overseas holiday, but devastating for those who have more serious reasons to travel abroad… it has also made Australians some of the only people in the world who need special permission to leave their country during the pandemic, with no clear end in sight.

“Aside from a few exemptions for special workers, dual nationals and those who usually live overseas, there are only six reasons Australians can ask permission to leave: critical business work, urgent medical treatment not available in Australia, urgent and unavoidable personal business, compassionate or humanitarian grounds, and travel in the national interest… only about a third of requests submitted to the Australian Broder Force are successful — no matter how desperate or heartfelt the reasons for travel are. news.com.au has been told of cases where people have had requests denied to see dying relatives — including those as close by as New Zealand — or to attend funerals of immediate family members, including parents. Those cases would generally be thought to fall under the category of compassionate grounds, but still haven’t gotten over the line.

“In other cases, baffled applicants have struggled to produce sufficient evidence — including power bills and school enrolment paperwork — to prove they really do mostly live in another country, which is another reason Australians can apply to travel. Many have expressed confusion about why they can’t leave if they are willing to fork out thousands for hotel quarantine when they return. In some instances people have had their applications denied by border officials, and then had the same application approved by someone else after resubmitting.

Dual Australian-British citizen Clare Hamilton-Bate told The Guardian she was initially rejected from travelling to London to see her terminally ill, 95-year-old stepfather… Ms Hamilton-Bate, who also wanted to spend time in London with her 90-year-old mother, who has dementia, said she submitted the request with six weeks’ notice… She was successful on her third attempt and managed to make it to London.

“Melbourne man Niall Williams told news.com.au he and his brother were knocked back multiple times trying to get permission to leave Australia to see their dying dad in the UK — and they got approval only after he passed away. ‘My brother is in Sydney, I’m in Melbourne but the Australian Government wouldn’t allow us to leave,’ he said…

“Another traveller, Mickey Chung, told 9 News his application to see his dying grandmother in Hong Kong was denied. ‘I got an email basically just saying, “We don’t believe this is urgent, we don’t believe this is an exceptional circumstance”’, he said. The request was eventually granted, but only after his grandmother had died. He managed to get to Hong Kong for the funeral, and completed the total of 28 days of quarantine required for the quick trip…”

These are terrible and unconscionable restrictions in Australia by a left-wing government.

Britain’s Dictatorship… and the People Love It?

Breitbart wrote on September 9:

“The British government is set to reimpose strict legal limitations on public gatherings, and it is reportedly considering a draconian national curfew… social gatherings of more than six will be banned in England… The new rules would give police the power to break up gatherings of more than six people both indoors and outside…  This includes people’s private homes and gardens, pubs, parks, and restaurants. Family gatherings of more than six are also banned. Weddings, funerals, schools, team sports, and workplaces, however, will be exempt from the rules…

“Refusing to abide by the rules will result in a £100 fine, doubling for repeat offences to a maximum of £3,200. Policing forces were already criticised for overreacting to the outbreak earlier this year, including following dog walkers with drones and last month,  breaking up a child’s birthday party…

“Meanwhile, an astonishing three-quarters of Britons do not think that the public has taken the pandemic seriously (74 per cent) and are worried about a second wave (73 per cent)… The findings from Tuesday suggest that citizens will offer little objection to any such new rules, and will welcome further curtailment of their freedom.

“Businessman and peer Lord Alan Sugar hit out at the mainstream media for stirring up fear over coronavirus, as he urged people to return to work…  ‘I’m sick and tired of watching CNN, Sky [News], Bloomberg, BBC, the lot, because all they do is cause panic amongst people. I’m not interested in any of this stuff, because you can switch the television on any time of day and the first thing you’ll see is more bad news.’”

In a related article, Breitbart wrote on September 9:

“Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has slammed the government’s new ‘draconian’ lockdown laws, saying that it is hard to justify law-abiding citizens following the new rules when police fail to stop protests and illegal raves… Mr Farage may be right to point out the hypocrisy of threatening to police free, law-abiding Britons after months of authorities failing to crack down on far-left Antifa and Marxist Black Lives Matter protests, so-called ‘street parties’, and illegal raves… Despite several weekends of violent and destructive Black Lives Matter protests, the police admitted that the events were ‘unlawful’ under coronavirus regulations, but effectively did nothing

“In April, Farage warned of the coronavirus ‘police state’ with Britons expected to live under a ‘house detention regime’, writing: ‘I fear, however, that the arbitrary powers now given to the police may remain in place for a long time to come.’… Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption had remarked in March that the way the police and government were treating coronavirus regulations was akin to a ‘police state’. ‘This is what a police state is like — it is a state in which the government can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority, and the police enforce minister’s wishes,’ he said.”

Dangerous developments indeed… and the people are so blind…

California Church in Defiance of Coronavirus Rules…

CBS wrote on September 5:

“A Los Angeles Superior Court judge is expected to have a decision sometime next week regarding a Sun Valley church’s holding in-person church services in defiance of coronavirus health orders. L.A. County lawyers lost four tries for a temporary restraining order against Grace Community Church, directing leaders to refrain from holding packed indoor services. ‘I recognize the importance of the decision,’ Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff said after an hours-long hearing on Friday.

“Even though an order has not yet been issued by the judge, Beckloff said he won’t allow Gov. Gavin Newsom to file a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the county’s stand.

“L.A. County sued Grace Community Church on Aug. 14 after it began holding indoor services on Sundays. The church, led by Pastor John MacArthur, filed a suit against the county in response and that case is awaiting trial in Burbank Superior Court.

“MacArthur has argued that he’s holding services not to be ‘rebellious’ but because ‘our Lord has commanded us to come together.’ Attorney Amnon Siegel, who is arguing on behalf of the county, pushed back saying ‘religion doesn’t trump health and safety.’”

Italians Wake Up to Health Dictatorship

Breitbart wrote on September 6:

“Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Rome Saturday to protest an extended national ‘state of emergency’ for the coronavirus, which allows the government to issue decrees outside of the legislative process.

“Much of the thrust of messages painted on signs and banners denounced the long-term economic effects of Italy’s lockdowns as well as an alleged ‘strategy of terror’ employed by government-controlled media and an ongoing ‘health dictatorship’ used to thwart the democratic process… From the stage, organizers decried plans for a mandatory coronavirus vaccine, while accusing the left-wing government of ‘intimidating people.’”

Liberman: Reject Israel’s “Illegal” Health Regulations

Times of Israel wrote on September 7:

“Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman urged Israelis on Monday not to comply with the government’s ‘illegal’ health regulations, which he said were purely political and not in citizens’ best interest… Ministers on Sunday evening approved nightly curfews in some 40 cities with high infection numbers, instead of the previously planned full lockdown on a smaller number of towns, in the wake of a threat of rebellion from some ultra-Orthodox mayors and a major political crisis with the ultra-Orthodox parties…

“Liberman said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ‘sacrificed public health on the altar of protecting the coalition, and therefore all decisions made are blatantly illegal… We cannot allow citizens of the State of Israel to become hostages of Deri, Litzman and Gafni,’ Liberman said, proposing to abolish the so-called coronavirus cabinet and give full control over Israel’s virus response to the Israel Defense Forces.

“Liberman’s comments were met with a barrage of criticism… President Reuven Rivlin wrote on Twitter. ‘Calls for civil disobedience harm the principles ensuring our well-being and the well-being of the entire public, specifically during crises…’ Health Minister Yuli Edelstein of the Likud party said, ‘Liberman is playing with fire,’ charging that the opposition politician was acting ‘recklessly and irresponsibly and taking advantage of a fragile health and economic situation. Shame.’

“Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin, also of Likud, said in a statement that the call for civil disobedience will ‘create anarchy and endanger the health of all citizens of Israel…’ Defense Minister and Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz also called Liberman’s comments ‘irresponsible’…”

Trump’s Ill-Advised Fight with Fox News

CNN wrote on September 5:

“After spending much of the day bashing The Atlantic for Jeffrey Goldberg’s jarring report which said Trump had disparaged military members who died in service to the country, Fox News itself confirmed key aspects of it… [Fox News’ national security] correspondent Jennifer Griffin said she had confirmed Trump disparaged veterans; didn’t want to honor the dead at the Aisne-Marne Cemetery; and did not want to lower flags after the death of John McCain…

“In a late-night Friday tweet, Trump attacked Griffin… saying, ‘Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting.’ He added that he believed Fox News is ‘gone.’

The Daily Beast wrote on September 6:

“Filling in for Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday this weekend, Bret Baier took the opportunity to accuse President Donald Trump of ‘cancel culture’ hypocrisy…  [Griffin had] confirmed with her sources that, among other things, he had described U.S. service members as ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’…

Cavuto called her a ‘very good reporter’ who is ‘pretty scrupulous when it comes to making sure all the i’s are dotted, all the t’s are crossed.’”

Trump also denied having called McCain a “loser.” However, he clearly did so, saying this before millions of TV viewers.

How “Evangelical” is Trump?

The Independent wrote on September 8:

“A new book by Donald Trump’s disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen has described the president leaving an event with evangelical leaders and ridiculing their faith in crude terms… According to Mr Cohen, the president emerged from the session with contempt. ‘Can you believe that bulls**t?’ he allegedly said. ‘Can you believe people believe that bulls**t?’ [Reference is made to an incident when evangelical leaders placed their hands on him to pray for him.]

“The White House has dismissed Mr Cohen’s account of the incident, along with the book as a whole and other incidents that it alleges…

Hardly known for his religiosity before entering politics, Mr Trump has successfully cultivated a relationship with evangelical leaders and voters since he began running for president in 2015. When asked by interviewers at the time to name a favourite Bible verse, he refused; pressed on whether he preferred the Old or New Testament, he said ‘probably equal’…

“Telling evangelical congregations that he would end a supposed national ‘siege’ of Christianity, he also formed a bond with many of the US’s most prominent Christian leaders, including Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the highly conservative Liberty University. (Mr Falwell has recently been pressured to leave the university amid allegations of abusing his position for financial gain and enjoying a three-way sexual relationship with his wife and a male pool attendant. He denies the claims of impropriety.)

“However, even as Mr Trump has maintained his claims to be devout during his presidency, especially during his nomination of two conservative Supreme Court justices, not all are convinced. He was widely castigated for a notorious photoshoot in Washington, DC this summer in which he ordered police to tear gas… protesters out of the way so he could pose with a Bible outside a church. The incident saw many political and religious leaders outside the evangelical movement accuse him of exploiting the book as a prop….”

Politics and religion don’t mix, but sadly, they are clearly embraced, in one way or another, by ALL political candidates. See the next article about Joe Biden and other Catholic Democrats.

How “Catholic” is Biden?

CNA (Catholic News Agency) wrote on August 12, 2020:

“Biden, a Catholic, is in the habit of going to Mass while traveling… it will soon raise questions familiar both to bishops and to pundits: Can pro-choice politicians like Biden receive the Eucharist? And will anyone stop Biden if he approaches the communion line?

“The norm of canon 915 itself is clear: Catholics ‘obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.’… In 2004, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [later Pope Benedict, who subsequently retired], then head of the Church’s doctrinal office, wrote a memorandum to the U.S. Catholic bishops, explaining the application of canon 915 to the question of pro-choice politicians. The case of a Catholic politician who is ‘consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws’ would constitute ‘formal cooperation’ in grave sin that is ‘manifest,’ the letter explained.

“In such cases, ‘his pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist,’ Ratzinger wrote. If the individual perseveres in grave sin and still presents himself for Holy Communion, ‘the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it.’…

“Asked by a journalist, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said in October that he would not deny Biden the Eucharist. Before that, in January 2019, Dolan had said that he would not deny the Eucharist to New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo, who signed into law one of the most permissive abortion laws in the country’s history

“Biden… supports the federal funding of abortion and in 2016 officiated at a same-sex wedding

“So here’s what’s likely to happen: At some point between now and election day, a young priest will find Joe Biden in his communion line. Because of the priest’s convictions about the unborn and his sacramental theology, he will deny Biden the Eucharist.

“Someone will see it, a report will get out… The priest will issue a statement explaining himself, and then be roundly criticized… Pro-choice or progressive leaning Catholics will on social media call the priest a fundamentalist…

“If that prediction sounds quite specific, that’s because it’s what happened in October 2019, the last time Biden was denied the Eucharist… That leaves priests who put the policy into practice standing often by themselves. It leaves some Catholics confused about how seriously the Church takes its own teaching and its own sacramental discipline…”

Biden has insisted that his religious faith has been a “bedrock foundation” of his life and that his personal beliefs should not be confused with his official position as a politician. What kind of a rationale is that?

As a Catholic, how can he or Pelosi or Como or other Catholic politicians support a concept which is in blatant opposition of Catholic doctrine? And it is untrue that a distinction should be drawn between his private and his official position. When he officiated a marriage at a private event for a same-sex couple, that too violated Catholic doctrine.

Pelosi’s Hypocrisy and the Destruction of Another Business

Fox News wrote on September 9:

“San Francisco hair salon owner Erica Kious is shutting her doors for good after controversy over a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week destroyed her business… Fox News obtained surveillance video last week of Pelosi visiting the salon for a hair wash and blowout, despite the fact that San Francisco salons were closed at the time due to the coronavirus pandemic. The video showed Pelosi walking through the interior of the salon without wearing a mask.

“Kious told host Tucker Carlson she was attacked for exposing Pelosi. ‘I started to just get a ton of phone calls, text messages, emails, all my Yelp reviews… saying that they hope I go under and that I fail,’ she said. ‘So just a lot of negativity towards my business.’ Kious said the negativity has made her hesitant to return to San Francisco, where she has lived for the past 15 years. ‘I’m actually afraid to go back… It’s a little scary and sad,’ she said. ‘I do have a lot of positive calls and text messages from clients. But other than that, nothing but negativity.’”

What terrible developments in a country which is destroying itself…

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

Russia’s Ambitions regarding Alaska

The Associated Press wrote on August 28:

“The Russian navy conducted major war games near Alaska involving dozens of ships and aircraft, the military said Friday, the biggest such drills in the area since Soviet times… more than 50 warships and about 40 aircraft were taking part in the exercise in the Bering Sea, which involved multiple practice missile launches…

“Russia has prioritized boosting its military presence in the Arctic region, which is believed to hold up to one-quarter of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas. Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited estimates that put the value of Arctic mineral riches at $30 trillion…

“The Russian military has expanded the number and the scope of its war games in recent years as Russia-West relations have sunk to their lowest level since the Cold War after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, and other crises.”

Russia has had its eyes on Alaska for a long time.

Russia Ready to Intervene in Belarus

TRT World wrote on August 28:

“Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin that their countries could unite their troops in the event of a threat from the West… Lukashenko… is facing the biggest challenge in his 26 years in power after protests and strikes erupted following a contested August 9 election… Lukashenko ordered half of the country’s army to enter combat preparedness

The EU… is preparing sanctions against his regime for ballot fraud and a violent crackdown on opposition protesters… German Chancellor Angela Merkel… said she has also tried to call Lukashenko, but that he has refused to speak with her thus far.”

It seems that Russia’s intervention in Belarus is only a matter of time. Belarus will not become a part of the EU. Neither will Ukraine.

Lukashenko Plays Hardball

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 29:

“Authorities in Belarus stripped several foreign media journalists of their press accreditation on Saturday, with some reportedly facing expulsion from the country. Journalists working for news agencies Agence France Presse and the Associated Press as well as British broadcaster BBC, German public broadcaster ARD and US broadcaster Radio Liberty had their accreditation stripped.

“German broadcaster ARD said that one of their camera teams was arrested overnight despite having the appropriate accreditation. They were released in the morning after authorities withdrew their accreditation and ordered two Russian members of the team to leave the country. Their Belarusian producer has been threatened with legal action… the Belarusian Association of Journalists spoke of a massive wave of accreditation withdrawals for journalists working for foreign TV, radio, newspapers and news agencies.”

The Associated Press added on August 30:

“Belarus on Saturday cracked down hard on foreign news media that have been covering the protests, deporting at least four Russian journalists, including two from The Associated Press. The government also revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists working for foreign new agencies, including journalists working for AP.”

VOA News reported on August 29:

“Lukashenko… said he would block neighboring European countries from shipping goods to Russia over Belarusian territory and divert Belarusian exports now shipped through ports in neighboring EU member Lithuania to other outlets.

“‘If they, Poles and Lithuanians, used to fly through us to China and Russia, now they will fly through the Baltic or through the Black Sea to trade with Russia, and so on, and they can only dream of sanctioned products, those products on which Russia has imposed an embargo,’ he said. Lithuania, Poland and Latvia have called for Europe to take stronger action against Lukashenko…”

Demonstrations Ongoing

The Associated Press wrote on August 30:

“Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied Sunday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk to begin the fourth week of daily protests demanding that the country’s authoritarian president resign… There were no official figures on the crowd size, but some opposition sources claimed it exceeded 100,000

“Putin and Lukashenko talked by phone on Sunday, but a Kremlin statement gave few details of the conversation, other than noting that Putin congratulated the Belarusian leader on his 66th birthday.”

The situation in Belarus is nearing its boiling point.

Merkel: Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Was Poisoned

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 2:

“Angela Merkel said there was ‘shocking information’ that showed ‘beyond a doubt’ that the apparent poisoning of Alexei Navalny was ‘an attempted murder with nerve agent’ after a toxicology test in Germany showed that the opposition leader had been targeted with Novichok. Merkel said Navalny was ‘the victim of a crime intended to silence him.’

“She said the gravity of that fact made it important for her to ‘take a clear stance.’ The chancellor said the case raises ‘very serious questions that only the Russian government can answer — and must answer,’ adding, ‘the world will wait for an answer.’…

“Berlin will now confer with its EU and NATO partners to discuss an appropriate reaction to the incident… Calling for a united diplomatic reaction in her statement, Merkel said, ‘The crime against Alexei Navalny was aimed at the fundamental values and rights for which we stand.’” 

It will remain to be seen what “diplomatic” measures the EU and NATO are willing to take against Russia.    

The Nord Stream Pipeline–Resisting the USA “from the Beginning!”

Der Spiegel wrote on August 28:

“Threats of sanctions from the U.S. have put a stop to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. The multibillion-euro project is now at risk, and leading German politicians are not amused. … It’s not just environmentalists who have spent years resisting the project. Many of Germany’s European Union partners, particularly Poland and the Baltic countries, see it as a strategic error since it makes Europe dependent on Russian gas… the German government has stubbornly pursued its completion, and now, the two 1,230-kilometer-long pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea from the Narva Bay in Russia to the German town of Lubmin is virtually finished. Only about 150 kilometers still have to be laid.

“Now, though, U.S. President Donald Trump could torpedo the project at the very last moment. Washington is currently threatening to impose sanctions on companies that are involved in the pipeline. Both houses of Congress are intending to expand the Sanctions Act to include the pipeline. Construction has currently been halted due to concern over the potential sanctions… U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that the pipeline falls under 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), effective immediately. The act was originally passed as a lever against enemies like Iran and North Korea, but now Germany has also become a target of extraterritorial sanctions…

“Placing Germany on the same level as Iran and North Korea in the debate over the pipeline marks a new low in the German-American relationship. ‘Sanctions between partners is clearly the wrong path. Germany and Europe make their own decisions about energy policy,’ said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was echoed by Manuela Schwesig, the SPD governor of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is where Mukran Port is located and has borne the brunt of the halt in construction. ‘The behavior of the U.S. government is scandalous,’ she said. ‘We can’t accept that. I expect the federal government to make it clear to the U.S. that we do not accept such behavior.’

“But it’s not that easy. For Berlin, the conflict with the U.S. is a sensitive tightrope walk. On the one hand, it must try to protect domestic companies from the American aggression. On the other, it makes Berlin look even more like a sponsor of the project, which promises to provide a significant financial boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Given the recent poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, calls for sanctions against Putin have grown louder. Were Berlin to now step in on behalf of the multibillion-euro joint project, say critics, it would seem rather counterproductive. Indeed, there have been increasing demands for Germany to end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline… At the same time, though, it would be a victory for Washington and Trump’s foreign policy, which many have begun to view as a form of extortion….

“Germans have underestimated the danger eminating from Putin’s Russia. The suspicion is that the pipeline is part of his geo-political ambitions, giving him yet another lever with which he can exert pressure. It would allow him to simply cut off the gas supply to countries formerly in the Soviet sphere of influence without affecting flows to customers further to the west. Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Estonia are all dependent on natural gas from Russia. At greatest risk, however, is Ukraine, where Russia has been supporting separatists in the country’s far east for many years. Some 40 percent of the natural gas imported by the EU from Russia flows through Ukraine…

That, in turn, will allow Moscow to exert more pressure on Kiev, thus potentially sabotaging the country’s attempts to establish closer ties to Europe…

“Many EU countries that have thus far been critical of the pipeline, however, felt the need to show solidarity with Germany in the face of the harsh U.S. sanctions. In mid-August, 24 of the 27 EU member states sent the State Department a sternly worded note of protest in the form of a video conference. Hungary, Latvia and Romania did not join the protest… Should the U.S. find success with its bullying tactics, says one diplomat, every EU member state would have to prepare for being a U.S. target at some point – and thus dependent on assistance from its partners in the bloc. Today, the focus is on Nord Stream 2, ‘but tomorrow it could be on computers, ships, cars or something else,’ says Daniel Caspary, head of the German conservatives group in the European Parliament. ‘We have to resist at the beginning.’”

Europe’s intent to gang up with Germany against the USA is only too obvious.

Turkey Grants Citizenship to Hamas Operatives

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 28:

“The Telegraph reported its reporter had seen Turkish identity papers issued to at least one of 12 senior Hamas operatives. At least seven of the operatives were granted citizenship and issued an 11-digit identity number and passports, while the five remaining Hamas operatives are in the process of receiving passports…  Turkish passports would allow the operatives to travel extensively around the world.

“In a shocking revelation, the Telegraph reported that all of the 12 operatives were released and deported from Israel under the Shalit Deal of 2011, in which 1,027 mostly Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for an Israeli soldier. Two-hundred and eighty of these had been sentenced to life in prison for planning and perpetrating various attacks against Israeli targets. Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari was quoted… as confirming that the prisoners released under the deal were collectively responsible for the killing of 569 Israelis.”

The Bible does not have too many good things to say about end-time Turkey.

Turkey’s Ambitions in Lebanon

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 27:

“… officials in Lebanon are concerned at increased indications of Turkish efforts to build strength and influence in the country. The report quoted two sources in Lebanese intelligence, who mentioned recent Turkish efforts to bring [‘an incredible amount of’] weapons into northern Lebanon…

“Turkey is actively involved using both its own forces and proxies in the two fragmented Arab countries to Lebanon’s east – Syria and Iraq. The deployments in both countries already have the look of the long term about them, with clearly defined areas of control. Turkey is also active in Libya…

“To these areas add Turkey’s aggressive naval stance in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its active backing of Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank and of Islamist organizations in Jerusalem. All these add up to a strategy in which Ankara is seeking to emerge as the main strategic beneficiary of the chaos and fragmentation that has gripped much of the region over the last decade….

“The fragile Lebanese sectarian balance has been shattered over the last decade by the entry of around one million overwhelmingly Sunni Syrian refugees… Sunni Islamist Turkey is seeking to fill the vacuum, and to recruit the Lebanese Sunni street to its banner…”

Turkey would love to become the leader of Sunni nations, but this will never happen. For instance, Saudi Arabia would never agree to this.

Trump Accepts Republican Nomination

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 28:

“In a speech delivered from a huge stage on the White House front lawn he… described the upcoming election as ‘the most important in the history of our country.’ In an attack on his Democrat rival Joe Biden, he said there had never been ‘a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies… Joe Biden is not a savior of America’s soul, he is a destroyer of America’s jobs and if given the chance he will be the destroyer of American greatness,’ Trump said…

“The location of Trump’s speech broke tradition and regulations of not using the White House mansion for purely political events. There was no social distancing in place for the crowd sat watching the speech and face masks were not required…

“Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday [accepted] his… nomination. He defended police and called for an end to unrest in cities where violence broke out following anti-police demonstrations… He added: ‘We’re not going to defund the police. Not now, not ever.’”

The coming election might very well turn out to be the most important one in the history of the USA, as it might be the last one.

South Dakota under Attack

KELO wrote on August 28:

“Right now South Dakota has the highest number of active Covid-19 cases since the pandemic started. There were 2,182 active cases in the state as of Friday’s briefing from the State Department of Health. But Governor Noem says that’s not the number she’s most concerned about.

“‘What we’ve always been focused on is the hospitalization numbers,’ Noem said. ‘We’ve seen a little bit of an increase in those as well but previously for the last several weeks they’ve been declining. I think we’re exactly where we thought we would be.’”

Satan is very anxious to try to destroy South Dakota and with it the feast site for the Church of the Eternal God. But he will not prevail.

Deadly Violence in Portland, Oregon

The Associated Press reported on August 30:

“Police issued a plea early Sunday for videos, photos or eyewitness accounts of a fatal shooting in Portland, Oregon, that unfolded after hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in the streets of the city. The shooting late Saturday night came about 15 minutes after a caravan of about 600 vehicles that were part of a pro-Trump rally left downtown, police said. It wasn’t clear if the shooting was related to the clashes between Trump supporters and counterprotesters in Oregon’s largest city, which has become a flashpoint in the national Black Lives Matter protests…

“On Sunday, Trump issued a flurry of tweets and retweets including several that blamed Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for the death… Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blamed local officials for failing ‘to protect their communities.’…”

Breitbart added on August 30:

“Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) issued a statement on Sunday blaming President Donald Trump for the violence seen across American cities, particularly in Portland, after a Trump supporter was shot and killed. Brown’s comments came after months of inaction by local authorities to wrangle violent protests across the city of Portland under Mayor Ted Wheeler…

“Since the death of George Floyd, Portland has become a hot spot for violent crime, including the burning and looting of buildings, the tearing down of statues and monuments, and various shootings. Police in Portland have been left to fend for themselves with little to no backing from state or local officials.

“Protests across Portland for the past few months have been mostly anti-police. One group took to the streets to burn the American flag and copies of the Bible. Another group set ablaze a severed pig’s head, donned with a cop hat sitting atop an American flag.”

This hypocrisy by Oregon’s Democratic governor and Portland’s incompetent mayor will undoubtedly help Trump in November’s election.

Hunger in the USA

Bloomberg wrote on September 2:

“The ranks of Americans fighting hunger are projected to swell some 45% this year to more than 50 million… About one-third of those relying on food shelves, large-scale and emergency food distributions now are doing so for the first time… In parts of Minnesota, that number is closer to 70%.

“During the pandemic, about a 10th of American households reported they haven’t had enough food in a given week. That’s a shocking figure for the world’s richest country. It’s more than double pre-Covid figures and the highest since comparable government data [started] in 1995… lockdowns have snarled supply chains, and food inflation is projected to rise at the fastest pace in almost a decade. Meanwhile, unemployment, low wages and reduced working hours are diminishing purchasing power—all of which are disproportionately impacting women and minorities, as is food insecurity…”

Terrible consequences of lockdown measures…

Black Lives Matter… That’s How the Nazis Began

The Daily Mail wrote on August 27:

“The footage could hardly be more chilling, like something from the wilder fringes of Hollywood’s dystopian imagination. A woman sits at a table, recoiling in fear. She is penned in, surrounded by a mob of masked men and women, their clenched fists raised menacingly in the air. Again and again the rhythmic chants go up: ‘White silence is violence! No justice, no peace!’ The woman shrinks further back in her chair. The mob moves in. Some of them lean into her face. They stand over her, fists raised, shrieking and shouting, demanding that she too raises her arm in salute. On and on it goes. Nobody comes to her defence. It’s an awful scene, reminiscent of the street scenes in Germany in the spring of 1933, when Nazi thugs demanded that ordinary people raise their arms in homage to Hitler.

“But this is not Germany in 1933… This was Washington DC, one of the great capitals of the democratic West, just two days ago. The woman’s name was Lauren Victor, and her crime was to have been spotted having dinner outside a Washington restaurant. The mob were, inevitably, Black Lives Matter protesters, roaming the streets of the US capital during their latest demonstrations about alleged police brutality towards black Americans. According to an appalled reporter from the Washington Post, the predominantly white activists were trying to force ordinary diners to raise their fists and join in with their chants. Miss Victor, an urban planner, said no.

“Ironically, it turns out she had previously been on Black Lives Matter marches herself, but now she just wanted to have her dinner in peace. ‘It didn’t feel right,’ she said afterwards, adding that she felt ‘under attack’. That seems a remarkably understated way of putting it. I wonder how many of us, in Miss Victor’s shoes, would show the same grace and guts under such horrendous pressure. In almost every detail, it’s a scene that turns your stomach.

“The snarls of aggression and ritual chanting are nothing new. Neither is the hysterical, bullying tone of the protesters. But the facemasks give the episode a deeply sinister feel. So do the ubiquitous camera phones, held up as if the protesters are recording Miss Victor’s non-compliance for some future show trial. In America, the pictures inspired well-deserved horror. Many moderate black leaders were quick to express their condemnation, and even some Black Lives Matter protesters were eager to distance themselves… for weeks now it has been obvious that whatever its origins, the Black Lives Matter movement has become a nihilistic, monomaniacal cult

“It is now perilously close to fascism – not, perhaps, the same kind of fascism practised by Hitler, Himmler, Goering and Goebbels, but fascism of a peculiarly sinister 21st-century variety. Like all true fascists, the most extreme BLM supporters have a crude… view of history… They believe that through the fires of destruction – ‘defunding’ the police, tearing down statues, emptying museums – humanity can be purged…

“Over time, it has become glaringly obvious that the BLM movement is largely driven by rich, white, expensively educated Left-wing university graduates, like the people involved with Oxford’s Rhodes Must Fall movement. A year ago, they were marching behind the banners of Extinction Rebellion. But anti-racism has become their new status symbol… Their sacred cause permits them to break whatever laws they like…

“It is no exaggeration to say that these self-styled activists will not rest until every museum has been remodelled, every patriotic hymn suppressed, every country house ‘contextualised’, every employee re-educated, every curriculum rewritten. That, too, is how fascism works. There is only one way to stop them. They cannot be appeased, for with every concession their appetite grows. We cannot ignore them and hope they will go away. Nor can we go along with them and hope they leave us alone. The only way to beat them is to stand up to them, and say: ‘No.’”

This is awful conduct! The comparison with Nazi behavior in the 1930s is well deserved.  

Californian County Retaliates against Church—“The Essence of Tyranny”

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on August 31:

“A California church challenged local coronavirus restrictions on worship services, and county authorities responded by canceling the church’s five-decade-old lease.

“County officials informed Grace Community Church that it will terminate its decades-old lease on a parking lot after the church filed a lawsuit over local restrictions against in-person worship. The county told the church in a letter it intends to terminate the lease of a large section of the parking lot that the church leases, threatening to forcibly remove any of the church’s property that remained in the lot. ‘If Grace fails to vacate the premise as required, the District may enter the premises and remove Grace’s personal property in accordance with the Agreement and applicable law, and Grace will be responsible for any resultant expenses incurred by the District,’ the letter states.

“Jenna Ellis, special counsel to the Thomas More Society, said the move is meant to punish a religious organization for requesting the same privileges afforded to protesters. She accused county officials of attempting to ‘abuse their power through burdensome, restrictive, and unconstitutional orders’ and retaliate against those who object. ‘L.A. County is clearly trying to evict Grace Church from use of their parking lot for no other reason than because Pastor John [MacArthur] stood firm and is challenging their power,’ she said. ‘This is the essence of tyranny.’

“The church has leased the parking lot since 1975 without interruption. The county has given the church until October 1 to vacate the lot… The church returned to in-person indoor services in July following more than a month of protests tied to the Black Lives Matter movement. While state and local officials turned a blind eye to—and in some cases participated in—the demonstrations that attracted tens of thousands of people, church leaders filed suit. The lawsuit argues that the ongoing state and local coronavirus restrictions violate the church’s First Amendment rights and unconstitutionally favor political protests over religious services. The church won a temporary victory last week when a judge rejected the county’s attempt to obtain a temporary restraining order to shut down church services…”

Shameful and SO hypocritical!

Don’t Rush out a Vaccine too Soon!

CNN wrote on September 1:

“Vaccine experts are warning the federal government against rushing out a coronavirus vaccine before testing has shown it’s both safe and effective. Decades of history show why they’re right…

“On April 12, 1955 the government announced the first vaccine to protect kids against polio. Within days, labs had made thousands of lots of the vaccine. Batches made by one company, Cutter Labs, accidentally contained live polio virus and it caused an outbreak. More than 200,000 children got the polio vaccine, but within days the government had to abandon the program… From 1955 to 1963, between 10% and 30% of polio vaccines were contaminated with simian virus 40 (SV40)… It was being transferred to millions of Americans

“In 1976, scientists predicted a pandemic of a new strain of influenza called swine flu. More than 40 years later, some historians call it ‘flu epidemic that never was… Ford was being cajoled to put forward a vaccine that was hastily put together… Ford made the decision to make the immunization compulsory. The government launched the program in about seven months and 40 million people got vaccinated against swine flu, according to the CDC. That vaccination campaign was later linked to cases of a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome…

“It took several incidents for people to start distrusting vaccines

“A too-early EUA for a vaccine could cause a ‘nightmare scenario,’ for a few reasons. One, the vaccine may not be safe. Two, if it is not safe, people will lose faith in vaccines. Three, if a vaccine doesn’t offer complete protection, people will have a false sense of security and increase their risk. Four, if a substandard vaccine gets an EUA, a better vaccine may never get approval, because people would be reluctant to enroll in trials and risk getting a placebo instead of a vaccine….”

And fifth, even “safe” vaccines are not safe, as they all have the risks of serious side effects.

Inflated Figures and Lockdown Useless and Harmful

Collective Evolution wrote on August 30:

“According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), out of all the deaths that have been labelled as a COVID-19 death in the United States so far, for 6% of them ‘COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned’ and for 94% of the deaths, there were other causes and conditions in addition to COVID-19. The CDC states that ‘for deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.’

“…[For] the majority of deaths that have been attributed to COVID-19, the new virus may not have been the cause of the death… There have also been many claims around the internet that people who have died in car accidents and other causes have been marked as a Covid death if they test positive… a study published in Italy shows that 99 percent of people who had died so far from COVID 19 at the time of the study had pre-existing medical conditions that made them more susceptible to death… we do not see people who die of a heart attack tested to see if they have the flu. What’s been happening here is that if someone dies of a heart-attack but tests positive for COVID-19, it’s also marked as a covid death…

“There have been some eye-opening statements from health authorities all over the world that seem to have emphasized that some deaths that are clearly not a result of covid, but of something else, have again, also been marked as a covid death if the patient tested positive. This has been a common theme throughout the pandemic. For example, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, recently stated that, even if it’s clear one died of an alternative cause, their death will still be marked as a COVID death… Toronto Public Health tweeted in late June that ‘Individuals who have died with COVID-19, but not as a result of COVID-19, are included in the case counts for COVID-19 deaths in Toronto.’

“The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced a change to how it tallies coronavirus deaths amid complaints that it inflated numbers… Vittorio Sgarbi, Italian politician Mayor of Sutri, gave an emotional speech at a hearing on the 24th of April where he emphasized that the number of deaths in Italy due to COVID-19 are completely false and that the people are being lied to. He stated his belief that governments were doing this to exercise more control over the population. This sentiment echoes the thoughts of many notable people, like Dr. Ron Paul for example…

“It’s also important to mention the research and opinions of many health experts who have been emphasizing that the case-fatality rate of COVID-19 is very similar to a severe flu. For example, Ronald B. Brown, Ph.D., from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada says, based on his research, that the coronavirus fatality rates we were/are given represents ‘Worst Miscalculation in Human History.’ Dr. Brown added that CDC and WHO documents show that the case fatality rate for influenza was similar to the coronavirus, implying that the lockdowns were pointless. His paper questions why the 2017-2018 influenza season in the United States did not ‘receive the same intensive media coverage as COVID-19.’

