Egypt’s Revolution Continues
“The Financial Times Deutschland writes:
“‘The announcement of Mubarak’s arrest is not entirely satisfactory. If the military council can decide on its own whim when Mubarak should be turned over to the judiciary, it raises questions about the legal system in place. It certainly makes one doubt the existence of democratic principles such as the separation of powers. That is true even if a trial against Mubarak is a positive development. In other cases too, the legal arbitrariness of the military reminds one of the Mubarak regime.’
“‘The generals should only stay in power until the Egyptians elect a democratic government. But such a change will hardly be successful if the military cement their hold on the country’s leadership. An independent judiciary, press freedoms and freedom of expression must all be part of a democratic transition. Western politicians, who presented themselves as friends of the democracy movement in the days after Mubarak’s fall, need to demand that democratic criteria are met. Egypt’s revolution has not yet been won.’”
From Newsmax.com, April 18, 2011:
“The Muslim Brotherhood’s mask is slipping in Egypt. Small ‘d’ democrats there and elsewhere are alarmed by top Brotherhood officials who now aver openly what has been utterly predictable: Once in power they will impose Shariah — the totalitarian, supremacist politico-military-legal program practiced in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, and increasingly elsewhere.
“The prospect that the most populous Arab nation, one that sits astride the strategic Suez Canal and has a vast American-supplied arsenal, is heading in such an ominous direction is made all the more remarkable since the Obama administration has done nothing to deter the rise of the Ikhwan (as the Muslim Brotherhood is known in Arabic).”
Gadhafi Not So Easy!
SpiegelOnline, April 15, 2011, reports:
“During their summit in Berlin, NATO foreign ministers have failed to make much progress on how to proceed with its mission in Libya. German commentators warn that a lack of resolve against Moammar Gadhafi could reveal the alliance as an impotent Cold War relic.
“A two-day NATO summit in Berlin this week has been hosted, in part, by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who awkwardly distinguished himself in the UN Security Council’s vote last month on military aid for Libyan rebels by a surprise abstention. Accordingly, when NATO members met on Thursday to decide what to do next, Westerwelle had to choose his words carefully. ‘What unites us is the goal,’ he told his colleagues in Berlin. ‘We want a free and democratic Libya.’”
BILD reported on April 15, 2011:
“If it continues like that, Muammar al-Gadhafi will remain the dictator of Libya long after NATO has ceased to exist as a functioning military alliance. The Americans, French and British could prevent a massacre against the Gadhafi opponents. This is to be applauded.
“But then NATO wanted to be in charge. But that was too much.
“The 28 states of the alliance have no common goal and no common idea as to how much to risk militarily. It is the announcement of capitulation.
“When Germany felt it was extremely clever to vote during the UN Security Council meeting against the three main NATO partners, it became clear: A half crazy desert despot can divide the West. Just that.
“That should have warned NATO. Now it is paralyzed. It cannot just abandon its military activity. It cannot accept a stalemate with Gadhafi. But what it would need, to get rid of him, for instance ground troops, it cannot achieve.
“This way, the alliance is abolishing itself.”
BBC, April 20, 2011, adds:
“At the moment, political and diplomatic contacts are not bringing an end to the war any closer. Britain and France are Nato’s hawks on Libya, and aren’t prepared to negotiate with the government here until Col Gaddafi goes.
“That means they do not have an easy or fast exit from the war. Deploying military advisers means they are deepening their involvement.
“And despite what the Libyan foreign minister has said about what could happen after an election, Col Gaddafi shows no signs at all of stepping aside, let alone leaving the scene.”
Soon, NATO will be replaced by a powerful United States of Europe.
Europe: The New Protector?
WorldNetDaily, on April 18, 2011, reported:
“The European Union might intervene militarily to halt violent clashes between protesters and the governments of Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, according to one official, Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin reports.
“Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Zsolt Nemeth has warned of a Libyan-style military intervention as a “distinct possibility” unless these regimes stop the killings and repression of demonstrators and “[clean] up their acts.”
“Security forces reportedly have killed some 23 people Bahrain, 122 in Syria and 63 in Yemen.
“At a recent European Parliament meeting, Nemeth said that the parliament had been discussing countries ‘where there are authoritarian regimes which are also playing with fire, and where there is a risk of intervention.’
