Merkel in China

Deutsche Welle reported on July 16:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU is not yet ready to recognize China as a fully fledged market economy after a meeting with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in Beijing on Friday… Wen said China would continue to invest in the euro as part of its currency reserves… Merkel described China’s commitment to the currency as a ‘very important signal.’

“‘We support the fact that the EU and the IMF have taken collective measures to ensure the stability of the eurozone,’ Wen said in their joint press conference…

“After spending two days in Russia overseeing major business deals between Russia and Germany, Merkel is in China on the second stop of her five-day trip… ‘The relations between China and Germany haven’t been that stable in the last two years,’ said Adrienne Woltersdorf, head of Deutsche Welle’s Chinese service. ‘I think Angela Merkel is mainly there to stress the economic aspect of the two countries’ relations…’, she adds.

“A delegation of 25 top-ranking German business leaders is accompanying Merkel on her trade-focused trip. Daimler, one of the firms represented on the trip, has signed a joint enterprise deal with China’s Beiqi Foton, allowing the German auto giant a foothold in the growing Chinese heavy goods vehicle market… Engineering company Siemens has also sealed a deal with the Shanghai Electric Power Generation Equipment Company – founding a joint venture to manufacture steam and gas turbines, and also involving cooperation in the renewable energies sector.

“A German tech company is also looking to work together with a Chinese company to produce a GPS system for monitoring CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

“Meanwhile, the governments in Berlin and Beijing are signing a host of bilateral deals to cooperate in areas ranging from plant safety and chemicals management to preserving water resources, energy-saving, electric mobility, and renewable energies.

“While business deals shall remain in focus during Merkel’s talks with Chinese leaders, the environment, the Korean peninsula, Iran and Afghanistan are also said to be on the agenda… China is Germany’s largest trading partner in Asia, and Germany is the biggest European trading partner for China. Bilateral trade was valued at 82 billion euros ($105.7 billion) last year, accounting for more than a quarter of the total trade between China and the EU…”

“Germany’s New Economic Miracle”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 19:

“During the worst of the global financial meltdown, Berlin pumped tens of billions of euros into the economy and spent hundreds of billions propping up German banks. Now, the country is reaping the benefits as Germany is once again Europe’s economic motor…

“Peter Löscher, the CEO of electronics giant Siemens, was sitting on a throne-like chair in the governor’s palace in the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg… Siemens had secured Russian orders worth about €4 billion ($5.2 billion)…

“The German economy has indeed come roaring back to life this summer. Two years after the outbreak of the financial crisis, the auto industry is adding extra shifts once again. The machine building, electronics and chemical industries are all reporting a rapidly growing number of orders. Total unemployment is expected to drop below the 2.8 million mark this fall, the lowest level since 1991.

“For the first time in decades, the former ‘sick man of Europe’ is back to being an engine for economic growth. According to an internal government assessment, the country’s gross domestic product increased by more than 1.5 percent in the second quarter of this year… If the trend continues, say the experts, the German economy will grow by well over 2 percent this year, or almost twice as much as in most neighboring countries. Economists are already proclaiming a second economic miracle, while a former French foreign minister is complaining that Germany is ‘number one in Europe’ once again.”

Merkel in Isolation

Deutsche Welle reported on July 18:

“The popular 55-year-old mayor of Germany’s second largest city, a state in its own right, is… the latest in a line of leading members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party (CDU) to throw in the towel…

“Merkel’s popularity has sunk to its lowest level since she was elected chancellor in 2005, and an exodus of senior CDU politicians has hardly helped steady the ship as she walks the tightrope of trying to cement Germany’s economic recovery while simultaneously cutting national public spending.

“Von Beust is the sixth Christian Democrat state premier to leave his post in the last 10 months. Although Christian Wulff quit his job in Lower Saxony to be promoted to the role of German president, he was replacing perhaps the highest profile CDU-affiliated deserter of all, former President Horst Koehler…”

Deutsche Welle added on July 19:

“Von Beust claims his resignation was motivated only by personal reasons, but it came on the same day as his Hamburg government – a rare coalition between Christian Democrats and Greens – was defeated in a high-profile school reform referendum… In truth, the political fallout from von Beust’s resignation is difficult to measure as yet… ]Merkel] hardly has any real deputies left…”

Der Spiegel Online added on July 19:

“The resignation of Hamburg Mayor Ole von Beust has dealt German Chancellor Angela Merkel yet another blow… German commentators on Monday wonder what the future holds…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘… The CDU is threatened with the kind of erosion within the party base that plagued the Social Democrats in the last decade. … Beust’s departure has sweeping ramifications for the chancellor. It shows that it is not just the party base that is crumbling, but also the perspectives for Merkel’s style of politics. No other politician better embodies the idea of a modern conservative who can be attractive to urban voters than prudent Beust…'”

The Comeback of the Euro

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 16 that the confidence in the euro was returning that it was celebrating a “resurrection” or a “revival.” The magazine continued that even though the danger was “not totally averted,” the euro was at times higher than 1.30 dollars. It also wrote that the recovery happened “surprisingly quick,” since “experts” had prognosticated a grim future for the euro.

According to the Financial Forecast Center, dated July 22, the value of the euro is perceived to steadily increase in comparison with the US dollar, from, on an average, 1.27 in July to 1.3 in September; 1.32 in October; and 1.37 in January.

Europe Has Their Say

Haaretz reported on July 16:

“Israel should ease its Gaza blockade further and allow Palestinians to resume exports from the territory, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said on Sunday during a visit to the Hamas-controlled enclave.

“‘The position of the EU is very clear: We want the opportunity for people to be able to move around freely or to see goods not only coming into Gaza but exports coming out of Gaza,’ Catherine Ashton told a news conference… The EU plans to offer 22 million euros in grants to some 900 Gaza businesses to help them start up again.”

Europe a Force for Peace in the Middle East?

On July 22, Deutsche Welle published an interview with “Veteran German politician Hans-Gert Poettering,” who is “currently in charge of the European Parliament’s working group for the Middle East.” We are bringing you the following excerpts:

“‘In politics more generally, and especially in the Middle East, we can never abandon hope of an eventual solution. To give an example: The European Union recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Robert Schuman Declaration from May 9, 1950. This sparked the process of reconciliation in Europe. At the time it seemed unthinkable that the peoples of Europe – and especially the French and German populations – could put their differences behind them and build a united Europe, but the process turned out to be very successful. If there is the necessary goodwill, something similar could be achieved in the Middle East.

“The European Union in particular must be a strong motor driving towards this goal… a two-state solution is possible… And we can never cease in our efforts to achieve this, the EU must do its part along with the US, Russia and the UN… we can’t give Hamas the cold-shoulder. That’s why other bodies – albeit not the European Union – are negotiating with Hamas, with Israel’s support. Egypt is an important actor in this process… The EU already provides a lot of money for both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. However, we need to go beyond humanitarian aid… There must be possibilities for development in Gaza once again. And if that can be achieved, it will also improve the prospects for peace in the region.”

“Mr. Cameron, Don’t Follow Mr. Obama”

On July 16, in light of British Prime Minister Cameron’s visit this week to the USA, The Telegraph published the following editorial by Peggy Noonan, a columnist for the ‘Wall Street Journal’ and speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan:

“Dear Mr Cameron… Do not imitate Mr Obama. He has been a disappointment; learn from his mistakes… In Mr Obama’s poll numbers this week, CBS News reports 13 per cent of the people think his economic leadership has bettered their lives. That means 87 per cent do not – that is rather a lot. The Rasmussen Reports’ daily tracking poll yesterday showed 43 per cent strongly disapprove of his leadership and 26 strongly approve. This is low…

“Here are the things he got wrong. In the middle of an economic crash, and in the middle of record-breaking federal budgets and budget deficits, Mr Obama started a new entitlement. This struck people, by which I mean almost everyone, as off-point. We are in a crisis, part of the crisis involves spending money we don’t have, and our answer is to spend more? It wasn’t a policy, it was a non sequitur.

“Moreover, the President’s decision to focus his entire first year on health care, when the voters were focused on the economy, on unemployment, on deficits, demonstrated, in the end unhappily for him and frustratingly for his fellow citizens, that he simply wasn’t thinking about what they were thinking about…

“To make it all worse, just before he went down the health care pass, he put forward, and saw passed, a stimulus Bill that shockingly – I am not being ironic – could not draw the support of a single Republican congressman. Not one… Finally, he confused business with Wall Street…

“Advice on your visit? Love America. It not only deserves it, at the moment it needs it. Our morale is low… speak of your love for this great nation. We don’t, not in a deep way and not enough. Even our President doesn’t. He tries, but he can’t get it right because it’s all so abstract to him. He associates patriotism with nationalism. But patriotism springs from legitimate love and gratitude, nationalism from shallow aggression and conceit. Obama confuses the two, can’t get them straight in his head…”

The difference between patriotism and nationalism is very well put. While the one is right and Godly, the other one is wrong and Satanic.

US-GB Relationship No Longer that Special

USA Today published the following opinion on July 21:

“As British Prime Minister David Cameron set off for his visit to the USA this week, he said Britain was not dependent upon America and did not owe it ‘blind loyalty.’ This comes, of course, in the wake of months of President Obama’s tongue-lashing of ‘British Petroleum’ — a name BP had not used for many years. The British people took the president’s words very much amiss, suspicious that he was unfairly singling out BP for blame as a proxy for bashing Britain itself.

“The British public sourly noted that the role of the two U.S. firms involved in the managing of the Deepwater Horizon rig was ignored, as was the fact that 39% of BP is owned by Americans. The president’s aggressive rhetoric… was blamed for wiping billions of pounds off the company’s value. This directly threatened British pension funds, which are heavily reliant on the company’s dividend payments.

“But there was also something rather deeper and more atavistic in the British response. Obama’s aggression seemed to bring to the fore a British resentment of the U.S. that is never far from the surface. This comprises a toxic mixture of intellectual snobbery; a historic fury at America’s late entry into World War II, after which it was perceived to lay claim to the glory; and perhaps most important of all, a DEEP ENVY of American wealth and power by a country that decades ago lost not only its empire but also its cultural way and sense of purpose.

“Nevertheless, Britain has some cause for complaint from the disdain that Obama has displayed well before the Gulf oil spill. First, he pointedly returned to the British Embassy the bust of Winston Churchill that a previous government had bequeathed to the White House as a gift; then he sided with Argentina in its calls for U.N.-brokered negotiations with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

“His perceived scapegoating of BP blew the cap off this deep well of bubbling British national affront. A YouGov poll conducted in June found that only 54% of British respondents said they felt favorably toward the United States — down from 66% one month previously. When asked specifically about how Obama’s handling of the BP oil spill had affected the relationship between Britain and the U.S., 64% said it had weakened it. And 45% said they thought that the relationship has gotten worse since Obama took office in November 2008 — a dramatic increase from the 25% who responded this way the previous month.

“As a result, Cameron was criticized for backing the president in his attack on BP for failing to stem the flow of oil, saying he understood Obama’s ‘frustration.’ This was almost certainly because, although he is a Conservative leader, Cameron has taken his party to the left by adopting a green and anti-Big Business agenda.

“With feeling in Britain running so high, however, eventually Cameron did publicly warn that BP’s survival was important, and he was credited here with getting the U.S. president to agree that the oil giant must not go under. Even though the sound and fury over the disaster has calmed, however, the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the United States has not returned to normal. Something has changed. And the situation is replete with irony.

“When President Obama was elected, the British were delighted. They believed he would usher in a repudiation of the George W. Bush years and end what they saw as America’s tendency to throw its weight around the world… Yet even though they have become disillusioned with Obama, the agenda with which they associate him — to end American exceptionalism — is gathering steam in the U.K. It is hard to overestimate the poisonous belief that Britain was dragged on America’s coattails into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were against its national interest…

“In part, the Cameron/Liberal Democrat coalition government is reacting to the public’s anti-Americanism. But it also seems to have concluded that Obama is a weak president who has proved indecisive against his country’s enemies while lashing out at its allies.”

ObamaCare–Lost in Taxation

The Wall Street Journal wrote on July 17:

“National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson, who operates inside the IRS, highlighted the agency’s new mission in her annual report to Congress last week… with ObamaCare, the agency is now responsible for ‘the most extensive social benefit program the IRS has been asked to implement in recent history.’ And without ‘sufficient funding’ it won’t be able to discharge these new duties.

“That wouldn’t be tragic, given that those new duties include audits to determine who has the insurance ‘as required by law’ and collecting penalties from Americans who don’t. Companies that don’t sponsor health plans will also be punished. This crackdown will ‘involve nearly every division and function of the IRS,’ Ms. Olson reports…

“Republicans argued during the health debate that the IRS would have to hire hundreds of new agents and staff to enforce ObamaCare. They were brushed off by Democrats and the press corps as if they believed the President was born on the moon. The IRS says it hasn’t figured out how much extra money and manpower it will need but admits that both numbers are greater than zero.

“Ms. Olson also exposed a damaging provision that she estimates will hit some 30 million sole proprietorships and subchapter S corporations, two million farms and one million charities and other tax-exempt organizations. Prior to ObamaCare, businesses only had to tell the IRS the value of services they purchase. But starting in 2013 they will also have to report the value of goods they buy from a single vendor that total more than $600 annually—including office supplies and the like… Ms. Olson says that the tracking costs for small businesses will be ‘disproportionate as compared with any resulting improvement in tax compliance’…

“In a Monday letter, even Democratic Senators Mark Begich (Alaska), Ben Nelson (Nebraska), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) and Evan Bayh (Indiana) denounce this new ‘burden’ on small businesses and insist that the IRS use its discretion to find ‘better ways to structure this reporting requirement.’ In other words, they want regulators to fix one problem among many that all four Senators created by voting for ObamaCare.

“We never thought anyone would be nostalgic for the tax system of a few months ago, but post-ObamaCare, here we are.”

Unless repealed, ObamaCare will prove to become a nightmare for this country, and it will greatly contribute to its economic downfall.

BP Successful?—Not So Fast!

Reuters reported on July 19:

“Engineers monitoring BP’s damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico detected seepage on the ocean floor that could mean problems with the cap that has stopped oil from gushing into the water… The worst oil spill in U.S. history has caused an economic and environmental disaster in five states along the Gulf Coast, hurt President Barack Obama’s approval ratings and complicated traditionally close ties with Britain.”

Bild Online added on July 19:

“There are fresh problems for BP in the fight against the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster: The US government has said there might be a new leak in the vicinity of the capped well. Engineers have reportedly discovered seepage on the sea floor, and there are also ‘undetermined anomalies’ at the top of the leak source. Latest results from recordings indicated an increase in hydrocarbons rising from the seabed, according to US officials. Since hydrocarbons occur in crude oil, this has sparked fears of a possible leak…

“Experts had previously been surprised by the test results because the pressure at which the oil gushes from the spring was lower than expected. This may indicate a previously unknown leak, or it could be a sign that even more oil has flowed into the sea than previously feared… Since the accident on the ‘Deepwater Horizon’ drilling rig on April 20, up to 8,200 tonnes of crude oil flowed into the sea every day. It is the worst oil spill in US history.”

These articles show again man’s inability to deal with his Frankenstein monster. Man’s pride, vanity and greed would ultimately cause the utter destruction of this planet, unless God would intervene in time to prevent the unthinkable to occur.

Top Secret America

The Washington Post wrote on July 19:

“The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work. These are some of the findings of a two-year investigation by The Washington Post that discovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight. After nine years of unprecedented spending and growth, the result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine.

“The investigation’s other findings include:

“Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States. An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances. In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings – about 17 million square feet of space.

“Many security and intelligence agencies do the same work, creating redundancy and waste. For example, 51 federal organizations and military commands, operating in 15 U.S. cities, track the flow of money to and from terrorist networks. Analysts who make sense of documents and conversations obtained by foreign and domestic spying share their judgment by publishing 50,000 intelligence reports each year – a volume so large that many are routinely ignored…

“In the Department of Defense, where more than two-thirds of the intelligence programs reside, only a handful of senior officials – called Super Users – have the ability to even know about all the department’s activities. But as two of the Super Users indicated in interviews, there is simply no way they can keep up with the nation’s most sensitive work…

“The U.S. intelligence budget is vast, publicly announced last year as $75 billion, 21/2 times the size it was on Sept. 10, 2001. But the figure doesn’t include many military activities or domestic counterterrorism programs.

“At least 20 percent of the government organizations that exist to fend off terrorist threats were established or refashioned in the wake of 9/11. Many that existed before the attacks grew to historic proportions as the Bush administration and Congress gave agencies more money than they were capable of responsibly spending.”

This is a frightening report. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing… and the public most certainly has no clue what their government is up to. Based on the history and “accomplishments” of our past and current governments, this is indeed terribly unsettling. As God says: Trust no man–and don’t have any trust or confidence in your political leaders!

The Vatican’s Mixed Signals

Reuters reported on July 15:

“The Vatican on Friday denied accusations that it viewed the ordination of women as priests and the sexual abuse of minors by clerics as equally criminal.

“On Thursday, the Vatican issued a document making sweeping revisions to its laws on sexual abuse, extending the period in which charges can be filed against priests in church courts and broadening the use of fast-track procedures to defrock them. But while it dealt mostly with pedophilia, it also codified the ‘attempted ordination of a woman’ to the priesthood as one of the most serious crimes against Church law…

“But Monsignor Charles Scicluna, an official in the Vatican’s doctrinal department, said there was no attempt to make women’s ordination and pedophilia comparable crimes under canon (Church) law… They are in the same document but this does not put them on the same level or assign them the same gravity,’ said Scicluna, who helped formulate the revisions…

“While sexual abuse was a ‘crime against morality,’ the attempt to ordain a woman was a ‘crime against a sacrament,’ he said, referring to Holy Orders (the priesthood). The revisions also updated crimes against the faith such as heresy. ‘This should not be interpreted as considering all these crimes to be equal,’ he said. ‘They are crimes of a different nature’…

“Jon O’Brien, president of the U.S.-based group Catholics for Choice, said the Vatican ‘feels threatened’ by a growing movement in the Church that is in favor of a female priesthood… ‘If there is an opportunity for authorities in the Vatican to shoot themselves in the foot, they do so in both feet,’ O’Brien told Reuters.”

However, the Vatican seemed to have said the exact opposite in a prior press release. USA Today had reported on July 14:

“The Vatican issued a revised set of in-house rules Thursday to respond to clerical sex abuse, targeting priests who molest the mentally disabled as well as children and priests who use child pornography, but making few substantive changes to existing practice… One new element included lists the attempted ordination of women as a ‘grave crime’ subject to the same set of procedures and punishments meted out for sex abuse… despite arguments that grouping the two in the same document would imply equating them…

“Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have said the question of ordaining women priests… is not up for discussion. The Vatican in 2007 issued a decree saying the attempted ordination of women would result in automatic excommunication for the woman and the priest who tries to ordain her. That is repeated in the new document, adding that the priest can also be punished by being defrocked.

“At a briefing Thursday, Scicluna defended the inclusion of both sex abuse and ordination of women in the same document as a way of codifying two of the most serious canonical crimes against sacraments and morals that the congregation deals with. ‘They are grave, but on different levels,’ he said, and noted that the document also lists crimes against the sacraments including apostasy, heresy and schism for the first time.”

Sexual Abuse in the Lutheran Church

The Local reported on July 16:

“The world’s first female Lutheran bishop resigned Friday after abuse accusations in her diocese of Hamburg, the latest casualty of a scandal to have rocked Christian churches in Germany. Maria Jepsen, 65, came under fire for bungling the case of a pastor accused of abusing young boys and girls in the 1970s and 1980s.

“She reportedly knew for several years about the case but failed to act… In 1992, Jepsen became the first woman to be appointed as a Lutheran bishop and was subsequently elected to a second 10-year term in 2002.”

The Bible predicts that the Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church will ultimately reunite. It is interesting to see that they are already “united” in their history of sexual child abuse through their priests or pastors, and in their unwillingness to deal with the problem.

What’s Wrong with the Sabbath?

The New York Times wrote on July 16:

“There are people for whom the Sabbath never went away — Seventh-day Adventists, Hutterites, Jews whose fathers and mothers never stopped walking in the ways of their fathers and mothers. And then there are the rest of us. The Sabbath, Jewish or Christian, is a distant memory for many Americans, the recollection of a quaintly tranquil day when stores were closed, streets were quiet and festive dinners were had. The Sabbath would seem to have no place in our busy, beeping world. The very word tastes musty in the mouth, as if it were a relic from another place and time.

“But what if you wanted to revive something like the Sabbath today? What if you coveted some of that sweetness and slowness and went looking for ways to get it? What would you do? Would you commit yourself to the Sabbath’s rituals and laws? Would you transform yourself into an Orthodox Jew or latter-day Puritan? How much would you be willing to change?…”

Sadly, the author is confused regarding “the Jewish Sabbath” and “the Christian Sabbath.” The true Sabbath is God’s Sabbath, which is to be kept from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. It was made for man, not only for the Jew and not only for the Christian. For more information, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

Situation Deteriorating in Afghanistan

Bild Online wrote on July 16:

“Germany’s Defence Minister was at the centre of a scare after heavy fighting in Afghanistan forced a trip to visit troops to be aborted – after his helicopter had taken off!… Guttenberg said: ‘This shows how unpredictable the situation here is at the moment.’ Landing in the disputed area would have been life threatening. The incident involved some of the heaviest fighting between Germans and the Taliban in recent weeks. And it was further proof that the situation in Kunduz and in the Baghlan region has been sharply deteriorating since the beginning of the year…

“Guttenberg will not shy away from the visit in Afghanistan, however. He has been to the war zone several times since he took office to show the fighting troops his solidarity. More often than any Defence Minister before him! He also wouldn’t shrink back from being deployed to Afghanistan… Guttenberg served his military service with the Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Huntsmen) in Mittenwald, Bavaria. He is currently a reserve sergeant.”

It will have to be seen how long the German government will support its war in Afghanistan, given the overwhelming disapproval of the German people.

The “Afghanistan Conference”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 21:

“The last few months have been the most violent in the nine-year-old war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Karzai has proven unable to gain the upper hand against corruption despite repeated pledges to fight the scourge. Tuesday’s conference seemed to reflect such doubts, with NATO allies declining to subscribe to a strict timeline for withdrawal and likewise remaining vague about the much-touted handover of security responsibility. Indeed, the only solid commitment made was that of adjusting how foreign aid gets distributed to Afghanistan. Fifty percent of funding from abroad will now be funnelled through the state budget rather than being sent directly to Kabul ministries, as has been the practice thus far.

“Still, there is a growing domestic pressure for countries involved in Afghanistan to begin withdrawing their troops. US President Barack Obama pledged last year that he would begin looking for ways to reduce the US presence in Afghanistan. And pressure for withdrawal is becoming difficult to ignore in a number of European capitals as well…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The conference in Kabul was said to stand for transition. It refers to the Afghan government’s aim to take over control of the country’s security and reconstruction step by step — once foreign troops begin departing the country next year. Tuesday’s conference named 2014 as the end point of that transition. That, though, is likely to remain in the realm of fantasy… Corruption in Afghanistan is endemic…’

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘… Afghanistan’s military and police forces are far, far away from being able to stand on their own two feet. It is unclear just what the military support, promised by NATO, is to look like. And nobody believes that the omnipresent corruption will disappear by 2014.’

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘The specification of 2014 as the date by which Afghanistan will take over responsibility for its own security was first and foremost an effort to mollify the Western public who have become increasingly tired of the war. It has little to do with a realistic assessment of the situation in Afghanistan… For the Taliban, there is little motivation to lay down their weapons and become a constructive partner for peace as envisioned by the West. On the contrary, they see victory — both ideologically and militarily — as being increasingly within their grasp.’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… In Germany, the US and elsewhere, voters are tired of the war in Afghanistan… The security situation in Afghanistan… is so [unstable] that a few years will likely not be enough to build up the Afghan military and police forces to the strength necessary.'”

Conscientious Objectors in the Military

The New York Times wrote on July 16:

” Answering the G.I. Rights Hotline for the last 11 years, J. E. McNeil has counseled thousands of soldiers who want to become conscientious objectors and get out of the service. But when the House of Representatives voted May 27 to allow the repeal of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, paving the way for gay men and lesbians in the military to be open about their sexual orientation, Ms. McNeil got a hot-line call that raised a new issue: the caller said he considered homosexuality an abomination and wanted to be a conscientious objector because he could not serve in the military alongside gay soldiers… 

“For Ms. McNeil, a Quaker lawyer committed to helping anyone with valid legal grounds get out of the military, the call presented a legal and personal conundrum… Ms. McNeil concluded that there was no legal basis for a conscientious objector claim. The legal standard, she said, is that the person must be conscientiously opposed to participating in war in any form, based on a sincerely held religious, moral or ethical belief. And the person must have had a change of heart since joining the military, when the person signed a form saying he or she was not a conscientious objector and did not intend to become one.”

This is correct, based on the legal, and more importantly, on the godly standpoint. As true Christians, we must be conscientiously opposed to any of this world’s war which are fought by human beings, however “just” and “necessary” they might appear to the human mind. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?”

Gulf Oil Spill Spells Disaster for Great Britain

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 13:

“With the oil continuing to flow into the Gulf of Mexico, BP is facing ever greater challenges. Already, the company has lost half its market value. Should it be unable to cap the leaking well soon, the British oil giant may be forced to sell [off] assets. That could spell disaster for Great Britain.

“Such a crash has never before been seen. Fewer than 12 weeks ago, the multinational oil giant BP still held an uncontested fourth place on the list of the world’s largest companies. Its impressive balance sheet boasted annual sales of roughly $246 billion (€195 billion), a market value of more than $190 billion and after-tax profits of almost $17 billion. Indeed, insurance companies, retirement funds and pension funds worldwide viewed BP as a safe haven, an almost risk-free investment in an otherwise turbulent market. The company, many believed, would have no trouble weathering even the severest of crises. BP’s global earnings appeared safe, its cash and petroleum reserves seemed impervious.

“But April 20, the day that the company’s Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, marked an end to the once unshakable faith the financial markets had in the oil giant. The company has made several attempts to staunch the ensuing leak, all of which have failed… Few are holding their breaths. Experts estimate that more than 60,000 barrels of crude oil are surging out of the well and into the Gulf of Mexico each day. Already, the accident is one of the largest environmental catastrophes in US history — one that will have immeasurable effects on wildlife, eco-systems and the economy. Experts have estimated that it will cost more than €60 billion to repair the damages.

“With every extra day that goes by without a solution to the gushing oil, the threat facing the environment, and BP itself, increases. Bankruptcy is no longer seen as an impossibility… For Great Britain, the crash of its largest company has been a disaster, particularly given the timing — concurrent with Prime Minister David Cameron’s deep spending cuts in an effort to bring down the country’s substantial budget deficit and sovereign debt… The 10,000 British jobs BP provides isn’t the only issue. BP pays out nearly €7 billion each year in taxes and fees to the British state. Likewise, the company owns large segments of the country’s energy infrastructure…

“Even more ominous, however, is the fact that a significant chunk of British pensions depend on BP’s well-being. Whether directly or via large private-equity funds, many Britons own a piece of the company. Their pension funds have taken a serious hit from the company’s precipitous drop in value and missed dividend payments. London Mayor Boris Johnson has warned that the oil giant’s financial problems have become an issue of ‘national concern’…

“Just how far BP’s reputation has fallen among Americans can be seen from a recent survey jointly conducted by the Wall Street Journal and the television broadcaster NBC. BP landed just three percentages points higher than ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on a scale measuring public approval. The reasons for BP’s unpopularity are not difficult to find: disregard of safety measures mandated for deep-sea drilling; insufficient emergency response plans; and repeatedly unfulfilled promises by Tony Hayward that the leak would be rapidly staunched…

“The company estimates the oil will be stopped by late July or, at the latest, early August… Chances are, however, that the [new] effort [the so-called complicated “bottom-kill” method] won’t succeed on the first try — and the operation could also fail completely. That, of course, would be the worst-possible scenario for the environment. It would also mean that BP would likely be forced to sell off lucrative oil fields and gas station chains, such as Aral, at discount prices. Such a scenario may also include a bankruptcy declaration for the company’s US subsidiary or even a partial nationalization in Great Britain.”

The Associated Press reported on July 15:

“The oil has stopped. For now. After 85 days and up to 184 million gallons, BP finally gained control over one of America’s biggest environmental catastrophes Thursday by placing a carefully fitted cap over a runaway geyser that has been gushing crude into the Gulf of Mexico since early spring.

“Though a temporary fix, the accomplishment was greeted with hope, high expectations — and, in many cases along the beleaguered coastline, disbelief…

“If the cap holds, if the sea floor doesn’t crack and if the relief wells being prepared are completed successfully, this could be the beginning of the end for the spill. But that’s a lot of ifs, and no one was declaring any sort of victory beyond the moment…”

The Bible prophesies that the USA and Britain will fall together. Please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Church of England Faces Turmoil

BBC wrote on July 12:

“The Church of England’s ruling body [the General Synod] has decided that women bishops should be allowed, but there are further steps to take before they can be ordained… The law must now receive approval from a majority of the Church’s 44 diocesan synods, before returning to the General Synod. It must then receive a two-thirds majority at the General Synod before receiving parliamentary approval and the Royal Assent… Although the proposal gained a majority of votes in the synod as a whole, it failed because clergy – who vote separately from lay people and bishops – defeated it by just five votes…

“Campaigner Christina Rees, a member of the General Synod and chairwoman of Women in the Church, told the Press Association the synod’s decision on Monday was ‘a wonderful outcome’… But traditionalists have warned that the decision could result in many of them leaving the Church of England… David Houlding, a leading member of the Catholic Group on the General Synod, said he was concerned and he felt as if traditionalists were running out of options… ‘The scope for remaining in the Church of England is getting more and more narrow and the options are rapidly closing.'”

CNN added on July 12:

“The Church of England first began ordaining women as priests in 1994 and has been debating whether they should become bishops since 2005. But the issue, along with the debate over the ordination of gay priests, has put a serious strain on the 77-million-member Anglican Communion worldwide.

“The Catholic Church has reached out to disaffected Anglicans, raising the possibility that conservatives could leave en masse. The General Synod rejected a compromise backed by the nominal head of the church, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, over the weekend, with priests rejecting the measure despite the support of bishops and lay leaders.”

More and more of the clergy of the Church of England will migrate to and be embraced by the Roman Catholic Church. Recently, a married Protestant pastor with children converted to Catholicism and was permitted by the Catholic Church in Germany to continue in his office as (now) Catholic pastor, without having to separate from his wife and family.

“Monk Did Nothing Wrong…”

The Local wrote on July 13:

“A German Benedictine Abbot who resigned in February amid the Catholic child abuse scandal for failing to properly report abuse accusations is already set to return to his former post… Barnabas Bögle, 53, has been elected by the 45 voting monks of the Ettal Abbey in Bavaria, which was rocked by allegations of abuse, to return… The decision must still be approved by the Vatican.

“In recent weeks, Church authorities in Rome decreed there was no reason not to hold a re-election for Bögle, as well as for the head of the Ettal school and priory, Maurus Kraß, who also resigned in February. A Vatican committee had come to the conclusion that the former leaders of the abbey had done nothing wrong in their statements regarding the abuse scandal, the paper reported.

“The abbey is seeking approval from the Bavarian Education Ministry to have Kraß reinstated as head of the school. The two men resigned under pressure from the Archbishop of Munich and Freising after it emerged that there had been sexual, physical and psychological abuse happening at the abbey’s boarding school for decades. At the time, both admitted that regulations on reporting accusations of abuse had not been followed. At least 20 former and current students at Ettal made accusations of abuse.”

Even though they admitted to wrongdoing, the Vatican concluded that they did nothing wrong.

New Catholic Church Law Does “Not Go Far Enough”

The New York Times reported on July 15:

“In its most significant revision to church law since a sex abuse crisis hit the United States a decade ago and roared back from remission in Europe this spring, the Vatican on Thursday issued new internal rules making it easier to discipline priests who have sexually abused minors. But in a move that infuriated victims’ groups and put United States bishops on the defensive, it also codified ‘the attempted ordination of women’ to the priesthood as one of the church’s most grave crimes, along with heresy, schism and pedophilia.

“In its revision, the Vatican doubled the statute of limitations in abuse cases from 10 to 20 years from the victim’s 18th birthday and added possession of child pornography and the sexual abuse of mentally disabled adults to the list of crimes handled by the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith… But the revision fell short of the hopes of many advocates for victims of priestly abuse: It does not contain measures to hold bishops accountable for abuse by priests on their watch, nor does it require mandatory reporting of sex abuse to civil authorities even in countries where it is not required by civil law…

“Critics immediately said the revisions announced on Thursday did not go far enough. ‘History has shown that church abuse policies are rarely followed. But even if these new guidelines are obeyed, their impact on the ongoing crisis is likely to be insignificant. Defrocking a predator, by definition, is too late,’ SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement.

“Bishopaccountability.org, which tracks cases of sex abuse by priests cases worldwide, said the changes ‘amount to administrative tinkering of a secretive internal process. Given his authority, Benedict could implement meaningful change,’ the group said in a statement.

“‘He could direct bishops to report every allegation of child sexual abuse to the police, regardless of whether civil law requires them to do so. He could threaten punishment of any bishop or church official who enables or fails to stop a child-molesting priest.’ It added, ‘It’s disturbing that the new rules merely will extend the statutes of limitations rather than eliminate them altogether.’”

Argentina Legalizes Same-Sex Marriages

The Los Angeles Times reported on July 15:

“Argentina legalized same-sex marriage Thursday, becoming the first country in Latin America to declare that gays and lesbians have all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexual couples… The law is sure to bring a wave of marriages by gays and lesbians who have found Buenos Aires to be a welcoming place to live…

“The approval came despite a concerted campaign by the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical groups, which drew 60,000 people to march on Congress and urged parents in churches and schools to work against passage…

“Same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay and some states in Mexico and Brazil. Colombia’s Constitutional Court granted same-sex couples inheritance rights and allowed them to add their partners to health insurance plans. Mexico City went further, legalizing gay marriage and launching tourism campaigns to encourage foreigners to come and wed.