“The Physicians For Informed Consent (PIC) recently published a report titled ‘Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC) Compares COVID-19 to Previous Seasonal and Pandemic Flu Periods.’ According to them, the infection/fatality rate of COVID-19 is 0.26%… Many doctors and scientists around the world have been emphasizing from the very beginning that lockdown measures [are] completely unnecessary, harmful, and don’t really make any sense. For example, more than 500 German doctors & scientists have… expressed the same thing multiple times early on in the pandemic all the way up to today…

“What makes it even more important is that the thousands of scientists and doctors all over the world who are sharing opinions, research, and data that seems to contradict what we’ve been given from organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) are being heavily censored, and in some cases ridiculed. A lot of the information presented in this article is never really presented by the mainstream media, and as a result the masses are usually beamed with a one-sided perception while these same networks simply ridicule and label any opposing information that threatens their narrative as a ‘conspiracy theory.’…

“We live in a world where big interests seem to dominate politics and science… Understanding what’s going on here, or at least attempting to through the process of critical thinking and questioning, is all part of the process. In an ideal world there would be complete transparency of all issues, but today we have a digital authoritarian ‘fact-checker’ that seems to be patrolling the internet telling people what is and what isn’t instead of allowing people to make up their own minds. You are not stupid, and you have the ability to think for yourself! Don’t ever forget that.”

Very well expressed! Also, the Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 2 about the “Pelosi-Gate: House Speaker’s Hair-Raising Hypocrisy,” continuing:

“US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was busted yesterday, sneaking in to a beauty salon in San Francisco for a shampoo. Salons in California had been closed for months to ‘fight Covid’ but the Speaker obviously believes that some people are more equal than others.”

Robert F Kennedy at Berlin Anti-Corona Demonstrations

BBC News reported on August 29:

“Some 38,000 people took to the streets in [Berlin] for mostly peaceful demonstrations… Similar rallies took [place] in other European cities… Thousands gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square to protest against issues including coronavirus restrictions… Similar protests took place in Paris, Vienna and Zurich…

“The protests have also gained support from Robert F Kennedy Jr. The anti-vaccination campaigner, also the son of assassinated US Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy and nephew of assassinated US President John F Kennedy, is at the demonstrations in Berlin.

“Mr Kennedy told the crowd at the Victory Column that his uncle had famously addressed Berlin in 1963 to counter totalitarianism and that ‘today Berlin is again the front against totalitarianism’, warning of a surveillance state…’”

The Irish Times wrote on August 29:

“Robert F Kennedy, a US vaccination sceptic, praised the cheering crowd for pushing back against what he called efforts to spread fear in the pandemic and impose a new surveillance state. Half a century after his uncle visited Berlin, then a cold war frontier against totalitarianism, Mr Kennedy delighted the crowd by repeating his uncle’s most famous slogan, but in a very different context. ‘Today Berlin is once again a front against totalitarianism,’ he said to huge cheers. ‘And that is why I’m proud to say, ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’”

Spahn Criticizes Demonstration

Die Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on August 30:

“Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) [criticized] on Saturday the demonstration in Berlin against the corona-virus. ‚It showed a lack of solidarity and was deeply unpatriotic, not to wear masks, not to practice social distancing, and thereby to jeopardize others,’ Spahn said.”

Maybe Herr Spahn should check the meaning of the words “patriotic” and “lack of solidarity.” It is interesting that even the higher court, allowing the demonstration, thereby overruling the appeal of the police in Berlin, did not demand the wearing of masks, even though it did require social distancing. However, just about two hours after the demonstration started, police called off the protest, citing as justification the disregard for social distancing rules. According to reports which we received, the police provoked the protestors from the outset. They blocked all side streets and they kept delaying the start of the demonstration in an apparent attempt to prevent social distancing. This then was used by the police as “justification” to call off the demonstration. It was reported that demonstrators held posters that read “stop the coronavirus madness” and “end the coronavirus dictatorship,” and a protest leader called for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to resign.

German Politicians Conveniently Outraged over Reichstag Incident

Fox News reported on August 30:

“German police forcibly removed far-right protesters and others who stormed the parliament building in Berlin following a protest against the country’s strict coronavirus restrictions. Police dispersed the protesters after they broke away from a large peaceful demonstration, breached a security barrier and then ran up the steps of the Reichstag late Saturday… Scuffles broke out as police drove back the demonstrators with pepper spray…”

What has been consistently “overlooked” in the mainstream media and the “scandal-mass” tabloids is the fact that those who “stormed” the Parliament building (they never entered it) were a few people who were not part of the demonstration, but acted, “following” the demonstration.

Deutsche Welle reported on August 29:

“President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the incident as an ‘unbearable attack on the heart of our democracy.’

“Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted: ‘It is shameful to have flags of the German Reich in front of Parliament.’ ‘Nazi symbols and flags of the Reichsbürgers and of Imperial Germany have no place in the German Bundestag,’ wrote Finance Minister Olaf Scholz…

“Authorities arrested around 300 people… Around 200 of those were detained in front of the Russian embassy…”

200 or 300 allegedly “violent” people out of 38.000 mostly peaceful demonstrators! According to reports and video material posted on social media, the police acted or reacted very violently against the protestors in front of the Reichstag building or the Russian embassy. Most of them were average citizens and NOT Nazis or far right protestors. Typical propaganda of the mass media in an attempt to manipulate the public! Will this incident be used by Germany’s politicians as a further excuse for prohibiting any anti-corona demonstrations from now on? A macabre parallel could be drawn from the famous Reichstagsbrand in 1933, allegedly perpetrated by a socialist Jew (although some feel that the Nazis themselves were behind the fire), which was then used by Hitler to enact autocratic laws and suspend civil liberties.

The ”comments” by German President Steinmeier on Monday were quite interesting in this regard. He said, as reported by Deutsche Welle, dated August 31:

“My understanding ends where demonstrators allow themselves to be harnessed to the carts of the enemies of democracy and the political agitators, those who seek cooperation with right-wing extremists on the street, but also those who simply walk — without being concerned — alongside neo-Nazis, xenophobes and anti-Semites. Those who don’t clearly and actively separate themselves from them, make common cause with them.”

As mentioned above, there is no evidence that those who “stormed” the Reichstag were right-wing extremists, neo-Nazis, xenophobes and anti-Semites. But even allowing Steinmeier’s comments to be accurate, with that rationale, EVERY demonstration could be prohibited, as some “political agitators” will always be mingling with peaceful protesters. Maybe this is what the German government wants to achieve. Due to the one-sided political reporting of Germany’s mass media and tabloids, a discussion as to whether to ban all anti-Corona protests has already begun.

It Was SO Predictable

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 1:

“In Berlin, anybody taking part in a rally of over 100 people [will] soon be required to wear a face mask [beginning this Saturday]… Face masks also have to be worn at smaller demonstrations if the protesters chant slogans or sing.

“Berlin Mayor Michael Müller announced the new amendments on Twitter, stating that ‘at open-air meetings of more than 100 people, especially demonstrations, the wearing of a mouth and nose cover is now compulsory.’ Until now masks have only been obligatory in shops and on public transport, as well as for children at school, outside of lessons.

Alongside the decision to make masks mandatory at protests, further new regulations were also agreed on. These included demanding that anyone who wishes to host a private party such as a wedding or birthday will be responsible for ensuring that safety measures are abided by and to keep track of guests contact details to support the tracing of any possible outbreaks.”

Many New Corona “Cases” in the UK, BUT no deaths

The Daily Mail wrote on August 30:

“Another 1,715 people have tested positive for coronavirus today in the biggest daily rise in 12 weeks…

“But, in a positive sign, the country’s death toll is remaining low as just one person died after testing positive for the disease… There were no new deaths in Scotland for the fourth consecutive day. Wales and Northern Ireland each had no new fatalities for the third straight day.”

And so, the scare tactic continues… Newsmax wrote on August 30: “Health experts say PCR testing is too sensitive and needs to be altered to rule out people who have insignificant amounts of COVID-19 because they’re likely not contagious…”

They must be kidding…  

Stiff Fine imposed on Anti Coronavirus Organizer

The Guardian wrote on August 30:

“Piers Corbyn (73) has become one of the first people to receive a £10,000 fixed penalty under new coronavirus laws restricting public gatherings of more than 30 people. The weather forecaster and climate change denier, who is the older brother of the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was arrested and fined for his part in organising Saturday’s demonstrations in central London against lockdown restrictions… Corbyn said he was held for 10 hours by police and told officers he and other organisers had filled out all the necessary risk assessments and spent two weeks negotiating with Scotland Yard over the event. He said he planned to challenge the fixed penalty notice in court… Under new changes to regulations, those attending a gathering of more than 30 people may be committing a criminal offence….

“Corbyn’s fine comes after the Met last week dropped a threat to investigate the organiser of another protest on suspicion of breaching coronavirus regulations, after accepting that as a political protest it was exempt.”

What dangerous hypocritical political nonsense.

Another Approach in Italy

Breitbart wrote on August 30:

“The mayor of the Italian town of Sutri north of Rome has established fines for wearing masks except when required by law, insisting that ‘only thieves and terrorists wear masks.’ The contrarian Italian parliamentarian Vittorio Sgarbi, who is also the mayor of Sutri, has been a vocal critic of mask-wearing and other restrictions imposed by the Italian government to address the coronavirus. Mr. Sgarbi announced Saturday that in Sutri ‘anyone found wearing a face mask without need will be fined,’ noting that there are no cases of coronavirus infection in the city. ‘In compliance with the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, the use of the mask outdoors in the City of Sutri is prohibited for obvious health reasons and indoors except in the case of assemblies,’ the city ordinance reads.

“Mr. Sgarbi said that in all other cases, those found wearing a mask will be fined in compliance with legislation on public order, which prohibits face coverings. ‘The use of protective helmets or any other apparel making it difficult to recognize a person is prohibited in a public places or places open to the public without sufficient reason,’ the law states.

“Mr. Sgarbi also takes aim at certain mask-wearing practices that he finds ‘ridiculous’… ‘the use of the mask in public places, except for employees, appears in evident contrast to the time dedicated to eating that requires taking food without a mask,’ he writes. ‘It therefore seems contradictory that after eating without a mask you get up from the table and put it on. These are ridiculous forms of ostentation that have nothing to do with healthcare needs,’ he concludes.”

His assessment regarding the mandates of wearing masks is quite convincing.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

Annexation of West Bank before Election in November?

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 23:

“Having been Director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus since its inception in 2004, Joshua Reinstein is intimately familiar with the political connection that binds American evangelicals with Israel. As such, he believes that the key to the next election lies in this US-Holy Land connection… ‘The base of the Republican party are Bible-believing Christians… And the number one issue that will do that is the declaration of sovereignty in the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria…

“‘I think that Donald [Trump] will announce American support of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria before the election. Like Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said in June, Trump will probably declare that the choice of whether or not to declare sovereignty lies with Israel and his administration will support whatever Israel decides.’”

This would be an interesting development, especially in light of the turmoil the evangelical world in the USA is presently going through. Notice just one example—namely, the most recent developments and direct or indirect sexual allegations pertaining to Trump supporter Jerry Falwell Jr., “one of the most influential figures in the American Christian conservative movement” (Reuters), and his resignation from the Liberty University, “the Christian school he has run since 2007.”

Peace Deal between Israel, UAE and USA Already Shaky?

JTA wrote on August 24:

“Not all is rosy with the United Arab Emirates and Israel in the aftermath of their peace accord. The UAE canceled a public meeting with the United States and Israel meant to celebrate the so-called Abraham Accords over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public opposition to the U.S. sale of F-35 advanced fighter jets to the Arab nation.

“Senior UAE officials wanted to send a message to Israel that they were disappointed with Netanyahu’s public statements on the sale of the F-35s… Ambassadors from the three countries were scheduled to meet Friday at the United Nations. The Emirates also will hold no other public political meetings with the two countries until Israel’s position on such a sale is ‘clarified’…

“White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said Sunday… that the peace agreement between Israel and the UAE ‘should increase the probability’ of an F-35 jet sale to the Emirates.”

These plans are so counterproductive and dangerous for Israel. This peace agreement will turn out to be a total flop. At the same time, the “appearance” of a workable agreement might linger on for a short while to bring about other important developments.

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 25:

“Rabbi Yehudah Glick, a former Likud Member of Knesset… noted that… the First Temple was built during a period of peace following a long period of war… Rabbi Glick noted that just like King Solomon made peace agreements with King Hiram of Tyre (known today as Lebanon) and with the Queen of Sheba, the current efforts to pursue peace include Lebanon and African nations.”

It will have to be seen how the building of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount will come about. Our Q&A in this issue describes some possible scenarios.

Erdogan Condemned by US State Department

The Algemeiner wrote on August 25:

“The US State Department slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday for his meeting last weekend with two leaders of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas — one of whom is the subject of a $5 million bounty for his part in the murder of an American-Jewish teenager. ‘The United States strongly objects to Turkish President Erdogan hosting two Hamas leaders in Istanbul on August 22,’ State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

“‘Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and EU and both officials hosted by President Erdogan are Specially Designated Global Terrorists’… Ortagus made clear that the State Department would keep monitoring Erdogan’s interactions with Hamas leaders with concern…  ‘We continue to raise our concerns about the Turkish government’s relationship with Hamas at the highest levels. This is the second time President Erdogan has welcomed Hamas leadership to Turkey this year with the first meeting occurring February 1.’

“The State Department’s official condemnation of Erdogan came one day after President Donald Trump briefly discussed his positive personal relationship with the Turkish leader at the Republican National Convention.”

Turkey will fulfill a despicable prophesied role of violence and manslaughter against “Israel.”

Hurricane Laura Hits Louisiana

 The Week wrote on August 27:

“Hurricane Laura made landfall in southwestern Louisiana as an ‘extremely dangerous’ Category 4 storm early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said, and had slowed to a Category 2 hurricane hours later… Laura brought an 11-foot storm surge to some areas, and flooding started along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday afternoon… Earlier this week, Laura killed 20 people in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic.”

The Associated Press reported on August 27:

“One of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. pounded the Gulf Coast… Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards… called it the most powerful hurricane to strike Louisiana, meaning it surpassed even Katrina, which was a Category 3 storm when it hit in 2005. The hurricane’s top wind speed of 150 mph (241 kph) put it among the most powerful systems on record in the U.S…

“More than 580,000 coastal residents were ordered to join the largest evacuation since the pandemic began and many did, filling hotels and sleeping in cars… More than 700,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Texas and Louisiana…

 “[Laura] was the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916… Laura was tied with five other storms for fifth most powerful U.S. hurricane, behind the 1935’s Labor Day storm, 1969’s Camille, 1992’s Andrew and 2004’s Charley…”

More Racial Unrest in the USA

The Associated Press reported on August 25:

“The father of a Black man who was shot, apparently in the back, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, says his son was left paralyzed from the waist down. Jacob Blake’s father told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was told his son was shot eight times during the Sunday evening confrontation with police, which was captured on cellphone video and led to two nights of unrest in the city between Milwaukee and Chicago… [The] doctors don’t know if the paralysis will be permanent.

“Anger over the shooting of a Black man by police spilled into the streets of Kenosha for a second night Monday, with police again firing tear gas at hundreds of protesters who defied a curfew, threw bottles and shot fireworks at law enforcement guarding the courthouse. The southeastern Wisconsin city became the nation’s latest flashpoint in a summer of racial unrest after cellphone footage of police shooting Blake — apparently in the back as he leaned into his SUV while his three children sat in the vehicle — circulated widely on social media…

“Police in the former auto manufacturing center of 100,000 people midway between Milwaukee and Chicago said they were responding to a call about a domestic dispute when they encountered Blake on Sunday. They did not say whether Blake was armed or why police opened fire, they released no details on the dispute, and they did not immediately disclose the race of the three officers at the scene.

“The man who said he made the cellphone video… said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, ‘Drop the knife! Drop the knife!’ before the gunfire erupted. He said he didn’t see a knife in Blake’s hands. The governor said he has seen no information to suggest Blake had a knife or other weapon, but that the case is still being investigated by the state Justice Department…

“Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said the officers ‘must be held accountable.’… Republicans and the police union accused the politicians of rushing to judgment, reflecting the deep partisan divide in Wisconsin, a key presidential battleground state. Wisconsin GOP members also decried the violent protests

“In the footage, Blake walks from the sidewalk around the front of his SUV to his driver-side door as officers follow him with their guns pointed and shout at him. As Blake opens the door and leans into the SUV, an officer grabs his shirt from behind and opens fire while Blake has his back turned. Seven shots can be heard, though it isn’t clear how many struck Blake or how many officers fired…

“Blake’s grandfather, Jacob Blake Sr., was a prominent minister and civil rights leader in the Chicago area who helped organize a march and spoke in support of a comprehensive housing law in Evanston, Illinois, days after the 1968 slaying of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr….

“Online court records indicate Kenosha County prosecutors charged Blake on July 6 with sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse. An arrest warrant was issued the following day… It was unclear whether that case had anything to do with the shooting.”

Whatever the Truth may be, this is just another example of the fragile domestic situation within the USA. Any spark can now cause an explosion. And radical “protestors” use any opportunity to spread their violence.

Deutsche Welle added on August 26:

“Two people were killed and another injured in Kenosha, Wisconsin, local police confirmed Wednesday, after gunfire broke out on the third night of unrest… An 8 p.m. curfew is in effect in the city. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency and doubled the deployment of National Guard forces in Kenosha from 125 to 250. Police and protesters also clashed in Portland, Oregon, and Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday night.”

Ongoing Violence in Portland, Oregon

The Los Angeles Times wrote on August 24:

It has become a dangerous nightly ritual in Portland. Around 11 p.m., protesters set fire to trash cans or toss burning cardboard into police buildings and hurl bottles, eggs and chunks of concrete at officers. Then police broadcast an order for the demonstrators to leave. Most do. But a hardcore group, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, remain to face off against police, who use tear gas, rubber bullets, flash grenades and arrests to clear the streets…

“As of last week, protesters had set 41 fires, thrown projectiles at police officers on at least 58 nights and vandalized property on 49 nights, according to the police department, which has declared riots 17 times

“[The police department said that officers] ‘have been the focus of over 80 days of violent actions directed at the police…”

Breitbart wrote on August 26:

“Democrat Gov. Kate Brown may release as many as 400 prisoners from state jails for fear of the coronavirus spreading at the same time violent Antifa riots are taking place nightly in Portland….

“Brown’s concern for prisoners seems in stark contrast to the reality of her state’s second largest city facing nightly riots that have resulted in ongoing injuries to police officers and the destruction of innocent people’s property. And large crowds gathering every night also pose the risk of spreading the virus.”

Words fail. And what is Portland doing about it?

USA Withdraws Troops from Germany

Fox News wrote on August 23:

“President Trump recently ordered a 12,000-troop reduction in American military personnel stationed in Germany. That leaves about 24,000 American soldiers still in the country. A little more than half of the troops being withdrawn will return home. The rest will be redeployed to other NATO member nations such as Belgium, Italy, and perhaps Baltic and Eastern European countries. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is said to be furious.

“… the Merkel government has concluded, over American objections, a huge natural gas deal with Russia… Merkel likes to lecture the world on moral issues, but what is so noble about empowering Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently reclaimed Crimea and seems now to be eyeing Belarus? Like a modern-day Byzantine emperor Justinian, who recovered much of the lost Western Roman Empire, Putin seems to think he can reabsorb the lost Soviet republics.

“In recent polling, Germans were more anti-American than any other nation in Europe. And while about 75 percent of Americans believe the U.S. still has a good relationship with Germany, only about a third of Germans feel that way about the U.S. Nearly half the German population in some polls want U.S. troops out…

“Does Merkel really believe that if her nation cuts huge deals with NATO’s historically greatest threat, polls as the most anti-American country in Europe and still refuses to honor its promises to increase defense spending, Germany still deserves a large American commitment of 36,000 troops to anchor its defense?…

“According to its founders, NATO was created for three reasons: to keep the always aggressive Russians ‘out’ of Europe, to keep the often isolationist Americans ‘in’ to help protect it, and to keep the supposedly restless Germans ‘down’ in order to avoid a replay of their invasions that ignited both world wars. In other words, the huge defense commitment to an often ungracious Germany over eight decades was not just envisioned to create a central base from which to protect Europe from ancient Russian ambitions, but also to remind Germany itself of its checkered past. That third mission… is not entirely forgotten, and it may explain why many in Europe — and some in Germany itself — are worried when any American soldiers leave Germany.”

All of this is leading to a revival of Germany’s ambitions to build a strong European Army. It also leads to further alienation between the USA and Germany. Germany hopes that Biden will become the next US President, thinking that under him, the relationship might become better again. Whether that hope would be justified or not, the Truth is that Biden will not replace Trump. Please view our recent StandingWatch program, “Why Trump Will Stay in Office!”

Germany Helps to Finance Hungarian Army

Israel Defense wrote on August 20:

“… the Hungarian government signed an agreement for a joint venture with the German company Rheinmetall, under which a production facility will be set up in Hungary to manufacture the most modern Lynx infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). The joint venture is part of a massive programme worth over two billion euros to modernize the East-European country’s defense industry and military capabilities…

“The step is of central importance in Hungary’s ongoing programme of military and industrial development, which aims to transform the Hungarian Army as quickly as possible into a world-class fighting force capable of actively addressing security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic region…”

And so, Germany is getting more and more involved in European military matters and affairs.

Britain’s New Passport—as Dark as Midnight

On August 24, the Guardian published the following opinion piece by Guardian columnist Zoe Williams:

“[My new passport] arrived today, as blue as midnight and also as dark.

We definitely are not in the EU any more. There are no stars, just a lion, a unicorn and a peculiar and bereft illustration of the UK, with Northern Ireland a floating blob, the rest of the landmass etched out like Trotsky’s face…

“The flowers and a shamrock are embossed on the back… except the daffodil could be any flower, and the overall effect is of someone finding free graphics on the internet for a superbly boring PowerPoint presentation.”

Does this mirror the fate of the UK?

Corona Forever

The Sun wrote on August 22:

“[The] CORONAVIRUS will be in Britain FOREVER and people will need regular [repeated] vaccinations, a former chief scientific adviser [Professor Sir Mark Walport] has warned today… And he said the pandemic will be controlled by ‘global vaccination’ but that it is not ‘going to be a disease like smallpox which could be eradicated by vaccination’.

“His warning comes after the WHO chief said the deadly bug could last for another two years.”

In Corona Times… How the Rich Get Richer…

Fox News wrote on August 21:

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been drawing his full monthly salary despite asking state workers in May to take a pay cut to alleviate the state’s burden in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Though elected state officials are exempt from such pay cuts, Newsom pledged that he would voluntarily slash his salary when he asked state workers to make that same sacrifice. But a Thursday report… revealed that Newsom has continued drawing his full monthly salary… A spokesman for Newsom’s office blamed the matter on an ‘administrative error.’… ‘The reductions for both July and August will be deduced for the next pay period.’…

“PlumpJack, a Northern California-based winery and hospitality company, founded and partly owned by Newsom, was open through early July – well after Newsom ordered all essential business closed in March. Data released by the U.S. Treasury Department also shows that the wine company also received a loan worth $150,000 to $350,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program…”

Jens Spahn’s Further Dictatorial Restrictions

The Associated Press added on August 26:

“People coming home from coronavirus risk areas were offered free tests at airports, train stations and highway stops, allowing them to cut short the required two-week quarantine if their result came back negative. Travelers returning from high-risk areas, which include most countries outside the European Union and some regions inside the bloc, will in the future be required to go into mandatory quarantines for at least five days before taking a test, which may no longer be free unless ordered by a doctor… The change in the country’s testing strategy is also due to Germany’s labs reaching the limits of their capacities, [Health Minister Jens] Spahn said.

“The operators of Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s biggest, criticized the decision to focus on quarantining, rather than testing travelers. Stefan Schulte, the chief executive of Fraport, said the move amounted to a second lockdown for the airline and travel industries. He called on the government to instead improve the existing system of testing travelers from high-risk areas rather than to dismantled it again.”

Until recently, according to an article by Deutsche Welle, dated August 24, “93% of the population thought the measure [of testing and mandatory quarantine] was a reasonable demand to impose.”

However, the mood is changing in Germany. Bild Online wrote on August 25 that the harsh restrictions of the German government do not find acceptance by most Germans. “This is no miracle… It will be difficult to get the approval of the German population for a second lockdown.”

In a related article, Bild Online wrote on August 26: “The confusion is complete and so is the anger of the German citizens. Again new rules, and nobody can figure them out…”

The paper also quoted Jens Spahn as saying that the new rule is mandatory and will be enforced, and those who don’t obey are violating the criminal law.  

New Governmental Restrictions in Germany… and Merkel’s Failure to Unite

 Deutsche Welle wrote on August 27:

 “Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany’s 16 regional leaders have agreed to ban major public gatherings and impose a national fine for mask shirkers… measures include a minimum fine of €50 ($60) for anyone caught not wearing a mask in shops and on public transport. There was no agreement on limiting the number of participants for private events. Instead, Merkel and the regional leaders asked Germans to ‘critically weigh’ in each individual case whether private celebrations are ‘necessary’ and ‘justifiable.’…

 “Merkel and the regional leaders stressed on Thursday that  ‘covering the mouth and nose in certain public areas is mandatory and must be consistently controlled and sanctioned by public order authorities.’ The return to nationwide decisions also marks a political shift in Germany… 

“The new nationwide measures are already proving controversial.  Whereas some politicians believe consistency is necessary to avoid a confusing patchwork of decisions, others say blanket measures disproportionately affect states with a low coronavirus incidence… Reiner Haseloff of Saxony Anhalt, which registered 16 new cases on Wednesday, has already indicated mask fines will not be implemented in his region… There was no decision on whether to give the green light for Germany’s beloved Christmas markets to operate.”

Berlin Prohibits Demonstrations against Corona Measures

The Associated Press reported on August 26:

“… in Berlin authorities banned several protests planned for the weekend against coronavirus pandemic measures. Officials said that those protesting would likely have breached rules on social distancing designed to stop the spread of the virus.… Berlin’s top security official, Andreas Geisel, welcomed the decision… Geisel said police would act to stop any large gathering of people and indicated that authorities wouldn’t tolerate a tent camp that protesters have erected near the German parliament. ‘I’m not prepared to accept that Berlin is abused a second time as a stage for corona deniers … and right-wing extremists,’ he said.

“Numerous leading figures in the country’s far-right scene, including members of the Alternative for Germany party, had announced they would participate in rallies in Berlin on Saturday. The party’s leader in the Berlin state assembly, Georg Pazderski, criticized the decision to ban the protests, calling it disproportionate and unjustified.”

The reaction of Bild Online to the prohibition was fierce and unusually condemnatory: “This is an unacceptable attack on one of our most important constitutional rights… and political insanity which could hardly be topped…”

Ban on Non-Israelis

JTA wrote on August 24:

“Non-Israeli passport holders who do not come from countries with low coronavirus infection rates will be banned from entering the country until at least Oct. 1. The United States is among those not on the so-called green list of countries with low rates.

“Among non-citizens who can enter the country are nuclear family members of Israelis having lifecycle events such as births and weddings. In addition, thousands of… students have entered Israel in recent days for the start of the school year.

“All Israelis and non-citizens entering the country must go into a two-week isolation, except those that arrive from countries on the so-called green list. That list includes the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Germany….”

Equally nonsensical and contradictory measures.

Crazy Global Government Restrictions Because of Fear

The American Institute for Economic Research wrote on or about August 24:

“A mystery for months is how it is that so many governments in so many different places on earth could have adopted the same or very similar preposterous policies, no matter the threat level of the virus, and without firm evidence that interventions had any hope of being effective. In the course of two weeks, traditional freedoms were zapped away in nearly all developed countries. In a seriously bizarre twist, even the silliest policies replicated themselves like a virus in country after country.

“For example, you can’t try on clothing in a store in Texas or in Melbourne, or in London or in Kalamazoo. What’s with that? We know that the COVID bug is least likely to live on fabrics unless I have symptoms of it, sneeze on my handkerchief and then I stuff it in your mouth. The whole thing is a ridiculous mysophobic overreach, like most of the rules under which we live.

“Then there was the inside/outside confusion. First everyone was forced indoors and people were arrested for being outdoors. Later, once restaurants started opening, people were not allowed indoors so eating establishments scrambled to make outdoor dining possible. Are we supposed to believe that the virus lived outside for a while but then later moved inside?

“Or these curfews. So many places have them despite a complete absence of evidence that COVID spread prefers the night to the day. I guess the real point is to put a stop to revelry that might bring people together in a fun way? It’s like all our governments decided on the same day that COVID spreads through smiles and fun, so we have to banish both.

“In Sydney and Los Angeles, and also in Detroit and Miami, you need to wear a mask when you walk in a restaurant but not when you sit. And this 6-foot rule is highly suspect too. It seems to imply that if you get too close to each other, COVID spontaneously appears. At least people seem to believe that…

“In most places too, you have to quarantine two weeks when you arrive from afar, even though it is rare that the virus incubation period is that long…  Oh, and in department stores, you can’t spray perfume to try it out, because surely that spreads COVID – not. Except that there is not one shred of evidence that there is any truth to this. This one seems completely made up, though it is widely imposed.

“The list goes on. The bans of gatherings over 50 outdoors and 25 indoors, the closures of gyms at a time when people need to be getting healthy, the shutting of theaters and bowling alleys but the keeping open of big-box stores – these policies are as ubiquitous as they are unsupported by any science. And we’ve known this for many months…

“The worst case is school closings. They were shut down at the same time all over the world, despite evidence available since at least January that the threat to children is nearly zero. Yes, they do get COVID almost entirely asymptomatically, which is to say they do not get ‘sick’ in the old-fashioned sense of that term. What’s more, they are highly unlikely to spread it to adults precisely because they do not have symptoms… Still governments decided to wreck kids’ lives for an entire season.

“And the timing of it all seems strangely suspicious. All these countries and states implemented this compulsory clown show at the same time, whether cases were everywhere or nowhere.  In the US, this was fascinating to watch. The shutdowns happened all over the country. In the Northeast, the virus had already spread widely toward herd immunity. The South shut down at the same time but the virus wasn’t even there. By the time the virus did arrive, most states in the South had already reopened…

“How can so many governments in the world have simultaneously lost their marbles and abolished the people’s liberties in such a cruel way, while trampling on all rights of property and association? I tend to resist big conspiracy theories on this subject simply because I seriously doubt that governments are smart enough to implement them. From what I can see, these governors and statesmen seem to be making things up in a crazy panic and then sticking with them just to pretend that they know what they are doing… But how can we account for the imposition of so many similarly ridiculous rules at the same time across so many parts of the globe?…

“Why did so many governments go so nuts at once, disregarding their own laws, traditions, and values by bludgeoning their own people with the excuse of science that has turned out to be almost completely bogus? Some people claim conspiracy but a much simpler answer might be that, in their ignorance and stupor, they copied each other out of fear.”

Whether they are acting because of fear or as being part of a conspiracy with secret or not-so-secret talks… the mastermind behind all of this—Satan the Devil—is having a field day…

Non-Gender Awards Show in Berlin

Showbiz411 wrote on August 24:

“Best Actress, Best Actor? No more. At least at the Berlin Film Festival. They’re going non-gender and handing out one acting prize for lead and supporting this winter…

“‘The Berlinale has reorganised the prizes awarded by the International Jury in the Competition. For the first time, the performance awards will be defined in a gender-neutral way. Instead of the awards for the Best Actor and the Best Actress, a ‘Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance’ and a ‘Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance’ shall each be awarded on a gender-neutral basis.’

“So there’s no longer a distinction between men and women, and all the gradations. Will this become the norm now for all awards shows?…”

How much more stupid will it get?

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

The Fragile Middle East Deal

JTA wrote on August 14:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his plan to annex part of the West Bank ‘remains on the table,’ despite agreeing to suspend the move as part of an agreement to establish formal ties with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. ‘There is no change in my plan to apply sovereignty, our sovereignty, in Judea and Samaria, in full coordination with the U.S. I’m committed to it, this hasn’t changed. I was the one who put sovereignty in Judea and Samaria on the table. This issue remains on the table,’ Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem after the agreement was announced. He did note that President Donald Trump asked that ‘Israel wait temporarily’ to move ahead with annexation, Netanyahu said, adding he intends to comply.

“Hours later, Trump said at a news conference in Washington that the plan is ‘off the table.’… David Friedman, his administration’s ambassador to Israel [said:] ‘Yes, the word “suspend” was chosen carefully by all the parties,’ Friedman said. ‘“Suspend,’ by definition, look it up, means temporary halt, it’s off the table now but it’s not off the table permanently.’”

Kushner: We Will Not Allow Israel to Annex West Bank Territory

The Times of Israel wrote on August 17:

“Senior White House official Jared Kushner said Monday that US President Donald Trump would not allow Israel to reverse its pledge to hold off on annexing West Bank territory in exchange for normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates. ‘President Trump is committed to holding them accountable to it, and Israel has agreed with us that they will not move forward without our consent,’ Kushner told reporters during a briefing. ‘We do not plan to give our consent for some time…’

“Trump referred to the suspension of those plans several times at a press briefing last week, including by saying it was ‘more than just off the table.’”

However, that is apparently not Netanyahu’s understanding. Even between the USA and Israel, there seems to be some friction on the issue. This deal will not bring peace, but it will cause more turmoil and violence.

US Embassy in Jerusalem “for the Evangelicals”

JTA reported on August 18:

“President Donald Trump said he moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem ‘for the evangelicals.’… He was referring to his decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017, and the move of the U.S. Embassy there the following May. While Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, most countries do not recognize the claim and keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.

“‘And the Golan Heights, don’t forget that, we did the Golan Heights. So we’ve done a lot,’ Trump added, referring to his recognition in March 2019 of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed…

“Gallup… says evangelicals have for decades comprised just over 40% of the population. And a 2017 poll commissioned by pro-Israel evangelicals found that the percentage of evangelicals who believe that the establishment of Israel was a fulfillment of prophecy was 80%.”

When the peace deal falls apart—as it will—then Israel might be given a green light to annex West Bank territory.

Israel’s Right Objects

The Times of Israel wrote on August 14:

“Criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the right continued to grow Friday over his agreement to suspend plans to annex West Bank land… Sensing the rising discontent among their settler base, many Likud ministers on Thursday and Friday said it was imperative not to give up on annexation.

“On Friday, Settlement Affairs Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio Israel had not given up on its sovereignty bid, saying ‘Of course it will take place’ and repeating Netanyahu’s assertion that the shelving of the plan was only temporary. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said annexation ‘is no less important to the people of Israel’ than the accord with the UAE. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Kan Bet he understood the disappointment felt by some, but argued annexation ‘is not off the table’

“Smotrich, who until recently was transportation minister under Netanyahu, acknowledged in a Facebook post that the prime minister is ‘a magician’ — a moniker many of the premier’s supporters, as well as political analysts, have attached to him over the years. But, he added, the main talent of magicians is ‘deception,’ and Netanyahu had repeatedly hoodwinked the country’s right wing. ‘Netanyahu has deceived right-wing voters for years with great success…’ Smotrich argued…

“Former MK Aryeh Eldad, who was one of the founders of what eventually became far-right party Otzma Yehudit, said Netanyahu ‘has sold out the Land of Israel… for “peace” with the UAE, as if there were ever war between us.’…”

These are harsh words, and Netanyahu knows that he needs the support of the right.

Over 600,000 Settlers Say Netanyahu Betrayed Them

 Reuters wrote on August 19:

 “Israel’s settler leaders say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defrauded them of their long-held dream of annexing the occupied West Bank as part of the country’s normalisation deal with the United Arab Emirates. Their anger could be a problem for right-wing Netanyahu, whom they accuse of repeatedly floating the idea of annexation only to cave in to international pressure when the terms of the UAE deal required him to walk back his promises…

 “Around 450,000 Jewish settlers now live among 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, with a further 200,000 settlers in East Jerusalem… the ideological settler leadership has significant political clout, and has long been a bastion of Netanyahu’s support. Aware that he might lose their backing to parties even more hawkish than his own, Netanyahu sought to keep settler hopes alive. But many settler leaders are unconvinced.

 “… the Trump vision of limited Palestinian statehood has created strange bedfellows. The Palestinians say it gives them too little. But for the most hardline Israeli settlers it gives the Palestinians too much. For these settlers, any Palestinian state is anathema.”

 There is no way this peace deal will succeed, and Netanyahu begins to see it now. His political survival is on the line, and he realizes that he needs the support of the right and settlers.

Palestinians and Turkey Object

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 14:

“Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas… spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh called the deal ‘treason,’ saying it must be reversed… The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki announced that following the order of Abbas, its ambassador to the UAE would be recalled.”

