Palestine – Part of the EU?
LAW AND RELIGION
When a judge attempted to display a rudimentary version of the ten commandments in the US in the state of Alabama last year, not only was the monument ordered removed, but the judge was removed from office as well. Many decried the inability for official recognition of these biblical laws in a nation whose heritage was founded on biblical principles.
Quoting from www.washingtompost.com (2/11/04), “France’s lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ban students from wearing Islamic head scarves and other religious apparel in public schools. The classroom ban, which also applies to Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses, was approved 494 to 36.” Continuing from this same article, ” ‘The Republic and secularism are strengthened,’ Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said, hailing ‘ the magnitude of this vote.’ “
Similar movements can be observed in Germany. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder supported the concept of banning public teachers from wearing head scarves in public school. While there may be reasons for prohibiting such practice, it is interesting to note that German President Rau voiced concerns against such a ban. When he did, the German press, attempting to create public opinion, vigorously and almost unanimously condemned him for his stance in the matter.
The argument for not establishing a state religion or allowing any religion to insinuate itself is certainly held by many. However, we see legislation now emerging in precedent setting ways that seeks to govern individual religious practices. Parental belief in healing or discipline that is based on biblical teachings has led to legal entanglements. The ability to observe the Sabbath and Holy Days based on constitutional guarantees in religious practices is under attack from legal decisions that threaten to whittle away these freedoms. The concern that children will be taught wrong concerns in public school — for instance in the areas of sex education or evolution — is brushed aside with the “legal” argument of the state’s right to enforce school attendance.
The Bible shows that there will soon arise a world-dominating religion which will enforce its will (Compare Revelation 13:11-18). At that time, the religious freedom enjoyed in many western nations will no longer exist.
What we are now witnessing are just the beginning stages of that steep slide into restrictive laws that will result in death for many who choose to obey God rather than man.
EARTHQUAKES
… in California
The Tribune, a local newspaper for San Luis Obispo County in California, reported on February 10, 2004, that the recent 6.5-magnitude San Simeon Earthquake that struck the area on December 22, had been predicted by an international team of earthquake scientists. The paper added that the prediction had been ignored, and that the earthquake did 3 Million Dollars in damage to the port’s breakwater, “seriously undermining [the rock jetty’s] structural integrity and potentially making the harbor more dangerous.”
… and in Israel
As www.haaretzdaily.com reported on February 11, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake hit Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors, but caused no injuries and only limited damage. The article continued: “… there are tens of thousands of buildings in Israel, some 80 percent of those constructed before 1990, and not protected against serious earthquakes… The region has a long record of destructive quakes. In 1927, a quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale killed more than 300 people and damaged more than 1,000 buildings in Jericho, Nablus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tiberias, Lod and Ramle.”
The article also pointed out the following:
“Biblical prophets also foresaw destructive earthquakes, which they believed would herald a return of the Messiah. The Hebrew prophet Zechariah predicted that Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives would be cleft in two by a quake. The New Testament Book of Revelation predicts ‘a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth.’ The Koran, the Muslim holy book, also predicts destructive earthquakes in the region.”
ONLINE-BANKING DANGEROUS?
Bild warned on February 3 that “Online-Banking” has become extremely dangerous, due to a number of viruses, especially “MyDoom.A,” and “MyDoom.B.” According to the article, these viruses can lead the user to a wrong website, revealing to hackers and other criminals their individual passwords and other private information.
EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION
As Deutsche Welle reported on February 9, France and Germany are determined to hammer out a European Constitution before the end of June, without contemplating to compromise their respective positions. The article continued: “The move is a further sign of deepening Franco-German ties. The two leaders [Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac] have forged a close political relationship since last year when they both opposed the Iraq war and have seen eye-to-eye on hotly-debated issues such as a post-war Iraqi order, the EU constitution and European security and defense policy.”
FISCHER VS. RUMSFELD
As News-Networld reported, Joschka Fischer and Donald Rumsfeld continued to fight over the Iraq war. Fischer said during a meeting in Munich on Saturday that the German Government’s position, opposing the war, had been verified by subsequent events. Rumsfeld responded that during their last meeting in 2003, the Iraqi people had been living in fear of a dictator. Fischer also warned of the current instability in the Middle East.
PALESTINE PART OF EU?
Der Spiegel Online reported on February 8, 2004, that German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer had suggested that countries such as Syria, Palestine, Israel and Morocco should become associated with the EU. While Israel uttered concerns, Nabil Schaath, Foreign Minister of Palestine, stated that it would be a wonderful goal for Palestine to become a member of the EU, once peace with Israel has been accomplished. He also said that Russia and the EU need to get more involved in the Middle East, since the Americans are too busy because of their internal presidential governmental elections.
JOERG HAIDER ITALIAN DOCTOR
Austria’s Joerg Haider is always good for surprises. NEWS-Networld reported that he received the title of “doctoris honaris” from a university in Milan, Italy, in economy and public communication. Haider already has a doctor-title in law.
THE GERMANS HAVE HAD IT…
Der Spiegel Online reported on February 7, 2004, about the reactions of the international press regarding Chancellor Schroeder’s resignation as party leader. The Financial Times, London, speculated that this might be a clever move by Schroeder, while Denmark’s Berlingske Tidende described Schroeder as an “unusually cynical politician,” who is “dangerous for European and Danish interests, as well as for the economy.” Die Basler Zeitung in Switzerland stated that Schroeder has changed his positions far too often, while Italy’s La Republican spoke of a “political earthquake” and a “German crises going up in flames.” France’s Le Figaro summarized: “In foreign countries, Schroeder’s reform politics are normally viewed with favor. The Germans, however, have had enough…”
BIRD FLU ON THE MARCH
The independent.co.uk reported on February 7, 2004, that “scientists are investigating a potentially serious escalation of the bird flu epidemic in the Far East after preliminary tests indicated that the virus may have jumped the species barrier into pigs.” The article also stated that “Avian flu has already crossed into humans, killing at least 18 people… Vietnam has slaughtered about 14 million chickens [according to BILD and Stern, many of those are being burned ALIVE] and Thailand about 26 million [Stern reported on February 12, 2004, that several cases of bird flu have been discovered in the United States]. Scie
ntists have shown that the three major pandemics of human influenza in the 20th century — 1918, 1958 and 1968 — were all the result of avian virus changing its structure and becoming more infectious to people.”
Der Spiegel Online added that such change could repeat itself at any time. “Experts fear that … we might see a catastrophic epidemic,” according to the magazine. BILD stated: “According to an expert, the bird flu might become thousands of times more dangerous than SARS… More than 50 million birds have been killed in 10 Asian countries… A mysterious phenomenon happened in China: On Tuesday, more than 10,000 finches fell dead from the sky. It is unclear whether there is any connection with the bird flu.”
NEW TERROR ATTACKS WITHIN THE U.S?
In January, der Stern published an interview with Gary Hart, former U.S. Senator and “one of the most influential politicians of the democrats.” The magazine pointed out that Hart, as a member of the Commission for National Security, had predicted long before September 11 a terror attack on U.S. soil by foreign terrorists. The Commission had concluded that “Americans will die on American soil, presumably in great numbers.” Hart was now quoted as saying that another terrorist attack on American soil will occur soon, stating that “it would be easy to bring chemical or biological weapons into the country.”