“Argentina now becomes the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, granting gays and lesbians all the same rights and responsibilities that heterosexuals have. These include many more rights than civil unions, including adopting children and inheriting wealth.

“Gay rights advocates said Argentina’s historic step adds momentum to similar efforts around the world… But many Argentines remain firmly opposed to the idea of gay marriage…

“The president, who helped the law’s chances by bringing two senators opposed to gay marriage with her on a state visit to China, spoke out from there against the Catholic Church’s campaign and the tone she said some religious groups have taken. ‘It’s very worrisome to hear words like “God’s war” or “the devil’s project,” things that recall the times of the Inquisition,’ she said…”

US Debt–“Cancer Which Destroys from Within”…

The Associated Press reported on July 12:

“The heads of President Barack Obama’s national debt commission painted a gloomy picture as the United States struggles to get its spending under control… The nation’s total federal debt next year is expected to exceed $14 trillion — about $47,000 for every U.S. resident.

“‘This debt is like a cancer,’ Bowles [Democrat Erskine Bowles, former White House chief of staff under Bill Clinton] said Sunday in a sober presentation… ‘It is truly going to destroy the country from within.’

“Simpson [former Republican Senator from Wyoming, Alan Simpson] said the entirety of the nation’s current discretionary spending is consumed by the Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programs. ‘The rest of the federal government, including fighting two wars, homeland security, education, art, culture, you name it, veterans, the whole rest of the discretionary budget, is being financed by China and other countries,’ said Simpson. China alone currently holds $920 billion in U.S. IOUs.

“Bowles said if the U.S. makes no changes it will be spending $2 trillion by 2020 just for interest on the national debt.”

The Silent Doctors…

NPR wrote on July 14:

“If a doctor consistently prescribes the wrong meds or arrives drunk to work, you’d hope that his peers would pipe up… But the responses of nearly 2,000 doctors to a recent national survey show the professional watchdog system is nowhere near perfect. More than a third of docs don’t think they’re responsible for reporting those who aren’t fit to practice… And only 69 percent of the docs who knew about an impaired or incompetent colleague reported them…

“What holds doctors back? The most common reason — given 19 percent of the time by doctors who said they were aware of a problem doctor — is that they thought someone else was on top of it. After that 15 percent of the respondents figured nothing would happen anyway. Fear of retribution was also a factor, cited by 12 percent of these doctors…

“In smaller practices, doctors are very dependent on referrals, so they may worry that if they report a colleague they’ll face some kind of retribution. Their number of referrals or professional reputation might suffer… states vary widely on how they deal with incompetent physicians. Only some states mandate reporting requirements.”

Lame Excuse–NASA Spokesman Must Have “Misspoken”

Fox News reported on July 12:

“White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that NASA Administrator Charles Bolden must have misspoken when he told Al Jazeera last month that one of his top priorities is to reach out to Muslim countries. ‘That was not his task and that’s not the task of NASA,’ Gibbs said. Bolden, though, said last month in the interview that it was President Obama who gave him that task. He made a similar claim in February.

“The White House also backed up Bolden last week when his remarks first stirred controversy. A White House spokesman last Tuesday said Obama wants NASA to engage with the world’s best scientists and that to meet that challenge, NASA must ‘partner with countries around the world like Russia and Japan, as well as collaboration with Israel and with many Muslim-majority countries’…

“The Muslim comments were met with a wall of criticism last week from conservatives and former NASA officials who said that while Muslim-nation outreach is laudable, it should not be a NASA priority.”

Robert Gibb’s statements sound rather hollow in light of Charles Bolden’s repeated assertions to the contrary…

France’s Fight Against Burqa

USA Today reported on July 13:

“France’s lower house of parliament has approved a ban on burqa-like Islamic veils, a move that is popular among French voters despite serious concerns from Muslim groups and human rights advocates. There were 336 votes for the bill and just one against at the National Assembly. Most members of the main opposition group, the Socialist Party, refused to participate in the vote.

“Following Tuesday’s vote, the ban on face-covering veils will go in September to the Senate, where it also is likely to pass. Its biggest hurdle will likely come after that, when France’s constitutional watchdog scrutinizes it…

“The issue is potent in Europe: Several other countries have similar proposals in the works, including Belgium and Spain, and they are closely watching the bill’s progress in France. France has Europe’s largest Muslim population, estimated to be about 5 million of the country’s 64 million people…

“The legislation would forbid face-covering Muslim veils in all public places in France — even in the street. It calls for —150 ($185) fines or citizenship classes, or both. The bill is also aimed at husbands and fathers — anyone convicted of forcing someone else to wear the garb risks a year of prison and a —30,000 ($38,000) fine, with both penalties doubled if the victim is a minor.”

A clash between Europe and the Muslim world is slowly developing, which is prophesied to occur and which will end up in war, in accordance with Daniel 11:42-43.

Polanski Free–Obama Has Egg on His Face

BBC News reported on July 12:

“Authorities in Switzerland have decided not to extradite film director Roman Polanski to the US to face sentencing for a case dating back to 1977. Polanski, aged 76, has been under house arrest in his Swiss chalet since December 2009 pending the decision. The filmmaker is wanted in California over a conviction for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. The US was ‘deeply disappointed’ with the decision, a senior justice department official said… The justice ministry said that the US authorities had failed to provide confidential testimony about Polanski’s original sentencing procedure…

“In 1978, he pleaded guilty to unlawful sex following a plea bargain. He served 42 days in a US prison. He has always maintained he was promised a short sentence, but he fled the US after hearing rumours that the judge was about to re-sentence him for a much longer term. He has never returned to the US… The [Swiss] justice ministry added that… national interests were taken into consideration in the decision. A Swiss official said the US cannot appeal the decision…

“Polanski’s wife, French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, said she was overjoyed at the decision. She said: ‘It is with great pleasure that I have just learned of my husband’s release. For me and for my children it is the end of a nightmare that has lasted more than nine months…’

“Polanski’s release was also welcomed by French politicians and artists. ‘The great Franco-Polish director will from now on be able to rejoin his friends and family and work fully on his artistic projects,’ French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said. The Polish foreign ministry also welcomed the Swiss decision.”

German Reaction to Polanski’s Freedom

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 13:

“Should the Swiss have freed famed director Roman Polanski from house arrest and denied a US extradition request? Many in the US are outraged by Monday’s decision. But some German commentators think it was the right thing to do… The surprise Swiss decision has left US officials fuming…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The Swiss… were under enormous pressure. The US insisted on co-operation — they had another fight with Bern too: A tax evasion dispute involving Swiss banking giant UBS, and they could apply the thumbscrews if need be. Meanwhile France, the chosen home of the director, has always asked why the Swiss were the executors of American justice…

“‘The Swiss had been searching for some judicial lever in the conflict that would allow them to reject the extradition order. They found it in the form of documents that had not been turned over by the US. Also contributing to the decision was the length of time Polanski had already been in custody, both now and when he was originally arrested, as well as doubts about the correctness of the original US trial. And last but not least, there was the question of whom the resurrection of the 33-year-old criminal procedure would really benefit’…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘The situation with Polanski is more than just awkward. It is tragic. … The fact remains that Roman Polanski sexually abused a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1977 and escaped punishment by fleeing to Europe. Therefore he is an offender — even if he is an offender that the victim has long since, publicly, forgiven. But Polanski is also a victim. He only escaped the Nazi persecution of the Jews because he went into hiding: His mother died in Auschwitz. In the US in 1969, his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by followers of Charles Manson’s cult.”

“‘Racism will only be overcome when one’s ethnic origins no longer play a part. But that will never happen. So in order to assess any situation we must also consider biographical information in context. Yesterday the Swiss decided to release Polanski from house arrest and not to extradite him to the US. A good decision — particularly when one considers how many Jews fleeing from the Nazis were turned away at the Swiss borders and how many Jewish assets were never revealed because of Swiss banking secrecy…'”

The most interesting aspect of this tragedy is that Europe is willing to stand up to America, and America must grudgingly concede defeat…

EU-USA Disagreements

Fox News reported on July 15:

“Europe’s disappointment with President Barack Obama’s presidency was laid bare Thursday as the EU’s most senior figure called for a dramatic effort to revive transatlantic relations. The President of the European Commission said the new era at the White House was in danger of becoming a ‘missed opportunity’ for Europe. José Manuel Barroso said the EU-U.S. relationship was not living up to its potential. The criticism follows a series of fundamental disagreements on how to deal with the economic crisis, climate change and trad reform.

“The feelings of a deepening rift are mutual. Senior U.S. figures said Obama could never live up to Europe’s sky-high expectations. Barroso revealed his frustrations with Washington during a wideranging interview in which he also admitted that the euro had acted like a ‘sleeping pill,’ luring some countries to the edge of economic disaster with an ‘illusion of prosperity.’ It has been a fractious few months for EU-U.S. relations, culminating in a fundamental clash of ideas at the G20 summit between Europe’s austerity strategy for ending the economic crisis and Obama’s call to maintain fiscal stimulus…

“The U.S. defended itself forcefully against claims that it had neglected Europe… The view from Washington is that communication with Europe on a range of crucial issues is difficult because the EU still lacks ‘a clear foreign policy apparatus.’”

Soon, the USA might not have that kind of an excuse again for its deteriorating relationship with the EU, as the next article shows.

Soon–EU’s New Powers at the UN

The EUObserrver reported on July 15:

“European Council President Herman Van Rompuy will in future be able to address the UN chamber no differently from US President Barack Obama or Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmedinejad under draft reforms agreed by member states… An EU diplomat said the idea behind the changes is to boost the profile of the EU as an entity in itself at the international level…

“Britain’s EU minister, David Lidington, in the UK ministerial letter said however that the move should not be interpreted as undermining Britain’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council… The new rights flow from changes established by the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force last December. ‘The Lisbon Treaty established new structures for the management of the EU’s external relations,’ Mr Lidington explained.”

Gaza Raid–Israel Partially to Be Blamed

BBC reported on July 13:

“An Israeli military inquiry into the naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla says commandos were under-prepared and mistakes were made at a senior level. The report says the operation suffered from flawed intelligence-gathering and inadequate planning. But it also praised the commandos involved and found the use of force had been the only way to stop the flotilla. Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died in the naval raid in international waters, which provoked a major outcry.

“The report criticised the operation’s planners for not having a back-up plan in the event of violence. But it also said the mission had not been a failure and did not recommend any dismissals. It said there had been a lack of co-ordination between military and intelligence bodies, and preparations for the 31 May takeover of the ships had been inadequate… its findings that serious mistakes were made confirm that questions also need to be asked of Israel’s political leaders, who approved the operation…

“The operation prompted an international backlash and has severely strained Israel’s relations with its once-close Muslim ally Turkey. Amid the criticism, Israel eased its land blockade on the Gaza Strip, allowing most civilian goods through. The naval blockade remains in place. Israel says it is necessary to keep weapons from reaching the Islamist Hamas movement, which controls Gaza.”

Bomb Attack Directed Against Ethiopia

BBC reported on July 12:

“The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has said it was behind twin blasts which hit the Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday, killing 74 people. In a statement in Mogadishu, spokesman for the group Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage threatened more attacks. Police said the bombings targeted football fans watching the World Cup final…

“The explosions, which also injured about 70 people, ripped through a rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant… at least 60 Ugandans were killed in the explosions… an Irish woman was among those who died at the restaurant. California-based aid group Invisible Children, which helps child soldiers, said one of its workers, Nate Henn, 25, was among those killed at the rugby club. Officials said the dead and wounded also included Ethiopian, Eritrean, Indian and Congolese nationals…

“The attack on the Ethiopian restaurant also fits in with al-Shabab’s regional policy. Addis Ababa backs Somalia’s government against the rebels. And Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement, stoking an insurgency that still rages. BBC East Africa correspondent Peter Greste says security services across the region will now be reassessing how they can protect themselves from a force that has proven itself willing and capable of striking outside Somalia’s borders.

“Many – if not most – of those killed and injured in the Kampala blasts were foreign nationals… At least three Americans, members of a Church group from Pennsylvania, were wounded at the Ethiopian restaurant… US President Barack Obama said the explosions were ‘deplorable and cowardly’. The African Union has said the attacks will not affect its summit, which is due to be held in Kampala later this month.”

Again and again, Ethiopia is somehow making the news. And as it is being pushed, it might very well react by pushing…

What the “Smartest Man on Earth” Thinks…

On July 13, Bild Online reported the following:

“They hunt using poisonous stings, make their own light through bioluminescence and can transform lightning into energy for their bodies: This is what astrophysicist Stephen Hawking (68), the smartest man in the world, thinks aliens would look like! He developed the research for a documentary film for the Discovery Channel… Hawking determined shape and behaviour of the theoretically possible creatures by combining conditions on different planets, including their geology, climates and atmosphere…

Alien creature with huge trunk by Stephen Hawking

“This creature uses its massive trunk to cling to steep rock faces while it eats moss and grass.

Bioluminescent octo alien

“This bioluminescent ‘octo alien’ would be capable of living in a salt sea on Jupiter.

Predator aliens with poisonous stings

“These small predators leap from rocks and numb their prey with their poisonous stings… An extendable skin fold allows them to sail through the air towards their victims.”

This is of course all based on the ungodly theory of the evolution idea. What does the Bible say? “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19). For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults.”

The Great Depression–Coming?

CNBC wrote on July 5:

“The Dow Jones Industrial Average is repeating a pattern that appeared just before markets fell during the Great Depression, Daryl Guppy, CEO at Guppytraders.com, told CNBC Monday.

“Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it” there was a head and shoulders pattern that developed before the Depression in 1929, then with the recovery in 1930 we had another head and shoulders pattern that preceded a fall in the market, and in the current Dow situation we see an exact repeat of that environment,’ Guppy said.” 

“The Dow retreated 457.33 points, or 4.5 percent last week, to close at 9,686 Friday. Guppy said a Dow fall below 9,800 confirmed the head and shoulders pattern.”

You might want to listen to our StandingWatch program from two years ago, titled, “Coming–The Great Depression?“

Also, you might want to listen to our StandingWatch program from one-and-a-half years ago, titled, “After the Great Crash of 2008.”

USA Still Trapped in Depression

The Telegraph wrote on July 6:

“With the US trapped in depression, this really is starting to feel like 1932. The US workforce shrank by 652,000 in June, one of the sharpest contractions ever… Wages are flirting with deflation. ‘The economy is still in the gravitational pull of the Great Recession,’ said Robert Reich, former US labour secretary. ‘All the booster rockets for getting us beyond it are failing. Home sales are down. Retail sales are down. Factory orders in May suffered their biggest tumble since March of last year. So what are we doing about it? Less than nothing,’ he said. 

“California is tightening faster than Greece… Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is cutting pay for 200,000 state workers to the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour to cover his $19bn (£15bn) deficit. Can Illinois be far behind? The state has a deficit of $12bn and is $5bn in arrears to schools, nursing homes, child care centres, and prisons. ‘It is getting worse every single day,’ said state comptroller Daniel Hynes. ‘We are not paying bills for absolutely essential services. That is obscene.’ 

“Roughly a million Americans have dropped out of the jobs market altogether over the past two months. That is the only reason why the headline unemployment rate is not exploding to a post-war high. Let us be honest. The US is still trapped in depression a full 18 months into zero interest rates… Eight million jobs have been lost. The average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks. Nothing like this has been seen before in the post-war era…

“Republicans on Capitol Hill are filibustering a bill to extend the dole for up to 1.2m jobless facing an imminent cut-off. Dean Heller from Nevada called them ‘hobos’. This really is starting to feel like 1932. Washington’s fiscal stimulus is draining away… The housing market is already crumbling as government props are pulled away. The expiry of homebuyers’ tax credit led to a 30pc fall in the number of buyers signing contracts in May. ‘It is cataclysmic,’ said David Bloom from HSBC. 

“Federal tax rises are automatically baked into the pie… The states and counties may have to cut as much as $180bn. Investors are starting to chew over the awful possibility that America’s recovery will stall just as Asia hits the buffers. China’s manufacturing index has been falling since January, with a downward lurch in June to 50.4, just above the break-even line of 50. Momentum seems to be flagging everywhere, whether in Australian building permits, Turkish exports, or Japanese industrial output. 

“On Friday, Jacques Cailloux from RBS put out a ‘double-dip alert’ for Europe [in 2011]… The Fed is already eyeing the printing press again… Last week the Bank for International Settlements called for combined fiscal and monetary tightening, lending its great authority to the forces of debt-deflation and mass unemployment. If even the BIS has lost the plot, God help us.”

God will only help us if we change our ways and repent of our many sins. It is unlikely that this will happen on a grand and national scale. And so, with disaster looming, irresponsible fiscal policies and a helpless and clueless leadership, the downfall of the USA is inevitable. The next two articles on healthcare should speak for themselves…

President Obama’s Healthcare Bill and New Taxes

For most Americans, it is totally unclear what the new healthcare bill will accomplish for them… if anything… but one thing is certain: They will have to pay much higher taxes to finance it. ATR reported on July 2:

“As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day with parades and barbecues, America’s veterans face a new tax on prosthetic limbs and other vital medical devices. The health care overhaul passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama earlier this year contains a new tax on medical devices such as prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, and wheelchairs.  This tax, which its proponents claim will raise $20 billion over the next ten years, contains no exemption for the nation’s 22 million veterans.  In fact, Senate Democrats specifically refused to exempt veterans from the tax.

“On March 24 2010, Senate Democrats rejected an amendment offered by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to the healthcare bill.  This amendment (SA 3644) would have prevented the medical device tax from hitting veterans covered by the Veterans Healthcare Program or TRICARE for Life.  This amendment was rejected by a vote of 44-54. All but five Democrat senators voted in favor of retaining the tax for veterans.

“The medical device tax was one of over twenty new or higher taxes in President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul.  This permanent new tax is being collected now.

“‘On March 24, Senate Democrats had the opportunity to exempt our veterans from Obamacare’s new tax on medical devices such as prosthetic limbs.  But 54 Democrats voted against the measure.  They chose to side with the tax-and-spend crowd in Washington over our wounded warriors,’ said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.  ‘This is one of the many reasons Harry Reid and the Democrats did not want Americans to read the 2,500 page health care bill before it was passed.'”

In light of the foregoing, it almost appears like irony when reading the following address by President Obama, which was circulated over the Internet, pertaining to the 4th of July celebrations:

“As we celebrate the profound pride of being American, today is a time to honor the women and men in our armed forces, whose immeasurable bravery and sacrifice have made our country what it is today. That sacrifice is shared with husbands and wives, with sons and daughters, with fathers and mothers, who are asked to wait at home as their loved ones protect our nation. Their heroism, too, has helped pave the path of our freedom.

“Even before we moved into the White House, Michelle was a champion for those military families. She has witnessed their struggles, and she has made it her personal mission to fight for them. On this Fourth of July, she recorded a personal message, commemorating our nation’s birthday and paying tribute to these families.”

Outrageous Regulations in the New HealthCare Bill

We recently received a memo advising us that under the new healthcare bill, “starting in 2011… your W-2 tax form sent by your employer will be increased to show the value of whatever health insurance you are given by the company… you will be required to pay taxes on a large sum of money that you have never seen… This is how the government is going to buy insurance for 15% that don’t have insurance and it’s only part of the tax increases… Under TITLE IX REVENUE PROVISIONS- SUBTITLE A: REVENUE OFFSET  PROVISIONS – (sec. 9001, as modified by sec. 10901) Sec.9002 [it states that that law] ‘requires employers to include in the W-2 form of each employee the aggregate cost of applicable employer sponsored group health coverage that is excludable from the employee’s gross income.'”

We investigated further and were advised by a competent life and health insurance agent that the above is correct, adding: “This was sold as a cost savings to the population on their health insurance. Unfortunately, the initial impact was a raise in cost, not only on the tax issue but because companies cannot exclude people who are seriously ill, so everyone else must pay more to cover them. 

“They did everything wrong on this bill and nothing right. If you are a young person and don’t think you need coverage, the penalty you have to pay is so small that there is little to no incentive to buy insurance unless there is a serious health issue, which you can now buy because they can’t refuse you. It is filled with political patronage, and does nothing to solve the reason that health insurance is so high–the rising cost of care! Things like, being able to buy insurance across state lines, if you live in a state where health insurance is high, because of state mandates is still not allowed. But the big one, capping awards for malpractice, would solve a huge cost problem because doctors wouldn’t have to order unnecessary expensive tests, to protect themselves from suits in the event a case went bad. If awards were capped, they wouldn’t have to charge as much because their malpractice insurance rates would be reasonable.”

To top it all off, a video-recorded comment by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, is being circulated on YouTube, stating: “But we have to pass this [healthcare bill] so that you can find out what is in it…”

Well, we are finding out, step by step, and the results are appalling…

Obama vs. Supreme Court

The Los Angeles Times reported on July 6:

“The Supreme Court wrapped up its term last week after landmark decisions protecting the right to have a gun and the right of corporations to spend freely on elections. But the year’s most important moment may have come on the January evening when the justices gathered at the Capitol for President Obama’s State of the Union address. They had no warning about what was coming.

“Obama and his advisors had weighed how to respond to the court’s ruling the week before, which gave corporations the same free-spending rights as ordinary Americans… Some advisors counseled caution, but the president opted to criticize the conservative justices in the uncomfortable spotlight of national television as Senate Democrats roared their approval. 

“Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is still angered by what he saw as a highly partisan insult to the independent judiciary. The incident put a public spotlight on the deep divide between the Obama White House and the Roberts court, one that could have a profound effect in the years ahead… Many legal experts foresee a clash between Obama’s… agenda and the conservative court…

“Already, the healthcare overhaul law… is under attack in the courts. Republican attorneys general from 20 states have sued, insisting the law and its mandate to buy health insurance exceed Congress’ power and trample on states’ rights. Two weeks ago, a federal judge in New Orleans ruled Obama had overstepped his authority by ordering a six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. On another front, the administration says it will soon go to court in Phoenix seeking to block Arizona’s controversial immigration law, which is due to take effect July 29. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer said Arizona would go to the Supreme Court, if necessary, to preserve the law.

“As chief justice, Roberts has steered the court on a conservative course… McConnell, … law professor, said the administration’s broad set of regulatory moves made a clash almost inevitable.”

“The President Without a Country”

On June 6, 2010, WorldNetDaily published a commentary by famous entertainer and TV evangelist Pat Boone. We are quoting the following excerpts:

“‘We’re no longer a Christian nation.’ — President Barack Obama, June 2007… ‘You might say that America is a Muslim nation.’ — President Barack Obama, Egypt 2009… reading and hearing the audacious, shocking statements of the man who was recently elected our president — a young black man living the impossible dream of millions of young Americans, past and present, black and white — I want to ask him, ‘Just what country do you think you’re president of?’

“You surely can’t be referring to the United States of America, can you? America is emphatically a Christian nation, and has been from its inception! Seventy percent of her citizens identify themselves as Christian. The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were framed, written and ratified by Christians. It’s because this was, and is, a nation built on and guided by Judeo-Christian biblical principles that you, sir, have had the inestimable privilege of being elected her president. 

“You studied law at Harvard, didn’t you, sir? You taught constitutional law in Chicago? Did you not ever read the statement of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and an author of the landmark ‘Federalist Papers’: ‘Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers — and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation — to select and prefer Christians for their rulers’? 

“In your studies, you surely must have read the decision of the Supreme Court in 1892: ‘Our lives and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian’…

“… how did you come up with the ridiculous, alarming notion that we might be ‘considered a Muslim nation’? Is it because there are some 2 million or more Muslims living here, trying to be good Americans? Out of a current population of over 300 million, 70 percent of whom are Christians? Does that make us, by any rational definition, a ‘Muslim nation’? 

“Why are we not, then, a ‘Chinese nation’? A ‘Korean nation’? Even a ‘Vietnamese nation’? There are even more of these distinct groups in America than Muslims. And if the distinction you’re trying to make is a religious one, why is America not ‘a Jewish nation’? There’s actually a case to be made for the latter, because our Constitution — and the success of our Revolution and founding — owe a deep debt to our Jewish brothers…

“It seems increasingly and painfully obvious that you are more influenced by your upbringing and questionable education than most suspected. If you consider yourself the president of a people who are ‘no longer Christian’… and might even be ‘considered Muslim’ — you are president of a country most Americans don’t recognize. Could it be you are a president without a country?”

NASA’s Foremost Mission–Improve Relationships with Muslims

Fox News reported on July 5:

“NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his ‘foremost’ mission as the head of America’s space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world… ‘When I became the NASA administrator — or before I became the NASA administrator — he [President Obama] charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science … and math and engineering,’ Bolden said in the interview.” 

Frictions Between USA and Israel

“It was only one paragraph buried deep in the most plain-vanilla kind of diplomatic document, 40 pages of dry language committing 189 nations to a world free of nuclear weapons. But it has become the latest source of friction between Israel and the United States in a relationship that has lurched from crisis to crisis over the last few months. 

“At a meeting to review the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in May, the United States yielded to demands by Arab nations that the final document urge Israel to sign the treaty — a way of spotlighting its historically undeclared nuclear weapons. Israel believed it had assurances from the Obama administration that it would reject efforts to include such a reference, an Israeli official said, and it saw this as another sign of unreliability by its most important ally.

“… some analysts said the nuclear nonproliferation issue symbolizes why Israel remains insecure about the intentions of the Obama administration. In addition to singling out Israel, the document, which has captured relatively little public attention, calls for a regional conference in 2012 to lay the groundwork for a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East. Israel, whose nuclear arsenal is one of the world’s worst-kept secrets, would be on the hot seat at such a meeting.”

Rift? What Rift?

The Telegraph reported on July 6:

Barack Obama yesterday backed calls by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier, to resume direct peace talks with the Palestinians as both men hailed the “unbreakable” bond between the United States and Israel… The effusive language and a warm handshake before the cameras that lasted several seconds was in striking contrast to the coolness of their last meeting when the Israeli leader and his aides were left alone in the West Wing as Mr Obama dined privately. .

“This time, Mr Obama lavished praise on Mr Netanyahu and said that the relationship between the US and Israel was ‘unbreakable’ and enduring. Mr Netanyahu denounced reports of a US-Israeli rift as ‘flat wrong’. Mr Obama said… he was convinced that Mr Netanyahu ‘wants peace’ in the Middle East and was ‘willing to take risks for peace’. The US would never ask Israel to ‘take any steps that would undermine its security interests,’ he said.”

The future will tell how reliable that promise is…

Sanctions Against Iran

The Financial Times wrote on July 2:

“Lloyd’s of London, the insurance market, is restricting cover for any ships carrying petroleum to Iran. President Barack Obama signed new sanctions legislation into law on Thursday night. Lloyd’s said it would move to ensure its members complied with the US rules, the toughest unilateral measures taken against Iran in over a decade…

“International companies that defy the unilateral measures could be barred from conducting any transactions with US banks and have their US assets frozen, as well as being denied US government contracts. The sanctions take aim at companies providing Iran with petroleum and the underwriters of those shipments. They also target international banks that trade with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or with 16 blacklisted Iranian banks. Because of limited refining capacity, Iran depends on imported petroleum to meet between a quarter and a third of its domestic consumption… This time, the EU’s three leading powers — Germany, France and Britain — all support tougher sanctions against Iran.

“Iran will now find it harder and more expensive to secure supplies of petroleum. But the biggest future impact of the legislation may be to limit international banks from dealing with Iran. Many European banks have pulled out, but others, notably those from China and the Gulf, continue to do extensive business in the country…

“The legislation allows Mr Obama to grant a waiver for sanctions on a case-by-case basis for a maximum of twelve months, if he deems this vital for US interests and if the home country of the company concerned cooperates with the US on Iran policy — as is true of the UK.”

This leaves quite some room for political maneuverings…

US Attack on Iran?

Newsmax reported on July 7:

“The United States may be forced to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities if diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic fail, Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Wednesday after a meeting with Israeli officials in Jerusalem. Appearing at a news conference with Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain, Lieberman was unusually harsh in his assessment of the Iranian threat. There is a broad consensus in Congress that military force can be used if necessary to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he said… this is one of the few times an official of Lieberman’s standing has explicitly used the term ‘military action’ while in Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“The group also addressed President Barack Obama’s fence-mending meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the worsening situation with relations with Turkey, whose Islamic government is steadily moving away from the West to a closer relationship with Iran, according to experts…

“Iranian officials, meanwhile, said Wednesday that sanctions could slow down its nuclear progress. It was the first time Tehran has acknowledged the measures might have some bite, according to Reuters.”

Poland’s Future

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 5:

“Poland’s new President Bronislaw Komorowski is a close friend and political ally of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his election is bound to clear the way for tough reforms in Poland… Bronislaw Komorowski… had won the second round of the presidential election with just over 50 percent of the votes…

“Jaroslaw Kaczynski just barely missed out on replacing his twin brother Lech, who died in the terrible air crash near Smolensk in April. Lech never made things easy for Tusk. He wanted to have an equal say in foreign policy and often put a halt to legislation with his veto. Now the way is clear for Tusk…

“From the point of view of Poland’s neighbors the new constellation in Warsaw is positive. Tusk and Komorowski are in favor of a conciliatory approach toward both the Germans and the Russians. They are, to be sure, opposed to the planned Berlin museum to commemorate Germans expelled from Polish territory after World War II. They are also against the Baltic Sea pipeline between Russia and Germany. But they are much less shrill about their opposition than the Kaczynskis were… Since Tusk has been in power, the tone between the two neighbors has been much more respectful. 

“The prime minister and his new president also have an unambiguously positive relationship to the EU. They are in favor of Poland adopting the euro as its currency as soon as possible. Lech Kaczynski and his brother were always torn on the issue. On the one hand, they acknowledged that Poland was doing well within the EU, but on the other hand they feared that the country could fall under the influence of the hegemonic power of Germany or that Brussels would destroy Poland’s national character with directives on issues like gay marriage, for example. That made Poland under the Kaczynskis an uncomfortable, demanding partner, one that often enraged those attending meetings in Brussels.”

The EUObserver commented on July 5 that “EU’s dream candidate wins Polish election.” It appears certain that Poland, a predominantly Catholic country, will soon adopt the euro. 

Life More Difficult for Chancellor Merkel

Deutsche Welle reported on July 6:

“Nearly two months after a general election in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Social Democrats and the Green Party have sealed their coalition agreement to form a minority government. Hannelore Kraft, head of the Social Democrats in the state, is expected to be elected as premier next week. This will make her the first woman to hold the post in Germany’s most populous state. Following the election, the Social Democrats and the Greens are just one seat short of an absolute majority in the state assembly in Dusseldorf. 

“Coalition talks with the Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats failed. The minority coalition in North Rhine-Westphalia will alter the political balance in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house of parliament, making life more difficult for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government in Berlin. Until now, Merkel’s center-right coalition has held the majority both in parliament and in the upper house. But the new government in North Rhine-Westphalia means that any bill that needs to pass the Bundesrat will need approval from the center-left opposition.”

It appears the days of the present Merkel-Westerwelle coalition are numbered, and that perhaps the time for a charismatic influential leader in Germany is drawing nearer. 

Catholic Church–No Change

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 6:

“This spring, it looked as though the Catholic Church was finally going to confront charges of sexual abuse head on. Following recent police raids in Belgium, however, the Vatican has once again closed ranks. In the internal Holy See debate, the conservatives have regained the upper hand…

“Even if the raid in Belgium was inappropriate, it is another indication that the scandal-ridden Catholic Church can no longer expect leniency — neither in Belgium nor in the US, where a week ago Monday the Supreme Court ruled that the Vatican enjoys no immunity in cases of alleged molestation by priests. The ruling means that, in theory, even Pope Benedict XVI could be taken to court…

“It had taken months for Pope Benedict XVI to comment on the abuse scandals in Ireland and Germany… But now that secular investigators have decided to take action, he has condemned the ‘surprising and regretful’ circumstances of the Belgian raid… Benedict’s allies in Rome wasted no time in ensuring that relations between the Catholic Church and the secular world took another turn for the worse…

“After a brief period of remorse, it looks as if everything is back to business as usual at the Vatican. Little appears to have changed…

“First Ireland, then the US, Germany, Austria and now Belgium — the Catholic map of the world is rapidly filling with countries where new cases of abuse continue to surface. It has long ago become a global problem, but the Vatican under Benedict XVI is reacting at its own pace… Only the pope is allowed to reprove a cardinal — no one else.

“German bishops Robert Zollitsch and Reinhard Marx were also given a dressing down. Benedict reproaches them for not being tender enough with their fellow bishop Walter Mixa when he came under fire amid allegations of violence towards children in his care… He announced that, ‘following a period of healing and reconciliation,’ Bishop Mixa, like other retired bishops, would again be available for pastoral duties.”