The Times of Israel added on August 14:

“The Palestinian Authority issued a scathing statement in response to the move, calling it a ‘betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause,’ language clearly aimed at inflaming Arab and Muslim sentiment worldwide.”

Not surprisingly, Hamas and Iran objected to the deal as well. And so did Turkey; see the next article.

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 14:

“President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its accord to normalize ties with Israel. Erdogan was speaking to reporters in Istanbul after the Turkish Foreign Ministry said history will never forgive the ‘hypocritical behavior’ of the UAE… The Foreign Ministry said the  Palestinian people and administration were right to react strongly against the agreement…”

How to Deal with and Contain Erdogan…

The Guardian wrote on August 16:

“Europe’s harsh public criticism of Lukashenko [see article below] contrasts sharply with its reluctance to openly denounce the latest aggressive machinations in the eastern Mediterranean of another elective dictatorship, that of Turkey’s long-entrenched leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey is a Nato member, key EU trade partner, border gatekeeper and influential actor in Syria and the Near East. Unlike Belarus, it has real strategic importance. Perhaps that explains the awkward silence of many governments, including the UK’s. It does not excuse it…

“Erdoğan hopes to insure Turkey’s position in the Aegean, eastern Mediterranean, Syria and Libya against a change of administration in Washington… Erdoğan maintains a constant state of friction with Israel, partly by supporting Hamas… If all this were not trouble enough, Erdoğan’s lurch to Russia, symbolised by Turkey’s purchase of S-400 surface-to-air missiles, has left Nato members asking whether he can be trusted. The fact that Trump, anxious as always to please Vladimir Putin, failed to insist on Turkey cancelling the deal will not prevent it becoming a major point of contention…

“Head-in-the-sand European leaders must surely realise their Erdoğan problem cannot be ignored, dodged, or downplayed indefinitely in the hope that he will eventually go away. Turkey turning rogue is a very real, immediate and dangerous prospect. Nobody seems to have an Erdoğan containment plan. One is increasingly required.”

US Utterly Fails in Fight against Iran

Zero Hedge wrote on August 15:

“The US bid to extend a UN Security Council total arms embargo on Iran which had been in effect for 13 years… has ended in utter failure late this week… Officially, the final tally was 11 abstentions, two yes and two no votes. After all of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s lobbying through the summer to essentially make permanent an international arms blockade on the Islamic Republic the US had only two votes in favor: its own and that of the Dominican Republic.

“All European members of the P5+1 nuclear deal as expected were abstentions… Just before the Friday evening Security Council announcement of the resolution’s results, Pompeo voiced frustration, saying the council ‘failed today’ in its mission. He previously said it was ‘nuts’ to allow Iran to purchase and import weapons…

“The Trump administration is still vowing that Iran will never be able to buy weapons again, but it will be fighting an uphill battle, relying on its own diplomatic pressures on other nations, including allies, to ensure that’s the case, also with threat of sanctions against international violators.”

Again, the USA stands pretty much alone in the world.

Europe’s “last Dictator” asks Putin for Help… Controversy on the Horizon with the EU?

The Guardian wrote on August 16:

“Tens of thousands of Belarusians have gathered in Minsk for the biggest protest in the country’s history, as an extraordinary week of rising sentiment comes to a close. Seven days after the country’s authoritarian ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, [who has been called the last dictator in Europe, but notice the article on Turkey above] claimed to have secured 80% of the vote in a presidential election, his legitimacy is in tatters and his regime faces its biggest crisis since he came to power 26 years ago. The mood at Sunday’s rally was stoked further by egregious police violence against thousands of protesters earlier in the week…

“The protest came as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, told Lukashenko in a phone call on Sunday that Moscow stood ready to provide help in accordance with a collective military pact if necessary… Lukashenko addressed a crowd of several thousand supporters in front of the country’s parliament on Sunday. They waved Belarusian flags and cheered as he said he had no intention of giving up the country, and suggested Nato forces were preparing to invade…

“Russia and Belarus are technically part of a ‘union state’, but Lukashenko has resisted closer integration in recent years and proved a tricky partner for Moscow. Putin will, however, still be keen to keep Belarus as a strategic ally and for street protests not win out in yet another neighbouring state…

“Lukashenko’s appeal to Putin, and his threat that those who continue to come out on to the streets would be ‘cannon fodder’, suggest that he is considering a new crackdown. The police and army remain under his control…”

Deutsche Welle added on August 16:

“NATO said it was closely monitoring events in Belarus, but denied a military buildup was underway in eastern Europe… Lukashenko, who has led the former Soviet state for 26 years, denies election fraud. He says foreign interference is to blame for the unrest…

“The European Union says the presidential vote was neither free nor fair, and is preparing to impose sanctions… EU Commission Vice President Josep Borrell praised the protests… French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU should support the anti-government demonstrations in Belarus… German Finance Minister [and vice chancellor] Olaf Scholz described Lukashenko as a ‘dictator’ who had lost the support of his people…”

On August 19, the EU officially rejected the election results in Belarus.

Belarus—a Pro-Russian Country

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 18:

“Anti-government protesters have rallied in Minsk and other cities for more than a week — but they haven’t been waving EU flags. Experts point out that Belarus is a pro-Russia country, even without President Lukashenko. A glance at a map shows the unique geographical situation of Belarus. To the west, the country borders on NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. To the south is neighbor Ukraine, and to the east is Russia. But Belarus is far from being a ‘buffer state,’ said Gustav Gressel of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a pan-European think tank. Belarus isn’t ‘neutral’ like Switzerland, Sweden or Finland, he said — it’s part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a six-country military alliance dominated by Russia. Created in 2002, the alliance… includes Armenia and three Central Asian republics, alongside Russia and Belarus…

“According to Gressel and other experts, Russia isn’t pinning its hopes on the weakened autocrat, but on the fact that Belarus is and remains a pro-Russia country. They believe the Kremlin wouldn’t mind a change in government, as long as it doesn’t involve an abrupt turn toward the West, the EU or NATO. That doesn’t appear to be the aim of this protest movement. The opposition hasn’t suggested that Belarus join the EU, for instance, making the sanctions that the EU now wants to impose on officials responsible for the post-election crackdown rather counterproductive, Belarus opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova told Germany’s Welt am Sonntag paper…”

There is an interesting connection between Belarus and Ukraine. As we have explained before, Ukrainians are to be viewed as part of the modern Medes who will ultimately be at war with Europe.

Belarus was formerly known as Belorussia or White Russia. Many theories exist as to why it was named this way. The term “White Russians” has also been applied to Ukrainians. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the term “White Russian” described ethnic Russians living in the area between Russia and Poland (today this includes Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia and Moldova).

Ethnic Belarusians make up about four-fifths of the population of Belarus. Being Slavic nations, both Belarus and Ukraine share closely related cultures and are predominantly inhabited by the East Slavic ethnic groups of Belarusians and Ukrainians respectively, along with a few Russians. Today, the two countries share an 891–km border. Belarusians in Ukraine are the second biggest minority after Russians. Unlike many other ethnic groups, Belarusians do not have any particular concentration in the country, but spread out more or less evenly across all regions. There are now Belarusian organizations in major cities like Lviv and Sevastopol in the Crimea.

A notable Ukrainian of Belarusian descent is Viktor Yanukovych, the fourth president of Ukraine. He was removed from office in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. He currently lives in exile in Russia.

Russian Opposition Leader in Coma Due to Alleged Poisoning

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 20:

“Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was rushed to hospital after a suspected poisoning on Thursday. He was unconscious in intensive care after his airplane made an emergency landing… He later fell into a coma…. ‘We assume that Alexei was poisoned with something mixed with his tea,’ [his spokeswoman] said. ‘That’s the only thing he drank this morning.’… Medical authorities told Interfax news agency that tests had shown he was poisoned with an unidentified psychodysleptic (hallucinogen)… Navalny’s normal doctor told DW that the hospital was refusing to talk to her…

“Navalny spends his time exposing corruption among the Russian elite and has suffered a constant campaign of intimidation and threats. He suffered a similar incident last year where he was also suspected to have been poisoned while in police custody.”

In the past, other Kremlin and Putin critics have been poisoned or otherwise killed. 

The Final Days of Legal Immigration?

Forbes wrote on August 13:

“… since Congress has failed to reach a deal on a COVID-19 stimulus package, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will proceed with its furlough of about 13,400 employees, or about two-thirds of its workforce, on August 30th.

“… a shutdown of the immigration system would negatively impact: families, U.S. businesses, educational institutions, medical facilities, and churches. In addition, immigrants who are in the process of becoming naturalized U.S. citizens will not be able to complete the process in time to register to vote, DACA recipients will not be able to renew their benefits, asylum applicants will face increased delays, and businesses will be unable to hire or retain employees. In short, the full magnitude of a halt to immigration caused by budgetary problems has not yet been fully explored and could be quite shocking to America’s economy

“Danielle Spooner, President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 119, which represents workers within the USCIS, said, ‘This isn’t only about the 13,400 American families to be laid off during a pandemic – this is yet another thinly veiled attack on the legal immigration system by Trump administration officials like Stephen Miller… By failing to fund this agency, the administration has managed to use the global pandemic to effectively shut down all immigration to the U.S. by the end of the month, hurting thousands of American families and businesses in the process.’

“According to an analysis from the National Foundation for American Policy, immigration policies under Trump have reduced legal immigration by 49 percent… ‘I don’t think I can emphasize enough how large an issue this will be – we’re looking at the final days of legal immigration as we know it in the United States,’ said Ruark Hotopp, a representative for USCIS workers in Nebraska who has spent years assisting American businesses in his role at the USCIS. ‘International students, scientists coming to America to study COVID-19, asylum seekers, workers recruited by American businesses, refugees – we’re talking about millions of people dealing with an immigration system running at 30 percent of the capacity it usually does. Our economy will lose billions in revenue, American businesses will lose access to the workforce they need, and hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants will be thrown into limbo.’”

Apart from the human tragedy of the uncertainty for legal immigrants, the loss of billions of dollars in revenue will only contribute to the economic downfall of the USA.

Trump’s Suggestions

Rolling Stone wrote on August 17:

“With the political world focused on the Democratic convention Monday night, President Trump looked to steal some of the limelight by saying that he will seek a third term if he wins re-election. During a rally in Wisconsin, the president [told] a cheering crowd… that he deserves eight additional years in office because… his campaign was spied on in 2016…”

Mediaite wrote on August 18:

“President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that the 2020 presidential election may have to be done again if universal mail-in voting is introduced… ‘You can’t take millions of ballots, send them haphazardly all over the country, or all over a state, and expect it to come out properly… [It is] going to be a disaster the likes of which our country has never seen… It’ll end up being a rigged election or they will never come out with an outcome. They’ll have to do it again, and nobody wants that,’ Trump concluded. ‘And I don’t want that.’”

The Week added on August 17:

“President Trump on Monday blasted his likely presidential challenger former Vice President Joe Biden during a speech in Manakato, Minnesota, saying he’d ‘abolish the American way of life’ en route to turning the U.S. into a ‘very boring socialist country that will go to hell.’ He then had a go at Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), for co-sponsoring a ‘socialist takeover of health care.’

“The president also joked the coronavirus pandemic was ‘God testing me’ to rebuild the U.S. economy a second time.’”

Even if it’s meant to be a joke, there are things you do not want to joke about.

Steve Bannon Indicted for Fraud

CBS News reported on August 20:

“Federal prosecutors in New York announced Thursday that Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former White House chief strategist, has been indicted along with three others for allegedly defrauding donors to a $25 million fundraising campaign to build a wall along the southern border… Mr. Trump distanced himself from Bannon on Thursday, telling reporters at the White House that ‘I haven’t been dealing with him for a very long period of time.’ The president also said he disliked the private effort to fund construction of the border wall and believed ‘it was being done for showboating reasons.’…

“Federal prosecutors said donors were repeatedly assured that 100% of the money raised would be used to build the wall, but those claims were false… the Justice Department said the men profited from the fundraising scheme. Bannon allegedly received more than $1 million… which was funneled through a non-profit he controlled and some of which was used to cover his personal expenses… To hide the payments from the fundraising campaign, federal prosecutors said the four men… concealed the money [by] using fake invoices and fraudulent vendor arrangements to ensure the scheme remained confidential… the men learned We Build the Wall was under federal criminal investigation in October 2019 and ‘thereafter took additional steps to conceal the fraudulent scheme.’ Each of the four are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, federal prosecutors said. Each carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.”

Biden and Harris Not Enough…

On August 17, 2020, Deutsche Welle wrote:

“Many US voters continue to hate Clinton, the Democrats’ 2016 presidential nominee, to this day… Many major groups within the Democratic Party remain profoundly dissatisfied with their… presidential nominee [On August 18, Biden and Harris were officially and formally nominated]… For many Black, Latino, female and other progressive voters, [Biden] is far from being the candidate they wanted to usher in political change, stand up to corporations and revive the idea of the American dream.

“Some hope Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris — though also seen as an establishment politician like the former vice president — will be enough to convince voters to come out en masse in November, to motivate those who are tired of politics and others who remain undecided. But will she be enough to convince those Democrats who voted Republican in 2016 to come back to the party, or even win over those Republicans who don’t want another four years of Trump?… Biden doesn’t have the necessary charisma… Without a doubt… it’s President Trump who has the larger stage. And if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s knowing which strings to pull to draw the attention of the global media.”

While Michelle Obama’s speech on August 17 met with much approval from many Democrats, Bill Clinton’s speech on Thursday night (August 18) was not well received which was reflected by headlines such as, “Impeached President Slams Impeached President,” or comments by left-wing comedian Stephen Colbert who said: “I don’t think Bill Clinton gets to lecture anyone on what should happen in the Oval Office. Those in glass houses should not be allowed near the interns.” In addition, left-wing or “progressive” Democrats and Sanders’ supporters are not happy at all with Biden and Harris. As Deutsche Welle reported on August 19: “… when it was revealed that [extreme left-wing Congresswoman] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez… would only get one minute to speak, progressive Democrats were outraged,” adding, “The Democratic National Convention, which was supposed to unite the party, has become another point of contention.”

That Donald Trump will stay in power is preordained.

Harris Flopped

The Week published the following opinion piece by Damon Linker on August 20:

“Barack Obama delivered an incredible speech — a rhetorically accomplished, complexly argued case for defeating Donald Trump, and he delivered it impeccably… In that respect, Harris was in an impossible position. Originally Obama’s remarks were supposed to follow the speech of the vice-presidential nominee, but the former president reportedly suggested flipping the order once Harris’ name was announced. That inadvertently set Harris up for failure.

“But if she had gone first, her pedestrian, disjointed speech, delivered in a tone of phony overacting, would have been largely forgotten by the morning. Obama really was that good, and Harris really was that bad… Harris delivered her remarks on a large stage ringed with American flags before an auditorium empty of all but a handful of journalists, photographers, and producers. The vibe started at awkward and sank lower from there… no way it helped…”

We would agree with the analysis that Harris flopped big time, but we do not think that Obama’s speech was that incredible. He spent much time attacking Trump (nothing new, even though it breaks tradition which, until now, “prohibited” a former president from publicly attacking a sitting president), but he said little and nothing convincingly as to why voters should vote for Biden.

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

On August 19, the Ron Paul Institute republished the following article by the “Future of Freedom Foundation”:

“Former Congressman Ron Paul and his colleague Dan McAdams recently conducted a fascinating interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which focused in part on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was Kennedy Jr.’s uncle [as well as the assassination of his father, Robert Kennedy] …. In the interview, Robert Kennedy Jr…. stated that the deep animosity that the CIA had for the Kennedy family actually stretched back to something the family patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy, did in the 1950s that incurred the wrath of Allen Dulles, the head of the CIA.

“Kennedy Jr. stated that his father had served on a commission that was charged with examining and analyzing CIA covert activities, or ‘dirty tricks’ as Kennedy Jr. put them. As part of that commission, Kennedy Jr stated, Joseph P. Kennedy (Kennedy’s Jr.’s grandfather) had determined that the CIA had done bad things with its regime-change operations that were destroying democracies…  Consequently, Joseph Kennedy recommended that the CIA’s power to engage in covert activities be terminated and that the CIA be strictly limited to collecting intelligence and empowered to do nothing else.

“According to Kennedy Jr., ‘Allen Dulles never forgave him — never forgave my family — for that.’… consider what happened with the Bay of Pigs. The CIA’s plan for a regime-change invasion of Cuba, was conceived under President Eisenhower. Believing that Vice President Nixon would be elected president in 1960, the CIA was quite surprised that Kennedy was elected instead. To ensure that the invasion would go forth anyway, the CIA assured Kennedy that the invasion would succeed without US air support. It was a lie. The CIA assumed that once the invasion was going to go down in defeat at the hands of the communists, Kennedy would have to provide the air support in order to ‘save face.’

“… When the CIA’s army of Cuban exiles was going down in defeat, the CIA requested the air support, convinced that their plan to manipulate the new president would work. It didn’t. Kennedy refused to provide the air support… Knowing that the CIA had played him and double-crossed him, John Kennedy fired Allen Dulles as CIA director, along with his chief deputy, Charles Cabell. He then put his younger brother Bobby Kennedy in charge of monitoring the CIA, which infuriated the CIA.

“Now jump ahead to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which Kennedy resolved by promising that the United States would not invade Cuba for a regime-change operation. That necessarily would leave a permanent communist regime in Cuba, something that the CIA steadfastly maintained was a grave threat to ‘national security’— a much bigger threat, in fact, than the threats supposedly posed by the regimes in Iran in 1953 and Guatemala in 1954…

“In his famous Peace Speech at American University in June 1963, [Kennedy] declared an end to the entire Cold War and announced that the United States was going to establish friendly and peaceful relations with the communist world…. In the minds of former CIA Director Allen Dulles and the people still at the CIA, what Kennedy was doing was anathema and, even worse, the gravest threat to ‘national security’ the United States had ever faced… At that point, the CIA’s animosity toward President Kennedy far exceeded the animosity it had borne toward his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, several years before.”

Europe’s Insane Corona Requirements

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 14:

“Germany has declared nearly all of Spain, including the island of Mallorca, as risky areas following a spike of coronavirus cases in the south European country. Only the Canary Islands — which lie off the coast of North Africa — are exempted. Travelers returning from high-risk areas [will] be required to undergo testing and wait for the result in self-isolation… The decision was made in coordination between Germany’s interior, foreign, and health ministries… The foreign ministry later updated its travel advice to include the warning.

“… the move is likely to be an immense blow for tourism in Mallorca, Ibiza and other Balearic islands, which normally see millions of German visitors every season. Some 4.3 million Germans visited Mallorca alone in 2018…

“The United Kingdom said Thursday it will reimpose a mandatory two-week quarantine on travelers arriving in the country from France or the Netherlands. Monaco and Malta — as well as the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos and Aruba — also join the travel quarantine list… More than 500,000 Britons are holidaying in France… France’s junior minister for European affairs, Clement Beaune, said it was ‘a British decision we regret and which will lead to a reciprocal measure.’”

These are ridiculous measures. In Britain, Boris Johnson becomes more and more unpredictable and controversial. (So is Netanyahu in Israel and, of course, Donald Trump in the USA). In Germany, the unconscionable decision regarding Spain was made by, inter alia, the health ministry under Health Minister Jens Spahn. Spahn, who is openly gay and just bought a luxurious villa in Berlin in the amount of 4.2 million Euros together with “his husband,” has proven to be a somewhat “low key” politician with highly controversial and devastating decisions.

Crazy Corona Requirements in German State for Students

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 12:

“It’s Christopher Niiaddysai’s first day at his new school. The 15-year-old is starting 11th grade. Teachers must now address him like an adult, and in two years, if all [is] going well, he can sit his school graduation exams. As he and his two friends stride purposefully through the gates of their school in Bonn, the sense of expectation is great… Like his fellow-students, he’ll be wearing [a mask] all day.  All secondary school students in the western state of North Rhine Westfalia – -about two million in total – have to cover their mouths and noses: in the schoolyard, in lessons, in the hallways…

“‘It’s annoying,’ says Niiaddysai… ‘I can’t breathe properly. That makes it hard to learn; it’s difficult to concentrate.’… The decision by the state authorities to make masks mandatory came just days ago. NRW is the only one of Germany’s 16 federal states to introduce the measure… The state education minister has called for harsh punishment of people who refuse to wear a mask: ranging as far as expulsion.”

This is totally insane. But it’s not limited to just one state in Germany. Note the next article.

Biden Wants Nationwide Mask Mandate

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 14:

“The presumptive US Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, has called for a nationwide mask mandate to curb the coronavirus outbreak.  ‘Let’s institute a mask mandate nationwide starting immediately and we will save lives, he said, adding that the plan could save more than 40,000 lives over the next three months.”

This is a political idea which is totally unsupported by the evidence, but which may sound good for certain voters.

Success Rate in South Dakota

Breitbart wrote on August 16:

“South Dakota turned down extra federal unemployment aid Friday due to the high rate of job recovery in the state. ‘Gov. Kristi Noem (R), a vocal ally of the White House, said South Dakota did not need the additional funds because workers in her state have been rehired and that its economy is rebounding after suffering economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic,’ according to The Hill.

“In a statement, Noem [stated:] ‘South Dakota’s economy, having never been shut down, has recovered nearly 80% of our job losses. South Dakota is the only state in the nation that didn’t have extended benefits kick in because our insured unemployment rate has been the lowest in the nation. We have the third best housing construction market in the country. And many, many businesses are looking to relocate to South Dakota because of the decisions we made during the pandemic. South Dakota is open for business — that applies to our business owners and their employees.’”

If other American states had done the same, we would not be in the devastating state we are in today as a country.

“Good News”—Fauci Is Out

On August 17, Dr. Ron Paul wrote in the Ron Paul Institute:

“These days it seems there is not much good news out there. People are still panicked over the coronavirus, governments are still trampling civil liberties in the name of fighting the virus, the economy –already teetering on the edge of collapse – has been kicked to the ground by what history may record as one of the worst man-made disasters of all time: shutting down the country to fight a cold virus.

“That’s why we’ll take good news wherever we can get it, and President Trump’s hiring of Dr. Scott Atlas to his coronavirus task force may just be that good news we need. As the media has reported, President Trump has sidelined headline-hogging Anthony Fauci in favor of Atlas, the former Stanford University Medical Center chief of neuroradiology…

“Fauci’s advice, forecasts, and assessments proved to be wildly wrong, contradictory, and just plain bizarre: Don’t wear a mask! You must wear a mask. Masks are important as symbols. Put on goggles. Stay home! Churches must be severely restricted but Black Lives Matter marches and encounters with strangers met over the Internet are perfectly fine.

“When Anthony Fauci demanded a lockdown of the economy for an indefinite period he actually seemed oblivious to the havoc it would wreak on the economy and on people’s lives. People like Fauci and others who demanded lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were still collecting their paychecks, so what did they care about anyone else?

“Dr. Scott Atlas is not only a former top physician and hospital administrator: as a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution he also understands the policy implications of locking a country down. On April 22, Dr. Atlas wrote an op-ed in The Hill… In the article he made five main points that are as true today as when he wrote them: an overwhelming majority of people are at no risk of dying from Covid; protecting older people prevents hospital overcrowding; locking down a population actually prevents the herd immunity necessary to defeat the virus; people are dying because they are not being treated for non-Covid illnesses; we know what part of the population is at risk and we can protect them.

“Imagine how many thousands of lives could have been saved had the Administration listened to Dr. Atlas back in April. CDC Director Robert Redfield admitted last month that lockdowns were killing more Americans than Covid… We very much hope that Dr. Atlas will not ‘moderate’ his message to please the blob in Washington. Trump’s Covid policies to this point have caused more harm than good. With Fauci out of the driver’s seat we finally have a chance of turning things around.”

We are afraid that in light of the politics involving the upcoming elections, Atlas might either change his message, or his moderate voice will not be heard.

Church Wins against Los Angeles County

California Globe wrote on August 15:

“A California superior court ruled in favor of the First Amendment and Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church this week, while smacking down Los Angeles County officials… LA County tried to enforce a limit of 100 on church service attendees – a tiny fraction of the megachurch congregation…

“Judge James Chalfant denied almost all of the county’s requests at the August 14 Los Angeles Superior Court hearing, agreeing with [Pastor] MacArthur and the church that it is the county’s burden to show why they should be permitted to infringe on the constitutionally protected rights of churches to freely exercise religion.

“Attorneys for Grace Community Church explained that Los Angeles County was being unreasonable in its demands, and offered to have the congregation comply with face mask wearing and social distancing indoors until the matter could be fully heard. This was stipulated as a more reasonable action than that of the county’s rush to shut down church services. The judge agreed and set the full hearing for September 4, 2020, ordering the church to have congregants wear masks and social distance between family groups indoors…”

Still not that good, but better than prohibiting church services altogether.

Breitbart added on August 16:

Christian evangelical leader Rev. Franklin Graham posted to Facebook:

“‘It’s an important win for freedom of worship and for our Constitutional right to assemble and worship. Today a California judge ruled that Grace Community Church has every right to have indoor worship services and does not have to adhere to any attendance cap or ban on singing. This was the right call. I’m thankful for Pastor John MacArthur’s stand against the progressive leftist bullies in his state, and for Thomas More Society Attorney Jenna Ellis who is helping the church …in this legal battle. The First Amendment ensures the rights and freedoms of people of faith are protected. I hope this sends a message to those who would like nothing better than to keep churches shut down or limited…’

“Ellis also serves as an attorney to President Donald Trump.”

At least it’s a start. But we are not confident at all that other courts will follow the example.

Wildfires in California

The LA Times newsletter reported on August 20:

It’s been an apocalyptic few days, even by California standards. Fueled by extraordinary weather conditions (officially 10,849 lightning strikes in a 72-hour period, record-breaking heat), fires have exploded across the state. Tens of thousands of Californians have had to evacuate… ‘We are experiencing fires, the likes of which we haven’t seen in many, many years,’ Gov. Gavin Newsom told Californians during a press conference Wednesday… According to the governor, the state has already seen 6,754 fires this year — a 68% increase from the same time last year… more than 300,000 acres have already burned statewide in 2020, which is more than the total acreage burned last year…

 “The sheer number of new fires is straining resources, particularly because fires are also burning in other nearby states amid a historic heat wave scorching the West Coast. Newsom said that this has complicated the call for mutual aid… the cascade of compounding crises continues to mount. The fires have also created serious air quality issues in several parts of the state. The San Francisco Bay Area has been blanketed by ash and smoke as fires burn in eight of its nine counties… the biggest fires, many of which are believed to have been sparked by an unusually active sequence of largely dry lightning strikes, are in Northern and Central California. The two largest active fires — the SCU Lightning Complex fire and the LNU Lightning Complex fire — are actually both clusters of many smaller fires…”

 Is California cursed?

The Lucrative Business with Coronavirus Vaccines

CNN Business wrote on August 14:

“The race for a successful coronavirus vaccine is heating up in labs around the world — and on Wall Street. Germany’s CureVac, a biotech with the backing of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, more than tripled in its first day of trading Friday. CureVac priced its initial public offering at $16 a share. The stock soared nearly 250%, to just below $56, by the end of the day…

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable arm of the multibillionaire Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder and his wife, invested $40 million in the company in 2015. CureVac recently received approval from the governments of Germany and Belgium to start clinical tests for one of its vaccines for Covid-19…

“CureVac also has another big name in its roster of partners: the firm is working on technology with Elon Musk’s electric car giant Tesla (TSLA)…”

But haven’t we been told time and time again that the development of a vaccine is for the good of the people without any financial benefits for the companies? We are joking, of course.

Mandatory Coronavirus Vaccines in Australia?

AFP wrote on August 18:

“Australia should make any coronavirus vaccine compulsory for its 25 million citizens bar medical exemptions, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, wading into a heated ethical debate… Anticipating a backlash from vocal anti-vaccine activists, Morrison said the stakes were too high to allow the disease to continue unchecked… The Australian government estimates that up to 95 percent of the population would need to be immune to the virus for it to be eradicated…

“… kids have to receive vaccines for diseases including polio and tetanus to enrol in kindergarten or school.”

Many doctors feel that the figure of 95% is totally overblown. Australia’s governmental measures and restrictions become more and more radical and dictatorial. For instance, in Melbourne, one cannot travel more than 5 km from home without a valid reason. Anyone who works at night needs a government-issued permit to travel during curfew.

Processing Diseased and Sick Chicken for “Food”?

Bloomberg wrote on August 11:

“Consider the decision last month by the agriculture department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to allow poultry plants to process diseased chickens for human consumption. In July the FSIS approved a petition from the National Chicken Council requesting that slaughterhouses be allowed to process broilers infected with Avian Leukosis — a virus that causes chickens to develop cancerous lesions and tumors. Inspectors would no longer be required to examine the first 300 birds of each flock for signs of the disease, and processors would be able to cut off tumors and lesions and then process the rest of the bird…

“Here’s what we know about Avian Leukosis: A small percentage of birds (less than 1%) are diagnosed with the virus each year, but it spreads quickly through flocks and tens of thousands of chickens are condemned annually due to exposure. While it’s unlikely that the virus could transfer from chickens to humans, it’s not impossible. There is some evidence that workers exposed to birds infected with the disease in the U.K. have developed antibodies, indicating a transfer of the virus from animal to human

“The CDC reports that ‘more than six out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals.’”

To process diseased chicken for food is clearly unbiblical. To process chicken with a virus for food is just plain stupid.

North Korea Confiscates Pet Dogs for Food?

The New York Post wrote on August 17:

“North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has ordered [pet] dogs to be confiscated in the country’s capital, saying the pooches represent Western ‘decadence’… Kim issued the directive in July to round up the pets, claiming they were part of ‘a “tainted” trend by bourgeouis ideology’…  ‘Ordinary people raise pigs and livestock on their porches, but high-ranking officials and the wealthy own pet dogs, which stoked some resentment’ among the lower classes, the source said. ‘Authorities have identified households with pet dogs and are forcing them to give them up or forcefully confiscating them and putting them down.’’

“But while the oppressive regime says the move is to clamp down on capitalist extravagance in Pyongyang, the dog owners are fearful that given North Korea’s food shortage — and propensity for eating dog meat—the directive has only come about to feed the masses. The dog owners are ‘cursing Kim Jong Un behind his back,’ but otherwise, their hands are tied, the source lamented.”

Sick!

More Nonsense from Germany

Fox News wrote on August 16:

“A popular spicy dressing in Germany is getting rebranded because of the racist connotations of its name. Food company Knorr will change the name of its ‘Zigeunersauce,’ or ‘gypsy sauce’ to ‘Paprika Sauce Hungarian Style,’ Bild am Sonntag reported Sunday. ‘Since “gypsy sauce” can be interpreted in a negative way, we have decided to give our Knorr sauce a new name,’ said Unilever, the company that owns Knorr…

“The renaming of the brand follows recent international debates over racism, especially in the United States, where big national companies have also renamed traditional brands in response to concerns about racial stereotyping…”

Stupidity galore.

“Germans Must Walk their Dogs twice a Day…”

The Guardian wrote on August 19:

“Germany’s agriculture minister, Julia Klöckner, has said she is introducing the new law based on evidence that many of the nation’s 9.4 million dogs are not getting the exercise or stimuli they need. Under the new regulations in the Hundeverordnung, or Dog’s Act, owners will not get away with a quick jog round the block, but will be required to take their dogs out for at least one hour [a day]… The tethering of dogs on a chain or a lead for long periods also faces an all-out ban. Dogs may not be left alone at home all day, and a person will be required to take care of their dog ‘several times a day’….

“News of the law, which is due to be introduced next year and was made widely known for the first time this week, has prompted a lively debate in Germany. The main question is how it will be possible to check up on the 19% of German households that own dogs, which as pets are second in popularity only to cats. A spokeswoman for the agricultural ministry has said the authorities in each of Germany’s 16 states will be responsible for enforcing the law.”

An opinion piece in the Bild newspaper was titled: “Compulsory Walkies for Dog Owners? Rubbish!” Indeed it is. Germany, a country known for its bureaucracy, has imposed many unreasonable restrictions on the German population to “combat” the coronavirus pandemic. But if that were not enough, now another silly proposal is made to tell dog owners how to raise their dogs. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

Governmental Restrictions Might Jeopardize Celebration of Feast of Tabernacles

The World wrote on August 6:

“Oregon Gov. Kate… Brown’s Press Secretary Liz Merah responded [to an inquiry]: “‘… in recent weeks, doctors, health experts, and case investigators have reported seeing cases linked to interstate travel. The issue of travel restrictions was raised by members of the Governor’s Medical Advisory Panel based on COVID-19 cases linked to travel in southern Oregon, which is troubling based on the spikes in case counts California is currently experiencing. County-level COVID-19 data from across the country likewise shows increasing case counts between linked communities across state borders.

“‘We are asking the health experts at the Oregon Health Authority and the Medical Advisory Panel for more data on travel-related spread of COVID-19, as well as recommendations for health and safety measures to address such cases. In conversations with legislators today, our office also discussed the reality that many Oregonians in communities on the state’s borders often cross those borders for work, and that any restrictions must take economic and supply chain implications into account. As the Governor has stated previously, our focus is on restrictions related to tourist travel from hotspot states and communities. Conversations are ongoing about how those restrictions could work.’”

It is obvious to us that panic-driven and mostly unrealistic and unscientific governmental restrictions are Satan’s tool to destroy the Church of God and to prevent the Church and its members from keeping the biblically commanded Feast of Tabernacles in the month of October for eight days. The Church of the Eternal God (CEG) is determined to keep the Feast in the manner prescribed by God and at the place(s) where God has placed His name. We would therefore like to ask for PRAYERS that God binds the hands of Satan and allows us to keep God’s commandment. The situation in Oregon is one example as to how Satan might try to prevent Church members from traveling to God’s designated feast site for CEG in South Dakota. (As the article below points out, Satan might even try to sabotage the Feast site in South Dakota.)

Canadian Church members are presently not allowed to travel to the USA by land; and American members are not permitted to fly to Germany to keep the Feast there at God’s designated site near Düsseldorf with the German-speaking brethren. We see indications that Satan may be trying to influence the German state and federal governments to restrict or even prohibit Church services and Church assemblies in the country. Right now, members from the UK and other European and some non-European countries are still allowed to travel to Germany for the Feast, but not to the USA. Australian members are likewise faced with the possibility of a lockdown which might prevent them from keeping the Feast, if Satan were to prevail.

In addition, even where governments allow Church services, Satan wants to use them to restrict the biblically commanded way as to how to conduct those, and sadly, many worldly churches and even some claiming to be in the Body of Christ manifest a spirit of Sardis or Laodicea and have buckled in fear and are far too willing to “oblige,” sometimes with most ridiculous results. Our free booklets, “Obeying God Rather Than Men,” and “How to Keep the Sabbath,” give important guidelines in this regard.

It is therefore incumbent upon God’s people to pray to God for His mighty intervention to bind the hands of Satan and to allow God’s people to observe the Feast of Tabernacles at the place where God has placed His name, and to be able to do so in freedom and security and with joy and thankfulness.  

Motorcycle Enthusiasts Gather in South Dakota

Fox News wrote on August 8:

“Crowds of motorcycle enthusiasts gathered in Sturgis, S.D., Friday for the start of the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally…  Organizers were expecting 250,000 people from all over the country to [meet] at the 10-day event. Many bikers were defiant over the restrictions

“Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has taken a largely hands-off approach to the pandemic, avoiding a mask mandate and preaching personal responsibility. She supported holding the Sturgis rally, pointing out that no virus outbreak was documented from the several thousand people who turned out to see President Donald Trump and fireworks at Mount Rushmore last month.”

Good for her but the fear is that a manufactured alleged “rise” in cases might place pressure on Gov. Noem to impose some restrictions. We hope not, as God has led us to keep the Feast of Tabernacles this year in South Dakota.

Ban on American Citizens to Enter the USA?

The New York Times wrote on August 10:

“President Trump is considering new immigration regulations that would allow border officials to temporarily block American citizens and legal permanent residents from returning to the United States from abroad if authorities believe they may be infected with the coronavirus…

“Under the proposal…, the government could block a citizen or legal resident from crossing the border into the United States if an official ‘reasonably believes that the individual either may have been exposed to or is infected with the communicable disease.’… The documents appear not to spell out how long a citizen or legal resident would be required to remain outside of the United States. The draft memo says the prohibition on the introduction of U.S. citizens or legal residents from abroad would apply ‘only in the rarest of circumstances,’ and ‘when required in the interest of public health, and be limited in duration.’