“‘I think we have sent out a very clear and important signal that came from the (EU) high representative (Catherine Ashton) and that is a very crucial message to these three countries,’ Nemeth said. ‘They know that in Libya and also in the Ivory Coast there have been military interventions and that’s always a possibility.’
“Nemeth pointed to an evolving approach by Europeans as shaping a ‘very clear philosophy under the motto of “the responsibility to protect” and that should be a warning sign to Yemen, Bahrain and indeed to all of those countries which maintain authoritarian regimes.’”
Declaring a Palestinian State
WorldNetDaily posted on April18, 2011:
“The Obama administration has asked the Palestinian Authority to halt talks on a unity government with Hamas, according to a senior PA official.
“The official said the White House fears a unity government with the Islamist group would make it difficult for the U.S. and European Union to support the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state in the United Nations.
“The information is the latest indicator Obama will not veto the controversial U.N. resolution, which would recognize a Palestinian state in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, purportedly including the Temple Mount.
“Like Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, is the site of biblical, historically Jewish communities.”
Also, from the EUOBSERVER, 4/14/11:
“The Palestinian Authority has welcomed endorsement of a UN report on institution building as a ‘birth certificate’ for statehood amid Israeli concern over a potential unilateral declaration of independence.
“The Ad-hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) on Palestine at a meeting in the EU capital on Wednesday (13 April) endorsed a UN report which says that in six key areas – rule of law, the economy, education, health, social protection and infrastructure – in the West Bank ‘government functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state.’
“The AHLC is an international body comprising the EU, US, Israel, Canada, Norway, Russia, four Arab countries, the UN, the World Bank and the IMF.
“The endorsement comes ahead of a UN meeting in September in which Israel fears the Palestinian side will unilaterally declare independence in territories under its control before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war due to a stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
“Speaking after the event in Brussels, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said: ‘This very important meeting effectively recognised the reality of a state of Palestine being projected on the territory occupied in 1967, which amounts effectively to a birth certificate for the reality of Palestinian statehood.’
“Asked by press if the move makes a unilateral declaration more likely, he said he would favour a final settlement recognised by Israel: ‘We are not looking for yet another declaration, or for a virtual state.’
“He went on to note that the AHLC-UN decision, plus related decisions to grant the Palestinian Authority observer status in the WTO and tariff-free exports to the EU, are ‘reflective’ of growing support for independence, however.
“‘These are important developments and we see them as reflective. A lot of countries around the world stand ready to offer that recognition. Of course, exactly when they do so precisely is a time for their choosing.’”
These moves are prophetically significant. Indeed, the Bible, in Zechariah 12, verses 2-3, indicates that all nations will gather against the City of Jerusalem. Our free booklet— “The Book of Zechariah, Prophecies for Today!”—gives more details about these momentous occurrences!
Hungary’s Controversial New Constitution
From Deutsche Welle, April 18, 2011:
“Lawmakers from Hungary’s governing majority have approved a controversial new constitution amid a boycott by the opposition. Critics fear a ban on abortion and discrimination against homosexuals and non-Christians.
“With a two-thirds majority in parliament, Hungary’s ruling center-right party effortlessly pushed through a controversial new constitution Monday that the opposition deems an attack on democracy and citizens’ rights…
“Critics say the constitution is the government’s attempt to cement its power beyond its term, alleging that it eliminates the system of checks and balances, prevents Hungary’s eventual adoption of the euro, forces its Christian ideology on the country and limits civil liberties.
“The new constitution’s preamble is laden with references to God, Christianity, the fatherland, the ‘Holy Crown of Hungary,’ and traditional family values, raising opposition fears about the future rights of Hungary’s atheists, homosexuals and single-parent families.
”However, the majority in parliament did not share these fears. Laszlo Kover, a Fidesz parliamentarian and speaker of the house welcomed the new basic law, saying it ‘acknowledges Christianity as the basis of our civilization but it ensures moral freedom.’
The article adds:
“German deputy foreign minister, Werner Hoyer, commented on Monday in Tunis that Hungary’s current course was not in line with European values.
“‘We are observing the developments in Hungary with great attention and not without concern,’ he was quoted as saying on the German Foreign Ministry’s website.”