Dangerous Deepwater Drilling

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 28:

“Last week the beleagured oil industry fought back: Despite the flow of crude oil still spoiling the Gulf of Mexico, they successfully protested a US moratorium on deepwater drilling. They’re determined to continue exploration on oil’s final frontier — using high-tech methods they have not mastered…

“Ten weeks after the drilling platform disaster and oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. So far, according to some estimates, ten times more oil has leaked into the water than spilled from the Exxon Valdez when it struck an Alaskan reef in 1989…

“On Wednesday Norway tendered licenses for oil exploration in 94 sectors of the North Sea. A day before, the shareholders of the Brazilian oil company Petrobras approved a stock offer worth up to Ä68 billion ($83.2 billion), the largest in history. Petrobras will use this gigantic influx of capital to explore deepwater oil fields off the shore of Rio de Janeiro. And off the coast of… Newfoundland, in Canada, Chevron has started work on a borehole at depths of 2,600 meters below the ocean surface — over 1,000 meters deeper than the hole that the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon had drilled…

“Deepwater oil exploration will go on, because this is where most of the new sources of oil are being found… Only 3 percent of worldwide oil production originated from the deep sea in 2002; that fraction will rise to 10 percent in two years… The Gulf of Mexico and the Brazilian and West African coasts make up a ‘golden triangle’ of deepwater oil exploration with enormous, if still undeveloped, potential…

“A few thousand meters down and the pressure is so great that… water pressure simply crushes machinery… Breakdowns with hydraulics are… an everyday occurrence… at those depths… The water is also very cold, around 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit). At such temperatures the gas that is almost always present in oil fields forms hydrates, as well as ice crystals, and these can block pipes… In the ‘golden triangle,’ the oil often lies under layers of salt, kilometers deep. These blanket the oil reserves, and they also muffle the seismic-pulse technology which engineers normally use to find oil… 

“Drilling blind is dangerous, because the engineers are forced to calculate the pressure in the chambers where the oil will be found. The coveted resource sits in porous rock reservoirs, similar to sponges. The first time the drill hits one of these deposits the pressure of the oil flowing upwards must be equal to the pressure of the oil underneath. It is like walking a tight rope — to get the desired result specialists inject the holes with drilling mud, made of water, clay, barite and other ingredients. Should the engineers not add enough pressure, the oil can spurt out violently, causing a much-dreaded blow out. 

“Another potential deepwater drilling catastrophe: The ground underwater is still relatively young, and therefore contains many gas bubbles. Should the drill bit hit one of these bubbles, the whole thing could go up — this is what is called a ‘gas kick’…

“And all the while, crude oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. And there could be worse to come… the oil flow and the attempts to prevent it may have damaged the pipelines at the oil source. In which case gas and oil could start coming up through the sea floor… [In that case] drilling to relieve pressure would be in vain. 

“The emergency plan BP has provided may indicate the level of concern the petroleum giant has about such horror scenarios. The plan says walruses must be protected, even though walruses don’t live in the Gulf of Mexico. The company also promises advice from an expert, Peter Lutz. In case of catastrophe, the biologist from Boca Raton, Florida, can help assess damages to the environment. But the originators of the emergency plan at BP had evidently not spoken to that particular expert for some time; Professor Lutz died of cancer five years ago.”

“The Third Depression”

The New York Times wrote on June 27:

“Recessions are common; depressions are rare. As far as I can tell, there were only two eras in economic history that were widely described as ‘depressions’ at the time: the years of deflation and instability that followed the Panic of 1873 and the years of mass unemployment that followed the financial crisis of 1929-31…

“We are now, I fear, in the early stages of a third depression… the cost — to the world economy and, above all, to the millions of lives blighted by the absence of jobs — will… be immense. And this third depression will be primarily a failure of policy. Around the world — most recently at last weekend’s deeply discouraging G-20 meeting — governments are obsessing about inflation when the real threat is deflation, preaching the need for belt-tightening when the real problem is inadequate spending…

“After all, unemployment — especially long-term unemployment — remains at levels that would have been considered catastrophic not long ago, and shows no sign of coming down rapidly. And both the United States and Europe are well on their way toward Japan-style deflationary traps.
 
“In the face of this grim picture, you might have expected policy makers to realize that they haven’t yet done enough to promote recovery. But no… It’s almost as if the financial markets understand what policy makers seemingly don’t: that while long-term fiscal responsibility is important, slashing spending in the midst of a depression, which deepens that depression and paves the way for deflation, is actually self-defeating…

“And who will pay the price… ? The answer is, tens of millions of unemployed workers, many of whom will go jobless for years, and some of whom will never work again.”

You might want to watch (again) our StandingWatch program from over two years ago (April 11, 2008), titled, “Coming… The Great Depression?…”

Prepare for a “Post-U.S. Dollar World”

Kitco/The Global Investor wrote on June 25:

“… the US benefits from its reserve-currency status, allowing it to accumulate unsustainable debts for an unusually long period without the immediate repercussions of inflation or higher borrowing costs. But this false sense of security may be setting us up for a truly monumental crash. There is fresh evidence that time is running out for the dollar-centric global monetary order. In fact, central banks outside the US are already making swift and discrete preparation for a post-dollar era.

“To begin, the People’s Bank of China has just this week decided to permit a wider trading range between the yuan and the dollar. This is the first step toward ending the infernal yuan-dollar peg… Just days before China’s announcement, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev rattled his monetary sabre by telling the press of his intention to lead the world toward a new monetary order based on a broad basket of currencies. Giving strength to his claim, the Central Bank of Russia announced that it would be adding Canadian and Australian dollars to its reserves for the first time…

“Speaking of Europe, the major powers there are moving toward a post-dollar world by rejecting President Obama’s calls to jump on America’s debt grenade… dollar strength is largely seen as a function of euro weakness… Europe has higher priorities than being America’s fall guy. Led by an ever-bolder Germany, the European states are wisely choosing not to throw themselves on our funeral pyre, but to wisely clean house in anticipation of China’s rise.

“In another ominous sign for the dollar, the Financial Times reported Wednesday that after two decades as net sellers of gold, foreign central banks have now become net buyers… more than half of central bank officials… didn’t think the dollar would be the world’s reserve in 2035. Among the predicted replacements were Asian currencies and the euro, but – by far – the favorite was gold. This is supported by Monday’s revelation by the Saudi central bank that it had covertly doubled its gold reserves, just about a year after China made a similar admission… this is compelling evidence that foreign governments are… quietly preparing for the dollar’s almost-inevitable devaluation…

“The newspapers are now riddled with hints that foreign governments have lost faith in Washington and the dollar reserve system…”

Dollar Should Be Replaced…

CNN reported on June 29:

“The dollar is an unreliable international currency and should be replaced by a more stable system, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs said in a report released Tuesday. The use of the dollar for international trade came under increasing scrutiny when the U.S. economy fell into recession.

“‘The dollar has proved not to be a stable store of value, which is a requisite for a stable reserve currency,’ the report said… The World Economic and Social Survey 2010 is supporting a proposal long advocated by the International Monetary Fund to create a standardized international system for liquidity transfer.”

“Biggest Reform of US Financial Regulations”

What may at first glance be a supportable U.S. bill related to US and international banks might have serious repercussions for the US economy.

BBC News wrote on June 25:

“The US Congress has all but finalised the biggest reform of US financial regulation since the Great Depression… Agreement was reached to impose strict limits on banks’ ability to take risky speculative bets on markets…

“Make no mistake, some on Wall Street feel they’ve dodged a bullet. However much their revenues will be hurt by the new laws’ provisions, things could have been much worse. Fuelled by deep public rage at banks that nearly destroyed the US economy, lawmakers seriously considered much more drastic action than this.

“The Brown Kaufman amendment in the Senate would have limited the size and leverage of banks. Needless to say the giants of Wall Street were appalled at that prospect. And who helped kill that amendment? The Obama administration itself. So it’s worth bearing in mind that up to a point he has actually also been Wall Street’s protector…

“Agreement was also reached on higher capital requirements for banks. This means banks will either need to do less risky lending, or they will have to raise more money from shareholders to hold in reserve against loan losses, or both. However, congressmen conceded a five-year transition period for banks to meet the new capital rules, and they exempted smaller banks – with less than $15bn in assets – from the rules altogether…

“But banks will still be banned from dealing in credit default swaps unless they do so through the safety of a financial exchange. This measure will severely curtail one of the most profitable activities of the big international banks when they do business in the US.”

Supreme Court Affirms Gun Rights

In a five-to-four decision, the Supreme Court ruled that all Americans have a fundamental right to bear arms. That four judges ruled against this conclusion shows that the rationale adopted by the majority is not as compelling as one might think. Also, to a large extent, the majority’s opinion is quite evasive and in-conclusive. However, in the opinion of some, in a time of upheaval, this controversial decision could prove to be counter-productive and contribute to further violence in our nation.

The Washington Post wrote on June 28:

“The Supreme Court ruled for the first time Monday that the Second Amendment provides all Americans a fundamental right to bear arms, a long-sought victory for gun rights advocates who have chafed at federal, state and local efforts to restrict gun ownership.

“The court was considering a restrictive handgun law in Chicago and one of its suburbs that was similar to the District law that it ruled against in 2008. The 5 to 4 decision does not strike any other gun control measures currently in place, but it provides a legal basis for challenges across the country where gun owners think that government has been too restrictive…

“The victory might be more symbolic than substantive, at least initially. Few cities have laws as restrictive as those in Chicago and Washington. Alito [Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority] said government can restrict gun ownership in certain instances but did not elaborate on what those would be. That will be determined in future litigation…

“The guns case was the logical sequel to the court’s 5 to 4 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. That decision established for the first time that the Second Amendment’s ‘right to keep and bear arms’ referred to an individual right, not one related to military service. But the decision that there is a right to keep a gun in one’s home did not extend beyond the federal government and its enclaves such as Washington. Gun rights activists immediately filed suit against the handgun restrictions in Chicago and the suburb of Oak Park…

“The court’s decision means that the enigmatically worded Second Amendment — ‘A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’ — identifies an individual right to gun ownership, like the freedom of speech, that cannot be unduly restricted by Congress, state laws or city ordinances.

“Also voting in the majority were [in addition to Alto] Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. Justice Stephen G. Breyer objected to the majority decision… Joining him with dissenting votes were John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. Stevens wrote his own dissent and did not join Breyer’s.”

 

Less and Less Democracy in the USA…

TechWorld wrote on June 25:

“A US Senate committee has approved a wide-ranging cybersecurity bill that some critics have suggested would give the US president the authority to shut down parts of the Internet during a cyberattack. Senator Joe Lieberman and other bill sponsors have refuted the charges… The bill next moves to the Senate floor for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled.

“The bill, introduced earlier this month, would establish a White House Office for Cyberspace Policy and a National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications… The bill also would allow the US president to take emergency actions to protect critical parts of the Internet, including ordering owners of critical infrastructure to implement emergency response plans, during a cyber-emergency. The president would need congressional approval to extend a national cyber-emergency beyond 120 days… The legislation would give the US Department of Homeland Security authority that it does not now have to respond to cyber-attacks… Other sponsors of the bill are Senators Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat.

“One critic said Thursday that the bill will hurt the nation’s security, not help it. Security products operate in a competitive market that works best without heavy government intervention, said Wayne Crews, vice president for policy and director of technology studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute…

“On Wednesday, 24 privacy and civil liberties groups sent a letter raising concerns about the legislation to the sponsors. The bill gives the new National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications ‘significant authority’ over critical infrastructure, but doesn’t define what critical infrastructure is covered, the letter said.

“Without a definition of critical infrastructure there are concerns that ‘it includes elements of the Internet that Americans rely on every day to engage in free speech and to access information,’ said the letter, signed by the Center for Democracy and Technology, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other groups. ‘Changes are needed to ensure that cybersecurity measures do not unnecessarily infringe on free speech, privacy, and other civil liberties interests,’ the letter added.”

Elena Kagan “Not Kosher”?

CNS wrote on June 25:

“Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is ‘not kosher’–meaning she is not fit to serve on the court–according to more than 850 Orthodox members of the Rabbinical Alliance of America. That’s the term the rabbis used about Kagan in a press release issued Thursday…
 
“Rabbi Yehuda Levin, spokesman for the alliance, told CNSNews.com on Thursday that ‘a great deal has been made about the fact that she would be the second Jewish woman on the court, and we want to signal to people across the country that we take no pride in this… We feel that Elena Kagan turns traditional Judaism on its head–from a concept of a nation of priests and holy people, she is turning it into, “Let’s homosexualize every segment of society. And by the way, partial-birth babies have no right to be delivered.”‘
 
“In a statement issued Thursday, the rabbinical alliance called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to refuse to confirm Kagan to succeed the outgoing Justice John Paul Stevens. ‘It is clear from Ms. Kagan’s record on issues such as abortion-on-demand, partial-birth-abortion, the radical homosexual and lesbian agenda, the “supremacy” of the anti-family panoply over religious liberties of biblical adherents, et. al., that she will function as a flame-throwing radical, hastening society’s already steep decline into Sodom and Gomorrah,” the rabbis said in the statement.
 
“Levin told CNSNews.com that his fellow rabbis–and hundreds of thousands of Orthodox and traditional Jews–are puzzled at the president’s choice of Kagan.”

“Obama’s War”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 28:

“With the dismissal of his commander in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, and the appointment of David Petraeus as his successor, US President Barack Obama has tied the success of his presidency to progress in the war in Afghanistan…

“Petraeus was probably the most unlikely candidate for the position, because, in complying with Obama’s request, he is not only taking a step down in the hierarchy to run the war from Kabul. Petraeus has political talents, and some say that [he] could even run against Obama as the Republican presidential candidate in 2012. If he had any such intentions, taking a step that aligns him more closely with Obama would not have been expedient. For the president, it was a successful coup that hardly anyone had expected. The Washington Post offered sardonic praise for the president…

“Is this the break Obama has been waiting for, a ‘stroke of brilliance, an unassailable move, politically and strategically,’ as Fred Kaplan writes in the online magazine Slate? Or has Obama just become even more embroiled in a war that could already be unwinnable? In appointing Petraeus to [succeed] McChrystal, Obama has chosen the strongest proponent of the troop surge strategy. But if the war continues to drag on, he will come to be seen as a war president and, when he runs for reelection, could have trouble gaining the support of voters who already hold it against him that the Afghanistan campaign has already lasted longer than World War II…

“The war in Afghanistan is not just controversial among Americans. There are growing doubts among Obama’s allies over whether they should continue to support the war in central Asia by sending their own troops…

“With his decisive move, Obama undoubtedly scored an important victory at home. Petraeus is America’s most popular general and uncontroversial across the political spectrum. Even Obama’s Republican adversary John McCain praised the president’s decision… Newsweek wrote: ‘By replacing a general who was universally criticized with a general who almost can’t be criticized, President Obama pulled a political masterstroke’…

“Afghanistan is a long way from peace. In June alone, coalition troops had lost 80 soldiers by last Friday, making it the bloodiest month in a war that has been raging for almost nine years. In the Rolling Stone article, a close advisor to McChrystal is quoted as saying that the mission there is ‘not going to look like a win, smell like a win or taste like a win.’

“There is also mounting concern among other senior US military leaders over whether America has enough patience for a mission… especially with the prospect of growing American losses in the coming months… In the controversial Rolling Stones article by author Michael Hastings, soldiers, in particular, openly complain about their situation, mostly about being ordered not to shoot, even in menacing situations, so as to protect innocent civilians… But Petraeus supports the strategy, which is why his appointment also holds unmistakable risks for Obama. The president and his commander have signed a pact…”

The war in Afghanistan has been and will continue to be a disaster for the USA. More lives will be lost, and no success is in sight. The war was lost before it started.

Why Are We in Afghanistan?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 1:

“NATO has sent tens of thousands of troops to Afghanistan and spent tens of billions of euros. But why?…

“Obama felt trapped by his political position, by his generals and by abstract theories of contemporary foreign policy. He would not want to be perceived as weak on national security. His would not want to be distracted from his focus on health care reform. And he himself had long justified the withdrawal from Iraq on the grounds that Afghanistan was the ‘good war,’ vital to US national security — one which could have been won had resources not been diverted to Iraq…

“General Stanley McChrystal… with the implicit consent of Centcom commander General David Petraeus, had publicly declared in the autumn of 2009 that he needed 40,000 more troops… Ultimately, the president succumbed… Just as 8th century Mahayana Buddhists invented world after world, filling them with their distinctive demons and bodhisattvas, our think tanks and governments have also developed their own metaphysical structures…

“These theories can be made to seem absurd and indeed future generations may wonder, as we do about 8th century mysticism, why the beliefs of so many powerful and intelligent people were shaped by such eccentric systems… Take, for example, the master-concept behind Obama’s surge, namely that in order to prevent Afghanistan posing a terrorist threat it was necessary to launch full-spectrum counter-insurgency operations… 20 years from now, we may struggle to explain why we once felt Afghanistan required the deployment of 100,000 troops or the spending $100 billion each year — why it required far more resources and attention than its more powerful and populous neighbors Iran or Pakistan…

“European countries feel trapped by their relationship with NATO and the United States. Holbrooke and Obama feel trapped by the position of American generals. And everyone — politicians, generals, diplomats and journalist — feels trapped by our grand theories and beset by the guilt of having already lost over a thousand NATO lives, spent a hundred billion dollars and made a number of promises to Afghans and the West which we are unlikely to be able to keep.

“So powerful are these cultural assumptions, these historical and economic forces and these psychological tendencies, that even if every world leader privately concluded the operation was unlikely to succeed, it is almost impossible to imagine the US or its allies halting the counter-insurgency in Afghanistan in the years to come. Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa may have been in a similar position during the Third Crusade. Former US President Lyndon B. Johnson certainly was in 1963. Europe is simply in Afghanistan because America is there. America is there just because it is. And all our policy debates are scholastic dialectics to justify this singular but not entirely comprehensible fact.”

And even though the Afghan war will continue to be a disaster, it will go on, simply because man’s heart is set on war–not peace.

The G-20 Summit–What a Waste of Money

The New York Times reported on June 26:

“Few Canadians expected that hosting world leaders at back-to-back summit meetings here this weekend would be cheap or convenient… But it is the cost of providing security that has elicited gasps. The latest government estimate is $897 million for the three days of summitry. That comes to about $12 million per hour, nearly what the government spends per year in the war in Afghanistan…

“Ever since the infamous Battle in Seattle, the World Trade Organization summit meeting there in 1999 in which violent street protests led to 600 arrests and $3 million in property damage, security has been a prime concern for international summit meetings and the costs have soared.

“But critics point out that Canada has spent several times the amount other recent summit meeting hosts have spent on security. The security costs for the Group of 20 meeting last year in Pittsburgh, for example, was estimated to be a total of $95 million, according to a study by Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer. The previous record was the 2008 Group of 20 meeting in Hokkaido, Japan, which cost $345 million for security, the report said.”

Within a few years, those measures will no longer be necessary. No more fear of violent attacks–and no more need of G-20 meetings which don’t produce any solutions anyhow. If you wonder why we can say this, please read our free booklets, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God” and “Human Suffering–Why… and How Much Longer?”

USA vs. Europe

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 26:

“The US has heavily criticized German austerity measures in recent days. Now, Germany’s finance minister [Wolfgang Schäuble] has fired back, warning against becoming addicted to deficit spending and noting that history has made the country extremely wary of national debt and inflation…

“Merkel’s finance minister also pointed out that ‘while US policymakers like to focus on short-term corrective measures, we take the longer view and are, therefore, more preoccupied with the implications of excessive deficits and the dangers of high inflation.’ Schäuble remarked that, while US economic history has taught the country to be wary of deflation, Germany’s history has resulted in widespread fear of deficits and inflation.

“Schäuble’s remarks were just the latest in a trans-Atlantic back-and-forth that has continued all week. US President Barack Obama’s letter to G-20 leaders, in which he wrote, ‘I am concerned about weak private sector demand and continued heavy reliance on exports by some countries with already large external surpluses,’ kicked off the debate late last week. Most interpreted the line as a warning directed at Berlin.

“Merkel has since been energetic in her defense of Berlin’s focus on debt and deficit reduction, telling German public broadcaster ARD on Thursday that ‘I don’t think we should relent’… Berlin has received support in recent days from European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet… European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also backed up the German chancellor…”

What Came Out of the G-20 Summit?

Not much, if anything. Deutsche Welle reported on June 28:

“Considering the financial cost of the meeting, the results were weak… The summit was preceded by the rolling thunder of discord; America versus Germany, spending versus austerity… In the final analysis, the players find themselves on virgin political soil. No one can come up with the ultimate solution, because every country is faced with different conditions. Thus, the debate has no winners and no losers – and that was the big surprise that came out of Toronto.

“But the financial crisis pushed other important topics – like climate change, say, or the fight against poverty and hunger – right off the agenda.  At this point, even the wealthy nations themselves are admitting that they haven’t kept their promises to poorer countries… It is miserable to see how much money wealthy countries are willing and able to throw around in order to keep their own heads above water. And that was the big disappointment that came out of Toronto…

“In any case, the real litmus test for the G20 still lies ahead, since many of the important decisions for a new world financial order were pushed back to the coming summit in South Korea…”

Obama’s Setback on the Global Stage

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 28:

“The G-20 summit in Toronto ended with yet more vague promises. The rich nations pledged to slash their budget deficits, without making any real commitments. The result is a setback for President Obama, who failed to find support for new stimulus programs in Europe… The expectations for the Toronto meeting had been low — and they were not exceeded…

“At first glance, the promises of the G-20 nations, which were meeting in this format for the fourth time, sounded impressive. National deficits will be ‘at least’ halved by 2013, according to the summit’s closing statement. But the agreement has no teeth, given that it does not foresee any binding mechanisms to make sure that the commitment is kept…

“The G-20 is now threatening to become a club of members that blame each other for their problems. Even before the summit, the Europeans had reacted with annoyance to Washington’s lectures… The dispute, it seems, is set to continue… In the US, the unemployment rate has so far refused to budge from 10 percent — a level that is unusually high for the US. The number of long-term unemployed is growing. Obama wants to create jobs, no matter what the cost, and he has little time to reflect on his setback on the global stage.”

The New German President

Deutsche Welle reported on June 30:

“Germany has a new president, and it’s the man everyone expected, Christian Wulff. However, the manner in which Wulff won was anything but convincing, and points to frictions within Germany’s ruling coalition… In the first two rounds, Wulff had failed to reach the required threshold of 623. This came as a shock; Merkel’s ruling center-right coalition had an absolute majority within the 1,244-seat voting assembly, so their candidate Wulff was guaranteed an immediate victory if their politicians toed the party line. Some, however, did not, despite appeals from senior party members.”

On June 30, Der Spiegel Online published an article, titled, “Merkel’s Disaster–Botched Presidential Election Strains Germany’s Government.” The article continued:

“The rebellion in the first two rounds of the presidential election on Wednesday amounts to the biggest setback of Angela Merkel’s career. The chancellor’s candidate came through in the third round, but the political damage will linger… It is a fiasco for her and her government… It is a rebellion that Merkel and her ranks only managed to contain in the last moment. Had they not been successful, Berlin’s political scene would have quickly become unrecognizable… She benefited from the fact that everyone knew the third round was a matter of political life and death for her government. Anyone who voted against Wulff was voting for the end of Merkel’s chancellorship…

“It cannot be hidden that Angela Merkel, on this Wednesday, suffered the biggest debacle of her political career… Merkel completely misjudged the mood in the country when she picked career politician Wulff. She made the mistake of being guided purely by self-interest and the interests of her party. Her motto was: first the party, then the nation… The political damage for the chancellor is enormous…

“The double blows of the first two votes will loom over the government’s work in the future. The coalition parties are already casting blame at each other for the debacle. Who is responsible for the failures of the first two rounds? The atmosphere of distrust will worsen, and doubts about the leadership abilities of Merkel and FDP leader Guido Westerwelle will continue to increase dramatically… Few would be surprised if Merkel’s coalition government were to end soon. Maybe not this year, but perhaps next year with a number of state elections looming.”

What a Debacle…

On July 1, Der Spiegel Online reported on the reaction of the German media to the election debacle of the new German President:

“Germany’s governing coalition is desperately trying to limit the damage inflicted by the disastrous presidential election on Wednesday. Commentators place the blame… squarely on the shoulders of Chancellor Merkel and some wonder if her days are numbered… Wednesday’s presidential election turned into a debacle for Chancellor Angela Merkel…

“The embarassing nine-hour marathon session in the Federal Assembly, made up of Bundestag members and an equal number of delegates from Germany’s 16 states, has, say many, further weakened the standing of the chancellor and called into question her leadership abilities… The fact that so many members of her coalition broke ranks on Wednesday is a significant blow for Merkel…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘This wasn’t just an election day, it was a day of reckoning for Merkel. It was the day that members of the coalitions settled scores with the chancellor. … Angela Merkel wasn’t standing for election but she was the loser on the day. She used the country’s highest office for her power games and got entangled by her own reputed shrewdness.

“‘Merkel’s motive in choosing Wulff has increased the loss of trust in her government. She sought to silence a potential opponent within the party and sought to misuse the highest office in the country. She has been seen through. This Federal Assembly became Merkel’s writing on the wall… Next year’s state elections in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt could become her Waterloo.’

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘Christian Wulff himself is not really to blame for the misery of his presidential campaign. It is the chancellor and her political allies who share most of the responsibility. They didn’t listen to the signals coming from the nomination of Gauck. This omission was just one example of a political style of sticking within the inner circle… The fact that so many people saw the election marathon as a way to teach Merkel a lesson is her own fault.’

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘… Merkel and her weak deputy chancellor Guido Westerwelle have to recognize that after their coalition’s poor start and the defeat in North Rhine-Westphalia, their government has now reached a new low point. One could almost feel sorry for Wulff. During the dramatic election he had to pay the price for the many grievances Merkel’s opponents have with her. This speaks volumes about the dwindling and fragile support Merkel has in her own party… Merkel and Westerwelle… are now fighting for their political survival’…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Wulff is a president from society’s center. A Christian Democrat, but not an arch conservative, rather one with liberal attitudes… Divorced, remarried, a father again later in life, he knows the problems of the patchwork family. But can he bring impetus to the presidency?… Can he give orientation in times of global crisis, in questions of war and peace? And can the new president become a moral authority in society. It is difficult to imagine any of this. The skepticism about Christian Wulff remains, particularly after yesterday’s false start.'”

Turkey vs. Israel

BBC reported on June 28:

“Turkey has barred an Israeli military flight from Turkish airspace, in apparent retaliation for Israel’s raid on an aid convoy bound for Gaza… The banned flight was carrying Israeli officers to Poland to tour Auschwitz. The plane was denied permission to cross Turkish airspace and was therefore forced to fly an alternative route…

“Turkey, one of the first countries to recognise the state of Israel, signed two military co-operation agreements in 1996, on joint military training and arms sales. Since then Israeli aircraft have used Turkish airspace for exercises, and there have been several joint military ventures. Israeli firms won contracts to modernise Turkish aircraft and tanks and Turkey agreed to buy 10 Israeli Heron pilotless aircraft. By some estimates military contracts have made up more than half of the total trade between the two countries over the past 14 years.

“Ties deteriorated sharply after the Israeli operation against Gaza in 2008. The government of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than its predecessors. Israeli aircraft were barred from joint exercises with other US allies in Turkey last year. Turkey announced that all military co-operation would be reviewed following the flotilla raid… this particular flight was banned purely because it had been the first such request from Israel and had nothing to do with the nature of the flight. Civilian flights are unaffected.

“Reports first surfaced in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot that an Israeli military cargo plane, carrying more than 100 officers on their way to Auschwitz, was barred from Turkish airspace. At the G20 summit in Toronto, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was asked by a reporter if the ban was related to the flotilla raid. Mr Erdogan confirmed that ‘we started the ban after these events’, according to a report by Turkish news agency Anatolia.”

Religious Confusion Galore

WorldNetDaily published an incredibly inaccurate article pertaining to biblical prophecy. We are publishing excerpts from this article to show the magnitude of confusion in religious circles, and we are WARNING our readership at the same time not to fall for it or even elements contained therein. We repeat, the following excerpts are UNBIBLICAL, MISLEADING AND PLAIN WRONG. If you want to learn the truth, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy,” and “Is That in the Bible–The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

Here is what WorldNetDaily dared to “report,” publishing an article by self-proclaimed prophet Joel Richardson:

“One of the greatest prophetic mysteries of the Bible is the identity of a woman referred to as ‘the Great Prostitute’ found in Revelation 17 and 18. The woman is also referred to as ‘Mystery Babylon.’ She is initially portrayed as riding a seven-headed beast, but later this very same beast turns on her, ‘devours her and burns her with fire’… The seventh and final head to follow the Roman Empire was the Islamic Empire that consisted of the various Islamic dynasties culminating in the Islamic Ottoman Empire… today, the anti-Semitic beast empire of the earth is the Islamic Empire.

“As the spiritual and economic capital of the reigning anti-Semitic beast empire of our day, Saudi Arabia/Mecca may be identified as the Great Prostitute of Revelation 17 and 18… As I have traveled the nation, after teaching on this subject, I’ve yet to meet anyone who has rejected the idea outright. Saudi Arabia fulfills every last Scriptural description of the Prostitute to a T…”

As stated, this is utter nonsense. The Islamic world, including Saudi Arabia, have NOTHING to do with Mystery Babylon, as described in Revelation 17 and 18. But Richardson’s misleading statements seem to sway some, if not many. We have news for Richardson’s nonsense: We ARE rejecting it outright, as must everyone who understands biblical prophecy, which Richardson and WND do not.

Abortion is Murder

On June 25, the Telegraph published a highly controversial and factually inaccurate article on abortion; but even if factually correct, the article would have still missed the most important issue that abortion is murder under any circumstances.

The article’s headline reads as follows: “Foetus ‘cannot feel pain before 24 weeks.'”

It continued: “The human foetus cannot feel pain before 24 weeks, according to an official review of scientific evidence, contradicting one argument that anti-abortion campaigners have used for reducing the termination limit. Nerve endings in the brain are not sufficiently formed to enable pain to be felt before 24 weeks, according to the report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists [sic], which had been commissioned by the Department of Health. The report said: ‘It can be concluded that the foetus cannot experience pain in any sense prior to this gestation.’

“Professor Allan Templeton, president of the Royal College, who chaired the review, told The Times that research put forward by anti-abortion campaigners that the human foetus did feel pain at or before 24 weeks was based on evidence from premature babies. This did not apply to the foetus in the womb, he said. A second finding is that the foetus is naturally sedated and unconscious in the womb, leading the panel to advise that anaesthetics for the foetus are not needed when it is terminated.”

We must say that these “findings” are absolutely false and clearly contradicted by the FACTS. We discuss these facts in our free booklet, “Are You Already Born Again?”, on page 14. The scientific evidence is such that the babies in the womb of the mother feel pain between the eighth and twelfth week. A nine-week old baby resists being murdered by the doctor!!!

Rome’s Morals Less Shocking Than Today?

It is amazing that the same paper, The Telegraph, published the following article on the same day, June 25, apparently unable to see any connections between Rome’s murder of its babies and our murders today of our (aborted) babies:

“Dozens of unwanted babies born during Roman times were murdered and buried on the site of a Roman brothel in Buckinghamshire, archaeologists suspect. An extensive study of a mass burial at a Roman villa in the Thames Valley suggests that the 97 children all died at 40 weeks gestation, or very soon after birth. The archaeologists believe that locals may have been killing and burying unwanted babies on the site in Hambleden, Buckinghamshire.

“Unwanted pregnancies were common in Roman brothels due to little contraception and Romans also considered infanticide less shocking than it is today.”

Hospitals Under Attack

CNN reported on July 1:

“A Missouri VA hospital is under fire because it may have exposed more than 1,800 veterans to life-threatening diseases such as hepatitis and HIV… after visiting the medical center for dental work… The issue stems from a failure to clean dental instruments properly… Dr. Gina Michael, the association chief of staff at the hospital, told the affiliate that some dental technicians broke protocol by handwashing tools before putting them in cleaning machines…

“This is not the first time this year a hospital has been in hot water for not following proper procedures. In June, Palomar Hospital in San Diego, California, has sent certified letters to 3,400 patients who underwent colonoscopy and other similar procedures, informing the patients that there may be a potential of infection from items used and reused in the procedures.”

Belgium vs. Catholic Church

BBC News reported on June 27:

“Pope Benedict has joined mounting Vatican criticism of raids by Belgian police investigating alleged child sex abuse, calling them ‘deplorable’. In a message to Belgian bishops, the pope expressed solidarity ‘in this moment of sadness’.

“Several buildings were searched in raids targeting a retired archbishop and the graves of two prelates. Belgium’s justice minister has responded to the criticism robustly, saying normal procedures were followed… Mr De Clerck said the Vatican’s reaction had been excessive as it was based on false information…

“Police in Leuven, central Belgium, on Thursday seized nearly 500 files and a computer from the offices of a Church commission investigating allegations of sex abuse. They also searched the Church’s headquarters and the Brussels archdiocese in Mechelen, north of the Belgian capital. Belgium’s bishops, who were holding a meeting at the time of the raids, were kept incommunicado for nine hours while the searches were conducted.

“On Saturday Vatican officials compared the raids and investigation into allegations of child sex abuse with the treatment of the Church under communist rule. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State… alleged that the Belgian bishops were left all day without food or drink, although this was later strongly denied by the Belgian justice minister.

“The Vatican has summoned the Belgian ambassador to the Holy See to voice its anger at the incident. The Catholic Church in Belgium has apologised for its silence on abuse cases in the past. The church was rocked in April when the Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, resigned and admitted to sexual abuse before and after becoming a bishop.”

Actions like these by the Belgium government will help, rather than hurt, the popularity of the Roman Catholic Church.

Obama’s Declarations of War

The Washington Examiner wrote on June 22:

“The Obama administration has a lot of fights on its hands. Putting aside real wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there’s the battle against leaking oil in the Gulf, the struggle against 9.7 percent unemployment across the country, and clashes over the president’s agenda on Capitol Hill. Despite all that, the White House has found time to issue a new declaration of war, this time against an unlikely enemy: the state of Arizona.

“The Justice Department is preparing to sue Arizona over its new immigration law. The president has stiffed Gov. Jan Brewer’s call for meaningful assistance in efforts to secure the border. And the White House has accused Arizona’s junior senator, Republican Jon Kyl, of lying about an Oval Office discussion with the president over comprehensive immigration reform. Put them all together, and you have an ugly state of affairs that’s getting uglier by the day.