“Still if Mr. Trump approves the change, it would be an escalation of his government’s longstanding attempts to seal the border against what he considers to be threats, using the existence of the coronavirus pandemic as a justification for taking actions that would have been seen as draconian in other contexts… It is unclear whether there are any existing rules that would allow American citizens and legal residents to be prohibited from returning to the United States for a period of time because of concerns about a communicable disease. Immigration officials have broad authority to deny entry to people based on national security issues.

“The rule appears to apply to all points of entry into the United States, including at airports and along both the northern and southern borders. In particular, the draft could impact the border with Mexico, where many American citizens and legal residents cross back and forth frequently. The rule notes the prevalence of the coronavirus in Mexico as evidence of the need for the modified rule, citing the death on August 2 of the health minister in the Mexican border state of Chihuahua, who the order says died of Covid-19 after a two week hospitalization. The draft regulation notes the stress that Covid-19 has placed on the Mexican health care system and says it has driven people from Mexico into the United States to seek care.”

We wonder whose ”brilliant” mind is behind this draft. It’s getting worse and worse… This concept does not seem to have ANY justification or logic whatsoever. What would happen to those who will be rejected at an airport? Where would they end up? Where would they stay? They could not enter the USA, and they could not go back to the country of their last vacation. (That country would not accept them back.) Would they have to stay in the airport complex, in “no man’s land,” before crossing the border?

Will this nonsense EVER end????

Further Corona Restrictions for Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on August 7:

“German Health Minister Jens Spahn announced Thursday wide-reaching new testing measures for arrivals in Germany. From Saturday, all of those arriving from designated risk areas will have to be tested for coronavirus unless they can produce a negative test certificate no more than two days old. The rules apply to anyone of any nationality arriving in Germany from a so-called risk area… Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), has a list of risk areas that they update on a daily basis… It extends to a large number of countries outside of the European Union, but EU members are not necessarily exempt. At the time of writing, the list of risk areas included the US, several northern regions of Spain, North Macedonia, Israel, Iran, Turkey, India and North Korea. The Belgium province of Antwerp was added on Wednesday after a spike in cases…

“People refusing to take a test could face a fine of up €25,000 ($30,000), depending on the federal state where they live… The tests… will be carried out by the German Red Cross right behind the passport and customs areas at airports. There are also plans to set up testing booths at the borders by motorways and train stations. Should an immediate test not be possible, because the test booths are closed, travelers are obliged to go for a test within 14 days and remain in quarantine until they have done so…

“Medical experts say the obligatory testing introduced by Jens Spahn is legitimate…”

The legality for any of this is very doubtful, but who cares?

Religious Persecution… A Ridiculous Decision by a California Judge

The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote on August 7:

“A California church that for weeks has held indoor worship in defiance of anti-coronavirus health orders must close its doors, a judge ruled Friday. A temporary restraining order was issued that bars Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park from indoor worship services anywhere in the county. ‘The court finds that there is an immediate threat to public health and safety due to the 2019 novel coronavirus,’

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Matthew Guasco wrote. The order will be in place until another hearing is held on Aug. 21.

“The county north of Los Angeles and its health officer sued the church after Pastor Rob McCoy repeatedly defied health orders designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Services for as many as 200 worshipers offered ‘singing, hugging, no masks,’ in McCoy’s words. The suit was filed last week, a day after the county Board of Supervisors authorized court actions to enforce the health orders. The suit said permitting the church to keep holding indoor services could harm the public, ‘including hospitalizations and deaths.’

“‘On a scale of one to 10 of the most immediate irreparable harm possible, this is a 10,’ Guasco said at the hearing. ‘It doesn’t get much more immediate or irreparable than the threat that a lot of people are going to spread a contagious and deadly disease.’…

“McCoy has argued that the risk of spreading COVID-19 from its services is small and there hasn’t been a confirmed case among parishioners. Lawyers for the church also have argued that the health orders are overreach that are trumped by the Constitutional right to freedom of expression and worship… ‘We believe that COVID-19 can be fought with far less restrictive measures than banning all healthy persons from church and our expert witnesses will prove that,’ said a statement Friday from Tyler & Bursch, which is defending the church through a non-profit organization, Advocates for Faith & Freedom.

“Godspeak Calvary Chapel is one of a handful of churches in the state that have wound up in court over state or local health orders restricting services. Judges have consistently ruled against the churches on grounds of public safety. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state COVID-19 restrictions on religious gatherings in a suit filed by South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista… ‘The Constitution is not a suicide pact,’ Guasco said…”

Have you ever heard a more ridiculous statement? Truly, Satan is ruling this world! It is time for Jesus Christ to return to replace unrighteous judges with righteous ones.  

Worshipping God Inside Walmart

Breitbart wrote on August 7:

“Christian worshippers outsmarted Pennsylvania’s fascist Democrat governor [Tom Wolf] by gathering to praise God inside a Walmart — which, unlike the church, has been deemed ‘essential’… The Walmart [incident] is not only beautiful for all the obvious reasons, it also points out the hypocrisy and anti-religious bigotry of these selective lockdowns and guidelines — not to mention their absurdity. Gathering to sing and praise God in a Walmart does not defy these totally unnecessary and useless social distancing guidelines, but gathering to sing and praise God in a house of worship does.

“Please do tell me why it’s safe to gather in a Walmart, but not a church, synagogue, or mosque? I guess the science behind that thinking must be the same science that explains why a Trump rally is deadly but a Black Lives Matter/Antifa riot is totally safe — or why you holding a funeral for your loved one will kill people, but it is perfectly safe when left-wing elites gather for an indoor funeral to say goodbye to John Lewis, one of their own

“Just try to wrap your mind around the fact that one of America’s major political parties… as well as the corporate media… want to shut down our church but protect abortion clinics and marijuana dispensaries as ‘essential.’ They want to protect the right to gather to loot and riot and burn, even as they use the fascist power of the State to strip us of our First Amendment right to gather together and worship…”

Indeed, it shows the abhorrent stupidity and blatant hypocrisy of such restrictions and prohibitions and that SATAN is behind all of this. Why then would a church, claiming to be part of the Body of Christ, support and endorse such nonsense?

Megachurch Defies California Restrictions

The Hill wrote on August 12:

“The pastor of a megachurch in Los Angeles defended the church’s decision to allow thousands in for services Sunday, defying California state orders amid the coronavirus outbreak. Grace Community Church held in-person services on Sunday, and pastor John MacArthur told CNN that 6,000 or 7,000 people showed up. The crowd size defies a state order released at the end of July that limits indoor attendance at a place of worship to 25 percent of a building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower…

“‘We opened the doors because that’s what we are, we’re a church and we’re going to trust those people to make adult decisions about the reality of their physical and spiritual health and how that balance works for each one of them,’ [MacArthur] said. ‘Nobody’s forcing anything, they’re here because they want to be here.’

“MacArthur called the restrictions on places of worship put in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus ‘not constitutional’ and ‘burdensome,’ and argued they make ‘no sense in light of the actual numbers of death’ members of his church are seeing.

Amen to that.

The Lockdown Fallacy

The Sun wrote on August 8:

“ALMOST as many have been killed by lockdown as by the virus itself, an official report suggests. According to figures, for every three Covid-19 dead another two have died because they missed vital medical treatment.

“Between March and May there were 25,000 coronavirus deaths. At the same time 16,000 others also died, including 6,000 too scared to go to A&E. People felt that they should stay home because of the Governments ‘Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ message. And [it] is thought 10,000 died in care homes after they were discharged early from hospitals. They were not able to access critical care.”

These numbers take the official figures of coronavirus deaths for granted, which is highly questionable. This means, maybe MANY MORE died because of the lockdown than because of the virus. In a related matter, it was now reported that a Nashville councilwoman has proposed charging anyone not wearing a mask with either murder or attempted murder. This is insane lunacy by a completely incompetent politician!

Needed… An anti-Lockdown Movement

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 10:

“Shell-shocked is a good way to describe the mood in the US for a good part of the Spring of 2020. Most of us never thought it could happen here. I certainly did not, even though I’ve been writing about pandemic lockdown plans for 15 years. I knew the plans were on the shelf, which is egregious, but I always thought something would stop it from happening. The courts. Public opinion. Bill of Rights. Tradition. The core rowdiness of American culture. Political squeamishness. The availability of information. Something would prevent it. So I believed. So most of us believed.

“Still it happened, all in a matter of days, March 12-16, 2020, and boom; it was over! We were locked down. Schools shut. Bars and restaurants closed. No international visitors. Theaters shuttered. Conferences forcibly ended. Sports stopped. We were told to stay home and watch movies… for two weeks to flatten the curve. Then two weeks stretched to five months. How lucky for those who lived in the states that resisted the pressure and stayed open, but even for them, they couldn’t visit relatives in other states due to quarantine restrictions and so on.

“Lockdowns ended American life as we knew it just five months ago… What many states are calling ‘open’ today would have been called ‘closed’ six months ago. Sports are rare. Theaters aren’t open. In some places, you still can’t go to gyms or eat inside. Mask mandates are everywhere, and mask enforcers too. People are ratting out their neighbors, sending drones to ferret out house parties, and lashing out at each other in public places… America has become an extremely ugly place. This is what lockdowns did.

“… the TV and online media are blaring panic all day every day… people feel tremendously powerless right now. They have been locked down, silenced, humiliated, brutalized. The few attempts to get out and protest the lockdowns were greeted with jeers and derision by mainstream media…

“Where precisely does American opinion stand on lockdowns today? The polls one cannot trust: people know exactly what they are supposed to say to pollsters during a police-state lockdown… The incredible frenzy of the lying media has confused vast numbers. A poll revealed that many Americans think that 9% of us have died from C-19 whereas it is really 0.04%…

“We see almost no discussion in the mainstream press of the empirical evidence at home and abroad that the lockdowns make no sense from a medical and economic perspective

“This country needs a serious anti-lockdown movement… This movement needs to celebrate and defend religious freedom, since, incredibly, most houses of worship were forcibly closed by government…

Laws requiring face coverings in public would never have been tolerated even six months ago. And yet here we are, not only with laws but a growing number of recruits within the public to enforce them with appalling rudeness…

“In the end, the case for unlocking society is a spiritual matter. What is your life worth and how do you want to live it? How important are the hard-won freedoms you exercise daily? What of the lives and liberties of others?… Freedom has never prevailed without passionate and courageous voices to defend it…”

It is amazing to see how quickly the world has changed… and how quickly the ill-informed masses have “embraced” autocratic senseless measures by their governments…

Fauci: Chances Are Slim for an Effective Vaccine

CNBC wrote on August 8:

“Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that the chances of scientists creating a highly effective vaccine — one that provides 98% or more guaranteed protection — for the virus are slim. Scientists are hoping for a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, but 50% or 60% effective would be acceptable, too, Fauci… said…

“The Food and Drug Administration has said it would authorize a coronavirus vaccine so long as it is safe and at least 50% effective…  A 50% effective vaccine would be roughly on par with those for influenza

“Fauci has previously said he worries about the ‘durability’ of a coronavirus vaccine, saying if Covid-19 acts like other coronaviruses, it may not provide long-term protection… Health officials say there is no returning to ‘normal’ until there is a vaccine.

After all this hype for a vaccine, now this latest “expert” opinion! It appears these health advisors know next to nothing about the virus and how to deal with it. God must have poured out upon them a spirit of sleep and slumber.

Russia’s Dubious and Dangerous Claim

The Associated Press wrote on August 11:

“Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, a move that was met with international skepticism and unease because the shots have only been studied in dozens of people. President Vladimir Putin announced the Health Ministry’s approval and said one of his two adult daughters already was inoculated. He said the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and was shown to provide lasting immunity to the coronavirus, although Russian authorities have offered no proof to back up claims of safety or effectiveness…

“However, scientists in Russia and other countries sounded an alarm, saying that rushing to offer the vaccine before final-stage testing could backfire. What’s called a Phase 3 trial — which involves tens of thousands of people and can take months — is the only way to prove if an experimental vaccine is safe and really works. By comparison, vaccines entering final-stage testing in the U.S. require studies of 30,000 people each…

“Becoming the first country in the world to approve a vaccine was a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin as it tries to assert the image of Russia as a global power…”

These kinds of power plays are sickening and endanger the health of millions of people.

Trump: Children Almost Immune from Coronavirus

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 7:

Facebook and Twitter have taken down the US president’s claims on the insusceptibility of children to Covid-19 – a fact on which the science supports him – proving that Big Tech is increasingly acting in a nakedly political way. In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Donald Trump declared that ‘children are almost immune’ from coronavirus. The videos posted online have been deleted, but the trimmed audio is available… on CNN, which… titled it ‘Trump falsely says kids are “almost immune’” from Covid-19,’ just in case its editorial position was in any way in doubt.

“… the evidence of your own eyes should be enough to pass judgement on this. But here are a few statistics that stand out from the literature. Only a tiny fraction (0.8 percent) of Covid-19 hospital patients have been under the age of 19. Not a single child aged under 10 anywhere in the world has transmitted the virus to another person, despite a global effort from the World Health Organization to find one. And a large meta study across 26 counties found just seven deaths among children that were ascribed to coronavirus.

“Bearing those figures in mind, if Trump meant that ‘almost all children are immune,’ he was right. Similarly, if he meant children as a whole are ‘almost immune’, it would take considerable mental gymnastics to disagree. And this is if the statistics are taken at face value: the 0.8 percent figure is just as exaggerated as all the other figures, due to asymptomatic cases, and the seven deaths is such a small number it is statistically insignificant. Who knows what went on in those seven cases, and how old the patients were. If they were older teens, they could just as easily have been classed as adults.”

The intolerance of Big Tech towards those who state scientifically proven FACTS is appalling.

And Now… the Bubonic Plague?

CNN wrote on August 7:

“Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have sealed off a village after a resident there died from bubonic plague, a centuries-old disease responsible for the most deadly pandemic in human history. It did not mention how the patient had caught the plague…

“The plague, caused by bacteria and transmitted through flea bites and infected animals, killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe during the Black Death pandemic in the Middle Ages…

“Anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 people get the plague every year… But that total is likely too modest an estimate, since it doesn’t account for unreported cases. According to 2016 data, the possibility of plague exists on almost every continent, especially the western United States, parts of Brazil, scattered areas in southeast Africa and large swaths of China, India and the Middle East.

“… [People were urged] to reduce contact with wild animals while traveling and avoid hunting, skinning or eating animals that could cause infection.

“Last month, two cases of bubonic plague were confirmed in Mongolia — brothers who had both eaten marmot meat… In May 2019, another couple in Mongolia died from the plague after eating the raw kidney of a marmot, thought to be a folk remedy for good health.

Marmots are a type of large ground squirrel that is eaten in some parts of China and the neighboring country Mongolia, and which have historically caused plague outbreaks in the region. The marmot is believed to have caused the 1911 pneumonic plague epidemic, which killed about 63,000 people in northeast China. It was hunted for its fur, which soared in popularity among international traders. The diseased fur products were traded and transported around the country — infecting thousands along the way.”

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 10:

“In a seemingly unrelated case, a man in his 20s died of the septicaemic plague in New Mexico last week. This was the second case of septicaemic plague in New Mexico in less [than a month] after a man in his 60s was diagnosed with bubonic plague in New Mexico’s Santa Fe County last month.”

Marmots are unclean animals and not to be eaten. The Bible says that many people will die in the future because of the “wild beasts of the earth.”

Disagreements between Washington and Berlin on WHO

Reuters wrote on August 7:

“France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO… The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO…

“The German and French health ministries confirmed to Reuters that the two countries were opposed to the United States leading the talks after announcing their intention to leave the organization…

“It is unclear whether a G7 summit in the United States, at which Trump hopes leaders will endorse the roadmap, will now go ahead in September as planned… Despite changes to the original text, Washington’s push remained unacceptable, mainly to Germany, sources familiar with the negotiations said.”

The relationship between the USA and Germany is close to reaching a boiling point. Note the next article.

Macgregor new US Ambassador to Germany

Business Insider wrote on August 5:

“US President Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Germany accused Angela Merkel of prioritising ‘unwanted Muslim invaders’ over military aid and said Muslim migrants wanted to turn Europe ‘into an Islamic state.’ The White House on Monday announced that Col. Douglas Macgregor, a former Army tank commander, would succeed Richard Grennel as the US ambassador to [the] European Union’s largest economy, saying he is ‘widely recognized as an expert on force design and grand strategy.’ [Macgregor] is an enthusiastic supporter of Trump’s move to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.

“In 2018, he… said ‘the Germans, like the Koreans and the Japanese, are tired of this American troop presence on their soil,’ calling for a ‘change our relationship with Germany in terms of military power.’ A year later he [said]: ‘… we’re not going to rush hundreds of thousands of troops to the Polish border to deal with the Russians.’…

“[Macgregor] is inheriting a strained US relationship with Germany. His appointment comes amid months of tension between Washington and Berlin after Merkel’s government reacted angrily to President Trump’s decision to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany…

“A report published last week by London-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said that Germany no longer believed it could expect the US’ help against the threat of Russia and China.

“[Macgregor] has expressed views on other major issues in European geopolitics that fall outside of the mainstream. In 2014, weeks after Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, he told Kremlin-owned media outlet Russia Today that eastern and southern Ukrainians were ‘clearly Russian’ and ‘should be allowed to join Russia’…”

None of that makes Germany happy. Regardless as to whether Macgregor’s opinions are true or false, they will not help to improve the relationship between these two powers. Grennel’s performance was bad enough in the eyes of the Germans; it appears that Macgregor’s conduct will be viewed as even worse.

Germany “Dismayed” over US Sanction Threat regarding Pipeline

The Associated Press wrote on August 10:

“German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday he personally reached out to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express ‘dismay’ over… a letter sent last week by Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. Ron Johnson, which targeted Faehrhafen Sassnitz GmbH, the operator of the Mukran Port located in German Chancellor Angela Merkel´s constituency on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen… The port is a key staging post for ships involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that’s intended to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany.

“The U.S. argues the project will endanger European [energy and American national] security by making Germany overly dependent on Russian gas. It’s also opposed by Ukraine and Poland, which will be bypassed by the pipeline under the Baltic sea, as well as some other European nations… In addition to the security concerns, the U.S. also wants to sell more of its own liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to Germany — Europe’s largest economy.

“In the letter, the three senators say the message ‘serves as formal legal notice’ that the port operator, its board members, corporate officers, shareholders, and employees risk ‘crushing legal and economic sanctions’ unless they stop providing goods, services, and support for the Nord Stream 2 project. This includes providing storage areas for the pipeline’s steel sections and provisions for the Russian-flagged vessels Fortuna and Akademik Cherskiy…”

More controversy and conflicts between the USA and Germany can be expected.

The Beirut Disaster

Breitbart wrote on August 7:

“Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Friday the cause of the titanic explosion in Beirut on Tuesday ‘has not been determined yet,’ and authorities have not ruled out the ‘possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act.’”

The Telegraph added on August 7:

“[The] Government has rejected calls for an international investigation and instead suggested it could have been ‘foreign interference.’ Lebanon’s president has suggested that a missile could have been responsible for the catastrophic Beirut blast, as the country’s entrenched ruling class comes under increasing pressure from enraged citizens to resign….”

This incident and more to come will contribute to a terrible war in the Middle East.

A Bankrupt Nation

Reuters wrote on August 7:

“Lebanon’s president said on Friday its investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut’s history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference… While the United States has said it did not rule out an attack, Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, has denied any role. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the cause was unclear, but compared the blast to a 2005 bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri…

“Officials have said the blast, whose impact was recorded hundreds of miles (kms) away, might have caused losses amounting to $15 billion. That is a bill Lebanon cannot pay after already defaulting on a mountain of debt – exceeding 150% of economic output – and with talks stalled on a lifeline from the International Monetary Fund.

“After the blast destroyed Lebanon’s only major grain silo, U.N. agencies helped provide emergency food and medical aid. Aid offers have also poured in from Arab states, Western nations, the Vatican and beyond. But none, so far, addresses the bigger challenges facing a bankrupt nation.”

Hezbollah’s Intentions

The Times of Israel wrote on August 8:

“Hezbollah apparently planned to use the ammonium nitrate stockpile that caused a massive blast at Beirut’s port this week against Israel in a ‘Third Lebanon War,’ according to an unsourced assessment publicized on Israel’s Channel 13 Friday night. The report was broadcast hours after Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech ‘categorically’ denying that his group had stored any weapons or explosives at Beirut’s port, following the massive explosion there Tuesday that has claimed over 157 lives and wounded [over 5,000. Around 300,000 Beirut residents were rendered homeless].

“Ammonium nitrate is used in the manufacture of explosives and is also an ingredient in making fertilizer. It has been blamed for massive industrial accidents in the past, and was also a main ingredient in a bomb that destroyed a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Last year, reports in Israel claimed that the Mossad had tipped off European intelligence agencies about Hezbollah storing caches of ammonium nitrate for use in bombs in London, Cyprus and elsewhere.

“The Channel 13 report noted that ‘the material that exploded in the port is not new to Nasrallah and Hezbollah.’ It detailed Hezbollah’s previous connections to ammonium nitrate…”

French Ambitions in Lebanon

The Associated Press wrote on August 8:

“It was almost as if Emmanuel Macron forgot that Lebanon is no longer a French protectorate. Visiting explosion-ravaged Beirut this week, France’s leader comforted distraught crowds, promised to rebuild the city and claimed that the blast pierced France’s own heart. ‘France will never let Lebanon go,’ Macron said…

“His critics denounced the overtures as a neocolonialist foray by a European leader seeking to restore sway over a troubled Middle Eastern land – and distract from mounting problems at home. A meme circulating online dubbed him Macron Bonaparte, a 21st century Emperor Napoleon. But Macron’s defenders — including desperate Beirut residents who called him ‘our only hope’ — praised him for visiting gutted neighborhoods where Lebanese leaders fear to tread, and for trying to hold Lebanon’s politicians accountable for the corruption and mismanagement blamed for Tuesday’s deadly blast…

“France’s ties with Lebanon reach back at least to the 16th century, when the French monarchy negotiated with Ottoman rulers to protect Christians – and secure influence — in the region. By the time of the 1920-1946 French mandate, Lebanon already had a network of French schools and French speakers that survives to this day — along with France’s cozy relationships with Lebanon’s power brokers…

“A surprising online petition emerged this week asking France to temporarily restore its mandate, saying Lebanon’s leaders have shown ‘total inability to secure and manage the country.’ It’s widely seen as an absurd idea… but 60,000 people have signed it, including members of France’s 250,000-strong Lebanese diaspora and people in Lebanon who said it’s a way to express their desperation and distrust of the political class.

“[Macron] made a point of noting that he plans to return to Lebanon to verify that promised reforms are being undertaken on Sept. 1, the 100th anniversary of the declaration of Greater Lebanon – and the beginning of French rule.”

French, as well as German ambitions, will play a major future role in the Middle East, including Lebanon.  

Lebanese Prime Minister and Entire Cabinet Resign

The Times of Israel reported on August 10:

“Lebanon’s prime minister said Monday he and the entire cabinet were stepping down in the wake of the Beirut port explosion last week that triggered public fury and mass protests… The cabinet’s resignation risked opening the way to dragged-out negotiations over a new cabinet amid urgent calls for reform. The moment typified Lebanon’s political dilemma.

“Since October, there have been mass demonstrations demanding the departure of the entire sectarian-based leadership over entrenched corruption, incompetence and mismanagement. But the ruling oligarchy has held onto power for so long — since the end of the civil war in 1990 — that it is difficult to find a credible political figure not tainted by connections to them.”

Coming—the European Army

Express wrote on August 11:

“There is ‘growing support’ on the continent for an EU army with enthusiastic backing from Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s President Emmanuel Macron, a former top diplomat has claimed. With the UK no longer a member of the bloc, the push to create a joint military force may be impossible to stop, said Ray Bassett, Ireland’s  former ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The warning was sounded by Mr Bassett in the course of his new book, Ireland and the EU Post Brexit, in which he considers Ireland’s place in the bloc after the departure of the UK.

“… Assessing the EU’s stance, Mr Bassett said Brussels was motivated by a ‘growing detachment from the United States and resentment at the domination of that country of present military arrangements under NATO… He added: ‘As the US becomes more wary of foreign adventurism, some within the EU want to fill the vacuum left by Uncle Sam. To do that, they want a European Army, with a large European industrial-military complex in support.’… In fact, the proposal to militarise the EU is receiving growing support among establishment figures in mainland Europe.’

“Media outlets last year reported the ‘delight’ of former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the news that both Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel had voiced their support. Mr Bassett added: ‘On November 13, Merkel, speaking to the European Parliament, had expressed unambiguously her support for a “real, true, European Army”. This echoed the strong commitment of Macron for a military wing to the EU. Macron had, somewhat farcically, earlier called for a European Army to protect the EU from Russia, China and the US, drawing a sharp rebuke from President Trump.’

“Mrs Merkel had returned to the theme during a ceremony to mark a new friendship treaty between France and Germany, signed in Aachen last January. Mr Bassett said: ‘She described the Treaty as another step forward towards the creation of a European Army. Now with the Brits departing, the push for a European Army will be much more difficult to stop.’”

A strong powerful European Army is clearly prophesied in the Bible.

The Third Temple and the End of the World

Express wrote on August 8:

“BIBLICAL prophecy states the construction of a Third Temple of Jerusalem will precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the end of the world as we know it…

“The Holy Temple of Jerusalem is at the heart of the Jewish faith in the Holy Land. To date, two temples have towered over the ancient city on the Temple Mount, only to be destroyed by invading forces. The First Temple was toppled in 586 BC by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, during his conquest of Jerusalem. The Second Temple was then razed by the Romans in the year 70 AD following a Jewish revolt. What remains of the Second Temple is an outer wall, the so-called Western Wall or Kotel, near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. And with access for prayer barred to the Temple Mount’s al Aqsa Compound to non-Muslims, the Western Wall is considered the holiest of places of prayer in the Jewish world.

“But an expert believes plans are now well underway for a Third Temple to be constructed, and with it, comes the promise of biblical prophecy coming to fruition. Tom Meyer, a professor in Bible and theology at Shasta Bible College and Graduate School in California, US, told Express.co.uk groups like the Temple Institute are unwittingly paving the way for the Second Coming of Christ…

“Professor Tom Meyer [stated:] ‘A survey done by The Joint Forum of Temple Mount organizations in 2013 found that 43 percent of religious Jews and 31 percent of secular Jews supported the immediate reconstruction of Judaism’s most holy place. The human vehicle to bring this Biblical prophecy to fruition could come through not only changing the status quo to permit Jews to pray to YHWH on the Temple Mount – which 60 percent of Jews support – but also through organizations like The Temple Institute…’

“The Temple Institute exists in part to bring about… the Third Temple. It has received some funding from the Israeli government and donations from Jewish billionaires to achieve their objective. The organisation has already reconstructed all the necessary ritual objects needed for an animal sacrificial system like measuring cups, shovels, tongs, lavers, etc according to their ancient specifications. The Temple Institute has also not only begun educational programs to train young men who can prove their lineage through the line of Levi to function as priests in the future Temple, but they have also recreated all the necessary garments for the priesthood including the famous uniform of the High Priest, his breastplate and golden crown. The furniture to be placed inside the actual Temple like the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the golden menorah have already been completed… Blueprints have also been produced to set the stage if the construction of a Third Temple becomes a reality.

“Professor Meyer said: ‘Biblically speaking, the construction of a third Jewish Temple is a necessity because Biblical prophecy states that the Antichrist will first proclaim himself to be the true Messiah in the yet-to-be-built third Jewish Temple before the True Messiah appears.’”

It is clear from the Bible that a Third Temple will be erected prior to Christ’s return. We can see from the foregoing article that that time may be very near. Please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”

“Historic” Peace Agreement in Middle East

 JTA wrote on August 13:

 “As part of a peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump, Israel will pause its plans to annex areas of the West Bank, according to a joint statement released by the White House. ‘Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world. The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are confident that added diplomatic breakthroughs with other nations are possible, and will work together to achieve this goal,’ the statement read.

“The statement… said that Israel and the UAE will sign agreements in the coming weeks related to investment, tourism, air travel, security, opening embassies and more. The two nations also will work together on developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, it said…

“Most Arab countries do not recognize Israel’s existence. The Jewish state currently has ties only with Egypt and Jordan.”

For an in-depth analysis of this “peace deal” in connection with the building of the Third Temple, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, The Third Temple, the End of the World, and the “Historic” Peace Deal.”

Dedollarization in Russia and China

RusNikkei Asian Review wrote on August 6:

“Russia and China are partnering to reduce their dependence on the dollar — a development some experts say could lead to a ‘financial alliance’ between them. In the first quarter of 2020, the dollar’s share of trade between Russia and China fell below 50% for the first time on record… The greenback was used for only 46% of settlements between the two countries. At the same time, the euro made up an all-time high of 30%, while their national currencies accounted for 24%, also a new high.

“Russia and China have drastically cut their use of the dollar in bilateral trade over the past several years. As late as 2015, approximately 90% of bilateral transactions were conducted in dollars. Following the outbreak of the U.S.-China trade war and a concerted push by both Moscow and Beijing to move away from the dollar, however, the figure had dropped to 51% by 2019…

“Replacing the dollar in trade settlements became a necessity to sidestep U.S. sanctions against Russia. ‘Any wire transaction that takes place in the world involving U.S. dollars is at some point cleared through a U.S. bank,’ explained Dmitry Dolgin, ING Bank’s chief economist for Russia. ‘That means that the U.S. government can tell that bank to freeze certain transactions.’ The process gained further momentum after the Donald Trump administration imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods. Whereas previously Moscow had taken the initiative on dedollarization, Beijing came to view it as critical, too.”

The collaboration between China and Russia is happening on many different fronts, while their dependence on the American dollar is decreasing through a replacement with the euro and Chinese and Russian currencies. All of this is completely in line with biblical prophecies.

Trump’s Executive Order for Unemployment Benefits and Deferral of Payroll Tax

Newsmax wrote on August 9:

“President Donald Trump has bypassed the nation’s lawmakers as he claimed the authority to defer payroll taxes and replace an expired unemployment benefit with a lower amount after negotiations with Congress on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed… his order called for up to $400 payments each week, one-third less than the $600 people had been receiving…

“Trump’s embrace of executive actions to sidestep Congress ran in sharp contrast to his criticism of former President Barack Obama’s use of executive orders…

“Trump said the employee portion of the payroll tax would be deferred from Aug. 1 through the end of the year… In essence, the deferral is an interest-free loan that would have to be repaid… ‘If I win, I may extend and terminate,’ Trump said, repeating a longtime goal but remaining silent on how he’d fund the Medicare and Social Security benefits that the 7% tax on employee income covers. Employers also pay 7.65% of their payrolls into the funds….”

Democrats have threatened legal action, with the possibility that a federal court might issue a preliminary injunction and a preliminary stay against enforcing the orders.

Joe Biden’s Pick of Kamala Harris as his Running Mate

The Associated Press wrote on August 11:

“Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump…

“Harris’ record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the Democratic primary and turned off some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of systemic racism in the legal system and police brutality…

“A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States… The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when he’s inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency. He’s spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasn’t fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024. If he declines to do so, his running mate would likely become a front-runner for the nomination that year.

“Born in Oakland to a Jamaican father and Indian mother… [one] of Harris’ standout moments of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden. During a debate, Harris said Biden made ‘very hurtful’ comments about his past work with segregationist senators and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s… Shaken by the attack, Biden called her comments ‘a mischaracterization of my position.’… Some Biden confidants said Harris’ campaign attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her. Harris was also close with Biden’s late son, Beau, who served as Delaware attorney general while she held the same post in California. But Biden and Harris have since returned to a warm relationship.”

The Biden campaign felt that Biden (or they) HAD to pick a black woman as running mate to please their supporters. Some in the press claim that she is an “Asian” woman to make the underlying politics less obvious. All of this is hypocritical politics. Candidates from the same party fight nastily as enemies during debates, and later work together “in friendship.”  This is true for Democrats as well as Republicans. That is why one cannot trust politicians.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

Withdrawal of US Troops from Germany Bad Sign

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 2:

“US former National Security Advisor John Bolton criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Germany, in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag published on Sunday… The decision to remove some 12,000 troops out of Germany is ‘a sign – and not a good one – of what lies ahead if Trump is re-elected,’ he warned…

“In his book The Room Where It All Happened Bolton has accused Trump of putting his own political interests above national security interests and the well-being of the US… When it comes to national security, Trump ‘follows no political philosophy, no strategic thinking,’ the 71-year-old said. He added that the consequence now is that ‘we are less secure today than we were before his arrival in office.’”

In his book, Bolton cites numerous examples and incidents, which, if true, would indeed be of great concern.

The Bundeswehr to the Rescue?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 31:

“Germany should do more for its own security, Defense Minister Annagret Kramp-Karrenbauer said [adding] she would hold talks after the summer break with the leaders of the affected German states to discuss ‘how the Bundeswehr can support the affected regions.’… It was not immediately clear how the German military would attempt to fill the gap left behind by the US departures.”

But that the thought is mentioned is more than interesting.

Almost Half of Germans Welcome Withdrawal of US Troops

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 4:

“Nearly half of people in Germany are in favor of a US plan to withdraw nearly 12,000 of its troops from the European country…  Some 47% of survey respondents said they supported reducing the number of US soldiers in Germany. One in four was in favor of all US soldiers leaving. Just 28% thought the number of US troops should remain the same and only 4% were in favor of increasing their numbers. Another 21% declined to answer…

“Of Germany’s six parliamentary groups, five oppose US troops leaving Germany. Only the country’s left-wing die Linke Party — which supports a complete withdrawal of all US troops — is in favor of the move. Voter opinion, however, tended to differ from that of the parties they support. People who generally vote for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU were largely against the troops leaving, with more than 40% opposed. Among supporters of all other parties, the majority was in favor of the withdrawal, to varying degrees.”

It would have been helpful if the article had explained as to WHY almost half of the Germans are favoring the withdrawal of the US troops. The result of the poll, all by itself, tells us little or next to nothing. But note the next article for a possible explanation.

US-German Relationship Beyond Repair

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 4:

The notion that US-German relations during the pre-Trump era were exclusively cordial and free of controversy or recrimination is belied by the facts. The Cold War was largely defined by the division of Germany into East and West, and the resulting debate about German reunification between the US and the Soviet Union…

“The Ostpolitik policies of Chancellor Willy Brandt likewise frustrated US and NATO leaders, who saw West Germany’s efforts at détente with the Soviet Union, East Germany and other East Bloc European nations as a symptom of greater German independence from the dictates of NATO and the West. West Germany was ground zero for the anti-nuclear movement that swept Europe in the early 1980s following the US’ effort to deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles onto European soil. This came in response to the Soviet deployment of SS-20 missiles, which triggered the collapse of the government of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt due to a vote of no confidence.

“While the signing of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in 1987, and the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent German reunification in 1989, helped repair US-West German relations, the US involvement in the Gulf War in 1990-91 did not receive German support. While Germany rallied behind the US in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, this support did not extend to the US’ decision to invade Iraq in 2003; German recalcitrance prompted then-Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld to belittle Germany as part of ‘Old Europe.’ Gerhard Schroeder, who served as German chancellor from 1998-2005, worked towards closer relations with Russia, especially in the field of energy – an action that raised the hackles of the US government.

“When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, many Germans believed that he would usher in an era of improved relations… only to be disappointed by the reality that the problems souring US-German relations were larger than one man. Successive spy scandals in 2013 and 2014 involving eavesdropping by the US on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone, and the recruitment by the CIA of senior German officials, only confirmed to many Germans the reality that the US did not view their nation as a friend, but rather a potential adversary. The US’ use of military bases in Germany to conduct armed drone attacks against targets in the Middle East likewise drew the ire of many Germans, who believed their sovereignty was violated by such actions.

“Seen in this light, the deterioration of US-German relations under President Trump is not a new phenomenon, but rather a continuation of a decades-long slide which finds the two nations at odds over critical policy issues involving international peace and security, European independence, and relations with Russia… Trump’s actions in ordering the withdrawal of US troops from Germany are… the byproduct of a dysfunctional US-German relationship that has been devolving for decades… The worsening relationship between the two countries is tied to a clash between American exceptionalism and German notions of European sovereignty, which no US or German leader can paper over with gestures and speeches…”

Please view our new StandingWatch program, “US German Friendship Has Ended! Are You WAKING UP???”  