In its article dated April 20, The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has no problem with the new constitution:
“The preamble may seem antiquated to Western observers. But for the big majority of Hungarians in the country and for the Hungarian minorities abroad, the references to a ‘national statement of faith’ and a ‘holy crown’ are values as worthy of the constitution as are references to God and Christendom and the emphasis on marriage and family as foundations of society and state. There is no evidence in the text that the amendments are not in line with basic European values, as [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban’s opponents are claiming.”
S&P Downgrade—U.S. Negative!
The Guardian.co.uk published on April 19, 2011:
“Shares fell heavily on Wall Street on Monday after a leading ratings agency fanned fears of Europe’s debt crisis spreading across the Atlantic by issuing a strong warning about America’s failure to tackle its budget deficit.
“In a move seen by Wall Street as a ‘shot across the bows’ of bickering politicians in Washington, Standard and Poor’s (S&P) said it was cutting the outlook on the US’s long-term rating from stable to negative for the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbor 70 years ago.
“The announcement surprised the financial markets, where attention in recent months has been focused on the problems of the weaker nations of the eurozone. Renewed speculation that Greece will be forced to default on its debts led to a sharp sell-off in the euro, but S&P stressed that the US was not immune from the sovereign debt crisis.”
This bad news for the U.S. comes on the heels of a growing push to replace the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. However, with the U.S. economy suffering on more and more fronts, the Euro is emerging as the most stable monetary unit—something we have been reporting as a key and decisive fulfillment of prophecies concerning an all-powerful, revived Europe!
Texas Burns!
CNN published on April 20, 2011:
“Texas firefighters Wednesday battled blazes that have scorched more than a million acres and have been burning for more than a week, according to the Texas Forest Service.
“‘We’re actually seeing Texas burn from border to border. We’ve got it in west Texas, in east Texas, in north Texas, in south Texas — it’s all over the state, Forest Service spokeswoman April Saginor told CNN Radio.”
This article also states that the reason for these fires is lack of rainfall; and, as the next article shows, weather problems in the U.S. are widespread—even historic!
Tornadoes Ravage the Southern U.S.
AccuWeather.com wrote on April 17, 2011:
“From Thursday, April 14, 2011 to Saturday, April, 16, 2011, devastating tornadoes rampaged across communities of the southern United States. Cities and towns from Oklahoma to North Carolina were assaulted by the deadly twisters.
“The tornado outbreak led to a total of 241 tornado reports in 14 states over the three-day period. This will likely rank this tornado outbreak among the largest in history.
“Tragically, the death toll has risen to 39 people so far with dozens of others injured. The number of fatalities could rise as investigations continue. This tornado outbreak already ranks as the most deadly outbreak since the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak.
“In North Carolina alone, close to two dozen eople were killed on Saturday, while seven people were killed in Alabama on Friday…
“This mid-April 2011 tornado outbreak is likely to rank among the largest tornado outbreaks in history with 241 tornado reports.
“‘There has not been a tornado outbreak in history over three days with this many tornadoes spawned by a single storm system,’ according to [Expert Senior Meterorologist Henry] Margusity.”
California’s Newest Curriculum!
The Telegraph reported on April 17, 2011:
“Children would take lessons on issues affecting gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, with schools granted discretion about what age to start the lessons.
“The law was passed by the state’s senate and is likely to pass the assembly easily, which is also controlled by the Democrats, before being signed by Governor Jerry Brown.
“The legislation, sponsored by Democrat Mark Leno of San Francisco, passed on a 23-14 party line vote.
“‘We are second-class citizens and children are listening,’ he said. ‘When they see their teachers don’t step up to the plate when their classmate is being harassed literally to death, they are listening and they get the message that there is something wrong with those people.’
“Republican state Senator Doug La Malfa opposed the bill saying: ‘I’m deeply troubled kids would have to contemplate at a very, very early age, when many of us are teaching abstinence … what is sexuality.’
“California law already requires schools to cover the contributions to the state and nation of women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labour activists. The new bill will also add the disabled to the list.”
The Bible also records accounts of “gay history”—specifically, in Genesis 19, where the story of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah is told. However, it is doubtful that this history will be a part of California’s newest teaching curriculum!