“First, the lawsuit. Last week, Brewer was appalled to learn the Justice Department’s intentions not from the Justice Department but from an interview done by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with an Ecuadorian TV outlet…

“Then there is the matter of the White House’s assistance, or nonassistance, in Arizona’s border-security efforts. On June 3… Brewer told reporters Obama pledged that administration officials would come to Arizona within two weeks with details of plans to secure the border. June 17 marked two weeks, and there were no administration officials and no plans. There still aren’t…

“And now, there’s the Kyl controversy. On June 18, Kyl told a town meeting in North Phoenix that Obama personally told him the administration will not secure the U.S.-Mexico border because doing so would make it politically difficult to pass comprehensive immigration reform… After Kyl’s statement went viral on the Internet, the White House issued a sharp denial… Kyl is not backing down. ‘What I said occurred, did occur,’ he told an Arizona radio station…

“Even if it didn’t have so many other fights on its hands, it would be unusual for an administration to align itself against an American state. But that’s precisely what has happened. Soon it will be up to the courts and voters to decide whether Obama’s campaign against Arizona will succeed or fail.”

On June 23, Reuters added the following to the list of problems:

“Sales of new homes dropped a record 32.7 percent in May to the lowest level in at least four decades as the boost from a popular tax credit faded, adding to worries of a slowing economic recovery.”

The problems of the American President and his administration are mounting, and they are far too many than could be solved. Many of these problems are admittedly man-made, but we need to realize that the Bible has predicted thousands of years ago that in these end times, the power and strength of the United States of America will be broken. This is due in large part to our sinful lifestyle, which is manifested in a subsequent article. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Ongoing Oil Spill Disaster

ABC News reported on June 23:

“Oil from the BP oil spill disaster is spewing again into the Gulf of Mexico at nearly full force after a venting system connected the so-called containment cap over the blown-out wellhead was damaged in an accident with a robot sub, said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the commander in charge of the government’s effort to control the 65-day-old spill.

“Separately, Allen said two cleanup workers have died in unrelated accidents in the Gulf, the first deaths reported since 11 people died in when Deepwater Horizon drilling rig burned and began the crisis in April…

“Up to 14 controlled fires are being conducted every day, and they’ve already burned 125,000 barrels that otherwise would have drifted toward shore. At the site of the accident, two tankers have been collecting oil siphoned up from the containment cap. And huge ocean skimmers, the largest of their kind, have been scooping up 8,000 barrels of oil per day. The current worst-case estimate of what’s spewing into the Gulf is about 2.5 million gallons a day… Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon… the oil slick has spread over much of the northern Gulf of Mexico… Oil has been reported in the wetlands of the Mississippi delta at the southern tip of Louisiana, and tarballs have been found on the beaches of southern Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.” 

“A Political Apocalypse?”

USA Today wrote on June 23:

“Obama will need to convince Congress that more stimulus is needed and recently asked Congress for $50 billion to prop up the job market. But the severity of the economic crisis means that Obama will need to implore Americans to persevere as Reagan did 28 years ago, and they may well respond by rebuking Democrats in November as they did Reagan in 1982. Throw in the uneven government response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the uncertainty of the military effort in Afghanistan and a rising fear about government indebtedness, and the Democrats could be facing a political apocalypse far larger than the one Reagan suffered in 1982.”

Obama Fires US General Stanley McChrystal–but Germany, NATO and Afghanistan Defend McChrystal

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 23:”US General Stanley McChrystal, who commands NATO troops in Afghanistan, [was fired] by President Barack Obama on Wednesday over disparaging comments he made to Rolling Stone magazine… Germany’s defense minister has come out in strong defense of the beleaguered American General…

“‘I have extraordinary respect for General McChrystal, we work exceedingly well together,’ German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told public broadcaster ARD on Wednesday, adding that McChrystal is crucial to ‘the new strategy in Afghanistan.’ Guttenberg also warned of a ‘very difficult summer,’ with a new wave of attacks feared in the run-up to Afghan elections… I personally value him tremendously’…

“At NATO headquarters in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also expressed his support for McChrystal. ‘The Rolling Stone article is rather unfortunate, but it is just an article,’ a NATO statement read. ‘We are in the middle of a very real conflict, and the secretary-general has full confidence in General McChrystal as the NATO commander, and in his strategy.’

“In a statement released on Wednesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai described McChrystal as the ‘best commander’ so far. In an hour-long video conference with Obama on Tuesday, Karzai also expressed his support for the general…

“In the Rolling Stone article, the general or those close to him sharply criticized Vice President Joe Biden and Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador to Kabul. In addition, a close adviser to the general is also quoted as saying that McChrystal thinks very little of Obama’s Afghanistan policies.

“Most of the highly controversial quotes in the feature are made by unnamed aides to McChystal, who, for example, dismiss Obama’s national security adviser, James Jones, as a ‘clown.’ They disparagingly refer to Vice President Joe Biden as ‘Joe Bite Me.’ The profile also depicts the US special representative to Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, in a negative light. ‘The Boss says he’s like a wounded animal,’ a member of the general’s team told the magazine. ‘Holbrooke keeps hearing rumors that he’s going to get fired, so that makes him dangerous.’

“The president is also characterized as a clueless novice in the feature. For example, an adviser to the general describes McChrystal’s first meeting with Obama thusly: ‘It was a 10-minute photo op. Obama clearly didn’t know anything about him, who he was. Here’s the guy who’s going to run his […] war, but he didn’t seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed.'” 

Obama’s Failing Support

On June 22, the Associated Press reported the following:

“The Obama White House has accomplished more than any other on gay rights, yet has drawn sharp criticism from an unexpected constituency: the same gay activists who backed the president’s election campaign. Instead of the sweeping change gays and lesbians had sought, a piece-by-piece approach has been the administration’s favored strategy, drawing neither serious fire from conservatives nor lavish praise from activists…

“For instance, Obama signed a hate crimes bill into law, expanded benefits for partners of State Department employees and ended the ban on HIV-positive persons from visiting the United States. He referenced families with ‘two fathers’ in his Father’s Day proclamation last week and devoted 38 words of his State of the Union address to repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ the ban on gays serving openly in the military…

“Obama’s campaign pledged to repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ yet that goal remains years away. His Justice Department invoked incest in a legal brief defending the traditional definition of marriage, prompting some gay donors last year to boycott the Democratic National Committee. And just last week, a committee at his Health and Human Services Department recommended the nation retain its policy barring gay men from donating blood…

“Gay constituents are hardly the only member[s] of the Democratic bloc to come up disappointed with this White House. Environmental groups groan as a comprehensive climate bill has languished on the Hill. Organized labor saw its signature legislation, which would make it easier for workers to form unions, go nowhere without the White House’s backing. And women’s groups were in open revolt during the debate over the health care overhaul because of anti-abortion provisions…

“A Gallup poll last month found 70 percent of American[s] favor allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. That same poll, however, included a reminder: 53 percent opposed legalizing gay marriage.”

Nevertheless, slowly but surely, rights for homosexuals and others pursuing “alternate lifestyles,” are being established, which are undermining and destroying the fabric of our society. God calls these practices “abominations,” and no society can survive which forsakes the laws of God.

Obama’s Dismantlement of American Democracy

Investors Business Daily wrote on June 21:

“American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it. The president’s poll numbers are going down because increasing numbers of people disagree with particular policies of his, but the damage being done to the fundamental structure of this nation goes far beyond particular counterproductive policies.

“Just where in the Constitution of the United States does it say that a president has the authority to extract vast sums of money from a private enterprise and distribute it as he sees fit to whomever he deems worthy of compensation? Nowhere. And yet that is precisely what is happening with a $20 billion fund to be provided by BP to compensate people harmed by their oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…

“If our laws and our institutions determine that BP ought to pay $20 billion — or $50 billion or $100 billion — then so be it. But the Constitution says that private property is not to be confiscated by the government without ‘due process of law.’

“Technically, it has not been confiscated by Barack Obama, but that is a distinction without a difference. With vastly expanded powers of government available at the discretion of politicians and bureaucrats, private individuals and organizations can be forced into accepting the imposition of powers that were never granted to the government by the Constitution. If you believe that the end justifies the means, then you don’t believe in constitutional government.

“And, without constitutional government, freedom cannot endure. There will always be a ‘crisis’ — which, as the president’s chief of staff has said, cannot be allowed to ‘go to waste’ as an opportunity to expand the government’s power. That power will of course not be confined to BP or to the particular period of crisis that gave rise to the use of that power, much less to the particular issues.

“When Franklin D. Roosevelt arbitrarily took the United States off the gold standard, he cited a law passed during the First World War to prevent trading with the country’s wartime enemies. But there was no war when FDR ended the gold standard’s restrictions on the printing of money. At about the same time, during the worldwide Great Depression, the German Reichstag passed a law ‘for the relief of the German people.’ That law gave Hitler dictatorial powers that were used for things going far beyond the relief of the German people — indeed, powers that ultimately brought a rain of destruction down on the German people and on others…

“The man appointed by President Obama to dispense BP’s money as the administration sees fit, to whomever it sees fit, is only the latest in a long line of presidentially appointed ‘czars’ controlling different parts of the economy, without even having to be confirmed by the Senate, as Cabinet members are…”

It is very true that in times of crises, democratic governments will use dictatorial means, and democratic values and institutions will suffer in the process. The Bible predicts that Europe will also develop from a more democratic to a very dictatorial power bloc.

Obama’s Healthcare Making Matters Worse

USA Today reported on June 22:

“President Obama… discuss[ed today]… [n]ew rules to stop health insurance ‘abuses’ and provide new consumer protections for health care consumers… Obama also warned insurance companies against ‘unjustified rate increases,’ and he said his administration would be watching ‘to make sure the new law is not being used as an excuse to drive up costs.’

“Congressional Republicans such as Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the restrictions and expense of the new law can’t help but drive up costs throughout the health care system. ‘This shouldn’t be called a health care bill of rights, but a bill of goods that the American people aren’t buying,’ Hatch said. ‘Politically-motivated threats won’t lower skyrocketing health care costs…’

“Hatch cited polls showing that most Americans are worried about the impact of the law on their own health care…”

Of course, greedy insurance companies use and will continue to use the new healthcare bill as an excuse to raise premiums in astronomical and unprecedented ways. As the Associated Press reported on June 21, “People who buy their own health insurance have been hit lately with premium hikes that far exceed increases in premiums for employer-sponsored coverage… recent premium hikes requested by insurers for individual coverage averaged 20 percent.” It added in a related article: “…about 14 million purchase insurance on the individual market and have the least bargaining power when it comes to costs.”

But a 20% increase in premiums is just the average. In many cases, greedy insurance companies demand premium increases of 30% and beyond. This development was predictable, and the shortsightedness of the healthcare legislators is absolutely deplorable. The Bible says that in these last days, the United States of America would be ruled by leaders incapable of recognizing or solving the country’s problems.

ABC wrote on June 23:

“President Barack Obama and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned insurance companies not to impose outsize premium increases while healthcare reform is being implemented… In a call with reporters, Sebelius said she is urging state insurance commissioners to investigate suspicious premium increases and said the federal government is also monitoring such increases… On July 1, people with preexisting medical conditions who haven’t been able to obtain insurance will be eligible for a new, temporary, high-risk pool called the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan.” 

Arabs Deeply Divided

Deutsche Welle reported on June 22:

“When Algeria faces the US on Wednesday in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, many Arabs will be rooting for the Americans rather than for their Arab brethren. Even soccer, it seems, can’t paper over the cracks in unity.

“In Egypt, deep-seated anti-Americanism is likely to be drowned out for the duration of the match by memories of the scuffles, fires and broken glass that marked the Egyptian national team’s qualifier for the World Cup against Algeria. The violence sparked demonstrations on three continents and a fierce political row. Egypt and Algeria recalled their ambassadors and Libyan leader Col. Moammar Ghadafi was forced to intervene to prevent the dispute from escalating.

“‘Damn the so-called Arab unity, we should no longer talk about it. We should review our situations. We can no longer bear such incidents,’ fumed Egyptian sports news caster Ibrahim Hegazi in the wake of Egypt’s defeat at the feet of the Algerians.

“The fallout of the Egyptian-Algerian qualifier and the mood in coffeehouses and private homes across the Middle East as millions watch the World Cup games on television is a telling barometer of the fault lines that divide the region. Unlike Africans, who cheer their national teams in South Africa but see victory not only as success for their country but for their continent as a whole, Arabs aren’t rooting for the one Arab team that made it to the World Cup.

“In fact, in the Middle East soccer is proving to be divisive rather than unifying. The notion of sports as a bridge builder like in South Africa where rugby eased the transition into the post-apartheid era lies beyond the Middle East’s realm of the imaginable. Brazilian, German, Spanish, Italian and Argentine flags flutter from cars in Beirut where fans express passions for their World Cup favorite normally reserved for one’s own national team. In the Gulf, many have their bets on Brazil while England is often the favorite in Jordan and Israel…

“The Palestinians, a national team without a country, never made it out of the starting block. Israeli travel restrictions prevented the team from fielding 11 players in what was supposed to be their first qualifying match against Singapore. Likewise, Lebanon, a country in which spectators have been barred from soccer games since the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, never stood a chance…

“On the pitch, Iran’s World Cup hopes were narrowly ditched by South Korea. But members of the Islamic republic’s national team had more on their minds than the World Cup. Several players took to the pitch in the first half of the game wearing green armbands in support of the Green Revolution movement that was protesting the outcome of the country’s presidential election. Supporters unfurled banners in the stadium saying ‘Free Iran.’ The government and the team’s coach were outraged forcing the players to leave their armbands in their lockers during the second half. Iranian newspapers reported that the armband-wearing players were fired after the game because of their insubordination…

“With the country tearing itself apart in a frenzy of sectarian violence and teetering on the verge of civil war, Iraq’s national team of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish players won the 2007 Asian Cup. Its World Cup hopes were however initially dashed by Qatar, whose long-term prospects of reaching the World Cup have since probably been thwarted by FIFA’s objections to the gas-rich Gulf state’s attempts to seduce Latin American players by offering them citizenship in addition to bags full of cash.

“Like Iraq, war-ravaged Somalia, another Arab state, fields a multi-ethnic, multi-clan national team. But it operates under even more harrowing conditions than its Iraqi counterpart. The stadium in Mogadishu, the country’s only sporting facilities, often serves as a battlefield. Players disperse of bullets and bodies prior to training. Members of the team have been killed or maimed for life, others have gone into exile.

“Fans share their fate. Islamists recently stormed a home near Mogadishu where World Cup enthusiasts were watching the match between Nigeria and Argentina; two people were killed and 10 others detained, while 15 others were arrested while watching the Germany-Australia game. There is little, if any, indication that Middle Eastern rulers will recognize the opportunities offered by sports to manage the region’s fault lines any time soon…”

Even though Arab states are deeply divided, they are united in their hatred of Israel. The Bible says that for a short while, many Arab nations will unite with Germany and Turkey, to fight against Israel.

“German-Israeli Relations in a State of Crisis”

Der Spiegel wrote on June 21:

“German Development Minister Dirk Niebel was denied entry to the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Once again, it would seem, Israel has failed to strike the correct diplomatic tone. And it shows that the country cannot deal with criticism…

“The object of his Gaza Strip visit was the site of a €12 million waste water treatment plant. Israel denied permission, however, because ‘Hamas uses such visits in a manipulative fashion in order to show that its diplomatic isolation in the international arena has been broken,’ according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

“But it is hard to say exactly what helps Hamas. It seems likely that Israel’s storming of the pro-Gaza fleet at the end of May helped Hamas more than Niebel ever could have done by visiting Gaza, particularly since the German politician had no plans to meet any representatives of Hamas anyway…

“Even former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, representing the Quartet on the Middle East (a diplomatic foursome made up of the United States, the UN, the EU and Russia), had to make several attempts before he got permission for a visit…

“It is also important to note that Niebel is anything but a detractor of Israel. As a young man, he was a volunteer on a kibbutz, Kfar Giladi on the border of Israel and Lebanon. He has also defended Israeli military actions more than once in the past. He is currently the vice-president of the German-Israeli Society. Niebel is a friend of Israel…

“One cannot see what happened to Niebel over the weekend in isolation. The Israelis are testy because they have noticed that, over the last few months, many good friends of their nation have begun to drift away. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel all belong to that group.

“German-Israeli relations are in a state of crisis. The arrogance of the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to blame…”

The relationship between the state of Israel and Germany, as well as Europe, will deteriorate. Some claim, because they don’t understand and misinterpret a particular passage in the book of Daniel, that Germany will enter into an unspecified treaty or friendship pact with Israel, which will allegedly last for 3 1/2 years. This concept does not find any support in Scripture.

Israel Eases Blockade

A-7 News reported on June 21:

“United States officials praised Israel’s change in policy regarding the blockade on Hamas-run Gaza Sunday. Quartet representative Tony Blair expressed satisfaction as well, but added, ‘the test of course will be not what it said, but what is done.’

“Israel will now allow all civilian goods into Gaza through its crossings in the southern Negev, and only weapons and materials used to make weapons will be banned. Dual-purpose goods such as cement, which is also used for reinforcing bunkers and launching pads, will be allowed through for supervised projects… The policy change followed criticism from U.S. President Barack Obama, who recently called the blockade ‘unsustainable’ after a clash between Israeli commandos and terror activists on a Gaza-bound flotilla that aimed to break Israel’s naval blockade.

“The naval blockade will remain in place, Netanyahu said Sunday. Sources reported that the prime minister believes loosening the blockade on goods will increase international acceptance of the security blockade on Gaza.”

In that, Netanyahu may be woefully mistaken.

A Two-Tier Euro?

The Telegraph wrote on June 19:

“Germany and France are examining ways of creating a ‘two-tier’ euro system to separate stronger northern European countries from weaker southern states. A European official has told The Daily Telegraph the dramatic option was being examined at cabinet level. Senior politicians believe their economies need to be better protected as they could not cope with another crisis on a par [with] the one in Greece.

“The creation of a ‘super-euro’ zone would initially include France, Germany, Holland, Austria, Denmark and Finland. The likes of Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and even Ireland would be left in a larger rump mostly Mediterranean grouping.

“The official said French and German officials had first spent months examining how to exclude poor-performing states from the euro but decided it was not feasible. A two-tier monetary system in the 16-member euro zone is being examined as a ‘plan B’. ‘The philosophy is the stronger countries might need to move away from countries they can’t afford to bail-out,’ said the official.

 “As a way of containing the damage, they may have to do something dramatic, though obviously in the short term implementation is difficult. ‘It’s an act of desperation. They are not talking about ideal solutions but the lesser of evils. Helping Greece could be done relatively cheaply but Spain they can’t afford to let fail or bail-out. And putting more pressure on the people of France and Germany to save other countries is politically unfeasible.’

“One option, to protect the wealthier northern European countries and to help indebted southern Europeans, would be for Germany to lead a group of countries out of the existing euro into a new single currency alongside the old. The old euro would decline sharply against the new German and French dominated currency but both north and southern Europeans would be protected.”

Of course, one has to be extremely careful with “news” like this, especially when it is being reported by an anti-euro publication such as the Telegraph. We can safely say that the abandonment of the euro in lieu of another currency is not an option. However, the idea of a “two-tier” euro may have some merit.

Further Deteriorating Relationship Between Europe and the USA

The EUObserver wrote on June 22:

“The UK government announced its toughest budget in a generation on Tuesday (22 June), while the Spanish parliament approved a package of labour market reforms it says will reduce the country’s high level of unemployment. At the same time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday said she had spoken with US President Barack Obama, telling him that Europe would push ahead with its austerity plans, despite US concerns this could slow global growth.

“‘Yesterday, during a phone call with Barack Obama, I told him how important budgetary consolidation was,’ Ms Merkel said, an indication of the division that has opened up ahead of this weekend’s G20 leaders’ meeting in Toronto.

“Non-eurozone Britain was the latest country to jump on the European austerity bandwagon on Tuesday, with chancellor George Osborne outlining drastic cuts of 25 percent for most government departments by 2014-15. The emergency budget also raised the rate of value added tax from next January to 20 percent and imposed a £2 billion levy on banks…”

Poland’s Future

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 22:

“Poland’s presidential election last Sunday was closer than expected, with centrist candidate Bronislaw Komorowski winning only a few percentage points more than his right-wing opponent Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The July 4 runoff between the two now looks likely to be a neck-and-neck race… Komorowski, the acting president, belongs to the Civic Platform party of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and shares Tusk’s vision of steering Poland closer to the European mainstream and joining the euro single currency.

“Kaczynski is a populist firebrand who opposes joining the euro and who upset Poland’s relations with Germany, Russia and the European Union during his time as prime minister in 2006 and 2007. The president has some important powers in Poland including the right to veto laws and appoint key officials. He also has a say in foreign and security policy. Kaczynski would be expected to carry on his brother’s habit of vetoing government bills…

“German media commentators writing in Tuesday’s papers hope the Poles will choose Komorowski… They have to choose whether they want to integrate more closely with the EU or move to the periphery — whether to move forward or back.

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘For Kaczynski, a strong state means that EU members don’t transfer any more powers to Brussels. Instead he wants a ‘Europe of fatherlands,’ an approach that France and Bavaria used to stand for and that Britain’s Conservatives still adhere to. That means he is absolutely opposed to joining the euro, contrary to Komorowski and Tusk. He would be a far more difficult partner for the other EU states than Komorowski.’

“Business daily Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘The run-off election on July 4 in the most populous of the EU’s new members will be a decision between fear and optimism, between openness and segregation. That means it will be a signal for Europe…'”

The Bible strongly indicates that Poland will adopt the euro and become an integral part of the European Union.

The Ongoing Battle of the Catholic Church

The Local wrote on June 22:

“What is going on in the Catholic Church in Germany? Wracked by sexual abuse scandals, it has now decided to get into an ugly row with disgraced Bishop Walter Mixa…

“It’s the perfect storm at exactly the wrong time for the Catholic Church: the personal tragedy of a man who was clearly not suited to be a bishop has smashed head-on into the stone cold attitude of his fellow clerics. How devastating is it when the Archbishop of Munich decides to keep secret serious accusations against Walter Mixa ‘in his own interest,’ but allows his own spokesman to mutter the former bishop of Augsburg’s stay in a psychiatric clinic is a first step to recovery?…

“In keeping with its tradition, the Church maintained its silence about Mixa for too long. This explains the force with which the affair has now erupted… When… Walter Mixa of the small Bavarian town of Schrobenhausen was appointed bishop of Eichstätt in 1996, the people of Schrobenhausen raised their eyebrows at first. But they did not speak up, because in a good Catholic area one does not dispute the local priest.

“Similarly, when Mixa’s transfer to Augsburg was imminent in 2005, rumours of unseemly sexual behaviour emanated from the seminary of Eichstätt, but they did not trickle through to the key Church officials because the wisdom of the Vatican was not to be questioned.

“It may also be true that objections were not heeded – or were not allowed to be heeded – in the higher rungs of the clergy hierarchy, because in the last few decades the Vatican has systematically barricaded itself from all protests affecting bishop appointments. When conflicts arose, as in the case of Joachim Meisner in Cologne, the Vatican has often preferred to force through its own candidates rather than bow to the wishes of a ‘rebellious’ Church congregation.

“The balance of power within the Church also protected Mixa, since he belonged to the conservative wing of the Bishops’ Conference, which was not willing or able to accept the weakening of its position. Such reflexes have made everything much worse. They have not only damaged the reputation of a single faction, but of the entire Church.

“The massive scope of child abuse scandal at Catholic institutions has forced Church officials to end the era of leaden silence. Under John Paul II, it would have been unthinkable to see bishops question one of their own in public, destroying the ‘unity of the episcopate.’ But Pope Benedict XVI has allowed this to happen. He does not defend the indefensible; he prescribes a course of self-purification for his Church.

“But the pontiff has not offered any actual suggestions for what institutional reforms could result from this self-purification – neither for bishop appointments, dialogue with the church laity, nor priest celibacy. Benedict XVI is certainly closing one epoch, but as yet he is failing to open a new one.”

The Local added on June 23:

“Just one week ago, a defiant Mixa insisted he had been pressured to resign over claims he beat children in a Catholic orphanage in the 1970s and 1980s, and vowed to take his case to the Vatican. But on Wednesday he issued a joint statement with his former Augsburg diocese, announcing he was resigning for good. He recanted the claim he had been forced out by the head of Bavaria’s Catholic bishops, Archbishop Reinhard Marx, and the country’s top Archbishop, Robert Zollitsch…

“Last week, he claimed he had been forced to resign and vowed to have his case reviewed by the Vatican. He also moved back into his old quarters at the Augsburg bishop’s palace, apparently because he had nowhere else to stay. This was followed by media reports of a secret Church dossier that detailed Mixa’s alleged alcohol abuse and sexual assaults on young priests.

“The joint statement by Mixa and the diocese said he would leave his quarters at the bishop’s palace, and the diocese would find temporary accommodation for him… Crucially, it also stated that ‘former Bishop Mixa holds no one responsible, and reproaches no one, for the pressure which he felt in signing his resignation.'”

Incredible–Turkish Flag on Temple Mount

A-7 (Israel National News) reported on June 14:

“The Turkish flag was raised over the Temple Mount last week, following the flotilla clash while Jerusalem police banned Jews from holding the monthly march around the ancient gates of the holy site because of ‘security concerns.’ Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Israel National News that the unprecedented flag raising was legal. The pictures of the Turkish flag waving over the Temple Mount, where the First and Second Holy Temples were built and where the golden-domed Al-Aqsa mosque now stands, were published on the Turkish web site PLS48.net…

“Although there is no law against raising flags over the site, the practice has been shunned in order to prevent flaring tempers from Muslims and Jews. The Israel flag was raised over the Temple Mount for a few hours on June 6, 1967, after all of Jerusalem was restored to Israel in the Six-Day War. It was taken down under orders of then-IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan…

“Jimmy Carter, who… was President of the United States [from 1978-1982], warned that Sadat would not sign a peace treaty without the raising of the Saudi flag. He suggested that a flag would be flown only over the mosque and nowhere else over the Temple Mount, but Begin retorted, ‘Not on the Temple Mount’…”

The activities surrounding the Temple Mount are bound to “explode.” This will be especially true when the Jews will begin to offer the prophesied sacrifices on the Temple Mount.

Turkey Behind Flotilla

On June 11, The Jerusalem Post wrote:

“The captain of the Mavi Marmara  tried to convince dozens of IHH activists not to engage in violent clashes with the IDF two hours prior to the commando’s boarding of the ship… The Gaza flotilla ship’s captain, Mehmet Tubal, said while being investigated in Israel that he and other members of the Mavi Marmara’s staff did all they could to prevent the activists from confronting soldiers, even throwing some of the IHH member’s metal pipes and chains overboard. Another senior member of the ship’s staff said that 40 IHH activists took control of the Mavi Marmara and dictated the rest of the passengers’ movements.

“The occurrence of violence aboard the Mavi Marmara may have been predetermined by the IHH ‘s purchase of the ship along with possible tacit approval from the Turkish government. ‘[The] IHH acquired the Mavi Marmara ship from the AKP-run municipality of Istanbul. It is not conceivable that the IHH’s Gaza operation could have been carried out absent high-level government sanction,’ wrote Svante Cornell, a Swedish security expert… A journalist on-board the Mavi Marmara, described as having good links with the heads of the Turkish government and Bulent Yildirim, head of the IHH, had stated, ‘The flotilla was organized with the support of the Turkish government and Prime Minister Erdogan gave the instructions for it to set sail. That was despite the fact that everyone knew it would never reach its destination…'”

As can be expected, the Turkish government denied any and all involvement. Turkey, biblical “Edom,” will become very hostile towards Israel in the future. The book of Obadiah speaks of the coming Day of the Lord (verse 15). It says about Edom:

“For your violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off forever. In the day that you stood on the other side–In the day that strangers carried captive his forces, When foreigners entered his gates And cast lots for Jerusalem–Even you were as one of them. But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother In the day of his captivity; Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah In the day of their destruction; Nor should you have spoken proudly In the day of distress… Nor laid hands on their substance In the day of their calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads To cut off those among them who escaped; Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained In the day of distress” (verse 10-14).

Is it Really?–Worldwide Condemnation of Israel Reminiscent of Hitler Era?

Is it Really?–Worldwide Condemnation of Israel Reminiscent of Hitler Era?

On June 11, Haaretz published an article by Henry Siegman, former Senior Fellow on the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations and, before that, national director of the American Jewish Congress from 1978 to 1994. What first appears to be a defense of the policies of the state of Israel turns into a blatant condemnation of the Israeli government and the thinking of most Jews in the state of Israel:

“Following Israel’s bloody interdiction of the Gaza Flotilla, I called a life-long friend in Israel to inquire about the mood of the country. My friend, an intellectual and a kind and generous man, has nevertheless long sided with Israeli hardliners. Still, I was entirely unprepared for his response. He told me—in a voice trembling with emotion—that the world’s outpouring of condemnation of Israel is reminiscent of the dark period of the Hitler era. He told me most everyone in Israel felt that way…

“Like me, my friend personally experienced those dark Hitler years, having lived under Nazi occupation, as did so many of Israel’s Jewish citizens. I was therefore stunned by the analogy. He went on to say that the so-called human rights activists on the Turkish ship were in fact terrorists and thugs paid to assault Israeli authorities to provoke an incident that would discredit the Jewish state…

“When I managed to get over the shock of that exchange, it struck me that the invocation of the Hitler era was actually a frighteningly apt and searing analogy, although not the one my friend intended. A million and a half civilians have been forced to live in an open-air prison in inhuman conditions for over three years now, but unlike the Hitler years, they are not Jews but Palestinians. Their jailers, incredibly, are survivors of the Holocaust, or their descendants. Of course, the inmates of Gaza are not destined for gas chambers, as the Jews were, but they have been reduced to a debased and hopeless existence.

“Fully 80% of Gaza’s population lives on the edge of malnutrition, depending on international charities for their daily nourishment. According to the UN and World Health authorities, Gaza’s children suffer from dramatically increased morbidity that will affect and shorten the lives of many of them. This obscenity is a consequence of a deliberate and carefully calculated Israeli policy aimed at de-developing Gaza by destroying not only its economy but its physical and social infrastructure while sealing it hermitically [sic] from the outside world…

“Another feature of that dark era were absurd conspiracies attributed to the Jews by otherwise intelligent and cultured Germans. Sadly, even smart Jews are not immune to that disease…

“Of course, even the most objectionable Israeli policies do not begin to compare with Hitler’s Germany. But the essential moral issues are the same. How would Jews have reacted to their tormentors had they been consigned to the kind of existence Israel has imposed on Gaza’s population?… The German White Rose activists, mostly students from the University of Munich, who dared to condemn the German persecution of the Jews (well before the concentration camp exterminations began) were also considered ‘traitors’ by their fellow Germans, who did not mourn the beheading of these activists by the Gestapo.

“So, yes, there is reason for Israelis, and for Jews generally, to think long and hard about the dark Hitler era at this particular time. For the significance of the Gaza Flotilla incident lies not in the questions raised about violations of international law on the high seas, or even about ‘who assaulted who’ first on the Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, but in the larger questions raised about our common human condition by Israel’s occupation policies and its devastation of Gaza’s civilian population.

“If a people who so recently experienced on its own flesh such unspeakable inhumanities cannot muster the moral imagination to understand the injustice and suffering its territorial ambitions—and even its legitimate security concerns—are inflicting on another people, what hope is there for the rest of us?…”

Zechariah 14:14 says that “Judah will fight against Jerusalem” (Revised Standard Version; New American Bible; New Jerusalem Bible; Luther Bible; Elberfelder Bible; Menge Bible; Zuercher Bible). More and more Jews, living outside the state of Israel, will become frustrated with their government’s policies and will ultimately join other nations in their fight against Jerusalem (compare Zechariah 14:2).

Iran Sends “Aid Ships” to Gaza

Reuters reported on June 14:

“Iran is sending aid ships to blockaded Gaza, state radio said on Monday — a move likely to be considered provocative by Israel which accuses Tehran of arming the Palestinian enclave’s Islamist rulers, Hamas. One ship left port on Sunday and another will depart by Friday, loaded with food, construction material and toys, the report said. The boats would be part of international efforts to break Israel’s isolation of the Gaza Strip…

“Israeli troops two weeks ago boarded a flotilla of Turkish aid ships heading to Gaza on May 31 and killed nine pro-Palestinian activists, most of them Turks. Public opinion in Muslim countries was outraged by the killings. An official of the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s youth organisation said some 100,000 Iranians had volunteered as potential crew for aid ships, Iran daily reported.

“A senior Iranian official said earlier Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards were ready to provide a military escort to aid ships heading to Gaza if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei so commands. But the Guards’ deputy head, Hossein Salami, said there were no plans to do so… Any such military mobilisation would risk a major confrontation with Israel…”

We will have to see how far Iran is willing to go to provoke a fight with Israel.

Saudi Arabia Will Not Allow Israel to Use Their Airspace

Haaretz reported on June 12:

“Saudi Arabia would not allow Israeli bombers to pass through its airspace en route to a possible strike of Iran’s nuclear facilities, a member of the Saudi royal family said Saturday, denying an earlier Times of London report. Earlier Saturday, the Times reported that Saudi Arabia has practiced standing down its anti-aircraft systems to allow Israeli warplanes passage on their way to attack Iran’s nuclear installations, adding that the Saudis have allocated a narrow corridor of airspace in the north of the country.

“Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, the Saudi envoy to the U.K. speaking to the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, denied that report, saying such a move ‘would be against the policy adopted and followed by the Kingdom.’ According to Asharq al-Awsat report, bin Nawaf reiterated the Saudi Arabia’s rejection of any violation of its territories or airspace, adding that it would be ‘illogical to allow the Israeli occupying force, with whom Saudi Arabia has no relations whatsoever, to use its land and airspace’…

“Despite tensions between them, Israel and Saudi Arabia share a mutual hostility to Iran… Passing over Iraq would require at least tacit consent to the raid from the United States, whose troops are occupying the country. So far, the Obama Administration has refused this.

“On Wednesday the United Nations passed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran in an attempt to force it to stop enriching uranium. But immediately after the UN vote, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed the nuclear program would continue. Israel hailed the vote – but said sanctions were not enough and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to rule out a raid.”