Consequences of Nuclear Attack on Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 5:

“A nuclear attack on Germany’s biggest cities would kill hundreds of thousands of people instantly… Tens of thousands more would be plagued by long-term illnesses such as cancer…

“Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the date the US dropped a nuclear bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II, instantly killing over 70,000 people. It was the first nuclear weapon ever used in warfare…

“[A] simulation examines three potential scenarios in Germany, dpa reported. One considers the effects of a nuclear attack on Berlin, Germany’s political center and capital. A relatively small bomb with an explosive energy of 20 kilotons — equal to the explosive force of 20,000 tons of dynamite — would kill some 145,000 people immediately. Of these, 25,000 would be killed by the resulting pressure and heat wave while the other 120,000 would be killed by the effects of nuclear fallout radiation on the surrounding area. ‘In addition, there would be more than 50,000 later deaths due to cancer,’ the report said.

“The second scenario estimates that around half a million people would die instantly were a nuclear bomb weighing 550 kilotons to hit Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub.  Just over half of the victims would be killed by the waves of heat and pressure as well as the immediate effects of radiation.

“A third scenario considers the effects of an attack on Germany’s Büchel airbase in western Germany, where… the US is storing nuclear weapons with an explosive force of 170 kilotons each. In such a case, the software estimated a total of 130,000 immediate deaths, with around 107,000 due fallout radiation…

“In an act of protest against nuclear weapons, Greenpeace on Wednesday flew a hot air balloon near the Büchel airbase. ‘Mass killings like those caused by the atomic bomb on Hiroshima must never happen again,’ Greenpeace spokesman for nuclear disarmament, Christoph von Lieven said Wednesday. The German government must ensure that not only are US soldiers withdrawn from Germany… but nuclear bombs as well, he added.”

A nuclear attack on German cities is prophesied.

Conservatives Unhappy with Trump

npr wrote on July 31:

“After voting for President Trump in 2016 and staunchly defending him in conservative publications… Steven Calabresi, co-founder of the powerful conservative legal organization, is now calling on the House of Representatives to do again what it has already done once this year: impeach Trump.

“In a scathing opinion piece in The New York Times published online Thursday, the Northwestern University law professor points to what ignited his newfound ire with the president: a tweet Trump sent out shortly after news broke Thursday morning that the U.S. economy had suffered its biggest recorded contraction ever last quarter. ‘With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA… Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???’ Calabresi declared himself ‘appalled’ by the tweet, which he characterized as ‘seeking to postpone the November election.’

“‘Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats’ assertion that President Trump is a fascist,’ the conservative legal scholar wrote. ‘But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president’s immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate.’

“It was a remarkable turnaround for a man who as recently as November had accused House Democrats of conducting an ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘Kafkaesque “trial”’ in their Trump impeachment proceedings… ‘President Trump needs to be told by every Republican in Congress that he cannot postpone the federal election. Doing so would be illegal, unconstitutional and without precedent in American history,’ Calabresi warned. ‘Anyone who says otherwise should never be elected to Congress again.’

“Calabresi’s public distancing from the 45th president was applauded by other conservatives critical of Trump… Former national security adviser John Bolton…tweeted that Calabresi’s op-ed was ‘a must-read.’

“Trump, for his part, did not directly respond to his one-time ally’s demand that he be re-impeached. Instead, the president sought to portray his provocative suggestion that the election be delayed as stirring a needed public debate.”

Of course, Trump’s original tweet speaks for itself. We won’t comment as to whether it, all by itself, would be sufficient grounds for impeachment. We would state, however, that Bolton makes a strong case for impeachment in his book stating alleged facts which, if true, would go far beyond the Democrats’ botched and incompetent attempts of impeachment which were destined to failure from the outset.

Trump and Putin—Mussolini and Hitler?

Breitbart wrote on August 2:

“[In] Sunday on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) said [this about Donald Trump and Putin:]

“‘I feel very strongly that he is Mussolini. Putin is Hitler… I don’t think he plans to leave the White House. He doesn’t plan to have a fair election. I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue [to] hold on to office. That is why the American people had better wake up. I know a little bit about history, and I know how countries find their demise…’”

A modern “Hitler” will manifest himself soon, but not in the USA or Russia, but in Europe. A modern “Mussolini” might very well arise there as well.

China, Russia and Iran

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 1:

China and Iran [are] in the process of negotiating a 25-year strategic agreement… [which] is apparently close to being signed… The deal foresees not only an economic partnership worth billions but also close military cooperation… China sees Iran as a major market for its commodities — and as a source of oil. Iran, for its part, hopes Chinese investments and its own exports will lessen some of the economic pressure of ongoing US sanctions.

“Tehran’s move toward Beijing is partly a reaction to the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement… But the US isn’t the only reason… Tehran is also disappointed that the Europeans have not lived up to their economic commitments…

China and Russia were the only two countries that had maintained their economic ties with Iran, leading the Iranian government to see expanded ties with these two powers as the only viable option to save its economy from collapse. At the same time… Iranian politicians increasingly had the impression that US power and international standing had begun to decline under President Donald Trump… Together with Russia, Iran has resolutely supported Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the country’s civil war — and China has consistently backed their actions at the UN Security Council.”

This anti-Western cooperation is remarkable in light of the fact that at the beginning of the Millennium, it will be these and other powers which will try to invade the Promised Land, where the modern descendants of the houses of Israel (USA, UK, Canada and others) and Judah (the Jews) will live by that time.

Annexation Not Off the Table… Washington Being Blamed for Delay

The Times of Israel wrote on August 3:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told his Likud faction meeting that Israel’s planned annexation of West Bank land is not off the table, but is being held up by the US administration. Netanyahu had declared his intention to move forward with the partial annexation of the West Bank, under the auspices of the US peace plan, from July 1, but that date came and went without any movement on the matter, and in recent weeks, the prime minister has been largely silent on the issue.

“Reports in recent months have indicated that the White House has cooled on the Israeli proposal, amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, race protests, upcoming national elections, and other considerations. The White House has said repeatedly that it is up to Israel to decide on annexation, but has yet to give a definitive answer as to whether it is prepared to support and recognize the unilateral annexation now of part or all of the 30 percent of the West Bank allocated to Israel in its peace plan. That would include all of the settlements along with the strategic Jordan Valley…

“Last month, Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin acknowledged in private conversations that no attention is currently being given in Washington to Israeli annexation plans, according to an Army Radio report. The US administration’s attention is elsewhere, the report claimed Levin had said, and ‘it is not listening’ when it comes to annexation.”

This would be in line with Trump’s constantly wavering positions which Bolton describes in his book. On the other hand, Trump may not be able to afford silence much longer on the issue of Israeli annexation.

Lebanon Explosion

The Economic Collapse wrote on August 4:

“2020 just keeps getting weirder.  On Tuesday, an absolutely massive explosion caused a red mushroom cloud to rise high over the city of Beirut, Lebanon.  It is being called ‘Beirut’s Hiroshima’, and the blast was heard as far away as Cyprus… It appears that the shockwave did even more damage than the initial explosion did, and at this hour a large portion of the city of Beirut lies in ruins…  It is being reported that Beirut’s port ‘is totally destroyed’, and this comes at a really bad time because Lebanon is already in the midst of an epic economic collapse… many eyewitnesses are comparing the blast to a nuclear explosion… ‘This reminds me of what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,’ said Beirut Governor Marwan Aboud. ‘I have never seen such widespread destruction. This is a national catastrophe. This is a disaster for Lebanon…’

Over the past couple of years, there have been so many moments when it seemed like a major war could break out at any time in the Middle East.  And here in 2020, tensions are running higher than ever… It appears that it is just a matter of time before a huge war erupts in the Middle East, and it certainly isn’t going to take much to trigger one. So could this explosion push the region over the edge?

“Let us hope not, but without a doubt this blast is not going to help matters. The devastation that we just witnessed has caused great pain and anger in Lebanon, and terror groups such as Hezbollah will inevitably try to channel all of that pain and anger in a way that furthers their ultimate goals.”

A terrible war in the Middle East is prophesied to occur soon.

An Attack?

Breitbart reported on August 4:

President Donald Trump reacted to the massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on the capital city’s waterfront. ‘It looks like a terrible attack,’ Trump said during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday. He said that he met with his generals to discuss the explosion and they estimated the explosion was an attack. ‘This was not some kind of manufacturing explosion type of event,’ Trump said. ‘This was a – seems to be, according to them. They would know better than I would. They seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes.’… The Lebanese government confirmed that ‘highly explosive materials’ were stored in the area where the explosion occurred.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 4:

“Israel said it had nothing to do with the explosion, urging ‘caution around speculation.’ Hezbollah also said it had no indication of Israeli involvement.”

The Pardon of Assisi

Vatican News reported on August 2:

“Pope Francis invited everyone to receive the ‘Pardon of Assisi’, which can be obtained from the evening of 1 August until midnight on 2 August… ‘It is a plenary indulgence that may be received by partaking of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist and visiting a parish or Franciscan church, reciting the Creed, the Lord’s prayer and praying for the Pope and his intentions,’ the Pope pointed out. He recalled that the indulgence can even be obtained for a deceased person

“The ‘Pardon of Assisi’ dates back to 1216, when Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and angels appeared before St. Francis. The apparition took place in the tiny Portiuncula, the chapel Francis had built in the Italian town of Assisi. When Jesus asked him [what] he desired for the salvation of souls, St. Francis asked for God to grant a plenary indulgence for all those who enter the chapel. The indulgence was later extended to anyone who visits a parish or Franciscan church on 1 August or 2 August.”

This is so blasphemous and idolatrous.

“The Lockdown Lunacy”

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 1:

“Well, the Virus Patrol sure has done it. In a fit of reckless overkill they have managed to vaporize six years of economic growth during the last 90 days… The real damage is far deeper, however, and is reflected in millions of small businesses permanently destroyed, tens of millions of households wiped-out financially and the vicious daisy chain of delinquencies, deferrals and defaults just beginning to rip through the $78 trillion edifice of debt which entombs the US economy…

What is happening is an economic catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen before, even during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In fact, the worst annual decline back then was a 14.8 percent drop in 1932, while the entire peak-to-trough real GDP decline between 1929 and the 1933 bottom was 30.5 percent. So it would be fair to say that measured at an annualized rate, … Dr. Fauci and his Virus Patrol have now delivered a 32.9 percent GDP plunge, which single-handedly tops the entire contraction of the Great Depression…

“One manifestation of the Covid-Hysteria is the soaring level of ‘testing’ going on as people either try to get a hall pass in order to return to work or just plain run to the nearest testing station every time the media sends off new alarm bells. During April, for instance, which was the very worst month of the contagion in terms of serious illnesses and deaths, 5.2 million new tests were reported or 175,000 per day. By contrast, in July to date (thru the 29th), there have been 21.5 million new tests reported or an average of 745,000 per day. In a population that has been thoroughly exposed to the virus after five months, it is a given that with the number of tests soaring, the number of positive cases will rise proportionately.

“But that’s a misdirection because the real issue is the true medical severity of the new cases, and that has dropped precipitously. The death rate has dropped from 1,800 per day in April to 780 in July; and whereas 15-20 percent of new cases were being hospitalized in most states during April, that figure has now fallen to 2-4 percent…”

Why then the hysteria and more and more recommendations for lockdowns (which is pointed out below in additional articles)?

No Masks in the Netherlands

Daily Mail wrote on August 1:

“… while 120 countries in the world, including much of Europe, have ordered citizens to wear masks in public places to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Dutch are doing things differently.

“The nation’s top scientists, having examined key data and research, have declared there is no firm evidence to back the use of face coverings. Indeed, they argue that wearing the wretched things may actually hamper the fight against disease

“’Face masks in public places are not necessary, based on all the current evidence,’ said Coen Berends, spokesman for the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. ‘There is no benefit and there may even be negative impact.’…

“Holland’s position is based on assessments by the Outbreak Management Team, a group of experts advising the government. It first ruled against masks in May and has re-evaluated the evidence several times, including again last week….

“The World Health Organisation has also been sceptical, warning that ‘widespread use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not yet supported by high-quality or direct scientific evidence’. Although changing its advice in June to back the encouragement of mask wearing in some settings, the WHO lists 11 ‘potential harms’ that range from discomfort through to self-contamination and lower compliance with more critical preventative measures.”

And so, the debate among scientists goes on… but who is right, and who is wrong?

Wearing Masks

Target Liberty wrote on August 5:

“Governments in many parts of the land [USA] have ordered mask-wearing to ‘battle’ a virus that is about as deadly to the average American under 80 as hay fever. The mask-wearing order has resulted in near 100% compliance in such areas as California. It is a sign of cowering submission to the state [with] an added bonus of neighbors, and other busybodies, backing up the state orders with rants and rages for [those] who do not wear masks…

“The mask-wearing edicts are a relatively minor burden for those… who aren’t required to wear masks all day, but we don’t know what is coming down the road in terms of future tyranny. It is very important to learn now how to deal with different situations for the future when the stakes might be much higher.”

And that is VERY true.

The Fight for the Vaccine

The Associated Press wrote on August 2:

“Who gets to be first in line for a COVID-19 vaccine?… Traditionally, first in line for a scarce vaccine are health workers and the people most vulnerable to the targeted infection… For all the promises of the U.S. stockpiling millions of doses, the hard truth: Even if a vaccine is declared safe and effective by year’s end, there won’t be enough for everyone who wants it right away — especially as most potential vaccines require two doses.

“It’s a global dilemma. The World Health Organization is grappling with the same who-goes-first question as it tries to ensure vaccines are fairly distributed to poor countries — decisions made even harder as wealthy nations corner the market for the first doses

“How to decide? The CDC’s opening suggestion: First vaccinate 12 million of the most critical health, national security and other essential workers. Next would be 110 million people at high risk from the coronavirus — those over 65 who live in long-term care facilities, or those of any age who are in poor health — or who also are deemed essential workers. The general population would come later…

“And it may be worth vaccinating entire families rather than trying to single out just one high-risk person in a household… Whoever gets to go first, a mass vaccination campaign while people are supposed to be keeping their distance is a tall order…”

None of that sounds too promising or reassuring.

Blue Blood of the Horseshoe Crabs for Coronavirus Vaccines

National Geographic wrote on July 6:

“Each spring… hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs clamber onto beaches to lay their eggs… For drug companies, it’s a crucial resource for making human medicines safe. That’s because their blue blood… provides the only known natural source of limulus amebocyte lysate, a substance that detects a contaminant called endotoxin. If even tiny amounts of endotoxin—a type of bacteria—make their way into vaccines, injectable drugs, or other sterile pharmaceuticals such as artificial knees and hips, the results can be deadly…

“Every year, pharmaceutical companies round up half a million Atlantic horseshoe crabs, bleed them, and return them to the ocean— after which many will die… Catching crabs and harvesting their blood is time-consuming, and the resulting lysate costs £48,000 per gallon.

“In 2016, a synthetic alternative to crab lysate, recombinant factor C (rFC), was approved as an alternative in Europe, and a handful of U.S. drug companies also began using it. But on June 1, 2020, the American Pharmacopeia, which sets the scientific standards for drugs and other products in the U.S., declined to place rFC on equal footing with crab lysate, claiming that its safety is still unproven.

“Starting in July, Swiss-based Lonza will begin manufacturing a COVID-19 vaccine for human clinical trials—and they’ll have to use lysate in the vaccine if they plan to sell it in the U.S…. conservationists fear that without rFC or other alternatives available, the ongoing burden on horseshoe crab blood for COVID-19 vaccines and related therapeutics may imperil the crabs and the marine ecosystems that depend on them.”

This sounds like a weird story from a science fiction novel.

Huge Demonstration in Germany Against Corona Restrictions

The Associated Press wrote on August 1:

“Thousands protested Germany’s coronavirus restrictions Saturday in a Berlin demonstration marking what organizers called ‘the end of the pandemic’… With few masks in sight, a dense crowd marched through downtown Berlin from the Brandenburg Gate. Protesters who came from across the country held up homemade signs with slogans like ‘Corona, false alarm,’ ‘We are being forced to wear a muzzle,’ ‘Natural defense instead of vaccination’ and ‘We are the second wave.’ They chanted, ‘We’re here and we’re loud, because we are being robbed of our freedom!’

“Police estimated about 17,000 people turned out… Protesters continued to a subsequent rally on a boulevard running through the city’s Tiergarten park, which police estimated drew 20,000 people.”

AFP wrote on August 1:

“Several politicians condemned the demonstration… Health Minister Jens Spahn [stated]: ‘Yes, demonstrations should also be possible in times of coronavirus, but not like this. Distance, hygiene rules and masks serve to protect us all…’”

Many on social media and those who were there claim that the actual figure of demonstrators was from 500,000 up to 1,3 Million. This figure has been disputed as a gross exaggeration. Still, what we are beginning to see is a possible confrontation between the Merkel government and Germans who are opposed to governmental restrictions. Several AfD representatives [from the opposition party] participated in the protest and were interviewed.

“Germans Are Waking Up. Americans Still Asleep”

Ron Paul wrote on August 3 in the Ron Paul Institute:

“Tens of thousands of Germans marched through Berlin on Saturday, proclaiming a ‘Day of Freedom’ and demanding an end to government-mandated face masks and ‘social distancing.’ The UK and Netherlands also saw large protests against their governments’ tyrannical actions in response to the coronavirus outbreak… the Berlin protesters held signs reading ‘We are being forced to wear a muzzle,’ ‘Natural defense instead of vaccination,’ and ‘We are making noise because you are stealing our freedom!’

“Good for them!

“The New York Times tweeted that the masses of Berlin demonstrators were all ‘Nazis’ and ‘conspiracy theorists.’ Does the ‘paper of record’ really want us to believe there were perhaps a million Nazis active in the streets of Berlin? Wouldn’t that be alarming?

“The fact is, Europeans are realizing that their government-mandated lockdowns did little or nothing to protect them from the virus, while causing economic catastrophe and untold human suffering. They likely looked around and noticed that Sweden, which never locked down its economy, rejected face masks, and kept its restaurants and other places of business open, did not fare any worse than the countries that have been turned into open air prisons for much of the year. In fact, Sweden had a lower death rate from the virus than strict lockdown states like the UK and France. No wonder people are starting to get angry.

“Unfortunately, while the Europeans are waking up, Americans are still asleep as our freedoms continue to be trampled. While Europeans demand an end to government tyranny, here we see states with minuscule new deaths returning to lockdown. It is as if all the wannabe tyrants from mayors to governors are finally realizing their secret dreams of ruling by decree. Their dreams are our nightmares!

“New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy put citizens ‘on notice’ that he will lock the state back down if people dare to go outside without a face mask or even to have guests inside their own homes!… The US government is dumping billions into a vaccine that may be less than 60 percent effective to prevent a virus that has something like a 99.8 percent survival rate. What kind of math is that?… the US government has just granted big pharma immunity from liability claims if the vaccine produces damaging side effects.

“They keep moving the goal posts to keep us terrified and isolated. First it was body counts and then ‘cases.’ The numbers have been so wildly off that it’s hard to trust any reporting. People are getting angry. They are confused. They are facing an economic depression of historic proportions. But worst of all, they are watching as Leviathan government snatches every last bit of freedom.

“Three cheers for the Europeans! Let’s hope America wakes up soon!”

The reports by the left-wing mass media (and also by conservative outlets such as mass tabloid Bild and others) about the demonstrations by labeling all of the protestors as Nazis was so foolish and so predictable. Let us also point out that the German and the European governments will not be silent either. They are determined to fight back and suppress any “dissenters” under the pretense of “public health.” Notice the next articles.

German Government Threatens Those Who Disagree

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 1:

“Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said he wants tougher penalties for coronavirus rule breakers. ‘Anyone who deliberately endangers others must expect that this will have serious consequences for him,’ Altmaier told the DPA news agency. ‘We must not jeopardize the recovery that is just beginning by accepting a further increase in infections.’…

“The chief minister of Saxony-Anhalt state, Reiner Haseloff, warns against a new lockdown. ‘We cannot afford a second lockdown,’ Haseloff [said Saturday]. ‘Our economy would hardly be able to cope with that and in the end, it would also have a negative effect on the welfare state and its stability,’ he said.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 3:

“Saturday’s huge demo in Berlin against Germany’s coronavirus measures has raked up a new debate about the boundaries between the right to assemble and the protection of public health… By Monday, several German politicians had taken to their favored media outlets to condemn the demonstrators…

“In Germany, it’s up to local authorities to make the conditions under which demonstrations are permitted — though their hands are tied to a great extent by the German constitution, which enshrines the right to demonstrate except when demos turn violent, if participants are carrying weapons, or if their faces are covered (which of course raises its own legal headache in the coronavirus age)…

“Paulina Starski, a senior research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, explained that the authorities can only shut down demonstrations if there’s a direct danger to public security… Of course, among the rules the police currently has to enforce are social distancing guidelines — so there are dangers to public security inherent during the outbreak of a highly contagious virus…

“The courts, meanwhile, have a duty to guard against constitutional violations, and, as Starski explained, will often side with people’s rights rather than the police if there is doubt — partly a lesson learned during Germany’s dark authoritarian past. As Starski added, there is certainly a danger that authorities could use coronavirus prevention measures to curtail constitutional freedoms. ‘Absolutely,’ she said. ‘The new rules during the hard lockdown led to a situation where the freedom of assembly was to a large extent de facto suspended…’”

Restrictions can be expected again and despite the questionable propaganda according to which most people allegedly welcome those, many will not do so for sure. Note the next article.

Shocking News from the UK

Express wrote on August 2:

“The Prime Minister was told by scientific advisers too much mingling between family groups is the main cause of an alarming rise in infections. It comes after Mr Johnson was forced to announce a slow down of the lockdown…

“Large swathes of the North of England were also told on Thursday night they were not allowed to enter other people’s homes. The shock announcement was made by Health Secretary Matt Hancock at 9pm on Twitter, and told over 4million people in areas of Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire separate households were no longer allowed to meet indoors.”

And so, we are afraid that in the UK under Boris Johnson’s wavering leadership, irresponsible lockdowns will be starting again.

News from Melbourne, Australia

Our local elder, Paul Niehoff, sent us the following report on August 2:

“At the moment about 600 people are being infected daily. Around 10 are dying, mostly in aged care homes. The premier has stated publicly on TV that he would not want to put his mother in one of these homes as their conditions are so bad. The premier has also declared a ‘state of disaster’ and a curfew from 8 pm till 5 am daily.

“The premier has now closed or dramatically reduced nearly all industry in Melbourne. It is estimated that 250,000 workers will be stood down for the next six weeks, with no promise of the shutdown ending then. All non-essential retail will go on-line. Some can order on-line and collect outside the store. Hair dressers and lawn mowing and garden maintenance are banned totally. Meat working plants are reduced in capacity by 33%, with all staff in full protective clothing. Construction sites are dramatically reduced in number of workers on site. Bottle shops will remain open. When I went shopping yesterday, at the first supermarket, absolutely all of the minced meat had gone. The second one did have minced meat available. But it shows how quickly food can disappear from the shelves.

“For healthy people, only one household member may go shopping each day. A disabled person may have an assistant but they must be separated. Outdoor exercise is allowed for a maximum of one hour per day. Shopping is limited to 5 kilometres radius unless the nearest supermarket is over that distance. Funerals can have 10 guests not including the officials. Weddings are banned although there may be compassionate exemptions. Acts of parliament have been suspended and police given greater powers.”

The last sentence should be of great concern.

Dr. Fauci Unwilling to Answer Jim Jordan

Breitbart wrote on July 31:

“Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) grilled Dr. Anthony Fauci during a House panel hearing Friday over whether the government should limit ongoing protests, like it has other activities, for fueling the spread of the coronavirus. ‘I’m not in a position to determine what the government can do in a forceful way,’ a visibly uncomfortable Fauci… said in responding to Jordan’s questions… ‘You make all kinds of recommendations,’ Jordan noted. ‘You made comments on dating, on baseball, on everything you can imagine … you just said that protesting increased the spread. I’m just asking, should we try to limit the protesting?’ ‘No, I think I would leave that to people who have more of a position to do that,’ Fauci… said…

“The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects both the freedoms to protest, and of religion, Jordan argued. He also noted that the government prevents some people from going to work to help hinder the spread of the virus. ‘Government is stopping people from going to church, Dr. Fauci,’ the Ohio Republican pointed out, later adding, ‘You’ve advocated for certain businesses to be shut down.’ Jordan asked, ‘Is there a world where the Constitution says you can favor one First Amendment liberty, protesting, over another, practicing your faith?’…”

Newsweek wrote on August 1:

“Tucker Carlson has once again criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, this time over the infectious diseases expert’s answer before Congress to a question about the wisdom of protesters gathering in large numbers… Carlson praised Jordan for his questioning, saying, ‘There is nothing Dr. Anthony Fauci won’t opine on as long as it doesn’t offend the popular and fashionable left.’

“Carlson went on to say: ‘Fauci is 79, but maybe if he had like 22-year-old kids who were trying to make their way in this world in an economy that is headed down the tubes, thanks largely to his recommendations, he would feel differently. It’s not merely an inconvenience when your economy collapses. It’s the end of the American dream. That’s not a small thing…’

“Earlier this week, Carlson gave Fauci both barrels in a segment in which he called him ‘a hypocritical buffoon who refuses to admit what he clearly doesn’t know,’ adding that, ‘if you say that out loud they will cancel you… criticize Fauci, and you will disappear from the Internet.’

“Fauci enjoys considerable trust among Americans about his approach to the coronavirus. A poll in July showed that two-thirds of the public, or 67 percent, expressed trust in the public health official’s information about the pandemic…”

This poll, if true, does not speak much for an informed opinion of trust in a man who has made numerous wrong predictions and who has given numerous wrong recommendations.

In a somewhat related development, “America’s Frontline Doctors” did a video program last week in front of the US Supreme Court describing their practice of prescribing hydroxychloroquine for their patients with almost 100% success. They also were taking it themselves, just one or two tablets a week, and not catching the virus even though only wearing a mask and no other protective equipment. The video had over 17 million views before being taken down by Twitter etc. Anyone who put the video on their website had their website taken down also. It is available on small non-censored sites but most people would never find them and if someone tweeted the address of these websites, they were also taken down.

While Trump advocates the use of the medication for coronavirus treatment, Fauci opposes it, saying it has no effect and could even be dangerous. Note the next article.

Trump vs. Fauci and Birx

Mediaite wrote on August 3:

“President Donald Trump attacked Dr. Deborah Birx for the first time on Monday, in an apparent response to her warning that the United States is entering a ‘new phase’ of the coronavirus pandemic. ‘So Crazy Nancy Pelosi said horrible things about Dr. Deborah Birx, going after her because she was too positive on the very good job we are doing on combatting the China Virus, including Vaccines & Therapeutics. In order to counter Nancy, Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!’

“Trump was responding to Birx’s Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash… Birx also used the opportunity to respond to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who reportedly accused her of helping Trump spread pandemic misinformation. Birx mostly shrugged off Pelosi’s criticisms by saying she had ‘tremendous respect’ for her. After that, Birx reaffirmed that she has seen alarming new pandemic data across the U.S.

“It also comes two days after Trump pronounced Dr. Anthony Fauci ‘wrong!’ for warning about the recent outbreaks that have happened. Trump repeatedly trashed Fauci in the past, but this appears to be the first time he has publicly gone after Birx.”

Now Dr. Fauci is also recommending to at least some states in the USA to reconsider lockdowns, while Dr. Birx is recommending that at least some people (being part of a family) should wear masks in their homes. What a time of confusion and lack of clarity and reliability. Fauci and Birx belong to Trump’s team. If Trump has no confidence in them, he should fire them.

No Public Charge Rule During Coronavirus Pandemic

Newsmax wrote on July 30:

“The Trump administration’s ‘public charge’ rule – which makes it more difficult for immigrants to obtain legal status if they use public benefits – cannot be implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, a federal judge ruled… [He] issued a nationwide injunction halting enforcing of the requirements. The matter is now likely to be heard by the Supreme Court, which in January voted 5-4 to move forward with the plan – but that was prior to the pandemic.

“The Department of Homeland Security started enforcing the rule in February. A group of state attorney generals from New York and other states had asked the court to issue an injunction against the rule, but their request was denied. In his opinion, Daniels wrote that since that ruling in April, the COVID-19 pandemic has gotten worse and ‘the irreparable harm and public interests that warrant an injunction have come into sharper focus.’ ‘We no longer need to imagine the worst-case scenario; we are experiencing its dramatic effects in real time,’ he wrote.

“Green card applicants who relied on social services as their primary means of financial support in the past could be denied permanent residency under what is known as the ‘public charge’ rule…”

Public Bible Burning in Oregon

Daily Wire wrote on August 1:

“Left-wing activists rioted in Portland on Friday night where they burned Bibles, set fires in the street, and tore protective boarding off of buildings… Numerous journalists who were on the ground said that the left-wing activists were trying to provoke a response from the federal agents inside…

“President Donald Trump announced late Friday night, ‘Homeland Security is not leaving Portland until local police complete cleanup of Anarchists and Agitators!’’

Violence All Around Us

The Week wrote on July 31:

“All week I’ve been haunted by a brief few seconds of video posted on Twitter late Sunday night by a student journalist in Eugene, Oregon. Two men face off at a protest — the one standing on the left is demonstrating for Black Lives Matter; the one on the right, sitting in a pickup truck, is a counter-protester. Each is pointing a handgun at the other’s face at point blank range. That’s us. That’s America during the long, hot summer of 2020…

“I see so much anger around me — at the grocery store, while driving, on television, online…

“So how does it play out? What if the next time opposing protesters point guns at each other’s faces, one of them pulls the trigger?…”

Frightening.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

Another Unconstitutional Supreme Court Decision

The Week wrote on July 25:

“The Supreme Court on Friday denied a petition from Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in Dayton, Nevada, claiming a state policy limiting in-person church attendance to 50 during the coronavirus violated the Constitution. Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote in the 5-4 decision, joining the court’s liberal justices. As is typical in such cases, the majority did not provide a reason for the rejection.

“The bench’s conservative wing, meanwhile, dissented, emphasizing the church’s argument that houses of worship were treated differently from other places where large gatherings take place, including casinos, gyms, and restaurants. ‘The world we inhabit today, with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges,’ Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote. ‘But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel.’”

Fox News reported on July 24:

“Nevada has placed a 50-person cap on all places of worship, no matter the capacity of the building, as a part of the state’s coronavirus restrictions. But casinos, along with other businesses such as restaurants and movie theaters, may permit up to 50 percent capacity, allowing casinos to grant access to hundreds of patrons at a time.

“Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh all issued dissenting opinions rejecting the constitutionality of the decision… ‘In my view, Nevada’s discrimination against religious services violates the Constitution,’ Kavanaugh wrote Friday…”

CLEARLY it does.

Conservatives Outraged over Roberts’ Vote

Bloomberg wrote on July 25:

“‘John Roberts has abandoned his oath,’ Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, said in a tweet… Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, also piled on, wondering ‘what happened to that judge?’ and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a former Republican Congressman, called it ‘a sad day.’…

The recent pattern of Chief Justice Roberts’ siding with the liberal Supreme Court judges in rendering anti-conservative political decisions has become very manifest. America is destroying itself from the inside in just about every conceivable area.

Churches Defy Cal. Governor Newsom

Breitbart wrote on July 25:

“Two churches in California are defying Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders to keep their doors closed because of the coronavirus, including Grace Community Church in a Los Angeles suburb, where Pastor John MacArthur posted a letter on Friday titled, ‘Christ, Not Caesar, Is Head of the Church.’… The letter reads, in part:

“‘Christ is Lord of all. He is the one true head of the church… He is also King of kings—sovereign over every earthly authority… Grace Community Church has always stood immovably on those biblical principles. As His people, we are subject to His will and commands as revealed in Scripture. Therefore we cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lord’s clear commands.

“‘Some will think such a firm statement is inexorably in conflict with the command to be subject to governing authorities laid out in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. Scripture does mandate careful, conscientious obedience to all governing authority, including kings, governors, employers, and their agents (in Peter’s words, ‘not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable’)… Insofar as government authorities do not attempt to assert ecclesiastical authority or issue orders that forbid our obedience to God’s law, their authority is to be obeyed whether we agree with their rulings or not. In other words, Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 still bind the consciences of individual Christians…

“‘When any government official issues orders regulating worship (such as bans on singing, caps on attendance, or prohibitions against gatherings and services), he steps outside the legitimate bounds of his God-ordained authority as a civic official and arrogates to himself authority that God expressly grants only to the Lord Jesus Christ…

“‘Therefore, in response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction, and faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.’

“The letter said the church does not need the state’s permission to hold church services and urged other congregations to follow suit. ‘Our prayer is that every faithful congregation will stand with us in obedience to our Lord as Christians have done through the centuries,’ the letter concluded.

“[MacArthur’s] letter comes weeks after Calvary Church Chino Hills, also a Southern California congregation, opened its door for service on May 31, Pentecost Sunday — the holy day that celebrates the anointing of the church by the Holy Spirit 50 days after Christ’s resurrection. ‘The church transcends the governments of this world and the politics of this world because the church is a living, breathing, divine institution,’ Pastor Jack Hibbs said in a video addressing other pastors about the lockdown and announcing the decision to reopen the church….”

Please read our free booklet, Obeying God rather than Men

Religious Persecution in Israel

Breaking Israel News wrote on July 27:

“The Shaarei Shalom (gates of peace) rabbinical court in Bet Shemesh, headed by Rabbi Nussbaum and Rabbi Wosner, issued a rabbinic proclamation last Thursday.

“‘To our fellow Jews around the world, we are currently in days of confusion and crisis, in which wicked governments impose their heavy yoke upon the God-fearing with all sorts of strange decrees: closures of houses of study and worship, the shutdown of schools and yeshivot (Torah learning institutions), decrees banning ritual baths that prevent the purity of the Jewish people. At their right-hand stands the so-called “religious” parties to support them in these nefarious deeds of destruction.’

“‘To all these unscrupulous individuals we say: Fear the Day of Judgement! Know that there is judgment and a Judge, and for all these things God will bring you to justice. How could you not have trembled when you agreed to the closure of Talmud Torah, schools where children learn Torah?… Innumerable testimonies have been presented before the Rabbinic Court attesting that the entire decree concerning masks is for vanity and uselessness, and is not necessary from a medical point of view.’

“When the prohibitions against the observance of the mitzvoth is with the intention of causing the Jews to abandon their faith, Jews are required to reject the anti-Torah decrees for even the smallest and most insignificant detail… even at the risk of endangering their lives. (Sanhedrin 74b).

“This classification was used in the second century under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Hellenistic king of the Seleucid Empire. It was also declared under the Roman occupation of Israel, and during the Crusades of 1096.

“‘And there is no greater time of danger than what we are facing at the present,’ the rabbis wrote.”

We could not disagree with that assessment.  

Britain Reimposes Quarantine on Travel to Spain

Daily Mail reported on July 26:

“Dominic Raab refused to apologise for reimposing quarantine on travel to Spain today despite the fury of British holidaymakers who have already headed to the Costas. The Foreign Secretary defended the decision by the Department for Transport to remove the country from a list of safe destinations in the wake of a spike in coronavirus cases.

“The decision has left the estimated 600,000 British holidaymakers already in Spain or those preparing to fly out ‘panicking’ about a fortnight-long home quarantine when they return to the UK – which could leave some unable to work….

“Meanwhile Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya has today hit back and declared Spain ‘safe for tourists’ and refused to comment on whether the country will retaliate with similar measures on incoming British holidaymakers…

“Labour blasted the decision, which came into effect at midnight, as ‘shambolic’ after it emerged that even Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and business minister Paul Scully had been caught out by the speed of the move while on Spanish holidays.”

Deutsche Welle added on July 26:

“TUI, Europe’s biggest holiday company, said on Sunday it was canceling all holidays from the UK to mainland Spain up to and including August 9 following updated travel advice by Britain imposing a 2-week quarantine on those returning from the Iberian country… Despite TUI’s decision to cancel its flights, EasyJet and British Airways said their scheduled services would run as normal.

A rather odd and panic-driven hasty decision with little or no regard for the British people being “stranded” in Spain. This ill-advised measure has created quite a mess in Britain.

Germany’s and EU’s Political Coronavirus Decisions

BBC News reported on July 28:

“On Tuesday Germany issued a travel warning for three regions in Spain – Aragón, Catalonia and Navarra… Germany announced on Monday a programme of free, mandatory coronavirus testing for travellers returning from a list of high-risk countries. The list currently includes Brazil, Turkey and the US, and officials said it will be updated daily.”

Bloomberg wrote on July 29:

“The European Union showed no sign of reopening its doors to Americans by backtracking further on a plan to let in more foreign travelers… EU envoys in Brussels on Wednesday recommended removing Algeria from a list of 13 states… The U.S. will remain off the list of allowed countries, while China stays in… The verdict — a non-binding recommendation to EU national governments — means their external borders should stay shut to people from most countries for at least two more weeks…

“The bloc’s updated ‘white’ list will now include Australia, Canada, China, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay… The external-border recommendation covers 30 European countries: all EU member states except Ireland plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland because they are part of the bloc’s passport-free travel area.”

These decisions by the EU and Germany make NO SENSE whatsoever and are CLEARLY political, as can be seen by the choice of permitted and prohibited countries. Many have nothing to do with the coronavirus.  Obviously, Satan is behind them to make sure that the antagonism between Europe (and Germany in particular) and the USA will continue to get worse and worse.

The Associated Press added on July 28:

“Global air travel is recovering more slowly than expected and it will take until 2024 to return to pre-pandemic levels…”

And so, we are destroying more and more businesses with our ill-conceived restrictive travel ban measures.

Bank in Northern Ireland Refuses to Bank with Christian Charity over LGBT Issues

Breitbart wrote on July 25:

“Barclays bank has reportedly informed a Christian charity in Northern Ireland that it will have its banking facilities revoked following an online pressure campaign mounted by LGBT activists, who claimed that the organisation engaged in so-called gay ‘conversion therapy’. The Christian charity, Core Issues Trust (CIT), said that Barclays informed them that their bank account will be terminated by September… The charity also said that they were removed from Facebook, as well as from Paypal, who ‘terminated its CIT accounts without warning and with no explanation, restricting the ability of supporters to make donations’.

“The CEO of CIT, Mike Davidson told regional newspaper The Belfast News Letter: ‘If a social media mob can cause a bank to close the account of a Christian ministry, then there is nowhere for Biblically faithful Christian ministries to go. The UK is now becoming an intensely intolerant country,’ Davidson warned. Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘If it is Core Issues Trust first, it will be churches next… This kind of demonisation and refusing of services to a Christian ministry is reminiscent of how Jewish businesses were treated under Nazi rule.’..

“Core Issues Trust… says that they attempt to help people who ‘wish to move away from… gender dysphoria’ (gender dysphoria being an NHS-recognised condition where somebody feels discomfort because they believe they belong to a different gender – like a man who says he feels like a woman). The Christian charity says that it engages in ‘one-to-one support for individuals voluntarily seeking to leave homosexual behaviours and feelings’ which some characterise as a form of ‘conversion therapy’.

“The CEO of the charity, Mike Davidson, rejected that terminology, telling the lobby group Christian Concern: ‘This is a pejorative, imposed term, coined by an American gay activist, Dr Douglas Haldeman in 1991, that names some extremes such as electro-shock and aversion techniques only ever conducted by medics, long since abandoned from the 60s, or extreme behaviours already outlawed such as “corrective” rape for which there are no prosecutions in the UK.’…

“Organisations who offer therapy for people who wish to abandon sexual urges have become increasingly a target of activist groups. The pressure has resulted in Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing that his Conservative government will be looking to ban conversion therapy… A leading Liberal Democrat leadership candidate and self-described pansexual, Layla Moran, said that Mr Johnson’s ‘conversion therapy’ statements were welcome…

“Gendered Intelligence, a trans charity, criticised the Prime Minister for the use of the term ‘gay conversion therapy’, saying: ‘Whilst we hope the prime minister used ‘gay conversion therapy’ for brevity, we must ensure the ban on conversion therapy covers all LGBT people, including trans people.’”

Sodom and Gomorrah all over again, and Boris Johnson falls right into the ditch.

UK Government Wants Trump to Lose?

Business Insider wrote on July 26:

“The UK government is privately ‘desperate’ for US President Donald Trump to lose November’s presidential election and be replaced by Joe Biden, according to a report by the Sunday Times.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson is publicly one of Trump’s closest international allies. His government, however, has been privately trying to distance itself from the US president in anticipation of a Biden victory, The Times reports. ‘It would make things much easier if Trump doesn’t win reelection,’ one minister in Johnson’s government told the Times reporter Tim Shipman, who added that many agreed with the sentiment.

“Some UK officials are also hopeful of a Biden victory. One senior UK diplomat [said] earlier this month… ‘The venal corruption of the Trump family and the nasty narcissistic aspects of his behavior — all that will go with a different sort of president’…

“Relations between Johnson and Trump’s administrations have been strained in recent months… amid Trump’s ultimately successful efforts to force Johnson’s government to cut its ties with the Chinese telecoms company Huawei. The president is said to have slammed the phone down on Johnson in a moment of ‘apoplectic’ fury in January, when Johnson initially refused to scrap the UK’s deal with Huawei to help develop Britain’s 5G network.

“The UK relented following the imposition of US sanctions on the company. The row, however, has helped to reduce the UK government’s appetite to strike a new trade deal with Trump… Fears among UK voters about the impact of a US trade deal on food standards in Britain have reportedly forced Johnson’s government to put the brakes on what had once been promoted as a rapid agreement.”

Since we are convinced that Trump will stay in power, will the relationship between the USA and the UK further deteriorate, or will it revive, at least temporarily? Our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” gives further insight.

The BAD Chinese-USA Relationship

The Guardian wrote on July 24:

“The confrontation between the US and China is gathering pace with each passing week. In the past few days, the Chinese consulate in Houston has been shuttered amid allegations it was a spy hub, and the US mission in the south-western city of Chengdu was closed in retaliation, on similar grounds…

“At the same time as rounding up more than a million Muslim Uighurs in internment camps, the regime has quashed the liberties enjoyed by Hong Kong, taken over disputed atolls, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea…

“One of Trump’s first foreign policy moves was to pull the US out of negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership which was designed as an economic coalition to prevent China being able to dictate the terms of trade in the 21st century… Similarly, the US effort to persuade China to join arms control negotiations would carry more weight on the world stage if the Trump administration had not walked out on three arms control agreements to date and is apparently in the process of jettisoning a fourth…

“The abrupt US departure from the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a campaign of unsubstantiated allegations against its officials led by Pompeo, is also often cited by diplomats posted to Washington as an example of the US abdicating its global leadership role.

“The failure of governance evident in the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic… has also made it hard for US diplomats to cajole foreign governments into a common cause against China, without drawing pained smiles… It is a stroke of luck for US diplomacy that, at a time when it is at its weakest when trying to recruit allies, China is doing much of the job on its behalf.”

The once-praised great relationship between Trump and Xi Jinping is long history. So is Trump’s relationship with North Korea’s Kim Yong-un. It is prophesied that ultimately, America will have no more allies or friends.

Trump Floats Idea of Election Delay

 The Times of Israel and the Associated Press wrote on July 29:

“US President Donald Trump is for the first time floating a ‘delay’ to the November 3 presidential election, as he makes unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. The dates of presidential elections — the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year — are enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. The Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the January 20, 2021 presidential inauguration.

 “Trump tweeted Thursday: ‘With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???’

 “His tweet came on a day of bad economic news — the government reported that US economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, by far the worst quarterly plunge ever, as the coronavirus outbreak shut down businesses, threw tens of millions out of work and sent unemployment surging to 14.7%….

 “Trailing in public and private polls, Trump refused in an interview just weeks ago with Fox News to commit to accept the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote. ‘I have to see. Look … I have to see,’ Trump told moderator Chris Wallace during a wide-ranging interview on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ ‘No, I’m not going to just say “yes.” I’m not going to say “no,” and I didn’t last time, either.’”

 Some Democratic leaders suggested that Trump may not voluntarily step down and leave the White House if he loses the election. Either way, a civil war seems to become more and more likely. 

Germany Rejects Trump Proposal

Reuters reported on July 26:

“Germany has rejected a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the Group of Seven (G7) most advanced economies, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a newspaper interview published on Monday. Trump raised the prospect last month of expanding the G7 to again include Russia, which had been expelled in 2014 following Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

“But Maas told Rheinische Post that he did not see any chance for allowing Russia back into the G7 as long as there was no meaningful progress in solving the conflict in Crimea as well as in eastern Ukraine… Maas described the relationship with Russia as ‘currently difficult’ in many areas…”

This might further the deteriorating relationship between Trump and Germany.

USA to Withdraw 12,000 Service Members out of Germany

Politico wrote on July 29:

“The Pentagon on Wednesday laid out a plan to shift nearly 12,000 service members out of Germany after President Donald Trump repeatedly said the country was ‘delinquent’ on defense spending… The move will leave 24,000 troops in Germany, where the United States has stationed a significant number of forces since the end of the Cold War…

“Defense Secretary Mark Esper was repeatedly asked how that rationale squared with Trump’s pronouncements that the troops were being moved to punish Germany. Esper noted that the review of European Command was accelerated by the president’s June decision to withdraw forces from Germany, which blindsided allies both at home and abroad and was seen as a rebuke of German leaders and beneficial to Russia… ‘They’re there to protect Europe. They’re there to protect Germany, right? And Germany is supposed to pay for it. Germany’s not paying for it. We don’t want to be the suckers anymore,’ Trump told reporters Wednesday morning. ‘So we’re reducing the force because they’re not paying their bills. It’s very simple, they’re delinquent.’…

“The move… will begin in the coming weeks… German officials… immediately trashed the plan. Norbert Röttgen, chair of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, noted in a statement to POLITICO that the move would weaken the NATO alliance and reduce the effectiveness of the U.S. military against Russia and in the Middle East. ‘… The US troop reduction is not in the security interests of Germany or NATO — and makes no geopolitical sense for the US,’ said Peter Beyer, the German government’s coordinator for transatlantic relations, on Twitter…

“In a statement on Wednesday, Sen. Mitt Romney  (R-Utah) condemned the plan as a ‘grave error’… The plan ‘is a slap in the face at a friend and ally when we should instead be drawing closer in our mutual commitment to deter Russian and Chinese aggression. And it is a gift to Russia coming at a time when we just have learned of its support for the Taliban and reports of bounties on killing American troops,’ Romney said…”

Deutsche Welle added on July 29:

“Retired US General Ben Hodges told DW that the US troop redeployment decision was wrong at its core. ‘The most important ally that the United States has in Europe is Germany,’ Hodges said… Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder criticized the US withdrawal plan, adding that it served no clear military purpose and would even weaken the NATO alliance and the US itself. ‘Unfortunately, this puts a burden on the German-American relationship,’ Söder said… Last week, Söder had joined the state premiers of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rheinland-Palatinate in a letter to members of the US Senate and Congress pleading for a stop to the plan, saying the troops formed ‘the backbone of US presence in Europe and NATO’s ability to act.’ ‘We therefore ask you to support us as we strive not to sever the bond of friendship but to strengthen it, and to secure the US presence in Germany and Europe in the future,’ the German politicians said.

“Green party opposition politician Jürgen Trittin, who sits on the foreign affairs committee in parliament, told DW he believed the real motivation was not military or defense policy: ‘It’s more a part of the economic warfare Donald Trump is fighting against the European Union and especially the Germans,’ Trittin alleged, calling for Germany to cancel plans to purchase new F-18 fighter jets from the US in response.”

This plan is indeed very bad for America, as Germany’s anger will undoubtedly rise, setting the stage for a prophesied MILITARY confrontation between Europe, under German leadership, and the USA, during which the USA will be destroyed.

Needed—a European Army

“Guy Verhofstadt has once again sparked fury on social media after calls for a European army… [He] took to Twitter after US President Donald Trump confirmed his decision to pull almost 12,000 US troops out of Germany… The MEP, a frequent critic of the US President, posted: ‘Germany and EU continue to be bullied by @realDonaldTrump. “The problem is not money. EU countries combined are second biggest military spender (with China). Real problem is 27 armies and 27 budgets. Time for a real European defense market, strategy and army.’”

Europe to Recover Sooner than USA

Newsmax republished the following article by Bloomberg on July 26:

“The euro area economy is for once set for a sprightlier recovery from crisis than the U.S., thanks to starkly different responses to the coronavirus… Crucial for a sustainable recovery is confidence that the virus is no longer out of control, and Europe’s relative success may help encourage shoppers to spend and businesses to invest, further propelling demand and growth…

“Since 1992, the U.S. has outperformed the euro area in all but eight years, according to IMF data. Although the euro area managed to grow when the financial crisis hit in 2008 and the U.S. shrank, in 2009 the U.S. contraction of 2.5% was far shallower than the euro area’s 4.5%…

“The divergence is reflected in markets. European stocks and bonds have benefited from renewed investor popularity, thanks to the bloc’s agreement on a historic 750 billion-euro ($860 billion) accord. The euro has risen more than 6% against the dollar in the past two months, and could have further to run…

“In the U.S., the $2 trillion rescue package that Congress passed in March ranks among the most aggressive in history, but the distribution has been patchy and uneven. Unemployment offices were overwhelmed with claims, and many jobless Americans have still yet to receive the unemployment benefits they’re owed. At the same time, the allocation of loans to small and medium-sized businesses had its own challenges, resulting in a chaotic scramble among business owners to get government assistance. Even so, the Paycheck Protection Program helped save as many as 3.2 million jobs…”

This is interesting in that, according to prophecy, Europe will have to experience a powerful, however short-lived economic revival. That is not to be expected from the USA.

Mikrovits’ Views Must Not Be Aired!

CNN wrote on July 25:

“The Sinclair Broadcast Group… said Saturday it will postpone and rework a segment it planned to air this weekend that suggested Dr. Anthony Fauci… was responsible for the creation of the coronavirus… The episode… that featured the conspiracy theory was also pulled from local Sinclair websites, where it is often posted before airing on the stations over the weekend. People now trying to access the videos on local Sinclair websites are met with an error page… In the episode of the show that was set to air, [former Fox News host Eric] Bolling spoke with Judy Mikovits, the medical researcher featured in the… ‘Plandemic’ video that went viral earlier this year and which was banned from platforms such as Facebook and YouTube

“Mikovits told Bolling that Fauci had over the past decade ‘manufactured’ and shipped coronaviruses to Wuhan, China, which became the original epicenter of the current outbreak…

“On Saturday morning, the company had defended airing the segment in a series of tweets, saying it did not endorse the conspiracy theory but was committed to providing its audience diverse viewpoints. Bolling had also previously stood by the segment, telling CNN Business that he also did not endorse the conspiracy theory, but that he was comfortable airing it because in a segment after the interview with Mikovits he spoke to a doctor who dismissed the idea Fauci was responsible for the virus…

“After this story was originally published, Larry Klayman, an attorney for Mikovits, wrote in an email on Saturday night that he stood by what his client said on Bolling’s show. Klayman also threatened to sue CNN…”

We are not endorsing the claim that Fauci created the virus, even though there is evidence that it might have been developed in Chinese laboratories. To suppress the show, however, raises unnecessary suspicion, which is coupled with the fact that articles surfaced, as published by Business Insider, the Huffington Post, and others, that in January of 2017, Fauci is quoted as saying that “‘No Doubt’ Trump will face [a] surprise infectious disease outbreak.” Fauci also said at that time that “preventing disease pandemics often starts overseas and that a proper response means collaboration between not only the U.S. and other countries, but also the public and private health sectors” (healio.com, dated January 11, 2017).

More Coronavirus Recommendations

The Hill wrote on July 23:

“Two Florida mayors who govern Miami and Miami-Dade County encouraged their residents on Thursday to wear masks inside to lower the transmission rate of COVID-19 between family members… and also respecting social distance when they’re at home…’ you need to start thinking about maintaining a distance also from your loved ones for a while,’ [it was suggested].”

This is getting so insane. Note the next article.

Shutting Down the Country AGAIN?

CNN wrote on July 24:

“More than 150 prominent US medical experts, scientists, teachers, nurses and others have signed a letter urging political leaders to shut down the country and start over to contain the surging coronavirus pandemic…

“The only way to reopen the economy and the country safely is to follow a set of protocols that public health experts deem necessary for controlling the spread of Covid-19, the letter contends. They include: enough daily testing to test everyone with flu-like symptoms, a work force of contact tracers large enough to track all current cases and more personal protective equipment to keep essential workers safe.

“In addition, they say all non-essential businesses should be closed and restaurants nationwide should only provide takeout service. People should only leave their homes to get food and medicine or fresh air and exercise, and masks should be mandatory in all situations, the letter urged. Leaders should also ban interstate travel to help contain the virus. ‘If you don’t take these actions, the consequences will be measured in widespread suffering and death,’ the letter warned.”

A sure recipe for the total destruction of the US economy and the lives of millions of people.

Exaggerated Death Figures

KNSS published on July 20 the following comments by Rush Limbaugh:

“On Saturday, the U.K. announced that they were gonna pause their daily update of the death toll from coronavirus over concerns that their death toll might be exaggerated. We need to do the same thing here. The problem is that Britain… has been counting people who tested positive for coronavirus as dying from it no matter how much later they died. This is the old argument, did someone die with COVID-19 or because of it? And the U.K. is doing exactly what the U.S. is doing. If you are in a car crash and you die and they test and find out that you had COVID-19, guess what? Your cause of death is gonna be COVID-19, not the fact that you ran into a tree.”

Limbaugh also pointed out that while the numbers of coronavirus infections are rising, the death toll is flat.

Fauci’s Latest Revelations

Breitbart wrote on July 25:

“Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, suggested in an interview with MarketWatch on Friday that young people are ‘becoming part of the problem’ in the outbreak of the Chinese coronavirus and admitted that experts ‘don’t know exactly’ to what extent people are less likely to transmit the coronavirus when they are wearing a mask… when asked for an estimate of ‘how less likely people are to transmit coronavirus if they’re wearing a mask,’ he could not provide a definitive answer… ‘Your guess is as good as any: 50 percent to 75 percent or 80 percent is probably correct,’ he added…

“The New England Journal of Medicine, in a May study titled ‘Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era,’ stated, ‘We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection.’…

“Fauci came under fire on Thursday after throwing the first pitch for the Washington Nationals’ season opener and watching the game, in-person, with his mask hanging around his chin… [He later said that to point this out in the media was “mischievous” as he was simply taking a sip of water. However, on the pictures circulated, he did not drink from a water bottle, but talked and laughed with the persons sitting right next to him, purportedly his wife and a close friend].

While Fauci currently recommends masks, he did not feel the same way in March, telling CBS News’s Dr. Jon LaPook that ‘there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.’”

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on July 30:

“Dr. Fauci is back in the limelight where he likes to be. In a recent ABC interview he informs Americans that if they ‘really want 100 percent protection’ they should not only wear masks, but also goggles on their eyes [or a face shield]. Will he be recommending space suits next week?”

“You Can’t Surrender our Humanity to the Virus!”

The Daily Mail wrote on July 28:

“Ex-Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption today called on Britain to learn to live alongside Covid-19… Lord Jonathan, who is also a medieval historian, praised Sweden’s approach to the pandemic, after the nation bucked the global trend and opted against a lockdown

“He wrote: ‘Their hospitals were never overwhelmed. They never closed their schools. The predicted damage to their economy is about half of ours.’ Writing that ‘we cannot keep running away’, he added: ‘Our ancestors lived with far worse epidemic diseases without rushing to put their heads in a bag.’…

“He wrote: ‘Our whole transport infrastructure, the buildings in which we work, play and eat out, depend on our being close together. We have surrendered our liberty to the virus. Are we to surrender our humanity as well?’

However, that is exactly what the world is doing.

Police Resist Enforcing Mask Mandates

The Associated Press wrote on July 26:

“Lang Holland, the chief of police in tiny Marshall, Arkansas, said he thinks the threat of the coronavirus has been overstated and only wears a face mask if he’s inside a business that requires them. He doesn’t make his officers wear them either.

“So the day after Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed an order requiring masks to be worn in public throughout Arkansas, Holland made it clear his department wasn’t going to enforce the mandate in the Ozarks town of about 1,300, calling it an unconstitutional overreach. ‘All I’m saying is if you want to wear a mask, you have the freedom to choose that,’ said Holland, who said he supports President Donald Trump. ‘It should not be dictated by the nanny state.’

“Holland is among a number of police chiefs and sheriffs in Arkansas and elsewhere who say they won’t enforce statewide mask requirements, even within their departments. Some say they don’t have the manpower to respond to every mask complaint… Others, including Holland, reject the legal validity of mask requirements…

“More than half the states have issued orders to wear masks in most public settings, with virus cases and hospitalizations on the rise. Polling shows overwhelming public support for such requirements, and even Trump, who had long been dismissive of wearing masks, last week said it was patriotic to wear one

“Several sheriffs in neighboring Texas have also said they wouldn’t enforce a mask requirement issued by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. And a group of 38 sheriffs in Montana signed an op-ed this month saying they believe that the mask requirement issued by the state’s Democratic governor this month ‘is not a mandate for law enforcement to issue citations and arrest violators.’

“Enforcement of Alabama’s mask rule, which took effect this month, has also varied. Some police said they would provide masks to those not wearing them in public, and others said they didn’t plan to ticket people for violations…

“In New York City… the nation’s largest police department has struggled with how to enforce mask mandates. Police initially assigned 1,000 officers this spring to enforce mask wearing and social distancing rules, but they backed off after some violent arrests were caught on video. Now, the city relies chiefly on civilian workers and community group members to hand out masks and encourage people to wear them.

“Hutchinson said he would defer to local police and sheriffs on how to enforce his order, saying it was their prerogative on how to prioritize offenses. Supporters of mask mandates say penalties were never their goal and that they never envisioned police having to respond to every complaint about someone not wearing one. ‘Nobody’s asking for a masking gestapo,’ [Dr. Cam] Patterson, [the chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences] said…”

Newsweek added on July 24:

“Sheriffs in four Indiana counties have said their departments will not enforce a statewide mask mandate announced this week by the governor.”

Resorting to Violence?

Business Insider wrote on July 20:

“Some retailers are refusing to require masks in stores, amid a rash of disturbing incidents involving people who oppose wearing face coverings.  The CEO of Foot Locker told the Financial Times that he is ‘not willing to put [his employees] at risk’ of having to enforce a mask policy and cited accounts of anti-mask shoppers confronting employees at other retailers. Foot Locker posts signs at its entrances advising customers to wear masks, but ‘for the safety of our associates, our Stripers’ will not enforce or deny entrance to customers who choose not to wear one,’ Dick Johnson, the Foot Locker CEO, later said in an email…

“The grocery chain Winn-Dixie has also said it will not enforce a mandatory mask policy. A spokesperson for Winn-Dixie’s parent company, Southeastern Grocers, told USA Today that it won’t require masks to avoid ‘undue friction’ between customers and employees.”

To be clear, to resort to violence, regardless as to what the cause, is always wrong.

More Violence in the USA

 The Associated Press wrote on July 26:

“Protests took a violent turn in several U.S. cities over the weekend, with demonstrators squaring off against federal agents outside a courthouse in Portland, Oregon, forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house and setting fire to vehicles in California and Virginia.

“A protest against police violence in Austin, Texas, turned deadly when a witness says the driver of a car that drove through a crowd of marchers opened fire on an armed demonstrator who approached the vehicle. And someone was shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado, after a car drove through a protest there, authorities said…”

Trump has threatened to send in more federal agents, including New York. Is civil war inevitable?

Attorney General William Barr Under Attack

Breitbart wrote on July 28:

“Attorney General William Barr called out Democrats on Tuesday during a House Judiciary Committee hearing for failing to condemn mob violence and attacks on the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon in recent weeks. ‘What makes me concerned for the country is [that] this is the first time in my memory that the leaders of one of our great two political parties, the Democratic Party, are not coming out and condemning mob violence and the attack on federal courts,’ Barr said. ‘Why can’t we just say: “Violence against federal courts has to stop?” Could we hear something like that?’

“Barr was testifying about the federal law enforcement response to protect the courthouse, which has been vandalized and firebombed by what Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, have called ‘peaceful protesters.’ Those ‘protesters’ have also attacked the federal officials defending the building.

“Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who claimed on Sunday that the violence was a ‘myth,’ did not respond by condemning the violence…

“House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-OH) debunked the claim that the protests in the name of George Floyd have been ‘peaceful,’ playing a video during a hearing that showed scene after scene of violence and destruction in America’s streets. The six-minute video began with nearly two dozen clips of mainstream media journalists and Democrat politicians claiming the protests have been ‘peaceful.’

“It showed the widely-mocked video of MSNBC’s Ali Velshi standing in front of a burning building in Minneapolis claiming that the protest was ‘not, generally speaking, unruly.’ It ended with former President Barack Obama and 2020 Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden calling them ‘peaceful protests.’

“It then switched to a press conference with the wife of Capt. David Dorn, a retired black police chief who was shot and killed while trying to defend a pawn shop from looters in St. Louis, Missouri. As his wife struggled to hold back her tears, the video showed clips of mobs of violent rioters attacking police, burning flags and buildings, vandalizing police cars, looters, and protesters running over police officers…

“The video showed some scenes from rioting in Portland, of violent mobs trying to tear down fences, setting fires to buildings, and throwing bombs and other explosives. It showed protesters toppling statues and cheering. It showed police officers on bicycles trying to protect a monument and being pelted with garbage, bottles, and other objects…”

The disrespectful conduct of Jerry Nadler and his Democratic colleagues on the committee towards Attorney General Barr was shameful and appalling. Raising accusation after accusation, they gave him virtually no time or opportunity to respond and clarify. It was nothing short of a “kangaroo court.”

Mandate to Display Black Lives Matter Posters

Breitbart reported on July 17:

“The San Francisco Police Commission voted this week to require police stations throughout the city to display Black Lives Matter posters… The left-wing and Marxist Black Lives Matter political organization has been at the forefront of calls for police to be defunded across the country… The resolution, which was unanimously approved, ordered the Police Department to install a poster of at least 32 by 24 inches in each district station within 30 days. The poster must ‘prominently and exclusively’ feature the phrase ‘Black lives matter’ and it must be displayed in a place visible to station visitors…

“Not everyone in the department, however, supported the measure ahead of Wednesday’s vote. The San Francisco Police Officers Association sent the commission a letter saying the union supported the notion that black and brown lives matter, but a directive to install the posters ‘establishes a new precedent that raises concerns about introducing political agendas and wedge issues into the safe harbor of police stations.’

“‘Police stations are places for the citizens of San Francisco to seek help and assistance when they have become victims of crimes,’ Rockne A. Lucia, a lawyer for the police union, wrote in the letter. ‘They are not places for political endorsements or alignment with political organizations.’ Police union President Tony Montoya said in a statement that the commission ‘should put away their soapboxes and stop their political grandstanding.’”

What nonsense!

USA One of the Worst Countries to Raise a Family

The Daily Mail wrote on July 23:

“The US is one of the worst countries in the world to raise a family, while Britain also scores badly, according to new research. America was ranked 34 out of 35 in a comparison of the world’s biggest economies, scoring three ‘F’ grades for safety, cost of living and work-life balance, a ‘D minus’ for health, and a ‘C+’ for happiness and education. Overall, it was given an ‘F’ grade for raising a family, with only Mexico coming out worse…

“Britain, meanwhile, was given a ‘B minus’ rating, ranking it 23rd, with scores including a ‘D minus’ for work-life balance and an ‘F’ for cost of living. It scored average for health (C) and education (C+) but better for happiness (A) and safety (B).”

Not a flattering statistic for the USA and the UK.

The Democratic Party’s Legacy of Racism

Fox News reported on July 24:

“A group of Republican House members, led by Rep. Louis Gohmert of Texas, introduced a resolution Thursday that would effectively ban the Democratic Party from the House or force a party name change over past slavery ties — a response to the recent efforts to remove tributes to past members of the Confederacy from the halls of Congress.

“It specifically cites the Democratic Party platform’s support for slavery between 1840 and 1856, and other racist actions by party members through the early-to-mid 1900s, before calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to ‘remove any items that names, symbolizes or mentions any political organization or party that has ever held a public position that supported slavery or the Confederacy’ from the House and its properties. The resolution also says such a party ‘shall either change its name or be barred from participation in the House of Representatives.’…

“‘As outlined in the resolution, a great portion of the history of the Democratic Party is filled with racism and hatred,’ Gohmert said. ‘Since people are demanding we rid ourselves of the entities, symbols, and reminders of the repugnant aspects of our past, then the time has come for Democrats to acknowledge their party’s loathsome and bigoted past, and consider changing their party name to something that isn’t so blatantly and offensively tied to slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, and the Ku Klux Klan.’

“He added: ‘To avoid triggering innocent bystanders by the racist past of the Democratic Party, I would suggest they change their name. That is the standard to which they are holding everyone else, so the name change needs to occur.’

“[The resolution] appears to be meant more as a criticism of allegedly ‘blatant hypocrisy’ around the House’s approval of a measure removing Confederate busts in the Capitol this week…”

One cannot help but to be amazed at the hypocrisy of leaders of the Democratic Party.

Escaping from America?

Forbes wrote on July 28:

“… with the coronavirus pandemic restricting travel for US citizens and the power of the US passport on the decline, it’s no surprise that many Americans are investigating how they can buy a second passport, whether it’s to seek shelter in another country or just to be able to travel more freely… It can often take up to five years of living in a place to become a resident, and many countries also require you to renounce your US citizenship….”

As the article points out, there are ways to “buy” a foreign citizenship, by investing an extraordinary amount of money in the foreign country. And so, again, money rules the world…

Billions of Animals Were Killed Last Year in Australia

Fox News wrote on July 28:

“The devastating wildfire season in Australia that stretched from last July through March impacted far more animals than previously estimated, scientists said Tuesday in a new report… Nearly 3 billion animals – including mammals, reptiles, birds, and frogs — were killed or displaced…

“‘The interim findings are shocking,’ WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman said… ‘It’s hard to think of another event anywhere in the world in living memory that has killed or displaced that many animals. This ranks as one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history.’

“In the interim report, 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, and 51 million frogs are believed to have been impacted…”

God prophesied that in the end time, many animals will be destroyed because of the sins of man.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

The New European Trio?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 17:

“The leaders of France, Italy and Germany urged ‘all foreign actors’ to stop interfering in Libya and to respect the UN arms embargo on the country. The trio hinted at sanctions as a way to enforce their position. Libya faces a ‘heightened risk of regional escalation,’ said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a joint statement on Saturday…

“‘We are ready to consider the possible use of sanctions should breaches to the embargo at sea, on land or in the air continue,’ the leaders said in the statement… [It] marks a change in tone from Paris, Berlin and Rome. International observers worry that Libya fighting could escalate to the level of the Syrian civil war, with various regional players waging proxy wars through their factions on the ground.  Last month, German diplomacy veteran Wolfgang Ischinger said the EU should ‘threaten military intervention’ in Libya.”

Germany, Italy and France are becoming more and more the leading nations in an evolving prophesied core-Europe of ten nations or groups of nations. Note the next article as well.

Northern EU Countries (and Austria) vs. Germany, France (and Italy)

MSN wrote on Sunday, July 19:

“European Union leaders failed to unlock an agreement on a 750 billion-euro ($860 billion) response to the coronavirus pandemic after a second day of sparring in Brussels… A crucial late-night meeting including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Germany’s Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron of France ended abruptly in a dispute over how much of the package should be disbursed as grants and how much as loans.

Germany and France are insisting that at least 400 billion euros should be handouts and Rutte and four other fiscal hawks from northern Europe are pushing for a much lower figure… ‘Europe is being blackmailed’ by the hawks, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a statement released by his office. Italy may suggest the possibility of seeking an accord of just 26 nations, leaving out the Netherlands, which are at the forefront of opposition to the plan… [Most other EU countries, including Spain, but excluding the “hawks,” support the plan.]

“Rutte and his allies from Austria, Denmark and Sweden [as well as Finland] are trying to water down the handouts that the highly indebted South sees as critical for shoring up its finances…”

In addition to Austria (which is becoming more and more an antagonist to Germany and other leading European nations), the “four hawks” are, interestingly enough, all nations which are descendants of the ancient house of Israel.

The Guardian wrote on July 20:

“The Brussels summit… had been notably bad-tempered from day one. As tempers flared on Sunday night, Macron even accused Kurz of having a ‘bad attitude’ and not caring about the views of others after he had left the negotiating room to take a call. Asked to respond to Macron’s criticisms of his approach, Kurz said: ‘It’s understandable that some people, when they don’t get much sleep, have their nerves on edge…’”

Finally, a Deal was reached, but…

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 21:

“EU leaders agreed early Tuesday to an unprecedented €1.8 trillion ($2 trillion) aid and budget deal aimed at helping hard-hit bloc members recover from the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The package includes a €750-billion fund to be sent as loans and grants, as well as a seven-year €1 trillion EU budget.

“European Council President Charles Michel tweeted a brief message minutes after leaders adopted the plan: ‘Deal!’ ‘We did it. Europe is strong, Europe is united. This is a good deal, this is a strong deal and most importantly this is the right deal for Europe right now,’ Michel said. ‘I believe this agreement will be seen as a pivotal moment for Europe’s journey.’

The breakthrough comes after more than four days of wrangling, with talks often stretching into the early hours. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for ‘steering’ negotiations towards a European solution… Merkel described the agreement as an ‘important signal,’ and said she was ‘very relieved’ that EU leaders were able to cooperate. It was good ‘that we pulled ourselves together in the end,’ she said.

“That sentiment was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who called it a ‘historic day for Europe… There is no such thing as a perfect world, but we have made progress,’ said Macron.

“However, the European Parliament will still have to agree to the package… DW correspondent Marina Strauss said the deal had taken so long because the positions of each side had been so far apart, but that the result was monumental

“The package includes the biggest-ever joint borrowing by the 27 members of the bloc, and an initiative to send tens of billions of euros to countries hardest hit by the virus — most notably heavily indebted Spain and Italy, which had both called for major financial assistance from the EU. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed ‘a Marshall Plan for Europe,’ that would see €140 billion sent to Spain over the next six years.

“Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that Italy was ‘satisfied’ with the results of the plan, which would see 28% of the total funds, or €209 billion directed towards Italy. That figure includes €81 billion in grants and €127 billion in loans… Greece will also receive €72 billion under the plan, in a move that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called a ‘national success.’…

“To meet the concerns of the so-called frugal four — the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden — which see Italy and Spain as being too lax with public spending, the assistance includes a number of conditions and major strings attached…

“Negotiations were bogged down by major disagreements concerning grants, loans and whether economic and financial reforms should dictate access to the funds. The 27 member states had been largely divided into two camps. Germany and France spearheaded efforts to collectivize debt in order to raise much-needed funds for countries such as Italy and Spain, which bore the brunt of the pandemic in the EU.

“In the other camp, the frugal four, together with Finland had called for a strings-attached approach that would have made access to funds conditional on tough market reforms. That camp also support stringent measures that would have blocked funding for countries that did not adhere to EU rules on the rule of law.

“That could have jeopardized funding for countries such as Hungary and Poland who are the target of a European Commission investigation over rule of law violations.”

However, the real nature and underlying importance of this “deal” is described in the next article.

“They Lied”

Express wrote on July 22:

“EU leaders have betrayed their citizens with a coronavirus rescue package which commits countries in the north of the bloc to put their hands in their pockets to bail out those in the south, a former MEP has said, on the day the European Council signed off on the controversial deal. Hans-Olaf Henkel said the move broke historic promises made by European giants like Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schroder and claimed the justification for the measures was a ‘poor camouflage’ for the real intention – to create a United States of Europe

“Mr Henkel told Express.co.uk: ‘I also regard this agreement as ‘historic’ but in a different way as pronounced by Merkel, Michel and von der Leyen…  ‘These grants are… a blatant violation of all promises made before: “Never ever would the membership in the EU or of euro currency force Germans to subsidise others!”… This promise made by Chancellors Kohl, Schroder and even Merkel was broken last night – by Merkel!… These gigantic debts… depend on the introduction of a new EU taxation system, a decision previously always blocked by Great Britain and for instance Germany.

“From now on, not only cities, regions and countries will tax EU citizens and EU companies, also Brussels will! The package’s justification being ‘Corona’ and ‘Solidarity’ is a poor camouflage of the true intent: to use the current corona crisis to move the EU ever closer to the United States of Europe under a socialist-green flag.’”