It appears indeed doubtful that Saudi Arabia would lend a hand to Israel, as Arab nations, including Saudi-Arabia (“Ishmael”), as well as Turkey (“Edom”), will form a confederacy against Israel (Psalm 83:5-8).

Euro Here to Stay

Bloomberg reported on June 11:

” European Central Bank council member Mario Draghi said the euro cannot be undone. ‘There is no going back on the euro,’ Draghi said on the sidelines of a conference in Helsinki. ‘People have to understand the euro is to stay.'”

Euro on the Rise?

CNBC wrote on June 15:

“The euro rose against the dollar as strong demand for government debt from several European countries offset worries about the debt crisis…

“’Most of the downtrend in the euro is done,’ said Michael Cohn, chief investment strategist at Global Arena Investment Management. ‘We’ll probably have one more downdraft for the euro by August to around $1.15, but that’s it.’”

Will Europe Return to the 1930’s?

The EUObserver wrote on June 14:

“The chief of Europe’s trade union chiefs, John Monks, has warned that the austerity packages being imposed across the bloc will send the continent ‘back to the 1930s’… ‘This is extremely dangerous. This is 1931, we’re heading back to the 1930s, with the Great Depression and we ended up with militarist dictatorship,’ the general secretary of the European Trades Union Congress (ETUC) said… ‘I’m not saying we’re there yet, but it’s potentially very serious, not just economically, but politically as well.’

“Mr Monks reported that Mr Barroso has similar concerns, but based on diametrically opposed reasoning. He said the commission chief believes the austerity packages will save Europe from returning to the darkest days of the last century rather than precipitating the fall. ‘I had a discussion with Barroso last Friday about what can be done for Greece, Spain, Portugal and the rest and his message was blunt: “Look, if they do not carry out these austerity packages, these countries could virtually disappear in the way that we know them as democracies. They’ve got no choice, this is it.” He’s very, very worried. He shocked us with an apocalyptic vision of democracies in Europe collapsing because of the state of indebtedness'”…”

Germany’s Government About to Crumble?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 15:

“… many in Germany are befuddled by the apparent inability of Merkel’s coalition… to govern. And the frustration isn’t just limited to the opposition. Conflict after conflict has marked the eight months since the chancellor began her second term in office… And with party and coalition discipline crumbling, an otherwise routine vote on June 30 to replace [German President] Köhler threatens to become Merkel’s Waterloo… And revolt is in the air.

“Of particular concern for the chancellor is her seeming inability to put even a single conflict within her coalition, or even within her own party, to rest… A government minister told SPIEGEL last week that there are a handful of ministers who see little point in continuing. He said that a premature disintegration of Merkel’s coalition is a very real possibility. According to a survey conducted by pollster Infratest, 55 percent of the German public agrees…

“Which means that the approaching presidential election feels increasingly like a vote of confidence on Merkel’s leadership. Potentially even more ominous for Merkel, the opposition has come up with a highly attractive candidate: Joachim Gauck, a former anti-communist human rights activist in East Germany, who was later in charge of the administration of the Stasi secret police files after German reunification.

“Not only have the Greens and the SPD rallied behind him, but there are many within the FDP who were turned off by the heavy-handed manner in which Merkel selected her party’s presidential candidate. Some have openly thrown their support behind Gauck. Even within Merkel’s CDU, there are some who have wondered aloud whether Gauck might not be the better choice. Were the German public allowed to vote, Gauck would beat Merkel’s candidate Wulff by 40 percent to 31 percent, according to recent surveys.

“… new elections could send both parties into the opposition… Even should her government survive the summer, it appears unlikely that significant improvement will be made… Gero Neugebauer, a political science professor at Berlin’s Free University, told SPIEGEL ONLINE [:] ‘Merkel failed to come up with a unifying aim for her government. Now, her only grip on power is that there is no alternative.'”

But there will soon be an “alternative.” The Bible says that in the end, ten European “core” nations or groups of nations “will give their power and authority” to a dictator (Revelation 17:12-13). By then, democracy in Europe will have ceased. In this light, the next announcement is also quite interesting.

European Cross-Border Economic Government?

Deutsche Welle reported on June 17:

“Leaders of eurozone countries and all other EU member states are meeting in Brussels this Thursday to address the mounting problem of debt in Europe. Statements heading into the summit said efforts would be made to establish a cross-border economic government to prevent the recurrence of financial crises in the bloc.”

Now For Sure–the War in Afghanistan Will Continue

The Washington Post wrote on June 14:

“U.S. geologists have discovered vast mineral wealth in Afghanistan, possibly amounting to $1 trillion, President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman said Monday… The New York Times reported the $1 trillion figure in Monday’s edition and quoted senior American officials as saying untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan are far beyond any previously known reserves and were enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself…”

We can expect the fighting in Afghanistan to intensify as both the Allies and the Taliban want to make sure that they will be in charge of the “rich” Afghan mineral wealth. Ultimately, wars are being fought because of lust and greed, notwithstanding all the nice justifications which politicians are offering to unsuspecting or willfully ignorant or forgetful people (compare James 4:1-3).

President Obama a Muslim?

WorldNet Daily wrote on June 14:

“An Egyptian foreign-service official’s comment about President Obama is turning into a sensation among bloggers for its claim that the American leader claims to be Muslim… Obama… claimed to be a Muslim in a television interview where the interviewer corrected his ‘misstatement’ and he has referenced the Muslim heritage in America’s past several times.

“Now the heat on the issue is being turned up because of a weeks-old report in Israel Today. In the report, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was quoted as saying during an appearance on Nile TV that ‘the American president told me in confidence that he is a Muslim.’

“The White House remained silent on the comment, declining to respond to a WND request for comment.”

For further information, please view our StandingWatch program, “Why the Fort Hood Massacre?”

China’s US Government Debt Holdings Hit 2010 High

AFP wrote on June 15:

“The cash-rich Chinese government raised its US Treasury bond holdings to 900.2 billion dollars in April, its highest level since November 2009, while posting the second consecutive monthly rise, according to a report on international capital flows. China remained far ahead as the top foreign debt holder, followed by Japan, which held 795.5 billion dollars in April, and third-placed Britain at 239.3 billion dollars, according to the figures… some analysts said Beijing was secretly buying bonds via third countries to mask its importance as a creditor — a role which had attracted considerable scrutiny…

“The data Tuesday indicated that China remains ‘a steadfast buyer’ of Treasuries, averaging 10.3 billion dollars per month in 2009 and 8.2 billion dollars per month for the first four months of 2010, he said. China, the world’s largest holder of foreign-exchange reserves, has been constantly criticizing Washington for its snowballing debt levels, fearing that Beijing’s investment in US government bonds could turn sour if a debt crisis overwhelms America.”

President Obama: “There Will Be Transition Costs”

On June 14, President Obama wrote the following public announcement, which was circulated on the Internet:

“The BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast is the worst environmental disaster of its kind in our nation’s history. I am returning to the region today to review our efforts and meet with families and business owners affected by the catastrophe. We are working to hold BP accountable for the damage to the lands and the livelihoods of the Gulf Coast, and we are taking strong precautions to make certain a spill like this never happens again…

“Today, we consume more than 20 percent of the world’s oil, but have less than two percent of the world’s oil reserves. Beyond the risks inherent in drilling four miles beneath the surface of the Earth, our dependence on oil means that we will continue to send billions of dollars of our hard-earned wealth to other countries every month — including many in dangerous and unstable regions.

“In other words, our continued dependence on fossil fuels will jeopardize our national security. It will smother our planet. And it will continue to put our economy and our environment at risk…

“The time has come, once and for all, for this nation to fully embrace a new future. That means continuing our unprecedented effort to make everything — from our homes and businesses to our cars and trucks — more energy-efficient. It means rolling back billions of dollars of tax breaks to oil companies so we can prioritize investments in clean energy research and development… There will be transition costs and a time of adjustment…”

In a time of national economic crisis, “transition costs” may be the last thing this country needs.

“Insults Across the Water”

The New York Times wrote on June 13:

“Well, now: it seems our dear ally across the pond feels that a row has broken out over the intemperance of the American president toward mighty BP. ‘Anglophobic spite,’ was the charge leveled at President Obama by a columnist for The Daily Mail, implausibly attributing the animus to Obama’s Kenyan father. London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, demanded an end to ‘anti-British rhetoric.’ He demanded it! Or else. And a leading Tory by name of Lord Tebbit branded Obama’s conduct ‘despicable.’

“All of this came just before the extraordinary events on Saturday in South Africa, when the American boys — none of whom could make the British squad, it is said — played Her Majesty’s finest to a draw in the World Cup’s opening round. ‘Brit Kneels Before America!’ was the headline on the ever-subtle Drudge Report, with a picture of the poor English goalie on his knees. The oil spill may long be forgotten in Britain before the English get over that single goal scored by the Yanks…

“American anger has little to do with the island nation and everything to do with a multinational corporation that has appeared tone deaf and negligent… The insults across the water can be explained, in part, by that old line about two nations separated by a common language…

“… my colleague Sarah Lyall explained the gap this way:

“‘We look to the future; they look to the past. We run for election; they stand for it. We noisily and proudly proclaim our Americanness; they shuffle their feet and apologize for their Britishness. We trumpet our success; they brag about their failures. When they say they are pleased to meet you, they often mean nothing of the kind'”…

“And who can forget that headline in The Daily Mirror after George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004: ‘How Can 59,054,087 People Be So Dumb?’…

“… the oil spill is death to a way of life for thousands, and a high crime against nature. The anger is real… This week, it’s only going to get worse, when BP directors consider whether to suspend their dividend, and the company’s executives are called to the White House. The president plans to ask them to set up an escrow account for those affected by the spill.

“For diversion, there is a month of glorious soccer, often called a gentleman’s game played by thugs, which is a good way to describe the politics of two democracies from the same family.”

Sadly, animosity and antagonism will increase between the “two democracies from the same family”–the family or house of Israel and of Israel’s son Joseph, with Joseph’s son Ephraim being the ancestor of modern Great Britain, and Joseph’s son Manasseh being the ancestor of modern USA. Isaiah 9:21 says: “Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, And they together shall be against Judah.” Only after Christ’s return, that situation will change, as Isaiah 11:13 says: “Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.”

Gulf Oil Spill Disaster and Biblical Prophecy

The Examiner wrote on June 13:

“A number of websites and news organizations have begun to relate the Gulf oil spill with predictions of disaster as told in the book of Revelations in the Christian Bible…

“Revelation 8:8–11 [:] ‘The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed … A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter.’
           
“… there are similarities in what we are able to see in the Gulf of Mexico now, and what was written then.

“Approximately one-third of Gulf waters are now off limits to fishing, and many images of the oil spill resemble an ominous river of red. Thousands of uncounted sea creatures have died and the numbers are still rising. Some patches of surface oil have been set on fire and BP plans to burn more.

“The Christian Bible states that the tribulations in Revelation are ‘judgements’ for the evils of humanity: Greed; hatred; bigotry and discrimination against the poor, among other social and ethical ills; all are spoken against in the Bible. Yet all are found in today’s political and social environment…

“Believers in the Christian Bible have a foundation on which to base their apocalyptic theories as it relates to the Gulf oil spill, along with other foretold events taking place in our world today. ‘Earthquakes in various places’, violence, upheaval, starvation and other natural disasters, are all referenced as signs of the apocalypse in the Books of Revelation and Daniel.

“… there are global problems that tie our world together as never before – for better and for worse, and there are few simultaneous threats that compare to the financial, social and environmental issues we are facing today. We are living in a time when history cannot repeat itself, because we have never experienced anything like this before.”

This is quite a statement. Jesus Christ warned that a devastating time would soon come upon mankind, stating in Matthew 24:21: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Daniel 12:1 speaks about that same time, saying: “… And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time.”

Pope Is “Sorry” for Sex Scandal and Strongly Defends Celibacy

On June 11, USA Today wrote:

“Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Pope Benedict XVI has apologized — again — for clergy sexual abuse of minors as the global scandal continues to scorch his papacy. This time, the apology came at a Mass celebrating the conclusion of the Year of the Priest… But will this be enough? No, says BishopAccountability.Org, the first of the victim’s groups to roll out a statement.

“‘The pope’s response has been platitudes, metaphor, and rhetoric. What’s worse, with the appalled Catholic laity waiting for solutions, the Pope prescribed merely an internal, inadequate next step — better seminary screening and formation. But we all have learned in recent years that the most effective solutions lie outside the Church. To solve this massive crisis, the Pope must take specific actions himself and also endorse and facilitate certain external measures that would advance transparency and justice.'”

USA Today added on June 13:

“Pope Benedict XVI strongly defended celibacy for priests as a sign of faith in an increasingly secular world during a rally Thursday that drew some 15,000 priests from around the world to Rome.”

The Hidden Wealth of the Catholic Church

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 14:

“The Catholic Church in Germany, already struggling to cope with the sex abuse scandal, has been hit by revelations of theft, opaque accounting and extravagance… The Catholic Church is currently being shaken by a number of financial scandals…

“More than €40 million have gone missing in the Diocese of Magdeburg in eastern Germany, €5 million have disappeared in Limburg near Frankfurt, and it was recently discovered that a senior priest in the Diocese of Münster had 30 secret bank accounts…

“The unemployed, recipients of housing assistance, families, communities, businesses, the military — in the coming years, the federal government plans to deprive them all of billions of euros. But the church, of all things, is being spared, and hardly anyone questions the generous support it receives from the government.

“Financially speaking, Germany’s dioceses are in excellent shape. ‘The Catholic Church claims that it’s poor, but the truth is that it hides its wealth,’ says Carsten Frerk, a Berlin political scientist who, after years of research, is publishing ‘Violettbuch Kirchenfinanzen’ (The Violet Book of Church Finances) this fall. Frerk estimates the cash assets of the church’s legal entities at about €50 billion…

“The assets, accumulated over the centuries, are invested in many areas, including real estate, church-owned banks, academies, breweries, vineyards, media companies and hospitals. The church also derives income from stock holdings, foundations and bequests…

“Year after year, both the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church in Germany receive generous payments from the federal, state and local governments. Not as well known as the church tax (about €10 billion a year) are the annual subsidies to the church, both direct and indirect, which in 2000 amounted to an estimated €17 billion.

“The government pays substantial sums of money for the maintenance and constant renovation of cathedrals and other church buildings. It pays the salaries of religion teachers and foots the bill for the altar wine used in church services for the military. Some benefits, such as the annual firewood deliveries a few southern German towns make to their bishop, are based on 200-year-old entitlements that politicians have never reviewed.

“Despite the constitutional separation of church and state in Germany, substantial subsidies are paid for church conferences, church libraries, pastors who minister to police officers, inmates of prisons and psychiatric institutions, and the military. The government even helps to pay for the employment of conscientious objectors, and for the maintenance of offering boxes and wayside crosses.

“In return, the church is not even required to pay taxes: no property tax, no corporate tax and no capital gains tax. Everything it does as a public corporation in Germany is considered charitable, benevolent and tax-exempt. Unlike other public corporations like universities, the church is not subject to any state supervision.”

The unspeakable wealth of the Roman Catholic Church is vividly described in chapters 17 and 18 of the book of Revelation.

The Witchdoctors of African Football

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 11:

“Aliyu Mbenkem and Julienn Aboude are absolutely convinced of their magical powers. The two faith healers live in a village called Akolinga in the West African nation of Cameroon… Can they influence the outcome of a football game? ‘That’s nothing. All I have to do is cast a few shells and contact the spirit of the playing field, then our own goal will be nailed up and the opposition’s goal will be wide open,’ the magician Mbenkem says…

“The Confederation of African Football likewise doesn’t want to hear about magic anymore and have banned witchcraft. No substances may be sprinkled over the playing fields and there can be no witch doctors on the bench with the teams…

“And then there is also the legendary story that is told about the Ivory Coast team, which won the Africa Cup of Nations final in 1992 after a penalty shoot-out 11:10. The fans credited the victory to the witch doctors who had been employed by the Ministry of Sport. The witch doctors themselves said that their services had been commissioned by the Ministry but that they had never been compensated for their services. As a result, they cursed the national team. And indeed, the Elephants, as the team is known, won nothing for years. Finally, a decade later, the country’s defense minister apologized to the aggrieved witch doctors on behalf of the nation for ‘the 1992 promise that was not fulfilled after the Africa Cup.’ The minister also offered the witchdoctors $2,000 (around €1,670) and asked them to start working for ‘the republic and the sports minister’ again.

“‘They bend the lines, bewitch the ball, befuddle the referees (and) paralyze goal keepers,’ Bartholomäus Grill, the Africa correspondent for weekly newspaper Die Zeit, wrote about the witch doctors… ‘Just as every German team has a masseur, every African team has a witchdoctor,’ says Anthony Baffoe, a Ghanaian footballer who played for years in Germany’s top league as well as for Ghana’s national team and who now works for the Ghana Football Association. German filmmaker Oliver Becker tells of watching a Tanzanian player anoint the grave of a deceased teammate with chicken blood so that he might acquire the dribbling skills of the dead man, for himself. And the Botswana Sports Magazine has even felt it necessary to inform citizens that: ‘There is no evidence that football games can be won through witchcraft alone.'”

These terrible superstitions and demonic influences will only cease after Christ has returned. He will not allow Satan and his evil angels to deceive mankind and to possess mediums, witches, sorcerers and witch doctors to carry out their abominable deeds. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”

Too Much Medical Radiation

The Associated Press wrote on June 14:

“Americans get the most medical radiation in the world, even more than folks in other rich countries. The U.S. accounts for half of the most advanced procedures that use radiation, and the average American’s dose has grown sixfold over the last couple of decades.

“Too much radiation raises the risk of cancer. That risk is growing because people in everyday situations are getting imaging tests far too often. Like the New Hampshire teen who was about to get a CT scan to check for kidney stones until a radiologist, Dr. Steven Birnbaum, discovered he’d already had 14 of these powerful X-rays for previous episodes…

“Radiation is a hidden danger — you don’t feel it when you get it, and any damage usually doesn’t show up for years. Taken individually, tests that use radiation pose little risk. Over time, though, the dose accumulates. Doctors don’t keep track of radiation given their patients — they order a test, not a dose. Except for mammograms, there are no federal rules on radiation dose…

“How much radiation is risky?

“It’s hard to say. The best guess is based on the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident and studies of Japanese atomic bomb survivors who had excess cancer risk after exposures of 50 to 150 millisieverts (a measure of dose) of radiation… Since previous studies suggest that a third of all tests are unnecessary, 20 million adults and more than 1 million children are needlessly being put at risk… Mayo Clinic researchers reviewed the medical records of 251 people given heart scans in 2007 and found that only a quarter of them were clearly appropriate.”

Doctors and medicines have their place, but we must use extreme caution and balance. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Sickness and Healing–What the Bible Tells Us.”

Space Storm Coming?

The Daily Telegraph wrote on June 14:

“Britain could face widespread power blackouts and be left without critical communication signals for long periods of time, after the earth is hit by a once-in-a-generation ‘space storm’, Nasa has warned. National power grids could overheat and air travel severely disrupted while electronic items, navigation devices and major satellites could stop working after the Sun reaches its maximum power in a few years.

“Senior space agency scientists believe the Earth will be hit with unprecedented levels of magnetic energy from solar flares after the Sun wakes ‘from a deep slumber’ sometime around 2013, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. In a new warning, Nasa said the super storm would hit like ‘a bolt of lightning’ and could cause catastrophic consequences for the world’s health, emergency services and national security unless precautions are taken.

“Scientists believe it could damage everything from emergency services’ systems, hospital equipment, banking systems and air traffic control devices, through to ‘everyday’ items such as home computers, iPods and Sat Navs. Due to humans’ heavy reliance on electronic devices, which are sensitive to magnetic energy, the storm could leave a multi-billion pound damage bill and ‘potentially devastating’ problems for governments.

“’We know it is coming but we don’t know how bad it is going to be,’ Dr Richard Fisher, the director of Nasa’s Heliophysics division, said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.”

Asteroids and the End of the World

The Independent wrote on June 14:

“What kind of catastrophe would it take to end the world? Astronomical intruders provide a potentially serious threat. Impacts can be caused by stray rubble from the Asteroid Belt and the rocky snowballs that travel in highly elliptical orbits in the comet cloud… Every century or so, a 10-meter meteor slams into the Earth with the force of a small nuclear device. Tunguska was the site of the last, in 1908, and it was pure luck that that meteor landed in the uninhabited wilderness of Siberia.

“Every few thousand years, Earth can pass through unusually thick parts of the debris trail of comets, turning the familiar light show of a meteor shower into a deadly firestorm. Roughly every 100,000 years, a projectile hundreds of meters across unleashes power equal to the world’s nuclear arsenals. The result is devastation over an area the size of England, global tidal waves (if the impact is in the ocean), and enough dust flung into the atmosphere to dim the Sun and kill off vegetation…

“Then there’s the ‘Big One’. About every 100 million years, a rock the size of a small asteroid slams into the Earth, causing global earthquakes, kilometre-high tidal waves, and immediately killing all large land animals. Creatures in the sea soon follow, as trillions of tons of vaporised rock cause drastic cooling and the destruction of the food chain based on photosynthesis. There’s good evidence that this happened 65 million years ago [when] the giant lizards were extinguished.

“A hundred million years sounds like a safe buffer, but the next one could happen at any time…”

The Bible prophesies that this earth will be hit very soon by asteroids, comets or meteorites, as happened in the past. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults.”

“Israel’s Voyage Into Isolation”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 7:

After last Monday’s raid on a flotilla of peace activists heading toward the Gaza Strip, Israel finds itself on the defensive. Not only has Turkey turned its back on the country, but the US too is angered by the unilateralism of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu…

“In fact, the incident couldn’t have been more advantageous for the rulers of the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip… Hamas says more ships are on their way, from Turkey, Ireland, Bahrain, Kuwait and Algeria — altogether two or even three times as many ships as participated in last Monday’s effort…

“Rarely has there been so much international outrage toward Israel. Tehran and Damascus, as expected, voiced their typical fury, but this time Israel’s allies in the Middle East also took their distance. Turkey, which lost the largest number of citizens on the Mavi Marmara, accused Israel of ‘piracy’ and ‘banditry.’ Egypt opened its border to the Gaza Strip, thereby abandoning the blockade policy it had pursued together with Israel.

“At the summit between Russia and the European Union, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton called for an immediate end to the Gaza blockade, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Israel’s policy ‘unjust,’ and even the Chinese leadership, which normally keeps itself out of the Middle East conflict, said it was ‘shocked by Israel’s attack.’

“The strike, in short, was a disaster, irrespective of exactly how it played out. While some critics remained relatively diplomatic, merely ruffling the Israelis for their ‘immoderate’ approach, others were more direct. The influential German weekly Die Zeit described Israel as a ‘country that is increasingly acting as if it were in a separate moral world, pressured by the feeling of being alone and, as a result, believing itself to be empowered to commit arbitrary attacks.’

“Last Monday’s tragedy demonstrated two things: that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated politically; and that sealing off the Gaza Strip is as inefficient as it is pointless…

“Even those who have long exercised patience in the face of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s unilateralism are beginning to show signs of exasperation. US President Barack Obama has called for a thorough investigation, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in an unusually harsh tone, demanded international participation in the investigations…”

The USA–Israel’s Only Friend…

Nevertheless, on June 3, the Los Angeles Times reported about a slightly different policy by President Obama, which contradicts somewhat the impression given by the afore-mentioned article by Der Spiegel. The LA Times wrote:

“As most of the world has rushed to condemn Israel for its bungled seizure of a Turkish ferry that was attempting to break the Gaza blockade, President Obama has taken a different approach. Not only has he refused to condemn Israel’s hard-nosed prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu; he has cast the United States as Israel’s only friend.

“It’s a strategic gamble, and let’s hope it works… The Americans hope that the prime minister and at least some of the parties in his coalition will conclude that the status quo can’t be maintained — in Gaza or the West Bank. It’s not a foolproof strategy; there’s no such thing in the Middle East. It’s an attempt to wring some good out of a terrible crisis and, officials believe, the least bad alternative under the circumstances.”

Ultimately, as the Bible prophesies, Israel will find itself in isolation and total abandonment even by its closest allies. It is not our responsibility or purpose to assess blame or to take sides; rather, we are reporting the facts in the light of biblical prophecy. It is our commission to stand watch and, as a watchman who sees the disaster coming, warn those who are willing to listen and to heed. Everybody seems to have an opinion as to whether Israel acted correctly or illegally or excessively–but our point is that the developments in the Middle East, including the most recent events, set in motion biblically prophesied events, which will shortly come to pass.

Mankell: Here Is What Happened…

On June 7, Der Spiegel Online published an interview with best-selling Swedish author Henning Mankell, who is partially Jewish and who was on the convoy that was raided last week by Israeli commandos as it headed for the Gaza Strip. We are bringing you the following excerpts from Mankell’s statements which, if true, would be very damaging to Israel’s conduct:

“I was never on the main ship, the Mavi Marmara. We set sail from Cyprus. We were far out in international waters when the Israelis attacked… someone came in and said that the main ship had been attacked. From a distance, we saw the helicopters and the soldiers rappelling onto the deck, and we heard shots. We had no connection to the Mavi Marmara. It was only on the way to the Lufthansa flight that took me back to Stockholm (Editor’s note: Mankell was deported by Israeli authorities) that I learned of the dead… They came in speedboats [to board Mankell’s ship, the Sofia]. We went onto the bridge and waited for them there, and we offered no resistance…

“The Israeli soldiers were wearing masks, and they told us to go below deck. Some of us were somewhat older, and we weren’t moving fast enough for the Israelis, so the soldiers used electroshock weapons to speed us up. It was horrible. People were falling down. They shot rubber bullets at a man who was standing next to me. The soldiers were prepared to use violence on us from the beginning. And all of this in international waters. They had no legal basis for coming on board… They took control of the ship and set course for Israel. First it was piracy, and then it was kidnapping… they took away everything we had: phones, money, clothing, credit cards. That’s how each of [us] was treated. They are thieves…

“The commandos arrived in helicopters. It wasn’t the people on the ship who were boarding the helicopters. Besides, there is a right of self-defense in international waters… I spoke with a Swede who was on board the Mavi Marmara. He said that they shot a Palestinian in the middle of his head. That requires targeting, and it’s something that has to be intended… When we gathered below deck, the soldiers searched our ship, and when they returned they said they had found weapons. What were they? Razor blades and utility knives… I am extremely critical of Hamas… I don’t trust this president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) and the mullahs. They want to have any weapon that can be used to destroy Israel. Naturally we cannot accept that… I had an invitation to a literature festival in Tehran, which I turned down… Iran puts writers and intellectuals in prison and makes some of them disappear. I can’t go to a country like that… By the way, I have many Jewish friends, my books are published in Hebrew and are bestsellers, and a branch of my family is Jewish… I’m an eyewitness, because I was there. So much false information has already been disseminated…”

Eye Witness Accounts

On June 7, Der Spiegel Online published the following eye witness accounts of three people who were on board the Mavi Marmara. If true, these accounts would be damaging to Israel’s conduct, but they would also show that at least some of the activists were fully prepared for an Israeli attack, and that their whole purpose was to provoke such an attack for the glory of Mohammed and in anticipation of an “intifada” “holy war”:

“When the Hamburg resident Nader El Sakka, 58, tried to board the Challenger I in the port of Agios Nikolaos on Crete, he was told he had to sign a four-page document pledging that he would not engage in violence and that he possessed no weapons. He also had to provide the name and telephone number of a family member in case of an emergency. If he didn’t sign, he was told, he wouldn’t be allowed on board the Gaza-bound convoy. El Sakka… went on board the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish passenger ship. The flagship of the small fleet, it had Gaza activists on board from a dozen countries, the majority of whom — around 400 people — hailed from Turkey… The ship was linked via satellite with the Internet and a number of TV stations and continuously sent out images and interviews to the world. A reporter from the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera filed a report on Sunday afternoon that made headlines a number of days later. A group of Arab activists could be seen chanting: ‘Remember Khaibar, Khaibar, oh Jews! Muhammad’s army is returning!’

“This is an intifada battle cry, a fighting slogan that recalls a victorious battle fought by the Prophet Muhammad’s army against the Jews. El Sakka… disapproves… ‘I didn’t personally see this group on the ship. But I recognize the reporter. He was definitely there.’ The other footage in the report also stems from the Mavi Marmara, he says — including a woman standing on deck and saying in Arabic: ‘Right now we face one of two happy endings: either martyrdom or reaching Gaza’…

“Captain Mahmut Tural spotted Israeli ships on his radar. In response to their demand that he change course, he responded: ‘Negative. Our destination is Gaza.’ Then he ordered an exercise to prepare the passengers for an emergency… The activists suspected that an attack was imminent. They began to assign watches on deck…

“Israeli navy speedboats pulled up alongside the ship. The soldiers threw stun grenades and teargas grenades on deck… The only video footage initially released of the military’s Operation Sky Winds all came from the Israeli army. They showed soldiers rappelling from helicopters and being beaten down on deck by men armed with pipes and clubs. Towards the end of the week, details emerged from the films confiscated from the activists, including some that even surprised the Israelis. According to the newspaper Yediot Ahronot, one of the tapes shows an ‘Arab-looking woman’ using a stick to keep men from beating up an Israeli soldier. Furthermore ‘a number of leftist European activists are trying to protect the soldiers’…

“El Sakka fled to the lower deck when he noticed that live ammunition was being fired… He observed that an increasing number of dead and wounded were being brought down, including three injured soldiers… The shooting stopped after an hour, and a message came through the intercom that the ship was now under Israeli command. All passengers, including Sakka and Paech, were tied up and forced to kneel on the bloodstained upper deck. The ordeal lasted for four hours. Paech [Norman Paech, a former member of the German parliament, the Bundestag, for the far-left Left Party] and two current Left Party members of the Bundestag, Inge Höger and Annette Groth, who were also on board, later filed complaints against persons unknown for unlawful detention and war crimes.”

Report Claims that Turkey Knew…

Haaretz reported on June 10:

“Turkish Prime Minister… Erdogan knew in advance that activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla planned to attack Israeli troops, Israeli intelligence officials have said. In a report published this week, a group of independent investigators from Israel’s intelligence community found that activists aboard the ‘Mavi Marmara’ were part of an organized group that was prepared for a violent conflict… The report, published by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Malam), said activists who attacked commandos with clubs and knives were supported by the Turkish government.

“Malam is a privately run but is widely seen as an unofficial branch of Israel’s intelligence community and has in the past been a medium for passing Israel’s intelligence findings to the public. The report said while most of the Mavi Marmara’s 500 passengers were humanitarian volunteers who underwent security checks before boarding the ship at Antalya in Turkey, a group of 40 IHH activists had boarded the ship in an Istanbul port beforehand, keeping apart from the rest of the passengers throughout the journey.

“This hard core of activists boarded the ship without checks and was equipped with communications equipment, flack jackets embroidered with Turkish flags, and gas masks, Malam said… Their main objective was to hold back soldiers by any means, and to push them back into the sea… IHH members improvised weapons including metal rods and knives cut from the ship’s metal rails, which they used to attack the soldiers… IHH activists also gathered all the knives from six cafeterias on the ship, as well as axes from fire extinguishers on the deck, all of which served as weapons against Israeli commandos…

“The testimonies are also similar to the version given by the Navy commandos who said that they fought with a group of approximately 50 people who used every weapon available to attack them. Eight of the nine dead were identified as IHH members.

“Files found on laptops owned by the IHH members pointed at strong ties between the movement and Turkey’s prime minister. Some of the activists even said that Erdogan was personally involved in the flotilla’s preparations. They also said that they knew in advance that their chances of making it into Gaza were slim, but their initial goal was to ‘to expose Israel’s true face to the world.’ An IHH journalist said during his investigation with Israeli security forces that ‘the Turks set a trap for you and you fell straight into it.’ He also said that the recent flotilla was the first in many.”

Turkey’s Future

The Washington Post wrote on June 7:

“… public anger has flared over Israel’s bloody seizure of a Turkish-flagged aid ship headed to the Gaza Strip, which is under an Israeli blockade. The incident occurred as Turkey has been strengthening ties with Muslim governments in the region — becoming more vocally pro-Palestinian and trying to head off new U.N. sanctions on Iran…

“Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become an increasingly outspoken critic of Israel. He lambasted Israeli President Shimon Peres during a conference in Switzerland on Jan. 29, 2009, winning applause at home and in the Middle East. Erdogan’s picture was hoisted in the streets of Gaza after he accused Israel of carrying out a ‘bloody massacre’ in seizing the Turkish ship…

“Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party has religious roots, but it also draws conservative entrepreneurs and liberals with its free-market policies and drive to pass democratic reforms in order to win entry into the European Union. Turkey’s relations with Israel have deteriorated dramatically, with Turkish leaders threatening to cut ties to a minimum…

“Historically, Israel and Turkey were close, sharing military aid and a suspicion of Arab countries. But with Turkey improving ties with its neighbors, it no longer needs Israel’s support…

“Turkey is still strongly tied to the West. The European Union is still its biggest market. And Turkish troops have played an important role in NATO operations in Afghanistan. ‘We are a country that wants to maintain its ties both with the West and East,’ Erdogan said in October. ‘There is no such thing as breaking from one side and shifting to another one.'”

Haaretz reported on June 7:

“Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is weighing the possibility of traveling to the Gaza Strip in order to ‘break the Israeli blockade’… Erdogan reportedly raised the idea in conversations with close associates and even informed the United States of his intention to ask the Turkish Navy to accompany another aid flotilla to Gaza. The Americans asked Erdogan to delay his plans, in light of tensions on the region, the Lebanese report said.

“According to the report, Erdogan is under intense political pressure to cancel security agreements with Israel. The Turkish military establishment, however, strongly opposes the idea of cutting security ties with Israel.”