Ultimately, it will be an authoritarian dictatorial USE… with whatever label it may be described. But we should not forget that the Third Reich was ruled by NAZIS–national-socialist dictators.

Germany Wants a Strong Europe and Alliance with Russia against USA

Modern Diplomacy wrote on July 22:

“Germany’s presidency in the European Union, which began on July 1st, may stimulate the EU into re-evaluating its role in world affairs and could encourage it to streamline relations with Russia. The key factor contributing to this is the traditionally productive trade, economic and energy cooperation between Moscow and Berlin, and the recent move towards a deterioration of Germany-US relations, a trend which is set to intensify as the November presidential elections in the US draw nearer. The two priorities pursued by incumbent President Donald Trump are the policy of protectionism and an aggressive promotion of his country’s financial and economic interests throughout the world…Both trends are at odds with Germany’s agenda

“Germany’s Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr [said a few days ago that] Berlin is pursuing a whole range of priorities, including the strengthening of relations between the European Union and Russia… [It] will require the German leadership to take more action, both in defending the interests of ‘united Europe’, and in searching for diplomatic solutions to regional and global crises. In pursuit of this agenda, Berlin may face its key opponent – Washington. Not accidentally, the motto of German presidency in the EU is formulated in the spirit of Donald Trump’s election slogan: ‘Together we will make Europe strong again’. But it is the United States that is not interested in strong Europe, since it will limit the opportunities for the expansion of American products, capitals and interests.

“In the near future the EU can be expected to recreate the French-German alliance… Germany’s ability to succeed in addressing its agenda will depend on its readiness to become a kind of a ‘bridge’ between the East and the West. One of the factors that could signal such readiness is the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project… Germany’s ruling circles are confident that the ‘construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea will be completed despite the US sanctions’. However, the intensifying pressure from the United States will require Germany to demonstrate yet more stamina in defending both national and common European interests.”

Von der Leyen has declared that US sanctions regarding the pipeline violate international law.

The Threat from China

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote on July 18:

“China is now engaged in simultaneous diplomatic, military and trade disputes across Europe, Asia, America and Australia. At the centre of all these disputes is a China with territorial, technological and economic ambitions that are starting to match the size of its population and the weight of its history…

“In one 48-hour period this week, Beijing traded tit-for-tat sanctions with Washington, slammed primaries held by Hong Kong pro-democracy parties as illegal, accused Britain of being a US lackey for banning its flagship telecommunications provider Huawei, confronted the economic fallout from a border dispute with India and warned its citizens they could have their property seized in Australia as diplomatic relations between the two countries evaporate…

Germany has taken a keen interest in Australia’s fraying diplomatic relationship with Beijing… as Europe hardens its position on China in response to its crackdown on Hong Kong, the historically liberal territory that for more than a century functioned as a conduit between East and West. Berlin, which has long maintained a China principle of ‘change through trade’ is now leading calls for the European Union to ‘take a strong stand’

“Xu Xiaonian, an honorary professor at the China Europe International Business School,… doesn’t agree that confrontation… is inevitable… ‘In history we have a precedent. Germany under Otto von Bismarck successfully avoided confrontation with France and the UK. Why today we cannot do that?’ This is true but the analogy has a problem. Germany’s first chancellor also annexed Alsace-Lorraine. Two decades after his reign the world would be at war.”

The Bible shows that in the not-too-distant future, kings from the East, including nations such as Russia and China, will be involved in a nuclear war with Europe under German leadership.

Breaking with China

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 20:

“The United Kingdom has suspended its extradition treaty ‘immediately and indefinitely’ with Hong Kong… The move makes the UK the fourth country after Canada, Australia and the United States to suspend its extradition agreement with the partly autonomous Chinese city…

“Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday the UK was heading down the ‘wrong path’ and urged London to ‘avoid further damage to China-UK relations.’ Last week, Johnson ordered that Huawei technology be purged completely from the UK’s 5G network… The UK also announced last month it would open a special route to citizenship for up to 3 million eligible Hong Kong residents, a move Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has described as a ‘gross interference’ in Chinese affairs.”

As the BBC explains on July 20:

“The extradition treaty means that, if someone in Hong Kong is suspected of a crime in the UK, then the British authorities can ask Hong Kong to hand them over to face justice – and vice versa. The UK fears the arrangement – which has been in place for more than 30 years – could see anyone it extradites to Hong Kong being sent on to China.”

In light of China’s dictatorial measures and habit of suppressing and persecuting minorities and opponents of the regime, that concern is surely well-founded.

British Army Could Be Wiped out in One Afternoon

Express wrote on July 23:

“RUSSIA could have wiped out the British Army’s only fighting unit in one afternoon, a shock report revealed after experts found the UK could have only deployed 5,000 to 10,000 war-ready troops.

“Research by the Royal United Services Institute [in 2019] found that the [British] Army, as well as Nato allies, had a ‘critical shortage’ of artillery and ammunition. It concluded that it could not maintain a credible defence position… It added that Britain is ‘comprehensively outgunned and outranged’, leaving enemy artillery free to defeat UK units.

The UK and other NATO forces not only have a limited number of artillery pieces, but also a shortage of munitions stockpiles and transportation… In response, the MoD said: ‘The UK does not stand alone but alongside its NATO allies, who work closely together across air, sea, land, nuclear and cyber to deter threats and respond to crises.’”

But what happens when Britain or the UK will stand alone… as prophesied?

USA Prepares for Military Confrontation with China

Breaking Israel News wrote on July 22:

“Washington is deploying its military forces throughout Asia for a potential confrontation with China. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said… that Washington would continue sending Navy ships into the region to challenge China’s expansionary policies. It should be noted that the U.S. has now officially rejected China’s claims of sovereignty in most of the South China Sea.

“Esper added that the US would continue selling arms to Taiwan so that it can defend itself against an increasingly belligerent China. Esper noted that based on China’s actions in Hong Kong, Taiwan has no reason to believe that Beijing will honor its commitments vis-a-vis the defunct ‘one country, two systems’ model. He then reaffirmed his country’s commitment to executing freedom of navigation exercises in both the Taiwan Strait as well as the South China Sea.

Deutsche Welle reported on July 22 that “China condemned an order to close it[s] consulate in the US city of Houston as a ‘political provocation’ that will make diplomatic relations worse. Beijing has threatened retaliation for the surprise decision.”

Contrary to popular belief in Christian and Jewish circles, the Bible does not prophecy a major military confrontation between China and the USA, prior to Christ’s return. As mentioned above, the Bible DOES prophesy a major NUCLEAR war between China and Europe.

God Unhappy with America?

The Times of Israel wrote on July 17:

“Mike Evans, the evangelical writer… [with more] than 73 million followers [on Facebook], stated: ‘… people are terrified right now, that God is not happy with America… They’re looking at the riots, they’re looking at the plague of corona, and they’re worried, “Is God unhappy, is he cursing us?” They’re not sure, and they want God to bless them.’”

Americans are deeply concerned, and they should be. It is clear that God is NOT blessing this country right now. Mike Evans had another interesting take on America’s future role in the Middle East. Note the next article.

Annexation Resurrection?

JTA wrote on July 16:

“When I spoke to Mike Evans… he offered a bold prediction… ‘Before the election, I think President Trump’s going to come out and declare sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria, and the Jordan Valley and declare that the Bible is not illegal,’ Evans told me.

“… the Trump administration has gone quiet on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s push to annex just parts of the West Bank. But Evans said Trump would go one better and say that the United States would recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the entire West Bank… Evans said, the president would learn that evangelicals needed annexation to get them to turn out in the numbers Trump needs to defeat Joe Biden in November.”

And he will defeat Biden. Will he then also begin to actively support the anticipated building of the third temple in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount?

Sending “Federal Troops” to Major Cities?

The Hill wrote on July 20:

“President Trump on Monday signaled he may order federal agents to be deployed to Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and other major cities as he threatens to crack down further on unrest across the country…

“Trump cited heightened violence in Chicago and New York City, in particular, both of which have seen a rise in shootings in recent weeks. In the latter’s case, he blamed city and state officials for restricting police from taking a stronger response. ‘I’m going to do something – that, I can tell you,’ Trump said. ‘Because we’re not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these – Oakland is a mess. We’re not going to let this happen in our country…’

“Trump has for weeks threatened federal intervention in major cities as protests against police brutality and racial inequality persist in the wake of the death of George Floyd in late May. He has fixated in recent days on the situation in Portland, Ore., where demonstrations have continued for more than 50 days leading to the administration sending in federal law enforcement to respond.

“Democratic leaders and civil rights groups have condemned the Trump administration’s actions in Portland… Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) said Sunday the presence of federal law enforcement is leading to more violence in the city and called for their removal. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) has also called for federal officers to be removed from the city and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (D) sued federal agencies on Friday over the detention of protesters.

“But Trump on Monday argued that federal agents in Portland had done a ‘fantastic job’ and claimed the Democratic leaders in the cities he named were unwilling to act to deter further violence. ‘The governor and the mayor and the senators out there, they’re afraid of these people,’ Trump said…”

Truth be told, violent “demonstrations” and protests were consistently occurring in Portland, Oregon, for months BEFORE any federal agents arrived there. The charge that the presence of federal agents causes or increases violence is demonstrably false.

Federally Funded Smithsonian Institution Attacks Whites, American Culture and Christianity

PJ Media wrote on July 15:

“In June, while Americans were focused on the protests and riots that engulfed U.S. cities in the wake of the horrific police killing of George Floyd, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) released an online ‘teaching tool’… The page dedicated to ‘whiteness’ includes an infographic attributing various aspects of American culture to ‘whiteness’ or ‘white dominant culture.’ Among other things, this graphic suggests that the nuclear family, science, capitalism, and the Judeo-Christian tradition are forms of oppressive ‘whiteness’ that non-white people should reject as part of an oppressive system… [It focuses especially on] the Protestant work ethic, English common law, some aspects of capitalism, and Christianity… including the nuclear family, the husband as the breadwinner, and the wife as homemaker and subordinate to the husband

“… the Smithsonian receives about two-thirds of its $1.2 billion annual budget from taxpayers… The federally-funded institution should be defending American culture, not demonizing [it].”

What horrific nonsense. You could not make that up. And the federal government supports those institutions financially? For more absolute ridiculousness, note the next article.

Trader Joe’s Jumps on “Political Correct” Band Wagon

The San Diego Union Tribune wrote on July 20:

“Trader Joe’s has responded to criticisms about its packaging by announcing that it is in the process of eliminating labels that use ethnic-sounding names intended to be humorous. The offending products bear such labels as Trader Ming’s for foods and condiments related to Chinese cuisine, Trader José’s for Mexican-style products and Trader Giotto’s for Italian-themed items…

“The attention on Trader Joe’s comes amid a nationwide reconsideration of branding that has accompanied the Black Lives Matter movement. Land O’Lakes has removed a Native American woman from its products. Meanwhile, the images of Black men and women on product lines such as Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s and Mrs. Butterworth are in for a makeover, if they survive at all. The Eskimo Pie name also is becoming history…”

Words fail…

Twitter Bans Jewish Star

Breaking Israel News wrote on July 22:

“Twitter’s battle against racism led them to block accounts incorporating the Jewish star… Twitter sent messages explaining the measure: ‘We have determined that this account violated the Twitter Rules. Specifically for: Violating our rules against posting hateful imagery. You may not use hateful images or symbols in your profile image or profile header. As a result, we have locked your account.’

“Twitter instructed them that if they delete the ‘hateful imagery’, i.e. the Star of David, the account may be unlocked… One of the definitions for ‘Hateful Images’ is ‘symbols historically associated with hate groups.’”

Appalling indeed!

Twitter “Apologizes”

 JTA added on July 23:

 “Twitter acknowledged that it accidentally closed the accounts of some users for posting the Star of David… The Star of David in the profile pictures of the locked accounts ranged from artistic images to the yellow stars worn by Jews during the Holocaust… 

“Twitter stated… that using a yellow Star of David like those worn by Jews in the Holocaust in order to target Jewish people is a violation of its Hateful Conduct Policy… Twitter addressed the closed accounts this way: ‘While the majority of cases were correctly actioned, some accounts highlighted recently were mistakes and have now been restored.’”

Still VERY strange and troublesome!

Before the Explosion…?

The Week wrote on July 17:

“… there’s some worse thing looming just around the corner… [People are] oblivious to the doom about to strike… The anxiety comes from having lived through two major and massive unforeseen events taking place in quick succession over the past six months — first, the coronavirus spreading across and shutting down the world; second, the video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of the Minneapolis police sparking massive, weeks-long protests across the country and precipitating a moral revolution in American civil society.

“… many millions are now in long-term unemployment, with bankruptcies up and evictions and foreclosures bound to spike… it’s hard to see how this doesn’t start a cascade of terrible economic consequences… Opening public schools is enormously important — for the health of the economy and the well-being and future prospects of both children and their parents, most of whom need to work during the day and so can’t (and are unqualified to) step in to serve as full-time homeschooling teachers…

“What kind of social, economic, and political disruptions are we likely to see as it happens?… imagine a nation in which the ranks of the unemployed grow every week for months on end… and then the economy really starts to tank, with waves of bankruptcies and layoffs, a flood of evictions leading to a huge increase in homelessness, a bigger wave of urban crime than we’ve already seen, foreclosures that push banks to the brink and erase the equity of homeowners, and a belated stock market crash that wipes out the retirement funds of half the country.

“Tick, tick, boom. What would the explosion look like?… I spend an awful lot of time dreading it.”

Yes, America’s explosion will come… and it will be so much worse than anticipated. America’s economic ship is indeed on a collision course with a huge iceberg and en route to the abyss. There is no recovery, avoidance or escape in sight. The next article shows that many Californians are seeing this… and business owners are fed up with governmental restrictions which destroy their livelihood.

Californians Refuse to Shut Down Again

The San Diego Union Tribune wrote on July 17:

“Shawn Gilbert is not shutting down. Not again, after losing tens of thousands of dollars during the first government-mandated closure of his University Heights gym, Boulevard Fitness… Now, with 25 years under his belt in the fitness industry, he’s at his limit with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest order to shut down gyms again, barely a month after he reopened…

“He’s not alone in that decision. At least two gyms in North County remained open Thursday… these businesses and others — from salons to churches — push back against county and state regulations meant to slow the spread of COVID-19… A collection of San Diego gyms… have banded together to fight what they perceive as an unfair mandate that unreasonably singles out their businesses. Several of the gym owners have consulted the same attorney, and they plan to sue if officials try to shut them down…

“Gilbert said he was denied help from multiple lenders, not qualifying for a dime of assistance from the government-backed Payroll Protection Program loan, nor the Economic Injury Disaster Loan — two programs meant to keep small business owners alive during closures…

Hair salons — businesses also ordered to shut down this week for the second time — are getting more vocal about their own resistance movement. A federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of hairstylists and salon owners against Newsom in May, alleging the governor had unfairly kept them closed. The lawsuit represented over 500,000 licensees via the Professional Beauty Federation of California…

“In a very public blog post, Jeremy McGarity, a pastor at Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego, explained in no uncertain terms why the church would not be complying with the state’s new mandates… In his post, McGarity said that other churches have also decided to stay open…

“‘The government has called cigarettes and alcohol essential while considering a fitness center that builds your mental health and immune system unessential,’ Gilbert said. ‘That makes zero sense to people in California.’… For example, Big 5 Sporting Goods, a national retailer, sells guns and therefore deemed itself essential. But Play It Again Sports in Pacific Beach, a small franchise business in direct competition to Big 5, had to shut down…”

Man’s governments are simply UNABLE and INCOMPETENT to deal with a crisis effectively. They only make matters far worse.

California’s Schools Remain Closed

The Hill wrote on July 17:

80 percent of the state’s schools cannot reopen in the fall. Those counties include Orange County, where the education board just this week approved reopening without masks or social distancing.

Masks are also required for teachers and students in third grade and above in [the 20 percent of the state’s schools that are allowed, but are not required, to] reopen… Additional requirements include physical distancing, symptom checks, hand-washing stations and increased sanitation.

“Newsom clarified that the new guidance is a ‘mandate’ for both public and private schools in the state…”

Masks and social distancing for school kids is a horrible idea which is extremely DAMAGING to the health and welfare of the children.

No Spread of Virus in Schools

Bloomberg wrote on July 18:

“Scientists behind a Nordic study have found that keeping primary schools open during the coronavirus pandemic may not have had much bearing on contagion rates. There was no measurable difference in the number of coronavirus cases among children in Sweden, where schools were left open, compared with neighboring Finland, where schools were shut, according to the findings… Sweden avoided a proper lockdown, while Finland imposed tougher social distancing.

“Indicative data show there is no difference in the overall incidence of the laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases in children aged 1 to 19 years in the two countries; contact tracings in primary schools in Finland found hardly any evidence of children infecting others, according to the working paper by the Public Health Agency of Sweden and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. What’s more, there’s no increased risk for teachers, according to a Swedish comparison of cases among daycare and primary school staff, compared with risk levels in other professions.

“It’s not the first time researchers have raised questions about the merits of shutting schools during the pandemic. A French study last month found that school children don’t appear to transmit Covid-19 to peers or teachers. That investigation established that kids seemed to show fewer symptoms than adults, and to be less contagious…

“After two months of remote learning, Finnish children returned to school in May, and national infection rates have continued to decline since then…”

Why is it that so little is being published in the propaganda-driven mass media about THESE kinds of scientific findings?

The Trump Lockdown Folly

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on July 17:

“If the truth be told, … the Trump Lockdown Folly [by not firing Dr. Fauci] ranks among the greatest blunders ever committed by a US President. That’s because even at this late date nearly four months into the resulting economic disaster: there is no evidence that asymptomatic persons are transmitters of the virus, there is powerful statistical evidence that 95 percent of the population can cope with the disease and recover if they do become infected.

“Yet, the twin pillars of Fauci’s… scheme assumes the very opposite: Namely, that healthy Americans must be put under house arrest because they are silent spreaders and killers of their fellow citizens; and that the disease is so virulent that its #1 enemy—the powerful immune system of every healthy American—cannot be trusted to do its job if the virus is permitted to follow its natural course of contagion and eventual herd immunity….

“WHO’s COVID-19 Task Force, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, recently explained that transmission of the virus from asymptomatic patients appears to be very rare… In a constitutional democracy, where the liberties and properties of citizens are protected by law, you need overwhelming proof of an existential threat to society before ordering mass house arrests…”

Even though this folly is repeated all over the world, it does not suddenly become sound and sane. And in the process, the world is destroying itself.

Death Toll from Coronavirus Questioned

Breitbart reported on July 22:

“Nearly one-third of Americans do not believe the coronavirus death toll is as high as reported, an Axios/Ipsos poll released Tuesday revealed. The survey, conducted July 17-20, 2020,… found that Americans are growing skeptical over the number of reported coronavirus-related deaths… the number of those who believe it is less has increased by eight percent since May.

“Republicans remain far more skeptical of the coronavirus death toll, with 58 percent saying it is ‘less’… A majority of Democrats, 61 percent, believe the death toll is higher… The growing skepticism coincides with reports of errors in reporting positive cases, as was recently seen in Connecticut and Florida.”

No Outbreak in South Dakota

Breitbart wrote on July 17:

“The spike of coronavirus that was supposed to come as a result of President Donald Trump’s speech at Mount Rushmore on July 3 never came according to Gov. Kristi Noem… During an interview with Fox News Channel’s ‘Fox & Friends,’ Noem said there were decreases COVID-19 metrics in her state…

“‘I think what we did here in South Dakota is really remarkable because we gave people their freedom. We let the businesses stay open. We let people go to work. We told them to be smart. And we also asked them to be personally responsible, and we’re seeing the benefits of that each and every day in South Dakota.’…

“When asked for what advice she would give to other governors around the country, Noem urged them not to ‘lay down mandates… Let [the people] make decisions that are right for their families.’”

Good advice! Will governors in other states, such as California or New York, heed it? Hardly!

Wearing a Mask?

Newsmax wrote on July 20:

 “Surgeon General Jerome Adams is pleading with Americans to wear a mask to help curb the spread of coronavirus. During a Monday appearance on ‘Fox & Friends,’ the country’s top doctor said he was wrong to say face masks weren’t necessary during the initial outbreak of the virus… During the early days of the pandemic, Adams said masks were ineffective and possibly even dangerous. He said face coverings provide a false sense of security and can cause people to touch their faces even more.

“Now, he said his position has changed…  ‘Once we realized that the science was different for this virus, we changed our recommendations.’”

 Not so. Dr. Fauci also originally recommended AGAINST wearing masks, with exactly the same rationale as given by Adams. Subsequently, he changed his recommendations as well. When asked about his earlier advice against wearing masks, he said that he wanted to discourage the public from wearing masks because there were not enough masks for the medical personnel.

The Hill wrote on July 20:

“[Fauci] also acknowledged that masks were initially not recommended to the general public so that first responders wouldn’t feel the strain of a shortage of PPE. He explained that public health experts ‘were concerned the public health community, and many people were saying this, were concerned that it was at a time when personal protective equipment, including the N95 masks and the surgical masks, were in very short supply.’… Fauci continued to say that they wanted to give as many masks as possible to front line workers and emergency personnel.”

This stunning admission only leads to three (or four) possible conclusions: Either, he purposefully lied about the effectiveness of wearing masks, or he was ignorant about the real nature of the pandemic, or he is ignorant about it now, or all of the above. The real question is, Why should he be listened to now, since his views “changed” and might have been dishonest, and they are by no means uncontested by other doctors and scientists?

On July 22, CBS reported:

“President Trump changed his rhetoric on wearing masks in a press conference Tuesday, saying that ‘they have an impact.’… Mr. Trump urged Americans to wear a mask in the briefing. He largely resisted wearing a mask in public for months and downplayed their importance but tweeted a picture of himself wearing one on Monday.”

Following the recommendations of his political and medical advisers, he made a 180-degree turn around regarding the wearing of masks, obviously with a view to the November elections.

Bill Gates on Vaccines and School Closures

The Sun wrote on July 23:

“Bill Gates… warned it could take an ‘unbelievably big number’ of doses to beat the virus. He said: ‘None of the vaccines at this point appear like they’ll work with a single dose… [He continued:] there will be ‘a lot of uncertainty’ about the vaccine… Gates also described the closures of schools as the ‘biggest cost’ of the pandemic after deaths as he said classes likely won’t be all back until fall 2021…

“Asked whether Facebook should do more to remove the conspiracy theories, he said: ‘They are willing to take down anti-vaxxer posts. But you don’t want to suppress normal dialogue.’”

Gates should define “normal dialogue.” The ones who oppose vaccines obviously don’t fall into that category. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday it is unlikely the coronavirus will ever be eradicated.

The Curse of Travel Bans

Forbes wrote on July 19:

“A labyrinth of travel restrictions and border closures have added a daunting layer of complexity to long-distance relationships… This despite the fact that these couples are willing to get screened for the virus before they travel and remain in quarantine with their partners after they arrive.

“Like everyone else, unmarried couples living apart—in two different countries—worry about the impact of the virus on their health, work, and everyday lives. But this angst is compounded by lengthy and painful separations, as well as uncertainties about where and when they’ll see each other again…

“Corsi Crumpler, 28, a silversmith in Wichita Falls, Texas, owns a small jewelry company… Corsi last saw her fiancé, Sean Donovan, 29, for five days in March… ‘We met at a pub in Dublin in 2018 and the rest is history,’ she says. The couple face time, talk by phone, and text multiple times a day but can’t shake the trauma of their separation… ‘Our  K-1 Visa (a non-immigrant visa for a fiancé/fiancée) ceased to make progress because the embassies and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shut down—without word about when they might reopen,’ she says. ‘Sean can’t come to the States because Ireland is on the U.S. travel ban list… ‘The US Embassy in Dublin told us that Sean might qualify for a “humanitarian waiver” to visit me,’ she says. ‘So we went through all the paperwork and purchased air tickets (required to prove his intent to return). After a week-long runaround complying with document requests, they turned us down two days later (via email) and chalked it up to a misunderstanding.’ Adding to the disappointment: A few days later, Corsi learned that more than 1000 foreign athletes and their families/significant others were granted travel ban waivers to enter the U.S

“You might call Dylan Greene, 27, and Gugulethu Duma, 29, citizens of the world. The couple—both of them composers, musicians and teachers—met as international fellows at a program called Onebeat… Dylan is Canadian. Gugu, who is from South Africa, has been living in Trondheim, Norway completing a master’s degree. Since COVID hit, she has been in Berlin. They last saw each other in February in Brooklyn, New York. Since then, they video call or phone each other multiple times a day, and text, share art and watch movies… Gugu is not permitted to travel to the U.S. from Germany and she’s unable to return to South Africa because its borders are shut. Dylan hasn’t been able to get to Germany. He’s had five flights cancelled despite providing evidence of negative COVID tests, doctors’ notes testifying to his need to be with her, and proof of their residence…

“A petition on Change.org (also with the hashtag #LoveIsEssential) asks governmental authorities to lift travel bans and reunite couples. It has already garnered more than 17K signatures… Couples fear that a second wave of the virus may extend the length of time that border restrictions are in place so they hope to compel governments to act before then. Their message: We deserve to be recognized as ‘essential’ travelers rather than tourists…”

This article, and the next one, shows the perhaps somewhat unintended terrible consequences of travel bans which, nevertheless, DESTROY the lives of people in many different irresponsible ways.

“International Students Can Study in the U.S. this Fall — If They Can Get Here”

NPR wrote on July 19:

“Due to the pandemic, many international students who are starting a graduate program or their freshman year… face a series of hurdles — travel restrictions, limited flights and closed U.S. consulate offices — that make it incredibly difficult to start the fall semester at U.S. colleges. That’s despite a reprieve last week, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agreed to allow international students to stay in the country even if their schools opted for online-only learning in the fall.

“The biggest hurdle for students… is acquiring a student visa. U.S. consulate offices, where students go for an in-person interview, are closed — it’s unclear when they’ll reopen… travel restrictions will make it difficult…to make [their] way to the U.S. The State Department has currently barred travelers coming directly from China

“Students come to the U.S. from all over the world, but China and India send the most. In 2019, there were more than 350,000 Chinese international students in U.S. colleges and universities. And because they often pay full-tuition, that translates to big money for schools: international students studying in the U.S. contributed $41 billion during the 2018-2019 academic year…

“Colleges are bracing for the possibility that their students won’t make it to campus… In the worst case scenario, that means the U.S. would admit the lowest level of new international students since just after World War II… The Trump administration said last week that students coming from Europe are exempt from the current travel ban to the U.S., but it’s unclear the impact that will have on enrollment, given that no European country is represented on the top 10 list of origin countries for international students…

“With weeks left before the first day of school, there are few options for international students trying to enter the U.S…. Ultimately it may be the case that an in-person fall is a fallacy for all students, not just an impossible feat for those living abroad. More and more colleges have scaled back or reversed their decision to hold in-person classes… “

Apart from the terrible situation which foreign students find themselves in, the economic loss to the USA is mind-blowing.

Pleading for Opening Transatlantic Flights

Skift wrote on July 22:

American Airlines and United Airlines, along with Iberia Airlines’ owner International Airlines Group and Lufthansa Group, want regulators to permit more American and Europeans to travel on transatlantic flights, arguing they need more customers on these routes for their businesses to recover. ‘Given the unquestioned importance of transatlantic air travel to the global economy as well as to the economic recovery of our businesses, we believe it is critical to find a way to re-open air services between the U.S. and Europe,’ the CEOs of the four companies wrote in a joint letter to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

“All four airline groups fly across the Atlantic now, serving major routes like New York to Frankfurt, Dallas/Fort Worth to Madrid, and Washington D.C. to Zurich. The problem is the customer pool is tiny, with American and European regulators placing strict limits on who can fly. Most flights are [filled] with dual citizens, or customers who are transiting in European airports, or passengers exempt from the ban, such as health care workers, and diplomats. It is easier for Americans to visit the United Kingdom, though they must quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. The United States maintains similar restrictions on which travelers can enter from Europe. It first instituted the restrictions in March, during Europe’s first wave.

“While the letter is addressed to U.S. and European leaders, this issue is probably stickier in Europe, because it has fewer cases, per capita, than the United States. Europeans have said they’re concerned about the rising number of U.S. Covid-19 cases, and they’re fearful that an influx of Americans would lead to more cases. In their letter, the four CEOs acknowledge the Covid-19 problem, but said regulators could mitigate it by creating a joint U.S.-EU testing program… ‘A coordinated COVID-19 testing program could be key to providing confidence to permit services to resume without quarantine requirements or other entry restrictions.’”

News from Australia

We received the following report from Australian Elder Paul Niehoff:

“In Melbourne face masks will become compulsory on Thursday morning for everybody over 12 years of age who leaves their home except for running, attending school or going into a bank. The border with New South Wales will be tightened. The FDA and FTC have sent out over 280 letters to companies who recommend any non-approved treatment, drug or otherwise, for Covid-19 even when it is used successfully in other countries or by various doctors in the US. The letter includes the final statement as shown here:

‘‘It is unlawful under the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq., to advertise that a product can prevent, treat, or cure human disease unless you possess competent and reliable scientific evidence, including, when appropriate, well-controlled human clinical studies, substantiating that the claims are true at the time they are made. For COVID-19, no such study is currently known to exist for the products identified above. Thus, any Coronavirus-related prevention or treatment claims regarding such products are not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. You must immediately cease making all such claims… Within 48 hours, please send a message to James E. Elliott… describing the specific actions you have taken to address the FTC’s concerns…’

“The local money changers have closed due to lack of business. Our bank has sent us a letter telling us that they will no longer provide international cheques but we must use electronic transfers.”

Interview with John Bolton on Trump and Merkel

On July 17, Der Spiegel published an interview with John Bolton who served as Trump’s national security advisor from 2018 to 2019. We are quoting relevant excerpts from that interview, as they relate to the relationship between Trump and Germany, especially Merkel:

“DER SPIEGEL:  Mr. Bolton, Donald Trump had already begun firing barbs at German Chancellor Angela Merkel back when he was still one of many Republican candidates for president. Merkel’s refugee policies, he said at the time, had been a ‘disaster for Germany.’… is Trump rather obsessed with the German chancellor?

“Bolton: … with Merkel, it’s kind of complicated – the president’s father was German, so that might have something to do with it. But there are also political reasons. U.S.-EU trade relations have been a major source of controversy between the U.S. and Germany. Then there is the issue of support for NATO and the agreement that each member state would spend 2 percent of GDP on defense, which Germany is behind on…

“DER SPIEGEL:  Ever since Trump moved into the White House, the German government has been concerned that he might introduce punitive tariffs on German automobiles. Thus far, though, he has not followed through on his threats. Is the issue off the table?

“Bolton: It’s never off the table. Trump likes tariffs, and it’s something he can do without Congressional approval…

“DER SPIEGEL: Another dispute between the United States and Germany is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. Is this really about serious concerns that Germany and Europe could grow overly dependent on Russia? Or is it more about business and American hopes to sell American natural gas to Europe?

“Bolton: It’s a combination of both. He talked about imposing sanctions all the time, but he never has. I think it would have stopped the pipeline. And it’s not finished yet. It may yet be stopped. It is strategically damaging to Europe and the United States.

“DER SPIEGEL: There is a famous image from the G-7 Summit in Canada in April 2018. It shows Merkel leaning on a table with Trump facing her, his arms crossed and looking unhappy. You are standing right next to him. Can you remember what you were talking about?

“Bolton: Yeah, it wasn’t comfortable. In my recollection, it wasn’t Chancellor Merkel speaking with Trump at that moment, I think it was President Macron. But that’s just an historical detail. To me, it demonstrates two things. One, why I don’t like these communiqués at G-7 and G-20 meetings… Number two, in this instance, by forcing Trump literally as well as figuratively into a corner, they made him very unhappy with the whole process. Not long after that picture was taken, when we were back on Air Force One, Trump withdrew his approval for the communiqué. It was the first time that had ever happened…

“DER SPIEGEL: Will Germany and the rest of Europe have to be responsible for their own national security and defense in the future?

“Bolton:… The problem with the European Union is that there’s a lot of rhetoric about strong security policies, but not a lot of follow through. You hear European leaders saying over and over again: ‘We’ll defend ourselves.’ If people aren’t careful, there will be others in America, like Trump, who say: ‘Fine, go ahead.’…

“DER SPIEGEL: Is there a chance that Trump will win the election in November?

“Bolton: Absolutely. He’s way behind now – in large part, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic consequences. But the polls in 2016 showed him behind as well. There was a universal consensus on Election Day, including in Trump campaign headquarters, that he was going to lose. In my view, we should never underestimate the ability of the Democratic Party to blow an election.”

In the light of biblical prophecy, we are repeating our long-standing conviction that Trump is going to be re-elected. The relationship between the USA and Germany, as well as the rest of continental Europe, will not improve.  

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

This Week in the News

“Churches Unfairly Scapegoated for Pandemic”

On July 10, The Week published the following opinion by Bonnie Kristian:

The New York Times on Wednesday published a case in point. ‘Churches were eager to reopen,’ the headline announced. ‘Now they are a major source of coronavirus cases.’ A shocking claim! Let’s see the evidence:

“[The New York Times wrote:] ‘Weeks after President Trump demanded that America’s shuttered houses of worship be allowed to reopen, new outbreaks of the coronavirus are surging through churches across the country where services have resumed. […] More than 650 coronavirus cases have been linked to nearly 40 churches and religious events across the United States since the beginning of the pandemic, with many of them erupting over the last month as Americans resumed their pre-pandemic activities, according to a New York Times database.’

“Wait, that’s it? The contrast is stark between the headline’s branding of churches as a ‘major source’ of contagion and the story’s citation of 650 church-linked cases out of 3 million nationwide… ‘The not-so-subtle subtext,’ observed Reason‘s Jacob Sullum, is that ‘[r]eopening churches was reckless, because they are more likely than other venues to be the sites of superspreading events, regardless of the precautions they take. But the evidence presented by the Times does not support that thesis.’ The Billy Graham Center’s Ed Stetzer raised the same objection, deeming this ‘a headline looking for a story’ and arguing the ‘real story’ is that ‘churches are gathering and remarkably few infections are taking place.’…

“We do know tens of thousands of cases have been tied to other locations — 24,000 to meatpacking plants and 57,000 to prisons… But that headline is what was published atop an article suggesting churches are uniquely dangerous places… the Times piece is not a wild aberration, though it stands out as a straight news item so poorly framed and explained. Recent months have seen too much journalism on churches and COVID-19 which is similarly misleading or incomplete.

“A recent Politico story, for example, questions why ‘officials have declined to single out church-related outbreaks as problematic’ while offering little evidence churches deserve to be thus singled out. The report says case clusters ‘are surfacing in counties across the U.S. where in-person religious services have resumed’ — but many other indoor public spaces have opened in those same counties. Is there data showing the churches are unusually culpable? Politico does not present it. Meanwhile, an emergent genre stories argues evangelicalism is itself a public health hazard….”

The quoted comments are interesting, especially as being published in a left-liberal magazine such as The Week. Some try to make or label the debate on religious liberties and freedoms a political issue. It is nothing of the kind. But giving up religious freedoms and practices, which are commanded by God, prepares us for the ultimate acceptance of the mark of the beast. There are always “arguments” someone can come up with to justify their respective compromising viewpoints, but if they are not based on the Bible, they are meaningless and wrong. Our new free booklet, “Obeying God rather than men,” enumerates, by way of example, some restrictions imposed by governments in the context of religious services and practices which, if followed, WOULD violate the commands of God.

Please also view our recent StandingWatch program, “California’s Ongoing Persecution of Churches”, as well as our video-taped message, “Coming Civil War in the USA?—Comments on News and Prophecy, July 11, 2020.” 

We also recommend watching the following StandingWatch program, “Do you disobey God while accepting the mark of the beast?”

We should be clear on what it means to accept the mark of the beast… and what it does not mean.

California Churches Have Had Enough with Gov. Newsom’s Restrictions

On July 10, Newsmax published the following article which originally appeared in The Associated Press:

“Crossroads Community Church Senior Pastor Jim Clark… [is] drawing the line at a new California ban on singing or chanting at religious services. ‘I said enough’s enough,’ Clark said. ‘We will be singing and praising the Lord. … We don’t chant, but if we did chant, we’d be chanting too.’