The Herald Sun added on June 6:

“The Lebanese newspaper al Mustaqbal said that ‘as part of the open conflict between Turkey and Israel following the massacre against the ‘freedom sail’ to Gaza and the protest sparked in the world, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is considering going to Gaza himself in order to break the blockade imposed on the Strip.'”

Turkey is “Edom” in biblical prophecy. The Bible shows that in the latter days, Edom will turn against Judah and assist Europe and other Arab nations in their actions against the state of Israel.

Coming–More Tension in the Middle East

BBC News reported on June 6:

“Israel will reject a proposed international commission to investigate its deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, its ambassador to the US has said… He said Israel would not apologise for the incident. Eight of those killed were Turkish, and the ninth had joint US-Turkish nationality… The UK and France have urged Israel to accept an inquiry involving international oversight. Speaking at a news conference with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said any investigation must be ‘credible and transparent’… The BBC’s Jonathan Head, in Istanbul, says some of the details seem to contradict Israel’s assertion that their commandos used minimum lethal force.

“In another development on Sunday, a senior Iranian military figure said the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards were ready to escort aid flotillas to Gaza if ordered to by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. ‘The Revolutionary Guards’ naval forces are fully prepared to escort freedom and peace flotillas carrying humanitarian aid from all over the world to the oppressed people of Gaza,’ Ali Shirazi, Ayatollah Khamenei’s naval representative, told Mehr news agency.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 9:

“A group of German Jews has stepped up efforts to send a humanitarian mission to the Gaza Strip in defiance of the Israeli sea blockade. Increasingly, it looks as though the group will have plenty of competition. The waters off Gaza promise to be busy this summer… ‘We want to break the Gaza occupation and end the occupation of the West Bank as well,’ Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, a member of the executive committee of the European Jews for a Just Peace, which is organizing the mission, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. ‘We as Jews want to bring the Palestinians something other than bombs’…

“She says that between eight and 16 people will be on board the boat, which plans to sail in mid-July. The ship, whose current location in the Mediterranean is being kept secret, will be carrying school supplies, musical instruments, children’s clothing and ‘stuff for children that Israel has forbidden, such as sweets and chocolates’…

“Israel has vowed to continue its blockade of the Gaza Strip, reiterating its concern that Iran, in particular, seeks to smuggle weapons and munitions to the Islamist militants of Hamas. Still, Israeli officials said on Wednesday that the country was expanding the list of food items being allowed into the territory, the first small sign that Israel wishes to calm global nerves frayed by the raid.

“Additionally the National Union of Israeli Students is hoping to be able to send 300 yachts and two ships toward Turkey with the aim of intercepting any additional aid ships and engaging them in dialogue. ‘We will tell them that if they want to help Gaza’s residents, we will be happy to deliver their aid,’ reads the group’s press release. ‘We would also like to (discuss) the Armenian issue and the problem of the Kurdish minority in Turkey.’

“European Jews for a Just Peace, for their part, are also interested in dialogue and have twice tried contacting the Israeli Embassy in Berlin to discuss their impending aid shipment. So far, says Katzenstein-Leiterer, they haven’t received a response.”

 

New “Sanctions” Against Iran

BBC News reported on June 9:

“The UN Security Council has voted in favour of fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme. The council voted 12 to two, with one abstention, in favour of a fourth round of sanctions, including tighter finance curbs and an expanded arms embargo… The Security Council resolution was opposed by Turkey and Brazil. They had earlier brokered a deal with Iran on uranium enrichment. Lebanon abstained.

“The new sanctions were passed after being watered down during negotiations with Russia and China on Tuesday. There are no crippling economic sanctions and there is no oil embargo. Those passed include prohibiting Iran from buying heavy weapons such as attack helicopters and missiles.

“They also toughen rules on financial transactions with Iranian banks and increase the number of Iranian individuals and companies that are targeted with asset freezes and travel bans. There is also a new framework of cargo inspections to detect and stop Iran’s acquisition of illicit materials.”

Reuters wrote on June 10:

“Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that new U.N. sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme do not oblige Moscow to scrap a controversial deal to deliver surface-to-air missiles to Iran.”

AFP wrote on June 10:

“Turkish Prime Minister… Erdogan offered reassurance on Thursday that his country is not turning away from the West in the wake of its vote against UN sanctions on Iran, calling such charges ‘dirty propaganda’… US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday the European Union’s refusal to offer Turkey a swift accession process has partly caused Ankara’s foreign policy shift and the deterioration in its relations with Israel…

“Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he agreed with Gates, urging the EU to speed up Turkey’s EU accession talks… ‘I believe we Europeans have made a mistake in pushing Turkey to the east, instead of pulling it towards us,’ he said. Negotiations over the accession of Turkey have stalled, with France and Germany blocking its path. This has provoked regular anger from Ankara, which accuses the Europeans of going back on their word following the start of entry negotiations in 2005.”

The Pope in Cyprus

Deutsche Welle reported on June 6:

“Speaking to a crowd of some 10,000 Cypriots and pilgrims from Syria, Jordan and Lebanon in a stadium outside the capital Nicosia, Pope Benedict XVI urged the world community to resolve the ongoing tensions in the Middle East before they lead to greater bloodshed. The pontiff prayed for the success of a synod of Middle Eastern bishops in Rome in October, which is set to grapple with the problems of the region.

“Calling the latest tensions between Israel and Palestinians ‘a grave matter,’ Benedict said he hoped the meeting would ‘help focus the attention of the international community’ on the conflict in the region and the ‘plight of Christians in the Middle East who suffer for their beliefs’…

“Following the outdoor service, the Pope unveiled a working paper for the synod… it expresses concern about radical Islam. ‘These extremist currents, clearly a threat to everyone – Christians, Jews and Muslims – require joint action,’ the document states… The 40-page paper also says that the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict contributed to the political, economic and religious tensions in the region. The Vatican backs a Palestinian homeland alongside Israel’s right to exist within internationally recognized borders.”

The Bible shows that in the end time, the Catholic Church will play a dominant role in European efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

The New German President–Another Debacle for Merkel?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 7:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel, a master tactician when it comes to the politics of power, has been outmaneuvered for once, and could get into serious trouble as a result. The sudden resignation of the country’s largely ceremonial president and head of state, Horst Köhler, last Monday was the latest in a series of blows that have dented her reputation with voters and her authority in government this year. To avoid further damage and to demonstrate that she still has a firm grip on the reins in Berlin, Merkel needs to find a suitable replacement for Köhler and to ensure that he gets the necessary backing from her center-right majority in the Federal Assembly… on June 30 to elect the president…

“Her chosen candidate for president, Christian Wulff, the governor of the northern state of Lower Saxony, initially seemed like a safe and easy choice. Wulff, a deputy leader of Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), is a bland, inoffensive career politician… Wulff would have been a shoo-in for the job if the Social Democrats and Greens hadn’t landed a coup by nominating a rival who most observers and even many of Merkel’s followers believe would make a far better president — Joachim Gauck, 70, a Protestant pastor from eastern Germany who opposed the communist regime, someone whom Merkel herself has showered with praise in the past. After unification, Gauck spent 10 years heading the authority that manages the archives of East Germany’s secret police, the Stasi, thereby making a major contribution to shedding light on the crimes of East Germany.

“Unfortunately for Merkel, large parts of the German media, including SPIEGEL magazine and mass-circulation Bild am Sonntag, have come out strongly in favor of Gauck, and some eastern German members of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), the junior partner in Merkel’s center-right coalition, have raised the prospect that they might vote for Gauck rather than Wulff on June 30.

“Newspapers have been comparing the biographies of the two contenders and many have concluded that Gauck has much more to offer the nation. SPIEGEL writes that Wulff hasn’t come up with a memorable initiative or piece of legislation in over 30 years in politics, while Gauck struck a blow for freedom and democracy by helping to bring down the East German regime… Were Gauck to ultimately win, it could spell the end of Merkel’s government, German media commentators write on Monday…

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The reaction in parts of the media as well as among the conservatives and the FDP to the nomination of Lower Saxony Governor Wulff make clear: on June 30, Merkel’s chancellorship will be in real danger for the first time…’

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘… Wulff looks bad compared with Gauck. That’s not his fault, it’s to Gauck’s credit. The ruling parties seem to be reacting by digging in their heels. The ranks are being closed, dissent is being portrayed as betrayal of the government. But what, apart from vain pride, should prevent a rethink given the new circumstances?’

“Left-wing Die Tageszeitung devotes its entire front page to reprinting verbatim a speech Merkel gave on Jan. 22 in Berlin on the occasion of Gauck’s 70th birthday in which she showers him with praise, calling him an ‘outstanding speaker,’ an ‘exciting personality,’ a ‘true teacher of democracy,’ a tireless advocate of ‘freedom, democracy and justice.’ The newspaper’s headline is ‘Merkel’s Ideal President.’

“Business daily Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘Gauck could turn into a disaster for Merkel. Her style of politics is backfiring now — taking decisions on her own, alienating allies and weakening strong political figures…’ The paper quotes an unnamed Merkel ally as saying that a defeat of Wulff would be a ‘disastrous scenario’ for Merkel and would herald the end of her center-right coalition.

“Mass circulation Bild writes: ‘If Gauck wins, it will be the knock-out blow for the center-right coalition. It will be the end of the government, then the dream duo Merkel-Westerwelle would have no option but to bid their sad farewells. One might find it regrettable that the presidential election is once again getting sucked into the maelstrom of party politics. But it’s a simple fact: this isn’t just about Gauck or Wulff — this is also about Gauck or Merkel.'”

These are startling developments. This article and the next ones show how fragile the current German government is. We can expect that in the not-too-distant future, a charismatic powerful leader will arise in Germany who will be able to bring back prosperity and stability to the German people. It is clear that Angela Merkel is not this leader.

The Economy–More Bad News for Merkel…

Deutsche Welle reported in June 7:

“The German government on Monday unveiled the largest package of austerity measures in the country’s history, with deep cuts in social welfare programs and the public sector… The package announced is much larger than expected… Merkel said there was no other alternative to the savings plan…

“Criticism of the austerity measures circulated among trade unions and opposition parties even before the concrete details of the government’s plan had emerged. Andrea Nahles, general secretary of the main opposition Social Democrats, told public broadcaster NDR the cuts created a ‘social imbalance,’ and that the main problem was that they disproportionately affected society’s most vulnerable segments. The powerful union Verdi also criticized the proposals, with union chief Frank Bsirske saying the government was ‘placing unilateral pressure on the poor.'”

World Markets–No Major Good News…

The Associated Press reported in June 7:

“World stock markets tumbled Monday and the euro hit a new four-year low in the wake of poor U.S. jobs figures and amid fresh fears that the debt crisis that began in Greece is spreading to Hungary… Hungary is part of the European Union, but keeps its national currency, the forint, which dropped around 5 percent last week.

“‘The problem seems like a cancerous thing – it’s spreading from smaller country to smaller country, and many people are afraid that it will spread to a big country like France or Germany, although that’s unlikely,’ said Jackson Wong, vice president at Tanrich Securities, in Hong Kong. ‘We don’t have major good news on the horizon. We still have crises down the road’…

“On Friday, stocks were hit by disappointing U.S. jobs data. A government report showed the U.S. economy created 432,000 jobs in May, far fewer than the expected 513,000. Most of the jobs were temporary hiring by the government for the U.S. census. Castor Pang, director of research at Cinta International in Hong Kong, said the jobs figures were ‘much poorer than expected’ and a key factor in driving down stocks… ‘Volatility is very great due to lack of confidence,’ Pang said, calling some investors ‘very fearful.’

“The result underlined that the U.S. economic recovery is not yet picking up the momentum that investors have been looking for. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged Friday 3.2 percent to 9,931.97. Major indexes all lost more than 3 percent.”

New Tensions Between Europe and USA

The EUObserver wrote on June 7:

“The weekend’s meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers saw heated exchanges between US and European representatives, with division centering on the speed at which government budget deficits should be reduced. US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner argued the case for fiscal consolidation over the ‘medium term,’ while Europeans, rattled by the region’s ongoing debt crisis, called for faster cutbacks…

“European representatives said greater emphasis should be placed on restoring healthy public finances. ‘For the vast majority, addressing finances, budget consolidation, is priority No. 1,’ said French finance minister Christine Lagarde. Translating words into action, German cabinet ministers [agreed Sunday] on changes to welfare provision…”

We can expect ongoing tensions between the USA and Europe in many important areas–the economy being a major one. Europe will continue in its efforts to unite as a powerful entity–as most Europeans, as former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt once said, “want the current situation to end where the USA is calling all the shots.”

Election Results in The Netherlands

The Telegraph wrote on June 10:

“With 88 per cent of the votes counted, published partial results showed the Liberals with 31 and Labour on 30. But the real victory went to Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV), which demands an end to immigration from Muslim countries and a ban on new mosques. The PVV took its number of seats from nine in the last parliament to 24, and could hope to enter a coalition government.

“The far-right leader with his distinctive shock of fair hair called the result ‘magnificent’. ‘The impossible has happened,’ he told a televised party gathering. ‘We are the biggest winner today. The Netherlands chose more security, less crime, less immigration and less Islam.’

“The election ousted Christian Democrat Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende from eight years in office. The Liberals’ narrow lead gives leader Mark Rutte a mandate to form a coalition and become prime minister, but sticking to his austerity policies could prove tough because he needs at least three other parties to secure a parliamentary majority.”

Prince Charles: “Follow the Islamic Way to Save the World”

The Daily Mail wrote on June 10:

“Prince Charles yesterday urged the world to follow Islamic ‘spiritual principles’ in order to protect the environment. In an hour-long speech, the heir to the throne argued that man’s destruction of the world was contrary to the scriptures of all religions – but particularly those of Islam…

“Charles, who is a practising Christian and will become the head of the Church of England when he succeeds to the throne, spoke in depth about his own study of the Koran…

“He added: ‘The inconvenient truth is that we share this planet with the rest of creation for a very good reason – and that is, we cannot exist on our own without the intricately balanced web of life around us. Islam has always taught this and to ignore that lesson is to default on our contract with creation.'”

Water Turns to Blood

The Associated Press reported on or about June 6:

“Waves of gooey tar balls crashed into the white sands of the Florida Panhandle on Friday as BP engineers adjusted a sophisticated cap over the Gulf oil gusher, trying to collect the crude now fouling four states. Even though the inverted funnel-like device was set over the leak late Thursday, crude continued to spew into the sea in the nation’s worst oil spill. Engineers hoped to close several open vents on the cap throughout the day in the latest attempt to contain the oil.

“As they worked on the system underwater, the effect of the BP spill was widely seen. Swimmers at Pensacola Beach rushed out [of] the water after wading into the mess while children played with it on the shore and others inspected the clumps with fascination, some taking pictures. Brown pelicans coated in chocolate syrup-like oil flailed and struggled in the surf on a Louisiana island, where the [beach] was stained in hues of rust and crimson, much like the color of drying blood.

“‘In Revelations, it says the water will turn to blood. That’s what it looks like out here — like the Gulf is bleeding,’ said P.J. Hahn, director of coastal zone management for Plaquemines Parish as he kneeled down to take a picture of an oil-coated feather. ‘This is going to choke the life out of everything.'”

“Manmade Catastrophe”

On June 5, 2010, President Obama wrote the following public announcement, which was circulated over the Internet:

“… because of a manmade catastrophe — one that is not their fault and beyond their control — their lives [in Grand Isle, Louisiana] have been thrown into turmoil… Today, there are more than 20,000 people working around the clock to contain and clean up this spill. I have authorized 17,500 National Guard troops to participate in the response. More than 1,900 vessels are aiding in the containment and cleanup effort. We have convened hundreds of top scientists and engineers from around the world. This is the largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country.

“We have also ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and this week, the federal government sent BP a preliminary bill for $69 million to pay back American taxpayers for some of the costs of the response so far. In addition, after an emergency safety review, we are putting in place aggressive new operating standards for offshore drilling. And I have appointed a bipartisan commission to look into the causes of this spill. If laws are inadequate, they will be changed. If oversight was lacking, it will be strengthened. And if laws were broken, those responsible will be brought to justice.

“These are hard times in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast, an area that has already seen more than its fair share of troubles. The people of this region have met this terrible catastrophe with seemingly boundless strength and character in defense of their way of life. What we owe them is a commitment by our nation to match the resilience they have shown. That is our mission. And it is one we will fulfill.”

American-British Rift Over Oil Spill

Reuters wrote on June 9:

“Oil major BP… believes it may be heading for a showdown with the White House over ever- increasing demands that it cover costs related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a BP source said on Wednesday. ‘At some point a line has to be drawn,’ the source said.”

The London Evening Standard wrote on June 10:

“Senior Tories today warned Barack Obama to back off as billions of pounds were wiped off BP shares in the row over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Mayor Boris Johnson demanded an end to ‘anti-British rhetoric, buck-passing and name-calling’ after days of scathing criticism directed at BP by the President and other US politicians. Former Conservative Party chairman Lord Tebbit branded Mr Obama’s conduct ‘despicable’. And with the dispute threatening to escalate into a diplomatic row, Mr Johnson also appeared to suggest that David Cameron should step in to defend BP.

“He spoke as the US onslaught against the firm became a ‘matter of national concern’ — especially given its importance to British pensions, which lost much of their value today as BP shares plunged to a 13-year low. Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today whether he thought the Prime Minister should intervene, Mr Johnson said: ‘Well I do think there is something slightly worrying about the anti-British rhetoric that seems to be permeating from America. Yes I suppose that’s right…’

“British business chiefs are alarmed that tough talking by Mr Obama and other US politicians is undermining the battered oil giant.”

As the Sun Awakens…

Nasa Science reported on June 4:

“Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that’s new to human history… Richard Fisher, head of NASA’s Heliophysics Division, explains what it’s all about: ‘The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity.’

“… people of the 21st-century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Smart power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, financial services and emergency radio communications can all be knocked out by intense solar activity. A century-class solar storm, the Academy warned, could cause twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina…

“2010 marks the 4th year in a row that policymakers, researchers, legislators and reporters have gathered in Washington DC to share ideas about space weather. This year, forum organizers plan to sharpen the focus on critical infrastructure protection. The ultimate goal is to improve the nation’s ability to prepare, mitigate, and respond to potentially devastating space weather events.

“‘I believe we’re on the threshold of a new era in which space weather can be as influential in our daily lives as ordinary terrestrial weather.’ Fisher concludes. ‘We take this very seriously indeed.'”

Regarding end-time events, Christ warned: “And there will be signs in the sun… and on earth distress of nations, with perplexity… for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26).

Israel Provokes International Outrage

Reuters reported on May 31:

“Israel’s storming of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla set off a diplomatic furore, drawing criticism from friends and foes alike and straining ties with regional ally Turkey, which called off planned joint military exercises… Washington said it deeply regretted the loss of life and was examining the circumstances that led to the bloodshed while Turkey, Israel’s strongest Muslim friend in the region, summoned the Jewish state’s ambassador and said it would recall its own.

“‘This attack is another sign of the reckless levels that the Israeli government’s violent policies have reached,’ Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in a televised speech. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled plans to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday… in the wake of the raid…

“Israeli commandos intercepted the flotilla carrying 700 people and 10,000 tonnes of supplies for Gaza before dawn on Monday. Officials said they were met with knives when they boarded the ships, including a ferry flying the Turkish flag. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the killings as a massacre, and the United Nations and European Union both demanded an inquiry. Rights group Amnesty International said Israeli forces appeared to have used excessive force… ‘Israel will have to endure the consequences of this behaviour,’ Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement…

“France’s Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the violence could not be justified… In the Arab world, the incident was viewed as an overreaction to an attempt to challenge Israel’s Gaza blockade that could put the brakes on any further efforts at normalisation and may derail the peace process… Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador… Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said Israel’s move was a ‘crazy step’ that risked inflaming conflict in the region.”

The Associated Press added on May 31:

“The showdown came at a sensitive time for Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking… The activists were headed to Gaza to draw attention to the blockade, which Israel and Egypt imposed… There were conflicting accounts of what happened early Monday, with activists claiming the Israelis fired first and Israel insisting its forces fired in self defense…

“Robin Churchill, a professor of international law at the University of Dundee in Scotland, said the Israeli commandos boarded the ship outside of Israel’s territorial waters. ‘As far as I can see, there is no legal basis for boarding these ships,’ Churchill said.

“Many of the activists were from Europe… The European Union deplored what it called excessive use of force and demanded an investigation by Israel. It called the Gaza blockade ‘politically unacceptable,’ and called for it to be lifted immediately… Thousands marched in protest in Istanbul, some setting Israeli flags on fire after unsuccessfully trying to storm the Israeli consulate. Israel quickly advised… its citizens to avoid travel to Turkey…”

Egypt in Tight Position

USA Today wrote on May 31:

“The Cairo-based Arab League called an emergency session for Tuesday to address the attack, as the [only two] Arab states with peace deals with Israel — Jordan and Egypt — sharply condemned the violence. Jordan’s information minister, Nabil al-Sharif, called it a ‘heinous crime’ and called for the lifting of the blockade on Gaza.

“The incident also put Egypt in a tight position. The only Arab country bordering the Gaza Strip, it has helped enforce the blockade by cracking down on smuggling tunnels that are a key source of goods to Gaza’s 1.5 million people and by rejecting pressure that it open its border crossing. The Egyptian government has said it cannot open the border since there is no agreement on restoring European monitors who left during the Hamas takeover.

“Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the violence underlines how Gaza ‘remains under total Israeli occupation,’ and it called ‘for the immediate lifting of the Israeli siege on Gaza.'”

EU Condemns Israel

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 31:

“The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, has called on Israeli authorities to launch a ‘full inquiry’ into… the night raid on a convoy of aid ships destined for the Gaza Strip. Ashton… reiterate[d] the European Union’s position regarding Gaza – [that] the continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive. The incident has been met with widespread condemnation from across Europe.

“In an unusually strongly worded statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office said Israel’s response to the ships was disproportionate. ‘Every German government has always recognized and supported the right of Israel to defend itself, but this right must of course be within the boundaries of proportionality,’ Merkel’s spokesman said. ‘At first glance it does not look like this basic rule was adhered to.’…

“Greek government officials announced that they would withdraw from planned joint military exercises with Israel in protest…

“Turkey’s foreign ministry warned of ‘irreparable consequences’ after the incident and announced at midday that they would be recalling their ambassador to Israel. Some of the ships were sailing under Turkish flags and media reports indicate that Turkish nationals are among the dead.

“‘By targeting civilians, Israel has once again shown its disregard for human life and peaceful initiatives. We strongly condemn these inhumane practices of Israel,’ the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ‘This deplorable incident, which took place in open [seas] and constitutes a flagrant breach of international law, may lead to irreparable consequences in our bilateral relations.’ Turkey has long been an important ally of Israel, one of only a few in the Muslim world. But relations have declined since Israel’s attack on Gaza a year and a half ago, in which some 1,400 Palestinians died and of which Turkey was very critical.”

Der Spiegel Online added on May 31:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy… condemned the ‘disproportionate use of force’… British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he deplored the loss of life and called for the blockade on Gaza to be lifted…

“Dozens of European politicians were reported to be on board the flotilla, including two members of the German parliament… both of whom belong to the far-left Left Party… Other prominent members of the convoy are the Swedish crime novelist Henning Mankell, Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire from Northern Ireland and the 85-year-old Holocaust survivor and activist Hedy Epstein.”

Israel Turns the World Against It…

Der Spiegel Online published the following commentary on May 31:

“Israel has sparked global outrage. At least 15 people were killed when the Israeli military stormed a flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists on Monday. In addition to being a human tragedy, it is also a political catastrophe for Israel. It has provided its critics around the world with fresh ammunition.

“The pro-Palestinian organizers had described the fleet with which they had hoped to break through the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza Strip on Monday morning as a ‘humanitarian aid convoy.’ But as the Israeli army stormed the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, the activists they encountered were in no way exclusively docile peaceniks. Some of the ‘peace activists’ received the Israelis with crow bars and sling shots. Some of the self-professed ‘human rights activists’ reportedly even tore the weapons from soldiers and began to shoot…

“But the reaction from Israel, a state which proclaims to adhere to the rule of law, was far from appropriate. Regardless how prepared to engage in violence the organizers of the ship convoy might have been: With at least 15 dead, all on the side of the activists, and more than 30 injured, some seriously, one thing is certain: Israel carelessly threw one of the most important principles of the application of military violence overboard: the proportionality of military force…

“And a number of questions remain to be answered: Why did Israeli soldiers shoot at the passengers from helicopters flying overhead? [Why] did the Israeli navy board the ship when they could have simply blocked the ships’ paths? And why did Israel strike in international waters, long before the fleet had arrived in Israeli waters?…

“In Jerusalem, officials are claiming Israel only exercized self defense. They say the activists used ‘extreme violence,’ and that they alone are responsible for the high number of victims. But it is Israel which carries the primary responsibility. The military behaved impulsively. It overreacted and showed no compassion for the victims…

“Former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban once quipped that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity (for reaching peace). With Israel, precisely the opposite is true: In times of crisis, Israel seems to search for opportunities to turn the world against it.”

The Bible prophesies that the state of Israel will be hated by all nations. It will experience total animosity and isolation.

German Press Reacts to Israel’s “State Terrorism”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 1:

“Some of the Germans on board the aid ships attacked by Israel on Monday morning have now returned, but many others have yet to be released. One of those released, a Left Party parliamentarian, has called Israel ‘barbaric.’ The German press is none-too-complimentary either… 11 Germans were on board the several ships involved in the incident, but it is uncertain of the fate of six German citizens… Officials in other European countries said that nationals involved in the flotilla had also returned home. However, many still remain detained in Israel, including author Mankell. According to news reports, hundreds of activists are still being detained by Israeli authorities in the city of Ashdod in southern Israel. Forty-five activists injured on Monday are being treated in Israeli hospitals — mostly Turkish nationals…

“On German editorial pages on Tuesday, criticism of the deadly action by the Israeli armed forces is universal. Even the country’s most pro-Israeli daily, Die Welt, argues that the government should have known that the outcome of the attack would be deeply damaging to its international image.

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘… the expected international storm of anger against Israel has already begun. … The Israeli government and army will have to answer uncomfortable questions — from their own citizens, too. Everyone knew that Israel could only look bad if it followed a course of confrontation with these haters of Israel disguised as peace activists. That’s why it is even less understandable that no effective precautions were made to prevent such a catastrophe.’

“The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The current Israeli government appears to have lost any sense of proportion in the implementation of its Gaza blockade. And it has already shown that it doesn’t care one iota about public opinion. Nevertheless, the boarding and seizure of the ships in an international flotilla — in which many people died — represents a new level of escalation. Israel’s international standing will be further diminished…’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘Israel views itself as a nation at war. Even in absence of current fighting, the threat is omnipresent…. In the 62 years of its existence, Israel has never been at peace and continues to be surrounded by enemies even today… But Israeli politicians have failed entirely in this regard… Israel believes it cannot afford to suffer any defeats in this regard — no matter what the expense. But with this tunnel vision, Israeli forces have now caused the worst possible damage to its standing in the world.’

“Business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘The fact that this was the seizure of a humanitarian deployment will be devastating for Israel… It has also isolated Israel in the world…’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… Among those on board were leading radical Muslims with ties to Hamas … which makes it even less understandable that German parliamentarians from the Left Party were on board. None of that changes the fact that Israel’s actions were disproportionate …. But it definitely shows how hard it is, in this conflict, to differentiate between good and evil.’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘… What happened at dawn on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea was a targeted attack on a civilian ship in international waters. The term for that is state terrorism.'”

Britain Condemns Israel

BBC News reported on June 2:

“Israel has released and is in the process of deporting the remaining British activists arrested in its raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy. Foreign Secretary William Hague has said 37 British nationals, including 11 with dual nationality, were involved. Five have already been deported. He said he was concerned at the raid taking place in international waters.

“Prime Minister David Cameron condemned it as ‘completely unacceptable’, saying he deplored the loss of life. In his first Commons question time, he said everything should be done to prevent it happening again. Israel is in the process of deporting nearly all of the 682 detainees… None of the Britons was currently believed to have been involved in any violence against Israeli servicemen who boarded the ships, Mr Hague told MPs.”

American Killed by Israelis

ABC News reported on June 3:

“A U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey is among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship heading for the Gaza Strip, officials said today. The victim was identified as Furkan Dogan, 19, a Turkish-American. A forensic report said he was shot at close range, with four bullets in his head and one in his chest, according to the Anatolian news agency. Dogan was a high school student studying social sciences in the town of Kayseri in central Turkey. He was born in the United States and moved to Turkey at the age of 2…

“The ship was sponsored by a Turkish charity, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) and was carrying aid to Gaza in defiance of the Israeli blockade. The charity released the names of all nine dead. All are male and the ages range from 32 to 61…

“Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a new ship to run the blockade, the Irish ship MV Rachel Corrie, due to arrive in the area Friday… Former U.N. assistant secretary general Denis Halliday, who is on board the Rachel Corrie, told ABC News that they do not intend to stop their mission or head to the Israeli port of Ashdod instead. ‘It’s a totally unacceptable embargo. There’s no justification for it, there’s no legality for it, it’s not endorsed by the U.N., it’s not endorsed by anybody else. It’s an Israeli military zone which is without legal status,’ he said in a phone interview from the ship today. The Rachel Corrie expects to be boarded by the Israelis Friday when they are approximately 80 miles off coast.”

“Israel Has Played Into Hamas’ Hands”

The Israeli paper, Haaretz, published the following commentary and analysis on May 31:

“Despite having its eyes wide open, Israel fell into a trap. Israel knew that the organizers of the flotilla wanted to present the Israel Defense Forces to the world as an army that does not hesitate to use force. The flotilla organizers wanted deaths, casualties, blood and billows of smoke. And this is exactly what Israel gave them.

“Every child knows that the conflict here is one of consciousness, images, emotion and gut-feelings; not one of justice or logic. Therefore, Israel should have acted differently… Without getting into the question of the justification or logic of the blockade imposed by Gaza and its residents, it was indeed clear that it was only natural that Hamas would try to break the blockade by force. They have been doing this by means of the smuggling tunnels and via the sea…

“Apparently Israel, which prides itself as having the best intelligence in the world, should have known better that there were violent elements aboard one of the boats, equipped iron bars, knifes and slingshots. Had Israel known this, it would have probably used more appropriate ways to storm [the] boat, to avoid death and injuries…

“Israel has played into Hamas’ hands. It’s not the fault of the young soldiers who obeyed the orders of their commanders. The responsibility lies with the cabinet and the military planners.

“No matter how one looks at the conduct of the Israeli government and the IDF, it is hard to understand how stupid and tragic it was. Time and again, Israel tries to prove that what can’t be solved by force can be solved by more force. Over and over, the policies of force fail. The problem is that with each failure, the part of the world in which we would like to belong is losing patience with us.”

Israeli Senior Ministers Sharply Critical of Israel’s “Illegal” Raid

Haaretz reported on June 1:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his political-security cabinet on Tuesday that international condemnation would not stop Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip… Netanyahu added that Israel regretted that nine lives were lost in the operation on Monday, but defended the Israel Defense Forces soldiers as having been justified in the actions of their mission…

“Senior ministers have been sharply critical of the fact that the decision to seize control of the flotilla to Gaza was made after two meetings of the forum of seven senior ministers but without official deliberation by the inner cabinet, the body that has the authority to approve military actions of this scale… Senior ministers have noted that, in contrast to the handling of similar incidents in the past, the inner cabinet did not discuss issues related to the flotilla, receive operational briefings or approve the operation. The forum of seven, which did consider and approve the plan, is a consultative body only and does not have the legal authority to pass resolutions.

“The forum – Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Intelligence and Atomic Affairs Minister Dan Meridor, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Interior Minister Eli Yishai and Minster without Portfolio Benny Begin – held just two meetings on the flotilla, the latest on Wednesday. They approved the operation and the continuation of the Israeli policy of barring ships from docking in Gaza.

“Much of the session was devoted not to the military operation but rather to media and public relations issues surrounding the issue. ‘The ministers who attended the meeting didn’t get the impression from the defense establishment that a violent confrontation of this scope was likely,’ one senior Jerusalem official said. ‘The sense during the discussion was that the navy would come and the organizers would take fright, do an about-face and flee,’ he said.

“According to senior officials who attended the session, a few ministers expressed differing views but in the end a consensus was reached and there was not even a vote…”

Another Point of View

Israel’s “A7-News” reported the following on June 1:

“One of the Naval Special Forces commandos who sustained a broken arm while under attack by the S.S. Mavi Marmaris’ passengers, reports, ‘Each soldier who descended was grabbed by three or four men and they simply exploded, beating him up. They lynched us. They had metal clubs, knives, slingshots, glass bottles…At one point there was also live fire. I was among the last to descend, and I saw that the group was dispersed, everyone in his own corner surrounded by three or four men. I saw a soldier on the floor with two men beating him. I peeled them off of him and they came at me and began beating me with the clubs. That’s how I broke my arm. At that moment I had no weapon in my hands, like everyone else who descended on the cables empty-handed…’

“IDF photos of two dozen knives, including a machete, plus clubs, chains and metal rods used against Israeli Navy commandoes in the flotilla clash Monday contradict Turkish claims that the passengers did not carry weapons on board… The IDF confiscated and photographed the weapons, which were used to brutally attack Navy commandoes as they descended to one of the ships via ropes from hovering helicopters, intending to take over the ships peacefully. Greta Berlin, spokeswoman for the Free Gaza movement, claimed to Israel National News that the IDF edited the video showing the commandoes landing on board and added the violence…

“IDF video documentation and United States diplomats have stemmed the anti-Israel tide in the United Nations – for the time being – a day after the flotilla clash on the high seas. The U.N. Security Council met in closed session until late Monday night after U.S. diplomats watered down a Turkish attempt to censure Israel. Most of the 15 countries sitting on the Council expressed harsh criticism of Israel, but no joint statement was issued. Turkey is trying to use the universal anti-Israel mood to force an end to Israel’s partial blockade on Gaza, imposed since Hamas gained control of the area [in] a military coup three years ago…

“Foreign media and diplomats have begun to note the IDF videos of a brutal attack on Israeli Navy commandos as they descended on one of the ships after the crew and passengers refused requests to change course and sail to Ashdod instead of Hamas…

“Lebanon, currently the rotating president of the U.N. Security Council, and Turkey both led the condemnation of Israel at the Council session with such terms as ‘piracy,’ ‘crime’ and ‘a black day in the history of humanity.'”

Nuclear Submarines for Israel

Times On Line wrote on May 30:

“Three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Gulf near the Iranian coastline. The first has been sent in response to Israeli fears that ballistic missiles developed by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah… could hit sites in Israel… The submarines of Flotilla 7 — Dolphin, Tekuma and Leviathan — have visited the Gulf before. But the decision has now been taken to ensure a permanent presence of at least one of the vessels…

“The vessels can remain at sea for about 50 days and stay submerged up to 1,150ft below the surface for at least a week. Some of the cruise missiles are equipped with the most advanced nuclear warheads in the Israeli arsenal… The submarines could be used if Iran continues its programme to produce a nuclear bomb. ‘The 1,500km range of the submarines’ cruise missiles can reach any target in Iran,’ said a navy officer.”

In light of the most recent events pertaining to Israel’s actions and European condemnation, one wonders how long Germany will continue to (be able to) provide Israel with such dangerous weapons. At the same time, once Israel possesses these additional nuclear weapons, they WILL use them, when they feel threatened and compelled to do so.

German President Koehler Resigns

Deutsche Welle reported on May 31:

“In a move that took just about everybody by surprise, German President Horst Koehler stepped down on Monday, citing comments he made about Afghanistan, which he said had been misconstrued…

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he ‘deeply regretted’ Mr. Koehler’s decision and had tried to change his mind… Bavarias’s State Premier, Horst Seehofer, said Mr. Koehler ‘had won the sympathies of the German people and was widely respected abroad.’

“The president’s resignation caught Germany’s political parties completely off guard. Chancellor Angela Merkel was reportedly only informed of the decision shortly before the public announcement… the chancellor said [she] was stunned and surprised by Mr. Koehler’s decision and had ‘unsuccessfully tried to get him to change his mind’…

“In the past few days, Koehler had been under fire for saying that a country like Germany, which was heavily reliant on foreign trade must know that military interventions could be necessary to uphold German interests. Koehler said his comments were ‘misunderstood’ and that his remarks were not meant to refer to the mission in Afghanistan… Polls show that a majority of Germans are opposed to the mission in Afghanistan…

“A former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Koehler was elected to the post of president in 2004 and re-elected in 2009…”

Another Blow to Merkel…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 31:

“German President Horst Köhler, under fire for controversial comments he made about Germany’s mission in Afghanistan, resigned with immediate effect on Monday in a shock announcement that comes as the latest in a series of blows to Chancellor Angela Merkel…

“The mayor of the northern city state of Bremen, Jens Böhrnsen, will take over from Köhler as interim head of state until a new president is elected. Under the constitution, Böhrnsen assumes the position in his capacity as president of the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament…

“Finding a successor to Köhler will pose a headache for Merkel, whose popularity has slumped in recent months. She has been hit by criticism of her handling of the euro crisis and by the loss of a center-right majority in the upper house following sharp declines for her CDU in a state election in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, on May 9.

“A further blow came last week with the resignation of CDU heavyweight Roland Koch, the governor of Hesse, a conservative hardliner whose departure has left a big gap in the right wing of her party.”

German Press Condemns Koehler’s Resignation

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 1:

“Germany’s president Horst Köhler threw in the towel to escape criticism. It hasn’t worked. Commentators on Tuesday slammed the departing head of state for damaging his country’s highest office…

“The Financial Times Deutschland… writes: ‘If Horst Köhler hoped that his resignation would protect the office of president from further damage, he failed miserably… by leaving office without facing any notable pressure to do so, he has acted with extreme negligence’…

“The conservative daily Die Welt writes: ‘The resignation of (Horst Köhler) was imprudent… He should have known that he was doing no favors to a government that has not exactly comported itself with brilliance.’

“The center-left paper Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘Never has anyone done such great damage to the office of German president as Horst Köhler did… he threw in the towel because he feels offended…’

“The center-right daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘Never before has a German president stepped down due to criticism…’

“The mass-circulation tabloid Bild writes: ‘That wasn’t a resignation. That was someone leaving in a huff. Just as the European Union is wobbling, the euro threatens to collapse and Germany is in a deep crisis, the German president flees his office. An employee would be considered highly irresponsible for displaying such behavior. Now, Horst Köhler is gone and the shards, once again, lie at the feet of the chancellor. Angela Merkel will now need great strength to prevent Köhler’s resignation from turning into a state crisis.'”

The Role of the German President

Deutsche Welle reported on May 31:

“The president represents Germany in matters of international law, and represents the country at official gatherings. The president signs laws because without that signature they cannot take effect… German President Horst Koehler [refused] to sign a law on flight security that foresaw a privatization of flight-security agencies. He also refused to sign a consumer information law.

“Part of the president’s job is to propose a chancellor to the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. He appoints and fires the chancellor based on suggestions made by the Bundestag. Likewise, he can appoint and fire cabinet ministers based on the chancellor’s recommendation. The president can also pardon criminals…

“Unlike in the US, France or Austria, the German president is not elected directly by the people. He is elected by a committee consisting of members of the Bundestag and the same number of delegates sent from the state parliaments. The president has a term of five years, and can only be re-elected once. Any German who is older than 40 can become president.

“Why does the German president play a mainly ceremonial role? The reason is that in the Weimar Republic, the president at the time had wide-reaching powers. He could annul basic laws and rule with emergency law. These factors played a large role in the Nazis’ rise to power and post-war Germany wanted to avoid potential for abusing power.”

German Press on Merkel’s Struggles

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 3:

“Ursula von der Leyen, for less than a day, looked set to become Germany’s new president. Now another candidate [Lower Saxony Governor Christian Wulff] has nosed his way forward and Chancellor Merkel appears increasingly isolated. The internal struggle speaks volumes about the German presidency, and about Merkel herself…”

Guttenberg vs. Merkel

Deutsche Welle reported on June 3:

“German Defense Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg has reopened a long-simmering debate about the draft in Germany, saying he wouldn’t shy away from ‘radical and controversial measures’ in his efforts to cut back on military expenditure… Guttenberg was planning to ‘suspend the draft for an unspecified period of time’, a Defense Ministry official said on Wednesday, adding ‘its complete abolition could save up to 400 million euros per year’…

“However, there has been strong resistance to the proposal from the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU. ‘The end of military conscription cannot be explained with the need for savings, let alone be pushed through in just three days’, Chancellor Angela Merkel is quoted as saying by the ‘Financial Times Germany’ newspaper in its Thursday edition.

“The newspaper cited a source who had taken part in a meeting of CDU/CSU leaders on Wednesday. ‘Nobody knew about Guttenberg’s plans, and every participant in the meeting was up in arms,’ the source was quoted as saying.”

EU-Russian Summit

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 31:

“European Union and Russian leaders began a two-day summit Monday in southern Russia… The EU… is Russia’s biggest trade partner… This year expectations are high for productive talks at the summit, following Medvedev’s statement in April that Russia must show a ‘smiling’ face to the world.

“The twenty-fifth EU-Russia summit is the first to be held between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and EU President Herman Van Rompuy whose position came into force last year under the Lisbon Treaty. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, [who] currently holds EU’s rotating presidency, will be joined in Russia by European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.”

Historically, European nations and Russia have had a strange hate-love relationship. In many cases, it ended in war, and the Bible predicts that after some economic and political cooperation, another war will break out between these power blocs.

Record Unemployment Rate in Europe–Germany the Exception…

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on June 1:

“Debt-laden Europe posted a record unemployment rate on Tuesday and its core currency and shares plummeted amid a worrying industrial slowdown. The unemployment rate hit 10.1 per cent in April, its highest since the euro came into being in 1999 and just one of a series of blows on Tuesday to the eurozone economy after a brief lull last week in market pressure. Almost 16 million people were out of work across the 16 countries that share the euro… The numbers reached more than 23 million in the 27-nation EU as a whole, including non-euro giants Britain and Poland, 2.4 million more than one year earlier. The euro sank to a new four-year low of 1.2115 dollars on concerns about the European financial sector’s ability to weather the region’s debt and deficit crisis. European stock markets also fell sharply…

“Leading economy Germany recorded a ‘significant slowdown’ in its growth rate… German unemployment fell sharply in May… while retail sales picked up as Europe’s biggest economy pushed on despite the eurozone financial crisis. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7 per cent of the workforce, the lowest rate since December 2008, from 8.1 per cent in April…

“The latest figures show US unemployment running at 9.9 per cent, and Japan’s just 5.0 per cent. Throughout the EU, only Germany recorded a fall in unemployment over the full year, from 7.6 per cent to 7.1 per cent. Deficit-plagued Spain, with a 19.7 per cent rate beaten only by Latvia, saw unemployment among under-25s reach a dizzying 40.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2010.”

Europe Continues to Enlarge

Reuters reported on June 2:

“European Union ministers said on Wednesday they remained committed to the integration of the Western Balkans into the bloc, dismissing fears of ‘enlargement fatigue’ in the wake of the Greek financial crisis…

“Of the nations that emerged from the violent collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Slovenia has already joined the EU, Croatia is close to membership and Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia have applied. To the south, Albania has also applied. Bosnia… and Kosovo… are lagging behind.

“‘Today in Sarajevo the European Union and the Western Balkans decided to have a new deal on the future, a future of hope, a future of peace, a future of full integration into the European Union,’ said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose country initiated the meeting.”

Der Spiegel Online reported on June 3:

“No European country has been more adept than the former Soviet republic of Estonia in dealing with the global economic crisis. Tallinn implemented some of the toughest austerity measures seen in Europe and, in one year’s time, has qualified to become the next country to introduce the euro… The European Commission in Brussels, the EU executive, has already spoken out in favor of accepting the Estonians, and now the decision is up to the euro-zone countries. Bizarrely enough, three highly indebted countries, Italy, Spain and Portugal, will be among those deciding whether model pupil Estonia should be permitted to introduce the euro by as early as next year.”

Europe in the Lead

The Hindu wrote on June 1:

“The European Union on Tuesday sent 3 million euros ($3.7 million) in aid to the victims of tropical storm Agatha, which has killed at least 135 people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The storm, the first of the Pacific hurricane season, has caused widespread flooding and devastation, forcing at least 150,000 people to flee their homes.”

Africa — France’s Future?

AFP wrote on June 1:

“France on Tuesday moved to shore up its businesses in Africa that have fallen far behind China’s massive investment drive on the continent, at a summit hosted by President Nicolas Sarkozy. The two-day gathering in the Riviera city of Nice saw France shift its focus away from its traditional west African allies and engage with the continent as a whole, reaching out to economic powerhouses South Africa and Nigeria… The push on the economic front comes as France has taken a back seat to China, Africa’s biggest trade partner, which has injected billions over the past decade to tap into raw materials needed to fuel its hungry economy. No figures were released on new French investments but Sarkozy made clear that France was back in force on the trade and business front…

“Declaring that ‘Africa is our future,’ Sarkozy has backed a permanent seat for Africa at the United Nations Security Council among other changes needed to give the continent a greater say in global affairs… While business ties topped the agenda at the Nice summit, Sarkozy made clear France would support Africa in its struggle against piracy, terrorism and drug trafficking. ‘There are crises on the continent,’ Sarkozy said, and Africa ‘cannot cope on its own.'”

Ten European Nations vs. European Court of Human Rights

Catholic Culture wrote on June 2:

“Ten of Europe’s 47 states have joined Italy in petitioning the European Court of Human Rights to overturn its decision in the Lautsi case, in which the court ruled that the display of a crucifix in a classroom is ‘contrary to parents’ right to educate their children in line with their convictions and to children’s right to freedom of religion.’ No European state intends to file an amicus curiae brief in support of the decision.

“In addition to Italy, the ten nations that oppose the court’s decision are Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Romania, the Russian Federation, and San Marino.”

Zenit added on June 1:

“The third party status allows the States to submit to the court their written and oral observations as official parties to the case. The court’s Grand Chamber will hold a public hearing on June 30, and the final judgment on the case is expected by the end of the year. The director of the European Centre for Law and Justice, Gregor Puppinck, stated in a communiqué today that this is ‘an important precedent in the practice of the court, because usually member States abstain from intervening, or intervene only when the case affects a national of their State’…

“The communiqué also noted the ‘tremendous importance’ of the fact that this is ‘an unprecedented alliance between Catholics and Orthodox countries in the face of the liberal and secularist ideology. Those countries are uniting their forces to protect their religious heritage and freedom to reaffirm that the Christian symbols have a natural right to be displayed in public within Christian countries,’ it added. The center pointed out that the court’s role is to apply the European Convention on Human Rights, which says nothing about ‘duties to secularize education in Europe’ nor about ‘the nature of the relationship between the State and the church.'”

Defective Software Dangerous for U.S. Military

The Associated Press reported on June 1:

“A problem that rendered as many as 10,000 U.S. military GPS [Global Positioning System] receivers useless for days is a warning to safeguard a system that enemies would love to disrupt, a defense expert says. The Air Force has not said how many weapons, planes or other systems were affected or whether any were in use in Iraq or Afghanistan. But the problem, blamed on incompatible software, highlights the military’s reliance on the Global Positioning System and the need to protect technology that has become essential for protecting troops, tracking vehicles and targeting weapons…

“The problem occurred when new software was installed in ground control systems for GPS satellites on Jan. 11, the Air Force said. Officials said between 8,000 at 10,000 receivers could have been affected, out of more than 800,000 in use across the military. In a series of e-mails to The Associated Press, the Air Force initially blamed a contractor for defective software in the affected receivers but later said it was a compatibility issue rather than a defect…

“At least 100 U.S. defense systems rely on GPS, including aircraft, ships, armored vehicles, bombs and artillery shells… But a leaner, GPS-dependent military becomes dangerously vulnerable if the technology is knocked out…”

Global Military Expenditure Keeps Going Up

Deutsche Welle reported on June 3:

“Every year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) issues a report surveying international military expenditure… A SIPRI report released on Wednesday estimates expenditure in 2009 amounted globally to 1.5 trillion dollars, 5.9 percent more than in the previous year…

“Once more, it’s the United States which is at the top of the list, with 53 percent of the world’s expenditure – an increase of 47 billion dollars… But the US was not alone: Almost every region of the world, apart from some small countries in Eastern Europe, has increased military expenditure. Countries with significant natural resources have been particularly energetic. Algeria and Nigeria have doubled their expenditure, Kazakhstan has increased spending by 360 percent, Azerbaijan by nearly 500 percent, the Democratic Republic of Congo by as much 663 percent…

“SIPRI does see some progress towards a serious reduction in the 8,000 nuclear warheads in the world, thanks to Obama’s efforts to reach a wide-ranging disarmament and non-proliferation treaty. But even there, the increasing isolation of North Korea and Iran’s questionable nuclear program give grounds for pessimism.

“Germany has the world’s seventh largest expenditure on arms, at $46 billion (which is less than the US increase). Even within Europe, it’s not as big a spender as France or Britain. But what Germany and most western European countries have in common is an overall drop in military spending…”

Catholic Crisis Continues…

Deutsche Welle reported on June 2:

“German prosecutors said Wednesday they are investigating claims that the head of the German Catholic Church, Robert Zollitsch, aided and abetted a known sex offender in the church. It is claimed that while Zollitsch was in charge of a diocese in southern Germany in 1987, he appointed a priest who was known to have abused children. The archdiocese of Freiburg has released a statement denying that Zollitsch was responsible for the appointment, saying the decision was taken independently…

“Sexual abuse scandals have rocked the church in Germany since January, when dozens of cases emerged involving sexual molestation of minors by priests and other clergy over a period of 50 years at church-run schools. As Germany’s highest ranking bishop, Zollitsch has been at the frontline responding to the ongoing reports of abuse within the Catholic Church. He has often stated that the church needs to reform and ‘heal the wounds of victims.’ And in his Easter messages to his Freiburg parishoners, he said the Catholic Church must examine its ‘dark aspects as well as our own shadowy sides.'”

More Religious Ignorance and Confusion

On May 30, WorldNetDaily reported about short-sighted and biblically unsupportable claims by best-selling author Joel Richardson, arguing that the “Antichrist” will be Islamic, not European. Assuming Richardson means “the beast,” mentioned in the book of Revelation (even though he incorrectly refers to the beast as the “Antichrist”), his predictions are blatantly false. But to show our readers the confusion and false teachings propagated by so-called “experts” in the field of religion, we are bringing you excerpts from the WND article. But let it be known that Richardson is wrong, and that the beast will arise in Europe. Those who preach something different are ignorant of biblical prophecy.

WND wrote:

“With Europe on the verge of economic collapse, what about all those popular predictions that the European Union would become the world’s political powerhouse, giving rise to the endtimes prophecies of a world dictator known to Bible students as the Antichrist? Joel Richardson, author of a best-selling book on Bible prophecy, says atheists will have a field day mocking Christians for the incorrect interpretations about the last days.

“‘Nearly twenty years ago, I intently watched as a very popular Christian television prophecy teacher declared, ‘the present formation of the European Union is literally the fulfillment of Bible prophecy right before our eyes!'” he writes in a commentary today in WND. ‘According to this teacher, the creation of the European Union represented a biblically prophesied revived Roman Empire…’

“Richardson said the formation of the EU in 1993 spurred even more prophecy teachers to set their sights on Europe. ‘But the present harsh realities in Europe may soon cause all of this Euro-centric, restored Roman Empire prognosticating to come crashing down,’ writes Richardson. He also expects many Christians to become disillusioned as the EU fights for its very survival, rather than for the global dominance that was predicted…

“His book [“The Islamic Antichrist”] makes the case that the biblical Antichrist is one and the same as the Quran’s Muslim Mahdi. ‘The Bible abounds with proofs that the Antichrist’s empire will consist only of nations that are, today, Islamic,’ says Richardson. ‘Despite the numerous prevailing arguments for the emergence of a revived European Roman empire as the Antichrist’s power base, the specific nations the Bible identifies as comprising his empire are today all Muslim.'”

This is utter nonsense. In fact, we read the absolute opposite; namely that the “beast” or the “king of the North” will fight AGAINST and even occupy Islamic and Muslim nations. And that the beast will be working hand-in-hand with the biblical “false prophet”–a religious “Christian” personality.

If you want to know what the BIBLE prophesies–rather than what ignorant and misinformed biblical “scholars” may predict–please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy,” “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord,” “Is That in the Bible–The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation,” and “The book of Zechariah–Prophecies for Today!”

The Horror of Artificial “Life”

The Economist wrote on May 20:

“Artificial life, the stuff of dreams and nightmares, has arrived…

“Craig Venter and Hamilton Smith, the two American biologists who unravelled the first DNA sequence of a living organism (a bacterium) in 1995, have made a bacterium that has an artificial genome—creating a living creature with no ancestor… Pedants may quibble that only the DNA of the new beast was actually manufactured in a laboratory; the researchers had to use the shell of an existing bug to get that DNA to do its stuff. Nevertheless, a Rubicon has been crossed. It is now possible to conceive of a world in which new bacteria (and eventually, new animals and plants) are designed on a computer and then grown to order.

“That ability would prove mankind’s mastery over nature in a way more profound than even the detonation of the first atomic bomb. The bomb… was purely destructive… artificial life looks like a wonderful thing. Yet that is not how many will view the announcement. For them, a better word than ‘creation’ is ‘tampering’… What horrors will come creeping out of the flask on the laboratory bench?

“Such questions are not misplaced—and should give pause even to those… who normally embrace advances in science with enthusiasm. The new biological science does have the potential to do great harm, as well as good… It will be a while, yet, before lifeforms are routinely designed on a laptop. But this will come… Databases are filling up with the genomes of everything from the tiniest virus to the tallest tree.

“The risk of accidentally creating something bad is probably low… Creating something bad deliberately, whether the creator is a teenage hacker, a terrorist or a rogue state, is a different matter. No one now knows how easy it would be to turbo-charge an existing human pathogen, or take one that infects another type of animal and assist its passage over the species barrier…”

Venter–“One of the Most Controversial Scientists”

Bild Online wrote on May 25:

“US researcher Craig Venter (63) succeeded with the ‘divine experiment’, leading the scientific world to celebrate its heroes while the Catholic Church lurches between elation and horror… The reaction of the Vatican varied wildly between joy and shock. ‘A very great success,’ said Nicola Cabibbo, President of Pontifical Academy of Sciences, welcoming a breakthrough in genetic engineering. ‘Admiration for the capabilities of human intelligence,’ declared Archbishop Bruno Forte of the Pontifical Theological Commission…

“More critical was the legal expert of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Domenico Mogavero, in the ‘La Stampa’ newspaper. He called Venter’s discovery a ‘potential time bomb, a dangerous double-edged sword’ with possibilities which could not yet be assessed or predicted…

“Craig Venter was awarded the World Health Award in 2002 in Vienna. In 2009, President Barack Obama presented him with the National Medal of Science, the highest science award in the US. Venter may be one of the most successful scientists, but he is also one of the most controversial.

“Research colleagues tell him he lacks morals, and his many successes in the field of genetic research led to his reputation of wanting to play God. The latest research will once again stoke the debate on the ethical implications of his work.”

Man, following and embracing the “god” of science, will get to the brink of utter destruction. Only the returning Jesus Christ will be able to rescue man from man.

The Ongoing Oil Spill Disaster

Der Spiegel Online reported on May 25:

“Politicians in Washington are getting nervous. With attempt after attempt to seal the leaking BP oil well on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico having failed, a number of government officials ramped up the rhetoric over the weekend in an effort to up the pressure on the oil giant… Frustration is growing overseas as well. Cem Özdemir, head of the German Green Party, called for a boycott of BP in a newspaper interview published on Tuesday… He accused BP of disinformation and of trying to play down the damage caused by the ongoing oil leak…

“Over the weekend, more heavy oil washed into the marshlands of the Mississippi River delta, threatening the fragile ecosystem as well as the jobs of thousands of Gulf Coast residents who depend on the region’s fishery. On Monday, the US declared a ‘fishery disaster’ in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as a result of the pollution…

“Conservative daily Die Welt writes: ‘Washington’s oversight of the oil industry has failed. That is not surprising — it’s like a junkie trying to control his dealer. It has been said that the US Environmental Protection Agency is considering withdrawing all government contracts, drilling licenses and leases from BP. The oil giant has 22,000 oil and gas wells in the US worth $16 billion (€13 billion) — almost 40 percent of BP’s entire turnover. Such a move would be crushing. And it would be almost impossible to push through. BP is also one of the most important fuel suppliers of the US military…'”

The man-caused oil spill shows man’s utter helplessness in the face of his greed for passing and destructive riches.

President Obama Takes the Blame–Well, Not Really…

USA Today reported on May 27:

“The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has spewed more oil than originally estimated, surpassing the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in 1989 in Alaska to become the biggest oil disaster in U.S. history, federal scientists said Thursday.

“Meantime, President Obama issued tough words during a news conference, also on Thursday. He addressed questions by critics as to why the United States did not play a stronger role in facilitating an end to the spill triggered by an April 20 explosion on a rig leased by British energy giant BP. ‘From the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort,’ Obama told reporters at the White House. ‘As far as I’m concerned, BP is responsible for this horrific disaster’…

“Thursday, BP engineers continued to pump hundreds of thousands of gallons of heavy mud into a massive device atop the runaway well in the latest attempt to stem the flow. The procedure — known as a ‘top kill’ — started Wednesday afternoon and continued through the night…

“BP and federal officials have come under increased pressure for failing to plug the gushing well and keep oil out of coastal marshes and beaches. The oil has impacted more than 100 miles of Louisiana’s coast, including 35 acres of fragile marshland… BP officials will monitor the top kill operation for at least 24 hours, gauging pressure coming from the well.

“More than 7,000 barrels — or 294,000 gallons — of the heavy drilling mud has been jammed into the damaged blowout preventer… About 50,000 barrels of the mud sits on a supply vessel on the surface, ready to be pumped into the device.

“If the mud stems the flow, engineers will pump cement to seal the well. Two relief wells being drilled simultaneously will permanently seal the well… Those wells will not be completed until August.”

The Los Angeles Times added on May 27:

“President Obama on Thursday insisted his administration was ‘in charge’ and ‘on top of’ the effort to stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, batting away suggestions that the federal response had been lackluster and that BP executives were actually calling some of the shots. Speaking to reporters hours after BP launched its latest attempt to plug the hole on the ocean floor, Obama said federal officials specifically ordered the company to drill two holes as part of that effort instead of the single one executives had proposed.

“‘BP is operating at our direction,’ Obama said. ‘Every key decision and action they take must be approved by us in advance,’ adding that, if the Coast Guard ordered BP to do something, ‘they are legally bound to do it.’

“Obama said he was ‘angry and frustrated’ about the spill as it entered its sixth week but argued that the best experts were being deployed to ‘get this fixed as quickly as possible.’ …

“Obama blamed practices of the previous administration for poor regulation, citing a ‘cozy and sometimes corrupt relationship’ between oil companies and regulators.”

So, if President Obama and Washington are “in charge” and “on top of” the efforts to stop the oil spill, then they SHOULD take the blame for the ongoing disaster! To blame BP or the prior administration would not be fair or logical.

Painful Spending Cuts in Britain

BBC News wrote on May 23:

“Imminent spending cuts [of £6bn this year] will be ‘painful and controversial’, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has admitted… the business department’s budget will fall by £700m… a further £500m… come from trimming or axing public bodies… The government, which will hold an ’emergency Budget’ on 22 June, has said frontline services will be protected from cuts in spending… But with the deficit standing at £156bn, there are far more painful cuts to come… Labour have said budget cuts of this size will inevitably hit frontline services and threaten jobs.”

The Queen Announces Budget Cuts

Deutsche Welle reported on May 25:

“The new session of the British parliament was opened by the queen, surrounded by the regalia of ancient tradition. However, the message from her new government is one of future budget cuts… It was the monarch’s 57th Queen’s Speech… [She] announced her government’s ‘first priority’ would be to tackle the massive public sector deficit of an estimated 156 billion pounds (182 billion euros, $223 billion)…

“As the queen is Britain’s head of state, she has the formal power of inviting a prime minister to form a government and of opening each session of parliament. The ceremony is a traditional one, where Queen Elizabeth II, dressed in full royal regalia, addresses her government and subjects. In the speech written for her by the new Prime Minister David Cameron, the queen announced the most important issue was ‘to reduce the deficit and restore economic growth.’

“Areas of focus for the new government also include proposals for changing the British electoral system… The queen also confirmed the new government’s plans to limit the number of non-EU nationals entering Britain… A multi-billion-pound scheme to introduce ID cards in Britain will be scrapped, and the widespread use of surveillance cameras is to be more closely regulated.”

It remains to be seen how quickly the British people will have enough of their new government of “change.”

Britain Opposed to Agreement Supporting Euro

BBC News wrote on May 21:

“At a press conference in the German capital, Mr Cameron said the UK would not agree to the transfer of any sovereignty from Westminster to Brussels as part of any future reforms to EU institutions aimed at protecting the single currency area from economic instability… The Conservative leader has said any such transfer of powers would have to be approved by the British people in a referendum and has talked of repatriating EU powers in certain areas to the UK Parliament…

“‘Britain is not a member of the euro, nor are we likely to become a member, but we want a strong and stable eurozone. That is where 50% of our trade goes and it’s our interest that that takes place.’ But he insisted: ‘Britain would not be agreeing to any agreement or treaty that drew us further into supporting the euro area. It goes without saying that any treaty, even one that just applied to the euro area, needs unanimous agreement of all 27 EU states including the UK, which of course has a veto.'”

Whether this is a politically and economically wise or foolish position, it is in line with the biblical prophecies strongly indicating that Great Britain will not be a part of the eurozone and a member of core European nations.

Italy Defends Euro by Slashing Public Spending

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 25:

“The Italian government has joined a European movement to slash public spending — to the surprise of many Italians. Until recently, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had promised to avoid big budget cuts. But the euro must be defended, say Italian officials.

“Italy’s government approved a €24 billion ($30 billion) austerity package Tuesday evening… The package aims to reduce the nation’s budget deficit — which last year stood at 5.3 percent of its gross domestic product — to within the euro zone limit of 3 percent by 2012. It’s also meant to tame Italy’s public debt, which at 115.8 percent of GDP is the highest in the 16-nation euro zone.

“About half the cuts involve a sharp reduction in funds paid by the central government to Italy’s regions and cities. Wage freezes and cuts for public-sector workers will save some €6 billion. Salaries for government ministers and parliamentarians will take a 10 percent shave, and the government will slow its hiring. Only one in every five government positions that come open between 2011 and 2013 will be filled, according to the Reuters news agency.

“Average Italians won’t see their taxes rise, though taxes on stock options and private-sector executive bonuses will increase. The government will crack down on tax evasion, and introduce a measure called ‘construction amnesty’ — a grace period for Italians who have built houses without proper zoning approval. The amnesty allows homeowners to pay a fine lower than the taxes owed on their property…

“A deficit of 5.3 percent of GDP is… not outrageous compared to other euro-zone nations. It’s modest compared to Greece’s 12.7 percent deficit, for example, and less than half the deficit levels in Ireland and Spain…

“The cuts follow similar austerity measures in Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain. Germany, after backing a massive €750 billion package of loans to ensure other EU governments can meet their debt payments, will have to decide in June how to slash €3 billion from its own budget.

“The aim is to save the euro’s currency union from breaking apart despite pressure from financial traders skeptical of debt and deficit levels in Europe. ‘It’s absolutely necessary to do our part for Europe; to contribute to the financial stability of monetary union and to economic growth,’ Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said on Tuesday in Washington… early reaction from economists was positive.”

No Fertile Ground for Inflation in Europe

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 21:

“How real is the risk of inflation in the eurozone?… German Central Bank president Axel Weber… argues that the ECB is fully committed to controlling inflation in the eurozone. ‘The euro system will not budge a centimeter from its goal of maintaining price stability,’ said Weber… Even during these difficult times, he said, the ECB promises to ensure price stability…

“The employer-friendly Institute of German Business (IW) in Cologne maintains that European central bankers are well armed to fight inflation; it also doesn’t expect prices to explode anytime soon…

“Gustav Horn, director of the Institute for Macroeconomics and Economic Research (IMK)… has a plausible explanation why Europe is unlikely to fall into such an inflationary cycle in the near future… ‘The level of production in Europe is still far below the pre-crisis level. There is plenty of capacity, and unemployment is high. In such a situation, companies will be unable to push through higher prices and the same applies to unions seeking higher wages. So, to put it simply, inflation lacks fertile ground to grow.’”

Too Much Power for Europe?

The New York Times wrote on May 21:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany narrowly pushed the country’s share of the nearly $1 trillion stabilization package for the euro through Parliament on Friday in the face of significant public opposition. It was an uncomfortably close call for Mrs. Merkel. The bill passed by a margin of just seven votes, with half a dozen members of her conservative coalition voting against it. The left-wing opposition parties refused to support the deal, either abstaining or voting against it.

“The vote answered the question… of whether Germany is committed to seeking European solutions to the fiscal crisis facing the continent. It came at the end of a week that saw sharp divisions emerge over the German government’s decision to introduce unilateral measures to dampen financial-market speculation, and to do so without consulting its European partners…

“Mrs. Merkel’s leadership was called into question not only by leading opposition politicians but also by members of her own bloc. Horst Seehofer, state premier in Bavaria… [said] that too much power had been shifted to Europe at the expense of the German Parliament…

“Mr. Seehofer… used the debate over the rescue plan to distance [himself] from a chancellor in trouble… Germans are angered at the prospect of paying the debts of what they see as profligate states like Greece…”

This and the next article show what is really beginning to happen in Europe in light of the economic crisis–rather than falling apart, Europe is becoming more and more a hierarchical powerful dictatorship.

Clearer Hierarchy in Europe?

The EUObserver wrote on May 25:

“European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has said he is looking to establish a clearer ‘hierarchy’ among the EU institutions and member states to make it easier to deal with any future crises in the eurozone… Germany, angry at paying the lion’s share of the Greek bail-out – a move that is extremely unpopular among ordinary Germans – is leading the calls for a rules change, including a modification of the [Lisbon] treaty.

“But Mr Van Rompuy spoke out against opening a new treaty discussion… He is the second EU figure to speak out against treaty change after [European Commission President Jose Manuel] Barroso forcefully rejected the idea in a newspaper interview… Mr Van Rompuy… pointed out that the recession lasted only 12 months in most EU states… But the Belgian politician noted that ‘serious errors’ had been made in the last decade, including letting countries go unpunished for breaching the eurozone rules, ignoring the huge economic divergences between euro states and not acting even though weaker economies had been already showing balance-of-payment problems for several years.”

New War Between South and North Korea?

The Wall Street Journal reported on May 25:

“North Korea said Tuesday it will cut off all ties to South Korea, going well beyond the penalties that Seoul imposed on it a day earlier for its apparent role in the sinking of a South Korean warship two months ago… The decision sharply escalates the tensions between the two countries…

“North Korea said it would expel all South Koreans from a joint industrial complex just inside the North where about 120 South Korean companies employ about 40,000 North Koreans. The statement also said Pyongyang will ‘totally abrogate the agreement on nonaggression between the north and the south and completely halt the inter-Korean cooperation’…

“North Korea also said it would ban South Korean ships and planes from its territorial waters and airspace, though that step means little since South Korean planes avoid the country and only ships involved in commerce with the North travel there…

“Secretary of State Clinton promised military support for South Korea after Seoul laid down stiff penalties against North Korea. But China, a key ally of the North, declined to publicly criticize Pyongyang…

“North Korea’s state media said ‘dozens’ of South Korea warships crossed the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea over the past 10 days. The area, near where the South Korean patrol boat Cheonan sank on March 26, has long been disputed by North Korea… In the announcement, North Korea warned of further, unspecified military action in the Yellow Sea. It didn’t refer to the Cheonan sinking in the announcement.”