“The California ban was one of a number of restrictions on indoor businesses and gatherings put in place last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom… It’s unclear if any similar prohibition on singing exists in the United States, though there is one in England… The ban may well end up in court as there are differing opinions on its legality, with some conservative groups arguing it infringes on religious freedom…

“The American Center for Law and Justice, a religious freedom law firm with ties to President Donald Trump, says it will sue. ‘We can’t stand by and watch as California strips its believers of their God-given right to raise their voices in worship and praise,’ executive director Jordan Sekulow said on the center’s website. The center, which was founded by televangelist Pat Robertson, did not say how quickly it would sue…

“Another conservative-leaning legal group, The Pacific Justice Institute, told faith leaders in a letter that Newsom’s guidance is advisory because it does not say it is an order, cites no legal authority, isn’t signed by any official and includes no reference to penalties. Institute president Brad Dacus said after the letter went out attorneys there fielded dozens of subsequent calls from relieved religious leaders who allowed singing last Sunday and intend to keep doing so. ‘These churches are just glad to know they will not be criminally prosecuted for singing worship songs on Sunday morning,’ said Dacus, whose institute has filed pandemic unequal treatment lawsuits against state officials in Oregon and Washington…

“The California Catholic Conference said it would comply… But others like Clark said they will ignore the ban… Clark said there has been no effort to crack down, and no criticism of him flouting Newsom’s restrictions. To the contrary, he said feedback has been positive. ‘Most of them have been calls, ‘Thank you for standing up for what you believe,’” he said…

“Greg Burt, spokesman for the conservative California Family Council, said he’d heard of no effort to enforce the singing ban during the first weekend it applied. ‘As soon as they try to enforce it, it’s going to make national news,’ he said. ‘This seems to be a little more extreme than telling them they can’t meet, because you’re telling them how to worship,’ Burt said. ‘That seems to be a little more over the line involving the government directly violating the First Amendment.’

“Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer and Republican Party official… said she is considering a lawsuit over the singing restriction. Dhillon and other critics including Advocates for Faith & Freedom and the National Center for Law and Policy said the church restrictions constitute unequal treatment when compared to recent crowds of demonstrators protesting police violence after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. ‘If you’re allowed to chant “Hey hey, ho ho, racism’s got to go” but you can’t chant the liturgy, that’s obviously discriminatory,’ she said.”

Again, the objections by church leaders to the governmental restrictions have NOTHING to do with liberal or conservative politics. At least, they should not have. Rather, they ought to be strictly based on God’s commandments, which must be obeyed, if they are in conflict with man’s laws or regulations. In this context, you might also consult the following Q&A’s, explaining our responsibility as God’s Church; many misunderstood religious concepts; and offering hope in these times of uncertainty.

https://www.eternalgod.org/in-what-way-do-your-booklets-sermons-sermonettes-and-updates-especially-articles-and-comments-in-your-current-events-sections-relate-to-the-churchs-end-time-commission-to-preach-the-gospe/ 

https://www.eternalgod.org/are-lengthy-imprisonments-and-quarantines-godly/ 

https://www.eternalgod.org/should-we-be-afraid-of-the-future-part-1/

https://www.eternalgod.org/should-we-be-afraid-of-the-future-part-2/

https://www.eternalgod.org/should-we-be-afraid-of-the-future-part-3/

Unwilling to Be Vaccinated against Coronavirus

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 12:

“In April, 74% of survey participants in Germany, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, France and Portugal said they would be willing to get vaccinated. By June, that number had dropped to 68%… The drop was particularly dramatic in Germany, which saw vaccine willingness drop from 70% to 61%. Divisions between northern and southern Germany were especially pronounced, with 67% of people in the northern state of Lower Saxony saying they would get vaccinated. In the southern state of Bavaria, however, only 52% said they would do the same.

“In early June, a national survey carried out by YouGov found only 50% of respondents were willing to get vaccinated — while 20% were staunchly opposed to getting a vaccine… [A] growing number of survey respondents… said they didn’t want to get a vaccine or were unsure about it due to concerns about potential side-effects or uncertainty about the safety of the vaccine….”

Of course, scientists working on the development of vaccines will go on overdrive to “assure” the public that a vaccine, still to be developed, will be “safe” and will have no side effects. People should be health-oriented and they should be very careful before allowing to be vaccinated with a vaccine which could be very dangerous. This is especially true for Christians in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. The Bible says that our body is supposed to be a holy temple of and for God.

The Great Covid-19 Deception

The Ron Paul Institute published an article on July 10 by Gary Heavin, stating that “he and his wife Diane are the founders of Curves, the world’s largest fitness franchise. Gary is the author of two NY Times bestselling books, Curves and Curves on the go. Gary co-wrote and starred in the movie Amerigeddon. Gary is a pro-life libertarian and serves on the advisory board of Dr. Ron Paul’s Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Gary and his wife are philanthropists who feed 10,000 children a day in Haiti and operate an orphanage outside the slums of Mumbai. Most importantly, they are bible believing Christians”:

“… it’s imperative that you understand the great deceit that Big Pharma, their minions at the FDA, CDC, NIH, the WHO, the MSM, and officials in high government positions are perpetrating on you, your family, and likely your doctor… you need to know you are being duped and you need a plan for you and your family if you become infected with Covid 19…

“When it comes to safe, effective and affordable therapies for Covid 19, Big Pharma and its agents, i.e. Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx and many others, appear to have an agenda to lie to you and your physician. The most obvious example is their ongoing effort to ridicule the treatment option of hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin, and Zinc. We’ve all watched the harsh criticism that President Trump received when he promoted this protocol for Covid 19. So, hydroxychloroquine has been around for almost 70 years as a treatment for malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. The WHO has designated it as a safe and effective medication akin to taking an aspirin. A survey of 6,000 medical doctors affirmed it as their treatment of choice for Covid 19….

“How much effort has Big Pharma put into subverting this treatment regimen? In addition to denouncing its effectiveness, from Dr. Fauci and company, constant MSM hit pieces, the censoring of medical doctor’s articles and videos from the internet, there has also been a number of ‘studies’ done that were literally sabotaged from the onset.

“The VA hospital system reported in March that they had given hydroxychloroquine to a number of patients. Following their release of information, the MSM ran the story with the headlines, ‘VA hospital found that hydroxychloroquine doesn’t work and increases the fatality rate of Covid 19.’ However, if you actually read the study you will find that only the sickest of the cohorts were given the drug. They got the drug only after they were so far along that it would not have a chance to work and they were not given zinc. None of these details made the MSM articles.

“Another example of the Great Deception came from the British medical journal, The Lancet. The Lancet reported that a meta study showed that hydroxychloroquine was ineffective. As a result of this published study, France, Italy and other European countries immediately prohibited the use of this treatment option. Within a few weeks, it was found that the study was… badly designed and that the results were literally fabricated. The Lancet was forced to make a retraction of the ‘study.’ Of course in the meantime the MSM ran the original Lancet story and mislead millions of people and their physicians.

“So what could possibly be the motive behind Big Pharma’s Great Deception. Well there’s three answers, money, money and money. That brings up the treatment option that Big Pharma is promoting, Remdesivir. This lovely experimental drug, costs above $3,000 per regimen, must be given intravenously in a hospital (five days stay around 15 grand) and evidence shows that it doesn’t really work. The other treatment option is the promised Covid 19 vaccine that they allege is forthcoming. The NHS in Great Britain has committed to purchase a vaccine for the entire population of Great Britain. That’s a commitment of 80,000,000 doses at an agreed price of around $600 for each vaccination. That’s about $50,000,000,000. (50 Billion) That’s a lot of incentive to mislead people. This week, a US pharmaceutical company received $1.6 billion dollars towards their efforts to make this vaccine which in the opinion of many experts, won’t work on a coronavirus and will be untested and experimental.

“How does Big Pharma have so much control over the dissemination of this information or should I say propaganda? Well, the same answer pops up again, money. Big Pharma gave $2 billion dollars during the last election cycle to US politicians. Big AG, the military/security complex and big oil each gave only a paltry $1.0 billion dollars to buy the votes of our political leadership… The MSM counts Big Pharma’s advertising revenue at up to 80 percent of their income…”

The mass media and Big Pharma will not admit to any of this, but can there be any doubt that the involvement of Big Pharma has caused great harm to many people?

The Health Danger of Masks

The Ron Paul Institute published the following additional article on July 13:

“Way back in March of this year the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were on record saying masks should only be worn by people who were around sick people. Healthy people didn’t need to wear masks.

“But all that has changed. Dr. Mark Sircus, in an article published on Lew Rockwell, July 10, 2020… reveals a startling statistic. He notes that typical CO2 in the air is about 400 ppm, a little higher than that around the nose or mouth as we breathe. But a typical mask can drive the level up to a dangerous 5,000 ppm!

“According to Dr. Sircus… wearing a face mask has been shown to reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood stream to 17.5 percent which over time can lead to hypoxia or lack of adequate oxygen to function normally. Headaches, foggy thinking and lethargy are common byproducts. Mask wearing while engaging in heightened physical activity can make matters even worse.

“Then there are the obvious inconsistencies with mask wearing. You have to wear one to enter a restaurant but once seated you can take it off? How does that work? Is there any ‘science’ that says seated people in a restaurant aren’t susceptible to the virus but if you start walking around you’re toast? None of this Covid garbage makes any sense to anyone willing to engage in critical thinking!…”

To be clear, we do not advocate against wearing masks when it is necessary, for instance, when shopping in stores [otherwise, one could not buy something] or working in an office where masks are mandated [otherwise, one could not work there and would lose his or her job]. What we ARE advocating is careful consideration of avoiding wearing masks when and where it is not necessary.

Certain States Travel Restrictions Constitutionally Dubious

On July 14, the Hill published the following opinion by lawyer “Daniel Ortner at the Pacific Legal Foundation, which litigates nationwide to achieve court victories enforcing the Constitution’s guarantee of individual liberty”:

“At the end of June, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced that anyone coming into their states from other states identified as coronavirus ‘hot spots’ — now up to 19 states — are required to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Ironically, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York earlier in the pandemic called a similar policy put in place by Rhode Island for those who had been to New York unlawful and threatened to sue. But Cuomo was right then and is wrong now. These travel restrictions are constitutionally dubious and deeply problematic.

“Although governors have been granted emergency powers to respond to a pandemic, these powers have limits. In particular, governors can only exercise the power that has been granted to them by the legislative branches of their state. Constitutional guarantees, such as the right to due process and the right to travel, further constrain the governors’ emergency powers… ordering someone not to leave their home is a significant incursion on liberty. Accordingly, state legislatures have placed stringent limitations on the exercise of this power.

“A common limitation on the power to quarantine or isolate is the requirement that such orders must target discrete named individuals or identifiable groups, rather than broad categories of individuals. For example, in Connecticut, the governor or health commissioner can quarantine only those individuals they reasonably believe have been exposed to a disease or are contaminated. This requirement forecloses the application of quarantine and isolation orders to categories as broad as ‘anyone who has visited the state of Florida in the past two weeks.’ There is no reasonable basis for believing that anyone who has been anywhere in Florida has COVID-19. Statewide in Florida as of July 13, there were around 245,500 active cases among a population of 21.48 million, or around one in every 100 people (which is comparable to the number of active cases per capita in New York). And there’s even less reason to assume that for other states on the list, such as Iowa where around 1 in 400 people is infected, or North Carolina where around 1 in 300 is infected.

“Most states place significant procedural limitations on the exercise of quarantine and isolation authority, such as the right to an individualized hearing and to be represented by counsel, and categorical orders that apply to anyone who visited a particular state do not comply with these limitations. The northeastern governors’ orders ignore these sensible limitations, disregarding due process, another severe constitutional defect. Because quarantine or isolation orders significantly infringe on individual liberty, an individual is entitled to due process of law. At a bare minimum, an individual is entitled to a hearing where the government bears the burden of proof and where an individual can put on a defense. The northeast governors’ recent quarantine declaration provides for none of that.

“Finally, sweeping restrictions on travel violate the fundamental constitutional right to travel. We live in a country made up of 50 states… The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution protects the right of individuals to travel between states. This right to travel can be limited only when necessary to achieve a compelling state interest. A policy that imposes a quarantine on everyone coming from a particular state is far too broad and poorly designed to meet this level of scrutiny, especially when a traveler is not significantly more likely to be sick, on average, than the state’s own residents. Such a sweeping ban also ignores the significant regional variation that exists within most states. For example, someone from rural Franklin County in the Florida Panhandle is 12 times less likely to have had COVID-19 than someone from Miami-Dade County. But these sweeping travel bans treat them both the same…”

The question is, does anybody care anymore about America’s Constitution?

New Restrictions by Gov. Newsom

Fox News wrote on July 13:

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered a halt to indoor activities at certain businesses statewide… Newsom, a Democrat, announced during a press briefing that all bars across the state must close… and that restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums and card rooms must suspend indoor activities. The governor also announced that all gyms, places of worship, malls, personal care services, barbershops, salons, and non-critical offices in counties on the state’s ‘monitoring list’ had to shut down under the new order. The order affects more than 30 counties which are home to about 80 percent of California’s population…

“In March, California became the first state to impose a mandatory stay-at-home order… By late April, Newsom — under increasing pressure – began allowing businesses and activities to resume…

“Newsom’s announcement comes just hours after the state’s two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, announced they will not reopen for in-person instruction when the 2020-21 academic year begins next month…”

Los Angeles Unified, the country’s second-largest school district with roughly 700,000 students, will begin online-only “instruction” August 18; San Diego Unified, which serves more than 100,000 students, is set to start Internet “Instruction” August 31. But Orange County’s Board of Education voted to approve recommendations for reopening schools in the fall that do not include the mandatory use of masks for students or increased social distancing in classrooms. This vote is advisory only.

The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal wrote on July 14:

“The evidence — scientific, health and economic — argues overwhelmingly for schools to open in the fall. Start with the relative immunity of young children to the disease, which should reassure parents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 children under age 15 have died from COVID-19. In a typical year 190 children die of the flu, 436 from suicide, 625 from homicide, and 4,114 from unintentional deaths such as drowning.

Only two children under age 18 have died in Chicago — fewer than were killed in shootings in a recent weekend. In New York City, 0.03 percent of children under age 18 have been hospitalized for Covid and 7.5 in one million have died. The death rate for those over 75 is more than 2,200-times higher than for those under 18.”

All these new measures, including the refusal to open schools, will BANKRUPT California [and other states] for sure and will destroy the financial survival of millions of people. They may also lead to violent protests and violent reactions. Man is proving time and again that he is totally incompetent to rule. We need Christ’s return to replace ALL human governments with the righteous Kingdom of God.

Reactions to Gov. Newsom’s New Restrictions

 Fox News reported on July 16:

 “A California pastor (Greg Fairrington, leader of 3,500-members Destiny Christian Church outside of Sacramento) said he would defy Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest coronavirus lockdown… ‘If we don’t take a stand, all we’re doing is kicking the can down the road and we will be having the same conversations in three weeks, six weeks, six months, or even a year from now,’ [he said]. During a livestream service earlier this month, Fairrington floated a run for governor if he gets enough support… After 11 weeks of online-only services, Fairrington reopened on May 31 along with 1,000 other congregations across the state. Days before, President Trump had declared houses of worship ‘essential’ and stated he would override any governors that don’t allow them to open.”

 In a newsletter of the Los Angeles Times, it was stated on July 16:

 “The rapid shifts between a little more light and further darkness have created a sense of whiplash for many Californians. We stayed home, suffered job losses or uncertainty, and struggled to pivot as the rules adjusted and a bit of normalcy returned. Now, we find ourselves seemingly plunged back in time to the panic of late March and April, with narrowed lives and ever louder alarm bells ringing in every direction… the analogy of ‘the hammer and the dance’ might be helpful for wrapping your head around our ever-shifting situation… 

“We’ve already seen the hammer — it came down hard in late March, when aggressive action was taken to all but shutter the state of California. And we are now well into the dance, a delicate, imperfect quickstep of tightened and loosened restrictions that began when stay-at-home orders first eased in mid-May. We twirl in, and then out, and back again, urgently hoping that our improvised choreography can outpace the need for another all-encompassing blow of the hammer sending us back into total lockdown.

 “It’s a roller coaster ride with no end in sight. And… we are all screaming in our hearts. But the chaos has been particularly acute for those who work in industries affected by the closures. Small-business owners are contending with how to possibly stay afloat, as their workers face further layoffs and furloughs after months of financial uncertainty. That pain is being felt across California, as evidenced by a slew of reports in local papers around the state… The 2021 Rose Parade is canceled for the first time in 75 years…”

California’s Economic Downfall

Regarding California’s precarious situation, CNBC already published the following article on May 9, 2020:

“California will have a budget shortfall of $54.3 billion because of the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced Thursday, a stunning reversal for a state that had a $21 billion surplus a year ago.

“The state has been under a mandatory stay-at-home order since mid-March, forcing nonessential businesses to close and prompting more than 4 million Californians to file for unemployment benefits. After recording record low unemployment of 3.9% at the start of the year, the Newsom administration now predicts a jobless rate of 18% for the nation’s most populous state — 46% higher than the height of the Great Recession a decade ago… the revenue shortfall means the state’s constitutionally required funding level for public schools and community colleges will fall by $18.3 billion…

“The Newsom administration projects personal income will fall by close to 9% for the state’s nearly 40 million residents while permits for new housing construction — a key measure of the economy’s health — will drop more than 21%… For the past 10 years, the state has had an unprecedented run of economic growth, adding more than 3.4 million new jobs… But the projected budget [dispelled] any notion of a quick recovery once the state’s coronavirus restrictions are lifted… ‘The next few years we’re going to have to work through these challenges,’ Newsom said Wednesday.”

And now, after some restrictions had been lifted, they are back again… and with them, the economic downfall of California continues.

Buying Guns in Record Numbers

The Wall Street Journal wrote on July 14:

“Gun sales began rising to unusual highs in March, as coronavirus cases began surging in the U.S. and government-ordered lockdowns led to the highest unemployment levels since the Great Depression. The Federal Bureau of Investigation processed 7.8 million background checks for gun purchases from March to June… In June, background checks for firearms were up 136%, compared to a year earlier… Background checks in June for civilians seeking a license to carry were the highest since the FBI began conducting checks 20 years ago. Background checks for guns in Georgia tripled last month versus last year… and have more than doubled in Oklahoma, New York, Illinois and Minnesota.

“Last month in Minneapolis, the city where Mr. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white policeman, the line for gun permits was three hours long on Juneteenth, with a racially diverse group standing in line to obtain a permit… Dealers estimate that 40% of sales are going to first-time buyers, an increase over the normal average of about a quarter… sales of handguns, which are used for personal safety, are the strongest…

“That worries political leaders who are struggling to quell a recent surge in violence in cities around the U.S. Murders in Milwaukee, Chicago, Kansas City, Mo., and New York are on pace to see their highest levels in years, or even decades. ‘When we shut down all but necessary businesses, the states kept gun shops open. Why is that an essential business? And we had people lined up outside,’ Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in an interview. The city is struggling with a steady increase in gunshot victims…

“First, there was a run on ammo… then it was the Asian-American community fearful over hate crimes they had seen related to China-bashing, and now it is just about everybody. Basic training courses are sold out through October. At Coliseum Gun Traders in Uniondale, N.Y., sales manager Kevin Romano said many first-time gun owners say they are buying guns because they see other people are buying guns.

“Gun stores were closed in some states in March amid a debate over whether they needed to be open during lockdowns, along with such essential businesses as grocery stores and gas stations. But eventually, all state governments allowed them to operate after the Trump administration said they should be considered essential businesses. Among the new buyers are people who say they never thought they would own a firearm and were previously critical of those who did…”

Violence WILL spread. Is civil war inevitable?

CNN Spreads Heretical and Blasphemous Teachings

Fox News reported on July 14:

“CNN anchor Don Lemon made the claim that Jesus Christ was ‘not perfect’… ‘Jesus Christ, if that’s who you believe in, Jesus Christ, admittedly was not perfect when he was here on this earth,’ Lemon told his colleague Chris Cuomo during ‘CNN Tonight with Don Lemon’ on Monday… ‘Don Lemon’s comments are, first of all, heretical,’ [Robert] Jeffress, the pastor of 14,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas told Fox News, ‘and it contradicts the most basic tenet of the Christian faith and demonstrates how tone-deaf the left is to faith issues’…

“MRCTV says, ‘this isn’t the first time that CNN has aired anti-religious rhetoric,’ pointing to what Cuomo told his viewers at the end of last week. ‘If you believe in one another and if you do the right thing for yourself and your community, things will get better in this country. You don’t need help from above,’ he said at the conclusion of Friday’s show. ‘It’s within us.’”

More Nonsense from the LAT:

On July 14, the Los Angeles Times published a commentary by Jody Rosen, recommending to “cancel the Star-Spangled Banner” and replace it with an appropriate piece as America’s new national anthem. The following was stated:

“‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ — like, for that matter, ‘America the Beautiful’ … is out of step with the 21st century… Irving Berlin’s ‘God Bless America’ [and] its uncomplicated patriotism… doesn’t wash in 2020. ‘This Land Is Your Land’… has its own blind spots: to indigenous Americans, the refrain ‘This land belongs to you and me’ may sound less like an egalitarian vision than a settler-colonialist manifesto. Nope, none of these songs will do.”

And so, the nonsense continues.

From Hagia Sophia to Al Aqsa?

Breaking Israel News reported on July 12:

“On Friday, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 ruling that turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum, effectively paving the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to fulfill his promise to turn the formerly Christian site into a mosque… Immediately after the court ruling, Erdogan signed a decree declaring Hagia Sophia was now open to Muslim worship and the first prayers inside could take place on July 24. Erdogan reiterated his claim that Hagia Sophia was originally constructed as a mosque…”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on July 11:

“Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to ‘liberate al-Aqsa mosque’ from Israel after ‘resurrecting Hagia Sophia’ as a mosque on Friday.

“The decision to change the status of the ancient Hagia Sophia church, which had been transformed into a mosque in 1453 and then into a museum in 1934, was made controversially last week. It follows an increasingly religious authoritarian agenda from Ankara that has made Turkey the world’s largest jailer of journalists, seen dissidents imprisoned for ‘terrorism’ and witnessed increasing military invasions of neighboring countries by Turkey.

“The resurrection of Hagia Sophia heralds the liberation of the al-Aqsa mosque, the Turkish Presidency website says… The speech, which was in Turkish, was translated slightly differently to Arabic and English, apparently as a way to hide part of Ankara’s full views on how it has linked Hagia Sophia to a wider agenda. In Arabic the speech says that turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque is part of the ‘return of freedom to al-Aqsa,’ essentially meaning Israel should be ejected from controlling Jerusalem’s Old City where al-Aqsa is located.

“Turkey’s president linked the decision to reviving Islam from Bukhara in Uzbekistan to Andalusia in Spain. This terminology, linking al-Aqsa in Jerusalem to Hagia Sophia and Spain, is a kind of coded terminology for a wider religious agenda… Turkey’s current president has long championed the Palestinian cause and been an extreme critic of Israel… Linking the major change at Hagia Sophia to Jerusalem illustrates that Ankara’s ambitions are far larger than just reasserting Islamic prayers at the historic mosque and church in Istanbul; it is part of a larger Islamic agenda for the region.

“Turkey’s ruling AK Party is rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood and Turkey is a close ally of Hamas in Gaza. Hamas is also rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood… Ankara’s leadership believes that its changes to Hagia Sophia are only one step of a larger religious militarist agenda in the Middle East… One day, Turkey could even aim its sights at Jerusalem. The speech about Hagia Sophia clearly indicated this is on the agenda in the future.”

The Bible confirms that Turkey will engage in mean and hostile acts against Israel. God is strongly condemning Turkey for such conduct.

Breaking Israel News reported on July 14:

“The United Nations came out strongly against the Turkish government turning Haga Sophia, built as the most prominent church of its time, into a mosque. But many people, Jews and Christian, noted that UNESCO was being hypocritical since it has a long history of supporting Muslim appropriation of Jewish sites in Israel…

“Elias Zarina, an Israeli Christian Arab and co-founder of the Jerusalemite Initiative [said:] ‘What Erdogan just did to Hagia Sophia and it will not stop there, Muslims have been doing to Christians all through history. This is what the Muslims did to the Temple Mount; they built a Muslim building on top of the ruins of the Jewish Temple and now Jews are forbidden from going there or praying there. And UNESCO went along with it, perpetuating the Muslim lie that the Temple Mount is only a holy site for the Muslims.’”

The Right of the Sword

Newsmax wrote on July 12:

“For Turkey’s religious conservatives, ‘converting the Hagia Sophia is the ultimate moment,’ said Mustafa Akyol, a senior fellow specializing in Islam and modernity at the Cato Institute, a Washington think tank. ‘They believe in what they call the right of the sword, the right of the Ottomans to convert the church into a mosque as a result of conquest,’ Akyol said.

“‘Turkey has the sovereign right to do what it wants. But I ask them: What will you say if Israel does something to Al Aqsa? Will that also be the right of the sword?’”

The “Right of the Sword” points to war. The Bible predicts of course that war WILL occur soon in the Middle East. Also note the next article.

Erdogan’s Move Threatens Christianity

The Associated Press wrote on July 10:

“The move threatens to deepen tensions with neighboring Greece, whose prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, condemned the decision as an affront to Hagia Sophia’s ecumenical character… ‘This decision clearly affects not only Turkey’s relations with Greece but also its relations with the European Union, UNESCO and the world community as a whole.’

“In Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, protesters gathered outside a church that is modeled on Hagia Sophia and bears the same name. They chanted, ‘We’ll light candles in Hagia Sophia!’ and held Greek flags and Byzantine banners. Cyprus ‘strongly condemns Turkey’s actions on Hagia Sophia in its effort to distract domestic opinion and calls on Turkey to respect its international obligations,’ tweeted Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides.

“Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian upper house of parliament, called the action ‘a mistake.’ ‘Turning it into a mosque will not do anything for the Muslim world. It does not bring nations together, but on the contrary brings them into collision,’ he said… Garo Paylan, an ethnic Armenian member of Turkey’s Parliament tweeted that it was ‘a sad day for Christians (and) for all who believe in a pluralist Turkey.’ ‘The decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque will make life more difficult for Christians here and for Muslims in Europe,’ he wrote…

“On Friday, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America said the decision runs counter to the vision of secular Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ‘who understood that Hagia Sophia should serve all Turkey’s people and indeed the whole world.’ ‘The days of conquest should remain a closed chapter of our collective histories,’ he told The Associated Press…

“Erdogan, a devout Muslim, has frequently used the Hagia Sophia issue to drum up support for his Islamic-rooted party…

“Built under Byzantine Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the main seat of the Eastern Orthodox church for centuries, where emperors were crowned amid ornate marble and mosaic decorations. The minarets were added later, and the building was turned into an imperial mosque following the 1453 Ottoman conquest of Constantinople — the city that is now called Istanbul. The building opened its doors as a museum in 1935, a year after the Council of Ministers’ decision. Mosaics depicting Jesus, Mary and Christian saints that were plastered over in line with Islamic rules were uncovered through arduous restoration work for the museum. Hagia Sophia was the most popular museum in Turkey last year, drawing more than 3.7 million visitors.”

While Turkey will escape the hands of the “beast” or the “king of the North” and ultimately assist Europe in fighting Israel, Erdogan’s fanatic and radical Muslim policy will anger and be of concern for many Christians.

Conflicting Reports from Israel re Potential Lockdown

JTA wrote on July 14:

“Israel’s Health Ministry is considering ordering Israelis to limit their Rosh Hashanah celebrations to only their nuclear families… The order would come with a total lockdown of Israeli cities for the High Holidays, a repeat of the Passover closure policy…

“The Makor Rishon newspaper first reported on Monday that Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority will allow non-citizens to enter Israel to attend life-cycle events including weddings, births, and bar and bat mitzvahs. Advance coordination and proof of health insurance, including for COVID-19, is required, as is a two-week isolation for the visitors, who can include the relatives’ spouses and children who are under the age of 1…

“Israel’s current ban on the entrance of non-citizens is in effect until Aug. 1.”

Bloodbath at Church in South Africa

The Daily Mail wrote on July 12:

“Five people have been killed and dozens arrested in an ongoing church massacre in Johannesburg. The bloodbath took place at the International Pentecost Holiness Church in Zuurbekom, and specialised police and a heavily-armed national defence force remain at the scene. It is believed the killings came amid a leadership battle at the church, as officers scrambled to the church at 3am local time following reports that 200 people were taken hostage…

“The International Pentecost Holiness Church, which has a membership of three million, has become divided in its search for a successor to former leader Glayon Modise. He died in February 2016 without appointing a successor… The clashes have led to several court battles over the years. It has not yet… been confirmed if today’s hostage situation relates to the ongoing row.

“In November 2018 two church factions confronted each other outside the church’s Silo headquarters… Churchgoers at the time reported being narrowly hit by bullets…”

If true, these would be horrible developments pertaining to a church claiming to be representing Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Duda Wins in Poland

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 13:

“Polish President Andrzej Duda has won the country’s presidential election… The right-wing politician will lead Poland for five more years… Cultural issues dominated the campaign trail, with the government, state media and the influential Catholic church all ultimately coming out in support of Duda, a social conservative… In the weeks leading up to the election, the president’s rhetoric shifted farther to the right. He seized on gay rights as a key theme, denouncing the LGBT+ rights movement as an ‘ideology’ worse than communism…

“Duda also tapped into anti-Semitic tropes in his characterization of his rival as someone who would sell out Polish families to Jewish interests. Poland had been home to Europe’s largest Jewish community before it was decimated by Germany in the Holocaust…

“‘Poland is split down the middle,’ said Witold Orlowski, a professor at Warsaw University of Technology Business School. ‘On the one hand, even this slim victory is a PiS success and will allow it to continue to govern, at least technically,’ Orlowski said. ‘On the other hand the social and economic situation will deteriorate and a large part of the electorate will blame the PiS.’

“In 2017, the EU launched unprecedented proceedings against Poland over changes to the country’s judicial law made on Duda’s watch that could see its EU voting rights suspended.”

We would expect that catholic Poland will be a part of the final European constellation of the ancient Roman Empire.  

Pope Francis’ Prayer to the “Virgin Mary”

Herald Malaysia wrote on July 11:

“Pope Francis offered Mass asking the Virgin Mary to help Christians recognise the face of Christ in each migrant and refugee…

“Invoking the new Marian title [Solacium migrantium, ‘Solace or Comfort of Migrants,’] added to the Litany of Loreto in June, Pope Francis prayed for the migrants who are in detention camps in Libya and elsewhere who are often subject to abuse and violence.”

One of her titles is also the “Queen of Heaven”, which was adopted from the pagan goddess Ishtar or Astarte. We know of course that the Mary of the Bible is dead and in her grave, awaiting the resurrection from the dead to eternal life in the God Family at the time of Christ’s return.

Required Qualities for the Next Pope?

National Catholic Reporter wrote on July 14:

“New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan has forwarded copies of a book that suggests qualities desirable in a future pope to cardinals across the globe, in an apparent break with the longstanding practice that the Catholic Church’s highest prelates refrain from publicly lobbying for possible candidates for the papacy… The book is George Weigel’s The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission, released by the publisher this month…

“Pope John Paul II [wrote in] the 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis:… ‘I … forbid anyone, even if he is a Cardinal, during the Pope’s lifetime and without having consulted him, to make plans concerning the election of his successor, or to promise votes, or to make decisions in this regard in private gatherings’…

“Dolan’s note accompanying Weigel’s book is dated June 9, signed by the cardinal, and printed on letterhead featuring Dolan’s coat of arms. It appears to have been sent to all 222 of the world’s cardinals… Weigel does not specifically propose names of cardinals to consider as a possible future pope in his book, but he does suggest characteristics and qualities that would be desirable in the next pontiff. Weigel also makes several veiled criticisms of Francis…

“Upon the death or resignation of a pope, all cardinals under the age of 80 are tasked with gathering in Rome to elect his successor. At present there are 122 such cardinals, including Dolan.”

About half of Oklahoma Belongs to Native Americans

BBC News reported on July 10:

“The US Supreme Court has ruled about half of Oklahoma belongs to Native Americans, in a landmark case that also quashed a child rape conviction. The justices decided 5-4 that an eastern chunk of the state, including its second-biggest city, Tulsa, should be recognised as part of a reservation… Thursday’s decision… is seen as one of the most far-reaching cases for Native Americans before the highest US court in decades. The ruling means some tribe members found guilty in state courts for offences committed on the land at issue can now challenge their convictions. Only federal prosecutors will have the power to criminally prosecute Native Americans accused of crimes in the area. Tribe members who live within the boundaries may also be exempt from state taxes… Some 1.8 million people – of whom about 15% are Native American – live on the land, which spans three million acres.

“Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative appointed by US President Donald Trump, sided with the court’s four liberals and also wrote the opinion. He referred to the Trail of Tears, the forcible 19th Century relocation of Native Americans, including the Creek Nation, to Oklahoma. The US government said at the time that the new land would belong to the tribes in perpetuity. Justice Gorsuch wrote: ‘Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word.’…

“In a dissenting opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts said the decision would destabilise the state’s courts. He wrote: ‘The State’s ability to prosecute serious crimes will be hobbled and decades of past convictions could well be thrown out. The decision today creates significant uncertainty for the State’s continuing authority over any area that touches Indian affairs, ranging from zoning and taxation to family and environmental law.’”

The decision of the US Supreme Court does not address land ownership.

Trump to Open Up Citizenship for Dreamers?

Fox News wrote on July 11:

“President Trump said Friday that he will be signing an executive order in the next few weeks which will include a ‘road to citizenship’ for… DACA… recipients… ‘I have the power to do it as president…’ Trump said… Trump, who has pledged to end DACA since he was on the campaign trail in 2015 when he called the program an ‘illegal executive order,’ said that the bill wouldn’t just be for temporary relief but would be a far more encompassing merit-based bill. DACA currently serves as a protection for young immigrants that were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, also referred to as Dreamers, to allow them to legally study, work and remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation. While it is unclear whether the president can grant DACA recipients a path to citizenship through executive powers, he stated it is his intention Friday…

“Trump’s announcement comes just weeks after the Supreme Court 5-4 ruling that rejected Trump’s attempt to dismantle the program for young immigrants. It said that the administration had not provided proper legal justification to end the program [instituted] by former President Barack Obama in 2012. Trump took to Twitter to express his anger about the ruling at the time. ‘These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives,’ Trump tweeted…

“President Trump and a bipartisan group of senators hit a stalemate in January 2018 after a compromise immigration bill was presented that would protect DACA recipients. But Trump would not agree to the measure because it did not include a provision for the U.S.- Mexico border wall, eventually leading to the longest government shut down in U.S. history.

Trump first submitted his appeal to the Supreme Court in January 2018 after a federal judge blocked the president’s attempt to terminate DACA. The Supreme Court then began oral arguments for the case in November 2019, which prompted Trump to tweet, ‘Many of the people in DACA, no longer very young, are far from “angels.” Some are very tough, hardened criminals.’”

Trump’s position on DACA has been extremely inconsistent and contradictory, to say the very least.

In another interesting development, Deutsche Welle reported on July 14 that “The Trump administration has dropped a proposed rule that would have required international students to leave the US if their college classes were held entirely online this fall…

“[Several universities, including Harvard] challenged the Trump administration’s decision [in court]… US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts said the US government as well as Harvard University and MIT had reached a settlement that would make the rule moot.”

Germany: Rich Economy “Über Alles”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 11:

“Economy and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier defended Germany’s continuing trade relationship with China, following the passing of a controversial new security bill in Hong Kong. ‘It has always been the policy of the Western international community, including the EU, that international trade relations cannot be based solely on how democratic a country is,’ Altmaier told national newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. ‘We have never done that,’ he stressed, adding this was not even official policy in the times of Willy Brandt or Joschka Fischer – Germany’s former Social Democratic chancellor and Green party foreign minister respectively.

“With regard to Sino-German relations, Berlin has long adhered to the principle of ‘change through trade’ (‘Wandel durch Handel’ in German), hoping that increased business ties may lead to more democratic structures in China. China implemented Hong Kong’s so-called national security law at the end of June that covers offenses such as succession, subversion of state power, local terrorist activities and collaborating with foreign forces to endanger national security. It also gives China greater legal jurisdiction in the semi-autonomous territory… Critics fear it will quash dissent and jeopardize Hong Kong’s special status within China.”

Germany is the richest economy in Europe. No surprise there.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

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