Bild Online added on May 25:

“North Korea’s mad dictator has put his country’s military on alert. The order was given by a senior military official in the capital Pyongyang, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap who quoted observers of the communist state.”

Christ prophesied that wars and rumors of wars indicate the beginning of sorrows. There have always been wars, of course, but in light of other signs which are being fulfilled in front of our eyes, we should also take heed of potential future wars–as many of these could affect and involve other countries and could ultimately throw this world into utter destruction. Let us never forget that World War I began with just one shot in Sarajevo.

Egypt and Israel Prepare for War

Israel National News reported on May 25, 2010 (Sivan 12, 5770):

“The Egyptian military completed large scale training maneuvers in the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday. The official Middle East News Agency said the weeklong maneuvers… included an exercise to cross the Suez Canal as well as a  simulation of an offensive thrust deep into what is termed as ‘enemy’- i.e. Israeli- territory.

“MENA further reported that helicopters, fighter jets, armored units, paratroopers and special shock troops participated in the military exercises and that similar drills were held in Sinai a week earlier… Egypt currently receives massive amounts of United States military aid and is considered to be the second biggest recipient of American weapons in the Middle East. Despite the country’s ostensible peace agreement with Israel, Egypt’s government remains a leader in the production of anti-Zionist propaganda.

“Israel is holding civil defense drills this week designed to prepare the country and its defense forces for various modes of possible attack on civilian areas.”

The Bible says that war will break out in the Middle East, and that the state of Israel will be isolated and overrun by their enemies. Rather than a treaty between Europe and Israel, there will be a confederation of European and Arab states against Israel. In this light, the next two articles are of special interest.

Germany’s Dealings with the Arab World

On May 22, Deutsche Welle published an article with the following headline: “Prime Minister Hariri calls on German troops to stay in Lebanon.”

The article continued:

“Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle… held a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut. There, he told reporters that peace in the Middle East is important for the entire world, not just those in the region… During his talks with Westerwelle, Hariri made it clear that he hoped the UNIFIL mission would be extended. He added that security, peace and stability in the region were in the best interests of Germany. Later on Saturday, Westerwelle travels to Cairo to meet with the General Secretary of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, as well as the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. His final visits are to Jordan and Syria on Sunday before his return to Berlin on Monday. A peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is to be an important topic of discussion on the trip…”

Deutsche Welle reported on May 25:

“On the second day of a four-day tour of the Gulf region, German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to Masdar City, a prestigious project that aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city. On Monday, Merkel wrapped up talks in Abu Dhabi with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister for Economic Affairs… Abu Dhabi is the capital and richest of the United Arab Emirates’ seven members… Germany is the UAE’S largest European trading partner, a position Merkel said she hoped to ‘solidify and of course expand.’

“Accompanied by a delegation of German business leaders, Merkel sealed contracts for plastic production and a natural gas service during her first stopover in Abu Dhabi, one of the most important economic partners for Germany in the Middle East. The list of top managers on the trip reads like a Who’s Who of Germany industry: Siemens chief Peter Loescher, Deutsche Bahn CEO Ruediger Grube, Linde CEO Wolfgang Reitzle and Eon-Ruhrgas Manager Bernhard Reutersberg. 

“The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce estimates that current projects in the Gulf are worth around 2.8 billion euros ($3.5 billion)…”

On May 27, Deutsche Welle reported:

“While in Qatar on the last day of her tour of the Gulf, Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday said Germany should do more to build business ties with the region… ‘We are definitely not moving fast enough,’ she said. ‘We have to exert ourselves.’

“Merkel said that, in an effort to rival the Asian competition, she would push for the introduction of a free trade agreement with Gulf States when she meets with EU leaders at a bloc summit in June… Merkel also said Europe had to work more closely with the Gulf States to foster a stronger mutual understanding of each other’s cultures…

“Earlier, in Saudi Arabia, Merkel addressed Gulf concerns over the ongoing economic crisis in the eurozone… ‘I want to (make) a very clear statement,’ she told a gathering of German and Saudi businessmen in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah, ‘Germany as the largest exporting nation, the largest economy in the European Union, has strongly benefited from the euro in the past … therefore, we will work with all our strength for a strong euro.'”

Europe’s Anti-Israel Propaganda Mission

A-7 News reported on May 21:

“Italian Member of European Parliament Gabriele Albertini, a senior foreign relations official, has stepped out of a delegation to Israel, calling the delegation’s planned trip an ‘anti-Israel propaganda mission.’… ‘Out of the 25 deputies who are to take part in the mission, there are fewer colleagues than the fingers on one hand whom you could define as pro-Israeli or even neutral,’ Albertini [wrote]. ‘Rather than a peace-keeping mission, it looks like an anti-Israel propaganda mission is being prepared!’

“The email followed a disagreement between Albertini and his fellow delegates after Israel refused to authorize the group to enter Gaza from Israel. While Albertini believed the delegation should alter its itinerary to allay Israel’s concerns, other delegates voted to circumvent Israel’s decision by entering Gaza through Egypt, and to show their displeasure by canceling a meeting with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.

“According to Albertini one delegate, German MEP Hans-Gert Poettering, wanted to hold a press conference criticizing Israel before the mission even began. Poettering’s idea earned applause from his fellow delegates, he added. Israel turned down the delegates’ request to enter Gaza due to concern that diplomatic missions to Gaza give moral support to Hamas. Israeli officials also noted that the EU delegation planned to ‘concentrate its program around interlocutors representing the views of only one side of the conflict.’”

Iran’s “Deal” With Turkey!

CNN reported on May 22:

“The deal, which was reached Sunday after 18 hours of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Iran, Brazil and Turkey, calls for Iran to hand over nearly half of its estimated supply of low-enriched uranium to Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called this week’s agreement for an Iranian nuclear swap one of the most important diplomatic decisions in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic of Iran…

“The deal has not swayed the United States and its international partners, who this week drafted a fresh set of tough sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program… Ali Akbar Javanfekr, an adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told CNN that Clinton’s statement that key nations had reached agreement on a strong U.N. resolution would not hurt Iran, but instead would alienate the United States. ‘Mrs. Clinton can have her opinions, but every day that passes the position of the Islamic Republic gains more support in the world while America is losing its allies because of its illogical position,’ Javanfekr said.”

Will the Security Council adopt “tough sanctions” against Iran, as CNN suggests? This is very unlikely, states Charles Krauthammer in the next article. But Javanfekr’s reflection, as quoted above, is noteworthy, saying that Iran’s political position grows stronger, while the USA is losing its allies.

Brazil, Turkey and Iran vs. the USA

On May 21, Charles Krauthammer wrote in the Washington Post:

“It is perfectly obvious that Iran’s latest uranium maneuver, brokered by Brazil and Turkey, is a ruse. Iran retains more than enough enriched uranium to make a bomb. And it continues enriching at an accelerated pace and to a greater purity (20 percent). Which is why the French foreign ministry immediately declared that the trumpeted temporary shipping of some Iranian uranium to Turkey will do nothing to halt Iran’s nuclear program.

“It will, however, make meaningful sanctions more difficult. America’s proposed Security Council resolution is already laughably weak — no blacklisting of Iran’s central bank, no sanctions against Iran’s oil and gas industry, no nonconsensual inspections on the high seas. Yet Turkey and Brazil — both current members of the Security Council — are so opposed to sanctions that they will not even discuss the resolution. And China will now have a new excuse to weaken it further.

“But the deeper meaning of the uranium-export stunt is the brazenness with which Brazil and Turkey gave cover to the mullahs’ nuclear ambitions and deliberately undermined U.S. efforts to curb Iran’s program. The real news is that already notorious photo: the president of Brazil, our largest ally in Latin America, and the prime minister of Turkey, for more than half a century the Muslim anchor of NATO, raising hands together with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the most virulently anti-American leader in the world.

“That picture… is a crushing verdict on the Obama foreign policy. It demonstrates how rising powers, traditional American allies, having watched this administration in action, have decided that there’s no cost in lining up with America’s enemies and no profit in lining up with a U.S. president given to apologies and appeasement.

“They’ve watched President Obama’s humiliating attempts to appease Iran… They’ve watched America acquiesce to Russia’s re-exerting sway over Eastern Europe, over Ukraine (pressured by Russia last month into extending for 25 years its lease of the Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol) and over Georgia (Russia’s de facto annexation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is no longer an issue under the Obama ‘reset’ policy).

“They’ve watched our appeasement of Syria, Iran’s agent in the Arab Levant — sending our ambassador back to Syria even as it tightens its grip on Lebanon, supplies Hezbollah with Scuds and intensifies its role as the pivot of the Iran-Hezbollah-Hamas alliance…

“They’ve observed the administration’s gratuitous slap at Britain over the Falklands, its contemptuous treatment of Israel, its undercutting of the Czech Republic and Poland, and its indifference to Lebanon and Georgia. And in Latin America, they see not just U.S. passivity as Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez organizes his anti-American ‘Bolivarian’ coalition while deepening military and commercial ties with Iran and Russia. They saw active U.S. support in Honduras for a pro-Chávez would-be dictator seeking unconstitutional powers in defiance of the democratic institutions of that country.

“This is not just an America in decline. This is an America in retreat — accepting, ratifying and declaring its decline, and inviting rising powers to fill the vacuum… This is retreat by design and, indeed, on principle. It’s the perfect fulfillment of Obama’s adopted Third World narrative of American misdeeds, disrespect and domination from which he has come to redeem us and the world…

“Given Obama’s policies and principles, Turkey and Brazil are acting rationally… There’s nothing to fear from Obama, and everything to gain by ingratiating yourself with America’s rising adversaries…”

Indeed, America’s weak leadership is creating a vacuum, which will be filled. But this vacuum will not be filled, foremost, by countries such as Turkey or Iran or Brazil, but by a most powerful United States of Europe.

President Obama Supports Pope’s Immunity

AFP wrote on May 25:

“The Obama administration in a brief to the Supreme Court has backed the Vatican’s claim of immunity from lawsuits arising from cases of sexual abuse by priests in the United States. The Supreme Court is considering an appeal by the Vatican of an appellate court ruling that lifted its immunity in the case of an alleged pedophile priest from Oregon.

“In a filing on Friday, the solicitor general’s office argued that the Ninth Circuit court of appeals erred in allowing the lawsuit brought by a man who claims he was sexually abused in the 1960s by the Oregon priest. The unnamed plaintiff, who cited the Holy See and several other parties as defendants, argued the Vatican should be held responsible for transferring the priest to Oregon and letting him serve there despite previous accusations he had abused children in Chicago and in Ireland.

“The solicitor general’s office, which defends the position of President Barack Obama’s administration before the Supreme Court, said the Ninth Circuit improperly found the case to be an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, a 1976 federal law that sets limits on when other countries can face lawsuits in US courts.”

This world, including the USA, accepts the pope as a political leader and sovereign head of a state–even though the Bible strongly condemns religious alliances with political powers. The true Church of God does not involve itself with the politics of this world, heeding Christ’s admonition that His kingdom is NOT of this world.

Celibacy in the Catholic Church

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 25:

“For about 900 years, the Catholic Church has required that its priests stay celibate. But what happens if a priest falls in love?… Since the vow of celibacy for clergy is an iron law in the Roman Catholic Church, it is an absolute requirement for young men wishing to become ordained as priests. However, a life of celibacy cannot be regarded as a commandment from God, since it is not specifically called for in the Bible. It was probably economic considerations which lay behind the decision to make celibacy obligatory in the 12th century; priests were thus unable to pass on church property to their descendants…

“A group made up of Catholic priests and their wives has been fighting against celibacy in Germany for over 25 years. Members estimate that not even 50 percent of priests in the country stay celibate… Abandoning the ministry does not come into question for many priests, and there is also a fear of social fallout. Priests are not insured against unemployment and only have minimal pension rights. They also lack experience with the working world outside the church… As a result, many priests have kept their relationships and children hidden…”

The concept of enforced celibacy is unbiblical and produces wrong fruits. It is interesting that it was apparently created by the Catholic Church because of greed for wealth and riches.

U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan — Clueless?

The British paper, The Sunday Times, wrote on May 16:

“The nominee to be the next justice of the Supreme Court has no opinion on anything… How do such people exist? Well, the truth is they have existed on the career ladder for the US Supreme Court since Robert Bork was crucified by the Senate when Ronald Reagan nominated him. Bork had written on everything, had opinions on everything.

“…nobody has been as blank a slate as Elena Kagan… she has never been a judge, so it is impossible to examine her rulings and her reasoning. She has barely written a thing… none of us outside her circles has a clue…

“Take this classic piece of blather from an icon of the liberal legal establishment, Walter Dellinger: ‘Her open-mindedness may disappoint some who want a sure liberal vote on almost every issue. Her pragmatism may disappoint those who believe that mechanical logic can decide all cases. And her progressive personal values will not endear her to the hard right. But that is exactly the combination the president was seeking’…

“How are we supposed to know [all of this], when she has never articulated any such progressive values in, you know, public? Well, we just have to take Barack Obama’s word for it… She is [Jewish]… unmarried, and apparently has no anecdotes of dates, no ex-boyfriends or girlfriends, no romantic interludes … nothing…

“The far right has already identified her as a ‘lesbian homosexual’; and the gay blogosphere openly discussed her alleged lesbianism weeks ago. But there is no confirmation of that anywhere and the White House reiterated last week that questions about sexual orientation ‘have no place’ in judging a nominee (but her gender most certainly does)… She is not only a blank slate as an intellectual and public figure; she is also a blank slate in other respects as well…

“Once Kagan gets on the court, she will answer to nobody for the rest of her life. Better get some answers now, then, don’t you think? Or does that too ‘have no place’ in such a process?”

Surprise Surprise — Asylum for Obama’s Aunt

USA Today reported on May 17:

“President Obama’s aunt, a native of Kenya, has been granted asylum by a U.S. immigration court and can stay in this country, her lawyers said today.The reason for the asylum request by Zeituni Onyango — the half-sister of Obama’s late father — has not been made public. But one of her lawyers said last year Onyango has been worried about ‘violence in Kenya.’

“Onyango’s current attorney… said ‘the asylum process is confidential and she wants to keep it that way, so we can’t get into details on why the judge granted asylum or the exact basis for her claim — she doesn’t want people to feel sorry for her.’ Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the White House ‘had no involvement’ in Onyango’s case.”

One of the principles on which this great country was founded was “justice and liberty for all.” We dare to say that not too many natives of Kenya, living in this country, would have been granted asylum, as there is no evidence that Kenyan natives living abroad and returning to Kenya would face governmentally sponsored or at least permitted persecution because of their ethnic, racial, religious or political origins or views

Bill Clinton the Joker?

The Times wrote on May 13:

“There are many ways to pay off campaign debts — cajoling phone calls, begging letters — but Bill Clinton believes that he has come up with a better method to wipe out the financial obligations outstanding from his wife’s failed presidential bid. He is raffling himself. In an e-mail sent to millions of people who supported Hillary Clinton’s White House campaign, the former President asks: ‘How would you like the chance to come up to New York and spend the day with me?’

“For those who would like the One-Day-With-Bill prize, an online donation of as little as $5 (£3) will buy them the chance… This is the second time in a year that Mr Clinton has offered himself as a lottery prize to whittle down his wife’s debt, something that makes some of their supporters cringe.”

We would think that Mr. Clinton’s date with the winner–assuming it’s a female–will be supervised…

U.S. Primaries Show Discontent with Washington

USA Today wrote on May 19:

“A growing wave of discontent with government crashed down on ‘establishment’ candidates running in primaries Tuesday… Few races represented the political backlash sweeping across the country better than Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate primary, in which Specter was defeated by Rep. Joe Sestak… ‘This is what democracy looks like,’ a beaming Sestak told supporters. ‘It should come as no surprise to anyone that people want a change.’

“Primaries in Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Kentucky were the latest sign of the nation’s political mood, as high unemployment and President Obama’s ambitious agenda allowed a new crop of candidates to claim the mantle of change. ‘We’ve come to take our government back,’ said Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, who courted the anti-tax ‘Tea Party’ movement to defeat Secretary of State Trey Grayson in the GOP Senate primary. ‘We want things done differently’…

“‘Distrust of all things Washington seems to be the theme,’ said Michael Franc of the conservative Heritage Foundation… The president’s party has lost seats in Congress in 10 of the past 12 midterm elections. Jennifer Duffy with the non-partisan Cook Political Report says the results show if ‘your name starts with “senator” or “congressman,” voters view you as part of the problem…'”

The New York Daily News wrote on May 19:

“Tuesday’s balloting is a fresh reminder of what all the combatants have understood for months: It’s a lousy year to be a Democrat, an incumbent or President Obama. At the very least, Democratic majorities in the Senate and House will shrink significantly this November…

“Pennsylvania was the biggest prize for anti-establishment forces… Obama couldn’t be found in the Keystone State. He and his handlers didn’t want to risk more embarrassment after Obama campaigned for losing gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia and couldn’t keep state Sen. Scott Brown from claiming Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat… If the Republicans seize control of either chamber, Obama’s legislative agenda is pretty much shredded…”

The Euro Must (and Will) Survive!

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 15:

“Despite the tough times, EU leaders are staying the course… In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel… defended her own decisions to support a financial rescue package for Greece. ‘When the stability of the euro is threatened, we can’t evade our responsibility,’ Merkel [said]. ‘With our guarantee package from the entire eurozone for Greece, we’re ensuring that the common currency remains stable… We all know, if the euro fails, more failures will follow,’ she said, adding that the only way to ensure the stability of the euro in the future was a convergence of financial policies in Europe.”

The Associated Press wrote on May 19:

“Merkel said that defending the shared European currency is ‘about no more and no less than the preservation of the European idea… That is our historic task; if the euro fails, then Europe fails,’ she told the lower house of parliament on Wednesday. ‘The euro is in danger – if we do not avert this danger, then the consequences for Europe are incalculable, and then the consequences beyond Europe are incalculable.’…

“Europe is showing a newfound resolve to strengthen its regulatory grip… ‘Europe needs a new culture of stability,’ [Merkel] said… Above all, though, Merkel said all EU members must speed up cutting their deficits. ‘Only then can the rescue attempts be effective, because continuing to cover up the real causes of the crisis wouldn’t help Europe,’ she said. ‘Germany advocates lasting stability in Europe – we’re not going to spare anyone in Europe from that.'”

Berlin Takes the Lead…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 19:

“Berlin means business… Angela Merkel’s government has drafted a list of proposals to revamp the European common currency. From suspending voting rights to national bankruptcy proceedings, the plan is far-reaching.

“The offensive now seems to have started in earnest. On Tuesday, European Union finance ministers announced efforts to both rein in hedge funds operating in Europe and to introduce a tax on financial transactions. Overnight, the German financial services regulator BaFin slapped a ban on certain types of short selling.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has also been working with her finance minister and economics minister on far-reaching changes to the treaty underpinning Europe’s common currency, the euro… Merkel’s government would like to see increased monitoring of member states’ annual budget proposals, the introduction of stiff sanctions for those in violation of euro-zone debt rules and the suspension of voting rights in the European Council. Furthermore, Germany wants to establish bankruptcy proceedings for insolvent euro-zone countries…

“Berlin is serious about taking the lead as the euro zone struggles with a suddenly weak currency. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is to present the draft to a European Union working group on Friday before it is considered at an upcoming EU summit… Many of the measures proposed in the draft paper would likely require amendments to the recently passed Lisbon Treaty…”

… But not Everyone Likes It

The Financial Times wrote on May 19:

“Europe’s leaders scrambled to restore unity in the face of the sovereign debt crisis after Germany dismayed allies with a unilateral ban on naked short selling. But officials in Brussels, Paris and other EU capitals made little effort to disguise their surprise and irritation at the German move against naked shorting – selling securities such as shares and bonds that are not owned or are borrowed.”

The New York Times wrote on May 19:

“World markets slid Wednesday while the euro hovered near four-year lows against the dollar after Germany announced new curbs on traders in a unilateral attempt to shore up the ailing single European currency and prevent the continent’s debt crisis from getting out of control… The unexpected decision sent shock waves through the markets, especially as it was done unilaterally by the eurozone’s largest economy…

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the measure, telling lawmakers that Europe faces an ‘existential’ test as it tries to shore up the euro. The ban on naked short-selling, she indicated, was part of a strategy to rein in speculators…”

Deutsche Welle added on May 19:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on other European nations to follow suit in taking measures to ensure that financial markets could no longer ‘extort’ sovereign states. While the euro showed signs of recovery on Wednesday, Germany’s sudden ban on naked short sales was generally met with surprise, or even irritation, rather than support.

“French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said ‘one ought to at least seek the advice of the other member states concerned by this measure.’ Lagarde will be one of the guests at a conference of world financial leaders hosted by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in Berlin. They hope to work on a common stance for financial regulation ahead of a Group of 20 meeting in Canada in June.”

Is the Euro Really in Danger?

Bild Online says, “No.” The mass publication also wrote on May 19:

“Most financial experts do not anticipate inflation… Financial expert Professor Peter Bofinger: ‘The euro is in a better position than the dollar, the pound and the yen. The current fall in value is without any consequence… The newly incurred debts in the euro-zone are small, comparatively speaking, and core country Germany can borrow money today at lower interest rates than ever before.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 20:

“A fall in value for the euro is good for Europe… because currently the declining euro is Europe’s most effective tool for generating sufficient economic growth to cover its budget deficits. The more the currency corrects its overvalued position, the more robust European exports will be — and it won’t be Germany alone that benefits. Europe’s south also gains from a lower euro, both directly (it will be a busy tourist season in Greece this summer) and because higher German growth means increased German imports from Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy.”

Europe Must (and Will) Become a Closer Union

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 15:

“Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is the 2010 recipient of the Charlemagne Prize, an annual award that recognizes efforts in promoting European understanding. Tusk received the prize in Aachen on May 13, with the Charlemagne judges praising him for steering Poland away from nationalism and bringing the former Soviet-bloc country into the heart of Europe.”

In just over a year, Poland will take over the presidency of the European Union for six months. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Tusk stated:

“For all those who understand the meaning of freedom, the meaning of human rights, the meaning of respect for tradition – for all those who have faith in themselves, in their own potential – Europe is, first and foremost, the best model for Europeans. Europe is understood as a union, the European Union – but it is also a continuing dream and a continuing challenge.

“Sometimes, especially in the so-called old Europe, I hear doubting voices, that Europe is not proving itself; that times of crisis have shown that the European Union is not up to the challenges. And we, the Polish people, but also many other Europeans, reply that it is precisely at such critical moments that the idea of Europe, or the union of free people, who believe in their potential and in fundamental values, becomes the most attractive challenge.

“And, as I have been repeating frequently over the last few weeks, the more difficult and painful our experiences, the more the doubting voices arise all around, the more we need to hold high the European flag, affirm the conviction that this is a phenomenal invention: the European family. We must repeat this all the louder and raise the rallying cry all the higher…

“A moment of historic reflection and common sense is enough to understand that nations will remain nations; Poles will feel Polish. And Germans, German. The French, French… This is as true about nations as it is about smaller ethnic groups. We shall remain true to our religions. We shall remain faithful to our customs, while at the same time being aware that Europe needs to be an ever closer union; it needs to think more effectively about its security… In the global world, a Europe divided by conflicting interests and conflicting values doesn’t stand a chance. But a Europe that can rise above these differences while not negating them has a chance to become one of the key world powers, and that is our shared dream…

“Nevertheless, we shall always be asking ourselves and other Europeans, as well as those who want to join the union, do you share our system of values?…

“The eurozone cannot afford for the grim experience of the recent months to be repeated ever again. Poland wants to become a member of the eurozone as soon as possible by fulfilling the criteria which have been agreed to by all…”

Greek Crisis Changes EU–The New European State

The Telegraph wrote on May 9:

“But if the early reports are near true, the accord [among the EU member states] profoundly alters the character of the European Union. The walls of fiscal and economic sovereignty are being breached… A European state is being created before our eyes…

“The euro’s founding fathers have for now won their strategic bet that monetary union would one day force EU states to create the machinery needed to make it work…”

The Birth of a New Gigantic Europe

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 17:

“The €750 billion ($950 billion) rescue package has calmed financial markets, at least for the time being. Stock markets have recovered and risk premiums on government bonds from the southern euro states have declined… The events on that dramatic weekend in Brussels marked the birth of a gigantic European transfer union, where previously unthinkable sums of money are made available to rescue southern euro-zone members.

“But over and above that, a number of determined politicians under the leadership of French President Nicolas Sarkozy have managed to undermine the independence of the European Central Bank (ECB)… Under the mounting pressure of waves of speculation against the euro, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has allowed herself to be talked into a bailout package that is nothing less than a general overhaul of the monetary union according to the agenda set by the French…

“There is a growing fear that a gigantic wave of debt will soon roll over Europe and the euro-zone countries will deal with it as elegantly and unscrupulously as they have so often done in the past — by allowing inflation to reduce their debts…”

Europe’s Shift to the Right…

The Los Angeles Times wrote on May 13:

“With David Cameron ensconced as prime minister here after 13 years of Labor rule, center-right parties or coalitions now have the upper hand in Western Europe’s most populous countries: Germany, France, Britain and Italy. They also rule several Eastern European nations, such as Poland and Hungary, while on the Iberian Peninsula, the Socialist governments of Spain and Portugal are struggling to fend off gains by conservative opponents.

“The shift to the right, underway for several years, has persisted despite the near-meltdown of the global financial system and the worldwide recession that followed. Rather than punish the right for the failings of unbridled capitalism, voters have turned to conservative parties to fix the situation, analysts say…

“Last month, the opposition Fidesz party in Hungary, which promised to trim the size of the state and cut taxes, thumped the ruling Socialists, sweeping two-thirds of the seats in parliament. In Poland, which elects a president next month, the center-right’s candidate is far ahead in the polls, and June general elections in the Netherlands could see significant gains for the far right.

“If present poll ratings hold, the right would dominate in Spain’s national elections next year. The tilt toward conservatism across Europe has been a source of puzzlement in many ways…

“In Germany, little seemed to distinguish the left-leaning Social Democrats from the conservative Christian Democrats… The debt crisis roiling the region and threatening stability of the euro has also scrambled traditional politics to some degree. Socialists hold power in Greece, Spain and Portugal. But those governments, constrained by rules governing countries that use the euro, are imposing harsh austerity measures to reduce their ballooning public deficits — in short, acting more like their conservative counterparts…”

New EU-Central American Agreement

Reuters reported on May 18:

“The European Union and Central American states reached an agreement on Tuesday to liberalize trade and cut import tariffs… The trade ministers of Central America and the EU express[ed] their full satisfaction with the outcome, which will result in an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced trade pillar of the association agreement… The European Union is Central America’s largest trading partner after the United States. Trade between the blocs stood at nearly 10 billion euros ($12.32 billion) in 2009.

“Central American states export mostly agricultural products such as coffee, bananas and other fruits to the EU and import machinery, chemicals, vehicles and fuels from Europe.”

New German-Palestinian Agreement

Deutsche Welle reported on May 18:

“Germany and the Palestinian National Authority tread new ground in Berlin on Tuesday, kicking off the landmark German-Palestinian Steering Committee… The high-level political partnership is aimed at facilitating peace in the Middle East.

“‘We believe that the development and reconstruction of state structures in the Palestinian areas are indispensable for a just two-state solution in the Middle East,’ German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a joint press conference with the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad.

“Westerwelle’s talks with Fayyad ran parallel to meetings between the German and Palestinian interior, economy, development and education ministers focused on the development of state institutions in the Palestinian territories.

“The steering committee resembles an arrangement that the German government already has with the Israeli cabinet. It is due to meet once a year, either in Berlin or Ramallah, and involves 10 ministers from each side… Westerwelle announced that a total of 50 million euros ($62 million) had been allocated for development and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian Authority for 2010, which since 2007 has had control over the West Bank following a split with the militant Hamas movement. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has no formal contact with European governments or the Middle East Quartet, which is made up of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States.

“Germany is to continue the training of Palestinian Authority police forces, raise the upper limit for export-credit guarantees… German firms would also assist in the reconstruction of a sewage plant destroyed in the Gaza war in 2009, the rebuilding of a water treatment plant in Tulkarem and the construction of an industrial park in Jenin. Some 20 million additional euros were being made available for the Gaza Strip’s energy supply, which currently relies heavily on smuggling via Egypt…

“Fayyad called it ‘historic’ that the Palestinian administration had the opportunity to meet with the German government for high-level talks. He said that the Palestinian Authority had no other such agreement with other states and that he hoped the steering committee would set an example ‘at the EU level, in the framework of efforts to create the structures for an independent Palestinian state.'”

Germany Shortens Military Service

Deutsche Welle reported on May 17:

“After many weeks of squabbling between the Christian Democrat and Free Democrat coalition partners in the German government, the two sides have finally agreed to shorten the country’s compulsory military service and the alternative community service for conscientious objectors from nine to six months… Compulsory military service, for those men drafted into the German Bundeswehr at age 19, will be cut to six months, with the option of voluntarily extending active duty.

“The FDP was unable to convince its political partners to give those opting to do alternative community service a monetary bonus for signing up longer, as active duty soldiers get. The agreement was nonetheless a success for the FDP because it paves the way for reducing the length of both services this year and strengthens the voluntary aspect of the duty. The FDP supports the idea of an all-volunteer, professional army and wants to do away with conscription.”

An all-volunteer, professional army would be of course much more effective than the current “compulsory” army of more or less unwilling soldiers.

No Full-Face Veil in France…

AFP wrote on May 11:

“The French parliament on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the full-face Islamic veil as an affront to the nation’s values, setting the stage for a law banning it. The vote in the National Assembly put France on course to become the second European country after Belgium to declare the wearing of the burqa or the niqab illegal in public places.

“President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing UMP party and the opposition Socialists made a rare show of unity in backing the non-binding resolution that declared the veil ‘contrary to the values of the republic.’

“Next week, Sarkozy’s cabinet will examine a draft bill that could impose fines on women who wear the full veil and threaten with imprisonment men who force their wives or daughters to cover themselves. That bill will then go before parliament in July… Debate on the burqa ban has prompted warnings that it could stoke tension in a country that is home to Europe’s biggest Muslim minority, estimated at between five and six million, and where Islam is the number two religion…

“The head of France’s Council of the Muslim Faith, a government body created to promote inter-faith relations, warned that the veil ban risks leaving many Muslims feeling like outcasts… French politicians have said the law will also apply to wealthy tourists from the Middle East and the Gulf who are often seen fully veiled in luxury shops on the Paris boulevards.”

Oil Spill–Much Worse than U.S. Government Suggests…

The Daily Mail wrote on May 16:

“As BP struggled to contain the environmental disaster, scientists have found enormous oil plumes lurking beneath the surface of the water, including one as large as 10 miles long, three miles wide and 300ft thick. The discovery suggests that the leak could be ‘substantially worse’ than estimates given previously by BP and the government… Crude oil is gushing unchecked into the sea from a blown-out offshore well a mile deep on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, threatening an ecological and economic calamity along the U.S. Gulf Coast.”

Der Spiegel wrote on May 19:

“… the massive oil slick has reached an important ocean current: the so-called Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico. This massive body of water flows to the north before swinging in a clockwise direction when it reaches the Mississippi Delta, after which it first spins eastward, and then finally northward to join the Gulf Stream. This powerful maritime conveyor belt could now carry oil to the previously unendangered coastal areas of Cuba and the US state of Florida…

“What was just a hypothetical danger for the past few weeks has become a certainty… at the very least, oil on the ocean surface has reached the Loop Current…

“Environmentalists are particularly worried about the Florida Keys, with its coral reefs, fields of seaweed and coastal mangrove swamps — as well as the potential effects of the oily devastation on a tourism industry that brings billions of dollars to the region each year…

“The oil poses [an] immediate and real danger — and yet one, whose effects are hard to predict — to the states on the Gulf of Mexico and to Florida. Predictions are made even more complicated by the onset of the hurricane season. The privately owned US weather service AccuWeather has forecast an above average number of cyclones and hurricanes for the region this year. The company warns that this could hinder attempts to contain the oil spill. And the choppy waters could carry the pollution even further to areas that have not been affected so far. Additionally, hurricanes traditionally increase in strength as they move across the Gulf of Mexico…”

Developing World Wipes Out Plant and Animal Populations…

The Telegraph wrote on May 9:

“The world’s biodiversity is threatened by the economic growth of countries like China, India and Brazil… While Western countries are increasingly aware of the need to protect endangered species, the developing world’s appetite for raw materials is destroying vulnerable ecosystems… Population growth, pollution and the spread of Western-style consumption are also blamed for hitting plant and animal populations…

“Ahmed Djoghlaf, who heads the Convention on Biological Diversity, said that countries had failed to honour pledges to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss. He said: ‘The magnitude of the damage [to ecosystems] is much bigger than previously thought. The rate of extinction is currently running at 1,000 times the natural historical background rate of extinction.’ He added: ‘It’s a problem if we continue this unsustainable pattern of production and consumption. If the 9 billion people predicted to be with us by 2050 were to have the same lifestyle as Americans, we would need five planets.’”

Jordan River May Fade Away

Israel National News reported on May 16:

“Environmentalists on both sides of the Jordan River are warning that the legendary body of water, now reduced to a stream, may soon fade away to nothing at all. And that from a river described in the Bible as ‘overflowing,’ where otters and other water creatures used to play. They’re long gone. Pilgrims still baptize themselves in the waters where Christian tradition says that John baptized Jesus, however – although many choose a different, less polluted spot on the river than the one described.

“A report released last week… said there are areas of the Biblical river [that] are already so narrow that one can simply walk across… Scientists who conducted the study predict that large areas of the river could dry up altogether by 2011 – a risk that could also affect the Dead Sea, into which the river feeds, to its south.”